Dozens of burly, tattoo-covered members of the Mongol motorcycle gang were arrested Tuesday by federal agents in six states following a three-year investigation in which undercover agents infiltrated the group.
More than 60 members of the Southern California-based Mongol Motorcycle Club were arrested under a federal racketeering indictment that included charges of murder, attempted murder, assault, as well as gun and drug violations, said Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives spokesman Mike Hoffman.
During some arrests, sharpshooters stood guard on surrounding rooftops as motorcycles were lined up and confiscated.
"It's going to be a large hit to their organization. We are arresting many of their top members," Hoffman said.
U.S. Attorney Thomas O'Brien said he believed it to be the highest number of arrests of a motorcycle gang in the nation's history.
His staff planned to ask a judge for an injunction to seize the Mongols' trademarked name, a first for federal authorities. If the order is approved, no member would be able to wear a jacket or ride a bike bearing the gang's name.
"It would allow law enforcement to seize the leather jackets right off their back," O'Brien said.
Federal and local agents had 110 federal arrest warrants and 160 search warrants that were being served across Southern California and in Nevada, Oregon, Colorado, Washington and Ohio. The sweep, dubbed Operation Black Rain, was to continue throughout the day Tuesday, agents said.
Among those arrested were the gang's former national president, Ruben Cavazos.
Hoffman said the Mongols had been recruiting members of Los Angeles street gangs to assist in their operations.
The Mongols are primarily Latino and formed because the Hells Angels refused to allow Hispanic members.
Four ATF agents infiltrated the gang and were accepted as full members, a difficult process that requires winning the trust of the gang's top leaders over a period of months, Hoffman said.
The agents were required to live away from their families in homes set up to make it look like they lived a Mongols lifestyle, Hoffman said. Four undercover women ATF agents also were involved in the operation, pretending to be biker girlfriends and attending parties with the agents; women are not allowed to become full members of the gang.
"If you go to a party all the time and you don't ever bring a girl around, it's kind of weird," Hoffman said. "Someone might get suspicious."
To be accepted in the gang, the ATF agents had to run errands and were subject to a background check by private detectives.
Outside Cavazos' home in West Covina, about 18 miles east of Los Angeles, a red, custom-modified Harley-Davidson motorbike sat outside. No occupants were home but several police and ATF agents were seen going through items in the house.
Cavazos wrote a memoir titled "Honor Few, Fear None: The Life and Times of a Mongol," published by HarperCollins in June. HarperCollins publicist Sarah Burningham in New York City said she only handles book-related issues for Cavazos, but would forward an e-mail from The Associated Press requesting comment.
Another former Mongols national president, Roger Pinney, alleged in an interview with The Associated Press that Cavazos was the problem, not the club in general.
"They were just on the verge of cleaning up their act," said Pinney, who is no longer a member and is serving probation from his role in an infamous brawl at Laughlin, Nev., in 2002 in which three people died. "It's not a club-run deal. It's individuals who are the ones who decide to commit crimes."
Pinney said he warned other club members that Cavazos was trouble.
"He was throwing all the good members out and bringing gang members in," Pinney said. "He was trying to be a drug lord or something."
Pinney doesn't believe the raid will force the Mongols off the road. "The Mongols aren't going away, and neither are the Hells Angels," he said. The Mongols and the HA were involved in that casino shooting in Laughlin, NV a few years back.
Age Limit of 3 Days Imposed After Parents Abandon Older Kids, Teens Under Safe-Haven Statute
Being of a subtil turn of mind as I am, I can see that the problem with Nebraska's drop-off law isn't the occasional 22-month-old, but rather the teenagers who're starting to clutter the state's emergency rooms. The smaller children stand a good chance of adoption, despite the obstacles placed in the path of potential parents, so long as it's clearly understood that the blood parents give up all rights to the child, to include the "right" to hound him/her/it in later years in search of reconciliation on Doctor Phil or Jerry Springer.
