But - But - But - the high priests could not POSSIBLY have been dishonest

◼ Shock, disbelief follow arrests: Biology community has trouble digesting embezzlement allegations

They SAID all the politically correct things - and conducted the church's business so faithfully, and the grant money rolled in, didn't it? They were good at that.

When does it change? When you start doing something for the right reasons (presumably), when does it shift? What was the mindset here? Is there a reasonable explanation?

Predatory litigious orgs. Prop 13. School buses. $12.9 MILLION

Leaving aside madman "yougofree.com" Schwartz's attack on Prop 13 (don't you have to have some brains to have gotten a law degree?). He blames Prop. 13 for cuts to school budgets. What a tool.

And, leaving aside the poor school kids who don't get to be bused to school (except now they do, even if it means firing 5 teachers, or losing your band program)...

Define Pro Bono.

It means Done without compensation for the public good. Laudable, no?

Except, predatory litigious orgs don't do anything without compensation, do they? Not really.

◼ Assembly approves EPIC's $5.5 million settlement; bill sent to governor's office for approval

A senate bill approving two payments totaling $5.5 million is awaiting the governor's approval to settle attorneys' costs stemming from lawsuits filed against the state by the Environmental Protection Information Center.

SB 730 appropriates $12.9 million from the State Parks and Recreation fund and the general fund to the Department of Justice to pay five settlements, including EPIC's. The bill is supported by both the DOJ and the Department of Finance.

That's money that could have been used to pay for teachers and buses.

And for what? The California Supreme Court ruled in July 2008 that the California Department of Forestry approved an inadequate 50-year timber management plan as part of the 1999 Headwaters Forest agreement.

"An inadequate 50-year timber management plan."

$5.5 million for EPIC. $12.9 million altogether.

State Sen. Doug LaMalfa, a Butte County resident whose district includes Del Norte and Trinity counties, said the bill is a way to reward plaintiffs for “frivolous lawsuits.”

”It just elicits more and more lawsuits because they know there's going to be a reward; there's no downside if they're out of line,” he said, adding that EPIC's actions to stop timber harvests “put Americans out of work.”

Not just that.

California is supposedly running out of cash in about a week - in March. Maybe you can give these new age con men an I.O.U.

But next time you go protest - REMEMBER - your worthless culls in the legislature passed SB 730 to give away $12.9 million to people who were supposedly working pro bono "for the public good."

Arrest made in embezzlement case with $1 million warrants

◼ Del Norte County District Attorney Jon Alexander said they're also searching for alleged co-conspirator Ron LeValley, a senior biologist with the Eureka-based Mad River Biologists company. He also has a $1 million arrest warrant for burglary, embezzlement and conspiracy to commit a crime. - Times-Standard

...Alexander said Mad River Biologists' employee Sean McAllister was arrested this afternoon at the biology office on Second Street in Eureka. He was wanted on the same alleged crimes as both LeValley and Raymond.

Alexander said the alleged embezzlements are related to spotted owl research by the biology company and other incidents, including charging the tribe for the cost of putting tires on a personal vehicle.
Field said the investigation into this case started in October when the Yurok Tribe came to them with information. He said the Del Norte County District Attorney's Office has had the full cooperation of the Yurok Tribe during the investigation....

◼ Del Norte DA investigating former Yurok Tribe employee suspected of embezzlement - Times-Standard

The Del Norte County District Attorney's Office plans to arrest several people for an alleged embezzlement case connected to the Yurok Tribe.

According to Yurok Tribe officials, the office is looking for multiple people. Sources close to the investigation said there is a $1 million warrant out for the arrest of a former Yurok tribal employee who is suspected of embezzling from the tribe....

The Del Norte County District Attorney's Office will be prosecuting the case. Field said the office has been aided by the Humboldt County District Attorney's Office, Yurok Tribal Police, Eureka Police Department and the Bureau of Automotive Repair.

The story is developing.

Supreme Court blocks Montana court ruling to restrict outside campaign spending

◼ When a Montana court ruled in December that the state’s longstanding restrictions on outside campaign spending should be allowed to stand, it was clear that the Supreme Court would have to address the issue. - HotAir

That Montana ruling, after all, stood in contradiction to the SCOTUS’ landmark decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which gave corporations greater freedom to spend their own money in federal elections. Today, the Supremes said the Montana ruling cannot be enforced until the highest court in the country has a chance to weigh in.

OOOOOOOps

◼ Fighters Intercept Pot-Carrying Cessna in Air Force One airspace

Steele convicted of second-degree murder; victim's sister says, 'Justice is finally served'

◼ Steele convicted of second-degree murder; victim's sister says, 'Justice is finally served'

Or - Gallegos assigned himself another slam-dunk.

On Tuesday, after deliberating for a little more than two days, the jury of seven women and five men convicted Steele of second-degree murder, finding that he acted with malice when he shot George but that the killing wasn't a premeditated act -- a distinction that would have elevated the crime to murder in the first degree.

As courtroom clerk Kristy Silva read the jury's verdict, Steele appeared to crumple upon hearing the word “guilty,” placing his head in his hands and slumping over in his chair. He wept as Silva read the rest of the verdict and asked each juror if the verdict, as read, reflected their vote.

After the verdict was read, members of George's family left the courtroom with tears in their eyes as Steele's family looked on in stunned silence. Steele was then led from the courtroom in handcuffs.

In addition to convicting Steele of second-degree murder, the jury found a number of special allegations to be true -- that Steele personally used a firearm in the murder and that he intentionally discharged it, causing great bodily injury and death to George

-- and convicted him of making criminal threats.

So he (Steele) shoots his friend in the head for saying that he knew other people his (Steele's) age who had a Mercedes. And that's second degree. OK.

Steele faces a sentence of between 73 years and eight months in prison to life in prison.

After the hearing, George's sister, Stella Cornely-George, of Eureka, said she was pleased with the verdict and credited Humboldt County District Attorney Paul Gallegos with doing a “great job” trying the case.

”Justice is finally done,” she said. “Justice is finally served.”

earthquake

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