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Government tightens hold on information
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serinde
Website: http://www.progunwomen.com
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"The federal government is suppressing information about some high-ranking government officials and quietly requesting that they not be written about, citing national security."
"Most recently, the Federal Aviation Administration asked the Star-Telegram to stop working on a profile of Ruth Leverenz, an FAA official, and not to photograph her."
"... such moves raise concerns about where to draw the line between keeping decision-makers safe and providing the public with the information it needs to evaluate officials."
"... since Sept. 11, public curiosity, scrutiny and anger have been focused on the FAA and TSA. Both are in cover-up mode ... "
KABA NOTE: At a time when unprecedented, extra-constitutional snooping powers are being usurped by the federal government and directed at the citizenry, some people might find this dichotomy a tad hypocritical.
Isn't this the same federal government telling us to give up privacy and other rights for our own good? |
Postal officials change stance on Operation TIPS
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Doug Charette
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"In a shift from its position 24 hours earlier, the U.S. Postal Service said Thursday it had decided to meet with the Justice Department to discuss Operation TIPS, a government plan to encourage U.S. postal workers to report suspicious activity as part of the government's war on terrorism."
"USPS officials had said Wednesday their 800,000 employees would not participate in the proposed program, whose name is an acronym for Terrorist Information and Prevention System."
"But the USPS explained Thursday, 'That decision was made because we had insufficient information on the program, and because we had not discussed the issue internally or with the two unions affected.' " |
RI: Rhode Island receives money to distribute gun locks
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Doug Charette
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"Rhode Island is receiving five (M) million dollars to distribute free gun locks."
"Between 1995 and 1999, 91 Rhode Island children were hospitalized with gunshot wounds."
"The gun locks will be distributed for free over the next couple of weeks at area shopping centers."
"The locks are designed to prevent a firearm from being discharged. Lieutenant Governor Charles Fogarty announced the program today. So far, the program has been launched in 33 states."
QUESTION: Where in the Constitution is the federal government granted the authority to take money from the general population and spend it on gun locks? |
FL: Man dies after being hit 12 times with a stun gun
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Doug Charette
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Note the sidebar graphic entitled "How a stun gun works", as well.
"A Windermere man has died after an Orange County deputy shot him a dozen times with a Taser electrical gun, but authorities said the series of shocks is probably not responsible for his death." |
MD: Baltimore's bullet mania
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Doug Charette
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Username - Newslinks Password - Newslinks
"THE GRIEVOUS wounding of 10-year-old Tevin Davis came on an ordinary summer evening along West Fairmount Avenue."
"Kids rode their bikes. Parents watched from front stoops. Then came the ominous corner confrontation -- and the gunfire."
"Seconds later, a frantic father, bleeding son in his arms, was racing to a nearby emergency room."
" 'Don't die on me,' Tevin's father cried."
SUPER SPIN FROM THIS EMOTION-RICH ARTICLE:
"The proliferation of weapons feeds on itself."
"Consequences for gun law violations are virtually nonexistent." (Tell that to Bob Stewart, who was sentenced to 6 years in federal prison even though he never hurt anyone or even attempted to harm anyone.) |
MN: Minnesota Jail Inmates to Pay Room and Board
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Doug Charette
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"Starting Sept. 1, convicted criminals at jails in Dakota County, Minnesota will be required to pay the costs of their own incarcerations."
"Under the terms of a 'pay-for-stay' initiative recently approved by county lawmakers, inmates will pay $20 per day for room and board."
" 'I think it's a no-brainer,' said Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom. 'When you have inmates in the county jail, the taxpayers shouldn't be footing the entire bill.' " |
NC: University Can't Force Students to Read Koran, Lawsuit Says
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Doug Charette
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"A pro-family group is suing the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for requiring students ito read, discuss and reflect on selected passages from the Koran as part of a mandatory summer reading program."
