The Freedom Watch

Dennis Rodman heads back to North Korea to see ‘friend’ Kim Jong-Un

"Korean-American Kenneth Bae, 44, has been held prisoner in the North since November, and Rodman had said last week that he might seek the man’s release. But speaking to reporters at Beijing airport en route to the North Korean capital, Rodman said 'I haven’t been promised anything' on Bae. 'I’m just going to meet my friend Kim the marshal to start a new basketball league going,' Rodman said. 'I’m just trying to keep the communication job going.' North Korea, which bans religious proselytising, said Bae was a Christian evangelist who brought in 'inflammatory' material." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDennis Rodman heads back to North Korea to see ‘friend’ Kim Jong-Un

UK troops deny mutilating Iraq insurgents’ corpses

"Troops are accused of unlawfully killing 20 or more Iraqis at Camp Abu Naji near Majar-al-Kabir in May 2004, and ill-treating detainees there as well as later at Shaibah Logistics Base, also in southwest Iraq. But at a hearing in London on Monday, Colonel Adam Griffiths said he had not seen any evidence to suggest that around a dozen bodies taken to Camp Abu Naji were mutilated before being returned to relatives, or that detainees had been mistreated. He suggested that the rumours sprang from 'ignorance amongst the local population as to the traumatic injuries that can be suffered in combat' as well as insurgents’ efforts to discredit the US-led troops that had invaded Iraq in 2003." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUK troops deny mutilating Iraq insurgents’ corpses

U.S. steps up Pakistan surveillance: ‘black budget’ analysis

"America has delivered nearly $26 billion in aid to Pakistan over the past 12 years, with the money aimed at stabilizing the country and ensuring its cooperation in counterterrorism efforts, according to the paper. US spy agencies reported that senior Pakistani military and intelligence officials knew of and possibly ordered a broad campaign of extrajudicial killings of militants and other adversaries, the Post said. Public disclosure of the reports could have forced the administration of President Barack Obama to sever aid to the Pakistani armed forces. This is because of a US law that prohibits military assistance to human rights abusers." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. steps up Pakistan surveillance: ‘black budget’ analysis

Kentucky Supreme Court Chides Cops For Searching Litterbug Motorist

"Kentucky's highest court on Thursday admonished police officers that they cannot force motorists out of a vehicle and search them merely because they refuse to answer questions. They conducted a traffic stop in which Frazier produced his license and insurance when asked, but he balked when Deputy Moore asked him to identify his passengers and explain where they were going. 'Does it matter?' Frazier replied. Enraged, Deputy Moore ordered Frazier to exit the vehicle, and Deputy Boggs conducted a pat-down search over Frazier's objection. Boggs felt something 'suspicious' in the driver's front jeans pocket." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingKentucky Supreme Court Chides Cops For Searching Litterbug Motorist

A New Yorker’s view of gun control

"'In New York,' he said, 'the gun laws are so strict, the majority of people who have them are the criminals. Maybe if you're a small-business owner or have some other valid reason for protecting yourself, you might get a permit to carry. But if you're a regular guy like me, forget about it. But I live on the Brooklyn-Queens border, and in that part of town there's only one way to protect yourself — you got to let the punks know you're packing heat. So I bought myself a street gun that I carry with me everywhere. Lots of the decent people in my neighborhood are carrying illegal guns. It's the only thing we can do.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA New Yorker’s view of gun control

For some blacks, gun control raises echoes of segregated past

"As far back as the 1860s, gun control has been used to keep arms out of the hands of black people. After the Civil War, a group of discriminatory laws known as the Black Codes limited the civil liberties—like the right to bear arms—of newly freed slaves. Rules in nine states that give local law-enforcement officials discretionary authority to deny people gun permits even if they meet all criteria for ownership – the same power Alabama’s police department exercised when Martin Luther King Jr. applied to carry a concealed weapon. Despite threats to his life from the Ku Klux Klan, the police denied the civil rights leader permission to own a gun." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFor some blacks, gun control raises echoes of segregated past

Chicago Police Superintendent Says Cops Will Shoot Gun Carrying Citizens

"Chicago police superintendent Garry McCarthy is not happy about the new concealed carry laws in Illinois. And now he is predicting that police will shoot citizens who are lawfully carrying firearms. While every cop has a right to protect himself, this bold statement by McCarthy is obviously meant to intimidate gun owners who choose to exercise their rights. This threat that cops may mistakenly shoot a gun carrying citizen is just another attempt to fight the concealed carry laws that Illinois has long been deprived of. McCarthy would not say what specific training officers will undertake if any. However, he did admit that in the past his department has made mistakes in shooting unarmed civilians." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChicago Police Superintendent Says Cops Will Shoot Gun Carrying Citizens

‘What is Government?’ Elementary Students Taught It’s Your ‘Family’

"Fourth-grade students in Illinois are learning that “government is like a nation’s family” because it sets rules and takes care of needs such as health care and education. So says a worksheet for social studies homework that was distributed to students at East Prairie School in Skokie, Ill, complete with a drawing of Uncle Same cradling a baby that represents the citizens. Students are then prompted to answer 10 questions comparing government and families, including how their family provides for their health care needs and how the government does the same, and what rules families set and what rules government sets." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘What is Government?’ Elementary Students Taught It’s Your ‘Family’

‘Sovereign citizen’ movement, 30,000 strong, worrying Canadian officials

"There have been a number of 'hard take-downs' by police in B.C. involving Freemen who refuse to have a driver’s licence and, sometimes, automobile insurance. Dozens of sovereign citizens have found themselves in front of a judge facing tax evasion, contempt or criminal charges. Last month, Warren Fischer, a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine in Nelson, B.C., broke down in tears in court after being convicted of tax evasion. An adherent to Freeman philosophies and a member of the Sovereign Squamish Nation, Fischer refused for several years to pay income tax, saying he did not want his taxes to support the war overseas. He will be sentenced in October." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘Sovereign citizen’ movement, 30,000 strong, worrying Canadian officials

Tennessee to roll out “No Refusal” blood-draw DUI checkpoints for Labor Day

"The new law now mandates blood be drawn from citizens in a variety of circumstances. No longer limited to vehicular assault cases, police are [now] required to take the blood of any DUI suspect who has ever had a DUI conviction in their life, according to WBIR. The other requirement is that blood be drawn from any suspect who has a person under the age of 16 in the car. The rest of the blood-draw cases are done upon seeking a readily available warrant. In light of these new powers, the latest fad in Tennessee law enforcement is setting up 'no refusal' checkpoints, having a judge or a judicial commissioner on call to churn out blood warrants on demand." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTennessee to roll out “No Refusal” blood-draw DUI checkpoints for Labor Day