#harris county deputies

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Darrell Lucus at Loud, Liberal, Christian:

Much of the armchair quarterbacking over Donald Trump’s impending return to the White House centers around claims that Trump would have never been a position to run again had the Justice Department moved more quickly to prosecute him for absconding with classified documents and his role in the 2021 insurrection. Well, excuse me, but I disagree. Those criticizing Merrick Garland for waiting almost two years to start a criminal investigation against Trump need to ask themselves what would have happened had he moved quickly to investigate and indict Trump, only to have the case come unstuck in court. If you think Trump and his minions were screaming “WITCH HUNT!” now, imagine what would have happened had he been acquitted because a rushed investigation resulted in missteps at trial.

We would have risked a repeat of the Freddie Gray case, which came apart because Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby rushed the cases to court without ensuring there was enough evidence to show that the negligence of the officers who shackled Gray into a police van without a seat belt amounted to criminal conduct. We may have known their actions amounted to a callous disregard for life, but Mosby didn’t take the time to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. I’m also reminded of the Bill Cosby case, where prosecutors in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania cared more about chasing headlines than doing the actual work of putting Cosby away for sexual assault. In so doing, they relied too much on testimony Cosby gave in a civil suit—a Fifth Amendment violation that couldn’t be ignored on appeal, even if there was no real-world doubt that Cosby was a pervert.

From where I’m sitting, the real hackles should be directed at the Democratic campaign apparatus. It got the equivalent of manna from heaven in the form of voluminous evidence that showed not just beyond reasonable doubt, but ALL doubt, that when Trump was ranting about having a second term stolen from him, he did so when he damned well knew that he had lost to Joe Biden. And yet, in the absence of something I haven’t heard or seen, neither the party nor the Kamala Harris campaign (née the Joe Biden campaign) made a dedicated effort to ensure that evidence stayed in voters’ minds.

The first time that a lot of people learned that Trump knew he had lost came in late January 2021, when The New York Times reported that Trump’s legal team concluded as early as Nov. 12—nine days after the election—that it could not win enough legal challenges to overturn Biden’s lead in Arizona. Earlier that day, Trump’s legal team filed legal challenges to 191 ballots—not even a fraction of Biden’s 10,000-vote lead there. Ethically, they were required to tell Trump, or at the very least make sure he received that information. At the same time, Rudy Giuliani started ranting about supposed malfeasance by Dominion Voting Systems. By then, the deplorable tubes were percolating with talk that Dominion-powered voting machines had switched thousands of votes from Trump to Biden. Even though deputy campaign manager Justin Clark told Trump this was bullshit, Trump sided with Giuliani. This started what the Old Grey Lady called “an extralegal campaign” to wangle a second term. In light of what we now know, “extralegal campaign” is a polite term for “insurrection” or “attempted self-coup.��

A few days later, William Saletan of Slate compiled a list of articles that suggested Trump knew or reasonably should have known even earlier than Nov. 12 that he had lost. The two things that jumped out at me were articles in Axios and The Washington Post that indicated Trump knew his odds of overturning Biden’s lead were extremely slim. According to Axios, Clark and his boss, Bill Stepien, told Trump on Nov. 7, soon after most networks declared Biden president-elect, that he had only one shot shot at reelection. He needed to run the table among outstanding ballots in Arizona and Georgia, and also win a legal challenge to Wisconsin’s count. Clark told Trump that at best—AT BEST—he only stood a 10% chance of pulling it off. According to The Post, Trump “signaled that he understood” what Clark was telling him—he needed a political Hail Mary to win another term.

The significance? As early as Nov. 12, Trump had to have known that on the latter date, he had no legitimate claim to Arizona’s 10 electoral votes. As anyone who was paying attention in 2020 knows, Trump had no politically realistic path to 270 that didn’t include Arizona’s 10 electoral votes. He damned well knew or damned well should have known that path had closed off as early as nine days after the election, and was still railing about fraud.

[...] And yet, a mere five days later, Giuliani, Sidney Powell, and Jenna Ellis held an absolutely bonkers press conference in which they aired out claims that they knew or should have known were false. So the president of the United States damned well knew or damned well should have known that the Big Lie was, well, a lie. He damned well knew or damned well should have known said lie that was causing innocent people—election officials, poll workers, voting tech company workers—to be harassed, trolled, and threatened. And yet, he didn’t do a damned thing about it. Worse, actually—he allowed his legal team to make those very same claims to the American people. The ads wrote themselves—or at least should have written themselves. And yet, in the absence of something I haven’t heard or seen, they never came. Any concerns the Biden campaign might have had about tainting a potential jury should have been put to rest with how that campaign memo came to light. It wasn’t obtained through a leak. It was obtained via a legal filing by Eric Coomer, the former Dominion employee who had taken the Trump campaign, Giuliani, Powell and several other elements of the right-wing fever swamp to court for defaming him. Coomer had been forced to go into hiding due to a litany of death threats stirred up by the Big Lie, and his lawyers got his hands on that memo via discovery. News reports are one thing. Legal filings are another. The timeline is laughably easy to follow. Trump knew as early as Nov. 7 that he was shooting his last legal bolt to win another term, and knew as early as Nov. 12 that said bolt had missed. On Nov. 14, his own communications team unearthed hard evidence that would have made it clear to anyone with a brain that the Big Lie was, well, a lie. And yet, five days after that memo came out, Trump’s own lawyers held a press conference centered around claims that they knew or should have known were false. Seen in this light, that press conference was the first overt act in the insurrection—and everything Trump and his team did after that date was in furtherance of that insurrection. That includes all of those hair-on-fire fundraising emails from the Trump campaign warning about fraud. Seen in this light, it’s clear that the insurrection actually started sometime in November. It was almost certainly underway by Nov. 19 at the latest; that day’s bonkers press conference was the first overt act in the insurrection.

[...] The Democrats had a chance to make Trump pay the ultimate political price for his lies—and in so doing, make it far easier to make him pay in court for it. And they blew it eight ways to Sunday. If there is any doubt that Democrats have a messaging problem, the Democrats’ failure to make the American people remember Trump lied and knew he was lying should put it beyond all doubt.

