Death & Taxes

An Arizona man who shot at firefighters after they refused to get his cat out of a tree has been sentenced to five months in jail. Jeffrey Francis Cullen, 59, of Kingman, was also ordered to be on intensive probation for five years as part of his sentence, handed down Friday by Mohave County Superior Court Judge Robert R. Moon
Cullen called the Hualapai Valley Fire Department on Aug. 17 and reported a tree fire, but once the three-person crew arrived, Cullen told them he wanted his cat rescued from the tree.
Fire Department spokeswoman Sandy Edwards said a battalion chief told Cullen to call animal control or to wait for the cat to get hungry and come down.
The response apparently incensed Cullen, who went inside his home, got a small handgun and came out shooting.
The firefighters fled, taking with them a 12-year-old boy who had come to see their fire truck. None was struck.
Cullen was facing four counts of aggravated assault and one count of disorderly conduct involving weapons. Under a plea deal, Cullen was found guilty on the four assault charges as non-dangerous offenses, and the disorderly conduct charge was dismissed.
He faced up to three years and six months on each count, which would have been served concurrently, according to the agreement.
"Firemen, they shouldn't have to be subject to that," Moon told Cullen before handing down the sentence.
Cullen admitted to deputies after his arrest that he had been drinking.

"My main thing is going to stay off of alcohol," Cullen told the judge.
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Information from: Kingman Daily Miner







Chicago Tops L.A. To Bid For 2016 Games

Is this headline a little gay or what? They don’t have to rub it in!
Los Angeles made a good pitch for the games. And anyone who lived here in 1984, the last time L.A. hosted the games, still gets misty-eyed when they describe the experience! The world-class sportsmanship? Yea, that was nice. The universal spirit of brotherhood? Sure! Loved it! But what really makes Angelenos nostalgic is the unbelievable LACK OF TRAFFIC!! Freeways actually moved! Cross streets weren’t parking lots! Of course that was about 12 million Angelenos ago!


Another thing I love about this country:

So I’m coming home from L.A.X. tonight (thank you Dallas for welcoming TheGayGardener so warmly!) and the traffic is horrific!
The 2 right lanes heading west on La Tierja are completely blocked! What the hell?... Then I remember! It’s TAX DAY! It took me a while to realize because it’s the 17th not the 15th (some Papal dispensation or something) Anyway, there is literally about 300 people lined up in their cars at the Post Office at the airport because that’s the last open P.O. that will post mark your filing with today’s date. Hundreds of folks lined up waiting in their cars on a cold April night, to give Uncle Sam their due! To pay for the privilege of living here. Oh sure, some of these people are just lazy; or are actually getting money back. But the truth is, those who know they’re getting a refund, file in January or just as soon as they have all their W-2s. I’m certain a decent majority of these citizens, who MAY still even be waiting in that line I observed & dozens like it across the country, OWED money to the I.R.S. & were waiting til the last second to actually write the check. But write it, they did. With the full knowledge that the Federal government that they were issuing the check to would use it in ways they find objectionable, immoral or even wasteful. Yes, as LEONA HELMSLEY famously said “Only the little people pay taxes!” But I think that’s HUGE! And Leona is still in jail for tax fraud isn’t she?