Sunday, November 30, 2014
A Look at the Number of Citizens Killed by Police-it’s a Long Way From FBI Data
There is a facebook page that documents instances of citizens killed by police.
The incidents are verified by using media reports,and there is a corresponding report to every incident counted.
Their count for 2014 is 1,009 people killed by police-in the USA.
https://www.facebook.com/KilledByPolice
According to the FBI’s newest Uniform Crime Report (UCR), released this week, 461 people were killed by police in “justifiable homicides” in 2013. This number has gotten some media attention, both because it’s considered by some to be the “best authoritative data available” and because it represents an 8 percent jump in these homicides from 2012.
Read the rest @ http://starvinlarry.com/2014/11/30/a-look-at-the-number-of-citizens-killed-by-police-its-a-long-way-from-fbi-data/
The incidents are verified by using media reports,and there is a corresponding report to every incident counted.
Their count for 2014 is 1,009 people killed by police-in the USA.
https://www.facebook.com/KilledByPolice
Read the rest @ http://starvinlarry.com/2014/11/30/a-look-at-the-number-of-citizens-killed-by-police-its-a-long-way-from-fbi-data/
The Point a Lot of White’s Don’t Get About Ferguson
Anybody remember this guy?
He was holding that sign during the first Ferguson protests back in August.
The guy has a valid point.
Ever live in a “bad neighborhood”?
I have,and the police don’t treat the white folks any better than they treat the black folks-and they treat both like shit.
I’ve been harassed,profiled because of long hair and tattoos-back before everyone had tats,and the only other people with long hair were aging hippies who were bald on top,and had a gray ponytail.
I’ve been accused by police of being a dope dealer,a Hell’s Angel,an illegal Mexican immigrant-that one was one hell of a stretch…
Read the rest @ http://starvinlarry.com/2014/11/29/the-point-a-lot-of-whites-dont-get-about-ferguson/
Saturday, November 29, 2014
FBI Investigating After Denver Police Beat Unarmed Man, Trip His Pregnant Girlfriend, Attempt To Delete Footage Filmed By Bystander
The Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) is investigating an alleged incident of police brutality after
video surfaced that appears to show Denver police repeatedly punching an
unarmed man, then tripping his pregnant girlfriend, then attempting to
delete the video of the incident that was recorded by a passerby, KDVR is reporting.
The incident in question took place on August 14 at a parking lot in Denver, according to WDAF. As a passerby records the incident on his electronic device — police unaware at first — several Denver police officers swarm suspected drug dealer David Flores. Flores had allegedly stuffed a sock containing heroin into his mouth, and police repeatedly shout at him to spit the drugs out, while one officer punches him in the head at least six times. Seconds later, Flores’ seven-months-pregnant girlfriend, Myra Lazos-Guerrero, 25, approaches the officers, then one of them appears to kick her, causing her to fall face-first on the ground.
Unbeknownst to Denver police at the time, passerby Levi Frasier was recording the incident on his mobile device.
Video of the incident is posted below, but be warned, it’s graphic and disturbing.
http://www.inquisitr.com/1642392/fbi-investigating-after-denver-police-beat-unarmed-man-trip-his-pregnant-girlfriend-attempt-to-delete-footage-filmed-by-bystander/
The incident in question took place on August 14 at a parking lot in Denver, according to WDAF. As a passerby records the incident on his electronic device — police unaware at first — several Denver police officers swarm suspected drug dealer David Flores. Flores had allegedly stuffed a sock containing heroin into his mouth, and police repeatedly shout at him to spit the drugs out, while one officer punches him in the head at least six times. Seconds later, Flores’ seven-months-pregnant girlfriend, Myra Lazos-Guerrero, 25, approaches the officers, then one of them appears to kick her, causing her to fall face-first on the ground.
Unbeknownst to Denver police at the time, passerby Levi Frasier was recording the incident on his mobile device.
Video of the incident is posted below, but be warned, it’s graphic and disturbing.
http://www.inquisitr.com/1642392/fbi-investigating-after-denver-police-beat-unarmed-man-trip-his-pregnant-girlfriend-attempt-to-delete-footage-filmed-by-bystander/
Homeless woman’s stun gun a right-to-bear-arms case
BOSTON — Jaime Caetano was beaten so seriously by her former
boyfriend that she ended up in the hospital. So when a friend offered
her a stun gun to protect herself, she took it.
Caetano, who is homeless, never had to use it but she now finds herself at the center of a Second Amendment case headed to the highest court in Massachusetts.
The Supreme Judicial Court is being asked to decide whether a state law that prohibits private citizens from possessing stun guns infringes on their right to keep and bear arms. In an unusual twist, the court is also being asked to examine whether the Second Amendment right to defend yourself in your own home applies in the case of a homeless person.
Police found Caetano’s stun gun in her purse during a shoplifting investigation at a supermarket in 2011. She told police she needed it to defend herself against her ex-boyfriend, against whom she had obtained multiple restraining orders.
During her trial, Caetano, 32, testified that her ex-boyfriend repeatedly came to her workplace and threatened her. One night, she showed him the stun gun and he “got scared and left me alone,” she said.
She was found guilty of violating the state law that bans private possession of stun guns, devices that deliver an electric shock when pressed against an attacker.
In her appeal, her lawyer, Benjamin Keehn, argues that a stun gun falls within the meaning of “arms” under the Second Amendment. Keehn wrote in a legal brief that the state’s ban “cannot be squared with the fundamental right to keep and bear arms.” He also argues that self-defense outside the home is part of the core right provided by the Second Amendment.
Massachusetts is one of five states that ban stun guns and Tasers for private citizens, said Eugene Volokh, a constitutional-law professor at UCLA who has written extensively about Second Amendment issues. The devices are used by law-enforcement agencies around the country.
http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2025125177_stungunxml.html
Caetano, who is homeless, never had to use it but she now finds herself at the center of a Second Amendment case headed to the highest court in Massachusetts.
The Supreme Judicial Court is being asked to decide whether a state law that prohibits private citizens from possessing stun guns infringes on their right to keep and bear arms. In an unusual twist, the court is also being asked to examine whether the Second Amendment right to defend yourself in your own home applies in the case of a homeless person.
Police found Caetano’s stun gun in her purse during a shoplifting investigation at a supermarket in 2011. She told police she needed it to defend herself against her ex-boyfriend, against whom she had obtained multiple restraining orders.
During her trial, Caetano, 32, testified that her ex-boyfriend repeatedly came to her workplace and threatened her. One night, she showed him the stun gun and he “got scared and left me alone,” she said.
She was found guilty of violating the state law that bans private possession of stun guns, devices that deliver an electric shock when pressed against an attacker.
In her appeal, her lawyer, Benjamin Keehn, argues that a stun gun falls within the meaning of “arms” under the Second Amendment. Keehn wrote in a legal brief that the state’s ban “cannot be squared with the fundamental right to keep and bear arms.” He also argues that self-defense outside the home is part of the core right provided by the Second Amendment.
Massachusetts is one of five states that ban stun guns and Tasers for private citizens, said Eugene Volokh, a constitutional-law professor at UCLA who has written extensively about Second Amendment issues. The devices are used by law-enforcement agencies around the country.
http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2025125177_stungunxml.html
Friday, November 28, 2014
‘Progressives’ with environmental objections to guns silent on amnesty impacts
Why
would an environmental impact study be required for administration
action authorizing possession of guns in national parks, but not for
action authorizing the presence and activities of millions of foreign
nationals?
MVM is hiring.
The government contractor is seeking qualified nationwide transport
specialists on behalf of the Department of Homeland Security to escort
“Unaccompanied Children” by ground and air.
The company, boasts of “provid[ing] specialized services to both public and private sector clients. From protecting the children of King Hussein of Jordan, to supporting U.S. Embassies throughout the world, MVM has performed with distinction.” That distinction, especially for a “secret contractor” that has been embroiled in controversy, is no doubt enhanced by a leadership that includes politically-connected former careerists from the Secret Service and the U.S. Marshal’s Service.
The thing is, transporting these children, sheltering them, feeding them, clothing them, bathing them and dealing with the waste they generate will all have an environmental impact, and while seemingly negligible compared to the totality of things, that’s added to the millions of heretofore illegal aliens already in the country now empowered to stay, and to those on their way, attracted by seeing "migrants" who came before them rewarded for lawbreaking. Their long-term impact as an aggregate on the environment and on the resources needed to provide energy, sustenance and disposal, can hardly be considered negligible. Nor can the immediate and continuing impact of environmental destruction left in their wake.
http://www.examiner.com/article/progressives-with-environmental-objections-to-guns-silent-on-amnesty-impacts?CID=examiner_alerts_article
The company, boasts of “provid[ing] specialized services to both public and private sector clients. From protecting the children of King Hussein of Jordan, to supporting U.S. Embassies throughout the world, MVM has performed with distinction.” That distinction, especially for a “secret contractor” that has been embroiled in controversy, is no doubt enhanced by a leadership that includes politically-connected former careerists from the Secret Service and the U.S. Marshal’s Service.
