DENVER (KDVR) — Multiple shootings sent 11 people to the hospital early Tuesday morning after thousands flocked downtown in celebration of the Denver Nuggets’ historic NBA Finals win, celebrating into the early morning hours.
Just before 1 a.m., the Denver Police Department tweeted that they were investigating a shooting in the 2000 block of Market Street.
Three victims were in critical condition at a local hospital, and the other victims appeared to have non-life-threatening injuries, according to DPD.
At around 1:11 a.m., DPD said they were investigating a shooting in an area where one person was shot. However, officers provided an update that the victim was actually shot in a different location and self-transported to the hospital.
In total, 10 people were injured in the 2000 block of Market Street, which is next to Coors Field.
DPD said this shooting is complex and the investigation is in its early stages. Early information suggests that multiple shots were fired during an altercation that involved several people.
Around 11:50 p.m. Monday, DPD said they were also investigating a shooting in an area a block away from the 16th Street Mall and several downtown hotels.
One person was taken to a local hospital, but their injuries were not immediately known.
Officers were working to obtain suspect information.
San Francisco Financial District. (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0.)
If California isn’t already the nation’s shoplifting leader, it soon will be if State Senator Dave Cortese’s SB 553 becomes law, according to some retailers. The bill just passed the state Senate and now moves over to the Assembly.
Ostensibly aimed at curbing workplace violence — a nice way of saying “criminals who come in to steal stuff and create the conditions for violence” — California Retailers Association chief Rachel Michelin described the bill in harsh terms. “It says no employee can approach someone who is shoplifting. So even if someone is trained on how to deter someone from doing that, now they’re not allowed to approach someone. So, what does that mean?”
“We are opening up the door to allow people to walk into stores, steal and walk out,” she said.
Cortese, a Democrat, says that “We don’t want rank-and-file employees to be forced to place themselves in harm’s way,” something that Michelin says employers aren’t doing anyway.
What SB 553 looks like to me is more virtue signaling, enshrined into law, that California now turns a blind eye to shoplifting. That’s certainly the way criminals will read it.
Meanwhile, over at the San Francisco Standard, they’re all a flutter over when the new downtown Ikea will finally open. There are signs of life at the construction site, “potentially signaling the company’s commitment to opening its Market Street store this year.” The bright blue and yellow store sign is posted and lit, and there are bare shelves in place, waiting to be stocked.
But maybe the question that San Francisco shoppers should ask isn’t when the new Ikea will open, but how long before corporate is forced to close it.
Downtown San Francisco has some of the priciest real estate in the world but empty office buildings, rampant shoplifting, and other so-called “lifestyle crimes” have forced big-name retailers to abandon the area. A massive Whole Foods closed in April after just a year of being open, with employees having to call the police an average of 10 times every week. Two city Nordstrom locations will close this summer after the company decided not to renew their leases on Market Street and at the Westfield Mall. Saks Off Fifth is closing, as are H&M and Uniqlo. Walgreens has closed several locations around the city.
And that’s just in San Francisco, just in the last few months.
Democrats like to portray their soft stance on shoplifting as a reasonable measure: “You wouldn’t prosecute a starving man for stealing a loaf of bread, would you?”
But in San Francisco, for example, most of the shoplifting is done by well-organized theft rings operating out of neighboring Oakland. Criminals know the police won’t do anything because the district attorney won’t do anything. Now, if Senate Bill 553 passes the Assembly and earns Gov. Gavin Newsom’s slimy signature, not even store security staff will be allowed to do anything.
High-end retailers will continue to flee, and the grocery and convenience stores remaining will quickly move to a Soviet model of retailing. Customers will not be allowed past a heavily protected cash register. After they pay, a clerk will retrieve their goods for them and then pass them through the opening in a prison-like cage.
Remember when suburban and rural folks used to make special trips to the city just to do some shopping?
Good times, fading fast.
—————————————————————————– Now call me silly or worse. But it seems to me that the State Legislature of California has a “few” other minor issues that could be looked at. Instead of pandering to the criminal class.
