Disclaimer: This article may contain the viewpoint and opinion of the author
Paul Pelosi has had a couple of bad weeks in the news. But, when you are a multimillionaire you can afford to have some bad press and publicity. After all, you are wealthy beyond measure, plus your wife is the Speaker of the House and arguably the most powerful woman on the planet.
Paul is the husband of Nancy Pelosi, “aka” the most powerful woman in the world. The 82-year-old investment tycoon got arrested for Driving Under the Influence injury resulting. It occurred in June in Napa County, California. He wrecked his 2021 Porsche on the way home from his vineyard.
Police arrested him when he crashed his vehicle into a wooden fence. There were injuries involved in the accident and Paul’s blood alcohol content was reportedly .08 percent at the time of the crash. After stopping at an intersection, the car was struck in the rear bumper of the vehicle.
The story keeps getting worse for Paul. The report states he handed officers his driver’s license and an “11-99 Foundation” card when they asked for his ID, according to released court documents.
The 11-99 Foundation is a California Highway Patrol charity that supports officers and provides scholarships for their children. People who donate usually receive the card in response.
There are dozens upon dozens of organizations that ask for donations on behalf of police officers. Each one of them will send the person a business card, a sticker on the back of the card, or, in some cases, a challenge coin.
The implication is because you have donated, you will get this small gift in return. It is a gift you can use during an interaction with a police officer that will get you preferential treatment from that officer.
The thing is, and people don’t understand this, the groups involved with the charitable donation have nothing to do with Police Departments or Police Officers. There are only a tiny fraction of organizations related to actual law enforcement.
Utilizing those cards and stickers is rather useless. It’s not going to get a person anywhere. I have had people hand me those cards and expect preferential treatment. Nope. I’d rather you simply be as nice and cooperative as you can be and I would do what I could for the person.
Discretion is the greatest power a police officer has and trying to influence that discretion by using something like a charity card, good luck. I’m not saying there aren’t times officers cut people breaks. Of course, there are.
Family members often receive the benefit of the doubt. Confidential informants sometimes receive the benefit of the doubt. It is up to the officer to decide if the situation allows for it.
It got worse for Paul because reports suggested he had more than alcohol in his system. However, that does appear incorrect. The wording on the criminal complaint usually states under the influence of intoxicating alcohol or drugs. It is unlikely the drug rumor is accurate.
Perhaps this is why the Speaker decided to hop on a plane and travel around the world to visit Taiwan. She just needed to get away even under the threat of being shot down by the Chinese.
Perhaps this is why the Speaker decided to hop on a plane and travel around the world to visit Taiwan. She just needed to get away even under the threat of being shot down by the Chinese.
