Flying Monkeys in Kansas -- the Sequel

Sure! Click! You bet!

Border from the Bible of Charles the Bald
(Charles le Chauve), King Charles II of France,
and Holy Roman Emperor (875 - 877).

Jack didn't believe me when I posted to a reform List that the symbol of June's Wakarusa Music Festival in Kansas was the Wicked Witch of the West's Flying Monkeys. He checked it out and plotzed.

Hey Jack! Don't buy THEIR crummy Flying Monkey souvenir poster! Buy VLEEPTRON's crummy Flying Monkey poster!

Meanwhile the story in the Lawrence Journal-World about the super-hi-tek secret surveillance at Wakarusa indicated that the super-hi-tek surveillance narcs had told the concert promoter all about it in advance.

********
At least a month before the festival began, [Clinton State Park manager Jerry] Schecher said, promoter Brett Mosiman was notified of the plan for security cameras. Mosiman did not return phone calls Thursday seeking comment.

The cameras’ presence was not publicized in the Lawrence area before or after the festival.
********

=====================

from the official website of the
Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival:

======================================

Statement Regarding Enforcement Issues

9.19.2006

As many of you know, there were law enforcement and accompanying security issues at this year's event. Some of these issues continue to make headlines, and regrettably, create controversy. As organizers of the festival, it is very disappointing that these issues have taken away from what otherwise has been a highly praised and truly special event. We cannot tell you how truly sorry we are that these issues occurred at Wakarusa this year and we sincerely apologize to everyone for any violations of your rights and privacy. To give you some background, we were informed that there would be an increased law enforcement presence at this year's event. Initially, we were supportive of this when it was presented as an effort to increase the safety of everyone in attendance. It quickly became apparent that law enforcement's primary mission wasn't the safety of the festival goers. We must make it perfectly clear that we did not know of any of the specific measures, tactics or instruments the various law enforcement agencies used at the event. More importantly, Wakarusa does not believe such tactics and equipment were necessary and does not support their use. If there are not significant assurances that similar procedures won’t materialize in the future, we will not host another Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival. There is simply no justification for these types of tactics to be used on an otherwise courteous and peaceful crowd. These actions are not what Wakarusa is about. Wakarusa has always took pride in being a fan friendly event -- we like to say, "a festival for music fans by music fans -- and we mean it to our core. Wakarusa is a special event hosted in a very special setting and we do appreciate the vision of those local officials who allow Wakarusa to exist and to flourish. The festival has also benefited dozens of charities and not for profit groups. In the future, we hope to expand our mission of supporting great endeavors such as environmental causes, sustainable living models, and music education. In essence, this is an event that deserves everyone’s respect and support. We are searching for moral, political and legal support to help us resolve the issues we all faced this year. As before, we will continue to listen to your concerns and work with the authorities to make Wakarusa an event we all can be proud of. Our annual mission is to make Wakarusa one of the best, safest and most enjoyable events in the country. We sincerely appreciate your loyal support during the past three years and we hope we can maintain your trust and respect as we work through our growing pains. Thank you for your support, Brett Mosiman

Online Chat - Friday, 9/22

9.19.2006

Brett Mosiman will participate in an online chat this Friday, September 22nd at 2:30 p.m. Central courtesy of the Lawrence Journal World (www.ljworld.com). Brett will respond to questions regarding past and future events. Specific information on the online chat will be posted to www.ljworld.com tomorrow (September 20th).

Fat Tire Cruiser Auction

8.25.2006

Here’s your chance to own a Fat Tire Cruiser courtesy of New Belgium Brewing Company and Wakarusa. All the proceeds from this auction will be donated to Leave No Trace. The auction is currently open for bidding on eBay, so don’t delay - Log on and place your bid today! Link to Auction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200021058588&ssPageName=ADME:B:EF:US:11
Incident Report

7.6.2006

If you witnessed or experienced an action during this year's festival that you feel was inappropriate, please allow Wakarusa to investigate the matter by completing an Incident Report form. The form can be found by clicking on the "Incident Report" link at the top of the homepage or by pasting the following link into your web browser http://www.wakarusa.com/2006/incident_report.asp Thank you and we're very sorry for any inconveniences you may have experienced during the festival.

Merch and Live Sets

6.16.2006

Merch and live sets from Wakarusa 2006 are now available in our online store. Click on the "Merch" link in the main navigation or paste the following link into your web browser: http://shop.wakarusa.com/ Thank You.
Thank You!

6.15.2006

Thank you for helping us set an attendance record and for making Wakarusa 2006 the best yet! We are in the process of reviewing security and enforcement procedures used by various agencies. Please send any feedback directly to Wakarusa staff via the info@wakarusa.com account. Thanks, again, for supporting Wakarusa. We hope to see you again next year.
Parade and Costume Contest Cancelled

5.31.2006

Please note that the parade and the costume contest have been cancelled. We sincerely apologize for any inconveniences this may cause. Wakarusa
$119 Tickets Available at Local Box Offices

5.18.2006

Limited quantites of $119 tickets are still available at local box office locations. Visit "Box Office Locations" under the "Tickets" link for a list of locations near you. $119 tickets will only be available until May 31st.
PODCAST: Relix's Cold Turkey Live from Wakarusa

5.10.2006

For years, respected rock scribes Benjy Eisen and Mike Greenhaus have embedded themselves in the festival trenches to report from the scene. In 2005, they ventured past the written word and into the world of podcasting -- you can hear them ham it up each week with everyone from the Disco Biscuits to My Morning Jacket on Relix Magazine’s Cold Turkey. As the official podcast of Wakarusa, Cold Turkey will present exclusive backstage interviews, live performances, updates, and commentary from the festival grounds. Wakarusa coverage will air daily throughout the festival. Several special "Wakarusa preview" episodes, featuring music from previous years, will run in the weeks leading up to this year's main event. Cold Turkey downloads are FREE MP3s which you can listen to on your computer, MP3 player, or burn to CD. Download or stream current episodes at www.relix.com/radio.
Price Increase - May 17th

5.6.2006

Less than 2 weeks to save on Waka tickets. Prices increase on May 17th. Buy now and save over $20.
Artist Additions, Stage Schedule & Single Day Tix

4.27.2006

Reverend Horton Heat, Zilla featuring Michael Travis of String Cheese Incident, Hurra Torpedo, Jesus Christ Superstar and Rocky Votolato added to the line up. The 2006 stage schedule is now available at Jambase.com. Single day tickets go on sale Friday, April 28th at 10 AM CST.

Up from Fœtid Comment Sewers & CRUMMY OLD WINE DEPT: Duck & Cover Club, and Atomic Mutant Party / Youtube and Happy Slapping

Click if you dare.
"Itchy and Scratchy" Copyright (c) Matt Groening

pat the turtle schriebe ...

I just saw this little film again and the image of your Geiger Counter popped up in my head and I could not resist to post the link. Bert rules. Be aware. Look up to the skies. Believe everything you see on TV

============

It's taken me a few days to work up the courage to click onto Youtube. At this moment Youtube is the 8th most popular site on the WWW, and Warner Music just made a revenue-sharing deal so kids (or old people) can make their own videos for songs in the Warner catalog and show them on Youtube.

Everybody's clicking on Youtube. And I mean Everybody.

I really hate it when the world ends, and nobody tells me.

=======================================

About This Video
subscribe
to Ahrisss
Added July 01, 2006
From Ahrisss
funny ass shit
in category Comedy
Tags slapping school

=======================================

from Wikipedia:

Happy Slapping is a fad in which an unsuspecting victim is attacked while an accomplice records the assault (commonly with a camera phone or a smartphone). The name can refer to any type of violent assault, not just slapping. Within the UK, where the term is much more used than the US, it is associated with the chav sub-culture.

Happy slapping filming attacks seem to be common in modern bullying, and not unique to happy slapping. The core defining feature of happy slapping is an effort by the attacker to make the assault seem like play [citation needed], though some happy slappers have indulged in extreme violence.

Often those found performing such activities will say they were just "happy slapping", asserting that they were just kidding [citation needed].

