Saturday, November 08, 2008

Rules, unfortunately, do apply.

Look. I prefer. as you know, NOT to censor comments.

But I also cannot allow the blog to be hijacked and turned into an attack machine.

Someone has a beef with Greg and Carol. Well, ok, lotsa people do... it's the nature of politics. I have my own, which I will elaborate on later.

But this blog is not about the personal attack machine, despite what some people think.

It is based on the notion that, at heart, we all share some common values - and that once the blinders came off, people - off all stripes, parties and affiliations would recognize that there are certain things they care about when it comes to law enforcement.

Like Victim's Rights. Like CAST. Like SART. Programs that were put in place to ease the pain and stress of victims, to help them negotiate the horrific rigors of the legal system, and to help ensure that investigations are properly conducted - that evidence is well and fairly gathered, that innocent people do not go to trial, that CHILDREN, above all, are shielded, to the extent possible from pain, while they are helped to find the justice they seek.

Those things matter - and I have been horrified to see my friends, for whom they once mattered, turn their heads and avert their eyes, because to them, the politics of hating Palco, and hating Corporations somehow replaced their goodness and decency.

I thought that, eventually, people would stop and say "THIS is not what we hired you for, Paul. We did not vote you in to destroy the office, run off our seasoned and respected prosecutors." And most especially, "WE do not condone using the office as a weapon for your backers and cronies."

I believed that people were good.

Long and short for now - disagree with Greg and Carol on issues - it's part of the discussion. But no personal attacks. I don't like censorship. Sometimes, however...
***
Comments on the thread below are disabled. If you have questions about that, please email watchpaul.blogspot@gmail.com

Friday, November 07, 2008

Computer issues

Experiencing technical difficulty. Down today, probably tomorrow. Back soon.

Someone explain this, please.

☛ TS Kesser may get third chance for polygraph

A Fortuna man jailed more than 16 years for hiring a hitman to murder his estranged wife appeared in court Thursday to review the possibility of taking a third polygraph test, which could reduce his sentence from first- to second-degree murder.

According to court documents, Richard Craig Kesser accepted a plea agreement requiring him to issue a truthful, polygraphed statement about the events leading to his former wife's murder in 1991.

The agreement stipulates if Kesser truthfully completes the polygraph test, he would receive a second-degree murder sentence. In the plea deal, Kesser agreed that if he showed deception in the polygraphed statement, he would be convicted of first-degree murder.

Kesser failed a preliminary test in August. But in September, those results were thrown out by a Humboldt County Superior Court judge, who found the examiner used inadmissible techniques in the test.

The most recent polygraph test was cut short after Kesser told the examiner he takes medication as a result of severe depression.

According to Kesser's attorney Glenn Brown that examiner is now examining the list of anti-depressants that are admissible in polygraph tests, in order to possibly retest Kesser.
Judge Dale Reinholtsen granted two weeks for another status review to discuss the possibility of the new test.

According to District Attorney Paul Gallegos, who is prosecuting the case, Kesser had never before mentioned he was taking medication.

”It had never been disclosed that he had a need for it before,” Gallegos said.
Gallegos said his position is that Kesser did take the test and failed, and therefore should be convicted of first-degree murder.

Gallegos said he would be happy to throw out the plea agreement and try Kesser for murder, but out of respect for the victim's family, the District Attorney's Office is trying to keep the matter from trial.

”Trying cases is easy for attorneys, but it's tough on families,” Gallegos said.
Speaking from jail in late October, Kesser said he wants to successfully pass the test in order the receive the reduced sentence.

”I was a blue collar citizen,” he said. “Then I made a mistake. Hopefully someday I can get back to being a productive member of society.”

During the interview, Kesser also admitted to spending around two months planning the murder of his former wife Mary Kesser, with whom he had a four-year-old son. On Nov. 26, 1991, Mary Kesser was stabbed to death while she was in her Fortuna home.

Richard Kesser will reappear in court Nov. 20 for a status review.

Thursday, November 06, 2008

Judge to rule on privacy issues in alleged murder conspiracy

☛ TS Judge to rule on privacy issues in alleged murder conspiracy
Several motions to disclose private medical records for a witness in the case of Dennis and Chad Larsen -- a father and son implicated in a failed murder-for-hire conspiracy -- were heard by a Humboldt County Superior Court judge Wednesday.
The court did not produce a final decision on the records -- which range from probation reports to mental health evaluations -- but dates were set for hearings on each of them.
The records were subpoenaed by Dennis Larsen's attorney, William Bragg, and two officials with County Counsel's Office were sent to quash the request, citing laws that protect medical records.
The records are for Scott Schwartz, an inmate who the prosecution intends to use as a witness in the case.
Judge Timothy Cissna said after he reviews the records he could “tentatively” find “due process for Mr. Larsen may outweigh those privacy issues.”
The District Attorney's Office has offered a plea agreement to the two men, which Dennis Larsen reportedly declined.
According to charging information, Chad Larsen, 28, is charged with allegedly soliciting the murder of a 16-year-old girl, from jail. The girl was set to testify against him in a statutory rape trial. Chad Larsen's 63-year-old father, Dennis Larsen, was arrested for allegedly helping his son carry out the planned hit.