" 'The use of coerced attendance transforms this exercise from an academic one to a religious one, complete with the chanting of the call to prayer which freshmen had no choice but to endure,' said Stephen Campton, chief counsel of the Center for Law & Policy." |
AZ: Hopeful Salmon gets NRA nod in governor bid
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Doug Charette
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"The National Rifle Association threw its considerable support behind gubernatorial candidate Matt Salmon on Monday."
"The Mesa Republican is the only political candidate that the NRA and its 100,000 members in Arizona are officially supporting this year. Salmon, considered the front-runner in a three-way GOP primary, said he's flattered by the support."
KABA NOTE: Many uncompromising gunowners also support Salmon. Research on Salmon conducted over the last few months suggest he's not only most likely to win and fight for gun rights -- he carries a firearm and says he enjoys shooting machineguns -- but he's likely to actually help make things happen, too. So, without further ado, kudos to the National Rifle Association on this one. |
Airline ID Requirements Unconstitutional, Suit Says
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Doug Charette
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"A prominent civil libertarian sued the U.S. government and two major airlines on Thursday, claiming that security requirements that compel U.S. citizens to show identification before flying are unconstitutional."
"In a lawsuit filed in federal court in San Francisco, John Gilmore, co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said that requiring ID from travelers who are not suspected of being a threat to airport security violates several amendments to the U.S. Constitution." |
Yes, it's a potent weapon (arming pilots)
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Doug Charette
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"Congress is finally getting serious about airline security. In a nearly 3-to-1 vote last week, the House passed the Arming Pilots Against Terrorism Act, which would allow qualified commercial airline pilots to use firearms in the cockpit to repel a terrorist threat."
"The scenario addressed by the bill is grim but simple." --unless you're a gun-hating Leftist who wouldn't even protect your own child from a home invader with anything more scary than a broom |
Dictatorship At Your Doorstep - Why "Anti-Terrorism" Laws Threaten You
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Doug Charette
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"At 5 am in the morning on September 12, 2001 -- less than one day after the 9/11 Attack -- a half-dozen heavily-armed federal agents raided the home of Dr. Al-Hazmi in San Antonio, Texas. Without any search warrant, the agents ransacked his home, while his wife and young children (6 & 8) were held at gunpoint. Then -- without being charged with any crime -- Dr. Al-Hazmi was shackled and thrown naked into a freezing cold FBI holding cell. Even his eyeglasses and bronchitis medicine were taken away. Next, Al-Hazmi was flown to a New York prison, where he says he was repeatedly beaten while the FBI interrogated him." |
FL: Homeonwers' Association demands removal of American Flag
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Doug Charette
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ORIGINAL TITLE: "Another flag flap flutters in North Naples"
"The right to fly the Stars and Stripes outside your home shouldn't have to become a legal battle, especially when Gov. Jeb Bush is backing you up, a North Naples couple says."
"But that's exactly what Jeff and Mary Gardner say they're facing."
"Mary and Jeff Gardner of North Naples were told by the Village Walk Homeowner Association to take down a 15-foot poll outside their home on which they are flying an American flag." |
UK: "400 gangs are using guns to net �25billion a year"
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Doug Charette
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ORIGINAL TITLE: "Gun gangs on rampage"
"FOUR hundred gangs are using guns to net �25billion a year, a report said yesterday."
"Firearm offences are up 40 per cent over two years with many hoodlums using weapons freely to scare off rivals."
"And the thugs will turn the guns on police if there is a risk of long jail terms for crimes involving drug trafficking and violence, according to the report by the National Criminal Intelligence Service."
QUESTION: Amidst this much violence and predation involving banned firearms, will these socialists ever concede that their anti-self-defense gun policies are only hurting innocent people who could otherwise protect themselves? |
Man guilty on airport gun charge
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Newslinks Admin
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"An Iranian businessman living in Vernon Hills pleaded guilty Monday to a misdemeanor airport security violation after being caught between flights with a loaded revolver at Miami International Airport in February."
"The plea agreement calls for Power to be placed on probation for three years at sentencing Oct. 4 before U.S. District Judge Adalberto Jordan."
