In the year 2000, my car was burglarized. The police knew who did it. They got his identity from the fingerprints. They told me that he would not likely face charges, because the police department did not have the resources to deal with "minor" crimes like auto burglary.
In the year 2005, someone stole a check from my mailbox, forged my signature on it, and deposited it into their checking account. I got a copy of the check, and sure enough, there was the name and signature of the miscreant. The police again told me that they didn't have the resources to pursue the criminal.
On the way home, I passed 5 cops writing traffic tickets. I lost a total of about $900 from those two crimes. I have lost more than that from the five traffic tickets I have received in my life.
The police write over 40 million traffic tickets a year in the US. The average officer writes $300,000 a year in traffic tickets. It is a $6 billion a year industry. The city of Atlanta has even admitted that police raises and pensions depend on how much revenue is brought in by traffic citations. So even though there may be no quota per se, you can bet that the police have a real motivation to write questionable tickets. The Atlanta police union admits to using traffic tickets to fund a raise for Atlanta cops.
Warning people of speed traps ahead has been ruled as protected speech, and has also been ruled as interfering with police business by the Seventh circuit. In that same decision, it also ruled that using traffic fines to generate revenue is legitimate police business, and interfering with that is a crime.
Florida, the state where I reside, makes $100 million a year from traffic tickets, and that doesn't include the amount collected by state and county government from their share of those 4 million traffic citations. Hillsboro county got another $36 million. St Petersburg, a city within that county, got another $500 thousand. Hillsboro is only one of 67 Florida counties. There are only 15 million adults in Florida, meaning that one in four Florida drivers get a ticket each year.
The police are revenue generators, and are being used to squash political groups. They no longer are here to protect and serve the public.
Friday, June 27, 2014
Sunday, June 22, 2014
Another career change
I have decided that I need to find something to do to occupy my time during retirement. So what I did was apply to be licensed as a Florida teacher. The state claims to have a need for teachers, due to a shortage.
I applied for my certification in Biology and Health. I got a letter from the state saying that a Paramedic with 25 years of experience doesn't have the training in First Aid in order to be a Health teacher. I thought this was ridiculous, so I appealed.
I am now approved to teach young minds in the fields of Biology, Science, and Health.
I applied for my certification in Biology and Health. I got a letter from the state saying that a Paramedic with 25 years of experience doesn't have the training in First Aid in order to be a Health teacher. I thought this was ridiculous, so I appealed.
I am now approved to teach young minds in the fields of Biology, Science, and Health.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Prohibited person
As you all know, for the past three weeks, I was a prohibited person. I was not allowed to possess firearms or ammunition. My concealed weapons permit has been revoked. Why? My ex-girlfriend is accusing me of stalking, and filed a complaint for a domestic violence restraining order against me. At an ex parte hearing, it was granted.
We had our first hearing where I could be present on June 2, and I appeared there with my attorney. He announced in court that we want to have a full hearing, where we will present subpoenaed witnesses in my defense. The motion was granted, so...
We had our second hearing on June 17th. She did not have an attorney or a single witness. The basis of her claim was that I read her text messages and emails while we were a couple, I sent a text to her new boyfriend, and I came to her workplace and got her fired.
I had an attorney and four witnesses. They were going to testify to the following facts, even though it turns out that they were not needed:
Yes, I read her emails while we were a couple. That was how I found out she was cheating. What she left out of the story was that a year earlier, she had given me the password and told me that I could read her email.
Yes, I texted her new boyfriend. The reason? I asked him if he really was sleeping with her. No threats. I was just confirming what I saw in the emails, because I didn't want to accuse her over a misunderstanding.
A friend, who was asked by my ex-girlfriend to inform on my whereabouts so she could surprise me with a visit next time I went SCUBA diving, was there to testify that she was the one following me around.
Also, my mother would have testified that the ex-girlfriend never lived with the two of us (my mother lives with me). This is important, because an important element of proving domestic violence is to prove either:
-That the two involved had a child together, or;
- That they were married at some point, or;
- that they lived together as if a family at some point.
