Franky Goes All The Way To The Supreme Court
“Here’s an interesting case,” Spence says. “Franky, a chocolate lab working the drug beat down in south Florida, sniffed pot from outside the front door of someone’s house, and on that basis the cops went in without asking.”
“And without a warrant?” Admin says.
“Exactly. Big 4th Amendment issue. I”m kind of surprised it hasn’t come up before this.”
“And what do you think? Legal or illegal?”
“Illegal,” Spence says. “And that’s what the Florida Supreme Court said. Now it looks like the state will appeal, meaning going all the way to the top.”
“Did they find any pot?”
“179 marijuana plants.”
“Half the country must be churning out homemade drug supplies,” Admin says.
“We’re a very industrious people. Goes all the way back to Ben Franklin.”
“You’re saying he was a pot grower?” says Admin.
“We’ll never know.”
http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/decided-by-a-nose-1287364.html
Welcome Jack the reclining dude, Rex and Fly, Cassie.
We hope Macy’s Mom had a great birthday yesterday!
Tags: 4th Amendment, K-9, pot, Supreme Court
This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 4th, 2012 at 9:07 am and is filed under Chet The Dog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
9:22 am on January 4th, 2012
An interesting case to ponder. And I agree that it was illegal.
Dawson: Yes, good example of inductive reasoning. My example was also inductive and Rio’s was deductive. We covered it.
Good morning all.
9:27 am on January 4th, 2012
My dog nose says they had the proof. Why didn’t they get a search warrant?
9:33 am on January 4th, 2012
Good morning all! It is very cold here. It was 10 degrees when we went out to feed horses this morning. Loving it! Mom…not so much.
About Franky: make sure he wears his black dress collar when he appears in court.
9:40 am on January 4th, 2012
Good morning. Made it through the night. Zoë had 4 of The Pack on the bed. They all got up, but took turns.
From what I remember (snicker) bloodhounds have been used in court. And we all know that Chet (HI CHET!) was used in a court case.
But this? Whoa, so many things can in to it. I don’t believe that an anonymous tip can’t get the police a search warrant. They have to watch and wait and get prove from a distance. Franky was with his handler as the handler knocked. The people inside don’t have to answer the door. But with Franky signaling? Hmmm
I think it’s different if it’s luggage or in public. But a person’s house? Hmm
I think I’d like to keep my Fourth Amendment protection uncluttered.
9:41 am on January 4th, 2012
Good Morning.
Frankie is a good looking dog and an excellent sniffer. This is a very interesting case.
B.Stover: I finished To the Lighthouse and have started All Quiet on the Western Front.
I’m running late, as per usual these days.
9:45 am on January 4th, 2012
I agree with Sam. If they had probable cause they should have been able to get a warrant first.
Off for a hair cut and then a stop by the library to see if we can find the name of that book mentioned last night for Staff.
May reach 50 here by Friday. Wierd!
9:49 am on January 4th, 2012
Hmmm….apparently a search warrant was obtained. I vote with Franky. Have I ever mentioned that I hate drugs, especially weed?
9:58 am on January 4th, 2012
Wait: According to the article, the police did get a search warrant after Franky smelled the drug. They used that as evidence to get the warrant. The defendant’s attorney claims that the “sniff” without a warrant was against 4th Amendment rights.
A conundrum. You need evidence to get a warrant; the defense’s claim is that they needed a warrant for Franky to sniff around. However, what would be the evidence used to get that warrant? I think I’d feel more strongly (that it was NOT illegal) if the man had been making bombs rather than making drugs. Pondering.
10:02 am on January 4th, 2012
Yes, that is a conundrum. What made them ask Franky for a sniff? Did they have some kind of evidence for that?
We like the use of drug-sniffing dogs to work with police in the field, in cases of traffic stops or luggage checks or whatever. This one does feel like an invasion of privacy.
10:02 am on January 4th, 2012
Dawson–Homework Assignment: What is your opinion of Mrs. Ramsay?
10:06 am on January 4th, 2012
Howlers: Would you feel differently if the man had been making bombs rather than making drugs? (Of course, I don’t think “law” could make that exception.) Wonder what Wookie’s dad thinks.
10:13 am on January 4th, 2012
Ok- so let’s say the fool growing the illegal plants had been imbibing in his product. That aroma would have been detectable to an average human nose. If a two legged officer smelled that, got a warrant based on it and then went to the door, would anyone be comparing the cop’s nose to advanced technology scope?
