Top blogging of 2019

It was an interesting year this year. No heavy thread of refuting conspiracy theories, unlike my top blogging of 2018. And, several of the top posts, including two baseball-themed ones, came from the last few months of the year.

One post was a repeat from a previous year, and one was a "throwaway" from a decade ago.

Let's start with that.

The most read blog post here in 2019 was "Could an Iranian bomb LOWER tensions?" As a generally erratic President Donald Trump listens to his neocons and tightens the screws ever more on the Islamic Republic, and as our Saudi allies and other Gulf Arab states descend into further butchery in Yemen, and as Trump panders to Zionists ever more while also encouraging antisemitism more (to those who know the history of Zionism, and know early Zionists themselves did that, that should be no shock) it seems that a lot of people wonder if a Tehran with a nuke or two, as much as proliferation is a no-no, might be better than the current situation.

No. 2, speaking of Zionism and antisemitism? That was me defending Ilhan Omar from charges of antisemitism — even as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, no less, shoved her halfway under the bus. (As I also noted there, it wasn't the first time — nor was it the last — for AOC's reality to fall several steps short of her rhetoric.)

No. 3? On to actual racism. And other things of the past at Augusta National Country Club. I called The Masters "A tradition of bullshit unlike any other."

No. 4? After making the Top 10 of 2017, but missing the cut last year, my ever growing biography of Twitter guru in the mind of himself, when alive, and his cultists still today, "Who Is Alan Smithee, aka Actual Flatticus?" (answer: misogynist, possibly racist, abusive Florida lawyer Chris Chopin) is back in the Top 10 this year.

No. 5? Yeah, everybody else doing political blogging wrote about it too. But! My "What's next for Trump after the Mueller Report?" was written from a position that clearly rejected twosiderism. That became more and more of a theme here the second half of 2019, with allegedly outside the box journos, but actually stenos to a certain form of twosiderism, like Aaron Maté, Matt Taibbi, Max Blumenthal, Mark Ames, Ben Norton, Yasha Levine et al repeatedly engaged in.

No. 6? For the first time in years, Texas news cracked an annual Top 10 list. The tragic fall shooting in Greenville, an arrest of someone eventually cleared de facto if not de jure, the omerta that leaves the case still unsolved, and cultural issues surrounding that all drew my attention.

No. 7? Texas news a second time, and in my backyard. I called out the Dallas Observer (which hasn't responded for months, and is one of several things that has led me to look at it with a more jaundiced eye than before) for doing a hit job on a planned wind farm. The site is on the Fort Worth half of the Metromess so why was the Observer writing? The reporter clearly understands nothing about the oil and gas world, and gas motives behind some opposition, to boot. (A follow-up post is coming shortly.)

No. 8? The first of two baseball posts. This was about who the Veterans Committee should and should not vote into the Hall of Fame. Veterans got it wrong, IMO, on not admitting Lou Whitaker and Thurman Munson. They got it OK on Ted Simmons, though Munson should have gone in first. And they definitely got it right on not selecting Dale Murphy.

Skipping a bit, No. 10 was paired. Comparing his career to Dave Parker, Juan Gonzales, Roger Maris and others, I explained in more detail why Murphy is not a HOFer.

No. 9? Connected to Jeffrey Epstein. I looked at some of the various Epstein-related sleaze that is connected to John Brockman, creator of The Edge Foundation and, until this year, its annual "the big question."

#TwinPeaksShooting apparently WAS a set-up ... by ..

Waco Tribune staff photo— Rod Aydelotte

A McLennan County sheriff’s deputy stands guard near a group
of bikers in the parking lot of Twin Peaks Restaurant just after
a deadly shootout between rival biker gangs Sunday.

The Bandidos. So says an anonymous member of the Cossacks in this long interview that certainly has the ring of truth to me.

Here's your nut grafs:

Since Sunday's killings, Waco police have offered few conclusions in their complex investigation. But they have said that the violence was touched off when an "uninvited" group, presumed to be the Cossacks, showed up at a meeting of a larger confederation of motorcycle clubs dominated by the Bandidos. 

