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Edward Snowden Honored With 'Alternative Nobel' http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/snowden-honored-alternative-nobel-25722895?singlePage=true Snowden Honored With 'Alternative Nobel' STOCKHOLM — Sep 24, 2014, 1:18 PM ET By KARL RITTER Associated Press Associated Press Edward Snowden was among the winners Wednesday of a Swedish human rights award, sometimes referred to as the "alternative Nobel," for his disclosures of top secret surveillance programs. The decision to honor the former National Security Agency contractor with the Right Livelihood Award appeared to cause a diplomatic headache for Sweden's Foreign Ministry, which withdrew the prize jury's permission to use its media room for the announcement. Snowden split the honorary portion of the award with Alan Rusbridger, editor of the Guardian, which has published a series of articles on government surveillance based on documents leaked by Snowden. The 1.5 million kronor ($210,000) cash portion of the award was shared by Pakistani human rights activist Asma Jahangir, Basil Fernando of the Asian Human Rights Commission and U.S. environmentalist Bill McKibben. Created in 1980, the annual Right Livelihood Award honors efforts that founder Jacob von Uexkull felt were being ignored by the Nobel Prizes. Foundation director Ole von Uexkull — the award creator's nephew — said all winners have been invited to the Dec. 1 award ceremony in Stockholm, though he added it's unclear whether Snowden can attend. "We will start discussions with the Swedish government and his lawyers in due course to discuss the potential arrangements for his participation," von Uexkull told The Associated Press. Snowden, who has reportedly also been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, remains exiled in Russia since leaking top secret NSA documents to journalists last year. He has been charged under the U.S. Espionage Act and could face up to 30 years in prison. Though the honorary award doesn't include any money, the foundation would offer to help pay Snowden's legal costs, von Uexkull said. The announcement had been set for Thursday, but it was communicated early after a leak to Swedish broadcaster SVT. Von Uexkull said the foundation was denied access to the Swedish Foreign Ministry's media room, where it has announced the awards since 1995, after it gave the ministry advance notice of the winners. He provided an email sent Tuesday in which the ministry said it had closed the room to "external events" for security reasons, but said he believed the decision was linked to the fact that Snowden was among the laureates. The ministry referred questions to Foreign Minister Carl Bildt's spokesman, Erik Zsiga, who said in an email that new security rules that took effect on Sept. 1 mean that government buildings "cannot in the same way as previously be used for this type of event." As late as last week, the Foreign Ministry sent a note inviting foreign correspondents to attend the news conference in the ministry's media room. The award foundation cited Snowden's "courage and skill" in revealing the extent of government surveillance and praised Rusbridger "for building a global media organization dedicated to responsible journalism in the public interest." In a statement, Rusbridger said he was "delighted" to share the award with Snowden "because I think he was a whistleblower who took considerable risks with his own personal freedom in order to tell society about things that people needed to know." Jahangir is a human rights lawyer who has defended women, children, religious minorities and the poor in Pakistan, the award citation said. Fernando, originally from Sri Lanka, led the Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission for nearly two decades and now serves as its director of policy and programs. McKibben is founder of 350.org, a grass-roots environmental movement aimed at spurring action to fight climate change. The Right Livelihood Award is typically announced just ahead of the Nobel Prize announcements, which this year will begin on Oct. 6. There is no connection between the two, except Jacob von Uexkull established his prize after failing to persuade the Nobel Foundation to expand the categories for its prestigious awards. A wealthy stamp dealer, he sold his collection to fund the prize. The Right Livelihood Award foundation typically honors grass-roots activists and says it's "not an award for the world's political, scientific or economic elite." ——— Karl Ritter can be followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/karl—ritter
Warning from the nation's drug czar - do not watch the Simpsons!!!! "Bill Bennett, then the U.S. drug policy director, told recovering addicts not to watch the cartoon." I guess that means most of us will be watching the show!!!! President George H.W. Bush, running for reelection on a family-values platform in 1992, said his goal was "to make American families a lot more like the Waltons and a lot less like the Simpsons." http://touch.latimes.com/#section/1780/article/p2p-81480724/ 'Simpsons' celebrates its 26th season with — what else? — a death By Scott Collins September 25, 2014, 8:34 a.m. Conservatives branded it an assault on family values. The nation's drug czar warned recovering addicts not to watch it. Schools barred clothing featuring its images. But when "The Simpsons" premieres its 26th season Sunday, TV's longest-running prime-time series will have the last laugh. Fox's animated comedy about a middle-class clan headed by a lovably dimwitted patriarch named Homer has grown into one of America's defining cultural institutions. It's also become a commercial behemoth worth more than $12 billion, with a booming merchandise line selling everything from branded Lego sets to fashion accessories to toy cars. Beyond the numbers, "The Simpsons" also changed entertainment, hurling pop-cultural savvy and knowing irony into prime time and opening animation — formerly a Saturday-morning TV ghetto for kids — as a playground for adults as well. Expressions such as "'D'oh!" and "Woo-hoo!" entered the lexicon. And the series launched a wave of successors, including "Family Guy," "South Park" and Cartoon Network's smash Adult Swim franchise. "Historically, animation had been pretty much aimed at children," said Matt Groening, the show's creator. "Nobody quite knew how to handle a cartoon that was aimed at adults." Suddenly, "family entertainment didn't have to have jokes for the youngest member of the family," he added. "There were jokes that adults would get." Many of the younger adults now sought by advertisers weren't even born when the series premiered in 1989. The show has managed to thrive even amid accusations of creative decline and ebbing numbers for network TV overall. When "The Simpsons" debuted, Fox was a scrappy fourth network, and barely half of U.S. households had access to cable TV. In 2013, 83% of American households were paying for multichannel TV through a pay service, according to the Consumer Electronics Assn. Prime time, a territory Groening & Co. once had to themselves, is now chock-a-block with animated offerings from "Rick and Morty" to "Bob's Burgers." The "Simpsons" has also survived several testy salary disputes for the actors who voice Homer, wife Marge, disobedient and sarcastic son Bart, smart, vegetarian daughter Lisa and (the mostly silent infant) Maggie as well as the other several hundred characters who live in fictional Springfield. Those performers were making more than $400,000 per episode, or more than $10 million per year, before an estimated 30% cutback in 2011. Yeardley Smith, the 50-year-old actor who has been voicing Lisa for half her life, said she has not enjoyed seeing the details of her salary splashed all over the news. But it has been an annoyance she sees as inevitable given how deeply "The Simpsons" is woven into the culture — not just in America but around the world. Earlier this year, top European soccer teams announced "Simpsons" sponsorship deals in advance of the World Cup. "Lisa wears the same strapless red dress, pearls and Mary Janes to school every day," Smith said. "It perpetuates an extraordinary familiarity." That longevity was hardly foreseeable when "The Simpsons" premiered on Dec. 17, 1989. The characters were created by Groening, a Los Angeles-based cartoonist then best known for an absurdist comic strip called "Life in Hell." The comic starred Binky, a crudely drawn, anthropomorphic rabbit whose hopes collide with a bleak, sardonic vision of modern urban life. "Life in Hell" appeared in alternative papers across the nation and became a hit among college students. Key to its appeal was reinventing the cartoon format with a sophisticated sense of absurd comedy, something that would later be crucial to "The Simpsons." James L. Brooks, the TV producer who was a guiding force behind "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" during the 1970s, was by the late 1980s working on a Fox variety show starring British comic Tracey Ullman. Brooks had admired "Life in Hell" and asked Groening if he would be interested in doing some animated shorts to drop into Ullman's show. The original idea was simply to animate the "Life in Hell" comic, but Groening ultimately rejected that. "I was skeptical that any TV show would last, and I thought, 'What if this was a fiasco?'" he recalled. "I didn't want the animation to ruin my comic strips, so I thought, 'I'll make up something new.'" He settled on the idea of a typical American family, borrowing real names from his own, including changing his mother's from Margaret to Marge and his own from Matt to Bart (the latter name's closeness to "brat" was a deliberate choice, he has said). The drawing was primitive, as it was on "Life in Hell." All the characters had yellow fleshtone and enormous eyes with pinholes for pupils. Homer's paunch was visible through his white polo shirt; a couple squiggly lines atop his head indicated thinning hair. Like Fred Flintstone, he had a dark ring around his mouth to suggest a five o'clock shadow. The characters — which first appeared on Ullman's show on Aug. 19, 1987 — proved so popular that Fox hired Groening, Brooks and writer-producer Sam Simon to develop a sitcom around them, to premiere in late 1989. For inspiration, Groening was reaching back even further than "The Flintstones." "I was thinking about the sitcoms I grew up with," Groening said. "On 'The Andy Griffith Show,' there was the town of Mayberry, which had a barber and a town drunk and everything. You really got to feel that that was a real place. I thought it would be really cool in animation if we could populate that town in which the Simpsons lived." The town ended up with hundreds of supporting characters. Among them: Krusty the Clown, a world-weary children's TV host; Sideshow Bob, a maniacal villain voiced by Kelsey Grammer; and Mr. Burns, Homer's evil, money-grubbing boss at a nuclear power plant. The reaction from viewers was immediate. "The Simpsons" was a smash shortly after it debuted, the first program from the then-young Fox network ever to hit the Top 30. "The Simpsons" — along with Rupert Murdoch's early 1990s purchases of large station groups — finally proved Fox was a viable network after several shaky years. But the reception wasn't entirely positive. "The Simpsons" became a favorite target of conservative critics. Bill Bennett, then the U.S. drug policy director, told recovering addicts not to watch the cartoon. Bart Simpson, said Bennett, who later went on to pen "The Book of Virtues," is a poor role model. President George H.W. Bush, running for reelection on a family-values platform in 1992, said his goal was "to make American families a lot more like the Waltons and a lot less like the Simpsons." A number of schools across the country banned "Simpsons"-branded clothing, with administrators especially disdaining T-shirts with Bart's image and the slogan: "Underachiever (and Proud of It, Man)." Although very few TV shows make more than a ripple in the wider culture, "The Simpsons" is among the exceptions. Comedy writers noticed the impact that "The Simpsons" was having. One of them was a young stand-up comic, Seth MacFarlane, who went on to create "Family Guy," which profitably expanded on "The Simpsons'" formula. Together, both shows anchor Fox's lucrative Sunday-night animation lineup. The question now is how long Fox will keep Springfield and its most famous family alive. Some critics have charged that the show's glory days are long past, that in recent years producers have traded away a focus on character development and sharp satire to load up instead on silly gags and celebrity guest stars. Ratings have steadily declined, from 27.8 million in Season 1 to 13.5 million in Season 10, 6.9 million in Season 20 and down to 5.7 million in the just-concluded Season 25. That type of erosion isn't uncommon, however, in broadcast TV. "What's remarkable is that entirely new generations are still discovering this series, be it through the mobile game, the web portal or the [Labor Day] marathon on FXX," Dana Walden, Fox Television Group chairman and chief executive, wrote in an email. "And the Sunday night original continues to deliver ratings that make it one of the most powerful comedies on the air." The writers have chosen to kick off the landmark 26th season with the death of a well-known character. It's a familiar stunt for aging shows and one that "Family Guy" tried with its popular Brian the dog (though it almost instantly brought him back). Al Jean, the writer-producer who has supervised day-to-day production of "The Simpsons" for years, promises the character will stay dead. "The Simpsons Movie" in 2007 was a worldwide hit, but Jean said there are no plans for a sequel. "That's the furthest thing from our thoughts at the moment," he said in an interview. But a recent weekend of special "Simpsons" live shows at the Hollywood Bowl got the producers thinking about a Broadway version, he added. As for the TV series, it finds itself in the unprecedented position of thriving amid a TV landscape radically changed from the one in which it was created a quarter-century ago. The show will continue at least through the end of 2015, according to network officials. "We try to come up with new angles on familiar topics and tell jokes that we haven't told before," Groening said, admitting: "It's hard after 552 episodes of a family that never ages to keep those surprises coming." On the other hand, "I still don't see an end to the show," he added. "Every year, it seems like we got another chance to keep going." Twitter: @scottcollinsLAT
If your product sucks and you can't make it better you can always ask the government to pass laws to put your competitors who have better products out of business. I don't know if this is true in Iowa, but it certainly looks like the other car dealers are hoping that the government will put their competitor named Telsa out of business. http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_26604359/iowa-bars-tesla-motors-from-offering-test-drives Iowa bars Tesla Motors from offering test drives Associated Press Posted: 09/25/2014 09:18:54 AM PDT DES MOINES, Iowa -- The Iowa Transportation Department has told Tesla Motors to stop offering test drives. The Des Moines Register reports (http://dmreg.co/1sZhA2w ) that the department said the test drives were illegal because Tesla isn't a licensed auto dealer in Iowa and because Iowa law bars carmakers from retail sales. A Tesla spokeswoman told the newspaper that the company doesn't think the statutes apply because the company was offering only three-day test drives, not actually selling cars. Tesla doesn't sell its electric cars through franchise dealerships. People can buy the Model S online or at one of a handful of Tesla stores around the country. Tesla is based in Palo Alto. http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/companies/2014/09/25/tesla-test-drives-iowa-dot-west-des-moines-laws-illegal/16192477/ Iowa curbs Tesla test drives Joel Aschbrenner, jaschbrenn@dmreg.com 9:26 a.m. CDT September 25, 2014 Tesla Motors is the hottest name in the growing electric car market. But don't plan on taking the Model S for a test drive in Iowa anytime soon. Iowa joined a growing list of states tussling with Tesla Motors' business model when it told the company to cut short three days of test drives earlier this month in West Des Moines. The Iowa Department of Transportation said the test drives were illegal for two reasons: Tesla isn't licensed as an auto dealer in Iowa and state law prohibits carmakers from selling directly to the public. Founded by billionaire inventor Elon Musk, Tesla Motors produces what is widely considered the premier electric car because of its battery life and horsepower. But Tesla doesn't sell through traditional franchise dealerships. Customers can buy the Model S online or at one of a handful of Tesla stores around the country. Electric vehicle advocates in Iowa say that by preventing Tesla from operating here — and forcing prospective buyers to travel to showrooms in Minneapolis or Chicago — the state is hampering the efforts to promote wider adoption of electric vehicles and the charging infrastructure they require. Nabil Hanke owns Electric Dream Machines, a Des Moines company that converts gas cars to electric. Technically speaking, Tesla is one of his competitors. But Hanke said the state should work to attract Tesla, not kick the company out. Because the Tesla Model S can drive as far and fast as a gas-powered car, it appeals to consumers who otherwise wouldn't consider driving electric. That makes it an important tool in getting more people to switch to greener electric vehicles, Hanke said. "It's all about momentum and Tesla is a fantastic momentum-mover," he said. "One Tesla can carry more momentum than 10 (Nissan) Leafs … because it's far more impressive and it changes the dialogue." Iowa joins other states in Tesla tussle Traditional auto dealers aren't impressed. Backed by dealership trade groups, several states, including Arizona, New Jersey, Maryland, Texas and Virginia, have banned or restricted Tesla from selling to the public. The Iowa Department of Transportation asked Tesla to stop its West Des Moines test drives after being alerted to the event by the Iowa Automobile Dealers Association, said Paul Steier, director of the DOT's Bureau of Investigation and Identity Protection. Tesla set up in the parking lot of the West Des Moines Marriott on Sept. 9. The company planned to offer three days of test drives, but canceled the last day after talking with DOT officials. Kelly Hart, a Windsor Heights residents who owns a Nissan Leaf and