DOJ acknowledges Holder was on board with warrant for Fox reporter’s emails

"The Justice Department acknowledged late Friday that Attorney General Eric Holder was on board with a search warrant to obtain the personal emails of a Fox News reporter, as media and civil liberties groups continued to raise concerns about the case. Following prior reports indicating that Holder had likely signed off on the search warrant, the Justice Department acknowledged Holder's involvement and defended the decision. It insisted the call to seek these files -- in the course of an investigation into a leak allegedly made by State Department contractor Stephen Jin-Woo Kim -- was legal." Continue reading

Continue ReadingDOJ acknowledges Holder was on board with warrant for Fox reporter’s emails

Man Responsible For NY 15-Year Mandatory Minimum Pot Sentences Dies

"William M. Fine, a former magazine publisher and retailer whose research for Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller helped shape New York State’s stringent narcotics laws, died on Friday in Beverly Hills, Calif. His biggest impact on history resulted from a dinner party conversation with Rockefeller in early 1972, according to a former Rockefeller aide. On May 8, 1973, Rockefeller signed legislation mandating minimum prison sentences of 15 years for selling two ounces or possessing four ounces of heroin, cocaine or marijuana. The legislation was the toughest in the country, and increased the state’s prison population 500 percent over the next 20 years." Continue reading

Continue ReadingMan Responsible For NY 15-Year Mandatory Minimum Pot Sentences Dies

The deeper agenda behind Japan’s “Abenomics”

"The policy known as 'Abenomics' is a mix of monetary easing, stimulative spending and growth-inducing steps including deregulation in sectors such as energy. Some Abe allies worry that a hasty push for constitutional changes could upset voters who want the focus to stay firmly on the economy - repeating a mistake seen as a key factor in Abe's first failed attempt to govern. 'He wants to achieve what he left undone - to break free of the ‘post-war regime',' said Koichi Hagiuda, a lawmaker and special aide to Abe. 'What is most symbolic of that is the constitution that was drafted in one short week under (U.S. General Douglas) MacArthur's Occupation.'" Continue reading

Continue ReadingThe deeper agenda behind Japan’s “Abenomics”

California Police Kill Again, Hit Restrained Man In The Head At Least 10 Times With A Baton

"A man taken into custody by the Sacramento Police Department has died, according to the police department. Video obtained by CBS13 of the arrest on the 8300 block of Folsom Boulevard shows a suspect being restrained by a male officer’s legs, while a female officer strikes him 10 times with a baton." Continue reading

Continue ReadingCalifornia Police Kill Again, Hit Restrained Man In The Head At Least 10 Times With A Baton

After IRS Targeting, Now The Gibson Guitar Raids Make Sense

"Interestingly, one of Gibson's leading competitors is C.F. Martin & Co. According to C.F. Martin's catalog, several of their guitars contain 'East Indian Rosewood,' which is the exact same wood in at least 10 of Gibson's guitars. So why were they not also raided and their inventory of foreign wood seized? Grossly underreported at the time was the fact that Gibson's chief executive, Henry Juszkiewicz, contributed to Republican politicians. Recent donations have included $2,000 to Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and $1,500 to Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn. By contrast, Chris Martin IV, the Martin & Co. CEO, is a long-time Democratic supporter." Continue reading

Continue ReadingAfter IRS Targeting, Now The Gibson Guitar Raids Make Sense

Court orders UK to hold inquiries into illegal civilian deaths during Iraq War

"A series of public inquests should be held into the deaths of civilians who are alleged to have been killed unlawfully by the British military following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the high court has ruled. In a ground-breaking judgment that could have an impact on how the British military is able to conduct operations among civilians in the future, the court ruled on Friday that up to 161 deaths should be the subject of hearings modelled upon coroners’ inquests. In practice, a series of hearings – possibly amounting to more than 100 – are likely to be held as a result of the judgment, which follows a three-year legal battle on behalf of the Iraqis’ families." Continue reading

Continue ReadingCourt orders UK to hold inquiries into illegal civilian deaths during Iraq War

Revisiting the ‘Crack Babies’ Epidemic That Was Not

"Scientific studies in the 1980s led to predictions that a generation of children would be damaged for life. Those predictions turned out to be wrong. This supposed epidemic — one television reporter talks of a 500 percent increase in damaged babies — was kicked off by a study of just 23 infants that the lead researcher now says was blown out of proportion. And the shocking symptoms — like tremors and low birth weight — are not particular to cocaine-exposed babies, pediatric researchers say; they can be seen in many premature newborns. A much more serious problem, it turns out, is infants who are born with fetal alcohol syndrome." Continue reading

Continue ReadingRevisiting the ‘Crack Babies’ Epidemic That Was Not

U.S. drug czar: Marijuana is drug most often linked to crime

"Kerlikowske, a former Seattle police chief, has consistently opposed legalization since he became President Barack Obama’s top drug policy adviser in 2009. His position puts him at odds with two states, Washington and Colorado, that voted in November to legalize marijuana, a controlled substance that remains illegal under federal law. With the Obama administration doing nothing so far to try to stop them, both states are proceeding with plans to begin selling marijuana for recreational use next year. A third state, Alaska, might follow soon, with legalization supporters aiming to get the measure on the state’s primary ballot in August of next year." Continue reading

Continue ReadingU.S. drug czar: Marijuana is drug most often linked to crime

Lawsuit filed over veteran’s psychiatric detention over Facebook posts

"A civil liberties group filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday on behalf of an ex-Marine who was detained in a psychiatric facility after posting anti-government messages on Facebook, using the case to criticize a program that looks for veterans who may have become extremists. Attorneys for The Rutherford Institute filed suit in Richmond over the weeklong detention last August of Brandon J. Raub, a veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Attorneys for Raub claimed his detention came under a federal program called 'Operation Vigilant Eagle' involving surveillance of veterans who express views critical of the government." Continue reading

Continue ReadingLawsuit filed over veteran’s psychiatric detention over Facebook posts