[ 21 February 2008: Message edited by: Frustrated Mess ]

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In evaluating allegations that U.S. military forces deprived four British men of human rights during two years they were held captive in Guantanamo Bay prison, a U.S. appeals court found an innovative way to let the Bush administration off the hook. Two of three judges ruled the men -- because they are not U.S. citizens and, technically, were not imprisoned in the U.S. -- were not legally "persons" and, therefore, had no rights to violate.

While those judges were defying common sense and decency by denying legal personhood to living human beings, an appeals court in Boston has been reviewing an April 2007 decision by Federal Judge Paul Barbadoro that engaged in a different form of judicial activism -- granting human rights to corporations.

Barbadoro struck down a New Hampshire law that prevented pharmaceutical corporations from learning exactly what drugs doctors prescribe and how much they prescribe. The law aims to protect doctors and, indirectly, their patients, from drug companies pressuring doctors to choose their products.

The judge's grounds? He claims corporations, as legal persons.

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[ 13 February 2008: Message edited by: Frustrated Mess ]

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Police have been given the go-ahead to use Taser stun guns against children.

The relaxing of restrictions on the use of the weapons comes despite warnings that they could trigger a heart attack in youngsters.

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It gets really annoying when you have to scroll up or down to find which button to turn off. And for dial-up users (I'm not one) it must be a real bandwidth hog.

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I wonder if people could please refrain from embedding self-running videos in this (or any other thread)?

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The FBI yesterday announced the award of a $1 billion, 10-year contract to Lockheed Martin to develop what is expected to be the world's largest crime-fighting computer database of biometric information, including fingerprints, palm prints, iris patterns and face images.

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Cameras once proposed solely for the purpose of monitoring the level of traffic on freeways may soon have a new mission in West Virginia following unanimous state House passage of the "Guardian Angel Video Monitoring Act" last Wednesday. Introduced by state House Majority Leader Joe DeLong (D), the bill authorizes the state's secretary of military affairs and public safety to take control of video recording devices whenever an Amber Alert is declared. These alerts were originally designed to enlist the help of the public in finding vehicles bearing the license plate of a suspected child kidnapper.

"Tools allowing rapid response and identification of the movements of persons suspected in a child abduction require the use all forms of developing technologies to assist law enforcement in rapid response to these alerts," the legislation states. "The use of traffic video recording and monitoring devices for the purpose of surveillance of a suspect vehicle adds yet another set of eyes to assist law enforcement."

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* A person not possessing a Real ID Act-compliant identification card could not enter any federal building, or an office of his or her congressman or senator or the U.S. Capitol. This effectively denies that person their fundamental rights to assembly and to petition the government as guaranteed in the First Amendment.
* A person seeking to exercise their right to keep and bear arms as guaranteed by the Second Amendment could henceforth be denied that ability if they do not possess a precious Real ID card, because the federal bureaucracy known as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives probably will decree that such a form of identification is necessary to meet federal requirements for purchasing a firearm.
* Very possibly the Real ID card will be required in order to vote in any election for federal office.
* A veteran may be denied access to a VA hospital because he or she lacks the requisite Real ID card, perhaps because they did not have the money required to purchase it or because they could not locate the background forms the Department of Homeland Security required to obtain one.
* A business traveler, unable to afford to travel by private jet, is denied the ability to make a living because their job requires air travel and they do not have a Real ID card — even though they demonstrably pose no danger whatsoever to their fellow travelers.
* Even though individual states, such as Georgia, may provide greater legal protection for private information of its residents than other states or the federal government, this will mean nothing in the Real ID Act world, because all the data under that law will be subject to the lower federal standards, thereby subjecting residents to a higher likelihood of identity theft than they would risk under the laws of their state.
* And, they would have no recourse to correct erroneous data, or prevent identity theft pursuant to the Real ID regulations.

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I assure you that no personal slight was intended, FM. And thanks for complying with my request!

[ 13 February 2008: Message edited by: M. Spector ]

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Originally posted by Frustrated Mess:

People? What people? Are you afraid that using my name is like summoning the devil?

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Originally posted by Frustrated Mess:

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Originally posted by Frustrated Mess:

People? What people? Are you afraid that using my name is like summoning the devil?

