Police State

Ex-police officer pleads guilty in murder-for-hire scheme

"He was the ringleader of an 'elite' Special Operations Section that ransacked homes without warrants and shook down drug dealers for hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash. On Tuesday, former Chicago Police Officer Jerome Finnigan, wearing an orange jump suit and shackles, admitted to those crimes as well as to the most outrageous charge — that as an officer, he ordered a hit on another cop. But as part of his plea deal made public in federal court on Tuesday, Finnigan pleaded guilty only to the murder-for-hire charge and to a tax charge; an agreement where he would see no more than 13 years in prison for his crimes." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEx-police officer pleads guilty in murder-for-hire scheme

NDAA Lawsuit Brief Filed By Children Of Japanese-Americans Interned During World War II

"The children of Japanese-Americans whose internment during World War II was upheld by the infamous Supreme Court ruling Korematsu v. United States are stepping into a new legal battle over whether the military can indefinitely detain American citizens. Writing that their parents 'experienced first-hand the injustice resulting from a lack of searching judicial scrutiny,' the children of Fred Korematsu and other Japanese-Americans who were interned filed a brief on Monday in support of a lawsuit against the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNDAA Lawsuit Brief Filed By Children Of Japanese-Americans Interned During World War II

Expatriation Can Save You From the Not-So-Free America

"The terrorist attacks of 9/11, 2001 have been used as a twisted justification by the U.S. Congress and by two presidents to enact unconstitutional laws that sacrifice the very principles they claim to be defending, all in the name of an elusive national security. This is a list of illegal and unconstitutional actions on which I recently spoke to a group of 50 Sovereign Society members who visited Uruguay last month. Many in the group seemed genuinely surprised when they saw the list, unable to believe such things were possible in America." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingExpatriation Can Save You From the Not-So-Free America

Too little punishment for Pr. George’s police officer’s assault

"If a witness hadn’t shot video of two Prince George’s County police officers savagely beating John McKenna, a University of Maryland student, after a March 2010 men’s basketball game, that would probably have been the end of it. The officers didn’t file a report, as required, on their use of force. When initially questioned about the beating, they lied. And when they filled out the initial paperwork on the incident, police said Mr. McKenna had sustained his injuries, including a concussion, from being kicked by a police horse. Thanks to the video, and to the persistence of Mr. McKenna’s lawyers in uncovering it, the coverup didn’t work." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingToo little punishment for Pr. George’s police officer’s assault

FBI is investigating former Utah trooper Lisa Steed

"The FBI is investigating former Utah Highway Patrol Cpl. Lisa Steed for civil rights violations, an attorney said Sunday. Michael Studebaker said 10 of his clients recently spoke to FBI agents. He said his clients have not been asked to speak to a grand jury. Steed has been accused of arresting people for DUI who were sober. Two judges have found Steed lied on the witness stand." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFBI is investigating former Utah trooper Lisa Steed

Four Texas police officers charged with escorting loads of narcotics for pay

"Two deputies and two police officers in the Hidalgo County, Texas area have been charged with protecting drug smugglers’ shipments of narcotics through the area. According to a Dec. 13 statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Texas, two of the officers are with the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) and two are with Mission Police Department (MPD) officers. Reportedly the men allegedly used their positions to get thousands of dollars for facilitating and protecting drug shipments. Two of the men are also reportedly the sons of high-ranking local police officials in the area in south Texas, west of Brownesville." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFour Texas police officers charged with escorting loads of narcotics for pay

Chicago cop whose home was raided is awarded $565,000 in damages

"When Chicago police broke into his Austin home with guns drawn and a search warrant, Markee Cooper Sr., a cop himself, and his family could only look on as drawers and closets were searched for crack cocaine based on an alleged informant's tip. On Friday, a federal jury awarded Cooper and his family $565,000 in damages after finding one officer at fault for a falsified warrant and two others responsible for the illegal 2007 search. Their two young sons, Markee Jr., 13, and Zion, 8, were traumatized at seeing their father confront a roomful of cops with guns before kneeling to the living room floor and handing over his badge and weapon." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChicago cop whose home was raided is awarded $565,000 in damages

Two women sue Texas Troopers for illegal roadside cavity search

"A federal lawsuit filed by two Irving women claims that Texas State Troopers humiliated them by performing illegal cavity searches on the side of the road after a cigarette butt was thrown out of their car window. Dashcam video shows Helleson searching the anuses and vaginas of both women with the same latex gloves in full view of other passing cars. And then the trooper performed the same procedure on Ashley Dobbs without changing gloves." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTwo women sue Texas Troopers for illegal roadside cavity search

Protection Against Indefinite Detention Mysteriously Stripped From NDAA

"Congress stripped a provision Tuesday from a defense bill that aimed to shield Americans from the possibility of being imprisoned indefinitely without trial by the military. The provision was replaced with a passage that appears to give citizens little protection from indefinite detention. The amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2013 was added by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), but there was no similar language in the version of the bill that passed the House, and it was dumped from the final bill released Tuesday after a conference committee from both chambers worked out a unified measure." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingProtection Against Indefinite Detention Mysteriously Stripped From NDAA

Big Brother Spying Didn’t Stop Connecticut School Shooter … Or 9/11

"The separation between spy agencies and military operations has disappeared … to the point where the same unaccountable government agency which spies on all Americans also decides who gets assassinated by drones. And anyone who questions government actions or policies may be labeled a potential terrorist. And yet – even with Big Brother sticking his nose in every aspect of our lives – that total surveillance didn’t stop the Connecticut school shooter. Or the Batman shooter, the shooter of Congresswoman Giffords, Columbine, Virginia Tech, etc. etc. etc." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBig Brother Spying Didn’t Stop Connecticut School Shooter … Or 9/11