In which she…well, just watch…

Yes.  This.  Exactly this.  Love this.  Hoo-rah.

That is all.

In other things, I am now the proud owner of a college freshman.  Lord help me.  He called mama twice during the first day of classes.  The best news so far…by the third day of classes, the boy had already CLEP’ed out of a class.  Yay! 

I am also the proud owner of a seventh-grader.  Wow.  I have no more babies.  That’s a bit daunting when you think about it. 

One of my favorite ladies, Faina, is recently published.  From what I can see of the preview, Faina has created just the most beautiful lace shawl evah!!  Oy, she has a God-given talent.  I have seen photos of her work, and it is amazing.  Hie thee to the nearest Amazon webpage or bookstore and pick up a copy of “All New Homespun Handknits”.  You will be glad you did. 

I’m still slogging through my recent knitting commitments.  And by ’slogging’ I mean I have had to force myself to pick up yarn and needles lately.  The patterns are all wonderful, the yarns are great, it’s just me.  I’m blah.  Hopefully, the impending cooler weather and beautiful colors of fall will be the pick-me-up I need.  It usually is.

 

In which she touches on a ‘hot’ topic…

I’m sure that everyone has heard all about the kerfuffle in Cambridge, Massachusetts in which renowned scholar, Henry L. Gates, Jr., was arrested by Sgt. James Crowley of the Cambridge Police department.  Now, I have done quite a bit of reading about this incident, from several different sources, and I have to say, I am absolutely livid.  On many levels.  The Lame Stream Media, the White House, and barking moonbats from every corner of the globe are calling this incident ‘proof of the continuing racism in America’ and ‘the corruption of law enforcement’.  Um…no, not exactly.  Yes, there is racism at work here, it’s just not coming from the police.  It’s coming from the Lame Stream Media, the White House, and the moonbat brigade.

The facts of this incident state that Gates arrived home to find his door ‘jammed’ to the point that he was unable to open it normally, possibly from a prior attempt to break in to the residence.  It’s unknown if this was reported to law enforcement.  Gates and his driver attempted to force entry into the residence, by means of a crow bar.  A passer-by (not a neighbor as originally reported) saw this, and contacted police.  The Cambridge Police Department, by way of Sgt. Crowley, responded to the call.

Upon arrival, Sgt. Crowley found the door open, and Gates inside the residence.  Sgt. Crowley identified himself, told Gates why he was there, asked Gates to step out of the residence, and provide a form of identification that might give Gates a legal reason to be at the residence.

Gates refused to step out of the residence.  Gates refused, until near the end of the contact with Sgt. Crowley, to provide identification.  Gates then launched into a shouting and cursing tirade, questioning Sgt. Crowley’s heritage, whether or not his parents were actually married at the time of his birth, and showering Sgt. Crowley with racist epithets.  Gates was subsequently arrested, not for burglary or breaking or entering, but for disorderly conduct.

Fast forward a few days.  In a press conference about health care reform (TIC), the President of the United States commented on the incident, stating that the police who responded “acted stupidly”.  Really?  Well now, let’s just disect this little bit of “stupid” from a purely law enforcement point of view.

The police responded to a burglary in progress call.  This is not a call you can ‘blow off’ or respond to as if it were a barking dog.  This is a serious, and potentially dangerous, call.  This I know from personal experience, but that is a post for another day.  The ‘burglary in progress’ was called in by a person not familiar with the residents in the neighborhood.  This is a reasonable call.  Citizens have an obligation to report information of criminal activity to law enforcement.

According to the police reports available on-line, Gates was found already inside the residence, and, at first, refused to step outside of the residence.  This is purely an officer safety issue and a ’secure the scene’ issue.  The officers didn’t know who Gates was.  They knew he was in the residence, and possibly in possession of, or with access to, a weapon.  Did you know that Kevlar is not knife-proof?  If the house IS the scene of a crime, no one can be allowed to remain inside, or evidence will be destroyed.

Gates also refused, until well into his contact with law enforcement, to identify himself.  Did Gates assume that, since he is ‘famous’, the officers should know him on sight?  Is Gates really that full of himself?  I don’t know what the specific laws in Massachusetts are, but in Arkansas, you SHALL correctly identify and/or provide proof of that identity, upon demand, to any certified law enforcement officer.  To fail to do so is obstruction of governmental operations.  In Arkansas, if you refuse to identify yourself, you will probably find yourself, and your high horse, being carried down to the jail until we find out exactly who you are.  Would an officer be fulfilling his sworn duties if he responded to such a call, found someone on scene who said “Hey, I’m the homeowner, it’s o.k.!”, and just walked away?  I think not.  We are tasked with protecting life AND property.  I really don’t care who you are, who you think you are, what you look like, your age, sex, or religion.  If I go to a call like that, and I find you there, your name is ’suspect’ until I know differently.

