Abusing Authority

TSA Agent Threatens Woman With Defamation, Demands $500k For Calling Intrusive Search 'Rape'

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 04:03:27 -0400

TSA Agent Threatens Woman With Defamation, Demands $500k For Calling Intrusive Search 'Rape':

Nearing the end of this violation, I sobbed even louder as the woman, FOUR TIMES, stuck the side of her gloved hand INTO my vagina, through my pants. Between my labia. She really got up there. Four times. Back right and left, and front right and left. In my vagina. Between my labia. I was shocked — utterly unprepared for how she got the side of her hand up there. It was government-sanctioned sexual assault.

(via naked capitalism)

Lawyer Jailed For Not Saying Pledge of Allegiance

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 11:36:08 -0400

Lawyer Jailed For Not Saying Pledge of Allegiance:

southpol:

A judge in Mississippi jailed a lawyer for criminal contempt of court for not saying the pledge of allegiance in his courtroom. He apparently rose and stood respectfully, but did not actually recite the pledge. And that was enough to see off the judge.

Liberty and justice for all.

Man Faces Up To 16 Years In Prison For Videotaping The Police

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:35:33 -0400

Man Faces Up To 16 Years In Prison For Videotaping The Police:

robot-heart-politics:azspot:

The ACLU of Maryland is defending Anthony Graber, who potentially faces sixteen years in prison if found guilty of violating state wiretap laws because he recorded video of an officer drawing a gun during a traffic stop. In a trend that we’ve seen across the country, police have become increasingly hostile to bystanders recording their actions. You can read some examples here, here and here.

However, the scale of the Maryland State Police reaction to Anthony Graber’s video is unprecedented. Once they learned of the video on YouTube, Graber’s parents house was raided, searched, and four of his computers were confiscated. Graber was arrested, booked and jailed. Their actions are a calculated method of intimidation. Another person has since been similarly charged under the same statute.

The wiretap law being used to charge Anthony Graber is intended to protect private communication between two parties. According to David Rocah, the ACLU attorney handling Mr. Graber’s case, “To charge Graber with violating the law, you would have to conclude that a police officer on a public road, wearing a badge and a uniform, performing his official duty, pulling someone over, somehow has a right to privacy when it comes to the conversation he has with the motorist.”

(via digby)

"A Chicago Park District official approached Gabriel Levinson and his custom-built bike full of free..."

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 10:47:15 -0400

“A Chicago Park District official approached Gabriel Levinson and his custom-built bike full of free books this weekend and asked him to leave. Due to the Chicago Park District’s rules and regulations requiring permits, he’s not welcome to hand out books for free in the city’s parks. After calling Chicago Park District, we were told that since Levinson is giving away material, he must apply for a Special Event Promotion permit. Aside from the $1,155 hourly fee, this specific permit would require that Levinson submit a separate application a couple months in advance for each date and location he intends to set up the Book Bike. And since he doesn’t have non-profit 501(c)(3) status, he’s not eligible for any discounts.”

- Chicago Park District Shuts Down Book Bike - Chicagoist

Mayor Gets City Council To Pass Law Demanding Critical Website Get Shut Down

Wed, 26 May 2010 22:17:36 -0400

Mayor Gets City Council To Pass Law Demanding Critical Website Get Shut Down

"Labour has been accused of using a Government database to target cancer victims with party political..."

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 00:27:58 -0400

“Labour has been accused of using a Government database to target cancer victims with party political messages. Personalised cards were sent to 250,000 women saying that the Tories would scrap a Labour guarantee that all suspected breast cancer patients would be seen by a specialist within two weeks of GP referral.

Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, was under pressure from the Tories to investigate the mailings, although Labour said it was “categorically untrue” to suggest the party had targeted the patients.

The mailshots, which featured a message from a breast cancer survivor praising Labour’s policy, referred to the addressee’s name several times.The cards ask specifically: “Are the Tories a change you can afford? Many of those who received the cards had undergone scans or treatment within the past five years. In one instance a card was sent to a woman who had died of breast cancer. Another card was sent to a television producer who had a potentially cancerous lump that turned out to be a cyst.”

- via The Telegraph

John Hinderaker wonders: “Once your medical history is in a government database, and you are dependent on the government for any health care you receive, why would you think that the government wouldn’t manipulate the information it has about you to try to influence your vote?”

"Ermir Spahiu was pulled over by police for his window-mounted GPS unit. For Tina Ross, it was her..."

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:55:53 -0500

“Ermir Spahiu was pulled over by police for his window-mounted GPS unit. For Tina Ross, it was her handicapped placard. And Mark Hubbard was nailed for an air freshener. All three Illinois drivers were stopped for what they thought were innocent items placed near their windshields. “It really threw me for a loop,” said Hubbard, recalling his 2008 encounter with Rolling Meadows police over a 2-inch scented medallion that dangled from his rearview mirror. An increasing number of drivers are being cited for windshield and window obstructions, which can include anything an officer deems to “materially obstruct” a driver’s vision. The only exceptions are government-issued items such as I-PASS boxes and parking stickers.”

