Romero lead a force that policed a city with broad swaths of barrio and ghetto (fed by prison families from Chino) pressed against hill side mini-mansions and ultra-suburban planned developments. He had every opportunity for conflict and strife within the ranks and the community. How many lawsuits from his staff did he face? How many of his cops got hurt? How many questionable use-of-force incidents did he deal with? What sort of gang wars did he have to quash? Barley any at all.

Yet, this is the kind of chief who gets the boot? For what? For pursuing a strategy of enforcing the law equally for all - from illegal immigrants to mayoral canidates. Most people in the world PRAY FOR a chief who would be so even handed. In 2008 America, he gets fired. Remarkable.

I actually saw a copy of the "silencing memo."

I've not written about Monrovia for the LAT.... we're a very small fish in that pond... but I have written from the "aggrieved outsider" position on several issues therein, including in the old "Outside the Tent" section. If you're interested, read my blog.... www.robertcjparry.typepad.com,or just Google my name, with initials.

I've even broken news in the LA Times!!!!

I have a degree in journalism and write for newspapers (in an opinion capacity). Can I be a journalist?

Hey, gotta root for the home kids! Plus, it's not a bad way to attract hits. Sorry the Apaches didn't do as well in the playoffs!

Interesting. I searched the term on their Web site and came up blank. Base don your comment, I re-did it and came up with several, though mostly they just post comments on existing posts.

Anyway, I stand corrected.

Ah heck, I got exclamation points to spare!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For goodness' sake, don't waste turkey stuffing (especially not on an idea thief)!

UPDATE: I put a comment on the Trib's blog regarding theFCblog's live blogging effort. It was deleted after about 45 minutes. Not quite as pathetic as the breaking news about the kid who was bitten by a parrot Monday night, but close.

Tried that in the test run, didn't go so well. Might try to email them and upload otherwise. Of course, I can't upload a hotdog or the smell of popcorn. Don't wanna miss that, do you?