"The police are taught to view the public as threats against whom the use of violence is the safest course for the police officers." - Former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Dr. Paul Craig Roberts
The South Carolina Highway Patrol is a disgrace and has been for decades. Nary a year goes by that the state's gang of glorified revenue agents doesn't make headlines for some form of misconduct, everything from dealing cocaine and marijuana to the possession of child porn. Wow.
The Patrol's latest claim to fame is Lance Corporal Sean Groubert gunning down a cooperative, unarmed motorist - Levar Jones - who was suspected of not wearing a seatbelt. At one point, Groubert fires at the motorist as the hapless fellow moves backwards with his hands up. At least four shots were fired, and partial video of the incident was released Wednesday. Then late Friday, the SC Dept. of Public Safety got around to releasing video and audio associated with the rest of the story. The additional video evidence - released after a Freedom of Information request - revealed that trooper Groubert lied - apparently to his supervisor - about what had happened.
Yes, the state's gang of glorified revenue agents will lie. And you can bet there's a scandal when news items are released late on Fridays.
There are similarities twixt Groubert's attack and the attack of officer Darren Wilson on Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Both officers white, both victims black. Witnesses say an unarmed Michael Brown had his hands up when he was shot; dash cam video proves that was the case when Jones was shot at.
Amerika's thug goon cops are trained to shoot to kill, and once they start firing they apparently go berserk, under some misguided notion that they have to kill. In both the Brown and Jones cases, multiple shots rang out. Brown was killed; somehow, Jones managed to survive.
In the attack on Jones, considering the "shoot to kill" training, the fact that multiple shots were fired, and the fact that Jones was moving backwards - I don't see how he kept from falling - with his hands up evidences more than mere assault. This was a case of attempted murder.
But trooper Groubert wasn't charged with attempted murder. This lying police state thug was turned loose on a $75,000 bond, charged with assault.
And the inevitable, inane declarations by Groubert's attorney have started. Groubert is "not guilty." He was "justified" in shooting Jones. His client is "looking forward" to his day in court. I just love it when thugs like Groubert get caught red-handed on video and then these police state goons and their pompous attorneys start blabbering that we didn't see what we saw. Unfortunately, Groubert will probably be acquitted by one of this cop-coddling society's cowardly juries.
All concerned are lucky that the attack on Jones wasn't worse. Jones, of course, could have been more seriously wounded or killed. Gas tanks could have exploded, bystanders could have been shot. Groubert's antics bear similarities to high speed police pursuits which endanger everyone on the road. The Patrol is notorious for such behavior, just this month chasing a former cop - Howard Henry "Hank" Smith - at speeds in excess of 110 mph as the maniac fired at his pursuers through the back window of his truck. Interestingly enough, Smith was charged with attempted murder. In both cases, the SC Highway Patrol exhibited typical disregard for the public's safety.
Egregious misconduct - any form of thuggery imaginable - by so-called law enforcement personnel is rampant all across the country amidst efforts to militarize police forces. Nobody can be blamed for wondering if the government has a secret agenda aimed at making folks cower down before this corrupt power structure. Whatever. Former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Dr. Paul Craig Roberts has rightly concluded that "Clearly, the American police are an enormous danger to the public." (Quotes from 8/21/2014 article, "Ferguson: No Justice in the American Police State").
Next thing ya know, South Carolina's Highway Patrol troopers will be wearing bracelets that read "I am Sean Groubert."
Update 10/3/2014 - Now it's revealed that Jones was handcuffed for hours after the shooting - including being handcuffed to a gurney at the hospital until close to midnight. Talk about police state thuggery...
Showing posts with label police. Show all posts
Showing posts with label police. Show all posts
Monday, September 29, 2014
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Like a good MUGGER, State Farm is there...
I've created a separate blog for State Farm. Here are a few excerpts:
Bad faith efforts to declare "total loss" are a nightmare. And forget about state insurance commissions coming to your rescue. Leading consumer advocate Fight Bad Faith Insurance Companies has yet to hear of a single case where a state insurance commission directed an insurance company to do the right thing.
State Farm's agent called me an idiot and admitted to grabbing my sign. The police initially told me I would have to get a permit to picket, but finally agreed that it was my constitutional right to stand on public property and hold up a sign. Passing motorists started giving "thumbs up" signals along with friendly beeps and waves.
...my car is readily repairable with no lingering safety issues. Mechanical repairs (close to half of the entire bill) have been completed, and my car handles as well as it ever did. Legitimate repair costs do not equal or exceed 75% of the "actual cash value" eventually set by State Farm, even with the extra expense of the new OEM parts. There's no justifiable reason for State Farm to refuse to complete the repairs.
