"New figures meanwhile show the US prison population has reached an all-time high. According to the Justice Department, 2.3 million people were behind bars last year. The prison population continues to grow at less than one percent, down from an annual six percent growth during the previous decade."
(image taken from the Callifornia Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation websites "Prison Overcrowding Photos")"New figures meanwhile show the US prison population has reached an all-time... more
"In New York, the trial of a young US citizen who has been held in twenty-three-hour solitary confinement for nearly three years has been delayed until next month. Syed Fahad Hashmi is charged with providing material support to al-Qaeda in a case that rests on the testimony and actions of an old acquaintance who turned government informant after his own arrest. Hashmi is being prosecuted for a two-week period when the informant stayed at his home carrying rain gear that was allegedly later delivered to al-Qaeda members in Pakistan. Hashmi’s period in solitary confinement is believed to be one of the longest ever for a prisoner before trial. Hashmi’s family and supporters continue to hold weekly rallies outside the Manhattan federal prison where he’s jailed."
Faisal Hashmi: “And from the court interactions where we see him in court, he looks like a shell of the person that he was before. He looks frail, and he looks jittery. As you can imagine, people cannot stand solitary confinement for a day or two days or three days. He’s been in solitary, straight solitary confinement, ahead of his trial for two-and-a-half years without having a conviction, because the government said so.”
"Of more than 200,000 federal inmates, 42 are held under special administrative measures (SAMs) and of those, 28 are imprisoned on terrorism-related convictions, the Justice Department said."
A small-town Kansas cop e-mailed naked pictures of himself to a woman he pulled over for drunk driving, offering a sexual relationship in exchange for helping her avoid the charges. A local problem became a federal case after investigators found that his e-mail servers were located in other states.
Because the information crossed state-lines, the federal government is invoking the "commerce clause" to charge the officer with wire fraud.A small-town Kansas cop e-mailed naked pictures of himself to a woman he pulled over... more
Centuries before Adolph Hitler was born, history witnessed an even bigger genocide than the 6 million Jews killed by the Nazi Regime. What is more disturbing is that this happened in our own back yard.
"The reduction of the North American Indian population from an estimated 12 million in 1500 to barely 237,000 in 1900 represents a "vast genocide . . . , the most sustained on record."
You would think that the American Indians deserve a little more than little "Reservations" for them and their families... Perhaps a real piece of land as we so forcefully fight for our Israeli friends... And how about the recognition of responsibility and apology for the biggest genocide known to man kind?Centuries before Adolph Hitler was born, history witnessed an even bigger genocide... more
"Today, the US Supreme Court REFUSED to hear a landmark case brought by San Diego County stemming from a law suit they filled back in ‘06 that challenged the state-mandated use of ID cards for medical marijuana patients. The ID card program was adopted in 2004, resulting from the legislature’s passage of SB 420, the Medical Marijuana Program Act. The ID cards can substitute for Dr. recommendations for the use of cannabis and allow patients to enter medical marijuana shops in California and can be shown to police officers who find patients in possession of marijuana.
Well, San Diego decided not to play along with the ID card game arguing that the federal ban on weed trumps state law. The San Diego Superior Court and the Fourth District Court of Appeals rejected that argument. And, the California Supreme Court refused to review the case in 2008. Despite those failures the San Diego Board of Supervisors voted to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court! And, well that didn’t work out! The end of this case and the Obama administration’s decision not to raid law-abiding medical marijuana clubs has supercharged the legalization movement now.
s-pot-large1“The courts have made clear that federal law does not preempt California’s medical marijuana law and that local officials must comply with that law,” said Joe Elford, chief counsel with Americans for Safe Access (ASA), a national medical marijuana advocacy group with a large presence in California. “No longer will local officials be able to hide behind federal law and resist upholding California’s medical marijuana law.”
“The Supreme Court and the lower courts in California have blown away the myth that federal law somehow prevents states from legalizing medical marijuana,” said Rob Kampia, executive director for the Marijuana Policy Project.
