Sunflower Desert

I found this over at Jeffrey Weaver’s blog, My Words, and have to admit, find it quite shocking. The article is lengthy, so I’m not going to post the entire thing:

Texas official: ‘Amateurs’ tainted the charges; alleged criminals walk free

The Associated Press

 

MURPHY, Texas - A sting in which police teamed up with “Dateline NBC” to catch online pedophiles was supposed to send a flinty-eyed, Texas-style warning about this Dallas suburb: Don’t mess with Murphy.

Instead, it has turned into a fiasco.

One of the 25 men caught in the sting — a prosecutor from a neighboring county — committed suicide when police came to arrest him.

The Murphy city manager who approved the operation lost his job in the ensuing furor.

And the district attorney is refusing to prosecute any of the men, saying many of the cases were tainted by the involvement of amateurs.

“Certainly these people should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, but the fact that this was all done for television cameras raises some questions,” said Mayor Bret Baldwin.

It is the first time in nine “Dateline NBC: To Catch a Predator” stings across the country in the past year and a half that prosecutors did not pursue charges.

(MSNBC.com is a joint venture between Microsoft and NBC Universal.)

“Dateline” has made prime-time entertainment out of contacting would-be child molesters over the Internet, luring them to a meeting place, and videotaping their humiliating confrontations with reporter Chris Hansen.

“Dateline” works with an activist group called Perverted Justice, which supplies adults who troll Internet chat rooms, posing as underage boys and girls, and try to collect incriminating sex talk.

City manager Craig Sherwood approved such an operation in this well-to-do community of 11,000 after being approached by “Dateline” and Perverted Justice, but he never informed the mayor or the City Council.

He said secrecy was necessary for the sting to be effective. Read more…

Apparently the leaders of this uppity community are getting cold feet as they realize how many perverts may be living among them. Does it make me feel bad that an established citizen of a nearby county killed himself? Not really. I’m trying not to sound too harsh, but this guy was soliciting under aged boys on the internet and then attempting to act on his urges. Truthfully, I think it is terribly sad for his family, but not such a bad deal for society as a whole.

What do you all think?

Open Trackback weekend over at Angel’s Place.

 Yay! I didn’t forget the new game I’m playing. I’ll try and keep it simple. You can post a favorite comment that someone wrote at your own blog, or just a comment that you like from another blog. I really don’t mind you linking to your own blog and the commenter’s blog. Though it might get caught in the moderation queue, it’s worth it and I’ll gladly fish it out.

This week’s comment is going to Neil. He commented on the Obama says some have “hijacked” faith post:

The lack of logic from these folks is astounding. The UCC blogger / pastor I read now and then is almost comical in his hypocrisy. He thinks all religions are valid paths to God (and the guy is just out of seminary!). He brags about working for the Obama campaign while decrying anything conversatives do to let their religious beliefs inform their political opinions. They are pro-abortion and pro-gay marriage but anti-sharing the real Gospel.

We didn’t hijack the faith, the Liberals walked away from it and kept calling themselves Christians.

Now, find those creative comments and bring ‘em back here.

I love these touching heartwarming human interest stories. I think the MSM owes us at least one per day.

Thank you Fox News:

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. —

Bill Barnes says he was scratching off a losing $2 lottery ticket inside a gas station when he felt a hand slip into his front-left pants pocket, where he had $300 in cash.He immediately grabbed the person’s wrist with his left hand and started throwing punches with his right, landing six or seven blows before a store manager intervened.

“I guess he thought I was an easy mark,” Barnes, 72, told The Grand Rapids Press for a story Tuesday.

He’s anything but an easy mark: Barnes served in the Marines, was an accomplished Golden Gloves boxer and retired after 20 years as an iron worker.

Jesse Daniel Rae, the 27-year-old Newaygo County man accused of trying to pick Barnes’ pocket, was arraigned Monday in Rockford District Court on one count of unarmed robbery, a 15-year felony.

Barnes said he had just withdrawn the money from a bank machine and put it in the pocket of his shorts before driving to the Marathon service station and Next Door Food Store in Comstock park, a Grand Rapids suburb.

He remembers noticing a patron acting suspiciously, asking the price of different brands of cigarettes and other items. While turned away, Barnes felt the hand in his pocket, so he took action.

“I guess I acted on instinct,” he said.

