A Shocking Reminder

Not new by any means…but still as relevant today as it was when it was released…

Building The Global Special Operation Forces Partnership

This is…well…unnerving…and chilling.

 

ISOF (Photo credit: United States Forces – Iraq (Inactive))

 

(May 2012) Military assault demonstrations at the ISOF 2012 conference in Tampa bay, Florida. The participating SOF teams came from 10 allied nations: Australia, Canada, Brazil, Colombia, Jordan, Norway, Poland, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and included American SEALs, Green Berets, Air Force Combat Controllers, and US Marines. This year ISOF’s theme is “Building the Global SOF Partnership.” This is composed of mutually supporting partners working to identify and preemptively address problems, and helping to defeat the appeal of violent extremism.

 

 

 

Widower Harassed By State Moments After Wife Dies

“Mahaffey asked Vernal city officials and police administrators why officers would search his home without a warrant. He said he was told the Utah Controlled Substances Act provides authority for the search…”

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My mother died at home and we had a house full of prescription pills when she passed away. There was no need for officers to be sent in to deal with the drugs…the hospice nurse and I took care of rounding them all up and removing them from our home an hour or so AFTER my mom’s body was removed from the house. This whole story is just appalling…

And is just another example of the police-state noose that is being tightened around all of our necks…all in the name of “Safety” of course..!

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Excerpt from Deseret News – “A man says Vernal police disrupted an intimate moment of mourning with his deceased wife of 58 years when they searched his house for her prescription medication without a warrant within minutes of her death.

Barbara Alice Mahaffey died of colon cancer in her bedroom last May. Ben D. Mahaffey, 80, said he was distraught and trying to make sure his wife’s body would be taken to the funeral home with dignity, when he says officers insisted he help them look for the drugs.

“I was holding her hand saying goodbye when all the intrusion happened,” he told the Deseret News.

Barbara Mahaffey died at 12:35 a.m. with Mahaffey, a Navy medic in the Korean War, and his friend, an EMT, at her side. In addition to police, a mortician and a hospice worker arrived at the home about 12:45 a.m., Mahaffey said. He said he doesn’t know how police came to be there.

“I was indignant to think you can’t even have a private moment. All these people were there and they’re not concerned about her or me. They’re concerned about the damn drugs. Isn’t that something?” Mahaffey said.

Mahaffey said he was treated as if he were going to sell the painkillers, which included OxyContin, oxycodone and morphine, on the street.

“I had no interest in the drugs,” he said. “I’m no addict.” Full Story Here

A Death Sentence…For The Marijuana That Wasn’t There

This story happened over a year ago but I decided to post it in order to highlight (again!) the dismal failure the ‘War On Drugs’ has been – as well as the dangers of law enforcement continuing to use SWAT teams to raid the homes of US citizens.  What happened to that pesky notion about people being INNOCENT until PROVEN guilty? Apparently it has been swept aside as government agencies get more and more federal funding to use on gadgets, gear & guns.

FBI SWAT in Atlanta gaining entry into a building during a training exercise. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The mere suspicion that a natural plant might be in a home has now become justifiable cause for gunning down citizens and little thought is given to whether or not there might be children, pets…or innocent civilians taken out in the process. To call these *mistakes* anything less than what they are…cold blooded murder…is just a slap in the face to all of the victims and their families.

On May 19, 2011   Former Marine, Jose Guerena,  age 26, was killed  murdered in his Tucson home during a drug  pointless raid. Officers pounded him with 71 rounds as they burst through the door of his home. No drugs were ever found. His family helplessly watched as their loved one was shot to death by over-zealous, over-armed and UNDER trained officers…

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Knock-Knock!

I’ve made other posts about No-Knock raids in the past but I am doing so again because nothing is being done to stop or prevent them. How can we consider ourselves free so long as agents of the government can beat down our doors…shoot our children, our grandparents and our family pets…any time they feel like it?

The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not a sufficient warrant.  ~ John Stuart Mill~

I suppose that “No Knock” raids are for our own good, right? Police must protect us from ourselves and prevent us from making choices about how we choose to live. Raiding the homes of innocent people or of people who choose to grow and consume *illegal* plants must be for our own good!

