Yearly Archives: 2013

Colorado Gun Owners Display Blatant Defiance Of New Law

"Stores across Colorado are pulling high-capacity magazines off their shelves. A new law that took effect Monday limits magazines to 15 rounds and some people are already deliberately breaking the law. The law requires background checks on all gun sales, including private ones. 'We want to, today, to test how this law functions; demonstrate that it is not enforceable,' a demonstrator told the crowd. The new laws prompted about two dozen opponents of increased gun control to gather at the state Capitol on Monday at midday in protest. Many swapped and sold high-capacity magazines in plain view of police officers, daring them to make an arrest." Continue reading →

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Out-Of-Control Officers Find Comfort & $100,000′s In Back Pay In Arbitration

"Boston Police Officer David Williams is carving out an interesting career path for himself: He gets fired for using excessive force or lying to investigators, takes a breather from police work, and then gets reinstated with back pay by a labor arbitrator. Nice work if you can get it. Especially in Boston, where an officer gets credit for all of those lucrative hours of overtime and details he might have worked had he had stayed out of trouble in the first place." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOut-Of-Control Officers Find Comfort & $100,000′s In Back Pay In Arbitration

Pittsburgh police relations meeting ends with white officer arresting black teacher

"Officer Gromek handcuffed Henderson and an associate, freelance photographer Rossano Stewart, and forced them to sit on the ground. By that time, others attending the Community Empowerment Association meeting had come outside to witness the confrontation. Gromek then decided that the growing number of people posed a danger to his safety and called for backup. 'It was threatening to us, 15 police cars, four dogs, hands on the mace, hands on the guns,' Community Empowerment Association CEO Rashad Byrdsong told KDKA. 'We were the ones in fear of our life, not them.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPittsburgh police relations meeting ends with white officer arresting black teacher

150 People Arrested In NAACP Protest Against NC Republicans

"Police estimated that roughly 1,000 people attended a rally late Monday afternoon behind the Legislative Building on Halifax Mall. Hundreds then entered the building. Upwards of 150 people were arrested outside the doors to the state Senate chambers, where demonstrators chanted, sang and delivered speeches decrying what they called a regressive agenda that neglects the poor. The NAACP has been holding weekly protests in Raleigh since mid-April, and what started with 17 arrests and tens of supporters back then has grown every week, bringing the total number of arrests to nearly 300 after five weeks of protests." Continue reading →

Continue Reading150 People Arrested In NAACP Protest Against NC Republicans

Texas Troopers forcibly arrest 72-year-old woman during Wendy Davis filibuster

"A 72-year-old woman who appeared to be doing nothing more than observing Texas Senate proceedings following state Sen. Wendy Davis’ (D) filibuster of an abortion bill was forcibly arrested and charged with assaulting an officer early Wednesday morning. Video captured by 23-year-old Austin resident Elizabeth Willmann shows two troopers surrounding Martha Northington as she sits in the gallery. One of the officers approaches from behind and yanks Northington’s arm to bring her to her feet. Arrest records published online showed that Northington was charged with 'assault by contact' and resisting arrest. Bond was set at $4,000." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTexas Troopers forcibly arrest 72-year-old woman during Wendy Davis filibuster

Woman jailed for late-night water purchase after anti-sexual assault rally

"A University of Virginia student was arrested on multiple felony charges and spent 24 hours in jail after she tried to flee a grocery store parking lot when agents attempted to arrest her for buying a case of La Croix water. According to the Charlottesville Daily Progress, 20-year-old Elizabeth Daly and her two roommates panicked when plainclothes Alcoholic Beverage Control officers surrounded their vehicle, flashing badges and weapons because the officers believed the women had purchased beer during dry hours. Daly was profusely apologetic when she realized that she wasn’t about to be abducted or killed. All charges against Daly were dropped." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWoman jailed for late-night water purchase after anti-sexual assault rally

New U.S. Sanctions Imposed on Iran to Halt Gold Trading

"The first American sanctions on Iran since a moderate cleric won the presidential election there on June 14 went into effect on Monday, expanding the number of penalized industries and imposing rules that theoretically could halt all gold and currency trade by the country. Bullion dealers in other countries who flout the prohibition risk severe American penalties, including expulsion from the United States precious metals market. Iran has increasingly traded its oil and gas for gold with countries like Turkey because of earlier financial sanctions that have prevented the Iranians from using conventional bank payment methods." Continue reading →

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Snowden Is Not the Story

"Deep Throat was not the story in 1972, and Edward Snowden is not the story today. The abuse of America’s intelligence agencies is. And yet, we are not having an open discussion. We are instead seeing a media circus. The messenger, Edward Snowden, has been made 'the story.' Keeping under safe political cover, President Obama is deferring to the Justice Department—the same Justice Department which seized the Associated Press’ phone records and criminalized Fox News reporter James Rosen to pursue a leak investigation into a former State Department contractor." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSnowden Is Not the Story

To those who say ‘trust the government’: Remember J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI?

"Hundreds of these sorts of companies have come about in the last few years, operating in close partnerships with the state, yet existing beyond the view of Congress, the media and 'public eyes'. Even in the unlikely instance when their activities come to light, potentially illegal behavior goes unpunished; even calls by congressmen to investigate the sordid Themis conspiracy were ignored by the Department of Justice. This, then, is the environment in which public officials and Beltway insiders like Friedman are asking us to trust the intelligence community and its private partner firms with increasing power over information." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTo those who say ‘trust the government’: Remember J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI?

Airport security boss fired after mass email photo of his genitals

"Gerard Robson was quickly suspended from his job as a project manager at FJC Security, an airport security contractor, after the June 21 mishap, which ocurred while he was trying to document a minor car accident involving a security vehicle. Instead, a picture reportedly showing his genitals, went out to supervisors at both his company and the Port Authority, as well as subordinates. Though Robson immediately sent an apology via email and moved to delete the embarassing photo from computers at his office, FJC barred him from entering the airport and suspended him before terminating him." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAirport security boss fired after mass email photo of his genitals