[Washington Post] A Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party, state senator who resigned his seat after being convicted of eight counts of perjury and voter fraud and sentenced to 90 days in prison has been sprung before he even entered the jail system.
Roderick Wright was convicted in January, four years after a Los Angeles County grand jury charged him with lying about his address on his voter registration and campaign documents, and with voting fraudulently in five different elections.
Wright registered to vote at an address in Inglewood owned by his common-law stepmother, while prosecutors said he actually lived in the Baldwin Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles. Registering to vote in Inglewood allowed Wright to run for and win office in his Inglewood-based district; California law requires state politicians to live within their districts.
After his conviction, Wright faced up to eight years in prison, but in September, a judge sentenced him to just 90 days and barred him from ever holding public office again. On Friday, Wright reported to the Los Angeles County jail to begin serving his term.
But California's prison system is overflowing with so many inmates that they have no room for a nonviolent offender with no prior convictions. Wright was processed, booked and released after just over an hour.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/05/2014 00:00 ||
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#2
So, is he barred from running for office again?
(Didn't think so...)
Posted by: ed in texas ||
11/05/2014 7:38 Comments ||
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#3
Here, ed, from the article:
After his conviction, Wright faced up to eight years in prison, but in September, a judge sentenced him to just 90 days and barred him from ever holding public office again.
#6
So he moves out of state; California terms no longer apply. Or a sympathetic judge sets aside the ruling as restrictive, or just because.
Kinda like how he was released 'early'.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
11/05/2014 20:55 Comments ||
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[CBSNEWS] Former Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon was stripped of his right to vote in October when he was sentenced to 44 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to felony corruption charges.
But just over two weeks later, Cannon cast a ballot in North Carolina's midterm elections. And the vote, a violation of Cannon's bond, has again landed the former mayor in hot water.
"Let's cut to the chase: He shouldn't have done that, and we're going to talk to him tomorrow," Greg Forrest, chief of the U.S. Probation Office in Charlotte, told the Charlotte Observer on Tuesday.
Forrest said he would report the violation to the same judge who handed down Cannon's sentence in mid-October and allowed him to remain free on bond until he enters prison.
As a consequence of the vote, U.S. District Court Judge Frank Whitney could order Cannon's immediate imprisonment, according to Forrest.
Records with the Mecklenburg Board of Elections show that Cannon and his wife Trenna cast ballots on October 30. Those records also indicate that Cannon remains an active voter in the county. The Mecklenburg elections supervisor, Michael Dickerson, told the Observer that he cannot strip a felon's name from the voter rolls until he receives the go-ahead the from U.S. Attorney's Office, and he has not yet received any notice regarding Cannon.
Cannon was locked away I ain't sayin' nuttin' widdout me mout'piece! in March following an FBI corruption investigation. He pleaded guilty to accepting more than $50,000 in bribes from a Charlotte strip club owner and FBI agents posing undercover, according to the Observer.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/05/2014 00:00 ||
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[NationalReview] In addition to the GOP gains in the U.S., Senate, House and governorships it was an historic night for the party in state legislatures.
Here is the summary by Tim Storey of the National Conference of State Legislatures:
The Republican wave that swept over the states left Democrats at their weakest point in state legislatures since the 1920s.
Everything went in the direction of the GOP as Republicans seized new majorities in the West Virginia House, Nevada Assembly and Senate, New Hampshire House, Minnesota House and New York Senate, The West Virginia Senate is now tied.
Control of several legislative chambers was still up in the air early Wednesday as counting continued in several tight races that will determine control of the Colorado Senate, New Mexico House and Maine Senate.
The lone bright spot for Democrats was holding majorities in the Iowa Senate and Kentucky House.
The overall number of divided state governments will increase with changes in governor in places such as Massachussets, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Maryland along with the legislatures in West Virginia, Minnesota and New York.
The Vermont legislature will have to choose the state's governor because incumbent Democrat Peter Shumlin did not pass the 50 percent threshold. The Democratic Legislature will almost certainly install Shumlin as governor.
#1
The Pubs will probably pick up a win in Louisiana during the runoff election although few things are ever certain in politics. Alaska has not come in yet--that could be a possible win also. All in all it was a good night for the Pubs. Hope they are organized, polished, competent and ready to go in January. Hope they don't pick some dumba$$ program out-of-the-box like Obamacare to lead off.