We are always amazed that people doing illegal things seem to be the ones screaming for their “legal” rights.
10:14 am on January 4th, 2012
B.Stover: I’ll be a little late getting my homework done. The excuse involves a dog.
10:24 am on January 4th, 2012
Can’t wait to hear more on the “excuse involves a dog”.
10:29 am on January 4th, 2012
Bee, that is a very good point about the bomb. But, why would they be sniffing someone’s home for a bomb? They must have had a reason for a suspicion, so that should hopefully be able to get them a search warrant.
We didn’t have time to read last night’s entire blog, because Mom had a hairdresser appt and Pop had a planning commission meeting (whatever that is). We were left at home watching all the excitement in Iowa. But we briefly perused this morning and came across the picture of Staff and her Carharts. Our mom wears something similar, but her coveralls are WearGuard. We think its wierd that 2-leggeds have to put on and take off so many clothes just to go outdoors.
10:39 am on January 4th, 2012
Howlers – don’t forget that in the case in Miami there had been a tip that first brought police to surveille the house. It was not like the cop was walking a drug sniffing dog up and down the street just to see if there was any sign of drugs at any location.
10:42 am on January 4th, 2012
Exactly, T&G ! So why couldn’t they obtain a search warrant based on that tip?
10:43 am on January 4th, 2012
Oh Dawson. Don’t do that to me. I was just taking a sip of coffee. Have to go get a mop now to clean up.
10:46 am on January 4th, 2012
Deny!…. I deny having anything to do with Dawson not getting her homework done…sniff!
10:49 am on January 4th, 2012
Howlers: I think that the police received an anonymous tip so they were watching the place. I don’t think an anonymous tip should be considered as evidence in order to obtain a warrant. Think of the possible consequences if the law allowed that.
10:52 am on January 4th, 2012
But if a tip is not valid enough to support the issue of a search warrant by a judge, then that tip is not really valid for searching the home, is it? Now, the question is if a drug-sniffing dog qualifies as a search…
11:02 am on January 4th, 2012
Howlers: As I understand it in this case, the “evidence” was that the dog sniffed out the drug at the front door. Afterwards a search warrant was obtained. The defense claims that the dog’s “evidence” was not legal. I’m tending to agree with that.
What if one of the Crazy Ladies did what the police did. (Instead of an arrest, the motive of the CL would be to fire the employee she was “investigating.”)
11:15 am on January 4th, 2012
Stink!….All those illegal pot smokers should own Pugs…snort!…We could camouflage that smell for them in no time at all….sniff! heh!
11:15 am on January 4th, 2012
Bee – sorry, we don’t understand the CL analogy. What if the CL did WHAT?
If she acted on an annymous tip that an employee was doing something nefariou (sorry Natasha ) and then did something to verify that there was something amiss. And fired the smart-mouth employee?
Actually we would not have a problem with this. IF the employee truly was doing something wrong, does it matter that the boss found an alternative way to prove that and therefore have grounds for dismissal?
And no Howlers- a single anonymous tip is not enough to get a warrant. It is enough however to allow police to justify further investigation
11:18 am on January 4th, 2012
I stand behind Franky.
If you want to make pot legal, vote for another one of our two term ex-govenors for president…Gary Johnson. No one has ever heard of him except New Mexicans, but he is running for president. After having put up with him for 8 years, I do not endorse him.
11:23 am on January 4th, 2012
I don’t understand all the excitement over pot. I heard it smells terrible. Now catnip, on the other hand…that is a drug of a different color.
As for Gary Johnson…never even heard of him other than seeing his name on some list of presidential candidates. But Ron Paul wants to make drugs legal. Wonder how he feels about catnip?
11:27 am on January 4th, 2012
B.Stover: Had to laugh at the CL analogy . . . I think the wish is to be fired!
For myself? I would not want an anonymous tip from someone who doesn’t like me to cause an illegal entry into a house. In one of the towns were I have lived the police were known to do this on tips.
When they entered a house were a teenage girl was BY HERSELF on the tip that there was a party with underaged drinkers? Dog, the poop hit the fan!
Poop flew everywhere! The teenager’s parents were lawyers. Whoops! They were not pleased. Howl! Nor was the judge. YIKES!
11:32 am on January 4th, 2012
We admit, we had an event that could be correlated.