The thing is, transporting these children, sheltering them, feeding them, clothing them, bathing them and dealing with the waste they generate will all have an environmental impact, and while seemingly negligible compared to the totality of things, that’s added to the millions of heretofore illegal aliens already in the country now empowered to stay, and to those on their way, attracted by seeing "migrants" who came before them rewarded for lawbreaking. Their long-term impact as an aggregate on the environment and on the resources needed to provide energy, sustenance and disposal, can hardly be considered negligible. Nor can the immediate and continuing impact of environmental destruction left in their wake.
http://www.examiner.com/article/progressives-with-environmental-objections-to-guns-silent-on-amnesty-impacts?CID=examiner_alerts_article
Pregnant St. Louis woman loses left eye after police officer shoots non-lethal round at car
A pregnant St. Louis woman lost her left eye after a violent run-in with law enforcement earlier this week.
Dornnella Conners says an
officer fired a non-lethal bean-bag round at the car she was in –
shattering the passenger side window.
Shards of glass bloodied her face and robbed her of sight in her left eye, according to reports.
“I will have justice for what they did to me but I’m happy I’m alive,” she wrote on Facebook on Thanksgiving.
Conners was injured early
Tuesday morning shortly after the announcement that Darren Wilson would
not be indicted in the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown.
Crowds of demonstrators had taken to the streets to protest what they consider a travesty of justice.
Conners, who was angry about the
grand jury’s decision, and her boyfriend, De’Angelas Lee, were parked
at a BP gas station on New Halls Ferry Road in St. Louis, just north of
Ferguson, KMOV reported.
As her boyfriend started to drive away, she says, several police officers arrived.
“They pulled up while we were
coming towards the street, De’Anglas was trying to get away, they
blocked us from the side, front and back,” Conners told the CBS
affiliate.
That’s when an officer fired the bean bag round because he feared for his safety, police said.
Conners found another officer who could help her get medical attention.
Dornella’s father, Donnell
Conners, says he understands that the cops have a difficult job to do
but there was no excuse for what happened to his daughter.
“I’m very upset, very disappointed with tactics that they used trying to get control of situation,” he told KMOV.
“I understand tough job, I understand that it was chaos, there was no
reason to fire upon innocent person sitting in a vehicle.”
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Mom Shoots Intruder: Mom Shoots Intruder While Husband, Kids Sleep
A mom in Edmonds shoots an intruder
while her husband and children were sleeping, and the story has made its
way on to the Internet. According to the New York Daily News, the incident occurred at the family’s Edmonds, Washington, home
at 3:15 a.m. on Thursday. A man decided to try and break into the
house, but he did not get very far. Despite trying to push his way past
the woman, she had a gun — and she was not afraid to use it.
The woman’s husband, and her three kids — ages 14, 10 and 5 — were sleeping while she defended her family and her home. Without thinking twice, the 33-year-old woman shot the intruder in the stomach, stopping him from doing harm or robbing her.
Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/1639847/mom-edmonds-shoots-intruder-mom-shoots-intruder-while-husband-kids-sleep/#IleOcPv6WtZCVqm1.99
The woman’s husband, and her three kids — ages 14, 10 and 5 — were sleeping while she defended her family and her home. Without thinking twice, the 33-year-old woman shot the intruder in the stomach, stopping him from doing harm or robbing her.
Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/1639847/mom-edmonds-shoots-intruder-mom-shoots-intruder-while-husband-kids-sleep/#IleOcPv6WtZCVqm1.99
Ebola cases near 16,000, Sierra Leone to overtake Liberia soon with most cases: WHO
GENEVA (Reuters) - The death
toll in the world's worst Ebola epidemic has risen to 5,689 out of
15,935 cases reported in eight countries by Nov. 23, the World Health
Organization said on Wednesday.
Almost
all cases and all but 15 deaths have been in Guinea, Sierra Leone and
Liberia - the three hardest-hit countries, which reported 600 new cases
in the past week, the WHO said in its latest update.
"The
total number of cases reported in Sierra Leone since the outbreak began
will soon eclipse the number reported from Liberia," it said. The
former British colony has reported 6,599 cases against 7,168 in Liberia.
Transmission
of the virus remains intense in Sierra Leone, especially in the west
and north, with the capital Freetown still the worst affected area, it
said.
Sierra Leone appealed
to the United States on Wednesday to send military aid to help it battle
Ebola as it falls behind its West African neighbors Guinea and Liberia
in the fight against the virus.
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
California Attorney General Seeks En Banc Review of Ninth Circuit’s Denial of her Request to Intervene in Peruta Case
Today, November 26, California Attorney General (AG) Kamala Harris filed
a request for en banc review of the Ninth Circuit’s denial of her
request to intervene in the NRA supported case of Peruta v. San Diego,
which produced a landmark decision striking down as a violation of the
Second Amendment San Diego County Sheriff William Gore’s policy of
refusing to issue licenses to carry firearms in public unless an
applicant could demonstrate a special need for one.
The AG’s latest request comes after the Court denied the AG’s and several gun ban advocacy groups’ requests to join the case once they learned Sheriff Gore had decided not to further appeal the case. The anti-gun rights groups have also filed a similar request for en banc review of the Ninth Circuit's denial of their requests to intervene in the case.
If Harris is successful in overturning the Court’s order and is allowed to intervene in the Peruta case, all Ninth Circuit judges will then vote on whether to re-hear the Peruta case itself before an 11 judge en banc panel. If they decide to do so, the panel will either uphold the current decision supporting the Second Amendment or overturn it. The court could, however, simply vote not to rehear the case, thereby allowing the three-judge panel decision to stand.
http://www.nraila.org/legislation/state-legislation/2014/11/california-attorney-general-seeks-en-banc-review-of-ninth-circuit%E2%80%99s-denial-of-her-request-to-intervene-in-peruta-case.aspx
The AG’s latest request comes after the Court denied the AG’s and several gun ban advocacy groups’ requests to join the case once they learned Sheriff Gore had decided not to further appeal the case. The anti-gun rights groups have also filed a similar request for en banc review of the Ninth Circuit's denial of their requests to intervene in the case.
If Harris is successful in overturning the Court’s order and is allowed to intervene in the Peruta case, all Ninth Circuit judges will then vote on whether to re-hear the Peruta case itself before an 11 judge en banc panel. If they decide to do so, the panel will either uphold the current decision supporting the Second Amendment or overturn it. The court could, however, simply vote not to rehear the case, thereby allowing the three-judge panel decision to stand.
http://www.nraila.org/legislation/state-legislation/2014/11/california-attorney-general-seeks-en-banc-review-of-ninth-circuit%E2%80%99s-denial-of-her-request-to-intervene-in-peruta-case.aspx
Obama compares pardoning turkeys to executive order on immigration
“I know some will call this amnesty, but don’t worry, there’s plenty of turkey to go around.”
PBS NewsHour
At Wednesday afternoon’s White House ceremony for the traditional annual presidential pardon of turkeys from being served up for Thanksgiving dinner, Barack Obama
likened the action to his executive order last week on illegal aliens.
The president made the remarks before assembled press with daughters
Malia and Sasha present before sparing the lives of turkeys Mac and
Cheese, the beneficiaries of his latest order.
“Today, I’m taking an action fully within my legal authority,” the president remarked in a seeming mocking dig at critics of his policy of allowing federal law to be flouted and rewarding those who break it. “I know some will call this amnesty, but don’t worry, there’s plenty of turkey to go around.”
It’s instructive that Obama evidently deems it proper to joke about equivalency between “undocumented” foreign nationals and turkeys, or that it is within his purview to issue a blanket pardon on their behalf when none has been requested as per Justice Department requirements, and would be rejected by those who feel it is their right to live, work and vote in this country regardless of its laws. At this writing, there has been no reported reaction on social media feeds for immigrant activist groups on how they feel about the comparisons.
http://www.examiner.com/article/obama-compares-pardoning-turkeys-to-executive-order-on-immigration?CID=examiner_alerts_article
“Today, I’m taking an action fully within my legal authority,” the president remarked in a seeming mocking dig at critics of his policy of allowing federal law to be flouted and rewarding those who break it. “I know some will call this amnesty, but don’t worry, there’s plenty of turkey to go around.”
It’s instructive that Obama evidently deems it proper to joke about equivalency between “undocumented” foreign nationals and turkeys, or that it is within his purview to issue a blanket pardon on their behalf when none has been requested as per Justice Department requirements, and would be rejected by those who feel it is their right to live, work and vote in this country regardless of its laws. At this writing, there has been no reported reaction on social media feeds for immigrant activist groups on how they feel about the comparisons.
http://www.examiner.com/article/obama-compares-pardoning-turkeys-to-executive-order-on-immigration?CID=examiner_alerts_article
Quota system blurs case against Fort Worth cops in traffic ticket scandal
Balko...