Kent County sheriff’s deputies said the store manager quickly came around the counter. The three of them struggled through the front door, where two witnesses said the manager slammed Rae to the ground and held him there.

“There was blood everywhere,” said another manager on duty, Abby Ostrom, 25.

Barnes was a regional runner-up in Golden Gloves competition in the novice and open divisions before enlisting in the Marines in 1956.

He lived most of his adult life in Comstock Park with his wife, Patricia, before recently moving to Ottawa County. The couple have three children.

After retiring as an iron worker, he now works part-time as a starter at a golf course.

Barnes said he’d probably do the same thing again under the same circumstances, if for no other reason than what he would face back home.

“I wouldn’t want my wife to give me hell for lettin’ that guy get my money,” he said with a smile.

Wouldn’t you just love to have witnessed the event? I’m serious. Hats off to Bill Barnes. He qualifies as a hero in my book.

This is rich. And no, he’s not talking about the hijacking of the religion of peace. Tieki Rae saw I was blogging on Obama Rama and said that Ian had the same post. I guess great minds think alike Not to mention — Ian has the video.

I found it at Yahoo News from the AP:

By STEPHEN SINGER, Associated Press WriterSat Jun 23, 5:11 PM ET

Sen. Barack Obama told a church convention Saturday that some right-wing evangelical leaders have exploited and politicized religious beliefs in an effort to sow division.

“Somehow, somewhere along the way, faith stopped being used to bring us together and faith started being used to drive us apart,” the Democratic presidential candidate said in a 30-minute speech before the national meeting of the United Church of Christ.

“Faith got hijacked, partly because of the so-called leaders of the Christian Right, all too eager to exploit what divides us,” the Illinois senator said.

“At every opportunity, they’ve told evangelical Christians that Democrats disrespect their values and dislike their church, while suggesting to the rest of the country that religious Americans care only about issues like abortion and gay marriage, school prayer and intelligent design,” according to an advance copy of his speech.

“There was even a time when the Christian Coalition determined that its number one legislative priority was tax cuts for the rich,” Obama said. “I don’t know what Bible they’re reading, but it doesn’t jibe with my version.”

A call to the Washington, D.C.-based Christian Coalition of America seeking comment was not immediately returned Saturday.

Obama is a member of the United Church of Christ, a church of about 1.2 million members that is considered one the most liberal of the mainline Protestant groups.

In 1972, the church was the first to ordain an openly gay man. Two years ago, the church endorsed same-sex marriage, the largest Christian denomination to do so. Obama believes that states should decide whether to allow gay marriage, and he opposes a constitutional amendment against it.

Conservative Christian bloggers have linked Obama to what they call the “unbiblical” teachings of his church. Theological conservatives believe gay relationships violate Scripture, while more liberal Christians emphasize the Bible’s social justice teachings.

Obama trails Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York by 33 percent to 21 percent in the most recent Associated Press-Ipsos poll among Democrats and those leaning toward the party.

Happy 20th birthday to my favorite blogger and the best kid one could ever dream of having!

Okay — comment of the week is supposed to come out on Fridays — and I flat out forgot. We’ve actually been preparing for company to come and were up till midnight last night cleaning our “guest room”. Company can be such a great motivator to get some things done around here!

On to the comment of week. I’m sure we all knew it would happen, therefore, this week’s comment goes out to the Grit. Unfortunately, the post was regarding child abuse by a white trash family in KS. Please note, many times I use the term white trash with affection, though not in this instance.

All of this brings me around to what I wanted to say, even though it is embarrassing, which is that the parents in question were probably telling the truth. This would not seem all that unusual, if you had ever seen a naked woman and a man clad only in his briefs and a cowboy hat on their front lawn, settling a dispute about their son’s desire to join the Boy Scouts, each with a kitchen knife in one hand and a can of beer in the other, at three in the morning.

See, with the proper background information to give it perspective, it all makes sense

the Grit

Keep in mind, due to such funness (I guess I’m making that word up — but it’s a good one) many comments might get caught up in the moderation queue. I do not mind going in there and releasing them, because I like it when you link back to your blog and even the blog of the commenter. So, there you have it boys and girls; I’ve been reading your posts and comments and I know that each and every one of you have that one exceptional comment that stands out. So, go grab it and get back here when you can.

In the mean time — have a splendid weekend; I know we intend to!

At last, some more stupidity from the left. Mayoral candidates spending a homeless night in Nashville because they promised advocacy groups for the homeless that they would. I’m thinking they now will be able to solve the homeless problem?

