Category: Wall of Fame Assholes

Lying is Habitual

The National Security Agency (NSA) was caught lying to Congress earlier this year. As most of us know lying become habitual so it should come as no surprise that the NSA also lied to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC), the secret organization tasked with approving nefarious government surveillance activities:

Beyond the many instances of NSA malfeasance, the most damning aspect of the opinion is its lack of effect on future behavior. What does make it past the redaction details repeated wrongdoing that even the FISA Court, long perceived to be the NSA’s rubber stamp, found egregious.

A footnote on page 16 points out that the agency had “substantially misrepresented” the extent of its “major collection program” (including the harvesting of “internet transactions”) for the third time in less than three years. The same set of footnotes attacks the so-called “big business records” collection, accusing the agency of using a “flawed depiction” of how it used the data to basically fleece the FISA court since the program’s inception in 2006.

At this point the only proper corrective action is to abolish the NSA. Those calling for additional oversight are fools. Oversight is impossible if the agency being watched continuously lies to those watching it. Even if an audit committee is created it’s clear that agencies within the NSA would simply conceal incriminating information from the committee.

Ensuring the Continued Health and Labor of the Slaves

Many prisoners in California have gone on a hunger strike to protest the deplorable conditions and despicable acts taking place in that state’s overcrowded prisons. Once again, proving that the state doesn’t believe you own yourself, a district court has ruled that the prisoners can be forcefully fed:

A district court judge in California has given state authorities permission to force-feed dozens of prisoners who have been on hunger strike for more than six weeks.

Judge Thelton Henderson said some of the prisoners who were near death could be fed, despite some signing requests not to be revived.

One may ask, why would the state want to forcefully feed prisoners? Wouldn’t it be cheaper to let them die, as they wish to do? Although I’m not privy to the state’s insider conversations I have an educated guess. The district court is probably concerned that starving prisoners are poor laborers for UNICOR and Corrections Corporation of America. What good is a slave laborer if they are so hungry they cannot work? In order to ensure the continued flow of goods from the prison-industrial complex to the state and general economy the district court felt it necessary to feed the protesting slaves. This day and age one cannot even die without receiving governmental permission.

The Detention of David Miranda

Anybody who has continued to follow the surveillance state fiasco that became prominent thanks to Glenn Greenwald has probably already heard that David Miranda, Mr. Greenwald’s partner, was detained for nine hours at Heathrow airport:

David Miranda, who lives with Glenn Greenwald, was returning from a trip to Berlin when he was stopped by officers at 8.05am and informed that he was to be questioned under schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000. The controversial law, which applies only at airports, ports and border areas, allows officers to stop, search, question and detain individuals.

The 28-year-old was held for nine hours, the maximum the law allows before officers must release or formally arrest the individual. According to official figures, most examinations under schedule 7 – over 97% – last less than an hour, and only one in 2,000 people detained are kept for more than six hours.

Considering the person who was detained and the length of time he was detained it’s pretty obvious what was going on. The state, embarrassed by the National Security Agency (NSA) slides that were published by Mr. Greenwald, has resorted to a tactic favored by tyrants throughout history: intimidation. What’s particularly funny is that the same state that wasn’t bashful about detaining Mr. Miranda (who, for us Americans, has a rather ironic last name) has still decided to “investigate” the matter:

Senior politicians and an independent reviewer have said police must explain why David Miranda was detained for nine hours at Heathrow Airport.

The explanation is quite simple. As enforcers for the same people demanding an explanation, the guards at Heathrow airport decided to send Mr. Greenwald a message. The message itself was quite simple, the state can get to the people Mr. Greenwald cares about the most. It’s the same tactic used by mafia henchmen in the movies. When somebody falls out of favor with the local mafia a few henchmen are dispatched to pick up that person’s children from school and drive them home. The parent understands that the mafia is letting him or her know that they could easily kill his or her children at any time. From there the parent can decide to fall into line with the mafia or risk having his or her children killed.

Detaining Mr. Miranda was a coward’s move, which are the only moves the state knows. I’m sure several higher ups in the British government ensured that Mr. Greenwald and Mr. Miranda were added to a watch list so they would be harassed whenever they traveled by air. After the target has been entered into the computer it is up to the ordinance, in this case airport security personnel, to hit its mark. The nice thing about this methodology is it allows politicians to feign innocence. They can claim to have no knowledge of the event, perform an “investigation” into the matter, and punish a handful of disposable soldiers.

