it's done

got a call on monday at just after 5 while i was in texas

they got the cheque at 4:57pm

it was deposited in my account on tuesday afternoon by my lawyer

more when i have the mental fortitude to tell you the details

i'm tired - still exhausted from a hard core 2000 mile drive (my parents) from here to texas in 3 days and a day long flight home wednesday and piling straight back into work on thursday

i have instructed my lawyer to update the divorce filing from 2007 and get it done

it should be done while i am in the sunny caribbean after christmas for 2 weeks

can you believe the stbx told my daughter she missed me?

maybe it's true,

but i think she should have thought of that before

aaaaaaarrrrgggggghhhhhh!!!!!!!

as sent to Smitten in an email moments ago:

my lawyer promptly called me back from the message i just left

the word he had on friday was that they had the bank transfers

her lawyer, that is

[my lawyer] "had a run in" with [her lawyer] and told her "come on - this
much time - this can't be anything but stalling"

her lawyer denied it

[my lawyer] pressed them for interest, because the only one getting the
benefit is her [stbx]

they promise expeditiousness

he thinks that even her lawyer is complicit in stalling, and considers
it to be quite improprietous professional conduct

he thinks maybe we'll see some cash this week...

day 19 of 7...

email to lawyer:

Subject: bank says i'm still on the mortgage, and there are no flags to indicate a transfer...

i just got off the bank with the branch in an official phone call to them about the status of the mortgage that my name is on

they tell me that there are no flags or messages with regard to the mortgage being transferred

they said something might be on a mortgage officer's desk, but that nothing shows in their system, and that they can't give me anything other than what shows up under my name

the lady told me that unless i can give them the name of a mortgage officer who is being dealt with they can't get any more information

is there any proof she has even talked to the bank?

is there any proof being offered by her lawyer that she/they are doing anything other than jerking me around some more?

----

called [property registry]

my name is still on the property title and there is no indication of a title transfer request on the record

----

i am seriously choked

19 days of 7

stbx at the bank

i have been floating in a void of no information

i have been harassing my lawyer daily

he is sick of this. he is only doing family law because my lawyer is on maternity leave, and the other family law lawyer left the firm. so the others have to pick up the cases.

he is sick of the stbx and her bullshit - terribly

in one of our meetings he told me he "now understood" my anger and frustration when he looked at the the file - which is about 6 inches thick...

he sent me this email on friday

Re: day 15 of 7 - any word on anything?

[cadbury], I am out of the office most of today. I did hear that mortgage documents were the issue and I have followed up.
-----Original Message-----
From: [cadbury]
To: [lawyer]
Sent: 11/27/2009 10:17:18 AM
Subject: day 15 of 7 - any word on anything?

has anyone on the other side even returned a phone call?

is there any information on anything?

[cadbury]

i was not satisfied with this amount of information because i believe the stbx is not acting in good faith and is actively stalling for every day she can - it is her pattern - a minute, and hour, a day, a week - stall, stall, stall

so i went to the bank. i am still on the mortgage. i was going to talk to a mortgage officer and find out if there was "anything i needed to do, or needed to instruct my lawyer to do" to facilitate disposition of the title transfer. iwas going to be utterly sincere, explain how i don't talk much with the stbx, but that she had said there was some kind of authorisation thing that was held up, and that she had told me that i needed to sign something at the bank - and could they tell me what i needed to do or have my lawyer do

they wouldn't tell me very much, but what they would tell me would verify whether she had even been to the bank to talk to them, and might allow me to glean a little information

i was, and am, of the opinion that she hadn't done anything and that it was only the threat of suing that would motivate her

----

i got to the bank

i was waiting for the mortgage receptionist to get off the phone, when

guess who walked in?

the stbx

she looked directly at me, but gave no acknowledgment. i gave none to her either.

she turned her back to me and waited

i waited for a minute because i had not anticipated this possible situation. i thought she would be on her way to work at that moment.

then i left

at least we know she was at the bank and waiting to talk to a mortgage officer...

day 14 of 7

still no money

still no word from my lawyer

my lawyer seems to be avoiding my calls

as of yesterday the property registry says my name is still on the registry

title transfers take 3.5 days with another day for transmittal...

