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Out of the fray, onto the Vineyard

Obama begins not-so-carefree vacation

Mark Arsenault

Globe Staff 

August 20, 2010

TISBURY — President Obama returned to the cooling breezes of Martha’s Vineyard yesterday to begin a 10-day break from Washington’s oppressive heat and partisan atmosphere, leaving with a parting shot at Republicans’ “obstruction’’ of a jobs creation bill. 

The delay “stands in the way of small-business owners getting the loans and the tax cuts that they need to prosper,’’ Obama said at a brief White House appearance. “It’s obstruction that defies common sense.’’ Republicans struck back, calling Obama’s record on jobs an “epic failure.’’ 

Although Obama left the usual tit-for-tat dialogue of Washington behind, it was harder to shed worries about a sputtering economy and unhappy voters as he returned to the Vineyard for his second summer. The get-away may well prove to be less carefree than last year, when he was buoyed by popular support. 

The Obamas plan a low-key family vacation with no public events scheduled, aides say — although islanders can expect the president to make occasional jaunts into villages for ice cream with his children or rounds of golf with his friends. 

He arrived aboard the Marine One helicopter at Martha’s Vineyard airport, landing in a swirl of dust amid tight security at 2:40 p.m. 

Obama, without a tie or jacket, was met by a convoy of five dark sport utility vehicles, which led a motorcade of police and media to Blue Heron Farm in Chilmark — the same 28-acre estate the family rented last year. He was accompanied by the family’s dog, Bo, who was flown in on a staff helicopter.

The motorcade traveled along winding island roads, which were mostly empty of people, although in some sections, a few dozen people waved American flags and cheered as he passed. One woman gave the motorcade a sour thumbs-down. 

Michelle Obama and the couple’s children, Malia and Sasha, traveled separately, arriving unannounced on the island about three hours before the president on a sunny New England summer afternoon. 

The family chose to return to Martha’s Vineyard in part for its natural beauty, beaches, and food, said Bill Burton, Obama’s deputy press secretary. 

“And it’s someplace that the president went before he was president and likes to go back because it’s a comfortable place where he can rest and recharge the batteries a little bit.’’ 

Before that could start, however, the president took care of several outstanding issues. In addition to his call for action on the jobs front, Obama bypassed the Senate confirmation process and installed three midlevel agency officials and a diplomat whose nominations had been held up by partisan squabbling by as much as 14 months. 

“At a time when our nation faces so many pressing challenges, I urge members of the Senate to stop playing politics with our highly qualified nominees and fulfill their responsibilities of advice and consent,’’ Obama said. 

Although Obama may be able to leave the acrimony of Washington behind, much of the work of being president continues on vacation, aides say. He will still get regular security briefings and updates on the economy. 

Traveling with the president yesterday were Burton, Deputy National Security Adviser John Brennan, and Valerie Jarrett, a longtime friend and senior adviser and assistant to the president for intergovernmental affairs. 

There could hardly be a better time for Obama to get out of Washington. 

More Americans disapprove of the way he is handling his job than those who approve, according to numerous public polls. This despite the president’s many legislative and policy achievements this year — including the passage of a Wall Street financial overhaul, a $26 billion aid package for struggling state governments, extensions of benefits for unemployed Americans, and last spring’s exhausting victory on landmark legislation to overhaul the health care industry. 

But the nation’s unemployment rate is stubbornly stuck at 9.5 percent, and Democrats are bracing for steep losses in the midterm elections, which could cost the party control of the US House of Representatives just four years after retaking the chamber in 2006. 

“We’ve returned to a state where Americans are widely pessimistic about the future,’’ said Jeffrey Berry, a political scientist at Tufts University. “They’ve lost confidence that the president knows what direction he’s going on the economy. This president’s accomplishments are real and they’re important, but for most Americans they don’t touch them in a large way yet.’’ 

The Republican National Committee yesterday blasted the president for embarking on vacation after headlining several fund-raisers “on the caviar trail’’ for Democrats across the country, and Michael Steele, RNC chairman, hit back at the president on jobs yesterday. 

