for life and liberty

CDC: Painkillers Kill Four Times More than Cocaine and Heroin Combined

"A powerful report spanning 10 years from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revealed that painkillers are actually responsible for a whopping four times as many deaths as both heroin and cocaine combined. While the previous report documented in 2011 found that 12 million were actually on prescription painkillers purely for the high it gives, the new CDC papers found that there was a massive 415% rise in the overall rate of fatal painkiller overdoses from 1999 to 2010. We’re talking about a higher fatality rate than those who are dosing up on heroin and cocaine." Continue reading →

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Man killed by half-ton of marijuana

"A man carrying 500 kilos of pot in his car lost his life when the illegal merchandise in the back of the vehicle slammed into him during an auto accident. The victim was traveling from the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul to Sao Paulo this past Saturday when he refused to stop at a Federal Highway Patrol roadblock. A chase ensued over a three mile stretch of road, which ended with a fatal crash against a tree after the man lost control of his car. The impact resulted in the man being crushed against the steering wheel by the bricks of marijuana he was transporting." Continue reading →

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Reports: Speeding Not A Cause Of Child Accidents

"In 72 percent of the accidents, investigators believed the child's failure to look properly was at least in part to blame. Another 31 percent involved reckless behavior on the part of the child, including playing in the road in 11 percent of incidents. On the part of the driver, 8 percent failed to look properly, and another 8 percent could not see the child because of a parked car or other obstruction. In 3 percent of cases the driver was reckless, and in less than 1 percent of cases was 'traveling too fast for conditions' (which is not necessarily exceeding the posted speed limit). All together, in 71 percent of the incidents, the driver was not found to be at fault." Continue reading →

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French Study Investigates Danger Of Speed Limit Fixation

"In jurisdictions with automated speed enforcement, cruise control can save drivers from receiving a nasty surprise in the mail. A study released July 30 from the Vinci Autoroutes Foundation concluded that this reliance on cruise control can actually make driving more dangerous. These findings are consistent with those of the late Paul Smith, founder of the Safe Speed road safety campaign, who calculated that each time a driver looked down to check his speedometer in a 200 yard speed camera zone -- each glance takes about 1.1 seconds -- he loses 13 percent of the time available to observe the road for hazards. The UK Department for Transport lists driver inattention as the cause of 25% of accidents." Continue reading →

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Ohio Supreme Court Takes Up Photo Enforcement Kangaroo Courts

"Toledo, Columbus and Dayton have joined Redflex Traffic Systems of Australia in petitioning the justices to overturn a Court of Appeals decision from June that found Toledo's administrative review process unconstitutional. The ruling has city officials worried about the potential for losing millions if the court decides Toledo deprived vehicle owners of their due process rights by usurping jurisdiction in setting up administrative panels that offer the accused less of a chance to win their appeal. Redflex in its court briefs claims a loss in the case could cost cities $100 million. Optotraffic, a competing camera vendor, predicted 'copy-cat lawsuits' would be filed in every jurisdiction." Continue reading →

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Maryland: Court Upholds Traffic Stop Over Third Brake Light

"Police in Maryland can stop and interrogate a driver if he is driving a car with a burned out third brake light. The Court of Special Appeals ruled earlier this month that allowing the car to continue with only two functional brake lights would pose a safety hazard to the public. The detective said he smelled marijuana and ordered both of its occupants out of the car. As he started looking inside the car, he spotted a handgun that belonged to Smith. Maryland does not allow citizens to carry a firearm except in rare circumstances. Smith appealed the firearms possession conviction, arguing the initial stop was invalid because state law only requires a vehicle to have two functioning brake lights." Continue reading →

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California: Two More Cities Chose To End Red Light Camera Use

"Though Redflex made $361,200 from operating the cameras in El Cajon, the city ended up losing $62,000 after ticket revenue was split with state and county governments. Money was not an issue in South Gate which also terminated its contract earlier this month. Officials predicted the program would make $75,763 in profit for the South Gate and $336,319 for Redflex out of the $5 million worth of tickets issued. After ten years, the city council decided to end the program based on public input. Cities have also recently been spooked by the Redflex bribery scandal in Chicago, Illinois that has already cut the Australian firm's profit in half." Continue reading →

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‘I Was Stop-And-Frisked By The NYPD More Than 100 Times’

"In 2011, the number of stops of young black men exceeded New York City's entire population of young black men. Daniel A Medina followed the story of one, Keeshan, whose teenage years were scarred by the controversial police tactic a court has ruled a violation of minorities' rights." Continue reading →

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How Cops Are Vetted For Aggression & Insensitivity, With Capt. Ray Lewis

"Abby Martin remarks on the second anniversary of Occupy Wall Street, highlighting a recent Reuters poll showing that only 15% of Americans are satisfied with the government's effort to prosecute Wall Street bankers, and speaks with former Philadelphia police captain Ray Lewis about why he chose to protest in-uniform at Occupy." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHow Cops Are Vetted For Aggression & Insensitivity, With Capt. Ray Lewis