Bye, Bye, Miss American Empire

http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/311

Illinois State Police intimidating gun rights supporters

Illinois State Police (ISP) detectives have been visiting the homes of people who phoned or faxed Sen. Dan Kotowski (D-Park Ridge) to express opposition to gun control legislation sponsored by the senator.

In the case investigated thus far, the respondent reports that ISP
detectives arrived at his home, unannounced, and informed him that their
visit was in response to faxes he sent to Sen. Kotowski. The detectives
then went on to ask the citizen questions about his mental health and other
personal matters. Although the citizen was not arrested, he reports that he
feels that the detectives were there to deliver the message that it's not a
good idea to criticize Dan Kotowski or the gun control measures Kotowski
supports.

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/06-18-2007/0004610614&EDATE=

NBC claims movie piracy hurts corn growers

"In the absence of movie piracy, video retailers would sell and rent more titles. Movie theaters would sell more tickets and popcorn. Corn growers would earn greater profits and buy more farm equipment."

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/22/ce-oh-no-he-didnt-part-xxxv-nbc-sez-piracy-hurts-corn-grower/

California Split

The United States is almost certainly too big to be a meaningful democracy. What does “participatory democracy” mean in a continent? Sooner or later, a profound, probably regional, decentralization of the federal system may be all but inevitable....If the scale of a country renders it unmanageable, there are two possible responses. One is a breakup of the nation; the other is a radical decentralization of power.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/10/opinion/10alperovitz.html?ex=1328763600&en=2e8dc0cd80e2d9d0&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Russia "threatens" to recognize California's independence

According to some sources, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, during a Wednesday press conference in Sweden, threatened the breakup of the United States by stating that an American unilateral recognition of Kosovo as an independent state could prompt Russia to do the same for California "should they request it."

http://byzantinesacredart.com/blog/2007/06/california-independence.html

Man Faces 7 Year Sentence Under "Wiretapping Law" For Filming Police

Filming someone in a public place with no expectation of privacy is not wiretapping. In fact, filming police officers interacting with the public, secretly if possible, should be strongly encouraged, as it is the only way to deter the abuse of police power.

http://www.informationliberation.com/index.php?id=22471

Even simply taking photographs can get you into trouble these days.

http://www.freedomtophotograph.com/

TSA freaks out over toddler's sippy cup

http://www.nowpublic.com/nightmare_at_reagan_national_airport_a_security_story_to_end_all_security_stories

In this post 9/11 world we can't be too careful.

Quadriplegic dies in jail after being sentenced for marijuana possession

A 27-year-old quadriplegic man sentenced to serve ten days in a Washington, DC jail on charges that he possessed a minor amount of marijuana died while in custody last week due to inadequate health care, including prison officials' failure to provide him with a ventilator.

http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6282