Saturday, June 2, 2012

RANDOM SHOTS - Judge Revokes Zimmerman Bond, Chicago Goes Kill Crazy, Unemployment Is Worse, and More!


FIRST SHOT!

Judge Revokes George Zimmerman's Bond In Self-Defense Trial

Yes, it is all about about a citizens right to self-defense. If you don't think so, then think about what's really on trial here: a man defending himself against a bigger stronger attacker who was in the midst of trying to bash his head in.

And now, a judge on Friday revoked George Zimmerman's bond and has ordered him returned to jail within 48 hours.

Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester said that George Zimmerman and his wife, Shellie, misled the court about how much money they had available when his bond was set for $150,000 in April.

Prosecutors claim Zimmerman had $135,000 available that had been raised by a website he set up.

Zimmerman's wife testified at the bond hearing that they had limited funds available since she was a nursing student and Zimmerman wasn't working.

"He can't sit back and obtain the benefit of a lower bond based upon those material falsehoods," Lester said.

Defense attorney Mark O'Mara said the fact that Zimmerman and his wife never used the money for anything indicated "there was no deceit."

"I do think that the Zimmerman family was acting with the constraints they thought they had," O'Mara said after the ruling. "I don't think that they had free access to that money and I think that was evident by the way that they used it and didn't use it."

Prosecutor Bernie De la Rionda described the Zimmermans' testimony as "misleading."

"This court was led to believe they didn't have a single penny," said De la Rionda. "It was misleading and I don't know what words to use other than it was a blatant lie."

Benjamin Crump, an attorney for Trayvon Martin's parents, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, said his clients have always said Zimmerman should remain in jail until trial, which O'Mara said he believed wouldn't be until next year.

Crump was asked if he thought that if Zimmerman would be willing to lie about his finances that he would be willing to lie about what happen the night Martin was killed.

"We fully expect that the special prosecutor will make George Zimmerman's credibility be front and center in this entire case," Crump said. "And whatever dishonesty that comes forth by George Zimmerman that they can prove, you can best believe it will be the issue of this case and rightfully so."

Prosecutors also said Zimmerman had failed to surrender a second passport, but the judge dismissed that concern as the equivalent of someone who has lost a driver's license, applies for a new one and then finds the old driver's license.

O'Mara said he hopes the revocation of bond is "temporary." "I hope that they will give us a day in court to explain George's behavior and look at all the circumstances, even the discovery that's come out to date in determining what he's going to do about letting him back out on bond," he said.

Zimmerman is pleading not guilty to second-degree murder and claims self-defense. Zimmerman shot Martin in February after Martin attacked Zimmerman.

On May 16th, court records were released that show George Zimmerman had multiple injuries after being attacked by Trayvon Martin.

That's right, court  records show Zimmerman had injuries consistent with his claims as to what took place after being assaulted by the bigger taller Martin.

Court records show George Zimmerman had a pair of black eyes, a nose fracture, and two cuts to the back of his head after being attacked by Trayvon Martin.

The medical records were part of evidence released that Prosecutors have in the second-degree murder case against Zimmerman. Zimmerman entered a plea of not guilty and claims self-defense in the February 26th self-defense shooting in Sanford, Florida.

ABC News first reported Zimmerman's injuries from the medical records. Some of the injuries were previously reported by The Associated Press based on video showing Zimmerman with police officers following the shooting.

Zimmerman, 28, faces a potential life sentence if convicted. His story has not wavered as he has said that he only fired his handgun because he feared for his life after Trayvon Martin attacked him, had him on his back and was slamming his head into the pavement.

Zimmerman's injuries goes along with his story that he acted in self-defense, because he was getting beaten up by the bigger stronger Trayvon Martin.

If Zimmerman prevails on his self-defense claim, a judge could dismiss the case before trial.

Local station WFTV reported that an autopsy of Trayvon Martin showed that the only injury Martin had - aside from a fatal gunshot wound - was broken skin on his knuckles from assaulting Zimmerman.

Though the injury noted in the autopsy report could support George Zimmerman's claim that Trayvon Martin punched him in the nose before slamming his head on the sidewalk, the liberal media and so-called civil rights activists  in the black community has denied that they have any bearing on the case.

It's as if some people, maybe out of racist or other prejudicial reasons, simply refuse to accept the fact that George Zimmerman is telling the truth.

Until today, Zimmerman was free on $150,000 bail and living in an undisclosed location. He has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder charges that were only filed after the governor appointed a special prosecutor to investigate the slaying in the central Florida city of Sanford.

