100% All-Natural Composition
No Artificial Intelligence!

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Blue Ash, Ohio cops MURDER five-pound dog (and how to stop law enforcement abuse)

This is gonna be another post where I'm compelled to use "less polite" language, folks. But I think you'll agree: it's more than warranted.

Here is a photo of Jack, a five-pound Chihuahua-mix dog that until last week was owned by Scott and Sharon Bullock of Blue Ash, Ohio...

And these are the three bullets that Blue Ash Police Department officers shot into Jack this past Friday evening when they killed the dog on the front porch of the Bullock home...

Here's the story from WCPO.com:

Family Outraged After Officer Shoots Their Dog
Reported by: Lynn Giroud
Photographed By: Jeremy Glover
Web Produced By: Neil Relyea
Last Update: 8:46 am

CINCINNATI, OH -- A Blue Ash family is outraged after returning home to find their dog had been shot and killed by a police officer.

The dog was a Chihuahua-mix named “Jack” that Scott and Sharon Bullock had given to their 12-year-old son for his birthday a few years ago.

When the Bullocks returned home from a family member's funeral on Friday, they found blood and three bullets on their front porch – along with a note to call the Blue Ash Police Department about their dog.

The Bullocks were shocked to learn that Jack had gotten out of the backyard and two officers who tried to catch him, ended up shooting and killing him right on the family's front porch.

"He was cornered on the porch and scared," said Sharon Bullock. "The officer bent down bare-handed to pick up Jack, and Jack bit him."

"My five-year-old cried himself to sleep the night before last, wanting his dog," said Sharon Bullock.

"He ‘barks’ for him" added Scott Bullock. "He'd ‘bark’ and Jack would always come to him, so he's outside going ‘Bark bark bark,’ hoping he's gonna come back. It's heartbreaking."

The Bullocks told their five-year-old and three-year-old sons that Jack ran away.

The Bullocks admit they were at fault for leaving their dog outside, and are sorry the officer was bitten, but they say their dog was not a vicious animal and had never bitten anyone before.

They're wondering why the officers didn't call the SPCA to catch the dog.

"They didn't make that phone call other than to come scoop the dog off the porch after they shot him," said Scott Bullock. "Two grown men that can't gather up a five-pound dog – and they're trained police officers – sounds ridiculous to me."

That officer later explained to the family that he was following procedure.

The Blue Ash Police Department has not returned 9News’ calls for comment on this incident.

The family says there were two officers involved. One was bitten. The other officer tased, then shot the dog three times.

Two grown men, serving as police officers, use a Taser on a five-pound dog and then "follow procedure" by shooting it dead.

Dear readers, you know what is going to happen next the same as I do, the same as everyone knows who has read stories like this too damn many times: the police department's "internal affairs" will conduct an "investigation", and then declare that the officers did nothing wrong. To add insult to injury they might even get some kind of meritorious citation for "bravery in the line of duty".

And in case you haven't seen it already, in New Jersey a cop beat a man senseless because the civilian wouldn't zip up his jacket, or something (can't make this stuff up folks).

Let me say this already, lest there be any doubt: I do believe there are many good people out there who serve in law enforcement. Some are even family. But I respect them in regards to their chosen professions because they happen to have strong character and because they have earned that respect. Because they put serving others and using the brains that God gave them ahead of following "procedure" for procedure's sake.

I can not and will not respect them, or anyone else, simply because they happen to have a badge and a gun and a smartly-ironed uniform. I like to believe that those who I can give respect to will comprehend that already without me or anyone else having to say as much.

But then there are the "cops" that have no business at all being in a uniform with a badge and a gun. And these Blue Ash Police exemplify that.

These are the bad cops.

And this kind of thing isn't going to stop in America, ladies and gentlemen, until a lot of the bad cops are dead.

Is that a harsh assessment? Yer damned right it is. But as I see it, upholding the Constitution and laws of this land is something that every citizen is called to do without compensation. And those that do hear the call to uphold the law on a full-time professional basis must be held to a higher standard than the average citizen. If they are not, then they are inevitably going to abuse the authority that is entrusted them.

This kind of thing has gotten way out of hand. And it's not going until citizens send the message loud and clear to those in law enforcement who are irresponsible and corrupt: "We are not going to tolerate your kind any more."

These Blue Ash, Ohio cops think that their badges make them special?

F*#@ 'em.

Like I said, a lot of alleged "law enforcement officers" don't have the right mind or the right attitude to be armed in uniform.

