Yeah...this is about right

From the UT's Steve Breen:

Ban the booze?

Well...this explains the helicopters and police sirens that were interrupting my enjoyment of the Clemson/Florida State game:

PACIFIC BEACH: A melee broke out on the beach yesterday afternoon as people started throwing plastic bottles and cans at police officers who were called to break up a large fight.

Sixteen people were arrested on charges of being drunk in public and fighting, said San Diego police Assistant Chief David Ramirez.

He said lifeguards called police about 5:15 p.m. reporting a fight in a group of several hundred on the beach near Reed Street and Ocean Boulevard. Officers went into a crowd of about 500 where a large group was fighting, he said.

People in the crowd threw plastic drink bottles and cans at officers as they made arrests and drew back from the group, Ramirez said.

Now to the rescue...San Diego City Councilman Kevin Faulconer:

SAN DIEGO – The rowdy drunks might have finally spoiled the party for everyone else.

Revisiting the site of Monday's melee at Pacific Beach, San Diego Councilman Kevin Faulconer yesterday vowed to introduce a proposal to ban drinking at all San Diego beaches.

“Yesterday's incident was an embarrassment and a disgrace,” Faulconer said of the massive brawl involving scores of fighters in a crowd of hundreds near Reed Avenue and Ocean Boulevard. It took dozens of police officers with riot shields to break it up; they were pelted with beer cans and water bottles.

“Never again should we have to have police in riot gear walking down the beaches,” Faulconer said yesterday, flanked by dozens of cheering proponents of a beach alcohol ban. “We can no longer tolerate what happened here.”

Now I don't drink. And drunken morons are the reason that despite my proximity to the beach, I rarely go down to the shore on the weekend.

But I'm not sure if a ban on booze is the right idea.

I have a better one. Can we just ban the morons?

LA gangbangers show how tough they are...by blowing away grandmother

Yeah...they're so tough:

Sheriff's deputies today arrested three people in connection with the death of a 57-year-old grandmother who was shot after confronting a man tagging a wall in Pico Rivera, a case that has sparked widespread anger.

Maria Hicks died Monday from a gunshot wound to the head that she suffered after a confrontation Friday night.

Hicks was driving home near the intersection of San Gabriel River Parkway and Woodford Street when she noticed a young man tagging a wall, sheriff's officials said. She flashed her lights and honked her horn at the suspected tagger, who began walking away.Hicks continued to follow him, sheriff's officials said, and two people in a silver compact car drove up behind her and fired several shots through her back window, gravely wounding her.She died three days later.

The case was sparked outrage in Pico Rivera and beyond.Sheriff's homicide detectives arrested Cesar Lopez, 19, of Pico Rivera, who is being held without bail after being charged with murder.Jennifer Tafoya, 19, of Pico Rivera and a 16-year-old boy whose identity was withheld because he is a juvenile were arrested on probation violations.

I'm not even going to address the possibility that these losers might either be illegal aliens, or the offspring of illegals. Oops, I guess I just did.

But really...legal or not, those who think they are gangbangers are really just pussies. They're NOTHING when they aren't rolling with fellow losers, and just plain worms when they prey on grandmothers.

Here's hoping that Lopez and Co. end up in this kind of prison.

Kevin McCullough lights up Tracy Jarman (Update...O'Reilly: Jarman apologizes?)

A good point: Had the firefighters hung up any photos in their station of what they saw, they would have been suspended and disciplined.

More here, including a copy of the complaint.


Update: Per Bill O'Reilly on the Factor, Jarman has reportedly apologized to the firefighters:

Is an apology enough? Personally, I think so as long as it is followed by a new policy indicating that the San Diego Fire Department does not participate in uniform using city-owned fire trucks in future "pride" parades.

They're gay...and they're proud! (Updated...firefighters were ORDERED to participate in parade)

Who wouldn't be? Because this is the kind of behavior that should be celebrated at taxpayer expense:

Four respected San Diego firefighters were ordered, against their wishes, to participate in uniform on their city fire truck in the city’s annual “Gay Pride” parade.

During the course of the ensuing three hour long ordeal, the firefighters were subjected to vile sexual taunts from homosexuals lining the parade route. This included the following statements: “show me your hose,” “you can put out my fire,” “you’re making me hot,” “give me mouth-to-mouth,” “you look hungry, why don’t you have a twinkie (from a man wearing a “Girth and Mirth” t-shirt),” and “blow my hose.”

