America’s Troubled House

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  • Posted By: DianeGalley @ 08/19/2008 4:42:28 PM

    My heart goes out to the Calvo family, shame on those officers treating them like that, and then shooting the family pets too....good grief....didn't ANYONE check to see whose home this was before going there?
    And the Chief would not even offer an apology....I'm so glad I live in Canada where this type of raid is not allowed....as an animal lover I am sickened at what they did to these lovely dogs....I hope one day God can forgive Chief High, as I never will. Peace & Love.... Di Galley, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

  • Posted By: dano4163 @ 08/19/2008 8:12:43 AM

    Its no wonder that nobody trusts the cops anymore. When they run around like jack booted nazi thugs terrorizing innocent people, shooting family pets, a black lab is about as vicious as a hampster. When it come to talking to the cops always remember the 5 magic words to say to them " I HAVE NOTHING TO SAY"

  • Posted By: PREDICTIONET @ 08/18/2008 10:15:03 PM


    TRY WWW.PREDICTIONET.COM

  • Posted By: summer1216 @ 08/14/2008 2:14:01 PM

    Why are the police EVER allowed to shoot dogs routinely, even if the dogs belonged to actual criminals?? The dogs aren`t committing any crimes. Why is this tolerated? What have we turned into?

    • Posted By: PresidentSupporter @ 08/14/2008 7:21:26 PM

      Dogs bite and can hurt people. Ever had the pleasure of walking into a house full of pit bulls? Yeah, poor little innocent creatures they are.

      • Posted By: thrasher32 @ 08/14/2008 7:23:22 PM

        So you wouldn't mind if this happened to you huh? Turn off Limbaugh and O'Reilly, lose the lies, get with reality, and join the human race.

        • Posted By: PresidentSupporter @ 08/15/2008 5:00:51 PM

          Try breaking down the door to a house and slowly determine what's hostile and what's not. Take your time, I'm sure the criminal will wait until you decide his dog is nice before shooting at you. Brilliant strategy. You wouldn't last through one raid. I can only imagine you trying to do your job with a large dog clinging to your neck.

          • Posted By: thrasher32 @ 08/18/2008 6:33:34 PM

            Shouldn't you and HolyRoller be in the rec room, it's almost meds time.

          • Posted By: ghostmasseur @ 08/15/2008 6:11:29 PM

            If they had bothered to do their jobs and get proper intelligence (which was readily available to them) they would have known that the dogs were non-agressive. Sorry but your idea does not wash.

  • Posted By: map529 @ 08/15/2008 7:16:25 PM

    Welcome to George Bush's and the "Christian Conservative's"
    Family Values America. When those of us who cared about justice and civil liberties were (and still are) raising the alarm, those on the Right (including Reagan) shot back that it was either that or be murdered in your bed by thugs. So, now what's the difference? Oh yeah, the thugs have badges and are immune from the law--they are above the law. Yeah, America. Thanks Ronnie, George, George, and the rest of you. As for the average citizen, all of you beer-swilling, NASCAR-watching, high school dropouts--you voted for them, and called anyone with a brain a geek and a nerd, and gave them "swirlies", or "swift-boated" them. A nation of adolescent males--we are so proud.

    • Posted By: thrasher32 @ 08/18/2008 6:30:43 PM

      You forgot Nixon, but I agree with you 1000%

  • Posted By: Now I've Seen It All @ 08/15/2008 9:39:06 PM

    Oh pleeeze! As far as the cops knew these were drug dealers. They even had drugs delivered that the husband BROUGHT INTO THE HOUSE. So technically, THEY ARE GUILTY OF POSSESSION! The dogs were shot for good reason; they could have been used to attack officres. Stop the crying and drama already. The guy, his wife and mother-in-law are just building a case for some liberal jury to award them millions. As was recently noted: We are a nation of WHINERS!

    • Posted By: thrasher32 @ 08/18/2008 6:29:47 PM

      That's conservative thiking for you. But if it was YOUR dogs getting shot you'd be crying like a little girl. Do us all a favor and stop voting.

    • Posted By: ghostmasseur @ 08/16/2008 11:22:59 AM

      "As far as the cops knew these were drug dealers."

      Had they done even a littel bit of background intel they would have known differently.

