Homeland Stupidity

U.S. missed ‘red flags’ about gunman

"The security clearances issued by the government are under intense scrutiny as the gunman, 34-year-old Aaron Alexis, had a valid pass that enabled him to enter the sprawling Navy Yard, located blocks from Congress. Alexis had a security clearance despite a record of misconduct in the Navy and run-ins with the law, including two shooting incidents and a Rhode Island police report showing he had severe delusions. The 10-year security clearance, which was granted during his stint as a sailor from 2007-2011, remained valid once he left the service under an honorable discharge, according to the Navy." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. missed ‘red flags’ about gunman

U.S. missed ‘red flags’ about gunman

"The security clearances issued by the government are under intense scrutiny as the gunman, 34-year-old Aaron Alexis, had a valid pass that enabled him to enter the sprawling Navy Yard, located blocks from Congress. Alexis had a security clearance despite a record of misconduct in the Navy and run-ins with the law, including two shooting incidents and a Rhode Island police report showing he had severe delusions. The 10-year security clearance, which was granted during his stint as a sailor from 2007-2011, remained valid once he left the service under an honorable discharge, according to the Navy." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. missed ‘red flags’ about gunman

New Heights in Disgraceful Asset Forfeiture (Seizure)

"The U.S. is seizing 650 Fifth Avenue, the 36-story Piaget Building, from Iranian interests. I’d guess the value is several hundred million dollars. All asset seizure procedures are an utter disgrace, totally unlawful and unjust. This one is triply disgraceful, based as it is on undeclared economic warfare against Iran, phonily done in the name of anti-terrorism, and based on as about as unlawful a 'law' as Congress has ever manufactured." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNew Heights in Disgraceful Asset Forfeiture (Seizure)

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

Continuity of Operations – Wikipedia

"The George W. Bush administration put the Continuity of Operations plan into effect for the first time directly following the September 11 attacks. The Bush administration did not acknowledge the implementation of the COG plan until March 1, 2002. On July 18, 2007, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), a member of the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security, requested the classified and more detailed version of the government's continuity of government plan in a letter signed by him and the chairperson of the House Homeland Committee, which is supposed to have access to confidential government information. The president refused to provide the information." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingContinuity of Operations – Wikipedia

Homeland Security to Test Face Scanning Cameras at Hockey Game

"The Department of Homeland Security is set to test new facial recognition technology at the the Tri-Cities Americans home opener at Toyota Center in Kennewick next weekend as part of its long term mission 'to identify terrorists and criminals in public areas.' The DHS will work with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to run the test during a portion of a game on September 21. PNNL staff members will participate in the test, which will attempt to match their identities with photographs as they move around the stadium. The staffers will wear ankle bracelets which will send a signal to the cameras when they are close enough to be photographed and matched with the still shots." Continue reading →

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Armed EPA raid in Alaska sheds light on 70 fed agencies with armed divisions

"The recent uproar over armed EPA agents descending on a tiny Alaska mining town is shedding light on the fact that 40 federal agencies – including nearly a dozen typically not associated with law enforcement -- have armed divisions. The agencies employ about 120,000 full-time officers authorized to carry guns and make arrests, according to a June 2012 Justice Department report. Though most Americans know agents within the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Federal Bureau of Prisons carry guns, agencies such as the Library of Congress and Federal Reserve Board employing armed officers might come as a surprise." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingArmed EPA raid in Alaska sheds light on 70 fed agencies with armed divisions

Jeffrey Tucker: 3 Important Lessons from a Canadian Border Crossing

"I was at the Canadian border, headed toward the freedom that exists a few feet beyond the last security check. I was gently waved down a side corridor. Ninety minutes later, I was let go, but not before something truly alarming happened. I’m pretty sure that the Canadian government captured a mirrored version of my smartphone — which pretty much holds the whole of my life. I’ll explain precisely how this happened in just a bit — in the hopes that perhaps you can take precautions that I did not. But let’s first establish that this practice is not unusual. According to documents obtained by the ACLU, this has become the standard backdoor method of search used today by governments around the world." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJeffrey Tucker: 3 Important Lessons from a Canadian Border Crossing

Police officer gets year in jail for conning immigrants out of $13,000

"A former Wappingers Falls police officer has been sentenced to one year in Dutchess County Jail after he admitted he conned immigrants who sought driver's licenses and immigration assistance out of more than $13,000. Rodriguez, who worked as a liaison to the Latino community in Wappingers Falls, admitted he charged victims $500 to $1,000 for 'asylum and withholding of removal' applications. He said he falsely promised the applications would be reviewed by an attorney and filed with immigration authorities. Rodriguez also admitted he charged immigrants $300 to enter a non-existent state lottery where the victims could win valid state driver’s licenses." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPolice officer gets year in jail for conning immigrants out of $13,000

“We’re Really Not Apologetic” for two killings, say Texas’ Airborne Snipers

"On Tuesday, a grand jury decided not to indict a Texas trooper who had killed two unarmed Guatemalan immigrants after shooting them from a helicopter last year. A police officer in a helicopter shot at a nonviolent suspect and killed two innocent men, and his actions were deemed defensible because the DPS gave him authority to do so. Before he fell under intense scrutiny, McCraw had expressed no remorse for putting people on the ground in danger while using lethal force against a nonviolent suspect. A few months before the incident, he had told interviewers, 'We're really not apologetic about it. We've got an obligation to protect our men and women when we're trying to protect Texas.'" Continue reading →

Continue Reading“We’re Really Not Apologetic” for two killings, say Texas’ Airborne Snipers