In several interviews in recent days, the Cossack rider offered a different story. He said that the Cossacks were invited to the Twin Peaks patio that day — by a Bandido leader, who offered to make peace in a long-running feud between the two gangs. That invitation was a setup for an ambush, though, according to the Cossack. That's why the dead included six Cossacks, one Scimitar (an ally of the Cosacks) and only two Bandidos. 

The biker's story could not be independently verified; most of those involved in the shootout are still in jail. But significant parts of his account square with police statements, as well as security camera videos obtained by the Associated Press.

A couple of initial thoughts.

First, the Waco PD are generally trying not to put too much guesswork, vs. substantiated conclusions, out there. The "uninvited," if it's true that the Cossacks actually were invited, is probably the one semi-major item Sgt. Patrick Swanton's had wrong so far. 

Second, if this was an ambush, I'm not surprised. Are you? Given that the whole recent (for a year or two) dispute between the two has been over the Cossacks wanting to wear a Texas "rocker" on their jackets, and that nothing had been resolved about that before the May 17 shooting, it's surprising the Cossacks weren't more wary.

Next, the same biker totally puts "paid" to the idea this was a police set-up, turkey shoot or whatever:

So when a biker from the Bandidos, the oldest gang in Texas and one of the largest in the world, ran into a young Cossack in the Twin Peaks parking lot last Sunday, everyone knew what was coming. First words, then fists, then guns. Within seconds, Richie, Diesel and Dog were dead. 

"I took off," the Cossack rider said. "I got out of there. I didn't have a weapon. I couldn't fight anybody."

I can't blame him!

That said, the story, after describing the basics about the Bandidos, notes that law enforcement had been worried about the Cossacks potentially getting more violent or aggressive. 

Next, a question.

Did this "Marshall," identified as the Bandido who reportedly made the alleged olive branch call, sincerely mean that? If so, did other Bandidos override him as soon as they found out, or instead at the meeting on Sunday, just before the Cossacks showed up?

Or instead, was his phone call part of a set-up in the first place?

I somewhat lean that way, based on this, from the actual firefight:

Trouble started almost immediately, (the Cossack informant) said: One of the Bandidos, wearing a patch that identified him as a chapter president, ran his bike into a Cossack standing in the parking lot. The Cossack who was hit was a “prospect,” a man in his mid-20s who was “striving to become” a full member of the club. 

“They came up really fast, and the prospect turned and faced the bikes,” the Cossack chapter president said. “He fell backward into other [parked] bikes. The guy who hit him stopped and got off of his bike and said, ‘What are you doing? Get . . . out of my way. We’re trying to park.’ ”

It sounds like this Bandido was determined to cause trouble. Didn't he get the memo about Marshall's phone call? At a minimum, this is the first half of the first scenario: At least some Bandidos had decided before the meeting that no olive branch was being extended.

And, then, the fight was on:

Cossacks quickly jumped to the prospect’s defense, he said: “Guys were saying, ‘You’re disrespecting us,’ or, ‘We’re not backing down.’ ” 

In a blink, it started, he said: “Two punches: One from them, one from us.” 

A Bandido with a patch identifying him as sergeant-at-arms of the same chapter threw a punch at Richard Matthew Jordan II, 31, known as “Richie,” who was from Pasadena, Texas. Jordan punched the guy back. 

“At that point in time, the sergeant in arms shot Richie point-blank,” the Cossack said.
Police said Jordan died of a gunshot wound to the head.

Well, hardcore libertarians, bikers, anarchists, and other people making "false flag" claims? You've been officially refuted by a biker who was there.

The Cossack then notes the next two people killed, at least, were killed by Bandidos. And, he doubles down on the "setup" angle.

That said, his last comment is kind of "rich."

“I didn’t sign up for this,” he continued. “I signed up for a brotherhood that believes in family and taking care of their communities.”

Really? You know the Cossack-Bandido history. You know if the feds' warning about rising Cossack activity is true, or not. You know about the claims of Cossack affiliation with Hell's Angels.

Now, if by “family,” you mean that in a biker parallel to Cosa Nostra, Mafia “family,” I get it. If you mean mom-and-pop ... wrong!

