Edition 8-25-05

	From AP SAN DIEGO -- The leader of the San Diego chapter of Hells Angels was sentenced Monday to nearly five years in prison for racketeering. Frank Paul Caruso III was sentenced in San Diego federal court to 57 months in prison, plus three years probation. In May, he pleaded guilty to racketeering. Prosecutors said Caruso conspired with other Hells Angels to murder members of the Mongols motorcycle club. They say eight other members or associates have pleaded guilty to racketeering charges in connection with the scheme. According to the PWTorch Newsletter, Shawn Michaels has been anything but a pushover so far in dealing with Hulk Hogan behind the scenes. Whenever Hogan says no to an idea, Michaels keeps it even by rejecting one of Hogan's ideas. Every time Hogan gives him a "That's not right for me, brother", Michaels shoots back to his ideas with a "no" of his own. Despite the ongoing negotiations, they still have not come to an agreement regarding the end of the match for Summer- Slam. It is unknown at this point whether they really will reach something that pleases them both. Hogan and Michaels are said to not like, nor trust each other, which will certainly make for an interesting couple of days as negotiations continue. Playboy plans to launch a digital version of its magazine next month, allowing readers to download over the Web the same content that's in the print version. Readers will be able to subscribe to the online version starting with the October issue. They will also be able to purchase single copies of the digital magazine. The company expects the digital magazine to appeal to a growing number of readers accustomed to consuming media online, particularly men between the ages of 18 and 34. Previous story Playboy unveils game Players can direct virtual photo shoots and wear Hugh Hefner's robe."There is a new generation of readers emerging, and advertising dollars are following--so expanding our online offerings makes sense," said Playboy spokeswoman Lauren Melone via e-mail. Appealing to Internet advertisers, whose clout is growing, is also part of the equation. The company plans to incorporate ad-sponsored links in its new online product. The digital version may also help Playboy keep a cap on distribution costs while adding new readers, the company said. Now that it's getting to that time of year when we switch clothes from summer to winter, take your leftover soap slivers and put them in a vented plastic bag. Place the bag with seasonal clothes before pack- ing them away. Not only will the scent prevent them from moth harm but also they'll smell great when you pull them out again.
ABATE OF FLORIDA NEXT STATE MEETING Live Web cam action LOUISIANA SHRIMP & PETROLEUM FESTIVAL ~~September 1-5, 2005 Morgan City, LA /www.shrimp-petrofest.org/ 504-385-0703 According to the locals, it's not such an unusual name for a festival once you realize that it celebrates Louisiana's two natural resources: seafood and oil. The festival, held in the heart of Cajun country, was lauded in Time magazine as "the best, the most unusual, the most down-home, the most moving and the most fun the country has to offer." How can you beat that? Highlights feature Cajun culinary pleasures and continuous live music. Other festivities include a shrimp cookoff contest, the Cajun culinary classic, gospel tent, street carnival, both street & water parades and a massive arts and crafts show & sale. Not to mention the historic Blessing of the Fleet, boat tours of the harbor, tours of the Mr. Charlie, an authentic drilling rig and the spectacular Bollinger fireworks display. To save as much as hundreds of dollars a year on electricity, make certain that any new appliances you purchase, especially air conditioners and furnaces, are energy-efficient. Information on the energy efficiency of major appliances is found on Energy Guide Labels required by federal law. Check with your electric company to learn if it has a program to help reduce the costs of any appliance purchases.

The New Birds & The Bees The mystery is gone .. How was I born? A little boy asks his father - Daddy, how was I born? Dad responds, ah, my son, I guess one day you will need to find out anyway! Well, you see, your Mom and I first got together in a chat room on MSN. Then I set up a date via e-mail with your Mom and we met at a cyber-cafe. We sneaked into a secluded room, where your mother agreed to a download from my hard drive. As soon as I was ready to upload, we discovered that neither one of us had used a firewall, and since it was too late to hit the delete button, nine months later a blessed little Popup appeared and said: You've got male!	A pompous minister was seated next to a hillbilly on a flight across the country. After the plane was airborne, drink orders were taken. The hillbilly asked for a whiskey and soda, which was brought and placed before him. The flight attendant then asked the minister if he would like a drink. He replied in disgust, "I'd rather be savagely raped by brazen whores than let liquor touch these lips." The hillbilly then handed his drink back to the flight attendant and said, "Shit, me too. I didn't know we got a choice." How many men does it take to open a beer? None. It should be opened when she brings it. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Why is a Laundromat a really bad place to pick up a woman? Because a woman who can't even afford a washing machine will probably never be able to support you. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Why do women have smaller feet than men? It's one of those "evolutionary things" that allows them to stand closer to the kitchen sink. ------------------------------------------------------------------- How do you know when a woman is about to say something smart? When she starts a sentence with "A man once told me..." ------------------------------------------------------------------- How do you fix a woman's watch? You don't. There is a clock on the oven. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Why do men fart more than women? Because women can't shut up long enough to build up the required pressure. ------------------------------------------------------------------- If your dog is barking at the back door and your wife is yelling at the front door, who do you let in first? The dog, of course. He'll shut up once you let him in.
