DEA Screw-Up
Posted by Michelle Moquin on May 10th, 2012
Good morning!
So…how is everyone?
Lance, Jackie and anyone else having issues: Sorry about the problems getting in yesterday. I know it is a pain trying to post sometimes and then to see your comments disappear after posting, no doubt is frustrating. As always, I appreciate you being here and your persistency to be heard!
There are so many newbies reading these days and with so many signing off with just their initials, I am having a difficult time deciphering who is showing up here a lot to even recognize you as “regular readers”. I love the intimacy of this blog, and I love recognizing and giving recognition to my readers, so I am encouraging you to post under a name, any name to distinguish yourself. Have some fun with it! Take a cue from Zen Lill (hey ZL how’s it going?), or Social Butterfly (By the way SB/ – my readers are missing you and so am I.) Is that too much to ask? Of course if you don’t want to be recognized, then carry on as usual.
Speaking of the “regulars”, are the names changing? Okay with me, but I am feeling a bit nostalgic on this day – not sure why but I am missing some long time readers who used to post regularly but haven’t in awhile.
Mike: Miss your political posts. How are you?
Emily: Wha’ats up girl? Miss seeing your children’s writings. Hope you’re doing good.
Helena: You still reading? How are you?
Jorge & Carla: Your names just popped into my brain. I realize you were not regular posters (but regular readers), but you both certainly left a lasting impression. I HOPE you’re both doing good.
Howie and Al: I know you two have decided to not be here anymore, but know you are always welcome to come back.
And I cannot forget AH, Bita, and Adam: It’s been awhile as well. Missing you chronicles from the past. I don’t know if you are around, but I certainly do miss hearing from you.
If I’ve left out someone please forgive me.
Clark: Watching that video was frustrating for me as well, not to mention the sick behavior of the police on this helpless homeless man. These types of abuse/murder just can’t continue to go on without justice being served. We as a country cannot stand by and let this continue.
Readers: Speaking of police, I found this write:
Daniel Chong, U.S. Man Left In Cell For 4 Days, Entered ‘Survival Mode‘
SAN DIEGO — The case of a detained college student who was forgotten in a holding cell for more than four days suggests a breakdown in procedure and oversight within the Drug Enforcement Administration, a California federal lawmaker said Thursday.
Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter said in a letter sent Thursday to DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart that the treatment of 23-year-old Daniel Chong raises concerns about the agency’s handling and monitoring of individuals in custody.
Chong was swept up in a drug raid on April 21. After questioning him, agents told him that he would not be charged and to hang tight in the holding cell until they finished the paperwork to release him. The door did not reopen until April 25 when agents found a severely dehydrated Chong covered in his own feces.
Chong spent five days in the hospital.
The incident was one of the worst cases of its kind, law enforcement experts say.
Hunter said he wants a full account of Chong’s incarceration, the process currently in place for holding individuals suspected of unlawful activity and the steps that the DEA is taking to address this matter in its entirety.
“The situation involving Chong may in fact be an isolated incident,” Hunter wrote. “Regardless, my concern is that this situation could also be a symptom of a bigger problem, with errors in procedure and oversight possibly extending to the division’s law enforcement function.”
Hunter said such oversight is especially important given the DEA’s presence in the U.S.-Mexico border region. He is asking for information on any other investigations pertaining to the San Diego division.
A federal law enforcement official familiar with DEA operations said the agency’s protocols require that cells be checked each night. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter, said the cell where Chong was held is not intended for overnight stays because it does not have a toilet.
The top DEA agent in San Diego, William R. Sherman, said in a statement that he was “deeply troubled” by what happened to Chong and has personally ordered an extensive review of his office’s policies and procedures. Sherman also issued an apology to Chong, though the student said he was not personally contacted by Sherman.
Chong told The Associated Press in an interview that he screamed and kicked the door after waiting hours in the cell.
Then as the days dragged on, the terrifying realization set in that he was trapped. He had been forgotten in a 5-by-10-foot windowless room, hearing only the muffled sounds of voices and toilets flushing in the Drug Enforcement Administration facility in San Diego.
On the third day, he began to hallucinate. He urinated on a metal bench to be able to drink his urine. He stacked a blanket, his pants and shoes on the bench and tried to reach an overhead fire sprinkler, futilely swatting at it with his cuffed hands to set it off.
Then, the engineering student says he gave up and accepted death. He bit into his eyeglasses to break them. He says he used a shard of glass to carve “Sorry Mom” onto his arm so he could leave something for her.
He managed to finish an “S.” He says he considered ending his life with the glass to quicken his death.
