Poplawski a Right Wing Talk Radio Listener?

How much you want to bet that Pittsburgh cop killer Richard Poplawski listens to the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Mike (Weiner) Savage, Michele Bachmann, Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity?

Limbaugh, Weiner, Bachmann, Beck and Hannity, among others, are whipping up unwarranted fear and creating a scapegoat mentality across the country. They are a threat to social stability. They're yelling "fire" in theater while making millions. Their irresponsible behavior makes them responsible.

Oscar Grant

Thanks to Dusty for her post on Justice for Oscar Grant. Mr. Grant is just the latest in a pattern of similar police killings in the SF Bay Area (and other places).

We need to raise our voices on this. The media cannot be silent on this pattern of police brutality. As the country sinks into economic depression, and fear grows among the establishment insiders, it's critical that the rank and file police not be allowed to serve as their Praetorian Guard. We need to call them on it now.

DemocracyNow Coverage.

Psssst... Do Something

• Contact the Broadcast Media
  
• Contact the Newspapers
  
• Contact the US Senate
  
• Contact the House of Representatives

New Victims of Bank Abuses

Face it. The banking sector, abetted by Democrat and Republican
deregulatory policies, ran amok the past couple of decades. People have been abused by the banks.

Isla Vista, CA B of A
Burned in Feb. 1970

That abuse has claimed many victims. We usually think of these victims in terms of people loosing their homes to foreclosure, bank mismanagement leading to an unnecessary credit crunch preventing small businesses from making payroll on time, and retirees loosing their savings. But today, we have several new victims.

Apparently someone wanted to get even with the banking industry and planted a bomb in a bank in Woodburn, Oregon. The unfortunate victims were a police officer killed, the police chief and a State bomb technician injured. Ultimately, the banks and those who pushed the deregulation are to blame. This is an example of the long term costs that result from short sighted policies.

When you think of the current economic crisis in historical terms, you can tell your grandchildren that "Anger with banks was so intense that it led to at least one bank being bombed." Something tells me we haven't seen the end of this type of reaction.

Psssst... Do Something

• Contact the Broadcast Media
  
• Contact the Newspapers
  
• Contact the US Senate
  
• Contact the House of Representatives

Sources:

Associated Press, Bank blast kills police officer in Oregon, December 13, 2008.

Purple Heart for Domestic Service to the Country

Nick Morgan, US Veteran, Trampled by Police Horse at Final Presidential Debate

On Wednesday October 15th 2008, former Army Sergeant Nick Morgan, a 24 year old veteran of the US war in Iraq, was nearly killed by riot police, his face crushed under a police horse, during a peaceful protest outside the final US presidential debates.

Morgan is a native of Annapolis, MD who spent four-years the US Army and one year in Iraq. He was a participant in the Winter Soldier hearings and is an active member of the Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), a national organization of 'Global War On Terror' veterans who had come to the Presidential debates in Long Island, demanding that veterans' concerns be heard during these nationally televised dialogues MORE

Video Footage of Nick Morgan

Sources:

Text: Now Public: Crowed Powered Media

Video: iwitnessvideo on YouTube

No Impunity for RNC Police Civil Liberties Violations

Time to raise our voices. It's an easy way exercise, an protect, our democracy.

By now you should know that the conglomeration of police agencies assembled in St. Paul Minnesota for the Republican convention have committed numerous civil liberty violations:

St. Paul Police Conduct Mass Preemptive Raids Ahead of Republican Convention, DemocracyNow Sept. 1, 2008.

As the RNC Opens in St. Paul, Twin Cities Police Arrest Nearly 300; Journalists Targeted, DemocracyNow Sept. 2, 2008.

Amy Goodman & Two Democracy Now! Producers Arrested at RNC Protest, DemocracyNow Sept. 2, 2008.

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) Condemns Police Intimidation of Journalists, DemocracyNow Sept. 2, 2008.

Most Urgent:

Contact the following county and city attorneys to urge them not to press "probable cause riot charges" against Democracy Now! producers Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar.

