Land Of The Flea

Ranking the States for Economic and Personal Freedom

"Here are the full rankings from the newly released Freedom in the 50 States from the Mercatus Center, showing North Dakota as the state with the most freedom, with South Dakota (#2), Tennessee (#3), New Hampshire (#4), and Oklahoma (#5) also deserving praise for high scores. What makes Freedom in the 50 States so interesting is that you can mix and match variables based on your own preferences. I checked the 'fiscal' and 'tax burden' categories, and South Dakota (no state income tax!) jumped to #1 for both of those measures. You won’t be surprised to learn that New York is the worst state, not only overall, but also for various fiscal policy measures." Continue reading →

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Supreme Court Rules that Citizens Can Hold Federal Government Liable for Abuse by Law Enforcement Officers

"In its ruling in Millbrook v. United States, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court has concluded that the U.S. government may be held liable for abuses intentionally carried out by law enforcement officers in the course of their employment. Arguments put forward by The Rutherford Institute in its amicus brief urged the Court to enforce the plain meaning of federal statutes allowing citizens to sue the government for injuries intentionally inflicted by law enforcement officers. In striking down lower court rulings, the justices held that the courts had erred in dismissing a prisoner’s lawsuit alleging that three prison guards had brutally and sexually assaulted him." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSupreme Court Rules that Citizens Can Hold Federal Government Liable for Abuse by Law Enforcement Officers

Louisiana: Jefferson Parish To Refund Red Light Camera Tickets

"Officials in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana are moving forward on plans to refund $4.7 million in red light camera tickets. About 284,000 tickets were issued in the program until it was suspended over ethical concerns on January 27, 2010 -- long before the Chicago scandal broke. In light of the early revelations of impropriety, a third of recipients threw their photo tickets in the garbage. Redflex had paid a 3.2 percent cut of the firm's profit on each ticket issued to lobbyist Bryan Wagner, a former New Orleans city councilman, who in turn shared the funds with the wife of District Judge Robert Murphy." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLouisiana: Jefferson Parish To Refund Red Light Camera Tickets

When Proactive Policing Becomes Harassment

"The track record of the NYPD's stop-and-frisk program suggests that its officers' suspicions of criminal activity are frequently less than reasonable, since they turn out to be right only 12 percent of the time. Forms officers fill out after these encounters rely heavily on all-purpose excuses such as 'furtive movements' and 'high crime area' to justify stopping people. As the number of stop-and-frisk encounters initiated by the NYPD grew from about 100,000 in Michael Bloomberg's first year as mayor to almost 700,000 in 2011, the share of stops yielding guns fell from 0.38 percent to 0.033 percent. Bloomberg says that trend shows the program is working." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhen Proactive Policing Becomes Harassment

ACLU: Email reveals feds misled judges to abuse wiretapping powers

"Federal law enforcement agents misled judges for years on what type of wiretaps they were carrying out when they requested permission for so-called 'pen register' searches, an email obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) reveals. Instead of collecting data on incoming and outgoing callers (among other general information), the ACLU said that agents commonly used a vehicle-mounted technology called the 'stingray' that intercepts all nearby communications in order to pinpoint the location of a particular signal. The ACLU argues that these devices in effect resulted in a de facto wiretap, when that was not yet authorized." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingACLU: Email reveals feds misled judges to abuse wiretapping powers

Repeal the “War on Terror”

"When Congress approved the post-911 'Authorization for Use of Military Force' on September 14, 2001, Democratic Congresswoman Barbara Lee of California was the only member of the House to vote against it. The Authorization for Use of Military Force has been used to justify torture, warrantless surveillance, and now summary execution of terror suspects – including at least three US citizens, among them a 16-year-old boy – by drone strikes. That measure is the American equivalent of the 'Enabling Act' passed by the German Reichstag in 1933 – a blank check for both foreign military adventurism and domestic repression." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRepeal the “War on Terror”

FBI Pursuing Real-Time Gmail Spying Powers as “Top Priority” for 2013

"Despite the pervasiveness of law enforcement surveillance of digital communication, the FBI still has a difficult time monitoring Gmail, Google Voice, and Dropbox in real time. But that may change soon, because the bureau says it has made gaining more powers to wiretap all forms of Internet conversation and cloud storage a 'top priority' this year. FBI general counsel Andrew Weissmann said that the FBI wants the power to mandate real-time surveillance of everything from Dropbox and online games ('the chat feature in Scrabble') to Gmail and Google Voice. 'Those communications are being used for criminal conversations,' he said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFBI Pursuing Real-Time Gmail Spying Powers as “Top Priority” for 2013

Homeland Security Using Video Games to Recruit Top Students as Cyber Warriors

"Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is seeking up to 600 new student hackers to combat what they claim is the increasing danger of cyber attacks on critical infrastructure throughout the country. Rather than the normal propaganda techniques used to lure young Americans into other branches of the government, Homeland Security is taking a different route which includes the use of sophisticated video games to essentially promote job opportunities within their agency to young impressionable high school students." Continue reading →

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One Man Blocking Arizona Anti-NDAA Bill

"Arizona has the chance to become the first state in America to enact real protections for its citizens against the NDAA. HB 2573, introduced by Rep. Carl Seel, passed Committee 6-2 last month, and passed the Rules Committee yesterday. Yet, one Representative does not see the tide turning to liberty. Representative Andy Tobin is currently blocking HB 2573 from receiving a full House vote. He is willing to kill protection for the people of Arizona, and allow the Federal government to trample the rights of his constituents." Continue reading →

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Welcome to Sulphur Springs, Where the Police Chief is a Murderer

"Last April, the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement reinstated Brackney’s 'peace officer' certification. All that he needed now was a job opening – and one was soon created in Sulphur Springs. Between late 2010 and March 25 of this year, residents of Sulphur Springs had known the singular blessing of living in a community devoid of police. There hasn’t been a murder in Sulphur Springs in recent memory. By hiring a murderer as police chief, the people who presume to rule that tiny village managed to handle both the supply and demand side of law enforcement, as it were. Arkansas is riddled with tiny towns afflicted with police who are not merely corrupt, but demented." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWelcome to Sulphur Springs, Where the Police Chief is a Murderer