Independent News and Politics

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.

By now, you’ve probably heard that the SEC has filed official charges of fraud against Goldman Sachs, but the little detail that might have escaped scrutiny is that the original SEC complaint is being followed up with a virtual flood of investigations, lawsuits, and even some criminal charges.

Not only are regulators across Europe looking for ways to get back at Goldman for its role in selling off toxic mortgages as AAA bonds (of course, the ratings agencies had to play along as well) because the German, French, and British banks that took the hit are now scrambling for enough funds to stay solvent in the face of debt crises in Spain, Greece, and Portugal.

Of course, mortgages aren’t the only part of the market that were manipulated in order to exaggerate sharp rises and falls in value – it has long been suspected that JP Morgan, Goldman, et al have been engaged in the aggressive ‘market-making’ speculation that has brought commodities, and especially precious metals, on a roller coaster over the last few years.  If this report is true, someone at the DoJ is getting ready to go after JPM for fraud in the silver markets.  When and if that happens, expect some immediate price instability – and possibly even investigations into the physical gold that is supposedly backing up all of the paper certificates sold in the last decade.

Keep an eye out for new lawsuits and complaints going public over the next few weeks.  Its going to be an interesting time…

A conservative judge explains his conversion from drug warrior to social reformer and champion of liberty:

Basically, he nails the problem with the war on drugs by explaining exactly who benefits from the laws and who pays for the negative consequences of our outdated policies.

Prohibition has always failed and always will – it is contrary to the very spirit of American liberity. Until these issues are fixed though, we can expect lots of money flowing in to the gangs and prisons and police departments. Luckily, its a shortage of cash that might have us evaluate the moral wrongs being carried out in the name of zero tolerance and drug-free dreaming.