Friday, January 31, 2014

Media Blacks Out New Snowden Interview The Government Doesn’t Want You to See




This past Sunday evening former NSA contractor Edward Snowden sat down for an interview with German television network ARD. The interview has been intentionally blocked from the US public, with virtually no major broadcast news outlets covering this story. In addition, the video has been taken down almost immediately every time it’s posted on YouTube.
In contrast, this was treated as a major political event in both print and broadcast media, in Germany, and across much of the world. In the interview, Mr. Snowden lays out a succinct case as to how these domestic surveillance programs undermines and erodes human rights and democratic freedom.
He states that his “breaking point” was “seeing Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, directly lie under oath to Congress” denying the existence of a domestic spying programs while under questioning in March of last year. Mr. Snowden goes on to state that, “The public had a right to know about these programs. The public had a right to know that which the government is doing in its name, and that which the government is doing against the public.”
It seems clear that the virtual blackout of this insightful interview is yet another deliberate attempt to obfuscate the truth from the view of the American public. The media has continually attempted to shill the official government lies about mass domestic surveillance programs, justifying them as necessary to fight the “War on Terror”, while attempting to painting Mr. Snowden as a traitor.
In regards to accusations that he is a traitor or a foreign agent, he states, “ If I am traitor, who did I betray? I gave all my information to the American public, to American journalists who are reporting on American issues. If they see that as treason, I think people really need to consider who they think they’re working for. The public is supposed to be their boss, not their enemy. Beyond that as far as my personal safety, Ill never be fully safe until these systems have changed.”
The attempt to bury this interview by the government/corporate symbiosis has extremely dark implications. Additionally, the fact that government officials have openly talked about assassinating Mr. Snowden cannot be taken lightly, and Mr. Snowden obviously takes these threats to his life very seriously. Sadly, the reality of the US government assassinating an American citizen is not beyond the realm of possibility in the age we live in.Twitter

Read more: http://benswann.com/media-blacks-out-new-snowden-interview-the-government-doesnt-want-you-to-see/#ixzz2s0rpv0bX 

Georgia Police Strip Search Drivers During Minor Traffic Stops

      

An investigation out of Georgia has uncovered multiple police departments engaged in strip searches as well as searches inside the pants of drivers pulled over for minor traffic violations.