Nobody can be faulted for speculating as to why State Farm exhibits such a keen interest in taking possession of my car. Companies bullying owners into turning over their vehicles by threatening to ruin the title is hardly unheard of. After taking possession of a vehicle they've "totalled," companies have been known to "forget" that the law requires them to record "salvage" on the title. Then they sell the "clean titled" vehicle for more money than they could have gotten if "salvage" had been disclosed. Not long ago, State Farm was fined for not stamping "salvage" onto the titles of thousands of vehicles they had "totalled." The "good neighbor" sold the vehicles with clean titles, raking in enormous, illegal profits.
Bad faith efforts to declare "total loss" are a nightmare. And forget about state insurance commissions coming to your rescue. Leading consumer advocate Fight Bad Faith Insurance Companies has yet to hear of a single case where a state insurance commission directed an insurance company to do the right thing.
State Farm's agent called me an idiot and admitted to grabbing my sign. The police initially told me I would have to get a permit to picket, but finally agreed that it was my constitutional right to stand on public property and hold up a sign. Passing motorists started giving "thumbs up" signals along with friendly beeps and waves.
...my car is readily repairable with no lingering safety issues. Mechanical repairs (close to half of the entire bill) have been completed, and my car handles as well as it ever did. Legitimate repair costs do not equal or exceed 75% of the "actual cash value" eventually set by State Farm, even with the extra expense of the new OEM parts. There's no justifiable reason for State Farm to refuse to complete the repairs.
Nobody can be faulted for speculating as to why State Farm exhibits such a keen interest in taking possession of my car. Companies bullying owners into turning over their vehicles by threatening to ruin the title is hardly unheard of. After taking possession of a vehicle they've "totalled," companies have been known to "forget" that the law requires them to record "salvage" on the title. Then they sell the "clean titled" vehicle for more money than they could have gotten if "salvage" had been disclosed. Not long ago, State Farm was fined for not stamping "salvage" onto the titles of thousands of vehicles they had "totalled." The "good neighbor" sold the vehicles with clean titles, raking in enormous, illegal profits.
My car is a bright
red 2000 MR2 Spyder, sporting a nice, clean title. It's been
meticulously maintained, has always been housed in a garage, and it's been parked in the
shade when I'm out and about. It's loaded with desirable options including a
beautiful, black leather interior (smells like new 'cause I'm a non-smoker), and
has been driven only about 63,000 miles. At 30,000 miles, the engine was
completely rebuilt and a new exhaust system was installed (both items via a
Toyota manufacturing defect, which took $8,500 outta my pocket). This makes my
car exceptionally desirable, because there's reason to believe that the defect
in my engine was permanently corrected (Toyota continues to stonewall). Not many
MR2 Spyders were produced, and they were no longer manufactured in the U.S.
after 2005. The cars have become collectibles, values have increased, and
it's very difficult to find an MR2 Spyder for sale that's in top notch condition
like mine.
Is anyone surprised that State Farm wants my
car?
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Paper blocks criticism of SC Highway Patrol
Update 9/24/2014 - One of the state's gang of glorified revenue agents shot an unarmed motorist - Levar Edward Jones - earlier this month. Lance Cpl. Sean Groubert was fired and has now been charged with assault and battery. Anyone other than a cop would have been charged with attempted murder. Shocking dash cam video and audio features the bewildered motorist asking why he was shot.
Update 9/27/2014 - We now learn that trooper Groubert was also caught on audio lying to his supervisor about what happened.
See more updates below this post.
I had it out with the State newspaper when they refused to report the bloodcurdling details surrounding the death of Marine recruit Jason Tharp. Got so mad I cancelled my subscription, trashed their newspaper box, and stopped submitting comments.
Enter a spate of egregious criminal misconduct and other eyebrow raising incidents by the South Carolina Highway Patrol. 2010 started off with a trooper busted for being part of a big grow-your-own marijuana business, using his cruiser to transport the stuff. The year ended with a trooper caught distributing cocaine - talk about patrolling the "high" way - and a DUI charge for an off duty trooper who had been drinking at a bar, drove through an intersection, and crashed into a wall. June of 2011, another trooper had been drinking at a bar, was being driven home, and from the moving vehicle suddenly started shooting into a residence. The following month, Homeland Security caught a trooper with thousands of photos of child porn, along with a number of photos he took of underage girls at Myrtle Beach.
2012 saw sentences handed down for the cocaine (three years), the marijuana (5 years), and the child porn (three years). Also this year, a former trooper pleaded guilty to February's armed robbery of a bank, and a trooper wrecked his cruiser - upside down, on fire, in a ditch - while endangering everyone on the road by chasing a motorcycle at speeds over 100 mph. In another incident, it's "unclear" if a trooper was wearing his seatbelt when he lost control of his cruiser and slammed into a tree. Further details - such as road conditions (likely wet) and how fast the trooper was going - were kept quiet. Questions remain regarding the Patrol's response - or lack thereof - to an apparent DUI involving a Sumter sheriff's deputy, and the investigation drags on regarding the death of a black, unarmed motorist shot twice in the chest during a traffic stop.