Years ago, we had a store. We wool “clean” it on occasion using sage smudge, as is traditional. Only downside is that the smell of burning sage is similar to another, less legal smell.
Dad decided to clean the store one morning before we opened. Later that day a new customer walked into the store and started asking insulting questions anout what Natives “actually were smoking in those pipes that made the ‘peace’ pipes”
After giving this joker a full, but polite education about Native people, the sacredness of tobacco, and the use of sage as a prayer, he left.
He came back the next day IN POLICE UNIFORM to tell us that they had an anonymous tip that we were burning pot, and he had been sent in to check us out. He was totally convinced that we were innocent so it never went further. But we know that he could have probably applied for and gotten a warrant if he had wanted to. If we HAD been using an illegal drug, we think we would have
deserved what we got. Just for being stoopid!
By the way – that cop became a good friend and would come to the store on occasion to ask questions about Native things.
11:32 am on January 4th, 2012
Lots of wind here last night. A balmy 51 degrees this morning.
It does seem like the criminal is protected more often than not, but if we didn’t have certain laws we would have a police state.
Interested here also to know what Wookie has to say about all this.
11:34 am on January 4th, 2012
T&G: If the CL brought a dog to sniff out “wrong-doing” at your home, it would be an invasion of privacy. Perhaps that’s a poor analogy. I was trying to make the point that we have to be careful what powers “authority” is given. (I keep thinking of Orwell’s 1984.)
On another note: What would be the consequences of legalizing pot?
11:44 am on January 4th, 2012
We have a lot of dogs here. Which one of you ate Dawson’s homework?
11:46 am on January 4th, 2012
Legal!….Legalizing pot would lead someone like Beau down the path of stronger drugs such as Kat-Nip…snort!…He would be lost to us forever if that happened…grunt!
11:47 am on January 4th, 2012
There are bad cops just like there are bad people in all professions. The laws are there to protect us against those bad cops. We can’t assume that just because a cop says his dog smelled pot, there was pot, or that he received an “anonymous tip”. We aren’t saying that is what happened here, but unfortunately in protecting all of us from the police, we also “protect” a certain amount of criminals. Us…we would rather err on the side of caution. Because someone with a grudge could target any one of us.
11:49 am on January 4th, 2012
See? There ya go! Now we think MollysMom is sending the cops to sniff out Dawson’s homework! We been framed!
11:56 am on January 4th, 2012
I believe that our opinions will be a tad influenced by our experiences of the world.
In that town where the police wanted a police state, I became known as “Oh, you’re that Melanie . . .” I was not afraid to rock the boat when I thought our individual rights were being ignored. Have to say, that when they saw me coming all due diligence was done. The Chief and i had an understanding. Unfortunately, he had some rogue people on the force who seemed under the protection of some of the higher ups in town.
Shaking head here. It happens. Pot happens. Corruptions happens. Harder drugs happen.
Where do we draw the line to protect the innocent (the young teenage girl) and those who would harm society?
11:59 am on January 4th, 2012
as Bee said…it is a conundrum.
Our township fired our canine unit in this year’s budget downsizing. We were very sad about it.
12:01 pm on January 4th, 2012
I’ve never done the research, but I’ve always wondered if more drinking went on during prohibition than at any other time. And because alcohol was illegal and not regulated, “moonshine” could contain most anything.
If pot were legalized it could be regulated. And if it were regulated, I’m wondering if this defendent would have a case.
From the psychological point of view, when you prohibit something doesn’t that make people want to do it even more?
12:03 pm on January 4th, 2012
Mollupop’s Mom: Burp!
12:05 pm on January 4th, 2012
You guys really know how to rub it in. Bragging about your nice temperatures while we’ve got a -6 this morning.
12:14 pm on January 4th, 2012
If it were legalized, it could be taxed like alcohol.
Legalizing it might reduce some crime.
Studies have been done and people can drive better while stoned on pot than they can drunk. (not that they should do either one)
Legalizing it would make room in the jails for more violent offenders.
I have no opinion one way or the other on legalizing pot.
12:14 pm on January 4th, 2012
Hey TYB, we’re right there with you. 8 degrees right now with a wind chill factor of -10. Yuck!
I bought Kindle books! I decided to go with “The House of Silk” and “The Thirteen Hallows”. Went on to manage our Kindle and found books from the last 3 months! Zoe learned how to download directly to her Kindle without having to got through the computer. So she didn’t need my help!
