Newsletter Text V843

Liberty In Peril

... Formerly

The Llano Ledger

Newsletter Text V843 ©2023 All Rights Reserved
September 29, 2023

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Publisher's Note: This publication receives no financial support through advertising. Although shaken down, looted, and abused by corrupt government, area businesses remain unwilling to stand up. Locals are too gutless to donate financially, cowardly fearing retribution. For this publication to survive, national readers need to contribute. Liberty In Peril is, has been, and will always remain beholden to NO ONE. -- Precisely why there is no financial assistance. ... From day of launch and certainly a no-brainer to this very day, firmly resolved to walk away first rather than compromise principle. -- To the chagrin of many and delight of few. T.C. (5-7-13).

For new readers: Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

No matter what, no matter where, this publication will remain up and running. For it to remain centered here, however, financial and/or material support must be provided. Status quo, unsustainable. Time to step up. Now.

5-25-18

... Hey, Sheriff? Is it true Llano County Attorney Becky Lange has advised you to stay out of the "Berardi Property Rights Denial-Damage To Pace Arrow-Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764" fiasco? That right, Bill? Isn't that obstruction of justice? Also true your deputies have advised the Bolens to accept the status quo and not force the no-trespassing issue with Greene? If so, isn't that also obstruction and official oppression? When will you do your job, Bill? As an elected official, you answer to the public, forget? -- No honor? ... No honor at all? If the foregoing allegations are indeed true, didn't you swear an oath to uphold the law and Constitution? Why aren't you doing so? No guts?

Your deputy has been accused of abusing authority. What action have you taken other than ignore the complaint? Why aren't both Rodriguez and the County Attorney under criminal investigation? The County Attorney appears to be obstructing justice, accepting the word of Greene in lieu of two surveyor companies who strongly assert otherwise. Both the County Attorney and District Attorney have ignored complaints. Par for the course in Llano County, isn't it? Failed to do their jobs. No surprise there, right, Bill? Both receiving 'special consideration' up to and/or including a bribe from Greene? Regardless, clearly, no justice in Nazi Llano County. Bottom line? Desperate need for an outside criminal investigation. Conveniently, forget? This County is ruled by men, certainly not rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Precisely, why there is desperate need for a new federal agency whose sole function would be to investigate, arrest, charge, and prosecute criminal law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges in a special court whose only mandate would be to adjudicate such cases. Total independence. Until that happens, the criminal bastards who falsely believe they run and own this hell hole County will continue to do as they please.

Tim Chorney, Publisher
Liberty In Peril

Some salient quotes occurring later on in this edition vis a vis unfinished business County officials continue to ignore:

... "No justice. Precisely, why there is desperate need for a new federal agency whose sole function would be to investigate, arrest, charge, and prosecute corrupt, abusive, criminal officers, prosecutors, and judges in a special court that would adjudicate only these cases. Total independence. The only way to rein in these criminals, particularly the murderers in blue.

Sadly, the achingly clueless bastards in law enforcement don't need a legitimate reason to kill. Enjoy carte blanche to murder on the job. Nearly always, with impunity. ... Right, Sheriff? Sue the living shit out of the jackbooted motherf--kers, the department, and the city. Any officer engaged in, or threatening this kind of unnecessary violence needs to be criminally prosecuted. Not protected and coddled. Not put on paid leave, -- no more than a paid vacation. Not sent home without pay to catch up on his beauty sleep.

Firing is egregiously insufficient. How can the law enforcement community be trusted? No foreign power, no terrorist organization, not even the criminal element presents a greater threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties than the criminal jackbooted bastards in law enforcement. ... Right, Sheriff? Madam County Attorney? "Sonny Boy?"

These are extremely dangerous times for our formerly great country. ... Hear the rumble? An unwanted dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looming. -- As our legislators and other government officials figuratively 'fiddle while Rome burns.'

Not good enough. Nowhere near. Short of an unwanted dreaded second American revolution, only one way for these atrocities to end. Again, time for a new federal agency whose sole function would be to investigate, arrest, charge, prosecute corrupt, abusive, criminal officers, prosecutors, and judges in a special court whose sole function would be to adjudicate such cases. Total independence.