The Patrol has troublesome history galore - beyond the scope of this post - from the racially charged Orangeburg Massacre in 1968 to such heartwarming events as an off duty trooper robbing a gas station and the beating of a karate expert after he passively allowed a trooper to handcuff him. Videos show troopers slinging out the "n" word, using a cruiser to bump an unarmed black guy, and dragging an unarmed black female from her car, shoving her to the ground. A cadre of troopers got caught at a bar featuring topless entertainment, and a motorist called 911 to report what turned out to be an off duty trooper dressed like a woman, complete with bra and wig. The trooper refused a breathalyzer, failed a field sobriety test, and was charged with DUI. Prior to the 911 call, another trooper apparently identified the suspect and neglected to take action.
When news broke about the sentence for child porn, I made an exception to my policy of avoiding the State and posted the following comment:
"Police State USA's glorified revenue agents of the SCHP. Now we can add possession of child pornography along with cocaine distribution, DUI, marijuana distribution, no ticket for Lt. Gov. Bauer goin' 101 mph, no breathalyzer, charges or arrest for an apparently drunk as a skunk Sumter sheriff's deputy - narcotics division - and the list goes on ad nauseum. Its way past time for this taxpayer-funded gang to clean up its act."
The comment was removed, and resubmission prompted a "subject to moderation" message but no publication. Curiously, only three comments were displayed. One focused on computer technicalities and how crimes should be categorized. The other two toyed with feigned indignation regarding the attire of underaged girls at the beach.
Enough of online trolls and politically motivated censorship. Police misconduct is rampant all across America, and there's no excuse for mainstream media protecting these jack booted thugs from the public's justifiable outrage.
Update 8/29/2012 - I sent the State a copy of this post and published links to the post on Twitter and Facebook.
Update 10/18/2012 - It's turning out to be quite a year for South Carolina's state troopers. Last month, a trooper lost control of his vhicle, flipped upside down, and was ticketed for driving too fast for conditions. This month, a trooper was fired after his mistress called police and alleged that the trooper shook her and choked her when she ended a 12-year relationship. The ex-trooper has now been charged with assault and battery.
Update 12/3/2012 - Talk about disparity in sentencing. The troopers - talk about armed and dangerous - involved in big-time drug trafficking get sentences in the three to five year range, while "other folks" get sent away for 30 along with supervised release for life upon completion of the sentence.
Update 12/4/2012 - Bringin' things up to date for 2012, on Friday, November 30th, a trooper was arrested for disorderly conduct, and the following Sunday, a trooper allegedly hit three pedestrians in the wee hours of the morning and fled the scene. Charged accordingly, he has resigned. Whew. Too much to keep up with, and the year isn't over yet.
Update 3/11/2013 - Starting off a new year, the issue of racial profiling has again surfaced - in a big way - at the South Carolina Highway Patrol. Stay tuned.
Update 8/222014 - Lance Corporal R.S. Salter was fired after the trooper went berzerk while arresting an NFL player for a traffic violation.
Update 9/17/2014 - Troopers endangered everyone on the road by chasing a maniacle former cop - Howard Henry "Hank" Smith, Jr. - through traffic at speeds over 110 mph as the suspect fired shots. The SCHP is notorious for high speed pursuits, ignoring the horrific facts associated with such outrageous behavior. SMITH charged with attempted murder? If anyone ought to be charged with attempted murder, it's the gang of police state thugs.
Update 9/19/2014 - Trooper who had been with the department off and on for over 40 years was arrested for assaulting his wife and was charged with criminal domestic violence.
Update 4/3/2015 - The state's gang of glorified revenue agents is off to a spectacular start for 2015. The gang has ventured into narcotics distribution, which is no surprise considering the gang's rap sheet for cocaine and marijuana. We await further word on this latest episode of the gang's fascination with selling controlled substances.
Update 9/27/2014 - We now learn that trooper Groubert was also caught on audio lying to his supervisor about what happened.
See more updates below this post.
I had it out with the State newspaper when they refused to report the bloodcurdling details surrounding the death of Marine recruit Jason Tharp. Got so mad I cancelled my subscription, trashed their newspaper box, and stopped submitting comments.
Enter a spate of egregious criminal misconduct and other eyebrow raising incidents by the South Carolina Highway Patrol. 2010 started off with a trooper busted for being part of a big grow-your-own marijuana business, using his cruiser to transport the stuff. The year ended with a trooper caught distributing cocaine - talk about patrolling the "high" way - and a DUI charge for an off duty trooper who had been drinking at a bar, drove through an intersection, and crashed into a wall. June of 2011, another trooper had been drinking at a bar, was being driven home, and from the moving vehicle suddenly started shooting into a residence. The following month, Homeland Security caught a trooper with thousands of photos of child porn, along with a number of photos he took of underage girls at Myrtle Beach.
