Baltimore: Mistrial, Hung Jury in First Freddie Gray Case Trial

As everyone knows by now, a hung jury led Judge Barry Williams to declare a mistrial in the case of Officer William Porter, the first police officer of six to be tried in the Freddie Gray case.

Despite the slavering of the mainstream media for violence, there wasn't any. Neither was there a hint of it, anywhere in Baltimore, over this development. That didn't stop so-called reporters and news hosts from implying that violence was ready to break out at any minute. There was a small -- very small -- number of protesters downtown. And an overwhelming police presence. (I wasn't there, as I saw no need to protest. A mistrial is a mistrial. It's a fool's errand to try to read too much into it.) 

United States of Orwell

We live in an Orwellian, Kafkaesque, Atwoodian police state. Those authors have nothing on us, because you can't make this shit up:

Murder charge for woman who took abortion pill

OK, the charges were suddenly dropped today, but she still spent 3 days in jail for it. AND she still faces charges of "possession of a dangerous drug." Because, dontchya know, the morning-after pill is a "dangerous drug."

This country is so fucked up.

Baltimore: Criminal Charges Filed Against All 6 Officers

State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby is bringing criminal charges against all 6 officers, including one charge of "Depraved Heart Murder" against one officer, Caesar Goodson. The other officers charged with a variety of criminal offenses are: Lt. Brian Rice, Sgt. Alicia White, Ofc. William Porter, Offc. Garrett Miller, Ofc. Edward Nero. Charges include assault, misconduct in office, false imprisonment, and others.

Mosby took a lot of heat when she was elected Baltimore City State's Attorney, because of her youth and relative inexperience. There was a lot of carping in legal circles. Well, she certainly gave a straightforward, no-nonsense, kick-ass press conference. She also emphasized that this is an on-going investigation, and that she expects everyone to cool it (my words, not hers) and not engage in any nonsense, that the procedure requires peace and time and peace. And did I mention peace? No violence.

WBAL-TV reporter Jayne Miller, who has done such a great job (she's a very experienced reporter) during this whole time, stressed "an enormous development in this case," the fact that the arrest of Freddie Gray was illegal from the get-go. There was no probable cause to arrest Freddie Gray. 

You Can Help Baltimore Neighborhoods

From Pamela Wood of the Baltimore Sun:

The state's Department of Human Resources set up a hotline for people in Baltimore needing help with food, emergency assistance, or concerns for children or the elderly. 

Dancing, Singing, Chanting, Drumming PEACEFUL Protests in Baltimore Now

(Photo by Amy Davis, Baltimore Sun) 

I'm writing this on Tuesday, April 28th, at 7:45 pm (and yes, I know the night is young, and things could still change). There are several huge, celebratory, multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-age, peaceful protests going on in Baltimore now. Singing, dancing, chanting, drumming, chess-playing, roller-skating, voter registration, and those great, vibrant, colorful, gotta-see-em-to-believe-em proud black marching bands. And signs with Freddie Gray's face, and chants of "Black Lives Matter! White Lives Matter! Brown Lives Matter! All Lives Matter!"

From the Baltimore Sun's excellent, indispensable Livefeed -- thank you, Sun reporters! -- check it out: 

Whistleblower John Kiriakou Finally Freed (kinda, sorta)

Former CIA employee and torture whistleblower John Kiriakou has been freed after almost two years in prison. He is the only American who has served prison time in the (on-going) U.S. torture scandal. While Dick Cheney, George Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, John Yoo, Paul Wolfowitz, Doug Feith, John Rizzo, and other assorted psychopaths walk free -- and, in fact, are sought out and promoted by the so-called news media -- Kiriakou went to jail for exposing the U.S. torture program. 

The K Chronicles: Keith Knight on Your Rights

Political cartoonist Keith Knight:

Psychopath of the Week Redux

I'm reposting what I wrote at the beginning of this year, because this son of a bitch is back in the news again, spewing his garbage, as the news media continue to dance around the word "torture" and weasel out of their responsibility to report what's going on. Instead, they act like PR flacks and mouthpieces for the criminals who run our country.

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Psychopath of the Week

More Shock: Another Athlete Thug? Heaven Forfend!

So we have word of yet another athlete in the ranks of the habitually criminal college and professional football leagues. Gee, hard to believe. Who wouldathunkit?! 

You're Confused

Partial kinda sorta victory for Shoshana Hebshi

We’ve written about Shoshana Hebshi twice here at TSA News and about the hideous, Kafka-esque injustice she suffered at the hands of the United States government, via our friendly abusers at the TSA, Frontier Airlines, and law enforcement, aka the police. 

United States of Depravity

In a perfect corollary to the entry I posted earlier today, we have the following story from the Washington Post. It's impossible to imagine the depravity of this country anymore. Reality surpasses the most sick, twisted thing you could ever come up with: 

Howard Zinn Now and Forever

Edward Snowden, Hero

(Click to enlarge.)

Capitalism by Michael Parenti

Maybe

From the Guardian, by Trevor Timm: 

UPDATE to Cecily McMillan Case

A couple of updates to the case of the injustice carried out against Cecily McMillan, which I wrote about earlier today. 

The updates are from the UK paper the Guardian, which has given this story comprehensive coverage throughout, unlike the American mainstream press, which, if it covers it at all, usually buries it -- in the case of the New York Times, in the NY Region section, even though it's a case with national implications. 

(Oh, and I'm still looking for it at NPR, whose website shows nothing about the case. Surprise, surprise.)  

Cecily McMillan, Victim of Police Assault, Found Guilty, In Jail

In the continuing cavalcade of innocent people put in prison in this country -- the vast majority of whom are poor and/or people of color -- we now add Cecily McMillan, an Occupy activist who was assaulted by a New York City cop and who is now in jail for it.

You read that right. She was assaulted by him. Yet she is in jail. And he -- with a history of committing abuse -- is walking free.  

Police State USA: Supreme Court Refuses to Hear NDAA Challenge

The U.S. is a fucking police state. I don't care how many people don't get it, I don't care how many of them have their heads up their asses, the U.S. is a police state. Thank god my activist friends get it; at least I have a few people I can talk to.

The latest from the Supreme Rubber Stampers of the land, via the Rutherford Institute:

UK court rules against David Miranda -- another blow to civil liberties

As and is if by magic, the latest news confirms the "Fascism" post I put up just an hour ago. From the Guardian:

High court rules against David Miranda over Heathrow detention – live coverage

The UK is just as bad as the US. Gee, why am I not suprised?

Both countries have been inexorably morphing more and more into fascist states since 9/11. Actually, since the so-called war on drugs. But it's heated up since 2001. "Terrorism" is the new bogeyman du jour, just as "Communism" was during the Cold War. Empire is never happy unless it has an enemy on the horizon. Much easier to control people that way. And guess what? Millions of those people are happy to fall into line.