Useful Idiots

Police State SWATs Family Growing Tomatoes & Squash

"In August, 2011, a member of the Missouri Highway Patrol spots Bob Harte doing something suspicious. He was leaving a store with a small bag of merchandise that he bought from that store. It happened to be a hydroponics store. Seven months later, the Missouri Highway Patrol passes on that 'tip' to the Johnson County Sherriff’s Office, which then puts together an investigation spanning several weeks involving early-morning searches of the Harte’s trash, but apparently not involving any actual… investigation. They got a warrant to serve a SWAT-style search of the home, terrifying the family. They found… tomatoes and squash." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPolice State SWATs Family Growing Tomatoes & Squash

Iraq still using James McCormick’s fake bomb detectors at checkpoints

"A policeman in Baghdad knows the bomb detector he uses is fake, and will do virtually nothing to save anyone’s life, but he has his orders. 'If I were given a mop and told that it detects bombs in cars, I would still do it without any hesitation,' he told AFP, asking not to be identified. 'The device is a 100-percent failure and we know that, but it is imposed on us; we cannot disobey direct orders,' he added. James McCormick, a British businessman, made an estimated £50 million ($76 million/59 million euros) selling the 'bomb detectors,' based on a novelty golf ball finder, to Iraq and other countries. He was sentenced on Thursday to 10 years in jail for fraud." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIraq still using James McCormick’s fake bomb detectors at checkpoints

Court OKs Barring High IQs for Cops

"A man whose bid to become a police officer was rejected after he scored too high on an intelligence test has lost an appeal in his federal lawsuit against the city. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York upheld a lower court’s decision that the city did not discriminate against Robert Jordan because the same standards were applied to everyone who took the test. 'This kind of puts an official face on discrimination in America against people of a certain class,' Jordan said today from his Waterford home. 'I maintain you have no more control over your basic intelligence than your eye color or your gender or anything else.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCourt OKs Barring High IQs for Cops

Man angry over Boston bombings breaks jaw of ‘f*cking Muslim’ Iraq war veteran

"A 39-year-old Muslim cab driver who served in the Iraq war says that an executive from an aviation company accused him of being a jihadist and broke his jaw in what activists are calling a hate crime. Salim recorded audio of the encounter on his cell phone. Dahlberg can be heard asking Salim, who emigrated from Somalia, to define 'jihad' and then lumping him in with 'radical fucking Muslims blowing people up all over the world.' 'Denounce those motherfuckers now!' Dahlberg demands. 'If you’re a fucking Muslim flying jets into the fucking World Trade Center then fuck you. I will slice your fucking throat right now.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMan angry over Boston bombings breaks jaw of ‘f*cking Muslim’ Iraq war veteran

Humiliating Viral YouTube Interview To Cost Job Of Argentina’s Economy Minister?

"Argentine Economy Minister Hernan Lorenzino’s appearance on Greek television in which he abruptly ended an interview and refused to speak about inflation in Argentina has spurred speculation he may quit, Clarin newspaper reported, without citing its sources. President Fernandez met with Lorenzino to express her concern that he lost credibility among voters after he told an aide at the interview that he wanted 'to go' after the reporter asked what he planned to do if the IMF sanctioned the country for not improving its inflation index, Clarin said. Deputy Eco. Minister Kicillof would replace Lorenzino, Clarin said, without citing anyone." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHumiliating Viral YouTube Interview To Cost Job Of Argentina’s Economy Minister?

Snarling, Robotic Police in House-to-House Search

"There is no question of anyone giving on-the-spot consent to a search when an occupant is facing a dozen men with rifles and guns pointing at him or her. The reporter describes the police searches as 'terrifying', as in police terror. Such searches are non-consensual. These police have all been trained to act robotically to control the people and intimidate them. They have been programmed. They will point the guns at a woman with a baby as readily as at someone who looks like their suspect. They will make everyone obey. The reporter says that people were not allowed back into their homes but left on the street for 14-15 hours." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSnarling, Robotic Police in House-to-House Search

‘Boston Strong’: Marching in Lockstep with the Police State

"Tsarnaev’s case may prove to be the game-changer. Yet as journalist Emily Bazelon points out for Slate: 'Why should I care that no one’s reading Dzhokhar Tsarnaev his Miranda rights? When the law gets bent out of shape for him, it’s easier to bend out of shape for the rest of us.' This continual undermining of the rules that protect civil liberties, not to mention the incessant rush to judgment by politicians, members of the media and the public, will inevitably have far-reaching consequences on a populace that not only remains ignorant about their rights but is inclined to sacrifice their liberties for phantom promises of safety." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘Boston Strong’: Marching in Lockstep with the Police State

‘Boston Strong’: Marching in Lockstep with the Police State

"Tsarnaev’s case may prove to be the game-changer. Yet as journalist Emily Bazelon points out for Slate: 'Why should I care that no one’s reading Dzhokhar Tsarnaev his Miranda rights? When the law gets bent out of shape for him, it’s easier to bend out of shape for the rest of us.' This continual undermining of the rules that protect civil liberties, not to mention the incessant rush to judgment by politicians, members of the media and the public, will inevitably have far-reaching consequences on a populace that not only remains ignorant about their rights but is inclined to sacrifice their liberties for phantom promises of safety." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘Boston Strong’: Marching in Lockstep with the Police State

Disaster in Watertown

"Back in the Clinton days, people who lived in crime-ridden apartment complexes in Chicago and other places wanted the police to conduct warrantless sweeps or searches. This kind of ignorance like that from those who applaud the Watertown search is a compelling argument against being forced into a society whose rules one must obey or whose guns one must obey when its people decide to tear up the rules. The authorities are supposed to know the rules and follow them and to protect against intrusions against them. Of course, this is a pipe dream when fewer and fewer people, in and out of office, either know their rights or feel them in their hearts." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDisaster in Watertown

Civil Libertarians Appalled by Tsarnaev Manhunt, Boston Residents Thrilled

"Boston-based civil liberties attorney Harvey Silverglate told Reason.com he is very troubled by the measures taken by law enforcement officials during the manhunt for alleged Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. His views contrasted greatly with what this reporter came across during dozens of man-on-the-street interviews conducted across the greater Boston area last week, where residents voiced overwhelming support for the actions of local, state, and federal officials." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCivil Libertarians Appalled by Tsarnaev Manhunt, Boston Residents Thrilled