Unethical Police

The level of discourse had always been contentious in our department, but on 12/20/2008 it reached a level of depravity that shames us all.

I have long warned that politics played a major role in our department, everything from how many TASERs we have, to the color of our patrol vehicles depends on how well we sell ourselves to the citizens. Even the type of legal representation we have as officers depends on how well someone was able to convince you to join their group. We all know legal defense is critical in this job, especially in current times where a suspect’s whim is tomorrow’s IA complaint. And we have always enjoyed a level of confidentiality in our Internal Affairs department; after all, it is called “internal” affairs, and not external laundry airing. This level of confidence is essential to having complete and thorough investigations to either exonerate our fellow officers, or dole out the punishment they deserve. Never has the politics between the two labor groups crossed the line of violating that confidence until now.

By now you may know that three of our officers in Mesa had their dirty laundry aired out in the East Valley Tribune, all in the name of damning the Mesa Police Association. The IA complaints, like most of them, warrant investigation and if wrongdoing is found, then it must be corrected. But to invoke a “leak” of admonished information from IA for personal gain is not only unethical, is near illegal. And finally, to take that information and sell it to media to benefit your labor organization goes beyond unethical; it is unspeakable and shameful to your badge and the oath of office we all took.

I ask all of you to stop the arguing for a moment and think about what just happened. It should scare the hell out of you that a fellow officer felt it necessary to do this. When will it stop? Are you next? Am I next? Have you done something to the FOP that would warrant your IA file in the open media? Who knows? The officers that stand accused in these cases might have made bad choices, but do those choices warrant a public shaming all in the name of benefiting one labor group?

No matter what group you belong to, you must admit that this is low. Now is the time to take a stand against this and bring civility back to the debate.

Unethical Police

The level of discourse had always been contentious in our department, but on 12/20/2008 it reached a level of depravity that shames us all.

I have long warned that politics played a major role in our department, everything from how many TASERs we have, to the color of our patrol vehicles depends on how well we sell ourselves to the citizens. Even the type of legal representation we have as officers depends on how well someone was able to convince you to join their group. We all know legal defense is critical in this job, especially in current times where a suspect’s whim is tomorrow’s IA complaint. And we have always enjoyed a level of confidentiality in our Internal Affairs department; after all, it is called “internal” affairs, and not external laundry airing. This level of confidence is essential to having complete and thorough investigations to either exonerate our fellow officers, or dole out the punishment they deserve. Never has the politics between the two labor groups crossed the line of violating that confidence until now.

By now you may know that three of our officers in Mesa had their dirty laundry aired out in the East Valley Tribune, all in the name of damning the Mesa Police Association. The IA complaints, like most of them, warrant investigation and if wrongdoing is found, then it must be corrected. But to invoke a “leak” of admonished information from IA for personal gain is not only unethical, is near illegal. And finally, to take that information and sell it to media to benefit your labor organization goes beyond unethical; it is unspeakable and shameful to your badge and the oath of office we all took.

I ask all of you to stop the arguing for a moment and think about what just happened. It should scare the hell out of you that a fellow officer felt it necessary to do this. When will it stop? Are you next? Am I next? Have you done something to the FOP that would warrant your IA file in the open media? Who knows? The officers that stand accused in these cases might have made bad choices, but do those choices warrant a public shaming all in the name of benefiting one labor group?

No matter what group you belong to, you must admit that this is low. Now is the time to take a stand against this and bring civility back to the debate.

Lazy cop or lazy American?

Last week I had the privilege of attending a union recruiting function at our police department, and it left me with a strange question, Are Americans lazy, even when it comes to their own future?

I know there has been a thousand articles written since the election about the American sense of entitlement which reared it ugly head in a very public way, but I really wanted to believe that Americans, as a whole, were not content to sit and wait for success to come to them. Apparently I held on to this faith despite mountains of evidence to the contrary.