This post from Darrell Lucus is spot-on: Donald Trump knew he lost the 2020 election, but kept on pushing the lie that he “won” even after being told that he didn’t win.

See Also:

Adam Kinzinger: Trump's Shield of Power: Evading Justice

[50calmadeuce]

Ch. 28: Dorian

Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Top Gun: Maverick world, trademarked by Paramount Pictures Corporation. I do not claim ownership of the characters and the world that I am borrowing.

The story and situation I am creating are a work of my imagination and I do not ascribe them to official story canon. This work is for entertainment only and is not a part of the storyline.

I am not profiting financially from the creation and publication of this story, but I do hope it gives you happy thoughts.

These stories are my own, so please do not take them and use them for yourself without my permission. If you see them somewhere else, please let me know. :)

Jake paced in the hotel entryway while Chuck sat in one of the chairs.

"I knew I shouldn't have let her come here alone," Jake said, his frustration and worry evident.

Chuck looked up at Jake from his seat, his expression calm but understanding. "I actually have to agree with you. I didn't like the guy the first time I met him, but now I definitely don't like him." Chuck sighed. "If he did anything to her..." Chuck sighed.

Just then, two county Deputies walked through the front doors of the hotel.

"Lieutenant Seresin?" the older one with salt-and-pepper hair asked.

"That's me," Jake responded as the Deputy walked towards him.

The deputy gave Jake a nod, his expression serious. "I'm Deputy Harris, and this is Deputy Monroe. We need to talk to you about Dr. Dorian Stryker."

Jake's worry deepened, and Chuck stood up, his attention fully on the deputies. "What's going on?" Chuck asked, his voice steady but tense.

Deputy Harris glanced between Jake and Chuck before speaking. "We received a call from Dr. Stryker. He reported feeling threatened and intimidated by you during a meeting last night involving you. He claims it involved you and Mrs. Seresin."

Jake's eyes widened in disbelief. "That's not what happened. Y/N was just meeting with him to go over some research. I stayed at the bar to keep an eye on things."

Deputy Monroe stepped forward. "We're not accusing anyone of anything yet. We just need to get statements from both of you. Where is Ms. Seresin now?"

"That's the problem. We don't know. My wife came here this morning to meet with Dr. Stryker to finish up reviewing some data. I've tried contacting her, but she hasn't responded," Jake explained.

"Well, if I hadn't been with my wife for four years, I wouldn't expect a response either," the deputy replied.

Jake's jaw dropped, and Chuck stepped in. "Officer…"

"It's Deputy," the deputy corrected, pointing at his badge.

"I apologize, Deputy. Dr. Seresin always responds to texts. I've known her for almost five years. If I ever needed her, she's always let me know how to reach her."

Looking directly at Jake, the Deputy said, "Maybe she left you."

Jake shook his head. "She wouldn't. Y/N's not like that."

"Are you sure?" the Deputy asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jake started to get mad and Chuck placed a hand on his shoulder. "Look, Deputy. I've known Y/N a while now and she would never leave the Lieutenant here. She loves him too much."

The Deputy sighed. "Look. She's an adult. Does she have any medical problems?"

"No. She's just pregnant."

"Then there's nothing I can do for at least twenty-four hours." The Deputy paused. "Now, if there's nothing else, have a good day."

The two deputies nodded, turned around, and walked out of the hotel.

Jake turned to Chuck. "Did that really just happen?"

You heard a crackling noise and felt warmth emanating from somewhere as your eyes slowly opened. As your surroundings came into view, you slowly sat up and looked around, not recognizing where you were.

A huge fireplace with a roaring fire was a few feet in front of you, and the rest of the room had a rustic style. The couch you lay on had a red Aztec pattern adorned with bears and looked quite expensive.

Just then, Dorian walked in from another room, holding a tray. "You're awake, darling!" he said, setting the tray in front of you. It held eggs, bacon, a biscuit, and a glass of orange juice. "Please, eat. I'm sure you're famished."

You looked at the tray and then at him. "Dorian, where am I? How did I get here?" You thought a moment and then it hit you. The coffee. "You drugged me."

He smiled with a look you had never seen before. "You're home."

Your eyes scanned the room. "This isn't my home."

His eyes, deep and intense, locked onto your, the air humming with unspoken tension. "This is your home now," he stated, his voice a low rumble, laced with a hint of something you couldn't quite place – concern? Determination? Perhaps a veiled warning.

And the air wasn't just thick, it was infused with the unspoken weight of Dorian's words. With his declaration, he had not merely handed you a roof over your head, but a responsibility, a new chapter in your life. This wasn't just a house, it was a fortress, a sanctuary, and perhaps, a prison.

He wasn't giving you a choice, not this time. He was making a decision for you.

"What do you want, Dorian? If it's money, I'll give it to you," you responded.

Dorian's smile tightened, his eyes narrowing slightly. "It's not about money, darling," he said, his tone disturbingly calm. "It's about keeping you safe, keeping us safe. This world is dangerous, and I can't bear the thought of something happening to you or our baby."

You felt a chill run down your spine as your hand went to your belly. "Our baby? Dorian, this isn't right. I need to go back. Jake is going to be worried sick."

Dorian's expression hardened. "Jake doesn't understand what's at stake here. He can't protect you like I can. I've been watching you, Y/N. I know what you need, even if you don't realize it yet."

You stood up, the sense of unease growing. "Dorian, this is madness. You can't just take me away from my life. Let me go, and we can figure this out together, rationally."

He stepped closer, his presence imposing. "No, Y/N. You're staying here where it's safe. You and our baby. We'll be happy here, I promise. Just give it a chance."

You took a step back, trying to keep your voice steady. "Dorian, I can't stay here. I need to go back to my husband, to my life. Please, let me go."

Dorian's expression softened slightly, but the intensity in his eyes remained. "Y/N, I know this is hard to understand right now. But you'll see, in time. You'll see that this is the best thing for all of us."

As you stood there, the gravity of the situation sinking in, you knew you needed to find a way out. Dorian's delusion and possessiveness were clear, and the only thing that mattered now was escaping and getting back to Jake.

