San Francisco’s big pushes for low-flow toilets have turned into a multimillion-dollar plumbing stink in 2011.

Skimping on toilet water has resulted in more sludge backing up inside the sewer pipes, said Tyrone Jue, spokesman for the city Public Utilities Commission.  That has created a rotten-egg stench near AT&T Park and elsewhere, especially during the dry summer months.

The city has already spent $100 million over the past five years to upgrade its sewer system and sewage plants, in part to combat the odor problem.

That Stink is hydrogen sulfide– which volatilizes within the sewer lines and is acted upon by bacteria forming sulfuric acid. This acid then drip down the walls of the sewer eventually causing them to collapse and voila, huge expense.

Now officials are stocking up on a $14 million, three-year supply of highly concentrated sodium hypochlorite – better known as bleach – to act as an odor eater and to disinfect the city’s treated water before it’s dumped into the bay. It will also be used to sanitize drinking water.

That translates into 8.5 million pounds of bleach either being poured down city drains or into the drinking water supply every year.

Politics!

In 1992 President George H. W. Bush signed the Energy Policy Act. This law made 1.6 gallons per flush toilets standard.  This law went into effect in Jan 1, 1994 for residential buildings and Jan 1, 1997 for commercial building where it can’t consume more than 1.6 gallons per flush.

Compare that to commodes manufactured in the 1980s that used 3.5 gallons, or toilets from the 1970s that sent 5 to 7 gallons rushing through the bowl.

The 1.6-gallon toilet doesn’t have enough push and sediment collects in metal pipes and sewers. That hastens the corrosion problem and affects cost, especially in older homes.

Sewer lines back up with sludge and stink.  Additional resources are being spent to fix backed up lines that were meant to handle 6-7 gallons per flush not 1.6 gallons.  Cities are slowly waking up to the fact that their waste lines cannot process the waste like they were designed and will have to replace millions of miles of sewer pipe.  At a cost to the folks that live in those cities.  All to save a gallon or two of water.

The Truth

Any given study will show that the low flow toilets have to be flushed more than once to clear the bowl.  Some studies show 2 out of ten flushed needs a second flush and homeowners hold the handle down to let extra water run in the bowl.

A study conducted on 1116 homeowners measured the amount of water used to flush the low flow toilets and instead of the 1.6 gallons per flush; it totaled 2.6 after a three month test.

Many older sewer pipes are smaller in diameter and need a large flow of water to clear them out, so older homes have repair issues due to sludge backing up.

In modern subdivision planning, only 1.6 gallons of water per flush can be calculated in determining how much water will be used and the size of the water and sewer lines installed.  As soon as the subdivision is sold out, the water usage is always higher than budgeted therefore causing water pressure issues down the line.  Every planner knows this, but by law cannot allot for this in planning for water and sewer transport.  I know this for a fact because I built a subdivision myself.

So has the low flow movement really saved water? At the household level… yes, but at what cost? Homeowners and cities are forking out millions of dollars to dig up sewer lines to fix and replace and sewage treatment plants have to douse the sludge with toxic chemicals just to be able to release the refuse back into the waterways.

City planners find they cannot get enough water pressure to support firemen in the outlying areas, and environmentalists are complaining about the chemicals being used to treat the sludge.

I say go back to the three gallon flush and solve the problem!

Paul Smith

Delegate to the Republican Party

Former Candidate for Congress 2008-2010

Taking our Government back, one day at a time!

HIROSHIMA 1945

We all know that Hiroshima and N

agasaki were destroyed in August 1945 after the explosion of atomic bombs.

However, we know little about the progress made by the people of that land during the past 65 years.

I am really sad and ashamed!

I follow politics in detail especially since I have ran for Congress twice… so I take it pretty seriously.

I see all the articles for one candidate then I see an article exposing the same candidate for do the opposite and mis-leading people about his record, or what’s in the book or splitting hairs on how a word is used.

You got candidates trying to run from their record, candidates trying to expose their record, radio and TV pundits taking sides and roasting one candidate to build up another.

Some say “Look at me cause I have done all these great things in the past” other say “look at my voting record” one says “I did once before I can do it again”, others just say what they think will get them elected depending on the state they are in.

Some dig into candidates pasts and say he was a womanizer, and that shows he has no character. Others defend candidate that clearly cannot be defended.

I am sad for this country that was a real unemployment rate of 16%.

I am sad for the millions of families that drained their retirement accounts to stay afloat. They will live near the poverty line when they get old.

I am sad for those counting on social security someday when we know it won’t be there in a few short years.

I am sad for all those precious children that will grow up and have to pay for OUR mistakes. We voted these folks into office. We share the blame.

I am sad that someday soon we won’t be able to afford to put gas in our cars and take a vacation because it will cost to much.

I am sad for all those who lost their homes when they lost a job.

