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03 Mar 2011 10:59

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U.S.: Twenty years after Rodney King, the LAPD’s view on cameras evolves

  • Early on in their training, I always tell them, ‘I don’t care if you’re in a bathroom taking care of your personal business…. Whatever you do, assume it will be caught on video.’ We tell them if they’re doing the right thing then they have no reason to worry.
  • LAPD officer and recruit supervisor Sgt. Heather Fungaroli • Offering a fairly fresh assessment on the how the police department now views video. Twenty years ago, a video clip turned their whole view on the matter inside-out. The clip of Rodney King’s beating by multiple police officers, and the subsequent “not guilty” verdict in the case, led to a major riot in the city that drew national attention and led to 50 deaths. These days, the police force is quickly putting more cameras in police cars and even has its own videographers to cover incidents – advances which not only ensure better cop conduct but can help exonerate them in legal cases. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Mar 2011 23:35

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U.S.: Bobby Kennedy assassin Sirhan Sirhan to stay in jail

  • NO RFK’s assassin won’t be granted parole (again) source
  • » Why parole was prevented again: The parole board in the infamous case claims Sirhan Sirhan hasn’t shown an understanding of the “magnitude” of his crime. “At this hearing, you’re interrupting me time and time again, demonstrating a lack of control and impulsitivity,” California Board of Parole Hearings Commissioner Mike Prizmich said to Sirhan.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Mar 2011 21:45

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U.S.: Fresh Wikileaks charges: Did Bradley Manning “aid the enemy”?

  • 22 number of new charges against Wikileaking suspect Pfc. Bradley Manning, on top of two initial charges
  • yes Manning could face the death penalty over letting all this information get in the hands of Wikileaks source
  • » Soooooooo … The charges include the vague “aiding the enemy” as well as a number of computer-based and security-based theft thingy thangs. Some of the files, according to the charges were worth more than $1,000, according to the government. (Were they also bigger than a breadbox?) Do we really need to say anything here? Do the charges speak for themselves?
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Mar 2011 12:46

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U.S.: Nearly 43 years later, Sirhan Sirhan mounts a Manchurian defense

  • 6/4/68 Following a win in the California Democratic primary, Robert Kennedy was shot three times by Sirhan Sirhan, wounds that would kill him. Sirhan admitted to the shooting and claimed “twenty years of malice aforethought” went into the crime. He also claimed to have done it for his country, which suggests that Kennedy’s support for Israel likely played a role in the native Palestinian’s crime.
  • 3/2/11 A Sirhan lawyer, William F. Pepper, is taking a peculiar and pretty provocative case before the parole board, the 14th time Sirhan has appeared for parole since the shooting. Pepper plans to argue for both the possibility of a second gunman, and that Sirhan had been “hypno-programmed” into the murder. Moreover, Pepper claims he thinks he knows who did it, but declined to tell the press. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Mar 2011 10:31

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U.S.: Free speech wins: Supreme Court favors Westboro in funeral case

  • 8-1 the vote in favor of Westboro’s free speech rights source
  • » Sad, not surprising, but understandable: The fact of the matter is, while we would’ve loved to see Westboro blocked from picketing funerals as a political message, the First Amendment is pretty set in stone and, as much as we dislike the ramifications of this decision, it certainly was the right one. (By the way, the lone dissenter? Samuel Alito.)
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Mar 2011 21:49

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U.S.: Fuel efficiency, gas prices on buyers’ minds as car sales go way up

  • 46.4% increase in February’s overall car sales source
  • » Give rising gas prices the credit: More people on the market for vehicles were looking for fuel-efficient models in part because gas is getting ever the more expensive. In case you’re looking for a reason to credit the unrest in the middle east on this, this person quoted in the L.A. Times does the job for you: “With everything happening in the world, gas is only going to go up,” said Cynthia Hibbard who recently bought a Ford Fiesta. “I have filled it up just once, on Monday, since the car was purchased. I put just nine gallons of gas in the car but that was still $35.” One other fun fact: Last month was the best-selling month ever for the Toyota Prius.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Mar 2011 21:31

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U.S.: Scott Walker’s deficit-cutting plan: Let’s cut everything, stat!

  • » The end result: Walker hopes to reduce the state’s structural deficit 90 percent to around $250 million – a deep, austerity-focused cut that may stop the deficit but could greatly hurt the state in the process, if you think that way. Walker, well, doesn’t. “I have often repeated references to our state’s constitutional lesson, that it is only through frugality and moderation in government that we will see freedom and prosperity for our people,” he said. Or, you could just raise taxes if you’re really that hard up about fixing this budget problem.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

01 Mar 2011 20:32

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U.S.: Quick hits: John Boehner’s temporary cutting plan passes the House

  • $4 billion to put the government on layway for a couple of weeks
  • 335-91 the vote to pass the temporary extension in the House
  • yes most Democrats went with John Boehner’s plan to buy more time
  • no Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi didn’t vote for or against the bill source
  • » Oh yeah, fun fact: During the shutdown crisis, Congress and Obama may not get paid, thanks to a bill that the Senate unanimously passed today. At least that has bipartisan support.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Mar 2011 15:42

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U.S.: If there’s one thing the DEA hates, it’s loopholes

  • YES synthetic cannabis has been banned by the DEA source
  • » “Spice” and “K2” are off the shelves: The DEA has placed five chemicals onto Schedule 1 (the most restricted level of drug enforcement) that are integral to the production of the two fake-pot compounds, effectively putting the kibosh on the products. Once widely and legally sold in smoke shops (as the intensely hallucinogenic herb Salvia astonishingly still is), these products had become popular buys for people looking to get high without fear of legal action.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Mar 2011 14:36

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U.S.: Backers of Ohio’s “heartbeat bill” will bring pregnant woman to legislature

  • legislation The “Heartbeat Bill” in Ohio, which would designate abortion as being illegal at such a time as the fetus has a recognizable heartbeat. While the amount of time this takes can vary, such heartbeats can exist just eighteen days after conception.
  • testimony Supporters of the bill will be bringing a pregnant woman before the legislature, and will project her ultrasound images to the assemblage in color, which causes the fetus’ heartbeat to be more prominently visible. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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