A driver argues against an officer’s illegal search off camera as he is forced to unbuckle his pants (2:05).
“He was like, ‘Just unbuckle all your clothes’ and put his hands down inside my pants,” Terry Phillips told Channel 2 Action News.
While sitting in the passenger seat after his wife was pulled over for a suspended registration, Phillips was unexpectedly ordered to exit the vehicle by Forest Park police. Coming up empty on a vehicle search, police suddenly turned their attention back towards Phillips, demanding he submit to a search as well.
Expecting a legal, outside the clothes pat down, Phillips consented to the officer’s requests, only to have the officer demand he pull down his pants on the side of the road.
“That’s illegal, man, you can’t do that. You can’t do that,” Phillips told the officer.
Noting that Phillips was aware of his rights, the officer suddenly claimed to smell marijuana, demanding Phillips remain still as he continued his illegal search.
Although officers are allowed to pat down the outside of clothing to check for weapons, the officer clearly violated Phillips’ rights by demanding he remove his clothing. Unsurprisingly, no marijuana was found on Phillips or in the vehicle.
“That’s a general strip-search, which you’re not allowed to do unless it’s an emergency or it’s done in a controlled environment by professional people where other people aren’t there to look in a public setting,” Phillips’ attorney Mark Bullman said. “You can’t be moving people’s clothing and opening them, particularly in situations where there’s not been a custodial arrest.”
Internal records obtained by Channel 2 revealed that a police captain had already reported a “unit-wide” issue regarding searches six months prior. Following the discovery of Phillips encounter, several others came forward as well, revealing the same invasive searches during minor traffic stops.
Another passenger, Ben Kassars, was subjected to a similar search after his roommate was pulled over for allegedly following a vehicle to closely. Claiming the men had drugs and threatening them with jail if they refused, officers went inside Kassars’ pants as he leaned on the back of his vehicle.
“I was humiliated… They took my belt off, unzipped my pants,” Kassars said. “They looked in my pants on the front, the side, the back. It was terrible. I felt like a girl. I felt defenseless. I felt like there was nothing I could do about it.”
No drugs were discovered on either men.
The report also detailed truck driver Camishi Jones, who was pulled over by a Cobb County officer after reportedly driving in the left lane on Interstate 75. Taken out of her vehicle for an alleged weapons search, Camishi experienced a TSA-style pat down from the male officer.
“He was all touching my breast, up in my vagina area… He actually stuck his hand up in between my buttocks,” Jones said. “I felt that I was being molested with his hands.”
No weapons were discovered on Jones.
Another man, Alphonzo Eleby, was approached by DeKalb county police while talking to a friend at a local gas station as he waited for his tank to fill. Having nothing to hide, Eleby consented to an officer’s search request like the others, assuming a normal pat down would take place.
“He went inside my underwear and searched my genital area,” Eleby said. ”It’s just embarrassing. I’ve got everybody seeing me exposed.”
Despite having no drugs, officers claimed Eleby threw “something” to the ground, charging him with possession of marijuana. After the gas station’s surveillance video of the altercation was released, it was revealed that Eleby never threw anything at all, with the officer instead appearing to throw something.
Charges were quickly dropped.
The investigation found more than half a dozen similar encounters with departments all across the state, leading many to wonder if a state wide policy has been quietly implemented by police. Incredibly, similar incidents have been reported all across the country as well in recent years.
In December 2012, two Texas women in yet another minor traffic stop were forced to submit to roadside body cavity searches. Claiming to smell marijuana, an officer searched the vagina and anus of both women with the same pair of latex gloves.
No marijuana was found by officers.
Just last November, a Southern New Mexico man, pulled over for allegedly failing to make a complete stop, was forced to undergo two illegal anal searches, three enemas and a colonoscopy after police claimed he was “clenching his buttocks” and concealing drugs.
The illegal search failed to produce any drugs.
Unfortunately, the current political climate seems to favor such behavior, as officers continually escape punishment. Meanwhile, police who publicly pledge to uphold the bill of rights are harassed by the federal government and placed on administrative leave.
Read more: http://www.storyleak.com/georgia-police-strip-search-drivers-during-minor-traffic-stops/#ixzz2s0gogxrZ

Churches Accepting Bribe Money from Government To Deceive Attendees




Mark Dice is a media analyst, political activist, and author who, in an entertaining and educational way, gets people to question our celebrity obsessed culture, and the role the mainstream media and elite secret societies play in shaping our lives.

Mark's YouTube channel has received tens of millions of views and his viral videos have been mentioned on ABC's The View, the Fox News Channel, CNN, the Drudge Report, TMZ, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, and other mainstream media outlets around the world.

He has been featured on various television shows including the History Channel's Decoded, Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura, Secret Societies of Hollywood on E! Channel, America Declassified on the Travel Channel, the Sundance Channel's Love/Lust: Secret Societies, and is a frequent guest on Coast to Coast AM, The Alex Jones Show, and more. 

He enjoys causing trouble for the New World Order, exposing corrupt scumbag politicians, and pointing out Big Brother's prying eyes. The term "fighting the New World Order" is used by Mark to describe some of his activities, and refers to his and others' resistance and opposition (The Resistance) to the overall system of political corruption, illegal wars, elite secret societies, mainstream media, Big Brother and privacy issues; as well as various economic and social issues. This Resistance involves self-improvement, self-sufficiency, personal responsibility and spiritual growth.

Mark Dice is the author of several popular books on secret societies and conspiracies, including The Illuminati: Facts & Fiction, Big Brother: The Orwellian Nightmare Come True, and his newest book, Illuminati in the Music Industry, which are available in paperback on Amazon.com, or e-book on Kindle, iBooks, Nook or Google Play. While much of Mark's work confirms the existence and continued operation of the Illuminati today, he is also dedicated to debunking conspiracy theories and hoaxes and separating the facts from the fiction; hence the "Facts & Fiction" subtitle for several of his books. He has a bachelor's degree in communication from California State University.

"The 16 Year Old Killer" Cyntoia's Story (full documentary)



In 2004, Cyntoia Brown was arrested for the murder of a 43-year-old man. Cyntoia was a prostitute and he was her client. 