I am sad that not one candidate is addressing the real issues that confront you and me everyday. It’s parry, counter parry, deflect and avoid the pressing concerns this nation faces.

I am sad for you. I have no kids that I will leave this mess to. But most of you do. What kind of country are we leaving to them?

I am ashamed to give this country to them when it’s their time.

I am ashamed of myself for handing off $16 trillion in debt, high unemployment, limited energy sources, huge deficits, and so on. I haven’t done enough to stop the madness!

I am truly sad and ashamed to give this country to the next generation.

What a failure I have been in guarding the next generation, their country they will inherit from me. Paul Smith 1/11/2012

The Occupy Movement- How it affects the public

“Mellon pulled the whistle, Hoover rang the bell, Wall Street gave the signal, and the country went to hell”

This quote was a popular mantra during the time of the Great Depression.  Unfortunately, many believe that this quote mirrors what we see in our economy today.  But while the top one percent in Wall Street mimics the behavior of Bernie Madoff in hopes of becoming the next Charles Ponzi, the lowest one percent camps out in public parks to express their discontent in a system where they must feel they have nothing else to lose.

For the rest of civilized society, however, they prove to be a burden on not only economic and environmental resources but on the law itself.  The first amendment in the bill of rights allows for peaceful assembly, but does it allow for a complete occupation of public land?

SPACE

First on the list of problems for the occupy movement is a general lack of space.  Large groups of people occupying public-or private if the owner is sympathetic- land, have only a small area to spread out and exist.  Camps such as Zuccotti Park are having such a problem.  To solve this, they have begun buying large, military style tents and installing bunk beds in each tent to allow more people.  Despite this, protesters still find themselves sleeping outside in front of other people’s tents.  Authorities have decided that this is a health risk, and have begun voicing concerns about fire exits and walkways as over 200 tents sit on a mere two-thirds of an acre of land.  This concern is not only present in Zuccotti Park but can be seen in almost every occupy Hooverville.

Zuccotti Park

 In New York, the Zuccotti park owner finally rescinded his support from the occupy movement.  One judge, in accordance with the activists, issued a temporary restraining order against the eviction of the encamped group.  The Brookfield Office Properties representatives faced lawyers from the occupy movement in court, where the judge decided that free speech did not in fact cover camping in a park for two months.  Police evicted protesters from the property after the properties office enforced their decision to empty their privately owned lot, arresting more than two hundred people.  Despite this decision, the judge did allow protesters to be allowed back into the park but barred them from setting up any equipment.  This was not the first incident to occur in Zuccotti Park and the tension had been born from an attempt in the previous month to evict protesters long enough to clean the filth left behind.  Courtesy of pressure exerted by elected officials, the attempt collapsed and created the conflict, which lead to the surprising raid.

San Francisco

In San Francisco the city’s public health department has called for the removal of the tent city because of the health concerns and serious lack of sanitation.  The occupation of Justin Herman Plaza had become such a nuisance that protesters were ordered to evict by the time given or be subject to a raid. “Barbara Garcia, head of the city’s public health department, said the grassy area being used by the campers has been found to contain feces and have inadequate toilet facilities.  Conditions for the spread of respiratory illnesses have also been present, and animal control officials have warned about the spread of canine illnesses.” (CBS) Some serious illnesses include the spread of the deadly parvo virus in canines.  Rather than have activists camp in the once scenic park, officials have attempted to move them to a vacant school lot nearby.  Since this decision, barricades have been erected around the park and less than 100 tents still stand in the park today.

Los Angeles

In Los Angeles the protestors were finally considered an unlawful assembly of people at about 12:30 in the morning and were given 10 minutes to evacuate.  During the surprise raid, more than 200 people were arrested by the police officers who marched through the encampment, keeping themselves in full gear to protect them from a few groups who might have turned violent.  The raid occurred two days after a notice for eviction passed its due date and defiant people continued to live on the property.  After the removal of the remaining people, officers had to inspect the park wearing hazmat suits as they stepped through the layers of trash and debris left behind.  They now have to sterilize the encampment and then must rebuild the whole park after the destruction.

Portland Oregon

Portland Oregon is also a scene of rampant disregard for public restrictions.  The movement that has set itself up in a popular park after being removed from another park is frustrating city officials.  Park rules state that the park closes at 9 pm but protesters refuse to leave, prompting police to begin arresting people as soon as the park closed early. “Normal park hours are from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., but due to the unsafe conditions and aggressive behavior by some demonstrators, the parks were ordered closed early,” the release said, adding “the protesters hadn’t applied for any municipal permits to march and erect camps.” (UPI) Despite the claims that the first amendment was being violated, the police upheld their convictions that their course of action was correct.  After protesters were successfully removed from both parks, the cost of repairing the damage that they caused is astronomical.  A total of 85,850 dollars is the estimated worth of the damage caused, according to Portland Parks and Recreation.  Additionally, labor for the encampments has already cost the city 45,000 dollars, between police raids and materials.