Oh Joy, Oh Rapture!
Now in my Kindle line . . . Audio of The Dog Who (yea!!), 11/22/63, Explosive Eighteen, Death Comes to Pemberley, Tickled to Death, Prior Bad Acts, Deception and 77 Shadow Street.
12:16 pm on January 4th, 2012
All of us here at Chet’s Place will be carefully watching the outcome of this case. Are perps getting all the breaks? Sometimes it seems that way. The suspect in question, involved in a former armed-robbery, is free on bail.
12:27 pm on January 4th, 2012
TYB, You are having a nice temperature.
12:31 pm on January 4th, 2012
Prohibition gave criminal elements a way to get very rich and they used much violence to control their turf. The so-called War on Drugs does the same thing. There is a lot of violent crime that our taxes must pay to fight which perhaps would not occur if drugs were legal. And Siber makes a great point that if they were legal, we would have better control and could tax them the way we tax alcohol and tobacco.
Perhaps it would make more sense to make certain drugs legal, but then again it could cause much more healthcare costs and other problems which Wolfie could tell us about. Another conundrum.
12:44 pm on January 4th, 2012
Prohibition . . . That’s what Boardwalk Empire is about. They start filming again soon. Hoping for a real role for YSAS!
There was an interesting report on NPR about addiction and drugs. I’ll see if I can find it.
12:46 pm on January 4th, 2012
We agree with B & Siber that when something is “illegal” it goes uncontrolled, seems to attract more users, and definitely brings the criminal element into it. During prohibition untold numbers died, not only from “bathtub gin”, but also from common substances containing alcohol that had been altered. The government did this to discourage the use of any product used in lieu of that which had been deemed “forbidden”.
12:50 pm on January 4th, 2012
Very interesting. Called “What Vietnam Taught Us About Breaking Bad Habits”.
About how a group of addicted soldiers from that era, were dried out in Vietnam and those soldiers had only a 5% re-addiction rate.
Very interesting.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/01/02/144431794/what-vietnam-taught-us-about-breaking-bad-habits
12:55 pm on January 4th, 2012
Let me say first that no one here smokes pot. That being said, I think it should be legalized. Pot is probably not as dangerous as alcohol or as habit forming as nicotine.
Staff, made a visit to the library and went thru the list of books checked out. There was no way I was going to remember the name of the book with the snowy owl in it. It was Edge of Winter by Luanne Rice. Not a mystery, but quite good. I thought it was interesting and she seems to have done a lot of bird research. However, she described a robin nest as tea cup size. I have never seen a robin nest that small or a tea cup that big. Maybe a finch nest.
1:01 pm on January 4th, 2012
Beau’s handsome pug mug is at the top of my page right now.
1:02 pm on January 4th, 2012
Melanie, Howlers, B & Siber…you all have valid points.
On the subject of habit…cigarettes the worst offender of all, killing millions each year, now with added ingredients to make them even more addictive. Yet they are legal. Definitely not the same innocent tobacco that once was available.
I know this is a very sensitive subject for Wolfie and family. Lives on hold because of addictions and spinning out of control. Not a pleasant topic. If only there were an easy answer.
1:12 pm on January 4th, 2012
I am back home from KY. -42 greeted me and wouldn’t you know that within hours I had another furnace emergency which meant an after-hours 3-hour repair job with two people. Geez.
The school where I work at on rare occasions will bring in a drug dog to walk the hallways sniffing lockers. The students are told that they don’t own their lockers, the school district does.
1:14 pm on January 4th, 2012
Masquers, You are right, there is no easy answer. Addiction is horrible and destroys lives all around the addict. We are dealing with the problem right now with alcohol addiction, not illegal to obtain, but the effects are just as nasty.
1:28 pm on January 4th, 2012
Trivia question of the day: What was the name of that candidate in 2008 who talked about the need to end the War on Drugs, and who had those really wierd commercials, like the one where he just threw a stone into a body of water then walked away?
1:42 pm on January 4th, 2012
Welcome back C.Harris…We missed you.
Fellow Sibers, I think it was Dennis Kuchinich. I googled it.
1:59 pm on January 4th, 2012
Isn’t it weird that our brain/body can be wired for addiction? I mean, what brought that on?
I am confounded by what we can do as a society to help those people, through no fault of their own, who have become addicted. Also to help those people who have become addicted because they tipped their balance.
