Abusing Authority

"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)

"Buxton police raided a building where people were trying to raise money to give free food to the..."

Sat, 30 May 2009 19:11:21 -0400

“Buxton police raided a building where people were trying to raise money to give free food to the needy.
It happened at the Narragansett Pythian Sisters Temple on Route 22 where people were playing the card game Texas Hold’em to benefit the Buxton Community Food Co-op.
But state police said the game was illegal.
That’s because whenever a gambling tournament is held to raise money for a group and takes place at its headquarters, a permit is needed and the co-op didn’t have one.
So, state police seized cards, poke”

- Charity Poker Game Raided By Police - Portland News Story - WMTW Portland (h/t Balko)

"San Diego County officials have threatened to fine a local pastor and his wife for holding..."

Fri, 29 May 2009 07:18:35 -0400

“San Diego County officials have threatened to fine a local pastor and his wife for holding unauthorized Bible study sessions in their home.”

- Hit & Run > Excuse Me, Ma’am, We’ve Had Reports of Prayer - Reason Magazine

"In January 2007, state police in Illinois seized a shiny new, souped-up Dodge Charger after..."

Wed, 27 May 2009 15:31:59 -0400

“In January 2007, state police in Illinois seized a shiny new, souped-up Dodge Charger after arresting the car’s owner on drunk driving charges. The state apparently passed a law in 2006 that allows police to take and keep the cars of repeat drunk driving offenders. But this car didn’t get auctioned off, as often happens in seizure cases. Instead, it was given to Ronald Cooley, head of the State Police Merit Board. The Merit Board oversees state police hirings, firings, discipline, and promotions. According to the A.P., Cooley “drives the Charger between his office and Petersburg home, for local work assignments and for a handful of out-of-town state business trips.” The A.P. says other police officials may be driving seized luxury vehicles, too.”

- Hit & Run > Illinois Police Official Gets Cherry New Ride - Reason Magazine

Hard to justify the kick to the face.

Sat, 16 May 2009 14:56:10 -0400

Hard to justify the kick to the face.

"It used to be that when a horse was tense, stressed out from a day at work or fried from time spent..."

Fri, 15 May 2009 13:26:06 -0400

“It used to be that when a horse was tense, stressed out from a day at work or fried from time spent in a hellacious commute, Mercedes Clemens was there to help. The Gaithersburg massage therapist could lay her healing hands on the beast’s body and unkink the knots. That was before she got an official letter telling her in no uncertain terms that by massaging horses, she was breaking the law.”

- John Kelly - Hands Off the Horses, Massage Therapist Is Told - washingtonpost.com

"Mr. Murtha and two subcommittee colleagues, Peter Visclosky of Indiana and James Moran of Virginia,..."

Fri, 15 May 2009 11:29:46 -0400

“Mr. Murtha and two subcommittee colleagues, Peter Visclosky of Indiana and James Moran of Virginia, received more than $4 million in campaign contributions from contract hungry PMA Group clients, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. In two recent budgets alone, the three earmarked $137 million for PMA Group clients. It is time to follow the money — all of it.”

- Editorial - Uncle Sam and Uncle John - NYTimes.com

I’m happy to see the New York Times weighing in on the matter.