Edition 9-26-05
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MILWAUKEE, Sept 23, 2005 /PRNewswire-FirstCall
via COMTEX/ -- Harley-Davidson,Inc. (NYSE: HDI) announced today
that its Board of Directors approved a quarterly cash dividend
of 16 cents per share, payable October 10, 2005 to shareholders
of record as of October 3, 2005. |
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As New Orleans flooded and whatever civil society the city could lay claim to disintegrated, those left behind needed two things: a powerful will to survive and a gun. Hurricane Katrina might end up being the best friend the Second Amendment ever had. Gun dealers across the country are reporting increased sales. People who saw on television what happens when government can't deliver on the promise of protecting its citizens are buying firearms as an insurance policy against anarchy. That assurance of government-provided security has convinced individual Americans to gradually trade in their unrestrained constitutional right to bear arms. But for days, there was no law in New Orleans and no government to speak of. All rules were off. While the politically correct version of what happened is that desperate people looted stores for food and water, that's only part of the story. Bands of armed hoodlums roamed the city, smashing their way into businesses and homes, carting off jewelry, liquor, televisions and other goods that had nothing to do with survival. People were murdered, raped, stripped of their meager provisions. Those with the best chance of surviving were the ones who had shotguns, rifles and pistols stashed away in closets and drawers. Homeowner John Carolan ran off a mob of young men armed with knives and machetes and intent on stealing his generator by firing a few rounds from a .357 Magnum over their heads. "They scattered," he told reporters. After looters poured into a nursing home and carted off the food, water and medicine, administrator Peggy Hoffman told the Associated Press, "we'll have to equip our department heads with guns and teach them how to shoot." Lots of Americans are thinking about shooting lessons today. The tiresome question, "Why does anyone need a gun?" now has its answer. Order can deteriorate in this country to the point where nothing stands between the law-abiding citizen and the marauding mob except blue steel. It happened in New Orleans. It can happen anywhere else in America at anytime. It will be harder now for the anti-gun lobby to convince Americans to dismantle even more of the Second Amendment. Of course, they'll try to spin this to say that were there no guns to begin with, the looters wouldn't have been armed and dangerous. But thieves, murderers and the rest of the rabble have always been more ingenious at procuring weapons than law-abiding citizens. No amount of gun control laws will keep the dark side of this society from arming itself for evil purposes. To twist the old bumper sticker, Americans will give up their guns when they can be certain all the guns have been pried out of the cold, dead fingers of all the bad guys. Until then, they'll prefer to keep a little heat in the house Nolan Finley/The Detroit News |
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WWE continues to stack the card for RAW's return to USA Network on October 3. In addition to confirming names like Steve Austin, Triple H, Mick Foley, Hulk Hogan and over ten other WWE Legends, WWE has added two very big matches to the show. WWE Championship: John Cena (c) vs. Eric Bischoff Ladder Match Edge vs. Matt Hardy *The winner takes possession of Edge's "Money In The Bank" title shot; the loser must leave RAW. While WWE hyped its "homecoming" on the 9/19 edition of RAW, it did not mention the USA Network by name. |
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By Onell R. Soto (excerpt) UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER September 23, 2005 The president of the San Diego chapter of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang pleaded guilty to racketeering charges yesterday and was sentenced to nearly six years in prison. Guy Castiglione, 55, of Lakeside admitted in San Diego federal court that he conspired to distribute methamphetamine and kill members of the Mongols, a rival motorcycle gang. Nine other members of the chapter also pleaded guilty to racketeering charges in an investigation in which authorities said they also arrested 21 drug dealers in business with the gang. The Hells Angels were arrested in June 2003 at their clubhouse on El Cajon Boulevard in El Cajon. Authorities seized weapons and drugs during raids there and at several homes. Prosecutors used organized-crime laws known as RICO – after the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act – to go after the group. "They're through, as far as we're concerned," said John Fernandes, head of the San Diego office of the Drug Enforcement Administration. "You have their top patch-wearers pleading guilty to RICO charges." Fernandes said the prosecution has shown the true face of the Hells Angels. "When it comes down to it, they're strong-arm thugs on motorcycles," he said. However, Castiglione said his crimes were not related to his status within the local Hells Angels chapter."I was its president, but I joined (the conspiracy) as an