“I pretty much lost my mind,” he told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Help came after four days, when agents on a fluke opened the door and found him covered in his own feces. He says a bewildered agent asked: “Where’d you come from?”
Chong was treated in the hospital for dehydration, kidney failure, cramps and a perforated esophagus. He had lost 15 pounds.
His attorneys filed a $20 million claim on Wednesday against the federal agency, saying his treatment constitutes torture under U.S. and international law. The five-page notice, a required precursor to a lawsuit, was sent to the DEA’s chief counsel in Washington, D.C. The $20 million figure refers to the maximum amount that Chong and his lawyers would seek.
Chong told the AP his ordeal started after he went to his friend’s house on April 20 to get high, part of a national, annual countercultural ritual on that date. Chong slept there that night and, the next morning, agents stormed into the house. The raid netted 18,000 ecstasy pills, other drugs and weapons. Nine people, including Chong, were taken into custody, according to the DEA.
*****
Peace out.
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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May 10th, 2012 at 1:00 pm
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May 10th, 2012 at 1:07 pm
Michelle, Gracias for remembering. Carla and I are together now and we never miss reading. I saw a few Jorges post on your blog. I thought about Robert, RT using initials and I am muy tempted.
Carla teases me about my ego. She says men! In her special way. But now I think I will so look for the H to know that it’s me.
Oh, Carla is pregnant. I hope to have a little girl who looks just like her.
Jorge H.
May 10th, 2012 at 1:12 pm
Oh Michelle, Carla asked me to tell Al he was her favorite. He had a way with the funny words. It helped her get her sassy english together. She wished he would come back. Maybe you can have a few encouraging words for him.
Al, from the both of us We hope you get to better health soon. On those real hot days, you might try a jalapenos spiked tequila. Make one for Howie, he was my favorite space man.
Is it true that he is out in the great beyond with Carr?
Jorge/Carla
May 10th, 2012 at 1:25 pm
Forget the Second Helping: Link Discovered Between Calories and Memory
If I had a nickel for every time I heard someone say, “Oh man, I ate too much. I shouldn’t have had that second serving,” I would have quite a few nickels!
Obviously, excessive eating is no good for your waistline…neither are all of the associated ailments of obesity. But, it gets worse. All that overeating actually may be making you forgetful.
According to a new study—it can double the risk for memory loss. In other words, how much you put into your stomach greatly affects your brain.
I checked out the research to find out just how many extra calories put us at risk…
MILD BUT MEASURABLE MEMORY LOSS
While past studies have suggested that caloric intake is linked to Alzheimer’s disease, this report was one of the first to examine whether there is a link between high-caloric intake and a less severe form of memory loss called mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
MCI is more than just age-related forgetfulness—it’s a bit more serious.
People with MCI are generally able to function normally, but they might occasionally forget an event from the recent past or a future engagement.
People with MCI, for example, may not be able to recall what they had for dinner the night before or they may forget about a planned trip later in the day.
The study included 1,233 men and women without Alzheimer’s between the ages of 70 and 90. Participants completed a questionnaire, which asked how much of specific foods and drinks they consumed and how often they consumed them, on average.
Researchers used that information to calculate the caloric quantity each person consumed—they did not examine caloric quality (carbs, fats, protein, etc).
Then researchers divided the participants into three equal-sized groups that represented the lowest, moderate and highest calorie intake.
Each group contained both men and women. The first group consumed between 600 and 1,525 calories per day (the low-intake group)…
the second group consumed between 1,526 and 2,142 calories per day (the moderate-intake group)…
and the final group consumed more than 2,142 calories per day (the high-intake group).
Later, an expert panel reviewed the brain function of the participants and 163 were classified as having MCI.
The researchers found that people in the high-intake group (those who ate more than 2,142 calories per day) had a significantly higher risk for MCI, with double the risk compared to the low-intake group.
The results remained the same even after accounting for gender, body mass index, history of stroke and other risk factors.
People in the low-intake and moderate-intake groups did not have a significantly higher risk for MCI.
To learn more about the findings, I called the lead author, Yonas E. Geda, MD, an associate professor of neurology and psychiatry at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona.
His research was presented in April at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in New Orleans.
MODERATION IS KEY
Dr. Geda explained that although the study didn’t try to answer the question of why more calories raise the risk for memory loss, one possibility is that consuming more calories increases the body’s production of reactive oxygen species (molecules containing oxygen).
These cause damage to cell structure (oxidative stress), and that can lead to changes in the brain that affect memory.