And if they can't be made to understand this, if they persist in abusing their positions...

...they need to be put down like the dogs they are.

Just finished watching THERE WILL BE BLOOD

An excellent movie! This is no doubt the greatest - and most mesmerizing and evil - performance that Daniel Day-Lewis has ever given. From the very first scenes (incredibly and as testament to its powerful story, There Will Be Blood goes almost fifteen minutes before a single word is spoken) I was gripped by writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson's tale of greed, corruption, paranoia, religion gone wrong, madness and ultimate ruin.

I'll definitely be buying the DVD for my permanent collection! But it's gonna be a long time before I probably want to go to a bowling alley again...

Monday, June 08, 2009

My cousin, the supermodel

Yes, all the women in my family are this hot!

Awright, not just "hot" either: they are also among the most encouraging and inspiring examples of Christian virtue and character that I have ever been blessed to know. And Rachel and her family are no different. Guess I feel particularly close to them 'cuz I was ringbearer for her parents' wedding all those moons ago. If you were to see them together you could swear that Rachel, her sister and their mom were all sisters! And her dad is one of the most... interesting... ministers that you'll ever likely to meet (ask him about when he goes out on "Visitation" sometime :-P)

Anyway, Rachel is going off to Australia, and one of her friends put together this awesome video on YouTube, and it's too good not to share with this blog's faithful readers. So here she is: my cousin Rachel Hine, supermodel extraordinaire and devout follower of Christ!

Will be praying for you as you head Down Under, Rachel! :-)

Sunday, June 07, 2009

Chris sez that Theatre Guild of Rockingham County's production of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT is the glitziest musical he EVER saw!

If you are within driving distance of Rockingham County, North Carolina this coming weekend then you should seriously consider buying a ticket (or more than one) for Theatre Guild of Rockingham County's production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I wasn't able to be in this production 'cuz of prior obligations, although I helped with set construction and that was the limit of my involvement with this show.

Well, I just got back from this afternoon's performance and folks, NOTHING could have prepared me for the unrelenting spectacle that is what Rockingham County people have done with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's much-beloved take on the biblical story of Joseph and his brothers. The Theatre Guild's production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is bar none the glitziest and most over-the-top musical that I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing! The Guild could take this show on the road and it would sell out like mad (as it apparently did today). Someone said that you'd have to do hard drugs to see and hear as many colors and sounds as this show assaults you with! The production values are considerably more elaborate than anything you would probably expect from a community theatre outfit, and the effort from everyone involved was nothing short of enthused and inspired. The show is directed by Jay Smith, with musical direction by Dr. Anne Lewis and choreography by Stephen Hale. Playing the leads are Stephenie Sanders as the Narrator, Robbie Hendrix as Joseph and Wayne Hughes as Jacob. And I would be remiss in my duty as a blogger if I did not mention Chuck Owens' turn as Pharaoh: without a doubt the most electrifying Elvis impersonation in state history!

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat runs again on June 12th and 13th at 7:30 p.m. and on June 14th at 2:30 p.m. at the Advanced Technologies Building Auditorium of Rockingham Community College. Click here for more information.

Second trailer for NORMALSVILLE

Rising filmmaker and good friend of this blog Marco van Bergen wants y'all to know that the second trailer for his upcoming movie Normalsville is online. And he surprised me a bit by officially making me a real film critic! :-P

Shoot here for the official Normalsville website.

Middle Ages crisis: The rise of Neomedievalism

Parag Khanna writes an intriguing essay at the Foreign Policy site in which he makes the case that the concept of traditional nation states as we have come to understand it is breaking down. In its place is what he calls a "neomedieval" paradigm that hearkens back to the Dark Ages...
Many see the global economic crisis as proof that we live in one world. But as countries stumble to right the wrongs of the corporate masters of the universe, they are driving us right back to a future that looks like nothing more than a new Middle Ages, that centuries-long period of amorphous conflict from the fifth to the 15th century when city-states mattered as much as countries.

The state isn’t a universally representative phenomenon today, if it ever was. Already, billions of people live in imperial conglomerates such as the European Union, the Greater Chinese Co-Prosperity Sphere, and the emerging North American Union, where state capitalism has become the norm. But at least half the United Nations’ membership, about 100 countries, can hardly be considered responsible sovereigns. Billions live unsure of who their true rulers are, whether local feudal lords or distant corporate executives. In Egypt and India, democratic elections have devolved into auctions. Delivering security and providing welfare aren’t just campaign promises; they are the campaign. The fragmentation of societies from within is clear: From Bogotá to Bangalore, gated communities with private security are on the rise...

