A federal judge in Atlanta sentenced a campus cop to 14 years in prison Friday for his role in a drug distribution ring that reached from Atlanta to Boston.

OK, there’s something just WRONG, WRONG, WRONG with that.

Not the sentence, but that it happened at all.

Crooked politicians UPset me – and from the way things are going in Georgia, I’m gonna’ be UPset a lot!

But, Crooked Cops UPset me even more!

It’s such a breach of trust. 

And it is more than disgusting when those who are supposed to UPhold the law, let themselves become above the law.

According to U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates, Richard Trong Ong, 37, was a police officer at Suffolk University in Boston when he distributed 20,000 methamphetamine-laced ecstasy tablets to co-conspirators. 

20,000…that’s some serious trippin’ dude!

He was arrested way back in 2005 at his home in the Boston area. 

Yet, he was tried in Atlanta.

An Atlanta jury convicted the Quincy, Mass. man in August after a week-long trial on “conspiracy drug distribution charges.”

He was the last man standing;  there were more than two dozen “co-conspirators” to be sentenced in the case.

His Atlanta trial was precipitated by the fact that his supplier, a Canadian named Chiem Mach, moved to Atlanta in 2004 to lead a smuggling outfit that imported hundreds of thousands of ecstasy pills from Canada to Atlanta, Yates said.  First Canada sends us Celine Dion, and then this!  Thanks a pant load!

Mach was arrested in 2005 but died in custody while awaiting trial.

Thanks Chiem for saving us the cash and checking out early.  After all, the state is a little strapped.

According to prosecutors, here’s what happened:

On August 6, 2005, Ong met with Mach in a downtown Boston restaurant after finishing his police shift.   Nothing fancy, just some Nachos and a few Brewskies. 

The next day, Mach’s drug courier delivered 40,000 ecstasy tablets to Ong.

Again, nothing fancy, no Louis Vuitton, just a plain old carry-on bag.

On Aug. 10 Ong, was arrested as part of a Drug Enforcement Administration investigation, and three months later Mach and most of the others were rounded UP.

Ong was convicted on charges of “conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute ecstasy and methamphetamine”, and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Julie E. Carnes to 14 years in prison plus five years of supervised release.

Who’s gonna’ watch him the cops?

There’s a point to this, and I get it.

Model Kristen McMenamy is featured in a new 24-page fashion spread in the September issue of Italian Vogue.  She wears oil-soaked black feathered outfits and looks as though she’s dying on the beach. Photographer Steven Meisel shot the controversial Gulf disaster-inspired images of McMenamy.  The photos show her caught in nets, flopping like a dying animal, and spitting UP oil.

Is good taste dead?

I thought fashion magazines were supposed to show women what they should look like.  And I’m sure someone will show UP at the Emmys wearing a BP inspired dress.  Fashion statements and political statements often pose as one. 

Hey Vogue, most women want to look pretty…that’s why they’re buying your magazine.  Powerful and disturbing images like the ones in September’s issue are designed to make consumers feel badly for consuming.  I find that a tad hypocritical coming from a magazine – after all, isn’t about 100% of the content aimed at consuming, and isn’t about 80% of magazine taken UP by advertisements?

Actually, Vogue, you’re on a par with BP!  Hey,  if you’re worried about the environment so much, save a tree yourself once in a while…skip issues like this

…a little bit of hypocrisy here, because if I could get away with it, I’d do it.

Wear PJs in public, that is.

Really, comfy, easy, breezy, and loose…gotta love it.

But seriously folks….NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

It just should not be done.

I’ve seen them at Wal-Mart, no surprise.

Kroger, again, no surprise.

Criminal court – Thanks, Michael

School – they aren’t supposed to, but some are really good at pulling it off.  There’s one kid, I’m pretty sure he went to clown school, because he wears PJ pants everyday, the bottoms are pulled UP to his knees, like knickers, and his socks always match or coordinate with the pants.  It’s awesomely inappropriate.

Really, he’s a fashion forward fellow, and I’m sure if anyone else could figure out how he “gets it all together”, they’d all be doing it.

But it’s wrong.

I’ve seen them at church, a viewing, and at the Doctor’s office…ok, maybe I’ll excuse that one.  Sick and all.  Poor baby.

