Beach PARTY!!

Beach Party

 

Once there was a lonely stretch of beach, where not a creature stirred, not even a crab. Not a flopping fish or screeching gull. No swooping pelicans, laughing boys, or squealing girls. No sandcastles, no taffy. Or flying discs or balls bouncing.

But all was not lost, for a single word was heard. Yes, it was that word. From where it came was not known. Perhaps from the lips of the Christmas tree, or those of the cat beneath the hat. But it matters not from where it came, because they answered the call.

And then it happened. There was no place to stand on the wet sand or the dry. They came from high and low. From beneath the rocks and from towns far and near. The cheese and the gator. The young and the old. The hot and those very cold. They each heard the word, and all answered the call.

You, too, have heard the word—that single word—the single syllable that stirs the blood and moves the feet. The five letters that… Okay, enough with the corn. Let’s PARTY!

And then there were these two hardcore party animals…

So how’s your weekend? Doing anything fun?

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Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen

Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

 

You gave your all to protect and serve us, and for that we are eternally grateful.

Sergeant Robert Baron, 47

Sandoval County New Mexico Sheriff’s Office

December 6, 2013 – Sergeant Robert Baron was investigating a car crash during a period of heavy snowfall, when a passing vehicle lost control and struck him. Sergeant Baron was transported to a local hospital where died the following day. He leaves behind his wife, also a police officer, and 10-year-old-son.

Deputy Sheriff Adam Davis, 36

Bell County Texas Sheriff’s Office

December 11, 2013 – Deputy Sheriff Adam Davis was killed in a single-vehicle crash while responding to a “man with a gun” call.  His patrol car left the roadway in a sharp curve and rolled over several times. Deputy Davis leaves behind his wife and 10-year-old son.

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Bang, Bang, That Awful Sound

Gun shot wounds

Experts are often asked what kind of entrance and exit wounds are produced by police ammunition. The rounds (bullets) in the photograph below are hollow point rounds similar in design to those fired from the pistol pictured above. This is what they look like before they’re fired.

hollow-point-and-magazine.jpg

They’re about the diameter of the silver Sharpie pens I use to sign books. That’s pretty close to the size of most entrance wounds caused by these rounds—the size of the bullet.

Before moving on, I suggest listening to Cher’s version of Bang Bang while you read the balance of this short article, and after clicking over to the tale of my own “Bang Bang” experience.

Pictured below is an entrance wound caused by 9mm round at point blank range, a close contact gunshot wound. Obviously, this was a fatal wound since I took this picture during the autopsy of the victim. Note the post-autopsy stitching of the “Y” incision (above right of the photo).

bullet-hole.jpg

The next picture is of one of the rounds after it was fired at point blank range into the firing range wall (yes, the major fired the weapon just after I took the picture). The round passed through the self-healing wall tiles, striking the concrete and steel wall on the the other side. Hitting the solid surface head-on caused the bullet to expand and fracture which often creates the large and flesh-torn exit wounds we sometimes see in shooting victims.

Once inside the body, those bullet slivers/fragments can break off causing further internal damage. The size of an exit wound depends on what the bullet hits inside the body. If the bullet strikes only soft tissue the wound will likely be less traumatic, unless, of course, it compromises a major blood vessel. If it hits bone, expect much more damage. Easy rule of thumb—the larger the caliber (bullet size), the bigger the hole.

Bullets that hit something other than their intended target, such as a brick wall or  a metal lamp post, can  break apart sending pieces of flying copper and lead fragments (shrapnel) into crowds of innocent bystanders. Those flying fragments are just as lethal as any intact, full-sized bullet.

FYI – Bullets don’t always stop someone, nor do they always kill. I’ve seen shooting victims get up and run after they’d been shot several times. And, for goodness sake, writers, people don’t fly twenty feet backward after they’ve been struck by a bullet or shotgun blast. They just fall down and bleed. They may even moan a lot. That’s if they don’t get back up and start shooting again.

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The Chicago Typewriter: It’s Not For Wimps

Chicago Typewriter

 

This is what it looks like to peer down-range from behind a Thompson fully-automatic submachine gun. You can actually see a spent cartridge ejecting at the lower right-hand side of the picture, just above the major’s right elbow.

