So I came across this in the paper,and I sat back and wondered what is going on in this State when they focus on Arresting the homeless, and complain how expensive it is for the tax payer to jail these people and in the same breath close shelters that can help people get back on their feet, and refuse to feed the homeless ( west Palm) and the way they think that homeless is a choice your a bum who can't find a job or a drug addicted criminal, not even giving a thought that its a harsh reality for most of the state and country... its simply staggering to my mind, that there are that many dicks living in the state of Florida, the very same people who site folks for having big flags on their homes and try to make lease laws for Cats...thats right cats...beyond staggering. well here it is the news story that set me off tonight, please take note of my comment at the bottom I'm sure that within a few months or weeks or even days it will be removed because someone was offended a redneck who has little or no time other then to buy beer bare footed in a public store or get off his sister who is ovulating to produce more Floridians who think its funny to beat to death homeless people ( it happened just a few months ago) Instead of sitting down and thinking of a solution to end or limit homelessness in this state leading the nation by example, like opening permanent shelters in this state instead they are closing them that will make an even bigger burden on the tax payer by arresting the homeless ...makes you think of the old saying "if you think education is expensive try Ignorance" 98% of Floridians are Ignorant.
Jailing Homeless Expensive
By TODD RUGER, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Published: February 25, 2008
SARASOTA - It costs taxpayers about $925 when police arrest a homeless person for drinking beer in public or sleeping behind a church, a Herald-Tribune analysis shows.
Aggressive enforcement of city ordinances targeting the homeless has led to 1,427 arrests over the past three years, costing taxpayers $1.3 million, the analysis shows.
The number of arrests has risen sharply in the past six months, adding to jail overcrowding. As county officials plan a $56 million jail, they considered a special charge to Sarasota each time police arrest someone for public urination, illegal camping, curbside drinking or panhandling.
Police and city officials say it is more expensive to do nothing than make the arrests, which, they say, keep crime down and the downtown area safe and clean for residents, businesses and tourists.
"If you don't feel safe to go downtown, do you think we're going to have downtown businesses? Do you think we'll have a tax base downtown?" asked Sarasota City Manager Robert Bartolotta. "We have ordinances and we're a society of laws, so if we have ordinances, it needs to be enforced."
Bartolotta disputed the newspaper's analysis. He said judges and clerks would be paid, officers would be on the payroll and the jail would operate regardless of how many homeless people are in jail on city violations.
Experts: Analysis Conservative, Fair
Criminal justice experts and a University of South Florida economist say the newspaper's estimate is conservative and fair, as each arrest puts someone in jail and creates another case for the county's courts. That contributes to a higher demand for jail bed space, time from judges and more work for the courts.
"If you elect to trigger this process, this is what it costs us to ramp up to do this," said David Bennett, a criminal justice consultant hired by the county to study ways to reduce the jail population.
National homeless advocates branded Sarasota the nation's meanest city in 2006. A local advocate said money would be better spent building housing and shelters and addressing the root problems of homelessness.
"It's not only the right thing, but the most fiscally responsible thing to do," said Richard Martin, former Sarasota mayor and now executive director of the Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness. "We're forced into finding a better model at this point."
The homeless, who are usually too broke to post $120 bail to get out of jail for violating city laws, face two options. They can plead guilty at their earliest opportunity and spend as little as a week in jail, or fight the charge and spend at least 30 days in jail waiting for the next court appearance.
Court officials hold hearings on Fridays to take pleas and get people arrested for minor crimes out of jail in an effort to hold down the jail population.
Together, homeless defendants accounted for more than 200 arrests on misdemeanor charges over the past few years. On Feb. 15, nine of them were at the hearing.
Among them was Jeffrey Gale, 48, who pleaded guilty to an open container charge nine days earlier. He was out of jail two days when he was arrested again on charges of open container and trespassing.
After 45 arrests, Gale is well acquainted with the judge who presided over the hearing, as well as the public defender representing him, the bailiffs guarding him, and the plea deal they would offer.
For the latest open container and trespassing charges, he took a 15-day sentence with credit for time served, meaning he was to get out the next day. Then there is $298 in court costs and fines.
Gale's response: "Wow!"
Gale already owes $6,065 in similar fees and fines. Even if he paid those today, it would be a small dent in the more than $41,000 his arrests have cost taxpayers, according to the Herald-Tribune analysis.
Gale told the judge he is starting to lose track of places he has been ordered to stay away from. The list includes Resurrection House, a day center for the homeless and an alcohol rehabilitation center.
The newspaper's analysis may underestimate costs of arresting the homeless, say criminal justice experts, because it does not include arrests that start with a suspected violation that led to arrests on more serious charges.
For example, the 1,400 arrests tallied by the Herald-Tribune do not include one in which an officer cited a homeless man for panhandling, then found a knife in his pocket and also charged him with carrying a concealed weapon.
Likewise, the newspaper's tally would not include a case in which a homeless person cited for illegal camping was found to have drugs, and was charged for illegal camping and drug possession.
Most of the city's laws that target the homeless were adopted in 2002.
Martin, when he was mayor, called them a "tough love" approach to problems with the homeless.
Police have dedicated an officer to keeping tabs on the homeless and their camps, as well as directing officers not to ignore any infractions. When officers spot a person breaking city laws, they have the discretion to inform them of the rules, issue warnings, or cite them and give them a court date, said police Capt. Bill Spitler. He said officers do not make arrests unless it is the same person breaking the same rules over and over again or the person refuses to stop breaking city rules.
"We don't arrest everybody now, come on," Spitler said. "The people going to jail for these violations, this isn't their first rodeo, cowboy."
And some of the homeless spend a lot more time in jail than others.
Police know Mark E. Saunders by sight and have nicknamed him "John Wayne," though Spitler and another officer could not recall how the nickname originated.
Less than a week after officers cited Saunders for an open container, police found him spreading a beige sheet in the rear entranceway of Church of the Redeemer on Palm Avenue about 2 a.m.
According to an arrest report, Saunders held an open plastic Ice House beer bottle, and told officers he was getting ready to go to sleep. He was charged with breaking the city rules against curbside drinking and camping in public.
Establishments like the church "don't want people sleeping there, they don't want people urinating in their bushes, they don't want to clean up bottles," Spitler said.
Effort Not Working, Advocate Says
Martin, the homeless advocate, said the city needs to rethink its approach.
"It's just not working," Martin said. "Should someone really be arrested for something that would be normal inside a house, but you don't have a house?"
He suggested the city look into ways to keep the homeless out of jail by building subsidized housing to help people recover, or alternative sentences to keep them out of jail.
City Manager Bartolotta said the city is working with the county and judges to create alternative sentencing programs, making ordinance violators clean out parks or the beach instead of sitting in jail.
The county has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on a jail consultant and new programs to reduce the jail population.
Arrests are a more expensive and less effective solution than shelters or other options because the court system does not address why the person does not have a home in the first place, said Bennett, the consultant the county hired.
Last year, the public defender's office in Broward County stopped representing those arrested for breaking laws in Fort Lauderdale, after studying the issue and finding it was about $30 a night for a shelter bed and $90 or more for a jail bed.
Reader Comments
Posted by ( notsosmart ) on February 25, 2008 at 3:51 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Give Richard Martin the keys to a Van, fill the Van up on Fridays with the homeless people that got picked up by the police during the week, have Mr. Martin drive the people to the Florida Georgia border. If Mr. Martin deems it necessary, buy the homeless at that border crossing, one way non cancellable bus tickets...........