A young officer was supposed to tell the class of new recruits why they should join his union over a another, and the vehicle chose to deliver his message was a personal story. He told the class that he “got into some trouble” over an excessive force complaint and needed union help. He expressed dismay at the situation, after all, in his words he “had beat up people all the time and never got in trouble for it…” He continued to say, “I needed help and couldn’t find it, or maybe help couldn’t find me.” He went on to tell of how he was forced to contact an old police sergeant who gave him advice on which lawyer to call, and how this may have saved his career. I was so bewildered with the few things I quoted above that I almost missed him reiterate this point, in these words, “lets just say help didn’t find me.”

This left me with such a bad taste in my mouth that I asked my partner what he thought about it and he dismissed the whole thing as a young dumb cop spouting off. I on the other hand couldn’t shake the feeling this guy was the epitome of America right now. He stood there with simple arrogance and proclaimed that help simply did not find him. As if the help he needed was entitled to him because he existed and that was all. His phrase made me reflect on the millions of people who proclaimed in one voice on November 4th that help needed to come to them.

This ideal goes against everything I have ever been taught about being an American, let alone a police officer. Americans pull themselves up by the bootstraps and carry on. Even when times are hard, we use the goal of the American Dream to fuel our drive and we move forward. I know because I have been there. When my wife and I were married we had a broken car, very modest income, and one couch. We decided a long time ago that we were going to succeed without handouts or bailouts. Our journey is far from over, but we wake up everyday and press onward, never expecting anything to just “come our way”. That was the way I was raised, I knew of no other alternative than success at all costs.

And as far as being a cop is concerned, since when do we allow fate to dictate anything? I have seen people survive 8 bullet wounds to the body, I know people who were left for dead and came back to be stronger than ever. These people did not wait for help to come to them they literally pulled themselves up, sometimes with one arm, and survive.

And perhaps that is the answer to this plaguing question; there are still some of us out there. There are still people who wake up with nothing, and work all day to get to that somewhere someday. These people will rise to the top, or die trying, but will never be content to wait for “it” to come to them.

So maybe some Americans are lazy and have taken the easy road, but that’s all right. Because for every ten people who stand by waiting, there is one who is ready to take the reigns and move forward. And these are the true Americans.

1104 E. Backwards Avenue

"I believe in common-sense gun safety laws, and I believe in the second amendment," Obama said at a news conference. "Lawful gun owners have nothing to fear. I said that throughout the campaign. I haven't indicated anything different during the transition. I think people can take me at my word." Barack Obama as quoted by Chicago Sun Times on 12/8/2008.

This quote from the President Elect made my wife and I always cry with laughter. Forget the fact that Obama was the most ludicrous legislator when it came to gun control, focus on this quote and juxtapose it with all of the recent examples showing he has more back pedaling power that John Effing Kerry.

Remember during the campaign how adamantly Obama went after the “big oil” companies for their windfall profits? I do, in fact I can tell you on which pages of his “Obama/Biden Manifesto for Change” he proposed taxing them, simply because of the profits. Now that he has formed the Office of the President Elect, he has done a 180 on the taxing and blamed the poor economy. His words, and I have to paraphrase them, were something to the effect that when gas prices were high, that was the time to tax the companies, now that the gas prices are low, we will let them have their profits. After all, what’s fair about taxing three billion as opposed to five billion?

Follow that flip flop with the reversal on the “reversal” of the Bush tax cuts, and the change of mind on Iraq, and you have a bicycle that successfully goes backwards, right over the road that was paved for it. But that’s a topic for another time.

If Barack Obama is so willing to run right back over the liberal base that elevated him to power, how willing do you think he will be to stomp on conservative gun owners? After all, we see how easy it is for him to go back on campaign promises. So when Obama says, “I think people can take me at my word”, I have to say, that’s the problem, we are.

Mumbai Report

Many of you know that I find a great deal of interest in terrorism and international intelligence, so it should come as no surprise that in the very second I learned about Mumbai (Bombay) I was scanning world wide news for info.

