bill of rights

Anti-drone devices for sale: military contractor claims to have counter-UAV technology

"Domestic drones will soon be soaring through the sky left and right, but a company in Oregon with ties to the US military is marketing a service that they say will make sure private property is safe from surveillance. The team at one-month-old Domestic Drone Countermeasures doesn’t go into many specifics, but says they can offer services that will make sure Americans aren’t being spied on by hovering eyes in the sky. The Federal Aviation Administration expects there to be roughly 30,000 drones in American airspace by the year 2020." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAnti-drone devices for sale: military contractor claims to have counter-UAV technology

Sell a gun to someone who smokes a joint, get 20 years in jail

"The bill would impose a 20-year prison term if you planned ('conspired') to purchase a firearm in order to give or raffle it to a person who, unbeknownst to you, is a 'prohibited person.' Who is a prohibited person? Well, there are the 150,000 law-abiding veterans who are 'prohibited persons' –- for no other reason than that a psychiatrist appointed a fiduciary to oversee their financial affairs. But probably the biggest category of 'prohibited persons' is persons who smoke marijuana. Under 18 U.S.C. 922(d)(3) and (g)(3), you cannot possess a firearm in America if you are 'an unlawful user of ... any controlled substance...'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSell a gun to someone who smokes a joint, get 20 years in jail

Feds Give Up Trying to Seize a Motel Based on Drug Offenses by a Few Guests

"Today the U.S. Attorney's Office in Boston said it will not appeal a ruling that blocked the federal government's attempt to seize and sell a family-owned motel in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, based on drug offenses committed by a tiny fraction of the people who stayed there. The government conceded that the owner, Russell Caswell, did not participate in those crimes and was not aware of them at the time, but it argued that he was 'willfully blind' to them." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFeds Give Up Trying to Seize a Motel Based on Drug Offenses by a Few Guests

Lawmakers Set To Debate ‘Policing For Profit’ Reforms

"Tennessee lawmakers are prepared to consider a major overhaul of laws that allow police to take cash off of drivers to fund their agencies. Rep. Barrett Rich's bill would completely outlaw the practice known as civil asset forfeiture. That practice allows police to take people's cash or property without charging them with a crime. A New Jersey man had $22,000 cash taken from him during a traffic stop. An officer took George Reby's money based on his suspicion that it might be drug money. The Monterey police officer had a judge to sign off on the seizure in a secret hearing, but he never told the judge about Reby's side of the story." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLawmakers Set To Debate ‘Policing For Profit’ Reforms

The cops are a dangerous replacement for private gun ownership

"Even if the cops 'respond within minutes,' it’s too late. They responded within minutes at Sandy Hook. They responded within minutes in Aurora, Colorado. Ten minutes is too long. Two minutes is too long. If you are unarmed, two minutes after you are attacked by a violent criminal, you’re dead. Do the math. If the cops do arrive at your home or place where you are attacked before you’ve been killed, your problems might just be beginning. As Will Grigg reminds us, the first priority for police responding to a 911 call is 'officer safety.' More often than not, the officer attempts to secure his or her own safety at the expense of yours." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe cops are a dangerous replacement for private gun ownership

Federal Judge Finds National Security Letters Unconstitutional, Bans Them

"Ultra-secret national security letters that come with a gag order on the recipient are an unconstitutional impingement on free speech, a federal judge in California ruled in a decision released Friday. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston ordered the government to stop issuing so-called NSLs across the board, in a stunning defeat for the Obama administration’s surveillance practices. She also ordered the government to cease enforcing the gag provision in any other cases. However, she stayed her order for 90 days to give the government a chance to appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFederal Judge Finds National Security Letters Unconstitutional, Bans Them

88-year-old peaceful activist wins surveillance database fight

"Three appeal court judges have ruled that police violated the human rights of an 88-year-old peaceful campaigner when they secretly labelled him a 'domestic extremist' and recorded his political activities. John Catt, who has no criminal record, was shocked when he discovered police had clandestinely kept a detailed note of his presence on more than 55 demonstrations over a four-year period. On Thursday, he won his legal action to have the records deleted from a secret database of so-called domestic extremists. Details of the surveillance were revealed by the Guardian in 2010." Continue reading →

Continue Reading88-year-old peaceful activist wins surveillance database fight

U.S. to let spy agencies scour Americans’ finances

"The Obama administration is drawing up plans to give all U.S. spy agencies full access to a massive database that contains financial data on American citizens and others who bank in the country, according to a Treasury Department document seen by Reuters. The proposed plan represents a major step by U.S. intelligence agencies to spot and track down terrorist networks and crime syndicates by bringing together financial databanks, criminal records and military intelligence." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. to let spy agencies scour Americans’ finances

Ron Paul: Congress, Drones and The Imperial Presidency

"The administration's outrageous response to the most serious Constitutional question of all − when a government can kill its own citizens − is clear evidence of an executive branch out of control. Many of the drafters of the Constitution envisioned the presidency as an office with very limited powers, but even the most dedicated proponents of a strong presidency at the time would be shocked to see the concentration of power in the modern presidency. Today the presidency is viewed as the center of the federal government, with each successive administration expanding the power of the executive at the expense of Congress and the people." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRon Paul: Congress, Drones and The Imperial Presidency