"Republicans in the House and Senate recently introduced a bill they’re calling the Back the Blue Act of 2017. The bill would create new federal crimes, impose federal police over the will of local officials and voters and shield police officers from virtually any civil liability, even in cases of egregious misconduct." Continue reading →
"The FBI’s decision to create a fake media company raises critical questions about the federal government’s practice of impersonating the press." Continue reading →
"The FBI has a long record of both deceit and incompetence. Five years ago, Americans learned that the FBI was teaching its agents that the bureau 'has the ability to bend or suspend the law to impinge on the freedom of others.' This has practically been the FBI's motif since its creation." Continue reading →
"The directive instructs federal prosecutors to pursue the most serious, readily provable offense. It thus resurrects the emphasis on mandatory minimum sentencing requirements, which have required judges to impose draconian sentences for drug crimes, even when they don't believe these sentences are warranted. Sessions' memo rescinds and reverses the reforms implemented by former Attorney General Eric Holder, which urged prosecutors to charge people with low-level drug cases to avoid triggering mandatory minimum sentences. Nearly half (or 92,000) of the people in federal prison are serving sentences for drug convictions." Continue reading →
"The 90-second video message from Sheriff Peyton Grinnell features a stern message to heroin dealers in his community, as he's flanked by four deputies in body armor and black face masks, who stoically stare into the camera. Some people made comparisons to videos from the Islamic State, the terrorist group also known as ISIS whose propaganda often features masked men delivering fiery statements." Continue reading →
"Not content with having a fleet of insecure surveillance drones, the state of Connecticut wants a fleet of insecure weaponized drones. What could possibly go wrong?" Continue reading →
"After New Jersey state troopers arrested Rebecca Musarra for remaining silent, they informed her, 'You have the right to remain silent.' That should have been a clue that something was amiss with their legal justification for hauling her off to jail." Continue reading →
"The Justice Department is prosecuting a woman who laughed during a Senate hearing to confirm Jeff Sessions as attorney general. I can sympathize with her somewhat absurd plight because I was once tossed out of the press box in the Supreme Court for laughing at the wrong time." Continue reading →
"Travel is not an inherently suspicious activity. It’s the exercise of a Constitutional and human right, and cannot in itself be the basis for warrant checks." Continue reading →
"Employers are even offered the option to purchase lifetime subscriptions to the program for the cost of $13 per person. The decision to participate in Rap Back is at employers’ discretion. Employees have no choice in the matter. There are no laws preventing the FBI from using the data it collects for other purposes, said Jeramie Scott, an attorney with the Electronic Privacy Information Center. A massive trove of digital fingerprints collected by the FBI, he noted, could be used to open up devices like smart phones without the owner’s consent. In addition, Scott pointed out that the FBI often collects a photo of Rap Back participants’ faces." Continue reading →