Steve Postier mentioned that he had submitted some items that hadn’t turned up lately. I went to my email and did a search for his name and a list came back with emails going back to 2022!!! Damn, I don’t know if these are repeats or just forgotton, but whatever the case, here they are. At the very least, they are informative, some funny, and a bit of history!
Veteran kicked out of nursing home to make way for migrant housing
He said that Island Shores “gave us time to get out,” but not enough time to protest the decision to boot residents – which Tammaro said he tried to do.
“Then one day there was a notice on the board. I think that gave us a month and a half to find out where we were going to go,” he said. “I thought my suitcases were going to be on the curb because I’m not that fast.”
“If it wasn’t for my daughter, they would’ve been on the curb. That was it. I said, ‘No, no, no, no, you’re not moving me,’ and they said, ‘Yes, yes, yes we are.’ Everything was done behind closed doors – we didn’t have a chance to actually make any attempt to stop them because there wasn’t enough time. FULL STORY HERE
VA Disability Increase
Disabled veterans will also see their benefit payments increase in the upcoming year. VA disability checks will go up about $5.31 per month for those with a 10% rating and $115.90 for those rated at 100% who don’t have dependents.
Military retirees with combined VA disability ratings of 40% or lower whose injuries are not combat related can only receive that amount in either their retirement pension or their disability check, but not both. That rule is known as an “offset” and is a matter of law. Since disability pay isn’t subject to federal income tax but retirement pay is, most veterans elect to receive it instead of their retirement pension for the offset amount.
That means even though both retirement and disability payments will see the COLA increase, some veterans will benefit from only one, not both.
Here’s the 2024 Pay Raise for Vets and Military Retirees
Military retirees and disabled veterans will see their monthly checks increase by 3.2% for 2024, thanks to the annual Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) due to inflation.
While 3.2% may look low compared to the 2022 (5.9%) and 2023 (8.7%) adjustments, it’s still above the average of 2.6% for the prior 20 years.
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The Social Security Administration announced the COLA increase Oct. 12. Most government disability and retirement payments are required by law to increase annually by the same amount.
Retirement Pay Increase
For 2024, retired military members will see a $32 increase for each $1,000 of military retirement pension they receive each month.
Retirees who entered military service on or after Aug. 1, 1986, and opted for the Career Status Bonus (CSB/Redux retirement plan) will have any COLA increases reduced by a percentage point, so they will see a smaller increase of $22 per $1,000 in 2024.
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Survivors receiving Survivor Benefit Plan payments will see their payments increase by the same amount as retirees.
Service members who retire in 2023 will see a slightly reduced COLA in 2024. Their COLA is prorated based on which quarter they retire in (January-March, April-June, etc.). The prorated amount may also be adjusted based on when a member entered the service and which retirement plan they elected.
Hi Leroy I came across some slides I hadn’t seen in a while, of the July 1975 PD Destruction Derby in Hangtown, I thought some of the older crowd that attended might get a kick out of them.
San Jose PD Destruction Derby July 1975
Hi Leroy, if there were or are any PD members that were dog handlers in the Military, this may be of interest to them.
Charles Edward Daniels (October 28, 1936 – July 6, 2020)
You probably know of Charlie Daniels the Country singer. But you may not know this, & this is what I’ll remember: 24 years ago it was announced he would be the commencement speaker at UNC-Wilmington (he is a native of that city). Some students opposed it, questioning the selection of a speaker who didn’t graduate from college. Charlie Daniels wrote this open letter to the students 4 months before graduation (it was published in the Charlotte Observer as an Op-Ed, as well as the student newspaper). I have always been a fan but this just cements that feeling in concrete. Charlie Daniels was the real deal.