What actually got Gates arrested was the profanity-laced tirade that followed.  According to all reports, this tirade happened on the front porch (stoop?) and just inside the open front door of the residence.  Again, I’m not familiar with the laws in Massachusetts, but in my state, anything that is easily viewed or heard by others outside of a closed residence is called ’public’.  Any sight or sound that can cause general upset or disruption to others, in public, is disorderly conduct.  Based on the reports, this was the legal and correct course of action on the part of the Cambridge Police. 

Now, all of this is bad enough.  But for the President of the United States to, by his own admission, not know all of the facts of the case, and then to publicly comment about a misdemeanor arrest in Massachusetts by calling the police ’stupid’ and, by default ‘racist’ because of who they arrested?  I can’t remember any other sitting president in my lifetime who has set such an outrageous precident.  Imagine what his Secret Service must be feeling like right now.  I wonder how many of them will be requesting a transfer? 

Last reports say that the President has invited both Gates and Sgt. Crowley to the White House ‘for a beer’.  Now I like my beer, but I think that is one that I would have to pass on.   

Not much on the knitting front right now.  Still working on that shawl.  Since my knitting mojo decided to go on hiatus, it’s been a stuggle.  I did get a cute cardi pattern to test knit from one of my girls, LovelyKnits.  I will be starting that momentarily.  That should be fun.  I also found out that I have a BUNCH of BSJ’s to get going on.  Seems that a bunch of my Trooper buddies have been, um…busy.  We have babies on the way.  Soon.

Just one last little tidbit for my girls (and you all know who you are)…has anyone jumped over to the blog of a certain rather famous Cannuck knitter lately?  If not, do.  Read the post for July 25.  Does anyone besides me think that *Z*Moron must be on a rampage again?  It does have all of the earmarks of ‘those’ kinds of actions, no?

 

In which she has officially lost it…

My mojo, that is.  All of it.  Knitting, blogging, working, hanging out.  Just.  Gone.  I guess I’m going through one of those little slumps where I just do not feel like doing anything, going anywhere, or being around people.  I’ve even missed the last couple of meetings of my newly-found knitting group.  So not like me.

I think part of my problem is that my youngest son has been spending summer vacation time with dad, grandparents, and other assorted relatives.  Not that I begrudge any of them spending time with him.  He needs to spend as much time as possible with the other side of the family.  I’m just not used to being away from either one of my boys for that long.  Of course, the oldest son is working, hanging out with friends, and gone a large part of the time as well.  I’ve never been able to sleep well without at least one of the boys in the house, and I haven’t been sleeping much for the past couple of weeks.

That’s my problem…I just need a few nights of really good sleep!!

I have been knitting, even through my slump, I’m just not enjoying it very much.  I’m still plugging away at ex-MIL #2’s ‘Ocean Tides’ shawl.  This one will absolutely be done in time for holiday giving.  I’m on the fourth (and longest) section, starting the fourth pattern repeat.  The sample done for the pattern only shows six pattern repeats, but I’m going with eight for a bit of extra width.  Right now, I’m just ready to get the silly thing done.

My newest family members are…a constant source of funny and frustration.  I have discovered that Seamus and Finn can’t eat from the same bowl anymore.  As young as they are, but both being males, it has resulted in some rather spectacular fights.  They both love to jump and do the ‘Tarzan’ on my curtains.  The other night, Finn flew off of the back of the couch, snagged my ball of ‘Ocean Tides’ lace weight (on purpose), and tore off through the house, trailing yarn and shawl behind.  I, of course, was in pursuit, code 3, yelling ‘STOP!’ and ‘NO!’ as if that would actually help.  The yarn and shawl was quickly apprehended without incident (didn’t even drop a stitch!), and returned to the owner.  No charges will be forthcoming.

Thanks to all of my friends, BB Girls, and FB buddies for both the kind words remembering Officer Cannon’s family, and all of the very kind FB comments on my FO pictures.  Y’all sure do know how to make a girl feel good!

 

In which her heart is broken…

I went to a funeral today. 

On Friday, June 19, 2009 at 0635 hours, Plumerville, AR. Assistant Police Chief Joseph ‘Joey’ Cannon conducted at traffic stop on a black Ford F-150 truck that, upon running the license tag through ACIC/NCIC, showed to be a stolen vehicle.  As Joey approached the driver’s window, the driver, holding a loaded .38 cal. pistol against his chest, shot Joey once in the chest.  The truck’s passenger bailed out, and immediately surrendered to the Conway County deputy who was on scene as Joey’s back-up.  The driver fled the scene, but Joey was able to return fire, firing four rounds to cover the deputy as he arrested the passenger.  The deputy realized the gravity of the situation when he saw Joey, on his knees, in the middle of the road.

