Connecticut Man Arrested For Writing Obscenity On Traffic Ticket Payment Form | Techdirt

Connecticut Man Arrested For Writing Obscenity On Traffic Ticket Payment Form | Techdirt:

"That honor goes to Willian Barboza, who was issued a speeding ticket last year in the Catskills town of Liberty, and chose to send a bit of a message while mailing in his guilty-plea fine when he wrote 'F@#$ your sh#*$y town b&$#@es.'

The court decided that Barboza's admittedly witless prose was worth rejecting his payment altogether and charging him for aggravated harrassment, a strange state law that says it's a violation when someone: ‘Either (a) communicates with a person, anonymously or otherwise, by telephone, by telegraph, or by mail, or by transmitting or delivering any other form of written communication, in a manner likely to cause annoyance or alarm … "

Another example of an obscure law sitting on the books to be used for nefarious reason as needed.

Twitter Jitters: Can What You Tweet About Police Land You in Jail?

Law.com - Twitter Jitters: Can What You Tweet About Police Land You in Jail?:

"In a statement, Pittsburgh police explained that Madison 'used legal devices for illegal acts.' What exactly those illegal acts were, however, remains unclear. What is clear is that Madison's arrest for sharing information with other protesters online presents broader public policy concerns. Broader because it matters not what medium or Twitter-like technology you use to convey a controversial message. What matters -- and what Madison's arrest here potentially threatens -- is the underlying right to say it. "

California Judge Declares Red Light Camera Program Illegal and Void

California Judge Declares Red Light Camera Program Illegal and Void | The Truth About Cars:

"Schwartz saw the error in the announcement timing as more than a technicality, citing the false assertion of Police Chief Paul Walters that motorists would be given 4.4 seconds of yellow time at enforced intersections. Records show that seventeen of the city’s eighteen camera intersections had yellow times of 4.0 seconds or less. The vast majority of red light tickets in the city were mailed to vehicle accused of entering an intersection less than half-a-second after the light had turned red."

Idaho police sodomize man with Taser

Idaho police sodomize man with Taser:

"Not only was the exchange documented on the cop’s own tape recorder, the suspect ended up with burns on the inside of his right buttock. These were evident in photographs taken ten and 13 days after the incident.

Also, another cop who taped an interview with the suspect at the jail later that night ended up erasing the taped interview."

Balkinization

Balkinization:

"Put differently, Cheney sought to go around the Constitution's protections for persons arrested in the United States. The whole point of the enemy combantant theory was to avoid having to abide by constitutional guarantees. It is worth dwelling on this point: This is not a debate about whether the army would have to read Miranda rights to suspects captured on the battlefield in Afghanistan. It was a plan to have the military arrest people in the United States in order to get around civil liberties guaranteed by the Constitution. "

YouTube - Suspect puts drugs in his mouth; cop breaks his neck

YouTube - Suspect puts drugs in his mouth; cop breaks his neck:

""

Documents Reveal: Cops Planted Pot on 92-Year Old Woman They Killed in Botched Drug Raid | DrugReporter | AlterNet

Documents Reveal: Cops Planted Pot on 92-Year Old Woman They Killed in Botched Drug Raid | DrugReporter | AlterNet:

"According to federal documents released this week, these are the events that led to Kathryn Johnston's death and the steps the officers took to cover their tracks."

FEMA: National Level Exercise 2009 (NLE 09)

FEMA: National Level Exercise 2009 (NLE 09):

"National Level Exercise 2009 (NLE 09) is scheduled for July 27 through July 31, 2009. NLE 09 will be the first major exercise conducted by the United States government that will focus exclusively on terrorism prevention and protection, as opposed to incident response and recovery."

Do Police Always Lie, Or Does It Just Seem That Way?

Do Police Always Lie, Or Does It Just Seem That Way? « LewRockwell.com Blog:

"When Leake finally exited the car, a shaved fraction of a split second transpired before Jackson slugged the taller motorist twice before bull-dogging him to the pavement. During this whole time, as the video clearly shows, Jackson did nothing to provoke the violence; he neither hit nor threatened the officer, nor did he assume a ‘fighting stance.’

After the two of them hit the ground off-camera, a hissing noise and choking can be heard suggesting that the tax-feeder had pepper-sprayed the driver. Jackson is heard accusing the motorist of hitting him and tackling him."

