Another Week Staring At The Question Mark

Well, a week after the phone interview with Unemployment and they said they will be sending me the claim forms to fill out for all the weeks I’ve been out of work since July 15.

They never sent them. Now I have to attempt to get through to them today to see what the status of the investigation is, as well as beg for the oft-promised, never-received claim forms. I’ve already tried calling them nine times this morning, but their automated service keeps hanging up on me after it’s 25-minute info-dump.

Then there was the meeting Tuesday with the Labor Board. Seth and I arrived expecting to see the ex-boss sitting across the table from us with his usual smarmy self-confident grin. But he never showed up. We were told that he was granted extra time due to “extenuating circumstances“. Whatever the hell that was.

So they gave Seth and I a form to fill out, then I was called into the meeting room for a one-on-one with the case worker. He wanted to go over the figures with me to make sure there were no mistakes. Then he told me that a “Final Formal Hearing” would be held sometime in September and as soon as the date was set, whomever failed to show up for that (he or me), would forfeit their claim. And they told him that no matter what the “circumstances”, he had better show up.

I know he will be there for that one because he won’t part with any amount of money, no matter how much his guilt was spread across the table in front of him.

I plan to bring up a settlement at that hearing that, if his attorney is worth his/her salt, will probably encourage him to take. If he pays the FULL amount owed and shown on my Labor Claim Form ($18,817.56), then I will drop the pending lawsuit against him that could end up costing him at least four times that much in the end…as well as all court/attorney fees. I personally doubt he’ll go for that or any judgment against him, as (while working for him) I witnessed him stating that if he stalled the process long enough, whomever had a claim against him would always give up and walk away.

.

Rest assured Seth and I gave him notice that we have absolutely no intention of EVER walking away from this until it’s inevitable legal conclusion has been reached and he has paid for what he’s done.

And, again, I’d like to restate something here that seems to be getting lost on some of our readers (hence their rather stern emails)…

I am not one of those people who looks for and pounces on ANY opportunity to sue someone. I don’t look for the slick spot in the isles of Walmart; Walk face-first into a (clearly marked “OUT OF ORDER“) automatically-opening door at the grocery store and I don’t intentionally order something at a restaurant that I am clearly allergic to.

Hell, back in 1996, I lost 75% of the vision in my right eye due to an infection I got while waiting in an emergency room…and I didn’t sue the hospital!!! (yeah, I know…lol)

No, I don’t look upon the current circumstances with Unemployment, Labor and Pending Lawsuit against this ex-employer as my “road to riches”. I honestly have no clue WHAT the man will be ordered to pay by either case. But when I say that I want this man to pay for what he’s done, I mean what he’s done not only to me, but to every employee he’s wronged (which is all of them – past & present) and every tenant he’s screwed (some literally, then evicted) over. He’s gotten away with so much for so long and it’s time he FINALLY shown that he is, in fact, NOT above the law. (ask him, he’ll tell you to your face that he IS!!!)

I know I ain’t nobody’s “Norma Rae“, nor do I plan to be (until I go back into politics). But I’ll be damned if I’m going to let this bastard get away with what he put me (and by extension Seth) through. Eight months of living hell.

Oh, and don’t tell me (Mike75) that I haven’t had it any harder than anyone else. Ordinarily I’d be the first to agree with you…except for the fact that this person is vicious, immoral, malicious, violent, cruel, vainglorious and a gazillion other adjectives that you’d use to describe Satan. Most people wouldn’t last a month with that man (he’s already lost two managers just since I left there July 15), much less eight. That should serve as testament that I would rather work things out than sue for nothing (krazkimm).

Anyway, I need to get back on the phone, that automated recording isn’t going to just hang up on itself, you know.

Have a great week, all.

Teaching Kitty On The Short Bus

Kitty trying for two mini-tennis balls.

I have been having a bit of trouble lately trying to train both Kitty (our dog) and Puppy (our cat). Puppy has fixated on getting up on things she KNOWS she shouldn’t, probably out of either boredom or bad “cat”-titude or both. But since I’ve always had cats, I’m kinda used to her unwillingness to cooperate.

I think Kitty is harder because I haven’t really had dogs – especially a little one like him, that’s Seth’s department – and his inability to learn (especially boundaries) keeps me both perplexed and agitated…constantly.

Let me give you a list of just some of the things I am trying to teach Kitty (unsuccessfully) in order for him to be a good Dog.

