Drugs & Vice

The Purpose of Government is to Exploit — and Exacerbate — a Crisis

"[..] A similarly skewed set of priorities was displayed in the official response to the killing spree at the Washington Navy Yard. A SWAT team from the Capitol Police was dispatched in response to the shooting – but was reportedly ordered to stand down, rather than intervene in an attempt to save the victims. Twelve people were killed before the shooter was stopped. There are roughly 200 SWAT deployments each day in this country – almost none of which involve the protection of innocent people. Apparently, SWAT teams are reserved for low-risk drug raids and killing 107-year-old men armed with pistols, rather than for responding to actual danger." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Purpose of Government is to Exploit — and Exacerbate — a Crisis

Masked DEA Agents Raid Innocent Women, Refuse To Reveal Identities

"According to the Burleys' accounts, the officers who raided their home were clad in black. Some wore balaclava masks or face shields that hid all but their eyes. Others pulled their hats down low to shield their identities. They had also obscured their names and badge numbers. Once the Burleys' house had been thoroughly searched, both women asked the officers for their names. After holding an impromptu meeting, the officers told the Burleys that they wouldn't divulge any information that could identify them individually. Instead, they told the women that they had just been raided by 'Team 11.' The women weren't given a search warrant." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMasked DEA Agents Raid Innocent Women, Refuse To Reveal Identities

Masked DEA Agents Raid Innocent Women, Refuse To Reveal Identities

"According to the Burleys' accounts, the officers who raided their home were clad in black. Some wore balaclava masks or face shields that hid all but their eyes. Others pulled their hats down low to shield their identities. They had also obscured their names and badge numbers. Once the Burleys' house had been thoroughly searched, both women asked the officers for their names. After holding an impromptu meeting, the officers told the Burleys that they wouldn't divulge any information that could identify them individually. Instead, they told the women that they had just been raided by 'Team 11.' The women weren't given a search warrant." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMasked DEA Agents Raid Innocent Women, Refuse To Reveal Identities

Police Chief Indicted in Federal Court For Helping Meth Traffickers

"Normangee's police chief has been indicted on federal charges for allegedly aiding drug traffickers. According to investigators, Chief Jody Navarro is accused of using a law enforcement computer system to aid meth traffickers. A criminal complaint filed against the 40-year-old in May 2013 alleged Navarro ran a background check on a name supplied to him by a suspected meth dealer. On August 27th undercover agents with the Department of Public Safety raided suspected meth dealer 25-year-old Josh Troy Thomas' home in the 200 block of Church Street. Navarro was on duty and was arrested as he pulled up to the scene." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPolice Chief Indicted in Federal Court For Helping Meth Traffickers

Police Chief Indicted in Federal Court For Helping Meth Traffickers

"Normangee's police chief has been indicted on federal charges for allegedly aiding drug traffickers. According to investigators, Chief Jody Navarro is accused of using a law enforcement computer system to aid meth traffickers. A criminal complaint filed against the 40-year-old in May 2013 alleged Navarro ran a background check on a name supplied to him by a suspected meth dealer. On August 27th undercover agents with the Department of Public Safety raided suspected meth dealer 25-year-old Josh Troy Thomas' home in the 200 block of Church Street. Navarro was on duty and was arrested as he pulled up to the scene." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPolice Chief Indicted in Federal Court For Helping Meth Traffickers

Man gets drunk randomly because his own body brews beer from carbs

"A Texas man who was struggling with episodes of sudden and unexplained drunkenness was found to have alcohol-producing microbes in his gut, which were busily making beer. Health care workers were baffled. Initially they assumed that the man was being dishonest and was drinking on the sly. They checked the patient in to a hospital room for 24 hours and made absolutely sure that he had not smuggled in any alcohol. They fed him foods rich in carbohydrates. Sure enough, his blood alcohol content began to spike on its own. The man, who was an avid home brewer, had an abundance of brewer’s yeast in his gut, making his intestines act as their own small brewery." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMan gets drunk randomly because his own body brews beer from carbs

SF Police shut down chess games on Market Street

"For more than 30 years, chess games have been a staple in the Mid-Market neighborhood. But earlier this month, the San Francisco Police Department confiscated the playing equipment, chairs and tables where dozens of people, mostly homeless, would gather every day to play between Fifth and Sixth streets. 'It’s turned into a big public nuisance,' said Capt. Michael Redmond. Redmond said the players’ property will eventually be released back to them and he hopes to help work out a plan for chess in the future — but that may involve convincing a business to pay for a permit so games can be played on the sidewalk." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSF Police shut down chess games on Market Street

100 to 115 SWAT raids per day in the US

"We are talking 100 to 115 SWAT raid per day in the U.S., and if we are going to continue to fight the drug war we need to go after these low and mid level offenders. There’s just not enough police man power, there’s just not enough creative non-violent ways to come up with to get them to turn themselves in. This has become the default way to carry out the drug war…bashing into somebody’s home at night. It’s born from just an overwhelming case flows, and also a lack of creativity. You also have a lot of incentives coming from the federal government that encourage warrants to be served this way." Continue reading →

Continue Reading100 to 115 SWAT raids per day in the US

Police Made One Marijuana Arrest Every 42 Seconds in 2012

"Residents of two states voted to legalize marijuana in 2012, but despite an increase in public support for liberalizing drug policy, American police arrested about the same number of people last year on pot-related charges as in 2011. Data released Monday by the Federal Bureau of Investigation show there were an estimated 1,552,432 arrests for drug-related crimes in 2012 – a slight uptick from the 1,531,251 drug arrests in 2011. Marijuana offenses accounted for 48.3 percent of all drug arrests, a slight reduction from 49.5 percent in 2011, which itself was the highest rate since before 1995." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPolice Made One Marijuana Arrest Every 42 Seconds in 2012