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Posted by ( LARGO_TOM ) on February 25, 2008 at 8:42 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Sentence them to work crews for long periods of time where they can help pay for themselves and just perhaps pick up the work ethic.
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Posted by ( signit4bes ) on February 25, 2008 at 10:55 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
So is the implication that it costs more to arrest a homeless vs others? Or is it about arresting the employed vs the unemployed? If employed, you get in 'the system' and have to shell out clams. If unemployed than you can't really support 'the machine.'
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Posted by ( situp ) on February 25, 2008 at 1:20 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
I like the chain gang idea. If their invoice for being a burden to the system is $500 then make them do $500 worth of work for the county/city. I bet they learn real quick that they should follow the rules because they won't want to work and be away from the drugs/alcohol for that long.
Letting them get away with this stuff is not an option regardless of what the bleeding hearts will say.
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Posted by ( paulzpc ) on March 12, 2008 at 11:07 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
WTF?? arrest the homeless for being homeless?? is everyone in Florida too busy banging their sisters and having children that think this way normal?cause the rest on the WORLD know that homelessness is not a choice but a harsh reality for most people not being able to buy a job in this state..my god chain gangs? wow this is why Florida is leading the pack as one of the most Ignorant, most uncaring, selfish interbred people in the entire free world ...are there no prisons!!! are there no work houses!!!!if there is a god he should fold up the United states and empty most of the morons that live here in the pit of fire and gather up the rest as caring humans...shame on you all instead of work houses and prisons stop closing shelters ..florDAH chirst!!!!
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Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Monday, March 10, 2008
The Econony doing great?? BULLSH*T!!!!
well, the Republicans are telling us that the Economy is doing well, and they all know that things are looking bad for " some " Americans lets look at this shall we.
The latest available unemployment figures from the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) Thursday showed Wabash County’s current jobless rate as 7.4 percent in January. That was up from 6.2 percent the previous month.
The statewide January unemployment rate average was 5.6 percent.Mt. Carmel Economic Development Director Brandi Stennett today said much of the peak in the jobless rate for January and February can be attributed to seasonal drop in the construction trades. The city has several residents employed in those trades with local firms.
According to IDES, Edwards County unemployment is 6.9 percent, up one percent from December.
Neighboring Lawrence County also had 6.9 percent jobless rate in January, up from 5.6 percent.
White County had 7 percent unemployed in January, an increase from 6.2 percent the previous month.
For Wayne County, the latest unemployment figure is 6.8 percent, up 1.2 percent from the previous month.
Among the highest unemployment rates in the southeastern Illinois region is Saline County, where the January rate was 8.7 percent, up 1.2 percent from the previous month, according to IDES.
Richland County’s January unemployment rate was 6.7 percent, up 1.3 percent.
Unemployment rates increased across South Florida and statewide in January, but stayed below the national average.
The region's unemployment rate, which includes Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, was 4.2 percent, up from 3.6 percent this time last year and 4.1 percent in December, the latest numbers from the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation show. The unemployment rate in Miami-Dade was 3.9 percent, up from 3.6 percent in January 2006 and unchanged from December. In Broward, it was 4.1 percent, up from 3.4 percent a year ago and 3.9 percent in December.
Palm Beach County had the highest unemployment rate in the region, at 4.8 percent, up from 3.9 percent a year ago and 3.6 percent in December. It had the 33rd-highest rate in the state. Flagler County had the highest, at 7.8 percent.
Florida's unemployment rate was 4.6 percent, representing 423,000 jobless out of a labor force of 9.26 million. That rate is up 1 percentage point from this time last year and .1 of a percentage point from December. It is the highest rate since October 2004, which was also 4.6 percent.
The national unemployment rate was 4.9 percent in January.
Florida had a net loss of 7,300 jobs in January 2008 when compared to a year ago. Construction employment was down 10.9 percent, with a loss of 69,000 jobs, reacting to declines in the housing market, the report said. Construction losses made up 75 percent of job losses in the state.
Education and health services, up 3.4 percent with 33,800 jobs added, and total government, up 2.2 percent with 24,500 jobs added, accounted for most of the job gains among industries posting positive annual growth.
The Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall Metropolitan Division ranked second in the state for year-over-year employment gains, adding 7,200 jobs. It was behind the Orlando-Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area, which added 7,500 jobs.
Gasoline prices hit new high, seen jumping more
Sun Mar 9, 2008 11:16pm GMT
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. average retail gasoline prices have reached a new high of almost $3.20 per gallon and will likely jump another 20 to 30 cents in the next month, worsening the pain of consumers struggling to make ends meet in an economic downturn.
Gasoline prices are rising sharply as refiners, who have kept prices down in order to compete for sales, become more willing to pass on their higher costs of crude oil, according to an industry analyst on Sunday.
The national average for self-serve regular unleaded gas was nearly $3.20 a gallon on March 7, up about 9.44 cents per gallon in the past two weeks, according to the nationwide Lundberg survey of about 7,000 gas stations. The price has risen 64 cents per gallon in the past 12 months.
"The price increase was entirely due to the higher costs of crude oil," said survey editor Trilby Lundberg.
Although the latest price represents a nominal all-time high, when adjusted for inflation it is a smidgen below the record of $3.18 per gallon reached on May 18, 2007, Lundberg said.
Lundberg said things will likely get worse, with prices at the pump rising 20 to 30 cents per gallon in the next month as refiners begin passing on to customers more of their higher costs for crude oil.
"Should prices indeed rise 20 to 30 cents, they would vastly exceed previous prices on an inflation-adjusted basis," Lundberg said.
Refiners since last spring have deliberately refrained from passing on their higher costs for crude oil, in order to compete for sales, she said.
"But refiner profit margins have become so slim that they will now raise prices to recover their lost margins," said Lundberg. Likewise, she said retailers will also be less willing to hold back from passing on their higher costs to drivers.
Moreover, prices will also rise because of the return to daylight savings time and the approach of warmer weather, Lundberg said.
"Spring demand growth will soak up the current surplus of U.S. gasoline and put more pressure on prices," Lundberg said.
At $3.58 a gallon, the San Francisco Bay Area had the highest latest average price for self-serve regular unleaded gas on March 7, while the lowest price was $2.95 in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
The average U.S. diesel price was $3.80 a gallon in the latest survey, up 22 cents a gallon from two weeks ago, and $1.02 higher than this time last year.
(Reporting by Ransdell Pierson, editing by Richard Chang)
I have an Idea lets take " oh lets say " 87 billion dollars and send it to Iraq , while Bush and his butt buddies pull their fingers out of each others assholes and talk bullshit to the American public,admitting to all of us there "might be a problem" but wait tomorrow is another day ,that means more families homeless more kids going without food and medical and older Americans dieing, Mr Bush you are a lame duck garbage human that sucked off the souls of 911 and gave the American people what come out of your asshole,hard working people that are now "now Unemployed" Americans,that are also now homeless, we can only thank god that your reign of American genocideing is all most to an end we all look forward to the next depression thank you Bush, we are now the " have nots" " the home of the homeless and the land of the richest poor, while you and your administration remained the Haves.
The latest available unemployment figures from the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) Thursday showed Wabash County’s current jobless rate as 7.4 percent in January. That was up from 6.2 percent the previous month.
The statewide January unemployment rate average was 5.6 percent.Mt. Carmel Economic Development Director Brandi Stennett today said much of the peak in the jobless rate for January and February can be attributed to seasonal drop in the construction trades. The city has several residents employed in those trades with local firms.