OTAS is now three years and four days without tobacco. He tried over seven times to quit. Not fun.
Wölfie, I hope these comments haven’t made you sad today. I wish I had a magic wand I could wave and things would get fixed for you and yours. As it is, my prayers and thoughts are with you and yours.
2:01 pm on January 4th, 2012
As for our 2 cents worth, drugs can certainly wreck lives when used incorrectly. However, I feel that if something is available that would make my life easier, with limited side effects and would not make a multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical firm more money, I would be all for it. I have not, however, fully researched the topic, so basically I am just spouting off, which I learned from the presidential candidates.
2:27 pm on January 4th, 2012
Definitely not Kucinich…it was that guy from Alaska. trying not to google…
2:30 pm on January 4th, 2012
Cartel!….We watched a show last night on the Mexican drug Cartels and how vicious, evil and powerful they are. Can you say “Beheadings”…sniff!…Made my fur curl. Then there is the Cyber Mafia–online gangsters who can steal your money and identity without leaving their home. ….sniff! …So everybody change your passwords regularly on all types of financial accounts that you can access via the internet…wheeze!…Right now I wouldn’t leave my yard even if there was no rule…shudder!
2:32 pm on January 4th, 2012
Opinion!….My two cents worth is being moderated…grunt!…I’ll just go lie on my warm soft bed…sniff!
2:40 pm on January 4th, 2012
I asked my dad about this. Although he is generally a strong civil liberties supporter, he is not particularly sympathetic to the plight of the perp on this one. Indeed, using the dog as the basis for obtaining the search warrant, rather than acting solely on an anonymous tip, is actually an additional safeguard in terms of demonstrating credible “probable cause,” which is what is required in order to get a search warrant in the first place. As to whether using Franky is or is not analogous to thermal imaging (which is not viewed as a constitutionally acceptable technique for obtaining a search warrant), use of thermal imaging clearly involves a technology that penetrates the structure of the house, whereas Franky and his nose remained outside and the smells that were smelled were outside the house too (even if the source was inside the house). As some have commented, they might feel a lot different about this if this involved detection of bombs rather than pot, but from a purely legal perspective, that distinction really is really not relevant. My dad adds that his view is independent of the separate issue of whether the underlying activity should or should not be illegal, and he expresses no view on that.
Lsstly, just to keep things interesting, my dad adds that there are some related issues that may actually be much more difficult in terms of what is or should be permissible under the Fourth Amendment that will be coming down the pike as well, including whether certain high-tech surveillance activities should or should not require issuance of a search warrant first, including use of GPS tracking devices to monitor suspects (particularly if attached to their vehicles) or using triangulation technology to monitor and track physical locations of cell phones (or more specifically the person possessing them) as they move around, which he notes is different than actually listening to conversations. Wookie
3:00 pm on January 4th, 2012
Melanie: A most interesting article on The Science of Behavior Change. It makes sense that an action that is performed repeatedly becomes almost impossible to resist. We hadn’t considered that cues from the environment come into play, but thinking about it, realize they do. The person is then on automatic pilot – a nonthinking robot. Mom says she can empathize with OTAS. The thing that turned everything around for her was an article in the Reader’s Digest that compared nicotine to heroin addiction. It made her realize she was dealing with a serious issue and it was not just a matter of will power. Now, realizing the consequences of a lapse with “just one” she will never go down that road again.
3:01 pm on January 4th, 2012
Gravel!
3:07 pm on January 4th, 2012
Wookie: Thank you for your input.
Rio: Wonder what it was you said that caused the moderation…..
3:14 pm on January 4th, 2012
O.Howlers: Spence and Admin did open a can of worms didn’t they?
C.Harris: Another emergency. You would think the spirits in the house don’t want you to go away. Do you have someone staying there or just checking in every day? btw: how is your dad doing?
3:14 pm on January 4th, 2012
Triangulation!….Interesting Wookie! Jack Baur and the CTU gang perfected the use of triangulation during the glory years of “24” but they were tracking terrorists….grunt!
3:16 pm on January 4th, 2012
Bear!…It definitely was not s-h-o-e-s…grunt!
3:45 pm on January 4th, 2012
Thank you Wookie. And thank your dad.