      "They even had drugs delivered that the husband BROUGHT INTO THE HOUSE."
      The husband brought an unkown content package into the house. No intent.

      "So technically, THEY ARE GUILTY OF POSSESSION!"
      Actually they are not guilty IF they were unaware of the contents of the package and had no reason to believe that it contained drugs. Learn the law.

      " The dogs were shot for good reason; they could have been used to attack officres."
      Not at all. Labs tend not to be aggressive. And again had the police done what they were supposed to do and check with the local [police they would have known the fact that those particular dogs were very freindly. Once again you are wrong in your assertion.

      " Stop the crying and drama already."
      You are a fool.

      " The guy, his wife and mother-in-law are just building a case for some liberal jury to award them millions. "
      Not at all. would you say the same thing if the police had shot two children. Well the dogs were their children. No different.

      "As was recently noted: We are a nation of WHINERS!"
      And most of them are people like you.

    • Posted By: caroline @ 08/16/2008 8:28:04 AM

      You've got it wrong. The cops (including the Sheriffs dept) knew packages were being sent by drug dealers to innocent persons. The cops had time (they were tracking the package from Arizona) to do a background check on the homeowners. The cops didn't have a "no knock warrant"". The cops lied and said they did. The cxops shot two labs....one running away. The cops (Prince George's County police and Sheriffs Dept) never informed the Berwyn Heights police of the raid. The cops still aren't apologizing. This has happened before. Prince Georges County paid out 2 million dollars last year in lawsuits lost due to "activities" such as this. Prince George's county police are understaffed by at least 200 officers. They pay less and can't attract the best.

      Prince George's county has a drug problem, true. I used to live there. But if the cops are having problems locating the real dealers (duh!!), any ordinary citizen call tell them where they live in the county..

    • Posted By: getzel @ 08/15/2008 11:38:06 PM

      Or in your case a nation of DUMMIES

  • Posted By: jeanvaljean @ 08/16/2008 2:29:38 PM

    I daresay Chief High and Sheriff Jackson have not had the benefit of any formal training in the law let alone having an education beyond High School. Don't they possess the common decency to resign on the spot?

    • Posted By: caroline @ 08/17/2008 8:01:02 AM

      Go to Sheriff Michael A. Jackson's web page and you'll find he served in the Marine reserves for several years and has a degree in electrical engineering from some university I've never heard of. The Sheriff's position in PG County is elected. Michael A. Jackson is also the President of the Maryland Sheriff's Association. He was a politically ambitious man.. Maybe that degree in electrical engineering will come in handy in his future

      • Posted By: thrasher32 @ 08/18/2008 6:27:24 PM

        Wow, the Marine RESERVES, and an electrical engineering degree. Is that all it takes to become Sherriff?I would think a degree in criminal justice might come in handy.

  • Posted By: LucyLu @ 08/17/2008 3:10:18 PM

    You can tell the author has never worked, lived, or BEEN in Prince George's county. There is a valid reason the police act as they do. I can find no fault with the police, just feel sorry for the unfortunates that were drawn into the illegal activity of drug creeps.

    • Posted By: ghostmasseur @ 08/18/2008 9:21:12 AM

      LucyLu,

      I live in Montgomery County (right next door), and am in PG County quite a bit.

      There is no way that any intelligent person could say that there is a valid reason the police acted the way they did.

      Nothing, repeat, NOTHING excuses their criminal and incompetent actions. They have a history of this type of thuggish behavior and should be held criminally and civilly accountable.

    • Posted By: utchat @ 08/17/2008 6:20:37 PM

      How can you find "no fault" with police shooting a dog that's running away? Or handcuffing their mother-in-law on the floor next to the bleeding body of a dog?

  • Posted By: sampeters @ 08/18/2008 3:23:15 AM

    This is not tragic it is frightening. This is very near;y what has just happened in Georgia. People being brutalized by uncontrolled authority with no regard for civil law. Yes I am all for homeland security but there has to be some justification for total disregard for rights. These authorities need to be help responsible and prosecuted for what they did. Office does not mean unlimited authority.

  • Posted By: griffinmichael @ 08/17/2008 9:38:51 PM

    Nice thing about being Mayor--he's in better position than most to seek the heads of the persons responsible.

