Dinghy Diving is something I'm just starting to get into. In this case traveling through the bay of San Diego you can see the multitudes of ships that are anchored in the area. San Diego is a boaters heaven with lots of places to explore that appeals to locals and vacationers. On any given day you will see an abundance of boats on the bay but not a lot of public docks in the area.
Personally, if I was going to raise appeal and make San Diego more friendly for dinghy use I would think outside the box and include more dinghy dock facilities in popular destinations. Particularly, this could be helpful for Liberty Station, Downtown and other touristy hot spots. People enjoy going out to eat, shopping, beach lounging and much more. Having a few more temporary docking facilities brings a vacationing crowd with money to spend.
I always wanted to see a nice grocery store with a dock. :0
Monday, June 29, 2020
Michigan State Police Receive $1,000,388.00 from CAMP Grant
Michigan State Police (MSP) receives $1,000,388.00 (Awardees List) from CAMP Grant designed is designed to advance public safety by providing funds directly to state law enforcement agencies to
investigate illicit activities related to the manufacture and
distribution of methamphetamine. We know that drugs have taken a significant toll on our communities and starting to curb these behaviors is important.
You can gain more information from the CAMP Fact Sheet.
Rural communities are often hit hard because it is easy to product these drugs in camps and trailers hidden in the woods. As these drugs are distributed and sold in rural places like the U.P. they have a devastating impact on their communities destroying the ability to maintain meaningful work, damaging children, encouraging more crime, and much more.
How does it propose to do this?
COPS Office encourages sites to develop partnerships with other agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, fire departments, local businesses, mental health organizations, child protection services, and other local law enforcement entities. The COPS Office also encourages data collection and information-sharing efforts aimed at better identifying and responding to the needs of drug endangered children.
Drugs and Economic Impact?
Heavy use of drugs takes a toll on economic growth as crime rises and people are taken out of the labor pool. Companies often don't invest in areas where they are unlikely to find a receptive environment where healthy workers are present and safe neighborhoods exist. Thus, these destructive drugs damage other long-term prospects of a community. They should be compassionately thwarted.
Award Owners Manual
DOJ Website
You can gain more information from the CAMP Fact Sheet.
Rural communities are often hit hard because it is easy to product these drugs in camps and trailers hidden in the woods. As these drugs are distributed and sold in rural places like the U.P. they have a devastating impact on their communities destroying the ability to maintain meaningful work, damaging children, encouraging more crime, and much more.
How does it propose to do this?
COPS Office encourages sites to develop partnerships with other agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, fire departments, local businesses, mental health organizations, child protection services, and other local law enforcement entities. The COPS Office also encourages data collection and information-sharing efforts aimed at better identifying and responding to the needs of drug endangered children.
Drugs and Economic Impact?
Heavy use of drugs takes a toll on economic growth as crime rises and people are taken out of the labor pool. Companies often don't invest in areas where they are unlikely to find a receptive environment where healthy workers are present and safe neighborhoods exist. Thus, these destructive drugs damage other long-term prospects of a community. They should be compassionately thwarted.
Award Owners Manual
DOJ Website
Sunday, June 28, 2020
Salty Dog Searches for Land
Ok...Chewy my super easy going Shiatsu isn't much of a salty dog but he is well on his way to becoming a seaman.
Saturday, June 27, 2020
Justice in Policing Act 2020-Are We Still Holding Bad Apples Accountable?
I'm looking through the Democrat Bill and the Republican Bill to gain a better understanding of the two bills. The Democrat Bill is much more comprehensive. I don't know if everything will work the way it is intended and if it passes there is likely to be some adjusting. What keeps rolling around in my mind is that much is focused on use of force and on minority communities. We know that is a problem....and we know that bad apples are bad apples and they are likely to have a pattern of abusive behavior in their positions. That likely impacts almost multiple communities they deal with because it is part of their personality and self-perceptive schema (i.e. people with perceived differences seen as the "other" might receive similar treatment).
When working in law enforcement I believe its important to have integrity and be honest and forth-write in all actions. People with negative dispositions and a bent toward abuse play in the grey areas and likely to circumvent the intentions of the law as much as possible without actually breaking the law. So if you have an officer with a terrible reputation of misconduct, have specific information of misconduct, and incidents that don't use deadly force but are nevertheless morally reprehensible and most likely illegal there is no way to hold them accountable?