According to IDES, Edwards County unemployment is 6.9 percent, up one percent from December.
Neighboring Lawrence County also had 6.9 percent jobless rate in January, up from 5.6 percent.
White County had 7 percent unemployed in January, an increase from 6.2 percent the previous month.
For Wayne County, the latest unemployment figure is 6.8 percent, up 1.2 percent from the previous month.
Among the highest unemployment rates in the southeastern Illinois region is Saline County, where the January rate was 8.7 percent, up 1.2 percent from the previous month, according to IDES.
Richland County’s January unemployment rate was 6.7 percent, up 1.3 percent.
Unemployment rates increased across South Florida and statewide in January, but stayed below the national average.
The region's unemployment rate, which includes Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, was 4.2 percent, up from 3.6 percent this time last year and 4.1 percent in December, the latest numbers from the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation show. The unemployment rate in Miami-Dade was 3.9 percent, up from 3.6 percent in January 2006 and unchanged from December. In Broward, it was 4.1 percent, up from 3.4 percent a year ago and 3.9 percent in December.
Palm Beach County had the highest unemployment rate in the region, at 4.8 percent, up from 3.9 percent a year ago and 3.6 percent in December. It had the 33rd-highest rate in the state. Flagler County had the highest, at 7.8 percent.
Florida's unemployment rate was 4.6 percent, representing 423,000 jobless out of a labor force of 9.26 million. That rate is up 1 percentage point from this time last year and .1 of a percentage point from December. It is the highest rate since October 2004, which was also 4.6 percent.
The national unemployment rate was 4.9 percent in January.
Florida had a net loss of 7,300 jobs in January 2008 when compared to a year ago. Construction employment was down 10.9 percent, with a loss of 69,000 jobs, reacting to declines in the housing market, the report said. Construction losses made up 75 percent of job losses in the state.
Education and health services, up 3.4 percent with 33,800 jobs added, and total government, up 2.2 percent with 24,500 jobs added, accounted for most of the job gains among industries posting positive annual growth.
The Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall Metropolitan Division ranked second in the state for year-over-year employment gains, adding 7,200 jobs. It was behind the Orlando-Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area, which added 7,500 jobs.
Gasoline prices hit new high, seen jumping more
Sun Mar 9, 2008 11:16pm GMT
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. average retail gasoline prices have reached a new high of almost $3.20 per gallon and will likely jump another 20 to 30 cents in the next month, worsening the pain of consumers struggling to make ends meet in an economic downturn.
Gasoline prices are rising sharply as refiners, who have kept prices down in order to compete for sales, become more willing to pass on their higher costs of crude oil, according to an industry analyst on Sunday.
The national average for self-serve regular unleaded gas was nearly $3.20 a gallon on March 7, up about 9.44 cents per gallon in the past two weeks, according to the nationwide Lundberg survey of about 7,000 gas stations. The price has risen 64 cents per gallon in the past 12 months.
"The price increase was entirely due to the higher costs of crude oil," said survey editor Trilby Lundberg.
Although the latest price represents a nominal all-time high, when adjusted for inflation it is a smidgen below the record of $3.18 per gallon reached on May 18, 2007, Lundberg said.
Lundberg said things will likely get worse, with prices at the pump rising 20 to 30 cents per gallon in the next month as refiners begin passing on to customers more of their higher costs for crude oil.
"Should prices indeed rise 20 to 30 cents, they would vastly exceed previous prices on an inflation-adjusted basis," Lundberg said.
Refiners since last spring have deliberately refrained from passing on their higher costs for crude oil, in order to compete for sales, she said.
"But refiner profit margins have become so slim that they will now raise prices to recover their lost margins," said Lundberg. Likewise, she said retailers will also be less willing to hold back from passing on their higher costs to drivers.
Moreover, prices will also rise because of the return to daylight savings time and the approach of warmer weather, Lundberg said.
"Spring demand growth will soak up the current surplus of U.S. gasoline and put more pressure on prices," Lundberg said.
At $3.58 a gallon, the San Francisco Bay Area had the highest latest average price for self-serve regular unleaded gas on March 7, while the lowest price was $2.95 in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
The average U.S. diesel price was $3.80 a gallon in the latest survey, up 22 cents a gallon from two weeks ago, and $1.02 higher than this time last year.
(Reporting by Ransdell Pierson, editing by Richard Chang)
I have an Idea lets take " oh lets say " 87 billion dollars and send it to Iraq , while Bush and his butt buddies pull their fingers out of each others assholes and talk bullshit to the American public,admitting to all of us there "might be a problem" but wait tomorrow is another day ,that means more families homeless more kids going without food and medical and older Americans dieing, Mr Bush you are a lame duck garbage human that sucked off the souls of 911 and gave the American people what come out of your asshole,hard working people that are now "now Unemployed" Americans,that are also now homeless, we can only thank god that your reign of American genocideing is all most to an end we all look forward to the next depression thank you Bush, we are now the " have nots" " the home of the homeless and the land of the richest poor, while you and your administration remained the Haves.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Wait a Minute!! whos the Racist.?
“Dog” the Bounty Hunter Gets His Show Back, Proving it’s OK to be a Racist.
Written by mightyminnow
A&E announced today that it will resume airing the hit reality show ”Dog the Bounty Hunter,” which was taken off the air a few months back after the show’s star, Duane “Dog” Chapman, was exposed as a racist.
Dog’s racism came to light after his son, Tucker, published a recording of his dad repeatedly using the word “nigger” in reference to Tucker’s Black girlfriend. The recording cost Dog his show after A&E started losing advertisers, who probably didn’t want to be associated with such a racist. At the time anyway.
Fortunately for Dog, his period of penance seems to be over and A&E has decided he has done enough apologizing. Apparently, appearing on a bunch of radio and TV programs and expressing remorse for using a racial slur is enough to convince some people that one is not in fact a racist. Who knew.
Here’s the network’s take on their decision to resurrect Dog’s show:
Over the last few months, Duane ‘Dog’ Chapman has taken and continues to take the appropriate steps in reaching out to several African American organizations in an effort to make amends for his private comments to his son which were released publicly. Since the premise of ‘Dog The Bounty Hunter’ is about second chances, we have decided to give him one.”
I love America, home of the second chance, where there are no racists, only people who throw “nigger” around like their lives depend on it. If I had my way, Dog would never be allowed anywhere near a TV camera again. But I’m just a lowly blogger. And I don’t own A&E, which clearly seems to think that being a racist is OK, as long as you spend enough time apologizing not for your racist attitude, but for your choice of words. After all, there’s no such thing as a racist, right? Dog’s not really a racist, is he? He’s just a regular guy who was caught on tape casually using a word that demeans, denigrates, and dehumanizes an entire population. How silly of me to have confused him with a racist!!!
Now, I’m as big a believer in second chances as A&E: I just happen to believe that there should be consequences for holding racist attitudes, which lie at the heart of so many of the divisions and social inequalities that plague our society today. It took Dog a lifetime to become the racist that he is, and I’m pretty sure that spending a few months “reaching out to several African American organizations” is not going to make him less of a racist. But what do I know. I’m not the star of a hit reality show.
Luckily for Dog, his show was popular and I’m sure plenty of people—who have less of a problem with racism than I do—will be happy to start watching it again. But I’m sure few will be happier than A&E executives, whose decision to put “Dog the Bounty Hunter” back on the air probably has little to do with second chances and everything to do with money. Clearly, they think the loss of advertising dollars was too great a price to pay for taking a courageous and principled stance against racism.