Film-maker Daniel Birman was granted unique access to Cyntoia from the week of her arrest, throughout her trial and over a period of six years. His documentary explores the tragic events in her life that led up to the murder, and Cyntoia's biological mother meets he daughter for the first time since giving her up for adoption 14 years earlier. 

The film explores the history of abuse, violence, drugs and prostitution back through three generations. As Cyntoia faces a lifetime in prison, the program asks difficult questions about her treatment by the American justice system.

You can write Cyntoia Brown at 
#410593
3881 Stewart's Lane
Nashville, TN 37218


Thursday, January 30, 2014

We Went From Planes,Anthrax to Snipers...Manufactured Consent!!




Abby Martin calls out National Intelligence Director James Clapper for insinuating that journalists who've reported on NSA leaks are criminal accomplices to Edward Snowden. Abby then remarks on Scarlett Johansson stepping down from her role as global ambassador for Oxfam over a conflict of interest arising from her celebrity endorsement of the company SodaStream, whose manufacturing base is located on what is internationally recognized as occupied Palestinian land. Abby then speaks with journalist and co-host of Media Roots Radio, Robbie Martin, about his new documentary 'American Anthrax' which attempts to piece together the unresolved aspects of the 2001 Anthrax Attacks that localized terror and placed fear in nearly every corner of American life. BTS wraps up the show with a closer look at the 3D printer revolution, featuring interviews with Kristen Turner of Sculpteo and Liza Wallach of Honey Bee 3D, discussing how the technology works and the ways it will revolutionize manufacturing and democratize production.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Cupcakes & Lemonade Illegal In The U.S. of America!!

allieosmar / Foter / CC BY-NC

The Health Department of Madison County, Illinois on Sunday shut down a baking operation run by an 11-year-old girl.
Chloe Stirling may be young, but she's already developed serious culinary and small business skills. She began an enterprise, called “Hey, Cupcake!,” out of her family's kitchen two years ago. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the sixth grader earns around $200 a month selling her baked goods. Stirling hopes to use her income to one day open her own bakery. Her mother, Heather, also offered to match the money Stirling makes to buy a car when she turns 16. Additionally, “she has donated many to charitable events, including a fundraiser for a student with cancer and, most recently, taking some to residents at a senior care center,” writes the Belleville News-Democrat.
The desserts didn't sit well with the local government, though. The health department called Stirling's parents and demanded that the girl cease operations, because she was violating the Illinois State Food Service Code. Stirling lacked the necessary permit and the kitchen wasn't properly licensed.
"The guy told me I either had to buy her a bakery or put in a second kitchen (in the house),” Stirling's mother said.
How did the sleuths at the health department discover this renegade baker? She was on the front page of the local news. The News-Democrat wanted to highlight Stirling's entrepreneurship, so they wrote a feature about her.
Health Promotion Manager Amy Yeager told the Post-Dispatch, “The rules are the rules. It’s for the protection of the public health. The guidelines apply to everyone.” When asked whether it was worth the potential poor public relations, she said, “People will react how they choose to react. But it is our job.”
The sixth grade scofflaw doesn't blame the department for finally catching up with her code-violating behavior. She told KSDK, "Well, I think it's just the rules are rules and they kind of need to be followed. I really don't blame the health department because it's not really their fault.”
This isn't the first time law enforcement has tackled little criminals. Reason has coverednumerous regulation-dodging lemonade runners, one of which had cancer, and even azucchini black marketeer