The sullen pimpleface, with his headphones, his 12-pound sneakers, his pants hanging around mid-thigh, his tee-shirt with its "Fcuk Everyone!" legend, and his solemn conviction that his half-formed mind not only has all the answers but has found them boring, just isn't going to be easy to place. He's going to be even harder to place if he's manged to get his neck tatooed. His female counterpart, over-made up, with her jail bait costume emphasizing the fat roll around her waist, the look in her eyes suggesting all the mental hyperactivity of a cord of hardwood, will witness a similar lack of demand, and will probably actually be harder to find a home for if she deigns to open her mouth.
The plight of the domestic mall maiden and her skate-boarding male counterpart do point up a serious problem with our society. Because teenagers are herd creatures, we see again and again the phenomenon of the offspring of perfectly good parents turning into monsters as the combination of their hormones and their socialization at school combine in much the same manner a lit match combines with a five-gallon can of hi-test. The child's years from about 12 and a half through 18 and a half become something like a domestic Gettysburg, with the parents burning through large quantities of money to amuse their brats, to clean up their juvenile court messes, and to deal with their own emotional and social stresses, usually to end up divorced and penniless.
The solution is simple and I may have mentioned it here before: post-natal abortion up until the age of 23. Rather than dealing with the nasty little beasts, merely take a coat hanger to them at any point prior to full-fledged adultery and start over again. You've got to admit, it's more fair than aborting innocents, before they've had the chance to actually buy a skateboard, get a tatoo, or slap grandmaw around. And the very sight of that coat hanger hanging over the fireplace will do more to modify the little darlings' behavior than the threat of military school ever will.
(AP) Nebraska state senators and Gov. Dave Heineman have agreed to put a strict age limit in the controversial safe-haven law to prevent more drop-offs of older children at hospitals. Forty of the state Legislature's 49 senators have agreed to amend the law so it only applies to infants up to 3 days old, Speaker of the Legislature Mike Flood said during a news conference on Monday. The age cap would change Nebraska's safe-haven law from the most lenient in the country to one of the most restrictive.
At least 18 children, the youngest 22 months and many of them teens, have been abandoned since the law took effect in July. Nebraska's law is the only one in the country that lets anyone leave a child as old as 18 at a state-licensed hospital without fear of prosecution for the abandonment. Most states let parents and guardians drop off children who are up to a month old at hospitals or other safe institutions. Sixteen states have a 3-day-old age cap such as the one agreed to in Nebraska.
Every state has a safe-haven law, which is meant to prevent infants from being dumped or abandoned in dangerous places by mothers who don't want them.
The Nebraska law has had "serious, unintended consequences," Heineman said. "This law needs to be changed to focus on infants."
The rash of drop-offs included a child from Iowa and a Michigan child who was driven from there by his mother. The events put Nebraska in the type of national spotlight that makes politicians wince. "Saturday Night Live" poked fun at the state this past weekend.
Asked about the attention, Todd Landry, an official with the state's Department of Health and Human Services, replied: "Decisions we make are based on good public policy, not a 'Saturday Night Live' skit."
Heineman stuck by previous comments that he would prefer not to call a special session to immediately change the law before the regular session starts in January. But he provided a clue about what it would take for him to change his mind.
"If circumstances dictate, particularly if we have several more from out of state, I won't hesitate to make that call" for a special session, Heineman said.
Should Heineman not call a special session, Flood said, lawmakers would quickly change the law, probably within the first couple weeks of the session.
In the meantime, Nebraska officials are trying to prevent more drop-offs.
Heineman has authorized Health and Human Services to spend up to $100,000 promoting a help line for parents and guardians.
The United Way operates the help line, which can be reached by calling 211. If there is a flood of calls, up to $200,000 in state money could be used to provide more phone lines.
The state is also sending letters to all adoptive parents and guardians of children who are former state wards. The letter provides phone numbers, including 211, and Web sites of agencies that can help them if they are having problems with their children.
The letter does not mention that Nebraska has a safe-haven law.