Now, if police happen to bust down the wrong door, we shouldn’t be upset because obviously, mistakes happen in the heat of enforcing the prohibition on freedom. And if they happen to shoot your dog, well…remember, they are only ever doing their jobs. And no one is perfect…

Excerpts from Reason.com:

“Fred Skinner was eating a piece of toast when police from three different agencies burst through his front door with guns drawn, put the 76-year-old in handcuffs, and began ransacking his house in search of drugs. Minutes later, one of the officers noticed a piece of mail on Skinner’s table. The name on it didn’t match the name for the suspected drug dealer the officers were after. The officers asked Skinner if the name on the mail was his. When Skinner said yes, the officer shouted “Wrong house,” and the entire raid team headed out the way they’d come, without apologizing or explaining themselves. They were, according to a department spokesperson, in too much of a rush to get next door, where their suspect was supposedly located…” 

What the police had to say about the raid -

“It was a mistake,” Auburn Police Chief Gary Giannotta told WSYR-TV. “We’re no different than anyone else. We make mistakes just like everybody else. We try to make sure our information is as current and as reliable as possible. Once in a while we get it wrong. When we get it wrong, we make it right.” 

If raids on the homes of innocent senior citizens doesn’t make your blood boil,

Check out this website, Dogs That Cops Killed

“If a widespread pattern of [knock-and-announce] violations were shown . . . there would be reason for grave concern.”

~ Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, in Hudson v. Michigan, June 15, 2006.

According to Radley Balko,  as many as 40,000 of these raids happen every year.

Interactive Map of Botched Raids from Cato Institute

As long as the “War on Drugs” is allowed to continue, no one is safe in their homes. If “No-Knock” raids aren’t the ultimate display of the unconstitutional actions committed by our government then I don’t know what is.

Droning For Dollars

Since the ‘Powers That Be’ recently gave themselves the green-light on the use of drones in the US, one has to wonder who might be profiting from the newly enlarged ‘drone industry’…not to mention, who is using the drones – and for what purposes, exactly?

The Reaper has the ability to carry both precision-guided bombs and air-to-ground missiles. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As with most of our new technological capabilities, the potential for abuse seems rather great. I personally wouldn’t trust my government to watch my cat and I certainly want no part of them watching ME. Beyond that, I don’t want any corporation to be trusted as responsible enough to be operating drones over my head…and seriously, there is no reason on earth for the local university to be screwing around testing these things over our community.

 Is There Is there a drone in your neighbourhood? Rise of spy planes exposed after FAA is forced to reveal 63 launch sites across U.S.

Excerpts from Daily Mail UK – “There are at least 63 active drone sites around the U.S, federal authorities have been forced to reveal following a landmark Freedom of Information lawsuit.

The unmanned planes – some of which may have been designed to kill terror suspects – are being launched from locations in 20 states.

Most of the active drones are deployed from military installations, enforcement agencies and border patrol teams, according to the Federal Aviation Authority…”

“...But, astonishingly, 19 universities and colleges are also registered as owners of what are officially known as unmanned aerial vehicles.

It is thought that many of institutions, which include Cornell, the University of Colorado, Georgia Tech, and Eastern Gateway Community College, are developing drone technology…

…The FAA has confirmed that there were about 300 active COAs and that the agency has issued about 700-750 authorizations since the program began in 2006.

But this information does not reveal how many are owned, for example, by Miami Dade Police Department…”

So, who owns drones and how close might they be to YOU?

Read the full article on Daily Mail UK to find out.

I was disturbed to see names of institutions in close proximity to my own home on the list…*shudders*

Just a few launch spots out here in my neck of the woods…

 New Mexico State University Physical Sciences Laboratory (NMSU-PSL) 
New Mexico Tech

  **The maps in the original Daily Mail UK are very interesting and it’s well worth the time to click over and take a look at them in full size.**

Read more: Daily Mail UK

Related Links & News:

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From Republic Report

Rep. McKeon Praises Drone Manufacturers At Conference After They Lavish His Wife With Donations

“McKeon is Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and received $339,000 from the defense industry himself in 2010, so it’s reasonable to suspect that arms manufacturers and others are donating to his wife’s state race in order to please him.

Now, it appears that these donations are paying off. This morning at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., Rep. McKeon delivered a “Special Address” for the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International(AUVSI), a drone industry lobbying organization. Republic Report gained access to the event — which hosted hundreds of attendees from the unmanned aerial systems industry, including military drone  manufacturers like Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.

With Liberty & Texting For All…

The article below is another example and reason why we should beware of letting the government have too big of a role in our lives – especially when they claim to be acting in the interest of our safety and personal well-being. It should also serve as a warning of the dangerous connections between our government and corporate interests. When they are completely one and the same, how we will hope to prevent a ban like this one from happening here in the US?

Africa may seem like a world away but note the similarities between the problems in their system…and the problems in ours…

Excerpts From BBC Article, DR Congo election: Deaf anger at ban on texting

By Thomas Hubert

Published 14 December 2011

Deaf people in the Democratic Republic of Congo say a ban on texting threatens their lives because they no longer receive warnings of violence.