I'm inclined to believe there's a lot of merit to what Khanna is saying. We are even seeing such fracturing here in America, where individuals and cities and states are beginning to question the hold that distant Washington D.C. has long had on their lives: much like how the Roman Empire could not keep the provinces under its thumb when its decline was going full tilt.

It's not a long piece, but quite fascinating in regards to what it portends. Click here for the rest.

Saturday, June 06, 2009

Sixty-five years ago today...

On June 6th 1944, Allied forces commenced on the largest amphibious invasion and assault in recorded history as more than 160,000 personnel landed on five beaches of the Normandy coast in the opening assault on Hitler's supposedly impregnable Festung Europa.

The liberation of western Europe had begun.

Here's the link to the Wikipedia entry, even though there's no way that an encyclopedic article could possibly convey the full scope of Operation Overlord: something that had never been done before and Lord willing, will never be needed again.

But to those who did, who waded ashore on Normandy so that others might be free - and especially to those among them who never came back home - this blogger can only give the most reverent of respects.

LEGO model of the Yamato

Nearly six and a half years in the making. 22 feet from bow to stern. Measuring a meter across at its widest point. 1/40th the scale of the real thing. Nearly a quarter-million individual LEGO pieces. And the whole thing weighs 330 pounds.

Behold the achievement of Jumpei Mitsui, who has faithfully rendered the World War II Japanese battleship Yamato in LEGO...

If this is not the biggest LEGO model of all time, it is certainly the largest one that I know of.

Mash here for more about this incredible model. And thanks to Shane Thacker for the great find!

Thursday, June 04, 2009

Pastor tells congregation: Bring your guns to church!

A Kentucky minister plans to celebrate the Fourth of July next month along with the Second Amendment... by inviting church members to bring their guns to Sunday service.
New Bethel Church is welcoming "responsible handgun owners" to wear their firearms inside the church June 27, a Saturday. An ad says there will be a handgun raffle, patriotic music and information on gun safety.

"We're just going to celebrate the upcoming theme of the birth of our nation," said pastor Ken Pagano. "And we're not ashamed to say that there was a strong belief in God and firearms — without that this country wouldn't be here."

The guns must be unloaded and private security will check visitors at the door, Pagano said.

He said recent church shootings, including the killing Sunday of a late-term abortion provider in Kansas, which he condemned, highlight the need to promote safe gun ownership. The New Bethel Church event was planned months before Dr. George Tiller was shot to death in a Wichita church...

I love it! This pastor has the right idea: freedom never came without the price of vigilance. Good to see that being acknowledged, 'cuz there's nothing wrong with it in the first place.

Blast here for the rest of the story.

Funeral home loses license after chopping off legs to fit corpse in casket

Cave Funeral Services in Allendale, South Carolina is out of business after that state's funeral board revoked its license following the discovery that the mortuary had cut off a tall man's legs in order to fit in inside a casket...
The body of James Hines was exhumed earlier this year because of rumors that circulated after he died in 2004. His widow said investigators told her his legs had been cut off between the ankle and calf to fit the coffin.
If you're a fan of H.P. Lovecraft, you probably are already shaking your head in disbelief since this is something straight out of his short story "In The Vault".

David Carradine dead at 72

The sad news is coming out of Bangkok that actor David Carradine is dead at the age of 72, having apparently took his own life.

Carradine's most iconic role was no doubt as Kwai Chang Caine in the 1970s television show Kung Fu (and as Caine's descendant of the same name in the Nineties series Kung Fu: The Legend Continues). More recently Carradine found new acclaim when he portrayed sadistic assassin Bill in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill. Carradine's resume was profound but if you really want to see him shine across his spectrum of acting abilities, I'd suggest watching him as Frankenstein in Roger Corman's Death Race 2000: one of the most fun guilty pleasures of a movie you'll ever find.

Thoughts and prayers going out to his family.

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

TETRIS turns 25

About the same time in 1984 when the video game industry was crashing in the west, a computer scientist named Alexey Pajitnov was busy playing with his first computer at the Soviet Academy of Sciences in Moscow... and wound up creating one of the most classic - and addictive - games ever.

The Guardian has a great story about Tetris on the occasion of its twenty-fifth anniversary. Among the highlights: how Pajitnov came up with the concept, the tale of how this communist-era game became a capitalist's dream product, and how Tetris has inspired everything from architecture to conspiracy theories.

