German government plans sweeping social attacks

The new German government held a two-day cabinet conference Tuesday and Wednesday at Schloss Merseburg in Brandenburg. According to Chancellor Angela Merkel of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the meeting was meant to create “a comradely atmosphere in which we can resolve problems in a spirit of mutual [...]

Lebanon agrees Hezbollah right to arms

Lebanon’s new cabinet has agreed to acknowledge the Islamic Hezbollah movement’s right to use armed resistance against the Israeli acts of hostility.
A cabinet committee commissioned with drafting a policy statement for the country’s new government met for the ninth time on Wednesday, when it reached an agreement on the issue, [...]

German army chief resigns over Afghan civilian deaths

The German army’s chief of staff has stepped down after reports of Afghan civilian deaths in a September air strike involving German troops.
Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg told parliament on Thursday Wolfgang Schneiderhan had submitted his resignation.
Schneiderhan “has released himself from his duties at his own request,” zu Guttenberg [...]

Feds: Former US Prosecutor Helped Rub Out Witnesses For Gangster Clients, Ran Drugs And Call-Girls

From federal prosecutor to accused violent gangster, pimp, and drug-dealer…That’s the unusual career trajectory taken, say the Feds, by Paul Bergrin, who was indicted earlier this month in a 39-count racketeering indictment.
In a drama that could have been made for HBO, Bergrin — a white-collar defense lawyer who once represented, [...]

Understanding the Punitive White Male

As the chronology of California correctional policies shows, many of the punitive measures in sentencing, corrections, and risk management, emerged from voter initiatives. Whether or not the public is punitive, or is being pushed in that direction by politicians and the media, and what can be done to [...]

Former Wyoming Trooper Gets 15 Years For Kidnapping Scheme

A former Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper received a 15-year prison sentence for an elaborate scheme to kill a Wal-Mart truck driver and seek a settlement from the corporation, the Department of Justice announced.
U.S. District Judge Alan B. Johnson handed down the sentence to Franklin Joseph Ryle Jr., [...]

DHS Announces “Global Entry” Biometric Identification System for U.S. Airports

Today, the Department of Homeland Security proposed to make permanent Global Entry, a program the agency says will “streamline the international arrivals and admission process at airports for trusted travelers through biometric identification.” Under the proposed system, pre-registered international travelers can bypass conventional security lines by scanning [...]

‘Counterinsurgency’ to Fight U.S. Crime? No, Thanks

After the sickening murder of a 9-year-old boy in Washington, our friend Spencer Ackerman made an impassioned plea: U.S. Central Command chief General David Petraeus for D.C. metro police chief. The idea of America’s leading counterinsurgent taking on one of its most crime-ridden towns definitely has a certain [...]

Czech government expresses regret for illegal sterilizations of Roma women

On Nov. 22, at the instigation of Czech Human Rights Minister Michael Kocáb, the government of the Czech Republic expressed regret over the illegal sterilizations of women that have been performed in the country. Speaking after a cabinet session, Kocáb said a set of measures are being designed to [...]

Fernando Bermudez exonerated–informant found to have lied

Cleared of murder charges after serving 18 years, Fernando Bermudez was freed on Friday. See NYT story here and my previous post.
Four witnesses recanted their testimony, stating that they had been pressured by the government into identifying Mr. Bermudez as the shooter.
The main witness, Efraim Lopez, testified falsely under a [...]

Sailor charged in death of pregnant woman

PENSACOLA, Fla. — A military police officer has been charged in the death of a pregnant Florida Panhandle woman whose body washed ashore in a bag earlier this month.
Master-at-Arms 3rd Class (SW) Zachary Littleton, 25, was arrested at Naval Air Station Pensacola on Monday. He is being held without bond [...]

The War on Drugs: FAIL: An Interview With Clifford Thornton Jr.

Government taking newborn DNA samples without permission

Woman testifies against former Riverside police officer accused of sexual assault

A sometime prostitute who alleges she was sexually assaulted by an on-duty Riverside Police Department officer testified today he never threatened her, but she felt she had no choice but to comply with his request for sex.
“I was like, ‘This is so unreal. This isn’t happening,’” said the witness, identified only [...]

Our research has shown that child trafficking increases when you have military bases

Excerpt:
When I reached her by phone, Goodnight said, “Our research has shown that child trafficking increases when you have military bases and a strong agricultural presence in the area.” That’s why, this year, before Shaniya Davis’s disappearance and the discovery of her body made “human trafficking” a hot topic, [...]

Let’s Eliminate Welfare for Terrorists

Of all the factors on the table in the current Afghan strategic review, the War on Drugs and its unintended consequences should be front and center. Our 95-year effort to create a Drug Free America by enforcing world-wide prohibition has twisted our foreign policy out of shape all over the globe and [...]

Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s New Low

Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joseph M. “Joe” Arpaio outrages are a dime a dozen. But if reported accurately, here’s one for his greatest hits file:
The most recent atrocity committed by the self-proclaimed “America’s Toughest Sheriff” involves a woman who was detained while 9-months pregnant. Alma Minerva Chacon’s case has been [...]