Today I left a voice mail for St. Paul Mayor

Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner
E-Mail: RCA @ co.ramsey.mn.us (cc: dropthecharges at democracynow.org)
651-266-3222

Susan Gaertner for Governor
info at susangaertner.com (cc: dropthecharges at democracynow.org)
(612) 978-8625
(612)804-6156

The St. Paul City Attorney’s office has already charged Amy Goodman with misdemeanor obstruction of a legal process and interference with a peace officer. Contact St. Paul City Attorney John Choi by all means possible to demand that the charges against Goodman be dropped immediately.

St. Paul City Attorney John Choi:
E-mail: john.choi @ ci.stpaul.mn.us and cc: dropthecharges @ democracynow.org
(651) 266-8710

Others that you Should Contact:

Minneapolis Police Department
350 South 5th Street,
Room 130, Minneapolis, MN 55415-1389
police @ ci.minneapolis.mn.us

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak

City Hall, Room 331
350 South Fifth Street
Minneapolis, MN 55415

Phone: (612) 673-2100
Fax: (612) 673-2305

Ironically, Minneapolis has a Civil Rights Department.
call (612) 673-3012.

European Gendarmerie Force: EU Police State

According to a Wikipedia[1] entry:

"The European Gendarmerie Force or EGF was launched by an agreement between five members of the European Union: France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands. Its purpose was the creation of a European intervention force, which would have militarised police (aka a gendarmerie) functions and be specialized in crisis management. More countries will be allowed to join in the future."

Sounds like the Euro-elite know that the party is coming to an end, and they're getting ready for the coming debacle.

"The EGF is based in Vicenza, in northeastern Italy, and has a core of 800-900 members ready to deploy within 30 days. This includes elements from the French Gendarmerie, the Italian Carabinieri, the Portuguese National Republican Guard, the Dutch Royal Marechaussee and the Spanish Civil Guard. An additional 2,300 reinforcements will be available in standby."

Sources:

[1] The powers-that-be have done a good job of undermining the credibility of Wikipedia by seizing on the fact that, true enough, not everything posted to Wikipedia is fact-checked. But isn't it convenient for them to dismiss what otherwise is an excellent starting point for free investigation?

There was a Eurogendfor website: http://www.eurogendfor.eu but it doesn't seem to work at the time I write this post.

New Meaning to "Police State"

Local police are adopting increasingly militarized attitudes and techniques.

Assuming the societal need for police, one could acknowledge the need for police to be on balance with organized crime in terms of weapons, communications, etc. The key word is balance.

Today however, as a result of 9/11 overreach, many local police departments have adopted unbalanced methods of fulfilling their missions. For the past several years they have had a homeland security feeding frenzy buying vast amounts of new hardware (armored vehicles, helicopters, non-lethal weapons, riot gear, and surveillance tools) and attending more federal training sessions. The later serve to torque them up, infusing them with desire to use all of the new special tactics they have learned. They are inculcated into the deep dark stealth world of security in which everything is a potential threat and everyone is a potential enemy. They naturally feel like a member in a small elite group, and in some ways above the law, because they are a small elite group and they think they are the law, when in reality they are just supposed to enforce the laws in a fair and balance way.

The latest example in post-9/11 testosterone driven police state overkill comes from the small town of Berwyn Heights in Prince George's County, Maryland. The mayor's wife was the innocent victim of identity theft in which a drug ring was using her as an unsuspecting shipping address in order to transfer marijuana.

The Prince George's County police conducted a raid on the small town mayor's house killing the mayor's two pet dogs, hand cuffing his mother in law on the floor and roughing them all up.

Berwyn Heights mayor Cheye Calvo called on the U.S. Justice Department's civil rights division to investigate the raid and other similar actions by Prince George's law enforcement. He said officers burst into his house without knocking or announcing themselves, in violation of the warrant they had.

Article and Video Interview of Calvo Family

Sources:

Baltimore Sun, Prince George's raid prompts call for probe , August 8, 2008.

Changes to the Insurrection Act

The Insurrection Act is made up of five sections of Title 10 of the United States Code (Entitled Armed Forces). The Sections are 331 through 335.