Charlie Daniels 1996 UNCW Commencement Address & Related Saga
First, a little history. Charlie was invited by UNCW to give the commencement address to the Class of 1996, shortly after it was announced, two student editors at the school newspaper, The Seahawk, started voicing their disgust at Charlie’s invitation and used the newspaper to write several derogatory Op-Eds about Charlie’s speech before it was even given. A few months before the address, Charlie first responded with this open letter to the Class of ’96 and to the editors with this poem below the letter that ran in The Seahawk:
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE CLASS OF 1996 – UNCW
I would like to clear up a few points about my addressing your class at commencement exercises, points which I feel have been distorted by a few overzealous, uninformed, pseudo-journalists.
I will not address the one-hit wonder,” “goober brained redneck” aspect of these pieces, and one letter published in The Seahawk I will not address at all except to say that the racial overtones it contained were totally unfounded and offensive beyond description.
I would like to clear up a few points about my addressing your class at commencement exercises, points which I feel have been distorted by a few overzealous, uninformed, pseudo-journalists.
My professional life is a matter of documented public record and easily obtainable. No need to discuss that.
Having been born in Wilmington, I consider it an honor to be asked to speak to you on one of the biggest days of your lives, and I accepted the honor with gratitude and humility. I cannot speak to you of lofty academic ideals nor scholarly pursuits because I have neither entree nor credential for that world.
The truth is I come to you from the street, from reality, the very same place you’re all headed if you plan to make a living in this ever-changing, difficult, show-me world, and when your college days are just a memory and your diploma hangs beneath dusty glass or some office wall, you will still have to deal with that world on its own terms every working day of your lives.
Let me tell you why I thought I was invited to speak to your graduating class. My career spans almost 40 years and you don’t go through 40 years of hard work and unrelenting competition without learning a few things.
My qualifications are humble but extensive and diverse. I’ve stood at the 38th Parallel and looked across into the hostile eyes of the North Korean border guards. I’ve been catapulted from the deck of an aircraft carrier in the middle of the Adriatic Sea and ridden across the frozen wastes of Greenland on an Eskimo dog sled. I’ve taken a hammer and chisel to the Berlin Wall and performed with symphony orchestras. I’ve had conversations with Presidents and walked the halls of Congress lobbying for legislation in which I believe. I’ve flown on the Concorde and acted in motion pictures.
I’ve seen the royal palaces of Europe and the hovels of Hong Kong.
I’ve seen the Mona Lisa and stared in awe at the timeless works of Vincent Van Gogh.
I’ve gathered cattle in the Big Bend country of Texas and met some of the wisest people I know at campfires in the middle of nowhere. I was privileged to have conversations with Alex Hailey and Louis L’Amour. I’ve appeared with The Rolling Stones, worked in the recording studio with Bob Dylan and two of the Beatles. I’ve been married to the same woman for over thirty years and raised a son who did, by the way, go to college. I’ve kept 20 people gainfully and steadily employed for over 20 years.
I am not a man of letters, I readily admit to that. But is being a man of letters the only thing which qualifies one to speak to a group of men and women who are about to enter the real world? My world.
My address will not be delivered in the beautiful strains of poetry of a Maya Angelou or with the technical expertise of a Tom Clancy, but I can tell you where some of the land mines are hidden, the shortest path to the top of the mountain and the quickest way down. Been there, done that.
Thank you and God bless the Class of ’96.
Charlie Daniels
February 8, 1996
Watch “‘Cackling’ Kamala Harris cements herself as the ‘worst vice president in US history’” on YouTube
And I remember being on patrol in 1976 in San Jose in the snow. As I recall, the siren was on the roof, but I can’t find a photo of one of our cars from that time. Anyway, I was trying to pull someone over for spinning donuts in the snow, and I couldn’t hear anything but a real low wine from the siren. I got out and found out the siren was full of snow, and the guy was gone. That was my snow patrol story. I don’t have any photos from patrol on that snowy day, but this was my house
Steve
When you’re second unit to a call…
Officer Leo
Officer Leo Plinski & Patrolman Andrew Crawford March 22, 1963
The Explosion at the J. C. Penney Co. Building excerpt only
It was a rainy afternoon on Friday, March 22, 1963, when the usual rush hour activities in downtown San Jose ceased abruptly a few minutes before 5:00 p.m. A violent, rumbling explosion wreaked havoc at the J. C. Penney Co. at 1 West Santa Clara Street and Thrifty Drug store at 25 West Santa Clara Street, when a boiler in the basement, building up deadly pressure, blew and blasted out all of the ground floor windows in both stores, they became the site of what Mayor Robert C. Welch described as “the worst explosion in the history of San Jose” and a scene of death, destruction and chaos. Although there was no fire, the blast left the city’s longest casualty list since the 1906 earthquake, and by the evening’s end three persons were dead and 71 injured — two of whom later died.