fuck

7 days (and holding)

sent the following to my lawyer:

Subject: any word on settlement payment?

as above

not expecting they will have it done, just wondering if there is any
word as to their progress.

the thing that i am fearful of, is that she/they have done essentially
nothing and will stall for 2 or 3 weeks on getting this done

----

lawyer called me back to say that all he has heard is the whistling wind

he hasn't even been able to reach her lawyer(s)

the agreement says i'm supposed to get my money 7 days from signing. it's now 9 days since the fully countersigned documents were returned to her lawyer

he has left a voicemail reminding her of the 7 day provision. he advised them that we understand that it might take a day or two extra, especially with the Remembrance Day holiday in there. he reminded them that we are now in a position to take enforcement action against them and force the sale of the house, among other remedies. he has asked for their estimate of when it will be done.

----

daughter told me that the stbx told her flat out that she was stalling as long as she could because "she thinks she'll be broke as soon as she pays you"

as always, if they say it isn't about the money - it's about the money...

Jewish Santa

I'm going to be out of country (driving my parents to Texas [hopefully meeting Sicilian while down there - she lives very near our route]) when the clinic's childrens' Christmas Party is on. I would have been Santa otherwise.

But, being as I will be some 2000 miles away...

And being as there is a shortage of males on staff, and the various husbands and partners are not very good sports [grump].

The boyfriend of one of our staffers is going to be Santa.

He's from New York (metro). He's Jewish. He's studying to be a Rabbi. Lived in Israel on a Kibbutz and all the rest...

(I am friends with them - he's hilarious)

This is one of the funniest absurdities I have encountered in some time.

(He says that he wants to be known to the adults as "Morty Claus" from Macy's.)

Hey - Jesus was Jewish too...

illness screening centre

i am being somewhat circumspect in my language in this post because i don't particularly want to pop up on any search engines for the normal terms used.

as you are aware the hospitals and medical system here is government run and paid for. there are private clinics (usually owned by the doctors at the clinic) that bill to the government. the private labs also bill the government - it's sort of hybrid between a full state system and an insurance/HMO kind of deal - except no-one gets turned down. the medical care insurance commission (which may not be even called that anymore) is a giant bill paying centre. you show up at a medical practitioner, show them your health card (government issue), and everything else is just auto-magically taken care of. all the billing is direct between the provider and the government. no deductables, no forms (patient forms - the provider sends all the paperwork and electronic billing).

lots of the specialists are on salary and some level of fee for service.

i work in a large co-op clinic (theoretically "owned" and controlled by the members) that is "arms length" from the government/department of health, but is fully funded by the government.

the emergnecy departments are being swamped by people with flu symptoms. over 300 a day (our community only has about 350,000 people at most in urban/rural coverage area)

300 people a day extra is a fair volume.

so our clinic volunteered to be the screening centre - regular and the "porcine" variety. we have all been immunised for a couple of weeks already as health care workers (some staff didn't get immunised, but only a couple)

it's really interesting to be part of this kind of an organisational effort to "tool up" for handling this. everything from needing metal garbage cans (sterilisation), parking logistics, line ropes, ordering extra masks, blah, blah

it's really kind of cool

i am totally a "systems" guy. i love knowing the tiny details about how things run, and all the little tricks and bits that allow systems to run - everything from manufacturing plants to laundry facilities to sewage to power plants and grids to road crews - i'm on it. physical plant and methods of organisation. i want to know. every detail.

this is neat

also, being the new guy and the "man about the house" in the circle of 56 long term employed women, i'm culturally less likely to be all bitchy about all the extras that have to be done to make this work. i am afraid that my long term employed/unionised comrades (i'm union too - former shop steward and provincial labour council member, i might add) are concerned more with how this might inconvenience them, than in just getting the job done...

so, even though i'm the computer guy/privacy officer, i fix toilets, buy garbage cans, put up rope lines, move furniture, run cables and power, paint, cover open areas and wipe walls with germicides

i figure i'm being paid to work. this is a special situation, and everyone can bend a little to meet the need.

there are a lot of sick people out there and there will be a lot more when this peaks in the projected 4 - 6 weeks.

it's still pretty neat

and further fucking around begins...

so i sign the documents this morning.