When they refused to respond to the crowd, some in the crowd turned hostile and started shouting, “F—k you firemen” and others began “flipping them off.”

San Diego's annual parade celebrates this

The firefighters were also targets of gross sexual gestures to include the following: exposure of genitals, blowing kisses, grabbing of the crotch, rubbing of nipples, tongue gestures, men hugging and kissing one another passionately, many of them wearing make-up and dressed like women. Although the firefighters were not physically assaulted, the gestures were clearly directed towards them.

But according to lesbian fire chief Tracy Jarman, it's all good clean fun:

Fire Chief, Tracy Jarman, an open lesbian, stated, “This is a fun event and all employees are required encouraged to participate.”

When Jarman was appointed Fire Chief she stated that her homosexuality has never been an issue at the department and she has never seen any gay-related trouble.

Well...until now anyway.

More proud San Diegans just having good clean fun

Van Helsing at Moonbattery has more...

(Updated 7:49am, August 7): From the San Diego Union Tribune:

Fire department spokesman Maurice Luque said the fire crew was chosen because its fire station 5 on Ninth Avenue in Hillcrest is in the community where the parade took place. Luque said another crew had volunteered, but bowed out for personal reasons, including a family death, the day before.

In statements filed with the state, the men said that along the parade route, they were subjected to offensive and lewd comments such as, “You can put out my fire,” and saw men blowing kisses at them. Then, they said, they had to endure protesters who yelled at them that homosexuality was a sin. Some comments were too graphic
to print.

Note how writer Pauline Repard uses the line "some comments were too graphic to print" directly after her line about the anti-homosexual protestors...as if the protestors were the ones using the graphic language.

That was not the case. Here is the complaint. The protestors did tell the firefighters that they would "go to hell" for supporting homosexuality...but the complaint does not indicate any "graphic comments" by the protestors.

No...the "graphic comments" all came from the crowd who was there to celebrate the homosexual lifestyle.

But there's more. It turns out that the firefighters were given a direct order to participate in the parade. From the statement of firefighter Chad Allison:

On July 21, 2007, I was called into work for overtime at Fire Station 5. I found out just prior to my arrival that Engine 5 was assigned to participate in the Gay Pride Parade. Battalion Chief Tony Pollard informed our crew that we were going to be participating in the parade. Having heard of past harassment that occurred from members of members of the public to Fire Personnel in the parade and having personal experience with similar circumstances, I felt extremely uncomfortable with the potential of being subjected to sexual harassment...

I expressed my concern to my supervisor, Fire Captain John Ghiotto...Captain Ghiotto expressed our conern to Battalion Chief Tony Pollard. Around 9:00 hours, Battalion Chief Pollard stated that we were to report to staging at 09:30 hours. Captain Ghiotto again expressed his concerns and asked if our participation was a direct order. Battallion Chief Pollard informed us that is was a direct order from Shift Commander Camberos, Deputy Chief Marlborough, and Assistant Chief Jeff Carle.

Contact Mayor Jerry Sanders here.

"Idiot" brings gun (belt buckle) into bank...gets feelings hurt

Turns out someone should have called the Fashion Police against this guy, instead of the SDPD:

It began as a report of an attempted bank robbery with police swarming the branch.

It turned out to be nothing more than a man's belt buckle – which closely resembled a semiautomatic handgun.

Police surrounded the Wells Fargo Bank branch on Camino Ruiz near Mira Mesa Boulevard in Mira Mesa at 11:42 a.m. (Friday) after someone in the bank reported that a man had what looked like a gun under his shirt. Jacob Johnson, 24, of Rancho Peñasquitos was wearing a dress shirt, casual slacks and a belt with a gun-shaped buckle when he and his friend and neighbor Jeffrey Russell walked inside the bank.

Johnson was clueless as to why it might not be such a great idea to wear a gun belt buckle into a bank:

Several minutes later, they walked out of the bank to see 10 to 15 police officers with their guns aimed at them, Johnson said.

“They said, 'Put your hands in the air,' ” he said.

Officers handcuffed both men and put them in the back of separate patrol cars.