ASA has also notified ten weed-unfriendly holdout counties (Colusa, Madera, Mariposa, Modoc, Mono, San Bernardino, San Diego, Solano, Stanislaus, and Sutter) of their legal obligation to implement the ID card program. Change is coming whether they like it or not."Today, the US Supreme Court REFUSED to hear a landmark case brought by San Diego... more
No Protection for Pet Food: H.R. 875 Food Safety Modernization Act
This bill is appalling! The FDA is meant to protect the consumer! Not Big Corporations!
The Food Safety Modernization Act, currently being considered by Congress as the "answer to the many food safety concerns in the U.S.", blatantly gives pet food manufacturers 'carte blanche' opportunity to dump risky garbage into your pet’s food bowl without accountability. If this bill is approved, pet food can easily and legally get far worse than it is today.
Congress as the answer to the many food safety concerns in the U.S., blatantly gives pet food manufacturers carte blanche opportunity to dump risky garbage into your pet’s food bowl without accountability. If this bill is approved, pet food can easily and legally get far worse than it is today.
It is crystal clear the existing FDA needs an overhaul. Just as clear, the existing FDA has shown no genuine concern for the safety of pet food; the FDA has allowed pet food to be the dumping ground for useless waste of human food processing for many years despite Federal laws that should prohibit it. Over recent years, Congress has made a few half hearted attempts to improve the safety of pet food, especially after the deadly 2007 recall; seemingly just to quiet their pet owning constituents. However, the truth continues to clearly show Congress has no intentions to initiate responsible legislation demanding the safety of pet foods and the FDA has no intention of enforcing existing laws that would improve pet food safety.
To provide you with a little history, in November 2008, pet owners from across the U.S. wrote their Representatives in Congress politely demanding the FDA enforce existing Federal laws. The Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act laws clearly defines food to include pet food and clearly defines adulterated foods (thus prohibited by Federal law) to be foods containing sick, diseased, or euthanized animals; many of the most popular pet foods sold in the U.S. could contain ingredients, determined by the FDA, known to include sick, diseased, and/or euthanized animals.
The FDA website itself states that although some pet foods appear to be in violation of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, they WILL NOT ENFORCE THE LAWS WITH PET FOOD..
Every single member of Congress who received a letter from their pet loving constituent, ignored the point. Not one Representative addressed the FDA’s violation of Federal laws. Some spoke of ‘hope’ to improve the FDA with H.R. 875 Food Safety Modernization Act. http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/pages/We-are-Changing-Pet-Food.html
This unethical attempt to protect interests of BIG CORPORATION is outrageous, immoral and most importantly, at the cost of our companion animal's health.
CORPORATE & GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION AT IT'S FINEST!
It is apparent, with the multitude of food related sicknesses and deaths over the last 2 years, that the FDA and USDA needs a serious overhaul.
H.R. 875 Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 is no safety modernization for pet food.
H.R. 875 Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 is the same old story and worse; forgetting the concerns of our pets yet looking out for the interests of industries that earn billions in profits re-selling waste. If H.R. 875 is passed as it is currently written, it appears caring pet owners will be completely without resources to hold a pet food manufacturer accountable for their actions. This is not something to let others be concerned about and act on; every single caring pet lover needs to take immediate action.No Protection for Pet Food: H.R. 875 Food Safety Modernization Act
This bill is... more
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown heralded the emergence of a "new world order" Thursday as the G-20 issued details of an "unprecedented" package of measures to tackle the global economic crisis.
Gordon Brown outlines the measures agreed at the G-20 summit in London.