Like oh let us say, Tax Reform, Term Limits, Water issues, Homeless / Bums, Infrasturcture, Housing, Over crowding, Gun issues, Mental health, Traffic, Over regulation of everything, Anti business enviroment, locking up bad folks and throwing away the key. Or let say also fighting illegal immigation instead of incouraging it. But whom am I ? I am just a taxpayer who helps foot the bills. Grumpy
Human beings are tribal. No matter how advanced we or the Information Age trappings with which we adorn ourselves become, we simply cannot escape this most primal urge. Whether it’s driven by the clothes we wear, the language we speak or our zip code, homo sapiens will invariably seek out a tribe.
The AH-1W SuperCobra was an extensively-upgraded version of the Vietnam-era gunship with new sensors, fresh weapons, and an upgraded powertrain. Image: NARA
In no place is this weird tenet more overtly manifest than in the military. I once saw a man die trying to earn the privilege of wearing a funny-looking hat. It’s indeed a strange old world.
An AH-1 SuperCobra helicopter comes in to Landing Zone Bluebird during CAPEX ’92. Image: NARA
In the case of the U.S. military, we have the curious love/hate relationship manifest between the Army and Marine Corps. Each organization espouses unique strengths and weaknesses, and some of their turf overlaps. When overseen by the U.S. Congress, arguably the most dysfunctional group of humans ever to grace the earth, the results can seem nonsensical.
Dueling Gunships
The U.S. Army deployed the first AH-1G Cobra gunships to Vietnam in the summer of 1967. The Marines coveted these sexy beasts but were rightfully uncomfortable with the single-engine design given the amount of over-water flying they had to do. The Army transferred 38 single-engine Snakes to the Jarheads in 1969, but this was a stopgap measure at best.
An AH-1W SuperCobra helicopter takes off from Tallil Air Base, Iraq, during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Two U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopters are visible in the background. Image: NARA
Now stick with me here. This is complicated. The Marines requested Snakes of their own, which they ultimately christened SeaCobras. At some point in production, Bell engineers fitted these Marine airframes with Pratt and Whitney T400-WV-402 Twin Pac engine units.
To accommodate the extra power produced by two engines, these upgraded gunships incorporated the transmission system taken from the commercial Bell 214. The main rotor and tail rotors both grew a bit as well, and there were some other minor upgrades.
These new versions were eventually designated the AH-1T. By the end of the Vietnam War, the Marine Corps had taken delivery of 49 twin-engine SeaCobras. These capable aircraft saw action at the very end of the conflict, providing air cover during the final evacuation of the US embassy in Saigon in 1975.
A U.S. Marine Corps AH-1W SuperCobra fires rockets during an exercise at Chocolate Mountain Gunnery Range. Image: Lance Cpl. Jeremy L. Laboy/U.S.M.C.
The Marines’ twin-engine Snakes had a greater payload capacity than their single-engine brethren and were also more easily maintained in an austere environment. T-models had an extended fuselage, TOW missile capability, and advanced targeting systems. Eventually, Marine SeaCobras were fitted with the twin GE T700-GE-700 turboshaft engines designed for the AH-64 Apache and redesignated the AH-1T+. Unlike the previous Vietnam-era gunships that carried 40mm automatic grenade launchers and miniguns, the AH-1T sported a 3-barrel M-197 20mm Gatling gun in the chin turret.
The Shah’s Snakes
In 1971, the Iranians were our buddies. The Shah of Iran was a fairly bloodthirsty despot, but he was our bloodthirsty despot. Flush with cash and unencumbered by the fundamentalist Ayatollahs who run the place nowadays, in 1971 the Shah purchased 202 twin-engine AH-1J SeaCobras. The Iranians then proceeded to fly the heck out of those machines.
A U.S. Marine Corps AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopter flies over Florida during close-air support training on the massive live-fire ranges. Image: NARA
Most of the Iranian Cobra combat action took place against the Iraqis during that bloody seven-year war. Along the way, Iranian Snake drivers killed scads of Iraqi tanks with their TOW-armed gunships. They also scored air-to-air victories against Iraqi Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters. The Combloc Mi-24 was faster and more heavily armed, but the Cobra was much more nimble.