individual," he told a judge. Castiglione has a philosophical aversion to admitting the Hells Angels are a criminal organization, his lawyer said. As part of plea bargains, prosecutors dropped charges that could have imprisoned several of the members for life. Defense lawyer David Chesnoff said Castiglione helped broker the plea agreements by giving others permission to "do what's in their own best interest." Chesnoff said Castiglione shouldn't be viewed only as a criminal. "He has another side to him that is incredibly warm and compassionate," the lawyer told the judge. The plea bargains came after Judge Irma Gonzalez ruled that jurors would hear wiretap recordings that prosecutors said incriminated the defendants. Prosecutors Alana Wong and Peter Ko said in court documents that Castiglione was among a group of Hells Angels who declared war against the Mongols in July 1977. At first, the dispute was over the use of the word "California" on the bottom portion of vests, to which Hells Angels claimed exclusive rights, they said. Then, on Sept. 5, 1977, two Mongols, Emerson Morris and Raymond Smith, were shot and killed as they rode their motorcycles on Interstate 15 in Escondido, prosecutors said. A few days later, a vehicle exploded outside the Lemon Grove funeral home where the two bikers were being mourned. Castiglione later pleaded guilty to murder in the freeway slayings, the prosecutors said. The most recent investigation by agents from the DEA; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; sheriff's deputies; and police from San Diego and El Cajon began in 2002 with help from informants. That led to surveillance, a failed attempt to infiltrate the group and then wiretaps of hundreds of telephone calls, authorities said. In the calls, Castiglione, also known as "Big Daddy" and "The Boss," is heard directing other members to extort drug dealers and kill Mongols, according to papers filed by prosecutors. Among other things, he approved the use of night-vision goggles in an effort to kill a Mongol who Castiglione had heard was bragging about having killed a Hells Angel. Hells Angel Christian Tate was killed on a freeway while returning from Laughlin, Nev., where a 2003 shootout in a casino between the two rival groups ended with three deaths. During the court hearing, Castiglione said he will remain a member of the club, even though he won't be able to associate with felons for three years after he gets out of prison. |
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| China Consular Information Sheet September 13, 2005 COUNTRY DESCRIPTION: China was established on October 1, 1949, with Beijing as its capital city. With well over 1.3 billion citizens, China is the world's most populous country and the third largest country in the world in terms of territory. China is undergoing rapid, profound economic and social change and development. Political power remains centralized in the Chinese Communist Party. Modern tourist facilities are available in major cities, but many facilities in smaller provincial cities and rural areas are frequently below international standards. Read the Department of State Background Notes on China for additional information. |
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WINNIPEG -- Winnipeg's police department and its chief have been fined $20,000 for needlessly delaying a labour board hearing. The hearing is looking at allegations police failed to warn Kevin Tokarchuk that he'd been targeted for death by a puppet club of the Hells Angels. Tokarchuk was fatally shot in May 2003, exactly one year after his older brother shot and killed a member of the Zig Zag crew. Tokarchuk's murder has not been solved. Arbitrator Gavin Wood ordered the police service to pay the Winnipeg Police Association for its legal bills while it fought to get its hands on internal police documents. The association is fighting for six officers who were put on administrative leave and are now seeking compensation for lost earnings and damage to their careers. Wood made his order after being told that documents he earlier directed the police service to hand over to the union, including handwritten notes from Chief Jack Ewatski, are still in the police service's possession or are still being collected. Wood was told that instead of preparing his notes for the union, Ewatski participated in a local golf tournament, then left for a week to attend this weekend's International Association of Chiefs of Police conference in Miami. Ewatski is president of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. City lawyer Marvin Samphir said yesterday he will call witnesses next week to explain why the Crown suddenly stayed charges against five Hells Angels last year. Samphir said his witnesses will rebut evidence heard already that the biker case fell apart because Ewatski put the six officers on paid leave following the Tokarchuk murder. |
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WORD of the DAY |
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misbegotten \miss-bih-GAH-tun\ adjective 1 : unlawfully conceived : illegitimate Example sentence: Did you know? *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. |
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1-01-87 |
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