Abbie Hoffman Moment

Abbie Hoffman Moment

Abbie Hoffman Moment

Manipulating Local News?

Abbie Hoffman Moment

Republican Uses For The War On Drugs

"You understand what I'm saying? We knew we couldn't make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin. And then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities," Ehrlichman said. "We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did." John Erlichman, former aide to Richard Nixon

One has to wonder if the same tactics can work on government agencies.......

Courtly Conduct Before Juries

We've been hearing a lot abut jury trials in the news, lately. We also, on a semi-regular basis, hear a lot about the press, social media, and the first amendment. But does anyone truly understand the sanctity of a jury decision, and the purpose of the protections of the same, both before and after the decision is rendered? Apparently, there is some misunderstanding, as a rather high profile case, that of the murder trial of Aaron Hernandez, ran a risk of dismissal shortly before the trial concluded because a reporter chased a vehicle transporting members of a seated jury in order to obtain pictures, names, and interviews!

What part of "do not sway, taint, or influence a jury" do these reporters not understand? Can they not see that when a defendant invokes his right to a jury trial, all involved parties count on an impartial jury? Before the jury has rendered a decision, this kind of crap can easily bias the jury and rob the defendant of his right to a fair trial. This is why judges are often obliged to invoke orders against discussion about cases by any involved party during trials. How can the court be sure that the jury was not responding to threats or bribes when deliberating the case if others have taken the liberties of influencing jury panels via outside conversation? This can lead to mistrials, miscarriages of justice, and convictions of innocent people.

One more thing this reporter attempted to do that was completely unwise was an attempt to photograph the jury while they were commuting to and from the courthouse. This was the reporter's excuse, as a matter of fact. He thought that merely snapping a picture of jury members was appropriate. He had not considered what might have happened if someone, somewhere had been dissatisfied with the verdict, and decided to use the information and pictures provided by the media in an attempt to gain some sort of vengeance on any member of the jury who could be identified. It seems that, thanks to social media and peer pressure in general, there is already enough temptation to "go with the flow" and do what everyone else is doing, and never do one's own thinking. In court, a jury is depended upon to depart from peer pressure and make it's decision as individuals, looking critically at the facts, not public opinion. Why should the media interfere with this process?

Transparent, Black, And Missing In America

Here's some information that will be shared this month, in Washington, DC. It is about the unequal air time given to missing persons, children especially, who are black. When a missing person is a white, blond, blue-eyed young woman, her picture finds it's way into all the major publications and is viewed on all the major TV networks. White children are often featured, as well. Advertisers have deemed that the American public will only hear about certain things, and they do not appear willing to sponsor as much airtime for black missing people as they do for white. This greatly reduces the chances that the neglected, un-aired cases will be solved, and it is unbalanced news coverage for all concerned. Hopefully, Black And Missing In America can raise awareness and bring about changes in the way all missing persons cases are presented to the public.

Abbie Hoffman Moment

Update: Jaylen Jones Is Found Safe

There was some good news on KAKE News this morning, and that is that young Jaylen Jones was found safe in Rice County, Kansas. Something your blogger finds interesting is that Jaylen was missing for several weeks while his case was given no attention, because he had been deemed a "runaway", and therefore not important; but when his story aired in KAKE, he was suddenly located. Can this be dismissed as coincidence? Your blogger thinks not. Runaways need to be found just as much as those who disappear involuntarily need to be found, and most of the victims of human traffickers in America are actually teens who have run away from home.

Abbie Hoffman Moment

If I appear To Have Overlooked Something

If it seems to the reader that there are things I should include on this site, either in the form of posts, or as the subjects of pages or categories, don't despair. There are things occurring locally which have attracted my notice, but which, also, have not played out completely in their respective arenas at this point. From state legislation to open lawsuits, (Northeast Kansans really don't understand compliance with federal law) there are reasons for the timing of media coverage for certain events, and that includes websites such as this one. One does not use unripe fruit for jam, and vintage wine does not age in the blinking of an eye.