Two San Jose police officers who were on duty directing traffic at the busy intersection were eyewitnesses to the explosion. Officer Leo Plinski watched as the thick glass show windows “seemed to billow out for a moment” before he felt the concussion of the blast (San Jose Mercury 1963). Patrolman Andrew Crawford ran to the blast as he watched heavy smoke come from the drug store. He yelled for everyone to get down on their hands and knees and crawl out. Ground floor windows in both stores were shattered and the store interiors nearest to the blast were torn into shambles. Merchandise and mannequins that were initially mistaken for bodies came tumbling out of the store windows, and the shattered glass stretched across the six traffic lanes of Santa Clara Street. Sections of the sidewalk were covered with two inches of glass. Plinski ran to the call box in front of the First National Bank and put in an alarm — the first of many that evening. He estimated that about 75 people had been standing on the Penney’s corner. Many of them had been injured by the flying glass and were sitting in shock on the curbs of the street waiting for help (San Jose Mercury 1963). Inside the building, heavy smoke and a shower of debris mingled with the cries and screams of the injured. The steel door for the freight elevator at the corner of the building on First Street was blown out and badly injured a passerby. The 50-60 people who had been in the drug store bore the brunt of the injuries. Thrifty Drug was the site of a popular lunch counter where a group of seniors regularly gathered for their Friday evening get-together. People sitting at the soda fountain told of 4 being knocked off their stools and pushed up toward the ceiling as the floor lifted up under them before disintegrating. They found themselves sliding through a mixture of splintered beams, shattered merchandise and bodies into the dark, and then realized they were looking up from the basement. Hot water burst all over them from the broken sprinkler system while plaster and debris fell from the ceiling (San Jose Mercury 1963). James McLarney, the assistant manager of the Thrifty Drug Store had just left the store and was carrying a box with a $400 bank deposit. As he was crossing the street, the metal box blew out of his hands and was later found 125 feet away (San Francisco Examiner 1963).
Two stories that are extra interesting because of the ending
Please read these two stories. You’ll be glad you did.
STORY NUMBER ONE
Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago. Capone wasn’t famous for anything heroic. He was notorious for enmeshing the Windy City in everything from bootlegged booze to prostitution to murder. Capone had a lawyer nicknamed “Easy Eddie.” He was Capone’s lawyer for a good reason. Eddie was very good! In fact, Eddie’s skill at legal maneuvering kept Big Al out of jail for a long time.
To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was the money big, but Eddie got special dividends, as well. For instance, he and his family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of the conveniences of the day. The estate was so large that it filled an entire Chicago City block.
Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration to the atrocities that went on around him. Eddie did have one soft spot, however. He had a son that he loved dearly. Eddie saw to it that his young son had clothes, cars, and a good education. Nothing was withheld. Price was no object. And, despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddie even tried to teach him right from wrong. Eddie wanted his son to be a better man than he was. Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two things he couldn’t give his son; he couldn’t pass on a good name or a good example. One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. Easy Eddie wanted to rectify the wrongs he had done. He decided he would go to the authorities and tell the truth about Al “Scarface” Capone, clean up his tarnished name, and offer his son some resemblance of integrity. To do this, he would have to testify against the Mob, and he knew that the cost would be great. He testified anyway. Within the year, Easy Eddie’s life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago street. But, in his eyes, he had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer, at the greatest price he could ever pay. Police removed from his pockets a rosary, a crucifix, a religious medallion, and a poem clipped from a magazine.