“I was like, 'What is going on here?' ” Johnson said. “They told me to empty my pockets and walk backward. They put me in the back of the car, and I didn't know what was going on. Cameramen were putting their cameras in my face, like I was some criminal.”

Sgt. Jim Schorr said that by 12:04 p.m., officers had determined that the situation was “Code 4” – police jargon for “everything's back to normal.” Johnson and Russell were released.

OK, perhaps the cops were just doing their jobs in making sure that Johnson did not pose a threat...but couldn't they have been nicer?

Johnson complained, “they called me an idiot and said, 'I can't believe you were wearing that right now.' ”

Although Johnson finds some of the incident amusing, he feels police could have handled it better.

“I mean, it's a belt buckle with half a gun,” he said. “It's on my waist. If it's a gun, it's pretty amazing that it can just float on my waist.”

Upon closer inspection, the police may not have been so critical of Johnson's decision to wear that belt buckle into a bank...but maybe his decision to wear it anywhere.

I wonder what will happen the next time Johnson decides to board an airplane...

If your husband is a California Hispanic Amnesty Supporting Democratic Politician...watch out for this woman!

Mirthala Salinas...political reporter and HOMEWRECKING trollop!

Though it looks like she won't be a political reporter much longer:

Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo placed newscaster Mirthala Salinas on leave today while it conducts an internal investigation into whether she breached journalistic ethics by having a relationship with someone she covered: Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

OK...that "investigation" should last about 30 seconds. I think her "journalistic ethics" were breached the minute that dirtbag MARRIED mayor Tony VillaLaRaza breached her.

Telemundo executives have come under intense pressure to discipline Salinas after she and Villaraigosa acknowledged this week they had been involved in a relationship dating back more than a year. The mayor separated from Corina Villaraigosa, his wife of 20 years, early last month.During at least part of their time together, Salinas was assigned to the "political beat," in which she covered the mayor on trips to New York and Sacramento. On the night he announced the separation from his wife, Salinas was the Channel 52 anchor who delivered the news.

"OK, meet me at the Sepulveda Blvd. Travelodge, Room 204, 9pm tonight..."

Of course when Salinas reported the story on Telemundo, she forgot one important detail:

At 4 p.m. on June 8, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa issued a terse statement announcing that he and his wife, Corina, were separating after 20 years of marriage.

Two hours later, Telemundo television anchor Mirthala Salinas delivered the story to her Spanish-language viewers on the Friday evening news.

"The rumors were true," she declared of the split after an introduction that described the story as a "political scandal" that had left "many people with their mouth open."

(Including of course, Salinas...but let's not be tawdry)

What Salinas, 35, did not say in the newscast was that she was the other woman. She and Villaraigosa, 54, had been in a relationship even though she had previously been the political reporter assigned to cover local politics and the mayor.

Apparently, Salinas has a thang for jumping into bed with amnesty-supporting politicians:

Villaraigosa is not the first politician to be linked to Salinas. Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez, (D-Los Angeles), confirmed in a recent interview that he dated Salinas in 2003...

Hey everyone! I did her too!

But Telemundo has always known what they had in their perky, intrepid political reporter:

"Mirthala Salinas is one of our most respected reporters and a great professional," said Manuel Abud, Telemundo's general manager in Los Angeles.

Bird Rock Bandit Cravens a "good kid" with clueless parents

Update June 28, 2008 here
Yeah...maybe this is gonna be a little unfair. I know that Seth Craven's parents are in anguish right now over the fact that their kid probably helped murder Emery Kauanui. But how often do you hear parents admit that they did a crappy job raising their little thug?


Of course it didn't happen in this case either:

SAN DIEGO – The parents of Seth Cravens, one of four young La Jolla men accused of murdering professional surfer Emery Kauanui, portray their son as a “good person with a good heart,” but also a young man who was aggressive and lacked direction.

Making their first public comments since Kauanui's Memorial Day weekend beating death, William and Karen Cravens said they knew nothing about victims' statements and police reports accusing their 21-year-old son of being the assailant in a string of unprovoked beatings over the past five years.

“I'm not aware of any of that,” William Cravens, 65, said during a news conference at the office of their son's attorneys, where they were flanked by three of their 14 grown children and eight of their 52 grandchildren.