Local and state authorities are egregiously incapable of handling these cases. Tend to protect their own. ... Right, Sheriff? Goes with the territory, doesn't it, Bill? Precisely, why there is no faith or trust in your criminal jackbooted bastards. Local authorities here in Nazi Llano County have their heads figuratively, securely lodged so far up their clueless ass their eyeballs are turning inside out. Protect and coddle your clueless, out of control officers. Imagine that.

Unadulterated, blatant ongoing horse shit. ... Right, Bill? F--k these jackbooted bastards. Aren't worth a crap. Continually abrogate their oaths of office to protect and defend the United States Constitution. ... Right, Sheriff? Includes not only deputies, but the brass as well. No principles. No honor. Lying, conniving, abusive, murderous jackbooted thieving thugs. The American Civil Liberties Union needs to step up and represent the victims of abusive law enforcement.

To say nothing of innocent civilians all across our formerly great country who are victimized by abusive police. Need far better representation than a public defender. Forget? It's how the bastards in government line government coffers. All too often, looting the innocent. Those on the bottom of the food chain. ... Right, Sheriff?

No justice. The American Way. Nazi America. When is this shit finally going to end? All of it. Wake up, Sheriff. Again, where is dashcam video of the killing of Jeffrey Gray Wise, 52, of Austin by DPS and the Llano County Sheriff's Office? Three hundred eighty eight weeks, now. A goddamned disgrace.

Why are you still sitting on this information? What are you hiding, Sheriff? What is the identity of the officers who killed Wise? Too gutless to release this information to the public that pays your salary and that of your goons? Reportedly, there were three officers involved in the shooting. Who the hell are they?

When will the goddamned 'law' 'enforcement' community finally stop making excuses for engaging in outrageous criminal activity including blatant murder, violent assault, sexual assault, theft, drug trafficking, etc.? List can go on and on. Protecting its own no matter what it does or doesn't do? Convenient, isn't it, Sheriff? Again, no foreign power, no terrorist organization, not even the criminal element presents a greater threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties than all branches and levels of government, -- including law enforcement.

Corruption within law enforcement remains an existential threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. So what else is new? ... Right, Bill? Same old duplicitous, aggressively stupid shit occurs right here in Nazi Llano County. ... Doesn't it, Sheriff?

Think it'll change any time soon? Don't hold your breath, readers. Not how things work in Nazi America, right, Sheriff? Highly reminiscent of how your goons operate though, isn't it, Bill? Forget? 'Stupid is as stupid does.' F--ked up is f--ked up no matter where, no matter how. Problem throughout all law enforcement.

Including right here in Nazi Llano County, right, Sheriff? Too many officers clearly have their heads securely lodged where the sun seldom shines. Egregious insanity continues to be perpetrated by the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue. Ongoing issue. All over our formerly great country.

Not just in Dallas as in the Guyger case, but all over the nation. No end to it. Surprised? Why? In today's increasingly national socialist climate anything goes, right, Bill? Live in a de facto fascist police-state, quickly transitioning to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich. Certainly, a problem here in Nazi Llano County, isn't it, Sheriff? Your goons, however, aren't held accountable when they egregiously f--k up. Ever.

Precisely why you refuse to release information on your deputies to the long-suffering public? That is, employment history, criminal background, results of drug testing, etc.. ... Got to protect your criminal jackbooted thugs preying on the citizenry with virtual impunity, right, sir?

Equally pointedly, why hasn't Llano County Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764 been held criminally accountable for egregious abuse of power involving denial of property rights to a Kingsland property owner? To say nothing of consequent resultant physical damage done to a motor home on that property. Why are you protecting this clueless son of a bitch, Sheriff?

Why hasn't he been prosecuted for official oppression? Where is financial compensation for the damage this jackbooted piece of human excrement is responsible for? Ferociously pointedly, why are the District Attorney and the County Attorney continuing to protect this jackbooted piece of shit? He and others like him present an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.