Google Provides Free Access to Full Text of Court Opinions

Google is taking a swing at the Lexis/Nexis / Westlaw duopoly by offering free searches and free access to the full text of state, district, and appellate court opinions. Law journals, too.
Starting today, we’re enabling people everywhere to find and read full text legal opinions from U.S. federal and state district, [...]

Senator Wants Answers on Drugs from DoD

Senator Benjamin Louis “Ben” Cardin (D-MD) stops by the Editor’s Desk to chat about the letter he just sent to Secretary Robert Michael Gates regarding his concerns over the amount of prescription drugs being given to troops in the war zones and the long-term consequences of that practice.  [...]

Mandatory Minimum Drug Sentences Eliminated in Rhode Island

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – A new law eliminating mandatory minimum drug sentences in Rhode Island has taken effect without the governor’s signature.
Similar measures had been vetoed in past years by Gov. Donald L. “Don” Carcieri, but supporters say they compromised on this year’s legislation by removing a provision that placed [...]

Free Legal Help to Online Journalists

The Citizen Media Law Project announced the launch of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University’s Online Media Legal Network (OMLN), a new pro bono initiative that connects lawyers and law school clinics with online journalists who need legal help. OMLN will provide [...]

CCR Files Opening Brief in First Supreme Court Case to Challenge Patriot Act

Obama Administration Defending Law that Makes Speech Advocating Human Rights a Terrorist Crime
November 17, 2009, New York – Yesterday, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) filed the first brief in Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project, the first case to challenge a portion of the Patriot Act before the [...]

Town to photograph every car that enters and leaves

Tiburon, California, is a twee little place. If you aren’t familiar with the old-country colloquialism “twee,” it means, well, something like “precious.” Like one of those dogs Paris Hilton used to carry in her purse.
When one wanders through its little streets, just north of San Francisco, one gets the sense [...]

San Bernardino Police Hold Sister Hostage, Threaten Children in Attempt to Coerce Burglar

SAN BERNARDINO – Wylena Andrews landed in jail, she says, because police wanted her brother for burglarizing a sergeant’s house.
When they couldn’t find him, they took Andrews as a bargaining chip and threatened to haul her siblings off to Child Protective Services unless her brother turned himself in.
“I kept saying [...]

CIA Lithuanian torture site located

Christian leaders unite to teach youth intolerance

A group of 145 evangelical, Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christian leaders have signed a declaration saying they will not cooperate with laws that “could be used to compel their institutions to participate in abortions, or to bless or in any way recognize same-sex couples.”
Citing Martin Luther King, Jr. [...]

iePolitics: More on Arrowhead Regional Medical Center

After being off work and without a paycheck for the past four weeks thanks to our FORMER County Administrative Officer Mark Uffer, writing that last article was a bit cathartic.  Mark was a bit upset with me for several reasons, one of which is that I finally got sick of [...]

iePolitics Commentary: Sheriff Hoops, Part 2

Sheriff Rod Hoops let’s continue from my last posting.
I do not want our readers to think that misconduct such as the credentials falsification issue with Sheriff’s Captain Bart Gray is nothing but an aberration.
It is actually the opposite. In other words it happens quite frequently.
Not only are special accommodations made for [...]

iePolitics: Extensive Investigation at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center

Sources have confirmed that officials from the state regulatory agency have converged on Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) in what has been described by one long-term employee as the most extensive investigation/inspection of the facility since its opening ten years ago.  The investigation involves all units in the hospital [...]

Seattle City Attorney Peter Holmes Backs Marijuana Decriminalization Bill

Incoming Seattle City Attorney Peter Holmes says he’s still stunned by his election victory over incumbent Tom Carr. One area where Holmes hopes to bring change is in the city’s attitudes toward marijuana enforcement. Holmes says he has no plans to charge anyone with simple marijuana possession. And he’s [...]

Los Angeles DA Joins Ranks of Drug Cartel Bitches Against Medical Marijuana

It was a petulant fit of pique, certainly entertaining, and potentially hilarious — if safe access for so many medical marijuana patients weren’t hanging in the balance.

After things didn’t go his way at Monday’s Los Angeles City Council joint committee meeting, District Attorney Stephen Lawrence (“Steve”) Cooley pronounced Tuesday [...]

Russia confirms adherence to death penalty ban obligations

Moscow will stick to its commitments on the abolishment of the capital punishment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia said on Thursday.
Constitutional Court of Russian Federation extended a moratorium on capital punishment earlier on Thursday. The court said that the ban, introduced in 1999, had begun an [...]

Judge: Retrial possible for pardoned Virginia sailor

RICHMOND, Va. — A federal judge says prosecutors can retry an ex-sailor who received a conditional pardon from Virginia’s governor after spending more than a decade in prison for rape and murder.
Derek Tice was one of four ex-sailors known as “The Norfolk Four” who claimed their confessions to the rape [...]

