I've mentioned this before, but I don't understand the hate for The Drudge Report. The site simply links to other media outlets.

With that said...

The Drudge Report has been running two interesting articles all day. The first, from The Rocky Mountain News (CO), reports that the Denver Police Department has recently purchased a large amount of "guns that fire a pepper spray-like substance instead of bullets." The department plans to spend $25 million of a $50 million federal grant on equipment to better deal with protesters during the Democratic National Convention.

The general populace is already beginning to speculate:

Some organizers of protest groups believe police are buying extended-range Tasers and weapons that incapacitate people with high-intensity sound.

The second story, from the same publication, is a bit more interesting. Evidently Black Hawk helicopters have been busy in Denver "in a training exercise to prepare for a possible terrorist attack."

From Lt. Nathan Potter, Special Operations Command:

"It's nothing more than Special Operations Command training with local authorities"

Nothing more? I'll say this: people should start to wonder why United States Special Operations Command (read: Army Rangers, Special Forces, Navy SEALs, Marine Special Operations Battalions and so forth) is working with local law enforcement.

I'll be updating this later - and I meant to create an entry earlier - but I wanted to at least make people aware of the protesting over the resumption over American beef to South Korea.

Over the last couple of weeks demonstrations have been ramped up, especially this past weekend. And by "ramped up", I mean in the neighborhood of 50,000 people filling the streets of Seoul. Since U.S. bases and military personnel are a direct representation of the American government, there's a little bit of unease over whether the protesting will shift from being directed at the South Korean government and move toward our bases.

Prime Minister Han Seung-soo - along with the rest of the South Korean cabinet - has just offered to resign. I've asked some of the Korean nationals who work with us what they think about the American beef dispute, and they've said President Lee Myung-bak shouldn't be "playing with the lives of Koreans." Many Koreans are convinced that American beef will kill them if they eat it because our safety regulations aren't up to standard.

Now, I have no idea about whether American beef regulations are on par with South Korea - or whether we are inferior or superior, for that matter - or whether this entire dispute is over something different entirely and beef importation is the only way for Koreans to express their displeasure, but the entire situation is interesting to watch up close.

UPDATE [11 JUNE 2008]: Here's a link from CNN on the protesting last night. Note the candlelight vigil. I have no idea why this is popular in South Korea - I'll ask a Korean national - but Koreans enjoy holding candles during some protests. I'm not sure if it's mourning - as it would be associated with in the West - or what.

This is from Philadelphia.

In mid-2007, the city was at a rate of one murder per day. The year prior, 406 people were murdered in Philadelphia.

"Do something!" District Attorney Lynne Abraham admonished Mayor John Street at one news conference.

Two years prior was no different. From USA Today (04 DEC 2005):

Three months ago, Terrell Pough was pictured in People magazine, the proud father of a 2-year-old daughter, Diamond. At 18, he shouldered work, high school and single parenthood. He was, the magazine said, an exceptional young man.

Last month, his story took a too-familiar turn for young black men in this city: He was killed by a gunshot to the head Nov. 17 as he walked to his car after his shift as night manager of a restaurant.

As homicide figures in other big cities fall, Philadelphia will once again experience more than 300 murders this year.

Here's the broad reality of the situation:

Philadelphia has experienced more than 300 murders annually since 2000.

Last November, Officer Charles Cassidy was killed after interrupting a robbery at a Dunkin' Donuts, where he usually got his coffee (Story).

Police released portions of a chilling videotape that shows the hooded robber pushing aside two customers and waving a gun as he approaches the counter. It also shows him grabbing the fallen officer's pistol as he fled.

This article, an excerpt of which was published in the 05 May 2008 edition of The Olympian, originally appeared in The Houston Chronicle. I attempted to find the original article but - alas - had little success.

One reason recruiting highly qualified young people for the armed forces has become so difficult is that they see the unfair and seemingly endless demands placed on our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan while the general public sacrifices little.

So let me get this straight: young people are declining to sign up for the Armed Forces because they're waiting for a greater burden to be placed on the general public? I'm not in disagreement that the public should be doing more to mobilize the American War Machine, but what happened to leading by example?

