After we had the great opportunity to sit down with Ron Paul in Lake Jackson, TX office we hit the road, driving north on 288 toward Houston, where we had a meetup later that evening. Off the west side of the highway we saw a collection of busts of former presidents. Obviously someone thought these guys were such good people that they deserved to be showcased.

We didn’t.

For more on this check out The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History by Tom Woods and The Cult of the Presidency by Gene Healy.

http://www.star-telegram.com/…

A $226,000 armored vehicle for the North Richland Hills Police Department SWAT team arrived a few days ago to replace one the agency got in 1990.

To many people that vehicle — and others like it used by police departments across the country — will go unnoticed. The public seems to largely accept the use of military-type equipment, technology and tactics as not only appropriate but also necessary to fight crime and make communities more safe and secure.

Armored vehicles are used by law enforcement agencies in Fort Worth, Arlington and Bedford and at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, just to name a few. Some police departments have assault rifles, noise-flash devices and grenade launchers. Arlington even sought federal money for a drone aircraft.

But some criminal-justice experts are troubled by law enforcement agencies’ growing use of military-style equipment. Rather than employ such equipment only in extreme situations, the critics say, their use is becoming commonplace, leading police to use unnecessary force and intimidating residents. For example, some cite an episode last year in which police used a battering ram to raid a Duncanville swingers club when no one answered a knock.

“We have been witnesses to a little-noticed but nonetheless momentous historical change — the traditional distinctions between military/police, war/law and internal/external security are rapidly blurring,” said criminal justice professor Peter Kraska, of Eastern Kentucky University, in one on his studies on the militarization of police departments.

Local police officials note that growing populations, rising crime rates and more-lethal weapons available to criminals have forced officers to keep up. They also say they rely on training to make sure equipment is used appropriately.

“For years, there’s always been a parallel between law enforcement and the military,” said Bedford Police Chief David Flory, former director of training for the Texas Tactical Peace Officers Association. “Of course, the big difference is the rules of engagement. The military in Afghanistan or Iraq is dealing with warfare. We as officers have the U.S. Constitution and the Texas Penal Code that we must follow.”
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http://www.wmtw.com/…

BUXTON, Maine — Buxton police raided a building where people were trying to raise money to give free food to the needy.

It happened at the Narragansett Pythian Sisters Temple on Route 22 where people were playing the card game Texas Hold’em to benefit the Buxton Community Food Co-op.

But state police said the game was illegal.

That’s because whenever a gambling tournament is held to raise money for a group and takes place at its headquarters, a permit is needed and the co-op didn’t have one.

So, state police seized cards, poker chips and $500 in cash — money the food co-op desperately needed.

A member of the co-op, Joann Groder, said she is very, very sad about what happened.

“We’ve had a lot of people who come here — people who are out of work, people who have cancer. We have a lot of people,” said Groder.

But state police are standing by what was done.

“In this particular case they weren’t licensed, and they knew they weren’t and they knew they needed one,” said Lt. David Bowler of the Maine State Police.

The money from the co-op’s card game is currently being held as evidence while the investigation continues.

Groder now plans to hold a pot roast dinner to raise money for the co-op.

http://arstechnica.com/…

The fact that there aren’t hard numbers to base these arguments on suggests that many towns are leaping into the use of cameras without ever bothering to look into their safety implications. Denver, for example, had a contract that mandated the reporting of statistics from the cameras, but the city never bothered to ask for them.

As a result, a number of states have now banned their use. To be fair, based on legislative arguments over speed cameras, the bans may have been as much the product of the fact that state legislators don’t want to be caught by them, but the questionable ethics of the red light cameras undoubtedly helped them justify their decision.

But cities aren’t content to see a source of revenue slip from their grasp, especially in the current fiscal environment. A site called theNewspaper.com, which tracks the politics of traffic laws, is reporting that some cities in Texas, which banned the installation of new cameras but grandfathered them in existing contracts, are attempting to evade the intent of the legislature. When faced with the prospect of having their existing contracts with a camera supplier gracefully expire when they run out, Arlington and Southlake are locking themselves into long-term contract extensions. Southlake has extended it for 20 years, by which point technology may have made the whole issue irrelevant.

Apparently, a similar thing happened when Montana passed a bill with exemptions for existing contracts, and the Montana legislature responded by passing a bill that stripped out that exception.

Rather than taking on the legislature, the cities might want to consider doing what they should have done in the first place: perform an analysis that shows that a specific combination of yellow light times and red light cameras actually improves public safety. Given hard data, it might be possible to convince the state that the cameras make sense in ways other than filling out the municipal budget.

Cameras have always been about money and money alone. If it was about safety they would be wholey owned by the municipality, run at cost, and all these stories about shorter yellows and such would never had occurred. The data I’ve looked at shows no conclusive evidence to support the claim that they even protect anyone. Speeding cameras esspecially. The whole idea of speeding is bogus as are most stop signs. If you drive in such a way that puts others at risk or is causing damage to the roadway only then is there a legitimate case for intervention. Artifically attempting to control the flow of traffic is what leads to these ‘requirements’ of speed limits, cameras and whatnot. Unsurprising when you give drivers more responsibility for their action by removing signage they generally become more careful and aware.

http://www.fox44.net/…

Free Stater recruits others inmates in NH

Associated Press – May 17, 2009 1:25 PM ET

WESTMORELAND, N.H. (AP) – A jailed member of the Free State Project says giving up his freedom has helped recruit others to his cause.

Sam Miller moved from Texas to Keene, N.H., earlier this year to join the project, which originally sought to get 20,000 people to move to the state and work together to reduce taxes and government regulations.

He’s been jailed since April 13 for using a video camera in a courthouse lobby and has delayed his trial because he refused to give police his name.

Meanwhile, Miller tells the Keene Sentinel he’s convinced about 10 other inmates to join the Free State Project when they’re released. Jail Superintendent Richard Van Wickler says Miller has done a good job of getting his message out to offenders who have no purpose in life.

Information from: The Keene Sentinel, http://www.keenesentinel.com

The Keene Sentinel article will be archived after a few days. Find the original article in its entirety here.

http://www.keenesentinel.com/…

By PHILLIP BANTZ
Sentinel Staff

WESTMORELAND — A battle of wills is playing out within the cinder block walls of the Cheshire

Sam Miller talks about his experience in the local court system during a visit at the Cheshire County jail in Westmoreland.

County jail in Westmoreland, where an activist has spent more than a month protesting a judge’s order that he identify himself to police.

John Doe walks into the jail cafeteria, a faded orange jumpsuit draped over his lanky frame and a folder of legal documents tucked under his arm. He sits at a stainless steel picnic-style table and when he smiles the tendons in his long, thin neck bulge.

Doe says he hasn’t eaten solid food since he’s been behind bars because he’s on a hunger strike. When he came to jail he weighed 180 pounds, and now he weighs 116, he says.

Court and jail officials know Doe’s real name — Sam A. Miller, a 33-year-old former telecommunications specialist from Texas who moved to Keene earlier this year to join the Free State Project. They have Miller’s Texas driver’s license.

But Keene District Court Judge Edward J. Burke has ordered Miller to remain held on $10,000 bail and will not schedule a trial until he gives the Keene police his name.
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