#2
Sounds like John they are going to go with KeystoneXL first and then a jobs bill. They will have to face Obamacare however and better sooner than later while they still have political capital and goodwill.
#5
DV: The XL pipeline and jobs is a good first move. Obamacare will have to be addressed at some point, as you say, because O-Care hinders economic growth and is a job-killer.
#7
Kansas statewide went widely Republican, even vaunted Berkely-on-Kaw (Lawrence-Douglas County) going Red, Orman I believe only won three counties (Roberts +100k), re-elects SOS Kobach (responsible for KS voter ID, made the papers when a bunch of ruffians surrounded his private residence and violence chanted). Republicans collect 98 of 125 state reps (unofficial). Also, there were interesting votes on local sales tax increases (Sedgwick (Wichita) and Saline County) which were handily defeated. Pubs also elected to Treasurer, AG, and Insurance.
The only missed opportunity IMHO was rejecting two Sebelius KS SC Judges, but that is like complaining about the pitcher striking out after batting through the order. This is the KSSC who overrode the law about candidates must drop out by a certain date in order to have their name removed from the ballet, which led to the Roberts~Orman rather than the Roberts~Orman~Dem ticket. As I noted before, 'Orman' supporters had their signs out literally the morning after that decision.
Posted by: Barbara ||
11/05/2014 15:50 Comments ||
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#13
The +7 in the senate does not count AK where the Rep has won with 4% with 100% counted, but the Dem has not conceded. Nor does it include LA (runoff) or VA (recount).
The +3 in governorships does not count AK or VT (recounts).
Most important the +13 in the house does not include 5 seats where the Republicans are ahead with 100% counted, but the Dems have not conceded
(1 in AZ, 3 in CA, and 1 in WA). Nor does it include 2 seat in LA with a Dec runoff.
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
11/05/2014 18:25 Comments ||
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#14
Thank you, Frozen Al. It's been a day full of wonder and terror.
#16
IIUC, IOW wid the Dems nominally holding 45 seats in the Senate the Bammer may [or may not?] still end up avoiding any type of major impeachment investigation or proceeding agz him.
Its all-but-absolute or given that the Dems will make effective use of the filibuster agz all sorts of GOP-Right legislation.
* FYI RUSSIA TODAY > OBAMA VOWS TO DEFY [new] GOP CONGRESS + [unilaterally] PASS IMMIGRATION REFORM WID EXECUTIVE ORDER [Executive Action-Privelege].
* WORLD NEWS > [Telegraph India] US VOTERS "WANT [GOP-led Congress to get] THINGS DONE".
Or be prepared to see the Dems retake the Senate, iff not the Congress? Presidency?, in 2016.
* SAME > [Stars-N-Stripes] > OBAMA TO SEEK NEW WAR POWERS FROM CONGRESS FOR ISLAMIC STATE FIGHT.
* IIRC SAME > REPUBLICANS HAVE [War]PLAN READY FOR UKRAINE, ISLAMIC STATE, + OBAMA!?
#7
I noticed that the Dem named Sam Houston got beaten by a Pub.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/05/2014 12:31 Comments ||
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#8
A few months back, there was a newspaper article about how the Dems were going to take back the State of Texas. I think they fell a little short of their goal/dream.
Posted by: Bobby ||
11/05/2014 13:29 Comments ||
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Posted by: Fred ||
11/05/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
This needs to be shoved front and center for the 2016 elections. I mean straight down the dems throat. Joni Ernst won in Iowa to, Proud of my Hawkeye state there. Pat Roberts won, Gardner won, Tilis won, Cotton won, Perdue won so handily there's no runoff, and it looks like if you didn't need 50% then Landreau would have lost to Cassidy flat out. Scott Walker won, we won the governship in ILLINOIS!
The tears of MSNBC. Oh the tears. Need to show them Cottons victory speech!
/excited for some reason.
Posted by: Charles ||
11/05/2014 0:31 Comments ||
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#2
You forgot the part where we won the governorships of Massachusetts and Maryland. Sweet, sweet wine that.
#4
Shipman: I get your point about governance. However, to use a football metaphor, a win by a field goal, extra point, safety, or OT in the last seconds is a win that maybe is even sweeter.