Use with video technology

Although the concept of filming a crime is an old one, the ease and general availability of video cameras in mobile phones means that such attacks need not be planned carefully beforehand and are more easily watched and circulated for comedy purposes afterwards. Some political and media commentators have accused Jackass and Dirty Sanchez of inspiring slappings. Happy slapping can be more violent than a mere slap (causing criticism of its name) and may include a strike or even actual bodily harm. Sometimes the assault is performed with other crimes, such as mugging and rape. At least two incidents have resulted in the death of the victim.

History

Happy Slapping is known to have started in South London [1][2], in a format known as "Slap TV", where a happy-slapping video would be recorded, and then watched over by dozens of people like a TV show. The first newspaper article to ever use the phrase 'happy slapping' was "Bullies film fights by phone", published in The Times Educational Supplement on January 21, 2005, in which reporter Michael Shaw described teachers' accounts of the craze in London schools.

Media-reported incidents

By necessity, the incidents are listed by the time of media attention rather than the time of the attacks themselves.

* England, UK, December, 2005: The manslaughter of David Morley. A 15 year-old-girl, Chelsea O'Mahoney (initially not named in the media for legal reasons, this later changed at the sentencing to name and shame her.[3]) and her co-defendants Reece Sargeant, 21, Darren Case, 18, and a youth, David Blenman, 17, were all found guilty of the manslaughter of David Morley near Waterloo Station, in London. Barry Lee, 20, and another 17-year-old were cleared of all charges. According to press reports, "The 15-year-old girl had told Morley that she was making a documentary about 'happy slapping' before her gang of friends kicked him to death." [4] [5]

* Northern Ireland, UK, 2005: Groups of youths filmed vicious attacks on firecrews. Two were convicted for setting fire to a man during such an incident.

* England, UK, 8 June, 2005: A 17-year-old girl was shot with an air rifle and filmed in Wortley area of Leeds.

* England, UK, 18 June, 2005: Police arrested three 14-year-old boys for the suspected rape of an 11-year-old girl who attended their school. Authorities were alerted when school staff saw footage from the students' mobile phones.

* Denmark, March 2006: Newspapers reported that a 16-year-old girl had been arrested for participating in an episode of "happy slapping." She was standing with a good view of the scene, filming the incident on her mobile phone. Witnesses told the police that the attack looked planned. The attacker is still at large (no serious injuries or deaths have yet been reported as a result of such activity in Denmark).

April 5, 2006: The two attackers were sentenced 6 and 8 months in jail for this attack. The two kids said it was a spur of the moment attack, but the judge did not believe them. He sentenced them using premeditated attack laws, where a non-premeditated attack only carries a 40 day prison sentence.

* Denmark, 6 March 2006: Two young boys aged 7 and 10 years old were attacked by older boys, who hit and kicked them. The assailants filmed everything on their mobile phones.

* Hungary, 22 March 2006: Six young boys attacked another boy in a classroom by pulling him into a corner, then punching and kicking him. This attack has been filmed on one of the boy's mobile phone two weeks before the report.

* Belgium, 24 March 2006: A 15-year-old handicapped boy was beaten up by 10 pupils from the same school.

* Belgium, 3 April 2006: The news program Telefacts broadcast a documentary about "happy slapping" in the country. It mentioned two cases: one with a 15-year-old victim, another about a 37-year-old mentally handicapped person who was held hostage for a few days in his house while being beaten and tortured. In the latter case, one of the "gang members" was threatened by the others that if he informed anyone about what was happening, he would become a victim, instead of a participant. Telefacts also mentioned that the imprisoned gang leader still threatens his victim.

* France, 24 April 2006: A teacher was beaten up in class by a 18-year-old pupil, because she reproached him for being late. This was recorded by another pupil in the class with his cellphone. The man was arrested and released the following day.

* Denmark, May 10 2006: Yet another case was reported in the newspapers.[1] Two men aged 17 and 19 attacked a woman in Copenhagen, one kicking the victim while the other filmed the incident using a mobile phone. Two plain clothes police officers saw the whole incident, and the assailants were immediately arrested and the mobile phone confiscated.

* Slovakia, September 1 2006: A 54-year-old homeless man was beaten to death by pair of 24-year-old and 17-year-old boys. Attackers filmed his dead body on a videocamera.

* Sweden, September 1 2006: After a 16-year-old African boy hospitalizes a 15-year-old Balkanese boy in the city of Örebro, the latter's 17-year-old sister stabs and kills the former with a hunting knife and claims self-defense. The killing is filmed and distributed online. [6][7]

External links

* Happy Slapping (Italian)
* Reporting about happy slapping - France
* Concern over rise of 'happy slapping' craze
* Happy slapping increasingly slap-happy?
* Does 'happy slapping' exist?
* Mother rages at 'slap attackers'
* Happy Slaps: A London View
* Happy Slaps: Fact and Fiction
* How I unwittingly helped to start the Happy Slaps panic

References

1. ^ "Mænd sparkede tilfældig, mens politiet så det", Jyllands-Posten, May 11, 2006

=====================
The Guardian (UK)
Tuesday 26 April 2005

Concern over rise of
'happy slapping' craze

Fad of filming violent attacks on mobile phones spreads

by Mark Honigsbaum

In one video clip, labelled Bitch Slap, a youth approaches a woman at a bus stop and punches her in the face. In another, Knockout Punch, a group of boys wearing uniforms are shown leading another boy across an unidentified school playground before flooring him with a single blow to the head.

In a third, Bank Job, a teenager is seen assaulting a hole-in-the-wall customer while another youth grabs the money he has just withdrawn from the cash machine.

Welcome to the disturbing world of the "happy slappers" -- a youth craze in which groups of teenagers armed with camera phones slap or mug unsuspecting children or passersby while capturing the attacks on 3g technology.

According to police and anti-bullying organisations, the fad, which began as a craze on the UK garage music scene before catching on in school playgrounds across the capital last autumn, is now a nationwide phenomenon.

And as the craze has spread from London to the home counties to the north of England, so the attacks have become more menacing, with increasing numbers of violent assaults and adult victims.

In London, British Transport police have investigated 200 happy slapping incidents in the past six months, with eight people charged with attacks at south London stations and bus stops in January alone.

The Metropolitan police have no overall figures but recorded a number of attacks in London boroughs earlier this year.

Following a spate of random attacks last December on pupils at Godolphin and Latymer girls' school in Hammersmith, west London, police posted extra officers in the area as a deterrent.

But as police have become more vigilant, so the gangs have become more sophisticated, seeking victims in parks or public areas where their crimes are unlikely to be spotted by the authorities or captured on CCTV.

Liz Carnell, the director of Bullying Online, a Yorkshire-based charity set up to combat bullying in schools, said that since the start of the year she has heard of increasing attacks both on children and on adults. But she fears many incidents are not reported.

"In most cases the worst that happens is a minor scratch or a bruised ego," she said.

"What the people behind these attacks have to understand is that technically they are committing an assault. And if they then upload the images on to the internet or a phone system they could be prosecuted for harassment."

What makes the attacks all the more bewildering is that many victims do not realise they have been happy slapped until after the event.

Earlier this month James Silver, 34, a freelance journalist, was attacked while jogging on the South Bank in London. While one youth blocked his path, another hit him with a rolled-up magazine.

When he spun around another teenager -- who had been hiding behind nearby scaffolding -- leapt out and hit him hard in the head. When he staggered to his feet he noticed the rest of the gang were jeering and pointing their mobile phones at him.

Silver admits that while the attack left his "ego smarting" he did not think it worth reporting. "At the end of the day I was unharmed but it was pretty shocking at the time," he said. "The worry is that while the bulk of the attacks are trivial, some of these youths could be carrying knives."

Earlier this year, schools in Lewisham, south London, and St Albans banned camera phones because of worries that the fad was leading to an increase in playground bullying.

In a comment recently posted on a London community web forum, "Happyslapper2" described the craze as a "joke," writing:

"If you feel bored wen ur about an u got a video phone
den bitch slap sum norman, innit."

However, in a sign of a gathering backlash, other forum members disagreed.

"It's hardly a joke ...
it's fuckin rude and pea-brained,"

wrote "slappersidiots".

"If this happy slapping fad continues it will only be a matter of time before someone is seriously hurt," predicted another.