  • Posted By: reader666 @ 08/17/2008 5:48:37 PM

    Who Knew, Michael Jackson is a Sheriff? I thought he was a wealthy Hollywood Pedophile.

  • Posted By: deMuse @ 08/17/2008 12:24:22 PM

    This is more or less how it started in in Germany in 1930 or so. A righteous government with too much power, a hushed public, hushed press, thugs in uniform. It is a shame and grave danger to all of us, Sheriff Michael A. Jackson cannot find it in himself to say sorry, we made a mistake. Instead we are sorry he ever got where he is, in public trust. Some one please take that uniform off his back.

  • Posted By: deMuse @ 08/17/2008 12:23:21 PM

    This is more or less how it started in in Germany in 1930 or so. A righteous government with too much power, a hushed public, hushed press, thugs in uniform. It is a shame and grave danger to all of us, Sheriff Michael A. Jackson cannot find it in himself to say sorry, we made a mistake. Instead we are sorry he ever got where he is, in public trust. Some one please take that uniform off his back.

  • Posted By: getzel @ 08/16/2008 11:47:29 PM

    Plain clothed police creating mayhem and arresting those in their way has been going on for thirty years in the USA. The police are not even embarrassed or concerned; as is plain from this rare high profile run over: the America you delude yourself exists has long been gone. The draft is scheduled to return in 2009, protests have been outlawed, peaceful assembly a felony. In a few days: the Domoquack convention will see peaceful protestors herded to jail to the applause of the American people and press. The CHANGE from plain clothes to army uniforms is just around the corner. Lets have a nice long lasting war and sell lottttssss of weapons! I would rather see Paris Hilton president than either of these two non representatives of the American people: Obumer!

  • Posted By: utchat @ 08/16/2008 7:56:20 PM

    "Prince George's official county Web site defines itself as 'a county of livable communities.'"

    As a former resident of Berwyn Heights, Md., there's a reason my girlfriend and I always crack up over the whole "livable communities" PR drivel. PG County is considered one of the most unsafe, crime-ridden counties in Maryland. We're just disgusted that PG County police take hours to respond to calls of a gun shot (true story, heard it straight from the mouth of a PG business owner), yet they're ready to destroy the lives of innocent citizens... over marijuana? Prince George's County (and this country) need to get their priorities straight.

  • Posted By: david-fahey @ 08/13/2008 4:05:19 PM

    were these cops trained by blackwater? were they ex-blackwater? does the sherrif have any connection to blackwater?

    • Posted By: PresidentSupporter @ 08/14/2008 7:09:16 PM

      If the only thing you know about Blackwater is what you've read in the media, you are grossly misinformed of what they actually do. Blackwater may have its thugs, just like the police or the military, but 99% of their work is professional and has saved the lives of thousands of US and foreign diplomats, businessmen, and political leaders.

      • Posted By: ghostmasseur @ 08/15/2008 10:35:29 AM

        I get my info on Blackwater from other suorces within the government (those not afraid of Bush and Cheney). 99% is way to high. Maybe 60%. But they make excuses and try to hide things (and ask for Presidential coverage...and wait for the end of Bush;'s term ... pardons) just like Cheneya nd Buish do.

        • Posted By: PresidentSupporter @ 08/15/2008 4:54:16 PM

          My information on Blackwater is from a close relative who worked for them for 2 years. He told me of rare people who cross the line and shoot too quickly, but explained for the most part they do an outstanding job in very turbulent environments.

          In my opinion, they do try to hide things because they know those things will be blown way out of proportion and they will be run through the mud for trying to do their jobs.

          If this is of interest to you, I have a story that my relative told me upon his return. On his first day on the job, him and 6 other men were driving in a 3 SUV convoy with several high profile diplomats. Their job was basically to get them from point A to point B and back again safely. During the drive, a car approached the convoy at high speeds, trying to pass. The first tactic Blackwater uses is a simple call out on a loudspeaker to move away or they will be fired upon. The man in the vehicle ignored the warning and continued to drive close to the convoy. At that point, Blackwater must view the action as a threat or they may lose the entire convoy in some type of attack. My relative's superior instructed him to fire a warning shot over the vehicle, which he did. Since the vehicle still refused to move away from the convoy, he was then instructed to "take it out". As he line up his weapon to disable the vehicle, he noticed the car had a man and 5 children in it. He hesitated, with good reason, not wanting to harm the children. During the hesitation moment, the car following them blew up and killed man, all the kids, as well as one Blackwater employee. It's a sad story, but if he had done as instructed immediately, perhaps the car would've just had some injuries or maybe half the kids would've died. But, in America we would've received news that Blackwater monstrously slaughtered a bunch of innocent children. For me, this story speaks volumes about the scrutiny Blackwater faces every day.