"I’ll wager a quarter that the people imposing the quotas won’t be held accountable, either. It’s an interesting approach to holding public officials accountable: The system is so thoroughly corrupt that it would be unfair to hold any individual police officer accountable for his individual corruption. Maybe the feds will find differently."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2014/11/25/quota-system-blurs-case-against-fort-worth-cops-in-traffic-ticket-scandal/
"I’ll wager a quarter that the people imposing the quotas won’t be held accountable, either. It’s an interesting approach to holding public officials accountable: The system is so thoroughly corrupt that it would be unfair to hold any individual police officer accountable for his individual corruption. Maybe the feds will find differently."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2014/11/25/quota-system-blurs-case-against-fort-worth-cops-in-traffic-ticket-scandal/
How Police Unions Stopped Congress From 'Militarization' Reform
Not mentioned, apart from an aside about an infamous case of police misconduct in Georgia, was the subject of Paul's first Ferguson op-ed, also published in Time. "We must demilitarize the police," wrote Paul in August,
as he listed the ways that local police departments obtained and
misused surplus military equipment. "The militarization of our law
enforcement is due to an unprecedented expansion of government power in
this realm. It is one thing for federal officials to work in conjunction
with local authorities to reduce or solve crime. It is quite another
for them to subsidize it."
Three months later, as Evan McMorris-Santoro reports, the anti-"militarization" is nowhere. Even by Washington's amnesiac standards, the efforts to reform the 1033 program that makes military gear available to police departments faded absurdly fast. An Aug. 31 Politico story reported on lawmakers' optimism that Ferguson "actually will lead to some policy changes." One week later, Politico published a report about how "substantive action on the federal level is an uphill battle," and that lobbyists for the cops were likely to save the military gear program.
So they did. While the National Sheriffs Association declined comment, the Fraternal Order of Police made executive director Jim Pasco available to talk about how the skeptics—like Paul—were defeated.
"Nothing much has happened except that some members of Congress had kneejerk reactions to the optics of Ferguson or the rhetoric of Ferguson," said Pasco. "They thought there was something problematic about the equipment they saw on the streets. In the intervening period, some of them have come to see that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It’s not what the equipment looks like, it’s what its utility is."
According to Pasco, FOP members reached out to "maybe 80 percent of senators and half the House." Since militarization was at the greatest risk in the Democratic Senate, the disparity made sense. As McMorris-Santoro reported, the departing Senate's blockade on Republican amendments made it impossible for Paul to attach anything to a passable bill. And the clock's basically run out for reform. A new Congress is coming in, but the FOP doesn't see it as particularly likely to dismantle 1033.
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2014-11-25/how-police-unions-stopped-congress-from-militarization-reform
Three months later, as Evan McMorris-Santoro reports, the anti-"militarization" is nowhere. Even by Washington's amnesiac standards, the efforts to reform the 1033 program that makes military gear available to police departments faded absurdly fast. An Aug. 31 Politico story reported on lawmakers' optimism that Ferguson "actually will lead to some policy changes." One week later, Politico published a report about how "substantive action on the federal level is an uphill battle," and that lobbyists for the cops were likely to save the military gear program.
So they did. While the National Sheriffs Association declined comment, the Fraternal Order of Police made executive director Jim Pasco available to talk about how the skeptics—like Paul—were defeated.
"Nothing much has happened except that some members of Congress had kneejerk reactions to the optics of Ferguson or the rhetoric of Ferguson," said Pasco. "They thought there was something problematic about the equipment they saw on the streets. In the intervening period, some of them have come to see that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It’s not what the equipment looks like, it’s what its utility is."
According to Pasco, FOP members reached out to "maybe 80 percent of senators and half the House." Since militarization was at the greatest risk in the Democratic Senate, the disparity made sense. As McMorris-Santoro reported, the departing Senate's blockade on Republican amendments made it impossible for Paul to attach anything to a passable bill. And the clock's basically run out for reform. A new Congress is coming in, but the FOP doesn't see it as particularly likely to dismantle 1033.
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2014-11-25/how-police-unions-stopped-congress-from-militarization-reform
For The Climate Change Cult-Colorado mastodon bones show ancient warmer Earth
DENVER (AP) — A trove of
ancient bones from gigantic animals discovered in the Colorado
mountains is providing scientists with a fascinating look at what
happened about 120,000 years ago when the Earth got as warm as it is
today.
Evidence left
behind by mastodons, mammoths, giant sloths and huge bison — along with
insects, plants, pollen and other animals — offers a glimpse at how
ancient animal adapted to climate change.
Among
their findings: The warmer weather allowed forests to reach about 2,500
feet farther up the mountainside than today's tree line, which is about
11,500 feet above sea level at the Snowmass site. Forests also may have
been denser, and smaller trees and grasslands might have been more
widespread amid drier conditions.
A
team of 47 scientists has been studying material unearthed four years
ago near Snowmass, a town just outside Aspen, when a bulldozer was
enlarging a reservoir. The researchers published their first big batch
of data in the journal Quaternary Research in November.
The Ferguson Fraud
"Besides, we don't try people for crimes they almost certainly didn't commit just to satisfy a mob that will throw things at the police and burn down local businesses if it doesn't get its way. If the grand jury had given into the pressure from the streets and indicted as an act of appeasement, the mayhem most likely would have only been delayed until the inevitable acquittal in a trial. "
Monday, November 24, 2014
Ferguson is burning...
Missouri Hwy patrol Troop C live audio feed...
http://www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/17925/web
Multiple cars were set on fire at a dealership-lots of looting,lots of buildings set on fire lots of shots fired,at least on cop was shot-he was shot in arm,and will be Ok.
http://www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/17925/web
Multiple cars were set on fire at a dealership-lots of looting,lots of buildings set on fire lots of shots fired,at least on cop was shot-he was shot in arm,and will be Ok.
Florida 'warning shot' case ends in plea deal
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A
woman accused of firing a gun at her estranged husband and his two sons
in what she said was self-defense took a plea deal in a case that first
got attention because her attorneys used Florida's "stand your ground"
law in its defense, arguing that she feared for her life before
discharging the weapon.
Marissa
Alexander is charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a
deadly weapon for the 2010 shooting. Under the deal with prosecutors,
she would receive credit for the 1,030 days she has already served.
Alexander's chief attorney, Bruce Zimet, said it was his client who
agreed to the deal after it was offered.
"I think from our client's standpoint, she wanted to get this behind her and move on with her life and her family," Zimet said.
Had
the 34-year-old Alexander, of Jacksonville, been convicted of all
counts at her second trial in the case — set to begin Dec. 1 — she would
have had to serve 60 years because of Florida's minimum-mandatory
sentencing rules when a firearm is involved.
During
her first trial, the jury deliberated just 12 minutes before delivering
a guilty verdict. Under Florida law, anyone who fires a gun during the
commission of a felony is subject to a minimum of 20 years in prison,
which was her original sentence. After serving 21 months, Alexander's
conviction was overturned by an appeals court judge, who said the
previous ruling had incorrectly placed the burden on Alexander to prove
that she was abused by Gray.
Grand jury reaches decision in case of Ferguson officer
A grand jury has reached a decision on whether to indict Darren Wilson,
the white Ferguson, Mo. police officer whose fatal shooting of an
unarmed black teenager sparked days of turbulent protests, sources close
to the process said.
Sources said that press conferences are being prepared by the county prosecutors’ office and the Missouri governor. Those press conferences will likely come later today.
The announcement gave no indication of whether Wilson, 28, will face state charges in the August shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown, which triggered a frank conversation about race and police interaction with African-Americans.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/grand-jury-reaches-decision-in-case-of-ferguson-officer/2014/11/24/de48e7e4-71d7-11e4-893f-86bd390a3340_story.html
Sources said that press conferences are being prepared by the county prosecutors’ office and the Missouri governor. Those press conferences will likely come later today.
The announcement gave no indication of whether Wilson, 28, will face state charges in the August shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown, which triggered a frank conversation about race and police interaction with African-Americans.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/grand-jury-reaches-decision-in-case-of-ferguson-officer/2014/11/24/de48e7e4-71d7-11e4-893f-86bd390a3340_story.html
Grand jury reaches decision on Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson, announcement planned
Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson. (Getty/Facebook)
The panel’s ruling will be revealed at a press conference at the courthouse in Clayton tonight, multiple media outlets report.
Anxiety over the decision has
the St. Louis region on edge, as the public waits to see whether the
fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager by a white police officer
will result in an indictment.
The grand jury convened Aug. 20
to hear evidence and testimony. The 12-member group was asked to decide
if there was probable cause to charge Wilson with a crime and what that
charge should be. Options range from second-degree involuntary
manslaughter to second-degree murder. Wilson, 28, could face life in
prison if convicted of the most serious charge.
