for life and liberty

Military Police Officers Sit, Join Protesters In Brazil

"A dramatic video that has gone viral since being posted Tuesday shows a small group of military police officers joining a protest in Sao Paulo. In the video, a large crowd of mostly young activists erupts into applause when the six military officers, clad in light blue uniforms and helmets, decide to sit on the ground with them. The protests in Brazil began on June 13 when a small group of mostly students demonstrated against an increase in the fare of public transportation. Since then, the protests have ballooned to include other grievances, including corruption and the high cost of hosting the World Cup in 2014." Continue reading →

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What Cop T-Shirts Tell Us About Police Culture

"The Village Voice reports that the quote was also printed on t-shirts worn by NYPD's infamous Street Crimes Unit, which was disbanded after shooting unarmed immigrant Amadou Diallo 41 times in 1999 as Diallo reached for his wallet. The Voice also reports that at least two NYPD police commissioners have used the phrase 'hunter of men' to describe police work -- Bernard Kerik and Howard Safir. There have been a number of other incidents over the years in which cops have donned t-shirts that reflect a mentality someone less lofty than 'protect and serve.'" Continue reading →

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7-Year-Old Aiyana Stanley’s Home-Invasion Murderer Walks Free, Since He’s A Cop

"Joseph Weekly, who shot 7-year-old Aiyana Stanley-Jones in the head during a home invasion on May 17, 2010, is free after a jury deadlocked. Nobody disputes that Weekly was the killer, or that Aiyana was an entirely innocent victim. Weekly was exonerated by virtue of the fact that his home invasion crew bore the insignia of the criminal syndicate that claims a monopoly on the legitimate use of force within Detroit. The Detroit Police Department’s Special Reaction Team (SRT) staged a midnight raid on the home where Aiyana was sleeping. This was done entirely for the benefit of a camera crew from a cable 'Reality TV' show called 'The First 48.'" Continue reading →

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Official: Water quality complaints could be ‘act of terrorism’

"A Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation deputy director warned residents that unfounded complaints about water quality could be considered an 'act of terrorism.' 'We take water quality very seriously. Very, very seriously,' said Sherwin Smith, deputy director of TDEC's Division of Water Resources, according to audio recorded by attendees. 'But you need to make sure that when you make water quality complaints you have a basis, because federally, if there's no water quality issues, that can be considered under Homeland Security an act of terrorism.' Smith went on in the recording to repeat the claim almost verbatim." Continue reading →

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Welcome, baseball fan. Go directly to jail.

"You see, they take law and order Very Seriously in Washington. Oh, sure, there is murder, drugs and prostitution (and solicitation, but more on that later), but those crimes are a byproduct of any large metropolitan area, and, well, folks will be folks. No, I am talking about the unspeakable crime of trying to resell tickets to a Washington Nationals makeup baseball game. I went to jail. I sat in a cell for 2½ hours, stood for a mug shot, got fingerprinted, paid 50 bucks and was released. In the grand scheme of things, my travails were minor to all but me. But when that cell door slams shut, the world becomes a different place." Continue reading →

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The Wrong and Right Way to Buy Gold, Part III

"If you do put most or all of your money in all at once, when the time does come to back up the truck and buy in big amounts, you’re going to be gun shy. You’re going to miss one of the best chances in a couple of decades to snap up bargain prices — not only for gold, but also for silver and other precious metals … not only for bullion, but also for shares … not only with long-term, buy-and-hold approaches, but more importantly, for major trading opportunities. As I said before and I’ll say again, that’s the wrong way to buy gold." Continue reading →

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Edward Snowden charged with espionage; arrest warrant issued

"Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden was charged with espionage, theft and conversion of government property by federal prosecutors. Snowden has been in hiding in Hong Kong since leaking details about the NSA’s surveillance activities over U.S. citizens’ phone and Internet usage. He told a Chinese newspaper on June 12 that the NSA’s activities also extended into Hong Kong and mainland China. Attorneys representing Wikileaks founder Julian Assange have reportedly reached out to Snowden’s lawyers to help him find asylum in Iceland. U.S. prosecutors also filed a 'provisional arrest warrant' asking Hong Kong police to arrest Snowden." Continue reading →

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Snowden And Manning Saw Something, And Said Something

"Most Americans – 76% of them, in fact – have never heard of the DHS’s propaganda, 'See Something, Say Something.' Robert Jensen, DHS principal deputy assistant secretary in the office of public affairs, responded, 'We will continue to expand the campaign in the coming months and years.' Years. Years more of ham-fisted SS-SS. It's enough to send a gal screaming over the border. See something, say something…..isn’t this what Snowden and Manning have done? Should they not be lauded for following this directive? Ah, but mere serfs should never expect consistency from a police-state." Continue reading →

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