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Radley Balko: “Once a town gets a SWAT team you want to use it”

Radley Balko: “Once a town gets a SWAT team you want to use it”
Radley Balko’s new book, “Rise of the Warrior Cop,” details how America’s police forces have grown to look and behave more like soldiers than neighborly Officer Krupkes walking the beat. This new breed of police, frequently equipped with military weapons and decked out in enough armor to satisfy a storm trooper, are redefining law enforcement. How did this happen? For decades, the war on drugs has empowered police to act aggressively. More recently, 9/11 and school shootings enforced the notion that there’s no such thing as too much security. Since 9/11, the newly formed Department of Homeland Security has distributed billions in grants, enabling even some small town police departments to buy armored personnel carriers and field their own SWAT teams. Once you have a SWAT team the only thing to do is kick some ass. This problem defies the usual conservative vs. liberal calculus. Few of us encounter the warrior cop phenomenon. There are several levels of militarization. It’s tough. Related:  Normal Everyday Protection & Service & Bad Apple-ing

Anti-Gun State Senator Being Ousted By 16,000 Colorado Citizens The anti-gun Senate President of the Colorado legislature, Democrat John Morse, is facing a recall effort that has already garnered 16 thousand signatures. Morse was an enthusiastic backer of all the anti-gun bills that coursed through Colorado’s benighted legislature in those post Sandy Hook months when various left-wingers were trying to gut the Second Amendment all across the nation. Morse was responsible for helping to shepherd through some of the strictest gun control legislation in the country. Opponents of Morse report that they have turned in twice the number of recall signatures that they need to start the process to throw Morse out of the Senate. Of the recall effort, Bill Adaska, a retired engineer from Denver who volunteered to gather recall signatures, said, “This shot will be heard around the world. Morse championed these measures, but was also pushing an even worse measure that would have held gun owners liable in cases of damage done with their firearms.

The Great American Genocide | We’ve reached the point that any person with critical thinking skills can no longer deny that we are being deliberately poisoned. Nearly everything that is reasonably priced to eat or drink is actually toxic. The glowing health claims and the stamps of approval from the EPA, the FDA, and USDA, are fraudulent smoke and mirrors – people are actually being deceived into spending money to purchase the substances that will lead to disease and demise. A chemical warfare has been declared on us. The battlefields are our homes, the grocery stores, the pharmacies. Turning on the tap in many places releases a toxic stream into your glass or your shower. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. Chlorine: This removes disease-causing bacteria, which is great, but it also creates numerous toxic by-products, like chloroform and trihalomethanes. According to Dr. Ammonia: Fluoride: The consumption of fluoride lowers IQs, causes infertility, has been linked to cancer and causes hardening of the arteries.

Second Video Of Dog Shooting Exonerates Police, Department Says, Lawyers Disagree In the wake of a shocking video that showed Hawthorne police officers fatally shooting a dog, the department has released a second video that it says exonerates the officers. After the original cell phone video of the incident was posted to YouTube a week ago, the Southern California police department was bombarded with angry calls and emails, including death threats that prompted the department to take the three officers involved off street duty. But the video below, taken on a cell phone by a second witness at the scene, shows more of the interactions the dog owner, Leon Rosby, had with police before the shooting. It also more clearly shows the officers' actions before shooting the dog, a large Rottweiler. WARNING: THE FOLLOWING VIDEO CONTAINS GRAPHIC CONTENT. "This video will help us tremendously regarding [Rosby's] actions prior to his arrest," said public information officer Lt. "We're not trained to shoot one shot or to shoot in the leg. Earlier on HuffPost:

Federal Court Rules Videotaping Police Is A First Amendment Right | PFPM The Federal Appeals Court has ruled that video recording the police in a public place is a constitutional right for all U.S. citizens. This is a great win for the freedom movement. Public officials need to be held accountable for their actions. Plaintiff, Appellee, v. JOHN CUNNIFFE, in his individual capacity; PETER J. Defendants, Appellants. [Hon. Before Torruella, Lipez, and Howard, Circuit Judges. Ian D. David Milton, with whom Howard Friedman, Law Offices of Howard Friedman, P.C., Sarah Wunsch, and ACLU of Massachusettswere on brief, for appellee. Anjana Samant and Center for Constitutional Rights on brief for Berkeley Copwatch, Communities United Against Police Brutality, Justice Committee, Milwaukee Police Accountability Coalition, Nodutdol for Korean Community Development, and Portland Copwatch, amici curiae. LIPEZ, Circuit Judge. We recite the pertinent facts based upon the allegations of the complaint, Asociación de Subscripción Conjunta del Seguro de Responsabilidad Obligatorio v.