Photos surround Michael Brown's casket before the start of his funeral at Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church …
Many, including Wilson, have
recently expressed that the grand jury will not hand down an indictment.
On Thursday, Jeff Roorda, representative with the St. Louis Police
Officers' Association, described Wilson as being under a lot of pressure
and stress but confident in the outcome of the grand jury
investigation.
“It's fair to say that neither he nor his defense team expect an indictment,” Roorda told the AP, offering his impression of the situation based his meeting with Wilson.
The Aug. 9 shooting led to weeks
of protests and saw citizens and heavily armed police clash. Stores in
Ferguson were looted and property was destroyed. Hundreds were arrested.
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Ukraine Is Building Armored Battle Buses
The Ukrainians are repeating the
same process the American military went through in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Lightly-armored Humvee vehicles proved extremely vulnerable to
improvised explosives, so the Pentagon pumped out thousands of wheeled,
up-armored MRAP trucks.
Armed man tries to carjack (anti-gun, hypocrite, Democrat) MO State Senator Jamilah Nasheed
In the news again after her recent arrest for packing in heat, I wonder I wonder how Mrs. Nasheedis feeling this morning about all of her anti-2nd Amendment votes in Missouri over the past few years?
ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI)-Missouri State Senator Jamilah Nasheed became a victim of violence in the city of St. Louis. Just after midnight Saturday, Nasheed tweeted that she had just had a gun pointed at her while getting out of her car.
St. Louis police released a report on the incident. A man approached the 41-year old after she had parked her car outside her home in the 4000 block of Olive. The suspect pointed a gun at Nasheed, demanding her keys. She refused and…
View original 191 more words
Bracken: Stonewalled In Obama’s Garden Of Beasts
“Goddammit, Sharyl! The Washington Post is reasonable, the L.A. Times is reasonable, the New York Times is reasonable, you’re the only one who’s not reasonable! So, Sharyl Atkisson is the only reporter who knows what she’s doing? Nobody else thinks this is a story. Just you. You’re the only one. Sharyl Atkisson is right and everybody else is wrong? Goddammit!”
This is how CBS News investigative reporter Sharyl Atkisson described the response to a phone call she made to the White House to ask some questions about the Operation Fast And Furious scandal. On the other end of the line was a deputy White House press officer named Eric Schultz. The screaming tantrum was disturbing enough that she put the call on speaker phone in her office at CBS News, so that Schultz’s blistering tirade could be overheard by ear-witnesses.
Operation Fast and Furious was conceived and ordered by the Obama Justice Department, and executed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Its purpose was to deliver thousands of high-powered assault rifles to Mexican drug cartels. There was no attempt to follow or trace the weapons into Mexico, putting the lie to the cover-story that it was a “botched sting operation.” The Mexican government and Mexican law enforcement were not even informed of the program to smuggle deadly assault rifles into their nation. (Incidentally, that is considered an illegal act of war.)
The operation involved ATF field offices in several states, also putting the lie to the claim that it was the handiwork of a few “rogue agents” in Phoenix. In reality, Fast and Furious was ordered and directed from Washington D.C., from at least at the level of Attorney General Eric Holder. For months after the exposure of the plan Holder claimed to know nothing about it, but emails dragged out of his office after several years of the DOJ resisting Congressional subpoenas proved he was lying all along. His laughable defense to these disclosures of his dishonesty was that he did not read most of the emails sent from his office and signed with his name. The mainstream media didn’t care, and hardly gave this a mention.
When the hot trail grew too close to the White House, President Obama took the unprecedented step of shielding tens of thousands of documents and emails, claiming blanket “executive privilege.” Attorney General Holder was found in contempt of Congress for his part in the cover-up, something which has never happened before in American history.
An interesting clue about the true purpose of the operation was disclosed by gun-control advocate Sarah Brady when, before the disclosure of the operation, she related that President Obama told her, “I just want you to know that we are working on it [gun control]. We have to go through a few processes, but under the radar.”
http://westernrifleshooters.wordpress.com/2014/11/23/bracken-stonewalled-in-obamas-garden-of-beasts/
Friday, November 21, 2014
N.E. Ohio Whitetail Rut Winding Down
Rut activity appears to be slowing down a lot. In most years,in NE
Ohio,the peak of the rut falls the second week of November. More deer
are bred on or within a day or two of November 15th than at any other
time during the rut.
That doesn't mean the rut is over-far from it-what it means is that the peak has passed. Deer are still being bred,does are still coming into estrous,and bucks are still trying to breed them.
The does that are in estrous are either being "tended" by a buck right now- have a buck following them everywhere,never leaving the doe's side-or have a buck-or bucks- following them. The majority of does who still have not come into estrous are going to do so this week.
Read more @
http://starvinlarry.com/2014/11/22/n-e-ohio-whitetail-rut-winding-down/
That doesn't mean the rut is over-far from it-what it means is that the peak has passed. Deer are still being bred,does are still coming into estrous,and bucks are still trying to breed them.
The does that are in estrous are either being "tended" by a buck right now- have a buck following them everywhere,never leaving the doe's side-or have a buck-or bucks- following them. The majority of does who still have not come into estrous are going to do so this week.
Read more @
http://starvinlarry.com/2014/11/22/n-e-ohio-whitetail-rut-winding-down/
Ill-conceived Washington State Background Check Initiative Already Causing Absurd Outcomes
Barely two weeks after Washington State voters approved Initiative 594 -- a measure the NRA warned was “deeply flawed” -- our predicted consequences are beginning to emerge.
Under I-594’s restrictive language, a person simply handing his or her firearm to another is presumptively required to broker this “transfer” through a gun dealer. This also necessitates the accompanying background check, fee, paperwork, taxes and, in the case of a handgun, state registration.
Proponents of the initiative had assured voters that fears of this overreach were exaggerated. Prior to the vote on I-594, Geoff Potter, spokesman for 1-594 proponents Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility, said I-594 “simply applies the current system of background checks to all sales.”
As recounted in a Washington State news report, however, the Lynden Pioneer Museum has opted to pull eleven loaned WWII rifles currently on display and return these firearms to their collector owners before the “transfer” requirement in I-594 takes effect next month. The reason? The law contains no exemptions for firearms loaned for museum displays, or loaned for similar educational or cultural institution study or uses. Once the law takes effect, the firearms could not be returned to their owners without the mandatory background checks and all the logistics and expenses that entails.
The museum director in Washington came to this decision reluctantly but unavoidably. “I read through the law about 10 different times looking for a loophole,” he said. He found none. Unfortunately, there is no guidance at the state level because Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson has reportedly not formed an opinion about I-594, and no authoritative interpretation of the initiative is available to the public, apart from the text of I-594 itself. In the meantime, the museum’s attorney has stated he would welcome assurances from the state that it would not enforce the law to the detriment of the museum or the owners of the firearms on display. To date, however, no such assurances have been forthcoming.
http://www.nraila.org/news-issues/articles/2014/11/ill-conceived-washington-state-background-check-initiative-already-causing-absurd-outcomes.aspx
Under I-594’s restrictive language, a person simply handing his or her firearm to another is presumptively required to broker this “transfer” through a gun dealer. This also necessitates the accompanying background check, fee, paperwork, taxes and, in the case of a handgun, state registration.
Proponents of the initiative had assured voters that fears of this overreach were exaggerated. Prior to the vote on I-594, Geoff Potter, spokesman for 1-594 proponents Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility, said I-594 “simply applies the current system of background checks to all sales.”
As recounted in a Washington State news report, however, the Lynden Pioneer Museum has opted to pull eleven loaned WWII rifles currently on display and return these firearms to their collector owners before the “transfer” requirement in I-594 takes effect next month. The reason? The law contains no exemptions for firearms loaned for museum displays, or loaned for similar educational or cultural institution study or uses. Once the law takes effect, the firearms could not be returned to their owners without the mandatory background checks and all the logistics and expenses that entails.
The museum director in Washington came to this decision reluctantly but unavoidably. “I read through the law about 10 different times looking for a loophole,” he said. He found none. Unfortunately, there is no guidance at the state level because Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson has reportedly not formed an opinion about I-594, and no authoritative interpretation of the initiative is available to the public, apart from the text of I-594 itself. In the meantime, the museum’s attorney has stated he would welcome assurances from the state that it would not enforce the law to the detriment of the museum or the owners of the firearms on display. To date, however, no such assurances have been forthcoming.
http://www.nraila.org/news-issues/articles/2014/11/ill-conceived-washington-state-background-check-initiative-already-causing-absurd-outcomes.aspx
Judge threatens detective with contempt for declining to reveal cellphone tracking methods
Baltimore prosecutors withdrew key evidence in a robbery case Monday
rather than reveal details of the cellphone tracking technology police
used to gather it.