a Porsche with a converted electric motor, was scheduled to take a test drive on the third day. Fortunately, he said, he will have an opportunity to visit a Tesla showroom later this year when he travels to Chicago. Still, he would like to see the laws altered to allow Tesla to market its cars here. "I hope they get it changed because it's just ridiculous," he said. Tesla has made several changes to the Model S in the wake of last fall's fiery accidents. It's also earned the industry's highest marks for safety. In July, those were put to the test in a crash that split a Tesla in half. Tesla test drives in Iowa ruled illegal State law requires auto dealers to be licensed, and by offering test drives, Tesla was acting as a dealer, Steier said. Licensing is a matter of consumer protection, said Bruce Anderson, president of the Iowa Automobile Dealers Association. To obtain a license, dealers have to be insured and have a physical location where buyers can go if they have a problem with the vehicle. Car dealers also have to be bonded through the state. If a dealer fails to deliver a vehicle's title to the buyer, the buyer can file a claim against the dealers bond. "You can't just set up in a hotel parking lot and sell cars," Anderson said. "It's not a Tesla issue. This is a regulated industry." Another longstanding state law prohibits auto manufacturers from selling directly to the public. Anderson said if carmakers owned dealerships, buying a car would be like buying a laptop at the Apple store — there would be one non-negotiable price. "Independent dealers are aggressive in pricing against each other," he said. "If you wanted to buy directly from Chevy or Ford, the price on the sticker would be the price." A spokesperson for Tesla said the company does not believe the statutes apply because the company was not selling cars, only providing test drives. No other test drive events are planned in Iowa, she said. Shares of Tesla, a company valued at $31.5 billion, were trading at $252.14 as of close Wednesday, up $1.73 cents for the day. But don't worry; online sales legal Despite the dispute over test drives, it's not illegal for Iowans to buy Tesla vehicles online or from a private seller, Steier said. Allowing test drives, though, would require action from the state Legislature. "There really is nothing in the law that would allow (Tesla) to keep" offering the test drives, Steier said. "We're not at all opposed to their marketing. They just have to work within the laws of the state." What makes Tesla so special? Horsepower, battery life and the price tag all set the Tesla Model S apart from its competitors. Backers say it's the first fully electric vehicle that can completely replace a gas-powered car. While other electric cars, with batteries that need charged every 50 to 100 miles, are practical for in-town use, the Model S can cover up to 300 miles in a single charge. Tesla introduced its first all-electric sports car, the Roadster, in 2006. The Model S rolled out in June 2012 and last year was named Motor Trend and Automobile Magazine's car of the year. The Model S offers horsepower that rivals gasoline sports cars, making it appealing to consumers turned off by the small motors in other electric vehicles. Nabil Hanke, who converts gasoline cars to electric for a living, called the Tesla Model S a "cornucopia of subtleties." There isn't one thing that makes it stand out. It's fast, smooth, sleek, quiet and efficient, he said. Side by side 2014 Tesla Model S (85 kWh battery) Price: $73,570 (after $7,500 federal tax credit). Range: 300 miles (at 55 mph). Horsepower: 362. 2014 Nissan Leaf (Model S) Price: $29,030. Range: 84 miles. Horsepower: 107. Source: Kelly Blue Book No change in sight for ban on Tesla's direct sales in Iowa Iowa lawmakers say there is little appetite to change the rules that prompted state regulators to ban Tesla Motors from offering test drives here. Current laws require car dealers to be licensed and prohibit auto manufacturers from selling directly to the public. Officials with the Iowa Department of Transportation say that means the electric carmaker can't offer test drives without receiving a license or opening a dealership here. State Sen. Matt McCoy, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, test drove a Tesla last year in another state and said he hopes to buy one when the company comes out with a cheaper model. But the Des Moines Democrat said he thinks Tesla should follow the same rules that require other carmakers to sell through independent dealerships. "I have mixed feelings about it because I really like the car and I really like what the car stands for," he said. "But in Iowa we tend to respect our system and the way it was set up, and I don't see any appetite to change that." State Rep. Peter Cownie, chairman of the House Commerce Committee, said he hasn't heard from lobbyists for Tesla or Iowa's auto dealerships, an indication that there isn't much desire to change the rules to allow Tesla to sell directly to the public. "You can't have two sets of rules," the West Des Moines Republican said. "That would create an unfair playing field for the small business owners and small car dealers." — Joel Aschbrenner
Marijuana legalization effort begins in CaliforniaLooks like the folks in MPP, or the Marijuana Policy Project also want to legalize marijuana in California for the WRONG reasons, just like they do here in Arizona.The right reasons for legalizing marijuana are that it is a victimless crime that hurts no one. And that it doesn't make any sense spending millions and probably of billions of tax dollars paying the police to arrest people for a victimless crime. Nor does it make any sense to spend millions and probably billions of tax dollars to put people in prison who have been convicted of a victimless marijuana crime. I suspect that MPP really wants to create an initiative that gives the medical marijuana dispensaries in California a government monopoly on growing and selling marijuana. So they can sell recreational marijuana to the public at rip off prices of $300+ an ounce. If this is like the laws in Colorado and Washington state it will probably still be a felony to possess more then a few ounces of marijuana. And it will probably be a felony to grow or sell marijuana in competition with the marijuana dispensaries. I am not familiar with all the details of this effort in California. But I am familiar with the details of it in Arizona. Here in Arizona it many people suspect that MPP and Andrew Myers have been plotting to give the medical marijuana dispensaries a government monopoly on growing and selling medical and recreational marijuana since Andrew Myers and MPP wrote Prop 203, which created the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act. Marijuana legalization effort begins in California LISA LEFF, Associated Press Posted: 09/25/2014 09:43:22 AM PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- A national marijuana advocacy group took steps Wednesday to begin raising money for a campaign to legalize recreational pot use in California in 2016, a move with potential to add a dose of extra excitement to the presidential election year. The Marijuana Policy Project filed paperwork with the California secretary of state's office registering a campaign committee to start accepting and spending contributions for a pot legalization initiative on the November 2016 state ballot, the group said. The measure would be similar to those passed in 2012 by voters in Colorado and Washington, the first U.S. states to legalize commercial sales of marijuana to all adults over 21. California, long the national leader in illegal marijuana production and home to a thriving, largely unregulated medical marijuana industry, is one of the 21 other states that currently allow marijuana use only for medical reasons. The drug remains illegal under federal law. "Marijuana prohibition has had an enormously detrimental impact on California communities. It's been ineffective, wasteful and counterproductive. It's time for a more responsible approach," Marijuana Policy Project Executive Director Rob Kampia said. "Regulating and taxing marijuana similarly to alcohol just makes sense." The Washington, D.C.-based group also has established campaign committees to back legalization measures in Arizona, Massachusetts and Nevada in 2016. Voters in Oregon, Alaska and the District of Columbia will weigh in on marijuana legalization in November. In 2010, California voters rejected a ballot initiative seeking to legalize recreational pot. The measure, just like the medical marijuana law the state approved in 1996, was the first of its kind. But along with opposition from law enforcement and elected officials, Proposition 19 faced unexpected resistance from medical marijuana users and outlaw growers in the state's so-called Emerald Triangle who worried legalization would lead to plummeting marijuana prices. Marijuana Policy Project spokesman Mason Tvert predicted no such divisions would surface this time around. Citing his group's experience in Colorado and the advantage of aiming for a presidential election year when voter turnout is higher, Tvert said legalization supporters would use the next two years to build a broad-based coalition and craft ballot language that addresses concerns of particular constituencies. "Obviously, it's a whole different landscape in California, where it will cost probably as much or more to just get on the ballot as it did to run a winning campaign after getting on the ballot in Colorado," he said. League of California Cities lobbyist Tim Cromartie, whose group opposed the state's 2010 pot legalization initiative and until this year fought legislative efforts to give the state greater oversight of medical marijuana, said Wednesday that it was too soon to say what kind of opposition, if any, would greet a 2016 campaign. Lynne Lyman, California director of the Drug Policy Alliance, said her group expects to play a major role in the legalization effort and already has started raising money. Lyman said the goal is to have an initiative written by next summer. She estimated that a pro-legalization campaign would cost $8 million to $12 million. Even though California would be following in the steps of other states if a 2016 initiative passes, legalizing recreational marijuana use there would have far-reaching implications, Lyman said. "When an issue is taken up in California, it becomes a national issue," she said. "What we really hope is that with a state this large taking that step, the federal government will be forced to address the ongoing issue of marijuana prohibition."
In a Mississippi Jail, Convictions and Counsel Appear Optional Most people don't know it, but slavery, per the 13th Amendment is still legal in the USA, but only when the slavery is used as punishment for a crime. Here is a snip of the 13th Amendment: "... Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, EXCEPT as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted ..." This article doesn't address if these folks who haven't been convicted of any crimes are forced to work as slaves. The practice of using petty crimes to force Blacks into slavery has a long history in the racist South. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/25/us/in-a-mississippi-jail-convictions-and-counsel-appear-optional.html?hpw&rref=us&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=HpHedThumbWell&module=well-region®ion=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well&_r=0 In a Mississippi Jail, Convictions and Counsel Appear Optional By CAMPBELL ROBERTSONSEPT. 24, 2014 RALEIGH, Miss. — Sheila Burks has not seen her nephew Octavious much over the past few years. Sitting in her house far out in the Mississippi countryside, she ticked off his stints in the Scott County jail: There was the 18-month stay that ended in 2011; the year that ended in June 2013; and a stretch that began with an arrest last November and is still going. It is hard to figure out what all this jail time has actually been about. While the arrests that led to these jail stays have been on serious felony charges, Octavious Burks, 37, a poultry plant worker, has not been convicted of or even faced trial on any of the charges. For nearly all of his time in jail, including his current 10-month stay, Mr. Burks has not even had access to a lawyer. “He’s always at the jailhouse,” Ms. Burks said. “And he don’t ever go to court.” On Tuesday, civil liberties groups filed a federal class-action lawsuit on behalf of Mr. Burks and others in jail in Scott County, a rural area about a 45-minute drive east from Jackson, the state capital. The suit charges that inmates at the jail have been “indefinitely detained” and “indefinitely denied counsel,” in violation of their constitutional rights. The suit, brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and the MacArthur Justice Center, says that when Mr. Burks and others are arrested, steep and “arbitrary” bail amounts are set, with no consideration of a person’s ability to pay. If a defendant applies for indigent defense, as Mr. Burks did on the day of his arrest in November, the senior circuit judge, Marcus D. Gordon, generally approves the request. But it is the judge’s policy not to appoint a public defense lawyer until a person is indicted. And there is no state law setting a time limit on detention before an indictment. So Mr. Burks sits in jail and waits, with no lawyer and no end in sight. Legal experts said such circumstances were widespread, even if this was an extreme example. Steep bail amounts and long jail stays without access to a lawyer are particularly common for those charged with misdemeanors, said Alexandra Natapoff, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. It is somewhat less common for felony cases. But common or not, Professor Natapoff said, it is still wrong. Photo Joshua Bassett, left, now 31, has been in the jail in Scott County, Miss., since January. “This is clearly not what we mean by due process, and this is not what we mean by justice,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be unique to be absurd.” In a brief interview, Judge Gordon said it was indeed his policy to appoint indigent defense only at indictment, even though he might approve a defendant’s request for counsel long before that. “The reason is, that public defender would go out and spend his time and money and cost the county money in investigating the matter,” Judge Gordon said. “And then sometimes, the defendant is not indicted by the grand jury. So I wait until he’s been indicted.” Judge Gordon then said that he did not have the jurisdiction to appoint a public defender at all until a defendant was indicted in his courtroom, even if someone were to request a preliminary hearing or a bail hearing. In those cases, the judge said, a defendant “can represent himself, or he can employ an attorney.” This came as a surprise to those who are familiar with the courts in Scott County and in Mississippi generally. “A judge has the power to appoint a lawyer anytime,” said Robert B. McDuff, a criminal defense lawyer in the state. But he said he was not surprised by the allegations in the lawsuit. Photo Octavious Burks, 37, has spent several stints in the Scott County jail without seeing a lawyer or having been convicted. Credit Mississippi Statewide Victim Information and Notification Everyday “My sense is that this goes on in most places in Mississippi,” he said. “Poor people are sitting in jail for weeks and even months before they ever see a lawyer.” The public defender system in the state is a patchwork, varying from county to county. Most public defenders work part-time or on contract. Mississippi and six other states do not contribute any money for indigent defense for trial-level, noncapital cases. Those costs are borne entirely by local governments, usually from court fines and fees. In 2011, the legislature created the Office of State Public Defender and directed it to study the landscape and possibly lay the groundwork for a statewide system. The office, however, does not have any oversight over public defenders in counties across the state. “We don’t know a lot of what’s going on in some of these counties,” said Leslie Lee, the state public defender. What appears to be going on Scott County, she said, is unconstitutional. “If you don’t have an attorney, how is a defendant supposed to know what his rights are?” she asked. “He doesn’t realize that he can ask for a bond reduction or he can ask for a preliminary hearing to find out if there is enough evidence. He’s just at the mercy of the pace of the prosecution.” Photo Mr. Bassett told his mother, Brenda, that his bail had been set at $100,000. Credit James Patterson for The New York Times According to Brandon Buskey, a lawyer with the A.C.L.U.’s Criminal Law Reform Project, 53 of the 129 inmates in the Scott County Detention Center have not been indicted. Among them is Joshua Bassett, 31, the only other plaintiff named in the suit, along with Mr. Burks. Mr. Bassett is not a stranger to trouble, said his mother, Brenda, but he has never been through anything like this. “He was always going in the door of the jailhouse, but he was coming back out as soon as he went in,” she said. In January, he went in and has not come back out. The police charged him with stealing a hitch trailer and possessing meth (burglary and petty larceny charges were added months later). Ms. Bassett said she had tried to see her son but had been told for weeks that he was in solitary confinement. When she did finally see him, he told her that his bail had been set at $100,000. “I tried to help Joshua as much as I could, but I only draw a little over $600 a month,” said Ms. Bassett, 64, who worked as a janitor in a nursing home until she had a stroke last year. “I would give everything I have to get my son out of this mess. But I don’t have anything.” It is still unclear what became of the felonies, including aggravated assault and armed robbery, that led to Mr. Burks’s stints in jail. The lawsuit, based on his recollection, says that he was indicted on some charges in 2010, though he never went to trial. Mark Duncan, the district attorney and a defendant in the suit, said Wednesday that his office had not yet been able to find any case involving Mr. Burks. Mr. Duncan added that his office was still double-checking. Sheila Burks does not remember any indictment. In the past, she said, after months of waiting, she would receive a phone call from her nephew out of the blue, asking her to come by the jail to pick him up. “I told him, ‘You keep your nose clean in there,’ ” Ms. Burks said. “ ‘And when you get out this time, you better leave Mississippi.’