The case has become a national racial flash-point because the Martin family and supporters contend Zimmerman had singled out Martin because he was black.

The liberal media who has a cow anytime a citizen defends himself, believes that the law took too much time in arresting George Zimmerman. During the 44 days between the actual incident and Zimmerman's arrest, liberal news media sources whipped up protests nationwide.

An example of this is NBC News which edited and falsified the 911 calls made by George Zimmerman the night he was attacked - all in an effort to incite hate by depicting Zimmerman as a racist.

NBC's doctored version was aired on the "Today" show in an attempt to deceive the public. 

After they were outed for lying to their viewers for editing the 911 tape in a way that made it appear Zimmerman was racially profiling Martin - when in fact he was not - NBC News came under fire but it was quickly forgotten by other networks.

At Friday's court hearing, De la Rionda and O'Mara also asked a judge to stop the public release of witness names and statements made by Zimmerman to police officers. Those documents normally are part of the public record under Florida law.

"What's occurring, unfortunately, are cases are being tried in the public sector as opposed to in the courtroom," De La Rionda said. "We are in a new age with Twitter, Facebook, and all these things I've never heard of before in my career. Everybody gets to find out intimate details about witnesses that never occurred before. Witnesses are going to be reluctant to get involved."

A group of more than a dozen media outlets asked the judge to ignore the request, saying such records are presumed to be publicly available under Florida law.

Rachel Fugate, an attorney for the Orlando Sentinel, cited the Casey Anthony trial as an example of a highly publicized case in which a jury was able to be seated despite intense media coverage. The Florida mother was acquitted last year of killing her 2-year-old daughter.

"Discovery in Florida has traditionally been open ... and Florida hasn't encountered problems seating juries and giving defendants fair trials," Fugate said.

O'Mara said Friday on a website that he doesn't expect the case to be ready for trial until next year.

O'Mara said he expects to call on 50 witnesses who need to be deposed before he decides whether to file a "stand your ground" motion which would ask for a hearing before a judge without a jury.

At the hearing, Zimmerman will argue self-defense under the Florida law which gives citizens wide latitude to use deadly force rather than retreat in a fight if they believe they are in danger of being killed or seriously injured.

The case has placed a spotlight on Florida's "Stand your Ground" law, which states that an individual can use force in self-defense when there is a legitimate belief of a threat, without having to retreat first.

Zimmerman claimed Martin had confronted him, broke his nose with a punch and was bashing his head into the pavement when he fired the deadly shot in self-defense.

I can't help but wonder if George Zimmerman is a scapegoat for the political left. I can't help but wonder if this is an attempt by the left to show that people have no inherent right to defend themselves.

Their bullshit argument is that if people can use deadly force as a "right," then people will use this "right" as a way to attack minorities. That sort of twisted logic is why they want "Stand Your Ground" repealed.

SECOND SHOT!

Chicago or Afghanistan - Which Is Safer?

Believe it or not, Chicago is deadlier than Afghanistan!

That's right! According to data from the Department of Defense and the FBI, the number of murdered in Chicago is two and a half times the amount of U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan since 2001.

According to data provided by the FBI and Department of Defense, 5,056 people have been murdered in Chicago since 2001 -  compared that with 1,976 total U.S. deaths in Afghanistan since 2001.

But wait, there's more for the Second City to be proud of - Chicago's murder rate even outpaces total NATO coalition forces fatalities in Afghanistan since 2001 by a difference of more than 2,500 killed.

This last weekend was Memorial Day weekend, and yes, 10 more die in Memorial Day weekend Chicago shootings. It just doesn't stop!

On May 29th, Reuters reported that 10 people were killed and dozens were wounded in shootings in Chicago during the long Memorial Day weekend.

The 96-hour spasm of gun violence added to the toll of what already has been a deadly year on the streets of the third-largest U.S. city. Through May 13 this year there have been 185 homicides in the city, according to the latest police figures, up from 116 during the comparable period last year.

Chicago's murder rate has outpaced New York City, which has more than twice the population.

This weekend's victims included a 7-year-old girl wounded while playing in front of her house on the city's south side, and a 13-year-old boy murdered in a pizzeria on the city's north side.

Murders in Chicago are up more than 54 percent, according to police data.

After reading what Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy had to say about why Second City is so Kill Crazy, it just sounds like more lip service as no one really knows what to do about the drugs, the gangs, and the crooked cops in that city.