The surprise turn in Baltimore Circuit Court came after a defense attorney pressed a city police detective to reveal how officers had tracked his client.
City police Det. John L. Haley, a member of a specialized phone tracking unit, said officers did not use the controversial device known as a stingray. But when pressed on how phones are tracked, he cited what he called a "nondisclosure agreement" with the FBI.
"You don't have a nondisclosure agreement with the court," Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry G. Williams replied. Williams threatened to hold Haley in contempt if he did not respond. Prosecutors decided to withdraw the evidence instead.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-stingray-officer-contempt-20141117-story.html
The surprise turn in Baltimore Circuit Court came after a defense attorney pressed a city police detective to reveal how officers had tracked his client.
City police Det. John L. Haley, a member of a specialized phone tracking unit, said officers did not use the controversial device known as a stingray. But when pressed on how phones are tracked, he cited what he called a "nondisclosure agreement" with the FBI.
"You don't have a nondisclosure agreement with the court," Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry G. Williams replied. Williams threatened to hold Haley in contempt if he did not respond. Prosecutors decided to withdraw the evidence instead.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-stingray-officer-contempt-20141117-story.html
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Cleveland police kill defenseless woman
Cleveland police
Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images
While the nation waits with bated breath for the verdict to
come out of Ferguson for the police officer who gunned down Michael
Brown, it’s important to remember that it isn’t the only case of a cop
killing an unarmed person. Far from it, actually, as police are
responsible for some 400 deaths a year, though the numbers are likely
higher as departments often engage in cover-ups and obfuscation to
protect their own. And not all are shootings, either.
Take the case of Tanesha Anderson, for example. The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported yesterday
on her case in which a police officer slammed her head into the
concrete in front of her family and children. The catch? Anderson
suffered from several mental illnesses and was likely unable to fully
understand the situation.
Reports differ on what happened, with police saying that
she resisted arrest after they were called to her home for a
disturbance. Apparently she “went limp” while police were trying to take
her into custody, which the cops took as a cue to smash her head into the ground hard enough to kill her.
“The woman began to kick at officers,” said police spokesperson Ali Pillow.
“A short time later, the woman stopped struggling and appeared to go
limp. Officers found a faint pulse on the victim and immediately called
EMS.”
Anderson’s family witnessed the entire altercation, and their version of
events is a little different. They say that Anderson did not, in fact,
“kick at officers,” instead sitting silently in the police car until she
became unsettled by the enclosed space and attempted to leave. A cop
then grabbed her from the vehicle and slammed her face into the ground,
according to her brother, Joell Anderson.
Monday, November 17, 2014
‘There is no Second Amendment right to own guns,’ says N.M. man
A New Mexico Op-Ed says citizens do not have a right to own guns under the Second Amendment.
Dave Workman
Bahnsen’s 481-word essay elicited only three reader comments yesterday, but more importantly, illustrated the continued divide between firearms owners and gun prohibitionists. No amount of Supreme Court language in the Heller and McDonald rulings will change things, apparently. While Bahnsen is entitled to his opinion, it is likely to rub a lot of his fellow citizens the wrong way.
It may explain why one California sheriff seemed compelled the other day to explain in a website post that his agency will apparently need to be dragged kicking and screaming, as the Calguns Foundation put it, into compliance with the recent Peruta decision. Calguns quote from that decision, noting, “[T]he Second Amendment does require that the states permit some form of carry for self-defense outside the home,” Peruta v. County of San Diego, 742 F.3d 1144 (9th Cir. 2014) at 1172 (emphasis in original), because “carrying weapons in public for the lawful purpose of self defense is a central component of the right to bear arms” (Id at 1175).”
But Sheriff Stanley Sniff’s public information officer reminded readers that, “Residents are reminded that California CCW issuance is discretionary by the police chief or sheriff, and is based upon both reason of (1) self-defense or self-protection, AND (2) good moral character.” (Emphasis in the original document.)
Question: Who defines “good moral character?” Where in the job description of a county sheriff can that authority be found?
If there is “no Second Amendment right to own guns” and only people of “good moral character” can be allowed to carry firearms with government permission in California, what does that say about where the country is, and where it may be headed? Perhaps one answer could be found over the weekend in a two-part treatise by John Richardson at “No Lawyers, Only Guns and Money.”
Richardson first examined the passage of Initiative 594, the 18-page gun control measure, in Washington earlier this month. In the second installment, he made some predictions about where similar efforts, apparently to be supported by anti-gun billionaire Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown For Gun Safety lobbying organization, might pop up next.
One reason Richardson identified some states as ripe for the kind of gun control in I-594 is explained thusly: “The next factor that I thought would have an impact was the proportion of the state's residents that were actually born there. I call this the ‘Californication’ factor. In other words, people move from California to other states such as Nevada, Oregon, and Washington and bring their California attitudes with them. We see a similar pattern in the East as in-migrants from states like New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts have altered the politics of states like Florida and Maine.”
http://www.examiner.com/article/there-is-no-second-amendment-right-to-own-guns-says-n-m-man
Friday, November 14, 2014
Killings by cops apparently going up; killings of cops going down
The number of felony suspects fatally shot by police last year — 461— was the most in two decades, according to a new FBI report.It’s the third straight year we’ve seen an increase. If you’ve been reading The Watch regularly, you’ll know that we hit that figure in the same year that killings of police officers reached a 50-year low. Last year also saw a drop in violent crime. There are about eight to nine killings by cops for every killing of a cop. (The FBI reported 48 felonious deaths of police officers in 2012, the last year for which data were available.)
The justifiable homicide count, contained in the FBI’s annual Uniform Crime Report, has become increasingly scrutinized in recent months as questions continue to be raised about the use of lethal force by law enforcement.
The article also mentions another problem we’ve discussed here: It’s difficult to say just how much the figure is rising because police departments are historically bad at actually reporting this data.
University of Nebraska criminologist Samuel Walker said the incomplete nature of the data renders the recent spike in such deaths even more difficult to explain.
Bottom line: We should want cops killing people less often. Instead, they seem to be killing people more, even as the threat to cops is diminishing, and society itself is getting safer. And it’s simply unacceptable that we get precise data about cops killed on the job, but only sloppy, incomplete data about who, when and how many cops kill.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2014/11/13/killings-by-cops-apparently-going-up-killings-of-cops-going-down/
A reality check for the anti-GMO, anti-vaccine folks
Despite our culture’s reflexive reverence
for things that are “natural,” we should all be mindful that just
because something is “natural” does not necessarily mean that it is
good.
The word “natural” has deep cultural and psychological cachet, and the association of nature with goodness has been a recurring idea throughout human history -- especially during times of rapid scientific and technological change: at the height of the Hellenistic period in classic Greece, for example, Aristotle and his disciples were parsing the pros and cons of “appeals to nature”; as the Industrial Revolution took root in the 19th century, leading thinkers like Henry David Thoreau rejected industrialism by founding the back-to-nature Transcendentalist movement.
Meanwhile, in our supermarkets, “natural” foods are a more than $40-billion-a-year industry, despite the word “natural” having literally no meaning in this context. Consumers often opt for “natural” medicines, which they believe will have fewer side effects, even though those drugs are under-regulated. And whether or not shoppers know what “GMO” stands for, they are nonetheless inclined to avoid eating “genetically modified organisms” -- which makes a certain kind of sense, except that humans have been genetically manipulating our food supply from the dawn of civilization; our methods have just gotten more sophisticated. Agriculture itself is an unnatural innovation.
Now we are facing a public health crisis in Southern California because well-meaning parents are electing to not vaccinate their children. There are numerous socio-cultural reasons why parents make this choice, but it usually comes down to concern about the safety of the vaccines and a preference for more “natural” health solutions. These parents are not wrong in their assessment that vaccines are, in some ways, unnatural: no amount of scientific research or reassurance can change the reality that vaccines are complex chemical cocktails that combine natural and synthetic elements that are then injected directly into children’s bodies.
Unfortunately, the natural result of avoiding vaccines and other unnatural advances in public health is the outbreak of preventable diseases. With whooping cough and measles making a comeback, it’s worth remembering that in the recent past, the average American only lived till what we now consider middle age, and parents in industrialized Western countries could expect to lose 1 in 5 children by the child's first birthday. Is that really something we should aspire to?
And yes, it is true that vaccination isn’t the only cause for our country’s dramatically improved health, but it is the only cornerstone that remains controversial. After all, one of the 20th century’s other great public health advances was the proliferation of clean water and sanitation -- but nobody seems to have a problem with the unnaturalness of indoor plumbing.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-vaccine-gmo-natural-20141113-story.html?track=lat-email-latimesopinion#page=1
The word “natural” has deep cultural and psychological cachet, and the association of nature with goodness has been a recurring idea throughout human history -- especially during times of rapid scientific and technological change: at the height of the Hellenistic period in classic Greece, for example, Aristotle and his disciples were parsing the pros and cons of “appeals to nature”; as the Industrial Revolution took root in the 19th century, leading thinkers like Henry David Thoreau rejected industrialism by founding the back-to-nature Transcendentalist movement.
