JOSH POWELL - A TERRIBLY EVIL AND TRAGIC ACT!

First, understand that I was not witness to any of the following acts, and that these are my personal thoughts about the chain of events which led up to the loss of two innocent young lives... at the hands of their FATHER! (And, keep in mind that "Monday morning quarterbacks" can always call the correct plays that would have won the game for their team.) I have no special knowledge - my evaluation of this process is based soley upon information reported in the media.

I believe there were errors made from the initial missing person report of Susan Powell's "disappearance" from her home in West Valley, Utah, through the horrific ending in Washington. Most of the errors were systemic, as opposed to individual oversights/mistakes. I believed from the outset that Josh Powell had, at the very least, knowledge of what had happened to his wife. He either covered up her murder, murdered her himself, or did so in concert with his father - a voyeur, collector of 'kiddie porn', and suspected child molester. In my heart of hearts I believed that Josh Powell had personally murdered her and disposed of her body.

The first red flag was his explanation of his whereabouts the night of Susan Powell's disappearance. His story was so lame, it would have had greater credibility had he claimed she was "beamed up" by aliens! He claimed he had elected to take their sons, ages 2 and 4 at the time, camping... at midnight... in the dead of a Utah winter... during a heavy snowstorm, in sub-freezing temperatures. Would that story have had the slightest ring of truthfulness to anybody with a functioning adult mind? Of course not! But, the police must have solid evidence before they can act to arrest anyone, whereas I already had Josh Powell tried, convicted and executed (in the 'court' of my mind) from day one.

The next red flag was when it was suggested that perhaps his wife ran away... leaving her purse, cellphone and other personal effects behind. What woman would do that? (Unless... she was intentionally trying to implicate somebody in her disappearance.) But again, the police must have acceptable evidence that a crime had been committed before they can arrest anyone.
There was at least one report that the carpet in the Powell home was "still damp" at some point during the investigation. However, I heard no reports on if samples had been taken from the carpet and processed. (I have to believe that - if that report was accurate - officials [u]did[/u] take samples as evidence, and that the results were "inconclusive" at best.)
First error (in my opinion): Josh Powell was a "person of interest" in the disappearance of his wife, Susan. The question in my mind is why his status in the investigation was never upgraded from that of "person of interest" to "suspect", and why, even as a "person of interest", he was permitted to leave Utah and take up residence over 1,000 miles away?

Now to the most recent event - his murder of his two sons, and the ensuing conflagration of the home in which he was living...
Second error: The children were delivered to him at his domicile for a "supervised visit". Why was he not required to perform this "supervised visit" at the local DSHS office, under the supervision of a Child Protective Service officer? Or, at the very least, in a public place with the same supervisor? They knew they were dealing with an individual who had no real alibi for his involvement in a missing person case, and who may have been involved in that "disappearance". There was a cloak of suspicion of evil surrounding Powell - trusting him was a big mistake.

There are those who believe the social worker had some responsibility for the fate of the children. I am not one of those people. She did her job. Her only "mistake" (if one can call it that) was in allowing the children to approach and enter the house ahead of her, which gave Powell the opportunity to exclude her from entering. Do I believe the outcome would have been any diffferent had she been allowed to enter the house? Of course not! Powell had murdered before, and planned to murder his own young sons! Why would he not take the life of someone for whom he had no feelings at all? The only change in outcome would have been in the body count - +1.

According to media reports, Powell opened the door, grabbed the boys, pulled them into the house, and then closed and locked the door. The social worker than called her supervisor asking for guidance, because she had no prior experience of that kind. Personally, I believe she should have called the police first because Powell had violated the court-permitted "supervised visit". But, once again, I don't believe the outcome would have been any different had she taken a police officer with her on the visit. How much time would it take him to close and lock a door, then strike his children with an axe, and light a match? Less than a minute, I'm sure. How much time does it take for that action to fully register with the people on the other side of the door? 5-15 seconds? Then there is the procedural time wasted notifying headquarters of the act (unless the officer considered it an "exigent circumstance"). That's at least another 10-15 seconds. Then there is the banging on the door, establishing the authority and issuing commands - "This is the police! You are in violation of a court order - OPEN THIS DOOR!" More time wasted. By now the children have both been struck several times with an axe, and are probably lying on the floor unconscious, as their father lights the match that causes causes the house first to explode, and then immediately become an inferno. The lives of two innocent children were taken that day. Children whose only mistake was to (according to reports) "adore" their father... a man who was the embodiment of evil! According to reports, approximately 10 minutes elapsed between the time the children were taken by Powell, and the explosion. Apparently he felt that he had time to execute his plan - and his children - before anything could be done to stop him.