The poem read: “The clock of life is wound but once. And, no man has the power to tell just when the hands will stop, whether at a late or early hour. Now is the only time you own. Live, love, toil with a will. Place no faith in time. For the clock may soon be still.”
Edward Joseph O’Hare (September 5, 1893 – November 8, 1939), a.k.a. “Easy Eddie”, was a lawyer in St. Louis and later in Chicago, where he began working with Al Capone, and later helped federal prosecutors convict Capone of tax evasion. In 1939, a week before Capone was released from Alcatraz, O’Hare was shot to death while driving.
STORY NUMBER TWO
World War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lieutenant Commander Butch O’Hare.
He was a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier Lexington in the South Pacific.
One day, his entire squadron was sent on a mission. After he was airborne, he looked at his fuel gauge and realized that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank.
He would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his ship.
His flight leader told him to return to the carrier. Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet.
As he was returning to the mother ship, he saw something that turned his blood cold; a squadron of Japanese aircraft was speeding its way toward the American-fleet.
The American fighters were gone on a sortie, and the fleet was all but defenseless. He couldn’t reach his squadron and bring them back in time to save the fleet. Nor could he warn the fleet of the approaching danger. There was only one thing to do. He must somehow divert them from the fleet.
Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he dove into the formation of Japanese planes. Wing-mounted 50 caliber’s blazed as he charged in, attacking one surprised enemy plane and then another. Butch wove in and out of the now broken formation and fired at as many planes as possible, until all his ammunition was finally spent.
Undaunted, he continued the assault. He dove at the planes, trying to clip a wing or tail in hopes of damaging as many enemy planes as possible, rendering them unfit to fly.
Finally, the exasperated Japanese squadron took off in another direction.
Deeply relieved, Butch O’Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the carrier.
Upon arrival, he reported in and related the event surrounding his return. The film from the gun-camera mounted on his plane told the tale. It showed the extent of Butch’s daring attempt to protect his fleet. He had, in fact, destroyed five enemy aircraft. This took place on February 20, 1942, and for that action Butch became the Navy’s first Ace of WWII, and the first Naval Aviator to win the Medal of Honor.
A year later, Butch was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29. His hometown would not allow the memory of this WWII hero to fade, so today O’Hare airport in Chicago is named in tribute to the courage of this great man.
The next time you find yourself at O’Hare International, give some thought to visiting Butch’s memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of Honor. It’s located between Terminals 1 and 2.
SO WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER?
Butch O’Hare was “Easy Eddie’s” son.
(Pretty cool, eh!)
Lieutenant CommanderEdward Henry “Butch” O’Hare (March 13, 1914 – November 26, 1943) was an American naval aviator of the United States Navy, who on February 20, 1942, became the Navy’s first fighter ace of the war when he single-handedly attacked a formation of nine MEDIUM bombers approaching his aircraft carrier. Even though he had a limited amount of ammunition, he was credited with shooting down five enemy bombers and became the first naval aviator recipient of the Medal of Honor in World War II.
after coming back from his public relations tour, O’Hare transitioned to Hellcats with VF-6. Here, “Butch” O’Hare and Willie Williams, the lead crew chief that took care of his F6F Hellcat, aboard the USS Independence, September 6, 1943. (National Archives)
A history lesson
Nothing Like Strange British Humor
Still can’t find my other sock
1. IF MY BODY IS EVER FOUND ON A JOGGING TRAIL, JUST KNOW THAT I HAD TO HAVE BEEN MURDERED SOMEWHERE ELSE AND DUMPED THERE.
