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Email from Melvyn Williams ...
THIRTEEN THINGS YOUR BURGLAR WON'T TELL YOU:
1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your Carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.
2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your Yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my Return a little easier.
3. Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste... And taste means there Are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me Wonder what type of gaming system they have.
4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I Might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to Remove it.
5. If it snows while you're out of town, get a neighbor to create car and Foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead Giveaway.
6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don't let your alarm Company install the control pad where I can see if it's set. That makes it Too easy.
7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows On the second floor, which often access the master bedroom - and your Jewelry. It's not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.
8. It's raining, you're fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock Your door - understandable. But understand this: I don't take a day off Because of bad weather.
9. I always knock first. If you answer, I'll ask for directions somewhere or Offer to clean your gutters. (Don't take me up on it.)
10. Do you really think I won't look in your sock drawer? I always check Dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.
11. Here's a helpful hint: I almost never go into kids' rooms.
12. You're right: I won't have enough time to break into that safe where you
Keep your valuables. But if it's not bolted down, I'll take it with me.
13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. If you're reluctant to leave your TV on while you're out of town, you can Buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television.
8 MORE THINGS A BURGLAR WON'T TELL YOU:
1. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy and Carry a rake. I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.
2. The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbors.
3. I'll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. If your Neighbor hears one loud sound, he'll stop what he's doing and wait to hear It again.. If he doesn't hear it again, he'll just go back to what he was Doing. It's human nature.
4. I'm not complaining, but why would you pay all that money for a fancy Alarm system and leave your house without setting it?
5. I love looking in your windows. I'm looking for signs that you're home, And for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I'd like. I'll drive or walk Through your neighborhood at night, before you close the blinds, just to Pick my targets.
6. Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook page. It's easier than You think to look up your address.
7. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to Let in a little fresh air. To me, it's an invitation.
8. If you don't answer when I knock, I try the door. Occasionally, I hit the Jackpot and walk right in.
Protection for you and your home:
If you don't have a gun, here's a more humane way to wreck someone's evil Plans for you. (I guess I can get rid of the baseball bat.):
WASP SPRAY
A friend who is a receptionist in a church in a high risk area was concerned About someone coming into the office on Monday to rob them when they were Counting the collection. She asked the local police department about using Pepper spray and they recommended to her that she get a can of wasp spray Instead.
The wasp spray, they told her, can shoot up to twenty feet away and is a lot more accurate, while with the pepper spray, they have to get too close to you and could overpower you. The wasp spray temporarily blinds an attacker until they get to the hospital for an antidote. She keeps a can on her desk in the office and it doesn't attract attention from people like a can of pepper spray would. She also keeps one nearby at home for home protection. Thought this was interesting and might be of use.
FROM ANOTHER SOURCE
On the heels of a break in and beating that left an elderly woman in Toledo dead, self defense experts have a tip that could save your life.
Val Glinka teaches self-defense to students at Sylvania Southview High School. For decades, he's suggested putting a can of wasp and hornet spray near your door or bed.
Glinka says, "This is better than anything I can teach them."
Glinka considers it inexpensive, easy to find, and more effective than mace or pepper spray. The cans typically shoot 20 to 30 feet; so if someone tries to break into your home, Glinka says, "spray the culprit in the eyes".
It's a tip he's given to students for decades. It's also one he wants everyone to hear. If you're looking for protection, Glinka says look to the spray.
"That's going to give you a chance to call the police; maybe get out."
Maybe even save a life.
Put your car keys beside your bed at night.
Tell your spouse, your children, your neighbors, your parents, your Dr's office, the check-out girl at the market, everyone you run across. Put your car keys beside your bed at night.
If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your house just press the panic button for your car. The alarm will be set off, and the horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or the car battery dies. This tip came from a neighborhood watch coordinator. Next time you
come home for the night and you start to put your keys away, think of this:
It's a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no installation. Test it. It will go off from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key fob chain. It works if you park in your driveway or garage. If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break into your house, odds are the burglar/rapist won't stick around.
After a few seconds all the neighbors will be looking out their windows to see who is out there and sure enough the criminal won't want that. And remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there.
This is something that should really be shared with everyone. Maybe it could save a life or a sexual abuse crime.
P.S. I am sending this to everyone I know because I think it is fantastic. Would also be useful for any emergency, such as a heart attack, where you can't reach a phone. My Mom has suggested to my Dad that he carry his car keys with him in case he falls outside and she doesn't hear him. He can activate the car alarm and then she'll know there's a problem. |
January 11, 2012
Disenfranchisement News
National
Civil rights report details “historic” assault on voting rights
A joint report by the NAACP and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund analyzes recent legislative actions that “threaten to undermine the record levels of political participation achieved during the historic 2008 Presidential Election, by suppressing the political participation of people of color, the poor, the elderly, and the young.” The report examines measures that have been put into place to restrict voting, especially of minority and poor populations, and details strategies to ensure high voter turnout.
Additionally, the NAACP has petitioned the United Nations over what it sees as a concerted effort by the GOP to disenfranchise black and Latino voters ahead of the 2012 elections.
Senate bill introduced to restore federal voting rights
Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) introduced the Democracy Restoration Act in early December which, if passed, would re-enfranchise all formerly incarcerated persons released from federal prison. The legislation would allow these individuals, including those on probation and parole, to vote in federal elections, even if their state bars them from voting in state elections.
In a press release, Senator Cardin addressed the need for the proposed bill: If we truly want to break the cycle of recidivism, we need to reintegrate former prisoners back into society. When prisoners are released, they are expected to obey the law, get a job, and pay taxes as they are rehabilitated and reintegrated into their community. With these responsibilities and obligations of citizenship should also come the rights of citizenship, including the right to vote.
Florida
Florida under scrutiny for voting laws
Florida is under pressure, both in the press and in the courts, to review and change its voting laws. The Washington Independent reports that Florida is one of four states with the ‘most restrictive’ felony disenfranchisement laws. Along with Iowa, Kentucky, and Virginia, these states permanently disenfranchise all persons convicted of felonies.
The Miami Herald also called for the Attorney General to investigate Florida’s voting laws. The editorial expresses concern over the barriers that will be faced by minority voters, young voters, people who have moved to new voting precincts, and formerly incarcerated individuals. The Herald argues that the recent rollback of voting rights reform for people with felony convictions has done serious damage to the state’s democratic process and that it is in “society’s best interest to give them a stake in the future of their communities.”
California
San Francisco’s highest voter turnout comes from County Jail
The San Francisco Appeal reports that while general voter turnout in San Francisco’s November elections was 42 percent, the turnout among eligible voters at the San Francisco County Jail was 79 percent, higher than in any city precinct. The figure does not include incarcerated persons who registered to vote while in jail but were released prior to the election. As a result, the number of voters in the jail could have been close to 90 percent, estimated Nicholas Gregoratos, who oversees the jail voting program. According to Gregoratos, “misdemeanor offenders have shown high interest in voting since the vote-in-jail program was instituted some two decades ago.” |
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