Brand New DUI Story

Many of my readers know me on a more personal level and know that one of my loves in life is music. I tend to listen to more punk rock and indie music and many of the bands write about social issues. I wanted to share a video from the band Brand New which is actually just the lead singer, Jesse Lacey, telling a true story about a DUI which inspired the song Limousine. The story is about a DUI driver and the death of a girl...

Click here- Check this out the DUI story

US Govt Gives Marijuana to Old Lady

In Eugene Oregon a state trooper pulled over a passenger and found marijuana. This did not surprise anyone, not even the troopers. However, the shocking news was when the 72 year old woman stated that she was not guilty of anything because the weed was completely legal and was given to her by the United States Federal Government.

The trooper was intrigued and decided to look into what was being said. He completed a series of phone calls along with his supervisor to the US Government. They discovered that the lady was telling the truth. More specifically they found that the United States Government grows and provides marijuana to a select few people in the U.S.

In addition to the marijuana that the Government grew for the 72 year old lady above, the US has bee providing marijuana as part of a program stemming from a 1976 court settlement which created the country's first medicinal marijuana patient. The program, at one time, provided 14 patients with marijuana but they are down to 4 patients as of now.

With the war on drugs and the increased pressure on medical marijuana establishments in San Jose and the Bay Area is a glaring contradiction to what the US government is doing themselves. However, Government officials counter by stating that the program is no longer accepting any new patients to the program because authorities concluded that there was no scientific value to the program, Steven Gust of the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse explained to The Associated Press. The US government has only continued to supply the marijuana "for compassionate reasons," Gust said.

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San Francisco Spike in Cell Phone Tickets

The San Francisco Chronicle reported on their website (SFGATE.com) some interesting statistics concerning traffic tickets issued in the bay area as well as issued in all of California. This information always catches my attention, being a California traffic ticket attorney. The newspaper reported that California Highway Patrol officials issued about 30,000 tickets for people using their cell phones or other electronic devices while driving. (A violation of California Vehicle Code section 23123.) Now those 30,000 people are facing tickets that come out to around $190 depending on the county you are in. The fees can vary slightly from Alameda County to Santa Calra County, and even up to San Francisco.

The CHP issued a statement regarding the tickets where Sgt. Diana McDermott (CHP Spokeswoman) stated that the tickets were issued in the month of April during part of a campaign to stop distracted drivers. (I wrote an earlier blog called “Distracted Driving” but I think wordpress deleted it somehow but you can google it and find it on one of my other blog sites.)

Of the 30,000 tickets issued last month for cell phone violations, about 5,900 were handed out to San Francisco Bay area drivers.

Officials want to remind drivers that it is illegal in California to use a cell phone while operating a motor vehicle, unless the phone is being used in hands-free mode, or during an emergency. Texting or reading a message on a cell phone or using an electronic device to communicate while driving is also prohibited. Further, these laws will be looking at stiffer penalties in the years to come. It is a good idea to learn how to stop using these things just like everyone learned how to wear a helmet and buckle up.

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Stop Hate

Hate crimes are possibly the most upsetting to me because there is absolutely no reason why they should ever transpire. I am a very open minded person and I believe that we should live and let live. Life is precious and it is senseless to attack others for something that they cannot change.

Last weekend a transgendered woman was shot and killed for nothing more than her gender identity. It has not yet been confirmed that the crime was a hate crime but friends of the woman are certain that this is the motive behind the shooting of 37 year old Hayward resident Brandy Martell (Milton Massey Jr.) The 37 year old victim from Hayward was shot while sitting in her parked car at the intersection of 13th and Franklin streets at around 5 am on Sunday, as stated by Oakland Police.

The Alameda County medical examiner identified the victim as Milton Massey however, Tiffany Woods, a co-worker of the victim, explained that Massey identified herself as a woman and went by the name of Brandy Martell. Before the shooting, Martell was with three other transgender women in the same area, which is a common gathering place for transgender women who feel unwelcome at other establishments in the East Bay.

Tiffany Woods stated that witnesses had told her that Martell and the others were approached around 3 in the morning by two men who tried to lure them to another location. Martell and her friends talked to the men for a short while and then explained that they were transgendered. Once they explained their gender identity, the man left without further conversation.