U.S. President Barack Obama called the deal "a turning point in our pursuit of global economic recovery."British Prime Minister Gordon Brown heralded the emergence of a "new world... more
A wide range of regulations and rules regarding the financial sector will be detailed today by the Obama admin. The regulations would allow the government the power to peer into the inner workings of companies that currently escape most federal supervision .Hedge funds and insurance companies will be heavily affected by the regulations. The new regulations are considered to be some of the strongest regulations established in recent memory.A wide range of regulations and rules regarding the financial sector will be detailed... more
If you ever wondered where exactly is your tax payer money going, and how is it being spent this is the chance.
Fill this form and ask your representative to listen to YOU.
"Audit the Fed" petition to Congress!!!!
"Federal Reserve Transparency Act" to audit the Federal Reserve is now up to 39 co-sponsors the House, and an identical companion bill, S604, has been introduced in the Senate. Here are the House co-sponsors:
"Perusing material submitted by the DEA in response to a query from House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, marijuana reform activist Dale Gieringer catches the the California Police Chiefs Association actively subverting state law. The documents received by Conyers, who is looking into the DEA's raids on medical marijuana dispensaries, include an October 2006 letter in which Steve Krull, the association's president, urges DEA Administrator Karen Tandy to "become more actively involved in working with local law enforcement to close these [medical marijuana] distribution centers, seize their profits and all marijuana which might be located and to take these cases into the federal judicial system." Krull suggests that "a concentrated effort sustained over a period of time would send a strong message to local and county government that 'medical marijuana' is not allowed and that those who profit from the sales and distribution of marijuana under the guise of 'medicine' will face the consequences."
Under California law, of course, marijuana is allowed for qualifying patients and is considered a medicine. That's why Krull complains to Tandy about the "dangers and frustrations that law enforcement has experienced in California with trying to enforce marijuana laws." He reports, with apparent amazement, that "some situations have reached the point where state judicial officers (local judges) are ordering our members to return marijuana which has been lawfully seized"—i.e., instructing police to give back the medicine that patients are permitted to have under state law. Evidently Krull and many of his colleagues find obeying state law to be an intolerable nuisance, one they want the feds to help them avoid. The DEA has been happy to oblige, conducting 130 enforcement actions and making 365 arrests related to medical marijuana from 2004 through July 2008. Gieringer, coordinator of California NORML, notes that a state appeals court ruled last year that "it is not the job of the local police to enforce the federal drug laws." Both the California Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court have declined to hear an appeal of that decision.""Perusing material submitted by the DEA in response to a query from House... more
Reporting from secret farms and not-so-secret grow houses of marijuana cultivators, Lisa Ling goes into their world -- where marijuana is not just a drug but a way of life.
"If a stranger walked up to you and poured pebble like seeds into your hand and then said, 'plant them and your harvest can be made into rope, cloth or paper. It could help the sick or intoxicate.' What would you say? Would you keep the seeds or chuck them away?"
I highly recommend this Explorer. Although it isn't perfect, it has its insightful moments and Lisa Ling shines, as always! :)Reporting from secret farms and not-so-secret grow houses of marijuana cultivators,... more
Tens of thousands of eligible voters in at least six swing states have been removed from the rolls or have been blocked from registering in ways that appear to violate federal law, according to a review of state records and Social Security data by The New York Times.
The actions do not seem to be coordinated by one party or the other, nor do they appear to be the result of election officials intentionally breaking rules, but are apparently the result of mistakes in the handling of the registrations and voter files as the states tried to comply with a 2002 federal law, intended to overhaul the way elections are run.
Still, because Democrats have been more aggressive at registering new voters this year, according to state election officials, any heightened screening of new applications may affect their party’s supporters disproportionately. The screening and trimming of voter registration lists in the six states — Colorado, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Nevada and North Carolina — could also result in problems at the polls on Election Day: people who have been removed from the rolls are likely to show up only to be challenged by political party officials or election workers, resulting in confusion, long lines and heated tempers.
Some states allow such voters to cast provisional ballots. But they are often not counted because they require added verification.
Although much attention this year has been focused on the millions of new voters being added to the rolls by the candidacy of Senator Barack Obama, there has been far less notice given to the number of voters being dropped from those same rolls.