#6
May want to walk back that vox snark. Cotton got his JD, but instead of going corporate, he joined the Army. Officer Candidate School, U.S. Army Airborne School and Ranger School. Then went into infantry. As an infantry officer and platoon leader with the 101st Airborne Division, he was deployed to Baghdad as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom on May 19, 2006. In Iraq, Cotton was responsible for a 41 man air assault infantry platoon in the 506th Infantry Regiment,[6] and planned and led daily combat patrols. Later volunteered for combat in Afganistan as an infantry officer. Earned a broze star.
So grom, you owe him an apology, he's a fer better man than you.
#8
As someone at Instapundit said, "A pant-suit doesn't have coat-tails."
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
11/05/2014 12:18 Comments ||
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#9
Grom: You won't contest his opinion because OldSpook has a God-Damn point. That non-apology reeks.
And just for the Record, Tom Cotton is 50 times the man I am. Period. I know my betters, and would vote for the man in a heartbeat. Instead I voted for a woman who is 50 times the person I am, Joni Earnst. Still Damn excited and proud of my fellow Hawkeyes for voting her to the Senate.
Posted by: Charles ||
11/05/2014 14:41 Comments ||
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#10
Charles, I won't argue with your self-evaluation.
[POSTANDCOURIER] South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley ...first woman to serve as Governor of South Carolina, and the second Indian-American governor in the country, after Bobby Jindal of Louisiana. At the age of 39, Haley is the youngest current governor in the U.S., a distinction formerly held by Jindal. She is a Republican, which really grates on the Dems... has handily beat Democratic state Sen. Vincent Sheheen to win a second term.
The 42-year-old daughter of Indian immigrants needed a convincing victory to further boost her image nationally. South Carolina's first minority and first female governor already is a familiar figure on the national stage.
Just over half of the $8 million raised by her campaign came from out-of-state donors.
Haley was declared the winner based on projections from exit poll data that suggests the Republican will win by a wider margin than 2010, when just 4.5 percentage points separated her from Sheheen.
A rematch had been expected since shortly after that contest, but Sheheen never gained the traction necessary to close the gap, despite hammering Haley on her first-term blunders.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/05/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
More fruit of the 'war on wymns.' I'm delighted with her victory, and the victory of the lady pig farmer in Iowa as well.
[POSTANDCOURIER] Republican U.S. Sen. Tim Scott has easily defended his seat in Tuesday's election as the GOP predicts he'll be the single biggest vote-getter in a contested race in the state.
The Associated Press called the race at 7:04 p.m., four minutes after the polls closed.
Party leaders are pointing to the historic nature of the 2014 election. Scott, of Hanahan, would become the first black candidate elected to statewide office here since Reconstruction, and he would be the first black member of the Senate elected from South Carolina.
Nationally, Scott is just the fifth African-American elected to the U.S. Senate in the nation's history.
He faces Democrat Joyce Dickerson and American Party candidate Jill Bossi.
The race is the first of several today in which Republicans are heavily favored in statewide duels.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/05/2014 00:00 ||
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The 'old South' has a problem with conservative, black politicians like Tim Scott. We cannot find enough of them !
#2
Interesting point: Mr. Scott would have won the races as a Pub in North Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky and Mississippi. In Louisiana he'd have won outright over Mary.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/05/2014 8:39 Comments ||
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#3
The Donks seem to be particularly hard on conservative blacks. They tend to try to try to demonize them more than other conservatives for some reason. I suppose black conservatives are more of a threat to the Donk narrative which they package and try to sell.
Posted by: Barbara ||
11/05/2014 10:28 Comments ||
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#5
The Democrat's strategy has to build a coalition of Blacks, Hispanics, young people, and single women, who will vote for them automatically. A black republican who talks sense immediately destroys this strategy. Democrat's need 90% of the black vote to win.
#6
I agree with DJK, and the Republicans should spend the next 2 years courtin the African American Community to really end that 90% vote.
Remind them of (a) Lincoln was a Republican (b) Bull Conner was a democrat (c) Major cities are run by Democrats and tend to getting worse and worse under Democrat policies.
#7
The Pubs need to go into the black communities when campaigning and not write them off a priori. No promises of free phones, welfare, give-ways, please. Same opportunities for everyone with hard work.
#8
A black republican who talks sense immediately destroys this strategy. Democrat's need 90% of the black vote to win.
Blacks think of black conservatives as Uncle Tom sellouts, because they oppose racial quotas and the welfare state. I don't think the 9:1 ratio is in any danger. There is a tiny possibility that having a black conservative in the electoral lineup might depress black turnout, at least for that race - among those who don't want to vote against a brother or a sister.
