Oakland’s police chief Anthony Batts has announced that Oakland Police will not responded to 44 different crimes if planned layoffs occur at midnight. It was useful for Batts to announce the categories in advance for criminals to chose from a criminal dim sum list of free crimes including grand theft, burglary, vehicle collision, identity theft and vandalism.
If you are the victim of burglary, you will be told to make a report online and not to expect police to respond.
Here the list of free crimes in Oakland:
burglary
theft
embezzlement
grand theft
grand theft:dog
identity theft
false information to peace officer
required to register as sex or arson offender
dump waste or offensive matter
discard appliance with lock
loud music
possess forged notes
pass fictitious check
obtain money by false voucher
fraudulent use of access cards
stolen license plate
embezzlement by an employee (over $ 400)
extortion
attempted extortion
false personification of other
injure telephone/ power line
interfere with power line
unauthorized cable tv connection
vandalism
administer/expose poison to another’s
That allows ample room for most criminals to plan a life of crime without the risk of police interference.
This is the response to the planned layoff of 80 officers. That is roughly one-tenth of the force. As we continue to gush billions in Afghanistan and Iraq, our cities are returning to a state of nature. According to the city of Oakland, each of the 776 police officers currently employed at OPD costs around $188,000 per year. The city council asked OPD officers to pay nine percent of their salary toward their pensions. However, the union would only agree if the city promised no layoffs. The city refused.
Source: NBC.
BIL:
Derek Sivers: How to start a movement
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/derek_sivers_how_to_start_a_movement.html
I’ve been waiting to play this card.
My operating system is pretty much ‘kiss’ dependent.
‘Atta boy’ on the drive too.
Buddah I could name many more. I was heading out for a bike ride so i just picked three off the top my head. There is one issue that constantly divides republicans from democrats. It is the issue of reproductive freedom. For this reason a majority of women stick with the democrats. Also until a third party can be something other than white protestant it will not succeed.
I am quite serious … in my opinion recent, “third parties” have been constructed around an individual. We need a few meetings similar to the Constitutional Convention of 1787, if you get my drift, followed by a series of “publicity papers” explaining the precepts of the party similar to the Federalist papers and then a formal “coming out” convention.
As luck would have it, I am available. Slarti and I have been talking offline about doing something to take on BP. Maybe we can sign him up too.
Buddha Is Laughing
Blouise,
I propose we call it the Constitutional Populist Party.
With principles founded in the Declaration and the true secular interpretation of the Constitution.
==============================================================
Sign me up … we’ll need an education/reeducation division
With principles founded in the Declaration and the true secular interpretation of the Constitution.
Blouise,
I propose we call it the Constitutional Populist Party.
By the way, I had some “drive by fun” over at Foreign Policy today if anyone is interested. It’s on topic considering corruption and politics is now on the table.
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/07/12/sleaze_factor#comment-268566
I know a lot of decent teabaggers … some are left over from the original Ron Paul group … some trace their linage back to Ross Perot … not all are racist but the movement, in its present form, gives racists an excellent cover. Originally, in my opinion, the teabaggers were a big threat to both major parties and I believe that both, with ample help from the media, worked to minimize that threat in a very well orchestrated manner. It’s about saving some political jobs, yes, but mainly it’s about money. A whole lot of contributors funneling their contributions to the teabaggers and away from the DNC and RNC had to be stopped.
I have carefully read every point made on this thread concerning the teabaggers and, interestingly enough, I find myself agreeing with everybody at one point or another.
Yet one paragraph stands out and I believe sums it all up … at least for me:
“They are a tool serving their intended purpose – to demonize and disrupt any credible third party competition from arising for either the GOP or DNC … It’s a plan Machiavelli would have been proud of …” (Buddha) (emphasis added is mine)
It is time to ignore this whole thing and get busy organizing a third party around some straightforward principles and not around any personality … if we build it, they will come.
The bottom line on the DNC is they are both too greedy and too spineless to burn some of their own – which would be required – to restore the rule of law like their candidate promised.
But thus proving my point, Smom.
There are a few good guys in Washington. Very few. They aren’t the ones behind the Tea Baggers. And you’ll notice that the established players have done everything they can to marginalize people like Kucinich, Franken and Feingold. This is about the corrupt protecting the corrupt. Party affiliation has little or nothing to do with it as both parties participated in the ongoing crime of the Bush Administration. With 535 total Congressmen (100 Senators and a maximum of 435 Representatives), do the math. It’s 532 vs. 3 by your (probably correct) reckoning of the good guys.
The tea party candidates are running on the republican ticket and platform. They are not running as an independents.
