Cops on leave after Taser incident, student's behavior under scrutiny - CNN.com

Cops on leave after Taser incident, student's behavior under scrutiny - CNN.com: "Two University of Florida police officers were placed on leave with pay after using an electronic stun gun to subdue a student who was questioning Sen. John Kerry at a campus forum, the school's president said Tuesday.

But the student's behavior and past activities are prompting questions about whether the incident was part of a stunt."

I love it when police are put on paid leave for their indiscretions. Here in Schenectady, it is very rare for an officer to get suspended without out pay, much less fired, no matter what they have done. The police union has way too much power in this city, and I assume it is like that elsewhere.

Also, leave it to CNN to decide that this might have been some kind of joke or something... The videos make it obvious what happened, and until there is any proof otherwise, a respected "news" organization should not be making such baseless remarks... Everyone has pulled a practical joke or two, that does not mean that everything they do is a joke...

The Raw Story | Student Tasered at Kerry speech

The Raw Story | Student Tasered at Kerry speech: "Police Tasered and arrested a University of Florida student Monday when he engaged in 'combative diatribe' following a question of Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) at a student forum about why he didn't contest the 2004 presidential election or impeach President George W. Bush.

According to the Gainseville Sun, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications student Andrew Meyer 'approached an open microphone at the University Auditorium and demanded Kerry answer his questions. The student claimed that University Police Department officers had already threatened to arrest him, and then proceeded to question Kerry about why he didn't contest the 2004 presidential election and why there had been no moves to impeach President Bush.'"

This guy was arrested for asking a question, what freaking country are we living in here? Check out the video at the bottom of the story... The student was charged with disrupting a public event. He asked the hard questions, the questions that Kerry wants to avoid, and that the media wants to avoid, and he is arrested for it.

You also have to love the sheeple in the background that start to cheer as he is being arrested, again, for asking a question. Then there is Kerry, who keeps talking, and even jokes about the situation, almost as if nothing happened. Apparently he does not care about the abuse happening in front of him. Several police officers are hovering over the questioner just before he is shot with a taser. All those cops, and they cannot restrain the guy without resorting to a taser? Police are supposed to use THE MINIMUM AMOUNT OF FORCE to effect an arrest...

Here is the web page of the University Police, perhaps emails/phone calls are necessary...

Update, my Sister found the full video of the question, shot from another perspective. It is below:




And here is another:

Missouri: Police Threaten, Detain Motorist for Parking After Hours

Missouri: Police Threaten, Detain Motorist for Parking After Hours: "A motorist who refused to discuss his personal business with a St. George, Missouri police officer was threatened with arrest last Friday. Brett Darrow, 20, no stranger to unconventional encounters with police, caught a St. George Police Sergeant James Kuehnlein stating that he had the power to invent charges that would put Darrow behind bars. Update: Sergeant Kuehnlein was placed on unpaid leave Monday pending an investigation.

'Try and talk back... to me again,' yelled Sergeant Kuehnlein. 'I bet I could say you resisted arrest or something. You want to come up with something? I come up with nine things.'"

Police threating to invent reasons to arrest a person? No, that never happens in these United States, where we have the Bill of Rights. Oops, I forgot that "piece of paper" was gutted in our war against the "terrorists."

Watch the video here...

I think the next time I have a car, I will do what Mr. Darrow has done, load it with cameras and recording equipment. This kind of thing happens often. I have been in a few similar situations, walking, and many people I know have been as well. It is simple, we no longer have rights in the Fascist States of America...

Police Dislocate Protester's Knee

Now this is exactly how the gestapo protect and serve...

Here is the story from RawStory, and the photo, by Jonathan McIntosh, can be found here, among others from the event.

The police, of course, claim that she was assaulting them... I don't care how hard she might have been fighting, there are ways in which they could have cuffed her without doing that kind of harm. It was my impression that the police should always use the minimum amount of force necessary.