The changes to the Act, made via the Warner 2007 Defense Authorization Bill, drafted in 2006, are not that significant. What is significant is the the original Act. The Insurrection Act of 1807 is a notable exception to the Posse Comitatus Act, which reads simply:

Sec. 1385. - Use of Army and Air Force as posse comitatus

Whoever, except in cases and under circumstances expressly authorized by the Constitution or Act of Congress, willfully uses any part of the Army or the Air Force as a posse comitatus or otherwise to execute the laws shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.

The Warner 2007 Defense Authorization Bill made the following changes (Sections not mentioned were not changed).

Old Title: "Insurrection"
New Title: "Enforcement of the Laws to Restore Public Order."

Old Section 333: Limited the military to "suppressing" "insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination, or conspiracy". Basically, once the violence is over, the feds leave.
New Section 333: Expands the military rights to a more open-ended role to "restore public order and enforce the laws of the United States" for the things cited above, plus "a natural disaster, epidemic, or other serious public health emergency, terrorist attack or incident, or other condition", where "other conditions" remain consistent with old law except that the words "or possession" are inserted to complement the law's application to states. Note how this expansion relates to new language in Section 334.

New Section 333 adds a requirement for the President to notify Congress of his use of this authority and report every 14 days.

Section 334, cited in full below, with new language in bold.

Whenever the President considers it necessary to use the militia or the armed forces under this chapter, he shall, by proclamation, immediately order the insurgents or those obstructing the enforcement of the laws to disperse and retire peaceably to their abodes within a limited time.

CLICK HERE for a side-by-side comparison of the old and new versions of the Insurrection Act.

Internal Tags:

Insurrection Act of 1807
How it was changed
differences
old version new
how old and new versions vary
changes made
law before and after changes
Title 10 U.S.C. USC US United States Code Section 331 132 133 134 335
Subtitle A
Part 1
Chapter 15

Sources:

Cornell Law School US Code Collection Sections 131 - 135.

Wikipedia, Insurrection Act, Posse Comitatus Act.

Living in a Police State

Thinking people still say things like, "We need to be vigilant in protecting our country from falling into a police state," or statements to that effect. The reality is we are there now, but it's more subtle than the Orwellian 1984 world. It's more like the Aldus Huxley Brave New World.

Just as the 2006 Congressional elections had little effect on the Iraq war, a Democrat President in 2009 will have little effect on extricating us from the devolving police state we find ourselves in. The despotism is bi-partisan, and what's more eerie is that many of the so-called leaders don't even realize they're cogs in the police state machine. Congress votes for the USA PATRIOT Act without reading it. Congress funds a whole new "security industry" via Homeland Security outsourcing contracts; new financial interests help to lock-in elements of the police state. Hillary Clinton is duped into voting for the Iraq war and votes for a resolution to formally classify the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as "terrorists," blundering us into foreign wars. These wars are being used to justify suppression of domestic dissent and increase executive powers (can you say monarchy?).

But some in Congress, including Ron Paul who wrote an essay entitled "Is America a Police State?," do acknowledge the situation. Frighteningly, they seem powerless to reverse the rising police state tide.

Yes it's subtle, as Ron Paul notes:

The principal tool for sustaining a police state, even the most militant, is always economic control and punishment by denying disobedient citizens such things as jobs or places to live, and by levying fines and imprisonment. Peaceful control through these efforts can be achieved without storm troopers on our street corners.

He continues,

Terror and fear are used to achieve complacency and obedience, especially when citizens are deluded into believing they are still a free people. The changes, they are assured, will be minimal, short-lived, and necessary, such as those that occur in times of a declared war.

Dick Cheney, and others, aren't even saying "they'll be short-lived" anymore. They're now making statements to mold public expectations to accept perpetual war. The Office of the President now claims special war powers, which history shows will not be given up by the next President, regardless of political party.

This discussion isn't limited to radical right or left thinkers, like Ron Paul. It's in the main stream media, as evidenced in part by the PBS Frontline show entitled Cheney's Law. Yet the public stands frozen like a deer in headlights, unable to change the situation; this is another sign that we're in the grip of a police state. If this was a functioning democracy, or republic as some like to remind us, then we could change the situation. Maybe we still can.