So what’s the magic number of calories that you should try to stay under each day?
You might look at this study and assume that it’s 2,143 calories, but it’s important to remember that the study was looking only at people over the age of 70.
Your age and your activity level—as well as your gender, height and weight—can all affect how many calories you need, said Dr. Geda, so it’s best to figure out how many you need for energy and then make sure that you don’t go over that maximum.
To figure out how many calories you need, follow this link from the Baylor College of Medicine: http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/caloriesneed.htm
Source: Yonas E. Geda, MD, associate professor, neurology and psychiatry, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, Arizona.
May 10th, 2012 at 1:37 pm
Americans are always criticizing our form of government. At least our government doesn’t pretend that everyone has equal rights while preserving the most and best for one race only.
I read this blog every day and study your news for my language classes. It is sad how much lying your white race does to themselves and others.
There is NO equality in America. Not between the classes( poor to rich) and certainly not between the races. The white race in America keep a firm hold on their entitlements taken by them because they are white.
We won’t have to invade and defeat white America. They will defeat themselves with greed and selfishness. As soon as their fellow americans find a way to get pay back America as they know it will be no more.
Xiao-Li
May 10th, 2012 at 1:51 pm
Michelle, I too miss the “Regulars.” Especially Social Butterfly and Howie. Two of my favorites!
Maybe you or Zen Lill can convince Howie to return. We used to look forward to his post, especially the way he used to come in and explain the UFO mysteries.
Of course I also love that smooth talking Robert,RT. He makes me wish I could be his sea nymph.
But seriously, your political landscape is so fraught with lies and deceptions by your politicians. It is just like Greece. I guess you can take the white man from one country but as soon as he gets to the new one he will be just as much a LSOS as he was in the first.
Unfortunately it seems that in America that dubious honor extends to most of your white females as well. I was so proud of your President Obama coming out for Gay Rights.
Then I hear that Megan McCain was criticizing him for not doing more. Mr. Obama is the FIRST american president to come out for Gay Rights in this way. And shouldn’t she be more concerned with her own party who categorically refuses to accept gay marriage?
The Gall is palpable.
Galene
May 10th, 2012 at 1:58 pm
Bless you Michelle for remembering me in this way. I love your blog and of course I never miss a one. And some times it takes a bit to read all the comments.
Frankly, I liked it better when it was smaller. But I am so proud of you and for you. You have truly made this a world medium for us all.
It is so enlightening though a bit disappointing to hear the low esteem we white women of America command in the civilized world. I know we can do better, and with blogs like this one we are well on our way.
love
Helena
May 10th, 2012 at 2:01 pm
Howie, I hope this finds you in good health. Your posts are very much missed here in Israel.
אהבה
Qetsiyah
May 10th, 2012 at 2:11 pm
Michelle, I’m still here. I can’t always read every post now days. But I open my day with a sneak peek regularly.
I am doing some undercover work. It seems that the Right has invested 9 figure$ in controlling the software and the process that will count the votes in the coming elections.
I hope to break a big story right here in the near future. I do have one complaint. I think the blog got too belligerent in there treatment of Howie.
I do miss his enlightenments and who knows the impact of his lost to the cause of keeping the information flowing between those in the arab community who want to end the violence in the Middle East and Israel and the West.
I, too, hope this finds you in good health Howie.
Mike
May 10th, 2012 at 2:17 pm
Meghan McCain my advice to you is to go talk to Mr. Romney first.
Then after he explains his position to you, and you have publicly complained about him and the Republican party’s position on gay rights,
Then and only THEN can you come back and complain about President Obama not mentioning those civil rights which are oh so important to you.
Eleanor
May 10th, 2012 at 2:24 pm
This gay marriage thing is about civil rights. Something the white race is very familiar with curtailing for the OTW or those that disagree with their religious or moral stance.
I wish there was a way to secretly neuter the bastards. I am so angry with the tea party that every time I see one of their “little darlings” all I can think of is it’s just another little-bigot-tobe.
Why not spare the world the hurt and neuter the bastards now. I know the aliens might not like the dent to their food supply, but I bet it would be worth if for every OTW to commit to a personal family sacrifice to get it done.
That’s just me.
Roberta
May 10th, 2012 at 2:29 pm
All I see on this blog is hatred. Michelle you have given the niggers, jews, rag heads, wet backs and muds a forum to spew their hatred of their betters.
When you bastards complain about being on the losing end of the gay marriage act, you are complaining about democracy at work.
The last time I checked that meant one man one vote. If that vote hadn’t been extended to you and white women by WHITE men you wouldn’t have it. That is all the history you need to know.