One bit of irony in all of this is that Chicago is probably the city with the strictest Gun Control laws and policies in the entire nation.

Yes, in Chicago, a citizen does not have the right to carry a gun to protect his or her self. They are just targets!

THIRD SHOT!

Talking About Crooked Cops - California Sheriff's Deputies Illegally Selling Guns

In Sacramento, California, Federal Prosecutors announced charges against two Sacramento County Sheriff's Deputies. They are being accused of illegally selling dozens of weapons, some of which authorities say fell into the hands of criminals.

Deputies Ryan McGowan, 31, and Thomas Lu, 42, both of Elk Grove, face charges of trafficking in handguns that cannot be legally bought by citizens in California -  including some exotic weapons such as high-powered rifles mounted on pistol frames.

Also charged were firearms dealer Robert Snellings, 61, of Rancho Marietta and Ulysses Simpson Grant Early IV, 36, of Sacramento, who is accused of buying guns.

U.S. Attorney Benjamin Wagoner said the deputies were charged with serving as straw buyers by purchasing the restricted handguns. They then sold the handguns at a profit of thousands of dollars to unqualified buyers through licensed dealers.

"When law enforcement officers misuse their badges to funnel dangerous weapons to the highest bidder, they compromise the safety of the public," Wagoner said at a news conference. "By putting personal profit ahead of public safety, they undermine the very essence of their duty."

Sacramento County District Attorney Jan Scully said three of the weapons sold by McGowan wound up in the hands of criminals. One went to a convicted drug dealer, who also is being charged in the county. The other two weapons were later illegally converted to assault weapons and recovered by Daly City Police after a six-hour standoff.

California law bars citizens from buying handguns that have not been deemed safe by the State of California Department of Justice, but the law exempts Police Officers.

The two sheriff's deputies are accused of using their peace officer exemption to buy dozens of weapons over more than a year then selling them to others for a profit.

Investigators said there was no evidence the deputies intended the weapons for criminals. Peace officers who own off-roster firearms may sell them in a private sale, as long as it is brokered by a federal firearms licensee.

But, they cannot use these private sales to conduct a business with a principal objective of making a profit through the repetitive purchase and resale of firearms.

McGowan and Lu were charged with engaging in a firearms business without a license, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Snellings was charged with five counts of conspiracy to make false statements in Federal Firearm records. Early, the buyer, and McGowan were each charged with one felony count of conspiracy to make a false statement in federal firearm records.

The maximum penalty for each conspiracy charge is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. McGowan faces two separate state counts of selling large capacity magazines to an undercover agent last year; two counts of possessing illegal assault weapons; and one charge of illegal steroids. Those charges could bring him a maximum total sentence of five years and eight months in state prison.

Federal records show since 2008, McGowan purchased 41 handguns and sold 25 on his own. Lu bought 27 since 2008 and resold 23.

Snellings' business, Snellings' Firearms, is accused of selling or transferring 33 guns to McGowan and 29 to Lu between 2008 and late 2011.

Two other police officers, one in Sacramento and the other in nearby Roseville, were implicated in the investigation but were not charged because of their limited involvement.

Both have since lost their jobs.

The two deputies worked at the department's Rio Cosumnes Correction Center in Elk Grove. Lu resigned and McGowan is on paid administrative leave, said Deputy Jason Ramos, a spokesman for the sheriff's office.

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, assisted by deputies and police within the local departments, spent months investigating the alleged weapons dealing. The investigation became known when agents served search warrants in November.

The weapons include easily concealable semiautomatic pistols that shoot high-velocity .223 caliber bullets, the same long-range ammunition used by the U.S. military for its M16 and M4 rifles. Also sold were handguns that fire .50 caliber pistol bullets, a less powerful version of the same large-caliber round used in machine guns and sniper rifles. Investigators say semiautomatic handguns built to look like Israeli-made Uzi submachine guns also were bought and sold.

The federal investigation led Assemblyman Roger Dickinson, D-Sacramento, to propose legislation to close what he calls a loophole in the state's "unsafe handguns" law, passed in 2001.

Peace officers and members of the military are required to use a registered firearms dealer if they want to sell their privately owned weapons. But current law does not require the dealer to make sure the ultimate buyer is also eligible to own handguns that aren't on the Department of Justice's list of approved weapons.

Dickinson said his AB2460 would require dealers to check whether weapons are considered "unsafe handguns," and sell them only to other law enforcement officials or members of the military who are exempted under the law. The bill passed the Assembly in May and is awaiting action in the Senate.