Meanwhile, in our supermarkets, “natural” foods are a more than $40-billion-a-year industry, despite the word “natural” having literally no meaning in this context. Consumers often opt for “natural” medicines, which they believe will have fewer side effects, even though those drugs are under-regulated. And whether or not shoppers know what “GMO” stands for, they are nonetheless inclined to avoid eating “genetically modified organisms” -- which makes a certain kind of sense, except that humans have been genetically manipulating our food supply from the dawn of civilization; our methods have just gotten more sophisticated. Agriculture itself is an unnatural innovation.
Now we are facing a public health crisis in Southern California because well-meaning parents are electing to not vaccinate their children. There are numerous socio-cultural reasons why parents make this choice, but it usually comes down to concern about the safety of the vaccines and a preference for more “natural” health solutions. These parents are not wrong in their assessment that vaccines are, in some ways, unnatural: no amount of scientific research or reassurance can change the reality that vaccines are complex chemical cocktails that combine natural and synthetic elements that are then injected directly into children’s bodies.
Unfortunately, the natural result of avoiding vaccines and other unnatural advances in public health is the outbreak of preventable diseases. With whooping cough and measles making a comeback, it’s worth remembering that in the recent past, the average American only lived till what we now consider middle age, and parents in industrialized Western countries could expect to lose 1 in 5 children by the child's first birthday. Is that really something we should aspire to?
And yes, it is true that vaccination isn’t the only cause for our country’s dramatically improved health, but it is the only cornerstone that remains controversial. After all, one of the 20th century’s other great public health advances was the proliferation of clean water and sanitation -- but nobody seems to have a problem with the unnaturalness of indoor plumbing.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-vaccine-gmo-natural-20141113-story.html?track=lat-email-latimesopinion#page=1
Bloomberg 'background check' expansion to Nevada part of warned-against plan
Nevadans for Background Checks submitted a ballot measure petition
with over 246,000 signatures as the next step emulating a successful
effort in Washington State, Dave Workman noted Thursday, citing a KTNV News report. That move, Workman recalled, had been predictable, along with expected efforts in other states.
The Nevada effort was warned against in this column last August, in its revelation that, far from being a group springing up from the grassroots, Nevadans for Background Checks is a front group backed by Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety organization. The corporation name was reserved with the Nevada Secretary of State by the same New York law firm that represented Everytown’s trademark registration. The Political Action Committee was headed by the Everytown treasurer, who also directed the I-594 Action Fund in Washington State.
That was all part of a well-planned and funded effort to expand “action group” efforts to the states reported in this column, initially in July of 2013, and warned of again in December of last year because no one else seemed to be noticing. It’s hard to organize against developing threats if the existence of where they are and how they’re structured is unknown.
Significantly, the KTNV "legitimate news media / real reporter" story mentioned none of this. I guess letting Nevadans know outside special interests are trying to buy an election isn't newsworthy and/or doesn't help advance the agenda.
http://www.examiner.com/article/bloomberg-background-check-expansion-to-nevada-part-of-warned-against-plan?CID=examiner_alerts_article
The Nevada effort was warned against in this column last August, in its revelation that, far from being a group springing up from the grassroots, Nevadans for Background Checks is a front group backed by Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety organization. The corporation name was reserved with the Nevada Secretary of State by the same New York law firm that represented Everytown’s trademark registration. The Political Action Committee was headed by the Everytown treasurer, who also directed the I-594 Action Fund in Washington State.
That was all part of a well-planned and funded effort to expand “action group” efforts to the states reported in this column, initially in July of 2013, and warned of again in December of last year because no one else seemed to be noticing. It’s hard to organize against developing threats if the existence of where they are and how they’re structured is unknown.
Significantly, the KTNV "legitimate news media / real reporter" story mentioned none of this. I guess letting Nevadans know outside special interests are trying to buy an election isn't newsworthy and/or doesn't help advance the agenda.
http://www.examiner.com/article/bloomberg-background-check-expansion-to-nevada-part-of-warned-against-plan?CID=examiner_alerts_article
Ex-NBA Player Who Made $11 Million Allegedly Caught With Grenade Launcher At Heroin Dealer's House
Former Seattle Sonics and Oklahoma City Thunder player Robert Swift was charged with unlawful possession of a short-barreled shotgun after police raided the house where he was living, SeattlePI.com reports.
According to police, Swift had a
grenade launcher and a sawed-off shotgun in his room at the home of
Trygve Bjorkstam, a 54-year-old alleged heroin dealer.
Swift told law enforcement that
he was a heroin user but not a dealer, police say. Bjorkstam allegedly
told police Swift was not helping him sell drugs.
The house is 100 yards from an elementary school, reports SeattlePI.
From the report:
Known to police as 'Trigg,'
Bjorkstam admitted to dealing heroin and meth, and to building a gun
range in a bunker he dug under his home to house a marijuana grow, a
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent said in court
papers. Police describe Bjorkstam, 54, as dejected and contrite
following his arrest.
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Sniper shot Pennsylvania troopers to 'wake people up': police
EAST STROUDSBURG Pa. (Reuters) - A survivalist charged with shooting two
Pennsylvania state troopers, one of them fatally, who then eluded a
48-day manhunt by hiding in the woods told police after his capture that
he ambushed the men because he "wanted to make a change" in government
and "wake people up."
The court papers also contain references to a letter that prosecutors say was written by Frein, 31, to his parents that lays out his views on the United States.
"Our nation is far from what it was and what it should be," the letter states, according to the court papers. "There is so much wrong and on so many levels only passing through the crucible of another revolution can get us back the liberties we once had."
http://news.yahoo.com/sniper-shot-pennsylvania-troopers-wake-people-police-235433489.html
The court papers also contain references to a letter that prosecutors say was written by Frein, 31, to his parents that lays out his views on the United States.
"Our nation is far from what it was and what it should be," the letter states, according to the court papers. "There is so much wrong and on so many levels only passing through the crucible of another revolution can get us back the liberties we once had."
http://news.yahoo.com/sniper-shot-pennsylvania-troopers-wake-people-police-235433489.html
Concealed gun ruling stands: Foes can't fight loosening of California permit standards
A court
ruling that dramatically loosened California's restrictions on concealed
firearms came closer to taking effect Wednesday, as an appeals court
quashed legal maneuvering that might have staved it off.
http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_26923154/concealed-gun-ruling
Proposed Ohio reforms described as extension of ‘Castle Doctrine’ on self-defense
COLUMBUS — In the few weeks remaining
in the legislative session, lawmakers may send Gov. John Kasich a bill
eliminating the legal duty of Ohioans to retreat from danger before
using deadly force to protect themselves.
“A person facing a life-threatening situation should not have a duty to flee and hope for the best,” Rep. Terry Johnson (R., McDermott) told the Senate Civil Justice Committee weighing his bill containing numerous changes to Ohio gun laws.
“They should have the right to protect themselves and protect their loved ones.”
House Bill 203 passed the House nearly a year ago by a bipartisan vote of 63-27. It has drawn comparisons with Florida’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” law.
Florida’s law was tried in the court of public opinion but not in the actual courtroom when George Zimmerman was accused but acquitted in the 2012 shooting of unarmed teen Trayvon Martin.
But Dr. Johnson noted that Ohioans in such situations would still have to show they acted in self-defense and did nothing to escalate the danger. Under Florida’s law, the prosecutor bears the burden of proving the shooter did not act in self-defense.
“Ohio is one of the toughest states in the union to prove self-defense,” Dr. Johnson said. “In other states you don’t have nearly that barrier to get across.”
Read more at http://www.toledoblade.com/Politics/2014/11/13/Gun-law-overhaul-could-go-to-Kasich.html#r3m2OxZg1JTrFIqr.99
“A person facing a life-threatening situation should not have a duty to flee and hope for the best,” Rep. Terry Johnson (R., McDermott) told the Senate Civil Justice Committee weighing his bill containing numerous changes to Ohio gun laws.
“They should have the right to protect themselves and protect their loved ones.”
House Bill 203 passed the House nearly a year ago by a bipartisan vote of 63-27. It has drawn comparisons with Florida’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” law.
Florida’s law was tried in the court of public opinion but not in the actual courtroom when George Zimmerman was accused but acquitted in the 2012 shooting of unarmed teen Trayvon Martin.
But Dr. Johnson noted that Ohioans in such situations would still have to show they acted in self-defense and did nothing to escalate the danger. Under Florida’s law, the prosecutor bears the burden of proving the shooter did not act in self-defense.
“Ohio is one of the toughest states in the union to prove self-defense,” Dr. Johnson said. “In other states you don’t have nearly that barrier to get across.”