Gotta love America.
NOW MY RESPONSE TO THE ASSHOLE WHO WROTE THE BLOG ABOVE...
MR.Mightyminnow, you are a MORON, and clearly you need some attention and a little history lesson others in the past have said the "N" word people in high places that have taken real hard hits because of it,some have even had death threats on their children,and their families and have lost their jobs as well have been black balled from working in their fields again, some of the more resent famous folks are Micheal Richards, "Kramer" and Imus,personally I don't Imus and what he said was not funny,it was at best a real bad failed attempt at garbage humor but thats Imus if you listen to his show thats what he does and he didn't say he was sorry and should have..but now caught in the bullshit of this is " Dawg" Chapman Bounty hunter, but think about this ...in the Dawgs case he was making a call to his son and telling him how pissed he was... it was a personal call to his kid that was taped...Richards was on stage and lost it over a fan that was heckling him and..Imus was on the air and was just plan rude, but Dawg?? no this was wrong on a few different levels, one he shouldn't had used that word but to his defense its like the "F" word that is used in high emotional circumstances when someone is mad or angry its always a word that is used to shock or show someone how emotional you are at the time and often people greet each other on the streets with the "N" word " hey whats up my N*gger? MR MIGHTYMINNOW this word is also used in comedy routines from African Americans thats ok right??!!! this word is losing its meaning as a degrading word against a race, the word N*GGER means nothing its just a word ,but still wrong in this case The Dawg was talking about his sons girlfriend who is in fact African American but if he knew he was he was being taped I am sure he wouldn't had said it, he said it to hurt his SON to shock him...he thought it was a Private conversation he shouldn't have to apologize for being angry we all have said things we don't mean when we are angry, however he should be sorry that his kid is an asshole and sold that tape to the national inquire...
But there is Mark Fuhrman remember him ?,how can we forget him anyone who watches fox network news knows he is on all the time when they need expert analysis on a crime scene or even one taking place and is often seen on Greta " On the Record",but did you forget all the Nasty and Hateful things he said????? and he wasn't angry!!!, talk about The "Dawg" HA...Mark has Imus and Richards beat by a mile in case you don't remember Mark Fuhrman was the lead detective in the OJ trial the reason OJ was found not guilty, cause Mark must have planted evidence he is a racist!!! this is what was released.
On the arrest of a man in the Westwood neighborhood
"He was a n*gger. He didn't belong. Two questions. And you are going: Where do you live? 22nd and Western. Where were you going? Well, I'm going to Fatburger. Where's Fatburger. He didn't know where Fatburger was? Get in the car."
On criteria for stopping cars
"N*gger drivin' a Porsche that doesn't look like he's got a $300 suit on, you always stop him."
On where he grew up in Washington state
"People there don't want n*ggers in their town. People there don't want Mexicans in their town. They don't want anybody but good people in their town, and anyway you can do to get them out of there that's fine with them. We have no n*ggers where I grew up."
On L.A. neighborhoods
"Westwood is gone, the n*ggers have discovered it. When they start moving into Redondo and Torrance. Torrance is considered the last white middle class society."
On the LAPD chokehold
"We stopped the choke because a bunch of n*ggers have a bunch of these organizations in the south end and because all n*ggers were choked out and killed--twelve in ten years."
On changes in the LAPD
"That we've got females...and dumb n*ggers, and all your Mexicans that can't even write the name of the car they drive."
On using suspects to practice martial arts kicks
"I used to go to work and practice movements....I used to practice my kicks.
On police misconduct investigations
"Now, it's funny because guys in Internal Affairs go, `Mark, you can do just about anything. Get in a bar fight. We'd love to investigate just some `good ol boy' beating up a n*gger in a bar."
On brutalizing suspects during interrogations
"Why don't you give them the 77th lie detector test? [The "77th" refers to the LAPD division in South Central L.A. where Fuhrman worked for many years]...And a bunch of guys will laugh--old timers, you know. And then one kid will ask his partner, `what's that?' You choke him out until he tells you the truth. You know it is kind of funny. But a lot of policemen will get a kick out of it."
On attitude toward interrogating Black people
"When you are talking to somebody it is not like you are really listening into their words because you will key on what is the truth and what isn't. First thing, anything out of a n*gger's mouth for the first five or six sentences is a fucking lie. That is just right out. There has got to be a reason why he is going to tell you the truth."
On the destruction of the 77th precinct station
"Leave that old station. Man, it has the smell of n*ggers that have been beaten and killed in there for years."
On taking a suspect "to the baseball diamond."
"We basically get impatient with him being so fucking stupid. Which I thought he was. So I just handcuffed him and went the scenic route to the station. We searched him again and found the gun. Went over to the baseball diamond and talked to him. When I left, Dana goes, `No blood, Mark.' `No problem, not even any marks, Dana.' Just body shots. Did you ever try to find a bruise on a N*gger. It is pretty tough, huh?
On assuming guilt and shooting suspects in the back
"Where would this country be if every time a sheriff went out with a posse to find somebody who just robbed and killed a bunch of people, he stopped and talked to them first. To make sure they had guns. Tried to take them--they shot them in the back. We still should be shooting people in the back. It's just that you've got to hire people who are capable of doing it. And capable of figuring out who the bad guys are.
On assuming guilt and fabricating reasons for making an arrest
Fuhrman: "I didn't arrest him under anything, just took him to the station, ran him for prints, gave them to the detectives to compare with what they've got in the area. I'll probably arrest a criminal that way."
McKinny: "So you're allowed to pick somebody up that you think doesn't belong in an area and arrest him?...
Fuhrman: "I don't know. I don't know what the Supreme Court or the Superior Court says, and I don't really give a shit...If I was pushed into saying why I did it, I'd say suspicion of burglary. I'd be able to correlate exactly what I said into a reasonably probable cause for arrest."
On falsifying evidence
"So if that's considered falsifying a report, and if some hype [junkie], you know says, ah, you know whatever, I shot [up] two days ago, and you find a mark that looks like three days ago, pick the scab, squeeze it, looks like serum's coming out. As if it were hours old. It's a hard find. You just can't find the mark. Cause he's down. His eyes don't lie. That's not falsifying a report. That's putting a criminal in jail. That's being a policeman."
On brutalizing people for speaking Spanish
"We don't speak Spanish here. Work Mexican gangs, and I don't know how to speak any Spanish...When they speak Spanish. `No comprende.' Slap them upside the head. Then they speak English. I'm an English teacher. Just like that. That's police work. And that's being able to pick out the people. That type of treatment is necessary..."
On conduct when working in a Black neighborhood
"You have to be a switch hitter. You have to be able to look at your area and look at how you talk to people. Look at how you deal with things and what you can and can't do even with a criminal. You can't go up in Bel Air, and some guy gives you a hard time in broad daylight, and slap them. `Dammit. I want to know what's going on.' You just don't do that. I mean, it's obvious. But when you work down in the south end, Watts, the metropolitan area, you work skid row. You use your stick more than your mouth. You don't--I mean, you just, you go of course. Don't try to tell people to go there. Go there. You just use your stick. Smack 'em. They'll move. They see no problem with that. They're where they are not supposed to be...."
Fuhrman also describes an incident in an East L.A. housing project where he and other police officers kicked the door down.