Disagree. Over and Out. It is not that simple. Some on the democratic side are moving in a good direction. Do you think Kucinich , Feingold and Franken should be voted out and replaced by random teabaggers? I guess so. The left on the democratic side is so scared of the tea party that they probably won’t mount any opposition to Obama.
It’s time we all stopped supporting the Republican or Democratic parties in this country…neither is moving us in the right direction..all are focused on self interest and protecting their power and influence. This fear of the Tea Party is just a ruse that works to the benefit of both. The Tea Party is simply a manifestation of that frustration by fiscal conservatives and a wide range of others (making it a diverse group of people with a wide range of views – some racist and csme not). I’m suprised there isn’t a similar movement on the left away from the Democratic party. It’s time to all come together and say…,If their “IN” they are “OUT” in the next election. Time to hold both parties accountable for the mess we’re in.
Okay, okay, okay. When it comes to the Tea Baggers, the DNC and the GOP? You are arguing over the bark of the tree and aren’t considering it within the context of the political forest.
1) The GOP and DNC are just as vile as one another and just as on the graft train as one another. The only reason the rule of law hasn’t been restored is that members of BOTH scumbag parties would end up hanging from the yardarm next to the traitors Bush and Cheney.
2) The Tea Baggers are astroturf foremost and above all. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astroturfing Any organic roots they once may have had have been co-opted by this Neocon schlep – Andrew Breitbart. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Breitbart
They are a tool serving their intended purpose – to demonize and disrupt any credible third party competition from arising for either the GOP or DNC since it has become patently apparent to much of the public that
a) the GOP Bush Administration are criminals and
b) that the DNC Obama Administration are aiders and abettors after the fact.
Jill is correct – they are not monolithic nor need they be for their intended purposes. They merely need to showcase enough lunatics to frighten reasonable people into staying with either of our no choice “two choices” yet remain just credible enough to dilute the base for an actual third party from forming by attracting “stragglers” – those dissatisfied with the status quo but lacking to political savvy to realize joining the Tea Baggers is the partisan equivalent of neutering yourself by associating with the visible loons like Avery. Should any Tea Bagger get into office, rest assured the GOP has a plan to co-opt them to their ends either as puppet or scapegoat.
It’s a plan Machiavelli would have been proud of, but then again that rat bastard sociopath is exactly what’s wrong with politics to begin with. Except for one thing. Their use by the Washington establishment simply plays not into change for the better, but the civil unrest that they – the Neocons and their Perpetual War Machine – require to eventually implement martial law if they feel threatened with removal from the campaign finance graft trough . . . or simply if they feel like cracking down on We the People at their corporatist master’s behest if we get to uppity about defending our Constitutional rights they are pissing on every day Cheney stays out of prison orange and the Patriot Act isn’t repealed.
Cynical? Perhaps.
But it doesn’t mean I’m wrong.
I see the Tea Party tactic has worked its intended magic. No matter how much evidence that’s presented showing the movement is not monolithic, here we have the argument that it is, just as a matter of belief. No matter what the govt. is doing, it’s as if the tea party were in power and thus one should ignore the actual government’s actions. Honestly, it’s really spooky. Please do criticize the Tea Party. What I find dishonest is the lack of criticism of the president and the Democratic party. If people shouldn’t associate with others who do bad things, why do so many people support a person who imprisons the innocent, kills civilians and has taken for himself the right to kill American citizens? Again I feel compelled to say that the time for partisanship is long over. We are in an emergency with regards to the rule of law, wars of empire, the economy and the environment. These are team projects of the both Republicans and Democrats. If we cannot sort through partisanship to reality we are sunk.
Elaine,
I guess I’m a little frustrated. I’m hoping you’ll point out where I said the Tea Party movement didn’t have any racists in it because I said the opposite several times.
Elaine:
“Our economy isn’t going to get much better until we start manufacturing goods again in this country.”
Good point but how do you attract companies back to the US?
http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-national/20100713/US.Iowa.Obama.Billboard/ a billboard those who sympathize with the tea party might like.
jericho:
How do you know he is a good economist? Instead of telling me to go back to 3rd grade why don’t you tell me why I am wrong.
It is easy to tell someone to go back to 3rd grade, maybe a little harder to defend your position?
I’m with Tony C and Blouise on this one, blackmail pure and simple. The math doesn’t seem right here, a 10% reduction in staff and all but the most violent and heinous classes of crime will not be pursued? Just how much murder, robbery and rape goes on in Oakland that a 10% reduction in staff robs so many other crimes of pursuit? This doesn’t pass the smell test and is a pretty typical political move on the part of the Oakland chief to ramp up fear and activism (for his own benefit) among the populous. Start by laying him off.