1. I will not eat the cats’ food before she eats it or after she throws it up.

2. I will not roll on dead seagulls, fish, crabs, dead mice, etc., just because I like the way they smell.

3. The litter box is not a cookie jar.

4. The sofa is not a ‘face towel’.

5. The garbage collector is not stealing our stuff.

6. I will not play tug-of-war with Daddy’s underwear when he’s on the toilet.

7. Sticking my nose into someone’s crotch is an unacceptable way of saying ‘hello’.

8. I don’t need to suddenly stand straight up when I’m under the coffee table.

9. I must shake the rainwater out of my fur before entering the house – not after.

10. I will not come in from outside and immediately drag my butt.

11. I will not sit in the middle of the living room and lick my crotch.

12. The cat is not a ’squeaky toy’, so when I play with her and she makes that noise, it’s usually not a good thing.

13. When I have an “accident” inside the house, I shouldn’t get pissy when Daddy doesn’t give me a treat as a reward.

About the only “talent” we’ve seen out of this dog, so far, is the following…

All of my efforts, thus far, have achieved nothing more than to make me want to buy a pet more easily trained…like an alligator snapping turtle.

Maybe my efforts to train Puppy to attack Kitty at will will prove to be more entertaining…

Sunday Funnies – Let’s Face It…

Okay, I’ll admit, I’m on Facebook.  But I am not one of those annoying people who keep sending you those even-more-annoying invitations, shots, drinks or other apps.  Nor am I there to post useless information for the masses…after all, I have THIS place to do that, right?

Here are 12 of the most annoying types of Facebook users:

1. The Let-Me-Tell-You-Every-Detail-of-My-Day Bore. “I’m waking up.” “I had Wheaties for breakfast.” “I’m bored at work.” “I’m stuck in traffic.” You’re kidding! How fascinating! No moment is too mundane for some people to broadcast unsolicited to the world. Just because you have 432 Facebook friends doesn’t mean we all want to know when you’re waiting for the bus.
2. The Self-Promoter. OK, so we’ve probably all posted at least once about some achievement. And sure, maybe your friends really do want to read the fascinating article you wrote about beet farming. But when almost EVERY update is a link to your blog, your poetry reading, your 10k results or your art show, you sound like a bragger or a self-centered careerist.
3. The Friend-Padder. The average Facebook user has 120 friends on the site. Schmoozers and social butterflies — you know, the ones who make lifelong pals on the subway — might reasonably have 300 or 400. But 1,000 “friends?” Unless you’re George Clooney or just won the lottery, no one has that many. That’s just showing off.
4. The Town Crier. “Michael Jackson is dead!!!” You heard it from me first! Me, and the 213,000 other people who all saw it on TMZ. These Matt Drudge wannabes are the reason many of us learn of breaking news not from TV or news sites but from online social networks. In their rush to trumpet the news, these people also spread rumors, half-truths and innuendo. No, Jeff Goldblum did not plunge to his death from a New Zealand cliff.
5. The TMIer. “Brad is heading to Walgreens to buy something for these pesky hemorrhoids.” Boundaries of privacy and decorum don’t seem to exist for these too-much-information updaters, who unabashedly offer up details about their sex lives, marital troubles and bodily functions. Thanks for sharing.
6. The Bad Grammarian. “So sad about Fara Fauset but Im so gladd its friday yippe”. Yes, I know the punctuation rules are different in the digital world. And, no, no one likes a spelling-Nazi schoolmarm. But you sound like a moron.
7. The Sympathy-Baiter. “Barbara is feeling sad today.” “Man, am I glad that’s over.” “Jim could really use some good news about now.” Like anglers hunting for fish, these sad sacks cast out their hooks — baited with vague tales of woe — in the hopes of landing concerned responses. Genuine bad news is one thing, but these manipulative posts are just pleas for attention.
8. The Lurker. The Peeping Toms of Facebook, these voyeurs are too cautious, or maybe too lazy, to update their status or write on your wall. But once in a while, you’ll be talking to them and they’ll mention something you posted, so you know they’re on your page, hiding in the shadows. It’s just a little creepy.
9. The Crank. These curmudgeons, like the trolls who spew hate in blog comments, never met something they couldn’t complain about. “Carl isn’t really that impressed with idiots who don’t realize how idiotic they are.” [Actual status update.] Keep spreading the love.
10. The Paparazzo. Ever visit your Facebook page and discover that someone’s posted a photo of you from last weekend’s party — a photo you didn’t authorize and haven’t even seen? You’d really rather not have to explain to your mom why you were leering like a drunken hyena and French-kissing a bottle of Jagermeister.
11. The Maddening Obscurist. “If not now then when?” “You’ll see…” “Grist for the mill.” “John is, small world.” “Dave thought he was immune, but no. No, he is not.” [Actual status updates, all.] Sorry, but you’re not being mysterious — just nonsensical.
12. The Chronic Inviter. “Support my cause. Sign my petition. Play Mafia Wars with me. Which ‘Star Trek’ character are you? Here are the ‘Top 5 cars I have personally owned.’ Here are ‘25 Things About Me.’ Here’s a drink. What drink are you? We’re related! I took the ‘What President Are You?’ quiz and found out I’m Millard Fillmore! What president are you?”