Comics creator stopped by TSA for carrying script about writer under suspicion by TSA - Boing Boing

Comics creator stopped by TSA for carrying script about writer under suspicion by TSA - Boing Boing:

"Comics writer Mark Sable was detained and intensively questioned by the TSA for carrying a script for an upcoming comic book about a writer who is detained and intensively questioned by the TSA for writing a comic about terrorism. "

Step Away From the Vehicle: The Supreme Court imposes long-overdue limits on car searches. - Reason Magazine

Step Away From the Vehicle: The Supreme Court imposes long-overdue limits on car searches. - Reason Magazine:

"In August 1999 police saw Rodney Gant pull into the driveway of his Tucson home and arrested him for driving with a suspended license. After handcuffing Gant and locking him in a cruiser, Officer Todd Griffith searched his car, finding a bag of cocaine in the pocket of a jacket on the backseat. When he was asked at an evidentiary hearing why he searched the car, Griffith replied, 'Because the law says we can do it.'

Not anymore."

Americans Are Living And Dying In A Militarized Police State

Americans Are Living And Dying In A Militarized Police State:

"Today, police departments across the United States more closely resemble an occupying army than they do public servants responding to calls for help. Police officers can now be seen wearing helmets and body armor and carrying AR-15's, just to deliver simple warrants. The militarization of our police departments not only gives the appearance of a military dictatorship but places the public at great risk. "

DoD Training Manual: Protests are "Low-Level Terrorism" - Dennis Loo - Open Salon

DoD Training Manual: Protests are "Low-Level Terrorism" - Dennis Loo - Open Salon:

"The first question of the Terrorism Threat Factors, 'Knowledge Check 1' section reads as follows:

Which of the following is an example of low-level terrorism activity?

Select the correct answer and then click Check Your Answer. 

O   Attacking the Pentagon

O   IEDs

O   Hate crimes against racial groups

O   Protests

"

Man Arrested in OH for Mowing His Neglected Local Park

Man Arrested in OH for Mowing His Neglected Local Park - Defense of Place News Updates:

"In Sandusky, OH, a local man decided to do his part to help out his city by mowing his neighborhood park. After watching local children running through the untended, knee-high grass of Central Park to catch the bus, John Hamilton went home to get his lawn mower. When the police appeared a little while later he was shocked to learn that his civic action wasn't appreciated by the city. When he refused to stop mowing the park lawn he was actually arrested, handcuffed and taken away in a police cruiser! For mowing the lawn of a public park that had been neglected by his city! This is how Mr. Hamilton is repaid for stepping up to make his city a better place for children to play."

Bad science: cocaine study that got up the nose of the US

Bad science: cocaine study that got up the nose of the US | Ben Goldacre | Comment is free | The Guardian:

"The full report – which has never been published – was extremely critical of most US policies. It suggested that supply reduction and law enforcement strategies have failed, and that options such as decriminalisation might be explored, flagging up such programmes in Australia, Bolivia, Canada and Colombia. 'Approaches which over-emphasise punitive drug control measures may actually contribute to the development of heath-related problems,' it said, before committing heresy by recommending research into the adverse consequences of prohibition, and discussing 'harm reduction' strategies."

Drug suspect turns tables on NYPD with videotape

Drug suspect turns tables on NYPD with videotape - washingtonpost.com:

"'I knew it would be the only way to defend myself, because I knew the police would not believe me,' he said. "

Mike Whitney: Bernanke's Next Parlor Trick

Mike Whitney: Bernanke's Next Parlor Trick:

"Federal Reserve boss Ben Bernanke is getting ready to pull another rabbit out of his hat and he's hoping no one figures out what he's up to. Here's the scoop; the Fed chief needs to 'borrow up to $3.25 trillion in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30' (Bloomberg) without triggering a run on the dollar. "

US Attempts to Re-Define Switch Blades– Would Make Most Pocket Knives Illegal

Knife Rights - US ATTEMPTS TO RE-DEFINE SWITCHBLADES – WOULD MAKE MOST POCKET KNIVES ILLEGAL:

"U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) has proposed revoking earlier rulings that assisted opening knives are not switchblades. The proposed new rule would not only outlaw assisted opening knives, its broad definition of a switchblade would also include one-handed opening knives and could be easily interpreted to cover most other pocket knives, even simple old-fashioned slip-joints."

Photographer loses First Amendment claim in Oakland

RCFP: Photographer loses First Amendment claim in Oakland:

"Chavez claimed in his lawsuit that the police had interfered with his First Amendment right to cover vehicle accidents. In granting summary judgment for the city, U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer said members of the press do not have a First Amendment right to access accident scenes when the general public is also excluded."

YouTube - Oklahoma Highway Patrol fight with EMT

YouTube - Oklahoma Highway Patrol fight with EMT:

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Coming SOON to a City near you.