Po Po Needs Reign

The Atlantic: The Case for Policing Reform Is Much Bigger Than Michael Brown. http://google.com/newsstand/s/CBIw-bmY6x8

Looking back at Blackwater

http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/07/01/3978963/us-officials-supported-blackwater.html

Uh-hum. 

Otis...perfect

Otis Redding - Your Feeling is Mine: http://youtu.be/HvqYSWlj8ao

Feeling Otisey, as Usual

Otis Redding - You're Still My Baby: http://youtu.be/p6XS_3zWfYk

Duke Energy synopsis

Gene Addesso: Hold the praise for Duke Energy - http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/05/30/3899356/gene-addesso-hold-the-praise-for.html

In response to the May 27 letter “ Confidence in Duke Energy’s commitment” by Michael Renchek, president and CEO of Areva, Inc.: I agree that “a company should be defined by its conduct over the years, how it responds and what it continues to do going forward.” But unfortunately, Duke Energy’s conduct over the years, and its response to the coal ash spill at the Dan River plant, do not engender confidence.

Duke Energy told us that its coal ash storage in N.C. complied with all laws and regulations. That was not true. Duke Energy told us that though possibly illegal, its violations were harmless. That was not true. Duke Energy told us its coal ash storage was safe, well-maintained and reliable. That was not true. Duke told us that the pipe that broke under the Dan River lagoon was made of reinforced concrete. That was not true. Duke told us that it did not have corrugated metal pipes at other coal ash sites. That was not true. The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources found corrugated metal pipes at other sites.

Even after the Dan River spill was over, when we would expect a company to focus most strongly on prudent management of its coal ash, Duke Energy illegally pumped 61 million gallons of polluted coal ash wastewater into the Cape Fear River.

Now, on the basis of its conduct over the years, Duke is being investigated by a federal grand jury, has been cited by DENR for numerous violations of laws and regulations and is facing enforcement actions for violating state or federal clean water laws, or both, at every place where it stores coal ash in North Carolina.

We understand the need for reliable and affordable electricity; as a public utility Duke Energy is obligated to provide exactly those things. But Duke is also obligated to comply with the laws that protect our public waters, just like everyone else.

Until Duke Energy commits to cleaning up its leaking coal ash pits and stops putting our rivers and communities at risk, praise for Duke’s conduct and leadership on this issue is premature at best.

Gene Addesso

President, Roanoke River Basin Association, Danville, Va.

Great letter, pretty much sums up the latest from Duke Energy. 
Remember this one?  Classic!
http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/12/11/2539291/on-second-try-duke-energy-apologizes.html

Energy companies own the legislature here in North Carolina.

Astrophotographo

Mo' Lottery Hijinx

You can't make this stuff up.  The State of NC finally does something (excellent editorial from the Star-News) about all these "sweepstakes internet cafes", while at the same time, keeps in place the State-run lottery.  Hypocrisy and monopolized government greed incorporated.  The Lottery is a fool's errand to start with, and to have it run as a monopoly by the state is just not right.   Here's yet another story of the lottery gone bad, from the Greensboro News-Record:

GREENSBORO — Two people were arrested Monday after they allegedly stole winning tickets from detectives in a North Carolina lottery sting.

A detective presented a winning ticket on Feb. 18 at Ken’s Quickie Mart, 305 W. Main St., according to warrants.

The clerk, Yogesh Jayantibhai Patel, 47, of 2405 Vanstory St., ran the Bonus Crossword Game ticket through the computer. Although the computer made a tone, indicating the ticket was a $1,000 winner, Patel told the detective it was a loser, the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office said.

Patel and Minaben Yogesh Patel, 50, of the same address, cashed in the ticket the next day, deputies said.

Bond for each was $10,000.

The article does not say why the detectives were doing a sting.  I suppose we can presume that the crooks scammers? had successfully completed this scheme before, perhaps many times over.  Can we not also assume that other lottery vendors are doing this as well? 

I should remind you of this story from earlier:
watts4u2 post from last July

 Ah, the sweet lottery is so good to us, what could go wrong?  Looks like this Kangaroo cashier gamed the system and had his wife win a cool $1 Million Dollars!  My favorite part,

"The lottery is seeking recovery of the prize money paid to Fields."

Nice work.  The lottery pays off again! 

I've never seen a follow-up to that story, though I've looked online.....please comment if you know more!  Edit: Just found it!

By F.T. Norton

Published: Thursday, February 28, 2013 at 12:01 p.m.