"Dorian," you began, trying to keep your voice calm and measured, "I understand that you're worried about me, but this isn't the way to go about it. If you care about me, you'll let me leave."

Dorian's face softened momentarily, as if considering your words, but then he shook his head resolutely. "No, Y/N. You don't understand. I can't let you go. You're safer here with me."

Your mind raced, searching for a way to diffuse the situation and buy yourself some time. "Why? Why me?"

Dorian chuckled. "Are you really that naive, Y/N? If it wasn't for you helping me with that first book, I wouldn't have gotten as rich as I did. I need you on this project and many more. We work so well together." His eyes glared. "We need to be together for it to work."

The truth struck you like a blow, and you took a deep breath, trying to steady your racing heart. Dorian's obsession wasn't just about you—it was about his career, his success. You had to keep him talking, to find a way to escape his grip.

"Dorian," you began, carefully choosing your words, "I understand that my help has been valuable to you, but this isn't the way to secure my support. If you force me to stay, I'll never be able to give my best. You need to let me go, so I can work with you willingly."

Dorian shook his head, his expression a mix of frustration and determination. "You don't get it, Y/N. I've tried the other way. I've tried asking, negotiating, but you always have an excuse, something else taking priority." He threw a hand up in the air. "Like Jake." He looked at you. "He left you because you lost your child. I would never do that to you. For years I watched how he hurt you emotionally and I was always placed behind him. That's not going to happen again. I can't risk losing you again."

His words cut deep, and you could feel the weight of his obsession pressing down on you. "Dorian," you said softly, trying to maintain your composure, "I understand you're hurt and frustrated, but keeping me here isn't the answer. You can't build a future on coercion."

He took a step closer, his eyes blazing with a mix of anger and desperation. "But don't you see? This is the only way I can be sure. You always chose him over everything else. I can't let that happen again. I need you to see that I'm the one who truly cares about you, who will never leave you."

"I chose him over you because he was, and still is, my husband. That's how marriage works."

"He is not your husband! I am your husband!!" Dorian yelled as he stepped closer to you and held up his hand. "See! We even have a matching wedding set."

As you cast your gaze upon your hand, a sudden realization washed over you like an icy torrent. The familiar gleam of your wedding band had vanished, replaced by a set of opulent rings that you had never seen before. Your heart skipped a beat as a wave of confusion and unease swept through you. Your eyes darted up to meet Dorian's, their enigmatic depths holding an unsettling glimmer. A mixture of disbelief and trepidation bubbled within you as you tried to fathom the significance of this unexpected change. Your mind raced, frantically searching for an explanation, yet all you found was a haunting silence that seemed to weigh heavily upon the air. A myriad of questions surged through your being, each one more pressing than the last. Had you lost your mind? Was this some cruel prank? Or had your life taken an unexpected and inexplicable turn?

You slowly began to sit back down on the couch.

You stared at the rings, a chill running down your spine. "Dorian, this isn't real," you said, your voice trembling. "This isn't right."

"It's as real as it needs to be," he replied, his tone disturbingly calm. "We've always belonged together, Y/N. This is just the universe finally correcting itself."

Your mind raced, trying to process the surreal situation. "Dorian, you can't just rewrite reality. You can't just… make things happen because you want them to. This is insane."

He stepped closer, his eyes intense. "Insane? Insane is watching the woman you love choose someone else over and over again. Insane is knowing that she would be happier with you but being powerless to do anything about it. This," he gestured between the two of you, "this is clarity. This is fate."

You took a deep breath, trying to keep your composure. "Dorian, listen to me. This isn't fate. This is obsession. And it's dangerous. You need help."

"I don't need help," he said, his voice rising. "I need you to understand that we are meant to be together. Once you see that, everything will be perfect."

You stood up, backing away from him. "I can't see that, Dorian. Because it's not true. I love Jake. I always have, and I always will. You have to let me go."

His face twisted with anger. "I won't let you go," he snarled. "I can't."

Before you could react, Dorian grabbed your arm, his grip tight and unyielding. "You will stay here with me, Y/N. And you will learn to love me. Because I won't let you go."

Panic surged through you as you struggled to free yourself. "Dorian, let me go! You're hurting me!"

He didn't loosen his grip, his eyes wild with desperation. "No, Y/N. You belong to me now. And I'm never letting you go."

The room seemed to close in around you, the fire's warmth turning suffocating. You knew you had to find a way out, to escape this nightmare. But as you looked into Dorian's eyes, you realized that reason and persuasion were no longer options. You needed to act quickly and decisively, or you might never get another chance.

Chuck hung up his cell phone and turned to Jake. "We'll find her."

Confused, Jake looked at him. "What are you talking about?"

"I just got off the phone with your attorney."

Jake raised an eyebrow. "We have an attorney?"

"Lieutenant, there's a lot you still need to learn about your wife and her profession. Max will be here as soon as he can."

"Who's Max?"

"A friend of the family's. He's taking his private jet out here. So, until he gets here, let me tell you more about your wife as I make us some more coffee. I think we're going to need it," Chuck said as he went to the kitchen of the rental cabin.

Jake followed behind.

Tags: @buckysteveloki-me @bellyliveslife @tgmreader @callsign-barbell @86laura11 @dizzybee03 @kmc1989 @guacam011y @nerdgirljen @hookslove1592 @dempy @djs8891 @smoothdogsgirl

[sorrythathappened]

Wayne County Deputy Executive Assad Turfe, one of the leaders of Michigan’s Uncommitted movement, endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris after her rally on Wednesday.

Here’s hoping that Harris will use leverage to stop the Israeli invasion of Gaza - this is the most promising sign yet! In the meantime, keep pushing for a ceasefire in good faith and donate if you can (or check out arab.org).

[beardedmrbean]

A grandmother in Ohio is facing a felony assault charge after admitting to intentionally shooting her six-month-old granddaughter in the eye.

Mia Desiree Harris, 43, pled guilty on Tuesday to the assault charge, according to Law&Crime. She also faced two charges relating to assaults of other family members but both of those were dismissed following her plea.

The violence unfolded in the early hours of December 9 last year. Police responded to a report in Liberty Township, 25 miles north of Cincinnati, that an infant had been shot at around 1:50am. A woman on the phone told a 911 operator that “my baby’s been shot, my baby’s been shot,” according to WXIX.