          • Posted By: ghostmasseur @ 08/16/2008 4:48:06 PM

            Don't bet on it. IF the information had been succintly presented (and IF Blackwater had the common sense to actually have video cameras operating in thier convoys, there would have been no backlash except against the terrorist who murdered his kids.

            Sorry but a Blackwater employee is not an impartial source of information. I am not saying that they do not often find themselves in very dangerous situations, they do. But they cowboy it far more times than your relative is willing to admit.

  • Posted By: Lee Holmes @ 08/13/2008 3:10:52 PM

    The cops blew it. So did Davis,the leftwinged portion of the Reagan siblings,who idiotically ties this raid to All That Is Wrong With America Under Bush. Heres a newsflash Davis. There was no ''Bush'',when Waco took place. There was no ''Bush''except his father at Ruby Ridge or Rodney King. There was no ''Bush''when the several enter-and-shoot fiascos in Philadephia took place under their police department which was known as ''Rizzos Raiders''after the controversial mayor,during the Carter administration. Or when Chicago cops during LBJs term entered a home containing suspected Black Panthers ,shot first,and asked questions later.
    Indeed,what we see of these outrages is that they are not confined to specific ''times''in America,but are part and parcel of the militarization of police begun in the 1960s. Obviously,such outrages will continue no matter who is president or which party controls Congress.[as it stands,the most militarized police force in America is in Obamas Chicago,run top-to-bottom by Democrats,where it's cops have been issued military assault arms and APCs no differant than those used in Iraq]. From Kent State to Wen Ho Lee,little is sacred when it comes to ''innocence''when law enforcement branches [including an armed National Guard],engage in behaviors deemed unprofessional or amateur.

    • Posted By: ghostmasseur @ 08/13/2008 3:42:47 PM

      Lee,

      Nowhere does she blame Bush for this.

      You are seeing things that do not exist because you do not like that she is Liberal.

      One this one you owe her an apology.

      • Posted By: PresidentSupporter @ 08/14/2008 7:06:59 PM

        Re-read the last paragraph about how the next President has to fix this along with economy, etc. She's blaming the Bush administration very clearly.

        • Posted By: ghostmasseur @ 08/15/2008 6:17:28 PM

          Having reread it I do agree that she is blaming the current admin for the mindset that has conned the American people that "homeland security" is more important than civil rights.

          But I see the article as a blast at the American people as well for allwoing it to happen. And they deserve to be blasted.

          • Posted By: caroline @ 08/16/2008 12:17:11 PM

            ghostmasseur: you are right. We get the government we deserve: local, state or national. A government reflects (or should reflect) the values and expectations of its citizens.

      • Posted By: Lee Holmes @ 08/13/2008 9:13:49 PM

        Oh yes she does. She patently not merely infers but states plainly that the ''new time''where the ''innocent''is presumed ''guilty''is the one we ''NOW live in''. This is the Davisian means by which America is the place of ''guilty ''rather than ''innocent''only now. Not under any of the other periods in recent American history I have already addressed,which were more outrageous that the killing of two animals,indeed,involved the slaying of innocent Americans by an overzealous police entity. Pass to Waco,and if it was a justifiable act,then why,after nearly fifteen years after the events of that month,are all records pertaining to the raid still classified? Certainly,they do not bear upon a national security aspect. Pass to Ruby Ridge,and you will be reminded that federal law enforcement officers,including the Deputy FBI Director[Potts] were accounted guilty for obstruction of justice,and destroying files [which the FBI later did with the Waco case],Six officers were suspended,and twelve others were reprimanded. [these ''extremists''of whom you refer]. Their respective agencies were succesfully sued by this family in a wrongful death lawsuit,being awarded 3.1 million. Sniper Lon Horuichi,was warranted on manslaugher charges by Idaho prosecutors[federal courts later overturned his indictment],and he reappears at Waco,where ''Rules of Engagement''[VHS/DVD 1998],places him in SIERRA I,a BATF/FBI helicopter bearing snipers that the FBI continues to deny ever existed.[despite their patent presence on film]. Obviously,one who is comfortable with the truth would have few problems in presenting it.