Congress yields to pass Bush spying bill | Politics | Reuters

Congress yields to pass Bush spying bill | Politics | Reuters: "Civil liberties groups charged the measure would create a broad net that would sweep up law-abiding U.S. citizens. But the House of Representatives gave its concurrence to the bill, 227-183, a day after it won Senate approval, 60-28."

There it is... Vacation is obviously more important than the civil liberties of our citizens. Bush's illegal warrant-less wiretapping is now perfectly legal, and when the legislation expires in 6 months, I am sure that it will be renewed. Perhaps we will have another "terrorist" attack in the meantime to ensure that it is renewed, or even modified so that it allows even more lawlessness.

Here comes the new 9/11...

April 15, 2007, Dick Cheney: "The greatest threat now is 'a 9/11' occurring ... with a nuclear weapon in the middle of one of our own cities."

June 3, 2007, Dennis Milligan, Chairman of the Arkansas Republican Party: “I believe fully the president is doing the right thing, and I think all we need is some attacks on American soil like we had on [Sept. 11, 2001]."

July 1, 2007, ABC News: “A secret U.S. law enforcement report, prepared for the Department of Homeland Security, warns that al Qaeda is planning a terror "spectacular" this summer."

July 11, 2007, Michael Chertoff, Homeland Security chief: "I believe we are entering a period this summer of increased risk."

July 20, 2007, Paul Craig Roberts, former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury: "Whether authentic or orchestrated, an attack will activate Bush's new executive orders [NSPD-51], which create a dictatorial police state in event of national emergency."

July 24, 2007, Peter DeFazio, House Homeland Security Committee member: “I just can't believe they're going to deny a member of Congress the right of reviewing how they plan to conduct the government of the United States after a significant terrorist attack … Maybe the people who think there's a conspiracy out there are right.”

From A Dawning Dictatorship?, by Captain Eric H. May. [Thanks Melinda...]

The Raw Story | White House responds to request for info on Gonzales testimony

The Raw Story | White House responds to request for info on Gonzales testimony: "CNN Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux said the administration's letter declared that NSA programs other than the wiretapping program acknowledged by Bush are classified and cannot be discussed.

'So what they’re saying is everything else is secret but what he was talking about specifically was the Terrorist Surveillance Program,' she said Tuesday.

A spokeswoman for Sen. Patrick Leahy, the committee chairman who also is expected to receive the administration's response, told RAW STORY early Tuesday afternoon that he had not seen the letter."

What other programs are they running behind our backs? I cannot even imagine with the technology that is available to the NSA. Spy satellites, house bugs, electronic records...

War Room: Political News, Politics News - Salon

War Room: Political News, Politics News - Salon: "So what about impeaching George W. Bush? Pelosi said that any effort to do so would divide the country and that she isn't sure what the odds of success would be. But she said that if she weren't the speaker and weren't in Congress, she'd 'probably be advocating' Bush's impeachment herself."

WTF??? She is in the congress and can do something about it. If she were a citizen, she could do nothing about it. The fact is that she does not want to be held accountable to the public. She just wants to spin words so that it looks like she might be doing something good for the country. The Bush administration HAS committed serious crimes, and it is HER DUTY to support impeachment, just as it is HER DUTY to abide by the Constitution. By not supporting impeachment, she is, in fact supporting the Bush administration and all of it's illegal activities. By not impeaching, she is allowing Herr Bush to transform this country into his own little version of Nazi Germany. His most prized programs of torture, spying, and abuse of executive authority are duplicates of Herr Hitler's policies.

So stand up and Impeach Bush, Pelosi, or you will be held accountable for the new Fascist States of America...

The Raw Story | US/E.U. plan to database airline passengers' personal information raises deep privacy concerns

The Raw Story | US/E.U. plan to database airline passengers' personal information raises deep privacy concerns: "In addition to data such as name, address, flight itineraries, and credit card information, the United States will now database more intimate details about passengers as provided by airlines, such as race, political opinions, religious beliefs, and sexual orientation."

This is completely outrageous. According to the article, the information will be compiled on all inbound travelers, so I would suspect that if an American were to travel out of the country, the information would be compiled before reentry. All of the details are scary, but I think the most telling is the fact that they will be gathering political opinions.

