sound money

‘Three Strikes of Injustice’

"The study showed that more than 4,000 inmates in California are serving life sentences for nonviolent offenses under the three-strikes law. Although judges have sentencing discretion in a very narrow band of three-strikes cases, the reality is that judges almost universally consider themselves bound under California law to impose a life sentence for a third felony offense, no matter how minor. We also learned that the law is disproportionately applied to minorities, the mentally ill and the poor." Continue reading →

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British couple who helped Kenyan village with cannabis profits jailed

"Michael Foster, 62, and Susan Cooper, 63, made hundreds of thousands of pounds from a sophisticated cannabis growing operation at their Lincolnshire farmhouse, which was only discovered when a police officer chasing a burglar recognised the distinctive smell. The couple paid for live-saving surgery for a villager near Mombasa, Kenya, purchased computers for an eye hospital, and paid for schooling for children, the court heard." Continue reading →

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Medical Marijuana User Dies In Jail; Jailers Accused Him Of Faking Food Allergy

"Rose Saffioti was sure she was doing the right thing when she encouraged her son to turn himself over to police. An arrest warrant for Michael Saffioti had been issued after he missed a court date. But after one night in jail, he was dead. Now Snohomish County could face a lawsuit over a food allergy that may have been ignored. After eating oatmeal in jail, Michael couldn't breathe. Other inmates say Michael begged for help and was accused of faking it. The autopsy found his severe reaction to milk products contributed to his death." Continue reading →

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In Gem County, Idaho, It’s a Crime to be a “Constitutionalist”

"When Michael came out of the house he was forced to kneel with his back to a deputy who was pointing the muzzle of an assault rifle at his head. With Michael in handcuffs and Marcela under armed guard, the deputies – led by Sheriff Chuck Rolland – conducted an illegal search of the home, finding what they thought was a marijuana growing operation. It proved to be an indoor nursery for organic tomatoes. The pretext for this assault was a 911 call from a neighbor reporting that Michael and Marcela had an argument. En route, one of the deputies suggested that a paramilitary approach would be justified, saying of Michael: 'He’s a constitutionalist.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIn Gem County, Idaho, It’s a Crime to be a “Constitutionalist”

How the Feds Manufacture “Criminals”

"Undercover IRS informants posing as drug dealers offered to buy cars with cash they described as proceeds from narcotics deals. After Joseph Johnson was arrested and charged with money laundering, federal prosecutor Wendy Olson offered him a deal in exchange for testifying against Kurt Barnes. To enhance Johnson’s credibility, Olson sought to prevent disclosure of Johnson’s prior felony convictions – which is essentially the same act for which Barnes now faces a prison term. The difference here is that Olson, unlike Barnes, actually succeeded in stealing something – in this case, a year of a man’s life. Continue reading →

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Key evidence in Maricopa County Jail death suit of Deborah Braillard ‘destroyed’

"Deborah Braillard was an insulin dependent diabetic who was arrested on a minor drug charge when her car broke down on New Year’s Day 2005. During three agonizing days in custody at the Estrella Jail, she was deprived of insulin and denied medical care despite pleas from fellow detainees. By the time she was rushed to the hospital, Deborah Braillard had slipped into a diabetic coma. The ABC15 Investigators have obtained court records, documents and a judge’s ruling that show key evidence in the case of Deborah Braillard was lost, deleted or 'destroyed' by MCSO in an attempt to cover up the death of a Valley mother." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingKey evidence in Maricopa County Jail death suit of Deborah Braillard ‘destroyed’

Government Bomb Plots

"If a private person undertook such a 'plot,' but called it off without carrying it out and then announced 'I meant it only as a joke,' wouldn't he face criminal prosecution nonetheless? Shouldn't the FBI agents involved in this make-believe 'plot' also be charged with a conspiracy to blow up a federal building? They were not only participants in the scheme, but its very instigators!" Continue reading →

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Police Go to Wrong House, Shoot Dog

"A local couple says a San Antonio police officer who shot their dog in the jaw early Sunday morning was at the wrong house. Albert Morales said his brother, Hector Serna, woke him up before dawn after hearing the gunshot and then pounding on his window. Serna and Morales said they went outside and the officer approached them saying there had been a 911 call about a deceased woman. Morales then said the officer told him he was responding to the call from another family blocks away on another street, who had once lived in their house." Continue reading →

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The John McKenna Case: Video Captures Baton Blows to University of Maryland Student

"The encounter between police officers and a University of Maryland student after a basketball game in 2010 lasted only 10 seconds, but how a jury interprets those moments, captured on video, will determine the fate of two veteran Prince George’s County police officers on trial this week. Ruddy, an assistant state’s attorney, urged jurors to hold the officers accountable in what he called an unprovoked beating of a skipping, singing student during a postgame celebration on the streets of College Park." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe John McKenna Case: Video Captures Baton Blows to University of Maryland Student

Beating of diabetic driver raises questions about N.J. State Police training

"He may have looked drunk or like he was on drugs, but doctors say these are classic symptoms of diabetic shock. Paramedics found Fried’s blood sugar was so low he could have suffered a coma, seized or died, according to State Police records. But two troopers took his erratic behavior for belligerence. They wrestled him down, hit him with a baton and arrested him, their reports said. The struggle was captured by a microphone on one of the troopers. On the tape, Fried can be heard screaming and telling troopers they are hurting his arm, while they yell at him to stop resisting." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBeating of diabetic driver raises questions about N.J. State Police training