Maury
May 10th, 2012 at 3:04 pm
Hi Mischa! I’m better than great and I must say Candi’s comment that I’m fearless has my smiling ear to ear (thank you, Candi) and I’ve gotten even more fearless, everyone around me is in fear – or swirling dervish named ZL hahaha…keep up or step aside please : ) and I mean it in the nicest of ways…
Maury, last I checked white men will do anything to ‘colonize’ and control anyone they can, think cutting off the thumbs of indians so the Brits could snag the weaving trade, so yeah, we whites wouldn’t have shit without your ruthless bullshit, makes me very proud (not) and I’m just glad to say I have many OTW people in my life whom I love and cherish and are not just white sheople.
Hi Jorge H and please tell Carla congratulations from Zen Lill! So glad you showed up, I often think of regulars who have come and gone. I plan to cut and paste some of the requests to Howie and Al, maybe if I give them the heads up that they’re missed more than they think, they will come back and comment and not get so hissied about comments they don’t like. I’ll try.
This story is just brutal, though white guys have proven time and again that their capacity for empathy/sympathy or just plain humanity is lacking sorely.
Rosa, you nailed it with the word, narcissist, and they know not that they suffer from this, it is the toughest ‘mental health’ issue to assist with. On that note, I will leave you with this therapist joke: what did the depeessed narcissist say to his therapist? Answer: I’m the biggest piece of poop the worlds ever revolved around : )
Luv, Zen Lill
May 10th, 2012 at 3:05 pm
of the swirling dervish…ZL
May 10th, 2012 at 3:09 pm
Gay Rights is not about anyone’s opinion it is about civil rights. No one in America has the right to deny another american equal rights.
Obama has done the right thing. He voiced his stance, now he should allow the courts to decide the issue. Of course with white america we may just get their jUStice.
It is quite apparent that most whites in America are very comfortable with voting on the equal rights of others. For years they told black America that they weren’t ready yet for complete equality.
All States rights mean to them is they get a chance to use their superior numbers to rush to the polls to force the minority to accept their moral or rather in most cases the lack there of values.
Traditionally their white men stacked courts have backed up every civil rights denial their vote has given to the minority.
There is no guarantee that won’t happen now.
Carmen
May 10th, 2012 at 4:58 pm
Rush just fills his days filling the minds of hatefilled people who hate the idea of not just a dem as president but an African American.
May 10th, 2012 at 5:00 pm
We live in a powerful time and as long a President Obama is the president it will continue to be.
May 10th, 2012 at 5:17 pm
This may or may not be true about Rush Limbaugh but it is rampant on the net and ole Rush isn’t rushing to deny it.
===================
Rush Limbaugh – A demonstrably gay man (picked up trying to solicit a male undercover cop on the West coast and caught numerous times in college smoking another man’s anatomy) who has had four wives has some kind of problem with this?
==================
Oh and for Rush’s references to the word “war,” his only relationship to that word is what he did to get a deferment.
This coward is too afraid to admit he likes sucking on the penis, so he does what others like him on the Right does he protests too much.
Lawrence
May 10th, 2012 at 5:24 pm
I’m with you Alycedale. No one has the right to vote on the civil rights of others.
I also agree that this SCOTUS has the make up of those before them that up held the keeping majority preventing preventing women from having the right to vote, black people from having the right; to be free; to vote; and OTWs from marrying who they wish.
Tina
May 10th, 2012 at 5:30 pm
Normally people do not like to see the little fellow getting beaten up. But that is not one of the best traits of the white race.
They have been beating up one race or another at every opportunity when they weren’t beating up members of their race they didn’t agree with.
I’m an american whose parents come from Pakistan. I am tired of getting picked on by these racist bastards that act as if this country belongs to them because of their being white.
Saabira
May 10th, 2012 at 5:36 pm
I wonder if Meghan McCain knows that what President Obama did would never have happened if her father had been elected?
May 10th, 2012 at 5:38 pm
Great Brittany. Now lets hope everyone goes out to vote so we do not have a repeat of 2010.
May 10th, 2012 at 5:42 pm
Please stop picking on Meghan. She is the daughter of a man who thought Palin would be a good replacement of himself in the White House.
Tells you something about the stupidity reigning in that family.
She has an excuse.
Cindi
May 10th, 2012 at 7:04 pm
Wait until the media gets ahold of this one.
==========================
Romney guided a blind teacher into a closed door, on purpose?
And laughs about it? What kind of guy is this?
What a douce bag! The kind of guy that would do this is a bully……plain and simple.