From the Trenches World Report
Enforce our Bill of Rights
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A few weeks ago, the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF) released a letter claiming that Amazon’s Rekognition technology was “patriotic and can benefit society”.
Continue reading “ITIF claims police use of Amazon Rekognition is “patriotic””
The Atlantic – by Conor Friedersdorf
A rising generation of Americans has never known peace.
Very soon, in Iraq or Afghanistan or Syria or Somalia or Libya or perhaps elsewhere, an 18-year-old man or woman will be deployed by the United States military to risk his or her life in a War on Terror that began before they were even born.
Already, every single spring, roughly 3.5 million high-school graduates reach adulthood with no memory of a time when their country wasn’t waging multiple wars. Continue reading “Congress May Declare the Forever War”
The College Fix – by Andrew Johnson
The University of Denver recently suspended a freshman student for fall quarter 2018 for having allegedly used several slurs frequently in everyday conversation, with the school saying that the behavior violated its harassment policy by creating “a hostile environment of divisiveness and disrespect.”
The student, meanwhile, has denied any wrongdoing in the matter, and a campus watchdog group has raised serious concerns about the university’s approach to the controversy. Continue reading “University suspends student after ‘some people said that other people said that she said offensive things’”
A 75-year-old woman who needs a cane to get around was jailed in Marietta, Georgia, this week for threatening to report a code enforcement officer to his superiors.
At least that’s what Gloria Walker told WSB-TV’s Matt Johnson. Marietta Police Department Officer Chuck McPhilamy has a different perspective: He claims that Walker was making “terroristic threats.” That’s what she’s been charged with—making terroristic threats. Continue reading “Georgia Cops Jail an Elderly Woman for Mouthing Off to a Code Enforcement Officer”
Press Democrat – by Kevin McCallum
Santa Rosa is still unwilling to let Verizon Wireless install antennas and wireless equipment on city light poles, putting the carrier’s plans to boost network coverage in the city on hold indefinitely.
The City Council on Tuesday reaffirmed the “pause” it placed on the project in March, saying the way the company had managed the rollout of “small cell” wireless gear on wooden utility poles in the city was a cause for concern.
Continue reading “Santa Rosa continues ‘pause’ on Verizon small-cell project”
Waco Tribune-Herald – by Tommy Witherspoon
A former Waco police officer who claimed he acted in self-defense when he grabbed a handcuffed suspect by the throat after a 2016 traffic stop was convicted on two misdemeanor counts Thursday.
A six-person jury in 19th State District Court deliberated about 90 minutes before finding George Neville guilty of assault and official oppression, both Class A misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in the county jail and a $4,000 fine.
Continue reading “Former Waco PD officer convicted in 2016 choking incident”
Electronic Frontier Foundation – by Jennifer Lynch
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is quietly building what will likely become the largest database of biometric and biographic data on citizens and foreigners in the United States. The agency’s new Homeland Advanced Recognition Technology (HART) database will include multiple forms of biometrics—from face recognition to DNA, data from questionable sources, and highly personal data on innocent people. It will be shared with federal agencies outside of DHS as well as state and local law enforcement and foreign governments. And yet, we still know very little about it. Continue reading “HART: Homeland Security’s Massive New Database Will Include Face Recognition, DNA, and Peoples’ “Non-Obvious Relationships””
Welcome to the secret world of public transit spying 2018.
Soon, the public will have no way of knowing how many CCTV cameras a transit agency has and much more.
Two weeks ago the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering (NAS) asked Congress to make public transit safety records a secret. Continue reading “Public transit agencies want to make safety records a state secret”
As the global war on cash continues to accelerate, outspoken libertarian Ron Paul summarizes the effort to eliminate cash perfectly – as an “attack on individual freedom.”
Restricting and discouraging the use of cash, suggests Paul, has always been a goal of statists as a means to reduce individuals’ independence. Continue reading “Ron Paul: “A Cashless Society Is Very, Very Dangerous””
Sun Sentinel – by Skyler Swisher
Tracing a gun used in a crime often requires federal agents to search through boxes of handwritten records.
That’s because federal law prohibits the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from creating an electronic, searchable database of gun records. Continue reading “Sen. Nelson pushes bill to create gun-tracing database”
MESA, Ariz. – Mesa’s police chief is promising an investigation after a video showing officers repeatedly punching a man came to light.
Officers were apparently investigating a May 23 domestic violence call and the man, 33-year-old Robert Johnson, was a friend of the suspect. Continue reading “4 Mesa officers on leave after video shows them beating man”
I once thought the police state couldn’t get any worse but then I read an article in Media Lite and discovered that I was wrong, very wrong.
According to the Media Lite, DHS plans on giving ant-government stories ‘sentiment’ ratings. Continue reading “DHS to give anti-government stories ‘sentiment’ ratings”
Former head of US Intelligence James Clapper just admitted that the United States was simply looking out for citizens of various countries “when we tried to manipulate or influence elections or even overturned governments,” a statement directly at odds with the moral high ground claimed by President Obama and other US officials on the topic of Russian election meddling. Continue reading “Clapper: The U.S. Meddled In Foreign Elections And Conducted Regime Change In The “Best Interests Of The People””
Toxins have been found in tap water in Salem, Oregon, resulting in the declaration of a state of emergency by Oregon Governor Kate Brown.
The declaration was issued for both Marion and Polk Counties and includes the capital city of Salem, as well as the towns of Turner and Stayton. The National Guard is expected to deliver water to residents using 10 water stations supplied by 2,000-gallon tankers. Continue reading “State of Emergency in Oregon as Public Discovers Capital City Has Toxin-Laden Water”
Local 10 ABC News – by Roy Ramos
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The Hallandale Police Department suspended two officers without pay Thursday, while the department investigates their actions after a video showed them striking a suspect with batons.
The department identified the officers as Jaime Cerna, who has been with the department for 11 years, and Richard Allen, who has been with the department for 35 years. Authorities identified the man they arrested Wednesday afternoon as Daniel James Dunkelberger. Continue reading “Officers suspended during investigation prompted by video showing them beating suspect”
Since last year, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) have been conducting immigration checkpoints in Hew Hampshire’s White Mountains.
NH’s motto ‘Live Free or Die’ is fast becoming a joke to all who visit.
Why would I say that? Continue reading “Vacationing in NH’s White Mountains this summer? Stay away unless you want to be treated like a criminal”
Union Leader – by Mark Hayward
Federal border patrol officials plan to conduct another five checkpoints in New Hampshire in 2018, and the New Hampshire State Police will take a hands-off approach to them, according to emails obtained under the New Hampshire Right to Know Law.
The American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire, which has secured rulings in a state court contesting the constitutionality of the checkpoints, released the emails this week. Continue reading “NH Border Patrol officials plan five more checkpoints in 2018”