Alaska legalized weed 39 years ago. Wait, what? http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/09/24/alaska-legalized-weed-39-years-ago-wait-what/?hpid=z4 Alaska legalized weed 39 years ago. Wait, what? By Christopher Ingraham September 24 at 1:20 PM Yes, you read that headline right. In 1975, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled in Ravin v. State that the right to possess, cultivate and consume small amounts of marijuana in the home was protected under the state Constitution's right to privacy. As you might imagine, that ruling has faced some opposition over the years, and has been placed into legal limbo from time to time due to various ballot and legislative challenges. But Alaska courts have repeatedly and consistently upheld the notion that Constitutional privacy protections cover the personal possession, cultivation and use of marijuana in Alaska. "Alaskans can currently lawfully possess up to four ounces of marijuana in their homes for personal use [and cultivate up to 25 plants], but still risk prosecution under existing state and federal statutes," concludes University of Alaska law professor Jason Brandeis in an exhaustive history of Alaska marijuana law (which makes for a pretty interesting read if you're into such things). You could still technically be charged with marijuana possession if caught with less than four ounces in your home, but a court would essentially have to throw the charge out. This puts Alaska in a unique position: in some respects its marijuana laws are more liberal than those in the Netherlands, which outlaw personal cultivation completely. While all eyes are on Colorado and Washington to see how those experiments with legal marijuana turn out, Alaska, with 39 years of (admittedly complicated) legalization history is largely overlooked: you'd think that forces on both sides of the national marijuana debate would be looking to Alaska for answers and arguments. Why aren't they? Part of it is that Alaska is just weird. Extrapolating lessons from one state to the rest of the country is a fraught exercise in the best circumstances, and all the more so when the state in question is geographically remote and sparsely populated. In addition, the history of marijuana law in Alaska is incredibly complicated. Many Alaskans aren't even sure of where the law stands. "It all has been very confusing for people," says Kevin Sabet, co-founder of the anti-legalization group Project SAM. Supporters of Alaska's ballot initiative to fully legalize marijuana agree: the laws "have become needlessly confusing and inconsistently enforced," according to a statement by the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Alaska. But this confusion aside, it is worth noting that marijuana use rates in Alaska are consistently higher than they are elsewhere in the U.S, according to data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Interestingly, the difference between Alaska and the rest of the U.S. is sharpest among adults: Alaska teens and young adults have about a 30 percent higher marijuana use rate than their counterparts in the rest of the country. But older Alaska adults, age 26+, are a little more than twice as likely to regularly consume marijuana. On the other hand, overall drug dependence in actually slightly lower in Alaska than elsewhere, particularly among adults. Unfortunately, the NSDUH state-level data doesn't break out marijuana dependence separately. But one explanation for the lower dependency rate would be that Alaskans are substituting marijuana for more habit-forming drugs, like heroin or methamphetamines. It's impossible to attribute these numbers to Alaska's legal framework - after all, we don't know what marijuana use in Alaska would look like if Ravin had never existed. And there are several other states with overall marijuana use rates similar to Alaska's. Moreover, a number of studies have found little or no link between liberalized marijuana laws and increased rates of use. Even more important than use rates, though, are social outcomes - education, public health, safety, etc. And on a barrage of measures, Alaska looks more or less like the rest of the U.S. It's ranked 26th among states on overall bachelor's degree attainment, according to the 2013 American Community Survey. It has a lower rate of disability than the U.S. average. Alaska's highway fatality rate is lower than the U.S. average too. Economically speaking, Alaska's poverty and SNAP uptake rates are considerably lower than the national average, while per-capita GDP and household income are among the highest in the nation - thanks, in no small part, to the state's oil and gas industry. In short, Alaskans use marijuana twice as much as Americans elsewhere, but so far the sky hasn't fallen. None of this is to suggest that the legal status of weed in the state is responsible - or not - for any of these outcomes. But opponents of legalization often discuss the issue in Manichean terms, as if the slightest departure from full prohibition would lead inevitably to a stoner dystopia, with a nation of drug-addled high school dropouts dwelling in basements where the air hangs thick with the stench of patchouli, stale bongwater, and regret. Alaska's complicated history with marijuana legalization suggests that's far from the truth. Christopher Ingraham is a data journalist focusing primarily on issues of politics, policy and economics. He previously worked at the Brookings Institution and the Pew Research Center.
Sadly this effort to legalize marijuana by MPP or the Marijuana Policy Project and Andrew Myers isn't for the right reasons. You know because the laws making drugs illegal are all unconstitutional at the Federal level. Or that the laws against drugs have draconian prison sentences for a what is a victimless crime at most. Or that the laws against drugs are immoral. No, personally I think this is an effort to legalize marijuana and give the medical marijuana dispensaries a right to a government monopoly on growing and selling recreational marijuana. An effort to make the folks in MPP, the members of Andrew Myers's Arizona Dispensary Association into millionaires by allowing them to have a government monopoly on selling the rest of us recreational marijuana at $300+ an ounce. And if the law does go into effect it will continue to send people to prison for the crime growing or selling marijuana. A victimless crime that doesn't hurt anybody. Well other then the the members of Andrew Myers's Arizona Dispensary Association, who won't get their rip off $300+ an ounce profits from their government monopoly on marijuana sales. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/politics/2014/09/22/marijuana-advocates-kick-off-initiative/16060625/ Marijuana advocates kick off 2016 initiative Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, The Republic | azcentral.com 12:05 p.m. MST September 22, 2014 Supporters of an effort to legalize recreational marijuana in 2016 have filed paperwork with state elections officials, allowing them to raise money to campaign for the citizens initiative. The Marijuana Policy Project of Arizona initiative almost certainly will be modeled after the voter-approved marijuana program in Colorado. For about a year, Colorado has allowed adults 21 and older to use and possess up to an ounce of pot, which is purchased at one of the many marijuana shops that are allowed under the law. Andrew Myers, who is affiliated with the initiative, said Monday the group will bring together a "diverse coalition" to help draft the initiative's language, adding that marijuana advocates are closely watching Colorado's program to determine what should be replicated in Arizona — and what should be avoided. Voters passed Colorado's Amendment 64 in 22 with 55 percent of the vote, driven by a campaign that pitched marijuana as a less-harmful alternative to alcohol. The amendment attracted young and new voters while tapping into the electorate's libertarian streak. Representatives of the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project, which advocates for marijuana legalization and regulation, said it will pursue full legalization in Arizona in 2016 because of marijuana-legalization efforts are more successful during presidential elections, which draw more voters to the polls. Marijuana is legal for about 50,000 Arizonans, but only for medicinal purposes. Patients must get recommendations from a physician and obtain a card from state health officials under the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act approved by voters in 2010. Any effort towards full legalization in Arizona is expected to be met with stiff opposition from law enforcement officials, and possibly medical-marijuana dispensary owners who have spent the past few years building their businesses around the medicinal model
Don't you love it when do gooders like the Roosevelts get into power and decide to spend YOUR money to make the world a better place according to THEIR views. I suspect that's why how the Prohibition and the Drug War got passed into law was because of do gooders like the Roosevelts who think they know how to run our lives better then we do. Of course using OUR money, not THEIR money. http://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/letters/2014/09/24/roosevelts-and-the-bottomless-cookie-jar/16138923/ Roosevelts and the bottomless cookie jar Rod Hartman 9:40 p.m. MST September 23, 2014 KAET recently ran a seven-part series by Ken Burns on the Roosevelts. It was quite well done and proved once again that Burns is a virtuoso on playing the heartstrings. But in trying to portray Teddy, Franklin and Eleanor as angelic benefactors, striving to provide food, shelter and relief for the common man, Burns failed to make one important point: They were committed to doing it with rich people's money (except their own). The fact of the matter is the Roosevelts never worked. They never worried about the rent, groceries, new shoes, making a payroll, turning a profit or any of the other concerns that the producers of this county have on their minds every minute of every day. As far as FDR was concerned, money just seemed to appear out of thin air or a bottomless cookie jar. That's how these privileged people came to be so easy with public money — it didn't pinch them! Burns attributed the political philosophy of every Democratic president to come to be the spawn of FDR. Well, he's right. The country is more than $17 trillion in debt, and it's a rare Democratic politician who gives a whit! —Rod Hartman, Phoenix
This sounds like a "letter to the editor" written by a big wig in the teachers union. The author, Katie Paetz seems to think it's a bad policy to expect to hold teachers accountable for educating the children. Here is here quote: "The practice of accountability at any cost has caused our schools immeasurable harm" How dare we let the the people who pay the salaries of teachers make up a bunch of standards that define what the teachers should be accountable for. I wonder if Katie Paetz also thinks that teachers should be also allowed to set their own salaries. I suspect the people that set the teachers salaries are just too dumb to know that teachers deserve to make $200,000+ a year according to her views. http://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/letters/2014/09/24/unyielding-policies-are-driving-good-teachers-out-of-classroom/16187907/ Unyielding policies are driving good teachers out of classroom Katie Paetz 7:06 p.m. MST September 24, 2014 Arizona teachers are leaving the profession in large numbers. The practice of accountability at any cost has caused our schools immeasurable harm by driving away highly educated, passionate individuals who are exhausted from implementing policies written by people who lack the knowledge and expertise to understand what it means to educate. Our school districts' working conditions vary as greatly as the people within them. I have worked in a variety of public-school settings. Whether my colleagues and I show up to work tired from second and third jobs or to school buildings that are falling apart, we continue to educate. We stay because we make a difference to our students. When the system that is there to support us fails to give us choices on education decisions or allow us to create assessments that measure those experiences, eventually that failure weighs too heavily and becomes unhealthy. An education system that does not honor the educator as one of the most powerful supports in a child's life fails to realize the value of local leaders. Learning is more than scoring well. Learning is the "a-ha" moment and the experience built around that. Those who have the courage to teach commit to a dialogue with the learner built on trust, support and accountability. Why doesn't our state of education? —Katie Paetz, Phoenix
http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/mesa/2014/09/24/attorneys-mesa-police-hindered-hotel-rape-case/16189137/ Attorneys: Mesa police hindered hotel rape case Megan Cassidy, The Republic | azcentral.com 7:43 a.m. MST September 25, 2014 Attorneys for a woman who said she was raped in a Mesa hotel by the night manager say police hindered the investigation, ignoring what could have been key evidence as well as discouraging the victim's participation. The callous nature of the police investigation was evidenced in a video, recently released to 12 News, when a female detective attempted to sway the accuser away from pressing charges, according to Mesa attorney Brigham Cluff. Mesa police declined to talk specifically about the case, but said detectives have a responsibility to prepare victims for the realities of a courtroom and defense attorneys. Illinois resident Mickey Haas was one of two women who reported that a hotel employee had used his master key to enter the women's bedrooms and sexually assault them. The incidents took place in 2011 and in 2012, and at separate hotel chains with Mesa franchisees, but the suspect was determined to be the same man. Cluff and co-counsel Adam Barlow said the suspect was hired by both the Best Western and Marriott Fairfield without a thorough background check, which would have easily informed the businesses that the man was a registered sex offender. The criminal cases are currently being reviewed by the Maricopa County Attorney's Office and attorneys have filed civil suits against the hotels' parent companies. But Cluff said Mesa police stymied their own investigation by failing to gather surveillance videos from the Best Western from the night in question, and points to portions of the released interview as evidence of the investigating officer's indifference. "Once you have the video to provide some context for the other things that happened, the full picture is very troubling," he said. At one point, the detective talks to Haas about her willingness to participate in the case. "Do you want to prosecute for this? Do you want to be a victim? Do you know what that means?" the officer said. "I am a victim," Haas replied. "What that means is that you're willing to testify in court that this happened to you," the officer said. "If you don't want to be a victim and you don't want to prosecute, I need to know about that right now. Because I won't handle the case in the same way." Haas said she felt the suspect needed to be held responsible for what he did. Police officials referenced the initial police report dated Sept. 8 2011, which said Haas contacted Mesa Police almost 24 hours after the alleged attack. During the interview, Haas declined the officer's invitation to submit to a medical exam, the report states. Mesa Police Detective Steve Berry says in cases involving sexual penetration, a medical exam might have helped investigators collect DNA evidence even if the alleged victim took a shower. When speaking in general about rape cases, Mesa Detective Esteban Flores said it's not uncommon for a detective to explain in detail what it means to be a victim. "As detectives, you have to play devil's advocate sometimes because you're thinking forward, thinking into the future when the case is in court," he told 12 News. "You have to think about what questions will be asked on the stand. And sometimes it's uncomfortable."