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A letter by A. F. Miller, of the 32nd Volunteer Infantry Regiment, published in the Omaha World-Herald in May, 1900, told of how Miller’s unit uncovered hidden weapons by subjecting a prisoner to what he and others called the “water cure.” “Now, this is the way we give them the water cure,” he explained. “Lay them on their backs, a man standing on each hand and each foot, then put a round stick in the mouth and pour a pail of water in the mouth and nose, and if they don’t give up pour in another pail. They swell up like toads. I’ll tell you it is a terrible torture.”

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Originally posted by Martha (but not Stewart):
"At the conclusion of the two-year suit, the court confirmed that the behavior of the Portland police showed a criminal disregard for basic human rights. The City of Portland paid a total of $845,000 to settle these law suits." (link)

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Because the plaintiffs and legal team all shared the long-term aim of safeguarding the rights of political activists and ensuring effective community oversight of law enforcement, they made substantial contributions from the settlement to provide the seed money for the Northwest Constitutional Rights Center.

The difficulty of litigating the Portland protest cases has made it very clear that individuals with limited income are hindered in their efforts to access the courts to pursue enforcement of their rights.
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The generosity and dedication of these individuals solidified the Northwest Constitutional Rights Center as a community resource with a vision to create a just and equitable city, where law enforcement treats all people with dignity and respect. Individual community support of time, money and resources will determine whether or not the NW Center continues to grow and fight.

Sit-Lie Ordinance Slapped by Circuit Judge
Sit/Lie Ordinance Stories ||
2004.06.23 05:35 Sit Lie Ordinance Declared Unconstitutional

The newly formed National Lawyers Guild Northwest Constitutional Rights Center won a major victory today with the holding by Circuit Court Judge Marylin E. Litzenberger, that the "Sit-Lie" ordinance is unconstitutional.

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Originally posted by saga:
It looks like something good did come out of it

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Originally posted by saga:
it's not clear how the taxpayers are on the hook

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Originally posted by Aristotleded24:

When a settlement/verdict is reached and the police have to pay out cash, where does that cash come from?

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Originally posted by saga:
Probably from an insurance company. However, as taxpayers we have to be willing to fund not only policing but the cost of keeping them honest too!

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The system itself needs to be reformed to discourage this kind of abuse of power, and to prosecute officers at all ranks who abuse it when such abuses take place.

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Originally posted by Frustrated Mess:

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Originally posted by Frustrated Mess:
If you can stomach it, you must watch this video:

Link

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Originally posted by Aristotleded24:

The problem with such settlements is that the taxpayers are on the hook, while no one is held accountable for their actions and no steps are taken to prevent future abuses of power.

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And there lies the problem of people being lazy and not referencing their links and what they are about!

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Another link.

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The U.S. military has designated an Afghan journalist working for CTV in Afghanistan an enemy combatant, according to reports. Jawed Ahmad, has been held for four months at a compound in Bagram, 50 kilometres north of Kabul, Associated Press reported. Maj. Chris Belcher told the news agency that the "enemy combatant review board" had "credible information" that Mr. Ahmad was dangerous. It is not known why Mr. Ahmad was detained. "He was afforded an opportunity to provide a statement to the board, and the board determined there was credible information to detain him as an unlawful enemy combatant," Maj. Belcher told AP. "As an unlawful enemy combatant, he posed a threat to coalition forces and the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan," he said, adding that "Mr. Ahmad was in no way targeted because of his work as a journalist."

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Former teacher Paul King says he used to be one of those people who said lock 'em up throw away the key.

However King has changed his mind since being arrested on public intoxication last July. A video shows deputies pushed him against a glass wall as he was being frisked, threw him to the ground for no apparent reason, held his neck back more than 2 minutes as he was being put into a restraint chair, put a hood over his face and then appeared to try to hide the action from cameras by moving paperwork to cover his head.

King says it's something like out of Guantanamo.

King says when he was out of camera view, two deputies took him out of the restraining chair and says they both started kneeing him up against a bench or a wall, as he was pleading please, please, please.

But it didn't stop there. King says they made him say you're a f***ing p***y. And he says they were hurting him so he said “ I'm a f***ing p****y and the deputies all laughed.

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A "barbaric" video of white South African students forcing black university workers to eat meat saturated in urine caused widespread outrage and protests yesterday.

Four University of the Free State students filmed themselves drinking in a bar and then one of them urinating into a stew before feeding it to five black staff members, four of them women, at their dormitory on the Bloemfontein campus accompanied by shouts of "take it, take it". The women can be seen on their knees eating the stew from metal cups and then spitting it out in disgust. They were also forced to perform athletic tasks.

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