bill of rights

California Court Of Appeal Expands Warrantless Motorist Blood Draws

"California's second highest court on Thursday made it easier for police to forcibly draw blood from motorists suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI). In coming to this conclusion, the Court of Appeal overturned the decision in seven Alameda County cases brought before the Superior Court's Appellate Division where drivers had their blood taken at a jail facility. The Court of Appeal stepped in to set a precedent restoring the state's ability to perform warrantless blood draws in a wider variety of circumstances." Continue reading →

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Julian Assange Praised the Paul Family, But He’s Only Half Right

"Assange is certainly right about Ron. The former Texas representative has always been a vocal opponent of his government's liberty-killing actions, including the Patriot Act, the War on Drugs, drone strikes, foreign military bases, and many more. He even praised whistleblowers like Assange, saying they 'expose the fallacies of why we go to war.' But Rand doesn't seem to have the sympathy his father has for whistleblowers. He recently said that Bradley Manning deserved to be tried because of the potential harm his leaks could cause for U.S. agents abroad (note that he used the word 'potential')." Continue reading →

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Read more about the article Rand Paul on Bradley Manning: “I just can’t support that”

Rand Paul on Bradley Manning: “I just can’t support that”

"Manning faces a maximum jail sentence of 136 years with multiple convictions of Espionage Act violations, but was declared 'not guilty' for aiding the enemy. Sen. Paul reasoned that there need to be some laws that protect certain secrets and that Manning put many lives at risk by releasing millions of pages 'willy-nilly'. His main concern is that whistle-blowers break laws in order to reveal state secrets. Paul made an effort to bring a distinction between the NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden and Bradley Manning who were both charged with leaking diplomatic documents, but asserted that there needs to be justice when whistle-blowers break the law." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRand Paul on Bradley Manning: “I just can’t support that”

The NSA: ‘The Abyss from Which There Is No Return’

"By sifting through the detritus of your once-private life, the government will come to its own conclusions about who you are, where you fit in, and how best to deal with you should the need arise. Indeed, we are all becoming data collected in government files. Surveillance of all citizens, even the innocent sort, gradually poisons the soul of a nation. Surveillance limits personal options—denies freedom of choice—and increases the powers of those who are in a position to enjoy the fruits of this activity. Frankly, we are long past the point where we should be merely alarmed. These are no longer experiments on our freedoms. These are acts of aggression." Continue reading →

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Colorado county puts seceding to form 51st state on November ballot

"Residents in one rural Colorado county will get an opportunity to decide in November if they want to break away and form the 51st state. In an unanimous vote on Monday, commissioners in Weld County voted to include the initiative on November’s ballot. Weld County Commissioner Sean Conway (R) said that more than 85 percent of residents support the effort to break away a create a state called 'North Colorado.' Cheyenne, Sedgwick and Yuma counties have already put similar initiatives on their ballots. Kit Carson, Lincoln, Logan, Morgan, and Washington counties have also held discussions about joining the new state." Continue reading →

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Plainclothes NH State Police officer gets warrant to rob reporter of his camera

"The trooper was circling Garret's home in an unmarked vehicle that morning and waited until Garret was out of earshot of his roomates, away from his home before initiating the shakedown. DiRusso was investigating a bogus claim of 'wiretapping', the alleged videorecording of a public official while they were working on taxpayers' dime. Despite zero probable cause or physical evidence suggesting that the alleged wiretapping ever took place, corrupt district court judge Edward Burke signed the baseless warrant authorizing the legal theft." Continue reading →

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LA Businessman Shoots Five Robbers Dead in Four Separate Incidents

"Five robbers made bad decisions. They decided to rob this man’s watch repair shop. They came in armed. They went out feet first. Yet the end of the story is sad. The gangs vowed revenge. He closed his store. He no longer has walk-in customers. Los Angeles is gang-ridden. The social breakdown in this welfare state is obvious to victims. Self-government is declining in a society where the state funds irresponsibility in the name of compassion. Today, California has eleven bills in the legislature to make gun ownership more difficult. The gangs favor these bills. It makes their work so much safer." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLA Businessman Shoots Five Robbers Dead in Four Separate Incidents

PBS: Do Innocent Citizens Risk Police Seizure of Their Property?

"Property seizure is a profitable practice for local law enforcement agencies, long used to deprive mobsters and drug kingpins. But the police can also take personal goods away from citizens who haven't been proven guilty of a crime. Ray Suarez talks to Sarah Stillman who investigated civil forfeiture for The New Yorker." Continue reading →

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Government asks for 60-year sentence for Bradley Manning

"The US government has urged a military judge to sentence Bradley Manning to 60 years in prison, arguing that the solider, who leaked a huge collection of classified documents to WikiLeaks, 'deserves to spend the majority of his remaining life' in custody. Manning was found guilty last month of 20 counts, seven under the Espionage Act, but acquitted of the most serious charge of aiding the enemy. Captain Joe Morrow, a military prosecution lawyer, told the court that there may not be a soldier in the history of the US who had shown such an 'extreme disregard' for US security interests." Continue reading →

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Florida Sheriff Arrested, Charged With Felony, Suspended For Protecting Gun Owner

"Rick Scott, Florida governor, stepped in and had Finch arrested. Governor Scott then appointed a new sheriff. Finch says he did not vote for the Governor. 'I’m not a republican, or a democrat. Just a man who believes in the Constitution,' says Finch. 'I do not expect to be convicted of the crime. However, I’ll fight it all the way to the Supreme Court if I have to. The state already made me an offer that if I resign they will drop the charges. To me, this means they do not have a case and it seems there are political motives to push me out rather than seek justice.'" Continue reading →

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