It just goes to greed and the desire of some folks to try to scam the system to their own benefit. It's a shame really, but stupid is as stupid does!

FOURTH SHOT!

Economy Taking A Nose Dive And Obama Blames Congress

On June 1st, with the horrible employment news coming out of Washington, Barack Obama did what he usually does - pass the buck and put the blame on others.

Since Bush wasn't available, he put the blame for a terrible May jobs report on Congress - saying its their inaction that has stymied economic recovery.

Obama said Congress has not passed enough provisions of his jobs plan saying, "There's no excuse for it!"

He went on to say that Congress must work immediately to offer more tax breaks for small-business owners and for homeowners who refinance. And, not to anyone's surprise, he also wants to extend tax credits for clean energy manufacturers.

The message the president issued on Friday follows his standard rhetoric surrounding a "to-do list" he released for Congress last month, which urged lawmakers to take steps to address the employment situation since he has no idea how to do it.

Obama is on the road campaigning away and raising all sorts of money just about everywhere he goes.

The economy added just 69,000 jobs in May, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' monthly report.
The national unemployment rate increased a tenth of a percentage point, from 8.1 to 8.2 percent.

Mitt Romney called the report "devastating news for American workers and American families." Friday's numbers are even more proof that the policies of the Obama administration are hurting - not helping -America

President Obama is scheduled to attend six campaign events across Minnesota and the Chicago area raising Millions of dollars in the process.

I can't help but wonder if he ever feels a little dirty knowing that he's raising Millions of dollars for himself while there are those in our country that can benefit from just a small part of his enormous campaign wealth?

FIFTH SHOT!

California Congressman Pete Stark Doesn't Live In California

Fortney Hillman "Pete" Stark, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for California's 13th Congressional District.

He is 80 years old, and is the purest example of a Career Politician as he has served in Congress since 1973.

That's right, he is 19-term East Bay Democratic Rep. Pete Stark - and yes, he is California's Dick Lugar.  Richard Green "Dick" Lugar was the senior United States Senator from Indiana who was voted out of office after his constituents realized that he didn't even live in that state.

You see, like former Republican Dick Luger who had not lived in his state for many years, Pete Stark has done the same thing for years here.

How can he do it? Why isn't it against the law? Can't he be charged with something? How has he gotten away with this? All great questions, most are answered by looking at the who he is - and that is a very powerful ranking Democrat and millionaire.

Since he has had the political power to get away with things for so long, I believe that he simply feels that he can do it - and get away with it.

Stark says he lives in his East Bay district - but he actually only uses the address of his in laws, no one in the working class neighborhood of San Lorenzo has ever seen the millionaire representative to the 13th Congressional District.

He actually resides on a Chesapeake Bay Estate!





 SIXTH SHOT!

Boy Finds Old Photo Of Dead Uncle Inside A Camera He Found At A Yard Sale

In Wichita, Kansas, Addison Logan, age 13, saw an old Polaroid camera at a garage sale and thought it looked like a fun relic - little did he know it carried a photograph of a dead uncle he never met.

Deciding the camera was "pretty cool" and worth the $1 asking price, he headed home with his grandmother, Lois Logan, and searched the Internet to find out how it worked, The Wichita Eagle reported.

When he opened the camera, there was a photograph inside. He showed his grandmother, who was shocked to see her son, Scott, who died 23 years earlier in a car accident.

The photo showed Scott with a high school girlfriend about 10 years before he died. For Lois, it was proof he was still looking down on the family.

Addison's father, Blake, said of the picture, "I'm just shocked. The more time that passes, the more in disbelief I am ... It's almost like he's reaching out to us, saying he's still with us."

The Logan family don't know the family that sold the camera, and the house that held the garage sale didn't exist in the 1970s when the picture was taken, ruling out the chance the camera belonged to the girlfriend pictured with Scott and had been left there.

The family is happy to accept the random nature of the find, with another of Scott's brothers, Jeff, saying, "When you get something like that, that's almost like a sign telling us, 'Hey, everything's all right, I'm still here.'"

Believe it or not, it's a true story!

LAST SHOT!

Armed and Dangerous!

Like most of us, I've seen my share of pretty interesting wedding pictures. This is one that I wanted to pass on because I found the women in this picture - well, well armed!

Talk about being ready for wedding crashers!


Have a great weekend!
Story by Tom Correa