Boston

In Boston, a judge followed the example set in New York and issued a restraining order against police that barred them from evicting the tenants of the park.  The order was issued after a series of events, starting with a raid on a portion of Dewey Square lead to hostility between the occupiers and lawmakers.  The initial raid ended with 147 arrests including the media and other observers.  The city is of course irritated by the judge, stating that there is nothing in the first amendment about restricting action against code violations, criminal statutes, and park guidelines.  While the protesters insist that camping out is a part of their first amendment rights, the city attorney Michael Ricciuti begs to differ. “Plaintiffs do not have the right to take a piece of public property perpetually and establish their own society on it.  Because what has happened in reality, your honor, is that this now is not a symbolic location, it’s a housing development.  After 30 days those tents became dwellings and they don’t comply with the law.  Period.”

But does Michael Ricciuti have a lawful basis for his argument?  In fact, he does.  The first amendment right to free speech and the right to assembly have always been limited by time, place, and manner restrictions.  When a park closes at nine o’clock, general knowledge would tell you that the park has a reason for its restriction and that it is time to pack up the picnic hamper and go home.  Time, place, and manner restrictions have historical basis and one can draw an expected conclusion that for occupiers, this is not a free speech right but an infringement on the cities right to a safe, healthy park.

U.S. Supreme Court

In the 1951 court case of Feiner v New York, the Supreme Court lay down one of the foundations for time place and manner restrictions.  A man who drew in a large crowd of people was demonstrating on a sidewalk. He spoke for a good half an hour about the evils of his government and began inciting the crowd to minor restlessness at best.  When the crowd began to stall traffic and cause a disturbance the police finally stepped in and arrested the man for disturbing the peace.  In the majority opinion, Judge Vinson spoke about enforcing proper restrictions on the right of free speech, if there was a concern to do so.  One of the most notable quotes in the majority opinion sums up how this court case has been utilized since it was decided more than sixty years ago:

After weighing this contradictory evidence, the trial judge reached the conclusion that the police officers were justified in taking action to prevent a breach of the peace.  The courts below recognized petitioner’s right to hold a street meeting at this locality, to make use of loud-speaking equipment in giving his speech, and to make derogatory remarks concerning public officials and the American Legion.  They found that the officers in making the arrest were motivated solely by a proper concern for the preservation of order and protection of the general welfare, and that there was no evidence which could lend color to a claim that the acts of the police were a cover for suppression of petitioner’s views and opinions.  Petitioner was thus neither arrested nor convicted for the making or the content of his speech. (UMCK)

Clark v. Community for Creative Non-Violence

Clark v. Community for Creative Non-Violence is a case much more similar to the Occupy Wall Street situation.  In 1982 the National Park Service issued a permit to the Community for Creative Non-Violence that allowed them to conduct a demonstration in their park designed to bring attention to the homeless problem in the area.  When the group requested to stay the night in Lafayette Park, however, the National Park Service denied their request.  The National Park Service has regulations, especially regarding camping only in designated camping areas-not including Lafayette Park.  The group filed a lawsuit in federal district court. The District Court ruled in favor of the National Park Service but the Court of Appeals reversed the decision.  When it was presented to the Supreme Court, the original ruling of the District Court was upheld and it was found that the Park Service’s refusal to grant a permit did not violate the first amendment.  Justice White delivered the opinion of the court, stating that the parks had every right to defend their property from the abuses of camping and that the regulations that the National Parks Service had codified were not a burden at all on the free expression of the group requesting the permit.  He also makes an argument against the unlawful camping on park property:

Damage to the parks as well as their partial inaccessibility to other members of the public can as easily result from camping by demonstrators as by nondemonstrators.  In neither case must the Government tolerate it. All those who would resort to the parks must abide by otherwise valid rules for their use, just as they must observe the traffic laws, sanitation regulations, and laws to preserve the public peace.  This is no more than a reaffirmation that reasonable time, place, or manner restrictions on expression are constitutionally acceptable. [sic] (Caselaw)

These are just a few examples of court cases that have brought up the constitutionality of certain types of rallies.  The consensus of the occupy movement is that public property simply means that just about anyone can inhabit a spot there indefinitely.  This wave of entitlement has engendered the very nuisances that the codes were adapted to prevent: health dangers, waste removal quandaries, trash issues, and even threats to individual safety.  The hazardous conditions, spawned from a lack of reverence for rules, are just one indicator that the Occupy movement has more to worry about than the top one percent and how they handle their taxes.  They should be worried about how the law will act against them once they are arrested.  The judges have plenty of court cases to look back on and can easily practice stare decisis to make an informed decision on how to handle the hordes of people who roost in their tent cities at public expense.