Since none of those is true, there can be no domestic violence.
Yes, I admit that I went to her workplace, and that visit is what got her fired, but the devil is in the details. My ex girlfriend had been fired for stealing, not because I stalked her. She had left some belongings at my house, which I had attempted to return to her through a mutual friend. She didn't pick them up, so after a month I opened the box to find a large cache of pharmaceuticals, surgical equipment, medical records with patient information and social security numbers on them, along with other medical supplies. They were marked "Property of XXX hospital," so I contacted the hospital to see what they wanted done with their property. The supervisor asked me to bring them in, which I did. The hospital did an investigation, connected them to her, and they fired her for stealing hospital property. At the time of her firing, her employer told her how they caught her, as well as told her that her ex boyfriend had found the stolen articles and returned them to the hospital.
Less than an hour after her firing, she filled out a claim that I had committed domestic violence against her and that she was afraid of me coming to hurt her. The court issued a DV injunction at an ex parte hearing, and I became a prohibited person for the duration of the order. I was not allowed contact with her, nor could I come within 500 feet of her. It took me three weeks to get to this morning's hearing.
To protect myself from any potential allegations of violating the order, I left the country/state for two weeks. I went into exile. I traveled to Atlanta, and from there I went to St Martin, St Thomas, and to the Bahamas. I can prove with passport records that I was nowhere near her for the past three weeks (I wasn't even in the country).
I also had records from my toll transponder, showing that I was nowhere near her on the dates and times that she claimed I was stalking her. My new girlfriend was there to testify that I was nowhere near her (not even in the same county- I was 100 miles away) on the dates in question.
None of it was needed. She presented her case, and before we called our first witness, my attorney pointed out that there was no evidence of violence presented by her. All she alleged was that I contacted her boss (for a legitimate reason) and new boyfriend. The judge agreed and dismissed all charges.
After this, she said in open court that her boyfriend is a cop, and that "this isn't over" because the cop is initiating a criminal investigation into how I got his phone number, among other things, and that he is going to have me arrested.
My lawyer said that if he does that, we will sue for wrongful prosecution and his career will be over.
Now I have to get things back in order. I have my guns again. I have to apply for and get another CWP. I can move on. Until she pulls her next stunt.
Using accusations of domestic violence has become a common tactic for women who wish to win divorce and child custody cases, as well as angry girlfriends who wish to get back at former boyfriends. Men have no legal recourse against women who are proven to be lying. I can't even sue her to recover my considerable legal fees. This needs to change. Sign the petition here:
We had our second hearing on June 17th. She did not have an attorney or a single witness. The basis of her claim was that I read her text messages and emails while we were a couple, I sent a text to her new boyfriend, and I came to her workplace and got her fired.
I had an attorney and four witnesses. They were going to testify to the following facts, even though it turns out that they were not needed:
Yes, I read her emails while we were a couple. That was how I found out she was cheating. What she left out of the story was that a year earlier, she had given me the password and told me that I could read her email.
Yes, I texted her new boyfriend. The reason? I asked him if he really was sleeping with her. No threats. I was just confirming what I saw in the emails, because I didn't want to accuse her over a misunderstanding.
A friend, who was asked by my ex-girlfriend to inform on my whereabouts so she could surprise me with a visit next time I went SCUBA diving, was there to testify that she was the one following me around.
Also, my mother would have testified that the ex-girlfriend never lived with the two of us (my mother lives with me). This is important, because an important element of proving domestic violence is to prove either:
-That the two involved had a child together, or;
- That they were married at some point, or;
- that they lived together as if a family at some point.
Since none of those is true, there can be no domestic violence.
Yes, I admit that I went to her workplace, and that visit is what got her fired, but the devil is in the details. My ex girlfriend had been fired for stealing, not because I stalked her. She had left some belongings at my house, which I had attempted to return to her through a mutual friend. She didn't pick them up, so after a month I opened the box to find a large cache of pharmaceuticals, surgical equipment, medical records with patient information and social security numbers on them, along with other medical supplies. They were marked "Property of XXX hospital," so I contacted the hospital to see what they wanted done with their property. The supervisor asked me to bring them in, which I did. The hospital did an investigation, connected them to her, and they fired her for stealing hospital property. At the time of her firing, her employer told her how they caught her, as well as told her that her ex boyfriend had found the stolen articles and returned them to the hospital.
