Tag Archives: california

Business/Economics, U.S.

Occupy California! United Police States of America: California cuts $600 million from social programs, but adds $600 million for new prisons! More proof that the United States will become a giant prison planet

“It’s appalling that while the state is poised to cut another $600 million from already suffering essential programs, including In Home Supportive Services, Medi-Cal, child care, and universities and community colleges, they are forcing forward $600 million to build unnecessary jails. In order to make California a place where everyone can thrive, we need to raise revenues and reduce prison spending immediately!”–Nancy Berlin, the California Partnership

“Whether we’re talking about revenue or spending, it comes down to priorities. If decision makers in California continue to prioritize imprisonment over education, over healthcare, over the things that make our communities healthy and sustainable, then social and economic crisis will continue to deepen and the forecasts are going to get much more bleak!”-Emily Harris, Californians United for a Responsible Budget


Idaho, Opinion, U.S.

United Police States of America: Idaho bars media from executions, violating Federal rules

“To determine whether lethal injection executions are fairly and humanely administered, or whether they ever can be, citizens must have reliable information about the ‘initial procedures’ which are invasive, possibly painful and may give rise to serious complications.”-9th U.S. Circuit Court,  2002 ruling

On November 18, Idaho will execute a man using lethal injection, for the first time.

Attorney’s have protested saying lethal injection has been proven to be inhumane.

Now, the Idaho Department of Correction is barring all the media, in full violation of the Federal court’s ruling, from witnessing the execution: “The procedures were developed so that we would preserve the dignity of the offender.”-Jeff Ray, Idaho Department of Correction

Can you say: Bull Crap on that?   “Preserve the dignity” of a guy convicted of killing three people in three separate incidents, my ass!  Prison officials don’t give a rat’s ass about prisoners’ dignity, there’s plenty of evidence of that!  More like keep the fact that lethal injection has turned out to be a highly painful way to die (it’s described as similar to people who are undergoing operations, and are fully conscious, and can feel everything yet can’t move or talk, even though the doctors think they’re under the effects of anesthesia).  Some witnesses to lethal injection executions say they could see the convict crying after the injections had taken effect.

Several other groups have been barred as well.  The American Civil Liberties Union is also protesting.  The Associated Press is joining almost all of Idaho’s major media organizations in official protest.  Idaho officials claim the Federal Court ruling applies only to California.

I still say a bullet to the head is the fastest most humane way to execute someone.

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

End of Lawsuit may re-invigorate Idaho’s Micron, gets big boost from George Soros, rumors of insider trading

Finally, after more than a year (the last 8 weeks in deliberations), a California jury has decided in Micron’s favor, ending the possibility of Micron having to pay $11.9 billion in restitution.

A California company was suing Idaho’s Micron, along with a South Korean company, claiming they worked together (colluded) to fix computer chip prices, and to interfere with the California company’s ties with Intel.

Since 2009 Micron has fallen from being Idaho’s top employer, after laying off thousands of employees. If they had lost the lawsuit it would have been their death blow.

Even before the verdict the value of Micron stock started going up (possibly due to George Soros).  Bloomberg News reported that Micron stocks are making “unusual moves” upward.

A big reason Micron stock is going up is that billionaire investor, George Soros, recently bought up 484.5 million senior convertible Micron Technology securities, valued at $$477.6 million!  Maybe a positive turnaround for Idaho’s Micron is finally in the works?

Here’s the problem: George Soros started buying up Micron stock days before the California jury made their decision.  This is now starting rumors of insider trading.  But it’ll be tough to prove, after all, how could anyone know what a jury is going to decide, right?  Oh well, it’s happened before.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Occupy America: People, including war veteran, shot and killed at protests

On November 10, in two separate incidents, two people were shot and killed during protests on the east and west coasts of the United States.

On the west coast, in Oakland, California, what appears to be a gang shooting took the life of a man who might have used the protest to try an hide from his killers.  Occupy Oakland demonstrators claim the man was not part of the protest.

On the east coast, in Burlington, Vermont, a 35 year old War on Terror veteran shot and killed himself as a form of protest.  Occupy Burlington demonstrators say the man told them of the government’s failure to help him with a condition he developed due to his military service: “This person has clearly needed more help than we were capable of giving him here at this park.”– Emily Reynolds, University of Vermont student

Back in Oakland, paranoid city officials are ignorantly blaming the possible gang shooting on the Occupy protestors: “I have been very vocal on the fact that this cannot continue. I think fear has become a reality. They should pack up and leave, if not, we should take whatever action is necessary.”– Ignacio De La Fuente, Oakland City Councilman

In Burlington, the veteran’s protest by suicide has encouraged more people to openly protest.  It’s also encouraged the Burlington police to get violent: “We’re dealing with a large group of people. We have stuff available. We have to.”-Andi Higbee, Deputy Police Chief

Burlington media says up until the veteran’s suicide local officials had been tolerant of the Occupy protest.  That has changed, and the mayor of Burlington is even using the suicide to mount an anti-gun campaign: “We need to reflect on guns in Vermont.”-Bob Kiss, Burlington mayor

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? U.S. Home foreclosures on their way back up, Idaho makes top ten list (again)

After several months of what looked like a downward trend in home foreclosures, October had a 7% increase from the month before.