TUESDAY AUGUST 23, 2005 Last modified: Monday, August 22, 2005 8:21 PM PDT Nevada court sets appeal hearing date for bikers CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - The Nevada Supreme Court has scheduled a Nov. 17 pretrial hearing regarding the validity of indictments charging rival Hells Angels and Mongols members with murder stemming from a 2002 melee in Laughlin that left three bikers dead. All seven members of the state's highest court, rather than the usual three-judge panel, will hear the case, under terms of an order Monday. The court also canceled a hearing previously set for Oct. 12. Seven members of the Hells Angels were scheduled to go on trial last month in Las Vegas. But the Supreme Court on July 25 vacated that trial date and decided to examine whether the charges in a 73-count grand jury indictment were too confusing or contradicted each other. Several members of the Mongol group are scheduled to go on trial next year. The bikers are charged with murder in the deaths of two Hells Angels and one Mongol. They're also charged with battery, assault, conspiracy and aiding and abetting. The trial of the Hells Angels members was stayed after their lawyers said they couldn't get a fair trial because of major flaws in the indictments against their clients. The attorneys argued that grand jurors should have been instructed on self-defense issues. Prosecutors said members of both gangs were involved in a conspiracy from the start because part of their gang rules are to be prepared to fight and even kill one another. The brawl occurred in Harrah's Laughlin hotel-casino during the 2002 Laughlin River Run. Surveillance cameras showed bikers from the two groups wielding guns, knives and clubs.
From CommunityDispatch.com U.S. Dept. of Justice Related MEMBER OF OUTLAWS MOTORCYCLE CLUB SENTENCED ON FEDERAL DRUG AND FIREARM CHARGES By U.S. Department of Justice Aug 24, 2005, 10:23 MEDIA RELEASE Attention: News Director U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE For Immediate Release DAVID L. HUBER August 23, 2005 UNITED STATES ATTORNEY Western District of Kentucky Contact: Hancy Jones III Assistant United States Attorney (502) 582-5911 ************************** MEMBER OF OUTLAWS MOTORCYCLE CLUB SENTENCED ON FEDERAL DRUG AND FIREARM CHARGES David L. Huber, United States Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky, announced today that JASON FOWLER a/k/a “SEVENTH STREET,” age 29, of 9805 Lower River Road, Louisville, Kentucky, in Jefferson County, was sentenced in United States District Court, Louisville, Kentucky, on August 22, 2005, for violating federal drug and firearm laws. Senior United States District Court Judge Edward H. Johnstone sentenced Fowler to 15 years and 8 months imprisonment, plus 5 years supervised release following incarceration. There is no parole in the federal judicial system. Fowler had previously pled guilty to five federal charges, including a drug conspiracy charge transferred to this district from Indianapolis, Indiana. During the guilty plea hearing, and through a written Plea Agreement, Fowler admitted that beginning in the summer of 2001 and continuing until December 6, 2002, Ramon J. Montero organized and ran an operation that trafficked in methamphetamine. The organization operated primarily out of Indianapolis, Indiana. The principle objective of the organization was the possession with the intent to distribute and distribution of methamphetamine. The organization procured methamphetamine in California. Members of the organization transported the methamphetamine from California to Indianapolis, Indiana. A number of individuals, including Luis Perez, carried out further distribution of the methamphetamine. Perez provided methamphetamine to Joseph Wayt and Stephanie Barton who transported the methamphetamine to Louisville, Kentucky, for distribution to Fowler. During the course of the conspiracy, on November 7, 2002, Perez delivered approximately three pounds of methamphetamine to Wayt and Barton. Wayt and Barton transported the methamphetamine to Fowler in Louisville, Kentucky, in a box. Unbeknownst to Wayt and Barton, Fowler had been arrested earlier that day. Upon their arrival at Fowler’s residence, law enforcement officials arrested Wayt and Barton. Forensic examination of the contents of the box revealed that the substance was, in fact, methamphetamine. The seized methamphetamine had an estimated street value of $136,080.00. - Fowler admitted that at all times relative to the Indictment in Criminal Action Number 3:02CR-152-J he was an unlawful user of and addicted to methamphetamine, a controlled substance. On or about August 14, 2002, in the Western District of Kentucky, Jefferson County, Kentucky, Fowler, acquired two firearms, that is, a Walther P38 9mm semi-automatic pistol and a HiPoint JC9 9mm semi-automatic pistol from Ray’s Indoor Shooting Range. He made the statement to Ray’s Indoor Shooting Range, a licensed firearm dealer, intending or likely to deceive the firearm dealer as to a fact material to the lawfulness of the sale. Specifically, while completing the paperwork for the purchase of the firearms, Fowler indicated that he was not an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance, when in fact, he was. When federal agents executed a search warrant on Fowler’s home on November 7, 2002, they discovered approximately 1/8 of an ounce of methamphetamine and numerous firearms, including a Glock .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol, Ruger .22 caliber semi-automatic pistol, Smith & Wesson 9mm semi-automatic pistol, LLAMA .