- 30 -

===============

06 April 2005
Duck & Cover Club, and Atomic Mutant Party

Well, okay, finally I'm getting around to the Duck & Cover Club. From 1957 to 1959 I was a student at Ben Murch Elementary School in Northwest Washington DC, a big stone and brick two-story ur-Leggo sort of edifice, probably built around 1930. Nothing fancy, nothing modern, entirely orthogonal and rectangular, not a curved surface or line in the whole joint. A very military-style building for us Little Boy and Girl Soldiers, probably about 400 of us. It was a very solid and efficient processing plant for teaching us everything from fingerpainting to the multiplication table. Like Madeleine and her friends in Paris, we went from place to place in two orderly straight lines.

From Murch, it's about a 12-minute car ride to the US Capitol building or the White House, about 20 minutes to the Pentagon. The more we learned that we lived in a very special place -- the capital city of the United States of America -- and the more we learned about the fierce struggle between the USA and its allies, and the Soviet Union and its allies, the more it began to dawn on us that if the Cold War ever got Hot, we were living on the bullseye of the premier target of an H-bomb missile and bomber war.

It wasn't as if anyone was trying to keep all this a secret from us. The Cold War was an extraordinarily expensive kind of war, and in a democracy, it needed massive public and voter support so that people would be willing to pay for it and keep military hardware at the top of the democracy's national priorities (rather than education or health or nutrition).

So there was a constant stream of television news and images about ICBMs, B52 bombers, nuclear missile-launching atomic submarines, and H-bomb testing. At that time, the testing was above-ground, in the Pacific and in the Nevada desert, and it was filmed and broadcast on the nightly news. Kids saw plenty of it.

At age 11, did we truly understand what an H-bomb was and what it would do to us on the Murch playground if it landed on the US Capitol or the Pentagon or the White House?

You better believe it. The kids of South Park get lots of the little details wrong, and adults think that's funny. But kids know the Big Picture roughly as well as most adults do; kids love to watch television. They know What's Out There that can kill them, or rip their arms off, or give them cancer. That's every kid's job, to have some good idea of what's out there that can kill them.

At Murch, we might not have been able to give a good scientific account of nuclear fusion, but we knew how big those mushroom clouds were, and we could see the movies of trees and ships and houses and buildings and water towers and dummies being blasted all to hell when the mushroom cloud went off.

Twice a year a special alarm bell went off in Ben Murch Elementary. It was our Civil Defense drill in case of nuclear attack.

The teacher told us to stand up and walk out of the classroom and into the big hallway. Then the teacher told us to line up and face the wall. Then we were told to get down on our elbows and knees, still facing the wall. Then we were told to put our heads down on the floor, and put our arms over our heads. We were supposed to pack ourselves tight next to the next kids, butt-to-butt. Then we just waited in that position for about five minutes. No talking.

Then the alarm stopped and we were told to get up and go back into the classroom.

I remember my teachers being very agitated, very short-tempered with any of us who dawdled or made noise, as if they were being judged on how quickly, quietly and orderly their classes could get into Apocalypse Position. We were given a very brief, curt explanation that this was what we were supposed to do in case of a nuclear attack. (A fire drill was very different, and we practiced that much more often.)

It was perfectly clear to me what the object of the drill was. It was so all our little charred corpses would be easy to recover when they came sifting through the debris of Ben Murch Elementary School a few days later.

Usually in old archival documentaries I see schoolkids being instructed to duck under their desks in their classrooms and cover their heads with their arms. Sometimes they sing the "Duck and Cover" song. In this link, you can see a short government cartoon with a catchy jingle for kids starring a turtle in a thick shell who knows just what to do in case of atomic attack.

It seems obvious that any government facing this kind of threat should spend all it can spend and do all it can do to protect all its civilian citizens, starting with the kids, from a bomb or missile attack. Britain went all-out during World War II to build public shelters and make everyone take cover in them when enemy bombers or rockets were spotted heading for the cities. Later, when the Allies started to attack German cities, the Germans did the same.

But the Cold War evolved a little differently. At the same time both superpowers were threatening one another with pushbutton thermonuclear annihilation, from launch to detonation in less than one hour, their diplomats and scientists were also desperately negotiating limits and nuances and fine print and quirks and loopholes to the nuclear standoff and the "brinksmanship."

The first negotiated agreement was for both superpower enemies to move all nuclear bomb testing underground, into caves, so the tested A-bombs and H-bombs would no longer dump tons of radioactive material into the atmosphere which everyone had to breathe. (The bomb product isotope strontium 90 -- something never in the natural environment -- was particularly feared for its cancer-causing and long-lasting effects. I think that once ingested, it accumulates in bones.)

If there was a nuclear war, how could anybody tell who won? Well, it was going to be a matter of counting survivors. Which superpower would have more citizens still left who were healthy enough to carry on the nation's industrial and agricultural activities? That would be the winner.

And one way to insure your side would have more survivors would be to start now, before the war, to build a vast nationwide network of very effective civilian bomb shelters. You could take this Victory Census, both sides could get a pretty good idea of which side would win, before the war ever began.

That scared the crap out of both sides. If Side A succeeded in building effective shelter space for 50 million more civilians than Side B, and they knew they were winning the Shelter Race, their strategy hawks would start calling for a First Strike -- they knew in advance they'd "win," so let's press the button now, and get it over with.

So in treaties the USA and the USSR negotiated and signed, both sides promised NOT to build shelters for civilians and schoolkids. The idea was that the political leaders of both sides knew their civilians would always be vulnerable, so they'd all be Crispy Critters in case of war. There was no big national shelter network, so neither superpower would think it could "win."

So back at Ben Murch, our safety was provided by our pudgy little arms wrapped over our heads while we knelt down on our knees in the school hallway. That, by international treaty, was as safe and protected as we were going to get.

By the late 1960s, parodies of Civil Defense posters began appearing that instructed you on what to do

IN CASE OF NUCLEAR ATTACK

1. DROP TO YOUR HANDS AND KNEES.
2. PLACE YOUR HEAD BETWEEN YOUR THIGHS.
3. KISS YOUR ASS GOODBYE.

During the Cold War, this was how the adults and parents of the world went about protecting the children of the world.

At higher strategic levels, both sides were evolving a strategy called MAD -- Mutually Assured Destruction. The hundreds of thermonuclear missiles could hit the enemy's cities in less than an hour, everybody was fucked, immediately or within weeks or months. So there was no strategic advantage to a sneak attack: If one side pushed its button, there'd be plenty of radar and satellite warning to give the other side time to push its button.

Variations of these strategies, some designed unilaterally, some agreed to by both enemies, went on for decades. As Nephew Kwak mentioned, a great deal of the Fanciest Strategic Thinking was computed using the rules of the newest brilliant mathematical tool, Game Theory, invented by John von Neumann, and by John Nash, whose sad story was told in the movie "A Beautiful Mind." The first public introduction to this very brilliant and powerful mathematical tool was "The Compleat Analyst," published by the RAND Corporation, the nation's most prestigious private Think Tank.

Meanwhile, around the mid-50s, private American homeowners began buying their own backyard family fallout shelters. (That wasn't forbidden by international treaty.) I knew somebody in our neighborhood who built one. It was a prefab job sort of like a gas station's underground gasoline tank, lowered into a big hole which a backhoe dug in a corner of the backyard. They stocked it with canned water and canned food (Spam undoubtedly), enough for Mom, Dad, Junior and Sis for maybe a month. Charcoal filters scrubbed the air coming in through the air intake pipe. It had a chemical toilet and lots of toilet paper, and they had an emergency battery-powered radio, and maybe a cheap Geiger counter to measure the radiation levels up above. "The Twilight Zone" had a famous episode about a family using guns to keep their neighbors from getting into their shelter.

Most people in the neighborhood thought the family was weird. But we didn't exactly think they were crazy or stupid. If we thought they were crazy or throwing their money away, we knew we'd change our minds very quickly after the mushroom clouds started popping up around the city. We knew we'd wish we had a fallout shelter in our backyard.

This was all before Prozac, all before schools had psycholgical counselors to help kids with their fears and dreads and anxieties and worries. Kid fear of being blown to radioactive smithereens was not recognized or acknowledged during the Cold War in and around Washington DC.