Think Progress » Conservatives Refuse To Appear On Fox News To Publicly Defend Gonzales

Think Progress » Conservatives Refuse To Appear On Fox News To Publicly Defend Gonzales: "'By the way, we invited White House officials and Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee to defend Attorney General Gonzales,' said Wallace. 'We had no takers.'"

For some odd reason, I was flipping through the channels and jsut happened to stop on Fox News for a while. I was laughing when I saw this...

They also had a Democratic member of congress on, did no catch who it was. The democrat was explaining how Bush's plan to revise the FISA system would give him more power to spy on U.S. citizens, which is exactly what it will do. Wallace, obviously just another puppet of the administration, kept saying that it would allow Bush to monitor calls from one foreign country to another. The democrat retorted by saying that if that was the fact, and that was all it did, that he would pass Bush's changes tomorrow. After arguing back and forth for a minute, the entire conversation essentially was repeated again. I guess that is quite typical of Fox, repeat the propaganda again and again...

The Raw Story | White House runs conference call on executive privilege for right-wing bloggers

The Raw Story | White House runs conference call on executive privilege for right-wing bloggers: "'The White House hosted a blogger conference call to discuss the issues surrounding the Bush administration's use of executive privilege in the probe of the firings of eight federal prosecutors,' wrote Ed Morrissey, who produces the blog Captains Quarters. 'The White House arranged the call based on a recommendation by this blog, in order to familiarize the blogosphere with the legal and political arguments on which the administration will rely to prevail in the upcoming fight regarding the contempt citations Congress seems likely to approve.'"

They must tell the bloggers what to write about... The propaganda machine is growing daily.

The Raw Story | CNN: TSA knew 'dry run' terror alerts were bogus

The Raw Story | CNN: TSA knew 'dry run' terror alerts were bogus: "The FBI maintained 'they were right' putting the bogus reports on the TSA bulletin, which is distributed to law enforcement agencies nationwide, Todd reported. Airport security officers must be trained in identifying suspicious packages, even when those packages turn out to be innocuous."

Oops, they were busted pushing propaganda again. Keep everyone scared, so that we do not question the loss of our civil liberties...

CITIZEN-TIMES.com: Flag-defiling charge ends in fight, arrests

CITIZEN-TIMES.com: Flag-defiling charge ends in fight, arrests: "State law prohibits anyone from knowingly mutilating, defiling, defacing or trampling the U.S. or North Carolina flags. Lt. Randy Sorrells of the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office said the Kuhns desecrated the flag by pinning signs to it, not by flying it upside down.

An upside-down flag typically is flown as a distress signal. The Kuhns said they flew it this way not out of disrespect but to symbolize the state of the country.

Deborah Kuhn said the signs pinned to the flag included an explanation on the meaning of an upside-down flag and asked to “help our country.” One of the signs was a photo of President Bush with “Out Now” written on it, they said."

Sure, this is not a political issue... Don't cops, and neighbors, have anything better to do with their time?

I go to court Friday morning...

I have to take time out of my day to go and fight the system. I will have to try hard to contain my anger over this incident, so that I do not end up with a contempt charge added on to my resisting arrest and violation of the noise ordinance charges. Unfortunately, I do not take well to my rights being violated and there is a good possibility something might slip out of my mouth.

WorldNetDaily: IRS loses challenge to prove tax liability

WorldNetDaily: IRS loses challenge to prove tax liability: "The jury in U.S. District Court in Louisiana voted 12-0 to find Cryer, of Shreveport, not guilty of failure to file income taxes for two years. He had been indicted in 2006 on charges of failing to pay $73,000 to the IRS in 2000 and 2001. The next step in his personal case will be up to the IRS and prosecutors, if they choose to continue the issue, he said."

This is a great win for all of us who believe the government has been fraudulently taxing us for years. Unfortunately, I bet the IRS will be appealing this decision.

