Gate Rape – Still a “Crime” and Certainly a National Shame
By E. Roberts Musser
The TSA is at it again, still engaging in “gate-rape” of the elderly. The following are the most recent examples:
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Inspectors pulled aside Ruth Sherman, age 88, to ask her about the bulge in her pants. Ruth tried to explain about her colostomy bag without success. She was escorted to another room where two female agents made her lower her sweatpants. The humiliated woman was forced to warn the agents not to touch her colostomy bag, because to do so would cause pain.
It has now been over a month since the initial pepper-spraying incident that caught the attention of the region, the state, the nation and even the world. In the aftermath of that event, the Vanguard joined many others in calling for the chancellor to resign.
To say that, to many on the left, the first term of Barack Obama’s presidency has been a profound disappointment is an understatement. While a victim, to some extent, of the realities of his times, President Obama had an opportunity to rectify eight years of questionable civil liberties policies and not only failed to do so, but codified some of the worst atrocities.
Attorney Bill Kopper, former mayor of Davis and a member of the city’s Water Advisory Committee, issued a strong rebuttal against the editorial of the Sacramento Bee from December 9, “Is Davis set to scuttle Woodland water deal?”
The Yolo County District Attorney’s office has just spent three and a half years and unknown quantities of money to get the death penalty in what should have been a slam dunk case.
Occupy UC Davis, with the unfortunate pepper-spray incident, has focused the state and, indeed, the world on the crisis of public higher education in California and the risks that it will spiral out of the range of affordability for middle-class Californians.
I could not believe when I saw the release from UC Davis: “Occupy’s aftermath: 8,500 for cleanup and repair,” my thought was, really? That is what you are going to complain about?
It was a case that had all of the intrigue – a red-headed boy-next-door looking defendant, turned racist gun-nut, who shot a black man claiming self-defense. But ultimately the jury failed to buy the self-defense theory and convicted Christopher Smith, 31, of second degree murder with enhancements, that put the likely sentence to 45 to life.
Few in the community are likely shocked by the news that a young soccer coach and licensed foster parent would be charged with 48 felony child molestation counts with a child under 14. These charges stem from alleged conduct with two children from June 2007 until November 2011.
The surprise news this week is that rate hikes from CalPERS next July for local pension plans, like the City of Davis’, is expected to be far lower than previously expected, with an increase of less than 1 percent for most local pension plans.