Joey Dauben, felon (updated)

I was wondering why my last previous post about Ellis County (south exurban Dallas) newspaper reporter Joey Dauben was getting more hits.

And, I now see it's because he's been convicted. And on the lesser of two cases.

The more serious one? Charges of sexual assault of a minor. He goes on trial for that early next year.

And (updated Jan. 16, 2013) a Corsicana jury has given him plenty of reasons to wipe the smug look off of his face.

Either 10 years, or 30 years, worth of reasons, depending on whether a judge says his sentences should be consecutive or concurrent.

For those coming here for the Ali Alexandar / Ali Akbar pre-Start the Steal nuttery, go here to get there immediately. But, consider reading through first, so you can see just how big a nutter it was, in the person of convicted felon Joey Dauben that said Akbar / Alexander was really thrown off.

Per the three links above, Dauben is an exotic mashup of Walter Mitty with dreams of being William Randolph Hearst and possible repressed homophobe. (The alleged victim in the sexual assault case is male but in his teens, so there is the issue of sexuality in play, as I've noted here, wondering why a writer at Dallas' LGBT mag, the Voice, has such an interest in Dauben's case.)

Dauben was also extensively profiled for some strange reason by the Dallas Observer (my blog take on that here.) Weirdly, per the new picture above, replacing a link bust, I didn't realize that D Magazine, with piece written by Mike Orren of then-independent Pegasus News, had also fellated Dauben.

The man, or man-child, is incorrigible. He violated terms of his pre-trial release on bond. He acts like this is all some big libertarian "game."

Well, Joey, and any of your friends like "sunflower" who see this? It's not a game.

But, I don't expect you to admit that. In part, I think the Walter Mitty is grasping at a dream you'd like to be true. In part, I think it's hiding from a past you'd like to not be true. Indeed, I wonder where your crusading against child abuse (or, wrongly identified non-abusers, in this case) comes from.

That said, per the Corsicana charges, one could laugh at Dauben being hoisted by his own petard, too:

“At the end of the day, Joey Dauben raped a 14 year old boy,” said Navarro County District Attorney R. Lowell Thompson. “He complained about Ellis County being soft on sex offenders. He found out that in Navarro County, we aren’t.”

But, of course, it's not a laughing matter. Certainly the sexual assault isn't, and ultimately, and sadly, neither is the character of Joey Dauben.

And, sadly, I don't expect you to admit you're gay, either. (And, no, if both my suspicions are correct, I don't believe child abuse makes you gay.) Speaking of this, Dallas Voice contributor David Webb hasn't written anything about Dauben since last April. What gives?

Update, March 16, 2013: I had a new light bulb pop on tonight. Joey Dauben reminds me of a slightly less mature James O'Keefe of Breitbart fame, detailed here in all his sordidness.

Update 2, July 19, 2017: How did Dauben know that a mayor of tiny little Henderson County burg Seven Points, way away from Ellis County, was gay unless Dauben has a gay grapevine or good gay gaydar? 

And, why did you feel compelled to say "I'm not gay"?

Joey, you're in prison because of repression and denial, IMO. And, maybe not denial at the end, as you said — after both conviction and sentencing — that you were taking responsibility for this. (That said, a gay news author, well known on the case, David Webb, in that wandered awfully close to the area that child abuse of a boy can make him a gay man, while at the same time, still insisting Dauben's not gay.)

I don't know if he and John Margetis were gay lovers or not, as a spite-laden blog claims, per the Dallas Observer. To be honest, I'm likely to say no; if they were, why would Joey have committed not "just" statutory rape, but same-sex statutory rape?

Sadly, had you not been repressing, none of this would have happened.

==

Update, Aug. 22, 2021: Besides "Sunflower" and his other groupies who trailed him, at the Ellis County Observer, Dauben had as one of his flunkies a guy named Ali Akbar, who also allegedly was working on the Texas effort for John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign. Today, you know him as "Stop the Steal" would-be thief Ali Alexander. Dauben, per this piece, back then thought Akbar (already then a convicted felon) was shady as shit, claiming that Akbar/Alexander had talked back then of ways to rig an election. And, if Joey Dauben thought that ...

