Day: June 11, 2005

That’s the only word I could think of that described my feelings when I read this.

PORT ORCHARD – A couple was arrested Saturday after a battered boy was found wandering a roadway wearing only his pajamas and saying he had escaped from a nearby residence, sheriff’s deputies said.

A Kitsap County sheriff’s deputy called to the area around 4:30 a.m. found the 10-year-old boy undernourished, wet and muddy, Deputy Sheriff Scott E. Wilson said in a statement.

The boy allegedly told authorities he had escaped from his grandparents’ house, Wilson said, and the deputy noticed excessive bruising on the boy’s body, including his face, arms and legs. A plastic tie was attached to the boy’s ankle and there were ligature marks on his wrists.

The child said he had been hog-tied – his hands tied behind his back and to his ankles – and restrained for several days in his bedroom as punishment by the couple. He managed to free himself and escaped by pushing out a bedroom window screen, he said, then made his way to a creek, where he stopped for water before walking along the road.

The boy said his younger sister was also at the mobile home, and when deputies arrived they found an 8-year-old girl lying on a mattress on the floor and tied up as the boy described, Wilson said. A third boy, 11, was also at the residence but was not restrained.

A 66-year-old man and 61-year-old woman were taken into custody and booked into Kitsap County Jail for investigation of unlawful imprisonment. Bail was set at $100,000 each. They’re scheduled for an initial appearance in Kitsap County Superior Court on Monday at 3 p.m.

Authorities determined that the two younger children are not related to the couple, however, the older boy is their grandson.

The two younger children said they were given graham crackers and ice cube chips but were not untied to eat them, Wilson said. They were allowed to use the bathroom but were immediately tied up again.

All three children were taken to Harrison Memorial Hospital in Bremerton, then released to state Child Protective Services.

Authorities on Saturday did not immediately know the location of the children’s parents.

While they await their first court appearance, they should both be hog-tied…and branded…and cattle prodded…and tasered…and…

An email comment to an entry made by Colby Cosh : “I’ll take Powerage or Let There Be Rock over any Johnson album, including Back In Black.”

It seems the Democrats (at least most of them) are committed to continue their lemming ways. Most want to back Howard Dean, thinking the party doesn’t need any wimps right now.

Democratic National Committee leaders embraced feisty party boss Howard Dean on Saturday and urged him to keep fighting despite a flap over his blunt comments on Republicans.

After a meeting of the DNC’s 40-member executive committee at a downtown hotel, members said Dean was doing exactly what they elected him to do — build the party in all states and aggressively challenge Republicans.

“I hope Governor Dean will remember that he didn’t get elected to be a wimp,” said DNC member Gilda Cobb-Hunter, a South Carolina state representative. “We have been waiting a long time for someone to stand up for Democrats.”

Uh, right – standing up by making statements like the following…

Dean took fire from Republicans and some Democrats earlier this week for a series of recent comments, including calling Republicans “pretty much a white, Christian party” and saying they “never made an honest living in their lives.”

Some Democrats in Washington, including party congressional leaders and several potential 2008 White House candidates, distanced themselves from Dean’s comments and called them mistakes.

But in a series of interviews DNC members backed the former Vermont governor, known for his fiery rhetoric during his failed 2004 White House run, and said they knew what they were getting when they elected him in February as chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

True…true.

“Howard Dean is going to be much more aggressive, much more outspoken and much more of a risk-taker outside the Beltway than any chairman has been. We knew that,” said Alvaro Cifuentes, chairman of the DNC Hispanic caucus.

“We have to get our politics out of Washington. We cannot continue to be held captive by party leaders who I respect but who have to play their own local politics,” Cifuentes said, calling congressional Democrats “timid” and the flap over his comments “mostly a Beltway play.”

BUILDING THE BASE

Karen Marchioro, a DNC member from Washington state, said she was stunned to see so many congressional Democrats back away from Dean.

“We always defend them, why won’t they defend us? And they want us to support them for president?” she asked. “I have no desire to lose, I just think this is the way you win — you let people know where you stand and you fight.”

Name calling, criticizing, broad brushing…that’s a real winning strategy alright. How about providing solutions or even ideas that might start some solution thinking?

Cobb-Hunter said Dean “should consider the source — congressional Democrats. What’s their track record? He’s doing what a lot of us wanted him to do and expected him to do.”

The flap over Dean’s comments was not mentioned directly during a two-hour executive committee working session, which included polling reports and Dean’s report on his effort to move resources and organizers into all 50 states.

Several DNC members said Dean had done what he promised — shift the party’s focus to local races rather than concentrate solely on the White House, and pump money into “red” states dominated in recent years by Republicans.

Western Democrats said they were thrilled Dean attended a regional meeting in Helena, Montana, last weekend. “How many Democratic chairmen have gone out to Montana?” asked Steven Alari of California.

“When we elected Dean we knew we were getting a leader who would be good at organizing the base and getting the message out to the American people, and that’s what he’s doing,” Alari said. “He’s our guy.”

“Getting the message out to the American people”, exactly. That message is clear – we’re Democrats, the obstructionist name calling no solution no idea party. Join us!

With this message the Republicans are sure to win in 2006 and will continue to occupy the White House in 2008.

More here, along with the only quote in the whole article that makes sense:

“Dean’s inflammatory rhetoric makes it clear that Democrats have no vision and would rather pander to the maniacal fringe than talk about the important issues facing our country.”

Amen.

Aside from a lot of finger pointing and giggling, how is this a ‘protest’?

Naked cyclists in oil protest ride

A group of naked cyclists took part in a bike ride to protest against oil dependency and to “celebrate the human body.”

Crowds gathered as about 100 people set off from Hyde Park corner, London, in the World Naked Bike Ride past some of the capital’s most famous landmarks.

Most of them stripped fully naked for the 10km (6.2 miles) cycle past Piccadilly Circus, Big Ben, Covent Garden, Oxford Street and the United States Embassy.

Some bikes were decked out with banners reading ‘Oil is not a bare necessity but a crude obsession’ and ‘Support the trade justice movement’.

Others have slogans painted on their backs and some were on roller-skates.

One of the organisers, Chad Neilson, 24, from North London, said part of the ride was to celebrate the human body.

“It’s a protest against oil dependency and car culture and the overuse of cars for unnecessary reasons. There is too much pollution, it stinks in London, and we use too much fossil fuel. I think people should be a lot more comfortable with their bodies. There is nothing wrong with the naked body.”

Yeah, like wow man. I’m wanting to be like so natural right now, and this oil thing is like really bumming me out.

Under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 exposing oneself is against the law if a man or woman does it knowing that they might cause alarm or distress.

A spokesman for Scotland Yard said an officer had the power to arrest if an offence had been committed but he added: “Speaking generally, officers clearly have the power to exercise their discretion.” He said police were aware of the event and had reminded organisers to adhere to traffic regulations and the highway code.

And you can believe that every bobbie in London volunteered to be on duty.

Trey Jackson had an opportunity to interview Newt Gingrich. It’s worth a viewing…