"We grabbed a girl that lived there--one of their girlfriends. Grabbed her by the hair and stuck a gun to her head and used her as a barricade. Walked up and told 'em. `I've got this girl. I'll blow her fuck in' brains out if you come out with a gun.' Held her like this. Threw the b*tch down the stairs. Deadbolted the door. Let's play boys...Anyway, we basically tortured them. There was four policemen and four guys. We broke 'em. Numerous bones in each one of them. Their faces were just mush. They had pictures on the walls. There was blood all the way to the ceiling with finger marks like they were trying to crawl out of the room. They showed us pictures of the room. It was unbelievable. There was blood everywhere. All the walls. All the furniture. All the floors. It was just everywhere....So with 66 allegations, I had a demonstration out in front of Hollenbeck station chanting my name. Captain had to take them all into roll call and that's where the internal affairs investigation started. It lasted 18 months. I was on a photo lineup--suspect lineup. I was picked out by 12 people. So I was pretty proud of that....They didn't get any of our unit--38 guys--they didn't get one day. I didn't get one day.... Immediately after we beat those guys, we went downstairs to the garden hose in the back of the place. We washed our hands--we had blood all over our legs....Well, they know I did it. They know damn well I did it. There's nothing they can do about it because we all, most of those guys work 77th together. We came in as gang unit. We were tight. I mean we could have murdered people and got away with it. We were tight. We all knew what to say. We didn't have to call each other at home and say, `Okay.' We all knew what to say.
Well why not give Dawg his show back a second chance? why not!!!,Imus got his job back and Kramer is doing ok and Mark??? well we all know how he is doing, I wonder if Grata from on the record will ask Mark what he thinks of Dawg Chapman getting his job back,that would be interesting to hear a REAL RACIST answer that one, because he proved its ok to be a racist, now didn't he. yup gotta to love America.
Written by mightyminnow
A&E announced today that it will resume airing the hit reality show ”Dog the Bounty Hunter,” which was taken off the air a few months back after the show’s star, Duane “Dog” Chapman, was exposed as a racist.
Dog’s racism came to light after his son, Tucker, published a recording of his dad repeatedly using the word “nigger” in reference to Tucker’s Black girlfriend. The recording cost Dog his show after A&E started losing advertisers, who probably didn’t want to be associated with such a racist. At the time anyway.
Fortunately for Dog, his period of penance seems to be over and A&E has decided he has done enough apologizing. Apparently, appearing on a bunch of radio and TV programs and expressing remorse for using a racial slur is enough to convince some people that one is not in fact a racist. Who knew.
Here’s the network’s take on their decision to resurrect Dog’s show:
Over the last few months, Duane ‘Dog’ Chapman has taken and continues to take the appropriate steps in reaching out to several African American organizations in an effort to make amends for his private comments to his son which were released publicly. Since the premise of ‘Dog The Bounty Hunter’ is about second chances, we have decided to give him one.”
I love America, home of the second chance, where there are no racists, only people who throw “nigger” around like their lives depend on it. If I had my way, Dog would never be allowed anywhere near a TV camera again. But I’m just a lowly blogger. And I don’t own A&E, which clearly seems to think that being a racist is OK, as long as you spend enough time apologizing not for your racist attitude, but for your choice of words. After all, there’s no such thing as a racist, right? Dog’s not really a racist, is he? He’s just a regular guy who was caught on tape casually using a word that demeans, denigrates, and dehumanizes an entire population. How silly of me to have confused him with a racist!!!
Now, I’m as big a believer in second chances as A&E: I just happen to believe that there should be consequences for holding racist attitudes, which lie at the heart of so many of the divisions and social inequalities that plague our society today. It took Dog a lifetime to become the racist that he is, and I’m pretty sure that spending a few months “reaching out to several African American organizations” is not going to make him less of a racist. But what do I know. I’m not the star of a hit reality show.
Luckily for Dog, his show was popular and I’m sure plenty of people—who have less of a problem with racism than I do—will be happy to start watching it again. But I’m sure few will be happier than A&E executives, whose decision to put “Dog the Bounty Hunter” back on the air probably has little to do with second chances and everything to do with money. Clearly, they think the loss of advertising dollars was too great a price to pay for taking a courageous and principled stance against racism.
Gotta love America.
NOW MY RESPONSE TO THE ASSHOLE WHO WROTE THE BLOG ABOVE...
MR.Mightyminnow, you are a MORON, and clearly you need some attention and a little history lesson others in the past have said the "N" word people in high places that have taken real hard hits because of it,some have even had death threats on their children,and their families and have lost their jobs as well have been black balled from working in their fields again, some of the more resent famous folks are Micheal Richards, "Kramer" and Imus,personally I don't Imus and what he said was not funny,it was at best a real bad failed attempt at garbage humor but thats Imus if you listen to his show thats what he does and he didn't say he was sorry and should have..but now caught in the bullshit of this is " Dawg" Chapman Bounty hunter, but think about this ...in the Dawgs case he was making a call to his son and telling him how pissed he was... it was a personal call to his kid that was taped...Richards was on stage and lost it over a fan that was heckling him and..Imus was on the air and was just plan rude, but Dawg?? no this was wrong on a few different levels, one he shouldn't had used that word but to his defense its like the "F" word that is used in high emotional circumstances when someone is mad or angry its always a word that is used to shock or show someone how emotional you are at the time and often people greet each other on the streets with the "N" word " hey whats up my N*gger? MR MIGHTYMINNOW this word is also used in comedy routines from African Americans thats ok right??!!! this word is losing its meaning as a degrading word against a race, the word N*GGER means nothing its just a word ,but still wrong in this case The Dawg was talking about his sons girlfriend who is in fact African American but if he knew he was he was being taped I am sure he wouldn't had said it, he said it to hurt his SON to shock him...he thought it was a Private conversation he shouldn't have to apologize for being angry we all have said things we don't mean when we are angry, however he should be sorry that his kid is an asshole and sold that tape to the national inquire...
But there is Mark Fuhrman remember him ?,how can we forget him anyone who watches fox network news knows he is on all the time when they need expert analysis on a crime scene or even one taking place and is often seen on Greta " On the Record",but did you forget all the Nasty and Hateful things he said????? and he wasn't angry!!!, talk about The "Dawg" HA...Mark has Imus and Richards beat by a mile in case you don't remember Mark Fuhrman was the lead detective in the OJ trial the reason OJ was found not guilty, cause Mark must have planted evidence he is a racist!!! this is what was released.
On the arrest of a man in the Westwood neighborhood
"He was a n*gger. He didn't belong. Two questions. And you are going: Where do you live? 22nd and Western. Where were you going? Well, I'm going to Fatburger. Where's Fatburger. He didn't know where Fatburger was? Get in the car."
On criteria for stopping cars
"N*gger drivin' a Porsche that doesn't look like he's got a $300 suit on, you always stop him."
On where he grew up in Washington state
"People there don't want n*ggers in their town. People there don't want Mexicans in their town. They don't want anybody but good people in their town, and anyway you can do to get them out of there that's fine with them. We have no n*ggers where I grew up."
On L.A. neighborhoods
"Westwood is gone, the n*ggers have discovered it. When they start moving into Redondo and Torrance. Torrance is considered the last white middle class society."
On the LAPD chokehold
"We stopped the choke because a bunch of n*ggers have a bunch of these organizations in the south end and because all n*ggers were choked out and killed--twelve in ten years."
On changes in the LAPD
"That we've got females...and dumb n*ggers, and all your Mexicans that can't even write the name of the car they drive."
On using suspects to practice martial arts kicks
"I used to go to work and practice movements....I used to practice my kicks.