You probably mean well, but stop. Just stop. I don’t care what president I am — can’t we simply be friends? Now excuse me while I go post the link to this story on my Facebook page.

Preparing For Battle

The day of my first court confrontation with the ex-boss is just around the corner (next Tuesday, to be exact) and I still have no clue how it’s going to turn out.

This one is at the offices of the Labor Commission and we are arguing our case for the 654 hours of overtime I worked that the ex-boss still refuses to pay.  Now I hear from them (Labor Office) that the ex-boss told them he will not be there for the arbitration.  Usually both parties are supposed to be present to make their case in front of their panel (or whatever it is).  When he told them he wasn’t going to be there, they told him that if he isn’t there, then he has to choose to settle the case (because they only have 30 days to settle the claim).

Here is what he’s looking at:

• 32 unpaid Saturday’s – total of 192 hours.
• 462 unpaid hours that were worked after office hours.
• 8 months of overcharged rent he overcharged by $300 per month)

That last one I wasn’t even aware of.  The guy from the Labor Board told me about this when he called to tell me that ex-boss wasn’t going to be there.  Apparently if you aren’t “Exempt” and are an “On-Site Manager” in California, the owner can’t charge more than 2/3 of the monthly rent on the unit you live in.

The total that the ex-boss owes me (according to the Labor Board) is $14, 148.18.  They asked me what I would be willing to settle for and Seth and I agreed to settle for the 192 Saturday hours and the overpaid rent amount.  So the settlement we came to (just to get the asshole to pay) came to $5,527.20.  The Labor Board has sent him a letter telling him that either he comes in or has to at LEAST provide a check for the settlement.

I guess my issue is that I know this man.  His “saying” that he won’t be there on the 25th tells me there is something to worry about.  He doesn’t say or do ANYTHING without some sort of ulterior motive.  And if there is anything he hates more than being proven wrong, it’s paying one red cent for his financial mistakes.  Hell, every payday was an agony for his employees because when he’d actually give them their paychecks, he’d cuss them out saying they were ripping him off and did nothing to deserve being paid.  He even told me once that if I were truly a loyal employee, I’d sign my check back over to him because he needed the money more than I did.  This is why he would wait one to two weeks AFTER payday to actually give us our checks.

I know that I have a good case against him (all documented, of course) but I can’t help being a little nervous.  This man has proven time and time again that there is nothing he won’t stop at to lie his way out of all the sticky situations he gets himself into.

Oh, and I just looked at my calendar and it seems the day before the Labor Board thing (Tuesday), I have to go to the Unemployment office because he’s challenging my right to claim unemployment on the grounds that I left on my own.  My argument is that after he and his bookkeeper called me a “FAG”, after all the times he cussed me out and called me names, after all the times he’s call tenants the “N” word, after all the times he’d start fights with tenants in the office (to the point of violence) he’d run out of the office so that I would have to deal with it (very scary), after NEVER having been paid on time EVER (not to mention the above unpaid overtime)…I felt COMPELLED to leave.  Especially in the last month, I felt that I was going to be hurt by one or more of the tenants he’d fought with.

Now I don’t know whether or not that’s actually reason enough for Unemployment, but I can NEVER be convinced that I made the wrong decision.  Ever.  Seriously, who in their right mind would CHOOSE to be unemployed these days unless they felt their work environment was unsafe and their boss was TRULY unstable???

Okay, so now it’s late at night and I’m still getting all my documents organized.  There is so much (I’ve even got copies of paychecks showing when and how late they were given) and since neither appearance (Monday or Tuesday) tells me what papers (if any) I need to bring with me.  So I want to have all of it there each day…just in case.