- Police handing out tickets for air fresheners — chicagotribune.com

Fire chief shot by cop in Ark. court over tickets

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 11:50:48 -0400

Fire chief shot by cop in Ark. court over tickets:

azspot:

It was just too much, having to return to court twice on the same day to contest yet another traffic ticket, and Fire Chief Don Payne didn’t hesitate to tell the judge what he thought of the police and their speed traps.

The response from cops? They shot him. Right there in court.

Payne ended up in the hospital, but his shooting last week brought to a boil simmering tensions between residents of this tiny former cotton city and their police force. Drivers quickly learn to slow to a crawl along the gravel roads and the two-lane highway that run through Jericho, but they say sometimes that isn’t enough to fend off the city ticketing machine.

“You can’t even get them to answer a call because normally they’re writing tickets,” said Thomas Martin, chief investigator for the Crittenden County Sheriff’s Department. “They’re not providing a service to the citizens.”

"CBS 2 HD has discovered that since ethics probes began last year the 79-year-old congressman has..."

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 10:18:34 -0400

“CBS 2 HD has discovered that since ethics probes began last year the 79-year-old congressman has given campaign donations to 119 members of Congress, including three of the five Democrats on the House Ethics Committee who are charged with investigating him.”

- Rangel-ing: Charlie Pays ‘Angels’ In Ethics Probe - wcbstv.com

"In an effort to teach people not to leave valuable items in their cars, police officers will be..."

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:36:08 -0400

“In an effort to teach people not to leave valuable items in their cars, police officers will be wandering the streets looking for stuff to steal. If you don’t have your doors locked, the cops will take your stuff. Because they’re cops, they’ll also be kind enough to leave a note explaining what happened, but the point is to teach people to be more responsible.”

- U.K. Cops Will Rob You for Your Own Good - Asylum.com (via hilker)

"When officers pulled Donald May over for an expired tag, they thought the mints he was chewing were..."

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:08:08 -0400

“When officers pulled Donald May over for an expired tag, they thought the mints he was chewing were crack and arrested him.
… . May was thrown in jail and was unable to bond out for three months. He didn’t get out until he received a letter from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the State Attorney’s Office that test results showed no drugs were found.
… While May was behind bars, the Kissimmee Police Department towed his car and auctioned it off. He lost his job and was evicted.”

- Mints Believed To Be Crack Land Man In Jail - Irresistible Headlines News Story - WFTV Orlando (h/t CNJ)

"Despite their denials, influential Democratic Sens. Kent Conrad and Chris Dodd were told from the..."

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 22:28:45 -0400

“Despite their denials, influential Democratic Sens. Kent Conrad and Chris Dodd were told from the start they were getting VIP mortgage discounts from one of the nation’s largest lenders, the official who handled their loans has told Congress in secret testimony.”

- AP IMPACT: Dodd, Conrad told deals were sweetened

If Dodd is reelected, this country is hopeless.

"Coming back on Route 50, the speed limit is 55 and I was pulled over by a Maryland State..."

Sat, 25 Jul 2009 09:00:07 -0400

““Coming back on Route 50, the speed limit is 55 and I was pulled over by a Maryland State trooper,” Bonstrom said. “When I asked him why, he said I was going too slow and issued me an $80 ticket for going 58 in a 65.””

- I Can’t Drive 65! | NBC Washington

A trooper, trying to meet a quota, abusing authority.

"Krister [Evertson] never had so much as a traffic ticket before he was run off the road near his..."

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:26:06 -0400

“Krister [Evertson] never had so much as a traffic ticket before he was run off the road near his mother’s home in Wasilla, Alaska, by SWAT-armored federal agents in large black SUVs training automatic weapons on him. Evertson, who had been working on clean-energy fuel cells since he was in high school, had no idea what he’d done wrong. It turned out that when he legally sold some sodium (part of his fuel-cell materials) to raise cash, he forgot to put a federally mandated safety sticker on the UPS package he sent to the lawful purchaser. Krister’s lack of a criminal record did nothing to prevent federal agents from ransacking his mother’s home in their search for evidence on this oh-so-dangerous criminal. The good news is that a federal jury in Alaska acquitted Krister of all charges. The jurors saw through the charges and realized that Krister had done nothing wrong. The bad news, however, is that the feds apparently had it in for Krister.”

- You’re (Probably) a Federal Criminal - FOXNews.com

Keep reading to see how the Feds finally nailed him.

"Gov. Bill Ritter turned down a $75-an-hour offer from the Colorado attorney general’s office..."

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:08:01 -0400

“Gov. Bill Ritter turned down a $75-an-hour offer from the Colorado attorney general’s office to handle legal matters regarding the disbursement of federal stimulus funds, instead hiring his former law partners for up to six times that cost. The governor’s lawyers told the attorney general’s office in February that they planned to hire outside counsel to help with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act money. Deputy Attorney General Geoff Blue told them his office was willing to do it, but his offer was rejected. “They thought we didn’t have the expertise or manpower,” said Blue, who handles legal policy and government affairs. “We would’ve gotten the job done. But we told them, ‘That’s your call,’ and we had nothing more to do with it.” A few weeks later, Ritter hired Hogan & Hartson through a no-bid contract. So far, the firm has been paid $40,000 from federal funds.”