Air war in Syria could last years If you are a member of the military industrial complex, that's great news!!!! You wallet will be fat from the money made by the American government murdering innocent people in the Middle East. On the other hand if you think murder for profit is wrong, that's bad news. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/09/23/airstrikes-syria-iraq/16121861/ Air war in Syria could last years Tom Vanden Brook and Jim Michaels, USA TODAY 8:28 a.m. EDT September 24, 2014 WASHINGTON — The U.S.-led airstrikes mounted early this week in Syria are the opening salvo of what is likely to be a years-long campaign to rout al-Qaeda-linked terrorists and Islamic State fighters from the war-torn country, according to military leaders. Bombing runs in Syria will continue into the foreseeable future, Defense Department officials said. On Wednesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a group that monitors the war in Syria, said further airstrikes were carried out near the Turkish border. There has been no independent or U.S. military confirmation of that claim. U.S. intelligence officials say the airstrikes in Syria are just beginning and that it could take years before Islamic State fighters are defeated. VPC The strategy announced by President Obama involves airstrikes and training, advising and equipping local forces to battle the militants. That won't happen quickly, said Army Lt. Gen. William Mayville, director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "I would think of it in terms of years," Mayville said. Obama cautioned leaders from Arab nations meeting in New York on Tuesday, "This is not going to be something that is quick, and it is not something that is going to be easy." The attacks focused on two targets: •The Khorasan terrorist group, an al-Qaeda affiliate that Pentagon and White House officials said had planned imminent attacks focused on U.S. or European targets. AP Islamic State Military Airstrikes In this image provided by the U.S. Navy a EA-6B Prowler lands aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush after conducting strike missions Tuesday, against Islamic State group targets in Syria.(Photo: AP/MC3 Brian Stephens, U.S. Navy) •The Islamic State militants who control large parts of Syria and Iraq, intending to extend their brutal rule over a vast region. Fighters from the Islamic State — also known as ISIS or ISIL — have beheaded several hostages, including two American journalists. Khorasan terrorists "have established a safe haven in Syria to plan external attacks, construct and test improvised explosive devices and recruit Westerners to conduct operations," said Rear Adm. John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman. "The United States took action to protect our interests and to remove their capability to act." The attacks appear to have killed "lots of bad guys," said one Pentagon official who was not authorized to publicly discuss the details of the operation. This group includes terrorists with expertise in making easily concealable bombs that could be smuggled aboard U.S. planes, the source said. The majority of the 47 Tomahawk cruise missiles fired at Syria were aimed at "Khorasan group compounds, their manufacturing workshops and training camps," Mayville said. The second and third waves of attacks late Monday and early Tuesday, launched by U.S. and Arab warplanes, struck Islamic State headquarters buildings and barracks among other targets, Mayville said. The bulk of the attacks were conducted by U.S. aircraft using precision munitions. The initial attacks on militant targets in Syria, Mayville said, were intended to relieve pressure on Iraqi security forces. The Islamic State is headquartered in Syria and trains and resupplies its forces from bases there for their campaign in Iraq. "What we have been doing over these last couple weeks and what last night's campaign was about was just simply buying (the Iraqis) some space so that they can get on the offensive," Mayville said. Islamic State forces have shown signs of adapting to avoid airstrikes, so the coalition may have to adjust its attacks, Mayville said, but he made clear that U.S. warplanes don't need troops on the ground to direct strikes. "We've been able to provide air support without putting forces forward, and I think we will continue to look at how we can do that as we move forward," Mayville said.
How Iran sanctions nearly sank Phoenix woman's condo deal F*ck that sh*t about being innocent until proven guilty!!! Well at least that's how our government masters feel!!!! http://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/consumer/call-12-for-action/2014/09/24/iran-sanctions-nearly-sank-phoenix-womans-condo-deal/16138773/ How Iran sanctions nearly sank Phoenix woman's condo deal Robert Anglen, The Republic | azcentral.com 8:12 a.m. MST September 24, 2014 A Phoenix woman's home purchase nearly was derailed after Wells Fargo froze her checking account and stopped her down payment from being delivered to an escrow account. The reason for Wells Fargo's actions last month? U.S. trade sanctions with Iran. Neda Tavassoli, born and raised in the United States, is among dozens of Iranian-Americans whose finances have been frozen and whose accounts recently have been closed without warning or explanation by U.S. banks in response to federal rules prohibiting financial transactions with Iran. "It has created a pervasive sense of discrimination. ... We've seen countless cases where accounts are closed or restricted without advance warning," said Tyler Cullis, a legal fellow and policy associate for the National Iranian-American Council. "The Treasury Department is asking banks to police regulations themselves." Regulations are confusing and contradictory, he said. Tavassoli's trouble began in June, when her ex-husband, who is also a U.S. citizen, checked the balance of a joint Wells Fargo checking account from Iran, where he had traveled to help care for his ailing father. That triggered a series of actions by Wells Fargo, which first froze the checking account and then last month seized several thousand dollars that Tavassoli's parents had wired to an escrow account for her down payment. Neither the escrow account nor the money from Tavassoli's parents had any connection to the frozen joint checking account. Wells Fargo officials would not discuss the specifics of Tavassoli's case with a Call 12 for Action reporter. In e-mailed statements, Wells Fargo spokeswoman Lori Brown said the bank is required to follow regulations that restrict it from providing services within sanctioned countries. "While our risk assessment process, results and reporting are confidential, we can assure you that neither ethnicity nor any other factors that could be considered discriminatory are included as part of that process," Brown wrote. On Monday, after multiple inquiries from Call 12 for Action, a Wells Fargo official contacted Tavassoli and told her they were investigating the seizure of the escrow account. "She said she was surprised. That's the word she used, and she said she would investigate," Tavasolli said of the bank's representative. "She said she had a lot of questions as to why (the frozen checking account) affected the escrow account. ... Nothing was resolved." Seized money Tavassoli, 37, an academic adviser at Arizona State University, said Wells Fargo seized the down payment without notice or explanation. She said she was preparing to sign closing documents when the title agent told her the wire from her parents had not been received and could not be located. "I freaked out," Tavassoli said. "The mortgage company didn't have it, the title company didn't have it, the bank couldn't tell us anything." The down payment had been wired from her parent's account at Bank of America to the escrow account, which the title company had set up at Wells Fargo. Tavassoli said even after Wells Fargo seized the money, officials didn't tell her what had happened. The money just seemed to vanish, she said. It wasn't until her parents, who also are U.S. citizens, contacted Bank of America, that they discovered the money had been seized. The condominium was the first home Tavassoli would purchase by herself, in her own name, after her divorce. But excitement turned to dismay when the down payment wasn't delivered and the closing had to be rescheduled. Tavassoli said she spent a sleepless night. The next morning, she went to her Wells Fargo bank branch near East Cactus Road and North Tatum Boulevard. Answers weren't forthcoming. Branch officials told her she had to call the Wells Fargo executive in charge of frozen accounts in Washington, D.C. She said the executive told her the down payment had been put on hold because of the frozen checking account, although he did not explain why. "I cry when I get upset," she said. "But I didn't cry. I just yelled. I never felt so vilified." Iranian heritage Tavassoli's parents are Iranian-born. She was born in New York and grew up in Scottsdale. She said she struggled as a child to explain her background and fit in with other children. Even as an adult, she has sought to help people understand her background. She even did an online presentation for an Ignite Phoenix event debunking myths about Iranians. Tavassoli has a master's degree in counseling from ASU and another in public relations from Boston University. She married Ali Jalili in 2006, and he became a U.S. citizen four years later. They opened a joint checking account in Phoenix, primarily to handle rental payments from properties Jalili owns in the Valley. Tavassoli said no overseas money was deposited into the account, and it was not used for international transactions. The only activity was from local deposits. Tavassoli did not close the account after she and Jalili divorced in 2012. When he flew to Iran this year to be with his father, Tavassoli didn't think twice about the account until Wells Fargo notified her that it had been frozen. "They told me it had been frozen due to sanctions," Tavassoli said. "I knew I had been 'flagged,' that's the term they used at the bank. It was because of activity from Iran, which is a sanctioned country." Tavassoli said the account may have her name on it, but wasn't hers. She decided to let Jalili deal with the bank whenever he returned to the states. But she said when Wells Fargo seized her down payment last month, bank officials told her she would need to close the checking account before they would release the funds to the escrow account. Tavassoli said she questioned Wells Fargo's authority to intercept the down payment. "The banker said, 'You don't understand how banking regulations work,'" she said. Financial sanctions U.S. banks are prohibited from providing any financial services or allowing transactions that occur in Iran. That includes account holders accessing their accounts from Iran. The U.S. has imposed economic sanctions against Iran and several other countries, including Cuba, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria, primarily for human-rights violations and military actions. The U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control enforces sanctions, which have increased significantly since the 1980s in response to Iran's nuclear-weapons program and its ongoing support for terrorist groups. But officials at the National Iranian-American Council say some banks have overreached based on misinterpretations of the regulations, resulting in unethical and, in some cases, illegal account closures. Cullis said Iranians and Iranian-Americans have walked into stores only to find their debit cards won't work or withdraw money from an ATM to discover their funds have been frozen. "We've had cases where people are in a grocery store paying with a debit card and the debit card is canceled," he said. He said Iranian students who have been granted visas by the U.S. government have received notices from banks that their accounts have been closed, leaving them without access to money for food, rent, clothes or bills. Banks under fire Banks across the U.S. and Canada have taken action against Iranian account holders, sparking claims of discrimination. In 2012, Minnesota-based TCF Bank sent letters to about two dozen Iranian students at the University of Minnesota saying their accounts had been closed or were marked for closing. After discussions with university officials, the bank asked the students for more information on their accounts and the source of their funds. Later, the bank backed off its plans. The Bank of Hawaii in February froze the accounts of 17 Iranian nationals living in the U.S., citing compliance with federal sanctions against Iran. The bank acknowledged in a letter that account holders had valid U.S. addresses, but said it could not stop them from traveling to Iran and accessing their accounts. A month later, under pressure from National Iranian-American Council, the Bank of Hawaii reopened the accounts. Cullis said the closures were illegal and affected innocent people based on ethnicity and nationality. He said the council worked with the bank and the State Department to come up with a clear interpretation of the regulation to avoid future issues. In May, Bank of America initiated a similar closure of accounts based on concerns that it could not verify the U.S. addresses of its Iranian account holders. "We are deeply concerned Bank of America is discriminating against Iranians and Iranian-Americans due to a misinterpretation of U.S. sanctions on Iran," the Iranian-American council wrote in a letter to Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan. Cullis said Bank of America is now sending letters to Iranian account holders requesting proof of residency before initiating closures. "To be honest, OFAC needs to provide better guidance," he said. Tavassoli said she doesn't believe Wells Fargo was properly following regulations when it seized her down payment. "When I tell this story, people tell me, 'You were totally profiled.' I would hope they (Wells Fargo) would do a little more investigation before they put me on some kind of watch list," Tvassoli said. "What other obstacles am I going to face? If I open another account or try to buy a house, will this happen again?" Once Tavassoli closed the frozen checking account, Wells Fargo released the funds to the escrow account. She was able to close on her new condominium later that day. On 12 News See Joe Dana's interview with Neda Tavassoli at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24. ON THE BEAT Robert Anglen investigates consumer issues for the The Republic and 12 News as part of the Call 12 for Action team. How to reach him robert.anglen@arizonarepublic.com Phone: 602-444-8694 Twitter: @robertanglen
Did you ever read an article where the cops said an arrest was illegal and unconstitutional??? Very rarely, and usually it's only when the cop involved pissed off his bosses and they want to fire him. Hell, the LAPD said the beating of Rodney King was justified. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/tempe/2014/09/23/12news-tempe-police-conclude-arrest-was-justified/16109617/ Tempe police conclude arrest was justified Joe Dana, 12 News | azcentral.com 1:13 p.m. MST September 23, 2014 Witnesses to a Tempe arrest raised concerns about excessive force in a July arrest; an internal investigation has concluded the action taken by the officer was justified A Tempe police internal investigation concluded that the July 18 arrest of a man accused of being intoxicated did not involve excessive use of force. 12 News first reported the incident on Aug. 6. Two citizens said they had contacted Tempe police to complain about the way the arresting officer took Gregory Sawnick, 46, into custody. Surveillance video collected during the internal investigation and released to 12 News on Monday by Tempe police appears to show Officer Ratko Aleksis slamming Sawnick to the ground face-first. The video is grainy and shot from a restaurant across the street. According to the internal investigation, the officer "grabs on to Mr. Sawnick with the hand behind his back. Mr. Sawnick moves away from Officer Aleksis in a side movement to the east. At one point, there is a quick movement by Mr. Sawnick which gives the appearance as though he pulled his upper body away...." The investigation concludes that the officer pulled Sawnick to the ground in reaction to Sawnick's movements. "This individual, Mr. Sawnick, was already being aggressive," said Lt. Mike Pooley of the Tempe Police Department. "He had made multiple attempts to fight people ... and when our officer attempted to approach him, Mr. Sawnick pulled away. The officer pulled him to the ground. Unfortunately, he hit his head. That's not something that we want to do, but in an instance like this, it's completely understandable and it's justified." At the time 12 News first aired the story, Pooley said the department had no evidence that any citizens had complained about the incident, and therefore did not plan to conduct an internal investigation. However, police said this week that there was a communication gap within the department and that actually a sergeant was conducting a "cursory" review of the incident. Tempe police say three citizens who contacted the department with complaints were directed to Patrol Sgt. R. Mitchell's phone line. Mitchell left messages with one citizen who never called back, according to the records. Mitchell also spoke by phone with complainants Kay Tilzer and Austin Havens and recorded the conversations. Havens appeared satisfied with further explanation provided by Mitchell, records state. Tilzer requested more time to think about the "totality of the circumstances" before requesting an official investigation, according to the records. "To say we weren't looking into this would be inaccurate," said Tempe Capt. Mike Horn. "We were. I know what happened early on is there was a breakdown in communication from the sergeant in this particular case to his supervisor." Horne also said the sergeant involved did not fill out a "use of force" form as required by the department when a suspect is injured. Sawnick remained lying on the ground after he was taken down. He was transported to the hospital and received two stitches above his eye. According to Tempe police policy, a use of force form must be completed and submitted to the employee's chain of command. The documents are used by the personnel bureau commander to identify trends or patterns. According to the initial police report, Sawnick was accosting people on the street and acting aggressively toward private security guards earlier in the evening. The guard called Tempe Police for assistance to deal with Sawnick.