The Thompson is an extremely heavy weapon that’s capable of firing 900 rounds of .45 caliber ammunition per minute, and let me tell you, that’s fast. The experience of firing one of these babies is like no other. I took this photo and was peppered with gunpowder during each burst of gunfire, even from the distance where I stood, which was as you see it. I didn’t use the zoom. We took this shot in a controlled situation while wearing full protective gear and employing other safety precautions. I say this because I don’t recommend this method of photography. It’s not safe. Gee, the things I do for you guys.

The Thompson was extremely popular in the 1920s among both law enforcement and gangsters alike. The notorious John Dillinger and his gang amassed an arsenal of these “Chicago Typewriters.” The FBI and other agencies, such as the NYPD, also put Tommy Guns to use in their efforts to battle crime. In fact, the weapon became so popular in law enforcement circles it earned another nickname, The Anti-Bandit Gun.

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Do Terrorists Really Moonlight As Master Gardeners?

Terrorists moonlight

 

Is it possible that when not bombing, raping, and killing innocent people, terrorists are hard at work pruning, weeding, and planting? Have they secretly attended colleges and earned degrees in ornamental horticulture?

Well, law enforcement officials in some areas believe there’s a direct connection between terrorism and the flowering evergreen shrub Khat (pictured above).

The Texas Department of Public Safety launched a large scale investigation into the sales of Khat and its possible connection to African terrorist organizations such as al-Shabaab. They believe the sales of the chewable plant benefit and support the terrorist groups.

Khat (pronounced “cot”) is native to East Africa and nearby areas. The plant is legal to grow, possess, and ingest in many countries. However, it is illegal to possess in the U.S., Germany, and Canada. Khat produces the chemicals Cathine and Cathinone. Cathine is a Schedule IV drug, while Cathinone, which similar to some amphetamines, is classified as a schedule I drug. Schedule I drugs have no known medicinal value in the U.S. Heroin and LSD are also in the schedule I class of drugs. And, almost unbelievably, marijuana is still classified as a schedule I drug, while cocaine and methamphetamine are a step below in Schedule II.

Users of Khat chew the plant’s leaves, stems, and twigs, much like tobacco chewers use their product. Leaves are also brewed as tea, dried and sprinkled onto food, and they’re even smoked to achieve the desired result.

Khat seized by the DEA

Khat is a stimulant and the high from using it is similar to that produced by methamphetamine and cocaine.

A man prepares Khat for a night of chewing and tea drinking with friends

The effects of Khat on the body are an increase in blood pressure and pulse, a brown staining of the teeth (chewing), stomach and other gastric troubles, and like cocaine and meth use…insomnia. Users may also experience exhaustion, paranoia, hallucinations, difficulty breathing, loss of appetite, and mild to extreme hyperactivity.

Dried Khat leaves

Khat has been found in some bath salts, the synthetic drug once sold legally in many convenience stores other shops.

Bath salts are now illegal in the U.S.

Bath salts have been linked to suicide, homicide, self-inflicted injury, delusions, and child-endangerment.

 

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12 Reasons You Should Hang Out With Me Today

12 reasons

 

 

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Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen

Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

 

You gave your all to protect and serve us, and for that we are eternally grateful.

Deputy Sheriff Joseph C. Antwine, 23

Florence County South Carolina Sheriff’s Office

November 29, 2013 – Deputy Joseph Antwine died as a result of injuries received during a car crash while responding to back up another deputy at a domestic violence call.

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Waste Not, Want Not…And Then There’s The Government

waste not, want not

We, as good citizens of the U.S. of A., try our best to conserve natural resources. We recycle. We do what we can to reduce food waste. We turn our thermostats up a notch in the summer and down a click or two in the cold winter months. We drive smarter vehicles, such as the hybrid Lincoln my wife drives—no more idling on gasoline power, and it basically runs on self-generated electricity when driving at speeds of 45mph or slower. Actually, I understand there’s a mandate coming in the future that will require all cars to idle gasoline free.

Global warming, either man-made or naturally occurring, is a very real threat to the planet. By the way, I’ve yet to understand how global warming is a political issue. Are donkeys more sensitive to permanent climate change, or is it the thick skin of the elephant that prevents the large beasts from sensing changes in the weather? Could it be that elephants can see the future and know everything is going to be okay, while donkeys are nothing more than stubborn mules stuck on the notion of climate change? Who knows.

Either way, our government tells us to conserve. Don’t do this, don’t do that. Read the signs. You know, waste not, want not.

