NM smoke shop co-owner sentenced in 26 million dollar fraud case

From KOB-TV.com - ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - The co-owner of an Albuquerque-based smoke shop accused of selling millions of dollars in untaxed cigarettes over the Internet has been sentenced to almost three years in federal prison. Paul Rainbird, 58, received a 33-month prison term Friday.Rainbird and his niece were indicted in October 2009 on 59 counts of conspiracy, mail fraud and possession, sale and transport of contraband cigarettes.Prosecutors say the San Ildefonso Pueblo members admitted to running an illegal business for five years that cost the state millions of dollars in taxes.The indictment put the gross wholesale value of the cigarettes at $26.2 million and taxes avoided by the scheme at $7.5 million. Read more

NM smoke shop co-owner sentenced in 26 million dollar fraud case

Alb Mom Charged With Embezzlement From PTO

From KOAT-TV.com - An Albuquerque mother has been arrested after police said she stole money from an elementary school fund she was trusted to manage. The Parent-Teacher Organization at Painted Sky Elementary School in northwest Albuquerque said more than $15,000 went missing. Police accused the group's former vice president, Amy Morrison, of embezzling the money after she lost her job. "It's very shocking," said Linda Metzgar, a grandmother of a student at the school. "It's unbelievable someone would take like that from the schools." Families said they're furious that money they donated to PTO fundraisers may have wound up in the wrong hands. "Not only is it gone from me, it's gone for the kids," said parent Will Clarke. District officials said the money could have gone a long way. The fund is used to pay for supplies, field trips and uniforms for low-income students. "Any bit of money helps the kids," said Clarke. "That's horrible to hear." The Painted Sky PTO will have to make up for the lost money, but the accusations against Amy Morrison have some people thinking twice about donating. Read more

Alb Mom Charged With Embezzlement From PTO

OMG: Jerome Block Jr. in jail

From Capitol Report New Mexico.com - Jerome Block Jr. is sitting in jail tonight (Oct. 14). Mug shot on left. A little more than two weeks since pleading guilty to a number of felonies and one week after formally resigning from the Public Regulation Commission, the 34-year-old Block has been sent to jail for violating terms of his court-ordered drug rehabiliation program. According to a source cited by the Santa Fe New Mexican, Block Jr. flunked a drug test. Block Jr. has been remanded to the Adult Detention Center at the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department until 9 a.m. Saturday (Oct. 15). Back on September 28, Block accepted a plea bargain in district court. In return for pleading guilty to a number of felonies stemming from his 2008 election campaign as well as multitude of scrapes with the law this summer, Block Jr. stood to avoid any time in custody if he followed the rules of a drug rehab program. Now, all bets may be off. Read more

OMG: Jerome Block Jr. in jail

Con Ed says it will evict Ground Zero mosque unless developer pays $1.7 million in back rent

From the New York Post - Pay up or get out. Con Ed has given the Ground Zero mosque an ultimatum: Pay the $1.7 million you owe in back rent, or we’ll terminate your lease and take back our property. Con Ed and mosque developer Park51 have an unusual, uneasy alliance, sharing ownership of a site slated to be one of the most controversial projects in city history. The utility owns a former substation on the western half of the property, at 51 Park Place, and the mosque developers own a five-story building on the eastern half. The buildings were connected years ago and used to house a Burlington Coat Factory store. Park51, which leases the substation from Con Ed, wants the two buildings so it can knock both down and build a $100 million, 15-story community center. But the plan hit a major obstacle in August when Con Ed raised the rent from $2,750 a month, a rate set in 1972, to $47,437 a month, retroactive to July 31, 2008, When the mosque failed to fork over the $1.7 million, the utility fired off a letter demanding the money by Oct. 4 and threatening to evict. Park51 principals responded with a lawsuit to stop the increase, calling Con Ed’s rent demands “outrageous.” “Whether it is bowing to political pressure or seeking to retain the valuable premises for itself, Con Ed appears intent on proceeding with its wrongful termination,” argued Sharif El-Gamal, the lead Park51 developer (shown inset). Gamal said Con Ed’s move also wipes out his ability to eventually buy the substation building, where the Park51 developers have converted the first floor into a prayer space. They turned the first floor of the adjoining building into a cultural center and recently debuted their first event, a photography exhibit. The modest space is in sharp contrast to the expansive plans unveiled last year that generated worldwide controversy for their proximity to Ground Zero. Gamal’s group bought the building at 45-47 Park Place in 2009 for $4.8 million and, at the same time, paid $700,000 for the lease at the substation. The deal was considered a bargain as the entire property had been on the market for $18 million only a few years earlier. Read more

Con Ed says it will evict Ground Zero mosque unless developer pays $1.7 million in back rent

Florida Hotel Fires Employee for Refusing to Remove American Flag Pin

From FoxNews.com - A front desk supervisor at a Florida hotel was fired recently when he refused management’s request to remove the American flag pin he was wearing, news4jax.com reports. Sean May, 26, an employee at Casa Monica Hotel in St. Augustine, Fla., has been wearing an American flag pin to work every day for the last two years. Last week, he was told to remove the pin because it violates company policy. "I've actually gotten probably more compliments about it than any of the service I've actually done at the hotel, which is an interesting concept," May told the station. May said Casa Monica recently had a change in command at the corporate level and is trying to revamp its image. A spokesperson for the hotel released this statement: "Casa Monica has always had the personal appearance guidelines, and they are currently being enforced." "It seems silly. It seems so, so silly in the long run," May said. "They're so upset about a little pin, and yet I come to work every day and flying over the hotel there's a gigantic American flag." May said he loves his job, but he's willing to risk it to stand up for what he feels is right. Read more

Florida Hotel Fires Employee for Refusing to Remove American Flag Pin

California Bans Open Carry of Handguns

From The Blaze.com - California became the fifth state to prohibit openly carrying handguns in public after Gov. Jerry Brown announced Monday that he had signed the ban into law late Sunday night amid heavy opposition from gun enthusiasts. AB144 by state Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, D-Pasadena, makes it a misdemeanor to carry an exposed and unloaded gun in public or in vehicles, with violators facing up to a year in prison or a potential fine of $1,000 when the law takes effect on Jan 1. Portantino said the bill is an opportunity to prevent tragedy before it happens. “It’s not if somebody is going be shot, it’s when somebody is going to be shot,” he said. “We have the opportunity to avoid that, and that’s why this is so critical.” “By prohibiting the open carry of guns, we can now take our families to the park or out to eat without the worry of getting shot by some untrained, unscreened, self-appointed vigilante,” Dallas Stout, president of the California chapters of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said in a statement. Read more

California Bans Open Carry of Handguns

US Senator Bernie Sanders Calls For Boycott Of Big Banks To Support Occupy Wall Street

From Business Insider - Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who identifies himself as a socialist, called for a boycott of major banks in support of the Occupy Wall Street protests. In a tweet, Sanders said "People might want to think about going to your local community bank and withdrawing funds from these large institutions. Sanders has been one of the most outspoken proponents of the protests, taking to Twitter to criticize the financial industry and echo many of the complaints of the protesters. Read more

US Senator Bernie Sanders Calls For Boycott Of Big Banks To Support Occupy Wall Street

"Race Cards"

  Courtesy of Conservativedailynews.com

"Race Cards"

Transportation Security Administration Authorization Act Seems to Ban Parodies and Satire of TSA

Infowars - Two thirds of the way through the ponderous bill, in Sec. 295, we find the following: Whoever, except with the written permission of the Assistant Secretary for Transportation Security (or the Director of the Federal Air Marshal Service for issues involving the Federal Air Marshal Service), knowingly uses the words ‘Transportation Security Administration’, ‘United States Transportation Security Administration’, ‘Federal Air Marshal Service’, ‘United States Federal Air Marshal Service’, ‘Federal Air Marshals’, the initials ‘T.S.A.’, ‘F.A.M.S.’, ‘F.A.M.’, or any colorable imitation of such words or initials, or the likeness of a Transportation Security Administration or Federal Air Marshal Service badge, logo, or insignia on any item of apparel, in connection with any advertisement, circular, book, pamphlet, software, or other publication, or with any play, motion picture, broadcast, telecast, or other production, in a matter that is reasonably calculated to convey the impression that the wearer of the item of apparel is acting pursuant to the legal authority of the Transportation Security Administration or Federal Air Marshal Service, or to convey the impression that such advertisement, circular, book, pamphlet, software, or other publication, or such play, motion picture, broadcast, telecast, or other production, is approved, endorsed, or authorized by the Transportation Security Administration or Federal Air Marshal Service .(Emphasis added.)

In other words, if you print a t-shirt or produce a publication with a TSA logo, the government may soon be able to arrest and prosecute you. The language states that it would be illegal to “convey the impression” that you are representing the TSA, but this interpretation would likely be left to federal prosecutors. In the past, satire was protected under the First Amendment, but it may soon be illegal to poke fun at the TSA or use its logo or even utter its name. Notice there is no exception in the above language for parody.

Political satire is as old as the Greeks and the Bible. But it may now become a punishable crime if this legislation is enacted. Read full story here: News New Mexico

Transportation Security Administration Authorization Act Seems to Ban Parodies and Satire of TSA