“It is way past time for the White House to be straight with the American people and admit that $862 billion stimulus did not do what was promised,’’ Steele said in a statement. “It is clear that the Democrats’ strategy of reckless spending, ballooning deficits, and higher taxes are not the answer and that we need to pursue Republican pro-growth solutions to get our economy back on track.’’ 

Before the president reenters the cauldron of Washington, and resumes his push back against Republicans on pending legislative battles and for Democrats facing tough election battles, he is planning to maintain a low profile on vacation. 

Plans, of course, are subject to unpredictable events. Last year during his Vineyard vacation, he took time to renominate Ben Bernanke as Federal Reserve chairman. And he left the island to speak at the funeral of his friend and former colleague, Senator Edward M. Kennedy. 

Globe staff reporter Farah Stockman contributed to this report.    

LINK TO VIDEO

http://www.boston.com/video/viral_page/?/services/player/bcpid111121309001&bctid=590177740001

John McCluskey and Casslyn Welch stayed on the run for weeks despite a nationwide manhunt.

Busted! 

After being on the lam for three weeks, the Arizona fugitive and his fiancé — who have been referred to as a modern-day 'Bonnie and Clyde' — were arrested at an Arizona campground on Thursday night. 

John McCluskey, 45 and his alleged accomplice, lover and cousin Casslyn Welch, 44, were found in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest in eastern Arizona. 

A U.S. Forest Service ranger confronted the couple after finding an unattended campfire. He became more suspicious when he saw their silver Nissan Sentra hidden in the trees. The ranger had a short conversation with McCluskey, who seemed nervous and fidgety. 

A SWAT team and surveillance unit was soon called in. 

Welch reached for a weapon but dropped it immediately when she saw she was outnumbered. McCluskey, an escaped prison inmate, also surrendered after cops found him in a sleeping bag outside a tent. He told police he had a gun in his tent and would have shot them if he could have reached it in time. 

"The nightmare that began July 30 is finally over," said David Gonzales, U.S. marshal for Arizona. 

McCluskey was serving 15 years for attempted second-degree murder, as well as other charges. The two convicts with whom he escaped, Tracy Province and Daniel Renwick, have been apprehended. 

Welch is believed to have aided their escape. Authorities say she threw a pair of wire cutters over a fence, which allowed the three to cut their way out of the medium-security, privately run Arizona State Prison in Golden Valley. 

Since starting their run from the law, police believe, McCluskey and Welch also hijacked an 18-wheeler and its two drivers, who were later released unharmed, and brutally murdered an elderly couple in New Mexico. 

The campsite where the duo was arrested was just 300 miles east of the jail. 

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/08/19/2010-08-19_escaped_prison_inmate_john_mccluskey_and_his_fiancee_captured_in_northeastern_ar.html#ixzz0x9BGnPbp

http://www.indystar.com/article/20100820/NEWS02/8200335/Straub-The-system-failed-in-cop-s-arrest

http://landing.newsinc.com/shared/video.html?freewheel=69016&sitesection=ndnsubss&VID=92473

This is a new  daily feature and I hope you enjoy it. This is for entertainment purposes only.

Those born on August 20 have a powerful imagination and must put it to a constructive use or risk being overwhelmed by it.  This aspect of their personality can be so complex that it is difficult for them to share it with others.  August 20 people are often sought out by needy or damaged people because of the tremendous empathy and compassion they display for suffening.  Many born on this day are stronger than the average person in that they have fully confronted and overcome not only their personal fears but also those presented by others. 

As a rule, August 20 people are quiet and soft-spoken, and prefer not to draw attention to themselves.  However, those born on this day can be very natural, even uninhibited when with intimates and in situations where they feel a sense of trust and warmth. 

Those born on the 20th of the month are ruled by the number 2(2+0=2). Those ruled by the number 2 tend to be gentle, imaginative, and easily hurt by criticism or inattention of others. 

For an August 20 person to stay healthy is a matter of self-control.  Exercise, however, usually presents no difficulty for those born on this day, for when their energy is high they naturally seek out activities such as walking and swimming. 

Born on this day: Connie Chung, Issac Hayes, Led Zeppelin and Sen George Mitchell. 

Best advice for those born on August 20 forget about the past. Let go.  Don't dwell on things, today can be a new beginning.  Seek joy.  Allow yourself the very best that there is.