2. RESPECT YOUR ELDERS. THEY GRADUATED FROM SCHOOL WITHOUT THE INTERNET.
3. I’VE DECIDED I’M NOT OLD. I’M 25 — PLUS SHIPPING AND HANDLING.
4. WHY DO I HAVE TO PRESS “1” FOR ENGLISH? DID WE MOVE?
6. BEHIND EVERY ANGRY WOMAN STANDS A MAN WHO HAS ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHAT HE DID WRONG!
7. LET’S STOP SENDING MONEY TO OTHER COUNTRIES AND LET THEM HATE US FOR FREE.
8. VEGETARIAN: ANCIENT TRIBAL NAME FOR THE VILLAGE IDIOT WHO CAN’T HUNT, FISH, OR LIGHT FIRES!
9. I LOOK AT PEOPLE AND SOMETIMES THINK “REALLY”? — “THAT’S THE SPERM THAT WON?”
10. IN MY DEFENSE I WAS LEFT UNSUPERVISED.
11. IF GUNS KILL PEOPLE, THEN PENCILS MISSPELL WORDS, CARS MAKE PEOPLE DRIVE DRUNK, AND SPOONS MAKE PEOPLE FAT.
12. MY DECISION-MAKING SKILLS CLOSELY RESEMBLE THOSE OF A SQUIRREL WHEN CROSSING THE ROAD.
13. SOME THINGS ARE JUST BETTER LEFT UNSAID — AND I USUALLY REALIZE IT RIGHT AFTER I SAY THEM.
14. WE OWE OUR VETERANS EVERYTHING.
15. CAMPING: WHERE YOU SPEND A SMALL FORTUNE TO LIVE LIKE A HOMELESS PERSON.
16. I THOUGHT GETTING OLD WOULD TAKE LONGER.
17. A WISE MAN ONCE SAID … NOTHING.
How to annoy your neighbors
Good job Frasier!
How “FRASIER” treated wokeness in the 90s
Watch “‘If We Don’t Stop It, This Country Will Not Survive’: Chip Roy Issues Dire Warning On House Floor”
Wringing out a wet wash cloth in space.
President Biden visits a remote Native American reservation. With news crews following him around as they tour the place, the President asks the chief if there was anything they need.
“Well,” says the chief, “We have three very important needs. First, we have a medical clinic, but no doctor to man it.” Biden whips out his cellphone, dials a number, talks to somebody for two minutes, and then hangs up. “I’ve pulled some strings. Your doctor will arrive in a few days.”
“Now what was the second problem?”
“We have no way to get clean water. The local mining operation has poisoned the water our people have been drinking for thousands of years. We’ve been flying bottled water in, and it’s terribly expensive.”
Once again, Biden dials a number, yells into the phone for a few minutes, and then hangs up. “The mine has been shut down, and the owner is being billed for setting up a purification plant for your people.”
“Now what was that third problem?” The chief looks at him and says, “We have no cellphone reception up here!“
Hi Leroy, is there a spot in the Farsider to list something I’d like to give away for free?
Oak entertainment cabinet, plus a 32″ Vizio TV and Yamaha ATS -1070 Soundbar speaker. Cabinet has both oak and smoke glass doors, plus a light at the peak of the bridge. Measurements: 6’5″ Tall from floor to peak of the bridge x 8’6″ Wide x 15 1/2″ deep. The TV enclosure measures: 53 1/2″ W x 26 1/2″ H (from feet of TV to inside peak of bridge). Sorry, no delivery. We can help disassemble it for you. TV not sold separately, we need you to take both. None of the other items in the unit are included i.e. DVD player, knick knacks etc.
Thanks,
Steve Postier
A friend from the PD sent this video to me. For those not fully aware of the inroads socialism has made into our society this should be eye opening…
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,”
Hi Leroy, I’m cleaning out a bunch of old SJPD clippings. Are you interested in me sending you any of this stuff for the Farsider? Old SJPD scrap book clippings & a NYPD idea of what the new patrol vehicles should look like
New CA law requires additional police screening for ties to hate groups
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) — Law enforcement agencies will now be required to screen applicants for ties to hate groups and make it easier to fire anyone with such connections.