- Guv rejected low offer in favor of former firm - The Denver Post

"Sen. Edward Kennedy has introduced a bill granting Amgen and other biotech companies more than 13..."

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 08:36:00 -0400

“Sen. Edward Kennedy has introduced a bill granting Amgen and other biotech companies more than 13 years of marketing exclusivity for new “biologic” drugs, a class of protein-based drugs engineered from living cells. That’s nearly twice the seven years’ protection proposed by the White House; Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Henry Waxman have proposed five.
All parties to this disagreement are dedicated to the plight of the health care consumer, none more than Kennedy himself. Why, then, the difference? Reporting on the controversy in the Wall Street Journal (subscription required), Alicia Mundy suggests that Kennedy was trying to “keep the pharmaceutical industry on board” with the health care reform bill. Another possible reason—one Mundy fails to mention—is that Amgen has pledged $5 million to help create the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, a pricey “Teddy Too” annex that Kennedy hopes to build alongside the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston.”

- Why is Ted Kennedy being so kind to Amgen? - By Timothy Noah - Slate Magazine

Tiburon may install license plate cameras

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:41:23 -0400

Via the San Francisco Chronicle:

Welcome to Tiburon. Click. Your presence has been noted.

The posh and picturesque town that juts into San Francisco Bay is poised to do something unprecedented: use cameras to record the license plate number of every vehicle that crosses city limits.

Some residents describe the plan as a commonsense way to thwart thieves, most of whom come from out of town. Others see an electronic border gate and worry that the project will only reinforce Tiburon’s image of exclusivity and snootiness.

“I personally don’t see too much harm in it, because I have nothing to hide,” commodities broker Paul Lambert, 64, said after a trip to Boardwalk Market in downtown Tiburon on a recent afternoon.

“Yet,” he said, “it still has the taint of Big Brother.” […]

License plate readers have exploded in popularity in recent years, but Tiburon would be one of the first to mount them at fixed locations - and perhaps the very first to record every car coming or going. […]

The ACLU exhibits common sense, at least:

Nicole Ozer, who directs policy on technology for the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, isn’t as supportive. She called the cameras a “needle in a haystack” approach that may waste money, invade privacy and invite unfair profiling.

“To be under investigation simply because you entered or left Tiburon at a certain time is incredibly intrusive,” Ozer said. “Innocent people should be able to go about their daily lives without being tracked and monitored.”

"After being briefed today on President Obama’s firing last week of Gerald Walpin, Inspector General..."

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:50:46 -0400

“After being briefed today on President Obama’s firing last week of Gerald Walpin, Inspector General of the Corporation for National and Community Service, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said the president did not abide by the same law that he co-sponsored – and she wrote – about firing Inspectors General.”

- Key Obama Ally Says President Obama Did Not Follow the Law in IG Firing - Political Punch

"As U.S. stock markets plummeted last September, the Senate’s No. 2 Democrat, Dick Durbin, sold..."

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 11:38:50 -0400

“As U.S. stock markets plummeted last September, the Senate’s No. 2 Democrat, Dick Durbin, sold more than $115,000 worth of stocks and mutual-fund shares and used much of the money to invest in Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. The Illinois senator’s 2008 financial disclosure statement shows he sold mutual-fund shares worth $42,696 on Sept. 19, the day after then-Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke urged congressional leaders in a closed meeting to craft legislation to help financially troubled banks. The same day, he bought $43,562 worth of Berkshire Hathaway’s Class B stock, the disclosure shows.”

- Durbin cashed out during big stock collapse :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: News

California Pensions and Benign Dictatorships

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 07:20:50 -0400

Corruption in Vernon, California:

Vernon is run by two families: the Malburgs and the Malkenhorsts, neither of which agreed to be interviewed. The bespectacled Leonis C. Malburg, 77, whose grandfather founded Vernon in 1905, has been mayor for 33 years. Bruce Malkenhorst, 71, was for 32 years the city administrator as well as clerk, finance director, treasurer, redevelopment agency secretary and chief executive of the utility Vernon Light & Power. The city was reportedly paying him $600,000 a year, more than twice what L.A.’s mayor earns, until he resigned all posts unexpectedly and without public announcement in 2005. By most accounts Malkenhorst still pulls the strings. His appointed successor is his 42-year-old son, Bruce Jr.

Theirs is a benign dictatorship. Who would run against them? Outsiders hoping to move into town are denied housing permits and Vernon’s 32 houses and apartments are owned by the city and leased to its employees for as little as $150 per month. In 1980 Malkenhorst Sr. evicted a former cop from his Vernonowned house after he ran against Malkenhorst’s favored candidates. Last year the state Superior Court forced Malkenhorst Jr. to move ahead with an election he had derailed on the grounds that the three challengers had moved in illegally. Once the votes were counted, the incumbents won anyway—in a landslide.

Bruce Malkenhorst now receives a $499,674 annual pension.

These things actually happen. (h/t CNJ)