"The cement-plant owner was trying to make a connection from the Caribbean island of St. Maarten to Washington when the gun was spotted by a baggage screener in his carry-on bag Feb. 18. Power told screeners it was a plastic gun that he had forgotten. It was an 11.6-caliber metal gun that fires rubber bullets. The gun was loaded, and Power's bag contained two other six-shot cylinders." |
House committee to vote on bill to strengthen background checks
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Doug Charette
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"Two weeks before Rep. John Dingell faces a primary candidate who has criticized his record on gun safety, a House panel is poised to approve a bill he has pushed to strengthen background checks for people buying firearms."
"The legislation is aimed at getting more information in the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System. The system is supposed to identify felons, drug addicts, domestic abusers, illegal immigrants, people who were involuntarily committed to a mental institution and others legally barred from having a gun." |
Department of Human Services: Underage Child Pimped--Found Dead
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Anonymous
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"Private youth programs in San Francisco -- knowingly or not -- employ pimps to work with children in their care. Tiffany Mason, a 15-year-old foster child murdered in August 2001, prostituted herself for two such predators....Tiffany turned tricks on San Francisco's mean streets for nearly two years before she was murdered."
"At the time of her death, Tiffany and William were dependents of the court. The Department of Human Services was supposed to care for their health and safety." |
Biden Strongly Supports Letting Soldiers Arrest Civilians
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Anonymous
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"Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. yesterday strongly endorsed giving soldiers the power to arrest American civilians....Interviewed yesterday on Fox News Sunday, Mr. Biden, a member of the Judiciary Committee, said the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which prevents the military from exercising police powers in this country, should be re-examined and 'has to be amended.' Such a change will happen soon, he said." |
TIPS is NOT dead: Justice Dept. forges ahead, despite Armey ban
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Anonymous
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"The Justice Department is forging ahead with establishing a network of domestic spies -- despite being dealt what may be a deathly blow to the plan: House Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas, inserted last week a ban on the program in the bill to form a new Homeland Security Department."
"The administration is continuing to pursue Operation TIPS. We're continuing with that course of action. We believe the program represents an important resource and that it's been misrepresented to date." |
UK: Police chiefs call for changes as gun crime soars (follow-up)
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Doug Charette
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"THE Yorkshire Evening Post Ban the Fake Firearms campaign today took a major step forward as senior detectives called for changes to the law in the face of spiralling gun crime."
"The call for action comes in the wake of our campaign to rid the region's streets of the imitation firearms menace." |
White House Rethinks Opposition to Armed Pilots
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Doug Charette
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"The Bush administration is reconsidering its opposition to letting airline pilots carry guns, Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta told the House Transportation aviation subcommittee today."
"Afterward, spokesman Chet Lunner said Mineta was not responding to congressional pressure to arm pilots, but simply asking the new head of the Transportation Security Administration, retired Coast Guard Adm. James Loy, to review an old policy." |
PA: Allegheny County Sportsmen's League Lawsuit Draws National Attention
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PA: Jim Slinsky writes that in September, the Allegheny County Sportsmen's League will be arguing their case against the Pennsylvania State Police handgun registration procedure before the state Supreme Court.
"If the Supreme Court rules on behalf of the ASCL, the case will be remanded back to Commonwealth Court to be argued via a full trial and ASCL will finally have their day in court." |
Recent Cases Suggest Code of Silence Is Fading
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Doug Charette
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NOTE: Site username: Newslinks Site password: Newslinks Must have cookies turned on for it to work. ------------- "Two months before Inglewood Police Officer Jeremy Morse was indicted in the videotaped beating of a 16-year-old boy, an officer in neighboring Manhattan Beach was charged with assaulting a young suspect."
"But unlike the incident in Inglewood, there were no videotapes, no rallies demanding justice, no mayors calling for felony charges and no allegations of racism. What spurred the criminal investigation in Manhattan Beach was other officers, who told supervisors they believed their colleague, Eric Eccles, had used excessive force. The police chief reviewed their reports and called the district attorney's office that day." |
House Panel Mulls Dividing 9th Circuit Court
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Doug Charette
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"Even before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the reference to God in the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional, a lot of people have been vowing to do something about the nation's largest and most overturned appeals court."