Your best bet, adult or child, was to ignore as much of it as you could, and just assume that somehow, the smartest men in America had bubbled up to the top defense and diplomatic and political leadership positions, and they knew how to handle this whole nuclear defense thing.

Of course it would also be nice to assume that somehow, the smartest men in Russia had bubbled up to the top defense and diplomatic and political leadership positions, and they knew how to handle their end of this whole nuclear defense thing. That was a little harder to do, because we were always hearing our national leaders accusing the Soviet leaders of being sneaky lying atheist Communist untrustworthy bestial maniacs who had promised: "We will bury you."

In 1973, after I got out of the Army, I went back to a community college in the DC suburbs to study geek stuff. I didn't like something the student government was doing, so when the next election came around, I ran for Student Senator. I invented a political party, the Atomic Mutant Party. I figured I was born just about the same time atomic weapons were invented, so I was probably an Atomic Mutant, and it was time for us Atomic Mutants to introduce our own viewpoints to the world. The voters thought that made sense in sufficient numbers, and I was elected by a hefty margin.

First day of issue: Polizeiabschnitt / Open day of Berlin Police

Clicking 2x will do very nice things.

This is the way the Artist/Kunstler from the Wedding neighborhood of Berlin DE sent these dreamy stamps to me, so this is the way Vleeptron is displaying them.

If you have a problem with this, then stand on your head.

Uwe Bressem has recently begun an art project intended to improve relations between the community and the police officers who maintain safety in the community.

I am guessing the motorcycle is a BMW (Bayerische MotorWerke?). Bob drove a Triumph himself.

Selvedge Addendum:

Polizeivignette / Police scene
Entwurf und Idee: U. Bressem 2006

A bear is the symbol of Berlin's coat of arms, and seems to be a pun/Wortspeil from the word for bear, Bär, or little bear, Bärlein.

BMW was a one-year-old manufacturer when it re-named itself Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH in 1917, building engines for military aircraft during World War One at Oberwiesenfeld airfield in München / Munich, Bayern / Bavaria. Motorcycle production began in 1923, and re-started after World War Two in 1948.

In "The Great Escape," Steve McQueen steals a BMW R71 motorcycle.

Copyright (c) 2006 by Uwe Bressem, All Rights Reserved.

"BAD TOUCH!" screamed the trapped kids on the 4 schoolbuses / the True Adventures of South Park

Frank Melton, witnesses say, ordered young followers
to demolish a house he tied to drug sales.

Faye Peterson, the Hinds County district attorney,
whose grand jury indicted Mayor Melton.
(Photos: Rogelio Solis/Associated Press)

The New York Times did its own story on the Melton Mess in Jackson, Mississippi. Got some cool details the earlier stories missed.

Mayor Frank Melton is straight out of South Park.

* Guy ordered a flashing cop car to pull over four schoolbuses so he could hug the kids.

* Guy used to carry his gun on airplanes.

* Guy used to run around town at night wearing a police badge. (Or, as they'd say in 1930s/1940s Noir: flashing a buzzer.)

He's an elected mayor and used to be a governor-appointed head of the state narcotics bureau, but he was never a sworn law enforcement officer. He was a TV station owner and news personality who was ... uhhhh ... just like pretending he was a police officer.

I'm not a real police officer,
but I play one on TV ...

========

The New York Times
Saturday 16 September 2006

Jackson Mayor Is Indicted
Over Crime-Fighting Tactics

by SHAILA DEWAN

ATLANTA, Sept. 15 -- The mayor of Jackson, Miss., was indicted on six felony charges Friday after months of criticism and warnings that his unorthodox crime-fighting tactics might put him on the wrong side of the law.

Among the counts now faced by the mayor, Frank Melton, are burglary, malicious mischief, illegally carrying a gun and causing a minor to commit a felony. The most serious of the charges against him carry sentences of up to 25 years, said the local district attorney, Faye Peterson.

The mayor’s supporters called the charges politically motivated and said he would not resign.

Some of the charges stem from a sheriff’s investigation of the night of Aug. 26, when the home of Evans Welch, a man with a history of mental illness and petty crimes, was attacked by a sledgehammer-wielding group of young men without warning or permit.

Witnesses said Mr. Melton, who often patrols the city at night with the police and a group of teenage followers, had directed the demolition of the house, which he said was known as a place to buy illegal drugs. His two police bodyguards are also charged in connection with that event.

Dale Danks, Mr. Melton’s lawyer, issued a statement acknowledging that damage had been done to "the drug house" and that "maybe better judgment could have been used."

"But," the statement said, "the charges that have been made against Mayor Melton are an extreme and excessive reaction."

Mr. Melton was also charged with carrying a gun on the campus of the Mississippi College School of Law, in a public park and in a church. The first is a felony; the two others are misdemeanors. All three of these cases had been referred to the local authorities by the state attorney general, Jim Hood, who had earlier written Mr. Melton a letter warning that he could not legally carry a gun in such places.

Mr. Melton, a former television executive, took office in July 2005, promising to lower the crime rate in Jackson, the state capital. He personally oversaw those efforts, drawing attention for going on nighttime raids, using the Police Department’s only mobile command unit and wearing a police jacket and badge.

After The Clarion-Ledger, Jackson’s daily newspaper, reported that he made a habit of traveling with guns, the federal Transportation Security Administration, the paper said, requested that he no longer carry guns aboard commercial airplanes, as he had under a waiver granted to law enforcement personnel.

In April, Mr. Melton used a police car to pull over four school buses on a highway so that, he said, he could talk to the children and hug them.

After a grand jury returned the indictments Friday, the mayor surrendered, posted a $50,000 bond and was released on condition that he refrain from using law enforcement vehicles, carrying firearms or supervising minors.

- 30 -

===========

Hope they run this. Well, what the hell -- Agence-Vleeptron Presse is running it here. A-VP loves Bob's LTEs.

But send one of your own.

submitted via webform: http://www.clarionledger.com/letters

===========

Letters to the Editor
The Clarion-Ledger

To the Editor:

Clarion-Ledger Executive Editor Ronnie Agnew is wrong. Mayor Frank Melton may be defiant, but he hasn't a clue that the end of his mayoralty is near. ("A defiant Melton must know the end is near," 17 September.)

Melton rose in state and city government on the shoulders of three generations of the populist politics of the War On Drugs. All he knows about getting appointed and elected is the bumper sticker "I'm tough on drugs!" and the sound bite "I'm tough on crime!"

All he knows is Buford Pusser cleaning up vice, sin and crime by busting heads and smashing furniture with a two-by-four -- with TV crews invited so his stunts will make the eleven o'clock news.

All he knows is that the same "Dirty Harry" myths and "Walking Tall" images have elected a quarter century of state reps and state senators, members of Congress and US senators, DAs, mayors and governors.

All he knows is that voters rejected candidates who went beyond action hero bumper stickers and spoke about real issues: poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, public health and addiction.

Asking Melton to believe there are laws against the mayor packing a pistol and smashing doors in poor neighborhoods while he sanctified his antics with the abracadabra word "drugs" is like asking him to believe there are laws against Apple Pie and Mom.

Explaining to Melton that his film-at-eleven antics may now land HIM (not The Bad Guys) in prison is like telling a five-year-old there's no Santa Claus.

It was never about drugs or crime. In Melton's Jackson and Melton's state narcotics fiefdom, those have been going up, not going down.

It was always about thrilling "Cops" raid film at eleven and more prisoners -- and neighborhoods that just had to take it because they were poor and politically powerless.

In everything I've read in the Mississippi press about Melton's career and recent troubles, I've never read a single paragraph about the public health dimension of "drugs!" and "drug crime!"

Clearly you have mayors, you have police chiefs, you have DA's and an AG, you have jails and prisons, you have television and newspapers.

But do you have doctors? Do you have rehab? Do you have a public health commissioner? Do you have doctor-supervised methadone clinics or clean needle exchanges?

While Melton was advancing his Hollywood drug-busting career, and his media buddies were providing the front-page photo ops, who was looking after the AIDS, the addiction, the jobs, the schools, and the hepatitis?