It would be a big mistake to think all will be well when Cheney leaves. Cheney is a master of bureaucracy and social engineering, so you can be sure that he has set up turf wars, economic interests and other natural forces, to protect the police state apparatus he has helped put in place. We just gave the example of the unwillingness of the Office of the President to relinquish power once it has been gained. We've noted that there is a huge and growing "security industry," funded by the unknowing Congressional cogs in the police state machine.

Dennis Kucinich has alerted us to a provision in a recent Defense Department funding authorization bill that would give the President powers to use the US military to control domestic dissent. I stumbled across the Army's "C4ISR," which stands for command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. The talk now is turning this capacity toward "Homeland Security." They take George Bush seriously, as evidenced in the following justification for directing C4ISR:

President George Bush declared war on global terrorism with a goal of eradicating it from the face of the Earth. In declaring that objective, the president launched the nation on a two-front campaign—overseas and at home.

The principle of not using the US Military for domestic policing, embodied in the Posse Comitatus Act, is eroding like the founding father's principle of not having a standing army has eroded.

I could go on and on, but will leave you with one more tid bit, the definition of a "domestic terrorism."

USA PATRIOT Act, Section 802. DEFINITION OF DOMESTIC TERRORISM.

5) the term `domestic terrorism' means activities that--

(A) involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State;

(B) appear to be intended--

(i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population;

(ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or

(iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and

(C) occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States.

Note the uses of "and" or "or." If the word "and" followed Section (A), then we'd know that the acts must be "dangerous to human life," not just intended to "influence" the government by intimidation, like might be the case with a mass street demonstration.

That said, a mass street demonstration could be interpreted as being, "dangerous to human life" if the protest became violent, even if government plants prompted the violence, as has been documented in the past.

So, have you ever participated in an action to influence the government by the intimidation implied by popular discontent? Maybe, by this definition, you have conducted an act of domestic terrorism. This law is intended to chill our right to dissent against a growing police state, and most of the mindless cogs in Congress don't even realize what they have done.

Sources:

Cinco de mayo 2007: Inklings of a Revolution

.
Score another one for alternative media. Dan and his partner give you a feel of what the cops were doing in MacArthur Park and surrounding areas in LA on May 1, 2007. The LAPD is reported to have shot at least 240 "non-lethal" rounds. This is a "must see" video, and I've looked at a number of others.

Independent Videographers Caught in MacArthur Park Police Sweep
May 1, 2007

The image of police in black riot gear with "non-lethal" weapons is becoming very common (See Pentagon Photos). We need to take the riot toys away from the police departments. "Nonlethal" weapons kill people and make it too easy for cops to use excessive force.


In an analysis of 373 incidents in which 969 projectiles were fired, the following statistics were identified:

Recent Growth in Use (reflects only those surveyed for the study):

56 Incidents were from 1985 - 1995
312 Incidents were from 1995 - 2000

Results of 782 Impacts:

680 resulted in a Bruise, Abrasion or Laceration
27 resulted in a bone fracture
14 resulted in a penetration (photo below of a projectile lodged near a man's eye)
10 Deaths

Range of Fire:

60% were shot within 30ft
40% were shot within 20ft

Munition Types:

About 80% were bean bag varieties. The others were baton rounds (various plastic, foam, rubber, wooden projectiles).

Carl Kesser, independent Miami filmmaker, with
a bean bag lodged near his eye.

He was shot while covering the protest of the
Free Trade Area of the America in Miami Florida,
November 2003 [2]

In addition to deaths caused by "non-lethal" projectiles, there are numerous reported deaths due to taser weapons.

In November 2004 Amnesty International published a report detailing its concerns about taser use in the USA, including the circumstances in which more than 70 people had died in the USA and Canada after being struck with the weapons.[1]

The cops need to back off, and stop forming riot lines. The cops need to realize they are working class people, and be prepared to switch sides "when the time comes" and it will.