There are other suggested (ex post facto) alternate scenarios for the visit. The DSHS offices or a public place? Powell acquires a gun, takes it with him, and kills the boys and himself. Deny him visitation rights? Powell finds the boys, kidnaps them, and kills them. There was no possible "happy ending" for this story based upon what information we have at this time. The police were apparently unable to find sufficient evidence - required by the state prosecutor's office - to support the issuance of an arrest warrant. Was any evidence overlooked, or classified as irrelevant or insignificant? We don't know. What we do know is that the laws and the judicial system failed to properly protect Charles and Braden Powell, whose short lives were ended on February 5, 2012, in a final act of selfishness by their father. His final claim was that he "couldn't live without my boys", totally ignoring the fact that they could have lived without him.

My hope is that there is a special chamber in hell for Josh Powell, and those like him, where he will suffer for all time and eternity. God bless the little children, and care for their precious souls.

CAN YOU PROVE THAT YOU ARE A NATIVE-BORN AMERICAN? A PUBLIC SERVICE MESSAGE FROM RAGNAROK65

If you do not have a "certified copy" (the one with the State Seal on it, not the hospital issued birth certificate) get ready to jump through some hoops - especially if you were adopted!

I relocated back to Utah last year, and went down to get a Utah driver's license. I was told that a federal law took effect in 2009, and that I had to have a certified copy of my birth certificate in order to get a driver's license now.

Well, here's where things become even more complicated, because I was born in NJ, and adopted by my maternal grandparents in NY when I was 5 years old. Not only do I need the certified birth certificate to get my driver's license, but I need a certified copy of the Final Order of Adoption from NY State to prove the name change. What does NY want from me to get the Adoption Order? A certified copy of my birth certificate from NJ! I'm jumping through more hoops than a circus dog, in order to prove - after 67 years on Earth, 53 years of paying income tax, and 20+ years in the US military - that I am indeed a bona fide American citizen. BUT... in order to get the Adoption Certificate I have to have "certified copies" of my grandparents (the adopters) Death Certificates, to which I never had access. Tracking those down will probably take a month or so, dealing with the bureaucracies of Pinellas County. Florida and some other county in NY, who will also probably want copies of whatever!

To make matter even worse, in my case all of these things must be taken care of through the US Postal Service. That means delays of at least one week in each direction if everything goes smoothly... which it never does! I figure, with any luck, I should have my Utah driver's license sometime in 2012. My retired Air Force ID means nothing in this process, much like my Top Secret clearance status while I was on active duty, or the fact that the FBI approved me to buy several firearms just last year.

This is not just a Utah law! Proof of citizenship is now required by Federal law prior to issuing a driver's license, so, my advice to you is this: if you are a native-born American, and you don't have a certified copy of your birth certificate, complete with the state seal, and your current driver's license was issued prior to 2009, get a certified copy of whatever you need before you find yourself in the same bureaucratic quagmire that I'm in! Especially if you were adopted!!

Luckily, my Oregon driver's license doesn't expire until 2015. With any luck this should be resolved by then. Does this keep illegal aliens from driving? NO! - they'll drive without a license, which is a minor offense compared to violating our border. Or, they'll have somebody illegally create the required documents to obtain a license. If Obama can do it, why can't they?

How Much Does It Pay, And Do You Need A Degree To Get The Job?

I was first introduced to Utah in 1975, courtesy of the United States Air Force. Hill AFB is in Davis County, Utah, and is surrounded by the towns of Clearfield, Layton, Sunset, Roy, Riverdale and South Ogden. The base occupies a rather large chunk of land - about 13 miles around Perimeter Road - atop a hill ... hence the name (isn't our government just SO creative?). In 1975, the main road linking Layton, Clearfield, Sunset and Roy was full of potholes, and (it seemed like) almost everybody had a Bear Front End Alignment machine. Every service station (this was back when they actually did something resembling "service"), tire shop, inspection station ... maybe even Rite Aid, and Sacco's Produce stand.

