U. Darby police face no charges in DUI case

U. Darby police face no charges in DUI case A yearlong grand jury probe had studied the quashed drunken-driving arrest of a "friend" of the department. By Jeff Shields Inquirer Staff Writer No criminal charges will be filed against current or former Upper Darby police officials in connection with the alleged attempt to quash a drunken-driving case for a "friend" of the department. A yearlong grand jury investigation by the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office closed last month without criminal charges. Delaware County District Attorney G. Michael Green said he was informed yesterday by letter. "There was insufficient evidence to conclude that there was a deliberate attempt by anyone on the Upper Darby police force to obstruct justice," said Kevin Harley, spokesman for Attorney General Tom Corbett. The attorney general opened an investigation in December 2004 after a series of Inquirer stories documented the handling of a 2003 drunken-driving arrest. Over the 12 months of the grand jury's investigation, at least 20 Police Department employees were called to testify. Dante Panichi 3d of Bala Cynwyd was arrested Feb. 27, 2003, and charged with drunken driving - his fourth such arrest - but was released the next morning without prosecution. Arresting Officer Jerome Brown said a superior officer called him the next day and informed him that Panichi was "a friend of ours," according to Brown's attorney. The paperwork linked to the arrest disappeared. After the Inquirer stories, Green reopened the case, while also asking the attorney general to investigate. It is common for district attorneys to ask the attorney general to handle investigations involving police departments in their counties, Harley said. Panichi was convicted in April and is serving 15 to 30 months in prison. Police Superintendent Vincent J. Ficchi retired in September and was replaced by longtime Philadelphia Police Officer Michael Chitwood Sr.

Support American Cows

The next time you reach for that container of Coffee Mate or any other "Non Dairy" creamer for your cup of java think about this: Silicon Dioxide is an additive to "Keep the flow going" as you pour it. I'm no molucular scientist or anything but we are "Carbon Based" life forms, not made of sand. Just the more the reason to milk a cow or better yet drink it black. Note to self: Remember that in Wawa tomorrow morning. Cheers.

2006 - A Turning Point?

It's a new year. So what is everyone going to do with it? Me, I figured that I would try to work harder, be more caring towards others, and try to stay away from politics. It seems that in the blogosphere one can quickly get a name for themselves, either as a good or a bad person. I myself have been labeled by some as a bad man. Why? Because I cannot stand George Bush nor anyone in Washington weather they are Republican or Democrat. I feel that the Republican party has been hi- jacked, and America is on a downword sprial to a third wold status. Iraq, Iran, China, Russia, Gasoline prices, North Korea, Karl Rove, Bushgate, all of these and more have dominated the net during the past year. What I want to see in 2006 is for someone like John McCain to step up and out of his shell, to lead the Republican party in 2008. Am I asking too much? Is McCain just another shill for the real people in control? I hope not. Now for the real things that concern me. One is the passing of my ex Father In Law, Grandpop to my two daughters. He died on December 31st, around 5:00 pm. My younger daughter Natalie called me.(Her 20th Birthday was 1/2/06). She and her Sisters, Mom, etc are devastated. I cannot even bring myself to call, because I should be there in person to try and comfort them. As I get older it seems that things get more complicated and you need more time to do the things you want. It's late so I'll leave it at that.

One Year Ago Today: The Indian Ocean Tsuami

One year ago today The Indian Ocean Tsuami (Video) swept away entire villages in Aceh and Sri Lanka. Overall it killed over 200,000 people in 12 countries and displaced millions. Some say that it was a "man made" event, being that a certain military installation was warned hours before. So what did cause the Indian Ocean Tsuami? I find it hard to believe that no plausable explanation has been reached. I don't buy the "Man Made" thing though. In any case, Petra Nemcova, a Czech born model, soon became the main attraction as her story of holding on for dear life for eight hours spread throughout the MSM. One thing is for sure: If something happens once, it surely can happen again. Could this happen to the east coast of our country? Some say it can and will. Bottom line is if it did there would at best be 2-3 hours of time to warn and evacuate millions. Makes you think the next time your down the shore, eh?