The 911 operator then asked the woman to confirm that her baby has been shot. “Yes,” she says. “Lord please save my baby.”

Responding officers found the child with a gunshot wound to the head. Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones told WXIX at the time that the child had been shot through the eye.

The infant was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition, but survived and is on the road to recovery, according to Journal-News.

The sheriff’s office said that Harris also allegedly hit and shot at several family members before “intentionally shooting the child.”

A law enforcement incident report alleged that Harris was so determined to enter the room where her granddaughter was sleeping that she fired multiple shots through a wooden door and then broke down it’s splintered remains to get to the child.

Detective Daniel Turner provided further context during a preliminary hearing in 2023. After breaking into the room, Harris shot the child’s mother in the head — the bullet narrowly grazed her skull, he said, according to WCPO — and then shot the child. Harris then lifted the child off the bed and smiled as she handed the infant to its wounded mother.

Harris fled the scene before deputies arrived but witnesses identified her to law enforcement. She was located and taken into custody shortly after the incident.

When the woman was asked why she wanted to shoot the child, she told deputies: “That was not my grandbaby. Sorry, not sorry,” WCPO reported.

She then said that her family was “trying to take all of her money and then leave,” and insisted that she “was not going to allow that to happen.”

Sheriff Jones told local broadcaster WXIX that he could see no possible justification for what occurred.

“It wasn’t an accident. It was on purpose. This is one of the most disgusting, vile criminal acts I’ve ever seen, shooting a 6-month-old baby. What makes it even worse is this is the baby’s grandmother,” he said. “She went and shot this child and doesn’t appear to have any remorse whatsoever. I feel sorry for the baby, the family, everybody that’s dealing with this … this is as bad as it gets.”

Harris is being held in Butler County Jail on a $1.5million bond. The maximum penalty for a first-degree felony assault in Ohio is 11 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

[lulu2992]

A few of Far Cry 5’s characters’ former names (according to the files)

Did you know that some characters used to have different names? Here’s what I found:

Adelaide Drubman - Penny Johnson (I’m not sure; it’s unclear)

Casey Fixman - Casey Seagal or Casey Storm

Chad Wolanski - Chad Gardetto

Faith Seed - Selena Seed

George Wilson - George Beel

Guy Marvel - Guy Martel (headcanon: it’s still his name but he thought Marvel was a cooler name for a movie director)

Hurk Drubman Senior - Wayne Senior

Joseph Seed - Daniel Seed

Merle Briggs - Merle Clinton

Wilhelmina Mable - Wilhelmina Maybelline

Tammy Barnes - Tammy Palmer (was she supposed to be Eli’s wife? Maybe!)

Tracey Lader - Traci West

Virgil Minkler - Virgil Knutsen

Wendell Redler - Wendell Darrah

Xander Flynn - Bob Johnson (again, like for Adelaide, not sure)

Also, I’ve said this before but Deputy Pratt’s first name is actually Stacy and not Staci. In the files, it’s only not spelled Stacy once, in the end credits... which is also, unfortunately, the only time players had a chance to see it written.

According to the files, Larry Parker’s first name is Laurence, the man we meet near Arcade machines is Morris Aubrey, and the fisherman is Coyote Nelson… but his description in the unreleased in-game encyclopedia also implies he died, so that might be inaccurate.

Below are the names of other Hope County residents (and where they live(d) and/or work(ed)) found in the deleted in-game encyclopedia:

Daniel Holmes — Holmes Residence

Doug and Debbie Hadler — Gardenview Orchards, Ciderworks, and Packing Facility

Rae-Rae Bouthillier — Rae-Rae's Pumpkin Farm

Niesha Howard — Howard Cabin

Emmet Reaves (in the late 1800s) — Copperhead Rail Yard & Prosperity

Will Boyd (from Far Cry: Absolution; his full name is William) — Boyd Residence

Les Doverspike — Doverspike Compound

Mike and Deb Harris — Harris Residence

Wolfgang Dodd — Dodd’s Dumps

Colin Dodd (Nadine Abercrombie’s grandfather) — Dodd Residence

Joe Roberts — Roberts Cabin

Dr. Kim Patterson — Hope County Clinic

Bobby Budell (in 1946) — Flatiron Stockyards

Doug Fillmore — Fillmore Residence

Orville Fall (found gold in 1865) — Catamount Mines

Mike and Chandra Dunagan — Sunrise Farm

The Redler family (Wendell’s) — Red’s Farm Supply

Andrew and Frances Woodson — Woodson Pig Farm

Don Sawyer — Sawyer Residence

Kay Wheeler — Kay-Nine Kennels

Jules Adams (and an unnamed husband) — Adams Ranch

Jerry Miller (and his family) — Miller Residence

Rick Elliot (his full name is Richard according to a message left by Eli) — Elliot Residence

Jay Loresca — Loresca Residence

"Lonely Frank" — Frank’s Cabin

Dicky Dansky — Dansky Cabin

Roy Tanami — Tanami Residence

Mr. Vasquez — Vasquez Residence

Mr. McDevitt — Misty River Gas

Darby McCoy — McCoy Cabin

Dr. Phil Barlow — Barlow Residence

Travis McClean (and his husband Brent) — McClean Residence

Jasmine Chan — Chan Residence

Jerrod Wilson (in the 1800s) — Throne of Mercy Church

Frankie Sinclair — Sinclair Residence

Lydia (in 1912) — Lydia’s Cave

Dwight Feeney (the chemist who worked with Eden’s Gate and dies in the mission “Sins of the Father”) — Feeney Residence

Lorna Rawlings — Lorna’s Truck Stop

Edward O'Hara — O’Hara’s Haunted House

Kanti Jones — Jones Residence

Coyote Nelson — Nelson Residence

Holly Pepper (and her girlfriend Charlie) — Pepper Residence

Nolan Pettis — Nolan’s Fly Shop

Bob and Penny Johnson — Johnson Residence

Melvin Adams Abercrombie — Abercrombie Residence

Steve McCallough — McCallough’s Garage

Dr. Rachel Jessop (who, and I’ll keep saying this every time I can, was never Faith and always another, entirely different person) — Jessop Conservatory

Dwight Seeley — Seeley’s Cabin

[wikiweird]

Bucket of Blood Street is located off U.S. Route 66 in the Old Downtown district of Holbrook, Arizona. Bucket of Blood Street is one block south of the historical Santa Fe Railroad station on Navajo Road that was built in 1882. Holbrook was founded in the 1880s as a railroad stop. At the time, the desert town was mainly populated by ranchers, outlaws, cowboys and cattle rustlers, and was known for its gun fights. Holbrook had a reputation as a "town too tough for women and churches".