The call “Officer down” went out, and all available units responded, including Joey’s own son, who is also a Conway County Deputy.  Joey coded on the scene, and was transported to Conway Regional Hospital, but died of his wounds around 0730 hours on that date.

The suspect was captured shortly after the first BOLO went out, after a short foot chase, on Hwy. 365 in the Mayflower area, by Faulkner County Deputies and Troopers with the Arkansas State Police.  The suspect is in jail, and today, was indicted on one count of Capital Murder.

I knew Joey Cannon for more than 20 years.  I was still in high school when he began his career in law enforcement.  He was a fixture in our lives for nearly thirty years.  He always came when he was needed.  He was always there.

Joey’s funeral was just as amazing as the dedication he showed every day to the people he served.  Besides family and friends, there were over 500 marked patrol units.  The Patriot Guard Riders were on hand to pay their respects, and to assist the local law enforcement.   Governor Mike Bebee and Attorney General Dustin McDaniel (a former police officer himself) attended, and AG McDaniel spoke eloquently, at one point, with tears in his eyes.

The 35 mile drive from the church to Antioch cemetery was punctuated with hundreds of men, women, and children standing along the procession route, heads bowed, hands over their hearts, and waving Old Glory in a final farewell to a good friend and a dedicated law enforcement officer.

The tiny Antioch Church cemetery was packed with family, friends, co-workers, and law enforcement officers from every possible branch, and agencies from every corner of the state of Arkansas.  For many of us, it was like ‘old home days’.  During the procession, a storm blew up and the rain fell in sheets, but the good Lord saw fit to give us a short reprieve during the graveside service. 

The flag was folded, the rifles were fired.  Taps resounded.  The piper played “Danny Boy”, and then “Amazing Grace” as he walked off over the top of the rise.  Over a patrol unit radio, we all heard the words.

“Dispatch to Unit 401″.    “Dispatch to Unit 401″.    “Unit 401 to Dispatch.  I’m 10-7 (end of shift).  10-42 (I’m at home)”.

Yes, Joey.  Your shift is finished, and you are home.  Have a good rest, my friend.  You did good.

 

In which she will be taking care of family business for a couple of days…

Hey Friends,

I probably won’t blog anything else this week, as we have had a tragedy in the family.  My second cousin was killed early last week by her boyfriend.  Her body was found late last week, and the funeral is Wednesday.  This is all a bit surreal, things like this “just don’t happen in my family”.  For anyone who knows anything about my life…irony?!?

The local police have made the arrest, based on a confession, but their work is just beginning.  They have done a fabulous job, and I sent the Chief an e-mail, thanking him and his department for their hard work and dedication.

Please, send your prayers and thoughts up for the immediate family, especially Diane’s kids.  She has a son serving in Iraq.  Pray for the police, the prosecutors, and the potential jury members.  Pray for the family of the man who took Diane from us, they must be in as much pain as this family is.  Even pray for the boyfriend.  I guess someone should.  I’m not quite there yet.

Here’s the story:  http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geu5YCoNpJYEQBL.BXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEzYnJoODI3BHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDOQRjb2xvA2FjMgR2dGlkA0gyOTlfMTM1/SIG=124062g8b/EXP=1239150978/**http%3a//www.kake.com/home/headlines/42367507.html

Thank you all.                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Arkangelontheradio

 

In which she creates the first post on the new blog…

This is all a little new to me, so, please, bear with me.  I am truly a Luddite at heart.  But, I figured that, since I have a little more time on my hands these days (a few of you will ‘get’ that), I may as well do something I’ve been planning on doing for quite awhile now.

My plan is to use this little space in the universe to wax poetic about two of the most important areas of my life:  knitting and my life as a law enforcement officer.  I know, I know.  Seems a bit incongruous, no?  A cop who knits?  A knitter who arrests people for a living?  Who’da thunk it?

The idea for the theme of this blog popped into my head one night after a particularly brutal day.  I was sitting on the couch, having just shed my monkey suit and the requisite toys, and picked up the lace shawl that I have been trying to finish, literally, for months.  I was sitting there, relaying stories of the various really stupid situations I’d been called on to ‘handle’ that day to my oldest son when I thought, “Hmmmm, that could be fun.  Blog about the incredibly stupid things I see from day to day, changing names and locations of course, and about my knitting.”  I’ve been in law enforcement for many, many years.  Long enough to be really good at it, and long enough to have a pretty good collection of the ‘war stories’ that everyone in this kind of service profession has.  I’ve been knitting, crocheting, and tatting even longer. 

So, let’s give it a go, and just see what happens.

A couple of quick notes… this is my blog, I make the rules.  Period.  Anything I post here belongs to me and only me.  Want to borrow it?  Ask me.  I reserve the right to edit and/or delete any and all comments as I see fit.  Don’t like what you’ve seen or read here?  Buh-bye.  Don’t let the door hit ya’ where the good Lord split ya’.