bill of rights

Senate votes to extend warrantless wiretapping powers

"The law was set to expire at midnight on Friday, but the Senate’s vote means it will almost certainly be extended through December 2017. The extension continues warrantless wiretapping powers that apply even in the event that one person participating in the communication is an American citizen, despite the Fourth Amendment’s requirement for court oversight. It was originally passed in 2008 as a means of granting top Bush administration officials and the telecommunications companies legal immunity against suits over wiretaps that even the former president once claimed to be illegal." Continue reading →

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Thomas Naylor, RIP

"Thomas died recently of heart failure, in Vermont, the state he and his Second Vermont Republic organization dreamed of having secede from the American Empire he so loved to hate. It’s doubtful if that group will continue without him, but the Vermont Commons folks and others like-minded will keep the dream alive. He tended to stress what I came to call the Push reasons for secession—that is, it allows a state to get out from under an inept, dysfunctional, and evil empire so as not to go down with its inevitable collapse, and it frees it from the taxes, wars, regulations, and entangling alliances of that empire." Continue reading →

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Free Staters Not Welcome in New Hampshire

"Democratic State Rep. Cynthia Chase calls them 'the single biggest threat the state is facing today.' 'There is, legally, nothing we can do to prevent them from moving here to take over the state, which is their openly stated goal. What we can do is to make the environment here so unwelcoming that some will choose not to come, and some may actually leave. One way is to pass measures that will restrict the 'freedoms' that they think they will find here.... Cheshire County is a welcoming community but not to those whose stated goal is to move in enough ideologues to steal our state, and our way of life.'" Continue reading →

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‘Ag-Gag’ Bills, Property Rights, and Common Sense

"Opposition to Ag-Gag legislation is steadfast across demographic, geographic and partisan lines. A majority of Republicans, Democrats and Independents agree that banning undercover investigations is wrong. Likewise, a majority of respondents in all regions (Northeast, Midwest, South and West) oppose the criminalization of undercover investigations at farms. Over the years I have witnessed that fact that the more people are exposed to the realities of the cruel and deplorable slop served up by the industrial CAFO system, the more they will demand quality food where animals are raised humanely and within their natural environment." Continue reading →

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In Legal Showdown Over Marijuana, Oakland Dispensary Takes Leading Role

"In California, the battle between federal and state authorities over legal marijuana is coming to a head in a high-profile legal challenge. Our report comes from special correspondent Jake Schoneker of Media Enterprise Alliance, a PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Lab based in Oakland, Calif." Continue reading →

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The Next Seven States To Legalize Pot

"The Berlin Wall of pot prohibition seems to be crumbling before our eyes. By fully legalizing marijuana through direct democracy, Colorado and Washington have fundamentally changed the national conversation about cannabis. As many as 58 percent of Americans now believe marijuana should be legal. And our political establishment is catching on. Encouraged by the example of Colorado and Oregon, states across the country are debating the merits of treating marijuana less like crystal meth and more like Jim Beam. Here are the next seven states most likely to legalize it." Continue reading →

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Oakland Insists It Can Defend Medical Pot Club

"The city of Oakland renewed demands to stay forfeiture proceedings against a local medical marijuana dispensary whose business it defends as a matter of state's rights. Though the U.S. government says that Oakland lacks standing to try to block it from seizing Harborside Health Center, the city argued that it has an interest in protecting its economic and public health interests, and it says a stay would serve the orderly adjudication of justice. The U.S. government initiated forfeiture proceedings against Harborside Health Center's Oakland and San Jose locations in July, claiming the clubs sell marijuana in violation of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA)." Continue reading →

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How Much TSA Abuse Is Enough?

"What on Earth does the TSA have to do to bump up against some serious resistance? If you feel like you've been sexually molested, you can go and cry on YouTube, like Miss USA did, but that's about as much sympathy as you're gonna get. You were molested for everyone's protection. And let's not forget the recent firing of 400 TSA agents for massive theft. If Americans are OK with a genital grab here and there, why not expand it to other places besides the airport? The longer that this goes on, the more emboldened the state will get, and that's exactly what they'll (slowly, of course) start to do." Continue reading →

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A look inside the federal civil forfeiture process

"Cave Junction grower Jedadiah Wissler, who allegedly supplied marijuana that was seized in 2010 in Texas while it was enroute to Florida, settled in a July agreement with federal prosecutors. Wissler dropped his claim to $44,542 seized from his residence along with some growing equipment, which included an automated marijuana-trimming device called a 'Twister.' He also dropped his claim for a pistol and an AK-47 WAGR-10 rifle with scope and bayonet. In turn, Wissler got to keep a seized pickup truck and unspecified assets in a local bank account, court records show." Continue reading →

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New York: Federal Appeals Court Upholds Motorcycle Roadblock

"The Second Circuit US Court of Appeals last week upheld the use of roadblocks designed to detain motorcyclists so they can be issued $85 tickets when wearing unapproved helmets. New York is one of only 19 states that currently require all riders to wear a DOT-approved helmet. In 2007, the New York State Police began using federal taxpayer grant money to target these motorcyclists for the express purpose of generating citations. Roadblocks for motorcycles would be set up with the stated objective 'to detect motorcycle safety violations and ensure proper registration and operator compliance with New York State's motorcycle license requirements.'" Continue reading →

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