Stuff That Gets Downplayed In The News

Did anyone know that signaling other drivers by flashing one's headlights to warn of cops hiding with radar guns is protected speech, covered by the first amendment? In November of 2012, Michael Elli of Missouri decided to fight a ticket in court for doing just that, instead of paying the $1000.00 fine. When the local court realized he was going to fight the ticket, arguing first amendment rights and freedom of speech, the case was dropped. But Elli had already filed suit, and the ACLU had already gotten behind him, so the lawsuit went forward. On February 3, a federal judge ruled in favor of Elli. This means that any police officer who tickets a person for flashing car headlights to warn other drivers of a speed trap is interfering with constitutional rights.

While this does not seem monumental, it has huge impact on the entire nation, because this case sets a precedent. It is a very important statement, and a decisive victory for speech and freedom of expression protected by the first amendment. A federal court has, in effect, just told the entire nation's police departments to back off and leave the people alone. Isn't it interesting that none of the local or national media have spoken more on the subject? Why might that be?

The case is styled Elli v. Ellisville, and can be perused, copied, and quoted. Personally, I can't wait to see more people stand up for their rights. Anyone who does not stand up for his or her rights is also failing to stand up for the Constitution. Reporting on the outcomes of cases such as this should not be a problem for the media, either.

In Case You Missed Church On Sunday

 

Hmmm......would the "truth" be something like this, Bully Graham?

 

Wake up, America!

Whistle Blowing The Old Fashioned Way

Whistle blowing. A fun, new concept that really shouldn't represent a necessity. But yet, it does. What a shame that we do not teach history well enough in our public schools to avoid that other necessity of repeating history when we fail to learn an important lesson the first time. Or the second, third, or fourth time, as the case may be.

The subject of the expectation of privacy, and respect for the same, has been in the spotlight many times in American history. We have local and federal laws protecting privacy, and our nation's Constitution addresses it, as well. Verdicts in capital murder cases have been overturned because of governmental abuses of citizens' rights to privacy. A republican president even resigned as a result of the way his administration treated the rights of others to privacy. Anyone remember Watergate? So why was it necessary for Edward Snowden to remind the general public that we still have not learned a damn thing from our own history?

Back in the day, before the internet, we got things done the old fashioned way. A very recently published book titled The Burglary describes the actions of John and Bonnie Raines, and Keith Forsythe whistleblowing without the internet. J. Edgar Hoover, the head honcho of the FBI in 1971, was already notorious for blackmailing and threatening others. Despite American law and the Constitution, he established and sanctioned government practices of blatantly ignoring the rights of American citizens. Digging up dirt and using personal information to which he had no legal right was his most typical tool of blackmail, and it was his policy to encourage all law enforcement agencies to violate the law this way. Granted, he was FBI, not state or local police departments, but we cannot forget what rolls downhill.

Bonnie Raines cased the FBI building in Media, Pennsylvania, and one night, she and her cohorts broke in and stole a bunch of classified documents which outlined directives to snoop illegally, blackmail, threaten, and bypass the rights of anyone and everyone who found themselves at cross purposes with the government, as it concerned J. Edgar Hoover. After finding pertinent bits and pieces of information in their loot, the group anonymously gave it to a journalist for the Washington Post. The attorney general serving at the time asked the Post not to publish this information, and J. Edgar Hoover was furious.......yet, the show went on. Much of the privacy and many of the rights connected to privacy enjoyed by Americans today, along with the ability to question authority from the individual standpoint owes to this anonymous action and risk, taken by these three individuals. J. Edgar Hoover sought to become more powerful than the Truth, but alas! He was unsuccessful. The burglars were never caught, and their identities never came to light until their book was published. What did come to light was the corruption that had engulfed and swallowed all branches of the government at the time.

What isn't known is whether or not J. Edgar Hoover ever stopped to consider the irony of this particular burglary taking place in a town called "Media".

A'Kiera Burrell Sledge Found Safe

A'Kiera Burrell Sledge, the teen who went missing in Kansas City, Missouri sometime during the last week of November, was finally found over the weekend by her mom. This is the best news I've heard in a long time concerning a missing child. Especially a missing child whose status as such went largely unnoticed and unheralded by the venues we count on to report these matters and update the public concerning any progress made in searches. In fact, the media has not reported that she is safe; that is why I am unable to include a link to reference this information. I checked Facebook and found the news, and heaved a sigh of relief.