Ex-recruiter sentenced to prison for sex crimes

HEMET, Calif. — A former Marine Corps recruiter has been sentenced to 10 years in prison in Southern California’s Riverside County after pleading guilty to child sex charges.
Prosecutors say former Staff Sgt. Bryan Damone Cunningham pleaded guilty Friday to felony charges of committing lewd acts and sodomy with a child under [...]

2 life sentences for convicted Carson soldier

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — A Fort Carson soldier convicted of killing two people with an AK-47 was sentenced Thursday to two consecutive life terms in prison.
A judge in Colorado Springs also sentenced 25-year-old Jorma Falu-Vives to another 140 years for wounding a fellow soldier in another drive-by shooting.
A jury convicted the Iraq [...]

FBI kept tabs on Pulitzer-winning author Studs Terkel for 45 years

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, which acted as America’s political police during the Cold War, spent several decades watching Pulitzer Prize-winning author Studs Terkel, who died earlier this year at age 96.  The revelation was made by the City University of New York’s NYCity News Service, which [...]

When It’s Crunch Time at College, Students Turn to Adderall

Can ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) stimulants like Adderall (amphetamines) be the answer for college students looking to increase academic performance? They think so.
It’s a week before final exams and you haven’t begun studying. These general education classes are, simply, a drag and you’re already tired from fraternity, sorority or [...]

Why We Must Not Always Be Compliant

You may recall this incident in which Steven Bierfeldt, a Ron Paul supporter, was detained by TSA screeners for no other reason than that he was carrying a box of cash:

But it was a good thing he chose to disobey the Transportation Security Administration agent’s unlawful [...]

iePolitics Commentary: Sheriff Hoops

Rod Hoops
Bart Gray

I am not surprised to hear that you are going to try and let the issue with Captain Bart Gray and his wife die a quiet death. More on that in a moment.
I direct these statements to you because you are the Sheriff. As you know you [...]

ACTION ALERT: Force DEA to Tell the Truth About Medical Marijuana

In a significant reversal, the American Medical Association on November 10 acknowledged the medical value of marijuana and called for the U.S. government to reconsider marijuana’s current classification as a Schedule I substance (drugs that the government says have “no currently accepted medical use”).
However, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) [...]

Anti-immigrant tea-party wankers think again ;)

Ex-Army counterintelligence worker executed

JARRATT, Va. — A former Army counterintelligence worker was executed by electric chair Tuesday for killing a Virginia couple, becoming the first U.S. inmate to die by electrocution in over a year.
Larry Bill Elliott was pronounced dead at 9:08 p.m. at Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt. He was convicted of [...]

Jurors decide soldier’s homicide case

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Jurors are deciding the case of a Fort Carson soldier accused of killing two people in a drive-by shooting.
Attorneys for Jomar Falu-Vives said in closing arguments Tuesday that the Iraq war veteran’s AK-47 was used to kill 18-year-old Amairany Cervantes and 20-year-old Cesar Ramirez-Ibanez last year as they [...]

Trial begins for ex-Air Force nurse in 3 deaths

SAN ANTONIO — A former Air Force nurse intentionally gave three elderly Texas patients lethal doses of medication, killing them with his self-described “aggressive” care for end-of-life patients, prosecutors said Tuesday at the start of a court-martial.
Capt. Michael Fontana has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and a [...]

State police want nearly $7 million to fulfill FOIA request

The Michigan Department of State Police is charging the Mackinac Center for Public Policy nearly $7 million to fulfill its Freedom of Information Act request for information on how the state has used homeland security grant money since 2002, the nonpartisan research group reported.
A communications specialist at the center requested [...]

Jurors to hear criminal past of San Bernardino teen shot by officer with 5 prior shootings

SAN BERNARDINO – A jury will get to hear about the possible gang involvement and criminal history of a teenager who was shot by police two years ago after allegedly reaching for a gun at the end of a foot chase.
It is undecided, however, whether the jury will learn about the [...]

Germany opposes bank data deal with US

Germany has announced its opposition to a European Union agreement to share bank data with the United States for anti-terrorist investigations.
According to the draft, financial records stored by the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) financial data system including “name, account number, address, national identification [...]

In The End, Fall Of Berlin Wall Was Gorbachev’s Call

Twenty years ago, the world was transfixed by images of spirited Germans clambering on top of the forbidding Berlin Wall and beginning to dismantle its legacy with each swing of their pickaxes and hammers.
The events of Nov. 9, 1989 — the day the wall fell — became the primary symbol [...]

Analysts: US capitalism on verge of collapse

The declining state of the US economy has convinced a growing number of American analysts that the US capitalist financial system is doomed to disintegrate.
Citing the works of other leading economists such as Jack Bogle and Marc Faber, Market Watch commentator Paul B. Farrell gives 20 reasons, in [...]

Poll: US views Israel exempted from law

The US apparently views Israel as being exempted from abiding by international law, the results of a recent online opinion poll indicate.
Press TV asked in an online poll about the respondents’ opinion on a recent motion by the US congressmen against the Goldstone report (United Nations Fact Finding Mission on [...]