This is America's 30th year of the War On Drugs. Melton has no reason whatever to think the end is near.

Robert Merkin

Northampton Massachusetts

I'm Tough On Drugs! I'm Tough On Crime! I'm Going To Clean Up This Town! I'm Going To Prison Soon!

Click or I'll beat the crap out of
you with a 2-by-4 and
my boys will smash up your
place with sledgehammers.

Please bow your heads and repeat the Agence-Vleeptron Presse Journalist's Prayer:

Dear Lord, thank you for this
Wonderful Story. Amen.

Please take the Agence-Vleeptron Presse News Poll:

Yes No

( ) ( ) Does your Police Chief carry a gun?

( ) ( ) Does your Police Chief wear a bulletproof vest?

( ) ( ) Does your Mayor carry a gun?

( ) ( ) Does your Mayor carry a gun in church or on a college campus?

( ) ( ) Does your Mayor wear a bulletproof vest?

( ) ( ) Does your Police Chief ride around in the police department's Mobile Command Unit?

( ) ( ) Does your Mayor ride around in the police department's Mobile Command Unit?

( ) ( ) Is your Mayor a 2-fisted TV station owner who talks tough about drugs and crime in his TV editorials?

( ) ( ) Does your Mayor live with a bunch of teenage boys who aren't his sons?

( ) ( ) Is one of the boys who lives in his house charged with armed robbery?

( ) ( ) Will your Mayor be going to felony prison if he doesn't quick-like-a-bunny resign and plead guilty to reduced charges?

Up Down

( ) ( ) Which direction are drug use and crime going in your city?

~ ~ ~

[image: guy in passenger seat of parked car talking on cell phone]

Jackson Mayor Frank Melton leaves the Hinds County Courthouse on Friday after he and his two bodyguards were indicted by a grand jury on multiple counts in relation to the wrecking of a duplex in Jackson’s Virden Addition. Each of the three men was released on bond. Attorney General Jim Hood says he hopes a trial can be held by Christmas. (J.D. Schwalm/The Clarion-Ledger)

Jackson Clarion-Ledger
(Jackson, Mississippi USA / Gannett newspapers)
Saturday 16 September 2006

Mayor won't resign

Charges 'silly,' political, says attorney

by Chris Joyner
chris.joyner@jackson.gannett.com

Jackson Mayor Frank Melton's attorney said the fiery, first-term mayor would not resign and called three grand jury indictments handed down Friday "silly" and "politically motivated."

Melton, 56, turned himself in to authorities at the Hinds County Courthouse shortly past noon, after a specially convened grand jury indicted him on five felony charges related to the Aug. 26 partial destruction of a west Jackson duplex, along with three gun violations, one of which is a felony. If found guilty, Melton faces up to 50 years in prison.

Marcus Wright, 30, and Michael Recio, 37, Jackson police detectives and Melton's bodyguards, also were indicted on five felony charges related to destruction of the duplex.

Melton attorney Dale Danks said the mayor will "vigorously fight" the charges, suggesting that the speedy way the case went to the grand jury amounted to a political attack by Hinds County District Attorney Faye Peterson.

"I personally find it very curious that with the high crime rate Jackson has -- and is experiencing -- and with thousands of felony cases pending in the Hinds County criminal justice system that are unable to be processed, that, in this instance, the charges against Mayor Melton were brought in a matter of days," he said. "The mayor will not allow politically motivated indictments to prevent him from carrying out his work as mayor on behalf of the citizens of Jackson."

Convening a grand jury in such a rapid fashion is unprecedented in Hinds County. Sheriff Malcolm McMillin's investigators wrapped their case on Thursday.

When asked if she could recall the last time an indictment was handled this way, Peterson quipped, "I'm not that old." She also responded to Danks' remarks by saying she will ask a judge to impose a gag order forbidding people associated with the case from publicly discussing it to avoid tainting potential jurors.

"This office is not going in any way to try this in the media," she said. "These are very serious charges that my office has had to bring."

Danks shrugged off the idea.

"I think the DA made some pretrial comments that were improper. I also made some pretrial comments," he said. "That's customary until a judge tells the lawyers to shut up."

The city was last rocked by scandal in the late 1990s when two council members, Louis Armstrong and Robert Williams, were indicted on federal charges.

Melton was released on $50,000 bond and his bodyguards on $25,000 bond each Friday.

[A-VP: That's almost no bond at all, 10% of that is very easy to come up with.]

Under the conditions of Melton's bond, the mayor no longer can carry firearms or use police equipment such as JPD's Mobile Command Unit, which has become a symbol of his high-profile crime sweeps. In addition, Melton must remain in the country, abstain from illegal drugs or alcohol, and cannot have minor children not related to him by blood or marriage living in his home.

The mayor has had a number of minor boys living with him, but Danks said "at this time" no minors are living in Melton's northeast Jackson home. Plus, Don Taylor, executive director of the Department of Human Services, said his agency cannot intervene unless Melton, law enforcement or the judiciary ask.

"There have been no allegations that these children have been neglected or abused," Taylor said. "We're not enforcement officers, and we're not in a position to enforce the conditions of the bond."

The placement of children is a "judicial decision," Taylor said.

The most serious of the charges facing the mayor and his bodyguards involve the damage of the duplex on Ridgeway Street in Virden Addition last month. Neighbors allege Melton and unnamed minor boys in his company used sledgehammers to break open the front of the home rented by Evans Welch.

While Danks referred to the house as a crack house, Welch was arrested on several misdemeanor charges, none of which are related to cocaine trafficking. He is out of jail and has a court date next month.

Melton and Wright are charged with burglary for allegedly entering the house armed with deadly weapons with the intent to commit a crime. It is not clear whether Recio will be prosecuted for burglary. Although the charge appears on his indictment, his name is missing from the description of that charge. At a news conference Friday afternoon, Peterson was asked about the discrepancy and responded that Recio was charged with conspiracy to commit burglary.

Danks said the indictments "leave a lot to be desired from a legal standpoint."

"It looks like the whole process was rushed so much that there were mistakes," he said. "We will be attacking them, I'll tell you that."

Danks would not say what other mistakes he had found.

All three also are charged with felony malicious mischief, another count of conspiracy, and directing a minor to commit a felony.

According to the indictment, the minor is 17-year-old Michael Taylor, a Jackson youth who has been living with the mayor for several months and has been seen riding with Melton in the Mobile Command Unit. Taylor was arrested in June by the Hinds County Sheriff's Department for failure to appear in court to face armed robbery charges.

In addition, Melton is charged with unlawfully carrying a gun onto the campus of Mississippi College School of Law, a felony. He also is charged with carrying a firearm inside St. Andrew's Episcopal Church and to Jaycee city park, both misdemeanors. The gun charges are the result of an investigation conducted by [Mississippi] Attorney General Jim Hood.

Hood said Friday he would not rule out the possibility that he may personally prosecute the case. He said he hoped the trial could be held by Christmas.

While Melton did not make a public statement Friday, Danks admitted his client may have made mistakes in his aggressive pursuit of the city's criminals. But the charges being brought are not appropriate, he said.

"This man's out doing a job and may have made a mistake in doing it," he said. "But to be faced with this type of activity and these type of indictments, particularly in the speed and numbers in which it was done, is ludicrous and questionable."

Hood said he hoped Melton would accept a plea agreement and step down to save the city the turmoil of a trial. He said he spoke to the mayor on Tuesday but would not elaborate.

"It's a sad day for the city of Jackson, (and) of course, for the mayor as well," he said. "It's always unfortunate when we have to prosecute one of our elected officials. It's particularly bad in this instance for a city of this size to go through this. Hopefully, we can quickly resolve this matter."

Hood would not discuss details of what kind of deal the mayor would be offered, but he said it would include resigning from office. If Melton chooses to face the charges in court and is convicted, prison is guaranteed, he said. Burglary carries a mandatory three-year sentence with a maximum sentence of 25 years.

In May, Hood's office investigated whether Melton was breaking the law in conducting his police-style raids and crime sweeps. At that time, Hood announced he could not find evidence of Melton breaking the law, but in a detailed letter urged Melton to follow state law, particularly in regard to where he could carry his weapons.

