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Obama tells Russian LGBT activists he is proud of their work

“President Barack Obama on Friday told Russian rights activists that he is ‘proud of their work,’ saying Russia must remember to let civil society function freely. Meeting with nine activists, including two representing LGBT groups, Obama said ‘it’s important to remember that in every country, here in Russia, in the United States, around the globe, that part of good government is making sure that we’re creating space for civil society to function.’ This included ensuring ‘freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and making sure that people can join together and make common cause around the issues that we care deeply about,’ he added.” Continue reading →

Russia cancels Syria lobbying mission to D.C.

“The speaker of Russia’s national legislature said Friday that a plan to send a parliamentary delegation to Washington to try and convince U.S. lawmakers that a unilateral military intervention in Syria would be unwarranted and counterproductive had been cancelled. Sergei Naryshkin, speaker of the State Duma, said the delegation would no longer travel to the U.S. and called the decisions by House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to refuse to meet their Russian counterparts deplorable. Reid spokesman Adam Jentleson confirmed Thursday that Reid had turned down the offer. Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said the speaker had also declined the offer.” Continue reading →

Ethan Saylor’s death at hands of cops spurs demand for investigation

A spokeswoman says Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley is committed to improving police training after a man with Down syndrome died in the custody of Frederick County deputies in January. The 26-year-old died of asphyxia as three deputies, moonlighting as mall security officers, tried to remove him from a movie theater because he hadn’t bought a ticket for a repeat viewing. ‘We want to know what occurred without a detail left out. No matter what the outcome is, it’s the truth,’ said Patti Saylor, his mother. A Frederick County grand jury declined to indict the deputies for what was ruled a homicide.” Continue reading →

Australia’s richest person Gina Rinehart would let prisoners ‘pay for freedom’

“Australia’s richest person Gina Rinehart has suggested that non-violent prisoners could pay their way out of jail and become tax-paying workers to boost the economy. In a column for the Australian Resources and Investment magazine, the mining heiress said the country needed more workers as the population ages, and getting criminals back into the workforce would bolster tax revenues. She said while some offenders might be able to pay to be allowed back into the community, others could agree to forgo their rights to vote or to a passport if they were unable to come up with the money.” Continue reading →

British Somalis dread ban of ‘herbal high’ khat

“When Britain bans the herbal stimulant khat, Mohamod Ahmed Mohamed will lose his livelihood. But he fears most for his small Somali community without the leaf that fuels its social life. ‘I can switch to another business but what about the youth, where are they going to go — the street, the mosque, to hard drugs?’ he says at his khat warehouse near London’s Heathrow airport. ‘You are taking away their freedom. Why target us? You will never find somebody falling over on the street or fighting from khat like they do when they are drunk.’ Mohamed supplies khat to many of Britain’s 100,000 Somalis, Ethiopians and Yemenis, for whom chewing the bushy shrub is as normal as going to the pub.” Continue reading →

Alaskan gold miners cry foul over ‘heavy-handed’ EPA raids

“When agents with the Alaska Environmental Crimes Task Force surged out of the wilderness around the remote community of Chicken wearing body armor and jackets emblazoned with POLICE in big, bold letters, local placer miners didn’t quite know what to think. Did it really take eight armed men and a squad-size display of paramilitary force to check for dirty water? Some of the miners, who run small businesses, say they felt intimidated. Others wonder if the actions of the agents put everyone at risk. How is a remote placer miner to know the people in the jackets saying POLICE really are police?” Continue reading →

Guns, Badges, and Cartels

“Drug dealers are not going to obey laws that supposedly control guns. If you want to get drug dealers to stop buying guns, then you had better vote to de-criminalize drugs. But liberals want to criminalize guns, and conservatives want to criminalize drugs. If you think this argument makes no sense, then don’t expect liberals to respond to this argument: ‘People who are prepared to defy the laws against murder aren’t going to obey laws against owning guns or large-capacity magazines.’ Cartels want above-market income on state-protected turf. This takes guns. The debate is over who gets to carry the guns legally, and who will carry them illegally.” Continue reading →

Former California cop arrested for raping prostitutes while in uniform

“A former police officer in Southern California was arrested Thursday for allegedly raping two prostitutes while he was in uniform or carrying his service gun, according to the Los Angeles Times. ‘The charges in this case describe disgraceful abuses of police authority that simply cannot be tolerated in our society,’ United States Attorney André Birotte Jr. said in a statement. Forty-six-year-old Jose Jesus Perez of Menifee, California was arrested without incident in Denton, Texas. A federal grand jury indicted Perez on four civil rights offenses, claiming the officer forced two women to have sex with him ‘while acting under the color of law.'” Continue reading →