Well, I'm pleased to announce that those potholes on the main drag have, for the most part, been eliminated ... and replaced by man-made potholes on the intersecting side streets. Apparently some clever construction company got a contract to countersink all the manhole covers (and they average about 2 manholes per block, with each one being offset from the previous and following one)! Does someone not understand the concept of flush mounting? Or did the county hire a civil engineer from the Bubba's Skule Of Enjinearring? Who did they pay to set all their manholes 4" to 6" below the road surface?

Okay, now try to imagine navigating this asphalt slalom course on a motorcycle, on roads where the "speed limit" is apparently a suggestion, and if you aren't going at least 10mph over the speed limit, you will either have to move your tuchas into the slow lane, or find yourself discovering the joys of organ donation! I can remember the days of Sunset Officer "Ticket Tommy" Reynolds, the fastest pen in the west, so I'm a bit leary of exceeding the posted speed limit in this area, even if it is just a suggestion. And nobody would want my organs ... but that's a whole different story in itself. It's obvious that Davis County, Utah has spent the revenues from the gasoline road taxes, vehicle registrations, on anything but roads! Perhaps they had a giant Postum party at the State Capitol. And then, there's the exhorbitant and ridiculous (and quite possibly illegal) practice of charging new residents UTAH SALES TAX on vehicles brought into Utah by them if they come from a state without sales tax. And, they don't care how old the vehicle is, or how long you owned it before moving here! How does the Utah DMV figure that they have the right to tax something that somebody bought elsewhere prior to moving here?? Where IS the logic?

Complaining aside (and I've been told that I'd complain if I were hung with a gold rope) oddly enough, returning to Utah is always like coming home, and I've been gone for 10 years now. Sure, Utah has it's problems - like goofy rules, odd laws, and corrupt politicians, but so do most places. I was born in New Jersey, and have lived in 11 states and 4 foreign countries, but I have never felt more comfortable - more 'at home' - than I do when I return to Utah for a visit with my kids, and my numerically insignificant but absolutely wonderful (I consider each one a personal blessing in my life) friends! To borrow a line from The Wizard of Oz, "There's no place like home."

Gil

P.S. And, especially if you ride a motorcycle, there are some MAGNIFICENT rides in Utah!!

"The Third Time Is A Charm" ... or so they say

Alrighty then ... here's what's happening. Much to the dismay of the intelligent masses, and to the relief of the left-wing, bleeding-heart-liberal, blame-America-first crowd, my blog may be inactive for the next month ... unless perhaps I can access it using my beautiful, talented and brilliant daughter's computer while I'm there.

I'm taking my third almost annual motorcycle ride back to see my kids, and some old friends, who are about 865 miles away. Hopefully, this ride will be relatively uneventful. This is how the first two went:

Trip 1: Departed Grants Pass OR the morning of the 8th of June, in drizzling rain. Not a big deal inasmuch as I knew neither the bike nor I would melt. It quit raining about 50 miles east of Grants Pass. About 20 miles later I saw the first sign that read Snow Zone Ahead. It stirred a premonition within me, and, sure enough ... **SNOW** began falling from the sky. To make a long story short - I hit 4 snowstorms and 3 thunderstorms that first day out, and only made half the distance I had planned, which also qualified it as the most miserable day I had spent on two wheels in the entire 49 years I had been riding motorcycles (Yes, it was even more miserable than the day I totaled a bike in Las Vegas and was taken to the hospital.)
The visit itself was lovely, and then there was the return trip, during which I had a run-in with a yearling range calf. This animal had obviously placed himself in the middle of this two-lane road, waiting to ambush some human being. I had just passed a slow-moving pickup truck and was doing about 75mph when I saw it. I slid back over into my lane as soon as I could, keeping an eye on the errant calf the whole time. Not knowing what, if anything, it was going to do, I moved as close to the right-hand shoulder as I could without getting into the gravel. I was south bound and the calf was facing east - this was a good sign ... until I got within about 100 feet of it. I had slowed to about 50mph when the calf suddenly turned 180º and began ambling toward the right shoulder. "Ambling" is an excellent word to describe his movement ... not a trot, or a canter, or gallop ... just a leisurely sort of strolling movement - like what cowboys refer to as "moseying". Knowing that I didn't have sufficient time or space to go behind him, and that he could just as easily change directions again even if I did try to go behind him, I held my line along the shoulder of the road. The first thing his head hit was my left highway peg, spinning it around 180º, the second thing was my left knee (imagine being hit in the knee by a bowling ball traveling at 50mph, and then, as a final gesture of defiance, he ripped the front strap off my left-side saddlebag. I looked in my mirrors to see what the aftermath was, and I saw the calf staggering off the road and I assume that he survived our encounter. The rest of the trip was uneventful.