Well at least give Mr. Cravens credit for being a stud. 14 kids! Of course Mrs. Cravens deserves some credit too:

The Cravens insisted their son was innocent of murder in an incident that witnesses said began as a fair fight between Kauanui and one of the four accused, but ended in a fatal, four-on-one beating.

“He did not do what he is accused of doing,” said Karen Cravens. “There is no doubt in my mind or in my husband's.”

Please. Isn't there at least a little doubt?

Cravens is named as a suspect by San Diego police in two cases: a February battery of a man outside of a La Jolla Boulevard taco shop and a 2004 incident in which Cravens is accused of threatening a man with “great bodily harm.”

Several other victims have told police Cravens beat them up without provocation at parties, outside of bars, and on the street, officials have said.

Police have said they are looking into at least 15 assaults connected to the Bird Rock Bandits, several of which surfaced after publicity over Kauanui killing.

“We're not aware of any police reports,” William Cravens said. He added that he and his wife did not know their son had been banned from The Shack, a La Jolla Boulevard bar, for picking fights with strangers, as a bartender there reported.

You'd think Seth's lawyer might have clued the parents in by now...but of course, he's a lawyer:

Alan Spears, an attorney for Cravens, said his client's bond was excessive and that Cravens should not be charged with murder.

Though the defendants boasted on the Internet of being part of a “crew” calling themselves the Bird Rock Bandits, Spears scoffed at that idea.

“This notion that Mr. Cravens and the others are part of this gang is absolutely preposterous,” the lawyer said.

Uh....right. Except that Spears apparently forgets that "Mr. Cravens and the others" were bragging about their thuggish exploits on the Bird Rock Bandit's My Space page. I guess being part of gang is pretty cool until you kill someone.

Good kid...non-gang member Seth Cravens flashes gang signs with the man he helped murder (allegedly)

But still...Seth Cravens is a good kid who enjoys reading and calling his mom:

William and Karen Cravens characterized Seth as a loving, caring son, brother and uncle, who calls every night from jail and e-mails them daily.

“Overall, he is doing good,” his mother said. “There are good days and bad days. He loves to read and he has gotten a lot of reading done.”

To be fair, it's possible that Mr. and Mrs. Cravens have a good reason for not accepting responsibility for the values instilled in Seth...you know, "getting wasted, partying, surfing and womping":

The elder Cravens was convicted himself in the mid-1990s on a federal charge involving a $74-million fraud while he was head of the Polynesian Cultural Center in Honolulu. He served three years of supervised probation after testifying on the government's behalf.

The Cravens, who have been married 46 years, said that while they knew their son to have an aggressive nature since he was a child, they were never contacted by teachers or counselors about his behavior and do not believe their son has an anger problem.

William Cravens conceded Seth had “done a little too much partying in his young life.” He added that his son “likes to mix it up.” His wife said Seth was not one to pick a fight, but “he maybe doesn't walk away from them.”

Nice kid you raised there. A "good" kid with aggressive tendencies who likes to read and call his mom, party, get into fights and does not have an anger problem. Oh yeah...and who is in jail for murder.

My "progressive" alma mater is guilty of segregation

Before I get into this, let me say...I love UCLA. I love the education it provided me, I love the life experiences I had there, and of course I love those 11 National Championship banners hanging at Pauley Pavillion.

But one thing that bothered me was the constant indoctrination into ethnic, gender and sexual "sensitivity" that reigned (and continues to reign) on that campus.

During my orientation weekend, one of the first things I was told was that 10% of the student population was gay. From then on, I looked around each class I took and tried to figure out which 10% were gay...for example if my class had 30 students, three of the students HAD to be gay because that was what I was told.

The morning of my very first class at UCLA (business calculus) the teacher was late. His last name was "Chang". The kid sitting next to me mused (very innocently) "I think I saw him in the halls, is he Oriental?"

To which an angry co-ed behind us responded, "Don't say that! The proper term is Asian. What you said is offensive!"

Welcome to UCLA.

During my time there, a fraternity lost its charter because of a Cinco-de-Mayo party. Not an out-of-control party where anyone was physically assaulted or underage students were found consuming alcohol (although I'm sure some were...c'mon, it was a frat party).

No, the fraternity was shut down for two years because of a tequila worm on a party advertisement that was an "insensitive" depiction of Hispanics. Of course the dozen or so Hispanics who were IN the fraternity didn't seem to mind, but a bunch of Mechistas marched and then threatened to march again. That was all it took to shut the frat down for two years.