A right-side view of a U.S. Marine AH-1 Cobra helicopter in flight during a training mission in 1986. Image: NARA
Though the numbers are impossible to verify, the Iranians claimed a 10-to-1 kill advantage for their Cobras over their rotary-wing opponents. There were even three confirmed kills by AH-1J pilots against MiG-21 Fishbed jet fighters. Iranian gunship pilots also claimed one Su-20 and the shared downing of a MiG-23. All of the fast-mover kills were the result of engagements with the 20mm M197 cannon.
U.S. Navy Sailor Lou Robinson guides an AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopter onto a landing deck aboard the Baylander (IX-514) while underway in Pensacola Bay. Image: NARA
All the Iranian Cobras are simply worn out these days. Decades of sanctions choked off the supply of spare parts, while protracted combat operations just ground down the machines. Ali Akbar Shiroodi and Ahmad Kashvari are two Iranian Cobra jocks who are considered national heroes in Iran today.
The Next Generation
Back in the U.S., the Marines really wanted to replace their twin-engine Cobras with AH-64 Apaches. In 1981, the Leathernecks conducted an intensive two-week evaluation of the Army gunship only to have Congress deny funding for the new aircraft.
Lance Cpl. Matt Riddle guides an AH-1W SuperCobra after refueling at Jalibah Air Base, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Image: NARA
As a result, the Marines upgraded their old Cobras to carry Sidewinder air-to-air missiles as well as the AGM-114 laser-guided Hellfire antitank missile system. This upgraded version was redesignated the AH-1W SuperCobra. The Marines eventually fielded 179 newly-manufactured SuperCobras alongside 43 examples that were upgraded from previous AH-1T’s.
Republicans and Democrats agree, debt crisis is vet’s fault
Another lifetime transportation device for some freeloader
WASHINGTON — Military veterans make up only 6.4% of the United States population, according to Census Bureau data, but these freeloaders cost the American taxpayer billions, a fact that brings Republicans and Democrats together.
It is no coincidence that the national debt ceiling has become a contentious issue for usually rational and cooperative legislators. But one silver lining in the fight is the unifying effect that paying for veterans has when they’re no longer actively fighting wars or offering useful photo opportunities. Legislators, budget analysts, and journalists agree, America’s veterans, especially disabled ones, are “a gigantic pain in the ass.”
“When you think about it, the VA budget is about $119 billion but we only have about 19 million veterans,” stated Washington Post journalist Aimes Poorly. “So, that amounts to what? Like, ten billion dollars per veteran?”
“I don’t know about you,” Poorly continued. “But I don’t want my tax dollars to make billionaires out of cripples and shell-shocked kids who can’t contribute to society. They need to pull themselves up by their combat bootstraps. Do you think my parents paid for four years of finding my truth at Wellesley or my Eurosummer with a bunch of government handouts? No! My dad is a simple plastic surgeon. He had to perform a lot of extra elective surgeries to pay for all that. These crybaby vets could have chosen Spain over Nangarhar or Ramadi if they had a little vision. Dude, the raves in Ibiza are nuts.”
No two ways about it: America’s veterans are thieves
Recently, the Washington Post brilliantly used an opinion article to explore this very topic — highlighting the unfortunate fact that advanced medical research and care means more service members survive severe and life-threatening injuries than in previous generations. This huge downside of science has led to a surplus of greedy veterans for the American people to support with benefits like healthcare, free or reduced college costs, life insurance, and career training. It was a thought-provoking exercise in brilliance that really made people think.
Willow Sparks, an unemployed crystals expert, weighed in.
Though she never served in the military, Sparks considers identifying as a wounded veteran as a means of securing the money to pay back student loans. Alternatively, she may move to “this micro-swap commune in the Yucatan and just default.”
ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!
Congressional Representatives share concerns about biased treatment in favor of veterans. In late April, a bill introduced would have cut the VA budget by 22%. Florida representative and off-hours Joker impersonator, Representative Matt Gaetz, believes it was a step in the right direction.