On Friday, Hood said he was not surprised Melton did not take the advice.

"We had hoped that we could get things slowed down and cooled off a little bit, but it didn't surprise me that he was not able to (change his behavior)," he said.

Evidence of Melton allegedly carrying his gun onto the law school campus came toward the end of his initial investigation, Hood said.

Jim Rosenblatt, dean of the Mississippi College School of Law, said Melton was on campus in February to speak to a student organization. He would not identify the organization or the subject of the speech.

McMillin, who has been in office since the early 1990s, said he believes this is the first time he has arrested an elected official as sheriff.

"Mayor Melton and I have known each other for over 20 years," he said. "We have had a working relationship and friendship that goes back 20 years. The law is not a respecter of persons. The law applies to everybody and makes no exception to person."

Charles Evers, a most recent vocal supporter of the mayor, also criticized the indictment. Stopping short of calling them politically motivated, Evers echoed Danks' characterization of the charges being brought too hastily.

"If the district attorney and the sheriff would do all cases as fast as they did this one, we wouldn't have any criminals in the streets," Evers said.

He said he will continue to support the mayor and is urging Jackson residents to give the mayor a second chance.

"It was too hasty. Treat him like everybody else," he said. "What did he steal? You can get indicted for saying, 'Good morning.'"

- 30 -

Staff writers Kathleen Baydala, Joshua Cogswell, Laura Hipp, Andrew Nelson and Billy Watkins contributed to this report.

=============

Sunday 17 September 2006

A defiant Melton
must know
the end is near

by Ronnie Agnew (Executive Editor, The Clarion-Ledger)

Even the great Frank Melton can't come back from this mess.

The Jackson mayor is done. Apologies are no longer necessary. There is no more room left in the forgiveness department for the thousands of people who put their trust in him.

He has let them down. There was no great effort to oust the mayor from his yearlong stay in the mayor's seat. Melton, the orator whose quick tongue strings wonderful sentences together, did it to himself.

To find someone to blame, the only place he needs to look is squarely in the mirror.

He was able to talk his way through most situations, but Melton committed the most basic of political sins: He gave his critics a legally actionable reason to call for his head.

NO TIME FOR CELEBRATION

This is not a time for celebration. Those who choose to celebrate never wanted to see Melton succeed from the outset, placing their selfish desires to see him fail in front of a real need to make this city safer and more economically advanced.

By now, I hope Melton has come to realize that his 14 months in the mayor's office are over. Several criminal investigations are currently under way to discover whether the mayor is responsible for having a private residence unlawfully destroyed. The Hinds County district attorney's office is investigating the alleged beating of a nightclub owner, also at the hands of young men riding in the city's mobile command center.

Melton had his chance and blew it through pride and arrogance. He really believed that his in-your-face tactics would rally this city. Instead, Jackson under Melton became more racially polarized, an unintended result of ineffective crime sweeps that seemed to target only one part of town.

If he continues to fight, he will only prolong the inevitable. That is not to say Melton is guilty of any crime. It does mean that Jackson citizens have finally grown weary of lies, unfulfilled promises and lack of accountability. He's a mayor gone wild.

They've finally grown tired of a lack of a strategic plan to address problems and a mayor who prefers to drive a bulldozer to bring down one dilapidated house at a time instead of crafting a plan that will lead to the demolition of thousands.

APPROACH TO GOVERNING

It would be a selfish act if Melton tries to continue. He was honest when he said his time in office would be unconventional. Criticize him if you must, but in some strange way, there is realism and truth when Melton speaks about his love for the city.

When confronted with issues, however, there was one person Melton could not overcome: That person was Frank Melton. The indefatigable former TV station owner worked around the clock, going with police on his infamous drug interdictions. The fact that he wasn't a real cop mattered little to him.

The real downfall of Melton's short tenure was his disdain for the minutiae of government and his unwillingness to guide his troops through tough budgets and crumbling infrastructure problems, all caused by a shrinking tax base.

It was really sad to see this extremely likable man riding atop that bulldozer. It was a symbol of his simple approach to governing, his choosing to focus on easy problems when larger ones loomed.

Now, there are closed-door meetings all over town with would-be replacements hoping to get into the mayor's office. They are anticipating at any moment that even the defiant Melton will give up this fight.

Not a happy moment at all, but unfortunately one that had a predictable end.

- 30 -

Contact Executive Editor Ronnie Agnew at (601) 961-7175
or e-mail ragnew@clarionledger.com

==========

Related Items:
Real Media: Clarion-Ledger video documents Melton indictment
Forum: What's your reaction to the indictment of Mayor Melton?
PDF: Read the Melton indictment

Related Articles:
# Melton's administration: A timeline
# Can city weather the storm?
# Legal action against Jackson mayor hot topic
# Current charges may not be last of Melton's woes
# Leaders divided on indictment's impact
# Detectives reassigned

©2006 The Clarion-Ledger

===========

The Associated Press
pickup in The Sun Herald
(Mississippi Gulf Coast)
Saturday 16 September 2006

Jackson Mayor Melton indicted

AG Hood will offer plea deal

by EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

JACKSON -- Mayor Frank Melton, who has been accused of being too heavy-handed in fighting crime, was indicted Friday on charges he directed young people to use sledgehammers to smash up a home where he suspected drugs were being used.

The felony charges included malicious mischief, home burglary and carrying a gun on school property. Prosecutors said convictions on all charges would carry up to 50 years in prison, and Melton, 57, would have to resign.

Two police officers who served as Melton's bodyguards, Detectives Marcus Wright and Michael Recio, also were indicted. All three were released after posting bail.

Their surrender came a day after Hinds County prosecutors announced that a grand jury would review allegations stemming from the destruction of a duplex on Aug. 26 and a fight in a nightclub the same night. None of the indictments handed down Friday were related to the nightclub fight.

Both Wright and Recio were reassigned within the Police Department, according to a statement released late Friday on Chief Shirlene Anderson's letterhead.

Melton's attorney, former Jackson Mayor Dale Danks, said Melton was trying to rid Jackson of crime. Danks said damage was done to a "drug house."

"Maybe better judgment could've been used but the charges that have been made against Mayor Melton are an extreme and excessive reaction," Danks said.

Hinds County Sheriff Malcolm McMillin has said his department investigated allegations that Melton directed a group of young people to knock out walls of a duplex with sledgehammers, and that the mayor and his entourage then attacked a club manager.

Evans Welch, 45, who lived in the wrecked duplex, was arrested on [misdemeanor] charges of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Some City Council members said Melton should resign.

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood, who helped present evidence to the grand jury, said his office will offer Melton a plea deal. Hood wouldn't release details of the deal but told reporters, "If we're able to resolve it by resignation and a plea, that would be the best thing."

Melton is a blunt-spoken former television executive who used to post billboards with pictures of people he said were drug dealers. He served as director of the state drug enforcement agency from December 2002 to January 2005. He also has said he has mentored several young men who aren't related to him, including allowing some to live in his home in a wealthy neighborhood. His wife is a physician with a practice in Tyler, Texas.

Melton was elected Jackson mayor in July 2005 on a tough-on-crime platform. He has drawn national attention for his unconventional leadership style, including participating in police raids and roadblocks.

The American Civil Liberties Union last month accused Melton, who is black, of civil rights violations, including racial profiling. The city is nearly 71 percent black.

The past several months, Melton has cruised the streets of Jackson in a recreational vehicle that's outfitted as the Police Department's mobile command center, usually taking along an entourage that includes young men who are not law-enforcement officers.

Melton also has been seen carrying firearms in public, although he is not a sworn law officer.

As conditions of his bail, Melton is forbidden to carry weapons or to supervise minors who aren't related to him. He also is banned from using any law enforcement vehicle, including the mobile command center.

Hood said he hopes for a quick resolution to Melton's case so the city can try to resolve its crime problems.

"The good Lord makes things happen for a reason," Hood said. "Maybe this is the point where the city of Jackson has kind of hit bottom."

- 30 -

Associated Press writer Kathy Hanrahan contributed to this report.

