Animal Farm

The 14 Most Ridiculous Things Police Bought With Asset Forfeiture

"Hey, remember the police chief from #7? He’s back! The (former) police chief of Romulus, Mich. and five detectives were part of the town’s vice squad, investigating 'liquor license violations, prostitution and narcotics trafficking.' Thanks to those investigations, they allegedly spent more than $40,000 in asset forfeiture funds on marijuana, booze, and prostitutes. Now these cops face 22 felony counts…and just gave Nic Cage a new movie idea." Continue reading →

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US Senate to retroactively punish runaway tax slaves

"Years ago, it was virtually unheard of for someone to give up his/her US citizenship. Then, one by one, a handful of famous cases surfaced… like Sir John Templeton, who renounced his US citizenship in 1964 and moved to the Bahamas. At the time, Templeton was able to save $100 million in taxes to the US government. But anyone view Templeton poorly for his lack of patriotism, it’s important to note that the man was one of the greatest philanthropists in history. And, rather than finance more bombs, guns, and military folly at the height of the Vietnam War, he chose to channel his wealth into improving the lives of millions of people around the globe." Continue reading →

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Edward Snowden and Joshua Glover

"The comparisons to Edward Snowden are obvious: 'why did Glover flee Missouri? Why didn't he stay in Missouri and 'work within the system' to gain his liberty?' Yeah, the same way so many other slaves had secured their freedom! With the help of its lapdog media - with which neither Booth nor Glover had to contend - the federal government demands of Russia what it demanded of Wisconsin in the mid-19th century: the return of one of its subjects." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEdward Snowden and Joshua Glover

NYPD collaborated with CIA on surveillance after 9/11

"Campaigners for greater accountability at New York’s powerful police force have seized on a report that details for the first time the extent of the collaboration between the CIA and the NYPD in the years after 9/11. The formerly-classified inspector general’s report also raises new questions over whether the spy agency’s partnership with the nation’s largest police department amounted to unofficial cover for CIA officers to operate in the US in ways that could otherwise be deemed unlawful. The 12-page document contains the December 2011 findings of an investigation into the CIA’s training and support of the NYPD that included embedding four officers in the department." Continue reading →

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California man could face a decade in jail for chalking ‘no thanks big banks’

"A California man’s protest against banking excess could put him in jail for more than a decade, while apparently landing him in the middle of the ongoing feud between the mayor of San Diego and the city attorney. KFMB-TV reported on Tuesday that Jeff Olson has been charged with 13 counts of vandalism by City Attorney Jan Goldsmith for writing statements including 'No thanks big banks' and 'Shame on Bank of America' on the sidewalk outside a Bank of America location between February and August 2012. If convicted, Olson could spend up to 13 years in jail and be forced to pay the bank $13,000 in restitution." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCalifornia man could face a decade in jail for chalking ‘no thanks big banks’

Der Spiegel: Public Must Fight against Prism and Tempora Surveillance

"The fact that the Americans and the British -- it is yet to be revealed who else participated -- have granted themselves this enormous power, without ever informing their own people, is a scandal of historic proportions. To the initiated, all the recent public debate about data retention, Internet privacy and the practices of Facebook and Google must have been downright amusing. The state, as it turns out, knew everything all along. The next weeks and months will show whether democratic societies across the world are strong enough to take a stand against the unlimited, totalitarian ambitions of Western secret services -- or not." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDer Spiegel: Public Must Fight against Prism and Tempora Surveillance

Juan Cole: Top Ten Ways US TV News are Screwing us Again on NSA Surveillance Story (Iraq Redux)

"US television news is a danger to the security of the United States. First, it is so oriented to ratings that it cannot afford to do unpopular reports. Second, it is so oriented toward the halls of power inside the Beltway that it is unable to examine government allegations critically. US television news was an unrelieved cheering section for the launching of the illegal and disastrous Iraq War. Now, corporate television news is repeating this shameful performance with regard to the revelations by Edward Snowden of massive, unconstitutional government surveillance of Americans’ electronic communications. The full failure to do proper journalism was on display on Sunday." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJuan Cole: Top Ten Ways US TV News are Screwing us Again on NSA Surveillance Story (Iraq Redux)

Edward Snowden – A Real American Hero

"When you make a mistake, usually there is a negative feedback loop, which lets you know you're headed in the wrong direction. You borrow too much money, for example, and your creditors begin trailing you with court orders or baseball bats. But in a major public policy disaster, the feedback loop is twisted. The feds spend too much money, for example... and give the bill to the next generation. The poor youngsters can't vote. Many are not even born yet. A police state is a disaster. It has its own ways of bending the feedback loop. Every public policy disaster produces zombies. And armed zombies protect themselves... with arms, naturally." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEdward Snowden – A Real American Hero

Ex-Cops Vote to Exempt Themselves From New York’s Seven-Round Ammunition Limit

"New York State Senate approved a bill exempting retired law enforcement officers from a new seven-round limit on the number of rounds people are allowed to have in their guns. The amendment is simply about elevating one class of citizens above another, which is especially objectionable in this context because supporters of the exemption argue that the difference between seven rounds and 10 rounds can be the difference between life and death. Retired cops want to make sure their capacity for self-defense exceeds that of their fellow citizens, even though by their own account people may die for want of that advantage." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEx-Cops Vote to Exempt Themselves From New York’s Seven-Round Ammunition Limit

Cops enforce wrong speed limit, will prosecute tickets anyway

"For months the speed limit on that portion of River Watch was marked incorrectly. Police say the tickets they issued during that time are valid, but some drivers are wondering whether they should have been charged for violating an incorrect speed limit. Augusta Traffic Engineer Steve Cassell said the contractor in charge of the project had authorization to reduce the speed limit, but only during specific hours and under certain conditions. According to a plan approved by Georgia DOT, the speed limit could be reduced between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., but not during peak traffic times, such as when drivers were leaving work." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCops enforce wrong speed limit, will prosecute tickets anyway