What I see in the Bill is this....
It appears from this information that much is in aggregate data. What many politicians don't complete grasp is the subjective nature of data. There are latent variables which can't be directly observed and require a focus in scrutiny to actually find the misconduct. While most officers do what is intended by the spirit of the law there are those who take pleasure in regularly thwarting it to make themselves look good, help their friends, cover criminal acts, and much more.
The essential question I have is, "How do you hold them accountable?"
If we as a nation want people to trust law enforcement and work with them so we can keep people out of prisons while keeping our communities safe we have to really think about what occurs on a source level. For every 1 death at the hands of a police officer there may have been 10, 20, 30 other incidents that would have create a hierarchical hidden Markovian direction. Thus, that officer could have been counseled, trained, or fired long before they took the next abusive step that led to death or injury.
Such individuals also destroy the culture of a department because they are often very loud and aggressive with their tactics which leads others to the assumption that such behaviors are acceptable. Its a personality type that starts in teen years and carries on throughout their lives. Thus, removing/helping such bad actors quickly is important to help the entire department succeed and raise its public perception. A positive public perception of also raises the quality of recruiting candidates (more and better).
So if a person running a department knows that a bad actor is among them it is important for them as a senior leader to investigate and take action. While outside organizations can help where senior leadership fails, it is still up to senior police leadership to manage their employees and their culture well. I have some real life examples where senior leadership did the right thing and de-escalated situations. On the flip side, I have examples where an individual officer has a historical sequence of poor behavior and no action was taken.
Protect and Serve means we must create the right environment to raise the value and standard of the profession to achieve those ends. Supporting our officers and supporting the public are one and the same. We shouldn't forget that research supports the idea that a strong Justice System also helps create economic growth. There are studies that show countries with poor justice systems and high levels of corruption lead to poor economic growth. Do you think this could be a factor in our slow growth rates? I'm not sure even the economists can truly answer that one but we can say its hinted in the data.
Basics of the Bill:
When working in law enforcement I believe its important to have integrity and be honest and forth-write in all actions. People with negative dispositions and a bent toward abuse play in the grey areas and likely to circumvent the intentions of the law as much as possible without actually breaking the law. So if you have an officer with a terrible reputation of misconduct, have specific information of misconduct, and incidents that don't use deadly force but are nevertheless morally reprehensible and most likely illegal there is no way to hold them accountable?
What I see in the Bill is this....
(F) the law enforcement agency to collect and report statistical data on—
“(iv) the number of times camera footage is used for evidence collection in investigations of crimes; and
“(v) any other additional statistical data that the Director determines should be collected and reported;
The essential question I have is, "How do you hold them accountable?"
If we as a nation want people to trust law enforcement and work with them so we can keep people out of prisons while keeping our communities safe we have to really think about what occurs on a source level. For every 1 death at the hands of a police officer there may have been 10, 20, 30 other incidents that would have create a hierarchical hidden Markovian direction. Thus, that officer could have been counseled, trained, or fired long before they took the next abusive step that led to death or injury.
Such individuals also destroy the culture of a department because they are often very loud and aggressive with their tactics which leads others to the assumption that such behaviors are acceptable. Its a personality type that starts in teen years and carries on throughout their lives. Thus, removing/helping such bad actors quickly is important to help the entire department succeed and raise its public perception. A positive public perception of also raises the quality of recruiting candidates (more and better).
So if a person running a department knows that a bad actor is among them it is important for them as a senior leader to investigate and take action. While outside organizations can help where senior leadership fails, it is still up to senior police leadership to manage their employees and their culture well. I have some real life examples where senior leadership did the right thing and de-escalated situations. On the flip side, I have examples where an individual officer has a historical sequence of poor behavior and no action was taken.
Protect and Serve means we must create the right environment to raise the value and standard of the profession to achieve those ends. Supporting our officers and supporting the public are one and the same. We shouldn't forget that research supports the idea that a strong Justice System also helps create economic growth. There are studies that show countries with poor justice systems and high levels of corruption lead to poor economic growth. Do you think this could be a factor in our slow growth rates? I'm not sure even the economists can truly answer that one but we can say its hinted in the data.
Basics of the Bill:
Justice in Policing Act of 2020
This bill addresses a wide range of policies and issues regarding policing practices and law enforcement accountability. It includes measures to increase accountability for law enforcement misconduct, to enhance transparency and data collection, and to eliminate discriminatory policing practices.