Merry Christmas

I just wanted to wish everyone a very happy, safe and joyous holiday. Merry Christmas! :)

Handgun Versus Woman

A little something I stole from Kate while she was away at her new job. The Top Ten Reasons Why a Handgun Is Better Than a Woman 10. You can trade an old .44 for two new .22s 9. You can keep one handgun at home and have another for when you're on the road. 8. If you admire a friend's handgun, and tell him so, he will probably let you try it out a few times. 7. Your primary handgun doesn't mind if you have a backup. 6. Your handgun will stay with you even if you're out of ammo. 5. A handgun doesn't take up a lot of closet space. 4. Handguns function normally every day of the month. 3. A handgun doesn't ask "Do these new grips make me look fat?" 2. A handgun doesn't mind if you go to sleep after you use it. AND.....THE NUMBER ONE REASON WHY A HANDGUN IS BETTER THAN A WOMAN.... 1. You can buy a silencer for a handgun.

Big Box Companies...oye...

---caution: long post--- Start Scene 1:00pm - pick up phone - dial Lowes of N. Wilmington, DE (wait on hold) 'how can I help you' "flooring please" (wait on hold) 'hello how can I help you' "hi how are you doing this morning" *yes I usually do start with this. Damn nice guy syndrome or something* 'good and you' "I have a little issue, I signed a contract and paid for flooring and haven't heard anything. I know it takes like 2 weeks for the carpet to come in and after it comes your contractor has 48hrs to call me but I haven't heard anything from anyone and its beyond the 2 weeks" 'oh well I'm not at a computer right now, I'm actually standing watch at a forklift, can I take your name/number and call you back' "I'd rather not, can you transfer me to someone who can answer my question" *seriously, why pick up the phone if you can't help. and no, I will not leave my name/number. I have never ever ever had anyone from any company ever call me back when they said they would. yeah I do know why, minimizing on hold time is probably some company priority but its worse if I do talk to someone who can't answer the question* (noise, people talking, I obviously wasn't getting transfered and instead was on 'active hold' while she just stood there) 'are you still there?' *where was I gonna go?* "yes I'm here" *blahblahblah its crazy busy I don't care I'm annoyed that you answered the phone though you were obviously incapable of helping at the time since you were elsewhere, which is fine just don't answer the phone then* 'ok this shows your carpet came in Wednesday, let me transfer you to the install department and you'll work it out with them' "whatever needs to happen, thanks" (wait on hold) (hear, BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP really loud) "yeah that's not fun, let's not do that" 'oh your still there? hang on' "Install" (insert spheal) 'ok I will contact the contractor and get him to schedule an install date with you' "So I signed a contract that you didn't follow (e.g. me getting called within 48hrs) and all that happens is you call the contractor?" 'yes, let me contact him and get him to call you' "is there a manager around' 'Hang on...wait he left his phone here, hang on...wait he's in a meeting, no wait there he is' *what the!?* 'can I help you?' (insert spheal) "ok let us call the contractor so he can call you and schedule an install" 'yeah but, I didn't get called within the 48hrs as in the contract and nothing happens?' "we'll call the contractor and get you set up" *he just wasn't taking the hint* 'so you didn't follow the contract and nothing happens' "I'm not trying to argue with you I just want to get you schedule" 'I signed a contract to get flooring and part of that was being informed within a certain timeframe which didn't happen and I get no compensation that you didn't follow the contract' *either he was annoyed that I stated basically that same thing again OR because I inserted the word compensation. I'm going with compensation* (louder annoyed voice) 'let us call the contractor and then we can discuss compensation' "ok, thank you" End Scene Start Scene 1:40pm (receiving phone call) 'can I speak with ?' *40 minutes turn around time. not too bad considering he's probably on the job. I KNEW I was goign to get a call pretty soon. I also was pretty sure it would be a waist of time call...see below* "speaking" 'yeah his this is Lowe's said you want your carpet installed?' *no I want it to sit in a warehouse. I paid for it up front and signed a contract to get it installed which included you coming over and doing measurements and a detailed estimate only for me to use it as compost.