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Atlas Shrugs.

ER The Eureka Reporter to cease
TS Eureka Reporter to cease operations
***
The Arcata Eye on the Demise of The Eureka Reporter
Eureka Reporter

Some of our readers seem to think we should be happy at the demise of the Eureka Reporter.

Well, we aren’t. We seriously aren’t. It’s a sobering loss for us all.

Rob Arkley took an astoundingly high-minded approach to newspapering that the local “progressive” haters who reflexively condemn anything this fine Humboldt family does never gave him or his fine staff credit for.

The ER was a handsome, full-featured paper from which one could become very well informed and form virtually any opinion – liberal, conservative or otherwise. While it lacked the comparative journalistic depth of the Times-Standard, it was only getting started when the cruel economics of the newspaper industry took their final toll.

It takes time for a paper to mature, and newspapers have to reinvent themselves with each edition. It’s hard to realize your potential and properly serve readers with sensitive, in-depth coverage when you’re constantly putting out the fires of spot news and trying to get enough advertising to pay the printer, the rent, the phone bill, the payroll, taxes and so on and endlessly on.

In its time, The ER employed writers and photographers who created genuine journalistic wealth for readers to enjoy and learn from, for competing papers to try and outdo with their own original work and for bloggers to rip off while looking down their anonymous noses at “old media.”

For now, the demise of the Eureka Reporter is a reminder that newspapers can and do go away – even ones backed by people with means, which we aren’t. The brutal reality is that given the limited pool of local advertising dollars, the ER’s untimely end may help us stagger forward a bit longer. Call our advertising department at (707) 826-7535 if you’d like us to carry on and maybe even get closer to fulfilling our mission.

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

So, about those raises...

The D.A. got a 13% raise (6-4-3). As did all other elected officials, department heads and ALL county employees, EXCEPT the Board of Supervisors (3-3-3).

Fifth District residents rc'd a mailer from Randy Garcia/HDSO (Humboldt Deputy Sheriff's Organization)a few days ago, complaining about this.


Care to guess what the Sheriff's raise was?

developing...

Vote Election Thread

Humboldt County results link
Journal liveblogs
California results

Have at.

Monday, November 03, 2008

You've just endured higher gas prices

Get ready for higher electricity prices In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Obama says:

…under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket…whatever the plants were, whatever the industry was, they would have to retrofit their operations. That will cost money. They will pass that money on to consumers. video

Obama didn't know = another lie.

Wake up.

Back in early 2007, as Obama’s chief campaign strategist David Axelrod was organizing and planning the Obama campaign, he identified Obama’s unique family situation — a number of half-brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, some living overseas — as a potential problem, says an employee for Axelrod’s political consulting firm, and who has done work on the Obama campaign. “Given [Obama's] father’s family history here and in Africa, David wanted the campaign to know who was who, where they lived, and what they were doing. No surprises. We knew she was here illegally. We knew her income levels, but I don’t think anyone from the campaign had had contact with her.”

Instead, according to the source, Axelrod reached out to his former client, Patrick, who had retained Axelrod’s firm for his run for governor. Onyango was living in a state-funded housing project, “so Patrick’s people could just as easily keep track of things, and could do it without drawing a ton of attention,” says the AKP&D Message and Media employee, who requested anonymity as he hopes to get a job in an Obama administration should the candidate win. “If we had Obama people around, the media would probably have found her much sooner. She was in [Obama's] book, it wasn’t like she couldn’t be found.” Indeed, that is exactly how the London Times found her.

While the South Boston housing project is managed by the Boston Housing Authority, it is a state-funded facility, according to the BHA press office, and so it would not be uncommon for state housing officials to be on the grounds or in the area. “Patrick was the go-between, he’s trusted by David and Senator Obama,” says the aide.

...Some Obama aides believe that Obama was briefed at least twice by Axelrod or campaign manager David Plouffe on the status of family members. “We tracked who was talking to the press, we kept in touch with some of these people,” says an Obama campaign media aide. “Anyone who thinks we didn’t doesn’t understand just how nervous we were about all of these people, particularly the members of [Obama's] father’s family. Axelrod had everything covered.” The aide said she was never present for such a briefing, but “we all knew the candidate’s family was being taken care of, to protect their privacy and try to contain any damage.”

The Obama campaign has denied knowing anything about Onyango’s illegal status or her poor financial situation.

