Orwellian

Disabled Grandfather Charged With Terrorism After School Complaint

"A disabled grandfather from Centerville is behind bars facing terrorism charges. We talked with 52-year old Brian Davis from the Appanoose County Jail where he is charged with felony threat of terrorism. He says he was making small talk with his physical therapist, complaining about what he considers to be lax security at his granddaughter’s school, when the therapist claimed Davis made a threatening comment about going into the school and opening fire. Davis, who has no criminal record and says he doesn’t even own a gun, says this is all a big misunderstanding. But police say they won’t take any chances when it comes to children’s safety." Continue reading →

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Veteran’s Guns Confiscated After Forced ‘Psychiatric Evaluation’

"On February 5, Schmecker’s hospital primary care doctor called and heard a message on Schmecker’s answer machine that 'sounded peculiar,' prompting him to contact the local police and urge them to visit Schmecker to perform a 'wellness check'. 'The police came to my home, and, without any justification whatsoever, hauled me away for a psychiatric evaluation at a local hospital. I submitted to their forceful insistence under duress and fear of arrest or worse. I wasn’t arrested, no crime was committed nor any threats were made to myself or others,' Schmecker told Survive and Thrive’s George Hemminger. 'They confiscated my guns and pistol permit.'" Continue reading →

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Fifteen Benefits of the War on Drugs

"With American drug use levels essentially the same as — and levels of drug-related violence either the same as or lower than — those in countries like the Netherlands with liberal drug laws, public support for the War on Drugs appears to be faltering. This was most recently evidenced in the victory of major drug decriminalization initiatives in Colorado and Washington. Some misguided commentators go so far as to say the Drug War is 'a failure.' Here, to set the record straight, are fifteen ways in which it is a resounding success." Continue reading →

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A First-time Offender, Father To Three, Sells Pain Pills To A Friend, Gets 25 Years In Prison.

"You've got a 46-year-old employed father caught selling four bottles of prescription pain pills. Twenty-five years minimum! It costs Florida roughly $19,000 to incarcerate an inmate for a year. So I ask you, dear reader, is keeping non-violent first-time drug offender John Horner locked behind bars in a jumpsuit really the best use of $475,000? For the same price, you could pay a year's tuition for 75 students at Florida State University. Is it accurate to call a system that demands the 25-year prison term mad? Well. Prosecutors offered to shave years off his sentence if he became an informant himself and successfully helped send five others to prison on 25 year terms." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA First-time Offender, Father To Three, Sells Pain Pills To A Friend, Gets 25 Years In Prison.

David Galland: Big Brother’s Beginnings

"For me, then, the real message of 1984 is that once governments are allowed to get too firm a grip on the reins of power – including the judicial, the constabulary, the military, the media – they are not just imminently corruptible but super-hardened to any real change. I, Pencil, Leonard Read's 1958 essay, a video version of which you can watch here, explains how the free market works using the simple example of how the lowly pencil is produced and brought to market. I'll try to use the same sort of simplistic example – replacing the pencil with the coca leaf – to expose the genesis of Big Brother's steady assent to unassailable power." Continue reading →

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DEA Targets FedEx, UPS in Online Pharmacy Battle

"FedEx may prove a tougher nut to crack. Officials there called the federal probe 'absurd and disturbing' and said it threatened customer privacy. They also accused the DEA of failing to cooperate with them in efforts to resolve the problem. 'We are a transportation company -- we are not law enforcement, we are not doctors and we are not pharmacists,' FedEx spokesman Patrick Fitzgerald said. 'We have no interest in violating the privacy of our customers by opening and inspecting their packages in an attempt to determine the legality of the contents. We stand ready and willing to support and assist law enforcement. We cannot, however, do their jobs for them.'" Continue reading →

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Whose “Provocative Actions”?

"March 28 2013 - US sends nuclear-capable B-2 bombers to SKorea; March 26 2013 - U.S. Army learns hard lessons in N. Korea-like war game; March 20 2013 - U.S. flies B-52s over South Korea; March 19 2013 - S. Korea, U.S. carry out naval drills with nuclear attack submarine; March 17 2013 - Troops remember sacrifices of Cheonan sailors; March 12 2013 - First day of SK-US military exercises passes without provocation; March 8 2013 - Air Assault Course increase 2ID capabilities; March 8 2013 - 'Frozen Chosen' Marines; March 6 2013 - S. Korea says it will strike against North’s top leadership if provoked." Continue reading →

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The trouble with using police informants in the US

"Some law enforcement agencies in the US use informants in as many as 90% of their drug cases. But there are surprisingly few rules on how informants are used and a groundswell of calls for the system to be reformed. 'Snitches' are staple fare in Hollywood crime dramas, often working secretly with the police to bring down mafia godfathers or powerful drug cartels. The reality of informants in the US criminal justice system is usually rather different." Continue reading →

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New York: Judge Rules Against Use Of X-Rays During Traffic Stops

"A motorist cannot have his car taken to a border station to be x-rayed based on a window tint violation, a federal judge ruled on Friday. US District Judge Richard J. Arcara allowed a lawsuit to proceed against the Niagara County, New York Sheriff's Department in the wake of an April 28, 2009 traffic stop where motorists who had done nothing wrong were detained by police for more than three hours." Continue reading →

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Obama launches $100 million brain-mapping project

"US President Barack Obama on Tuesday announced a $100 million project to map the intricate inner mysteries of the human brain, targeting cures for diseases like Alzheimer’s. The BRAIN (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) initiative will be run by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and the National Science Foundation. Obama was introduced as 'scientist in chief' at the White House event by NIH Director Francis Collins, and his administration makes the case that despite tough fiscal times, investments in science are vital." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama launches $100 million brain-mapping project