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol, Calico ,22 caliber semi-automatic pistol, Winchester 12-gauge shotgun, Marlin 30-30 rifle, Marlin .22 caliber rifle, and a Smith & Wesson .22 caliber revolver. In addition to the firearms listed above, Fowler also possessed a silencer, which was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record as required by federal law. Assistant United States Attorneys Alexander T. Taft, Jr. and Jo E. Lawless prosecuted the case, and it was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise Wednesday, August 24, 2005 Page 1 Ninth Circuit Rejects Challenge by Indian Activist, Says Navajo Court Has Power to Try Nonmember By a MetNews Staff Writer An Indian tribe has constitutional and statutory authority to try an Indian who is not a tribal member for a crime committed on the tribe’s reservation, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled yesterday. Ruling in an eight-year-long jurisdictional dispute between the Navajo Nation and activist/actor Russell Means, the panel said the tribe can try Means on charges of threatening and battery resulting from an alleged altercation with two men, including Means’ then-father-in-law, a member of the Omaha tribe. Means argued that as an Oglala Sioux, he was not subject to Navajo jurisdiction. Means was living near Chinle, on the Navajo reservation in Arizona, while married to Gloria Grant, his fourth wife, from whom he separated around that time. Means has since lived in New Mexico, where he attempted to run for governor in 2002 but was disqualified as a result of a felony conviction, and in South Dakota. The felony conviction resulted from a South Dakota courthouse riot in 1975, but Means, who served more than a year for the offense, was pardoned by then-Gov. Bill Janklow before Janklow left office in January 2003. Means is best known as one of the founders and leaders of the American Indian Movement, and came to prominence during the siege at Wounded Knee in the early 1970s. Twenty years later, he launched a film career by playing the title role in The Last of the Mohicans. Before trial in the Chinle District Court of the Navajo Nation, Means moved to dismiss the charges for lack of jurisdiction, relying primarily on the U.S. Supreme Court decision of Duro v. Reina, in which the high court said that tribal courts could not try non-members, at least in the absence of congressional authority. Congress subsequently passed the 1990 amendments to the Indian Civil Rights Act, including what is sometimes referred to as the “Duro fix,” permitting tribal courts to try non-member Indians, but not non-Indians. Means argued that the “fix” violates the right to equal protection under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution. He also contended the Navajo Nation had explicitly given up any such authority in the Treaty of 1868. But U.S. District Judge Earl Carroll rejected those arguments, as did the Ninth Circuit. The disparate treatment of nonmember Indians and non-Indians, Judge Andrew Kleinfeld wrote, has a rational basis—the desire of Congress to promote Indian self-government. The distinction, he added, is a political, rather than a racial, classification so no more than a rational basis is required to uphold the statute. The judge explained: “The 1990 Amendments to the Indian Civil Rights Act were meant to protect Indians, as well as others who reside in or visit Indian country, against lawlessness by nonmember Indians who might not otherwise be subject to any criminal jurisdiction. As the Navajo Supreme Court notes, because of intermarriage there are a significant number of Indians who are not Navajos but live on the Navajo reservation. It is a matter of ordinary experience that many people are not at their best when their marriages break up, so misdemeanor jurisdiction over nonmember Indians is rationally related to Indian self-government in an area where rapid and effective tribal response may be needed.” The alternative, Kleinfeld wrote, would be to allow such crimes to go unpunished, because Arizona lacks jurisdiction over crimes committed on Indian lands and federal authorities can only prosecute under the Major Crimes Act, which does not cover misdemeanors. The judge also rejected the claim that the Treaty of 1868, ending the war between the United States and the Navajo Nation, barred prosecution. The treaty, the judge explained, requires that “bad men” among the Navajo be turned over to the federal authorities for prosecution. In this case, however, there was no demand by the federal government, Kleinfeld wrote. And the treaty, he added, has never been interpreted to limit the jurisdiction of the tribe to try cases itself. The case is Means v. Navajo Nation, 01-17489. Copyright 2005, Metropolitan News Company w.
WORD of the DAY
Darby and Joan \dar-bee-and-JOAN\ noun : a happily married usually elderly couple Example sentence: Mr. and Mrs. Goodman, the village's Darby and Joan, were often seen walking hand in hand along the beach. Did you know? "Old Darby, with Joan by his side, / You've often regarded with wonder: / He's dropsical, she is sore-eyed, / Yet they're never happy asunder." Thus ran the lines of a poem published in 1735 under the title "The Joys of Love Never Forgot: A Song." By the mid-1700s, the elderly couple introduced in that poem had become symbolic of devoted couples. According to some sources, the verse's author was an amateur poet named Henry Woodfall and its inspiration was a real-life couple: a printer named John Darby (who was Woodfall's employer) and his wife Joan. Whoever they were originally, a more modern version of the two later appeared in a song titled simply "Darby and Joan," a collaboration of Frederic Weatherly and James Molloy. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
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