States have been trying to follow the Help America Vote Act of 2002 and remove the names of voters who should no longer be listed; but for every voter added to the rolls in the past two months in some states, election officials have removed two, a review of the records shows.
The six states seem to be in violation of federal law in two ways. Some are removing voters from the rolls within 90 days of a federal election, which is not allowed except when voters die, notify the authorities that they have moved out of state, or have been declared unfit to vote.
Some of the states are improperly using Social Security data to verify registration applications for new voters.
In addition to the six swing states, three more states appear to be violating federal law. Alabama and Georgia seem to be improperly using Social Security information to screen registration applications from new voters. And Louisiana appears to have removed thousands of voters after the federal deadline for taking such action.
(more at the link)Tens of thousands of eligible voters in at least six swing states have been removed... more
SAN JOSE, CA (ACLU) — In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a federal court today held that the U.S. Constitution bars deliberate subversion by the federal government of state medical marijuana laws.
“Utilizing selective arrests and prosecutions, the federal government has sought to sabotage California’s reasoned approach to medical marijuana use,” said Graham Boyd, Director of the ACLU Drug Law Reform Project. “For the first time, a court has recognized that a calculated plan by the federal government to undercut state medical marijuana laws is patently unconstitutional. Today’s decision forecasts an end to any organized federal effort to sabotage state medical marijuana laws.”
While previous high-profile cases affirmed the federal government’s power to enforce federal drug laws against individual medical marijuana patients and providers on a case-by-case basis, today’s ruling clearly recognizes that a calculated pattern of federal enforcement can render state medical marijuana laws effectively inoperable, which would violate the Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
“It is obvious to anyone paying attention that federal officials have gone to great lengths to sabotage state efforts to allow for appropriate medical marijuana use,” said Boyd. “The court made clear that this deliberate interference - once proved - would be unequivocally unconstitutional.”
The case, County of Santa Cruz v. Mukasey, originated in 2003 when Bingham McCutchen LLP and the Drug Policy Alliance, along with private attorneys Gerald F. Uelmen and Benjamin Rice, sued the federal government for raiding a Santa Cruz-area medical marijuana cooperative, the Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana.
The ACLU and others argued, and the court agreed, that the U.S. Constitution permits states to determine for themselves what is legal and what is illegal under state law, and that the federal government may not deliberately undermine this process.
“The federal government has purposely set out to systematically subvert California’s medical marijuana program,” said Daniel Abrahamson, director of legal affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance. “Let us hope that this ruling leads to the merciful end of the federal government’s cruel war on sick and dying medical marijuana patients.”
In today’s ruling, which rejected the federal government’s motion to dismiss the case, Judge Jeremy Fogel of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose Division, relied on U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Chief Judge Alex Kozinski’s opinion in Conant v. Walters, which stated, in part, “Applied to our situation, this means that, much as the federal government may prefer that California keep medical marijuana illegal, it cannot force the state to do so.”
In addition to U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey, the lawsuit names as defendants U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents involved in the raid of WAMM, and administrators of the DEA and Office of National Drug Control Policy.
Lawyers for a California man charged with dealing pot say they're struggling to defend him because they're barred from using the term medical marijuana.
Attorneys for Charlie Lynch, 46, of San Luis Obispo County, Calif., say he was under the impression he was working within California's state laws while operating Central Coast Compassionate Caregivers in Morro Bay, Calif. But U.S. prosecutors say he broke federal narcotics laws by selling $2.1 million worth of pot to some customers not old enough to legally drink, The Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.
The trial judge has ruled out any reference to medical marijuana because of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that concluded federal drug laws trump those of California, where distribution of marijuana for medical reasons is allowed.
This has set up a potential showdown between conflicting state and federal laws and has hampered Lynch's defense attorneys, the newspaper said. They implied during opening statements in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles Friday that Lynch had sought and received approval from an official with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration before he set up shop.