On police misconduct investigations
"Now, it's funny because guys in Internal Affairs go, `Mark, you can do just about anything. Get in a bar fight. We'd love to investigate just some `good ol boy' beating up a n*gger in a bar."
On brutalizing suspects during interrogations
"Why don't you give them the 77th lie detector test? [The "77th" refers to the LAPD division in South Central L.A. where Fuhrman worked for many years]...And a bunch of guys will laugh--old timers, you know. And then one kid will ask his partner, `what's that?' You choke him out until he tells you the truth. You know it is kind of funny. But a lot of policemen will get a kick out of it."
On attitude toward interrogating Black people
"When you are talking to somebody it is not like you are really listening into their words because you will key on what is the truth and what isn't. First thing, anything out of a n*gger's mouth for the first five or six sentences is a fucking lie. That is just right out. There has got to be a reason why he is going to tell you the truth."
On the destruction of the 77th precinct station
"Leave that old station. Man, it has the smell of n*ggers that have been beaten and killed in there for years."
On taking a suspect "to the baseball diamond."
"We basically get impatient with him being so fucking stupid. Which I thought he was. So I just handcuffed him and went the scenic route to the station. We searched him again and found the gun. Went over to the baseball diamond and talked to him. When I left, Dana goes, `No blood, Mark.' `No problem, not even any marks, Dana.' Just body shots. Did you ever try to find a bruise on a N*gger. It is pretty tough, huh?
On assuming guilt and shooting suspects in the back
"Where would this country be if every time a sheriff went out with a posse to find somebody who just robbed and killed a bunch of people, he stopped and talked to them first. To make sure they had guns. Tried to take them--they shot them in the back. We still should be shooting people in the back. It's just that you've got to hire people who are capable of doing it. And capable of figuring out who the bad guys are.
On assuming guilt and fabricating reasons for making an arrest
Fuhrman: "I didn't arrest him under anything, just took him to the station, ran him for prints, gave them to the detectives to compare with what they've got in the area. I'll probably arrest a criminal that way."
McKinny: "So you're allowed to pick somebody up that you think doesn't belong in an area and arrest him?...
Fuhrman: "I don't know. I don't know what the Supreme Court or the Superior Court says, and I don't really give a shit...If I was pushed into saying why I did it, I'd say suspicion of burglary. I'd be able to correlate exactly what I said into a reasonably probable cause for arrest."
On falsifying evidence
"So if that's considered falsifying a report, and if some hype [junkie], you know says, ah, you know whatever, I shot [up] two days ago, and you find a mark that looks like three days ago, pick the scab, squeeze it, looks like serum's coming out. As if it were hours old. It's a hard find. You just can't find the mark. Cause he's down. His eyes don't lie. That's not falsifying a report. That's putting a criminal in jail. That's being a policeman."
On brutalizing people for speaking Spanish
"We don't speak Spanish here. Work Mexican gangs, and I don't know how to speak any Spanish...When they speak Spanish. `No comprende.' Slap them upside the head. Then they speak English. I'm an English teacher. Just like that. That's police work. And that's being able to pick out the people. That type of treatment is necessary..."
On conduct when working in a Black neighborhood
"You have to be a switch hitter. You have to be able to look at your area and look at how you talk to people. Look at how you deal with things and what you can and can't do even with a criminal. You can't go up in Bel Air, and some guy gives you a hard time in broad daylight, and slap them. `Dammit. I want to know what's going on.' You just don't do that. I mean, it's obvious. But when you work down in the south end, Watts, the metropolitan area, you work skid row. You use your stick more than your mouth. You don't--I mean, you just, you go of course. Don't try to tell people to go there. Go there. You just use your stick. Smack 'em. They'll move. They see no problem with that. They're where they are not supposed to be...."
Fuhrman also describes an incident in an East L.A. housing project where he and other police officers kicked the door down.
"We grabbed a girl that lived there--one of their girlfriends. Grabbed her by the hair and stuck a gun to her head and used her as a barricade. Walked up and told 'em. `I've got this girl. I'll blow her fuck in' brains out if you come out with a gun.' Held her like this. Threw the b*tch down the stairs. Deadbolted the door. Let's play boys...Anyway, we basically tortured them. There was four policemen and four guys. We broke 'em. Numerous bones in each one of them. Their faces were just mush. They had pictures on the walls. There was blood all the way to the ceiling with finger marks like they were trying to crawl out of the room. They showed us pictures of the room. It was unbelievable. There was blood everywhere. All the walls. All the furniture. All the floors. It was just everywhere....So with 66 allegations, I had a demonstration out in front of Hollenbeck station chanting my name. Captain had to take them all into roll call and that's where the internal affairs investigation started. It lasted 18 months. I was on a photo lineup--suspect lineup. I was picked out by 12 people. So I was pretty proud of that....They didn't get any of our unit--38 guys--they didn't get one day. I didn't get one day.... Immediately after we beat those guys, we went downstairs to the garden hose in the back of the place. We washed our hands--we had blood all over our legs....Well, they know I did it. They know damn well I did it. There's nothing they can do about it because we all, most of those guys work 77th together. We came in as gang unit. We were tight. I mean we could have murdered people and got away with it. We were tight. We all knew what to say. We didn't have to call each other at home and say, `Okay.' We all knew what to say.
Well why not give Dawg his show back a second chance? why not!!!,Imus got his job back and Kramer is doing ok and Mark??? well we all know how he is doing, I wonder if Grata from on the record will ask Mark what he thinks of Dawg Chapman getting his job back,that would be interesting to hear a REAL RACIST answer that one, because he proved its ok to be a racist, now didn't he. yup gotta to love America.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Credit Cards for illegal immigrants
Are you kidding me?? you know its a sad day in the United States when a bank or ANY business that is run and operated In my country on the soil of the very land that lets its people go hungry, homeless with little or no hope of medical Insurance then kicking them in the teeth by insulting a descent hard working American, for Christ Sake! these people are having to decide to eat or go see a doctor!!!, or even go homeless with little or no chance of this getting any better for them so. its crazy and, it NEEDS TO STOP, it makes me very angry to see The Bank of America reaching out to the undocumented Illegal Immigrants who offer nothing to this country but a financial burden for tax payers with higher then normal school enrollments, welfare and food stamps would make perfect sense to me for a BANK to go after their business after all they are not high risks are they??
I am not the only American It also angers many others that have put their very lives into their businesses only to get bent over by a Government with high taxes that offers very little help,a Government,that seems to care more about the money ,or what political party you belong to? then the person ,its a huge mistake to allow the laws that we all have to follow be ignored the very laws that often put the lives of men and womens safety at risk, by letting Illegals do what they want when and where they want and screwing people that actually work and pay taxes in this country, it makes no sense that Americans have to take a back seat to others that are not here legally do not pay taxes and break our laws then retreat back home to their country, thats just insane.
when you go into a bank to cash your check, you are asked for two forms of ID in some states more then not, you are also asked that one of them IDs be a SSN its something we are all asked to do, or is it just people who live, work and are born in this country? Try to get a loan from a Bank without telling them your address or SSN or show any forms of ID this is just not how we do things..try to cancel your account with out that special pin number giving to you by your bank and then there is the all so clever " for securty reasons we need the last four digits of you SSN then combine this with " press one for english" AHHHHH its almost too much to bare, or even understand.
U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, (R-T), has introduced legislation that would prevent illegal immigrants from receiving credit cards from American financial institutions.
The Photo Identification Security Act would require banks to use what Blackburn calls “secure forms of identification” to obtain credit.