The Inexplicable War on Lemonade Stands

lemonade stand
I’m beginning to think that there’s a nation-wide government conspiracy against either lemonade or children, because these lemonade stand shutdowns seem to be getting more and more common. If you set up a stand for your kids, just be prepared for a visit from the cops.
In Coralville, Iowa police shut down 4-year-old Abigail Krstinger’s lemonade stand after it had been up for half an hour. Dustin Krustinger told reporters that his daughter was selling lemonade at 25 cents a cup during the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Race Across Iowa (or RAGBRAI), and couldn’t have made more than five dollars, adding “If the line is drawn to the point where a four-year-old eight blocks away can’t sell a couple glasses of lemonade for 25 cents, than I think the line has been drawn at the wrong spot.”
Nearby, mother Bobbie Nelson had her kids’ lemonade stand shutdown as well. Police informed her that a permit would cost $400.
Meanwhile, in Georgia, police shutdown a lemonade stand run by three girls who were saving money to go to a water park. Police said the girls needed a business license, a peddler’s permit, and a food permit to operate the stand, which cost $50 per day or $180 per year each, sums that would quickly cut into any possible profit-margin.
In Appleton, Wisconsin the city council recently passed an ordinance preventing vendors from selling products within two blocks of local events – including kids who want to sell lemonade or cookies.
These are hardly isolated incidents. From slapping parents with $500 fines for letting their kids run unlicensed lemonade stands (though this was later waived after public outcry), to government officialscalling the cops on kids selling cupcakes, the list goes on and on and on.
Nor does it stop with kids. Food Trucks are also under the gun of regulators and city governmentsacross the country. This isn’t to say that food trucks don’t need any regulations at all, but many of the regulations that come down the pipeline are pushed by brick-and-mortar competitors who want to keep competition at a minimum.
But it’s the shutdown of lemonade stands that I find so inexplicable. Who stands to lose from a couple of six-year-olds selling lemonade? Who stands to gain from shutting them down? Do local governments really think parents are going to pay for $400 vendor permits, or that kids can scrape together the money for food permits? Are there any actual safety risks? Kids have been selling lemonade for decades without permits of any sort. They often set the stands up just for fun, but many lemonade stands (or bake sales) are used to raise money for schools, cancer, or sick pets. Lemonade stands represent the most innocent, optimistic side of capitalism out there.
Fortunately, August 20th is now unofficially National Lemonade Freedom Day, because when life gives you overbearing government regulations…make lemonade, or something.
A map of lemonade stand crackdowns can be found here. They’re spread out pretty much all across the country.


Nollywood Actress Thelma O’ Kaz Takes Skin Bleaching To A New Level


One of the Nollywood's big girls is taking bleaching to the next level, not just being fair, being whiter than white - Casper ghost white! So many Nollywood actresses no doubt attractive, but with the way they supposedly adjust their skin hue, there are fears that they may eventually ruin their good skin,
One of the Nollywood's big girls is taking bleaching to the next level, not just being fair, being whiter than white - Casper ghost white! 
So many  Nollywood actresses no doubt attractive, but with the way they supposedly adjust their skin hue, there are fears that they may eventually ruin their good skin, which still remains a gigantic asset to them. 
Medical practitioners have lately intensified their campaigns against the use of bleaching creams, which they warned that the impairing effect is better envisaged than skilled.


Read more: http://news2.onlinenigeria.com/headline/331707-nollywood-actress-thelma-o%E2%80%99-kaz-takes-skin-bleaching-to-a-new-level.html#ixzz2rpTVkjxj

Man Kills His New Black Neighbors Without Warning Because He Assumed They Were Thieves