Terrell's Cottage Saloon had existed on the street for years before coming to be known as Bucket of Blood Saloon, after a violent fight took place resulting in the death of two men. The saloon was popular with cowboys and ruffians; fistfights and gunfights often broke out there. The year 1886 was a particularly violent one and the town lost about ten percent of its population. A fight broke out at the saloon during a card game between rival cattle rustlers, including wranglers from the Hashknife Outfit of the Aztec Land and Cattle Company. The result of the fight was described as though a bucket of blood had been spilled on the floor.

A newspaper account describes another event on January 19, 1896, when the proprietor of the saloon shot and killed two men playing cards: "Suddenly a dispute arose and angry words passed between them." The manager of the saloon, Harry Donnelly, used a revolver to force another man, George C. Hiatt, a barber, into the street and shot him "through the heart" in front of the town drug store. Donnelly was arrested by Deputy Sheriff Hofford who was acting as the county sheriff, as Commodore Perry Owens was out of town at the time. The newspaper report claims that when the widow Hiatt heard the news she fell "lifeless to the floor". The saloon was owned at the time by F. J. Wattron, however Donnelly managed it.

Albert F. Potter's memoir, written around 1888, describes the events leading to the name Bucket of Blood somewhat differently. He wrote of participating in a "roundup on the Little Colorado River range … 12 miles east of Holbrook." At sunrise two horsemen were seen riding towards his party from the direction of Holbrook. One man shouted, "Here we come! All shot to pieces." The head of the other man was wrapped in bloody bandages covering a serious wound. Potter went on to write: "We recognized them as Joe Crawford, a cowboy who had worked for the Aztec Land and Cattle Company known as the Hashknife Outfit, and George Bell, a gambler. Crawford was so weak [from his wounds] that he had to be lifted from the horse he was riding. We laid him on the horse wrangler's bed and with a handful of flour from the cook's bread pan I plastered the wound on his head and stopped the bleeding. Examination showed that a bullet had also passed through the cuff of his shirt and coat sleeve, and just grazed the side of his body. Scars of other old wounds showed that this was not Crawford's first fight."

Potter then describes Bell's involvement in an incident during a card game with a man named Ramon Lopez, during which Lopez struck Crawford in the head with his six-shooter gun. Crawford retaliated by drawing his gun and killing Lopez. Shooting then broke out in the saloon, and Crawford killed another man, after which "Crawford and Bell then made their getaway". Potter went on to write that he believed Joe Crawford "was in fact Grat Dalton, a member of the notorious Dalton Gang of outlaws who was later killed during an attempted bank robbery at Coffeyville, Kansas". Potter concluded that this was the backstory to the naming of Bucket of Blood Saloon.

Read more

[collapsedsquid]

“The Democrats staged the first ever ‘Coup’ in America,” Trump wrote Monday afternoon. “Sorry Joe, you’re losing to Trump, BIG, and you can’t beat him — You’re Fired.” On Tuesday, Trump went further, asserting violence by “Comrade Kamala Harris” and her fellow Democrats. “That was a coup. It was a vicious, violent overthrow of a president of the United States,” he said during a news conference at the sheriff’s office in Livingston County, Mich., with uniformed deputies standing behind him.

Shocking violence by Kamala in a presidential campaign that otherwise has been totally peaceful with no signs of violence or injury

[mariacallous]

More than a dozen former Trump administration officials on Friday came out in support of former chief of staff John Kelly, who went on the record this week to say the former president fits the definition of a fascist, would govern like a dictator and has no concept of the Constitution.

In a new letter, shared exclusively with POLITICO, the former Trump administration officials — some of the officials have been outspoken Trump critics for years — stated, “this is who Donald Trump is.”

“The revelations General Kelly brought forward are disturbing and shocking. But because we know Trump and have worked for and alongside him, we were sadly not surprised by what General Kelly had to say,” the letter states.

“We applaud General Kelly for highlighting in stark details the danger of a second Trump term. Like General Kelly, we did not take the decision to come forward lightly. We are all lifelong Republicans who served our country. However, there are moments in history where it becomes necessary to put country over party. This is one of those moments” the letter states. “Everyone should heed General Kelly’s warning.”

The letter was signed by Trump administration officials, including Kevin Carroll, former senior counselor to Kelly; former deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews; former assistant secretary of homeland security Elizabeth Neumann; former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci; former chief of staff at the Dept. of Homeland Security Miles Taylor; former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham; former press secretary to the vice president Alyssa Farah Griffin; and former national security adviser to vice president Pence, Olivia Troye.

Taylor was the author of “Anonymous,” a book warning about Trump, and Troye and former press secretary Stephanie Grisham spoke at the Democratic National Convention.

The letter comes as Harris is leaning into her closing argument that Trump is a threat to democracy and poses a distinct threat if he’s reelected. It’s a message she and her campaign believes resonates with independents and Trump-weary Republicans who are concerned about the former president returning to the Oval Office.

On Wednesday night, Harris’ campaign conducted a focus group with undecided voters in a battleground state, where the participants found Kelly to be credible and trustworthy and his criticism of Trump, according to a campaign official, granted anonymity to discuss the findings, made some of them think twice about the former president.

According to a campaign official, the Harris campaign learned that persuadable and undecided voters in recent battleground state polling, their target group, said that the former president’s pursuit of “unchecked power with no one to stop him” is one of their top concerns. They also found that one of the concerning messages for them on this point is that “those who worked closest with Trump while he was President have left and said he should not be President again because of the risk he poses to national security.”

