Animal Farm

Judge ejects Sikh from court for refusing to remove ‘that rag’ from his head

"The officers who pulled Singh over believed that his kirpan — a ceremonial 'sword' worn by Sikhs that poses as grave a danger to the public as the crosses donned by many Christians — was a 'dangerous weapon,' despite the fact that it had been sewn into the waistband of his pants. Singh tried to educate the lead officer by 'show[ing] him, and other officers present, videos stored on his phone and on Youtube about the Sikh faith.' The officers responded with mockery, one of them allegedly referring to Sikhs as 'depraved' and 'terrorists.' As if that was not humiliating enough, when Singh returned to Pike County to contest his arrest, presiding Judge Aubrey Rimes ejected him from the courtroom." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJudge ejects Sikh from court for refusing to remove ‘that rag’ from his head

End Civil Asset Forfeiture

"A recent New Yorker article has awakened many Americans to the scourge of civil asset forfeiture in which police can seize property without charging anyone with a crime and pocket the proceeds. Many police organizations call the proceeds of civil asset forfeiture a vital source of funding. Scott Bullock, senior attorney at the Institute for Justice, describes the practice and the best avenues for reform." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEnd Civil Asset Forfeiture

Felony Friday: Man Charged For Killing Deer That Ate His Weed Plants

"Felony charges were filed against one poor soul, which highlights the State’s refusal to recognize property rights and the idiocy of the drug war. A Glasco, N.Y. man had his world come crashing down after a neighbor snitched on him for killing the deer that were eating his marijuana plants. Barry J. Brice learned a hard lesson from his run-in with the law. Not only does the State own the deer that destroy your garden, they also dictate what plants are allowed to be grown. Statists would claim that Mr. Brice got what he deserved for growing an illegal plant and killing deer without a license. They would rejoice at the prospect of Mr. Brice being locked in a cage for committing 'crimes' without victims." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFelony Friday: Man Charged For Killing Deer That Ate His Weed Plants

Accredited investor – U.S. criteria – Wikipedia

"The federal securities laws define the term accredited investor in Rule 501 of Regulation D and as amended by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act as: [..] a natural person who has individual net worth, or joint net worth with the person's spouse, that exceeds $1 million at the time of the purchase, or has assets under management of $1 million or above, excluding the value of their primary residence; a natural person with income exceeding $200,000 in each of the two most recent years or joint income with a spouse exceeding $300,000 for those years and a reasonable expectation of the same income level in the current year; or [..]" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAccredited investor – U.S. criteria – Wikipedia

J. Cole and TLC Take Down the War on Drugs in ‘Crooked Smile’

"J. Cole takes on the war on drugs in his new video for the Born Sinner track 'Crooked Smile,' featuring TLC. Cole plays a family man who cares deeply for his daughter, juxtaposing this against a white DEA agent who is also a single father. But though Cole slings baggies of marijuana, he's far from a violent criminal, inviting his parents over for his daughter's birthday and making a cake especially for her. Both sides collide tragically when DEA agents raid the house and Cole's daughter is shot, rattling everyone involved in the takedown. The rapper has a direct message with the video: he is honoring deceased seven-year-old Aiyana Stanley-Jones, who was killed during a 2010 police raid in Detroit." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJ. Cole and TLC Take Down the War on Drugs in ‘Crooked Smile’

Woman sues for false arrest for complaint about officer’s trooper brother

"City police stand accused in a federal lawsuit of falsely arresting a local woman after she tried to lodge a complaint against an off-duty state trooper whose brother is a Saratoga Springs police officer. Alicia Garafalo claims her constitutional rights were violated by city police after she was arrested on the charges of second-degree harassment and second-degree obstructing governmental administration. She claims the police lodged the charges against her after she tried to file a complaint against Kenneth Ahigian, an off-duty trooper who engaged in a fracas with her friends inside and outside the City Tavern on Caroline Street nearly four years ago." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWoman sues for false arrest for complaint about officer’s trooper brother

Houston police chief suspended for one day for hitting pedestrian

"Houston Police Chief Charles McClelland has been suspended for one day without pay for accidentally striking a pedestrian earlier this month. The punishment was handed down by Mayor Annise Parker. McClelland said he would also take defensive driving. The chief was on his way to work on September 4th when he stopped at Clay and Travis in downtown Houston. 'I made a left turn on Clay, from Clay onto Travis. I had a green light and he had a green light to walk across the street. For whatever reason, I didn’t see him,' Chief McClelland explained the day of the accident. When the pedestrian stepped off the curb, the chief’s car struck him." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHouston police chief suspended for one day for hitting pedestrian

Sheriff sentenced to 9 years in prison for jobs-for-cash scheme

"Former sheriff's office investigator Darrin DiBiasi, 45, was sentenced to 364 days in jail for passing on some $25,000 to Spicuzzo from people looking to get hired by the department. As part of a plea agreement, Spicuzzo, the once-powerful chairman of the Middlesex County Democratic party, pleaded guilty in June to taking $25,000 in cash bribes in exchange for promoting one of his own employees. That was a fraction of the $112,000 prosecutors from the state Attorney General’s office say Spicuzzo, 68, accepted from people seeking jobs or promotions in the sheriff’s office during his 30-year reign as one of Middlesex County’s top law enforcement officers." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSheriff sentenced to 9 years in prison for jobs-for-cash scheme

Irvington police chief paid $115K while suspended

"Irvington Police Chief Michael Chase hasn’t worked a single day in the past nine months, but a series of legal fits and starts has allowed the town’s suspended top cop to take home roughly $115,000 so far this year, leading to a state investigation, officials said. Chase was suspended in December 2012 after an investigation by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office accused him of quashing a probe into alleged misconduct by his police officer nephew and charged him with failing to properly supervise his department’s Internal Affairs Unit." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIrvington police chief paid $115K while suspended

IRS official caught in tea party scandal retires with $50,000/year pension

"Lois Lerner, the IRS official who presided over a partisan program that targeted conservative organizations because of their political beliefs, will retire on Monday with a full pension package, a source at the Department of Treasury told MailOnline. Lerner, 62, has been a federal government employee since at least 1981, making her eligible for the most robust retirement package the federal government offers career employees. In May Lerner herself launched the scandal that would eventually claim her job, by answering a planted question about how the IRS handled politically oriented groups that applied for tax-exempt status." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIRS official caught in tea party scandal retires with $50,000/year pension