Being a Member of the Protected Class

There are numerous protected classes in the United States. Police officers have a great deal of protection from the consequences of their wrongdoings, politicians have almost complete immunity from prosecution, and large corporations are generally protected from bankruptcy. Once protected class managed to fly under the radar in most cases, bankers. Bankers have an insurmountable number of legal immunities, include an immunity from laws against counterfeiting. But this story really takes the cake:

An Vinton County woman is looking to get her belongings back after a bank incorrectly broke into her house and took them.

Katie Barnett says that the First National Bank in Wellston foreclosed on her house, even though it was not her bank.

“They repossessed my house on accident, thinking it was the house across the street,” Barnett said.

Barnett, who had been away from the house for about two weeks, said she had to crawl through the window of her own house in order to get in after she used her own key that did not work.

Some of the items in her house had been hauled away, others were sold, given away and trashed.

It turns out the bank sent someone to repossess the house located across the street from Barnett’s house, but by mistake broke into hers instead.

“They told me that the GPS led them to my house,” Barnett said. “My grass hadn’t been mowed and they just assumed.”

She called the McArthur Police about the incident, but weeks later, the chief announced the case was closed.

By failing to make a serious investigation, the McArthur Police Department demonstrated that bankers can break into a home, steal and sell the possessions within, and not suffer any consequences so long as they claim that they had the wrong address. Meanwhile, a woman’s life is in ruin and she is unlikely to get justice because her aggressor is legally protected.

Shit like this, along with the fact much of what the bankers have done recently was only made possible by their special privileges granted by the state, is why I have no sympathy for bankers trying to repossess homes with underwater mortgages.

Another Day, Another Dog Shot by Police

The sun has risen again, which can only mean another dog has been shot by a police officer. This time the shooting appears to be part of a new police program to help families forget about the loss of a family member by killing one of their pets:

Hamiel’s nephew, Ricky Ellerbe, 33, turned up shot to death hours later, about eight blocks from his home and just yards from the all-night convenience store on Mechanicsville Turnpike that had been his destination.

[…]

Henrico investigators swarmed the area with forensics technicians and tracking dogs, but no arrest had been reported Wednesday night. Ellerbe was one of five children; a brother, Gary, died in 2010 from a heart attack, three years after he’d been repeatedly stabbed.

And in a horrific turn of events, a Henrico police officer shot and killed the Ellerbe family pitbull, Tiger, as it charged toward the officer off its leash.

This harkens back to yesterday’s post discussing the practice in our society, especially with police officers, to use violence as a default reaction. Many people have been quick to point out that the dog was a pitbull; which I’m told is a breed that hunts down and eats small, worships at the alter of Lucifer, and has a propensity to breath fire while spawning small demons around it; that wasn’t on a leash. Even if the dog was active aggressively, which running towards somebody isn’t generally a sign of aggression (dogs run towards people in a friendly manner all the time), police officers generally have a non-lethal, yet very effective (especially on animals of the four-legged variety), option of pepper spray. But when the words “officer safety” are spoken the police are able to get away with whatever form of violence gets their rocks off.

More and more it seems to be the case that death follows police wherever they go. Next time they want to report on a murder they can do the decent thing and just make a phone call.

Police Courageously Evict 75 Squatters… Who Have Been Squatting for 13 Years

It’s a good thing society has police officers. Who else, besides individuals so righteous that the state sees fit to issue them an official badge and costume, could courageously storm several mansions that have been squatted by 75 individuals for 13 (or 32, the article is inconsistent with the time span, hence I chose the shorter one) years:

For 13 years, squatters occupied six Victorian mansion blocks in a prime London location rent-free, letting them go to wrack and ruin.

But yesterday a two-year battle to evict them came to a head in an early morning raid that saw violent clashes with bailiffs and police.

Even the private property loving libertarian in me is left wondering what sense it makes to evict individuals who have been occupying a space for more than a decade. Did the owners not care? Were the properties unowned? Why did the police suddenly decided it was a jolly good idea to put on their ridiculous looking costumes, kick in the doors, and evict individuals who have been living in those properties for ages?