my lawyer [R] says that the stbx's lawyer [J] has advised him that the stbx says that financing is not in place. nothing is prepped. she [J] says.

the stbx has been telling me and the mediators that everything was ready to go and that all i had to do was sign the transfer agreements. since june she's been saying this.

now, nothings done. they say.

fuck

well, it's predictable. at least the agreement is signed and it stipulates that they have 7 days to come up with the money. they signed it.

i will so sue. and so fast.

i have a contract now. they will have some defense against a suit if they can prove that they are diligently and expeditiously following up on their end of the contract. but if they try to delay for any reason, i will be so on their ass.

i have something to work with now

she doesn't have all the control anymore

whomever said "possession is nine-tenths of the law", sure knew what they were talking about. but now i have a contract (settlement).

----

i told my lawyer to complete the divorce proceedings. i filed a year or two ago, but it was never completed. he is sending the sign-off documents when he returns their signed copies of the settlement so that the stbx can sign the divorce stuff right away - the stbx will have to go in to sign various transfer documents. we'll see what her reaction is to having the divorce papers that fast.

i hope it makes her ears bleed

----

i have requested my lawyer draw up a new will to replace the interim documentation that i had put together after separating.

i am establishing a trust for my kids money - no-way they are getting their hands on any cash until they are much older and straightened out a bit.

i am putting in some provision for Smitten

and that's pretty much it

i don't have much

$350,000 or so in life insurance through the Knights of Columbus, i have to check and see what my work group life plan is... and then whatever is left of any assets after debts.

i figure i put the $350 towards the kids, and the rest to Smitten.

not that i'm planning on dying soon

you see, now i have a life to live

she signed

she signed the settlement

today - they waited until 4:47pm to have it arrive at my lawyer's office - 5pm was the deadline for the deal to be off.

the last deadline was friday at 5pm. they said thursday that they would sign on friday, because otherwise we would be in court. and then at 3:30pm sent my lawyer an email that said that the stbx had another urgent matter to attend to (turned out to be changing her parents' shower head). they promised monday. this morning i sent back a note that said that i would not extend the deadline again and that my lawyer had instructions to draft the court documents to be delivered to the court on tuesday morning.

4:47pm

3 years, 4 months, 9 agreements and deals with numerous side deals, 2 formal lawyer drafted agreements later

she signed

fuck i hate her

i hate her so much

her actions all the way through say what kind of a human being she is.

i am so better off without her

as much as i can keep her away

she can still fuck me around on taking her sweet time on paying me - even though there is a 7 day clause - she'll still fuck with me

as soon as the papers with my signature are delivered to her lawyer, my lawyer has instructions to file the actual divorce documents

waiting

soon

attention Canadian Maritime reader

did you move from Halifax to a neighbouring province?

i still don't know who you are

(you also use a mac and firefox [and that's all i know...])

someday you should say hello - even if only as an anonymous comment

i hereby dub you "Maritimer" if you don't have an ID

3 weeks wait, still pending

three weeks ago i dropped off the draft agreement

three weeks ago she said it looked swell

two weeks ago she said she'd be signing it by that friday

last week i told my lawyer (my lawyer has been a total slackass) to tell stbx and her team that if we didn't have a response by friday we'd be in court

late thursday we get a note saying they'll be with us on monday

got a response today with yet more retarded and bizarre demands

and more attempts to bilk more money out of me

i sent my response to my lawyer for drafting

and wait some more

----

more on this tomorrow (maybe)

can it get worse? oh, yes it can...

maybe i'll write more, maybe not

i'm so shellshocked i'm in a stupor

----

as part of the review of the statutory rape stuff with daughter there is also a mandatory family and environment review with regard to the minor involved (daughter).

i'm not in any danger

once again, i'm the only sane human being involved in the whole process. so the "authorities" review the situation and conclude that the stbx is nuts, that my children are fucked, but there is nothing they can do because there is one sane person in the picture.

and bad parenting and being a wingnut freak is not something they can do anything about. they can't intervene when the stbx hits daughter, as long as it isn't very much...

they can't order her into counseling because she doesn't pose a "clear danger" to daughter

they can't even officially urge anyone to go to counseling

but they can lump all the case details together and dump it all on me and tell me i need to try to get everyone involved to go for counseling. and try to get them to not be so fucked.

