Police State

Rand Paul Will Introduce Fourth Amendment Restoration Act Of 2013

'The revelation that the NSA has secretly seized the call records of millions of Americans, without probable cause, represents an outrageous abuse of power and a violation of the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution. I have long argued that Congress must do more to restrict the Executive’s expansive law enforcement powers to seize private records of law-abiding Americans that are held by a third-party,' Sen. Paul said. 'The bill restores our Constitutional rights and declares that the Fourth Amendment shall not be construed to allow any agency of the United States government to search the phone records of Americans without a warrant based on probable cause.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRand Paul Will Introduce Fourth Amendment Restoration Act Of 2013

New leak shows feds can access user accounts for Google, Facebook and more

"Just one day after disclosing the existence of a secret court order between the NSA and Verizon, The Guardian and The Washington Post both published secret presentation slides revealing the existence of a previously undisclosed massive surveillance program called PRISM. The program has the capability to collect data 'directly from the servers' of major American tech companies, including Microsoft, Google, Apple, Facebook and Yahoo. (Dropbox is said to be 'coming soon.') The newspapers describe the system as one giving the National Security Agency and the FBI direct access to a huge number of online commercial services." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNew leak shows feds can access user accounts for Google, Facebook and more

DEA Rehires “Con Man Extraordinaire” and Admitted Multiple Perjurer as Paid Informant

"The Drug Enforcement Agency is so determined to bust folks that a snitch who admitted to multiple instances of perjury has been rehired. According to AZCentral, the man once labeled the 'highest paid snitch in history' -- Andrew Chambers, Jr. -- is back in business as a paid informant, never mind the fact that he was terminated in 2000 for incessant lying. Chambers gave false testimony under oath in at least 16 criminal cases nationwide before he was ousted in 2000. An informant since 1984, he worked with DEA and other federal agencies in at least 280 cases, with sting operations in 31 US cities." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDEA Rehires “Con Man Extraordinaire” and Admitted Multiple Perjurer as Paid Informant

New York ‘soccer mom’ accused of $3 million marijuana operation

"Andrea Sanderlin was described by friends and neighbours in the upmarket town of Scarsdale as a 'soccer mom' who drove a Mercedes SUV and competed in horse riding competitions. But the federal drug enforcement agency alleges that the 45-year-old was in charge of a 'sophisticated operation to grow and process marijuana', according to the criminal complaint. Investigators linked Sanderlin, who has two daughters aged 3 and 13, to a warehouse that was using 'an unusually high amount of electricity'. In a separate raid on her Scarsdale home authorities found books on how to grow marijuana and how to launder money, according to the DEA." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNew York ‘soccer mom’ accused of $3 million marijuana operation

What telephone metadata can tell the authorities about you

"The phone number of every caller and recipient; the unique serial number of the phones involved; the time and duration of each phone call; and potentially the location of each of the participants when the call happened. All of this information is being collected on millions of calls every day – every conversation taking place within the US, or between the US and a foreign country. The government has long argued that this information isn’t private or personal. It is, they say, the equivalent of looking at the envelope of a letter. Because it’s not personal information, but rather 'transactional' or 'business' data, there’s no need to show probable cause to collect it." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhat telephone metadata can tell the authorities about you

Google ordered to obey FBI’s warrantless data requests

"A federal judge has rejected Google’s request to not have to comply with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) warrantless requests for users’ data records, the Associated Press reported on Friday. In a May 28 ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Susan Illston decided that the 'national security letters' issued by the bureau were not unconstitutional, as the tech company had argued, but delayed her ruling pending a decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Illston ruled that after receiving sworn statements from two high-ranking FBI officials, she determined that the bureau followed proper procedure in issuing 17 of 19 letters to Google." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGoogle ordered to obey FBI’s warrantless data requests

Cowboy-style cap gun gets 5-year-old ousted from school in Calvert County

"A kindergartner who brought a cowboy-style cap gun onto his Calvert County school bus was suspended for 10 days after showing a friend the orange-tipped toy, which he had tucked inside his backpack on his way to school, according to his family and a lawyer. The child was questioned for more than two hours before his mother was called, she said, adding that he uncharacteristically wet his pants during the episode. If the punishment stands, it would become part of the boy’s permanent school record and keep him out of classes the rest of the school year, the family said. He would miss his end-of-year kindergarten program at Dowell Elementary School in Lusby." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCowboy-style cap gun gets 5-year-old ousted from school in Calvert County

California man jailed for painting crosswalk

"A Northern California man is facing vandalism charges after authorities say he painted a crosswalk on a street, allegedly telling officials it was needed. Fifty-two-year-old Anthony Cardenas was arrested Thursday morning in Vallejo and booked into Solano County Jail on suspicion of felony vandalism. Solano County Sheriff's Lt. Brad DeWall says workers spotted Cardenas committing the vandalism at a city intersection. State transportation workers painted over Cardenas' alleged crosswalk later in the day. A police cadet had been posted at the intersection until then to keep pedestrians from using it." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCalifornia man jailed for painting crosswalk

New Zealand police ordered to return Dotcom material

"A New Zealand judge on Friday ordered police to return any digital material seized in an armed raid on Internet mogul Kim Dotcom’s mansion last year not directly related to the prosecution against him. The decision by High Court chief judge Helen Winkelmann follows a ruling last year that the January 2012 raid on Dotcom’s Auckland mansion was illegal because the search warrants used were too broad to be considered reasonable. Digital material such as computer hard drives were taken in the dawn swoop as part of a US probe into allegations of massive online piracy by Dotcom’s now-defunct Megaupload empire." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNew Zealand police ordered to return Dotcom material

Obama picks former Bush official James Comey as new FBI director

"Barack Obama is preparing to name a former Bush administration who was heavily involved in some of the most controversial issues of that era, including illegal wiretapping and torture, as the new director of the FBI. Since leaving the Justice Department, Comey has been working as a hedge fund manager and lecturer. Comey, 52, is set to replace Robert Mueller, who has headed the agency since the week before the 9/11 attack and is due to step down in September. The expected nomination comes at a time when the agency is under siege on a series of issues." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama picks former Bush official James Comey as new FBI director