The bill facilitates federal enforcement of constitutional violations (e.g., excessive use of force) by state and local law enforcement. Among other things, it does the following:
- lowers the criminal intent standard—from willful to knowing or reckless—to convict a law enforcement officer for misconduct in a federal prosecution,
- limits qualified immunity as a defense to liability in a private civil action against a law enforcement officer or state correctional officer, and
- authorizes the Department of Justice to issue subpoenas in investigations of police departments for a pattern or practice of discrimination.
The bill also creates a national registry—the National Police Misconduct Registry—to compile data on complaints and records of police misconduct.
It establishes a framework to prohibit racial profiling at the federal, state, and local levels.
The bill establishes new requirements for law enforcement officers and agencies, including to report data on use-of-force incidents, to obtain training on implicit bias and racial profiling, and to wear body cameras.
Links:
H.R.7120 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020Sponsor: Rep. Bass, Karen [D-CA-37] (Introduced 06/08/2020) Cosponsors: (230)Committees: House - Judiciary; Energy and Commerce; Armed ServicesCommittee Reports: H. Rept. 116-434Latest Action: House - 06/25/2020 Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection. (All Actions)
Rock Climbing Around Crevices-Strategy and Body
Center of gravity should hug the wall as much as possible. Slippery sweat dipped fingers become a problem as you try try to over and around the corner and outward pressure is applied.
One must use their brains as much as their bodies in rock climbing. Don't go until you know where your 3 point contact will find solid landing. Look, feel, and maintain as much return balance as possible if all does t work as intended
Friday, June 26, 2020
Senator McBroom Discusses Auto Insurance with More Options
Auto Insurance has been a big issue for Michigan for sometime. It was like this "pink elephant" that people talked about no one addressed the issue. There will be more choices with this new insurance so you will want to check out some of the plan. You can get the highlights in an article HERE.
Wednesday, June 24, 2020
Senator Tim Scott Discusses Institutions of Authority-Dems Not So Sure
Senator Tim Scott discusses police reform but Democrats are not so sure that reforms go far enough. What we can see is that there may be concerns that individual wrongdoing isn't being addressed in the legislation. I think there are some fixes that make this palatable to both sides.
You can listen to the Bill and see it HERE.
A couple of key points:
1. Use of Deadly Force.
2. Funding issues.
3. No knock
4. Transparency
5. Training
6. Falsifying reports
7. Body cameras
8. Record retention
9. Lynching
10. Social status.
11. Deescalation
12. Training
13. Mental health
14. National commission
15. Hiring and education
16. Best practices
17. Law enforcement consent
18. Funding
I really like what they have here and I think its a great start. Democrats don't like it and feel that perhaps by not negotiating there will be increasing pressure on Republicans to adjust. Now...what I would consider to push the this legislation forward would be thinking about individual accountability.....
1. Holding individual officers accountable for willful (non mistake) types discriminatory and/or other types of illegal acts. There is a need to protect officers from normal mistakes, frivolous suits, etc... However, they are also part of the law and should not be above it when it comes to big issues. Providing immunity from almost all types of behaviors is way too much power and protection that leaves open opportunities for abuse. In many ways, it might even invite it!
2. There are complaints and internal disciplinary issues that shouldn't be swept under the carpet. People complain and perhaps of those complaints most may not have true merit but when there are serious complaints and/or complaints of patterned behavior that have substance they should not be ignored. The records should be maintained for investigative purposes.
3. Investigations and reviews of complaints. When a threshold has been reached (or an act appears willfully inappropriate) it is important to review the information/record for misconduct. Like any other type of employment position in the country, leadership that does not act on such inappropriate actions should have some responsibility. Fighting negative culture means ensuring that bad cops are removed and the incentives for doing good are present. Thus, considering changing of incentives and punishment metrics may be needed.
4. I also didn't mention some type of prison reform. We are not talking about not putting criminals away but we should be discussing alternatives for mental health and other issues that are at their root not intended to harm others (good soul vs. bad soul argument). There will always be people that must be separated from society but there is no good reason to pay tens of thousands of dollars for little crimes that can be reformed. Consider using some of that prison money for other social service solutions.
