Fed's, Tribal Police take action in Navajo country

More Than 20 Arrested on Bootlegging, Drug Charges on Navajo Reservation
By Anabelle Garay Associated Press Writer
Published: Aug 30, 2003

PHOENIX (AP) - Twenty-three residents of the Navajo Reservation were arrested and charged with bootlegging and drug dealing after a two-month undercover investigation by federal and tribal authorities, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
The probe is part of "Operation Bootleg," an initiative designed to combat unlawful liquor sales on the vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Officials believe curbing access to alcohol will curtail the reservation's high crime rate.
"The return that we see from our efforts in this area is a safer community because we're attacking the underlying cause to a crime of violence," U.S. Attorney Paul K. Charlton said Friday after announcing the arrests in Window Rock, the Navajo Nation capital.
Eighteen people were charged with unlawfully dispensing intoxicating liquor; five others were arrested on drug charges and probation violations.
Bootlegging is a misdemeanor offense and probation is usually given on a first conviction. Second-time offenders are typically sentenced to a year in prison.
Alcohol sales have long been banned on the reservation. Yet most of the violent crimes investigated by the FBI on the Navajo Reservation involve assailants under the influence of alcohol, studies by the U.S. Attorney's Office show.
"I believe targeting bootleggers will reduce the cycle of violence bootlegging brings to the Navajo Nation from domestic violence to sexual abuse to murder," said Navajo President Joe Shirley Jr.
Shirley's 29-year-old daughter was killed by a drunken driver on Nov. 24, 2001.
In October 2002, a retired California dentist and his traveling companion were killed in a drunken-driving crash. Larry Wilson was sentenced to nearly 11 years in prison after his blood-alcohol content was found to be 0.392. The legal limit in Arizona is 0.08.
Another alcohol-related crime was an August 2001 carjacking and double murder. When sentenced to life in prison, Gregory Nakai blamed his actions on alcoholism.
"The result doesn't just touch on the usual domestic violence. Now we're seeing very violent crimes," said Deana Jackson, a spokeswoman for the Navajo president. "We're seeing Navajos killing Navajos as a result of alcohol consumption. All as a result of purchasing from bootleggers."

AP-ES-08-30-03 0155EDT

Big Fairbanks battery gets noticed

A forty megawatt battery....that's a LOT of boom boxes!

Booze? In a sportfishing lodge? No way!

BETHEL ENFORCEMENT AREA...GOODNEWS BAY...IMPORTATION OF ALCOHOL... ON 8/16/03, VPSO GEORGE BRIGHT OF GOODNEWS BAY RECEIVED A REPORT OF ILLEGAL SHIPMENT OF ALCOHOL. VPSO BRIGHT RESPONDED TO THE AIRPORT WHERE HE SEIZED THREE BOXES AND ONE COOLER. ONE OF THE BOXES WAS LEAKING FLUID AND HAD THE ODOR OF AN ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE. THE BOXES WERE SHIPPED BY UPS FROM ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI BY SAM FOX. THE BOXES WERE ADDRESSED TO MICHAEL GORTON, 34, OF GOODNEWS BAY. GORTON IS THE OWNER OF THE GOODNEWS RIVER LODGE, WHICH IS SITUATED ON THE GOODNEWS BAY RIVER, APPROX. 4.3 MILES NE OF THE VILLAGE OF GOODNEWS BAY. THE BOXES WERE SUBSEQUENTLY SEARCHED. 36-750 ML BOTTLES OF WINE AND 36-12 OZ BOTTLES AND CANS OF BEER WERE SEIZED. FOLLOWING THE SEIZURE OF THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, A SEARCH WARRANT WAS APPLIED FOR AND GRANTED ON 8/20/03 FOR THE GOODNEWS RIVER LODGE. THE WARRANT WAS EXECUTED ON 8/21/03. 25-5 LITER BOXES OF FRANZIA WINE WERE SEIZED ALONG WITH 5-750 ML BOTTLES OF VARIOUS ALCOHOL. THE PEOPLE OF GOODNEWS BAY VOTED TO BAN THE SALE AND IMPORTATION OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES INTO THEIR VILLAGE, EFFECTIVE 12/01/83 AND BANNED POSSESSION OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES EFFECTIVE 2/01/91. CHARGES OF IMPORTATION OF ALCOHOL, SALE OR POSSESSION FOR SALE OF ALCOHOL WITHOUT A LICENSE WILL BE REFERRED TO THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. BOTH CHARGES ARE CLASS C FELONIES. (JZE1)

WWDS (What Would Dilbert Say?)

Burn Rate of World Trade Center Cubicles Key to Investigation
By Devlin Barrett Associated Press Writer
Published: Aug 26, 2003

GAITHERSBURG, Md. (AP) - Computers and other office equipment fueled the World Trade Center fires long after the jets that crashed into the towers incinerated, suggesting a need to consider new fire codes for modern office buildings, federal investigators said Tuesday.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology, which is investigating the cause of the buildings' collapse on Sept. 11, 2001, recreated the World Trade Center fire in a mock cubicle.

Investigators discovered that while the jet fuel and the plane's contents burned up in a matter of minutes, the contents of the buildings, including the many office cubicles on the upper floors, continued burning until the structures collapsed. (more)

Ray's Advice

What are your feelings on meeting girls on the internet? I've had some really amazing experiences, some really horrible experiences, and some just plain embarrassing ones, mostly from girls met on www.makeoutclub.com. What do you think? Is it a totally respectable way to meet folks or a little bit pathetic? Any tips? I've seen Téodor and Vlad at it, but they are not quite the role models I consider you to be.
BF in Madison

Dear BF,

Yeah, it’s lame. Usually the woman will just choose a photo that really flatters her, and you can’t see that she has like a dumb little ankle tattoo of a rose, plus an aluminum cane, the kind with four little feet of its own. Then when you meet there’s this awkward mutual feeling that you’re both fatter than you said you’d be.

What we learn from the blog log....

That some rich old bat in Newport R.I. named Eileen Slocum is REALLY popular. Whats up with that? Cult of the personality or cult of the pocketbook or what? We see more hits from Google searches on her name than for almost anything else. How do YOU spell weird?