This brings me to something that is really quite disturbing. When A'Kiera first disappeared, she was not living at home, and those charged with her care did not bother to inform law  enforcement or her parents. When they finally did inform A'Kiera's mother, in order to avoid an awkward moment during a scheduled meeting with mother and daughter, as daughter was AWOL, they had no information except that they thought she might have "run away" with another teenage girl. To date, the name and picture of the other young lady has yet to surface in the news. It would appear, sadly, that no one is looking for her. In and of itself, that is an injustice beyond comprehension, but I will save that for another post. A'Kiera got a small amount of coverage from local media sources, but law enforcement in Kansas City Missouri did nothing but impede the process of finding her by refusing to take a missing persons report from her mom and never giving A'Kiera's information to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for circulation. Crittenton Childrens Center, in Kansas City, Missouri, from where A'Kiera initially disappeared, was first to drop the ball by not reporting her absence to law enforcement. The court apparently wasn't too concerned, either. When A'Kiera's mother found out and tried to get the police involved, they literally wouldn't cooperate. Much of the information circulating about this whole situation was unofficial.

It is a miracle and a blessing that A'Kiera made it home safely, but suppose she had ended up somewhere across the country, outside of the circle of friends and Facebook friends within her local community? Getting found, in a case like that, could depend upon mass photo circulation. Also, why would a police department in another state even begin to suspect that a missing child is truly missing when no Amber Alert, or other alert, has been issued? Since Crittenton Childrens Center refused to turn over the twenty-four hour surveillance video from last day A'Kiera was seen on the campus, an Amber Alert would have been difficult to issue, since no involved vehicle could be identified without viewing the video footage. But.....Kansas City Police were okay with not having the surveillance video. This is no way to conduct an investigation and find a missing child. It is also unacceptable.

Any business advertising in any of the local media or major media should be aware that many of us care a lot more about children who disappear than we do about the drivel that normally gets covered in the news. I honestly don't care about Governor Brownback's latest hypocritical and fake public prayer performance, or about tractor pulls, or about the latest moron to get arrested for shoplifting or hiding ten garbage bags of homegrown in his garage. All that stuff really isn't important to me. If I happen to read it, I read it, but I am not going to go out of my way to look for it. I am, however; going to go out of my way to find out if a missing child has been located, and to see if there is anywhere that I can circulate the pictures and information, in order to get that child home, safe, as soon as possible. That's what's important to me, and it is a big disappointment that none of the newspapers or their online counterparts prioritize missing children, particularly ethnic missing children, at all. Seriously, advertisers; I hope you are listening.

When Cops Kill People In Front Of Your Face

It might be a better idea to dial 911 and only give a location and very brief description of the situation, when reporting lethal police brutality, rather than explaining that the police have just beaten someone to death. Ask for an ambulance, describe the brawl, but don't reveal that law enforcement made the whole thing happen. If the dispatcher knows the police are beating someone to death, he or she is very likely to allow the beating to continue until law enforcement calls. Certain targets are chosen in advance, and will receive no help from emergency dispatch. Once the ambulance arrives on the scene, capture the response on video. If the police do not immediately cease and desist their battery of the victim, and move aside for paramedics, that footage should be copied and turned over to the FBI, the local media, and to the general public for scrutiny. Under no circumstances should it be kept private. Even a victim who is lucky enough to survive has a responsibility to cancel law enforcement's free ticket to beat their chosen targets to death.

 

Cierra Swodeck Is Missing

 

 

Cierra Swodeck, of Lawrence, Kansas, is seventeen years old and was last seen on October 6. She was in foster care in Russell, Kansas, and it was "reported" to her natural mother that a "friend"drove Cierra from Russell to Topeka. It has been almost twenty days since this young lady has been seen by anyone who knows her. That's long time for a seventeen your old to be missing.

