Archive for February, 2011

Tough on crime: FBI busts KC SWAT team

A few months ago, a resident near Kansas City complained that a SWAT team had taken a bunch of cash and property that wasn’t in any way related to the investigation. Of course, the SWAT team seems to have pocketed the cash because they denied ever having seen it. Then again, maybe the resident was just looking for a quick buck…

Either way, it was enough for internal affairs to call up the FBI to set up an investigation – and nail the KC SWAT team in a staged sting.

From the reports coming out, this is a pretty well documented case of police abusing their authority – something that happens way too often without any kind of proof or consequences for the officers involved. Hopefully, this time, some actual criminal charges will remind these folks that the law applies equally to everyone in this country.

American foreign policy

Summed up in a single piece of (probably illegal) public art:

Soldiers raising the golden arches

Billions served!

Bernanke Blames the Blogs

In trying to explain why the incredibly expensive and blatantly corrupt bailouts & stimulus have failed to create jobs or inspire confidence, Bernanke has pulled out the old tired defense of blaming the critics. Except he’s taking it to the 20th century and singling out blogs and bloggers for “identifying … crises.”

Apparently, having people able to speak their mind and find faults in the system is a big problem for the way this guy thinks the economy is supposed to work.

This certainly wins my first annual “Blame someone else” award.

On the up side, he seems to have come to the conclusion that high finance should be treated like a utility, especially if we’re going to constantly be there to bail them out & regulate them like they can never fail.

That didn’t take long…

Just two days after the house tried and failed to pass the Patriot Act through with a legislative fast track, they’ve revisited the vote and chosen to renew it once again.

Who voted for the Patriot Act? Well, a whole bunch of Republicans – including the self-proclaimed Tea Party candidates who claim to be concerned about how powerful our government has become. Unfortunately, their concern for political restraint seems to be isolated to raising the necessary taxes for the wars and paranoid security state they insist on supporting.

Patriot Act fails fast track in house…

But the bill will be back before too long, when it will be able to pass with a simple majority.

Ron Paul gives great arguments, from many key points, about why this particular piece of legislation is a waste of time and a threat to our American liberties:

If only we could give him a few more minutes to talk…

Good morning Egypt

Hello Egypt,

With a hundred ways for things to go wrong, we hope you find the path of greatest peace and freedom.  There are those of us who fear that which could go wrong – more than they fear the reality of oppression and political illusion.

Prove them wrong.  We’ll help any way we can…