 

Sept. 1, 2022: Oath Keepers legal council Kellye SoRelle (don't you love how White Karens who laugh at Black names can't spell straight themselves?) has been arrested for conspiracy. Per Twitterati, she previously fingered Alexander as one of three leaders of the Jan. 6 insurrection, along with Roger Stone and Alex Jones. 

Update, April 17, 2023: Akbar/Alexander now accused of soliciting "dick pics" from followers of Nick Fuentes. Says he's been "battling" same-sex attraction. Uses "so gay" as a slur. Statement, via Twitter, claims he's done nothing illegal. Other than possibly breaking the law if any of these were of minors (and hence highly illegal), sounds like he needs to stop battling and start accepting being bisexual. Plus, it's all about the money. Milo Yiannopoulos (THAT Milo) ratted on him after he and Fuentes cut him out of a "potentially lucrative" position with Kanye West's presidential run. (Was this 2020, or is he looking at another in 2024? YE gads.) And, rats like Marjorie Taylor Greene are trying to dissociate from both.

 

Akbar/Alexander new update, Feb. 16, 2025: More on the Alexander is allegedly gay. Gives a whole new angle to his connection to Dauben. 

 

==

 

Non Akbar/Alexander updates:

Meanwhile, some of his critics probably WERE as libelous as Dauben. Why else would their blog now be invitation-only on readership?

Related? Update, Oct. 25, 2021: Joey's friend John Margetis, who allegedly kept running Joey's piles of crap after his arrest, was himself arrested and after Joey's conviction. The charges aren't related to that, but just show the company Joey kept in his weird crusades.

 

Update, April 17, 2023: Akbar/Alexander now accused of soliciting "dick pics" from followers of Nick Fuentes. Says he's been "battling" same-sex attraction. Uses "so gay" as a slur. Statement, via Twitter, claims he's done nothing illegal. Other than possibly breaking the law if any of these were of minors (and hence highly illegal), sounds like he needs to stop battling and start accepting being bisexual. Plus, it's all about the money. Milo Yiannopoulos (THAT Milo) ratted on him after he and Fuentes cut him out of a "potentially lucrative" position with Kanye West's presidential run. (Was this 2020, or is he looking at another in 2024? YE gads.) And, rats like Marjorie Taylor Greene are trying to dissociate from both.

Part of how NYC burnishes its crime stats; other cities?

Instructing police officers to downgrade crimes, like robberies to stolen property or rapes to misdemeanor sexual assaults, is certainly one way of doing that.

It also means you can justify having fewer police officers (hence the incredibly slow response times in this would-have-been-downgraded rape), because, well, because there's not a lot of serious crime!

That said, New York City was the metropolis that got busted, because it was a journalist who was sexually assaulted. Especially during the ongoing recession, I wonder how common this is elsewhere.

Jan Brewer has a sun-baked Arizona crime rhetoric

Will Obama say "enough" to Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer's overheated rhetoric on illegal aliens and crime? The border is safer than much of urban America, overall:

The top four big cities in America with the lowest rates of violent crime are all in border states: San Diego, Phoenix, El Paso and Austin, according to a new FBI report. And an in-house Customs and Border Protection report shows that Border Patrol agents face far less danger than street cops in most U.S. cities.

That said, Austin isn't a border city. Anyway, Tucson's violent crime rate is not much higher than that of Phoenix? And, stereotypes of violent crime leaking from Nuevo Laredo to Laredo aside, it's "OK," too. All of those cities are much safer than Dallas, for example.

Irony alert – KKKer arrested in Israel

The truly guilty will even flee where nobody would think of them going, to riff on Proverbs?

The appropriate DWI punishment for Donte Stallworth?

Reading about the Cleveland Browns’ receiver getting just 30 days of jail time for DWI manslaughter made me think of a more appropriate punishment.

Then I got it.

Thinking of how many NFL players “praise Jesus” after each touchdown, make Stallworth take off his helmet and say, “I drove while drunk and killed somebody” each touchdown he scores during his two years of house arrest.