In a statement put out by her office, Blackburn stated that:
Bank of America “has come under fire in response to reports that it allows illegal immigrants access to credit cards without proper documentation.”
“This bill closes a critical loophole that banking institutions have used to circumvent the letter of the law they have used to target illegal aliens as a new source of revenue. It says to banks and illegal immigrants alike, ‘You can’t get a Visa, without a visa.’”
Finally we are seeing some politicians step up to the plate and introduce real legislation that will help stop the flow of illegal aliens into the United States. Marsha Blackburn, (R-T) introduced legislation to prevent illegals from receiving credit cards. Virgil Goode (R-VA) has proposed legislation to block the NAFTA superhighway that would blur our southern and northern borders.
The policy of 'catch and release' is being replaced with a policy of placing illegals in detention centers until they can be properly processed. Proponents of illegals and amnesty are now speaking out against the detention centers. It seems they don't meet the high standards that these lawbreakers deserve.
I am not the only American It also angers many others that have put their very lives into their businesses only to get bent over by a Government with high taxes that offers very little help,a Government,that seems to care more about the money ,or what political party you belong to? then the person ,its a huge mistake to allow the laws that we all have to follow be ignored the very laws that often put the lives of men and womens safety at risk, by letting Illegals do what they want when and where they want and screwing people that actually work and pay taxes in this country, it makes no sense that Americans have to take a back seat to others that are not here legally do not pay taxes and break our laws then retreat back home to their country, thats just insane.
when you go into a bank to cash your check, you are asked for two forms of ID in some states more then not, you are also asked that one of them IDs be a SSN its something we are all asked to do, or is it just people who live, work and are born in this country? Try to get a loan from a Bank without telling them your address or SSN or show any forms of ID this is just not how we do things..try to cancel your account with out that special pin number giving to you by your bank and then there is the all so clever " for securty reasons we need the last four digits of you SSN then combine this with " press one for english" AHHHHH its almost too much to bare, or even understand.
U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, (R-T), has introduced legislation that would prevent illegal immigrants from receiving credit cards from American financial institutions.
The Photo Identification Security Act would require banks to use what Blackburn calls “secure forms of identification” to obtain credit.
In a statement put out by her office, Blackburn stated that:
Bank of America “has come under fire in response to reports that it allows illegal immigrants access to credit cards without proper documentation.”
“This bill closes a critical loophole that banking institutions have used to circumvent the letter of the law they have used to target illegal aliens as a new source of revenue. It says to banks and illegal immigrants alike, ‘You can’t get a Visa, without a visa.’”
Finally we are seeing some politicians step up to the plate and introduce real legislation that will help stop the flow of illegal aliens into the United States. Marsha Blackburn, (R-T) introduced legislation to prevent illegals from receiving credit cards. Virgil Goode (R-VA) has proposed legislation to block the NAFTA superhighway that would blur our southern and northern borders.
The policy of 'catch and release' is being replaced with a policy of placing illegals in detention centers until they can be properly processed. Proponents of illegals and amnesty are now speaking out against the detention centers. It seems they don't meet the high standards that these lawbreakers deserve.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
When Do We Get Our Post-Strike TV Shows?
By FRAZIER MOORE .
NEW YORK (AP) — No more writers on picket lines. No more network TV bosses scrambling for replacement shows. But enough about them. What about us? Two simple questions prey on every viewer's mind: When will my favorite scripted programs be back with new episodes? And, WILL my favorite shows be back?
Here are the short-and-sweet answers from industry insiders after the three-month Hollywood writers' strike:
_ Many hit series (such as ABC's "Desperate Housewives" and "Grey's Anatomy," as well as CBS' "CSI" trio) will be back this spring for what's left of the current season, with anywhere from four to seven new episodes. But don't bet on weaker, "on-the-bubble" shows (NBC's "Bionic Woman" and CBS' "Moonlight," for example) returning until fall, if then.
_ And be prepared to muster a little more patience. A minimum of four weeks will be needed for producers to get the first post-strike episode of comedies (such as CBS' "Two and a Half Men" and NBC's "My Name Is Earl") started from scratch and back on the air; a drama will require six to eight weeks from concept to broadcast.
But there's no simple rule of thumb, added these TV execs, most of whom agreed to speak only on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to the media. Every show is its own special case.
If a series had a script near completion when the strike was called in November, it's got a head start resuming production now.
For example, CBS' "Criminal Minds" had one script in progress and a network-approved outline for another, said co-executive producer Chris Mundy, who cited something else that gives his show an advantage: "We didn't have to break down our sets. We're luckier than most."
Meanwhile, a complicated serial drama with vast technical demands — notably the NBC hit "Heroes" — may not be deemed worth returning this season at all. The cost of ramping up for such a production may not justify that expense when only a handful of episodes are being ordered.
Other shows, including ABC's "Dirty Sexy Money" and NBC's "Chuck," also aren't expected until fall. And Fox's "24" is unlikely to be back until early 2009.
Adding to this vexing calculus, each network will have to integrate its returning series into a prime-time schedule that, during the strike, has adapted to the absence of those shows with substitute fare.
Networks will also continue rolling out new series that were in the can before the strike. A CBS sitcom, "Welcome to the Captain," debuted just last week, as did NBC's dramedy "Lipstick Jungle." Fox has no fewer than four new dramas and comedies on tap.
No wonder if, amid all this turmoil, the networks will be rationing their new, post-strike product. They say they don't want to put fresh episodes at risk of getting lost in the shuffle.
"The networks will have to decide the tipping point: How many new shows is too many?" said Katherine Pope, president of Universal Media Studios, which, like NBC, is part of NBC Universal.
But a potential game-changer could be in the cards: One or more networks might elect to extend the season beyond May, which, of course, would call for even more new episodes. The chances of that happening aren't great. Viewership traditionally dips during summer months, and networks don't like running their best stuff when viewers aren't watching. But the post-strike landscape may not bow to tradition any more than the season has thus far.
Next season, too, is already being shaped by the strike.
NBC wants us to know it's been planning ahead. It recently announced a series pickup for the American adaptation of "Kath & Kim," a comedy hit in Australia. Likely to premiere this fall, it was a straight-to-series order that required no pilot.
But overall, the so-called development process for next fall has been delayed by the strike. Don't expect the usual crush of freshman shows right after Labor Day. And that looming void could have an impact on what we see (or don't see) this spring. In some cases, a network will opt to bank a series' remaining episodes to help fill the autumn programming gap.
These are decisions that must be made quickly, and industry execs say they prepared for numerous contingencies as the strike wore on.
"But until the studio and network and show runner for each series can get in a room together and talk, we don't have answers," said a studio executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to speak to the media. Many such meetings were expected to take place Monday.
Damon Lindelof is eager for some answers. An executive producer of ABC's mystery serial "Lost," he should learn this week what his show's future holds as it closes out its fourth season.
"Lost" has been back on the air just two weeks. But the strike meant a planned 16-episode shooting schedule was halted after just eight episodes were shot. Fans braced themselves for no more this season.
"But we very much want to come back and do as many episodes as possible," said Lindelof, who then listed a few issues that first need to be settled.
"How many episodes can best serve our story? And what are the production realities?" He noted that the shooting facility in Hawaii, 2,500 miles from his Los Angeles office, had been shuttered since Thanksgiving. The crew has dispersed, the huge cast has scattered.
The first new post-strike episode of "Lost" could possibly be ready for broadcast the week after episode eight appears, he said. There likely would be three or four more after that.
Could there be even more?