i hate this

----

it looks like my idiot son managed to incriminate himself

one of the things that came out in all of this is that there was some sexual interplay between son and daughter in the summer of 2006 when they were on vacation with their mother

(why is it that all the crap seems to happen on her watch, hmmm?)

it was not intercourse and it appears to have been a one time event

but son was 14 and daughter was 10 at the time. so he may get charged.

probably not, but he might

i'm not paying for a defense lawyer if he does. he's 18 (in a week) he can go to legal aid. he would get charged as a minor because the event occurred as a minor.

even though daughter initiated it - self admittedly - he was old enough - there's no excuse.

----

i know that shit happens between brothers and sisters sometimes... it's in the fucking bible...

it was a one time event, i'm told

so, i can cope with the event

there is no indication that he was acting in a predatory manner

the police and children's justice have reached that conclusion as well

----

there has been a bunch of spill-over behaviours and other shit that now makes sense to me

including son's anger about something that he would never discuss

some of daughter's weird sexually expressive behaviour (hanging out in skimpy bra and panties) around son...

----

i am really unsure of how to process all of this

i guess the thing that really infuriates me is that son didn't think through the consequences of his actions when he went to the police

there are spillover consequences for a whole lot of people - this doesn't just affect him or her and spills out in a lot places to a lot of people

this is a small enough community - if word of all of this crap starts to leak out it is going to make life very uncomfortable for everyone - but especially for daughter who still has to go to school...

the rest of us can leave and hide and things

----

son is out of control

i had already packed most of his shit

i am packing the last of it

i've asked for my keys back and told him he is not welcome here. not because of what he did with his sister (i still don't have the full details on what went down) but because he is out of control and i don't trust him

he is disloyal;

self-centred;

hypocritical;

self-righteous (without any basis for that righteousness);

and is not a team player.

he is dangerous to have anywhere near me.

i don't want him around. all of this could have been dealt with in counseling and in a softer manner. the police have only some fairly blunt instruments to use - like criminal charges

----

he was pressured into reporting this by his cousins

got all worked up and told to be a hero

and then left dangling

without having thought everything through

i believe that the stbx and her sister (cousins' mother) manipulated this set of events. it fits their past actions and profile.

they just had no clue of anything beyond the statutory rape stuff with the older guy

----

the police/children's justice would have had to be involved at some level because the counselors would have been legally bound to report it - and so they should - but if it was already in intensive counseling things would have gone a different way...

----

i cut off his phone and cut off his gym membership. i will still have to pay them out - $250 to buy out the cell phone contract. another year on the gym at $50 per month - but i can extract some of that value in extra training and benefits for me

daughter still isn't going to exercise

so that's another wasted $50 a month for her membership too

----

no good deed goes unpunished

----

either i have some serious karmic shit happening to me from a past life...

or, i don't know what

----

how does this happen?

really

i'm a nice guy

a really nice guy

how does this happen?

i try to be good and accommodating and nice

and what?

----

Smitten says that no-one who gets involved with a person with borderline personality disorder gets out unscathed

----

my lesson

the one i have really learned

don't accommodate anyone or anything

my way or the highway

in any situation now, if something strikes me as wrong or not the way i want it i am pushing back

it's a new behaviour

but the whole good christian/socialist/nicey nice thing has just seen people run over me and use me

i've decided that until someone proves themselves to be a thinking human being that conforms to my notions of loyalty and thinking ability...

that i am going to treat them in exactly the manner i would treat a dog

i like dogs

i like dogs a lot

but they are not people

they have their own sense of the universe and most of that sense has to do with who is up and who is down

if one dog allows another dog to steal its food the other dog will

they have a highly defined power hierarchy

and the big dog snarls and kicks the shit out of the others

----

you see

there are no points and little respect for being nice

people will treat you the way that you allow them to treat you

and if they think they can push or shove or finagle their own way

they will

without regard for what happens to you

without regard for you

and if you are always generous and accommodating - they will perceive it as weakness

and treat you as weak

and treat you without respect

----

no more

august, september, october pics

the above is Tony Bennett. yes - the Tony Bennett - as taken from my cell phone (Tony is the standing/singing figure). got free tickets, went to see him with Smitten the other night. a good reminder of what life and its trials and tribulations has beaten out of us. we are going to try to do more fun things and have more fun.