Samantha Heggum

Tags: 5th CD, California, Christmas, Congress, Detroit Lions, GOP, indians, Macy’s, Pilgrims, Sacramento, Thanksgiving

The following link is my Powerpoint Presentation that I use in my presentations.  Included are; Nuclear, Oil, Natural Gas, Solar, Wind, and Ethanol and live links to video.  Please click to access here.  In this presentation you will find the latest on the energy scene in the USA and in the world.  I also recommend My Plan for Energy and Jobs in the USA.

Welcome to an energy education.

I have been consulted on energy issues across the country and speak on it regulary.

We now find ourselves 20-30 year behind the rest of the world and with the current Obama Administration and the policies he has set forth, we will be passed up by India, China and Russia in energy output in 10-20 years.

Today 440 nuclear reactors are on-line worldwide, while 558 new nuke plants are under construction, on the drawing board, in the planning phase or proposed.  U.S. operates 104, France 58.

Russia is building 32, China and India look to build 20-30… a piece in 10-20 years with a goal of exceeding the total energy output of the U.S. and France combined.

In the U.S. we have 2 on the drawing board.  South Africa has more under development than the U.S.

Reliance of wind and solar is dangerous and with the recent bankruptcies in the solar industry, and the environmental damage wind is causing, we must start drilling for oil and constructing 50 nuclear power plants just to break even in the next 20-40 years.

I have gone behind the scenes and discovered the dirty little secrets Wind, Solar and Ethanol don’t want you to know about.  And the harm they really do to the environment in the manufacturing and production of these energy fuels.

I have challenged any green tech advocate/politician/lobbyist to debate me anytime and anywhere on the merits of green tech and so far no one has taken up my challenge.  The offer still stands!

Please contact me directly to schedule a presentation or an interview.  916-600-4516.

Time for the truth to come out about the dangerous and costly mistake of relying on Green Tech as a energy source and as a job source.

Paul Smith

Delegate to the Republican Party

Former Candidate for Congress 2008-2010

Taking our Government back, one day at a time!

1. Central Falls, RI

Credit rating: Caa1

2009 revenues: $17,601,000

2009 debt ($000s): $18,753,000

Median household income: $33,520

In August 2011, Central Falls declared bankruptcy largely because of the city’s pension plan, which promised $80 million in retirement benefits. According to the New York Times, the “pension fund will probably run out of money in October, giving Central Falls the distinction of becoming the second municipality in the United States to exhaust its pension fund, after Prichard, Ala.” This $80 million is approximately five times the city’s general fund budget.

2. Pontiac, MI

Credit rating: Caa1

2009 revenues: $46,183,000

2009 debt ($000s): $99,115,000

Median household income: $32,199

The source of Pontiac’s troubles is similar to that of Detroit’s. General Motors, which went bankrupt during the recession, is the city’s largest employer and taxpayer. The city has been in receivership since 2009. Also in 2009, the city sold its Silverdome stadium, which cost over $55 million to build, for $583,000. Such concessions have not been enough to raise the city’s rating.

3. Jefferson County, AL

Credit rating: Caa1

2009 revenues: $309,440,000

2009 debt ($000s): $1,337,233,000

Median household income: $44,718

Jefferson County’s debt, which is the second largest on this list, comes from a $3.2 billion overhaul of the county’s sewer system as well as a series of risky, controversial bond deals meant to help the county pay for the sewer work. A number of city officials have been sent to jail on corruption charges linked to the project. “The county defaulted on almost $3.5 million in 2008 — the biggest default in municipal history,” according to Moody’s. Worse still, this year, the Alabama Supreme Court invalidated the county’s occupational tax, which accounted for one quarter of the county’s total revenues.

4. Harrison, NJ

Credit rating: Ba3

2009 revenues: $32,763,000

2009 debt ($000s): $92,613,000

Median household income: $49,596

Harrison “issued a significant amount of debt to foster redevelopment, and continues to collect substantially less revenue from those developments than projected,” Moody’s explains. One of the largest projects is the $200 million Red Bull Arena, which was opened in March 2010 and cost the city $39 million in debt but has yet failed to have the expected returns. To help solve its debt problem, the city, which has a population of 13,620, plans to fire some police officers and firefighters.

5. Detroit, MI

Credit rating: Ba3

2009 revenues: $1,280,791,000

2009 debt ($000s): $2,449,480,000

Median household income: $29,447

Detroit has suffered worse from the recession than almost any other U.S. city. The effects of the city’s economic situation are reflected in its credit rating. Many of Detroit’s biggest companies, such as General Motors and Chrysler, declared bankruptcy, placing “significant pressure” on the city, according to Moody’s. Detroit relies on the auto industry for its tax base, and the industry’s contraction has hurt the city immensely. The city became a “habitual note borrower,” relying on investors to close budget gaps.