My alma mater prides itself on its diversity and its sensitivity to every special group that might be on campus. But this has gotten ridiculous:

Commencement weekend is hard to plan at the University of California, Los Angeles. The university now has so many separate identity-group graduations that scheduling them not to conflict with one another is a challenge. The women’s studies graduation and the Chicana/Chicano studies graduation are both set for 10 AM Saturday. The broader Hispanic graduation, “Raza,” is in near-conflict with the black graduation, which starts just an hour later.

Planning was easier before a new crop of ethnic groups pushed for inclusion. Students of Asian heritage were once content with the Asian–Pacific Islanders ceremony. But now there are separate Filipino and Vietnamese commencements, and some talk of a Cambodian one in the future. Years ago, UCLA sponsored an Iranian graduation, but the school’s commencement office couldn’t tell me if the event was still around. The entire Middle East may yet be a fertile source for UCLA commencements.

All these commencements are sponsored by UCLA and paid for by California tax dollars. A waste of money? You bet, but you'd better not try to deny any of these groups their own special ceremony...the ACLU will come calling.

Of course the ACLU would also come calling if white/male/protestant/straight students wanted their own commencement.

The funny thing is, the graduates who belong to these groups don't even show up for these ceremonies:

Not all ethnic and racial graduations are well attended. The 2003 figures at UCLA showed that while 300 of 855 Hispanic students attended, only 170 out of 1,874 Asian-Americans did.

But it's all part of the indoctrination UCLA students receive. See...we can't just proudly identify ourselves as Bruins:

Some students are presumably eligible for four or five graduations. A gay student with a Native American father and a Filipino mother could attend the Asian, Filipino, and American Indian ceremonies, plus the mainstream graduation and the Lavender Graduation for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered students.

Graduates usually wear identity-group markers—a Filipino stole or a Vietnamese sash, for instance, or a rainbow tassel at the Lavender event. Promoters of ethnic and racial graduations often talk about the strong sense of community that they favor. But it is a sense of community based on blood, a dubious and historically dangerous organizing principle.

And just as it did when I started at UCLA in '89, the indoctrination begins that very first orientation weekend:

But the core reason for separatist graduations is the obvious one: on campus, assimilation is a hostile force, the domestic version of American imperialism. On many campuses, identity-group training begins with separate freshman orientation programs for nonwhites, who arrive earlier and are encouraged to bond before the first Caucasian freshmen arrive. Some schools have separate orientations for gays as well. Administrations tend to foster separatism by arguing that bias is everywhere, justifying double standards that favor identity groups.

Would I send my kid to UCLA now? Well...you bet your ass I would. But I'd make sure that kid was insulated against the new separatism and prepared to defend against its idiocy.

Has Paris Hilton found God?

Color me skeptical for now:

"I'm not the same person I was," she said. "I used to act dumb. It was an act. I am 26 years old, and that act is no longer cute. It is not who I am, nor do I want to be that person for the young girls who looked up to me. I know now that I can make a difference, that I have the power to do that. I have been thinking that I want to do different things when I am out of here. I have become much more spiritual. God has given me this new chance."

What a difference a weekend in the slam makes...

She has had a person whom she described as a spiritual adviser who said, "My spirit or soul did not like the way I was being seen and that is why I was sent to jail." "God," she said, "has released me."

She is reading newspapers — The LA Times and the Wall Street Journal — and books like "The Secret," "The Power of Now" and the Bible.

Who am I to judge? Look, if Paris Hilton had an epiphanic experience this weekend and embraced God...then Praise the Lord. The witness of her transformation could end up being an amazing example for young girls: "I used to be a vacuous spoiled brat, but look what God did for me..."

Hey...I'll pray for that and for the first time I find myself rooting for Paris. But for now, I'll settle for this:

Her mother had earlier told me that Paris said, "I will never again have a drink and drive."

Baby steps...