Stars do it.

Sporting events – check out the guy on the bench!

And of course, I ‘ve seen them at NASCAR. 

BTW, underwear is required!

As to the rock concerts,  really gals, is it so hard to find a halter top made of flannel?  Could you at least match?

Again, The P in PJs doesn’t stand for PUBLIC!

We all do it, and we all get in trouble for it, and we all try to “fix” it, but … casual conversation can kill ya’!

Conversation is the window to someone’s personality, or personalities as it were.  When we hear someone talk, we make judgements on their intelligence, moral views, education, regionality, and whether we want to “friend” them on Facebook. 

And so do they!

There are those out there…and I’m not accusing anyone…who suffer from Bad Conversation Behavior, or BCB as I like to call it.

BCB can instantly de-rail a potential friendship, relationship, job interview, or business deal.  If you suffer from BCB, you need to know.

Here are some tips.

1.  Don’t be a ‘hijacker’.  This is bad not only at the airport, but in every social venue as well. 

Hijackers don’t let a breath pass between your final thought and their first.  You come to the thrilling climax of your story about Great Aunt Betty’s memory loss and BOOM!  They jump right in with a “one-UPper” about their Great Aunt Alice’s bank heist.

You know the type.  They weren’t listening to you, but they are quite sure you’ll listen to them.  They usually try to top your story, and may on occasion make little of it. 

It’s offensive.  And makes you feel like a victim.

2. Eye contact, there is a happy medium.

In one on one conversation, eye contact is important.  It should be direct, but not too intense.  You want to look at the person, not through the person you’re talking with.  And not too much straying, they want to feel as though your concentrating on this conversation with them, and not other things in the room.   However, don’t stare them down, they just might peg you for a serial killer.

3.  Don’t be the Horse Whisperer.  If I have to ask you more than twice what you said, the conversation is usually over.  Speak UP, speak out.  If it’s not important enough to project then it’s not important enough. 

I’m a ‘low-talker’ and often catch myself drifting off at the end of a sentence.  And people tell  me all the time that I have a soothing voice.  I’m not so sure this is good.  Granted, I could get the kids to sleep, and can still calm a fussy child, but I have to work on projection and enunciation all the time.

4. Inappropriate Humor.  There’s a time and a place.  Know your audience, and know the time and place.  And there are somethings that are never appropriate.  Yes, I know this is a stunner coming from me!

5.  Me, Me, Me…no it’s not all about you.  Don’t be a walking Tweet!  Let the other person talk. And after you’re done bloviating about the insignificancies of your life, listen to the insignificancies of theirs. 

6. Debby Downer – don’t be one!  When a conversation starts with “this sucks” or “my world is falling apart” there is a tendency to RUN, RUN, RUN.  Don’t be the person causing the audience to flee!  You don’t have to fake happiness, when you’re not, but life is not all glum all the time.

7. Don’t be a Dead End Boy.  ‘Yes’ and ‘no’ all the time are answers that reek of disinterest and disengagement.  Granted it is a great way to get rid of someone, but your best friend might just take offense! 

8. Don’t be a Word Processor.  Again, there is a happy medium.  Yesses and noes may say you’re not interested, but too much is still too much.  It can also say, “I’d much rather hear myself talk than hear you!”  If you talk too much, there’s a possibility that most of it will be forgotten.  The ‘take away’ will be that you talk too much.  I’m a talker, SURPRISE!  And often I find myself “fighting for mic time” in a conversation.  One of the hardest lessons to learn was “less is more”.  I still don’t get it sometimes!  Nevertheless, it’s a conversation, not a monologue, diatribe, or Phillipic!

9.  The Mr. I’m Smarter Than You.  You may be, but it’s never nice to point it out.  No one really cares if you read a chapter of War and Peace in Russian everynight.  There should be a balance in the conversation.  If American Idol is the topic and you don’t watch it, oh well.  But don’t expect your conversation partner to get anything from your report on the latest from NPR!  And don’t deride someone for watching what they watch.  I may not approve either, but others aren’t miscreants for not liking what you like!  And really, be nice, don’t obfuscate.

10.  The Shameless Self Promotor.  I’ll just leave that one alone, I really don’t know anything about that topic!