Less than an hour after her firing, she filled out a claim that I had committed domestic violence against her and that she was afraid of me coming to hurt her. The court issued a DV injunction at an ex parte hearing, and I became a prohibited person for the duration of the order. I was not allowed contact with her, nor could I come within 500 feet of her. It took me three weeks to get to this morning's hearing.
To protect myself from any potential allegations of violating the order, I left the country/state for two weeks. I went into exile. I traveled to Atlanta, and from there I went to St Martin, St Thomas, and to the Bahamas. I can prove with passport records that I was nowhere near her for the past three weeks (I wasn't even in the country).
I also had records from my toll transponder, showing that I was nowhere near her on the dates and times that she claimed I was stalking her. My new girlfriend was there to testify that I was nowhere near her (not even in the same county- I was 100 miles away) on the dates in question.
None of it was needed. She presented her case, and before we called our first witness, my attorney pointed out that there was no evidence of violence presented by her. All she alleged was that I contacted her boss (for a legitimate reason) and new boyfriend. The judge agreed and dismissed all charges.
After this, she said in open court that her boyfriend is a cop, and that "this isn't over" because the cop is initiating a criminal investigation into how I got his phone number, among other things, and that he is going to have me arrested.
My lawyer said that if he does that, we will sue for wrongful prosecution and his career will be over.
Now I have to get things back in order. I have my guns again. I have to apply for and get another CWP. I can move on. Until she pulls her next stunt.
Using accusations of domestic violence has become a common tactic for women who wish to win divorce and child custody cases, as well as angry girlfriends who wish to get back at former boyfriends. Men have no legal recourse against women who are proven to be lying. I can't even sue her to recover my considerable legal fees. This needs to change. Sign the petition here:
Friday, June 13, 2014
Friday the 13th
Have you ever wondered why Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day? The short answer: Greed, the French Monarchy, and the Catholic Church. Like most stories, the long version is more complicated. This is the legend as I heard it:
"The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon" were a military order of men who were living in Jerusalem in 1099 AD, at the tail end of the Crusades. There were nine of them at the time, and they were so poor that they were living in a stable, and begging for food. Legend has it that they discovered some of King Solomon's treasure while digging in the area.
They returned to Europe, and invented what was essentially the first international banking society. They were involved in shipping, banking, and other money making ventures. They formed large society, which at its peak, was comprised of over 20,000 members. Members held different ranks, with the highest being called Knight Templar. A Knight Templar was similar to what a full partner or a member of the board of directors would be today. The 'board meetings' only took place at night, and this was because of the need for secrecy. Remember that this was in the age of pure monarchy, when no one who was not a King could own anything without the King taking a large cut of it.
One odd thing about them was that they practiced elaborate rituals that were designed to ensure secrecy. Since it was a crime punishable by death at the time to engage in any ritual not endorsed by the Catholic Church, any person who took part in such a ritual was bound to keep the secrets of the others, or he himself would be killed.
The Knights Templar hired many men of the free masons' guild to build large structures, such as the Cathedral at Notre Dame. At the time, the free masons were not especially liked by the Church, mostly because the masons were teaching that mathematics ran the world, and not a deity. The Church had to put up with this to a certain extent, however, because God was not in the business of building the Church's cathedrals, and the free masons were.
The free masons, having built many buildings for the order, needed to be sworn to secrecy. So they were sworn in as minor members of the order, and were taught many of the Templar rituals.
All went well until October 13, 1307, when the King of France at the time, King Philip IV, entered a partnership with Pope Clement V and decreed that all of the Knights Templar would be declared to be Satan worshipers and would be put to death. The king charged the Templars with usury, credit inflation, fraud, homosexuality, heresy, sodomy, immorality, and abuses.
