Teen Rots in Jail for Facebook Joke; Cop Who Talked About Killing Michelle Obama Gets Vacation

"Justin Carter, 19 was arrested for making an off-color joke to a friend about a MOBA* computer game they were playing. For this transgression, Carter was not just investigated, but arrested. He's been in jail for months now, held on $500,000 bail. Across the country, in Washington, D.C., a very similar situation has had a very different outcome. D.C. Police Officer Christopher Picciano, 'a 17-year veteran who was a member of the elite presidential motorcade detail,' will be suspended without pay for a little over a month after joking about killing the first lady, threatening to go on a shooting spree, and calling Pres. Obama a communist." Continue reading

Continue ReadingTeen Rots in Jail for Facebook Joke; Cop Who Talked About Killing Michelle Obama Gets Vacation

Cop Fatally Shot Unarmed And Mentally Ill Man, Forbade Family from Giving Him CPR

"Showing 'total lack of awareness,' a Sacramento County sheriff’s deputy awoke a mentally ill man and then shot him to death in his own bedroom, the man’s family claims in court. Theodore and Karen Rose sued Sacramento County, its Sheriff Scott Jones, and Deputy David McEntire for the wrongful death of their son Johnathan Rose, in Federal Court. He says in the complaint that though he called 911, he did not overdramatize the situation or indicate that Johnathan was on a rampage. After Ted Rose’s 911 call, Johnathan calmed down enough to take his medication and fall asleep. More than an hour later, Deputy McEntire showed up at the Rose home." Continue reading

Continue ReadingCop Fatally Shot Unarmed And Mentally Ill Man, Forbade Family from Giving Him CPR

Troopers remove woman from Texas Senate for berating Republicans

"A woman’s testimony against an extreme anti-abortion bill in Texas was cut short when state troopers escorted her out of the state Senate. The Senate committee was holding a hearing on legislation that would ban abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy and enact strict regulations on abortion clinics. She mocked State Senator Donna Campbell (R-New Braunfels) for framing herself as an expert on reproductive health even though she was an ophthalmologist. After this, Chairwoman Jane Nelson interrupted Slamen and told her not to disrespect the senators. As the two began to argue, state troopers grabbed Slamen and escorted her out of the room." Continue reading

Continue ReadingTroopers remove woman from Texas Senate for berating Republicans

30,000 California inmates launch hunger strike against ‘state-sanctioned torture’

"At any one time, California holds about 12,000 inmates in extreme isolation, including some who have been in windowless boxes known as security housing units (SHUs) for decades. They are allowed out for an hour a day to exercise – some in a yard, others in a kennel-size cage. Supporters say the strike is a legitimate response to cruel and inhumane conditions. 'The use of prolonged solitary confinement is a form of torture,” said Laura Downton, director for US Policy and Program at the National Religious Campaign Against Torture. California has an unusual policy of indefinitely putting suspected gang members in solitary until they identify fellow gang members." Continue reading

Continue Reading30,000 California inmates launch hunger strike against ‘state-sanctioned torture’

The Strange Case of Lagarde, Influence Peddling and the IMF

"Christine Lagarde, one of the most powerful women in the world as head of the International Monetary Fund, is facing acute embarrassment after a letter in which she urged former French President Nicolas Sarkozy to 'use me' was found during a police raid on her Paris flat. Ms. Lagarde, as head of the International Monetary Fund, is commonly held to be one of the most powerful women in the world. But as this leaked letter shows, she is just as encumbered by alliances as anyone else, and her success may lay in her ability to convince others that rather than being a leader, she can be counted on as a good apparatchik." Continue reading

Continue ReadingThe Strange Case of Lagarde, Influence Peddling and the IMF

Ex-IMF head Strauss-Kahn denounces treatment in U.S. rape case

"Disgraced ex-IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn said the legal principle of being innocent until proven guilty was violated in the sex scandal that brought him down. Strauss-Kahn told CNN he was still angry with the US justice system over his treatment in 2011 when he was paraded before TV cameras in New York in handcuffs, on charges of rape that were later dropped. 'The problem is that it’s a moment where in all European, American society you are supposed to be innocent, you are supposed to be innocent until you are convicted,' he said." Continue reading

Continue ReadingEx-IMF head Strauss-Kahn denounces treatment in U.S. rape case

Another Maryland Town To Refund Illegal Speed Camera Tickets

"Greenbelt, Maryland admitted Monday that 664 illegally issued speed camera tickets would be refunded because the for-profit vendor Brekford failed to meet the certification requirements set by state law. The same calibration problem was revealed in the city of Hagerstown in May. Brekford imported its speed cameras from Sweden, where the radar manufacturer Sensys self-certified the equipment after it came off the assembly line. Brekford and the cities that allow the company to operate their speed camera programs face additional legal jeopardy because the law specifies an independent calibration lab, not the camera manufacturer, must certify the devices." Continue reading

Continue ReadingAnother Maryland Town To Refund Illegal Speed Camera Tickets

Police serving search warrant at home of pro-gun activist Adam Kokesh

"FOX 5 has confirmed that U.S. Park Police along with Herndon Police are serving a search warrant at the home of Adam Kokesh, a pro-gun activist who was seen on a YouTube video posted on July 4th loading a shotgun in Freedom Plaza. Roads have been blocked off in the area of the 1500 block of Snow Flake Court in Herndon and residents have been told to stay indoors while police serve the warrant. Darryl Young, Kokesh's roommate and a political activist, defended Kokesh's actions. 'The point is we have the right to bear arms in all states,' he said." Continue reading

Continue ReadingPolice serving search warrant at home of pro-gun activist Adam Kokesh

Police Using ‘Seatbelt Checkpoints’ to Search Cars Without Warrants, Make Drug Arrests

"Police are increasingly using seatbelt checkpoints in Tennessee, Louisiana and New York as a way to search vehicles without a warrant. Mayfield Heights, Ohio police even set up a fake checkpoint along I-271, noted Cleveland.com. How are police allowed to do these types of warrantless searches? Many states do not consider a checkpoint an actual 'traffic stop' by police. The checkpoints are legal as long as the primary purpose is 'regulatory' instead of 'general criminal enforcement,' which is what police departments often claim in press releases, such as the one above." Continue reading

Continue ReadingPolice Using ‘Seatbelt Checkpoints’ to Search Cars Without Warrants, Make Drug Arrests