"I'd be surprised if the network wanted to air episodes deep into the summer," he said. But if all the pieces fell into place, "Lost" fans would be blessed: "I don't see why we couldn't deliver all eight remaining episodes."
That kind of zeal should warm viewers' hearts. Lindelof and the rest of TV's creative community seem delighted to be back.
Almost as delighted as we are.
Writers Strike: Worth It?
What was THAT all about? A three-and-a-half month strike. $2 billion hit on the LA economy. Thousands put out of work. About 70 "housekeeping deals" - writers put on retainer - killed outright. Dozens, hundreds of shows shut down. 
In the very cold light of dawn, the new deal doesn't really look all that great given the fall-out. On the page, the numbers actually look kinda puny. After all that - all that picketing, too - here's (part of) what writers ended up with: "residuals [will be] paid at 0.36 percent of distributors gross receipts for the first 100,000 downloads of a TV program and the first 50,000 downloads of a feature. After that, residuals are paid at 0.7 percent of distributors gross receipts for television programs and 0.65 percent for feature films.”
And that's just in the third year of this deal.
Now, let's get out my calculator - five of the most dangerous words in the English language - and see what this comes to. If we're talking (hypothetically) about "The Office" which goes for $1.99 (although it's no longer available on iTunes, but just stay with me here), and you reach the threshold of 100,000 copies downloaded, then that comes...to the grand total...of...$720.00.
In Los Angeles, I believe, that's the typical weekly grocery bill.
That's if you get to 100 large. Most shows don't do that well. Few do in fact. Of, course, my math could be all wrong (probably is) and I'm prejudiced by what appear to be very picayune figures. The Writers Guild would say that I've missed the point. This is about the FUTURE. This is about erasing PAST INJUSTICES. This is about GETTING OUR FAIR SHARE and tapping into the DISTRIBUTION PIPELINE OF THE NEXT DECADE. In that sense, they're certainly right. The producers wanted to indefinitely delay any new media payout pending a "careful industry study." Oh, yeah, we know all about THOSE careful industry studies.
For writers, the crucible that this strike was forged upon were DVDs. Twenty years ago, scribes pretty much abdicated any significant residual stream from videos because they were an unknown new business, and who the heck knew what they were gonna do? Videos boomed, then DVDs; writers got chump change from this revolution. Ironically, DVD residuals ended up taking a back seat in this negotiation because the Guild was hell-bent on getting Internet residuals.
A stray thought here: What if the real cash comes from DVDs in the next ten years, while downloading and streaming remain small potatoes? Clearly, the "distributors' gross" from the sale of a DVD is going to be far higher than an Internet sale simply because DVDs cost more.
One more stray thought: I think this battle was as much about the past as the future. Knotted deep within the DNA of Hollywood is distrust between writers and suits. Writers always think the suits are trying to screw them over - either financially or creatively; suits think writers are whiny layabouts who dress badly. Both camps hate each other and almost always have - though you have to go way back to the '20s when the first stirrings of this antipathy occurred. It's a fascinating, complex, serpentine story, but I think this latest strike proved (once again and thanks, Faulkner) that the past isn't dead - it isn't even past.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Has the Writers Strike Come to an end??
The ice appears to be cracking in Hollywood's long, cold winter of picket lines, shuttered productions and canceled award shows. As early as this week, the Writers Guild of America, which has been on strike for three months, may be presented with a new contract. With two key industry events fast approaching — the Academy Awards and TV pilot season — the writers and the studios have had plenty of incentive to return to the negotiating table and get past the rancor that doomed the early talks. Thanks to a deal hammered out by directors, they have also had a road map to a contract.
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Despite rumors and media reports of a deal struck over the weekend, WGA presidents Patric Verrone and Michael Winship e-mailed their members Sunday, saying, "We are still in talks and do not yet have a contract... Picketing will resume on Monday." The Alliance of Motion Picture Television Producers (AMPTP) also waved off reports of a done deal, though an AMPTP source said to "stay tuned."
WGA negotiators are expected to bring the union's board of directors a rough contract on Monday, the result of recent bargaining sessions attended by News Corp chairman Peter Chernin, Walt Disney chief executive Robert Iger and WGA negotiators David Young, John F. Bowman and Verrone. The negotiators have used the contract producers struck with the Directors' Guild of America last month as something of a template. That deal doubles residual payments for films and TV shows sold online and grants the union jurisdiction over shows created for the Internet.
Once the DGA deal got writers and studios back at the bargaining table, the WGA was the first to make concessions, dropping its demands to unionize writers on animated movies and reality TV shows. The studios, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times, are offering the writers a slightly sweeter deal than they did the directors, paying more for shows that are streamed free on ad-supported web sites. The directors get a flat $1,200 fee for the entire first year of streaming, a prospect that underwhelmed many striking writers.
"The DGA deal had some positive elements, but it was, 'eh'," says John Aboud, a WGA strike captain and contributor to the strike blog UnitedHollywood.com. "The pressure on everyone has been building. The creative community on an emotional level can't afford to lose the Oscars, and the companies can't afford to lose them on a financial level."
If the WGA board approves the tentative deal Monday, contract language will be finalized over the next several days or weeks. If past Hollywood strikes are any guide, the writers may resume work before every detail of the contract is agreed upon. With less than two weeks to pen some Oscar patter and with plenty of productions anxious to resume, writers may want to start flexing their typing fingers.
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The First Comedy Strike
Almost 30 years ago, comics like Jay and Dave staged a revolt. It changed everything
Writers’ Strike: The Directors’ Cut?
There’s a new auteur theory making the rounds in Hollywood. This one sees directors as having the be...
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Photo Illustration for TIME by Nicholas Hegel McClelland Articl...
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Filmmakers and dealmakers were just unpacking their parkas in Park City, Utah, on the opening day of...
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Despite rumors and media reports of a deal struck over the weekend, WGA presidents Patric Verrone and Michael Winship e-mailed their members Sunday, saying, "We are still in talks and do not yet have a contract... Picketing will resume on Monday." The Alliance of Motion Picture Television Producers (AMPTP) also waved off reports of a done deal, though an AMPTP source said to "stay tuned."
WGA negotiators are expected to bring the union's board of directors a rough contract on Monday, the result of recent bargaining sessions attended by News Corp chairman Peter Chernin, Walt Disney chief executive Robert Iger and WGA negotiators David Young, John F. Bowman and Verrone. The negotiators have used the contract producers struck with the Directors' Guild of America last month as something of a template. That deal doubles residual payments for films and TV shows sold online and grants the union jurisdiction over shows created for the Internet.
Once the DGA deal got writers and studios back at the bargaining table, the WGA was the first to make concessions, dropping its demands to unionize writers on animated movies and reality TV shows. The studios, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times, are offering the writers a slightly sweeter deal than they did the directors, paying more for shows that are streamed free on ad-supported web sites. The directors get a flat $1,200 fee for the entire first year of streaming, a prospect that underwhelmed many striking writers.
"The DGA deal had some positive elements, but it was, 'eh'," says John Aboud, a WGA strike captain and contributor to the strike blog UnitedHollywood.com. "The pressure on everyone has been building. The creative community on an emotional level can't afford to lose the Oscars, and the companies can't afford to lose them on a financial level."
If the WGA board approves the tentative deal Monday, contract language will be finalized over the next several days or weeks. If past Hollywood strikes are any guide, the writers may resume work before every detail of the contract is agreed upon. With less than two weeks to pen some Oscar patter and with plenty of productions anxious to resume, writers may want to start flexing their typing fingers.
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