feat295u

A man had recently purchased some property in Barboursville, West Virginia and was curious to explore it. He invited his brother along to show him around. While out on his newly acquired property, a man who owned property adjacent to it thought they were trying to break into a building he mistakenly thought was on his property and, without warning or confrontation, shot both men dead.
Police say after they arrested Rodney Bruce Black and charged him with two counts of first degree murder he told them he killed the men for breaking and entering a building on his property, which turned out to be on the victim’s property and was rightfully the victim’s to look through.
Police say they are “baffled” as to why Black chose to murder the men without even attempting to contact police or ask them what they were doing. Instead, he grabbed his rifle and calmly shot both of them before they even knew he was there.
“He shot first and then called 911,” Sheriff Tom McComas said. “He said they were breaking into his house but it wasn’t his property.”
The two victims, identified as brothers Garrick and Carl Hopkins, died at the scene.
Making the already senseless crime even more so, Black admitted to police that he didn’t believe there was anything of value in the shed he saw the two victims looking into. Apparently, it was just out of principle that he decided to grab his gun and play judge, jury, and executioner.
After his arrest, police found a large cache of guns and ammo in Black’s house. While the shooter was white and both victims were black, police say they are not looking at race as a motive in the killings. It’s of course difficult to prove what was going on in Black’s head at the time of the killings, and harder still to prove that in court, but this case is part of a larger trend of black people being mistakenly (or in this case, intentionally) shot by white people because they are perceived as threats.
A highly publicized police shooting in Charlotte, N.C. started when a black man who had crashed his car went to a house looking for help but was perceived to be an intruder. The home owner called 911, not to report the crash, but to report a possible break in. The man was eventually shot to death by a white police officer responding to the call. Was the home owner racist? Not necessarily. But was his or her experience shaded by preconceived notions about black men? Certainly.
In a case in Florida, a man who was getting gas next to a car full of black teenagers ended up firing eight shots into their vehicle because he “thought” he saw a shotgun being aimed at him. He killed one of the boys. When police searched the vehicle no guns were found. Despite that, the shooter claimed self-defense in court.
Cases like these highlight what many African Americans already know. It can be dangerous just being black around people who are on edge. It’s for this reason that many black parents have to teach their kids to be extra accommodating in high stress situations. No sudden movements around cops. Be overly friendly. Hands where the officer can see them at all times. It’s often times a matter of life and death.
Again, it’s impossible to say whether this particular shooter was racially biased or simply generally violent. Would he have shot two white men looking into a shed? We will never know.
Hopkins was planning on building a home for he and his wife in the next few weeks. Both victims leave behind children.


Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Florida man who tricked girlfriend into taking abortion pill sentenced to nearly 14 years in prison

And The Prize For The Most Amount Of In-Justice from 2000-2014 ....Envelope Pls....FLORIDA!!!

  

John Andrew Welden, center, is escorted from the U.S. District Courthouse after being sentenced to 13 years and eight months in prison on Monday.

A twisted Florida man was sentenced to nearly 14 years in prison for tricking his ex-girlfriend into taking an abortion pill last year and killing their 6-week old fetus.
John Andrew Welden, 29, apologized Monday for his actions as a federal judge in Tampa handed down the 13 year, 8 month sentence. But his victim, former girlfriend Remee Jo Lee, demanded the judge show the calculating fiend “the same amount of mercy that he showed me during my pregnancy,” the Tampa Tribune reported.
“This wasn’t just a case to me,” Lee told the judge. “This was the death of my child.”
Welden and Lee, 27, had been romantically involved for nearly seven months when they learned last February that Lee was pregnant. The news, however, did not unite them.
Lee was ecstatic about becoming a mother, but Welden, who was working on a degree in sports medicine, wanted her to terminate the pregnancy.
"I was never going to do anything but go full term with it, and he didn't want me to," Lee told WPTV News last year.
Welden’s father, an obstetrician in the town of Lutz whom his son worked for, examined Lee and confirmed the pregnancy. During that visit, Lee had her blood drawn.
Remee Jo Lee, 27, walks into court to see former boyfriend John Andrew Welden sentenced for tricking her into taking a pill that caused her to have a miscarriage.

Remee Jo Lee, 27, walks into court to see former boyfriend John Andrew Welden sentenced for tricking her into taking a pill that caused her to have a miscarriage.

The following day, Good Friday, Welden informed Lee that her blood work had turned up a bacterial infection and gave her what he claimed was the antibiotic Amoxicillin.
The bottle actually contained Cytotec pills, which induce labor and result in abortion.
Trusting Welden, Lee ingested one of the pills and went to work.
“He came to my house with the pills, his weapon of choice," Lee told WPTV.
On Easter Sunday, Lee fell ill and experienced vaginal bleeding. Doctors at a hospital told her she had suffered a miscarriage caused by Cytotec.
When he joined her at the hospital, Welden admitted that he had given her the abortion drug.

Welden, after his arrest last spring.

"He used this pregnancy as my Achilles heel,” Lee said. “He knew I wanted to do what is best, so that is why I took (the pills).”
Welden admitted scratching off lettering on the Cytotec pills that would have identified them as a drug other than Amoxicillin.
On Monday, Welden was remorseful as he addressed the court.
“I’ve caused everyone a huge amount of emotional pain,” he said. “What I’ve done will stay with me every day for the rest of my life.”
The judge ordered Welden to serve out his sentence at a low-security, federal prison camp and to pay nearly $30,000 in restitution to Lee, who told the court she bled for nearly a month after the forced abortion.
Welden will spend three years on probation after his release.
“I don’t believe Mr. Welden’s an evil person, but he committed an evil act,” Judge Richard Al Lazzara said, “and he’s going to pay the consequences.”