Report calls proposed I-11 project 'boondoggle' On a side note is the American system of Federal Interstate Freeways "constitutional"??? Probably not!!! When Congress passed the laws to build them they passed them as a freeway system to be used by the military, not a freeway system for use by the public!!! They knew it would be unconstitutional so they used the military line as a way to justify it. When's the last time you saw a column of tanks cruising down the Black Canyon Freeway I-17??? http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2014/09/24/report-calls-proposed-project-boondoggle/16139199/ Report calls proposed I-11 project 'boondoggle' Michelle Ye Hee Lee, The Republic | azcentral.com 10:33 a.m. MST September 24, 2014 The proposed Interstate 11 corridor that would expand and improve the existing route between Phoenix and Las Vegas is a transportation "boondoggle" that was based on obsolete data and exemplifies wasteful highway spending, a national advocacy group says. In a report released Tuesday, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund highlighted 11 proposed transportation projects in various states that it found questionable, given what researchers declared was an end to the decades-long "Driving Boom." Americans are not driving any more than they did nearly a decade ago, yet millions to billions of dollars are proposed for new and expanded highway construction, the report says. Meanwhile, state and federal transportation funds are dwindling, and alternatives to driving are becoming more popular, especially among Millennials — those born between the late 1970s and the mid- to late-1990s. The report comes on the heels of the Arizona PIRG Education Fund's recent findings that Arizonans are driving less and relying more on alternative transportation methods. The Arizona PIRG Education Fund contributed to the research for Tuesday's report, along with other state-level PIRGs. "It's important to note that the projects identified in the Highway Boondoggles report aren't necessarily worst of the worst," said Diane Brown, executive director of the Arizona PIRG Education Fund. "They are a sample of projects, some that had been proposed for decades, that have been moving forward more recently to show ... some of the different types of spending that we believe is wasteful of taxpayer dollars." State transportation departments in Arizona and Nevada are wrapping up a two-year feasibility study into linking Phoenix and Las Vegas and beyond via a new interstate. Public comment on the study ends Friday, and findings are expected in July. The I-11 project has been gaining momentum recently, especially among economic-development advocates and transportation planners. The Arizona and Nevada departments of transportation have spent a combined $2.5 million to study the I-11 concept. A two-year study showing significant potential returns on investment for the I-11 project and the Intermountain West Corridor from the Mexican border through northern Nevada was released this month. There is no funding for a detailed study or construction. But PIRG researchers tabbed the I-11 project at $2.5 billion in capital, operations and maintenance over 20 years, using the figure from a March report prepared for the ADOT Multimodal Planning Division by Parsons Brinckerhoff, a planning and engineering-consulting firm. Phoenix and Las Vegas are linked by U.S. 93, and traffic counts along the corridor between the two cities have not surpassed state transportation forecasts, the report said. But ADOT and Nevada Department of Transportation said the project is crucial for future mobility and economic development between two major western metropolitan cities. The project proposes changes beyond expanding the existing road, extending into investments in other transportation needs in between the cities, including highways, rail, freight and energy infrastructure, ADOT Multimodal Planning Division Director Scott Omer said. Omer agreed with PIRG researchers that state and federal transportation funding has decreased, and said Arizona has significant transportation needs that are addressed in longterm statewide transportation plans. "We put in the time and effort and we brought in the right people to look at this, not just as a transportation corridor, but a corridor that can not only move people but also help move economies forward," Omer said. NDOT spokeswoman Meg Ragonese said the proposed I-11 and the Intermountain West corridors have the potential to become a major multimodal corridor that connects cities, trade hubs, ports, intersecting highways and railroads. "The report claims that the driving boom is over, but it has to be remembered that many areas of the west continue to see development, as well as population and traffic increases," Ragonese said. "It is vital to not just provide responsible transportation improvements for current needs, but to proactively envision and plan for the transportation needs and possibilities of the future."
Changing Hands, others sue over Arizona 'revenge porn' law F*ck the 1st Amendment - That's how the Arizona rulers who passed this law seem to feel. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/politics/2014/09/23/changing-hands-sue-arizona-revenge-porn-law/16124839/ Changing Hands, others sue over Arizona 'revenge porn' law Alia Beard Rau, The Republic | azcentral.com 9:01 p.m. MST September 23, 2014 A group of local bookstore owners, librarians, publishers and photographers has filed a federal lawsuit challenging Arizona's new "revenge porn" law, saying it goes far beyond protecting people from vindictive former significant others. The plaintiffs, including the owners of Changing Hands and Bookmans bookstores, say the law has a chilling effect on First Amendment-protected speech and could land them in prison for merely displaying, publishing or selling some nude images. "There are books on my shelves right now that might be illegal to sell under this law," Changing Hands Bookstore owner Gayle Shanks said in a statement. "How am I supposed to know whether the subjects of these photos gave their permission?" House Bill 2515, which passed the Legislature unanimously and went into effect in July, makes it a felony to intentionally disclose, display, distribute, publish, advertise or give a photo or digital recording of another person in a state of nudity or engaged in sexual activities if the person knows or should have known that the person depicted did not give consent. The law states that it does not apply to "images involving voluntary exposure in a public or commercial setting." But even with the exceptions, American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona Legal Director Dan Pochoda said the law could be used to criminally charge a bookseller who sells a book with a nude photo on the cover without realizing that the subject didn't give consent. He said it could be used to criminalize news or historical photos like the iconic Vietnam War photo of a young girl running naked from napalm bombs. "If I took a picture of a 3-year-old grandchild without clothes on and passed it on even to another relative without the child's consent, that's covered," he said. He said Arizona's law, unlike similar laws in about a dozen other states, includes no requirement of malicious intent. "So, there's no exception for things like artistic or even public interest, like a photo in a newspaper," he said. "We call it the anti-nudity bill." Pochoda admitted it's not likely that prosecutors are eager to start charging booksellers or artists with a felony punishable by up to four years in prison. "But in our neck of the woods, there are certainly some with a puritanical streak," he said. "And whether it's a one in a million chance or a 10 percent chance, you don't want to take that risk." Rep. J.D. Mesnard, R-Chandler, the bill's sponsor, said the law does what it is intended to do and would not apply in many of the situations the ACLU alleges. "The intent is to go after harmful behavior when someone comes into possession of a photo, usually of a loved one, and decides they are going to post it online either to embarrass them or to get some other sort of gratification from doing so," Mesnard said. "It's often used against women and in violation of their privacy." He said it would not apply to something like a news photograph taken in a public place. Among the plaintiffs are the National Press Photographers Association, the Association of American Publishers and Phoenix New Times publisher Voice Media Group. "They are raising some pretty hypothetical situations, and even those hypothetical situations don't seem to apply," he said. Mesnard said he may be willing to tweak the law's wording to include an exception for public interest. But, he said, there is no existing definition in state law of public interest, so that would "turn a black-and-white law gray." He said he would not support adding a clause requiring malicious intent to prosecute. "When you get into a situation where the exact same action is OK in one circumstance but not OK in another circumstance, that's called viewpoint discrimination," he said. "The law should be focused on an action. It really shouldn't matter whether someone thought it would be funny." Mesnard said such a clause would make it too easy for someone to avoid prosecution by simply saying they meant no harm. "This was what we thought was the best public policy to protect the state," he said of the law as it is written. "I stand by it."
FBI forces police departments across the US to keep quiet about cellphone spying gear When it comes to government transparency and openness Obama is a big time liar!!! http://endthelie.com/2014/09/23/fbi-forces-police-departments-across-the-us-to-keep-quiet-about-cellphone-spying-gear/ FBI forces police departments across the US to keep quiet about cellphone spying gear Not only are local police departments across the United States increasingly relying on so-called StingRay devices to conduct surveillance on cell phone users, but cops are being forced to keep quiet about the operations, new documents reveal. Recent reports have indicated that law enforcement agencies from coast to coast have been turning to IMSI-catcher devices, like the StingRay sold by Florida’s Harris Corporation, to trick ordinary mobile phones into communicating device-specific International Mobile Subscriber Identity information to phony cell towers — a tactic that takes the approximate geolocation data of all the devices within range and records it for investigators. Recently, the Tallahassee Police Department in the state of Florida was found to have used their own “cell site simulator” at least 200 times to collect phone data without once asking for a warrant during a three-year span, and details about the use of StingRays by other law enforcement groups continue to emerge on the regular. But while the merits of whether or not law enforcement officers should legally be able to collect sensitive cell information by masquerading as telecommunication towers remains ripe for debate — and continues for certain to be an issue of contention among civil liberties advocates — newly released documents raise even further questions about how cops use StingRays and other IMSI-catchers to gather great chunks of data concerning the whereabouts of not just criminal suspects, but seemingly anyone in a given vicinity that happens to have a phone in their hand or pocket. Relentless pleas for details about use of IMSI-catchers by the Tacoma Police Department in Washington state paid off recently when the investigative news site Muckrock obtained a six-page document after following up for several months on a Freedom of Information Act request placed with the TPD. According to the document, police in Tacoma were forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation before they could begin conducting surveillance on cell users with a Harris-sold StingRay. Although the majority of the December 2012 document is redacted, a paragraph from FBI special agent Laura Laughlin to Police of Chief Donald Ramsdell reveals that Tacoma officers were told they couldn’t discuss their use of IMSI-catchers with anyone. “We have been advised by Harris Corporation of the Tacoma Police Department’s request for acquisition of certain wireless collection equipment/technology manufactured by Harris Corporation,” the FBI letter reads in part. “Consistent with the conditions on the equipment authorization granted to Harris Corporation by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), state and local law enforcement agencies must coordinate with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to complete this non-disclosure agreement prior to the acquisition and use of the equipment/technology authorized by the FCC authorization.” Muckrock first obtained documents in August referring to the NDA between the Tacoma PD and the US Department of Justice, but Shawn Musgrave wrote for the site this week that the agreement itself — albeit a highly redacted one — were only provided last Friday. “The Tacoma document provides key insight into the close cooperation among the FBI, Harris Corporation and the Federal Communications Commission to bar StingRay details from public release,” Musgrave wrote. “The fact that the FBI received notification from Harris that TPD was interested in a StingRay reveals a surprising level of coordination between a private corporation and a federal law enforcement agency,” Musgrave continued. “The agreement also makes clear that completing the NDA is compulsory by order of the FCC.” Alan Butler, an appellate advocacy counsel for the Washington, DC-based Electronic Privacy Information Center, or EPIC, was quick to comment to Muckrock about the information revealed by the FOIA request. “What is so fascinating about the beginning paragraph of the NDA you received,” Butler said, “is that it makes clear that Harris, the FCC and the FBI are working together to facilitate the proliferation of these devices among state and local law enforcement agencies.” “It’s not clear to me why the FCC would have an interest in requiring law enforcement agencies to sign NDA’s with the FBI, unless they were concerned that the spread of this technology could harm users of American communications networks,” added Butler, whose group has previously filed multiple FOIA requests and legal complaints on its own with the FBI over the use of IMSI-catchers. And Matt Cagle, an attorney who specialized in surveillance an serves as a police fellow for the American Civil Liberties Union’s Northern California office, tweeted that it’s “alarming” to see that the FCC — a public agency — “is conditioning certification of cell spy tech” without informing the public.
Sadly we don't have much of a choice when we vote. We can either vote for Democrat Crook A, or Republican Crook B. If you ask me we should have a "None of the Above" for every elected office. If "None of the Above" wins, the office should go unfilled for the term. http://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/letters/2014/09/21/letter-to-editor-joan-byard/16029453/ Political ads insulting, but they are effective The Republic | azcentral.com 8:08 p.m. MST September 21, 2014 Regarding "Candidate, what do you stand for? And don't insult my intelligence" (Opinions, Friday): I am in total agreement with the letter writer's assessments of campaign ads. I, too, feel insulted by these ads, but what you fail to realize, these ads are effective to the most common electorate, which are guided more by emotion than intellect or logic. How do you think Barack Obama got elected? — Joan Byard, Phoenix
Sheriff Joe - F*ck the 1st Amendment!!!! http://www.azcentral.com/story/ejmontini/2014/09/23/sheriff-joe-arpaio-jodi-arias-cameras-courtroom/16101107/ Operatic Arpaio denies Arias access to media EJ Montini EJ Montini, columnist | azcentral.com 10:01 a.m. MST September 23, 2014 If Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio were an opera impresario (And in a way he is, isn't he?) he would ruin the musical's finale by declaring the show to over before the fa... slender lady sings. Earlier this week, Judge Sherry Stephens denied the media's request to air portions of convicted murderer Jodi Arias' sentencing trial on evening news programs. I was one of those who urged Stephens to ban the cameras, believing it to be the best way to serve justice, but never in a million years believing she would agree with me. I mean, seriously, who in Arizona does? And for good reason. But the judge banned the cameras, which sent hacks like me dashing for the liquor cabinet in order to drown our sorrow. After all, the first Arias trial had provided months of gavel-to-gavel coverage, TV ratings that went through the roof, visits to online sites by the millions and the ripest low-hanging journalist fruit that a wayward news writer could ask for. But without cameras in the courtroom this time around those kind of numbers would be impossible to match. However, what about a camera or two in her jail cell? Arias is the most media-savvy murderer in recent U.S. history. Not even our most accomplished actresses could play her as well as she plays herself when camera's rolling. So, if the media can't have cameras in the courtroom we could always wait until after the day's court proceedings or during off days and visit her in jail. She loves those interviews. And my brothers and sisters in journalism love doing them. But ... Arpaio said no. The sheriff announced that he has ordered his media relations unit to turn down all media requests to talk to Arias. He sent out a press release saying, in part, that "from her closed custody cell, she (Arias) appears to be manipulating persons on the outside to help build her prestige by having them sell her artwork and personal items." The sheriff's announcement ends with this quote from Arpaio: "I know there is a good deal of interest in this inmate. She probably has been the highest profile inmate ever in this jail system. But she's had her 15 minutes of fame and any further attempts to convey her thoughts through interviews with the media will not be permitted while the penalty phase is ongoing." In an opera orchestrated by Arpaio, like this one, it's not over until the old, old baritone sings. And sings. And sings. And ...
More of the old "Do as I say, not as I do" from our religious leaders, government masters and police??? Of course if you ask me Naral Richardson should be thanked for helping Americans get the drugs, the government is trying to prevent them from receiving. Even if Naral Richardson is a hypocrite for arresting other people whom I suspect didn't bribe him. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/nation/2014/09/22/ex-tsa-screener-sentenced-for-lax-drug-smuggling/16077103/ Ex-TSA screener sentenced for LAX drug smuggling Associated Press 4:51 p.m. MST September 22, 2014 LOS ANGELES — A former security screener who helped smuggle drugs through Los Angeles International Airport has been sentenced to more than 6 ½ years in federal prison. Prosecutors say Naral Richardson was sentenced Monday for conspiracy. In his March guilty plea, Richardson acknowledged that he arranged for couriers to carry more than150 pounds of marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints in suitcases. Prosecutors say Richardson received as much as $1,000 for each trip. He was fired by the TSA three years ago and is the last of seven defendants to be sentenced. Three other former TSA screeners and three drug couriers previously received prison terms.