3:47 pm on January 4th, 2012
Melanie and Masquers, Barb smoked years ago and stopping was the hardest thing she ever did. She also read comparrisons of tobacco and heroin. It is said that one gets addicted to tobacco faster than heroin. When she quit, it took her over a year to stop wanting a cigarette. Now the smell is very repugnant and she would never consider having another smoke. Probably the first one would make her sick, but soon she would be out there buying a pack. Bad, bad stuff.
4:53 pm on January 4th, 2012
Thanks for clearing this up, Wookie.
Bear, we think Spence and Admin are very happy that we used their conversation to discuss the subject in detail.
Barb and Masquers, Mom agrees about the nicotine addiction. She used to smoke and it took many times quitting for it to stick. She would quit for up to 6 months, and end up smoking again! It is very difficult for those who never smoked to understand. The way she finally quit was by getting a doozie of a hangover that was partly caused by how much she smoked the night before. She wasn’t able to smoke the entire next day, nor the next, nor the next. Then she finally said to herself “gee, lets just take this one day at a time and not smoke again because it will make me sick again”. That worked! She never gets cravings now …hasn’t since that hangover! But she agrees that if she had even one puff, she would crave them again. They are bad bad bad. She gets very sad when she sees young people smoke nowadays with all the information out there about how bad it is, and what she knows about how hard it is to quit.
4:58 pm on January 4th, 2012
Wookie took all those smart words right out of mouth. 🙂 Has this ever happened to you?
5:01 pm on January 4th, 2012
You killed me Pancho and Lefty!
We gotta go now…Pop will be home soon and we need to make him think we worked hard all day. So long!
5:48 pm on January 4th, 2012
Thick as thieves! Not only did Pancho and Lefty steal the smart words I rightfully stole from Wookie’s dad, they stole my avatar!
5:59 pm on January 4th, 2012
BearSpiritDog: I did have someone house sitting but I got the impression that she wasn’t here much. Dad recognized me but it was a quiet visit. He is less attentive; he doesn’t seem to care about his appearance anymore. We did watch some TV shows but he rested/slept a lot. I brought him Chinese take out for lunch one day and he barely ate it. So I’ve been depressed and sure don’t need the cold and the emergencies plus I am behind in taxes and the IRS is not sympathetic. I filed an extension the last two years and I sent them money to show good faith but I am behind in filing forms. A long letter requesting them to just wait until summer when I will retire did no good.
One of the reasons why I never smoked or did drugs is that I was afraid of being addicted to a substance that would eat up my money. In high school I remember studying the holocaust and how some of the prisoners would do almost anything for a cigarette and that made a huge impression on me.
6:05 pm on January 4th, 2012
C.Harris: sending you good thoughts from here!
I’d send you warm weather, but we don’t have any.
6:13 pm on January 4th, 2012
C.Harris: Like Melanie I also send good thoughts to you. At least you have retirement to look forward to. Do you think you’ll be moving?
6:17 pm on January 4th, 2012
C.Harris: Can you work out a monthly payment plan with the IRS? Perhaps when you call again you could connect with that department. They have been known to work with people that are in financials straits. However, we have noted that they are a stickler for filing forms on time.
Barb&Magpie: Book finished! On to the movie.
SnowBella: Heh. Pancho & Lefty: Word Thieves.
6:18 pm on January 4th, 2012
Melanie, B.Stover and the Plunders: thanks for your warm thoughts. I can always count on you. Back to sorting papers for taxes….and back to work tomorrow.
6:42 pm on January 4th, 2012
If Lefty and Pancho are going to be posting we are all going to have to look to our gloves!
6:42 pm on January 4th, 2012
Just got in from work and tried to catch up on today’s entries. If the legality of the sniffing dog is questionable, how about this case that I remember from years ago when I was dating a girl from NYC. One night a subway train was stalled on one of the elevated sections of track. A man sitting on that train watched a murder in an apartment building, but he wasn’t allowed to testify because looking through someone’s windows amounted to an invasion of privacy. How about that?
6:56 pm on January 4th, 2012
Bear, Are you going to critque the book, or are you going to wait and talk about both at once.
Tyb, That is just crazy. Law should be about common sense, too, and that makes none. He wasn’t being a peeping tom for heaven sakes!
Bear had some good advice for C. Harris. Try to contact a real person at the IRS and see if you can work out a payment plan till retirement. I am sorry that your dad is not doing as well as you had hoped.