and less burden...


a previous attempt at living - a sunday afternoon jazz session at a little cafe in small artsy town near our city


a meal like we eat together

the yams and the plate on the right are smitten's - her dietary limitations continue. we don't know what to do. but this one allergist thinks they might have an idea.

she's down to being able to eat about 9 things - on a good day... she gets pain pretty much any time she eats anything


my vitamins

when i was 13 (like my daughter is now) i never imagined i'd be 44 sitting in an apartment by myself counting out my vitamins because i have a stress disorder because of my psychotic ex...

there were more porsches and beaches and private jets

at least i have the hot babe girlfriend part of my adolescent fantasy ;-P


(picture posted with permission)

We both like this pic because of the contrast, and even the graininess of the picture

Smitten's groovy dual screen set-up in her home office. It's hard to believe this lady was anti-computer 3 and a bit years ago. Now she has 3 laptops among the 5 computers now in her house (she will be ditching one of the desktops with her most recent acquisition of a laptop for her daughter (she also has an additional work laptop...)

I had arrived at Smitten's place one night a few weeks ago with cold beer and several bottles of wine (unfortunately she can't drink wine for the time being - trial and error has shown that she can tolerate a few ales, gin, and Glennfiddich 12 year...). She was just wearing underwear and a t-shirt and I decided it was time to nibble on her leg to tease her. She was doing research on her computer. I wandered out after spending some time nibbling... when I arrived back she had changed into the above outfit to tease and bait me in return.

It was very warm, so I decided to lie down on the hardwood floor (a cool place with a good view) and was inspired to take a few cell phone pics from that vantage point.

Please keep in mind, these pictures were just what they were - not intended for posting - just farting about with a cell phone and having some fun. Now shared with friends.

----

being mindful of the four pillars is one of our goals that we have renewed

hence Tony Bennett, hence Sunday jazz

return to living a life of joy

stuff

they are going to charge the two guys that daughter got together with (on separate occasions...). they are waiting until a more senior detective gets back to do some more stuff on the case.

----

2 sessions of the eating disorder group so far

had an epiphany

the leaders asked us to do some free-association with words - pumpkin pie, broccoli, raw oysters, turkey and so on. my word - really, this is true - the word that popped up with every food except for raw oysters (sex) was "mom"

the group leader (my co-worker) said - alright then - i think this shows some continuity, [cadbury]

they did an exercise where we were supposed to identify triggers for eating. examples were things like watching a movie, thanksgiving, celebration and such, bad day, "deserve a treat". none of the triggers that the others identified did anything for me. the rest of the group is women. all the triggers worked for them. not for me.

so i thought "when do i binge?"

when i am hungry AND after having to remain in control and even keeled for an extended duration. when i'm weak and frustrated.

then there was an exercise about how food is used. for example to soothe a child.

the leader asked "what elese could we do for that child?". someone said "hold them", "give them a hug"

all of a sudden out of my mouth pops the sarcastic and loudly stated:

"I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU'D DO ANYTHING. WHY WOULDN'T YOU JUST SAY "SUCK IT UP", GET OVER IT. GET YOUR HEAD SCREWED ON STRAIGHT. STOP SNIVELLEING. WHY AREN'T YOU DOING SOMETHING MORE IMPORTANT? LIKE BUILDING A STRUCTURE OR A MULTI-STORY BUILDING OR SOMETHING? wouldn't that be more effective?"

(i don't believe any of the above and have never practiced it)

the lady sitting next to me says "i agree with him. just tell them to suck it up"

i said "uh, that's not my opinion - it's my dad's"

and then it all started to come together

and i realised

control
discipline
duty
order
responsibility
don't cry
don't shirk
what is the use of play when there's work to be done?

