Wednesday, July 20, 2011

BURN DETROIT BURN, ARSON IS NOT A REAL CRIME


Is Arson a crime? It maybe, Wayne County Prosecutor Kim Worthy, added a special prosecutor to handle the rapidly expanding arson cases, but a Wayne County Circuit Court Judge MARGIE BRAXTON, apparently thinks ARSON isn't a big deal - even if the arsonist is from the suburbs and did his crime in Detroit - to an apartment building.
BRAXTON gave Giovanni Naccarato, of Dearborn Heights, who burned an apartment building - after getting the residents out by saying, there was going to be an 'insect fumigation.' - so nobody died, 'no blood on the floor'.

Naccarato, in a insurance for profit arson, faced multiple felony charges carrying 20+ year prison time, but he plead guilty, and faced state mandated minimum sentence of four years (4) and six (6) years maximum. He got probation and maybe restitution. Overcrowding and lack of jail space is given as an excuse. He would get more jail time for - dumping garbage in Detroit, for drunk driving (with no injuries)
for selling small amounts of 'crack / cocaine') etc etc etc...

Arson is a dangerous crime - 11,326 suspicious fires in Michigan in 2010, 11,767 in 2009. The payouts by insurance companies is in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Firefighters lives are put at risk, even at vacant arson fires - they deserve better and real accountability.

The probation sentence, in the first prosecution with the special arson prosecutor, sends a powerful message throughout Michigan - Arson isnt a real crime, come to Detroit and learn your arson craft - if caught - you may face probation, not real jail / prison time. It says Detroit is open - buy property in Detroit and if you cant resell it or make a profit - burn it down and collect insurance; help right size, down size Detroit burn down abandon houses, apartments, buildings etc etc etc..

This is the wrong messages - Prosecutor Worthy is appealing this Wrong senctence, and hopefully some Wayne County Judge or an appellate judge will send a right message - Arson is a real, dangerous, crime that deserves, jail / prison time. Lives are always affected by Arson - victims deserve justice and accountability, and Arsonists deserve jail / prison time, a long time.

read the Detroit News article (7/18/2011) Arson Crackdown Goes Up In Smoke, by Doug Guthrie, Santiago Esparza, for more read the rest of the story.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

TEA PARTY AND REPUBLICAN PARTY - ENDANGERS US ECONOMY

The Republican Party, and their right wing subsection - Tea Party (?) synchophats...are endangering the US Economy...Your job, your paycheck, your savings and retirement! !

The Republican Party refuses to make a deal to increase the US debt limit, and have the whole world looking at a disfunctional American Government, wondering if they can't do it - American Democracy - how are we supposed to control our economy.

The Republican Party refuses to tax the RICH, people making over $250,000., people with that kind of money can afford to help save the poor and elderly - and it won't hurt them to shop less at Tiffany's, Bon Mar, Parisian, BMW and Lexus dealers, they can eat less caviar, drink less Moet champagne...etc etc etc...

The Republican Party wants to allow the Big Oil companies to keep their subsidzes, to allow food to be made into gas (raising corn / food prices) and to allow $6 billion dollars in corn subsidizes, while the poor and elderly can't afford good food and quality medical care - which raises public health costs.

The Republican Party and Tea Party faithful refuse to acknowledge that the Bush tax cuts - have failed. It is President Bush, that gave us two (2) wars. It was Bush that depleted the Clinton budget surplus. It is not 'playing the blame game' it is a matter of acknowledging history and learning from the past.

Friday, July 8, 2011

PRESIDENT OBAMA - SEND NASA TO THE MOON, SAVE THE SPACE SHUTTLE.

President Obama should reset the priorites for NASA - land a man on the moon and establish a permanent scientific base - from which to explore space.

We were second in the space race, after the USSR / Russia launched Sputnik and then we / the USA played catch up - We won - We put a man on the moon. We planted the flag, but we retreated (some say, we never landed on the moon).

President Kennedy set an ambitious goal - President Obama should extend the Shuttle Program and resend our astronauts to the MOON, a no less ambitious goal, that we can meet and lead the world.

We must save the Space Shuttle - we should not, cannot depend on the Russians, the Chinese, or others to pass us by...we cannot depend on other countries to carry our astronauts into space and return them. The Space Shuttle may not have fulfilled its entire objectives, but it has been a dependable reliable method of putting astronauts into space, and bringing them home - to the USA, and a reliable cargo carrier to the Space Station. The Space Shuttle program should be continued and we should land a man on the moon - not an astroid or Mars or any other place, until the moon is colonized as a scientific base.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

FIREWORKS, DEADLY - DANGEROUS

DEADLY and DANGEROUS fireworks popular in Michigan - should have been the headline for Francis X. Donnelly's story, Detroit News, on 4th of July fireworks.

"The top quality of life complaint by residents", Dearborn Police Chief Ron Haddad said - and 'several hundred {300+} complaints (of fireworks)'...

400 complaints (fireworks)..Livingston County Sheriff Bob Bezotte, "There's not much enforcement...it's a matter of priorities, if nothing else is happening." Also - his 'Department has cut back on checking whether or not merchants were selling illegal fireworks'

Enforcement of ordinances about illegal fireworks , which can kill residents - they can maim and dismember children and adults, starts with the Police Chiefs and County Sheriffs, and in Livingston County it seems like its not an important matter. What happens to the 400+ 911 requests - are they tossed in a basket.

At the very least, Police Chiefs and County Sheriffs should check local merchants and street corner tents and trailers, for sale of illegal fireworks and proper permits, because illegal fireworks are DEADLY and DANGEROUS. This will cut down on the number of 911 calls.

And next to Donnelly's article is an Associated Press article about states banning fireworks as a 'fire hazzards'...Patton - N/ W. Warren, in Detroit, has been an extremely lucky neighborhood as residents set off of hundreds of 'roman candles' and mortar style fireworks that make house fires a high probability, but it seems they escape the danger. The fireworks are set off by minors.

Lack of enforcement in Detroit, means that merchants are unafraid of police officers, and allows a gas station owner to sell fireworks at his station on the W.Warren - Evergreen corner. Detroit announced that it was enforcing fireworks ordinances - which are virtually banned because Detroit doesn't issue permits for their sale. Detroit should announce the total tickets issued and violators names.

I did the firework enforcement in Detroit and most stores in the 6th Precinct area sold legal and illegal fireworks, because the profits are so high - and eager customers, as young as five (5) year olds are buying them. I was urged by fellow officers, not to issue tickets ($500 ea) because the merchant was a 'good guy' and threatened by merchants who got tickets, and who got convicted.

Fireworks enforcement should not be ignored or dismissed - Police Departments and Sheriff Departments conduct sting operations to catch merchants illegally selling cigarettes and liquor to minors - fireworks that can maim, dismember and kill people - deserve law enforcement efforts.


DEADLY AND DANGEROUS....people do not take the dangers seriously..and police /
sheriffs departments do not do the necessary minimum enforcement...dlm....