bill of rights

Andrew P. Napolitano: More Holes in the Fourth Amendment

"The Obama administration wants legislation enacted that will punish Internet service providers who fail to cooperate with FBI requests and court orders. The FBI has revealed that its agents often 'lack the time' to obtain search warrants, and so they have gotten into the bad habit of asking Internet service providers to let them in without warrants. The second category of punishment sought by the administration is for Internet service providers as to which the FBI has obtained a warrant. A search warrant does not require the custodian of those specific items to find them for the government. This proposed legislation would change all that." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAndrew P. Napolitano: More Holes in the Fourth Amendment

3D-Printed Handgun Prompts Congressman To Propose Impotent Legislation

"After Forbes's Andy Greenberg broke the news that Cody Wilson and Defense Distributed have successfully created a (apparently) working gun with a 3D printer, Rep. Steve Israel, who has been warning of doom, doom!, should this day come, quickly issued a press release calling for new laws to head off the menace of DIY weaponry. Israel's objection is, allegedly, that Wilson's 3D-printed gun is made of ABS plastic, and therefore invisible to metal detectors (Wilson built a hunk of metal into his gun to address this concern, but it could easily be left out)." Continue reading →

Continue Reading3D-Printed Handgun Prompts Congressman To Propose Impotent Legislation

Sheriff Bradshaw and the Palm Beach County Psihuska

"Although they were dealing with a sickly, unarmed homeless man who was not a criminal suspect, the Berserkers treated the incident as a combat situation. As they approached the encampment, Gaydos – who was holding his cell phone – stood up. Without a word of warning, he was shot twice in the head with rubber bullets. The first round damaged an ear; the second one destroyed his left eye. The assailants later tried to justify the head shots by claiming that they had seen a knife in Gaydos’s hand – but since no knife was ever recovered, this can be dismissed as a self-serving lie of the kind routinely offered by police officers after they kill or mutilate an innocent person." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSheriff Bradshaw and the Palm Beach County Psihuska

Stark Scenes From the Guantanamo Hunger Strike

"For more than two weeks, 100 detainees at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba have been on hunger strike to protest conditions at the prison and their indefinite confinement. First denied and downplayed by the military, the strike has now become a full-blown emergency. Twenty-three detainees are currently being force-fed. At least twice a day, guards in riot gear tie each detainee to a chair or bed, and medical personnel force a tube up his nose and down his throat, and pump a can of Ensure or other dietary supplement into his stomach. There are so many detainees being force-fed that Guantanamo's medical personnel are working around the clock." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingStark Scenes From the Guantanamo Hunger Strike

Glenn Greenwald: Are all telephone calls recorded and accessible to the US government?

"The real capabilities and behavior of the US surveillance state are almost entirely unknown to the American public because, like most things of significance done by the US government, it operates behind an impenetrable wall of secrecy. But a seemingly spontaneous admission this week by a former FBI counterterrorism agent provides a rather startling acknowledgment of just how vast and invasive these surveillance activities are." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlenn Greenwald: Are all telephone calls recorded and accessible to the US government?

Sam Brownback digs in on “Made in Kansas” gun exemption law

"Dozens of states are considering bills that attempt to nullify federal gun laws. One such bill became a law last month in Kansas. It exempts 'Made in Kansas' guns from federal regulation and makes it a crime for federal agents to enforce federal law. Attorney General Eric Holder said the law is 'unconstitutional,' and that the U.S. is prepared to sue Kansas to prevent the state from 'interfering with the activities of federal officials.' In a letter to Holder yesterday, Brownback wrote: 'The people of Kansas have clearly expressed their sovereign will. It is my hope that upon further review, you will see their right to do so.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSam Brownback digs in on “Made in Kansas” gun exemption law

L.A.-area lost hikers may have to pay $160,000 for manhunt after drugs found in their car

"Orange County officials are considering requiring two hikers to pay for a portion — or even all — of a $160,000 search party after a small amount of methamphetamine was found in their car. Nicolas Cendoya, 19, and Kyndall Jack, 18, got lost while on an Easter Sunday hike in Trabuco Canyon near Los Angeles. With little water, they called authorities to report their status before losing cell phone service. Now, Cendoya is facing drug charges and officials have yet to decide for what other portion of the search he and Jack will be held accountable." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingL.A.-area lost hikers may have to pay $160,000 for manhunt after drugs found in their car

Arizona governor vetoes bill making gold legal tender

"Republican Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed a bill late Thursday that would have made Arizona the second state in the nation to recognize gold and silver as legal tender. Brewer said she shared concerns with the measure's proponents about a declining dollar, but she said the proposal was sloppily put together and did not address basic issues such as how transactions usingprecious metals would be taxed. Brewer said it was unclear whether the state would have to exempt income tax related to a transaction involving precious metals under Senate Bill 1439. She said it could give businesses that buy and sell collectable coins an unfair tax advantage." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingArizona governor vetoes bill making gold legal tender

Colorado legislator wants to treat ‘High Times’ magazine like porn

"A Colorado Senate committee is considering putting marijuana-themed publications like High Times behind the counter. 'It’s analogous to the pornography example,' Rep. Bob Gardner (R-Colorado Springs), who proposed the idea, explained to The Associated Press. Gardner’s legislation was offered as an amendment to a larger marijuana regulation bill. If approved, stores accessible to those under 21 would be required to place marijuana-themed magazines behind the counter with other adult publications like Playboy. David Holland, a lawyer for High Times, told the Associated Press the magazine would sue the state if it enacted such a law." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingColorado legislator wants to treat ‘High Times’ magazine like porn

Jay Leno’s Gitmo Solution

“President Obama held a press conference earlier today, and he said he still wants to close the Guantanamo Bay prison facility, but he doesn’t know how to do it. He should do what he always does: declare it a small business and tax it out of existence. It will be gone in a minute. Be gone in a minute! One month! Be out of there!” Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJay Leno’s Gitmo Solution