Flying Monkeys on Shakedown Street * In Kansas, the Future Begins Last Summer

Click 2 x

Shakedown Street is a song and album by The Grateful Dead, about a big-city downtown neighborhood that's fallen into economic, social and crime decay -- but which still rocks, despite all its troubles.

Nothing's shakin on Shakedown Street
You know it used to be the heart of town

Don't tell me this town ain't got no heart
Cause I can feel it beat out loud

A tornado swept Dorothy and her dog Toto to Oz from her aunt and uncle's farm in Kansas. In Oz, Dorothy, Toto and their friends were abducted by Flying Monkeys who worked for the Wicked Witch of the West.

In a Cheech and Chong movie, the now-banned hypnotic pill Quaaludes are called "Disco Biscuits."

===================

Lawrence Journal-World (Kansas USA)
Friday 15 September 2006

Police used high-tech
surveillance at festival

Hidden cameras helped in drug busts

by Eric Weslander

Hidden, high-dollar equipment helped police crack down on drug dealing at this year’s Wakarusa Festival.

A new article in a trade journal, Government Security News, describes the roughly $250,000 worth of hidden-camera, night-vision and thermal-imaging equipment used by police throughout the festival grounds. The equipment was courtesy of a California company that agreed to give a free demonstration of its wares for marketing purposes.

The company estimated that they were able to cover 85 percent of the festival grounds with about a half dozen hidden cameras. One camera, for example, was mounted atop a light tower and used on "Shakedown Street," a bustling area viewed as a problem spot for drug dealing.

"It’s hopefully a win-win for everybody except the crooks," said Mike McRory, vice president of business development for NS Microwave Inc., of Spring Valley, Calif., which markets security and surveillance equipment and is owned by the defense contractor Allied Defense Group.

The company builds "covert" cameras disguised as everything from electrical boxes to birdhouses. They’re capable of seeing at night as long as there’s some ambient light nearby such as a lantern or fire.

‘Nobody knew’

Four of its cameras were "consistently deployed" throughout the festival, and at least two others were there to be used as needed, according to the company. The cameras were controlled by a computerized command center in a 21-foot trailer that was parked atop a hill in the middle of a Frisbee golf course inside the park.

================================
What do you think of the high-tech methods
used to keep tabs
on Wakarusa Festival lawbreakers?

* They're an invasion of privacy

* They're a good way to keep the park safe

* No opinion

See the results without voting
================================

"Nobody knew," said Kevin Danciak, the company’s Midwestern sales representative. "It just looked like parabolic dishes on top of a trailer."

The plan to use the cameras came about when Danciak ran into Clinton State Park manager Jerry Schecher at a Kansas narcotics officers’ meeting early this year or late last year. Danciak was there to promote his equipment. Schecher was looking for answers to growing concerns about drug dealing at the festival, which was heading into its third year and was growing in popularity.

Had there not been a strong move this year by law enforcement to control the situation, Schecher said, the state would not have allowed the festival to continue.

"This is a crowd that has a high expectation of privacy and freedom, and I respect that, within limits," Schecher said. "I struggled with this a little bit, but I felt like we were doing it for the right reasons. If it was meant to be Big Brother and spying on people, I wouldn’t have done it."

One festivalgoer said the hidden cameras were "a shame and kind of embarrassing.

"I feel like it was really a big mistake because people at a festival are trying to have a good time and let loose. I would be willing to bet that most people wouldn’t be OK with that had they known," Ali Mangan said.

She said law enforcement should have at leased publicized the hidden cameras. The surveillance was conducted at the expense of the privacy of people not selling drugs, Mangan said.

===========================
More about the Wakarusa Music Festival

* 6News video: Music festival security featured hidden cameras
* Plea reached in music festival drug case (09-07-06)
* Government Security News: Surveillance at concert makes drug dealers sing (09-06-06)
* Suspect drops claim from Wakarusa Fest (08-05-06)
* Counterfeit drug charge dropped for festivalgoer (07-29-06)
* Suspected dealers gave up $10,000 in drug taxes during Wakarusa festival (07-19-06)
======================================

Safer means

The main things the cameras captured, Danciak said, were hand-to-hand drug transactions and drug use. After zooming into an area where drug sales were happening, police could then send an officer in to make an undercover buy that was caught on camera.

"We could see if there was a problem and then address it rather than just having to focus all of our foot patrols or enforcement in that area all of the time," Schecher said.

Danciak said the result was a safer way of busting drug deals.

"No fighting, no running, no guns drawn, nothing," he said. "It was just, ‘You pop around the corner, you’re there, you identify yourself and you see people just deflate.’"

He declined comment on whether the cameras covered the festival stage areas or campground areas outside the festival.

At least a month before the festival began, Schecher said, promoter Brett Mosiman was notified of the plan for security cameras. Mosiman did not return phone calls Thursday seeking comment.

The cameras’ presence was not publicized in the Lawrence area before or after the festival.

The article in Government Security News said the images produced were so good that some alleged dealers entered pleas based on the strength of that evidence. But District Attorney Charles Branson, whose office is charged with prosecuting the cases, said he did not know of any cases in which that happened.

Many of those arrested at the festival were allowed to plead to lower charges in a massive docket call a few days after the hearing.

Police seized more than $11,000 in suspected drug money, but some of that came outside the festival grounds in a Kansas Highway Patrol checkpoint.

Lt. Kari Wempe, of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, the lead agency at the festival, said the camera system worked well.

"It gave a good overall aerial view of the grounds, which we would not have had otherwise," she said.

But so far, she said, the sheriff has no plans to buy any of the company’s equipment. Schecher said he would like to use a similar system at the park in the future, perhaps for catching people who try to break into pay stations, but not necessarily for next year’s festival.

"Kevin has nice toys, but they’re expensive," he said.

- 30 -

* Staff writer George Diepenbrock contributed to this story.

***************

From the GSN article:

"The equipment included hidden wireless cameras, periscope viewers, night vision image enhancers and a 21-foot command trailer housing one of the most sophisticated control platforms on the market. It provided a safe and effective way for law enforcers to oversee 85 percent of the parkland occupied by the Wakarusa Festival."

"When law enforcement officials viewed the surveillance monitors in the command trailer, they were surprised to discover that the NS Microwave system was showing details never expected. On viewing screens, the equipment displayed a dramatic array of illegal activities, including extensive drug dealing, use of vehicles to store dealers' narcotics and dealer-to-mule transactions."

"Our purpose in going to the Wakarusa Festival was to demonstrate our equipment in a natural setting," recalled Mike McRory, NS Microwave's vice-president of business development. "It helps drive our engineering better, and it yields better feedback from our customers. You get many 'Aha!' moments, when customers can actually see and feel the equipment in use."

============
Comments

Note: LJWorld.com doesn't necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full policy. For more information, see our problems comments and banned accounts page.

Posted by Marion (Marion Lynn) on September 15, 2006 at 12:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Big Brother is watching.

Can we at least set aside personal differences on this matter?

Thanks.

Marion.

Posted by lunacydetector (anonymous) on September 15, 2006 at 2:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)

perhaps the concert promoters can lease similar equipment for law enforcement to use next year.

Posted by spym00se (anonymous) on September 15, 2006 at 3:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Perhaps some people just want to go into the woods, smoke pot, and listen to music. I'm no hippy, but damn this is a bit much.

Posted by scetwe (anonymous) on September 15, 2006 at 4:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Disturbing

for an alternative solution

http://www.leap.cc/

Posted by Kuku_Kansas (anonymous) on September 15, 2006 at 5:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)

"...describes the roughly $250,000 worth of hidden-camera, night-vision and thermal-imaging equipment..."

Maybe I'm underestimating the crowd, but was there even $250,000+ in drug value there?

Posted by hilary (anonymous) on September 15, 2006 at 6:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Maybe they should put cameras up at 11th and Mass so people stop getting SHOT and BEATEN up at 2am. I guess catching drug deals at a music fest is just a little more important.

Posted by Pogo (anonymous) on September 15, 2006 at 6:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)

The larger question is:

WHERE ELSE ARE THESE CAMERAS DEPLOYED?

There is NO reason to NOT assume they're in use right now right here in Rivercity. Are they looking into your open windows?