7:10 pm on January 4th, 2012
Siber-H: still no info on the tracking during the Knik 200. Hope they get it up and running for this weekend.
7:15 pm on January 4th, 2012
Living in New York state would be a good reason to quit smoking. I talked to a waiter in a restaurant a couple of weeks ago. He pays $10.80 for a pack of Parliaments.
When I was working in a tobacco store years ago, people used to say, “When they start charging a quarter a pack, I’m quitting.”
7:17 pm on January 4th, 2012
Tyb: Two sides of the coin: one protects the innocent, the other allows a clever attorney to find loopholes in that law.
7:28 pm on January 4th, 2012
I live in New York State and these tax guys are unbelievable. Last year I owed them some money, so this year even though I have withholding, I’ve had to pay $75 extra to the state every quarter. $75 !!! Millionaires? Hah – they don’t care, but me? Oh yeah, they want that $75 ahead of time.
7:42 pm on January 4th, 2012
Charris: It sounds like you may need to spend some time at the center of the Plunderer quilt.
8:04 pm on January 4th, 2012
SnowBella: Thank dog for our Quilt!
Barb&Magpie: We’ll wait to talk about both after watching the movie. That should be sometime tomorrow.
The holiday decorations are now packed away for another year. Thinking about putting them up earlier next time so they can be enjoyed for longer.
8:09 pm on January 4th, 2012
Melanie, The tracker doesn’t start working until the race actually starts so I am hoping it will start then. Sometimes they have a few technical difficulties with the tracker but the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod get them fixed. I don’t know how it will be with a smaller race like the one this weekend. They won’t have the money that the two big races have.
8:14 pm on January 4th, 2012
I am assuming that when the race starts this weekend all we have to do click on the Live Tracking on the homepage and there it will be. That is the way it works in the Yukon Quest. It works that way in the Iditarod as long as you pay them the money. I think the cost is worth it.
8:26 pm on January 4th, 2012
Thanks Siber-H, I didn’t know if I was going to have to pay for it. I kept looking so I could sign up.
I am envious of a working fireplace. Yes, they are inefficient. But I’d REALLY like to sit in front of a fire right now. The heat is on but in a 200 year old house . . . airtight is not a word you can use.
Fingers are cold. Been looking for a flower and bling headband for FOTAS. We’re been having fun. I found one that I told her she could NOT wear . . . That should be below. The woman who owns it has it displayed with other things, But you can see the headpiece.
TTFN
8:52 pm on January 4th, 2012
BearSpiritDog: Yes, that quilt is sure something. I stole a nap there a bit ago when no one was looking, and I also left some snacks—Charris, help yourself to the snacks.
Melanie: Isn’t that bling a bit understated? 😉
T&G: Can you ask your mum to check her SDD between luring and taping the Kats in a box?
8:59 pm on January 4th, 2012
Winkelhimer!…The Painting Squirrel!…heh!snort!heh!…I’ve got to tell Rockie the Undercover Squirrel about this!….chorkel! ..Winkelhimer Smith is on the facebookie page just right of the comments section above…heh!
9:05 pm on January 4th, 2012
Before I forget, you will have to pay to follow AJ’s GPS in the Iditarod, but unless they’ve changed from previous years, the race this weekend is different. First, you don’t have to pay to follow the race. Secondly, they won’t have a GPS tracker (that I’m aware), yet they will post race stats periodically throughout the race. There is usually a delay between where AJ is actually on the trail and the updates, but if gives you an idea of what is happening on the trail.
9:15 pm on January 4th, 2012
Artist!….Winkelhimer is a girl!…heh!…I believe that Rockie has more talent in his tail than this little lady…snort!…What with him running my Bed Bug Be Gone business and his Rogue Marauding Goats side-line…sniff!…Yeh, I think he has a bit more going on in his squirrel head than this little Ms. Smith the Artist….chorkel!
9:19 pm on January 4th, 2012
C.Harris: I can really relate to your feelings about your father. It is so hard to watch a parent fade away…physically or mentally. Many of us are at that point in our lives where we are experiencing that loss. Accepting and dealing with the realities of the ever-changing new normals and the emotional reactions (theirs and ours) is never easy. Sometimes the best you can do is to realize there is a love that you share for each other. Please share the quilt with us.
9:26 pm on January 4th, 2012
Rebecca, That makes more sense for this weekend’s race because I didn’t see how they could have the money to do the Live GPS Tracking system.