2012 saw sentences handed down for the cocaine (three years), the marijuana (5 years), and the child porn (three years). Also this year, a former trooper pleaded guilty to February's armed robbery of a bank, and a trooper wrecked his cruiser - upside down, on fire, in a ditch - while endangering everyone on the road by chasing a motorcycle at speeds over 100 mph. In another incident, it's "unclear" if a trooper was wearing his seatbelt when he lost control of his cruiser and slammed into a tree. Further details - such as road conditions (likely wet) and how fast the trooper was going - were kept quiet. Questions remain regarding the Patrol's response - or lack thereof - to an apparent DUI involving a Sumter sheriff's deputy, and the investigation drags on regarding the death of a black, unarmed motorist shot twice in the chest during a traffic stop.
The Patrol has troublesome history galore - beyond the scope of this post - from the racially charged Orangeburg Massacre in 1968 to such heartwarming events as an off duty trooper robbing a gas station and the beating of a karate expert after he passively allowed a trooper to handcuff him. Videos show troopers slinging out the "n" word, using a cruiser to bump an unarmed black guy, and dragging an unarmed black female from her car, shoving her to the ground. A cadre of troopers got caught at a bar featuring topless entertainment, and a motorist called 911 to report what turned out to be an off duty trooper dressed like a woman, complete with bra and wig. The trooper refused a breathalyzer, failed a field sobriety test, and was charged with DUI. Prior to the 911 call, another trooper apparently identified the suspect and neglected to take action.
When news broke about the sentence for child porn, I made an exception to my policy of avoiding the State and posted the following comment:
"Police State USA's glorified revenue agents of the SCHP. Now we can add possession of child pornography along with cocaine distribution, DUI, marijuana distribution, no ticket for Lt. Gov. Bauer goin' 101 mph, no breathalyzer, charges or arrest for an apparently drunk as a skunk Sumter sheriff's deputy - narcotics division - and the list goes on ad nauseum. Its way past time for this taxpayer-funded gang to clean up its act."
The comment was removed, and resubmission prompted a "subject to moderation" message but no publication. Curiously, only three comments were displayed. One focused on computer technicalities and how crimes should be categorized. The other two toyed with feigned indignation regarding the attire of underaged girls at the beach.
Enough of online trolls and politically motivated censorship. Police misconduct is rampant all across America, and there's no excuse for mainstream media protecting these jack booted thugs from the public's justifiable outrage.
Update 8/29/2012 - I sent the State a copy of this post and published links to the post on Twitter and Facebook.
Update 10/18/2012 - It's turning out to be quite a year for South Carolina's state troopers. Last month, a trooper lost control of his vhicle, flipped upside down, and was ticketed for driving too fast for conditions. This month, a trooper was fired after his mistress called police and alleged that the trooper shook her and choked her when she ended a 12-year relationship. The ex-trooper has now been charged with assault and battery.
Update 12/3/2012 - Talk about disparity in sentencing. The troopers - talk about armed and dangerous - involved in big-time drug trafficking get sentences in the three to five year range, while "other folks" get sent away for 30 along with supervised release for life upon completion of the sentence.
Update 12/4/2012 - Bringin' things up to date for 2012, on Friday, November 30th, a trooper was arrested for disorderly conduct, and the following Sunday, a trooper allegedly hit three pedestrians in the wee hours of the morning and fled the scene. Charged accordingly, he has resigned. Whew. Too much to keep up with, and the year isn't over yet.
Update 3/11/2013 - Starting off a new year, the issue of racial profiling has again surfaced - in a big way - at the South Carolina Highway Patrol. Stay tuned.
Update 8/222014 - Lance Corporal R.S. Salter was fired after the trooper went berzerk while arresting an NFL player for a traffic violation.
Update 9/17/2014 - Troopers endangered everyone on the road by chasing a maniacle former cop - Howard Henry "Hank" Smith, Jr. - through traffic at speeds over 110 mph as the suspect fired shots. The SCHP is notorious for high speed pursuits, ignoring the horrific facts associated with such outrageous behavior. SMITH charged with attempted murder? If anyone ought to be charged with attempted murder, it's the gang of police state thugs.
Update 9/19/2014 - Trooper who had been with the department off and on for over 40 years was arrested for assaulting his wife and was charged with criminal domestic violence.
Update 4/3/2015 - The state's gang of glorified revenue agents is off to a spectacular start for 2015. The gang has ventured into narcotics distribution, which is no surprise considering the gang's rap sheet for cocaine and marijuana. We await further word on this latest episode of the gang's fascination with selling controlled substances.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Earth Fare abuses a 92-year-old man afflicted with Alzheimer's
Some topics warrant a separate blog - here's a link.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