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

DJ & THE FRO will mock my commercial on MTV!

Earlier this evening the good folks at MTV sent along word that their new show DJ & The Fro will be premiering on June 15th (just less than two weeks from tonight). It's a new animated show that in the words of its creators...
Deep in the soul-crushing cubicle maze of Oppercon Industries sit DJ & The Fro, two 20-something slackers who spend their days blowing off work while they find and mock the sickest and most hilarious videos ever to grace the Internet.

What Beavis & Butthead were to the music video generation, DJ & The Fro are to the YouTube generation. They find the best web videos and make jokes about them so you don't have to.

When they're not watching videos, DJ & Fro kill time by doing things like blackmailing pedophiles into doing their work for them, drinking the breast milk of a co-worker, stalking alpacas and sexually harassing one another. Work at Oppercon Industries is a mere distraction from their true passion: being idiots.

And what will be among the first of the videos that DJ and Fro will be wasting their time watching?

None other than my "Star Wars"-ish campaign commercial from when I ran for Rockingham County Board of Education in 2006.

If this is gonna be anything like Beavis and Butthead, then I was already gonna be tuning in. Can't wait to see what they do with my ad :-)

Coolest convenience store commercial ever!

This commercial for Sheetz has been running like crazy on television in this area. Everything about it is made of epic win. Who'da thought that going to a convenience store would be such an enthralling experience? :-)

Monday, June 01, 2009

Does this guy even know how to change a tire?

Meet Brian Deese.

This is who President Obama has put in charge of disassembling General Motors.

He's 31 years old.

He's "a not-quite graduate of Yale Law School".

He had never visited an automobile plant until he got tapped by the Obama Administration.

Again, this is the guy that President Barack Obama has put in charge of the GM bankruptcy.

Does Mr. Deese know anything about the automotive industry? I mean, if he's gonna be overhauling one of the largest manufacturing companies in American history, he should have some real-world experience in management or engineering or something... right?

(Let me put it another way: What the HELL does Obama think he's doing?!?)

Mash down here for the rest of the story of Mr. Deese, that in a saner age would have never happened...

Bigtime payoff in penultimate chapter of WOLVERINE: OLD MAN LOGAN

See if this makes any sense: in April readers of Marvel Comics got Wolverine #73, which had nothing to do with the current "Old Man Logan" arc and was mostly a promotional issue for the X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie. But last week Marvel delivered Wolverine #72...

I must ask aloud: was X-Men Origins: Wolverine really worth mucking up the publishing of what many are already calling the greatest comics story ever told about Wolverine?

Probably not. But be of good cheer: Wolverine #72 gets us back on track with "Old Man Logan".

To recap: it's been fifty years since "the night the heroes fell" and Wolverine hasn't popped his claws once since. He has relegated himself to being simply "Logan": a pacifist farmer scratching out a meager existence alongside his wife and children in the wastes of California. When the now-blind ex-Avenger Hawkeye approaches Logan with an offer he can't refuse ('cuz Logan is behind on his rent to the inbred offspring of Bruce Banner) the two former heroes take off across a carved-up America plagued with Moloids, Venom-possessed dinosaurs and worse. And then in Part 5 of "Old Man Logan" we found out why it is that Logan renounced violence and threw down the proverbial sword (read my reaction to that issue here). In the last chapter of "Old Man Logan", Hawkeye and Logan finally arrived at New Babylon with their mysterious package, and at last we find out who is calling the shots of this dystopian vision of America: the Red Skull, now the President of the United States.

If you've been reading "Old Man Logan" already and have been frustrated by the publishing schedule, rest assured that Wolverine #72 will profoundly reward your patience! The initial scenes in the White House with an even more macabre Red Skull and how he's still gloating over his victory a half-century earlier might be some of the most nightmarish images in Marvel history. I dare not say anything else about this issue folks, because if you've been keeping up this far then you really owe it to yourself to go into it cold. But it's a wallop of a read and the final pages will make you forget everything that delayed this issue from coming out.

Oh yeah, you might wanna try reading it a little slower and indulge your senses all the more, because "Old Man Logan" won't be wrapping up until a double-sized issue coming out in September at the earliest. But don't let that stop you from discovering the best Wolverine tale in many a moon and maybe ever: "Old Man Logan" is a must-read whether you're a rabid comics fan or a casual reader.

General Motors files for bankruptcy, taxpayers having to bail it out

Read about it here.

So... who's gonna be the first to buy a car manufactured by the U.S. federal government?

(crickets chirping...)