6. Salem, NJ

Credit rating: Ba3

2009 revenues: $7,059,000

2009 debt ($000s): $10,098,000

Median household income: $28,397

Salem guaranteed bonds issued to finance an office building downtown. The city planned to pay for the bonds with revenues earned from leasing office space in the building. However, revenue fell short of what was projected when construction delays caused lease payments delays. “The project’s debt service reserve fund has been drawn down numerous times,” Moody’s reports. “Once the reserve fund has been exhausted, the city is obligated to pay debt service for the life of the bonds.”

7. Riverdale, IL

Credit rating: Ba2

2009 revenues: $8,358,000

2009 debt ($000s): $9,350,000

Median household income: $40,659

Riverdale has run operational deficits for a number of consecutive years, driven primarily by a reduction in the amount the village relies on debt financing. “The village funded itself by borrowing money from its sewer and water funds, and now carries an operating fund balance of -52.1% of revenues.” The city, like many others on this list, is extremely small, with a population of just over 14,000.

8. Strafford County, NH

Credit rating: Ba2

2009 revenues: $36,204,000

2009 debt ($000s): $23,866,000

Median household income: $58,363

Strafford County’s low rating is largely due to a money-losing nursing home, on which the county spends two-fifths of its budget. Just under 85% of the patients at the Riverside Rest Home are eligible for Medicaid, yet state reimbursements to the county continue to decrease, according to Moody’s. Between 2004 and 2009, the nursing home lost $36 million. The county does not expect to recover much of the money it used to cover these deficits.

9. Camden, NJ

Credit rating: Ba2

2009 revenues: $181,257,000

2009 debt ($000s): $103,284,000

Median household income: $25,418

Camden suffers from high unemployment, high poverty, and a weak tax base. The city’s median household income is less than half that of the national median income and is the lowest of all the municipalities on this list. Moody’s notes that “more than half of Camden’s real estate is tax-exempt, hampering already weak tax collections.” The city has had a speculative grade credit rating since 1998. Three out of the past five Camden mayors have been sent to prison for corruption, the most recent in 2001.

Paul Smith

Delegate to the Republican Party

Former Candidate for Congress 2008-2010

Taking our Government back, one day at a time!

Maybe we became complacent, allowed our trusting selves to to look the other way when several men bent on killing Americans only wanted to learn how to fly a jumbo jet not land or take-off. Maybe the bells should have gone off then when an FBI agent wrote a memo that sat on a desk a few days too long regarding the suspicious activity of a few of these men. Maybe we should have tightened up cockpit security years ago.

Maybe maybe maybe…

That day made me realize we no longer can take for granted our safety like we have in the past. I grew up fearing a nuclear attack from the Soviet Union. We did drills in school to hide under desks. Today we are in a war with some evil people and a religion that only wants to kill Americans. I know what Jihad or death to the Infidels is and means now. Unlike the Soviet Union, these people will kill themselves in the process. A totally different and evil enemy that promises 79 virgins as a reward.

I remember this day as I watched in horror the 2nd jet slam into the WTC. Our country would have to change and we would have to change along aside it.

I don’t believe in the “well when your time is up, it’s up” theory of death. I doubt any of those that died or their family and friends believe that either. Evil takes innocent lives before their time on earth is finished.

When I go, I don’t want to die because evil visited me on that day because I was an American. I want to die because my body said it was time, not because some Jihadist set off a car bomb ten feet away from me.

They say “Death to the Infidels” like it was a chant at a football game.  I say we need to stick some more missiles up where the sun doesn’t shine every time we see a group running around saying that.  No one in this country does anything similar, although I suspect it is on the minds of many today. 

Just because we are American, should not be the reason to be killed.  Just because you are a Jew, should not be the reason to be targeted.  And so on.

Religions that teach violence as a means of spreading the “gospel” need to be stamped out.

I fear we haven’t done enough to protect our own citizens.  I hope I am wrong!

Paul Smith

Delegate to the Republican Party

Former Candidate for Congress 2008-2010

Taking our Government back, one day at a time!

 Overview

Guy meets girl. Guy marries girl. Year’s later Guy and girl have kids, mortgage, responsibilities, pressure. Guy now wishes he didn’t have responsibilities and wonders if he made a mistake getting married too young.

Guy keeps girl on the side who is carefree and single, Guy contemplates running off with new girl and eliminating responsibilities. Guy even  feels guilty about the affair and Guy’s life is totally miserable. Guy is in living hell.  Guys wants divorce and mistress is pressuring him to do so. Guy wants to tell  wife, but two children make it difficult. Guy wants to be free from responsibilities, but Guy is trapped. Mistress can’t wait and breaks up with guy. Wife suspects something.  Guy contemplates suicide to eliminate crushing pressure.

 I

When we left off yesterday, Guy had had an affair, was pressured to get a divorce, his mistress left him and his wife suspected something and Guy was contemplating suicide to relieve the pressure. Guy wanted to have the carefree life again, and Guy was cracking under the pressure of being married, kids, a mortgage and no time to play.