Police union to pay $50,000 for frivolous lawsuit filed??? I guess the cops could care less about this. After all they routinely make up bogus crimes and arrest people for those bogus crimes. Remember how Arizona cops were arresting medical marijuana patients for the bogus non-existant crime of possession of hashish??? Remember how Arizona cops were arresting medical marijuana patients for the bogus non-existant crime of DUI simply because they have a medical marijuana card??? http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2014/09/23/phoenix-law-enforcement-association-uniform-fees/16097473/ Phoenix Law Enforcement Association to pay city attorney fees after lawsuit Caitlin McGlade, The Republic | azcentral.com 9:02 a.m. MST September 23, 2014 The Phoenix Law Enforcement Association must pay the city almost $50,000 for attorney fees after losing a lawsuit over uniform changes The Phoenix Law Enforcement Association must pay the city nearly $50,000 for attorney fees after losing a lawsuit over controversial uniform changes, according to a court ruling. However, PLEA President Joe Clure said the police union will appeal that decision. The Maricopa County Superior Court dismissed the police union's class-action suit this summer because of a filing technicality, saying defendants did not comply with state notice-of-laim laws. Clure said he was unsure whether the union would appeal that ruling. The dispute stems from Police Chief Daniel V. Garcia's move to ban the black, cotton-blend polo-type shirts and cargo pants uniform popular among the rank-and-file for about 15 years. Garcia banned the uniforms because they offered a greater opportunity for criminals to impersonate officers, he said. All patrol officers now wear the dark blue button-down shirts and dress-style pants. But the union said in the lawsuit, filed last year, that the ban on those uniforms shrunk patrol officers' compensation package because they had spent money on the clothing over the years. The annual uniform allowance is part of an officer's wage-and-benefits package. The allowance helps officers buy clothing and equipment for the job, but they are not obligated to spend the money on uniforms.
Don't these pigs have any real criminals to hunt down???? So what if the woman was showing her boobs to people!!! It doesn't hurt anybody. And of course there wasn't a problem till the cops show up and arrested her for a victimless crime that didn't hurt anybody!!!! http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/mesa/2014/09/22/woman-arrested-for-indecent-exposure-at-mesa-gas-station-assaults-officers/16074221/ Mesa police: Woman exposes herself at gas station, assaults officers Jennifer Soules, The Republic | azcentral.com 4:17 p.m. MST September 22, 2014 Officers responding to an indecent-exposure call found a half dressed, belligerent woman hiding behind a bush at a Mesa gas station on Sunday afternoon, police documents show. According to police records, an employee at the Mesa Chevron station called police after observing a woman acting strangely and exposing her breasts and genitals to numerous customers on the property on Southern Avenue near Gilbert Road. Police said Casey Havens, 27, ran when officers arrived on scene. When an officer caught up with her and confronted her, Havens pushed him in the chest and grabbed his ballistic vest, police documents said. Havens was then handcuffed and escorted to a patrol car, where she complied with officers' orders to sit down but became increasingly agitated, police records said. By the time officers opened the car door to speak with Havens, she had slipped the handcuffs in front of her and was able to grab an officer's hand, records show. She tried to push past him in a struggle to get away, and it took three officers to restrain Havens, who was eventually secured and taken to the Mesa City Jail, police documents said. Havens displayed extreme mood swings during her arrest, alternating from yelling and kicking to apologetic and depressed, records said. Upon arrival at Mesa City Jail, Havens continued to act violently, kicking and damaging the door frame of the patrol car and scratching a detention officer. Havens was booked into jail on suspicion of two counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, criminal damage and indecent exposure.
I am sorry if I posted this article twice, but I either missed this line, or this line was added to the original article. "Any effort towards full legalization in Arizona is expected to be met with stiff opposition from ... medical-marijuana dispensary owners who have spent the past few years building their businesses around the medicinal model" That statement is almost certainly incorrect and false. In reality, the proposed imitative which MPP or Marijuana Policy Project will come up with is almost certainly a law which will grant the medical marijuana dispensaries run by Andrew Myers and the members of his Arizona Dispensary Association a government monopoly on growing and selling recreational marijuana in Arizona. The medical marijuana dispensaries, Andrew Myers and the Arizona Dispensary Association will almost certainly back the MPP initiative 100 percent because they want an exclusive government monopoly to sell us weed at rip off prices of $300+ an ounce. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/politics/2014/09/22/marijuana-advocates-kick-off-initiative/16060625/ Marijuana advocates kick off 2016 initiative Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, The Republic | azcentral.com 12:05 p.m. MST September 22, 2014 Supporters of an effort to legalize recreational marijuana in 2016 have filed paperwork with state elections officials, allowing them to raise money to campaign for the citizens initiative. The Marijuana Policy Project of Arizona initiative almost certainly will be modeled after the voter-approved marijuana program in Colorado. For about a year, Colorado has allowed adults 21 and older to use and possess up to an ounce of pot, which is purchased at one of the many marijuana shops that are allowed under the law. Andrew Myers, who is affiliated with the initiative, said Monday the group will bring together a "diverse coalition" to help draft the initiative's language, adding that marijuana advocates are closely watching Colorado's program to determine what should be replicated in Arizona — and what should be avoided. Voters passed Colorado's Amendment 64 in 22 with 55 percent of the vote, driven by a campaign that pitched marijuana as a less-harmful alternative to alcohol. The amendment attracted young and new voters while tapping into the electorate's libertarian streak. Representatives of the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project, which advocates for marijuana legalization and regulation, said it will pursue full legalization in Arizona in 2016 because of marijuana-legalization efforts are more successful during presidential elections, which draw more voters to the polls. Marijuana is legal for about 50,000 Arizonans, but only for medicinal purposes. Patients must get recommendations from a physician and obtain a card from state health officials under the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act approved by voters in 2010. Any effort towards full legalization in Arizona is expected to be met with stiff opposition from law enforcement officials, and possibly medical-marijuana dispensary owners who have spent the past few years building their businesses around the medicinal model.
U.S. begins airstrikes on Islamic State targets in Syria Sadly the American government is the worlds largest terrorist group, and Emperor Obama is the biggest, most evil terrorist in the world. Sadly that makes me ashamed to be an American!!!! http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/world/2014/09/22/us-airstrikes-islamic-state-syria/16081619/ U.S. begins airstrikes on Islamic State targets in Syria U.S. airstrikes begin targeting ISIS targets in Syria. Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY 6:46 a.m. MST September 23, 2014 WASHINGTON — The U.S. military, along with Arab allies, launched the first airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria late Monday, as the war ordered by President Obama against the militant organization took on an urgent new phase. The Pentagon acknowledged responsibility for the attack in a brief statement. "I can confirm that U.S. military and partner nation forces are undertaking military action against ISIL terrorists in Syria using a mix of fighter, bomber and Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles," said Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary. "Given that these operations are ongoing, we are not in a position to provide additional details at this time." The attack, carried out by warplanes dropping bombs and ships firing cruise missiles, hit about 20 Islamic State targets, including headquarters buildings for the militants who have based their movement in Syria, according to a senior Defense Department official who was not authorized to speak publicly about the attack. Aircraft from several Arab states took part in the attack. They were: Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, according to a senior Defense Department official who was not authorized to speak publicly about their participation. The strikes in Syria were not invited by the government of Bashar Assad who is waging a brutal civil war against opponents of his regime, including Islamic State militants. It's unclear how Assad will react to the U.S-led attacks. His military possesses sophisticated anti-aircraft missiles, although most of them are near the capital of Damascus and near the border with Israel. About two thirds of the estimated 30,000 Islamic State fighters are based in Syria. The remainder have captured large parts of northern Iraq, although their momentum has been blunted there by U.S. fighter, bomber and drone aircraft. Last week, French warplanes launched attacks on Islamic State targets in Iraq for the first time. For the last several weeks, U.S. spy planes have been flying over Syria collecting intelligence on potential Islamic State targets. There have been 190 U.S. airstrikes on Islamic State targets in Iraq since bombing there started in August, according to statistics from U.S. Central Command, which coordinates military activity in the region. The goal of Islamic State fighters is to dominate a vast stretch of territory from Iraq to the Mediterranean. Last month, they swept through northern Iraq, capturing Mosul, the country's second-largest city after Baghdad, and threatening the semi-autonomous Kurdish region. Kurdish forces and Iraqi commandos, backed by U.S. airpower, halted the advance of IS fighters and ejected them from control of two key dams near Mosul and Haditha. They also helped prevent the slaughter of religious refugees who Rolling back Islamic State gains and ultimately destroying the organization, Pentagon and White House officials say, will require competent, local military forces fighting on behalf of representative governments. The formation of a new government in Iraq, rejecting the sectarian rule of Nouri al Maliki, has been hailed by the administration as a step in that direction. U.S. airpower alone cannot eliminate the threat from Islamic State fighters, officials say. Also last week, Congress and the president agreed to fund a $500 million program designed to recruit, train and equip a force of moderate Syrians. They will be trained in Saudi Arabia to defend their communities against IS fighters and the Syrian regime.
EJ Montini doesn't seem to understand that this the initiative about legalizing marijuana by MPP isn't really about legalizing marijuana, but rather giving Andrew Myers and the members of his Arizona Dispensary Association a government monopoly on growing and selling marijuana in Arizona. Of course that's not EJ Montini's fault, Andrew Myers, the Arizona Dispensary Association, and the folks at MPP or Marijuana Policy Program don't want anybody to know their secret. http://www.azcentral.com/story/ejmontini/2014/09/22/marijuana-initiative-same-sex-marriage-arizona-initiative/16074013/ You'll soon be smoking weed at a same-sex wedding EJ Montini, columnist | azcentral.com 3:54 p.m. MST September 22, 2014 Maybe not you, specifically, but it will not be long before guests will be smoking marijuana at a same-sex wedding. In Arizona. And will all be legal. We'll get to argue about this for a little while longer, which is good for hacks like me. But don't fool yourself. These two issues have been decided. Your kids or grandkids have no problem with either one of these things. Within a generation the writers who take the places of people like me will be asking what took so long. With same sex marriage it became fairly clear that Arizona's ban is about to be declared unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge John W. Sedwick, who overseeing two cases filed by gay and lesbian couples, ruled that Arizona officials must treat one gay couple as having been married, even though one of the partners died this summer. With that ruling, the relationship between Fred McQuire and the late George Martinez, long recognized by everyone who knew them, was finally recognized by the state. It's a safe bet that the judge will toss the law at some point. And if he doesn't it's a safe bet that Arizona voters will do it for him sometime in the new future. Just as I'd expect Arizona voters to follow the lead of Colorado and legalize recreational marijuana in 2016. A group called the Marijuana Policy Project of Arizona has filed paperwork to begin the initiative process. Already tens of thousands of Arizonans have access to medical marijuana. The sky has not fallen. There will be campaigns to frighten people or proclaim some moral imperative, but it won't happen. It isn't so much that the arguments in favor of these things have gotten better. It's much more simple than that. We have evolved. Things like same sex marriage and legalized marijuana are not part of some immoral wildfire sweeping over civilization. Relax. The world is a better place when everyone has the same rights and no one is punished for an activity that does no harm to others. In the end, we'll all calm down and be able to say, "Where's there's smoke there's ... a wedding."