Well, methinks it’s time for the government to follow it’s own directives. For example (and this one really burns my biscuits), the Department of Defense had this really cool idea to use a blimp to fly intelligence missions. The craft was to carry 2,500 lbs. of surveillance equipment—cameras and other spy-type equipment—and the birthday balloon with thyroid troubles was to lumber through the skies for up to three weeks at a time.

I have to question the logic of using an overgrown Thanksgiving Day parade balloon as a secret spy craft. I’m pretty sure our enemies would notice it crawling slowly overhead, even on a cloudy day.

You couldn’t miss it. After all, it was seven stories tall and a football field long. It. Was. Huge!

Anyway, the DOD spent just under $300 million on the Kevlar-covered blimp (contractors built it for approximately $300,000), officially known as the Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV).

Northrup Grumman image

The LEMV was handed over to the DOD in a ready-for-action state. But things went downhill from there. The craft was soon over 12,000 lbs overweight (pork weighs a lot, you know) and the project was scrapped after one 90-minute test flight. The DOD sold the big balloon back to the contractor for $300,000. Not a bad deal for the balloon-maker. Built it for $300k, sold it to the U.S. for $300 million, and then bought it back, pocketing a little over a $299 million profit.

So, this major fiasco and loss of taxpayer dollars joined another failed military purchase—a $211 million airship the Air Force trash-canned.

This sort of thing really angers me. In fact, I’m thinking about tossing a piece of plastic in with the regular garbage this week as a form of protest. But that would be stooping to their level. Instead, I’ll have a look at the daily news. Maybe something there will help calm my nerves. Let’s see, there’s…

– a possibility of electromagnetic-pulse attacks

– a new search tool that can locate us even in untagged photos

– Texas officials have linked chewable African plants to terrorism (I’m still scratching my head over this one)

– U.S. Air Force is lacking volunteers to operate drones

– Homeland Security has become involved in Indiana’s water conservation

– some U.S. cities require subscription to emergency services – you don’t pay the fee, they’ll let your house burn down

Finally, and this is the scariest of all…Pamela Anderson cut her hair and is now a pixie-cut brunette. Now I’m sure our world is doomed. How will we survive?

Never fear, I’m sure our government has a $100 billion answer to that $64,000 question.

 

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License Plate Readers: Tax Collectors And A Mailbox Jammed With Junk

License plate readers

License plate readers are the new “big thing” in the crime-fighting arsenals of many police departments. The devices—Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR)—can capture data from thousands of plates each day. Basically, an investigator could use the data to track a person’s every move, from driveway to work, to the grocery store, to the library, to a rendezvous with a lover, and then back home.

Some towns are using the devices to locate vehicles belonging to citizens who owe outstanding taxes and court fines, delinquent water and sewer bills, etc. Then, when the vehicles are found, crews “boot” the cars until the owner pays his debts.

Recently, the town of Tybee Island, Georgia planned to purchase two license plate readers at a cost of $28,750, and install them at the Hwy 80 entrance to the island. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting Tybee you know there’s only one way on and off the island, and that’s Hwy 80. Therefore, the readers would have captured plate data from every single vehicle that entered and/or exited the island. In addition to recording data on visitors, there would/could be an official documented record of the comings and goings of each permanent resident.

Tybee Island police chief Robert Bryson had requested the purchase of license plate readers numerous times in the past, stating they’d be a great investigative tool for his department. However, city officials desired the license plate readers for purposes other than to gather information for law enforcement investigations. Instead, they wanted to compile visitor data, hoping to chart spending and marketing trends from out-of-towners. In other words, Tybee Island wants more money in addition to the mega-bucks they rake in from the parking meters located at every possible spot across the island. There is not one place to park on the island that’s free. Not one.

Some have wondered if there’s been an idea to use the gathered data for marketing purposes—to send vacation advertisements and other mailings to past visitors? There’s been no public mention of this, but the information would be available.

Sure, the plate-reading devices could possibly help to increase revenue by tracking visitors, while at the same time alerting police to stolen vehicles and maybe a bad guy or two or three. But the voting public—the residents of Tybee—let it be known that they absolutely did not want the police or elected officials tracking their movements. So, council abandoned the idea of purchasing the license plate readers and instead opted to purchase an $8,000 vehicle counter that will be embedded into both lanes of Hwy 80. I guess officials are eager to spend some of those parking-meter quarters.

Anyway, it seems as if Tybee police will have to continue solving crime by relying on basic law enforcement tactics and training to solve cases. So, for now, it’s back to normal…

 

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