4-year-old with IQ of 145 becomes Mensa's newest member



Anala Beevers is 4 and smarter than you.

Anala — who learned the alphabet when she was only 4 months old, her parents say  has an IQ over 145. The New Orleans toddler recently was invited to join Mensa, the high-IQ society for people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on the standardized intelligence test. Anala is in the 99th percentile.

Anala loves geography, knows the location of every U.S. state and the names of their capitals. She even carries a map of America everywhere she goes. 

"She needs a reality show," her father, Landon Beevers, told People magazine. "She keeps us on our toes."

She also knows she's smart.

"Really smart," Anala says.

Her mother, Sabrina Beevers, says Anala is constantly correcting the family's grammar.

"She's a handful," Landon Beevers said. "I'll tell you, she's a handful."

Anala is not the youngest Mensa member. In June, Adam Kirby, a 2-year-old from London, became the youngest boy ever to join Mensa, according to the Digital Journal. Emmelyn Roettger, a 2-year-old from Washington, D.C., joined last year, becoming the youngest U.S. member.


Signs Of Change The Past Week Or So 2014 (1) - January



2014 has stated with a bang, literally! With a surge of loud booms being heard and felt throughout much of north America. But then again, didn't the last few years start like this? This video includes strange and extreme weather events for most of the month of January and it's not looking good for a few major populated areas.

Thanks for watching!

These videos are best to watch with good sound or headphones

*This series does not mean the world is ending! These are documentaries of series of extreme weather events that are leading to bigger earth changes. If you are following the series, then you are seeing the signs.

*Soundtrack*
Main Theme: Liquid Cinema - False Prophet
Immediate Music - Pandemic (After Earth)

*For other events that didn't make the video this week, and to report events in your area please stop by my Facebook page! Thanks to people that are sharing with me every day keeping me informed!
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Sorry for any mistakes

*Watch More Of This Series Here*
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=...

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Thank you to the ones that film and the news channels that cover these events! I don't own any of these videos.
FAIR USE NOTICE: This video may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes only. This constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright
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State's GOP Sues Over Lack Of Opportunity For Gerrymandering

arizona redistricting gop

Arizona's GOP Wasn't Happy With How An Independent Commission Drew Districts, So They Sued



Lawyers for Arizona's Republican-led state legislature argued Friday that a federal court should invalidate the congressional districts created by an independent commission and let the legislature draw the districts instead, according to AZ Central.
In their arguments, the lawyers pressed the court to rule that only state lawmakers have the authority to draw the boundaries for Arizona’s nine congressional districts. Proposition 6, passed by voters in 2000, gave redistricting duty to Arizona's "Independent Redistricting Commission," a five-member bipartisan panel chaired by a registered independent voter.
At issue in the suit is whether the U.S. Constitution's Elections Clause gives state legislatures the sole authority to draw congressional lines.
As AZ Central reported, the federal judge hearing the suit asked the legislature's counsel where the clause explicitly gives state legislatures redistricting authority, since it deals with the issue of “the time, place and manner” of holding elections and not the drawing of district boundaries.
In documents submitted by the legislature, it argued that "Prop. 106 impermissibly removes the Legislature from its constitutionally-mandated role in the redistricting process."
Mary O’Grady, who represents the independent commission, told The Huffington Post that the legislature's suit was violating Arizona's Voter Protection Act. The law, which limits the legislature's ability to interfere with voter-approved measures, passed in 1998.
O'Grady challenged the legislature's legal standing to bring the suit, arguing that it couldn't prove that the lines drawn by the commission actually injured the legislature. She pointed out that the legislature didn't challenge the commission's district lines after the Department of Justice approved them in 2012.
Christopher Leone, a spokesman for the state House Republican Caucus, told The Huffington Post that fundamentally, the Republican leadership sees the case as an issue of constitutionality.
"It all boils down to how do you interpret a phrase of the constitution," Leone said.
Asked about the timing of the suit, he said, "There isn't any real significance to the timing."
The executive director of Arizona's Democratic Party, DJ Quinlan, accused the state GOP of challenging the redistricting commission's authority for politically-motivated reasons.
"The GOP doesn't like the fact that they weren't able to gerrymander the congressional map as they were in other states," Quinlan told The Huffington Post. "This is a case of politicians wanting to choose their voters. It's a power grab, plain and simple. They're literally saying that citizens didn't have the right to vote for an independent commission."
The independent commission has a history of fraught relations with the state's GOP leadership. In 2011, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) accused the commission's independent chair, Colleen Coyle Mathis, of "gross misconduct" in drawing district boundaries and dismissed Mathis from her position, only to have that decision overturned by Arizona's Supreme Court.
Arizona's congressional delegation to the House of Representatives consists of five Democrats and four Republicans. Lawmakers want to be able to propose a new congressional district map before the state's primary on Aug. 26.
The court hasn't yet issued a final ruling in the case.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Another Man In Florida ‘Stood His Ground’, Chasing and Killing Youth In Hoodie