This coming week is really going to be stressful.  Not because of the cases, because I am ready for those come what may.  I just hate being in the same room as that philandering, stealing, lying, greedy, law-breaking evil man.

Well, think happy thoughts for us.

My next update will be Monday after the Unemployment hearing.

Have a great weekend, all.

Who They Are Talking To?

The People Obama Is Talking To

.

The People Republicans Are Talking To

What Does Your Doormat Say About You?

Watching the news lately has been taxing, not to mention frustrating.

It does, however, prove that there really are a lot more stupid people in this country than I had ever imagined.

And by “stupid” I mean…

• Ignorant
• Prejudiced
• Racist
• Weak-Minded
• Suspender-Wearing
• Clod-Hopping
• Robot-Fearing

…and there are so many more adjectives I could throw out there, but that would just be overkill.

This whole Healthcare Reform issue is a great example. It really says a lot about how dumb people here are when they will scream at the top of their tobacco-blocked lungs how they don’t want government getting involved in their healthcare…all the while they are enjoying the benefits of Medicare/Medicaid/VA.

I say if you want to spout out such ridiculous proof of your 3rd grade edumacashun, then you should also be DENIED Medicare!!! But then you’d bitch about losing your God-given right to government-provided healthcare.

I swear, those of you wanting to regurgitate the utterly fucked up bumper sticker tag lines handed down to you by your God-fearing Representatives/Senators deserve exactly what you are bitching about…no benefits from the government whatsoever!!! Seriously, you think the government should stay out of your life and not put it’s finger in your personal peanut butter jar?

Fine.

Better & Cleaner Than The "Death Panels"

Then send your name to Washington so that they can boot your ignorant ass out of ANYTHING provided to your hypocritical ass BY the government. This includes your healthcare, your Marriage Rights/Benefits, etc.

Maybe YOU should all take your weak-minded society-sucking behinds TO those made-up “Death Panels” and really put them to some good use.

This all kind of reminds me of our current search for the perfect new doormat.

(go with me on this…)

Seth and I have been trying to find something appropriate to put outside the front door.  And us being the way we are, we want it to practically SCREAM “us”.  I thought this would be a relatively simple task, considering we are pretty “simple” people (okay, so when some people called us that, they may have meant that in a different way than I would have).

At first, I wanted something bordering on tasteful and a smidge formal.  It’s the latent pretension in me, I suppose.  I mean, who doesn’t want those standing outside their front door (leaning heavily on the overworked doorbell) to know they are visiting class and taste?

But then Seth reminded me of just how weird we truly are and that that, in itself, called for something more befitting our strangeness and insanity.  He has a point, after all…we DID name our dog “Kitty” and our cat “Puppy”.

He really has his heart set on one that says “Go Away”.  Ironic, considering how much he wants more people to visit.

I think I have found one that – taking into account our modest-yet-lived-in furnishings (not to mention our limited mental capacity) – pretty much sums it all up.

What do you think…..?

If you've ever visited, you'd know it's true.

So, you’re probably wondering what all of this has to do with the current healthcare debate, right?

Well to me (and keep in mind, I’m kinda messed up) it reminds me of how a lot of politicians pick and choose certain words/sound bites that they know will appeal to certain kinds of people.  They know they have no tangible argument to support their condemnation of an issue (such as healthcare reform, gay marriage, social security to name a few) and also have absolutely no alternative ideas.  So they look out to their waeker-minded constituents and hand them some fancified words that will scare them into a frenzy…even if what they are being fed is untrue and irrelevant.

These politicians send their minions out door-to-door and there is one little bit of data they collect that I’ll bet you never thought of.

That’s right…their doormats.

Here’s what stands out to them:

“God Bless America”

“Wipe Your Paws”

“Home Sweet Home”

“Welcome” (the “W” is four times larger than the rest of the word)

Anything Sports-Related or with a Cross-Stitch Needlework Pattern

These people tend to be (percentage-wise) more Republican/Conservative-leaning and yes, this data is collected and retained.  These folks are also more likely to spread any unfounded rumors (many times unwittingly) that are shoved into their heads, either at their front door, in the mail, at the pizza parlor, church, etc.

It’s true.

Don’t believe me?

I WANT YOUR MEDICARE!!!!!

Just go up to any home with elderly people who have a “God Lives In My Garden” doormat and tell them the government is going to put ROBOTS in charge of their Medicare and watch them poop dust.