Cash falls from man's posterior during strip search

August 18, 2010 10:28:00 AM

FELICIA KITZMILLER

News Herald Writer

BAY COUNTY - A man being booked into jail gained another charge when detention officers found dollar bills falling out of his posterior.

Nicholas Ryan Harris, 19, of 503 Wood Trail, was undergoing a strip search after being booked into Bay County Jail on charges of driving under the influence, possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia when “several dollar bills … fell from Nicholas’ buttocks area,” according to an incident report. There were $45 total recovered.

According to the report, Harris had been asked prior to the search if there was anything hidden on his body and he said no.

Officers added introducing contraband into a county facility to his charges.

Hudson man tried to sell in-laws' home, deputies say

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/sns-ap-us-poll-obamas-religion,0,700535.story

A massive drug sweep in Queens yielded a pile of cash, three luxury rides - and a 12-year-old dealer, cops said. 

Police said Wednesday they caught the preteen girl dealing crack and marijuana. 

"She was picked up outside a drug location," said Inspector Michael Bryan, commander of the Queens narcotics unit. 

The unidentified girl was charged with felony drug sales. 

"She had previously sold to undercover officers," Bryan said. 

Cops collared 43 dealers in 10 morning raids at the Ocean Bay Houses, the Ocean Village Apartments and three homes along Beach Channel Drive between Beach 51st St. and Beach 58th St. in the Rockaways, cops said. 

The undercover investigation started in March. In those undercover buys, cops collected 9 pounds of marijuana, 118 grams of crack and 20 grams of heroin. 

Wednesday, investigators seized 11 pounds of pot, a quantity of crack, $14,000 in cash, two Mercedes-Benzes and a BMW, police said. 

"We made a significant dent in drug and narcotic sales in the area," Bryan said. 

Most of the dealers had prior arrests for crimes ranging from murder and robbery to narcotics and weapons possession. 

But even experienced cops were shocked by the girl's arrest. 

"We're still trying to determine who she was working with," Bryan said. "She certainly didn't look 12."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/08/19/2010-08-19_12yearold_girl_collared_in_rockaway_drug_busts.html#ixzz0x6os7WqR

Detectives say Conrad Zdzierak was initially able to elude the cops because of his disguise, an expensive silicon mask called “The Player” valued at around $650.

A robber who marauded in a high-quality mask that made him appear African-American was no match for Ohio cops.

Conrad Zdzierak, 30, has been charged with multiple counts of aggravated robbery after robbing four banks and an a CVS pharmacy on April 9, reports ABC News affiliate WFTS in Tampa. 

Detectives say Zdzierak was initially able to elude the cops because of his disguise, an expensive silicon mask called “The Player” valued at around $650. 

"The suspect seen in the surveillance photographs and that we were looking for, we believed to be an African-American male. The suspect was actually a male, white, who was wearing an elaborate disguise," Springdale,  Ohio, Police Lt. Michael Mathis told WFTS. 

Investigators believe Zdzierak likely removed the mask between the robberies in order to confuse the cops who believed they were looking a black man. 

The authorities caught a break when they spotted a Volvo with its interior splattered with red dye from a dye pack slipped into a bag used to hold the stolen money. 

Police found Zdzierak hiding in a motel bathroom.

"He wore what I’m calling a ‘Hollywood quality’ mask," Mathis said. "These things cost $600-$700." 

Police arrested Zdzierak and charged him with six counts of aggravated robbery. 

"You are the type of villain we read about in novels and see in the movies,'' Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge Melissa Powers told Zdzierak in court last Friday. 

Zdzierak is being held on $3 million bond.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/04/22/2010-04-22_white_crook_robbed_banks_in_expensive_africanamerican_mask.html?obref=obnetwork#ixzz0x4vD9QKf

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/08/19/2010-08-19_cops_release_tape_of_robbers_jumping_through_togo_window_at_crown_fried_chicken.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/20/sports/baseball/20clemens.html?_r=1&hp

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/08/19/2010-08-19_sarah_palin_supports_dr_laura_schlessinger_over_nword_controversy_dont_retreatre.html