ricardo
A Florida man has been charged with second-degree murder after shooting a man he suspected of burglary at this Orlando apartment complex.
Another potential “Stand Your Ground” shooting recently occurred in Florida. An Orlando man shot and killed a 21-year-old who was allegedly running through (or from, depending on who you ask), his yard. But the young man had not stolen anything, nor broken in to anyone’s home. He was literally just running. He had not threatening anyone, but Claudius Smith nevertheless said that he was afraid that this running youth was a burglar.
That’s when he decided to stalk him, and shoot him. Is this starting to sound familiar?
Smith followed the young man over a fence into a neighboring apartment complex. When police arrived, they found 21-year-old Ricardo Sanes dead in the grass, surrounded by six .45-caliber shell casings.
In a confession documented in the Orlando Police Department report Smith said that he was afraid of his victim “because his pants were falling down”. This, Smith explained, must have meant that the “fleeing” young man was “armed.” The irony that Smith himself was armed, was apparently lost on the shooter.
As well, Smith explained that Sanes “had his hands in the pocket” of his hooded sweatshirt, another piece of attire that Smith said indicated the young man was up to no good.
While the similarities with the killing Trayvon Martin are obvious to most, where this case differs is that Smith has already been arrested and charged with second-degree murder. Nevertheless, thisis Florida, and a judge may still grant him “Stand Your Ground” immunity from prosecution. It’s happened before, and you had better believe it can happen again.

A central Florida man accused of fatally shooting a suspected burglar Thursday told police he acted in self-defense after he was attacked, according to police documents obtained by the Orlando Sentinel.
The documents suggest the state’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” statue could become a factor in the case, reports the paper. “Stand Your Ground” allows residents to respond with deadly force if they perceive their life to be in danger, but has been blasted by critics as encouraging a “shoot first” mentality.
The jury that ultimately acquitted neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in the controversial shooting death of unarmed teen Trayvon Martin was instructed to consider the statute as they deliberated Zimmerman’s fate.
In this case. the alleged gunman, Claudius Smith, 33, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of 21-year-old Ricardo Sanes, reports My Fox Orlando.  Smith was reportedly inside his single-family home in Orlando Thursday when his girlfriend noticed a man on surveillance video "walking around his yard," wearing dark clothing, and then climbing over a fence into a nearby apartment complex.
According to the documents obtained by the Sentinel, Smith told police he had had recent problems with burglaries at his home and was “certain” the man seen on the surveillance video was responsible. Smith told police he jumped the fence into the apartment complex, armed with a handgun, and saw Sanes "looking into windows of apartments as he walked past them."
Smith said he pulled out his gun and confronted Sanes, grabbing Sanes’ hooded sweatshirt and trying to force him back to his house so he could call the police, reports the paper. Smith said Sanes "punched him in the mouth and grabbed for his gun."
Fearing Sanes was armed, Smith shot, reports the paper. Police did later find a handgun concealed in Sanes’ pants. However, investigators also reportedly discovered that Sanes was shot in the back, which could contradict Smith’s story.
Smith was detained at a home about four miles away after a manhunt, reports My Fox Orlando.
It’s not clear whether Smith will seek to use the “Stand Your Ground” statute in his defense.