Read more at http://www.toledoblade.com/Politics/2014/11/13/Gun-law-overhaul-could-go-to-Kasich.html#r3m2OxZg1JTrFIqr.99
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Bloomberg Moms’ political spots relied on deceptive voter manipulation
Bellicose
Demanding Moms have proven as easy to dupe and exploit -- by pushing
emotional buttons and letting their ignorance do the rest -- as
Obamacare supporters.
Photo by John Moore/Getty Images
Employing the same cynical political strategy and contemptuous duping of "stupid" voters as Obamacare promoters, Michael Bloomberg’s Moms Demand Action relied on deception to exploit ignorance, prejudices and fears in the midterm elections, a Gun Rights Examiner analysis of social media messages on TPM Livewire
demonstrates. The professionally-produced “Explain Your A” campaign
featured in the story targeted three Republican candidates who had
received high marks from the National Rifle Association: Carl Domino of
Florida, Paul Chabot of California, and Larry Kaifesh of Illinois.
“Does your A grade from the NRA mean you support gun rights for suspected terrorists?” the attack on Domino read. Along with his picture, the Moms included a photo of Al Qaeda’s American-born propaganda tool, Adam Gadahn, whose previous affiliations in the “gun control” debate were with anti-gunners shamelessly exploiting another lie, that full-auto weapons could be bought without background checks and IDs at U.S. gun shows.
“Does your A grade from the NRA mean you support the rights of felons to buy and own guns?” the hit piece on Chabot asked. His portrait was paired with a heavily tattooed prisoner behind bars.
“Does your A grade from the NRA mean you oppose taking guns from domestic abusers?” the smear against Kaifesh insinuated. Accompanying his picture was the image of a distraught, heavily-mascaraed woman with her fists clenched against her cheeks suggestive of both Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” and MacCaulay Culkin in “Home Alone.” For some unexplained reason, the model in the staged photo shoot has what appears to be masking tape across her mouth -- either that or she’s wearing a turtleneck like Mort from “Bazooka Joe” comics. With these crazy MILMs, who the hell knows?
“If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about answers,” novelist Thomas Pynchon noted in “Gravity’s Rainbow.” In this case, the minds behind the Moms ask those questions for us in order to manipulate emotions and suppress critical examination. After all, who wants terrorist, gangbangers and wife-beaters shooting victims?
The targets of the misleading Bloomberg hit pieces are enabling nothing of the sort, of course. And nothing being demanded would stop the bad guys anyway.
If a person is a known threat, public safety demands he be apprehended. If he’s only a suspected threat, there’s this little protection we’re supposed to have called due process, where people get a trial, are proven guilty and are sentenced. What they’re going for here is a “terror watch list” for guns, as if tipping off those who are under surveillance makes for smart intelligence work. What they’re also going for is people who are not in custody being stripped of fundamental rights and liberty, not that the Bill of Rights means anything when you‘re a “progressive” with an agenda to shove down throats. Besides, there’s another, bigger deception going on: These people are using fear of an Al Qaeda boogeyman to justify deprivation of liberties they really want extended to those they paint as domestic terrorists – that is, anyone who believes the right to keep and bear arms is a legitimate deterrent to tyranny, and in a last-resort right to rebellion.
OK, but what about felons, that is, people who have already received their due process? We’ll put aside my longstanding contention that anyone who can’t be trusted with a gun can’t be trusted without a custodian, and focus on the way things are. Such criminals are already prohibited by law from having a gun – for all the good that does at stopping them. What the Bloombergians want here is to end all lawful (!!!) private sales and transfers, done under another deception as we’re seeing unfold in Washington State, so-called “universal background checks.” And yes, of course they’re aware that the National Institute of Justice produced a “Firearm Violence Prevention Strategies” report in which it concluded “Effectiveness depends on the ability to reduce straw purchasing, requiring gun registration...”
So of course what they really want is gun registration (something the gun-grabbers know felons are exempted from, because requiring it of them would violate their right against self-incrimination). If all they really intended was to ensure recipients of firearms transfers were legally eligible, “common sense gun safety advocates” would be promoting a Blind Identification System, which could verify no legal impediment to a transfer exists but record no information identifying either gun buyers or what they purchased. And, again of course, the real reason they want registration is to facilitate confiscation.
http://www.examiner.com/article/bloomberg-moms-political-spots-relied-on-deceptive-voter-manipulation?CID=examiner_alerts_article
“Does your A grade from the NRA mean you support gun rights for suspected terrorists?” the attack on Domino read. Along with his picture, the Moms included a photo of Al Qaeda’s American-born propaganda tool, Adam Gadahn, whose previous affiliations in the “gun control” debate were with anti-gunners shamelessly exploiting another lie, that full-auto weapons could be bought without background checks and IDs at U.S. gun shows.
“Does your A grade from the NRA mean you support the rights of felons to buy and own guns?” the hit piece on Chabot asked. His portrait was paired with a heavily tattooed prisoner behind bars.
“Does your A grade from the NRA mean you oppose taking guns from domestic abusers?” the smear against Kaifesh insinuated. Accompanying his picture was the image of a distraught, heavily-mascaraed woman with her fists clenched against her cheeks suggestive of both Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” and MacCaulay Culkin in “Home Alone.” For some unexplained reason, the model in the staged photo shoot has what appears to be masking tape across her mouth -- either that or she’s wearing a turtleneck like Mort from “Bazooka Joe” comics. With these crazy MILMs, who the hell knows?
“If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about answers,” novelist Thomas Pynchon noted in “Gravity’s Rainbow.” In this case, the minds behind the Moms ask those questions for us in order to manipulate emotions and suppress critical examination. After all, who wants terrorist, gangbangers and wife-beaters shooting victims?
The targets of the misleading Bloomberg hit pieces are enabling nothing of the sort, of course. And nothing being demanded would stop the bad guys anyway.
If a person is a known threat, public safety demands he be apprehended. If he’s only a suspected threat, there’s this little protection we’re supposed to have called due process, where people get a trial, are proven guilty and are sentenced. What they’re going for here is a “terror watch list” for guns, as if tipping off those who are under surveillance makes for smart intelligence work. What they’re also going for is people who are not in custody being stripped of fundamental rights and liberty, not that the Bill of Rights means anything when you‘re a “progressive” with an agenda to shove down throats. Besides, there’s another, bigger deception going on: These people are using fear of an Al Qaeda boogeyman to justify deprivation of liberties they really want extended to those they paint as domestic terrorists – that is, anyone who believes the right to keep and bear arms is a legitimate deterrent to tyranny, and in a last-resort right to rebellion.
OK, but what about felons, that is, people who have already received their due process? We’ll put aside my longstanding contention that anyone who can’t be trusted with a gun can’t be trusted without a custodian, and focus on the way things are. Such criminals are already prohibited by law from having a gun – for all the good that does at stopping them. What the Bloombergians want here is to end all lawful (!!!) private sales and transfers, done under another deception as we’re seeing unfold in Washington State, so-called “universal background checks.” And yes, of course they’re aware that the National Institute of Justice produced a “Firearm Violence Prevention Strategies” report in which it concluded “Effectiveness depends on the ability to reduce straw purchasing, requiring gun registration...”
So of course what they really want is gun registration (something the gun-grabbers know felons are exempted from, because requiring it of them would violate their right against self-incrimination). If all they really intended was to ensure recipients of firearms transfers were legally eligible, “common sense gun safety advocates” would be promoting a Blind Identification System, which could verify no legal impediment to a transfer exists but record no information identifying either gun buyers or what they purchased. And, again of course, the real reason they want registration is to facilitate confiscation.
http://www.examiner.com/article/bloomberg-moms-political-spots-relied-on-deceptive-voter-manipulation?CID=examiner_alerts_article
The Watch- The Stingray menace
Over at Slate, Kate Klonick has a primer on the police use of Stingrays, an issue we’ve been following here at The Watch.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2014/11/10/the-stingray-menace/
A Stingray mimics a cellphone tower and forces all nearby mobile phones or devices to connect to it. Every phone that connects to the Stingray reports its number, GPS location, and the numbers of all outgoing calls and texts. That’s every location and outgoing call and text log of every phone within a certain radius—up to several kilometers—of the Stingray, and that’s all without a warrant . . .
. . . polling shows that only 27 percent of people think that this technology is focused on them, and even if not, half of Americans surveyed say that there might be a margin of federal surveillance they’re willing to endure in the name of homeland security or fighting terrorism.