Dad

food
love

Mom

just when it can't get any better

[i've been trying to write this since friday... but it just won't come out]

my son goes to the police and reports the statutory rape of his sister (you remember Plan B...?) when daughter(13) the 18 year old dude come into her room on that july sunday morning and have sex with her...

he doesn't tell me he's doing this - he's asked about it, but not said he was going to do it. i had told him what happened when i called in about it - when the police wouldn't take my report and said i had to go talk to a lawyer first...

he texts me to ask me what day it happened. i won't answer because i don't want him to shit on his sister more. then he texts me he's in the middle of filing a police report

anyway - lousy narrative here - but i am having such problems typing this

he files. i ask him what he wanted to accomplish, and what he expected this to do, and how he sees his move playing out.

he doesn't have any answer except that this might make his sister stop - as he calls it: "whoring around" - and that it would put fear into any older teens that might think about banging her.

i cannot even begin to describe how much danger there is to inviting the police and social services to come investigate your lives unless you are fucking mary poppins.

anyway - the detective interviewed me friday. it went ok - he seems intent on only dealing with the statutory rape issue. we'll see how social services deals with the situation.

he interviewed daughter on saturday

i talked to the detective today. everything is going ok for now.

i am very worried about daughter. she has gone silent and distant.

i think she's numb - can't accept this adult outcome

she was always ambivalent about her actual sexual activities - even if she thought she really wanted them and thought about sex all the time

and now the two guys have been charged. both over 18.

this on top of all of son's other erratic behaviour, i am quite concerned. i intend to ask for his keys back. i have just dismantled the bunk bed. her will not be moving back in until i see serious behaviour changes and i believe i can trust him again

----

there is so much more to say on all this, but i am so stunned and overwhelmed and fucked over by all this i just can't formulate the words

overeating group

so i'm in the lunchroom at the clinic here, and i am talking about women and my mother and such, and i crack off with an old line of mine "Food loved me long before anyone else did... except for maybe my mom - and you know - mom's and food... food is love..."

it elicited the usual yuks. except not from our nutritionist, who said "sounds like you should be coming to our group"

a group hosted by her and one of our clinic psychologists. a group on overeating and/or using food as an emotional crutch.

it was sort of a throw-away line from her too.

then i had to fix the computer and projector while the afternoon group was on - and heard some of what the people in the group were saying

and it really hit home - they were saying a lot of the same things i have in my battle with food and eating

i thought about it for the afternoon

then i signed up

my first group session is 12 minutes from now

she phoned

i dropped off the agreement last night. my lawyer sent it to her lawyer, but her lawyer was busy and didn't respond and didn't send it to her.

i know, because i called and asked

so i dropped a copy off

she called this morning. she said it looked pretty good as far as she was able to read and interpret the legalese.

she wandered into how she really wasn't ripping me off (after i pointed out that i was absorbing the whole cost of her bad investment ($3000) instead of half, like would really be fair (among other points)

according to her, the fact that she was the primary earner when we paid off my student loan 20 years ago is the reason she should get more...

whatever

i just said that the whole thing wasn't really debatable - but that she shouldn't claim hardship because she's getting a really good deal

i cut the call off fairly quickly

however, it sounds like she's going to bite

that would be so great

i can't wait

settlement , separation, interspousal agreement completed and sent to her lawyer

now comes the waiting

it may be over soon

voicemail

[update] if you read this in original form, but haven't read the update at the bottom - you'll want to check it out [update]

voicemail from about 6:05 yesterday:

Hi [cadbury] it's [stbx]

I just got a call from the police

and I think you should ask your young son, there

what his run in with the police was

it wasn't very serious

but... his activities are starting to catch up to him

aahhhhhhh, he didn't get charged, Lief did

they only charged him with, uhhhhhh, violation of the property act

but, they did find him in possession of marijuana

so, our young son is going to be 18 in November

and I am kind of glad this happened because he is starting to see... that... there's consequences

but you might want to talk to him

you might not

i just thought i'd let you know

since you are indeed a par... his...

parent

and you might want to know that he's had a little run-in with the law

over... over this

and he might or might not want to discuss it with you

b-bye

[click]

----

[UPDATE]

fucking stbx...

mountain out of a molehill

for God's sake. what an asshat!

"violation of the property act"?

i thought his buddy had done a break and enter or something - which would be out of character - but that is what crossed my mind...

they crossed some railroad tracks in a switching yard while walking between some friends' houses...