#9
I agree with DJK, and the Republicans should spend the next 2 years courtin the African American Community to really end that 90% vote.
Not gonna work. The welfare state and racial quotas are a big help to the black community. There's nothing there keeping a highly-motivated and able black person from advancing. The reality is that a huge chunk of middle and upper income blacks depends on racial quotas (via government and large private employer jobs) to remain where they are. Why would they screw themselves by supporting candidates who favor an end to those quotas?
#10
The Pubs need to go into the black communities when campaigning and not write them off a priori. No promises of free phones, welfare, give-ways, please. Same opportunities for everyone with hard work.
That's just unrealistic. The only surefire way to get more of the black vote is to join the Democratic bandwagon on the welfare state and racial quotas. To get close to 50% of the black vote, the GOP would also have to become anti-gun and soft on crime. Assuming the GOP matched the Dems on the preceding issues, they could probably command a majority of the black by becoming tough on immigration (legal and illegal). However, with the exception of immigration, any GOP movement on the other issues would cause the GOP base to stay home on election day, thereby wiping out any gains from an increased black vote, to say nothing of the pointlessness of ditching your bedrock principles to gain election victories.
[TAMPA.CBSLOCAL] Former Gov. Charlie Crist's ...the politically androgynous former governor of Florida... campaign filed an emergency motion to extend voting by two hours in Broward County due to voter confusion and malfunctions but a judge has denied that injunction.
A judge denied the injunction to extend the Broward County voting hours. Crist's campaign will not appeal.
According to the motion, one polling station was offline for more than an hour as people tried to cast ballots before work.
Malfunctions with some voters' addresses also caused them to be bounced between various precincts and, according to the motion, ultimately the system did not register them and they were unable to cast regular ballots.
Recent changes to voting districts caused much of the confusion. According to the motion, the conflicting information ended up discouraging many voters from casting their ballot.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/05/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
so, lost as Republican, Independent, and Democrat. Get a real job, asshole
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/05/2014 6:35 Comments ||
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#2
Hit whilst crossing over. Most are wise enough to remain on their side of the road until the traffic passes.
Posted by: Barbara ||
11/05/2014 10:20 Comments ||
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#2
The lefties seemed a bit shaken by the overwhelming Republican landslide across the country.
Listening to Obumble speak at the news conference today, Obama indicated he is going to do something on amnesty during Christmas. This arrogant twit still does not get last night's message.
#3
Midterms are over for the Republicans too. Perhaps they should draft up a bill of impeachment for if he illegally grant's amnesty by executive order.
[THEGUARDIAN] Colorado senatorâs focus on abortion rights in a tight re-election race is the wrong issue at the wrong time according to Democratic backer Leo Beserra
Posted by: Fred ||
11/05/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Can't imagine what went wrong for Senator Udall. He was faithfully parroting every liberal talking point the regime in Washington was sending him.
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/05/2014 7:33 Comments ||
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#3
"Colorado senator's focus on abortion rights in a tight re-election race is the wrong issue at the wrong time according to Democratic backer Leo Beserra"
Whatta genius! Too bad you idiots couldn't figure that out BEFORE the election, eh?
Posted by: Dave D. ||
11/05/2014 9:07 Comments ||
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#4
Abortion doesn't have the same appeal among ethnic Roman Catholic Hispanic rurals as much as with upper-middle class urbanists feminists.
[BREITBART] As America prepares for its final day of voting on Tuesday's Election Day, abortion mill Planned Parenthood ...has received federal funding since 1970, when President Richard Nixon signed into law the Family Planning Services and Population Research Act. It is sometimes described as the gynecololgical wing of the Democratic party. says it has upped its get-out-the-vote game and is ready for a Democrat victory. I didn't realize PP was a Democratic vote generating machine. I thought they were in the business of eliminating future Democrats...
Two of the abortion groups' get-out-the-vote operations, Planned Parenthood Action Fund and Planned Parenthood Votes, are all-in for some of the nation's most vulnerable Democrats such as North Carolina's Kay Hagan ...Niece of former senator and Florida governor Lawton Chiles, married to a transaction lawyer, who has a net worth between $10.7 million and $40 million. He is a former Democrat ward heeler, which explains a lot. She defeated the listless Elizabeth Dole in 2008...