"Renewed talk has emerged in recent weeks calling for the 9th Circuit Court to be reduced in size and a new 12th district to be added in the region." |
ACLU - a raging 2nd Amendment debate
Submitted by:
Guy Smith
Website: http://www.FundTheCause.com/rkba
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The ACLU has been inconsistent in defending civil rights, and taken a �collective rights� view of the 2nd Amendment. A fierce debate has erupted on their discussion forum. Some ACLU members are still backing their traditional position (see http://www.aclu.org/library/aaguns.html). Others are in open revolt backing RKBA. Might be a good time to blister them and tell your reporter friends to have a look. |
Lawmakers question airline security progress
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Newslinks Admin
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"Lawmakers say the agency they moved quickly to create after Sept. 11 isn't moving fast enough to address safety shortfalls in the nation's transportation system."
"They have cited recent Transportation Security Administration tests that found fake guns, bombs and other weapons got past security screeners almost one-fourth of the time at 32 major airports."
"They are skeptical about whether TSA can meet its deadlines for hiring federal employees to screen passengers and installing explosive detection machines to inspect checked baggage."
"And they question some of the security measures taken in response to the Sept. 11 attacks." |
Removing the "Terror" from "Terrorism"
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LFA Editor
Website: http://www.libertyforall.net
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"I have already mentioned arming the pilots so I will not belabor that point. However, I would be remiss if I did not at least mention letting passengers arm themselves would also greatly reduce the threat of hijacking. But, due to the demonization of firearms by the Misguided Mom types, I do not believe this would ever be a viable solution. I personally would like to see PRIVATE armed flight attendants, hired, trained and equipped by the people whose property we are renting to take us from point A to point B." |
Judge Rules "Unconstitutional" Key Provisions of PATRIOT Act
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Newslinks Admin
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"A federal judge has dismissed the Justice Department's case against seven people accused of funneling charitable donations to an Iranian military group deemed partly responsible for the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and still labeled a terrorist threat."
"After deliberating for months, Judge Robert M. Takasugi of U.S. District Court in Los Angeles ruled on Friday that a 1996 law passed by Congress to classify foreign groups as terrorist organizations is 'unconstitutional on its face,' and thus cannot be used as the basis of criminal charges."
"That antiterrorism law, a cornerstone of the government's case against John Walker Lindh, the American accused of aiding a foreign terrorist group, makes it a crime to provide 'material support' to any foreign organization that the State Department deems a threat to national security. But the law gives these groups 'no notice and no opportunity' to contest their designation, a violation of due process, Takasugi ruled." |
TX: Standing army uses explosives to enter home, shoots accused man dead
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Newslinks Admin
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Under the guise of the "War on [Some] Drugs"...
"A man was fatally shot early Tuesday after he fired at members of a drug task force who were executing a search warrant for methamphetamines."
"Members of the Rio Concho Multi-agency Drug Enforcement Task Force had information that David Moses Chappa, 21, had drugs and a firearm, prompting officers and SWAT team members to force their way into the home, Police Chief Joe Gibson said at a press conference."
"While neighbors told the San Angelo Standard-Times they heard a big explosion, Gibson declined to detail the tactics police used to gain the surprise entry."
"It was unclear how many shots were fired and whether any drugs were found."
QUESTIONS:
1) How long does it take to have all officers who fired their weapons account for the number of shots fired?
2) Is it really that unreasonable to begin firing when someone gains explosive entry to your home?
3) If causing this man's death was based on some alleged information that he was in possession of drugs, why weren't drugs found -- or, if they were found, why wasn't it reported?
4) What clause in the united States Constitution authorizes the government activity that led to this man's death? |
"GAO Raps Ashcroft's Gun Check Plan"
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Newslinks Admin
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So says the Asocialist Press:
"A Justice Department proposal to purge background-check records of gun buyers after one day would hinder some law enforcement investigations and could allow criminals to obtain and keep weapons, congressional investigators said Tuesday."