A Wall Street Journal poll released on Wednesday showed that while Trump has the lead on the issues of immigration and the economy, more voters viewed Trump than Harris as “too extreme,” 49 to 39 percent, or a danger to the country, 48 to 43 percent.

The release of the letter also comes as several more Republicans defect from their party and publicly support Harris, including former Michigan Rep. Fred Upton and the GOP mayor of Waukesha, Wisconsin, a city in the largest Republican county in the state.

In a Truth Social post on Thursday, Trump slammed Kelly, a former four star general, as a “lowlife” and “total degenerate” who “made up a story out of pure Trump Derangement Syndrome Hatred.”

“This guy had two qualities, which don’t work well together. He was tough and dumb. The problem is his toughness morphed into weakness, because he became JELLO with time! The story about the Soldiers was A LIE, as are numerous other stories he told,” Trump posted.

Trump’s reference to the story about soldiers is likely about Kelly’s 2023 statement to CNN when he claimed the former president disparaged soldiers in private.

Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement, “This is nothing more than disgruntled, former low-level employees who had remarkably undistinguished careers in government and are now trying to survive as Never Trump pundits fighting over cable news contracts. The fact remains they did not serve their country and President well, and will have to live with that dishonor for the rest of their miserable lives.”

“President Trump has always honored the service and sacrifice of all of our military men and women, whereas Kamala Harris has completely disrespected the families of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, including the Abbey Gate 13,” Cheung said.

The new revelations by Kelly — and data showing concerns about a Trump second term could be effective with independent voters — are propelling a blitz of final week ads and events by the Harris campaign.

During a town hall with CNN on Wednesday night, Harris said the on the record interviews by Kelly were like a “911 call to the American people: Understand what could happen if Donald Trump were back in the White House.”

“I think one has to think about why would someone who served with him, who is not political, a four-star marine general, why is he telling the American people now?” Harris said. “This time, we must take very seriously those folks who knew him best and who were career people are not going to be there to hold him back.”

Her comments to CNN were turned into a new digital ad by her campaign airing in battleground states.

Last week, the Harris campaign produced a TV ad in battleground states making the argument that Trump would “ignore all checks that rein in a president’s power” and on Wednesday launched an ad in English and Spanish highlighting Trump’s response during a Latino town hall that Jan. 6 was a “day of love.”

On Monday, Harris went on tour through the Rust Belt states with former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney to argue that Trump is a threat to the Constitution, and on Wednesday the Harris campaign held a press call with Republican former national security officials.

The ads and events highlighting support from Republican officials and criticisms about Trump’s fitness for office from people who worked for him will culminate with a speech laying out the risks of a second Trump term on Tuesday at the Ellipse on the National Mall, where Trump held a rally before the violent riots on Capitol Hill.

[handeaux]

For Almost A Century, The Kuertz Family Guarded Hazelwood’s Natural Beauty

On the north side of Montgomery, a couple of nature preserves perpetuate the memory of Hazelwood, a once wild corner of Hamilton County. The Harris M. Benedict Nature Preserve is owned by the University of Cincinnati and the adjacent Johnson Preserve was donated to the City of Montgomery.

One hundred years ago, Hazelwood was rural enough to need its own deputy game warden. That role was filled by a truly eccentric gentleman named Louis Kuertz. Warden Kuertz knew the land around Hazelwood intimately and he knew many of the woodland creatures individually.

Rube, a crow, would alight on his hand or shoulder upon being called. When Kuertz hollered across the lake on his property, a turtle named Monte would rise from the lacustrine depths and waddle up to his feet. Kuertz was instrumental in having quail designated as a songbird – and therefore exempt from hunting – in Ohio.

Kuertz worked variously as a truck farmer, a cabinetmaker and as game warden, and passed along his devotion for the natural world to his wife, Anna Belle, and especially his daughter, Gertrude. When Gertrude was just 12 years old, she inspired newspaper coverage because she would trek into the autumn woods to help her father locate poachers. The Cincinnati Post [4 November 1914] noted that Gertrude knew how to identify snipe, plover and quail and was proficient with a gun and fishing rod.

“Gertrude also studies butterflies and flowers and prefers books on botanical and avicular subjects to fairy tales. In winter she goes about in the woods scattering food for wild creatures that otherwise might starve.”

Gertrude’s affection for animals extended as well to domesticated varieties. In 1916, the Post ran a series of articles, allegedly composed by a turkey named Trixey as that chubby bird awaited the arrival of Thanksgiving. With all the build-up, the Post’s readers would have expected a traditional and savory end to the gag. Instead, on Thanksgiving Day, the Post located Trixey “in full bloom of life, smiling pleasantly” at the Kuertz farm. Gertrude was there to explain:

“’We do not slaughter our pets,’ said Miss Kuertz proudly.”

The article went on to list other animals who would not provide sustenance to the Kuertz family, including a red-haired pig named Ruddy, Nana the pony, Bossie the cow and Nanny, a goat of unusual variety donated to the Kuertzes by the Cincinnati Zoo.

“Ganders and geese, ducks and drakes, pigeons and chickens and pheasants and quail – all immune from the swish of the butcher’s knife.”

Gertrude also had a pet hawk. Her interests extended to the vegetable kingdom as well. When the Association for Preservation of Wild Flowers launched a campaign in 1921, Gertrude served as poster girl, holding a sign encouraging flower lovers to leave enough blooms to reseed for the next year.

There came a time when Frank Mills Jr. came courting and the Kuertz family naturally wanted to be sure he was as committed to environmental matters as their daughter. Mills derived from a well-known Cincinnati family. His father, Frank Senior, was the longtime director of the Cincinnati Athletic Club. A nude photograph of the elder Mills hung for many years at the club as an example of perfect manly physique. Apparently the Kuertzes approved, for a wedding date was set.

These days, it is considered conventional, if not downright old-fashioned, to be married in a church. A century ago, church marriages were the gold standard. Pretty much the only alternative to a religious venue was the local magistrate’s office. No one got married outside. Unless you were Gertrude Kuertz.