Here is what I have, and later I will add my commentary:

--10 Gunmen, armed with automatic rifles, hand grenades, and several other explosives
--Goal was to hit at least a dozen different places, with emphasis on the Taj hotel
--They came ashore on zodiac type boats, launched from a larger ship
--One of main targets was a Jewish Chabat house, (think religious hostel)
--In the Chabat the victims were bound then shot
--Gunmen yelled out for British, Jewish, and American citizens in the hotels
--Police were ineffective due to an emphasis on less than lethal weapons, substandard rifles, and poor training
--The hostages were probably not part of the plan, but more of an opportunity
--All of them were trained in military tactics and were very familiar with the weapons they used
--The sole survivor claims he is Pakistani, and that the terrorists trained in Pakistan

Ok, commentary. It’s clear to me that the attack was to remind the Indian people that their country’s fledging democracy was failing them. This was designed to undermine the current government and make the Indian people wish they had not chosen a democratic form of government. It just might work in the end. The theory has been proven in Spain; if you hit hard enough the people will choose a stricter government in the hopes that it will protect them. Only to realize, and often too late, they have sacrificed freedom for security.

This should send a cold chill down every Americans’ spine. Just think about the throngs of uneducated voters who voiced themselves in the last election, and look at the results. The people have totally ignored the fact that since 2001 we have not been attacked by foreign terrorists. They would rather believe President Bush was complicit in 9/11 and that he started a war in Iraq for oil. Now take these people and apply the bloodshed of Mumbai…scary concept.

This is why I urge every American, red or blue, liberal or conservative, to never allow a president or a congress, to cut our defense spending. We must always take the fight to the enemy and destroy them where they live, before they get here. This is not a tough concept, nor is it new. But it is a concept we will see under siege in the coming years. PE Obama has promised to cut “tens of billions in spending…halt the development of future weapons…stop the funding of unproven missile defense systems…” the list goes on.

Homeland security is not perfect, but it is complimented by fighting those who would harm us in their own hovels and caves, and not on Main Street.

Give 'em a check...and its all down hill.

Lately I have done some studies on what modern socialism has accomplished, and what modern socialists wish it would. I've come across some very interesting web pages designed to tug at your "feel sorry" strings and lead you to the conclusion that industry is to blame for the worlds' woes, and government is the cure. I have sat and pondered many times how anyone could come to this conclusion, and be so sure about it, that they proudly call themselves socialists.

In the spirit of this movement I decided to look at the basis for their "save-the-world-via-government-intervention plan for success." I found a great example of how and why government is not the answer, but as Reagan said, is the problem.

The City of Mesa, is a sprawling suburb of Phoenix with slightly over 460,000 citizens. The landscape of Mesa is as diverse as the people who live there. On the west end you have a mix of high class business suites, right next door to pay by the hour hotel rooms and on the east end you have multi-million dollar homes. But in the west end you will find the first evidence of a failed government plan, the light rail system. Just to be clear, I like the light rail idea. I lived off of it in Europe and I like the system Salt Lake City has. But in Mesa you will find all of one mile of light rail track, which quickly terminates at the sight of an old abandoned mall. It literally is the end of the tracks. So why is this the City's fault? They waited way too long to get on board the project, and failed to explain to the citizens how useful it would be. They simply shrugged their shoulders and quietly whispered, "It'll never work."

Next we have a failure on the part of the city to recognize bad money management. A few years ago the city would pay each person $50 for their old refrigerators. Why? Well I don't know except to say they obviously wanted the honor or throwing the old cold boxes in the dump themselves. And sit tight, this next one will sting, $800,000 on the first (and only) City of Mesa Citrus festival! Eight hundred thousand big ones to celebrate an orange. It was fun for the whole family, and ended as a "fee"-nominal failure.

Ready for this? The Diversity officer for the City of Mesa starts at just over $79,000 a year. Just to put that into perspective; That's two firefighter recruits or one and half Police Officer recruits. In fact, when a cop "tops out" they wont even come close to $79K a year. For reasons of clarity I will add that the only education requirement for the Diversity Officer is a 4 year degree.

