Police State

New Measures Impose Interviews On Travelers Returning To The US

"If you’re traveling back to the US on or after Thursday, expect a broad range of new measures, including short interviews. According to Airlines for America, the new policies will affect 325,000 airline passengers on about 2,000 commercial flights arriving daily in the US. Those figures include flights on 180 airlines from 280 airports in 105 countries. That’s a whole lot of people on a significant number of flights, so be aware that you may experience more delays than usual. Lufthansa said that travelers could expect to encounter short interviews at check-in or at the gate, and passengers on Lufthansa’s Swiss should check-in at least 90 minutes before departure."

Continue ReadingNew Measures Impose Interviews On Travelers Returning To The US

Feds Caught Illegally Prosecuting Medical Marijuana Patients

"The brief filed in regards to the Kettle Falls Five notes that 'This court determined that Rohrabacher-Farr prohibits the Department of Justice from spending funds for the prosecution of individuals who engaged in conduct permitted by the state medical marijuana laws and fully complied with the laws.'"

Continue ReadingFeds Caught Illegally Prosecuting Medical Marijuana Patients

Dark side of Ca. pot legalization: a bonanza of government jobs

"The state is on a hiring binge to fill what eventually will be hundreds of new government positions by 2019 intended to bring order to the legal pot economy, from keeping watch on what’s seeping into streams near cannabis grows to running background checks on storefront sellers who want government licenses. Thousands of additional jobs are expected to be added by local governments. Last January, just 11 full-time workers were part of what’s now known as the Bureau of Cannabis Control, the state’s chief regulatory agency overseeing the pot market. Now, it’s more than doubled, and by February the agency expects to have more than 100 staffers."

Continue ReadingDark side of Ca. pot legalization: a bonanza of government jobs

Parody a police officer on Twitter, go to jail in America

"Something similar happened back in 2014, when police in Peoria, Illinois, arrested a man for impersonating the town's mayor on Twitter. The man (Jon Daniel) sued the city with the help of the ACLU and argued that the arrest violated his First Amendment rights. Ultimately, the city was forced to pay $125,000 to settle the case."

Continue ReadingParody a police officer on Twitter, go to jail in America

In Indiana, sex with minors is OK, but it’s illegal to sext them

"The defendant, who faces a maximum of three years in prison if convicted, argued that it was 'patently illogical' to hold someone criminally liable for sending nude pictures to a minor—yet it's legal to expose themselves to minors in person. The Indiana ruling is among a string of cases in which sexting laws are clearly nonsensical."

Continue ReadingIn Indiana, sex with minors is OK, but it’s illegal to sext them

FBI Stops Publishing Data on America’s Ridiculous Marijuana Arrest Rates

"Though the numbers are missing from the FBI’s public 2016 report, Angell was able to obtain data from the agency by contacting them directly. Angell summarized: 'Marijuana possession busts comprised 37.36% of all reported drug arrests in the U.S. in 2016, and cannabis sales and manufacturing arrests accounted for another 4.18% of the total.'"

Continue ReadingFBI Stops Publishing Data on America’s Ridiculous Marijuana Arrest Rates

FBI Concocting A Terrorist Threat Out of Racial Justice Groups

"If you are black and angry about police violence, you are a potential terror threat. Or so says a newly released FBI Intelligence Assessment that concocts a non-existent movement they dub 'Black Identity Extremists.' According to the assessment, 'premeditated, retaliatory lethal violence against law enforcement' has been spurred on by 'Black Identity Extremist (BIE) perceptions of police brutality against African Americans.' The problems with this report are manifold. First, and foremost, it places the blame for violence on actual concerns with police brutality and racial justice, thus delegitimizing dissent."

Continue ReadingFBI Concocting A Terrorist Threat Out of Racial Justice Groups

Let’s Make America Free Again: We’re Walking a Dangerous Road

"We can pretend that the Constitution is still our governing document. However, the reality we must come to terms with is that in the America we live in today, the government does whatever it wants, freedom be damned. Here is what it means to live under the Constitution today."

Continue ReadingLet’s Make America Free Again: We’re Walking a Dangerous Road