statism

There Were Four Arrests For Every 100 Americans In 2011

"Arrests can be damaging, even if they never result in criminal charges. They generally go on your criminal record, which can be checked each time you apply for a job, housing, or credit. An arrest can also be a barrier to your ability to adopt, obtain some types of professional licenses, and obtain a visa or passport. And of course an arrest also comes with some social stigma. Suing for damages from a false arrest is extremely difficult. It's tough to even get in front of a jury, much less actually win a favorable verdict. Even then, litigation can take years, assuming you can find an attorney to take your case." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThere Were Four Arrests For Every 100 Americans In 2011

Audit finds bloated budget for green jobs training despite lack of open positions

"A federal audit shows that nearly a half-billion dollars in government funds was spent on training workers for so-called 'green jobs.' The only problem is that not enough positions in the growing industry exist. The findings -- released in a June report by the Government Accountability Office -- showed that only 55 percent of those trained were able to place in a new job, many of which were not technically green jobs. The $501 million in funding came from the 2009 stimulus law." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAudit finds bloated budget for green jobs training despite lack of open positions

Louisiana prison official: Raped 14-year-old inmate was no ‘Little Miss Muffin’

"Louisiana prison officials and attorneys are trying to evade culpability in the rape of a 14-year-old juvenile inmate by claiming that the girl had a consensual relationship with the guard who molested her. Lawyers for the parish filed papers in court that said, 'Vickers could not have engaged in sexual relations within the walls of the detention center with [the victim] without cooperation from her. Vickers did not use force, violence or intimidation when engaging in sexual relations.' Vickers, 49, was arrested in 2011 and charged with four counts of juvenile molestation and sexual malfeasance in office based on his conduct with Mary Doe and other girls." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLouisiana prison official: Raped 14-year-old inmate was no ‘Little Miss Muffin’

Atlanta Pursues Scorched Earth Policy Against Street Vendors, Loses

"On June 27, IJ asked the court to clarify that Atlanta does indeed have a vending law in place under which the vendors can work. Shortly thereafter, we helped more than 75 vendors and their supporters march on City Hall. Three major civil rights groups joined us, as did most of Atlanta’s major media outlets who covered the protest. The very next day, the court clarified that the law authorizing the vending monopoly was 'wholly void' and should be treated 'as if it were never passed.' Because that law repealed an earlier vending ordinance, its invalidation meant that the old ordinance, which allows public property vending, was once again the law of the land." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAtlanta Pursues Scorched Earth Policy Against Street Vendors, Loses

NYPD agrees to purge database of people stopped by police

"The New York City Police Department has agreed to purge a database of names and addresses of people stopped by police under the NYPD’s controversial stop-and-frisk program but later cleared of criminal wrongdoing. The department will cease collecting the information as part of a settlement ending a lawsuit filed in 2010 in state court by the New York Civil Liberties Union, which announced the agreement on Wednesday. The settlement applies to people issued a summons or arrested after a police stop but whose cases were dismissed or ended with a fine for a noncriminal violation." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNYPD agrees to purge database of people stopped by police

U.S. government tried to aggressively punish ‘leaker’ journalist in World War II

"The U.S. government attempted to aggressively prosecute a journalist who revealed early in World War II that American intelligence agencies had cracked the Japanese military’s secret code language. According to the Wall Street Journal, recently disclosed Justice Department documents show that government prosecutors contemplated not only punishing the reporter who wrote the story, but staff and editors at the newspaper that printed it, too. It is worth noting that the Tribune at that juncture was published by interests unfriendly to the Roosevelt administration. A grand jury dismissed all charges against Johnston." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. government tried to aggressively punish ‘leaker’ journalist in World War II

Unhappy With U.S. Foreign Policy? Pentagon Says You Might Be A ‘High Threat’

"Watch out for 'Hema.' A security training test created by a Defense Department agency warns federal workers that they should consider the hypothetical Indian-American woman a 'high threat' because she frequently visits family abroad, has money troubles and 'speaks openly of unhappiness with U.S. foreign policy.' That slide, from the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), is a startling demonstration of the Obama administration's obsession with leakers and other 'insider threats.' One goal of its broader 'Insider Threat' program is to stop the next Bradley Manning or Edward Snowden from spilling classified or sensitive information." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUnhappy With U.S. Foreign Policy? Pentagon Says You Might Be A ‘High Threat’

Civil Unrest Coming to America

"The 'start-up job rate' in our country – the number of jobs in newly created American companies – has fallen during the Obama administration to 7.8 per 1,000 people, a 31% decline from the first President Bush. Those missing jobs and the resulting impact on unemployed youth are the kindling that ignites fiery riots. When our unemployed youth reach the point where they perceive that they have little left to lose, well it will be London and Stockholm and Athens all over America. That’s a when, not an if. The question I wonder is how America will react. Will the riots be enough to change the stupor in Washington?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCivil Unrest Coming to America

Federal judge: Bitcoin, “a currency,” can be regulated under American law

"In the case of a Texas man accused of massive Bitcoin-based fraud, a federal judge has ruled that bitcoins are 'a currency or form of money,' and are therefore subject to relevant US laws. The case revolves around Bitcoin Savings and Trust (BTCST), a virtual Bitcoin-based hedge fund that many suspected of being a scam. BTCST shut down in August 2012, and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) last month formally charged founder Trendon Shavers with running a Ponzi scheme." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFederal judge: Bitcoin, “a currency,” can be regulated under American law

Zimbabwe to Seize Mines While Compensating Banks

"The government and black Zimbabweans will take half of the value of assets it has identified in the economy, he said. The state empowerment fund has so far acquired about $1 billion in assets, he said. The government will open a new stock exchange to trade the black-owned stakes in the companies, he said. Trading at the Harare Stock Exchange may start within 100 days of the new government taking office and will only be open to black Zimbabweans, he said. Investments in Zimbabwe will be protected by the government as long as companies do not seek to exploit the country without its people benefiting, Kasukuwere said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingZimbabwe to Seize Mines While Compensating Banks