When Gertrude and Frank Mills said their vows on 3 October 1925, it rather caused a stir in Cincinnati social circles because the ceremony took place under the trees at the Kuertz family farm out in Hazelwood. The Cincinnati Post [8 October 1925] devoted several columns to the event:

“In what church was she to be married? She knew no place more sacred than the woods in which she had seen Creation march among her trees and touch them with life and where she witnessed since her childhood the gentleness of the divine love, even to the least of creatures. The woods were to be her church.”

As irregular as it might have seemed at the time, Gertrude’s outdoor wedding was officiated by the very proper Dr. Edward P. Whallon, described as “a minister of the Old School” in an official history of the Presbyterian Church.

The wedding culminated in a good-sized banquet, also served under the boughs of the great trees, illuminated by several bonfires. After the wedding, Gertrude’s appearances in the newspapers were largely confined to the gardening columns. She and Frank, a chemist by trade, excelled at growing almost anything except corn. Frank told the Post [7 July 1965]:

“There are too many varmints around. First the chipmunks dig up the seeds, then the rabbits eat the tender shoots and if there’s any left, the woodchucks strip the ears.”

And, of course, Gertrude would be opposed to shooting any of the brigands.

Gertrude and Frank lived most of their married life in a house personally constructed by her father on the family farm, next door to the house she grew up in. They raised a son and a daughter there.

Louis Kuertz had his own idiosyncratic architectural style that involved knocking together a rough iron framework and covering it with layers of stone and concrete. Kuertz built several such structures, including a bell tower for the local school, in the Hazelwood area. The house Kuertz built for his daughter was known to the nearby community as the Gingerbread House. It looked very much like the houses pictured in fairy tale books and had unique touches including dozens of nooks and crannies and a fireplace sculpted to look like a tree. All the doorknobs turned backwards and all the light switches were installed upside-down. Louis Kuertz died in 1933 and his ashes were placed under a memorial stone on the family estate.

Over the years, bits of the Kuertz farm were sold off. The Gingerbread House survived on a remnant acre until 1992, when it was sold to a developer by Gertrude’s daughter and was promptly demolished.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Meredith Lee Hill at Politico:

Vice President Kamala Harris is bringing on a new campaign hire as part of her team’s push to clinch must-win states this fall by keeping former President Donald Trump from running up the score in rural counties. Harris is tapping Matt Hildreth of the progressive Rural Organizing group as her rural engagement director, according to four people familiar with the plans who were granted anonymity to discuss the matter. Democrats have been hemorrhaging support in rural America for years, but making even a small dent in Trump’s steep rural margins could determine the outcome in battleground states that may be decided by razor-thin margins.

Hiring Hildreth, whose grassroots organization is already knocking doors for Harris and Democratic candidates across the country this fall, signals the campaign is looking to seriously expand a resource-intensive ground game to reach rural voters who could swing the election. The Harris-Walz team doesn’t expect the ticket to flip many rural counties. But some of Harris’ top advisers have argued that simply losing by slightly fewer percentage points in these areas could help carry her and down-ballot Democrats to victory. In recent memos, the campaign has argued “the key to decreasing margins in rural areas is to show up and compete everywhere — which is exactly what we’re doing across the country.”

A Harris campaign spokesperson confirmed the hire. The campaign is now looking to ramp up an aggressive ground game from Wisconsin and Arizona to Georgia and other battleground states, to peel away even a few percentage points from Trump’s rural margins. The move comes weeks after Democrats in battleground districts feared President Joe Biden’s debate fallout would cost them another wave of votes, including some of the party’s few remaining rural House seats. Harris’ deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks helped Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) cut down GOP rural margins in his 2022 Georgia Senate win, and he was a key part of organizing Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s recent bus tour in rural Georgia — a rare step for a national Democratic ticket as local Democrats argue the party has increasingly overlooked rural organizing at its peril.

Local organizers also note that the party has a solid opportunity to gain support in some rural communities, especially in pockets of Georgia, North Carolina and Arizona with younger voters and voters of color. The Biden-Harris administration and Democrats have poured billions in federal investments into rural communities, with Biden just this week touting new funding in a largely rural swing district in southwest Wisconsin. At the same time, Democrats in battleground districts have been worried that Harris may do worse than Biden in key rural counties against Trump, especially among older, white voters in the upper Midwest. Biden managed to make some small gains in rural counties, including with Obama-Trump pockets, in 2020 after Trump blew out Hillary Clinton in rural areas in 2016. Harris’ team is hoping that’s where Walz can boost the ticket.

The Harris/Walz campaign’s hiring of a rural voters director is a good idea, as Democrats need to learn how to reach rural voters and cut the margins.

[viewwrangler]

And on the day when Kamala Harris nearly sews up the nomination...

... we are reminded what it's like to be a black woman in this country for everyone else.

Illinois deputy charged with murder after shooting a Black woman (theguardian.com)

An Illinois sheriff’s deputy has been charged with murder after fatally shooting a Black woman who called 911 to report a possible prowler.

Sangamon county deputy Sean Grayson, who’s white, shot 36-year-old Sonya Massey in the face in her home in Springfield, Illinois – about 200 miles south of Chicago – after deputies responded to her 6 July call.

Prosecutors alleged that after Grayson, 30, allowed Massey to move a pot of water heating on the stove and set it on a counter. Grayson then “aggressively yelled” at Massey over the pot and pulled his 9mm pistol. Massey then put her hands in the air, declared “I’m sorry” and ducked for cover before being shot in the face.

In its statement issued the day of the incident, the Sangamon county sheriff’s office initially said “deputies immediately administered first aid until EMS arrived” after Massey was shot, but prosecutors allege Grayson discouraged the other deputy from getting his medical kit to save her....

[...] Grayson, who has since been fired from the department, was indicted on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct. He pleaded not guilty in his first court appearance Thursday.

Sheriff Jack Campbell said Wednesday that Grayson was fired because it is evident that the deputy “did not act as trained or in accordance with our standards. With our badge we accept enormous responsibility, and if that responsibility is abused, there should be consequences.”

Before his firing, Grayson had been with the Sangamon county sheriff’s department for nearly 18 months. He served as an officer with several other police agencies in central Illinois for about seven years prior....