Posted by davisnin (anonymous) on September 15, 2006 at 6:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)

*tear* poor busted druggies. all they want to do is whatever they want, whenever they want. whats wrong with that.

Posted by smitty (anonymous) on September 15, 2006 at 6:32 a.m. (Suggest removal)

** night-vision and thermal-imaging equipment..."**

Erotica vision and hot tent action-imaging equiptment.

Posted by merrill (anonymous) on September 15, 2006 at 6:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Carrying Homeland Security a bit far I would say.

Think what they could at tailgate parties as fans prep themselves. Think about the DUI's that could be gathered after setting up check points before and after football or basketball games. Sports fans smoke reefer too cuz it's fun. Ever heard of discrimination.

Is it okay to break DUI laws simply because it is a KU,Royals or a KC Chiefs function?

Posted by The_Original_Bob (anonymous) on September 15, 2006 at 6:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Sounds like more lies and damn lies from the gov.

"The article in Government Security News said the images produced were so good that some alleged dealers entered pleas based on the strength of that evidence. But Dist. Atty. Charles Branson, whose office is charged with prosecuting the cases, said he did not know of any cases in which that happened."

I'd like to thank Branson for his honesty.

6 cameras to cover 85% of the festival grounds? I may be a bit hazy on my covert espionage, but I call BS. WIth all the trees, RVs, large tents, nooks, cranies, etc... these 6 cameras would have had to been far above the tree line. The festival grounds are huge.

Posted by logrithmic (anonymous) on September 15, 2006 at 6:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Welcome to the "WAR" on drugs. Our tax dollars being used to hurt us. Most of this weaponry was used against marijuana, a non-addictive hallucinogen that is not a narcotic. The law must be changed and it is up to us to do it.

Remember folks, nicotine is an extremely addictive substance, on the level of heroin. It is legal. It has its pushers - the tobacco industry and the government. It is also a deadly habit, killing almost a half million a year.

Marijuana is not physically addictive. But it is a threat to the present establishment. I have no doubt that the Pentagon, back in the sixties, conducted tests and determined that it made men less likely to be violent, and this is why it is illegal. I have no proof of this, but this is what I believe.

You cannot overdose on marijuana. You don't feel like fighting. And you don't feel the need to indulge every minute, as smokers do. And while smokers complain if they are unable to get their fix while eating or in bars, and have sued to get their way, marijuana? You're not fee to indulge in the privacy of your own home.

This is wrong and we need to legislate against it. Break the propaganda! Change the law!

Start with decriminalization in Lawrence, then Douglas County. Also support medical marijuana initiatives as it is well documented that marijuana mitigates the pain brought on by cancer and other diseases.

Posted by merrill (anonymous) on September 15, 2006 at 6:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Here is a company that is looking to push it's way into public arenas under the guise of public safety. They are on the Bush payroll in Iraq and Afghanistan at $1000 per day. Our soldiers don't receive that kind of money. Heard about this on radio news yesterday.

In spite of their new picture and claims of peace keeping http://www.blackwaterusa.com/ are paid mercenaries who are not accountable for their actions. Allied is an influential defense contractor. Marion got it right it is definitely BIG BROTHER big time. Why? They love your bundles of government tax dollars. This
http://www.blackwaterusa.com/ picked up about $70 million while hanging around Katrina for a few short weeks.

Where did the expensive funding come from for this operation?

Posted by The_Original_Bob (anonymous) on September 15, 2006 at 6:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Here is a visual on the 6 cameras covering 85% BS:

http://www.wakarusa.com/2006/maps.asp

If you are familiar with Clinton Lake State Park... The ticket office is right near where the main vehicle entrance/check in is and all the way over to the left side of the map is the beach. Someone probably knows exactly, but I'd estimate that is a a coule miles.

Maybe if these 6 cameras were mounted to the space station but, ye gods, they just think we are dumb.

Posted by warthog (anonymous) on September 15, 2006 at 7:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)

So they set up cameras and they caught some folks breaking the law. Isn't that what they're supposed to be doing? If they don't do their job, people bitch and if they do their job, people bitch. Okay, so a drug violation isn't like finding Jimmy Hoffa or the second gunman, but it's called "law enforcement" for a reason. Get over yourselves and quit griping because people get caught doing something that they know is illegal. Anyone that would lie to you, would steal from you, etc. As for the funding, this is not "use once throw away" stuff. They've probably got it in the city parks now, so make sure you pick up your trash.

Posted by bmwjhawk (anonymous) on September 15, 2006 at 7:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I hate what this world is coming to. I'm worried about what it will be like 10, 20 years down the road. Will we even be allowed to THINK something that isn't acceptable?

At the very least, If I'm a festival-goer, I'm going to reconsider making the trip to Lawrence, Kansas next year.

Posted by paladin (anonymous) on September 15, 2006 at 7:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Is all of this secret spying legally permissible in reference to the Constitution? Or, maybe nobody cares about that. After all, this is just one manifestation of the "war" on drugs, one of our several ongoing, never-ending, fruitless, hopeless wars we are engaged in. Its all for the Public's own good and safety, after all. Democratic freedom and liberty may well be outmoded and things of the past. And, they always were fraught with many dangers. "Anyone that would lie to you, would steal from you, etc." Very true. Try to remember that the next time you go to the polls to "elect" your next "leaders.

Posted by consumer1 (anonymous) on September 15, 2006 at 7:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)

You do it on public land you pay the price. BOOM !!!

Posted by Agnostick (anonymous) on September 15, 2006 at 7:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Big Brother is watching drug dealers, just as he's watching terrorist suspects.

Thanks.

Agnostick
agnostick@excite.com

Le crime etait presque parfait / De moord was bijna vokmaakt

The Associated Press
Saturday 16 September 2006

Nurse Strangles Man
Hired to Kill Her

by ANNE M. PETERSON (Associated Press Writer)

PORTLAND, Oregon USA -- When Susan Kuhnhausen returned home from work one day earlier this month, she encountered an intruder wielding a claw hammer. After a struggle, the 51-year-old nurse fended off her attacker by strangling him with her bare hands.

Neighbors praised the woman for her bravery, and investigators said they believed the dead man -- Edward Dalton Haffey -- was burglarizing Kuhnhausen's home. But after an investigation, police now say the intruder Kuhnhausen strangled was apparently a hit man hired by her estranged husband -- Michael James Kuhnhausen Sr. -- to kill her.

The 58-year-old husband was taken into custody Thursday and charged with conspiracy to commit murder and attempted murder. He was ordered held on $500,000 bail.

Haffey had worked as a custodian under Kuhnhausen at an adult video store, according an affidavit filed by the Multnomah County District Attorney's office.

Kuhnhausen and his wife were in the process of getting a divorce, and she told officers "her husband was distraught about the divorce and wanting to reconcile but that she was insisting on the divorce," the affidavit states.

A background check showed Haffey had served lengthy prison terms for conspiracy to commit aggravated murder and convictions for robbery and burglary.

Inside a backpack Haffey left at the scene was a day planner with "Call Mike, Get letter," scribbled on the week of Sept. 4, the affidavit said. Michael Kuhnhausen's cell phone number was jotted on the inside of a folder, it said.

An emergency room nurse who lives in a southeast Portland neighborhood, Susan Kuhnhausen arrived home on the evening of Sept. 6 to find Haffey coming at her with a claw hammer.

She was struck in the head and wrested the weapon away, but the struggle continued and Haffey bit the nurse, according to police. A large woman, she was eventually able to get the slight Haffey into a chokehold and police later found him dead in a hallway. An autopsy revealed the cause of death as strangulation.

Police say she acted in self-defense.

There was no sign of forced entry into the home, but according to the affidavit, Susan Kuhnhausen offered an explanation for the lack of evidence of a break-in: Her estranged husband had the security codes for the home's alarm system, and would have been able to disarm it.

Michael Kuhnhausen denies any involvement, the affidavit states.

Susan Kuhnhausen was out of town attending a nursing conference and did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

She left this message on her voicemail: "I'm not able to answer all the calls that I've received in the past few days. I'm being comforted by your concern and your support. I want you to know that our lives are all at risk for random acts, but more likely random acts of love will come your way than random acts of violence."

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Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.