Many of the Kinghts Templar were killed at dawn that Friday the 13th, so that their wealth could be confiscated, and at the same time eliminate the possible threat that the military order might pose to Philip's quest for more power. The ones who weren't killed were tortured into confessing to their crimes. The Pope then issued arrest warrants for all of the Templars world wide, and the Church confiscated their assets, in order to avoid the military action that Philip threatened to take against the Church. The arrested members of the order were burned at the stake in 1314, and the remainder of the Templars went underground and became a secret society.
King Phillip and Pope Clement both died before the end of 1314, after being cursed by one of the Templars they burned at the stake. According to legend, he called out from the flames that both Pope Clement and King Philip would soon meet him before God. His actual words were recorded on the parchment as follows : "Dieu sait qui a tort et a péché. Il va bientot arriver malheur à ceux qui nous ont condamnés à mort" (free translation : "God knows who is wrong and has sinned. Soon a calamity will occur to those who have condemned us to death").
No one really knows if this is the true account of what happened, but that doesn't surprise me. History is a fiction that is written by the winners. The history of less than 100 years ago, and even this morning's newspapers are seldom an account of what actually took place.
"The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon" were a military order of men who were living in Jerusalem in 1099 AD, at the tail end of the Crusades. There were nine of them at the time, and they were so poor that they were living in a stable, and begging for food. Legend has it that they discovered some of King Solomon's treasure while digging in the area.
They returned to Europe, and invented what was essentially the first international banking society. They were involved in shipping, banking, and other money making ventures. They formed large society, which at its peak, was comprised of over 20,000 members. Members held different ranks, with the highest being called Knight Templar. A Knight Templar was similar to what a full partner or a member of the board of directors would be today. The 'board meetings' only took place at night, and this was because of the need for secrecy. Remember that this was in the age of pure monarchy, when no one who was not a King could own anything without the King taking a large cut of it.
One odd thing about them was that they practiced elaborate rituals that were designed to ensure secrecy. Since it was a crime punishable by death at the time to engage in any ritual not endorsed by the Catholic Church, any person who took part in such a ritual was bound to keep the secrets of the others, or he himself would be killed.
The Knights Templar hired many men of the free masons' guild to build large structures, such as the Cathedral at Notre Dame. At the time, the free masons were not especially liked by the Church, mostly because the masons were teaching that mathematics ran the world, and not a deity. The Church had to put up with this to a certain extent, however, because God was not in the business of building the Church's cathedrals, and the free masons were.
The free masons, having built many buildings for the order, needed to be sworn to secrecy. So they were sworn in as minor members of the order, and were taught many of the Templar rituals.
All went well until October 13, 1307, when the King of France at the time, King Philip IV, entered a partnership with Pope Clement V and decreed that all of the Knights Templar would be declared to be Satan worshipers and would be put to death. The king charged the Templars with usury, credit inflation, fraud, homosexuality, heresy, sodomy, immorality, and abuses.
Many of the Kinghts Templar were killed at dawn that Friday the 13th, so that their wealth could be confiscated, and at the same time eliminate the possible threat that the military order might pose to Philip's quest for more power. The ones who weren't killed were tortured into confessing to their crimes. The Pope then issued arrest warrants for all of the Templars world wide, and the Church confiscated their assets, in order to avoid the military action that Philip threatened to take against the Church. The arrested members of the order were burned at the stake in 1314, and the remainder of the Templars went underground and became a secret society.
King Phillip and Pope Clement both died before the end of 1314, after being cursed by one of the Templars they burned at the stake. According to legend, he called out from the flames that both Pope Clement and King Philip would soon meet him before God. His actual words were recorded on the parchment as follows : "Dieu sait qui a tort et a péché. Il va bientot arriver malheur à ceux qui nous ont condamnés à mort" (free translation : "God knows who is wrong and has sinned. Soon a calamity will occur to those who have condemned us to death").
No one really knows if this is the true account of what happened, but that doesn't surprise me. History is a fiction that is written by the winners. The history of less than 100 years ago, and even this morning's newspapers are seldom an account of what actually took place.
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