This documentary is about the disenfranchising of American citizens by the Democratic Party and the Obama Campaign

WeWillNotbeSilenced.com

As Americans, we expect certain liberties and rights that were granted us by our forefathers, who wrote documents like the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. "We the people" expect that these fundamental rights will always be protected. However, in the current Democratic Presidential Primary, this has not been the case. We believe The Democratic National Committee (DNC) made a grave error by depriving American voters of their choice of Hillary Clinton as Democratic nominee. Senator Clinton, by all accounts, except caucuses, won the Primary Election and, therefore, should be the 2008 Democratic Nominee. That didn't happen, due largely to illegitimate and illegal acts. We have interviews of many accounts from caucus states recounting threats, intimidation, lies, stolen documents, falsified documents, busing in voters in exchange for paying for "dinners," etc. There are at least 2000 complaints, in Texas alone, of irregularities directed towards the Obama Campaign, that have lead to a very fractured and broken Democratic Party.

This documentary is about the disenfranchising of American citizens by the Democratic Party and the Obama Campaign. We the People have made this film. Democrats have sent in their stories from all parts of America. We want to be heard and let the country know how our party has sanctioned the actions of what we feel are Obama Campaign "Chicago Machine" dirty politics. We believe this infamous campaign of "change" from Chicago encouraged and created an army to steal caucus packets, falsify documents, change results, allow unregistered people to vote, scare and intimidate Hillary supporters, stalk them, threaten them, lock them out of their polling places, silence their voices and stop their right to vote, which is, of course, all documented in "We Will Not Be Silenced."

"We Will Not Be Silenced" is about the people who fight back by simply telling their stories: Teachers, professors, civil rights activists, lawyers, janitors, physicists, ophthalmologists, accountants, mathematicians, retirees - all bound together by their love of America and Democracy. They will tell us their experiences and how they feel betrayed by their own party. They will discuss how their party has disenfranchised them and how, when they saw and reported multiple instances of fraud, everyone turned a blind eye. Rather than support and protect the voices and votes of its loyal members, the DNC chose to sweep this under the rug by looking the other way, or using ceremony and quasi-investigations to assuage angry voters. It is our opinion there never before has been such a "dirty" campaign; the campaign that has broken the hearts and spirits of American voters, who once believed in the Democractic voting system.

We are not angry liberals; we are disappointed Democrats, who love our country and feel the DNC needs to stand for truth, care about its voter base and stop committing actions worse than what we only thought possible of the worst Republicans. The DNC and the Obama Campaign need to be held accountable for the catastrophe of the 2008 Democratic Primary. We must right their wrongs...after all, this is America, the Land of the Free, where every American has the right to a fair, honest voting process, and to have his or her vote counted...

We Will Not Be Silenced

Why November 4?:

Why are elections held on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November -- this year, November 4th?
A Congressional Research Service Report from 2001 provides the answer:
Elections for all federal elected officials are held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years . . . ; presidential elections are held in every year divisible by four. Congress selected this day in 1845 (5 Stat. 721); previously, states held elections on different days between September and November, a practice that sometimes led to multiple voting across state lines, and other fraudulent practices.

By tradition, November was chosen because the harvest was in, and farmers were able to take the time needed to vote. Tuesday was selected because it gave a full day's travel between Sunday, which was widely observed as a strict day of rest, and election day. [Footnote: In most rural areas, the only polling place was at the county seat, frequently a journey of many miles on foot or horseback.] Travel was also easier throughout the north during November, before winter had set in.

Some sources also suggest that Tuesday was picked over Wednesday because Wednesday was usually market day.

h/t: Volokh

Then there's Why Tuesday? is a non-partisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2005 to find solutions to increase voter turnout and participation in elections.

Sunday, November 02, 2008

Why to vote For Obama

Listen Online

Listen Online @ BlogTalkRadio hosted by NoQuarterUSA:
The Just Say No Deal coalition, a group of Senator Hillary Clinton’s most ardent supporters, will be holding its final conference call of this election season on

Sunday, November 2, 2008 from 5:00 to 6:30PM EST. 

Guests include:
Charlie Crist, Governor of Florida
Rudy Giuliani, Former Mayor of New York City
Larry Johnson, PhD.
Lynette Long, PhD.
Lady Lynn de Rothschild
Will Bower, National Spokesperson, PUMA & Just Say No Deal

Endorsements

Times-Standard Endorsements
2nd District and Propositions
Rodoni, and NO on 8, no on all other propositions
Eureka and Arcata endorsements
Atkins, Jäger, Ornelas, Machi and Winkler
(Fortuna) Friendly City endorsements
Strehl and Zanzi
Water District Endorsements
Sopoci-Belknap, Webb, Hecathorn
Measures Endorsements
No on F and J, yes on D, E and G

Eureka Reporter endorsements:
Overview
Specifics:
2nd District
Rodoni
City Councils
Eureka - Endert and Jäger
Arcata - Brinton, Machi and Winkler
Fortuna - Zanzi and Strehl
Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District - Davies, Shepherd and Hecathorn
Congress and State Assembly
Endorse Thompson and Chesbro
Propositions 2 and 4
No on 2. Yes on 4
Propositions 5, 6 and 9
Oppose 5, support 6 and 9
Propositions 7 and 11
No on 7, Yes on 11
Proposition 8
no recommendation