The government banned SMS messages more than a week ago to preserve “public order” following disputed elections.

President Joseph Kabila was declared the winner, but his main rival, Etienne Tshisekedi, rejected the result. Last month’s elections were the second since the 1998-2003 war which claimed about four million lives.

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Four people were killed in the capital, Kinshasa, after Mr Kabila’s victory was announced. He is due to be inaugurated for a second term next week. The official results gave him 49% of the vote against 32% for Mr Tshisekedi.

The opposition says they plan to organise mass protests, alleging the polls had been rigged.

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According to the Kinshasa-based African Association for the Defence Human Rights (Asadho), the texting ban has affected all Congolese people.

It said text messages were an essential tool for communities to maintain security, as they could spread alerts cheaply, quickly and discreetly to a large number of people who may be in danger.

Other human rights groups have warned that the ban could cost human lives in isolated regions with poor mobile phone reception, as emergency services could only be alerted to rebel attacks via text message.

Prison Industry ‘Banking On Bondage’

The Spoils of Mass Incarceration

ACLU – The United States imprisons more people — both per capita and in absolute terms — than any other nation in the world, including Russia, China, and Iran. Over the past four decades, imprisonment in the United States has increased explosively, spurred by criminal laws that impose steep sentences and curtail the opportunity to earn probation and parole. The current incarceration rate deprives record numbers of individuals of their liberty, disproportionately affects people of color, and has at best a minimal effect on public safety. Meanwhile, the crippling cost of imprisoning increasing numbers of Americans saddles government budgets with rising debt and exacerbates the current fiscal crises confronting states across the nation.

Leading private prison companies essentially admit that their business model depends on high rates of incarceration. For example, in a 2010 Annual Report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), the largest private prison company, stated: “The demand for our facilities and services could be adversely affected by . . . leniency in conviction or parole standards and sentencing practices . . . .”

Click to read full report in pdf -

As incarceration rates skyrocket, the private prison industry expands at exponential rates, holding ever more people in its prisons and jails,

GOP Jokers Would Extend Patriot Act

This latest AP Article titled, “GOP Contenders: Extend Anti-Terrorism Patriot Act” on NPR explains one of the many reasons why I’d not support any of the so-called ‘top runners’ in this media orchestrated joke of a presidential race.

Republican presidential hopefuls spoke up strongly for the anti-terror Patriot Act in campaign debate Tuesday night, saying it should be extended or perhaps strengthened to help identify and capture those who would attack the United States.

Only Rep. Ron Paul of Texas among eight presidential hopefuls dissented, arguing that the law is “unpatriotic because it undermines our liberties.”

Note that former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson was once again excluded from the debate and denied his opportunity to also voice his opposition to the Patriot Act.  

More From the article – “In a debate on national security, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann said President Obama has “essentially handed over our investigation of terrorists to the” American Civil Liberties Union. “Our CIA has no ability to investigate,” she said. Bachmann did not cite any examples to buttress either of her claims.

The debate unfolded six weeks to the day before the Iowa caucuses inaugurate the competition for delegates to the Republican National Convention. The venerable DAR Constitution Hall was the site a few blocks from the White House and as close as most if not all of the GOP hopefuls are likely to get…”

Read Complete AP Story Here on NPR

Senate Committee Keeps Domestic Surveillance Portion of PATRIOT ACT Secret, Denies Access to Concerned Fellow Senators

The secret Patriot Act is staying secret.

Two Senators have been warning for months that the government has a secret legal interpretation of the Patriot Act so broad that it amounts to an entirely different law — one that gives the feds massive domestic surveillance powers, and keeps the rest of us in the dark about the snooping.“There is a significant discrepancy between what most Americans – including many members of Congress – think the Patriot Act allows the government to do and how government officials interpret that same law,” wrote the Senators, Ron Wyden and Mark Udall.

“We believe that most members of the American public would be very surprised to learn how federal surveillance law is being interpreted in secret.”

The Senators tried to get the government to reveal some of the law’s contents, by forcing the Director of National Intelligence and the Attorney General to produce a report outlining when this secret surveillance has gone overboard. Yesterday, the effort failed. The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence said no to the report by rejecting Wyden and Udall’s amendment to the FY2012 Intelligence Authorization Act.In other words: we are all still in the dark about how the government is spying on us.The Senators won’t say, exactly, what elements of this secret Patriot Act have them so spooked.

Full Story via Senate Committee Keeps Domestic Surveillance Portion of PATRIOT ACT Secret, Denies Access to Concerned Fellow Senators – Truth is Treason.

Original Source – Wired