What was Guy to do sitting in his car in the garage with his wife and kids at the mall. Guy wanted out, but was unsure out of what. Guy could run a hose from the exhaust pipe and go that route, but Guy’s insurance policy didn’t pay upon suicide.

Guy thought his wife would leave him if Guy told the truth. But that made no sense since he was considering a divorce anyway. Couldn’t Guy just keep a girl on the side and stay married? Free to come and go? Guy thought he was should be allowed to do this. But then Guy thought he would never allow his wife to do the same, so he felt even more confused.

Guy then noticed a rat walking across the hood of his car. It shocked Guy out of his misery and prompted Guy to get out and capture the rat and get rid of it. Guy grabbed a shovel and tried to scoop it up, and succeeded, until the rat simply jumped off. Guy then had an idea to squish the rat with the shovel and kill it.

Guy let out a terrible scream as he brought the shovel down. Just then the garage door opened and Guy’s wife and kids stared at him through their windshield. The shovel made a terrible splat and scared Guy. Guy looked at the dead rat, his family, and contemplated how wrong his life had turned out. Guy looked at the agonized faces of his family, and realized he could no longer continue with all the pressure he faced.

Guy threw the shovel down, walked up to the car and said, “I quit!” And walked off into the night.

II

When we left Guy yesterday, he had just walked out of his garage after smashing a rat in front of his two young daughters and his wife Gayle. “I quit” he said and walked into the night. Guy if you will recall, had had an affair, felt enormous pressure from work, family, a mortgage, and had regrets for getting married and having to be responsible. He wanted to be free again.

Guy walked hard for over an hour before taking stock of what he had and done. Guy had a cell phone and his wallet with him. It was 11:30 pm and he had no idea where he was. When he finally got his bearings, Guy realized he had walked the route he took to work.

Meanwhile his wife Gayle had composed herself enough to get her kids into the house and come back to scrape the dead rat off the floor and put it in the garbage. She was cold, frightened and confused about Guy’s “I quit” exclamation. She had hoped he would just take a walk around the block and come back, but after two hours she started to get the creepy feeling he was never coming back.

Guy had always internalized things and never allowed anything to bother him. No matter what happened Guy was always the strong one. But that made him distant and she wondered if he was keeping something from her.

She looked in his car for any clues of what might have triggered Guy to go off. Maybe he lost his job and didn’t want to tell anyone. All she could find was an envelope with some meaningless papers in it. She left it on the table and called her Mom. She had no idea that by the morning, her life would completely change, when her daughter went through the envelope during breakfast.

Guy reached for his cell phone to call the mistress who had left him to let her know he had finally made the split and they could be together. When her phone rang, a man’s voice answered. Guy panicked and hung up.

Guy’s heart pounded and he became enraged. Five minutes later his phone rang and it was his ex-mistress. “Guy did you call me?” “Yes, who is the guy that answered?” Guy demanded! “Well if you must know it’s my boyfriend, I was in the shower!”

Guy flipped out and started swearing and cussing and said things like why didn’t you wait for me, I left my wife, you are a whore, and several undecipherable sentences. Guy never realized that his ex-mistress had hung up on him halfway through his rant.

Guy at this point was a seething raging hulk and thought everyone was out to get him. He used house money to buy his mistress gifts, and lied to his wife repeatedly to be with her, and this was how she repaid him!

He kicked trash cans that where put out for collection for the next day and sent many spilling their contents all over the road. It was now 2:00 am. and the streets were desolate. The only sound he could here was an occasional dog bark or a sound of a car passing close by.

Guy at this point had walked to his office which was six miles from his house. He entered his code and the door opened. He went over to the fleet vehicle key lock box and beat it off the wall. Guy grabbed a key to the company van and drove off towards the airport. Still enraged he crushed one of the low lying signs advertising his company at the exit.

Find out tomorrow the trouble Guy is in, the efforts to track him down, and what was in the envelope left on the table by Gayle.

III

In the last installment, Guy had stolen a company van and basically walked out on his wife and two children. His mistress had disowned him, and he was headed to the airport at 2:00 am. It’s now three months later.

Gayle, Guys soon to be ex-wife, reflected on the night Guy left, at her support group she joined after suffering from severe depression.

“I should have seen the signs, but I wanted to trust Guy” she said still choked up with emotion. “Looking back it all makes sense. The business trips, the late nights at the office, the unexplained expenses at department stores, I was a fool to not recognize he had been cheating on me all along.”

“That night after getting over the shock that Guy wasn’t coming home, I felt a peace come over me, just for an instant before I went to bed. It was shattered by a knock at my door at 8:30 am when the police arrived, with several armed deputies.”

“They explained how Guy had gone to work, broke into the key box, stole a van, and it had not turned up. They had him on video and wanted to know if Guy was here. It was very humiliating to know the Guy I had married after eight years could do something like this” Gayle droned on.