I don't have enough space on this post to talk about the City's utilities department who artificially kept rates low so as to keep customers, even while the water pipes were bursting all over the place.

And finally, the piece of resistance, bronze statues. Yes life like statues of dogs, kids, three over- weight women, and a skinny horse. Total cost? $69K for upkeep and upgrades, plus 75K for advertising. Income to the city? Um, zero. (They don't have a sales tax so even if you buy an Ice Cream while looking at the skinny horse, the only person you are helping is yourself).

And in that final thought comes the inspiration for my conclusion: The government cannot provide the type of financial leadership socialists crave. Because of the City's lack of fiscal responsibility, there are patches of extreme blight everywhere. Abandoned buildings dot the landscape, and low income neighborhoods look like war zones. Hundreds of people will be cut loose after Christmas, and no one is safe from the chopping block. That simple bronze cast skinny horse is the epitome of the failed government, and now even he has to go.

700 Billion and counting.

I'm sure you have all read about this bail out package to the point your sick, me too. But in typical "Me" fashion I have to take it one step further.

I read Henry "Hank" Paulson's op-ed piece in the NYT today and the only thing I extracted from it was, "its bigger than we thought, we need more cash." It's like watching that 10 minute segment of "Independence Day" when all of the massive ships come drilling into the atmosphere and all of the people are staring up in disbelief and horror. Add to that some annoying Nelson Muntz style voice in the background saying, "We need more sky!"

My point is, of course the problem is bigger than you thought! What a surprise! It's like every other government run program, it starts with a modest assessment and then lo and behold, they need more cash. Now I know Paulson didn't come right out and say he needs another check, but read his NYT piece, about halfway through when he talks about "not enough fire power". Its cryptic for, open your wallets my fellow tax payers.

This whole thing has become a major joke with all of us being the punchline. AIG is scheduled to get 25B more, and that's after they all went to Cali and got massages. GM, Ford, and Chevy want some money, and even the state of Arizona has jumped into the mix. With all the beggars showing up in DC the one industry that stands to gain is the hotel chains.

As just an average person who spends his days trying to break out of the middle class, I have but one question on this thing, why? Why don't you let these companies who have failed to adapt to the new century just go under? No one is going to bail me out if I make bad financial decisions, so why should I bail out multi-billion dollar companies who have done the same?

This may make some folks angry, but its the truth.

I have been relatively quiet on the CA prop 8 and the AZ prop 102 protests. I expressed my displeasure in a few entries about the protests going on at Mormon churches and temples, but overall I have been quiet and yet highly agitated. I learned many years ago that I have an amazing ability to offend, annoy, and otherwise alienate people when I speak in an agitated mood, so I’ve had to hold back some. Until now.

I read an article on the website www.truthwinsout.org that compared the plight of the Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender community to the plight of the Jews and African Americans. It even went so far as to say those whom felt the sting of discrimination were now stepping on new victims of hate.

This is where the nonsense stops, to compare the GLBT plight for gay marriage to the Jews or the African Americans is not fair, and it spits upon the memory of millions who lost their lives out of no fault of their own.

No members of the GLBT community have been oppressed since the time of Julius Ceaser. They have not been rounded up by tribal kings and sold in chains to the highest bidder. They were not forced into putrid conditions, raped, hung, and drug to death simply because their skin was different.

No members of the GLBT community have been rousted out of their beds at night and forced into Warsaw ghettos. They did not stand in lines while soldiers tore their family members away at gunpoint. They were not forced into gas chambers, work camps, or shot in the streets. The Jews, like the African Americans, suffered some of the most horrendous treatment human beings can devise and to even think that the gay community has claim to that suffering is sickening.

Thankfully we live in a civilized society where these people will not have to suffer like that. But this new rage and hate coming from the GLBT community has already gone too far, and I fear it will get even worse unless someone on their side speaks up and calls for common sense. Until then, they should expect that the harder they push, the harder the public will push back. And the more they try to compare themselves with those who have truly suffered, the more they will ensure that they will never be alike.

DNR GOP ?

Today is the 10th of November, 6 full days have elapsed from the election of Barack Obama, and yet if you scan the news sites you would think it just wrapped up about 10 minutes ago.

The excitement of the new President Elect is almost matched by the excitement of throngs of bloggers and columnists who are hailing the death of the Republican Party, more so, the death of Conservatism. I picture a large ball room chock full of angry GOP’ers marching single file out a pair of double doors, flanked by new progressives slapping orange DNR stickers on their hunched backs.

No one can deny that the media established itself as the big kid on the playground during this last election. They may not have wielded the biggest stick, but they sure screamed loud enough. For those they supported the media acted as a digital form of ADD quickly flashing over, or completely ignoring, any faults the new president may have, and substituting them with highlight reels and chanting onlookers. For those the media opposed, they took on the role of grim reaper, constantly reminding us that the end was near.

Just as they performed the greatest shuck and jive in the history politics over the last two years, they are now at it again with the same scythe swinging audacity. Any scan of the news, cable or Internet; will lead you inexorably to the conclusion that America has cast the conservatives out on their elephant-gray butts. It takes a deeper look into the “news” to find the actual truth; we are still here.

It is true the Republicans have tossed aside the Conservative base, John McCain went through the primaries ignoring us, all the while claiming he was the right man. (Pun fully intended). At the last minute his choice of the Sarah Palin was a sign that even he could not ignore the solid Conservative base. But that’s all behind us now, and presently we need to focus on rebuilding the party.

We need to start training and educating ourselves on this new style of politics, and stop preparing for a battle that was already lost. We need to focus on the Conservative message regarding limited government and why it works. We need to focus on less government spending, and smarter spending where it is needed. We need to teach people that the government should be a resource, not the sole source. We need to remember that strong churches and strong families are the backbone of society, and stop shunning the “Religious Right”. We need to remind people that we have the most advanced oil drilling companies in the world, and they are ready and willing to help us get away from mid-east oil. All we need do is cut the leash.

No Conservatism is not dead, it is in exile. We are preparing for the next battle to be fought for this great country. We are seeking men and women who are ready for the fight and willing to stand up and declare, we are proud to be Conservative.

A bit too cliche?

Remember all of those cliche stories in high school sex-ed about "Tommy" and "Jenny" who unwittingly fell into a compromising situation one night after the high school football game? Poor Jenny was convinced Tommy loved her so much that she gave herself fully to the man of her dreams, only to wake up alone the dreaded morning after! (dramatic music)

I can't help but think we are seeing some morning after action going on right now in the Obama administration-to-be. He promised change and vowed not to succumb to politics as usual. He promised to bring change to Washington and "fundamentally change the United States of America".

And then he picked Joe Biden.

Yes, nothing says change more than 30+ years of Washington insider standing next to you in Scranton, PA. And now we find he picked Rahm Emanuel, a top advisor to Bill Clinton, and a speaker's pet to Nanci Pelosi, as his Chief of Staff. Not to mention John Podesta, former Bill Clinton White House Chief of Staff, will head Obama's transition team.

It seems like Obama decided to pull some quickness the morning after while half of his constituents are still bathing in the after glow of his ascension, and the other half are just happy they were not disenfranchised from voting by scary republicans with sticks. I'm willing to say we just experienced several months of what amount to political pillow talk.

But maybe I am all wrong on this, maybe Tommy really does love Jenny, as he runs out the front door, looking over his shoulder, and saying, "I'll call you, I promise!"

The Conservative Credo

1. We believe that life starts at conception.

2. We believe that the right to bear arms is an individual right, protected by the Constitution.

3. We believe in the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman.

4. We believe in the freedom of political discourse, no matter what side you are on.

5. We believe in the right to vote, and deplore any and all actions that restrict that right.

6. We believe that children can be educated at home and at school, and reserve the right for the parents to choose where they will send their children.

7. We believe that the borders of our country should be secured, allowing only those who legally cross to access the American dream.

Fiscal Ship

Do you know what was so brilliantly tragic about the Titanic sinking? All of those “upper class” folks still died like everyone else. With all of their riches they could not save themselves from the predictable and yet inevitable icy death.

We are seeing a replay of sorts today in America. Over the last 10 years a new breed millionaires and upper class people rose to the top. Some of them made their money from the booming housing market, while others benefited from the tremendous amount of disposable income Americans had. Plastic surgery was commonplace and was more affordable now than every before, the common family had a toy hauler and two or tree ATV’s to go with it. Everyone was buying the biggest house they could lay their eyes on, and refied as fast as they could to buy the newest DLP 35” flat screen TV. Yes, times were rolling along and things were looking great.

Then a chunk of ice came along and tore a small hole in the side of the financial boat. Those really cool 5 year ARM’s came due and there was not a bank in sight that wanted to refinance a person who owed 350K on a house that was only valued at 225K. There was soon too many houses on the market and not enough buyers. Companies that purchased land for millions of dollars, with the intent of building million dollar homes, all of a sudden closed up shop and disappeared. The family that was “Escalade roll‘in” yesterday could not afford to fill the gas tank, pay for their new I-phone, buy “Afflicted” clothing for 14-year-old Johnny, and still make the house payment. The new rich began a new plunge into an icy death.

The stark reality is this, just like the Titanic disaster, people today have failed to plan. They were so enamored with their fast money that the future seemed only to be brighter. They ushered in a new culture of wasteful spending, financial carelessness, and fiscal invincibility. As Hawthorn predicted, families rose and fell in America, this time with their pocket books clutched tightly against their chests.

A new cycle is about to begin and a new upper class will ascend to the dollar-laden throne, and yes, some of them will eventually fall as well. Because after all of this, some people will still not realize that being rich, is nowhere near being wealthy.

Joe Six pack

Yesterday I heard an interview of Sarah Palin by Sean Hannity and during the interview she referred to herself as Joe Six-pack, the commoner. It was a cute little line and her way of showing she was just like you and me.

Then tonight I heard a guy call in to the Phil Henry show and rant about how the Republicans have no idea what being Joe Six-pack is like. This guy went off on a tirade about how he went bankrupt taking care of his dying wife and how he deserves to get some government money. He was so livid about not having equal share in the cash flow of America, he actually advocated taking money from the "rich" and giving it to him. He decided it was right that Obama get into the White House, so he himself could get a little more cash.

To my dismay this was not the first person I heard in the last few days talk like that. Earlier this week I heard a guy on the Randi Rhodes show talk about how he just wanted to give Obama a chance, even though he might end up being a bad president, but he felt Obama deserved a chance to prove himself. After all, according to him, Obama could do no worse than Bush did over the last 8 years.

This type of social apathy is driving me crazy. I honestly don't understand where this sense of entitlement comes from. You know what? If you want more money, then go work for it. If you are stuck in a bad job with no future, then get out. Don't tell me that it sounds easier than it is, if you are that miserable in life, then staying where you are has to be the hardest thing you've ever done! People actually think that by electing Obama they are going to get more money. This is nothing more than raw entitlment and laziness.

Finally, political apathy led to the ascension to power by one Adolf Hitler. His socialist party promoted taking care of the people and being a voice for the working class. I'm not comparing Obama to Hitler, but what I am saying is this type of attitude could lead to someone mush worse than Obama or Hitler in the coming years.

One.

Welcome to my blogspot, the newest adventure from the wild mind of Chris Adamczyk! This is the first entry so I want to set up how this will work. I will have four main categories: Politics, personal, current events, and The Book.

Politics: Easy somewhat partisan opinions about one of my favorite topics.

Personal: Family stuff and just other personal musings.

Current Event: Well, duh.

The Book: This will focus on my writing endeavors including "The Devil and Jack" as well as some of my fiction stuff. I will post pieces of my books for you all read and critique.

Well thanks for visting and please check back often, you won't regret it! Each one of my books will live and die with you ( no pressure).

CHRIS
Si Vic Pacem, Para bellum.