The men are alleged to have returned, shot Brandy Martell, and left the scene. Oakland Police responded to the scene and found Martell dead in her vehicle. No one else was injured and no arrests have been made yet. The police have not yet classified this case as a hate crime but they are looking into it.

The reason I write this post is to further shed light on hate crimes in hope that they will stop. Bringing the issues to light can help with our awareness of the problem and allow us to move forward as a more accepting society. However, until these problems are exposed, there will be no progress. It is absolutely devastating that a life was lost and I hope that as a society we can learn from this tragedy and move forward.

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Mayday Mayday! Occupy SF Does Something Stupid... Again...

Today is May 1, 2012. The first of May is also commonly known as Mayday due to US history. This morning the Mission District in San Francisco woke up to broken glass, vandalized cars, and much more destruction that included a the Mission Police Station. This is the kind of behavior that makes the Occupy movement look like ignorant thugs. The fact that they targeted vehicles and small businesses in the mission only distorts their political message and mounts hardworking 99%ers against them. The cars that were vandalized belonged to hardworking middle class San Franciscans, not the 1% which the Occupy movement claims to target.

The vandals were in a small group that marched from Dolores Park just before 10 in the evening on Monday April 30, 2012. The vandals were said to have just left a rally which was in place to discuss what would happen on mayday. Police said that the vandals traveled down 18th Street and onto Valencia Street while wearing black masks and all black clothing. As they marched, the masked protesters smashed windows with crowbars, tore down signs, threw paint on buildings, and spray painted anarchy symbols on the hoods of several parked cars along the way.

"All I heard was, 'bang, bang, bang,' and some dude had the valet sign, trying to break our window," said Adam Koskoff, a manager at Locanda restaurant on Valencia Street. "I didn't even see the crowd, and I ran outside and got egged."

The idiots threw paint, eggs, and rocks. They smashed windows at more than 30 businesses; which included Tartine Bakery at 18th and Guerrero streets as well as a clothing store Weston Wear on Valencia Street. In addition, both luxury and everyday vehicles along Valencia were damaged with crowbars, spray paint, rocks, and eggs. Most notably, an Aston Martin had its windshield shattered, and brown spray paint covered the hood.

The small group of vandals even attacked the Mission Police Station at 17th street and Valencia. More specifically, Pink and yellow paint marred the barricaded and pellet guns cracked glass doors of the station. "It was like the station was under siege," said an officer, who asked not to be named at this time. Mission station Capt. Robert Moser said the vandalism had "unfolded quickly," and that someone had taken a hammer object to the front station doors.

After all was said and done, one lonely person was arrested on suspicion of a vehicle code violation and resisting arrest. However, he was cited and released. Many business owners said that given the extent of the destruction, more vandals should have been arrested and asked to pay restitution for the damage.

J.H. Kostelni of Farina restaurant on 18th Street said he had seen police cars at the front and the back of a group of about 30 people who threw paint and eggs at his windows and overturned his outdoor tables. "It looked like police were escorting them," Kostelni said. "They didn't stop them." When the police were asked about the criticism of their lack of control, Capt. Moser stated that "We wanted to ensure we had enough personnel for public safety and for the safety of our officers."

About 15 officers in full riot gear stood in front of the Mission police station Monday night, as other officers moved up and down the street, documenting the damage, leaving cards on defaced cars and speaking to business owners about the damage.

Jeremy Tooker, the owner of Four Barrel Coffee Company, was wiping paint off his store's windows as broken glass crunched beneath pedestrians' feet. He said a good friend had alerted him of the damage to his store after stopping a protester from smashing the glass storefront with a crowbar while taking a hit to his arm. "This just seems like they're frustrated with their impotency at this point," Jeremy Tooker said. "It's like, 'Look at me, I'm still here, I'm still occupying."

It is important to note that, although the march sprang from a rally for an Occupy protest, other Occupy movement protesters shunned its participants as outliers. Many business owners, however, said Occupy bore responsibility for the damage to their companies. "Occupy is saying it's not them, but we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Occupy, now would we?" Michelle Horneff Cohen, a real estate broker, said as she shivered next to the broken window of her workplace. She went on to explain that she had been dragged out of bed to deal with the destruction. Although her company has insurance, she said, it will have to pay for much of the cost of repairs. "I think it's bulls--," Horneff-Cohen said. "We are the 99 percent, and this is bulls--."

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