I think it’s valid to consider a property unowned, and therefore available to whoever first makes use of it, when the supposed owner cares so little about the property that they’re unwilling to invest the absolutely minor resources required to have somebody check up on the place once a year and file a police report* if somebody has broken in.

* I’m not claiming that calling the police is the right thing to do because I view the police as a legitimate entity. Unfortunately, in our society, most insurance companies require a police report to be filed before various damages will be covered. Because of that filing a police report, if you want to make use of your insurance policy, is often necessary.

Police Open Fire Because They Mistook a Cell Phone for a Gun

Advocates of gun control want to grant a monopoly on gun ownership to the state. If they managed to get their way people like this would be the only individuals who could either own guns or determine who can own guns:

Las Vegas police responded to a call of a suicidal man who pulled out a cell phone and pointed it at them, perhaps to record them, prompting an officer to shoot at him.

The officer missed but the man fell to the ground anyway where police arrested him.

“The individual reached into his pocket, he pulled out a dark object, pointed it at the sergeant in a manner like he would be firing a pistol,” explained Deputy Chief Al Salinas of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department in the above video.

Thank Odin that police officers are notoriously bad shots. Unfortunately they’re also very bad at determining whether or not an object in somebody’s hand is a weapon or not. Personally, I’ve never mistook a cell phone for a firearm before and when somebody pulls out a cell phone and points it at me my first assumption is that they’re recording me.

We all know how this case will turn out, the officers who opened fire will be given a paid vacation until this fiasco blows over. After the media is done covering the incident the officers will be cleared of any wrongdoing and will return to the streets where they can open fire on another unarmed person. Meanwhile the person who was shot at will likely be charged:

The man, who has not been identified, will most likely be charged with assault with a deadly weapon as well as battery with a deadly weapon because prior to the shooting, he had been throwing landscaping rocks at the officers, according to Salinas.

Welcome to America.

Another Day, Another Dog Murdered by a Cop

This shit is getting ridiculous. A man in Hawthorne, California was walking his dog and video taping the police, both perfectly legal acts. The police, obviously having something to hide (their logic, not mine), kidnapped the videographer and shot his dog. Not only did they murder the man’s dog but they did it in a residential area, a place where needlessly discharging rounds is very dangerous. What follows is the video of this event, which contains graphic content (as most videos involving the police do):

Being a police state, I’m sure the officer will be receive several days of paid vacation while this incident is investigated by his friends. Upon finding no wrongdoing on behalf of the officer he will return to work and the fact that a psychopath continues to walk around with a gun will be entirely ignored.

Obama the Jackass

Obama is proving to be one of the biggest jackasses in presidential history (and that’s quite an accomplishment when you look at the other presidents this country has suffered). Take the speech he recently made in Johannesburg, South Africa. During the speech Obama stated:

“Ultimately, if you think about all the youth that everybody has mentioned here in Africa, if everybody is raising living standards to the point where everybody has got a car and everybody has got air conditioning, and everybody has got a big house, well, the planet will boil over — unless we find new ways of producing energy,” Obama said.

Translation: Unless we find a new way of producing energy the people of Africa are just going to have to suffer toils that today are seldom faced by their American and European brethren.

This is another one of those “for me, not thee” statements. Obama effectively told the people of South Africa that they can’t enjoy the same standards of living as Western civilizations because if they do the world will literally end. If Obama is the spokesperson for the United States it’s no surprise that a good chunk of the world hates us.

Michael Bloomberg’s Brand of Racism

Michael Bloomberg recently displayed is more, shall we say, colorful side when he complained that the New York Police Department (NYPD) was stopping too many white people and not enough minorities. No, I’m not making this up:

NEW YORK (AP) — Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Friday that police “disproportionately stop whites too much and minorities too little” as compared to murder suspects’ descriptions, sparking criticism from activists and some politicians in a city that has been immersed in a debate about law enforcement and discrimination.

Thanks to a previous lawsuit the NYPD was forced to release its numbers for its “stop and frisk” program. As it turns out many precincts were focusing almost exclusively on minority groups. Of all the persons stopped and frisked by the 73rd precinct, 98% were either Black of Hispanic.

I guess Bloomberg wants a city where minorities are stopped exclusively.