        Where are the records and documents then?

        • Posted By: ghostmasseur @ 08/14/2008 7:40:41 AM

          I am not saying that there havew not been serious violations in the past. But the way things are today are worse. Not because of two animals being killed. (Although I would say that to many, their dogs are like their children and their live are just as valuable. If I had to choose between saving my dog's life and that of a child that I did not know, I have no problem with choosing my dog as she is my child and she is more important to me than a child I do not know.) Things now are worse because, as i said, the average American has bought into the garbage that giving up civil rights and liberty is worth a little extra imaginary security. And unfortunately, the police are not going to change their ways just because of a new adminsitrations.

          Also, I read her comments not as saying that this stuff did not occur in the past, but that Americans are more apathetic to it NOW because of the myth of "Homeland Security". I would argue that her critcism is more of the American people (who deserve it for their sheer apathy at letting this administration trash the law and the Constitution.)

          As for why the FBI is still possibly hiding things. That is their organizational nature, bred into them by J Edgar Hoover and his successors. Whether they are justified or not them tend to do this garbage.

          And the extremists were not the agents they were the Branch Davidiians and the Weavers. Just because some mistake MAY have been made by the FBI and ATF that does not change the guilt of the Branch Davidians and Weavers. THAT is the big difference in this case. The police and Sheriff's office are the ONLY ones that did anything wrong. The mayor and his family did nothing wrong and two members of that family were murdered by the police.

          • Posted By: Lee Holmes @ 08/14/2008 11:45:45 AM

            Yet I accurately pointed out that federal judges and invetigations by the Justice Dept and the DANFOTTH Commission found that there was no ''may''about it. Their mistakes [plural],are actualized historical events and many of those involved paid for it with their long careers.[and our taxpayer money in the case of successful wrongful death lawsuits].

            • Posted By: ghostmasseur @ 08/14/2008 4:33:13 PM

              Even if they made mistakes, (and I am not saying that they did not) the big difference is that in both instances they were going up against armed felons. And it was known for a FACT that they were armed.

              The Berwyn Heights fiasco had no such knowledge and no such reality.

              BIG difference.

              As for the wrongful death suits, the outcome of those suits do not prove anything except that a jury was swayed by possible evidence.

              All I am saying is that things have gotten even worse under this administration. Partially because the average American has been duped by the "homeland security" garbage requiring giving up civil liberties.

              Benjamin Franklin was correct when he said: "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
              Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759

        • Posted By: ScubaGolfJim @ 08/14/2008 7:55:43 AM

          Truth hurts, don't it Lee? It has DEFINITELY gotten worse under the Bush administration's attempt to become a dictatorship and strip Americans of their freedoms. Shortly after 9-11 Bush told the American people not to change, to keep going about their lives as normally as possible, because to change our basics and our way of life would mean the terrorists win. Therefore, under his own definition, Bush has lost his so-called "war on terror". He has won , at least for now, his war on Americans and their rights.

          • Posted By: Lee Holmes @ 08/14/2008 11:42:47 AM

            I don't see you being put in a gulag Scuba. You are engaging in paranoid nonsense. The closest we have actually come to a police state is during the 1950s-1960s,if you were African-American and if you were living in the South. Not now. You have your ''opinion''you do not have your facts.

      • Posted By: ghostmasseur @ 08/13/2008 3:56:29 PM

        And yes I know she said "in the last eight years".

        But that is not a direct finger pointing at Bush. There has been a lot of change that has gone on since 9/11, and most of it is the fault of the average American having this idiotic idea that giving up civil rights and liberty is a small price to pay for more security (when we are not really any more secure.)


        AS liberal as I am, I will make a controversial staement by saying that both Waco and Ruby Ridge were not mistakes. In both circumstance the police/lwa enforcement was under direct threat by extremeists who in some ways were no different than the terrorists we are figthing today.