I look at this from the mindset of a situation where an officer turned me away as a first responder from helping a woman in a car accident. She slipped into the coma. This didn't happen in a vacuum. That officer appears to have engaged in coordinated harassment, acted out of personal loyalties and discriminatory views, and restricted the help the woman needed. ...but there is a lot more to the story. That same officer has a number of people in the community questioning his behavior and actions ranging from all types of various situations. Assuming that all of this is true (which I know some of it is)....what mechanisms are in place to hold that officer accountable and why has he not been held accountable?
So...this is great policy being put forward and I believe that if they go a little further to ensure individual officers are held accountable when complaints have merit it would put to rest many of the other issues people are advocating for. Republicans and Democrats may fight about these issues and play political chess but at the end of the day it is the people who are paying for law enforcement and it is the people that law enforcement must be accountable. Nothing in this seems against either of the major ideological stances of Democrats or Republicans. We have to think long term about the nature of authority to ensure they are fulfilling a function as part of society and not above society.
Such an adjustment helps our officers in the long-run as bad apples that stain the badge are removed and good officers that bring wisdom and integrity are promoted. There should be legal protections in place for mistakes but not for willful misconduct. The long term trend of not taking action today means that society will continue to rub against the Justice system until one or the either must give (From a historical standpoint it is government that must give to long-term trends). We want people to feel safe around officers and know that officers are there to protect them. We also want officers to work with and feel beloved by their communities. Creating greater connections and accountability helps in this process. We love our officers so lets embrace them to be part of our communities and work for our communities.
The Republican brand is under pressure to reform. The world is changing and we know that the essential parts of the philosophy make a lot of sense and could have a significant part in the growth of the nation. However, there are some approaches that could be tweaked to make them more effective and palatable to a new generation of people.
You can listen to the Bill and see it HERE.
A couple of key points:
1. Use of Deadly Force.
2. Funding issues.
3. No knock
4. Transparency
5. Training
6. Falsifying reports
7. Body cameras
8. Record retention
9. Lynching
10. Social status.
11. Deescalation
12. Training
13. Mental health
14. National commission
15. Hiring and education
16. Best practices
17. Law enforcement consent
18. Funding
I really like what they have here and I think its a great start. Democrats don't like it and feel that perhaps by not negotiating there will be increasing pressure on Republicans to adjust. Now...what I would consider to push the this legislation forward would be thinking about individual accountability.....
1. Holding individual officers accountable for willful (non mistake) types discriminatory and/or other types of illegal acts. There is a need to protect officers from normal mistakes, frivolous suits, etc... However, they are also part of the law and should not be above it when it comes to big issues. Providing immunity from almost all types of behaviors is way too much power and protection that leaves open opportunities for abuse. In many ways, it might even invite it!
2. There are complaints and internal disciplinary issues that shouldn't be swept under the carpet. People complain and perhaps of those complaints most may not have true merit but when there are serious complaints and/or complaints of patterned behavior that have substance they should not be ignored. The records should be maintained for investigative purposes.
3. Investigations and reviews of complaints. When a threshold has been reached (or an act appears willfully inappropriate) it is important to review the information/record for misconduct. Like any other type of employment position in the country, leadership that does not act on such inappropriate actions should have some responsibility. Fighting negative culture means ensuring that bad cops are removed and the incentives for doing good are present. Thus, considering changing of incentives and punishment metrics may be needed.
4. I also didn't mention some type of prison reform. We are not talking about not putting criminals away but we should be discussing alternatives for mental health and other issues that are at their root not intended to harm others (good soul vs. bad soul argument). There will always be people that must be separated from society but there is no good reason to pay tens of thousands of dollars for little crimes that can be reformed. Consider using some of that prison money for other social service solutions.
I look at this from the mindset of a situation where an officer turned me away as a first responder from helping a woman in a car accident. She slipped into the coma. This didn't happen in a vacuum. That officer appears to have engaged in coordinated harassment, acted out of personal loyalties and discriminatory views, and restricted the help the woman needed. ...but there is a lot more to the story. That same officer has a number of people in the community questioning his behavior and actions ranging from all types of various situations. Assuming that all of this is true (which I know some of it is)....what mechanisms are in place to hold that officer accountable and why has he not been held accountable?