Biometric Trigger Lock – The Next Generation In Gun Safety The biometric trigger lock is one excellent option for gun owners worried about gun safety. Gun safety is an important topic and is even more essential in homes that contain children. While consumers can purchase gun safes and gun cases, gun trigger locks offer another layer of security that can help prevent accidents and theft. Why Use Gun Trigger Locks? Why should you consider using a trigger lock on your gun? - Reason #1 – Protect Children – Many accidents with guns occur around the country each year and quite a few of those accidents include children. - Reason #2 – Another Layer of Protection Against Theft – Thieves often steal guns and any gun owner needs to take measures to avoid gun theft. How Biometric Gun Locks Work Trigger locks work by preventing the trigger of the gun from moving, which keeps the gun from being fired. In most cases, biometric gun locks come in the form of a fingerprint trigger lock. 3 Benefits of the Biometric Trigger Lock Important Safety Tips to Remember

Obama Admin Faces Diplomatic Uproar as Massive Surveillance of EU Governments, Citizens Exposed This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form. AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman, with Aaron Maté. Over the weekend, the German magazine Der Spiegel revealed the NSA spied on European Union offices in Brussels, Washington and at the United Nations. To talk about these NSA spying revelations in Europe, we’re joined by Malte Spitz. Malte, welcome to Democracy Now! MALTE SPITZ: Yes. AARON MATÉ: Speaking on Monday, Secretary of State John Kerry echoed President Obama’s comments downplaying reports of U.S. spying on the EU. SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY: I will say that every country in the world that is engaged in international affairs of national security undertakes lots of activities to protect its national security, and all kinds of information contributes to that. AARON MATÉ: That’s Secretary of State John Kerry. MALTE SPITZ: Yeah. AMY GOODMAN: Malte, if you could talk about this map that you made? SEN. SEN.

Caught On Camera: Police In Texas Violated Young Girls During Routine Traffic Stop This video of Texas troopers cavity searching women with no warrant after a traffic stop should be considered rape. Photo courtesy of Egberto Willies. Has Texas become a police state? If anyone doubts there is a War On Women in Texas, this is proof positive. It is evident from the videos that the police officers think this is standard procedure as they acknowledge they are on video. They do not believe they are doing anything wrong. In a state where a Congressperson believes a rape kit can be used to clean out a woman after a rape when passing a draconian anti-women, anti-abortion, anti-contraception, anti-family planning bill, this should be expected. In the above video near Dallas, the two young women are cavity searched while not under arrest and there was no change of latex gloves between women. This has been an eye-opening experience for me OK. The officer implied that this was done because of the smell of marijuana? According to the Daily News

Senators Caught on Tape: "Confiscate, Confiscate, Confiscate" Second Amendment rights advocates are fuming today over words from three Democratic state senators caught on tape after Thursday's hearing on the upper chamber's gun control package. The three female senators, who sound from the recording to be Sen. Loretta Weinberg, Sen. Sandy Cunningham and Sen. “We needed a bill that was going to confiscate, confiscate, confiscate," said an unknown voice. Weinberg said she had no idea who said confiscate or in what context, or if it was even a lawmaker. Next up was Cunningham: “They don’t care about the bad guys. Then Greenstein: “That’s the line they’ve developed.” Scott Bach, executive director of the Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs, said the comments are indicative of an extremist mentality. "We're outraged by this," Bach said. Reached Friday, Weinberg took issue with the gun advocates and the release of the hot mic recording. "The advocates would be much better off not inflaming people," she said.

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