So when I watch the news and see yet another kookie wild-blonde-haired old lady asking another Democratic Senator or Representative, “Do you read the Qur’an?”, it just shows me the Republicans/Conservatives/Pharma/Health Insurance Industry has found yet-another cat hair-covered doormat to belch out their rhetoric for them.

And they will stop at nothing in order to wipe their feet on the rest of us.

Oh, and by the way, here’s the doormat I actually picked out for OUR doorstep…

Yeah, just like us, it's reversable.

Depends on your view…

This pleases Seth.

Birthday Boy

From The Tempest Online™

It’s His Birthday…Now What?

Seth’s 26th birthday is tomorrow and I am still trying to figure out what to do to mark the occasion.

Seth Making A Decision

It’s bad enough that he actually has to work that day, but to make things worse, he also has to work tomorrow night at his part-time job.

About the only thing I could think of is to wait until this weekend and do our celebrating then.

But what can we do? Every time I ask him what he wants to do for his birthday the conversation kinda goes like this:

Me: “What do you wanna do for your birthday?”
Seth: “I don’t care. Whatever you feel like.”
Me: “But it’s your birthday. What sounds interesting to you?”
Seth: “I don’t know…anything I guess.”
Me: “How about dinner?”
Seth: “Okay.”
Me: “What kind of food? Any place you especially want to go?”
Seth: “Whatever you feel like.”

So I’ll decide to temporarily jump off that derailing train and pounce from a different direction.

Me: “Well, what about a gift? What would like?”
Seth: “Honey, you don’t have to get me anything…You’re the best gift I’ve ever gotten and that can never be topped.”

(okay…so that last part was my words, but hey, at this point in the conversation, at least I can answer questions!!!

It’s pretty apparent by this time that I’m getting nowhere fast with the ambivalent birthday boy. Then I remember this is how it goes every year on his birthday.

And Christmas.

And any weekday that ends with “Y”.

And you know, as much as I think I know Mr. Indecision, my first thought is to give him exactly what he asks for…

WHATEVER I WANT!!!!

So…I guess it’s Happy Birthday To Me…(which is September 4th, just in case you forgot)…

And I do know what I want!!!

Boston Liar

After referring to a black Harvard professor as a “banana-eating jungle monkey” in an e-mail, a Boston police officer, after being suspended is suing the city.

“If I’m charged with a crime I want a chance to answer. I want the chance for a fair hearing,” Officer Justin Barrett said today.

Barrett has apologized and denied he is a racist.

His lawsuit claims his civil rights have been violated; Barrett’s lawyer said the words referring to Henry Louis Gates, Jr. were misinterpreted. Barrett fired back with a federal lawsuit charging that the city is violating his civil rights and causing him to suffer post-traumatic stress disorder, sleepless nights and damage to his reputation. The 18-page lawsuit accuses the three parties (Police Department, police commissioner, and mayor) of “conspiring to intentionally inflict emotional distress and conspiring to intentionally interfere with the property rights, due process rights, and civil rights of the plaintiff.”

“The choice of words were poor; but they weren’t meant to characterize professor Gates as a banana-eating jungle monkey,” attorney Peter Marano said. “They were meant in a response to behavior and characterizing the behavior. Not the person as a whole.”

Marano said the city had effectively fired Barrett, though he is officially suspended with pay.

He said it was fair to hold Barrett to a higher standard than the general public because he is a police officer, but that he was still entitled to express his opinions.

“Being held to a higher standard shouldn’t eradicate his right under the First Amendment for free speech. That is part and parcel of the lawsuit,” the lawyer said.

Gates was arrested at his house last month when a neighbor called police after she thought she saw a man trying to break into Gates’ home. The man turned out to be Gates himself, who was attempting to free a jammed door.

The incident sparked a national debate about race and policing, drawing in President Obama himself.

Obama, who is a friend of Gates, said the officer who arrested the professor “acted stupidly,” but then withdrew the comment, saying he did not know all the facts when he spoke.

He hosted Gates and Sgt. James Crowley for a beer at the White House to calm the tensions.