But that logic is a much harder sell when it comes to local police, who have been acquiring Stingrays in increasing numbers. At least 46 state and local police departments, from Sunrise, Florida, to Hennepin, Minnesota, have gotten cell-site simulators, which range widely in price from $16,000 to more than $125,000 a pop. And like the federal government, local police are using this technology without any judicial oversight. That means Barney Fife—or, if you’re looking for a more sinister example, think Denzel in Training Day—can walk into your neighborhood with a Stingray, fire it up, and collect all the numbers, GPS, and call logs of every cellphone in the area. If they’re looking for a specific number (hopefully, it’s not you), they can also use a Stingray to trick your phone into being a personal GPS tracker and then use that warrantless cellphone tracking to enter your home and arrest you—again without a warrant.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2014/11/10/the-stingray-menace/
Policing for profit in Tennessee
Phil Williams of Nashville’s NewsChannel 5, WTVF-TV, one of the best
TV investigative journalists in the country, has been doing particularly
stellar work over the last several years on civil asset forfeiture in central Tennessee. He has continued that work with a series of reports this week.
A traffic stop along Interstate 40 is raising new questions about your constitutional rights. Among the questions: what happens to your right to say “no” to a search when police are looking for cash?
The traffic stop occurred west of Nashville, along a stretch of interstate in Dickson County that’s become well-known for a controversial practice known as “policing for profit.” . . .
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2014/11/12/policing-for-profit-in-tennessee/
The insanity continues.
See Starvin Larry's blog for more
http://starvinlarry.com/2014/11/12/policing-for-profit-in-tennessee/
A traffic stop along Interstate 40 is raising new questions about your constitutional rights. Among the questions: what happens to your right to say “no” to a search when police are looking for cash?
The traffic stop occurred west of Nashville, along a stretch of interstate in Dickson County that’s become well-known for a controversial practice known as “policing for profit.” . . .
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2014/11/12/policing-for-profit-in-tennessee/
The insanity continues.
See Starvin Larry's blog for more
http://starvinlarry.com/2014/11/12/policing-for-profit-in-tennessee/
Brown father at U.N. says seeks justice for slain son
GENEVA (Reuters) - The father of black teenager Michael Brown, shot dead
by a policeman in Ferguson, Missouri, in August, said on Wednesday he
and the boy's mother had come to the United Nations in Geneva to seek
justice for their son.
"Me and his mother have come to the U.N. to get redress for our son," Brown Sr. told a news conference after a session of the U.N. Committee on Torture which held a regular review of the U.S. record. "There couldn't be a better place to do that."
http://news.yahoo.com/brown-family-calls-non-violence-faith-jury-lawyer-141523618.html
Here's a thought-if they would have taught their kid to show some respect for other people-and other people's property-then the thug wouldn't have been shot.
The loving mother was arrested for assault as a result of a fight with a relative over selling T-shirts with her kid's picture on them.
Can't have relatives cutting into the profits she's making off of her kid's death ya know.
By all accounts-her kid was just another gang-banging piece of ghetto trash,another "aspiring rapper" with zero job skills,an appetite for smoking weed,and who knows what else,he was involved in a murder case as a juvenile,there's plenty of pics of him flashing gang signs,there's video of him pushing a store owner into a display rack by way of these parents' innocent baby's hand on the store owners throat.
Even with all the obvious signs that the kid wasn't anywhere near the innocent child the parents and race hustlers portray him to be-we will see another round of rioting and looting should the grand jury choose not to indict officer Wilson.
The parents and the race hustlers including Al Sharpton are still demanding the arrest of officer Wilson,still demanding that he get charged with murder-despite the evidence to the contrary,now the idiot parents are going to the U.N.? The effin U.N.?! WTF is the U.N. going to do?
Maybe the kid was the guilty party here,have any of these morons stopped to consider that possibility?
Maybe the witnesses who say Mr. Brown was running towards the officer are right-and the kid was trying to attack the cop. Wouldn't be the first time that took place,won't be the last time.
Maybe the cop was a bit trigger happy. Wouldn't be the first time that took place-and it won't be the last.
No matter what the grand jury decides-and it's doubtful that they are going to indict officer Wilson-we are sure to see a repeat of the summer's activity in Ferguson,with the free shit army rioting,looting the local stores-most of which will choose to just shut down their business,and move to an area less prone to the nonsense of the FSA.
"Me and his mother have come to the U.N. to get redress for our son," Brown Sr. told a news conference after a session of the U.N. Committee on Torture which held a regular review of the U.S. record. "There couldn't be a better place to do that."
http://news.yahoo.com/brown-family-calls-non-violence-faith-jury-lawyer-141523618.html
Here's a thought-if they would have taught their kid to show some respect for other people-and other people's property-then the thug wouldn't have been shot.
The loving mother was arrested for assault as a result of a fight with a relative over selling T-shirts with her kid's picture on them.
Can't have relatives cutting into the profits she's making off of her kid's death ya know.
By all accounts-her kid was just another gang-banging piece of ghetto trash,another "aspiring rapper" with zero job skills,an appetite for smoking weed,and who knows what else,he was involved in a murder case as a juvenile,there's plenty of pics of him flashing gang signs,there's video of him pushing a store owner into a display rack by way of these parents' innocent baby's hand on the store owners throat.
Even with all the obvious signs that the kid wasn't anywhere near the innocent child the parents and race hustlers portray him to be-we will see another round of rioting and looting should the grand jury choose not to indict officer Wilson.
The parents and the race hustlers including Al Sharpton are still demanding the arrest of officer Wilson,still demanding that he get charged with murder-despite the evidence to the contrary,now the idiot parents are going to the U.N.? The effin U.N.?! WTF is the U.N. going to do?
Maybe the kid was the guilty party here,have any of these morons stopped to consider that possibility?
Maybe the witnesses who say Mr. Brown was running towards the officer are right-and the kid was trying to attack the cop. Wouldn't be the first time that took place,won't be the last time.
Maybe the cop was a bit trigger happy. Wouldn't be the first time that took place-and it won't be the last.
No matter what the grand jury decides-and it's doubtful that they are going to indict officer Wilson-we are sure to see a repeat of the summer's activity in Ferguson,with the free shit army rioting,looting the local stores-most of which will choose to just shut down their business,and move to an area less prone to the nonsense of the FSA.
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Mosby-Building Tribe: Kith, Kin, and Sacrifice
"Tribes, and the bands that make up those tribes are—historically and
prehistorically—composed of a physical and spiritual extension of the
family. In European cultures this is referred to with some derivation of
the Germanic term “folk.” To use another traditional European term (I
am after all, of very European descent), your folk are your “kith and
kin.” While it will undoubtedly incite the angst of the white power
organizations, despite my use of Euro-centric terminology, this is not
about race, contrary to their blatherings otherwise.
“Kin,” as anyone raised in the Southern Highlands as I was, can tell you, means “family.” These are—obviously—those people related to you by blood. “Kith” on the other hand, is somewhat more complicated, because it is so often misused by those with a political agenda. According to the Merrian-Webster dictionary, kith refers to “familiar friends and neighbors.” It is Middle English, cognate of the Old English, or Anglo-Saxon, word cythth, meaning “known.”
Thus, your tribe composed of your “kith and kin,” has nothing to do with everyone who shares your national heritage, or even your race. It is your known friends, neighbors, and family. This is critically important, as we discuss neo-tribalism, in the sense of building and forging self-reliant communities. Most native English speakers will be familiar with the proverb, “blood is thicker than water.” The problem is, the common, contemporary understanding of that term is completely inverted. The original verbiage of the proverb was “the blood of the oath is thicker than the water of the womb.” It actually meant the EXACT OPPOSITE of what we commonly use it to reference."
Read the rest@
https://readfomag.com/2014/11/building-tribe-kith-kin-and-sacrifice/#comment-1383
“Kin,” as anyone raised in the Southern Highlands as I was, can tell you, means “family.” These are—obviously—those people related to you by blood. “Kith” on the other hand, is somewhat more complicated, because it is so often misused by those with a political agenda. According to the Merrian-Webster dictionary, kith refers to “familiar friends and neighbors.” It is Middle English, cognate of the Old English, or Anglo-Saxon, word cythth, meaning “known.”
Thus, your tribe composed of your “kith and kin,” has nothing to do with everyone who shares your national heritage, or even your race. It is your known friends, neighbors, and family. This is critically important, as we discuss neo-tribalism, in the sense of building and forging self-reliant communities. Most native English speakers will be familiar with the proverb, “blood is thicker than water.” The problem is, the common, contemporary understanding of that term is completely inverted. The original verbiage of the proverb was “the blood of the oath is thicker than the water of the womb.” It actually meant the EXACT OPPOSITE of what we commonly use it to reference."
Read the rest@
https://readfomag.com/2014/11/building-tribe-kith-kin-and-sacrifice/#comment-1383
Monday, November 10, 2014
How Far Do Germs Fly When You Sneeze on a Plane? Pretty Far, it Turns Out
A new animated video put
together by Pennsylvania-based engineering firm Ansys simulates just
what happens when someone seated in the middle of an airplane sneezes.
The results aren’t pretty.
Instead of staying in a little
bubble around the sneezing passenger, airborne particles can travel up
to 50 feet, dispersing in all directions around the cabin due to plane
airflow.
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