The Gestappo Paid Me A Visit... Schenectady, NY

Thursday night, my friend and I were hanging out having a few beers. As the night progressed, we became a bit too loud with our music and goofing off, but the night was now winding down, because I had a trip to make in the morning. As I was drifting off to sleep, just after 1:30AM or so on Friday morning, my friend woke me up to tell me that the police were outside the house. Ok, no problem, I figured. They were probably going to give me a ticket for being too loud. They had never been called here for noise before.

So, half asleep and tipsy, I wandered down the stairs to accept my minor punishment. Unfortunately, I did not know what I was in for.

As soon as I opened the door, I was grabbed by the police and thrown on the floor of my porch. They then attempted to cuff me. I asked them what this was about, why I was being cuffed, and why I was being arrested. They gave me no answer, so, naturally I began to resist, asking why I was being arrested again. Before I knew it, one of the police was on me, punching the crap out of my ribs, over and over. My major focus was on that officer, but there were others joining in. When the attack began, I yelled for my friend. [While I was being attacked, a couple of officers were laughing at my "COME BACK WITH A WARRANT" door mat, like it was a joke...]

He came down the stairs just in time to witness the one cop repeatedly punching me. After a few more punches, the cop realized he was being watched, and ceased. I continued to resist, as my question had not been answered. They continued to attack me. My friend pleaded with the cops to stop, and then my friend pleaded with me to stop resisting, though the arrest was unlawful. At some point during the beating, they got the cuffs on me. Soon after that, I went limp, and continued to demand an explanation. At no point had I hit an officer, as their charges would show the next morning. I simply twisted and writhed to avoid being cuffed for no stated reason. After the cuffs were on, as their charges would also show, I used passive resistance.

After they dragged me off the porch, I asked again why I was being arrested, and they finally said that my music was too loud. I asked the officer where the decibel meter was, and got no response. Let's not forget, that a noise ordinance violation is just that: a violation. It is like getting a ticket for littering or not picking up a dog's feces. It is by no means a reason to cuff me.

Next they dragged me over to the back of the cruiser, and bounced my head off the trunk a few times, until my nose was bleeding and left a nice streak of blood on the vehicle. Soon, I was loaded into the transfer van and headed off to jail. I did not answer any questions during the booking process, including those of the social worker. I do not remember them asking anything about a phone call, though I could be wrong there, everything was so chaotic. (They claim I refused it. I did, however, ask for one many times later)

They placed me on suicide watch, because I refused to answer the social worker's questions, and I was left in the cell naked for a while. Finally, they left me with a cheap paper smock, that shredded when I tried to put it on. So I made do the best I could to cover myself and stay warm with the shreds of paper. I also let every person in the area know what was going on, by shouting over and over. At that point, that was all I could do.

In the morning they gave me my clothes back, and let me talk to a public defender. Apparently, because I own a house, I do not qualify for a public defender, though the defender gave me some good advice, anyway. [The only decent thing of the night] Then I went to my arraignment. (What happened to the right to counsel? I am just as poor as the people who were next to me but happened to rent.)

I have never been arrested before(I am 27), own a house, lived in Schenectady most of my life, and only was charged with a misdemeanor of resisting arrest and a violation of the noise ordinance, so the Judge saw fit to release me on my own recognizance.

My sister was in court to make sure they did not railroad me, so I went to her nearby house afterwards. From there I called my friend, to find out more about what happened. It turns out that they supposedly received a report of "shots fired" and "people fighting" at the house, which was later confirmed through some connections he has with law enforcement. They asked him if they could search the house, and since he has a family and did not want to end up in jail with me, he consented. It is too bad that it was an illegal search, because he does not live there. They found absolutely nothing in the house. Thank god my friend was there to secure my dogs, because the Schenectady police are known to shoot dogs on sight, even if they do not attack. Of course, they would not let my friend back into the house to let the dogs loose.

So my father, who lives with me, and downstairs neighbors did not wake up during our excessive noise, nor the arrest, though that took place outside, where it was not as easily heard.

Ok, so now the questions.

How can I be charged with resisting arrest when I should not have been arrested for the noise violation?

If there was, in fact, a report of shots fired, why did they not check to see if my downstairs neighbors were alright when they found no guns in my house?