A Serious Question

MSNBC interviewed perpetually stoned media expert Tommy Chong about the Paris Hilton non-story. Contessa Brewer must be pissed her career has devolved into interviewing baked "B" movie actors about stupid spoiled whores. Guess which question made me spit coffee all over my keyboard:

Bird Rock Bandits "Surf" Gang...not so much surfers

Update June 28, 2008 here

Yesterday's Union Tribune had an exhaustive recap of the events leading to the death of pro surfer Emery Kauanui. I've touched on a few things, but make sure you read the entire story:

It started with a spilled drink in a crowded bar called the La Jolla Brew House, not far from the bejewelled beaches of Bird Rock and Windansea.

It ended with a professional surfer sprawled in front of his mother's house, bleeding from a fractured skull.

Four days later, Emery Kauanui Jr. was dead and four of his acquaintances, all graduates of La Jolla High School, were in jail, charged with the first homicide in the seaside enclave since 2002.

From left,"Turd "Bird Rock Bandits" Cravens, House, Yanke and Osuna

Surfers are generally mellow people...with one exception. Don't bogart their waves!

Outsiders or novice surfers trying to ride the waves off Windansea or Bird Rock are likely to encounter angry locals who've been known to protect their slice of the ocean with their fists. Author Tom Wolfe portrayed Windansea's youthful locals as arrogant, indulgent and delinquent in his 1966 essay “The Pump House Gang.”

But even before Wolfe's snide portrayal, Windandsea Surf Club symbolized the raucous side of beach culture, with boastful, boozy, bawdy promises made to riders from Bird Rock to Malibu that weren't always taken, or meant, in jest.

But as it turns out, the surf punks who jumped Emery Kauanui weren't surfers at all. They were just, well...punks:

Police and others examining Kauanui's death are pondering whether this traditionally harsh kind of “localism” may have been adopted on shore by certain young La Jolla toughs, who happened to surf relatively little, if at all.

The legal eagles who are defending these thugs are now trying to portray them as upstanding young men:

Meanwhile, letters submitted in court this week on behalf of Cravens, the 13th of 14 siblings, describe him as a young man of boundless humor who is tender and loving to his 52 nieces and nephews. He also sings and plays the ukulele.

Letters submitted on House's behalf portray him as a likable young man who is a volunteer coach of the lacrosse team at Muirlands Middle School and attends Mesa College in pursuit of a degree in business.

Taylor Bloom, a former La Jolla High cheerleader and a University of California Santa Barbara student, told the court in her letter that “I would trust him with my life.”

Whoa, Taylor! You might want that one back. I mean, House only started a beating that led to the death a friend (allegedly). But I guess you can give House points for his attention to detail:

Police say the fight started between Kauanui and House, but the other three jumped in, punching and kicking the victim even after he was down.

One of the four assailants ran away, two took off in the SUV, and House stayed behind to look for a tooth he lost, Rooney said. A police officer arrived and House was immediately arrested.

Now I don't want to diminish Emery's death. He certainly did not deserve what he got. But details are now surfacing that Emery wasn't exactly an angel. In fact, his actions that night might have provoked a drunken House and the dirtbags he "rolled with" to retaliate:

One of several witnesses laying out the circumstances surrounding the homicide in the early hours of May 24 is Jennifer Grosso.

That night at the Brew House, Grosso said, Kauanui was on the dance floor, moving slowly to the music, when he accidentally spilled his drink on House.

Where this mess all began...the La Jolla Brew House

“I'm not so sure it was an accident,” Rooney said, noting that Kauanui was angry because House was talking to Grosso.

House and Kauanui argued; bouncers separated them and told them to leave. Police have a video shot by a bar patron but won't say what it shows.

Grosso, 20, said she drove Kauanui home in his gray Chevrolet Tracker about half-past midnight.

(An aside. Grosso is just 20 years old. What the hell was she doing in the Brew House that night to begin with?)

A neighbor saw Kauanui pacing outside his mother's house, arguing on his cell phone, about 45 minutes later.

It looks like Kauanui could have avoided the confrontation in the first place. But based on his past, Emery Kauanui was not one to avoid confrontation:

In July 2003, Emery Kauanui Jr., then 20, was charged in Florida with felony battery and spent 32 days in jail for throwing a beer bottle into a man's face.

A year later, Emery and a surfing buddy were involved in a “surf rage” incident at the Oceanside pier, police reported. Kauanui pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery and was fined $510. In the midst of that case, Kauanui was arrested for drunken driving, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a first-offenders program, which he failed to complete.

When he died, there was a warrant out for his arrest for violating conditions of probation.

