Monthly Archives: September 2013

Texas Trooper Cleared in Helicopter Drug War Killings

"Trooper Miguel Avila was aboard the Department of Public Safety (DPS) chopper as it participated in the pursuit of the pickup. DPS said Avila believed the truck, whose bed was covered with a cloth, was carrying drugs, and that he opened fire to disable it because the fleeing vehicle was headed toward a school zone. (The shooting took place on an unpaved rural road.) The truck crashed after being fired upon. Police found no drugs, but instead found nine Guatemalan immigrants and a teenage driver. Six of the Guatemalans were in the bed of the pickup covered by a cloth. Two of them, Marco Antonio Castro and Jose Leonardo Coj Cumar, were fatally wounded by Avila's gunfire." Continue reading →

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Crooked cop admits to stealing $6K from DA’s office

"A crooked NYPD detective pled guilty last week to stealing nearly $6000 from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office where he had headed a wiretap and surveillance squad. Michael Bazerman, an 18-year veteran, copped to misdemeanor official misconduct, forfeited his $70k a year pension and medical benefits – worth an estimated $3 million – and must pay full restitution. The Staten Island father of two faced up to 7 years in prison on over 300 counts of grand larceny, forgery and other charges for submitting bogus expense reports to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office from 2009 to 2011." Continue reading →

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The Attack on U.S. Property Rights Continues

"If Mayor McLaughlin delivers on her threat, banks will view mortgage lending in Richmond as a riskier investment. As a result, banks will make it harder to get loans in Richmond by requiring higher down payments to minimize the risk of the mortgage going underwater. They will also likely demand higher interest rates to compensate for the increased risk of lending in that market. According to Wells Fargo, Newark (NJ), North Las Vegas, El Monte (CA), and Seattle are all considering similar plans. Taken together, they will further contribute to the decline in the security of property rights in the United States and further jeopardize our economic prosperity." Continue reading →

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Lavabit’s Owner Appeals Secret Surveillance Order That Shuttered Site

"The owner of the encrypted email company Lavabit has formally appealed the secret surveillance order that led him to defiantly shutter the site last month. But the details of the case were immediately placed under seal in the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, records show. The Texas-based email service shut down on August 8, blaming a court battle it had been fighting, and losing, in secret. In a statement announcing the closure, and in subsequent interviews, Lavabit owner Ladar Levison complained that he’s prevented from revealing exactly what the government asked him to do, or who it was targeting." Continue reading →

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6 Whopping Government Misstatements About NSA Spying

"Whistleblower Edward Snowden’s leaks about NSA spying have set off a fierce global debate about security and privacy in the internet age. The revelations of the United States performing mass surveillance on an international scale have also unleashed an avalanche of government misstatements aimed at defending, or even denying, the NSA’s dragnet surveillance. We’ve gone through them and picked out some of the biggest whoppers." Continue reading →

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United States military deployments – Wikipedia

"The military of the United States is deployed in more than 150 countries around the world, with 172,966 of its 1,372,522[1]active-duty personnel serving outside the United States and its territories. Most of these overseas personnel are deployed in combat zones in the Middle east, as part of the War on Terror. The following are countries, listed by region, in which U.S. military personnel are deployed. The most current numbers are based on United States Department of Defense statistics as of December 31, 2012.[1] These numbers do not include any military or civilian contractors or dependents. Countries with fewer than 75 U.S. personnel deployed are omitted." Continue reading →

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UN report: Afghan insurgents use marijuana fields as hiding places

"The amount of Afghan farmland planted with cannabis fell by nearly a fifth last year after one province launched a fierce eradication campaign, but a bumper crop meant that actual production rose compared with 2011, according to the UN. Overall Afghanistan produced 1,400 tonnes of commercial cannabis resin in 2012, worth around $65 million, the report estimated. Government efforts to stamp out poppy farming may even push up production of cannabis, the report warned. Last year the UN said Afghanistan’s importance as a source of resin for world markets might be growing as more farmers switched to the crop." Continue reading →

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Feds will continue to jail pot dealers ‘in all states’

"The White House has pledged to continue to jail those who traffick in marijuana or sell it to minors — even in two US states where its recreational use is now legal. Deputy Attorney General James Cole defended the federal decision not to challenge new laws legalizing marijuana in Colorado and Washington states. Cole pledged that in addition to blocking cannabis cultivation and distribution, US authorities would work to prevent the export of marijuana to places where the substance is still illegal, 'whether the state has legalized it or not.' And he added that Justice Department officials 'reserve the right… to challenge the state laws at a later time.'" Continue reading →

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Ex-TSA screener threatens LAX on eve of 9/11 anniversary

"Early this morning, members of a federal task force arrested Alpha Onuoha, a screener with the Transportation Security Administration who quit his position. According to Federal Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Laura Einmiller, Onuoha had been suspended recently, but suddenly resigned his position Tuesday afternoon and allegedly left a 'suspicious package' for another screener at TSA’s LAX Headquarters. The package is believed to have contained an eight-page letter in which Onuoha allegedly discusses the incident that led to his suspension, as well as his general feelings of disdain for the United States." Continue reading →

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Mobile Crime-Fighting App Gives Police Instant Database Access

"More than 600 San Francisco Police Department officers started using the app Monday, giving them access to internal SFPD, California DOJ and federal law enforcement databases. An additional 1,000 officers with the department are expected to participate in the initiative by the end of 2013. Emergency 911 call histories will also be accessible via the device, along with data records used by law enforcement including booking photos, DMV records and criminal histories. Agents can use JusticeMobile on their iPads to check potential gun buyers at weekend firearms shows statewide by checking names against the Bureau of Firearms Armed Prohibited Persons (APPS) database." Continue reading →

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