A Wilmington man charged with the theft of a winning lottery ticket that his wife claimed, pleaded guilty this month to stealing the ticket from the gas station where he worked.

Sean Mewherter, 21, pleaded guilty Feb. 13 in Brunswick County Superior Court to felony larceny by an employee. In lieu of five to 15 months in jail, Mewherter received 24 months of probation and a $316 fine.In July, Mewherter's wife Mikala Fields took a $1 million winning 20X The Money ticket to lottery officials, and received a cash payout of $408,003 after taxes were withheld from the $600,000 lump sum.
Following the announcement of the award, the N.C. Education Lottery was contacted by Mewherter's employer, Kangaroo Express, and an investigation began into how Fields obtained the winning ticket. The investigation revealed that Mewherter stole the ticket while he was working at the Kangaroo Express on Yaupon Drive in Oak Island, according to the NCEL.
Fields was ordered to return the winnings. She's not been charged in the incident.

Doesn't say how much of our hard earned lottery money we got back, but there you go, justice!

Flashback: Have I been consistent on the lottery?  Click that link, to see previous lottery posts, as well as my endorsements from the election 2004.... I endorsed 4 candidates..... 2 Republicans and Erskine Bowles.  And John Kerry.  They all lost.

Republicans Ass Kiss Them

Hey, income inequality is too in part caused by the tax code, and we can make it more fair!  So says this article in Business Insider:

"It conclusively found that the wealthy benefitted from low tax rates on investment income, which in turn caused their wealth to grow faster.
Essentially, taxing capital gains as ordinary income would make the playing field more fair, and reduce over time income inequality.
Even more, such a move would serve as a deficit reduction measure..."

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/study-income-inequality-capital-gains-tax-rate-2013-2#ixzz2Lv8RG16l

 It's only money that keeps the Republicans from seeing that it is time to take on the big pockets, not ass kiss them.  

Will this gif work?

There should be motion....stirring.  Here's the test:

Might not work on tablets and phones, but works on my computer!

Not a Crime

StarNewsOnline.com

Allow your gun to go off at a gun show, injuring 3 people, is not a crime.  This man will see no punishment, though someome could have easily been killed.  Yeah, gun laws are just soooo strict.

MLK saved Star Trek

Nichelle Nichols Tells Neil deGrasse Tyson How Martin Luther King Convinced Her to Stay on Star Trek | Open Culture

I didn't think I could have a higher opinion of Martin Luther King, but this story just raised the bar. 

Joe and Poopy Hands

msnbc.com: NBC's Al Roker snags Biden handshake

I caught this live and almost fell out.  I also think Biden may be on ecstacy. 

No, they haven't learned anything

Virginia's Gov. McDonnell proposes elimination of gasoline tax

Perhaps he should add a rape assist kit requirement to each car and a $500 tax deduction if you carry an assault rifle in the rear window of your truck. 
This is another one if them moderate Republicans.

Duke Didn't Want to Apologize

And clearly, they didn't mean it when they did:

 "Duke had agreed to submit a public statement of penance for the way it mishandled its merger with Progress and fired CEO-to-be Bill Johnson on the day the merger was completed. Lawyers at Duke and at the Utilities Commission had agreed on a draft of the letter....

Rogers submitted his letter Tuesday. Several hours later, however, the company was forced to submit a corrected version, this time adding two key words: “we apologize.”

“This was a draft mix-up at our end – we basically submitted the wrong draft,”"

You just can't make this stuff up folks.  The North Carolina Utility Commission has  officially been walked all over, again.  And they know, and don't seem to care much:

"Public Staff Director Robert Gruber had been publicly demanding Rogers’ ouster as a moral equalizer.
Gruber said Tuesday that Rogers’ letter signals that Duke and the commission have reconciled.
“They owed the commission an apology in plain English,” said Gruber, whose agency represents the public in utility rate cases. “I’m satisfied it brings closure to the matter.”"

I'm sure the Duke authorities have learned their lesson and will never try to fool the commission, their shareholders, the legislature, and the general public again after such harsh treatment:

"As part of the settlement finalized this month, Duke will pay $30 million to benefit North Carolina customers and Rogers will retire by the end of next year. The settlement also reassigns two top Duke executives to other roles."

 Oooooooooh, $30 Million for all of us?  That's like being Duke CEO for like, 3/4 of a day or something, and we all get to share it.  Mmmmmm hmmmm, feelin' that satisfaction!