#1
Oh, Fred. I agree, but only if there is a matching parental ... what would the adult version of abortion be? ... whatchamacallum, for those adults who turn out to be entirely unsuited to having small people in their power. I had a temporary daughter for that reason, and while by dint of a great deal of coaching the mother appears be salvageable, I fear the father is not amenable to attitude or behaviour modification by anything less than a flame thrower.
#2
I'm glad they are getting this straightened out because every time I talk to my Mom lately she is going on and on about how lovely Nebraska is this time of year and wouldn't it be nice to visit Omaha, it's only 16 hours by car, yadda yadda yadda.
(AKI/Jakarta Post) - A strong earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale jolted the Indonesian island of Sulawesi on Monday. But there were no immediate reports of any deaths or damage. According to the Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysics Agency, the earthquake's epicentre was located 350 kms northwest of the provincial capital of Palu, at a depth of 33 kms below sea level. The quake struck the province at 1 p.m. local time and was felt strongly in the capital.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/21/2008 00:00 ||
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Still seeing EM Skybursts/Flashes oer GUAM-WESTPAC.
ION RENSE/REDDIT > THE SUN'S PROTECTIVE BUBBLE IS SHRINKING [down 25% in last 10 years]. More Cosmic-Slar radiation means more electrical equipment glithes = static, Satellite damage, + in long-run possib damage/harm to all life on earth.
As said or inferred before, 9-11/WOT > SIRIUS EFECT + SUNSPOTS/FLARES + "GLOBAL WARMING = VALIDATION/JUSTIFICATION OF SOLAR MODELS-THEORIES. Iff the Perts' Solar Models, etc. are WRONG - AGAIN - so-called "GLOBAL COOLING" = "NEW ICE AGES" may devol into per se GLOBAL SLUSHING/SLEETING/DAMPNESS, AND NOT MORE THAN SAME - May NOT even classify as a MINI-"ICE AGE"???
D *** NG IT, MORIARITY, WE CAN'T HAVE BUG-ZILLAS, BIRD-ZILLAS, PLANT-ZILLAS and SEA-ZILLAS, ETC. WITHOUT GOD-ZILLA, NOW CAN WE!?
[Darth Vader breathing here].
* VARIOUS NET POSTERS > HOPE/PRINE FOR PAN-DIMENSIONAL BLACK HOLES TO ESCAPE WARMING. ALso tend to suppor dev of SPACE PROPULSION SUPER-TECHS/SYS as the closest star system is aproxi 1000 light years away and no way will anything from Earth survive or travel that far vee PRESENT OR NEAR-TERM SPACE TECHNOLOGIES.
IOW, AT CURRENT TECH LEVELS, IFF THE SUN ASTEROID ANDOR GAMMA RAY BURST, ...........@ETC AND MONSTER X/KING GHIDERA DOESN'T DESTROY THE EARTH, LACK OF WARP SPEED ENGINES FOR HUMAN-SAVING SPACE ARKS WILL! The GREEN ORION BABES will find nuthin' but Milyuhns and Zilyuhns of ancient dry skeletons = skeletal dust on dem Orion-arriving Space Arks from Earth, and what fun would that be!?
I know where you are coming from. All sorts of grim shit might go down, and who knows if the human race will make it. Cosmic rays, global dampness, no propulsion engine (yet) that will allow spaceward expansion, and the ongoing risk of some asteroid changing our shape and colour. As Heinlein said "no-one wants to be bedmates with a cosmic catastrophe".
But, you gotta keep a positive outlook. Humans adapt and improvise. Genius arises, unpredictably, but it arises. In the meantime, enjoy the ride.
Ayounb and Cantu didn't know immediately recognize him until he told them he had once been in Congress. The jist of the conversation then went like this, according to both:
Cantu: "You didn't have an affair, did you?"
Foley: "Well, I was..."
Realizing who was in their midst, Ayoub, who has a penchant for devilish humor, offered a deadpanned admonishment, "You should not flirt with congressional pages." Foley went on to say that nothing happened, he didn't realize that the page was only 18, and that he perhaps was a bit tipsy when he sent the e-mails.