By LUCAS L. JOHNSON II, Associated Press WriterWed Jun 20, 5:41 PM ET

One man tried in vain to sleep on a park bench. Two others swallowed their pride as they went into restaurants, broke but hungry. With no bathroom available, another one used the woods.

All four men agreed to be homeless for a night before returning Wednesday to their real lives — as candidates for Nashville mayor.

The candidates promised advocates for the homeless that they would spend one night on the streets before the Aug. 2 election. The Nashville Homeless Power Project hopes the experience makes them more sensitive to the hundreds of people in the city with no place to live.

So it’s insensitivity that causes homelessness? I was under the strange impression that it’s related to alcohol / drug abuse mixed with a little laziness. (Of course there are always exceptions to the rules — so don’t get all self righteous and indignant

“I was struck by the number of people I saw sleeping in downtown Nashville,” said candidate Karl Dean, the city’s former law director. “There’s no simple answer, but we’ve got to do something.”

The National Coalition for the Homeless has been organizing similar experiences for college students and others for the past 25 years. But the group’s executive director, Michael Stoops, said it was the first time political candidates agreed to take part.

“I think all people who run for office should be in touch with people living in poverty,” Stoops said. “I think it should be a requirement.”

Really? Why? It’s funny because some politicians in Washington think they need to get in touch with prostitutes. What logic.

The participants, chaperoned by current and former homeless people, were supposed to find a legal place to stay the night, spend at least 20 minutes sleeping on a park bench and ask strangers for spare change.

As opposed to getting a job.

Much of that was more than the candidates could handle. Dean and David Briley, a city council member, didn’t panhandle, and all four men wandered the streets until Wednesday morning rather than attempt to find a shelter.

“I never really got a chance to rest,” said Buck Dozier, another council member. He tried sleeping on a slab of concrete.

Homeless people got a chance to ask the candidates questions about the experience Wednesday. The first question caught them a bit off guard: Where did you use the bathroom?

Isn’t that cute? Panels of homeless people.

Briley said he never got the urge. Dean and Dozier said they used the same restaurants where they asked for water and food. Howard Gentry, the city’s vice mayor, had a more typical experience: “I went one time in the grass and one time in the woods.”

More than 1,500 homeless people stay in the Nashville area on an average night, according to recent data from the National Coalition for the Homeless. Nationally that number is more than 744,000, the coalition says.

Other politicians around the country have done similar experiments to better understand issues surrounding poor and homeless people.

Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski and his wife recently took part in the “food stamp challenge” — spending just $3 a day each on their meals to match the amount spent by the average food stamp recipient in Oregon. A state senator from Connecticut also spent three weeks living on food stamp funds.

Former Nashville Mayor Bill Boner went undercover as a homeless person while he was a Democratic congressman in 1986, one year before he became mayor. He said the experience opened his eyes.

“The true value of a city is how we treat the homeless, those who aren’t as well off,” said Boner, who now teaches a high-school government class.

Two other Nashville mayoral candidates — former U.S. Rep. Bob Clement and businessman Kenneth Eaton — have agreed to spend a night homeless at a later date. A seventh candidate, Cheryl Lynn Tisdale, did not make the promise.

About two years ago, Nashville implemented a 10-year plan to set up 1,800 units of housing for chronically homeless people, and all the candidates say they support the plan.

Tommy Howard, who is homeless, said the experience was good for the candidates, even for just one night.

“It let them see what we go through,” Howard said. “It’s a struggle.”

You can’t just make this stuff up. At least I can’t because I’m not very creative.

From Kansas.com:

Ron and Diane Taliaferro say they locked their kids in a moldy, ant-infested room to protect them from a fugitive.

What happened in the following moments, they told The Eagle on Tuesday, was a gross misunderstanding with law enforcement officers who chased the man to their Oaklawn home June 11.

This story is either really confusing or my reading comprehension skills have shot craps. Please help me decipher what the article is trying to say. I understand that it is the father of the children who was chased to his Oaklawn home by police on June 11th?

It was also the last time they saw their kids.

Officers took all three — 5-year-old Savannah, who goes by Nicki; 4-year-old Anna, who likes to be called “Anna-conda”; and 2-year-old Bubba Jo — into protective custody.

The officers said the room smelled like urine and feces and was infested with ants. The youngest child’s diaper was soiled, and the oldest girl told a detective they hadn’t yet been fed that day.