 

There are some questions that do not appear to have been addressed by the media in Cierra's case. First; why did law enforcement and the media wait until over two weeks had elapsed to publicize this case? Second; why isn't law enforcement airing this case? Why isn't social services doing more about it? Why is the natural mother, whose parental rights had been suspended by the foster care system, the only person who cares enough about Cierra to pass out flyers, talk to the media, and look for her? Third; Where were the foster parents when Cierra went missing, and what is their timeline on October 6? When a child or an adult is missing, and is being held against his or her will, if the missing person is going to be murdered, it usually happens within the first three hours. Two and a half weeks is way too long of a time to wait to give the case attention. Social Services and the foster parents also have a share of responsibility in this; the taxpayers should not have to think that child protective services will snatch children from parents who love them, place them in living situations hundreds of miles away from home, and not lift a finger, or a phone, when children disappear. There is a Marshall County Kansas foster parent who allows foster children to drink and drive drunk, and even though the police are required by law to arrest any child in DCF custody caught drinking, they never bother.....so it comes as no surprise, here, when law enforcement takes twenty days to start publicizing a foster child's missing persons' case. And, of course,  what were those foster parents doing on October 6, did Cierra have a cell phone, and why did they not have enough control over the goings-on in their state approved foster home to ensure that Cierra did not leave without asking? Finally, did Cierra really go to Topeka with a friend?

 

Anyone with information about Cierra or her whereabouts should call the number to the Russell County Sheriff's office on the poster above.

 

No; Dorner's Cabin Hideout Was Torched On Purpose

Contrary to propoganda flatulated by LAPD, and further emitted by the media, the cabin, in which the recently infamous Chris Dorner was said to have hidden, was burned down deliberately, not accidently. So....San Bernardino Sheriff's Office, no one doubts that the situation at hand was very, very serious. If you had entertained intentions all along of torching any structure in which Dorner took shelter, why don't you just say so, instead of spreading lies?

 

 

Petition Concerning Westboro Baptist Church

Lately, it seems that there has been a morbid and rabid fascination for Westboro Baptist Church, that bunch of obnoxious Christians from Topeka, Kansas, who think that God hates minorities, and think that they should drive to funerals of soldiers and famous people and let us all know how the Christian god of antiquity feels about all of us. There is even a petition asking that they be "identitifed", somehow, as an hate group, to which I will link you here. I did not link to the church's official website above, but rather the Wikipedia description of them, as the church already garners enough attention.

It's well and good to sign a petition concerning this matter, as a "feel good" measure, but all of us who have been within earshot of any active member of Westboro Baptist Church are already quite aware that they are hateful. Law enforcement, everywhere the church goes, has them pegged as hateful and unkind as well. England has even taken the unusual step of banning a couple of the church's members from visiting their country. The FBI is also aware of them, and regards them as problematic, not only because of what they do, but because of the potential for adverse reactions of others. Speaking of adverse reactions of others, this is one of the two things that the members of Westboro Baptist Church want the most. They not only desire adverse reactions on the parts of bystanders and nearby property owners; they want to be arrested, assaulted, and harrassed. Their whole game revolves around gaining negative attention and reactions from others, escalating the same into unlawful or combative reactions, then litigating against those who became offended and reacted. They generally do not bother to file suit unless they know, beyond the shadow of any doubt, that they can win in court. This is how they pay the bills at their church, everyone.

The other thing this merry band of attention whoring Christians want is publicity. That's why the funerals of soldiers are used as the church's platform, and also the funerals of others who are well known or famous, or the funerals of people who died in events that have been heavily publicized, such as the school shooting in Connecticut on December 14. The petition counts as publicity, too. The more Westboro Baptist Church interviews, press coverage items, facebook pages, and petitions for or against their silly-assed rhetoric find their way into our reading material, the more infamous Westboro Baptist Church becomes. It's a fact. That's why I did not bother to sign the petition concerning their behaviors. Had the press never picked up on the church's story  and run with it in 1998, most of us probably never would have heard of Westboro Baptist Church. While all of the media coverage cannot be undone, fewer pixels and less ink for this bunch is certainly worth considering.

 

Shirley Phelps, daughter of the paster of Westboro Baptist Church, and other female family members. Notice how they all look like carbon copies of each other. Inbreeding is a terrible thing.