The reason for what looked like a downward trend was because the big banks and mortgage companies had been holding back, mainly due to red tape and just too many cases to go after: “The October foreclosure numbers continue to show strong signs that foreclosure activity is coming out of the rain delay we’ve been in for the past year as lenders corrected foreclosure paperwork and processing problems.”-James Saccacio, RealtyTrac

Nevada is still the number one state for foreclosures, although Las Vegas dropped to 5th place for cities.  Stockton, California, is now the number city in the U.S. for foreclosures.

Nevada, California, Arizona, Florida and Michigan are the top five losing states, making up 53% of the country’s home foreclosures.

The next five most losing states are Georgia, Illinois, Idaho, Oregon and Colorado.

 

Business/Economics, U.S.

United Police States of America: Doing time in California prisons will now cost you $142 per day

“We believe that 25% of the people who go through our jail systems can afford to pay for their jail stay.  If we just grab 25% of those, that would save the county or the city $6.7 million.”-Jeff Stone, County Supervisor

Riverside County, in California, has decided to charge prisoners $142.42 per day. The county says it’s an effort to “save” money, but it looks more like a way for the county to make a profit. When they say they could save $6.7 million, that’s actually how much money they’d take in from prisoners.

The problem is that once they start making big money from charging prisoners, the county government will get addicted to that form of revenue and start making up reasons to put people in prison. Don’t laugh, it’s happened before, and is going on right now with Corporate America operated for profit prisons.

The ACLU is concerned: “Programs like this certainly do raise very serious Constitutional questions.  We’re seeing it increasingly in jurisdictions around the country.”-Will Matthews, American Civil Liberties Union

Attorney’s for the county said there is nothing illegal about charging prisoners for their stay.  But they warned officials that not all prisoners can afford to pay for their keep: “In order to be reimbursed, the court must determine that the defendant has the ability to pay all or a portion of these costs. Many defendants who are incarcerated lack the financial means, after the payments of fines and penalties, to reimburse these costs.”-Pamela Walls, county attorney

 

U.S.

Government Incompetence: California politicians hire their own ‘news agency’, with taxpayer money

The Los Angeles Times reports that the Central Basin Municipal Water District, a taxpayer funded operation, with elected officials at the helm, essentially created their own ‘news agency’ to make them look good.

Coghlan Consulting Group is being paid $11,000 per month to write ‘news’ stories that make the elected officials look good, in the hopes of getting re-elected: “This is a serious breach of the public trust. If it was known and approved by the board, it could be interpreted as the use of $200,000 of taxpayer funds as a self-promotion to help them stay in office.”-Terry Francke, Californians Aware

The idea of a ‘news agency’ for the water district came from the consulting firm: “All of us know that getting positive news coverage about the agency is a very difficult challenge. The solution? How about our own news outlet.”-Ed Coghlan, Coghlan Consulting Group

The Central Basin Municipal Water District is already being investigated by Los Angeles County prosecutors for possible fraudulent travel expenses.

 

 

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

Corporate Incompetence: Millions of people lost power due to mistakes by power company employees

“This was not a deliberate act. The employee was just switching out a piece of equipment that was problematic.”-Daniel Froetscher, Arizona Public Service

At least 2.5 million people in the U.S. and Mexico, lost power because of maintenance at a Yuma, Arizona, substation.

Around 15:30 September 8, monitoring equipment was replaced.  That caused power to go out for about 56,000 customers.  Ten minutes later, after an attempt to restore power, the lights went out for 2.5 million customers from Yuma, Arizona, to San Diego, California, to Tijuana, Baja California.

Apparently circuits were shorted out.  Power company officials are trying to find out why such actions would have created a “cascade” effect along the power grid.

The power outage also shut down the San Onofre nuclear plant, and caused a 3.2-million gallon sewage spill San Diego beaches.

 

 

 

International, U.S.

United Police States of America: California College Students arrested for protesting Israeli Ambasador’s speech

The Irvine 11 are accused of repeatedly interrupting Israeli ambassador Michael Oren when he spoke on the UCI campus in February 2010.

They are now facing trial for “disturbing a meeting”.

One student at a recent protest pointed out that there’s something wrong with U.S. citizens not being able to exercise their right to expression, while a foreigner is protected: “…a foreign ambassador that’s coming to our home, and talking to us about these issues, and we can’t have a voice at the table, nor can we voice it in a protest?”-Kifah Shah, supporter of Irvine 11

The Irvine 11, students at UC Irvine and UC Riverside, have already been punished by University of California officials, and now face court trial on charges of  “disturbing a meeting”.  Many students say the charges are totally politically motivated.  It proves that students are not allowed to participate in public events.

If convicted the Irvine 11 could face six months in prison.

Business/Economics, U.S.

United Police States of America: Adelanto, California, makes deal with private prison devil GEO, former prison guards still unemployed, prison to be replaced by immigrant detention center

More than one year ago, the city of Adelanto, California, sold their prison to GEO Group.  The Adelanto Community Correctional Facility was being used to house state prisoners.

City officials say they got a promise from GEO that the former city prison guards would be hired.  City officials also thought the prison would be reopened shortly.  One year later those former city paid prison guards are still unemployed.

GEO is remodeling the prison, because it is now going to be used as an immigrant detention center.  It’s been renamed the Adelanto ICE Procesing Center East & West.  GEO wants to start taking in immigrants by August 2011, but doesn’t expect the new detention center to be completed until August 2012.

GEO also runs the Desert View Modified Community Correctional Facility, in Adelanto.  GEO Group is the second largest for profit prison corporation in the United States.  GEO run prisons have histories of violence and sexual assaults.