What they both said was how fabulous great Foley looked, and he was particularly excited about Colin Powell's endorsement that morning of Obama. Foley said he also favors Obama.
Posted by: Mike ||
10/21/2008 11:50 ||
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Rarely do political shenanigans leave me speechless. This, however...
the peace-activist-mom who lost a son in Iraq and who gained national prominence by protesting outside of President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas,
Oh, yeah. Her. Now I remember. After seeing the picture of her with her shirt off I've been trying to forget...
says she has been the victim of "dirty tricks" in her campaign to dislodge House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in CA-08.
Oh, no! The San Fran Plumbers, and none of them named Joe! Cue G. Gordon Liddy...
In her campaign blog earlier this week, Sheehan says that:
--Her hotel phone in Denver during the Democratic National Convention was "bugged." Yeah, they put mealy bugs in the earpiece!
--Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa personally intervened to stop her from speaking at a music festival. He dissed me. Said I couldn't carry a tune in a bucket and that I should sing "Tennor" -- Ten er 12 miles down the road.
--She was forced to file for a restraining order against a former volunteer who she says was sending threatening e-mails and who she now thinks was a "spy" for Nancy Pelosi. And she sends black hellicopters over my house at night. The garbage man has binnoculars. I seen em!
--She was the victim of intentional vandalism when the tail lights of her RV were busted out.
--That one of her campaign interns was assaulted when she struggled against four men who walked into her office feigning that they wanted to register to vote but apparently intended to steal computer equipment instead.
--That she has been summoned to begin jury duty in San Francisco on the week of the Nov. 4 elections.
--That a recent round "robo calls" that she paid for began contacting voters at 10:30 p.m. on a recent weekend night instead of the early week night time slot she had scheduled.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
10/21/2008 07:31 ||
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You just cannot feel sorry for her any more despite the fact that she is nuttier than a fruitcake.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
10/21/2008 8:51 Comments ||
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#2
Pretty simple there Cindy, Pelosi is learning Chicago style dirty politics from Obama - don;t beat the opponent fair and square, but hustle them out of the way using "Chicago style intimidation and lie-filled campaign tactics, and then cheat on the vote to be sure about it.
Welcome to the real world "Mother Sheehan" - you're just another discarded dupe the left no longer needs.
#3
I thought that her picture [shudder] was all about her stretch marks [shudder] but then I noticed it was writing with a Marksalot. I'm glad to see they kept it within the lines![shudder] [gag]
#6
Poor Cindy, Was used by the left and then dropped like an old {t|f}ool after she had drawn every last drop of publicity out of her son's noble sacrifice and she was no longer useful.
Now she feels unloved and ignored. The best thing she can do is go home and try to live a normal life. Oh - right - she burned that bridge too.
If Sheehan somehow got elected to Congress, she would be just one of 435 voices--no more significant than Dennis Kucinich or Ron Paul. On a jury, though, she could do real damage.
Posted by: Mike ||
10/21/2008 17:21 Comments ||
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#9
Should go green and run with Cynthia McKinney. What a ticket that would make.
#1
Welcome to my world, mine doesn't get that hot, parts only glow cherry red. still you don't want it to come in contact with you see: http://www.dramm.com/html/main.isx?sub=106
Being in a greenhouse filled with insecticide fog makes it a lot more interesting.
Posted by: bruce ||
10/21/2008 21:33 Comments ||
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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.
(AKI/Jakarta Post) - A strong earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale jolted the Indonesian island of Sulawesi on Monday. But there were no immediate reports of any deaths or damage. According to the Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysics Agency, the earthquake's epicentre was located 350 kms northwest of the provincial capital of Palu, at a depth of 33 kms below sea level. The quake struck the province at 1 p.m. local time and was felt strongly in the capital.
Cindy Sheehan, 
In her campaign blog earlier this week, Sheehan says that:
