Artist Stefan Gross says: “Love Hate Punch is a punching bag that gives light if you hit it and if you do your best it changes color from dark red to bright red to yellow to white.” Love Hate Punch
Archive for September, 2008
Punching bag changes color when hit
Tuesday, September 30th, 2008The House of Death: An Interview with DEA Whistleblower Sandy Gonzalez
Tuesday, September 30th, 2008Radley Balko, senior editor of Reason magazine, says: “Federal agents looked the other way while one of their drug informants [Guillermo Ramirez Peyro, also known as "Lalo"] participated in a series of gruesome murders. They knew about the murders, but refused to call off the drug investigation. When an outraged DEA agent [Sandy Gonzalez] blew the whistle, the DEA, ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), and DOJ forced him into early retirement. The government is now trying to deport the informant they’ve paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to over the years. They want to send him to Mexico, where he’ll almost certainly be killed.”
Reason: The DEA administrator at the time, Karen Tandy, has admitted in court testimony that she gave you the only poor performance review of your career because of your letter calling for an investigation into the murders. That led to your retirement. Have any of the ICE officers who handled the Lalo case been held accountable –criminally, professionally, or otherwise?
Gonzalez: Not to my knowledge. I doubt it. I would have heard about it.
Reason: Have you had any indication that Congress might step in? Have you talked to anyone on Capitol Hill?
Gonzalez: Back in 2005 I went and briefed the senior staff of two senators.
Reason: Which ones?
Gonzalez: [Iowa Sen. Charles] Grassley and [Vermont Sen. Patrick] Leahy. I think what happened is one of the members of Leahy’s staff was a Justice Department officer who was on loan on a detail to the senator’s staff. I think she knew [U.S. Attorney] Johnny Sutton. She worked out of the Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys. She knew Sutton personally and throughout the whole interview she was antagonistic. My guess is that she railroaded the whole thing.
An Interview with DEA Whistleblower Sandy Gonzalez
The Great Schlep
Tuesday, September 30th, 2008
The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo.
Here’s an easy way to help Obama and progressive Judaism at the same time! The Great Schlep, brainchild of my good friend Ari Wallach, “aims to have Jewish grandchildren visit their grandparents in Florida, educate them about Obama, and therefore swing the crucial Florida vote in his favor. Don’t have grandparents in Florida? Not Jewish? No problem! You can still become a schlepper and make change happen in 2008, simply by talking to your relatives about Obama.”
Whether or not one supports Obama, it’s probably a good idea to dispel the myths (one group I spoke with at an Upper East Side New York synagogue believed that Obama had already committed to placing Farrakhan in his cabinet), and at least make sure Floridians understand exactly who and what they’re voting for.
Douglas Rushkoff is a guest blogger.
Woman Dressed as Cow Gets a Month in Jail
Tuesday, September 30th, 2008
32-year-old Michele Allen received a one-month sentence for disorderly conduct after police received complaints that she was dressed in a cow costume and chasing children, blocking traffic, and urinating on a neighbor’s porch.
She wore the costume again when she appeared for sentencing. One Month in Corral for Disorderly Woman
BBtv: Galactic’s “Modern New Orleans Funk” with Xeni and Russell (music)
Tuesday, September 30th, 2008
New Orleans is a lot of things to a lot of people, but to the guys in the band Galactic, it’s the motherland of funk. In today’s Boing Boing tv episode, Xeni and Russell catch Galactic’s Crescent City Soul Crewe live at the Outside Lands festival, and speak to them about the band’s homage to this birthplace of jazz and its ancestral influence on many other forms of modern music. The band’s newest release, From the Corner to the Block, is potent stuff, and pulling in rave reviews all over.
( Sponsor note: Crowdfire is sponsoring this series of music features on BBtv, and you can find crowdsourced snapshots, audio, and video about this band at crowdfire.net. )
Link to BBtv blog post with downloadable video and instructions on how to subscribe to the daily BBtv video podcast.