The Taliaferros spent four nights in jail and were released Friday without being charged.

Does this mean no charges will be filed?

The family moved to Kansas from Alabama about a year ago as they looked for “a fresh start,” which included a new job.

About three months after they got here, they gave up their newborn son, Joshua, for adoption.

What a blessing for this child to be placed in a better home. I hope these worthless parents decide to give all their children up for adoption and then get sterilized.

“We didn’t have the money,” Ron Taliaferro said. “We already had three, and we had a hard enough time keeping clothes on their backs…. We thought it was best for him and us.”

They moved to Oaklawn after a disagreement with a landlord led to their eviction from a home near Hydraulic and Pawnee about a month ago.

Here’s what the Taliaferros said happened June 11:

Ron and Diane Taliaferro and the kids were outside playing in the spray of a garden hose with two abandoned pit bulls they rescued from a home down the street.

This just keeps getting better and better. No offense toward pit-bull owners, but letting your children play with pit-bulls that have been abandoned and you don’t know their history? Crazy.

They went inside so Ron Taliaferro could change Bubba’s diaper, which had absorbed water from the hose.

Moments later, Justin W. Kraai, who had just escaped from Derby police, kicked in the front door.

Could this be the guy the police were chasing? Or, is it really the father of the children?

He had a handcuff dangling on one of his wrists and was acting strange, Ron Taliaferro said.

He recognized Kraai as a man who had tried to sell him a car when the Taliaferro family lived in a duplex near Hydraulic and Pawnee.

So, the father knows this guy — if the story is even true, but I don’t know.

Kraai asked to use a phone, but the family doesn’t have one, so Ron Taliaferro asked his wife to run to a store and buy a prepaid cell phone.

As Diane Taliaferro left, Ron Taliaferro shuffled the kids into a room and locked the door from the outside, using a lock that had been there when they moved in.

Since when does a lock on the outside of the door keep intruders out?

He locked them in so they wouldn’t get hurt, he said.

“I wasn’t afraid afraid of him, but I didn’t know what he was going to do,” Ron Taliaferro said at his home Tuesday as his wife cleaned.

Let the weirdness begin. What convinced the wife to go buy a pre-paid cell phone? A dangling handcuff? Taliaferro apparently was not afraid of the intruder — but he locks his children in a room?

He suspects Kraai swallowed drugs when he was caught earlier that day. Kraai escaped as police were taking him to the hospital.

Normally, Ron Taliaferro said, the kids aren’t allowed to stay in the room because it has mold problems.

“We were thinking of their safety when we put them in there,” he said.

Soon after that, he said, police entered, pistols drawn, and arrested Ron Taliaferro and Kraai. Diane Taliaferro was arrested when she came back from the store.

Ron Taliaferro said police never gave him a chance to explain that he locked his kids in the room to keep them safe or that his kids had been fed that day, and even had ice cream as a treat.

The parents were booked on suspicion of child endangerment with a bond of $75,000 each.

During their jail stay, their van was stolen, their home was broken into and tools Ron Taliaferro used to work as a handyman were stolen.

And they still haven’t been able to see their kids.

“It’s unbelievable,” he said. “Father’s Day was really bad. It’s like you can’t believe it was happening.”

Um, yeah … I’m sure this freak didn’t get anything for Father’s Day.

The Taliaferros said they planned to fill out paperwork today that would determine whether the couple can see their children.

“I can’t imagine what’s going through their minds,” he said of the kids.

Let me try. Maybe something like, “It sure is nice to be out of that moldy stinking room and get some food in our stomachs.”

Sheriff Lt. Jay McLaurian declined to comment on the case but said the SRS is still doing its own investigation of the family.

Ron and Diane Taliaferro said they plan to move after they regain custody of their children.

Ya think? Why bother with the kids — just move your sorry butts and start fresh without children. Am I the only one that finds this entire story strange and somewhat hard to understand?

She’s getting tired. It’s been a long day. Nevertheless, the top 5 are here.

Maybe — Sansonetti, Micheli, and Lummis for the final 3? Just guessing. It looks like Barrasso may hang tough to the final 3 too??? Oh well, she said this part will go fast. We’ll know soon which three the governor will be choosing from ….

Tieki Rae has the latest. She had it posted on her blog before the Casper Star Tribune blogger did .

The final 10 are making their speeches now. Stay tuned