Report Found Distorted Data on Jail Fights at Rikers Island You expect cops to be honest!!! Don't make me laugh!!!!!! http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/22/nyregion/report-twisted-data-on-fights-in-a-rikers-jail.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=HpSumSmallMedia&module=second-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0 Report Found Distorted Data on Jail Fights at Rikers Island By MICHAEL WINERIP, MICHAEL SCHWIRTZ and BENJAMIN WEISERSEPT. 21, 2014 After years of teenage inmates being slashed, stabbed and maimed, it appeared that the jail for adolescents at Rikers Island had finally been brought under control. In April 2011, a new warden and deputy warden were named, and almost immediately, official tallies of inmate fights fell by two-thirds. The correction commissioner at the time hailed the accomplishment at a City Council hearing and gave the men an award for their “exceptional efforts.” Within a month, both officials were promoted. Then came the tip to Correction Department investigators: Violence wasn’t down. The data was wrong. A dozen investigators eventually produced a confidential report, obtained by The New York Times, which concluded that hundreds of inmate fights had been omitted from departmental statistics; that the warden, William Clemons, and the deputy warden, Turhan Gumusdere, had “abdicated all responsibility” in reporting the statistics and that both should be demoted. The series of events that followed, which extended into Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration and was pieced together by The Times through interviews and a review of internal agency documents, underscores the pervasive dysfunction of the city’s Correction Department. Continue reading the main story The preponderance of the evidence collected in the course of the audit-investigation does not support a conclusion that facility staff manipulated statistics to underreport inmate fights and as such no one individual was found responsible for deliberately and knowingly misrepresenting or ordering the misrepresentation of facility statistics. However, no legitimate explanation exists for the dramatic and inaccurate decreases in the number of inmate fights the facility reported from May to October 2011, a period that directly corresponds to the time when William Clemons and Turhan Gumusdere served as RNDC’s warden and deputy warden for security, respectively. The audit-investigation did find, based in part on their own admissions, that former Warden Clemons and Deputy Warden for Security Gumusdere abdicated responsibility for the facility’s reporting of inmate fights and failed to supervise, manage, or oversee the facility’s reporting of violence statistics, statistics that RNDC was obligated to report pursuant to department policy. An example of edits ordered by Dora B. Schriro, then the New York City Department of Correction Commissioner, to a 2012 report by investigators. The final version was submitted to the U.S. attorney’s office in its inquiry into civil rights violations at Rikers. The commissioner at the time, Dora B. Schriro, did not demote the men. Instead, she ordered the removal from the report of any implication that the pair were culpable, current and former officials said. Then city officials provided only the sanitized report to the United States attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York, which was conducting its own investigation into potential civil rights violations in the handling of teenage inmates at Rikers. As part of its investigation, the office had made repeated requests to the Correction Department for all relevant documents and asked, in particular, for any materials associated with audits or reviews related to violence by staff on adolescent inmates or between the inmates themselves. The city’s failure to provide the original report, an omission that prosecutors were unaware of until it was discovered last week by The Times, raises questions about how forthcoming the agency was in responding to the federal inquiry. The omission could also have serious legal repercussions. In August, Preet Bharara, the United States attorney, released a scathing 79-page report on abuses at Rikers Island and gave the city until this week to agree to make significant changes, or face the prospect of being sued by the Justice Department. The Times’s discovery could complicate any negotiations between the two sides. ‘Lack of Attentiveness’ Mr. Clemons and Mr. Gumusdere now occupy some of the highest positions at the Correction Department. Joseph Ponte, who was appointed commissioner this year with a mandate to reform the troubled jail system, made Mr. Gumusdere warden of the largest jail on Rikers Island in May. At the same time, despite objection from the city’s Department of Investigation, Mr. Ponte promoted Mr. Clemons to chief of department, the top uniformed position. In a statement, the Correction Department acknowledged the findings of both the original and the final versions of the audit report, but said Mr. Ponte promoted both men based on his observations of their performance. “Commissioner Ponte stands by his appointment of Chief Clemons and Warden Gumusdere, who have shown exemplary leadership in the current roles and are fully committed to the Department’s reform agenda,” the statement said. In an interview, Ms. Schriro said she was not consulted about which documents would be turned over to federal authorities. She said she stood by her decision to make edits to the audit, saying that the excluded portions contained confidential disciplinary information. “I appreciated all the information, but for the purpose that I had in mind it needed to be removed,” said Ms. Schriro, who after leaving the Correction Department earlier this year was appointed commissioner of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection in Connecticut. “In all instances the report repeatedly indicated that there wasn’t an indication of wrongdoing, but of a lack of attentiveness,” she said in an interview. The Correction Department has been under growing scrutiny this year over the abuse and neglect of inmates. A Times investigation published in July documented 129 cases of inmates who were severely injured in altercations with guards last year. Mr. Clemons has been at the department for nearly three decades. According to an official biography, he was hired in 1985 and after 15 years received his first promotion, to captain. On April 18, 2011, he was appointed warden of the Robert N. Davoren Center, which then housed inmates from the age of 16 to 18. Mr. Gumusdere was named as his deputy. At the time, the department was under pressure to drive down violence following revelations that officers had directed gangs of inmates to beat and extort fellow inmates as a means of enforcing discipline on the cell blocks. Mr. Clemons and Mr. Gumusdere immediately produced stunning results. From April to June 2011, the number of monthly fights reported by the jail decreased by 66 percent. And the number of fights continued to plummet. After just six months, Ms. Schriro, the commissioner, promoted Mr. Clemons to supervising warden and transferred Mr. Gumusdere to oversee a punitive segregation unit. Rarely Reviewed Reports The new warden of the jail housing adolescents, Raino Hills, almost immediately became suspicious. He concluded that if he “accurately reported” the statistics, “the facility’s numbers would skyrocket,” and he submitted his resignation, according to the audit report. He only agreed to stay when Ms. Schriro promised to investigate. On Dec. 20, 2011, the department’s investigative division raided the jail for adolescents. More than two dozen investigators arrived unannounced at the jail after dark, according to several former correction employees. They fanned out to the security office, housing areas and medical clinic, seizing log books, spreadsheets and security videos. The confiscated materials filled the trunks and back seats of about six cars. The first version of the investigative division report was submitted to Ms. Schriro in September 2012. According to the report, jail officials failed to include 375 incidents that should have been logged as fights. The auditors found insufficient evidence to prove that the staff had deliberately manipulated the data. But, they said, “No legitimate explanation exists for the dramatic and inaccurate decreases,” and noted that the period in question, “directly corresponds” to when Mr. Clemons and Mr. Gumusdere oversaw the facility for adolescents. When interviewed by correction investigators on May 14, 2012, Mr. Clemons said he rarely reviewed reports on daily inmate fights, according to the audit. Though the data was delivered to him electronically, he said he found the spreadsheets difficult to read on his computer and could not figure out how to print them. He told investigators he had no reason to question the accuracy of the data, in part because he had “noticed fewer alarms over the course of his tenure,” the report said. Mr. Gumusdere told investigators that he had difficulty understanding the incident reports and rarely reviewed them. He said he delegated this to his subordinates, whom he described as “incompetent,” according to the audit. The audit’s authors said that the testimony of both Mr. Clemons and Mr. Gumusdere pointed to a “complete abdication” of their obligations as managers, recommending that both be demoted “based on their admitted lack of attention to critical duties and responsibilities of jail management.” Portions Not Revealed Then Ms. Schriro intervened. After consulting with the department’s legal counsel, and being told she had the authority to alter the report, she ordered the reference to demotion removed, Ms. Schriro said. She also directed the investigative division to remove large portions of the most critical material involving Mr. Clemons and Mr. Gumusdere, including the statement that “it defies logic to think that they could have concluded that the number of fights RNDC reported during these months was accurate.” An example of edits ordered by Dora B. Schriro, then the New York City Department of Correction Commissioner, to a 2012 report by investigators. Mr. Clemons “turned a blind eye to the key issue in this case.” And: “he took no steps to ensure that his information was accurate, or to hold DW Gumusdere responsible.” Mr. Gumusdere “was unable to describe the specific tasks of security office staff and stated that he had no knowledge of the inmate fight tracking spreadsheet, which archived email records show he received daily during his tenure as deputy warden.” In February 2013, as part of their civil rights investigation, the federal authorities made a detailed request to the city for documents related to the use of force by guards on teenage inmates and violence between the adolescents. The request included “all” documents related to audits and reviews to assess the accuracy and integrity of reporting on such incidents, including, but not limited to, “working papers and any other documents reflecting findings or recommendations,” according to one person who was told of the request. A city Law Department official said on Friday that the first version of the report was not produced in response to the original federal requests because it was treated as a draft and seen as privileged. Last week, the United States attorney’s office specifically requested it from the city, and the current corporation counsel, Zachary W. Carter, decided that it should be turned over — and it was, the official said. In the end, the federal report, which described a “deep-seated culture of violence” against adolescent inmates at Rikers, made only passing reference to the inaccurate data. The report was highly critical of the investigative division overall, but federal authorities were never informed of how one of the division’s most ambitious investigations was effectively quashed. And no one was ultimately disciplined over the problematic violence statistics, Ms. Schriro said. Mr. Clemons was promoted by Ms. Schriro to assistant chief of administration in the midst of the internal investigation. “The deficiencies that had been noted in the report were not carried over into his performance in his assignment at that time,” said Ms. Schriro. “And he expressed both insight and remorse.” Last May, Mr. Ponte named Mr. Clemons to be the department’s top-ranking uniformed officer. The appointment came after the city’s Department of Investigation, which routinely vets high-ranking staff members of city agencies, conducted a review of Mr. Clemons and recommended he not be appointed as chief of department, according to a former city official. A spokeswoman for the Department of Investigation said the agency had no comment. In promoting Mr. Clemons, Mr. Ponte described him as a “superb corrections professional.” “In the few months we have worked together, he has proved himself a critical problem-solver and a man of great integrity,” the commissioner said. But Florence Finkle, the head of the investigation division who wrote the damning report recommending that Mr. Clemons be demoted, did not fare so well. On Aug. 22, she resigned under pressure from Mr. Ponte.
Alaska reporter quits on live TV after a segment about the medical marijuana club she runs http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2014/09/22/alaska-reporter-quits-on-live-tv-after-a-segment-about-the-medical-marijuana-club-she-runs/?hpid=z4 Alaska reporter quits on live TV after a segment about the medical marijuana club she runs By Abby Ohlheiser September 22 at 9:39 AM Charlo Green quit her TV job rather abruptly during a nightly newscast. (KTVA/YouTube) Viewers of KTVA's Sunday night newscast learned all about the Alaska Cannabis Club, a medical marijuana group. And then, they learned something else: The reporter who presented the story to the station's viewers is also the owner of the Alaska Cannabis Club. Charlo Greene then quit her TV job on live television after promising to dedicate "all of my energy toward fighting for freedom and fairness, which begins with legalizing marijuana here in Alaska." She added: "And as for this job, well, not that I have a choice, but, [expletive] it, I quit." You can watch the full video, which contains Greene's explicit sign-off, here. Although Greene told Alaska Dispatch News that her (former) employers had no idea she was going to quit on air, or that she ran the club she reported on, the Alaska Cannibis Club's Facebook page encouraged its followers to tune in for the Sunday broadcast. "I wanted to draw attention to this issue. And the issue is medical marijuana," Greene told the Dispatch News after the broadcast. "If I offended anyone, I apologize. But I’m not sorry for the choice that I made." Although it seems a bit redundant to fire an employee who already quit, KTVA, a CBS affiliate, wanted to make it crystal clear that it did not condone Greene's unexpected remarks on Sunday. Especially the swearing. As NBC-affilaited KTUU noted, Sunday's broadcast wasn't the first time Greene had reported on cannabis for the station, apparently even after the Alaska Cannibis Club's founding earlier this year. In at least one earlier segment, Greene did not disclose her connection to the group: KTUU reported that Greene's legal name is Charlene Egbe, which is listed as the name of the Alaska Cannabis Club's owner in the state's corporation records database. The group was founded on April 20. Although search results point to a five-part KTVA series on cannabis that aired on the station starting on April 29, those pages are no longer available on the station's Web site. A cached, text-only version of the URLs still show the pieces, authored by Charlo Greene; some of the segments, like the one above, are still available on YouTube. Alaska allows for legal, medical marijuana use, thanks to a 1998 ballot measure. Under the measure, patients suffering from cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, epilepsy, MS and other ailments are able to obtain approval to possess, use and grow small amounts of the substance as part of their treatment, with a doctor's certification. But cannabis advocates in the state -- including Greene's club -- argue that the laws are too vague to safely and legally allow patients to access the substance, even with that approval. Under the current law, cardholders may possess a small amount of marijuana and grow a small number of plants for personal use or for other cardholders in the state. That's where it gets trickier, advocates argue, because the law is quiet on how cardholders can actually buy what they need to grow the plant or otherwise obtain marijuana for medical use if they're unable to grow it themselves. In other words, a cardholder can grow marijuana for his or her own use (and give away the plant to other approved cardholders), but it's still not really legal to sell marijuana in Alaska. Greene's club was the subject of an August Alaska Dispatch News story, which noted that the club's founder spoke to the paper "on the condition of anonymity, citing concern over potential repercussions from her employer." In the story, the founder (presumably Greene) explained how her club has set up something of a stop-gap, work-around to help get patients access to cannabis. Instead of buying marijuana from a grower, club members agree to give "donations" covering the cost of growing the substance to the person growing the plants. Patient and supplier are then paired up, and the club steps out of the picture. Understandably, the Dispatch referred to this system as operating within a "legal gray area" in the state. Which is why Greene's club is trying to change Alaska's laws. The state will vote on another marijuana measure in November: Ballot Measure 2 asks voters to approve a proposal that would "allow a person to possess, use, show, buy, transport, or grow set amounts of marijuana, with the growing subject to certain restrictions." If approved, the measure would implement a similar regulation process for marijuana to the one currently in place for the use and sale of alcohol. Greene has set up an IndieGoGo page to collect donations for her group's marijuana advocacy work. Although she is clearly hoping that her high-profile resignation will draw positive attention to her campaign to support a measure that she believes will clarify and improve state laws on cannabis use, the measure's opponents see something else in the broadcast: Washington and Colorado both have recreational marijuana laws on the books; in addition to Alaska, voters in the District of Columbia and Oregon will consider a recreational marijuana proposal in November.