Bodycam video released in case of Sangamon County deputy shooting Black woman who called 911 (chicago.suntimes.com) By the Associated Press Jul 22, 2024, 4:22pm CDT

The video will “shock the conscience of America. It is that senseless, that unnecessary, that unjustifiable, that unconstitutional,” said civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing the family of Sonya Massey.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Body camera video released Monday reveals a chaotic scene in which Sonya Massey, a Black woman who called 911 for help is shot in the face in her home by a white sheriff’s deputy.

The video from deputies’ body cameras shows a tense moment in which Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson yelled at 36-year-old Sonya Massey to set down a pot from the stove just seconds after she started pouring the water into the sink and the two giggled over her “hot steaming water.”

He then threatens to shoot her, Massey ducks, then briefly rises, and Grayson fires his pistol at her three times....

The Sun-Times article contains the body cam footage.

The baffling thing is that even more than usual in these things, there's absolutely no reason for him to have shot at her. They're laughing together and then suddenly he's shooting. (That there is a "usual" is horrifying and ridiculous and saddening and infuriating, all at once.)

I am ... curious, let's say, as to why Grayson has worked with "several other police agencies" in "seven years prior". That is not typical; people generally don't move around that much in that little time.

[mylionheart2]

[beardedmrbean]

Penny McCarthy froze in her front yard as a van full of armed US marshals in bullet-proof vests pulled up in her front yard, screaming and swearing at her. She had no idea what was going on.

“Police! Don’t move, hands up,” one of the officers shouted, pointing his assault weapon at her. At one point they told the 66-year-old that if she turned around again she would be Tasered.

“Do you want to confirm who I am?” McCarthy asked the officers, per bodyworn footage later released by the US Marshal Service (USMS) and obtained by ABC15. “Put your hands behind your back, we’ll discuss this later,” came the reply.

The shocking incident, which took place in Arizona in March 2023 was, ultimately, a case of mistaken identity.

Police had been seeking a totally different woman – 70-year-old Carole Anne Rozak – who was wanted on an outstanding parole violation warrant from 1999 out of Oklahoma.

Rozak served prison time for all non-violent crimes. But according to federal court records also obtained by ABC15, she failed to report to any federal probation officer after she was released from federal custody in Harris County, Texas.

In the police footage McCarthy is heard asking the marshals multiple times if they know who she is but is consistently ignored. It was not until she was in handcuffs that officers finally told.

“Carole Rozak,” she is told, with McCarthy replying: “That’s not who I am.”

Despite McCarthy offering to provide proof that she was not Rozak, she was arrested and put in the back of the police van.

It later emerged in court hearings that federal agents had based the false identification on Facebook postings and “some aliases” that they had obtained. An Arizona federal judge dismissed the case against McCarthy, but not before she had spent time in prison over the mix-up.

According to the Deputy US Marshal Service in Oklahoma, a “glitch” caused them to believe that McCarthy’s digital fingerprints matched Rozak’s. This was later debunked.

A statement put out by the service read: “USMS continues to conduct a thorough review of actions taken by deputy US marshals regarding the fugitive investigation of Caroline Anne Rozak and subsequent mistaken arrest of Penny McCarthy.”

The grandmother is still affected by the incident.

“I am so fricking disappointed in my government, it’s not funny,” Ms McCarthy told ABC15, following the release of the bodycam footage.

“They did nothing but treat me like crap and lie to me,” she added. “Ths US marshals are above the law, that’s what this says to me.”

[dosesofcommonsense]

From the Election Wizard Telegram channel

SPECIAL REPORT: Pres. Trump’s Election Integrity Program at the RNC has:

-Engaged in about 100 lawsuits in 25 states

-Stopped 800k non-citizens from voting in New York City.

-Caught Appleton, Wisconsin not hiring Republicans as Poll Workers to assist voters in nursing homes (Special Voting Deputies) and forced them to do so by suing.

-Sued and won after catching Michigan’s Democrat Secretary giving election officials illegal instructions in secret to ignore mail ballot protections. Now MI must verify that signatures on mail ballots are accurate.

- Protected mail ballot safeguards in Pennsylvania.

- Sued the Biden-Harris admin for using tax tax dollars for partisan voter registration.

- Had 90,000 inactive voters removed from the rolls in Clark County, Nevada.

- Fought and won Georgia’s ballot application deadline, which is 11 days before the election.

-Vigorously defended Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, Florida, and Georgia’s election integrity laws through multiple lawsuits in each state.

-Hired election integrity staff in 18 states.

-Recruited tens of thousands of poll watchers, poll workers, and lawyers.

-Hosted numerous training sessions for poll watchers and poll workers in the swing states.

https://x.com/electionwiz/status/1822228907455586694?s=46&t=MRsSpiGJq0d9cgNcH7cVqA

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this press release from the Department of Interior:

Acting Deputy Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis today announced the distribution of $325 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Stateside Assistance Program to all 50 states, U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia – the largest annual distribution from the program since 1979. Investments from the LWCF are helping support the Biden-Harris administration’s America the Beautiful initiative by funding locally led outdoor recreation and conservation projects that protect and enhance access to America’s great outdoors. 

The LWCF was established by Congress in 1964 to fulfill a bipartisan commitment to safeguard natural areas, water resources and cultural heritage, and to provide recreation opportunities to all Americans. The fund helps strengthen communities, preserve history and protect the national endowment of lands and waters. Since its inception in 1965, the LWCF State and Local Assistance Program has funded more than 46,000 projects in every county in the country. 

In 2020, Congress permanently funded the LWCF at $900 million per year with wide bipartisan support through the Great American Outdoors Act, which was signed four years ago this week. 

At no cost to taxpayers, the LWCF, administered by the National Park Service (NPS), supports increased public access to and protection for federal public lands and waters — including national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, and recreation areas — and provides matching grants to Tribal, state and local governments to support the acquisition and development of land for public parks and other outdoor recreation sites. 

Allocations within the LWCF Stateside Assistance Program for each state and territory are determined through a formula set in the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act and is largely population-based. States and Territories further allocate these funds to local projects.  

[the-eternal-quest-for-balance]

Surveillance video shows deputy shoot man at NW Harris County gas station