bill of rights

San Diego Police Attack and Arrest Man Video Recording Them, Claiming Phone Could be a Weapon

"San Diego police slapped a cell phone camera out of a man’s hands Saturday, claiming it could be a weapon, before pouncing on him and handcuffing him, lacerating his chin in the process. Adam Pringle ended up jailed overnight on charges of obstruction because he refused to hand the phone over when the cop ordered him to do so. In this case, Pringle’s only crime was smoking a cigarette on a Mission Beach boardwalk, a violation for which he was already getting cited." Continue reading →

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CITIZEN SAFETY ALERT: You Have The Right To Go Home To Your Family Too

"Should citizens have the right to resist? Absolutely. Is it wise to resist an unlawful arrest? Probably not. Resisting arrest may indeed help you to avoid jail, at least temporarily. But, it may also be your ticket to the trauma room or the morgue. Thus, the decision to resist must be well informed, not impulsive. I would like to offer some tips that I hope will help you to stay free and alive. When police officers justify a use of force, they often say that they feared for their lives and were just trying to get home safely to their families. You also have the right to go home safely. This should be your primary goal anytime you are detained by the police." Continue reading →

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California police use rubber bullets and cherry-picker to remove tree sitters

"Police officers used rubber bullets and a cherry-picker to remove protesters from tall pine trees in northern California on Tuesday. Dozens of California Highway Patrol officers clad in visored helmets and armed with batons removed the activists from their protest spot near Highway 101. The protesters, part of a group calling itself Save Our Little Lake Valley, have sought to block construction of a four-lane highway bypass around the small city of Willits in Mendocino County for nearly two months. The bypass will harm the local environment and economy, according to the protesters. The six-mile-long raised highway will go over wetlands and forests in Little Lake Valley." Continue reading →

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The Growing Militarization Of U.S. Police

"As politicians exploit the Newtown tragedy to promote new laws to restrict firearms and implement universal background checks that could lead to gun registration and confiscation, another parallel trend– namely, the increasing militarization of law enforcement, most visibly demonstrated by the growing use of massive, SWAT-type raids on businesses and individuals, sometimes with federal involvement or authorization – is heightening concerns that America is moving toward a police state. The increased militarization of police forces and the associated use of SWAT teams for routine law enforcement are a dangerous trend." Continue reading →

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Given The Chance, All Governments Would Abolish Freedom Of Speech

"Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter filed a complaint with that city’s Human Rights Commission accusing a magazine of 'racial incitement' for publishing a story dealing with race relations. Downey, California resident Hashim Bomani was hit with a restraining order after using his blog to criticize Steven Golightly, director of the LA County Child Support Services Department. Dominic Ray Aguilar, a 37-year-old cab driver from Roseville, California, has been charged with making 'terroristic threats' against Police Officer John Moody in a Facebook post condemning Officer Moody for gunning down an unarmed man named Ernesto Duenez." Continue reading →

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Environmental activist re-jailed after writing blog post about prison conditions

"Environmental activist Daniel McGowan was taken back to prison on Thursday after he wrote a Huffington Post op-ed post while in a halfway house asserting that his fellow inmates were imprisoned for their religious or political beliefs. After publishing his op-ed, McGowan was then sent back to a high-security prison facility Thursday morning. His wife, Jenny Synan, told the Huffington Post, 'If this is indeed a case of retaliation for writing an article about the BOP retaliating against his free speech while he was in prison, it is more than ironic, it is an outrage.'" Continue reading →

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Feds Seize Property; Tell Owner, “Prove It’s Yours!”

"Eight years ago this week, on a sunny, clear, but windy and hence cold day, near a wide spot in the road called Garryowen an hour north of the Wyoming border, vans full of armed, SWAT-geared federal agents sped down I-80. Garryowen is a private town owned by Christopher Kortlander that features, among other structures, a gas station, a convenience store, a fast-food outlet, an arts and crafts store ('The Trading Post'), and the Custer Battlefield Museum. The vans skidded to a stop before the museum and the agents leaped out as they drew weapons, surrounded and stormed into the museum, and held its employees at gun point." Continue reading →

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Feds Identify 300,000 Americans as Terrorists

"Do you hate paying taxes? Are you fighting foreclosure? Do you feel like no one should be allowed to commit violence against you and don't always blindly follow the commands of the authorities? Do you film encounters with police or believe gold makes better currency than Federal Reserve Notes? Well you might be part of a domestic terrorism movement and not even know it. On Friday, the Los Angeles Times posted an article attempting to define a domestic terrorist movement consisting of as many as 300,000 Americans. Some are even labeled as non-violent 'paper terrorists'." Continue reading →

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Cops with Drones: Alameda Co., CA Weighs Technology vs. Privacy

"For a long time, drones - unmanned aircraft - were used only by the military. Now local law enforcement wants them for police work such as surveillance and search-and-rescue missions. That in turn has sparked a fierce debate over the balance between cutting-edge law enforcement technology and the privacy rights of citizens." Continue reading →

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Obama: US Tyranny Impossible Because ‘Government Is Us’

"The government is most assuredly not us – at least not all of us – which is why our system of government is designed to protect the rights of minorities while still allowing majorities to legislate without violating those rights. Obama’s defense to charges of incipient tyranny is that tyranny can never happen here. Which, of course, makes it more likely that tyranny will happen here. The second odd angle is Obama’s insistence that the Constitution constrains him. The natural inference seems to be that if it were not for the Constitution, Obama would indeed pursue a federal gun seizure." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama: US Tyranny Impossible Because ‘Government Is Us’