Thief

5/7/2012 Mon 2124.  Days Without Wife:  212.  Days on Zoloft:  102.

Monday night finds me loitering in Ching Young Village, outside Hanalei Pizza.  Michael and Amy are working.

Michael came out a few minutes ago to smoke a cigarette, and we talked story for a bit.  The kid is graduating from high school in 11 days.  Class of 2012–the poor bastard.

I was asking about his plans after graduation, and he said he intended to attend school in Vallejo next spring.  I encouraged him to learn as much as he could at college, and to not party too much.

Michael’s a real good kid.  He’s only 17 or 18, but he’s the senior employee at Hanalei Pizza.  A few years ago he was caught stealing from Bruce Irons, the brother of the late Andy Irons, pro surfer and Kauai local boy hero.

Carlos was the only one to give the kid a chance, hiring him to work at Aitch Pee.  He’s a great pizza-maker and an all around good fellow.  It’s actually nuckin’ futs that I would be giving him advice on how to succeed next year at University.  The kid is super-sharp.  Michael would have easily kicked the 18-year-old Jake’s ass.

5/10/2012 Thu 1622.  DWOW:  215.  DOZ:  105

I trained on Tuesday at Lighthouse Bistro in Kilauea.  To bring everyone up to speed, the Bistro makes 3 kitchens that I’ll be working in this summer.  I’m still holding down my Saturdays and Sundays at the Princeville Chevron, Big Tim hired me on as a Line Cook at the Hanalei Gourmet, and now Chef JP has given me a shot to work his line at Lighthouse.

Yesterday and today I had off, but things are about to ramp up again for me at work.  I expect a 6-7 day workweek to develop outta these three gigs. 

What can I say?  It’s the Second Great Depression.  I need the money.

Patrolman

STATEMENT OF PROBABLE CAUSE

On November 16, 2009 at approximately 1927 hours, I over heard on my department issued patrol units radio of a public affray taking place at the Town and Country located at 2200 West 7 Street, in Clovis.  Clovis Police Department units were busy at this time and were unable to send a unit.  I was patrolling on 21^st Street in Clovis and started in route to the location.  When I arrived I observed individuals at the door to the business calling and motioning for me to hurry up and enter the business.  When I entered the business I observed an individual on his knees on the floor wearing a black leather jacket, black leather pants and a red motorcycle helmet.

The individual was extremely agitated and was yelling about his 2^nd amendment rights and that he wanted to bring a weapon along on this trip but didn’t and other intangible statements.  I observed that several display cases were on the floor along with food stuffs that were opened and smashed.  I also observed an ice chest on its side with the wheels broken.

I drew my department issued taser and ordered the individual to lay flat on the floor with his arms out stretched.  The individual remained on his knees as if he did not hear my commands.  I stepped forward and took hold of the individual’s jacket collar and placed him face down on the floor with out resistance.  At this time a Clovis Police Officer arrived and assisted in handcuffing the individual behind his back.  I patted down the individual for weapons.  I located the individual’s wallet in his right rear pocket where I located his Texas drivers’ license.  I identified the individual as Jake Geiger with a date of birth 05/20/1979.

With the assistance of a Curry County Sheriffs Deputy Dimitri Scott, I escorted Mr. Geiger outside to my patrol unit.  I placed Mr. Geiger under arrest.  While searching him for weapons before placing him in my patrol unit I located a black plastic bag in his left front pocket of his jacket.  Within the plastic bag I observed a glass pipe which contained the smell and residue of burnt marijuana along with a green leafy substance in a separate plastic bag, I believed to be marijuana.  I placed Mr. Geiger in the right rear seat of my patrol unit.  I then released Mr. Geiger to Curry County Deputy Dimitri Scott in order to transported Mr. Geiger to the Curry County Adult Detention Center while I continued my investigation and took statements from the victims.

I spoke to Johann Barley with a date of birth 09/18/1983 who stated he was in the business when a male in a motorcycle helmet came in and attacked him.  Mr. Barley said Mr. Geiger pushed him back against the counter and up against a display case and struck him several times.  Mr. Barley stated Mr. Geiger stopped and said he was sorry and started talking gibberish.  I observed several bruised areas on Mr. Barleys back and side which I photographed.

I also spoke with Fred Carr with a date of birth who stated he saw Mr. Geiger hit and attack Mr. Barley.  Mr. Carr stated he obtained a broom and started to hit Mr. Geiger as he started around the counter to possibly attack one of the clerks, Selena Cash with a date of birth 08/29/1978.  Mr. Carr said Mr. Geiger attack another male in the store.  This individual pushed Mr. Geiger to the floor and left the area.

Mr. Geiger was released to the Curry County Adult Detention Center without further incident.  Mr. Geiger was charged with POSSESSION OF DRUG PAPAPHERNALIA, POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA UNDER ONCE OUNCE, AGGRAVATED BATTERY and CRIMINAL DAMAGE TO PROPERTY.  While at the jail I read Mr. Geiger his Miranda rights.  After asking if he understood his rights Mr. Geiger refused to answer any further questions.