Source: United Press International
Photo: www.michaelm.comLawyers for a California man charged with dealing pot say they're struggling to... more
"President Bush has the legal power to order the indefinite military detentions of civilians captured in the United States, the federal appeals court in Richmond, Va., ruled on Tuesday in a fractured 5-to-4 decision...
The court effectively reversed a divided three-judge panel of its own members, which ruled last year that the government lacked the power to detain civilians legally in the United States as enemy combatants. That panel ordered the government either to charge Mr. Marri or to release him. The case is likely to reach the Supreme Court."
Indefinite military detentions of civilians captured in the US? Slippery slope or protection? [yes, i had to find the goofiest pic of bush possible!]"President Bush has the legal power to order the indefinite military detentions... more
SANTA ANA, Calif. - Broadcom Corp. co-founder Henry T. Nicholas III was indicted Thursday on fraud, conspiracy and drug charges — including allegations he spiked the drinks of technology executives and customer representatives with ecstasy and maintained a warehouse for ecstasy, cocaine and methamphetamine.
The charges were contained in two indictments unsealed by federal authorities.
One details the drug accusations and the other charges Nicholas with violations related to improperly accounting for backdating stock options while he led the computer and cell phone chip maker.
That indictment also names Broadcom's former chief financial officer, William J. Ruehle, who faces conspiracy, securities fraud and other charges. He is not charged with drug violations.
Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office, said Nicholas was in custody after turning himself in to FBI agents in Santa Ana.
_-----------------------------------------
Damn, I knew I had to watch my drinks at bars and clubs, but apparently at the Broadcom office too. Yikes!SANTA ANA, Calif. - Broadcom Corp. co-founder Henry T. Nicholas III was indicted... more
Illegal South Dakota state police occupation continues on Yankton Indian Land
Incoming messages from Yankton protest:
I am Oitancan Zephier, a former police officer of the Yankton Sioux Tribe, combat veteran of Afghanistan and a father. Last week I quit my job when the protests started over the building of a hog farm by a corporation on private land surrounded by tribal lands. I quit because the Bureau of Indian Affairs will not help us. They stand and watch us get tossed in jail. The filth of the pigs will effect every part of our Indian people here.
There is a headstart school 2 miles away from the hog farm. There is a kindergarten through 12th grade school 4 miles away. There is a day care a couple miles away from the site. It is a prejudice act granted by the state of South Dakota to these pig farm owners. We need your help. If this is completed they will assume jurisdiction of all that surrounds them. The already began taking our tribal road, which we have intensely fought for 2 weeks now.
I have been thrown in jail while on our Indian land by a state officer. That is wrong!
I am begging you for your help. If you can, please publish the cry for help below in any way you can.
Contact me if you can help; or please forward this on to anyone who can help us."
The Zephier family is much respected in Lakotah country. (TouchArt)
Another censored news item from Brenda Norrell.
Brought to you from TouchArt.net and One Earth Blog because it's always been Earth Day every day in indigenous America.
Note how this protest relates to global warming and green house gases, since corporate meat production results in the biggest contribution of methane gas to the atmosphere.
Have a great Earth Day every day and consider eating organic farm raised pork if you have to eat meat.
Peace, Pax, Shalom, Salaam, Skenon,
Charleen
Charleen Touchette www.Touchart.net www.oneearthblog.blogspot.com TouchArt@aol.com
http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2008/04/yankton-police-officer-quits-job.html... more
At a federal level. Long overdue? Hold your breath? What do you think about the decriminalization of marijuana?At a federal level. Long overdue? Hold your breath? What do you think about the... more
California's potential $16 billion budget shortfall has led state officials to an unusual source for tax revenue — medical marijuana storefronts. In a state where it's legal to buy prescription pot, those shops generate millions of dollars each year. But there's just one problem — buying and selling marijuana is still a federal crime.California's potential $16 billion budget shortfall has led state officials to an... more