Trip 2: Wishing to avoid a recurrence of weather problems, I waited about 2 weeks longer to begin my second trip, leaving on the 18th of June this time. That was a good move. Other than some bothersome highway construction on I-215 and I-15 from the Salt Lake City International Airport all the way to Davis and Weber Counties 30 miles north (and perhaps even beyond, but that was as far as I was going), the trip over was relatively uneventful. I did notice that when I would come to a stop on the 2nd day of my trip, my oil warning light would come on momentarily, and then go back off. The 2nd day I was there I took the bike to a local Kawasaki dealer and asked what they might think it was, and their answer basically suggested that it was "nothing major," but that I "might want to keep an eye on it". Okie-dokie ... I can do that. A couple of days later, as I was going through one of Utah's many scenic highway construction zones, I noticed a sign that read, Speed Limit 30MPH. Glancing at my speedometer, it was reporting 100mph which, considering I was barely moving, impressed me as being an inaccurate representation of my forward velocity. As soon as I cleared the construction, I stopped the bike and looked at the speedometer which, sitting dead still, continued to register 100mph. About 3 days, and $300, later I had a shiny new, functional speedometer. Another lovely visit ... and then, there was the return trip.
Remember that little "nothing major" thing that I should "keep an eye on"? I noticed a bit of clutch slippage the last day I was there in Utah, but nothing disconcerting. It only happened when I hit the throttle with some gusto - no biggie. Or at least, no biggie while I was in civilization. Leaving a gas stop in Battle Mountain NV, I noticed that all of a sudden I had to release my clutch fully before it would even start to engage. This was not a good sign. As I returned to traveling I-80W in a hopeful manner toward Winnemucca NV, I noticed my speed increasing - gradually - and, 10 miles later, I was almost (68mph) up to the posted speed limit of 75mph. In the 11th mile, I lost all forward motion, and came coasting to a stop on the shoulder of I-80W at high noon on the 2nd of July - ambient air temperature 106º, and probably 115º coming off the concrete of the highway. I had been hoping to reach Winnemucca, knowing that there was a Kawasaki motorcycle dealership there, but it wasn't meant to be. Of course my cell phone wouldn't reach anybody out in the middle of nowhere, except 911, whom I called and explained my situation. About 45 minutes later a very nice Nevada Highway Patrolman named Cory something-or-other, showed up and summoned a tow truck for me out of Winnemucca. About 2 hours later the truck actually appeared. To make a long story even longer, while the truck operator was strapping down my bike, I rested on the trailer tongue. When he said, "Okay, all done.", I got up, took about 2 steps and went flat on my face - heat stroke! I got back up, probably within a few seconds, climbed into the air conditioned truck and rode to Winnemucca feeling like I had been under a truck. The Kawasaki dealership ordered a new clutch for me, and 3 days and $486 later, I was ready to finish my trip, the remainder of which was uneventful.

Two weeks later I sold that motorcycle, and bought a NEW 2007 Honda VTX motorcycle, which is what I'm riding over on this trip. I don't expect any problems with the bike, which has less than 6,000 miles on it today. With cooperative weather, and timid animal life, I am looking forward to a totally uneventful month on the road. (I wonder what the odds are of being struck by a sociopathic nun, thrown by an albino dwarf from a 747, while the plane, piloted by a myopic Icelander, is cruising at 25,000 feet ...)