9:47 pm on January 4th, 2012
Race!….So we can all sort of follow AJ and the Team this weekend during the Race?…sniff!… SiberH can you post the Link to the race again Friday night or Saturday morning because I’m sure there will be those of us who did not save the link that Melanie put up days and days ago…heh!
9:48 pm on January 4th, 2012
Dawson, check your SDD whilst I peruse the blog. I am late again today.
9:53 pm on January 4th, 2012
Rio, I’m cracking up because you have asked the wrong dog to post a link. Our talented Melanie can post a link or you can find the home page simply by googling Knik 200 Sled Dog Race.
10:01 pm on January 4th, 2012
Dear Bella,
I received a most wonderful calendar in the mail this week. I had no idea why I received it but Dawson just announced that she ordered it for me! Thank you thank you for it (and Dawson too) I hadn’t purchased any calendars this year and I received two as gifts. Just the amount I needed.
And Barb and Maggie I never did say how much I like Marjolen’s art work. I am a big fan of hers. Sometimes I buy her cards just for me. Sort of like Rio’s little gift cards. 🙂
10:16 pm on January 4th, 2012
Bella – Mama came home and let the Kats out of the (shipping) bag. So now you have to check your SDD
10:20 pm on January 4th, 2012
Staff, Did you see our earlier post about the name of the book with the snowy owl?
Also, we had no idea how difficult getting this Marjolein Bastin planner would be. The site where I ordered yesterday sent me a follow up and said they could not fill the order after all. Now we ordered from a 2nd one thru Amazon’s site, and so far this one looks like it will go thru. You are right, her art work is incredibly beautiful and so detailed.
Nighty night!
10:25 pm on January 4th, 2012
Staff: I’m so glad you like the calendar. I started to think that the MGs were successful at last. Natasha must be hard at work because you recieved it—whew!
10:37 pm on January 4th, 2012
I have this weekend off. I’m looking forward to the race.
B.Stover: I recognize that Mrs. Ramsey lived in a different time. Her life was totally dedicated to her husband’s and children’s needs even before her own. Personally, I think that is why she died young!
10:45 pm on January 4th, 2012
SiberH! Posting a link? Hahahahahaha WWRT (What Was Rio Thinking).
Hey SiberH: There is a new series starting next week called Arctic Air. It’s on CBC so you may not get it. Tupper and Gilly’s mom will be happy because it stars Adam Beach and another Indigenous actor who was a hockey player of some fame…I don’t know his name…I just heard that 2nd hand). I’m looking forward to seeing it.
10:49 pm on January 4th, 2012
Rio, my pug friend: Please check your SDD.
10:51 pm on January 4th, 2012
Siber-H: If you want to tag me in, I’m glad to post the like to the race on your behalf. I will post it on Saturday morning. I just spoke with AJ and he said that they might be doing some kind of GPS tracking, but he wasn’t sure. He said will no more after the musher’s meeting on Friday night.
10:52 pm on January 4th, 2012
Dawson, I won’t get the program. We never get anything on CBC unless they show it on one of our channels a couple of years later. Let me know if you like it.
Night All
10:55 pm on January 4th, 2012
Thank You Rebecca. I’m sure everyone on the blog would appreciate it. I’m rather agreeing with Dawson, WWRT
11:14 pm on January 4th, 2012
Grunt!… I was not Thinking apparently…snort!…Thanks Rebeccer for helping out with the damned link…gruffle!
Goodnight!…We are all off to our respective beds. Beau to his cold hard bed with just a nyla bone to chew on…heh!…Me to my warm soft bed with all my baseball toys in just the right places…chuffle!…Two plus months and counting…wheeze!
11:35 pm on January 4th, 2012
We have read about a million books on drugs and addiction and there are lots and lots of theories. Mom never tried drugs because she was pretty sure that she would like them too much. My boys have had their entire lives detailed because of drugs and alcohol, and they are convinced that they can quit for good on their own. They are still insured and are covered for rehab and counseling, but they do not see the need to seek help. I can offer and hope and pray, but the decision is theirs and theirs alone.
11:42 pm on January 4th, 2012
Wolfie: Please give your mom a head bump and request a belly rub. I think she needs it.
11:52 pm on January 4th, 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwNrmYRiX_o
Late night music from Dave Brubeck…Take Five
8:30 am on January 5th, 2012
Nice!
That late night music works for early morning too.