Still...this was a senseless and stupid crime. Perhaps Emery Kauanui should have picked better "friends" than a bunch of morons whose lives circled around getting drunk and getting into fights. No doubt, his choice to hang out with these losers cost him his life.

But there are others who call themselves "Bird Rock Bandits". Listen up, you dweebs. This community will not put up with your garbage and will defend itself against any more thuggery. Take a long look at your buddies...a similar fate awaits you if you keep going down this path. And prison folk won't go easy on spoiled punks like you.

Yesterday's memorial for Emery...300 paddled out at Windansea where Emery's ashes were scattered by his mother.

Surf "gangstas" lawyer up

June 28,2008 Update here
I never met Emery Kauanui...hell, I don't even surf. But this story bothers me because a) these kids hang around close to where I live and b) it involves a mindset that is becoming all to prevalent in Southern California.

I stopped by the scene of the crime...outside of the Draper Street condominium where Kauanui was ganged up on and killed. I spent 5 minutes there and at least a dozen local kids came by to pay their respects...a week after Emery's death:

A card reads "Rest in Peace Sweet Emery"

More of the shrine which winds around the corner, a photo of Emery and his mother is at right

It's unfortunate of course that Emery found himself in the company of such garbage. But he did choose his friends:

Emery with his drinking buddy, alleged-murderer Seth Cravens. Cravens flashes a "gang sign"

Somehow these kids got the brilliant idea that it was cool to act like "gangstas". I'll not be sensitive about this...the gang mentality is idiocy. But these kids were not hardened inner-city youths with nothing else to cling to. In fact one (Eric Yanke) had the means to hire uber-defense attorney Kerry Steigerwalt. This was a lifestyle they chose and cultivated among their "friends".

And they flew under the radar. As it turns out, the police are looking at several assaults the "Bird Rock Bandits" may have been involved in.

LA JOLLA – Four young men charged in the slaying of a professional La Jolla surfer are being investigated in connection with as many as 15 other assaults, San Diego police said.

The investigations began after more than a dozen people called police to report similar assaults upon learning about the fatal beating of Emery Kauanui, homicide Lt. Kevin Rooney said. Police on their own reopened two other dormant cases.

(Clockwise) Osuna, Yanke, Cravens and House

Meanwhile, Judge Jeffrey Fraser has reduced bail for the three "Bandits" who remain in jail (Yanke is out on a $1 million bond). Ordinarily I'd be up in arms about this, except that the bail amounts ($1.2 million to $2 million) are still high enough to dissuade these dirtbags from fleeing if their families raise the funds. Of course their attorneys wanted their bail even lower:

Defense attorneys argued unsuccessfully for much lower bail amounts yesterday, citing their clients' strong ties to the community, family support and lack of criminal history. Some of the lawyers mentioned letters they received from members of the community, some of whom were present in court, who could vouch for the defendants' good character.

"Good character"? You mean like, nice wholesome boys whose pastimes include “getting wasted, partying, surfing and womping?”

House's lawyer, Earll Pott, said he filed 43 letters in court from people who described House as “peaceful,” “caring” and “kind.”

You mean, the kind of "peaceful, caring and kind" guy that would beat and kick a drinking buddy, then leave him to die?

Unfortunately, the remnants of these dweebs who call themselves the "Bird Rock Bandits" still don't get it. On their "myspace" page, they promise more mayhem this summer, pledging a "bloodbath."

It's a good bet that the defense attorneys will not be using the defendant's myspace "friends" as character witnesses.

Bird Rock "Bandits" update

I was planning an update on the tragic and senseless beating death of Emery Kauanui, but due to my little medical escapade yesterday, I'll be posting a more complete update tomorrow. Please remember to keep Emery's family in your prayers:

RIP Emery

And remember, all of the punks who called themselves the "Bird Rock Bandits" are INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY. At least of this crime...for now.

But they are guilty of one thing. Being stupid enough to think that having a gang mentality is a lifestyle. For the rest of you "Bandits" who aren't in jail yet...grow the hell up.

Who needs a mortgage?

On a telephone pole outside my local golf course:

Looks like the guy's adverstising budget is a little short. So I'm giving him free exposure. Give him a call,he looks like he needs the business I'm sure he'll do a GREAT job for you!