ALITTLE-KNOWN FACT IS THAT WHILE JEWS MAKE UP ABOUT 2% OF THE U.S. POPULATION, THERE WAS A TIME WHEN THEY MADE UP 50% OF THE FAMOUS COMEDIANS.
(ACCORDING TO A UC BERKELEY PROFESSOR WHO STUDIES HUMOR).
You may remember the old Jewish Catskill Comics of Vaudeville days:
Shecky Greene, Red Buttons, Totie Fields, Joey Bishop, Milton Berle, Jan Murray, Danny Kaye, Henny Youngman, Buddy Hackett, Sid Caesar, Groucho Marx, Jackie Mason, Woody Allen, Lenny Bruce, George Burns, Allan Sherman, Jerry Lewis, Carl Reiner, Shelley Berman, Gene Wilder, George Jessel, Alan King, Mel Brooks, Phil Silvers, Jack Carter, Rodney Dangerfield, Don Rickles, Jack Benny, Gene Van Dongen, Mansel Rubenstein and so many others.
There was not one single swear word in their comedy.
Here are a few examples:
I just got back from a pleasure trip. I took my mother-in-law to the airport.
Someone stole all my credit cards, but I won’t be reporting it. The thief spends less than my wife did.
We always hold hands. If I let go, she shops.
My wife and I went back to the hotel where we spent our wedding night. Only this time I stayed in the bathroom and cried.
My wife and I went to a hotel where we got a waterbed. My wife called it the Dead Sea.
She was at the beauty shop for two hours. That was only for the estimate.
She got a mudpack and looked great for two days. Then the mud fell off.
The Doctor gave a man six months to live. The man couldn’t pay his bill, so the doctor gave him another six months.
The Doctor called Mrs. Cohen saying, “Mrs. Cohen, your check came back.” Mrs. Cohen answered, “So did my arthritis!”
Doctor: “You’ll live to be 60!” Patient: “I am 60!” Doctor: “See! What did I tell you?”
A drunk was in front of a judge. The judge says, “You’ve been brought here for drinking.” The drunk says “Okay, let’s get started.”
Why do Jewish divorces cost so much? They’re worth it.
The Harvard School of Medicine did a study of why Jewish women like Chinese food so much. The study revealed that this is due to the fact that Won Ton spelled backward is Not Now.
There is a big controversy on the Jewish view of when life begins. In Jewish tradition, the fetus is not considered viable until it graduates from medical school.
Q: Why don’t Jewish mothers drink? A: Alcohol interferes with their suffering.
Q: Why do Jewish mothers make great parole officers? A: They never let anyone finish a sentence!
A man called his mother in Florida, “Mom, how are you?” “Not too good,” said the mother. “I’ve been very weak.” The son said, “Why are you so weak?” She said, “Because I haven’t eaten in 38 days.” The son said, “That’s terrible. Why haven’t you eaten in 38 days?” The mother answered, “Because I didn’t want my mouth to be filled with food if you should call.”
A Jewish boy comes home from school and tells his mother he has a part in the play. She asks, “What part is it?” The boy says, “I play the part of the Jewish husband.” The mother scowls and says, “Go back and tell the teacher you want a speaking part.”
Q: How many Jewish mothers does it take to change a light bulb? A: (Sigh) “Don’t bother. I’ll sit in the dark. I don’t want to be a nuisance to anybody.”
Did you hear about the bum who walked up to a Jewish mother on the street and said, “Lady, I haven’t eaten in three days.” “Force yourself,” she replied.
Q: What’s the difference between a Rottweiler and a Jewish mother? A: Eventually, the Rottweiler lets go.
Q: Why are Jewish men circumcised? A: Because Jewish women don’t like anything that isn’t 20% off.
Charles Edward Daniels (October 28, 1936 – July 6, 2020)
TAKE THAT ELON!
C’ya