Winning Hearts & Minds

Cops enforce wrong speed limit, will prosecute tickets anyway

"For months the speed limit on that portion of River Watch was marked incorrectly. Police say the tickets they issued during that time are valid, but some drivers are wondering whether they should have been charged for violating an incorrect speed limit. Augusta Traffic Engineer Steve Cassell said the contractor in charge of the project had authorization to reduce the speed limit, but only during specific hours and under certain conditions. According to a plan approved by Georgia DOT, the speed limit could be reduced between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., but not during peak traffic times, such as when drivers were leaving work." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCops enforce wrong speed limit, will prosecute tickets anyway

Government Trained Killer with 2,746 Confirmed Kills: “They’re just another pencil mark.”

"With 2,746 confirmed kills, Sgt. 1st Class Dillard Johnson is the deadliest American soldier on record[...] 'It’s sort of sad to say, but they’re just another pencil mark,' Johnson told The Post, referring to his journal notations. 'I didn’t think of the numbers . . . That’s not a boast I would make[...] He counted the dead by tallying rifles — and human heads — among the mangled or charred wreckage left behind[...] His past never haunts him. 'I killed when I needed to . . . I was brutal when I needed to be, but I was compassionate when I needed to be,' he said.[...]" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGovernment Trained Killer with 2,746 Confirmed Kills: “They’re just another pencil mark.”

Cops accused of stiffing family for vet bill after shooting their dog

"A family in El Monte, California criticized local police on Friday for both shooting one of their dogs dead then reneging on an offer to pay for the animal’s treatment. 'They just came in our door without calling us or anything,' 11-year-old Winston Nguyen said to the station. 'Then our dog ran up to the police and the police shot it.' Police were called to the Nguyens’ home after Nguyen’s 14-year-old brother allegedly ran away. Family members told the station they advised authorities to call ahead of the officers’ arrival. Security camera footage set up by his father, Chi Nguyen, shows two officers entering the residence and leaving the gate open." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCops accused of stiffing family for vet bill after shooting their dog

Police Charge Mother With Murder After 5-Year-Old Girl Fatally Shoots Self

"Police say a 5-year-old girl fatally shot herself when her mother locked her inside their home and went to the store. The New Orleans Police Department said in a news release the girl was home alone Sunday, somehow found her mother's revolver, and accidentally shot herself in the head. The mother, 28-year-old Laderika Smith, will be booked on a charge of second-degree murder. Police say her negligence resulted in the death of her daughter." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPolice Charge Mother With Murder After 5-Year-Old Girl Fatally Shoots Self

Military Officer Reads Liberty Arguments, Has Second Thoughts, Retires

"In the spring of 2012 I finally got my wish. I was going to lead young men in combat. My battalion was deploying to Afghanistan. I left my wife behind in tears because duty called. I was one of the good guys, I thought. My views on war changed drastically during the deployment. It took me getting shot at and shooting back, getting blown up and witnessing first-hand the physical and mental devastation of war. I saw that devastation on the Afghans and on the men in my battalion. I ended my military career two months ago. I sit here now on my couch in California battling the remnants of my experiences." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMilitary Officer Reads Liberty Arguments, Has Second Thoughts, Retires

Police Chief Mark Kessler: Academy trains officers to treat everyone like a criminal

"'When I go through the police academy, they treat everyone that you come in contact with is a criminal. Everyone with a firearm is out to kill you. That's what they teach us at the academy.' He continued, 'I have a real hard time swallowing that.' 'That's why you have all these young police officers that graduate from these academies and they come out and they want to kick butt and take names, and ruin lives, over nonsense. They terrorize people over a turn signal, or having a brake light out. They want to search your car right away, they want to demonize the American people, the average citizen, the law-abiding citizen.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPolice Chief Mark Kessler: Academy trains officers to treat everyone like a criminal

Pelosi booed at Netroots while defending espionage charges against Snowden

"A man identified by Politico as 57-year-old Marc Perkel can be heard shouting, 'It’s not a balance. It’s not constitutional! No more secret laws!' Perkel was ejected from the room by security, while other audience members shouted for him to be left alone. Shortly thereafter, loud boos can be heard coming from the audience after she said former NSA contractor Edward Snowden 'did violate the law' in releasing details about NSA programs like PRISM. Pelosi also defended President Barack Obama against charges that the surveillance of private residents’ phone and internet use constituted a 'fourth term' for his predecessor, George W. Bush." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPelosi booed at Netroots while defending espionage charges against Snowden

Nashville restaurant raided by swarms of armed officers to randomly check alcohol permits

"An 'army' of armed officers raided a family-owned restaurant late one night to check alcohol permits. Although 'The Family Wash' had done nothing wrong and broken no laws, the agents still raided their establishment, shut down the band that was playing, scared away all the customers, and harassed the owner. They chose to do this raid on a busy Friday night, when people were eating, drinking, and listening to music. The joint task-force of permit-checkers from multiple different jurisdictions and agencies collectively was out performing random raids on restaurants." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNashville restaurant raided by swarms of armed officers to randomly check alcohol permits

Petition To Pardon Edward Snowden Reaching 100,000 Signatures

"WE PETITION THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO: Pardon Edward Snowden. Edward Snowden is a national hero and should be immediately issued a a full, free, and absolute pardon for any crimes he has committed or may have committed related to blowing the whistle on secret NSA surveillance programs." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPetition To Pardon Edward Snowden Reaching 100,000 Signatures

US steps up efforts to break Guantánamo hunger strike

"Shaker Aamer claims that the US authorities are systematically making the regime more hardline to try to defuse the strike, which now involves almost two-thirds of the detainees. Techniques include making cells 'freezing cold' to accentuate the discomfort of those on hunger strike and the introduction of 'metal-tipped' feeding tubes, which Aamer said were forced into inmates' stomachs twice a day and caused detainees to vomit over themselves. The momentum behind efforts to release Aamer – who has spent more than 11 years without trial inside the camp – mounted sharply last week with David Cameron raising the issue directly with Barack Obama." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS steps up efforts to break Guantánamo hunger strike