So...this is great policy being put forward and I believe that if they go a little further to ensure individual officers are held accountable when complaints have merit it would put to rest many of the other issues people are advocating for. Republicans and Democrats may fight about these issues and play political chess but at the end of the day it is the people who are paying for law enforcement and it is the people that law enforcement must be accountable. Nothing in this seems against either of the major ideological stances of Democrats or Republicans. We have to think long term about the nature of authority to ensure they are fulfilling a function as part of society and not above society.
Such an adjustment helps our officers in the long-run as bad apples that stain the badge are removed and good officers that bring wisdom and integrity are promoted. There should be legal protections in place for mistakes but not for willful misconduct. The long term trend of not taking action today means that society will continue to rub against the Justice system until one or the either must give (From a historical standpoint it is government that must give to long-term trends). We want people to feel safe around officers and know that officers are there to protect them. We also want officers to work with and feel beloved by their communities. Creating greater connections and accountability helps in this process. We love our officers so lets embrace them to be part of our communities and work for our communities.
The Republican brand is under pressure to reform. The world is changing and we know that the essential parts of the philosophy make a lot of sense and could have a significant part in the growth of the nation. However, there are some approaches that could be tweaked to make them more effective and palatable to a new generation of people.
Diving in Point Loma to Find Fishing Treasure
Powered up the outboard engine and headed out into the blue toward the new boat launch to try out some new/used diving equipment I picked up at a bargain price from a local dive shop just a week prior. It was a busy weekend so boaters were making wakes on their family excursions which made shore diving a touch more difficult as rolling waves knocked me off balance. Either way I waded with fat flippers into the water and made my way along the breakwall to see what might have inadvertantly slipped from some sure footed fisherman's hand.
To my surprise....I found a pair of fishing pliars. Not much of a "treasure" but it was still cool to find something. Other divers talk about the walls full of fishing tackle and old bottles so I figure fishing gear to be on par with other great discoveries.
To my surprise....I found a pair of fishing pliars. Not much of a "treasure" but it was still cool to find something. Other divers talk about the walls full of fishing tackle and old bottles so I figure fishing gear to be on par with other great discoveries.
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
Life as We Know It....Politics and Pricelessness
Politics is the art of influence. People come to encourage a way of life and promote their value systems to the world around them. Passing laws and creating rules helps to ensure that their way of life is being protected. It is an outward manifestation of inner self perception and values. When a group of people work together to accomplish certain goals they are called a party.
Parties are important because they help take values and codify them with government. In the U.S. we have two main parties of Republicans and Democrats. There may be a few smaller unknown independents but ultimately most belong to one or the other.
Each party promotes a value system and requires strict adherence to these value systems. You can see what occurs when party members don't talk or speak the party line and are swiftly sidelined. When dealing with two major parties naturally the other party is seen as frankly the "other".
That can be helpful from time to time but can be unhelpful if there is gridlock in decisions making. As each side maneuvers to promote their own position and limit the position of the other party they fail to truly listen and discuss issues that can lead to better legislative actions.
I know that I am not powerful and I know that many times my ideas are not worth much. ...but I do think the parties should think about conversing with each other in a bi-partisan way so as to perspective share and come to meaningful solutions on national problems. Politics has Pricelessness when parties work together on important national projects such as economic growth and fostering national improvements.
Parties are important because they help take values and codify them with government. In the U.S. we have two main parties of Republicans and Democrats. There may be a few smaller unknown independents but ultimately most belong to one or the other.
Each party promotes a value system and requires strict adherence to these value systems. You can see what occurs when party members don't talk or speak the party line and are swiftly sidelined. When dealing with two major parties naturally the other party is seen as frankly the "other".
That can be helpful from time to time but can be unhelpful if there is gridlock in decisions making. As each side maneuvers to promote their own position and limit the position of the other party they fail to truly listen and discuss issues that can lead to better legislative actions.
I know that I am not powerful and I know that many times my ideas are not worth much. ...but I do think the parties should think about conversing with each other in a bi-partisan way so as to perspective share and come to meaningful solutions on national problems. Politics has Pricelessness when parties work together on important national projects such as economic growth and fostering national improvements.
Michigan GOP Announces $1.3 Billion Funding for "Return to Learn" Plan
Education is important and an essential pathway to a better life. Monies will come from the $3 Billion federal COVID-19 relief funding. Most children will be going back to school and some may be online. Online education is growing and is fast becoming a part of modern life. These models were shunned just a few years ago.
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