Lawyer arrested for advising stranger of his constitutional rights awarded $43,000

"Lawyer Daniel Zettler says that during a boat race in 2011 in Salida, he shouted to a man who was being detained by officers, 'Don't forget your constitutional right to remain silent.' Zettler says one officer arrested him on a charge of obstructing a police officer. The Salida Municipal Court later dismissed the charge. Zettler had argued he had a First Amendment right to advise the detained man. Zettler's attorney David Lane says the settlement money was paid Wednesday." Continue reading

Continue ReadingLawyer arrested for advising stranger of his constitutional rights awarded $43,000

ACLU takes on the DEA for seeking prescription records without a warrant

"The American Civil Liberties Union is seeking to block the Drug Enforcement Administration from obtaining prescription records without a warrant in Oregon. The state of Oregon filed suit against the DEA last year after the agency sought to access the Oregon Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP), a database of prescription records for certain drugs. The ACLU and its Oregon affiliate hope to join the lawsuit on behalf of patients and doctors." Continue reading

Continue ReadingACLU takes on the DEA for seeking prescription records without a warrant

Chicago Murders Top Afghanistan War Death Toll

"The death toll by murder in Chicago over the past decade is greater than the number of American soldiers who have died in Afghanistan since the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom. In a city with some of the toughest gun control laws in America, where a handgun cannot be purchased, Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy 'acknowledged aiming at assault weapons misses the mark when dealing with Chicago’s gang violence.' 'The weapon used is generally a handgun, and rarely is it purchased through legal channels,' he said." Continue reading

Continue ReadingChicago Murders Top Afghanistan War Death Toll

Tools of Modern Gunmaking: Plastic and a 3-D Printer

"Inexpensive 3-D printers have grown in popularity in part because they are easy to use. It is not even necessary to know how to create the design files that instruct the device to print bit after bit of plastic to build the object, as there are files for tens of thousands of objects available on the Internet, created by other users and freely shared. A lower receiver is the only part of an AR-15 that, when bought, requires the filing of federal paperwork. But it is legal to make an AR-15 for personal use as long as there is no intent to sell them. And if the lower receiver is homemade, no paperwork is required." Continue reading

Continue ReadingTools of Modern Gunmaking: Plastic and a 3-D Printer

Video of Big Brother’s spy drone that can watch you from 17,500 ft

"Curious as to how the Defense Department could be spying on you next? PBS checked in with DARPA about the latest in drone camera technology for the NOVA special 'Rise of the Drones,' including the world's highest-resolution camera. Actually seeing the sensor on ARGUS-IS, or Autonomous Real-Time Ground Ubiquitous Surveillance Imaging System, is still classified, but the basics of how it works have been deemed fit for public consumption... It can store a million terabytes of video a day, up to 5,000 hours of footage, so soon drones will not only be able to see everything that happens on the ground, but also keep that record." Continue reading

Continue ReadingVideo of Big Brother’s spy drone that can watch you from 17,500 ft

U.S. ranked 32nd in press freedom index

"Reporters Without Borders on Wednesday launched a new indicator measuring global press freedom by aggregating the scores of its annual index, from perennial table-topping Finland to worst offenders Eritrea. 'In view of the emergence of new technologies and the interdependence of governments and peoples, the freedom to produce and circulate news and information needs to be evaluated at the planetary as well as national level,' the Paris-based watchdog said. Northern European countries topped the rankings of its separate Press Freedom Index, while the small, reclusive African nation of Eritrea came last." Continue reading

Continue ReadingU.S. ranked 32nd in press freedom index

226 (And Counting) Sheriffs Saying ‘No’ To Obama Gun Control

"Sheriffs have risen up all over our great nation to stand up against the unconstitutional gun control measures being taken. The following is a list of sheriffs and state sheriff’s associations from who have vowed to uphold and defend the Constitution against Obama’s unlawful gun control measures. I applaud these public servants for their courage and conviction. I call on sheriffs all over this nation to add their voices to the growing numbers of faithful protectors of our freedom. -Richard Mack" Continue reading

Continue Reading226 (And Counting) Sheriffs Saying ‘No’ To Obama Gun Control

NYC pays $75K settlement to Manhattan couple arrested for dancing in subway

"Stern, a dentist, and Hess, a film prop master, had just left Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Midsummer Night’s Swing when they encountered a steel-drum player on a nearly empty platform in the Columbus Circle subway station and began to boogie. Two cops told them their happy feet weren’t allowed and hauled them off after Stern could produce only a credit card, which did bear a picture of her, as identification. Stern said she and Hess were happy with the settlement but believes that her arrest, and the legal case that ensued, could have been avoided." Continue reading

Continue ReadingNYC pays $75K settlement to Manhattan couple arrested for dancing in subway

Gun Ownership: American Exceptionalism

"The ownership of weapons in the United States by private citizens is not matched anywhere else in the world. Switzerland is close. The training is far better. The commitment of national defense by an armed electorate in Switzerland is like nothing else in the modern world. Being part of a citizen army is a matter of national pride. This is not the American tradition. The American tradition is far more a matter of individual autonomy, individual ownership of weapons, and not a matter of national pride. Gun ownership in America is not a matter of a defense of the nation or a commitment to a military tradition. It is quite the opposite." Continue reading

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Castro’s Take on Gun-Control Coincides With Our Rulers’

"All the arms that were found by the rebel army are stored and locked in barracks, where they belong. What are these arms for? Against whom are they going to be used? Against the revolutionary government that has the support of all the people? Do we have a dictatorship here? Are we going to take up arms against a free government that respects the rights of the people? We have a free country here. ... There is no tormenting of political prisoners, no murders, no terror. When all the rights of the citizens have been restored ... why do we need arms?" Continue reading

Continue ReadingCastro’s Take on Gun-Control Coincides With Our Rulers’