----

we have Railway Police here, as do many countries around the world - including the U.S. In fact, CN (Canadian National) and CP (Canadian Pacific) Railway Police operate in the U.S. as a private police force in several regions bordering Canada where Canadian railway companies bought pieces of U.S. railways. For example, in the US three railway police services, Illinois Central Railroad Police, Grand Trunk Railway Police and Wisconsin Central Transportation Police amalgamated into the CN Police Service. CP Police are deployed throughout the CP Rail System in the USA.

"The appointment, commissioning and regulation of railroad police under Section 1704 of the U.S. Crime Control Act of 1990, provides that: "A railroad police officer who is certified or commissioned as a police officer under the laws of any one state shall, in accordance with the regulations issued by the U. S. Secretary of Transportation, be authorized to enforce the laws of any other state in which the rail carrier owns property."

It is important to note that Section 1704 also states that this police authority is to "the extent of the authority of a police officer certified or commissioned under the laws of that jurisdiction". While a railroad police officer may have general peace officer authority in some states such as California, they are limited to the railroad's property in other states.

The status of railroad police officers varies by state, in that they are commissioned by the Governor of the state in which they reside and/or work in and they may carry both state level arrest powers and some interstate arrest powers as allowed by 49 USC 28101. Although railroad police primarily enforce laws on or near the railroad right-of-way, their police officers can enforce other laws and make arrests off of railroad property depending on the state in which they are working.

Depending upon the state or jurisdiction, railroad police officers may be considered certified police officers, deputized peace officers, or company special agents."

"Railway Police Services are responsible for all aspects of railway security. They are duly appointed and armed police officers that gather their authority in Canada via the Railway Safety Act.

The Railway Safety Act (Canada) is a federal act that allows for any Federal Railway to appoint officers as Police Constables. These railway police constables have all the powers of a regular police officer as it relates to the protection of property owned, possessed or administered by a railway company and the protection of persons and property on that property. Railway Police are unique in Canada as they are essentially a private company that employs sworn Police Officers. These officers were trained at the RCMP Academy until 2005, and are now trained at one of the provincial police colleges.

In Canada officers are federally sworn under section 44.1 - Railway Safety Act granting powers as Police Constables and have the same powers of arrest as any police officer in Canada as 'Peace Officers' under Section 2 of the Criminal Code of Canada. Their federal oath of office primarily directs their duties 'on and along' the lines of the CN. Officers also have special provincial appointments which allow for them to extend provincial enforcement outside the boundaries set under the Railway Safety Act of Canada, except in Quebec.

Some of the crimes railroad police investigate include trespassing on the right-of-way of a railroad, assaults against passengers, terrorism threats targeting the railroad, arson, tagging of graffiti on railroad rolling stock or buildings, signal vandalism, pickpocketing, ticket fraud, robbery and theft of personal belongings, baggage or freight. Other incidents railroad police investigate include derailments, train/vehicle collisions, vehicle accidents on the right of way, and hazardous materials releases.

The primary goal of Canadian Rail Police officers is protect rail commerce and rail infrastructure. The three main focused mandates are:

1) Traffic enforcement and collision investigations, to reduce deaths and injuries along rail lines and properties. 2) Criminal and provincial investigation including Crime Prevention (CPTED.) 3) Public Safety and Awareness Education."

- almost all of the above ripped off from wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_police

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Pacific_Railway_Police_Service

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_National_Railway_Police

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they had just smoked a bowl while they were walking

the guy smelled it and demanded they cough up their dope

they did, he wrote a trespassing ticket for the one guy amongst the three of them that was older than 18, and kept the dope and the dude's pipe - and they called the stbx

fuck

while it may be a run-in with the law, her penchant for drama must has overcome her again

you see - the stbx has gotten what she wanted - her son moved home

now,

because she is incompetent as a parent and as a human being, she is trying to draw me back in on parenting issues (more details on that in a different post) - after slagging me for so long about my parenting - and blaming me for everything that goes wrong

(just like she is trying to blame me for daughter having sex with that dude - when it happened at 10:30 am just a few feet from her bedroom - because she was "too tired" to drive him home

but it's still my fault)

aaaarrrrgggghhhh!

but i digress

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yes - a brush with the law

about as rough as a speeding ticket

a ticket for crossing railroad tracks