Did they use force on the account of the fact that I know my rights? Perhaps they thought that I would be trouble with my WARRANT mat.

Did they fake the music citation because they realized they had screwed up?

If it was simply a noise complaint, why did the show up with 4 or 5 cruisers and six or seven officers?

I did not hit an officer, according to them, so why did they beat the crap out of me?

Why did they immediately take me down, without a single question?

I ended up with scrapes and bruises all over my body and, as confirmed at the hospital, a fractured rib. I have also been in intense pain since the incident, and the pain is only now starting to wane. I look forward to seeing the police report. I was drinking, but I am almost 100% sure that I am not forgetting anything that happened that night, and my friend was witness to the incident. Let me also be clear, that when they started violating my rights, I started acting like a real jerk, with a lot of foul language. I was mad, and I was getting beaten. I was not being nice at that point.

I am just now able to sit at the computer long enough to write this, now that the pain from my ribs has dulled enough that it can be taken care of with pain medication.

My sister's account of the entire situation is here, she is almost as pissed as I am.

The Raw Story | Bush acknowledges administration official leaked Plame's name

The Raw Story | Bush acknowledges administration official leaked Plame's name: "At a White House press conference Thursday, President Bush acknowledged that someone in his administration leaked the name of covert CIA agent Valerie Plame but avoided addressing the question of whether saw it as a moral issue or was at all disappointed in his senior advisers."

With the release of CIA documents, the FBI acknowledging the kind of information they are keeping on all of us, this admission, and other recent events, it is obvious that the administration no longer cares about the rule of law, and even flaunts the fact that it is breaking the law. They are simply prepping us for a trip to the "happy camps," for which Guantanamo Bay is the prototype.

Data on Americans mined for terror risk - Yahoo! News

Data on Americans mined for terror risk - Yahoo! News: "The FBI is gathering and sorting information about Americans to help search for potential terrorists, insurance cheats and crooked pharmacists, according to a government report obtained Tuesday.

Records about identity thefts, real estate transactions, motor vehicle accidents and complaints about Internet drug companies are being searched for common threads to aid law enforcement officials, the Justice Department said in a report to Congress on the agency's data-mining practices."

The database of information that the government keeps on each and every one of is growing by leaps and bounds. It really makes me want to live off the grid, but that is next to impossible today.

The Raw Story | Gonzales lied to Congress about FBI abuses

The Raw Story | Gonzales lied to Congress about FBI abuses: "Today's Washington Post reports that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was given a report detailing FBI abuses of power six days before testifying to Congress where he sought to renew the Patriot Act. In front of the Senate Intelligence Committee he claimed he knew of no wrongdoing or abuse of power, and that the Patriot Act was free of problems, despite the reports of numerous violations of the law and FBI protocol."

The Bush administration really has a huge problem with the truth.

BBC NEWS | Americas | Woman jailed for 'neglected' lawn

BBC NEWS Americas Woman jailed for 'neglected' lawn: "The officer had judged that Ms Perry's 'sadly neglected and dying landscape' breached an Orem city guideline and was attempting to issue a formal caution when the 70-year-old was injured.

She was treated in a local hospital for the cut to her nose and for other bruises before being taken to jail.

But she was let go when police realised there were 'other ways' of finding out her identity without taking her to jail, a police spokesman said."

To protect and serve... THE LAWN!!! (What do you want to bet they have a hefty water bill in that area?)

White House to Tell Miers to Ignore Senate Subpoena

White House to Tell Miers to Ignore Senate Subpoena: "The White House has decided to defy Congress's latest demand for information regarding the dismissal of nine U.S. attorneys, sources familiar with the decision said yesterday. Such an action would escalate the constitutional struggle and propel it closer to a court showdown.

Senate and House committees have directed President Bush to provide by tomorrow a detailed justification of his executive privilege claims and a full accounting of the documents he is withholding. But White House counsel Fred F. Fielding plans to tell lawmakers that he has already provided the legal basis for the claims and will not provide a log of the documents, the sources said."

There are no laws for this administration...