Sources:

1. USA: Excessive and lethal force? Amnesty International’s concerns about deaths and ill-treatment involving tasers AI Index: AMR 51/139/2004

2. The city of Miami agreed Tuesday to pay $180,000 to Carl Kesser. After medical costs and attorneys' fees, Kesser said that he was ''breaking even'' by taking the offer. Kesser said he was disappointed the courts did not find Miami violated his constitutional rights, as he'd hoped to make a statement with his suit against the city. On the plus side, he said, ``there's probably 150, 170 cases behind me.'' Article.

Study on the effects of less-than-lethal weapons [PDF]. IMPACT MUNITIONS DATA BASE OF USE AND EFFECTS, Ken Hubbs ; David Klinger, February, 2004.

Free Press: Excellent Story, "LAPD on May Day March: Strike Now, Ask Later," May 3, 2007 Daniel Hernandez. My lead to YouTube video.
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Fox 11 Los Angeles: Three Days Later

.
Ouch! The Los Angeles Police Department really blew it this time. It's OK to beat up anarchists and Latinos from poor neighborhoods; who listens to them? But you don't shoot and beat up mainstream news media personnel. Hard to ignore. Even Bush's FBI is being forced to open a civil rights inquiry into the officers' conduct. Lets hope they go up the chain.

It's three days after the LA cops reminded us all of where the police state is heading if we don't stop it, and the FOX 11 KTTV web page is still dominated by images of the May 1 "Melee." (True, they are also covering Paris Hilton being sentenced to 45-days in jail for parole violation).


If I was Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, I'd be pissed I had to cut short my trade mission to Mexico to deal with fallout from police violence.

FOX 11 TV and Univision Footage

Telemundo Report en Espanol

Sources:

Associated Press, JEREMIAH MARQUEZ, May 4, 2007
Article
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Pentagon Protest: Police Line on Washington Blvd

This is the final in a set of three photo essays about the Pentagon protest on March 17, 2007. The other two photo essays are:

Overview and Miscellaneous Photos

Speaker Stage Area Photos

As noted in the "Overview," the march led to a speaker's stage set up with the Pentagon in the background. The second area of activity was a police barrier across Washinton Boulevard at the bridge crossing Route 110 (Jefferson Davis Highway). The bridge is in the background of the photo below. The police line was formed on the left side of the bridge relative to the photo below.

Crowd listening to Speakers at the Pentagon Protest.
Washington Blvd. bridge in background.
March 17, 2007.

Upon arriving at the bridge, some people were saying that somebody had been arrested and sprayed with mace. A small crowd stood in front of the police comprising a group of direct action protesters, other marchers, and a variety of journalists.

Crowd standing in front of a police line the on
Washington Blvd. bridge crossing Rt. 110.
Pentagon Protest, March 17, 2007.

The line was composed of a variety of different police forces including State police, park police, and local police.

Police line blocking off Washington Blvd. looking South-East
toward the Pentagon. Note grass median and exit lane markings.
Pentagon Protest, March 17, 2007

Police line blocking off Washington Blvd. looking Nouth-West
away from the Pentagon. This is about half of the police line.
Pentagon Protest, March 17, 2007

The dynamic weather and setting made for some interesting photo opportunities. Despite good intentions, the Air Force memorial, seen in the background of the following photo, can't help but look a bit evil, like barbs of satan emerging from the ground.

Police line with helicopter and Air Force Memorial
in the background. March 17, 2007.

A group of direct-action protesters were assembled behind me from the vantage point of the police line photo immediately above. They were debating whether or not to confront the police line.

Direct-action protesters debate options at
the Pentagon Protest March 17, 2007.

The protesters decide to pull back, standing and conducting an organized retreat saying that they would meet the authorities again some day.

Anarchist protesters on Washington Blvd.
perform an organized retreat from the police blockade.
Pentagon Protest, March 17, 2007

A chartered bus got trapped on the Washington Blvd. bridge. The poster displayed in the window made the Vanderhoof bus company appear to be in support of the impeachment of George Bush.

