CLibertyC

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

Nine current and former Philadelphia Traffic Court judges charged in probe

"Nine current and former Philadelphia Traffic Court judges were charged with conspiracy and fraud Thursday, capping a three-year FBI probe into what authorities said was rampant ticket-fixing and pervasive corruption on the bench. The charges, outlined in a 77-count indictment, described 'a well-understood conspiracy of silence' that created two distinct courts: one where typical citizens paid for their infractions, and a second where offenders with the right connections won acquittals or saw their fines or cases disappear." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNine current and former Philadelphia Traffic Court judges charged in probe

Oakland PD pointed firearms at a sleeping baby executing misdemeanor search warrant

"A new report by the federal monitor overseeing the Oakland Police Department officers pointed their weapons at a sleeping baby while executing a search warrant. 'Two officers pointed their firearms at a sleeping 19-month-old child who, of course, posed no immediate threat to the officers or others,' said the Jan. 30 report by Robert Warsaw. 'The crime being investigated, according to the reports, involved a misdemeanor offense.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOakland PD pointed firearms at a sleeping baby executing misdemeanor search warrant

Severe Disaffection: Seventy-five Percent of US Citizens Don’t Trust Government

"It is a manifestation of a larger disaffection that has been exacerbated by what we call the Internet Reformation. The Internet allows people to understand their world in ways they didn't before and tends to put discontent into a larger perspective. Whereas before, people might have been more apt to blame themselves or their circumstances for their troubles, now they may see their dilemmas as part of a larger systemic issue. But the nation's media gatekeepers like PBS continue to focus on such issues as they have in the past, mainly through the lens of the two-party political system. This in a sense trivializes the growing discontent and misinterprets it, as well." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSevere Disaffection: Seventy-five Percent of US Citizens Don’t Trust Government

NASA knew Columbia crew would die but chose not to tell them

"A NASA flight director has revealed that personnel on the ground knew in 2003 that the Space Shuttle Columbia would not survive re-entry, but chose not to inform the vessel’s crew. According to an ABC News report from Thursday, when faced with the choice of letting the astronauts die trying to come home or leaving them to orbit until their air ran out, high-ranking NASA officials chose to let the Columbia crew die in ignorance of what was to befall them." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNASA knew Columbia crew would die but chose not to tell them

Some Guy Always Gets Blamed for Lost Phones That He Never Stole Because of a Horrible Location Glitch

"Whenever a phone is lost, people who use location services to find their lost phones always seem to track it back to the same place: Wayne Dobson's house. But the thing is, Wayne Dobson never stole a phone. Instead, a glitch with Sprint is making it appear as if their phone is inside Dobson's house—even if it's not. The problem started in 2011 when a couple came knocking. Then another person. Then more. Even worse, police are sometimes sent to his house from nearby people who call 911. The GPS coordinates of the 911 phone call reveal Dobson's house as the origin (even though he never called)." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSome Guy Always Gets Blamed for Lost Phones That He Never Stole Because of a Horrible Location Glitch

Hackers use Xbox 360 to send SWAT team to family’s home

"A family living near Orlando was awakened by a SWAT team early Thursday morning, apparently sent to the home as a hoax after hackers accessed a neighbor boy’s Xbox 360 and obtained an address from his account. Police said the address on the account was out of date, sending officers to a home where they were told one person had been killed and the rest of the family was being held hostage. Fortunately, the owner of the Xbox had already contacted police to say his game console had been hacked, according to Orlando’s Channel 9 News." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHackers use Xbox 360 to send SWAT team to family’s home

6 year old expelled over toy gun allowed back into school

"A 6-year-old South Carolina girl will be allowed back in school after being expelled early in January for bringing a toy gun for 'show and tell,' school officials said Thursday. Naomi McKinney was expelled from Alice Drive Elementary in Sumter, S.C. on Jan. 7, according to a Wednesday report WLTX-TV. Her father Hank objected to the decision as well, saying that pencils are more dangerous than the clear, plastic water gun Naomi brought to school. 'I know there is a lot going on with guns and schools and that is tragic, but a six year old bringing a toy to school doesn’t know better,' he said." Continue reading →

Continue Reading6 year old expelled over toy gun allowed back into school