“Plain and simple, the Veterans’ Administration is a drain on the economy. I mean, there’s the medical care for people that had nothing more productive to do than go to Afghanistan and get cancer from standing around burn pits while I was chasing hotties and partying balls during college and law school. But that’s before you even get into non-medical services like the GI Bill, home loans, job and skills training, and legal services for veterans. I sure would like some of that sweet government cash. It’s not like I don’t have my own bills to pay.”
Gaetz then laughed maniacally and disappeared into a puff of smoke.
Reached between a “speaking and sensing session” at a Brooklyn-based indigenous weaving cooperative, traditional Gaetz opponent Representative Anastasia Ocasio-Cortez joined him, “The VA is just an extension of a military that exists solely to turn otherwise future workers in support of state production into killer automatons who generally vote Republican. I can’t support that any more than I support recruiting them in the first place. It’s an issue of consistency.”
These people are smarter than you. Don’t ask questions.
While experts seem unified in support of slashing funds to the VA, no one could say exactly how this would improve the economy in the long or short term. Yet, many remain optimistic that if the VA budget is reduced, those pesky veterans will die off faster.
Despite expert opinion to the contrary, one group of Americans seemed opposed to slashing veterans’ funding and, if history is a guide, their opinion will be what wins the day.
Art Popp, a spokesman for The American Military Industrial Complex explained, “Look, the creation of veterans is just good business. Someone has to fire the Tomahawk. Drones don’t exactly fly themselves. Well, they sorta do. Anyway…whatever, ships and planes need someone to move them. Then there’s the infantry. Those guys wandering around finding IEDs are great for the prosthetics guys. And let’s be honest, most of these mouthbreathers can’t do anything else. Crippled vets are just the price of doing business and providing value to the patriotic American shareholder.”
Gray Sea Liu is a former Naval Officer, current smart-ass.
Rebel News, highlights the plight of an Amish farmer who operates a private market club for his products. Because his crops, dairy and beef are not sold to the ‘general public,’ and only to those who are members of the private food club, Amos Miller contends he should not be subject to USDA regulations.
Miller’s organic farm operates on century old farming practices. His farm uses no electricity, no tractors, no diesel, no gasoline, and he produces exceptional all natural yields which people are willing to pay top dollar to purchase.
Additionally, because Mr. Miller doesn’t use chemical fertilizer or fuel, his farm has not been impacted by the increased costs that have hit industrial farms. He and his customers are completely unaffected by outside influence.
However, a federal judge ruled that despite his closed members-only market, he must have USDA inspectors for his beef and cattle slaughter processes. Miller does not want to use the regulated and required pharmaceutical antibiotics, and other regulatory processes required by the USDA. He now faces jail time and a $300,000 fine. [Rebel News Article]
While CTH is completely on the side of the Miller farm, it’s not fair to share this story without providing the alternative perspective from the side of the regulatory agencies.
(Via Lancaster Online) – […] “The United States submits that Mr. Miller’s continuing recalcitrance and flouting of the court’s orders requires a robust, more-coercive civil contempt sanction than previously imposed,” government attorneys wrote in its request filed in late July. “Specifically … the court should order him to be incarcerated until he has paid these sums that are long overdue.”
U.S. District Judge Edward G. Smith scheduled a hearing for Sept. 26 at the federal courthouse in Easton for Miller to show why he should not be jailed.
And the government wants Miller’s wife, Rebecca Miller, added as a defendant in the case because she is a co-owner of Miller’s Organic Farm. That will also be addressed at the hearing.
Miller — who has an attorney, but has been filing paperwork on his own — filed a response on Aug. 5 suggesting Smith and the government are “working in concert” in supposedly violating his rights. The filing seeks a stay of the proceedings and indicates Miller plans to appeal issues in which he contends the judge is wrong.
[…] Miller first came to the attention of federal authorities in 2016, when the Food and Drug Administration said it identified Listeria in samples of Miller’s raw milk; the agency found the Listeria to be genetically similar to the bacteria found in two people who developed listeriosis — one of whom died — after consuming raw milk.. (read more)
It’s an interesting issue, specifically interesting because the members of the private food club are in a hold-harmless relationship with the Miller farm.
An interesting story 