And yes, there are some extenuating circumstances, like the victim, technically, jaywalking. Still, this is pretty much a free pass to get 30 days, plus two years house arrest that still let you play in the NFL.

That said, I am waiting to hear MADD weigh in.

Would non-athlete get 30 days 4 DWI manslaughter?

I kind of doubt it, even with a clean criminal background, but, if you’re an NFL player like Donte Stallworth, I guess different rules apply. True, he is getting two years’ house arrest, as well, but the story indicates that allows him to “work,” i.e., play in the NFL, the next two years.

I smell a possible rat in Philly ‘abduction’

Call me hard-hearted, cynical, both or worse, but the old white woman and daughter abducted by undescribed black men sounds a bit stereotyped, stereotyping and iffy.

Dumb crime of the week

Do NOT take a White House tour if you’re on a deportation list.

True crime – early Christmas for a girlfriend?

In Cedar Hill, Texas, a shoplifter heisted somewhere from $500-$1,500 of merchandise at the local Victoria's Secret Dec. 15.

I assume Sara's Secret in DeSoto was either his next or his previous stop.

Holiday SCATblogging time!

Scat, Santa, Scat!
The dude in red was jiving and SCATing in Somerville, Mass., Dec. 16. He was talking on Somerville Community Access Television.

Scat on Christmas Eve, but not Christmas Day ...
Scat, yes, if you're disabled, you can get a paratransit lift Dec. 24 in Greensboro, N.C., with the Specialized Community Area Transportation Service, but you're scat out of luck Christmas day.

A Scatload of trouble in Louisiana ...
The SCAT-masters of Ouachita Parish's Special Crimes Apprehension Team busted Prientess Lyons for selling fake-label merchandise. Click the link to find out just how bad Lyons' scatload of trouble is.

Another Scatload of trouble in Iowa ...
Iowa City's Street Crimes Action Team have closed a "ninja" robbery. Oh, do police choose these acronyms deliberately? I'm now thinking about George Carlin's "shit" routine, speaking of cops.

And a real Scatload of trouble in Vermont...
Two Massachusetts men were busted there for illegal bear hunting. Bear scat was among the clues that gave the duo away. Again, click the link to see what sort of trouble their scat-terbrained behavior could earn.

Scat for those in need
Bev Bender makes scat, or scats in the plural. And gives scats to those in need in Toledo, Ohio. Clilck the link to have the mystery solved.

Scat away the crazies?
Not quite. That's what his lyrics say, but Jewish songster Shauly Grossmann instead pissed off a bunch of ultra-Orthodox who thought he was being too irreverent to rabbis. Maybe he should have stuck to Hanukkah Harry knockoffs instead.

Bach until you drop, rapper!

That was the stance of Champaign County (Ohio) Municipal Court Judge Susan Fornof-Lippencott, when she offered a lower fine amount to Andrew Vactor, convicted of playing rap music too loud on his car stereo, in exchange for him listening to classical music for 20 hours.

We need more judges like this, with creative sentencing to fit the offense.

Solar panels replace copper as theft target

Fortunately, or unfortunately, due to a combination of lack of foresight by Gov. Rick Perry and lack of greed potential for TXU et al, we don’t have to worry about solar panels being stolen here in Tejas because we have none.

In California, though, it’s a whole ’nother story.

Dallas Police seeks wheelchair bandit

Who stole an energy drink and 10 boxes of condoms.

Sometimes you just can’t make up true crime. I have had a few such weird cases from my day job.

It takes a thief to trip up a thief - Irony Alert

Steal a 400-year-old First Folio of Shakespeare? Check.

Apparently steal other high-dollar items? Check?

Live in a modest house, apparently to keep a low profile? Check.

Shoot that idea in the foot? Priceless:

The man lives in a modest home in a working-class neighborhood – the ancestral town of George Washington.

But there was a silver Ferrari in his driveway and Armani suits in the closets.

Read the full story for more on the saga of the stolen Shakespeare.

Irony alert: Wolf Camera

The Wolf Camera store in Cedar Hill, Texas, was robbed in late February. Local police have little to go on because …

A camera store didn’t have surveillance cameras.