I think it's a pretty long reach to arrive at the conclusion that all of these recruits are just waiting in the wings who would head down to their recruiter's office if only there was a greater demand from the general public.

CNN:

The Olympian:

The Olympian (3 May 2008): Troopers review Capitol security measures

The Olympian (3 May 2008): Olympia's patience wears thin with protests

The Olympian: Damage reported downtown at councilmembers' businesses

The Olympian (3 May 2008): Six face felony charges after rally

King 5 (2 May 2008): Olympia May Day protestors appear in court

The Olympian (2 May 2008): A rally, then violence in Olympia

The Olympian (1 May 2008): 6 arrested as protesters throw rocks through windows at 3 Olympia banks

Komo 4: May Day rally briefly turns ugly in Olympia

Most, if not all, of the links to television stations have video with the story.

Feel free to add stories you find. I know Sarah usually does this but I thought I'd try compiling a starter list.

Over the last six months, we have seen:

This

This (which I do realize is at the state capitol and would require a change to the Revised Code of Washington)

This

This

And this

By now you're getting the point: not only are people coming to Olympia to incite civil disturbances, they are doing so while hiding their identity to carry out illegal activities.

As we saw in another thread, law enforcement must conduct their operations in the open view of the public.

At least fifteen years ago, the State of California added section 185 to the California Penal Code. Section 185 reads:

Section One Hundred and Eighty-five. It shall be unlawful for any person to wear any mask, false whiskers, or any personal disguise (whether complete or partial) for the purpose of:

The Olympian: Slain Rainier soldier to be remembered Thursday with portrait at Capitol:

Army Sgt. Justin Norton of Rainier, who was killed in Iraq in June of 2006, will be remembered Thursday at 11 a.m. at the Capitol Campus in Olympia. Artist Michael Reagan of Edmonds will present a portrait of the slain soldier to his family at the state Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Sgt. Norton, Justin: Funeral

Seattle P-I: List of casualties with with Washington state ties

I was going to offer up a little bit of my own psuedosociology, but I'm not quite sure how to word it.

Here are the two pieces:

Bedtime Stories for Catherine

Damage Control

EDIT:

It's a little after midnight on Friday in South Korea (it's 8:23 a.m. in Olympia) and I'm watching President Bush speak before The Economic Club of New York on CNN International.

Anyone else watching?

Evidently we're going to be getting our checks from the government by the "second week of May."

Had to put it on mute for a while but now President Bush is talking about combating oppressive governments in Africa and seems to be implying that we're going to remain on the global stage - isolationism is dead - whether we like it or not.

He's not coming across as an idiot at all. I haven't seen him speak in a while, but he seems to be doing a pretty good job.

One thing I enjoy about living abroad is that you get an almost daily update on how U.S. currency is doing simply by venturing out into the economy.

I watched Gone Baby Gone while I was a Charge of Quarters Running (CQR). Basically, you sit in a little office in the barracks and read, work out and watch movies on a 24-hour shift. There's a log where you write down any significant events (e.g. SGT Snuffy conducts barracks check) and - if it's something that needs attention right then and there - you contact the Non-Commissioned Officer In Charge (NCOIC) of your shift.

A pretty solid rental. I don't know why it took me so long to get around to finally watching it. And be forewarned, I'm going to talk about the plot so if you haven't seen the movie and would prefer to be surprised, I'd suggest you stop reading. There's also some strong language from quoting the movie, so if you'd rather not read a few lines of profanity, take that into consideration also.

At any rate, there's a conversation between Detective Bressant and Patrick Kenzie after Kenzie has shot and killed - in a manner consistent with an execution - a child predator after Kenzie, Bressant and Detective Nick Poole (played by John Ashton) raid a house with the predator and two other occupants (all three of whom are killed).

Kenzie has a difficult time coming to grips with his decision to kill the child molester, even after being told by numerous police officers that he did a good job. This is the conversation Kenzie and Bressant have in the parking lot of the hospital (Poole had been shot almost immediately during the raid and later dies from his injuries):