Boyz in My 'hood

(June 28, 2008 Update go here)

Duuude...this is so messed up:

LA JOLLA – What started as a bar fight in La Jolla ended with the brutal death of 24-year-old Emery Kauanui, who police say was beaten by four men and left for dead in front of his mother's condominium.

Kauanui, a pro surfer who grew up in La Jolla, died Monday from a head injury. The young man known as “Junior” to family and friends grew up with the men accused of killing him.

“They were all acquainted, going all the way back to grammar school,” homicide Lt. Kevin Rooney said.

Seth Cravens, 21; Eric House, 20; Orlando Osuna, 22; and Matthew Yanke, 20, are being held for suspicion of murder, Rooney said.

Emery "Junior" Kauanui, a victim of senseless gang violence?

Surfers are, by nature, docile creatures. This would sort of be the equivalent of a pack of wild dolphins turning on one of their own.

I am not a surfer myself (anyone who knows me would combust with laughter if they pictured me on a longboard), but I live among them. Looking outside my window right now, I see four wetsuits hanging out to dry. The stereotype of the "mellow surfer dude" is absolutely accurate. Usually the only way to rile up a surfer is to steal his wave.

But now it appears there is a new threat. It turns out that these MURDEROUS THUGS were part of a SURF GANG:

LA JOLLA – Four men scheduled to be arraigned in Superior Court today in the La Jolla beating death of 24-year-old surfer Emery Kauanui call themselves part of a “crew” known as the Bird Rock Bandits.

According to the group's MySpace profile, their passions include “getting wasted, partying, surfing and womping.”

Tough Guys" on their way to a California "pound me in the ass" prison

What's especially disturbing is that it turns out these LOSERS have been terrorizing the neighborhood just two blocks away from me for a while now. And the SDPD dropped the ball:

Dozens of readers posted comments to the online version of yesterday's news story in The San Diego Union-Tribune. The “Rants and Raves” section on the local CraigsList Web site teemed with commentary on what happened the night of the assault, and of 0ther violent incidents involving the Bird Rock Bandits.

Some messages offered support for the four men. But many alleged that Cravens and the others committed previous assaults, including some for which police reports were taken but criminal charges were never pursued.

“If the police had followed up after I made my report, at least these guys would have been on notice and maybe Emery would still be alive,” Michael Johnson said in an interview yesterday.

Johnson, 34, is a stock trader who lives in Point Loma. He said that on the night of May 8, he and a friend, Chris Horning, were getting out of their car in front of The Shack, a La Jolla bar near Horning's house.

“Four guys and two girls were getting into a car,” Johnson said. “One guy said something to my friend. I went over to calm things down and got sucker-punched in the face.”

Johnson, who said neither he nor Horning had so much as spoken to the men, said he was knocked to the ground and pummeled. He said Horning was told he would be killed if he interfered. The attackers fled after Horning recited their license-plate number aloud, Johnson said.

Horning the next day visited his alma mater, La Jolla High School, and with the help of a vice principal identified three of the attackers, including Cravens, from yearbook photos, Johnson said.

Johnson then reported the assault to San Diego police, but said he was told it would be “10 to 14 days before they would do anything.”

“I gave them names. I had photos of my face all purple and bruised,” Johnson said. It was so frustrating. And then I learned about Emery's death.”

Homicide Detective Sandi Oplinger said yesterday that Johnson was not the only resident to report having been assaulted by the Bird Rock Bandits.

“I would urge anyone with information about assaults by these young men to call us. My number is (619) 531-2831,” Oplinger said.

Gee...thanks Sandi. NOW you want information on these PUNKS.

OK, to be fair it's easy to see why this was not on the SDPD's radar. Surfers=gang bangers just does not compute. Shake down one of the local surfers and you'll probably get a misdemeanor possession bust.

But still, there were signs:

Some members of the Bird Rock Bandits maintained MySpace pages that glorified their love of football, drinking, drug use and other activities, although several of the sites have been edited since the arrests.

Osuna's MySpace page lists his interests as girls, watching football, skateboarding and snowboarding. He says he would like to meet Bob Marley, the reggae-music legend, who died in 1981.

Here's hoping Osuna gets his wish...courtesy of the California Judicial System.

Osuna, you moron loser...hope you enjoy "rolling" on death row