Charter bus trapped on the Washington Blvd. bridge.
Pentagon Protest, March 17, 2007

Charter bus trapped on the Washington Blvd. bridge.
Pentagon Protest, March 17, 2007

Eventually, the police line started to slowly move forward to clear people off of the bridge. The process involved the line taking a few small steps forward, then stopping. The process was briefly altered when the police line reached a yellow school bus that had been trapped on the bridge, which it eventually let pass through the line.

Advancing Police line encounters a trapped school bus
on the Washington Blvd. overpass of Rt. 110
March 17, 2007

Police line allows trapped school bus on the Washington Blvd. overpass
to pass through. March 17, 2007

School bus passes into the distance beyond the
advancing police line clearing Washington Blvd overpass
March 17, 2007

Protesters stayed several steps ahead of the advancing police line.

Advancing Police line encounters a hoolahoop peace sign
on the Washington Blvd. overpass of Rt. 110
March 17, 2007

Advancing Police line encounters a bicycle rider
on the Washington Blvd. overpass of Rt. 110
March 17, 2007

This sign was prominantly displayed as the police line advanced
on the Washington Blvd. overpass of Rt. 110
March 17, 2007

One couldn't help but see the stark resemblance of the State Police riot gear and the Darth Vadar.

March on the Pentagon, 03/17/07.

Military Police State Tightens it's Grip

"We're just interpreting the law," is the effective statement of the 2-1 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which upholds Bush's authority to detain US citizens indefinitely if he labels them "enemy combatants".[1] Don't look to the Judicial branch if the Bush military machine grabs you off of the street. The judiciary has itself been "captured" by the right-wing authoritarians. Chris Floyd of Empire Burlesque expands on the specific judges in this decision.

Unless Congress reverses the Military Commissions Act, which it passed just last year with Democratic (jellyfish) support, even lackey drivers and cooks who happen to work for suspected terrorists, are now subject to arbitrary and capricious military tribunals, if they are lucky, and detention for life, if they are unlucky.

This police state black hole certainly applies to non-citizens. But if you're a citizen and merely accused if being an enemy combatant, you could also face the black hole. There's nothing legal to prevent you from facing the fate of Jose Padilla, a US-born citizen who has been detained and tortured to the point brink of insanity.[2] The message? Don't, what ever you do, get on the wrong side of the Executive Branch of the United States of America, because the values of justice and fairness are no longer "the American way."

Today, the American way has descended into the murky world, embracing the ethic of might makes right. Don't get on the wrong side of this new American ethic. And, to be sure the right-wing authoritarians know which side you're on, they are busily working with the corporate communications oligopoly to make ours a life of Orwell's Winston Smith. For skin-crawling details, see this interview with Maureen Webb, human rights lawyer and author of “Illusions of Security: Global Surveillance and Democracy in the Post 9/11 World.”[3]

And, lest you think that only enemy combatants can be put behind bars, think again. The federal government is now abusing the murky realm of the Grand Jury system to silence people. It isn't too hard for 'deciders' in the Executive branch to hand-pick a prosecutor and steer a case to a right-wing judge. Then, you face "talking" about what you thought was private or protected political speech, or being locked up indefinitely if the judge finds you in criminal contempt for not talking or turning over "evidence". In other words, the right-wing authoritarians that rule America are using Grand Jury Traps.

History tells us that it's up to the people to steer our democracy, and change domestic right-wing authoritarian regimes. I was once told by a Brazilian, who lived through their US-backed dictatorship, that it's easier to prevent a dictatorship than to unseat one. Now is the time for preventive action.

Congressional and Media Contacts:

Write the US House of Representatives
Write the US Senate
Write the Major Media Outlets

Sources:

1. "Court: Detainees can't challenge cases", HOPE YEN, Associated Press, February 20, 2007.

2. "Experts: Padilla unable to stand trial," CURT ANDERSON, Associated Press, February 21, 2007.

3. "Illusions of Security: Global Surveillance and Democracy in the Post-9/11 World," Interview of Maureen Webb by Amy Goodman, DemocracyNow! Tuesday, February 20th, 2007.
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