        To me the real issue is that since 9/11, police departments have felt mre secure in engaging in these types of actions. In the past hey we far less frequent and far fewer out and out screw-ups occurred.

        I happen to be someone who tends to be very very supportive of the police. But some police departments (PG being a major offender) have taken the "homeland security" idea and used it as a carte blanc excuse to act like reckless cowboys and criminals.

    • Posted By: TheVigil @ 08/13/2008 4:14:06 PM

      Believe it or not, I agree with you almost completely. This kind of thing isn't new, and when it comes to the police, militarization, institutional racism, abuses of power, and police with serious anger and control issues are endemic all over America. We have this image of the "hero cop" that gets reinforced by TV shows like Law & Order, CSI, and what-have-you, but the reality is that police forces across America engage in many behaviors (not all) that would be more associated with the criminals they're charged with protecting us from than anything else. This isn't to say I don't think we need police - we do. And it's not to say there aren't criminals out there who are worse than the police, on the whole - there are. But episodes like this tell me that we have very little to tell other parts of the world about an unfair police state until we start looking in our own backyard first.

      To me, I think the first part of the solution has got to be getting the blinders off of our collective vision on the whole issue. But I agree with your point that this isn't something to blame on the Bush administration. I don't even think that it really "began" in the 1960s (though the particular tactics of Nixon's War on Drugs have been a prominent factor in militarizing the police in modern times). Abuses of power in the police forces are as old as time.

      Anyone interested, go watch Scorscese's excellent Gangs of New York (yes, it's a Hollywood production as well, but one that was praised for a degree of historical accuracy not present in the other shows I mentioned), and you can note that in 1850's New York, the police regularly shook down the poorest of poor citizens for valuables in exchange for freedom from harassment, and that the fire crews of the time were often far more interested in publicizing the political connections financing them than they were about fighting horridly commonplace wooden tenement fires, even to the point of engaging in conflicts with rival fire crews with opposing political connections. Nothing about this is new, and it should not be blamed on the Bush administration.

  • Posted By: observer101 @ 08/16/2008 11:11:34 AM

    Its sad and shouldnt have happened...But then again it couldnt have happened to a better person from the average citizens stand point...This is happening all the time, to alot of ppl. Now that it happened to a politician, and is getting some airtime, we will hopefully some changes in how these things are executed...Sad to say in situations where the police and state officials are made to look like incompetent buffoons makes me feel good inside...They stuttered through the Waco debacle, mishandled Hurricane Katrina type disaters, looked like fools in the FLDS raid...This should be a wakeup call for Americans to take back whats theirs and stop letting these "lawmakers", city, state and fed government monkeys run our lives like they do...WE the citizens run them they arent supposed to run us like they are doing...All parties of politics are involved in the "run amuck" behavior that we are experiencing..They have no real interest in whats right for us, just how many votes FOR ANYTHING they can rack up against the opposite party...Its just a matter of time before a majority of Americans get to enjoy what this mayor endured if we dont put a cap on what these govs can get away with.

  • Posted By: sipeswoman @ 08/16/2008 7:45:53 AM

    Until a drug dealer uses your address to pick up drug deliveries (nice safe suburbs with packages left on the porch are the perfoect place) this can be someone else's problems. It could happen to any of us. I had a friend who was born in this county and when she converted to Islam she changed her name (in the this same county), a DHS tip had feds knocking down her door with weapons on a SUnday mroing demanding her immigration papers. She was born here, has lived here all her life, changed her name leagaly at the same county courhouse. She had to endure poeple ripping apart her house and screaming at her, not believing something they should have checked before they beat down her door. Can you prove your citizensip with no notice? Will this become a totalitarian state where we all have to carry our papers? No one bothers to check any facts before they knock down a door. Now business people are having their computers confiscated on international business trips without probable cause and kept for months. It is now guilty first, prove you are innocent later. When they come for you, who will defend you?

  • Posted By: kelly#1 @ 08/13/2008 1:36:04 PM

    Is it safe to post our thoughts and concerns... Or, will our homes be raided next?

    • Posted By: Now I've Seen It All @ 08/15/2008 9:43:05 PM

      Maybe YOU should be first!

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