Barrett later sent a mass e-mail about the encounter to other officers and to the Boston Globe newspaper. Read the full text sent to the Globe below…(spelling and other grammatical errors are included)

Article writer, That was, by far, the worst article I’ve ever read. I am a former English teacher, writer, current police officer. father, husband and military veteran. You need to be corrected and I certainly hope others have attempted, for your written messages and material is so 4th grade level. I am embarassed I paid the 1.50 for the paper [rest assured, it is my aim to tell as many readers The Boston Globe and your biased reporting is both sub standard and strictly one sided]. For you are not professional and basically, your writing is ridiculous. A reader may assume, per your article, that criminals are never well-dressed with a tucked in polo [2nd paragraph] . Your defense [4th paragraph] of Gates while he is on the phone while being confronted [INDEED] with a police officer is assuming he has rights when considered a suspect. He is a suspect and will always be a suspect. His first priority of effort should be to get off the phone and comply with police, for if I was the officer he verbally assaulted like a banana-eating jungle monkey, I would have sprayed him in the face with OC deserving of his belligerent non-compliance. Further [5th paragraph], a reader may assume that crimes only happen in back alleys at 0300?! You’re kidding me, right? Are you still in the 5th grade, Catholic School? That paragraph was as pathetic as jungle monkey gibberish – I might as well ax you the question. “Is this your first test at reporting?” You do not understand roles, tactics and dangers police officers face, as apparently you think no one wearing a polo might possess a firearm or knife on his/her person. Might you fathom a woman could be a criminal? Or are criminals all hairy, dirty, stinky, mean looking ugly men? You are a hot little bird with minimal experiences in a harsh field. You are a fool. An infidel. You have no business writing for a US newspaper nevermind detailing and analyzing half truths. You should serve me coffee and donuts on Sunday morning. My last point counters your final 2 paragraphs, in which you state Gates is “this immensely famous expert on race” – you really have to be kidding me? Famous for what? Expert why and says who? What has he done for me and my family? What has he done for the law enforcement community or military veterans or to secure freedoms and our borders in this country? What has he done to help limit and reduce my income tax? He has proven to work to get himself attention and become a wealthy lecturer. He lectures students on the subject of racial ethics and profiling. Jee whiz. I must attend that lecture lest I lose my identity and right to free speech and the right to celebrate God and beliefs as I see fit. I am not a racist. but I am prejudice towards people who are stupid and pretend to stand up and preach for something they claim is freedom when it is merely attention because you do not receive enough of it in your little fear-dwelling circle of on-the-bandwagon followers. You mention Gates’ charges were dropped but that it was too late to stop the damage? Damage? Still kidding? You need to serve a day with the infantry and get swarmed by black gnats while manning your sector. Or you just need to get slapped, look in the mirror and admit, “Wow. I am a failure. I am a follower. Who am I kidding?” Again, I like a warm cruller and hot Panamanian, black. No sugar. Your final statement reads, “Gates, whose great success has allowed him to transcend the racial divide-” to which I ask, when did he transcend? He indeed has transcended back to a bumbling jungle monkey, thus he forever tremains amid this nation’s great social/racial divide that makes it a free and great nation mixed with crazy and awkward differences. Go ahead, ax me what I think? Gates is a goddamned fool and you the article writer simply a poor follower and maybe worse, a poor writer. Your article title should read CONDUCT UNBECOMING A JUNGLE MONKEY – BACK TO ONE’S ROOTS. JB

Barrett was suspended from his military duties as captain in the Army National Guard and placed on administrative leave from the Boston Police Department pending the outcome of a termination hearing.

Barrett said he was moved to write the note because he believed a Boston Globe column about Gates’ arrest “seemed like it was biased.”

“It did not show the roles and duties of a police officer and how dangerous it already is without having a debate about people getting in a police officer’s face, which should never happen at all.”

Asked what led him to choose to use such language, he said, “I don’t know. I couldn’t tell you. I have no idea.”

He added, in response to a question, that he had never used such language before.

Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis denounced the e-mail.

Barrett used the “jungle monkey” phrase four times, three times referring to Gates and once to the Boston Globe column.

He also declared that he was “not a racist but I am prejudice [sic] toward people who are stupid and pretend to stand up and preach for something they say is freedom but it is merely attention because you do not get enough of it in your little fear-dwelling circle of on-the-bandwagon followers.”

According to a statement from Boston police, Davis took action immediately on learning of Barrett’s remarks, stripping the officer of his gun and his badge.

Barrett’s arrests and investigations will be reviewed for indications of racial bias, Davis said. The department will also look closely at the officers who received or viewed the e-mail.

Sunday Funnies

Where's The Altzheimers?