I think what is happening here is when somebody makes up a bogus Social Security number and puts it on their employment application, Sheriff Joe and Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery claim that that is "identity theft". And that the person who made up the bogus SS number was planning on defrauding the owner out of money. We all know that's a bogus claim, used only so Sheriff Joe and Bill Montgomery can charge them with "identity theft" which I believe is a felony. And of course racist Sheriff Joe and racist Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery only slap Mexicans with these charges. I suspect it's just their way of screwing Mexicans. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/immigration/2014/09/21/dismissal-sought-of-lawsuit-over-id-theft-cases/16030669/ Dismissal sought of lawsuit over ID theft cases Republic staff, wire reports 7:38 p.m. MST September 21, 2014 Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and County Attorney Bill Montgomery are seeking the dismissal of a lawsuit challenging the prosecutions of hundreds of immigrant workers on charges that they used fake or stolen IDs to get jobs. The offices of Arpaio and Montgomery argued the lawsuit should be dismissed, in part, because those who filed the case lack legal standing. Lawyers challenging employment-related identity-theft cases by Arpaio's office and other police agencies have argued that immigrants living in the U.S. illegally have been singled out in such cases, while only a small number of employers have had court cases brought against them on allegations of illegal hiring. The immigration-rights group Puente and several other defendants filed the class-action suit in June. The suit names as defendants Arpaio, Montgomery, Maricopa County and the director of the Arizona Department of Public Safety, and it is specifically intended to dismantle two state identity-theft statutes upon which the raids are based. The laws purport to criminalize ID thefts, but critics say they are more often used to target migrant workers who create fictitious Social Security numbers to gain employment. The suit alleges that the two statutes are preempted by federal law, which bans local and state authorities from regulating immigration. On Aug. 7, members of the immigration-rights group Puente petitioned U.S. District Judge David G. Campbell to issue a preliminary injunction on the controversial operations pending the outcome of a federal lawsuit that aims to bar them completely. Attorneys for the plaintiffs argued that a preliminary injunction on the raids is warranted because the plaintiffs are likely to succeed in their suit but will continue to suffer "irreparable harm" in the meantime. "Our members go to work knowing that they might not make it home if Arpaio and Montgomery decide to strike with another raid," Puente Arizona director Carlos Garcia said in a statement. "Every day that MCSO and MCAO unfairly target our communities is a day too long. We need immediate relief from the harm that the raids are causing." The plaintiffs are represented by attorneys from the University of California, Irvine School of Law—Immigrant Rights Clinic, the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, the National Day Laborer Organizing Network and the Law Office of Ray A. Ybarra Maldonado. Deputies have been stripped of their authority to act as federal immigration agents on the streets and in the jails, and a federal court order prohibits deputies from stopping cars or detaining people based solely on a suspected unlawful presence in the country. Jack MacIntyre, a deputy chief in the Sheriff's Office, denied that the law or the raids are explicitly targeted at immigrants. "We're targeting people who violate the law on identity theft," he said. "It's not in any attempt to supplant the federal-immigration law but to protect the identifications of the citizens of Arizona, especially Maricopa County for us." Arpaio has vowed to continue business raids to combat the problem of employers hiring immigrants who aren't in the country legally. Republic reporter Megan Cassidy and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Where else can you get a job that pays $50,000 a year with only a high school diploma. Most police departments in the Valley start at around $25/hr, which is about $50,000 a year. Plus if your a sadistic *sshole you get to beat up and terrorize lots of people without any fear of being punished. Last but not least, if you are a criminal this is an ideal place to work because cops rarely get arrested, fired and sent to prison for crimes the commit, like the rest of us do. Sure you could steal more if you run for a job as an elected official, but if you are a sadistic *sshole that liked to jerk around people in addition to steal stuff, being a cop is an ideal job for you. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2014/09/22/phoenix-police-department-jobs-applicants/16049647/ Thousands vying for 300 Phoenix police spots Caitlin McGlade, The Republic | azcentral.com 9:09 a.m. MST September 22, 2014 More than 2,000 people are vying for 300 openings at the Phoenix Police Department — and 800 of them are on a waiting list to even take the first step in the application process Could you jump over a 6-foot-tall wall? How about pass a polygraph test? Hundreds of Phoenix police-officer hopefuls plan to try. More than 2,000 people are vying to join the force, which recently opened 300 positions. About 1,300 are signed up to take the first step, a written civil-service exam, and 800 others are on a waiting list. The first group of more than 250 applicants will take the test Friday, Sept. 26. The city hardly had to try to attract such numbers. Department leaders even canceled some marketing efforts when they saw exam enrollment max out by noon the day after recruitment opened. The high interest could come from pent-up demand. During the economic downturn, the department had a four-year hiring freeze and had relied on attrition to avoid layoffs. The city began hiring full-time, permanent officers again in 2013, but not at this scale. It relied heavily on police reservists to fill positions. After graduating from the Phoenix Police Academy, reservists become state-certified police officers and do everything a full-time officer does, but they are not paid. They are required to work 60 hours per quarter. Many of the applicants come from the Valley, which Police Chief Daniel V. Garcia considers a good thing. He's looking for officers who know the area well, he said. These folks signed up for a rigorous application and training process: The successful applicants won't hit the streets solo for about a year, Sgt. Steve Martos said. They will likely be the last 10 percent standing. The applicants start with a civil-service exam, that's if they make it past the initial application questionnaire. Then they move on to a physical agility test. That requires a 1½-mile run, leaping over a 6-foot-tall block wall, sit-ups and push-ups. Those who remain move on to a background check. They fill out papers detailing their personal and work lives, endure an interview with a background investigator and take a polygraph test. If they lie about even the smallest detail, they're out. The most typical fib that knocks applicants out of the running? Denying past drug use. [Rubbish - Smoking marijuana is so common now days that you can be a cop if you have smoked pot in the past. They do have some silly rules, but in general if you have smoked pot in the past you can be a cop] If applicants pass the background checks, they take a medical exam, drug test and a psychological exam to ensure they can handle extreme conditions. "Our job is not a glamorous job," Martos said. "You see death, extreme poverty and people after the worst of times. We want to make sure that people are qualified and capable of dealing with those types of things." [100% percent BS!!! Being a cop is a high paying do nothing job. ] Only then does the department extend a job offer to join the force of about 3,000 sworn officers. From there, new hires go through more trying steps. They spend 20 weeks in the academy, taking classroom and physical-agility courses. They go through a simulated village teeming with criminal activity. The village has a convenience store on one corner, a duplex apartment on another and a single-family home. The department uses actors or dummies who combat the police or require extraction, for example. New hires will conduct simulated building searches or traffic searches. But even after they finish the academy, they're still not quite done. For about three months, supervisors grade the new hires on every job done. "It can be (nerve-racking), but I think this is the best way to be able to get the best-qualified employees when you're talking about the job we do and our authority that we carry to restrain people, to take away their freedom," Martos said.
http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/weird/2014/09/22/tv-reporter-quits-on-air-to-promote-marijuana/16048483/ TV reporter quits on air to promote marijuana Associated Press 9:07 a.m. MST September 22, 2014 KTVA reporter Charlo Greene decided to go against the grain and quit while cameras were rolling. ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A reporter for an Alaska TV station revealed on the air that she owns a medical marijuana business and was quitting her job to advocate for the drug. After reporting on the Alaska Cannabis Club on Sunday night's broadcast, KTVA's Charlo Greene identified herself as the business's owner and said she would be devoting all her energy to fighting for "freedom and fairness." She then used an expletive to quit her job, and walked off-camera. In a statement on KTVA's website, news director Bert Rudman apologized for Greene's "inappropriate language" and said she was terminated. Alaska voters decide Nov. 4 whether to legalize recreational pot. Measure 2 would be similar to Washington and Colorado's legalization laws. Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
From what I have read and heard else where about MPP's or Marijuana Policy Project this really isn't about legalizing marijuana, but rather giving Andrew Myers and his Arizona Dispensary Association a government monopoly on growing and selling marijuana in Arizona. From hearing Andrew Myers talk at the July 2014 Phoenix or Arizona NORML meeting only medical marijuana dispensaries will be given the right to grow and sell marijuana. Normal people on the street will still be thrown in prison if they grow or sell marijuana. Normal People on the street will also still be thrown in prison if they have more then some small amount of marijuana say an ounce or perhaps 2.5 ounces. As the article says Andrew Myers wrote Prop 203, which is Arizona's Medical Marijuana Act. And sadly when you read thru Prop 203 it looks like Andrew Myers wrote it as a government welfare program for medical marijuana dispensaries. Now isn't it odd, that Andrew Myers is now the head of the Arizona Association of Dispensaries who's members stand to make millions if they are given a government monopoly on growing and selling recreational marijuana in Arizona???? Needless to say many people involved with marijuana in Arizona hate Andrew Myers, his Arizona Association of Dispensaries, and MPP or the Marijuana Policy Project. The only reason they seem to want to legalize marijuana in Arizona is so they can get a government monopoly on growing and selling marijuana at $300+ an ounce rip off prices. Personally I think marijuana should be legalized because 1) it is a victimless crime that harms no one, 2) it is a waste of tax dollars to put people in prison for the victimless crime of using or selling marijuana, 3) at the Federal level all the laws making drugs illegal are almost certainly unconstitutional based on the 10th Amendment. http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2014/09/arizona_marijuana_legalization_campaign_for_2016_ballot_measure_becomes_off.php Arizona Marijuana-Legalization Campaign for 2016 Ballot Measure Becomes Official By Ray SternFri., Sep. 19 2014 at 4:07 PM Proponents of a 2016 citizens' initiative in Arizona that aims to legalize marijuana for adults 21 and older filed paperwork with the state on Thursday, the first step in their campaign. The Marijuana Policy Project of Arizona initiative still has a long way to go before becoming a law. But if it's successful, it would reverse about 80 years of marijuana prohibition in Arizona, raise millions in tax revenue and potentially end black-market sales of the plant. The downsides: We'll let you know if we think of any. Actually, it's hard to have a strong opinion about the measure yet -- the language of the proposed law still needs to be written. "The goal is obviously the legalization of adult use of marijuana in Arizona," says Andrew Myers, a spokesperson for the Marijuana Policy Project who helped lead the state's successful 2010 initiative legalizing medical marijuana. "Specifics are still up in the air." Myers, also the executive director of the Arizona Association of Dispensaries, says organizers of the new campaign "want a large, diverse coalition of people involved in the drafting" of the initiative. He envisions the potential law as similar to the legalization measures Colorado and Washington voters approved in 2012, which resulted in retails shops where any adult can purchase marijuana products. Writers of the Arizona ballot question will learn from the experience in those states how to best roll out the regulations that will guide growers and retailers. The statement of organization filed by the campaign on Thursday with the state Secretary of State's office will be amended when the text of the ballot initiative is created, Myers says. A February poll of Arizona voters found that slightly more than half support adult-use legalization. Much can change in two years that could impact the campaign and the voting public's level of support for it. For one thing, the measure will apparently come even as a federal ban on marijuana continues. A campaign by a different group to put a legalization measure on the ballot this year was called off in June. The Safer Arizona campaign got a late start and hadn't gathered anywhere near the required number of signatures. Mikel Weisser, the head of that campaign and now the Democratic candidate in the race for Arizona's Congressional District 4, says his group is now focused on helping the 2016 initiative. The MPP's campaign is starting so early, it can't gather signatures yet: State law requires the initiative campaign to wait until after this year's general election, which is November 4. The number of signatures to gather can't be decided, either, until after the November election, since it's determined by computing either 10 or 15 percent of the votes cast in the governor's race. The percentage needed depends on whether the initiative will aim to make statutory or constitutional changes. (The medical-marijuana law, and the proposed legalization law, are statutory.) Roughly, a 2016 initiative would need to collect about 200,000 signatures. It'll take money to pay the signature gatherers needed for such a huge effort, and the major sponsor has already been identified. The Washington D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project is identified in the statement of organization as the sponsoring organization, meaning the campaign expects to receive more than 50 percent of its funding from the group. Gina Berman, an emergency-room doctor, is chair of the 2016 cannabis-legalization campaign. The chairperson of the campaign is Gina Berman, an emergency-room doctor who's affiliated with a local dispensary, and the treasurer is Ryan Hurley, a Scottsdale lawyer for several dispensaries. The campaign is likely to face some opposition. We asked Bill Montgomery, Maricopa County Attorney, what he thought about Thursday's filing by the initiative campaign: "The possibility of the Marijuana Policy Project pushing an initiative involving marijuana in 2016 has been expected," Montgomery says, (and maybe he read about that possibility in this blog.) "Pending litigation before Division I of the Arizona Court of Appeals may obviate any such effort. Similarly, a change in federal administrations in 2016 with a commitment to fairly enforcing federal law consistent with any respective oath of office could render any initiative effort equally moot." The litigation to which he's referring is the White Mountain Health Center vs. Maricopa County case. Montgomery believes if he prevails in this case, which poses the question of whether the voter-approved state law can exist due to an alleged conflict in federal law, the state's medical-marijuana law and everything that goes with it would be canceled. If the state judicial system won't let cancer patients use marijuana in Arizona, they sure aren't going to see a "recreational" law as constitutional. So far, though, the court system has been much kinder to the will of voters than prohibitionists would like. In late 2012, a judge in the White Mountain case ruled that the state's medicinal-use law didn't conflict with federal law, paving the way for the system of dispensaries now in place in Arizona. Montgomery's appealing that ruling. Briefs in the case are to be filed by each side over the next few weeks. Despite the hurdles, the overall momentum for legalization in the United States doesn't seem to be waning. A new poll shows that Washington D.C. voters, for instance, strongly support a local measure on the November 4 ballot to legalize marijuana use and cultivation -- but not sales -- for adults 21 and older. Got a tip? Send it to: Ray Stern. Follow Valley Fever on Twitter at @ValleyFeverPHX. Follow Ray Stern on Twitter at @RayStern.
6 dead in cartel-style killings in western Mexico Legalize drugs and this crime will disappear overnight. It did when liquor was re-legalized and the Prohibition ended. The same thing will happen when drugs are re-legalized and the insane unconstitutional "War on Drugs" is ended. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/nation/2014/09/19/6-dead-in-cartel-style-killings-in-western-mexico/15915627/ 6 dead in cartel-style killings in western Mexico Associated Press 4:53 p.m. MST September 19, 2014 MORELIA, Mexico — The bound bodies of six men were found dumped on a street Friday in the western Mexico state of Michoacan, where authorities have claimed to be making headway against drug gang violence. The dead men were found next to a hand-lettered sign in which a drug cartel claimed responsibility for the killings. The Michoacan state prosecutors' office said in a statement that the bodies found in the city of Uruapan had bullet wounds. Photos showed the men's heads were wrapped in what appeared to be packing tape and their hands were tied behind their backs. A sign left next to the bodies made an apparent reference to the New Generation drug cartel: "We are here now, and we are here to save you, Respectfully, the Michoacan New Generation Cartel." New Generation is based in the neighboring state of Jalisco and has been battling the Michoacan-based Knights Templar cartel. The Knights Templar gang was partly expelled from Michoacan by an armed vigilante movement and the Jalisco gang appears to be trying to move in. In another part of the state, prosecutors reported finding the body of Aquiles Gomez, the brother of the Knights Templar's top remaining leader, Servando Gomez alias "La Tuta," or the Teacher. The body was found with a bullet wound in the Pacific coast port city of Lazaro Cardenas. Servando Gomez remains at large and is believed to be hiding in the mountains of Michoacan Following the vigilante uprising against the Knights Templar in early 2013, the federal government stepped up army and police presence in Michoacan and effectively deputized many of the vigilantes. Despite those efforts, many people in Michoacan say the security situation remains grim. "It is hasn't improved; this has all been cosmetic," writer and activist Homero Aridjis said. "There has been a political strategy, of declaring this (the security crisis) is over by decree." Aridjis said some parts of the largely agricultural state have come to resemble the wild west, with roving bands of thieves stealing horses and cattle from farm families. "This is destroying the farm economy, which is vital," Aridjis said
Phoenix pharmacy robbed: Police seek public's help Of course if drugs or in this case opiates were legal we wouldn't have problems like this. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2014/09/20/phoenix-pharmacy-armed-robbery-silent-witness-brk/15986287/ Phoenix pharmacy robbed: Police seek public's help D.S. Woodfill , The Republic | azcentral.com 6:52 p.m. MST September 20, 2014 Two armed men stormed the S&G United Drug Pharmacy at 35th and Peoria avenues in Phoenix and robbed the store of drugs in the late afternoon on Sept. 2. One suspect is seen leaping over the counter top with a sawed off shotgun and points it at employees. An accomplice, who is also pointing a gun, followed him behind the counter. Both suspects from the video are Black males, one about 6 feet tall and 175 pounds and the other about 5 feet, 7 inches and 150 pounds, according to police. Both men, who appear to be in their early to mid-20s, concealed their faces with bandannas. One suspect was seen in an orange and purple beanie-style cap, a black and purple t-shirt and jeans. He carried a sawed-off shotgun with a wooden pistol grip. The other man was wearing a purple t-shirt and jeans and was armed with a silver handgun. The men "went behind the counter and ordered the two female technicians to the back office at gunpoint," said a Silent Witness statement. "The suspects demanded drugs from the safe. The employees complied to the suspects' demands and the suspects fled the scene and were seen getting into a four-door silver vehicle." Police ask anyone with information in the case to call Silent Witness at 480-948-6377. Callers may remain anonymous and could collect a $1,000 reward. |