* "yes" 'I have nothing available up until christmas but I'm not in the office right now I'm on a job so I can't schedule anything until I get back to the office' *don't call me and waist my time! I know why you called me, because lowe's called you and said they're some crazy guy all pissed off (though I'm more annoyed than pissed off) so they asked that you call me right away to lessen my pissed-off-ness though all it did was increase it because you waisted my time* "ok just call me later" End Scene Start Scene 5:57pm (receiving phone call) 'hi can I speak with ' *yes. we only own cell phones. we do not have a home phone number. if anyone answers this particular phone number you have it will 99.9% of the time be the person you want to speak with* "speaking" 'hi this is I just got a cancellation on the 22nd' "um, let me get my calendar (fumble to get out MobilePro)...um, yeah ok 22nd is fine" *22nd actually kinda stinks but given the way the day went screw it, I'll take another day off to get this done. Plus it will hopefully be done off-gassing while we're away* 'ok, um, are you taking the carpet off yourself' "yes I am, so what are the logistics of this? What's the timeframe" 'well since your taking the existing carpet up yourself just one day' "what time will you be showing up" 'probably 9/9:30' *LOVE the specifics!* "speaking of tearing up the carpet, do you need me to remove the doors?* 'um, no we can do that, that's not a big deal' "ok, see you on the 22nd" End Scene I'm convinced there was no 'cancellation' and that it was either Lowe's giving him shit or Lowe's sweatening the pot for him. That depends on if the contractor was ever informed that my carpet came in. Whatever happened between the big box and their contractor is between them, my contract is with Lowes and THEY are to perform. If they get a contractor that's their perogative. Why do I even care? Well all I know is if the roles were reversed, if the little guy screwed up the big box company would have no problem screwing me over. That's why. What do I want? Heck give me a freaking lowe's gift card with 10% or even 5% of my purchase price on it. Ensures my business with you isn't impacted by your screw-up. I mean, there is a home depot a hell of a lot closer to my house. If they don't give me anything I know I can't do anything about it, but, I might as well try. I'm more annoyed that things didn't happen like big box company should ensure they do. I hate that I have to keep constant watch over anything I'm involved in and things just don't work they way they should. I shouldn't have to deal with this, THEY should be dealing with it. Why do I pay money? I mean I could've just bought the material, hauled it home, picked some carpet install guy from the yellow pages and had NONE of this. I went with this due to NOT having to deal with issues but what am I doing? Dealing with issues. I owe it to all the little guy's people out there to try to get something out of this.

Bush In Philly - A New Stratergy For The War In Iraq

I am reading the Daily Times and see that President Bush is in town this morning, to "Articulate" a plan for winning the war in Iraq, according to William Bender, a Times reporter. He is going to address about 600 local people of the World Affairs Council. From their web site:

"Established in 1949 as a forum for discussing differing points of view, the Council does not endorse candidates for public office or lobby for policies. Membership is open to all who share its principles. The Council currently serves over 120 corporate members and their CEOs, and more than 4,000 other executives and individual members."

Would have been nice if I was invited, better yet, Bush can come over my house and we can knock back some Budweisers and in no time at all I could maybe get some real answers from him. Cheers.

Airline passenger who made threat killed

Well now...I guess the idiot should have taken his medication, eh? In this day and age, we can ill afford to take any chances. Kudos to the fed air marshal.