The police would eventually discover Guy had used his credit card to buy three different tickets to Mexico City, Guatemala, and Belize. They found the van in the long term parking lot a two days later when an employee reported it had had an accident and didn’t want to be held liable.   A look at the manifests on the airlines showed Guy never got on any of the three planes. The lead detective, Marco Ramirez, was from the special case squad, and spent several days at Gayles house sifting through bank statements, emails and questioning neighbors, family and friends. Marco was a handsome third generation Latino, and was just starting to gray at his temples.

Even the FBI got involved and special agent Ralph Brooks was assigned to track down his whereabouts. Brooks was a short portly man, always sweating even in a cold room. He was the type that saw conspiracy in everything including what drug was put in toothpaste to get you addicted to a brand.

A search of cell phone records showed he made a call to his ex mistress and both she and Gayle had to meet face to face to compare notes to help the police. Gayle went into severe depression for a few weeks when she realized her entire marriage had been a lie. The mistress, Annie Benson, had been Guy’s girlfriend before he meet Gayle and they keep in contact the entire time they had been married. They had met several times on business trips over the years to kept things going.

Guy had dropped off the map. They found his cell phone in a garbage bin at the airport after asking Gayle to call it the next morning. No more credit purchases or any witnesses who claimed to have seen him.

Gayle and her two daughters had sort of settled into a new routine after three months and after discovering what was in the envelope, created a slew of new problems and accusations.

The next morning Kendra, came down for breakfast and decided to help herself. She noticed an envelope on the table and being a curious seven year old, opened it up and looked at the papers. One was a receipt from a store in some far away state of New York. On the top where printed the words “PowerBall.” She saw the numbers and being very smart for a seven-year old went over to the computer to see if they had won any “Powerballs.” She had no idea what a powerball was, but she sure wanted to have one.

When she logged in and put in the numbers and the date, the screen said the holder of this ticket had just won $230 million. She wasn’t quite sure, but she thought that was a big number. At least more than a hundred she told the FBI later on.

“Mom” she cried out, “I think you better come and look at this.” Gayle, who was still in a fog, with eyes bloodshot, made it into the den and asked Kendra what’s was the matter, in a low tone. Kendra pointed to the screen and to the ticket and with a big smile she said “Mom does this mean I can get a puppy?”

Gayle rubbed her eyes and stared at the screen, and then the ticket and then the screen again. There must be some sort of mistake she said. Her heart started to race as the magnitude of what she was looking at slowly overrode all her senses. “This can’t be she said! This must be some cruel trick. Where did you get this” she asked Kendra. “From Daddy’s envelope.” Gayle’s mind was racing and reeling all at once when the door bell rang.

“Mom it’s the police” her youngest daughter Stacy called out. It was 8:30 am.

Find out who makes a claim for the money and where Guy ended up, and how Gayle copes with all the lawyers, the police and the FBI who starts to believe this was all a sham to get rid of Guy and collect the money for herself. Find out how she deals with the distrust, the lawsuits and those who try to take the money and… the book she discovered in Guy’s office he was reading that sheds new light into his behavior in the next installment.

 IV

In the last installment, Gayle recounted the events of that evening and the next morning. The discovery of the winning Powerball ticket, and the visit from the police and the strange behavior from Guy.

“Good Morning. Are you Gayle Nelson?” asked the sharp dressed detective. “My name is Marco Ramirez special case squad. Do you know where your husband Guy is?” Gayle immediately gathered up he two girls instinctively to protect them and shielded them from the intruder.

… “No what’s all this about?” Another portly man stepped into view and introduced himself as Ralph Brooks Special Agent FBI. Several other official looking types joined him on the sidewalk.

“Mrs. Nelson, can we go someplace where we can talk?” the FBI agent asked gruffly. Gayle knew what that meant and asked her daughters to go into their rooms. Kendra, was non-plussed and told her Mommy to ask for I.D. like they do on TV.

Gayle invited them into the house. “Do you mind if we look around” asked Detective Ramirez. Gayle was clearly reeling from last nights events and her breathing became labored and without thinking agreed to allow several investigators into her house.

“Mrs. Nelson, we need to locate your husband Guy” said FBI agent Ralph Brooks. Can you call him on his cell phone?” Gayle became worried and dialed Guy right away. The phone went into voice mail. In an hour it would be found in a trash can at the Sacramento International Airport. Mrs. Nelson your husband broke into his company last night and stole a van and bought three airline tickets to Mexico City, Guatemala, and Belize and we checked with all three airlines and he was on none of them. Can you explain this” he said menacingly.

Gayle went weak in the knees and would have collapsed had Detective Ramirez not caught her. The FBI agent was playing one of the oldest interrogation tricks in the book… shock the spouse so hard to gauge her reaction. If Gayle was in on it, she didn’t show it. Brooks thought she was really good at the cover-up and thought he could trap her later.

Another detective whispered into the ear of the FBI agent who then whispered into the detective’s ear.