Planned Parenthood announced that it had visited 260,000 homes and made 88,000 phone calls on behalf of Democrats over the weekend before Election Day, bringing the total number of home visits and phone calls during this election season to two million and one million, respectively.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/05/2014 00:00 ||
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I thought they were in the business of eliminating future Democrats...
They are.
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
11/05/2014 10:39 Comments ||
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[BREITBART] At least one man is likely to be surprised if the polls prove accurate and Republicans take control of the Senate. That's Vice President Joe Foreign Policy Whiz Kid Biden The former Senator-for-Life from Delaware, an example of the kind of top-notch Washington intellect to be found in the World's Greatest Deliberative Body... , who insists that Democrats will retain control of the Senate because Americans agree with President Barack Obama Pot had helped, and booze; maybe a little blow when you could afford it. Not smack, though.... on "every single major issue."
Though nearly every election forecast and poll have found otherwise, Biden insisted in a Monday CNN interview that the polls and prognostications were wrong.
"I don't agree with the oddsmakers," Biden said. "I predict we're gonna... keep the Senate."
The Washington Post (97% chance Republicans win back the Senate), CNN (95%), New York Times ...which still proudly displays Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... (70%), and Nate Silver's FiveThirtyEight (75.5%) are predicting that Republicans will win back the Senate, but Biden said he was confident in his assessment because Americans approve of Obama's policies, which Obama said were on the ballot.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/05/2014 00:00 ||
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#3
Joe---the sound you hear is the rumbling of tanks entering Baghdad.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
11/05/2014 2:41 Comments ||
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#4
The executive branch has bigger things to worry about than the odd capital being over-run in some Middle East country. It looks like there could be a frost delay saturday morning at Congressional.
#13
For now, on the stump, Trunks have broken
The Donks, for the people have spoken:
The glorious bastards
Have rolled the mess backwards.
I wonder what Biden was smoking?
#14
Biden has been so crazy lately one has to wonder if he's setting himself up for some quiet time with his family. I know he's a goof and all but he's laying it on really really thick lately.
[WEEKLYSTANDARD] Vice President Joe Foreign Policy Whiz Kid Biden The former Senator-for-Life from Delaware, an example of the kind of top-notch Washington intellect to be found in the World's Greatest Deliberative Body... blew Kansas Dem stalking horse independent Greg Orman's cover in a radio interview today. Orman hasn't stated which party he'll caucus with in the Senate--actively avoiding announcing whether he'll be with Republicans or Democrats--but Biden stated definitively that Orman "will be with us" if he's elected.
"We have a chance of picking up an independent who will be with us in the state of Kansas," said Biden, as he predicted the outcomes of various Senate races around the country.
Orman has stated that he'll caucus with whichever party holds the balance of power in Kansas, but Republicans have long suspected he's likely to join the Democrats' side. Biden seemed to confirm that belief in this interview.
Biden made the remarks in an interview with WPLR, a Connecticut radio station.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/05/2014 00:00 ||
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About the only thing Kansas did not get was the ouster of KS SC Sebelius appointments (2 of them). BTW, Sebelius showed up to Orman's victory party in Lawrence, KS. She looked like she had dragged Mass Street...cuz the end of her nose looked about to fall off. Srzly, looked like the silver mullet was dragging white lines.
Roberts (US Senate) and Brownback (KS Gov) are key holds for Pubs, and anyone interested in Keystone Pipeline.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
11/05/2014 13:57 Comments ||
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#8
I wonder if polling will be done to see how much this interview effected voters. I would find that at least a little interesting if Biden swung even 3 percent toward Roberts.
Posted by: Charles ||
11/05/2014 14:50 Comments ||
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[HOSTED.AP.ORG] Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell won a hard-fought sixth term Tuesday, putting him a step closer to his lifelong dream of becoming majority leader and getting the GOP off to a good start in its goal of taking control of the Senate.
Helping his chances was Republican Rep. Shelley Moore Capito's capture of the West Virginia seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller. Her victory, while not a surprise, gave Republicans the first of six new seats they will need to control the Senate for the first time in eight years.
Kentucky Democrats once had high hopes for challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes, Kentucky's young secretary of state. But the hill was too steep in a state President Barack Obama If you like your coverage you can keep it... lost by 23 percentage points in 2012.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/05/2014 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Washington Post] A 
Joe 
It's time Senator Manchin. Come on over and join the winning team. 