Your thoughts? Inquirer.com JOHN PAIN Associated Press MIAMI - A passenger who claimed to have a bomb in a carry-on bag was shot and killed by a federal air marshal Wednesday on a jetway to an American Airlines plane that had arrived from Colombia, officials said. Authorities did not immediately say whether any bomb was found. Homeland Security Department spokesman Brian Doyle said the dead man was a 44-year-old U.S. citizen. It was the first time since the Sept. 11 attacks that an air marshal had shot at anyone, he said. According to a witness, the man frantically ran down the aisle of the Boeing 757 and his wife explained that he was mentally ill and had not taken his medication. The passenger indicated there was a bomb in his bag and was confronted by air marshals but ran off the aircraft, Doyle said. The marshals went after him and ordered him to get on the ground, but he did not comply and was shot when he apparently reached into the bag, Doyle said. Afterward, investigators put all the baggage on the tarmac and let bomb-sniffing dogs examine it in an effort to establish whether there were explosives aboard. Passenger Mary Gardner told WTVJ-TV in Miami that the man ran down the aisle from the rear of the plane. "He was frantic, his arms flailing in the air," she said. She said a woman followed, shouting, "My husband! My husband!" Gardner said she heard the woman say her husband was bipolar - a mental illness also known as manic-depression - and had not had his medication. The plane, Flight 924, had arrived from Medellin, Colombia, at 12:16 p.m. and was scheduled to leavet two hours later for Orlando, American Airlines spokesman Tim Wagner said. "I don't know yet if the passenger had been on the plane and was getting off, or was starting to board the aircraft," he said. The shooting happened shortly after 2 p.m., suggesting the plane was getting ready to take off, he said. About 105 passengers scheduled to fly to Orlando, he said. Martin Gonzalez, spokesman for Colombia's civil aviation agency, said the flight "left normally with no problems." There were only 32 air marshals at the time of the Sept. 11 attacks. The Bush administration hired thousands more afterward, but the exact number is classified.

Remembering Daniel Faulkner

 This Friday marks the 24 year anniversary of Philadelphia police officer Daniel J. Faulkner's murder by Wesley Cook, better known as Mumia Abu-Jamal. Several web sites are all for Mumia's release, not happy enough that the scumbag's death sentence has been put on hold. Mumia Abu-Jamal is a big cause for various Actors, Musicians and other "Anti death penalty" supporters. He even claims he is a political prisoner! Make one thing clear. The evidence against Mumia is mountainous. The man was convicted in a court of law. He deserves to die for his heinous crime of shooting a man point blank in the face after first shooting him in the back!

Here's a quote from Maureen Faulkner, Danny's Widow."After listening to six weeks of ballistics, the evidence, the eyewitness testimony, there was absolutely no doubt in my mind that it was Mumia Abu-Jamal murdered my husband." I heard several stories about people threatening Maureen, all because she took a stand against the "Free Mumia" fanatics. Some even called for phyicial harm! On a personal note, I was very good friends with Danny's brother Kenny, who just recently passed away. Kenny tended bar years ago at Pops Barrel Inn, not too far from my old stomping grounds. Every time something would come up on TV about "Free Mumia" etc, he would just shake his head. The stress that the Faulkner family has had to endure all these years must be overwhelming, and in my eyes, contributed to Ken's death.

So what has Mumia been doing all these years? Well let's see. He's still alive. He has managed to write a few books, gain the support of misled people, become an honory Parisian, and is a poster boy for every liberal minded, extreme cause you can think of. Mumia is not the Angel he is made out to be. He was one of the founding members of the Black Panther Party in Philly who were affiliated with the ones who killed Officer Frank Von Colin in 70' BTW, I was close enough to hear the shots that night, as I grew up in Cobbs Creek. Later he became a Move member and a "Radio Personality". I say he grew up a radical moron with a chip on his shoulders. I will not go any further at the risk of being labeled a "Racist" by you bleeding hearts. Just read the facts and you"ll see that Mumia is guilty of cold blooded murder, and deserves the same fate.