"Destroying the records of approved sales would make it harder for police to track down and retrieve weapons from criminals who were mistakenly allowed to buy guns, said Laurie Ekstrand, author of the General Accounting Office study of the proposal." |
UK: "Millions promised for fight against drugs"
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IF THE UK CANNOT END ILLEGAL FIREARMS TRADE, how is this going to help accomplish anything other than fortifying the police state?
"Use of heroin has increased across the region recently"
"Police chiefs in Wales have been promised Welsh Assembly cash to continue their war on drugs - if a bid for funding from Westminster fails."
"Chief constables from three forces in Wales - south Wales, Gwent, and Dyfed Powys - have applied to the UK Government to fund a specialist drugs team." |
Mom accused of firing BBs at son - as punishment for killing a songbird
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"To teach her son a lesson after he shot a bird, a Town of Jackson woman punished the 9-year-old by firing a BB gun at his chest, authorities alleged Friday."
"The boy was not seriously injured in the Tuesday incident but was bruised on his left side just below the armpit, according to reports."
"The 32-year-old woman was charged Friday with one count of intentionally causing bodily harm to a child and could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted."
TIMES A CHANGIN'.... Though few people would condone such a punishment, 50 years ago this probably wouldn't have merited more than a warning. That was back before parents didn't get arrested for spanking their children, too. |
Future 'Darwin Award' Recipient: Bank robbery attempt costs man $1
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"A man who apparently planned to make an illegal withdrawal from a downtown bank Friday ended up making a deposit instead."
"Police were still searching Friday night for the man who wrote his robbery demand on a dollar bill and sent it through a drive-through window tray." [emphasis added]
"The Compass Bank teller dropped to the floor when she read the message, and the man drove away empty handed, said Tuscumbia police Acting Chief Larry McAnally."
"The bank is actually a dollar ahead, and the guy lost a dollar for his troubles," McAnally jokingly said. |
WA: Man taxed out of his property tries to burn down county courthouse
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Original title: "Attempt to burn down courthouse is foiled"
"An alert jail trusty and quick-acting deputies averted what investigators allege was an attempt to burn down the Okanogan County courthouse early July 21."
"Byron Robert Winter, 48, was apprehended around 2 a.m. inside the courthouse just before he allegedly was to set fire to files he'd doused with gasoline and diesel, according to sheriff Mike Murray."
"In a page and a quarter written letter, Winter said county government was corrupt, and his attempt to destroy the courthouse was his way to protest, said deputy prosecutor Karl Sloan at the hearing."
"Investigators said they found a duffel bag that contained additional gun powder and legal documents pertaining to a foreclosure of land on which Winter is living. ... Winter questioned the county's authority to foreclose his property..."
"The suspect, who investigators said apparently was upset with the county selling his property through foreclosure to pay back taxes, was apprehended by the deputies."
"Winter also wrote a letter about a Sept. 18 RURAL meeting, at which he was cut off and not allowed to speak, and wrote most recently in April accusing two commissioners of perjury concerning travel expenses."
"The suspect also alleged [Superior Court Judge Jack] Burchard allowed fraud in his court." |
My week on a Lee County jury
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An interesting account of a reporter's experience serving jury duty. Couple of quotes...
"The defense is allowed to dismiss up to six jurors for any reason. Maybe a potential juror worked in a profession that dealt with the facts of the case, or maybe they knew some people who were involved. A couple of times, jurors were dismissed for no apparent reason."
...
"Even more mysterious was the judge. He didn't appear to be paying attention at all. He looked at his computer the entire time, and the only way we knew he was even there was when he overruled or sustained an objection. He could have been playing video games for all we knew." |
LA: D.A. investigator caught dealing illegal drugs
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"A District Attorney's Office investigator was arrested Sunday after police pulled him over and found 80 ounces of the club drug GHB in his government-issued car, police said."
"James Kendrick, 30, 13688 Brown Road, Baker, was booked into Parish Prison with possession of gamma hydroxybutyrate in excess of 400 grams with intent to distribute, possession of steroids and possession of a firearm with controlled dangerous substances, booking records show." |
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