Starvin Larry

The revelation that the IRS—that mammoth bureaucracy enforcing the nightmarish tax code—purchased “stingrays” in 2009 and 2012, added another layer of controversy to the use of this intrusive surveillance device.

It has gotten so bad that a bill was just introduced in Congress that would criminalize the use of stingrays without a warrant, at all levels of government.A stingray is a suitcase-sized device that mimics a cell phone tower, which allows it to gather locations and data of all nearby mobile phones. This violation of constitutional rights is usually justified under the “war on terror” meme, although government is finding increasingly diverse uses.

Last week, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen testified before a Senate committee that his agency had indeed used stingrays in tax-related criminal investigations, but only with the blessing of a judge. Koskinen said the stingray “can only be used with a court order…based on probable cause of a criminal activity.”

A “court order” is not the same as a warrant and carries a lower legal burden. Court orders are usually gained through an even more vague “pen register statute” that is routinely abused.

Most federal law enforcement offices are required to get a warrant, but some agencies such as the Secret Service have granted themselves the authority to use stingrays without a warrant. How this squares with the Congressional bill, should it succeed, will be interesting.

Read more at http://thefreethoughtproject.com/documents-expose-fed-officials-misleading-public-capabilities-stingray-surveillance/#FkSzik03zERoZjgY.99

Monday night marked the passing of 1,000 people killed by police in the U.S. this year. Although officers claim these killings were justified, video evidence and witness statements often contradict the official narrative.

In contrast, 105 law enforcement officers have died since the beginning of the year. Last year, the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Fund reported 117 officer fatalities. Instead of waging a fictitious war on cops, officer fatalities have actually been declining since 2007 and 2001, which reported 192 and 241 deaths respectively.

According to KilledByPolice.net, police in the U.S. have killed at least 1,000 people this year and 1,108 people last year. Although The Guardian has only counted 960 deaths, it appears that the British newspaper is not quite up-to-date. But according to The Guardian’s preliminary investigation, approximately 1,100 people will die at the hands of police officers before the end of the year. And not all of them will be justified.

On the evening of August 26, three Santa Clara County sheriff’s deputies allegedly beat a mentally ill man to death in a California jail. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder with a history of mental illness, Michael James Tyree, 31, was waiting to be transferred to a 24-hour adult treatment program when deputies Matthew Farris, Jereh Lubrin, and Rafael Rodriguez entered his cell and assaulted Tyree for roughly 20 minutes as he begged for mercy.

According to his autopsy, Tyree was beaten so savagely that he suffered lacerations to his liver and spleen, which led to internal bleeding. When Tyree’s body was found an hour later unresponsive, naked, and covered in vomit and feces, the deputies eventually admitted to using force to restrain him because Tyree had refused to take his medication. On September 3, the deputies were charged with murder, conspiracy, and assault under the color of authority.

On July 26, Seneca Police Lt. Mark Tiller ran towards 19-year-old Zachary Hammond’s car with his gun drawn as Hammond’s date, Tori Morton, allegedly sold a few grams of marijuana to an undercover cop. According to Chief John Covington, Hammond drove toward Lt. Tiller in an attempt to murder him. Fearing for his life, Tiller shot Hammond twice at point-blank range, killing him.

But according to Tiller’s recently released dashcam video, Hammond was clearly trying to escape when Tiller attempted to step in front of the moving vehicle. By foolishly placing himself in danger, Tiller created an exigent circumstance that allowed him to legally justify killing a teenager during a minor pot bust.

In a letter from Hammond’s attorney to the FBI, a witness has come forward describing officers planting evidence under Hammond’s body and high-fiving his dead hand after the shooting. Although police found no weapon or drugs on Hammond, Chief Covington claimed that a white powdery substance was found at the scene.

On July 19, University of Cincinnati police officer Ray Tensing pulled over Samuel DuBose, 43, for driving without a front license plate. Although Tensing claimed that he was almost killed by DuBose’s fleeing vehicle, the officer’s body cam video revealed that Tensing was not dragged by DuBose’s car and instead immediately fell backward after shooting the suspect in the head. On July 29, Tensing was fired from the department and charged with murder and voluntary manslaughter.

While attending a rock concert in Southaven, Mississippi, Troy Goode, 30, allegedly took LSD before police arrested him for running in circles through a field on July 18. Video captured from a bystander showed Goode being hogtied with his face buried in the mattress of a stretcher and a strap over the back of his head to restrict movement. The officers ordered the witnesses to stop recording the incident and threatened to arrest Goode’s family if they attempted to visit him at the Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto where he died two hours later.
Read more at http://thefreethoughtproject.com/police-kill-1000-people-year/#frZzPFc7bqzcqJZY.99

Cincinnati, OH — In what can be described as a decision made in a society driven by fear, a 7-year-old boy was suspended from school for three days for pretending to shoot an imaginary bow and arrow.

The boy, who returned to school today after receiving his punishment, formed an imaginary bow and arrow and ‘shot’ it at his friend. The two boys were engaged in a ‘dangerous’ game of Power Rangers when they were spotted by the teachers who saw something and said something.

According to WLWT, the boy’s parents, Matthew and Martha Miele, told WLWT their son was playing a game of Power Rangers at recess on Thursday when it happened.

“I think he’s a good principal. I just think a bad decision was made,” Matthew Miele said of Principal Joe Crachiolo, who handed down the steep

“I didn’t really understand. I had him (the principal) on the phone for a good amount of time so he could really explain to me what he was trying to tell me,” Martha Miele said. “My question to him was ‘Is this really necessary? Does this really need to be a three-day suspension under the circumstances that he was playing and he’s 6 years old?’”

The parents pleaded with the school to apply a bit of reason to their decision but were met with the following statement from the principal.

“I have no tolerance for any real, pretend, or imitated violence. The punishment is an out of school suspension.”

“I can’t stop him from pretending to be a superhero. I can’t stop him from playing ninja turtles. I can’t stop him from doing these things and I don’t think it would be healthy to do so,” Martha Miele said.

“His imagination can go limitless places. We try to encourage that as parents,” Matthew Miele said.
Read more at http://thefreethoughtproject.com/1st-grader-suspended-3-days-pretending-shoot-imaginary-bow-arrow/#Dm0lPa5t4mAyziX1.99