Derogatory remarks toward President-elect Barack Obama made on a social networking Web site are now the subject of an internal police investigation. A police department employee claims the statements were made on the MySpace pages of two Durham officers. "There's no exact words that were said," said Police Chief Jose L. Lopez Sr. in a telephone interview Wednesday from San Diego, where he is attending the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference. "It wasn't a racial slur, but we're still investigating it."
Investigators, who are focusing on the context of what was written, have been looking into the allegations since Thursday. Lopez wouldn't disclose what was said or identify the officers involved.
City Manager Tom Bonfield, who was notified of the investigation late Tuesday afternoon, said he advised Lopez to complete it as quickly as possible. Bonfield, whom Lopez reports to, said the department has the discretion to notify him of such inquiries.
The police, as well as other city agencies, have a good sense of when an issue is big enough to notify him, said Bonfield, who added that he notified city council members within an hour of talking with Lopez. "It's important that the investigators have a chance to do their jobs and make sure they get all of the information," he said. "I think it's important that the police are given the opportunity to respond against any allegations against them."
Bonfield added that if the allegations are found to be true and officers posted racially charged statements, then an appropriate response by the department would be warranted.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/15/2008 00:00 ||
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WASHINGTON -- Federal auditors have concluded the Rev. Al Sharpton's 2004 campaign owes the government nearly $500,000 for illegal donations and other financial improprieties. Sharpton has been feuding with the Federal Election Commission for years over his accounting in his failed run for president, for which he received $100,000 in so-called government matching funds that authorities later concluded he did not deserve because he hadn't followed campaign laws. As the article will demonstrate, that's putting things mildly...
The auditors have now determined that Sharpton owes $486,803 to the U.S. Treasury because of his campaign's taking improper donations, largely from the National Action Network, a not-for-profit corporation that Sharpton leads but is separate from his campaign committee. Separate checking accounts, and that's about it.
Sharpton will appeal the finding, aides said Friday, which would extend an already years-long fight with the government over how he raised and spent money to run for president.
The audit report is "a gross violation of Reverend Al Sharpton's right to perform his paid duties as president of the National Action Network, a traveling minister, lecturer, and an author who was promoting a book during the time period being audited," said his spokeswoman, Rachel Noerdlinger. Did you lose the race card or something?
Sharpton's campaign finances came under scrutiny as he campaigned, speaking at churches where he collected "love offerings" that are common to traveling preachers. Kinda like the wedding scene in Goodfellas with the big, puffy envelopes!
At the same time, he was campaigning for president, and paying for much of it with his personal American Express card. Don't leave home without it!
Some of the costs were paid by the National Action Network, some by a different company called Rev-Als Production Inc. Classic shell game.
"Virtually no effort appears to have been made by Sharpton 2004, the candidate, NAN, or Rev-Als. Production Inc. to keep any sort of detailed records demonstrating what payments paid for which travel," the report found, noting what it called the campaign's "nearly complete failure to produce any information on this subject in the course of the audit." "We don't need no steenkin' records!"
The FEC audit is just the latest in a long list of money problems for Sharpton. But wait, there's more!
Last summer, federal prosecutors decided not to seek criminal charges against him over unpaid taxes after a lengthy grand jury investigation.
The IRS obtained a $931,397 lien against Sharpton. City and state officials said he owned them another $933,577. Separately, the National Action Network said in its most recent tax filing that it owed at least $1.9 million in payroll taxes and related interest. If my math's right, Sharpton and entities under his control owe a combined total of $4,252,317 in unpaid taxes, interest and penalties. One question - why isn't this guy sharing a cell with Wesley Snipes?
The election is over, but the Joe the Plumber case is not. Ohio Inspector General Tom Charles said his office is now looking at a half-dozen agencies that accessed state records on Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher.
The Beacon Journal has learned that, in addition to the Department of Job and Family Services, two other state offices -- the Ohio Department of Taxation and Ohio Attorney General Nancy Rogers -- conducted database searches of Joe the Plumber.
Wurzelbacher became an instant celebrity after he asked Barack Obama a series of questions in his Toledo driveway about the Democrat's tax policies. In the third debate between Obama and Republican John McCain on Oct. 15, the candidates referred to Joe the Plumber more than 20 times.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/15/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Which basically says we have valid reason to distrust our "public servants". This is not only an abuse of power but a fundamental abuse of trust and exactly why so many average people do not trust the individuals in government positions not to abuse that trust to retaliate against citizens whose opinions differ from theirs.
This is a perfect example of the public's cynicism being validated by the actions of government employees. This can't be swept under the carpet. These people need to be fired and it needs to be very public.
#2
Wurzelbacher became an instant celebrity after he asked Barack Obama a series of questions in his Toledo driveway about the Democrat's tax policies.
I suppose it's too much to expect journalists to get their facts straight; Joe asked Obambi one fucking question. The reporter deserves to be cockpunched. Twice.
#6
I saw a post somewhere which claimed that Joe's tax return showed income of only $40,000. Apparently they accessed that also?
My daughter in Berkeley (who says she's a libertarian but appears to be caught in the force field) claims that Joe "chased Obama down" to ask his questions, oops, question. "He saw Obama and had to go over and butt in."
#7
Clean out their pipes, Joe! Sue 'em all! Sue em' good.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
11/15/2008 11:34 Comments ||
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#8
Hey, who's that over there, trying to hide in the bushes? Why, it's...I do believe...yes! It's the ACLU! Oh,wait. I forgot. Joe's not a commie, nazi, terrorist, guest at Gitmo, illegal alien, pedophile, or any other kind of America-hating scum. Thus, he's fair game. My bad. Never mind...
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Derogatory remarks toward President-elect Barack Obama made on a social networking Web site are now the subject of an internal police investigation. A police department employee claims the statements were made on the MySpace pages of two Durham officers. "There's no exact words that were said," said Police Chief Jose L. Lopez Sr. in a telephone interview Wednesday from San Diego, where he is attending the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference. "It wasn't a racial slur, but we're still investigating it."