(Signature) Brennan O. Cary, Patrolman New Mexico State Police

Roe v. Wade v. Self-Determination

I’d like to make a few comments about abortion.  Part of me thinks I should not, since I am positively certain that issues like abortion and gay marriage are simply around to get us fighting amongst ourselves.  I suppose, though, that I could never pretend to be trying to get Left and Right to dialogue, while at the same time ignoring emotional issues like abortion.  I’d also like to do a post about abortion because I have been, at one time or another, on both sides of this complex issue.

With the exception of a few eugenicists, I think we can all agree that less abortions would be better.  I don’t believe that pro-choice equals pro-abortion.  When I called myself pro-choice, I did so because even though I abhorred the idea of a perfectly healthy woman aborting a perfectly healthy baby, I didn’t believe that anyone should be making that decision for her.  That decision, to have or not to have a medical procedure performed, should rest with the woman.  She should consult her doctor, of course.  And if she has religion, she should consult with her pastor/rabbi/shaman/whatever, as a decision to abort her child WILL have spiritual consequences for her.  She should consult her husband, if she’s married.  She should consult all of these people, but there shouldn’t be a law requiring her to do so.  The decision is ultimately hers.

Being a Christian, I’ve also described myself as pro-life.  We shouldn’t be killing innocent babies.  Everyone knows this—even liberals.  Myself, and my two siblings, were all born on a hippie commune called The Farm.  One of the many contributions of The Farm over the years has been in the field of midwifery.  In the 1970s, when Stephen Gaskin and Co. were setting up their community in middle Tennessee, they put the word out that all pregnant women who were thinking of abortion were invited to come to The Farm to have the child, free of charge.  The commune claimed that The Farm would adopt and care for any of these babies, and if/when the mother decided to come back and claim her child, she could.

I think Roe v. Wade was a bad decision, especially when looked at from a 2009 perspective.  My belief in the Judeo-Christian ethic Thou shalt not kill notwithstanding, we are in dire need of a restoration of states’ rights in this country.  I envision a united States where if you want to get an abortion, you go to a state that allows them.  If you happen to live in a state where the citizens are staunchly opposed to the procedure, so be it.

The point is that We the People should be able to govern our own affairs, and as close to home as possible.  Why should some far-off, centralized, “Rome” (the federal government) concern itself with these issues?  Easy…it shouldn’t.  Let the legislatures of Texas or Vermont or wherever address these issues with Texans or Vermonters, rather than with a bloated federal bureaucracy.

Buying a gun is getting a little trickier

It is my belief that if you are a U.S. citizen, and you have not yet, you should arm yourself.  Paranoid theories concerning civil unrest and martial law aside, it’s still a good idea.  Ordinary citizens, exercising their 2^nd Amendment rights, stop and/or deter violent crimes everyday.

I’ve owned a handgun for something like 7 years now.  I have a Glock 9-millimeter pistol that I bought at a Virginia gun show years ago, when I was still in the service.  My roommate at the time was what some might call a “gun nut,” so I bought the weapon in order to have my own heat to pack when we made occasional trips to the gun range in Virginia Beach.

Recently I decided to expand my collection, and purchase a rifle.  I found a Ruger bolt-action at Cabela’s that I liked, so I approached one of their people in the gun library, Larry, to start the process.  Larry had me fill out the federal form, and then left for a moment to make a call to the FBI.  Obviously, felons and the like are prohibited from buying firearms, so I was not at all surprised when Larry told me he had to make that quick call—I remember a similar process from when I bought my pistol.

Larry came back after about 5-10 minutes to tell me that my approval to purchase had been DELAYed by the FBI.  He assured me that this sort of thing happened all the time, and that if they (Cabela’s) didn’t hear back from the government within 4 days, I could come back in and pick up the weapon.

I was quite worried.  I asked him how often this happened.  He said often.  I said how often?  Half the time?  He said he received a DELAY response at least once a day.  Needless to say, once a day did not seem near enough to keep me from imagining that because of my beliefs, I was now on some government ‘watch list’ that would prohibit a firearm being sold to me.

After all, Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) has stated that he plans to introduce legislation that would grant Eric Holder, Obama’s anti-gun AG, the power to deny gun sales to anyone on a terrorism watch list that already contains the names of some one million Americans.  Call me egotistical, but I think it’s entirely possible that I’m among the top 1,000,000 Most Patriotic Americans.

Larry was very polite, assuring me that it was nothing to worry about.  His politeness did not keep me from having a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach, though, as I left the store and made my way to my car.  I called my ex-roommate, who said I was reading too much into the DELAY.  I searched around the Internet, and found at least a couple people who said they were routinely delayed on their firearm purchases.

Long story short, I received a call after about 4 days from the store, informing me that I was APPROVEd to pick up my rifle.  Perhaps I had worried needlessly.  Perhaps not.

I, and others like me, believe that the government’s plan for us involves gun confiscation.  It happened in New Orleans during Katrina.  It can, and almost assuredly will, happen again.  My suggestion to the 200 million or so Americans who have yet to exercise their 2^nd Amendment right to bear arms is simple:  Use it or lose it.