Just then Mr. Abe Findley, a prominent criminal attorney that lived next door, walked in and asked what was going on. Agent Brooks took a look at Finley and in an instant made a decision that he would regret shortly. He blurted out “Guy Nelson stole a company van, bought three tickets to three foreign countries, I am holding a winning Powerball ticket for $230 million and my assistant is holding a book entitled “How to disappear in under 24 hours.  Who in the hell are you sir.” Brooks belted out!

In an instant worlds collided, laws where broken and re-broken, Supreme Court cases where won and lost over search and seizures cases, Miranda rights cases flashed in Abe Findley’s mind and grounds for lawsuits where played out in a mili-second after hearing Agent Brooks speak.

Abe Findley was still in his robe and was around 60, slim, slightly graying and ran one of the largest and most successful criminal defense practices on the West Coast. He straightened out and with a fierce fire that burned in his eyes, spoke the following words.

“My name is Abraham Findley attorney-at-law. I represent Gayle Nelson. I need to see a warrant and I need to verify you have read Gayle her Miranda rights.” Before he could finish both Detective Ramirez and Special Agent Brooks froze in their tracks when they realized who was standing in front of them. Abe Findley had defended the last Governor in a murder trial and exposed the corruption all the way up to the attorney generals office and put several high ranking officials and law enforcement in jail trying to frame the Governor.

The color drained from Brook’s pudgy face and he opened his mouth to say something but Findley gave him no quarter.

“I didn’t think so: Findley went on. “You have thirty seconds to remove yourself and your detectives from this house. If anything comes up missing, your boss, whom I play golf once a week, will be none too pleased.”

Everyone had stopped moving in the house realizing the showdown that was happening right before their eyes. Brooks snapped out of a trance and waved everyone out, still unable to speak.

“I will have Mrs. Nelson available for a statement down at police headquarters at 4:00 pm.” It wasn’t a request or question, it was a demand and there would be no negotiating the time or location.

Detective Ramirez quickly agreed and worried about how badly this case had just gone. Technically Mr. Nelson wasn’t really missing since it hadn’t been 24 hours… and he wondered why the FBI showed up so soon.

The entourage left and it was just Abe, Gayle, Kendra, and Stacy.

Abe walked Gayle to the couch and sat down with her. She was visible shaken.

“Gayle, take some deep breaths” Abe implored. “Tell me what happened…”

In the next installment find out Gayle’s response to the book, the money and what the ex-mistress demands and why the FBI was watching Guy.

The Justice Department on Friday asked a federal judge to throw out a lawsuit by Dennis Kucinich and ten members of Congress filed demanding that U.S. military support for the NATO operation in Libya be terminated because President Barack Obama’s orders violate the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution.

The problem for Obama is that two of his legal team has sided with the lawsuit.

Jeh C. Johnson, the Pentagon general counsel, and Caroline D. Krass, the acting head of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, had told the White House in June, that they believed that the United States military’s activities in the NATO-led air war amounted to “hostilities.” Under the War Powers Resolution, that would have required Mr. Obama to terminate or scale back the mission after May 20.

Oh-oh, this can’t be good!

 The White House’s contention is the president could continue the Libya campaign without their authorization because the campaign was not in their words “hostile.” Now just wait a minute. Are we going to have to define what hostilities are? We have bombed the crap out of Libya and this is not “Hostile?”  What am I missing here?  The WH contends that since no ground troops are on the ground, the enemy isn’t shooting at them, so no “hostilities’ have occurred.  I guess this is a video-game war and no one really dies either.

Meanwhile you and I have paid close to $1 billion dollars for this little war and Congress has had no say in the matter. Just spend away our tax money without representation.

President Obama decided instead to adopt the legal analysis of several other senior members of his legal team — including the White House counsel, Robert Bauer, and the State Department legal adviser, Harold H. Koh — who argued that the United States military’s activities fell short of “hostilities.” Under that view, Mr. Obama needed no permission from Congress to continue the mission unchanged.

Oh I get it, just find someone that agrees with your position and you can circumvent Congress. Hey even Attorney General Eric Holder sided with Caroline Krass on this, so this lawsuit has some real merit.

So either the War Powers Resolution is legit, and it restrains Presidents from conducting private wars, or it is worthless, and Presidents can engage in any conflict they see fit and bypass Congress and the American People.

To think our legal and constitutional rights boil down the interpretation of what “Hostilities” mean… is ridiculous!

Shame on Congress for turning a blind eye over this and then expecting us to believe they will cut spending, when they can’t even define “Hostilities!”

And shame on the President for bypassing Congress to fight a war with no end game, no stated mission and no timetable, to do what? Why are we in Libya? The silence from the Administration on this matter is deafening!

I hope the lawsuit is allowed to continue and someone can define the “hostilities” for all of us.

Paul Smith

Delegate to the Republican Party

Former Candidate for Congress 2008-2010

Taking our Government back, one day at a time!