Equally to the point, why are your jackbooted pieces of human excrement refusing to enforce Berardi's property rights? Your goons have failed to take action against Theresa Ahrens when she tore down a no trespassing sign and barrier on Berardi's property. Have you, your goons, and/or Madam County Attorney been bribed by Johnny Greene?

Ahrens frequently drives all the way through Berardi's property. Coup de grace? When Berardi complained to Llano County Deputy Idle about the trespassing, the officer's response was insane. Said the Sheriff told him to tell Berardi since Ahrens believes she owns his property she can't be charged with trespassing. Perfect Catch-22, right, Sheriff? You're not fit for office, Bill. Bribed by Johnny Greene?

Why is Theresa Ahrens allowed by your goons to dictate what vehicles can and cannot be parked on Berardi's property? Ahrens claims she has proof the property belongs to her where the vehicle was parked. Has failed to produce it. Surveyors say otherwise. Back up Berardi. Yet, your jackbooted bastards refuse to enforce Berardi's property rights. Why? Somebody lining somebody's pockets, Sheriff?

Ms. Ahrens micro-mini portable 'house' is parked on an unused unmarked Llano County road. Imagine that. Madam County Attorney well-aware. Has done nothing. Shit squat. Egregiously ignored her oath of office. Someone bribing you, Becky? Lining your pockets, Counselor? Paying you not to sell the unused unmarked County road to Berardi? Doesn't the County want and need the sale money, to say nothing of the resultant tax income?

No question, County and State agencies remain determinedly, concertedly, achingly incapable of criminal investigation of their own. Precisely, why a new federal agency desperately needs to be created whose sole function would be to investigate, arrest, charge, prosecute corrupt, abusive, criminal officers, prosecutors, and judges in a special court whose sole function would be to adjudicate only such cases. Total independence. Certainly, go a long, long way to cleaning up this cess pool County. Rein in the outrageously corrupt, abusive, achingly inept, self-serving assholes who run and own this hell hole.

Sheriff, you falsely claim the Kingsland County Commissioner has the authority to resolve this ongoing property rights issue. Clearly, doesn't. You, Madam County Attorney, and "Sonny Boy" are certainly an egregious impediment, continue to determinedly stonewall. Someone's pockets are being lined. Again, where's financial compensation for the damage Llano County Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764 is directly responsible for to the Pace Arrow? Why hasn't he been prosecuted for this damage, to say nothing of infringement of Berardi's property rights? -- Just getting started, Sheriff. Far more to come.

-- You're not doing your jobs, Sheriff. You've got a loose vicious dog problem in Kingsland, Bill. When will you and the troops finally do something about this ongoing issue? Certainly, a recurring problem on Skyline, particularly on occasion at the intersection of Odessa. Pedestrians, runners, and cyclists are at risk. Too busy lining County coffers with bogus tickets?"

... Hey, Sheriff? Reportedly, promote Llano County Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764 to Sergeant? If true, yet another classic example of survival of the unfittest in the law enforcement community. Readers are reminded this is the very same idiot, clueless asshole responsible for thousands of dollars of damage to the Pace Arrow as reported in each edition of this publication. Far more to Kingsland property owner James Berardi in a property dispute. -- A dispute engineered by Johnny Greene, apparently financed by a bribe to the former County Attorney, current District Attorney, and Sheriff. A federal investigation of Llano County government and the aforementioned allegedly corrupt and abusive bastards in this ongoing fiasco is desperately needed. Tim Chorney.

... Small sampling of what's to come in this edition. Read on.

The following email was sent to the District Attorney:

Wiley B. "Sonny" McAfee
District Attorney
33rd and 424th Judicial Districts
Llano, TX 78643

March 9, 2018

Re: Berardi Property Rights Denial-Damage To Pace Arrow-Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764

Counselor:

The enclosed emails were sent to the Llano County Attorney and Sheriff, respectively, vis a vis the above matter. Remain unanswered. The County Attorney appears to be protecting and defending the deputy at behest of Kingsland property owner Johnny Greene. May have received some consideration from Greene up to and including a bribe. Are the County Attorney, Greene, and the Deputy under criminal investigation? If not, why not?

Tim Chorney, Publisher
Liberty In Peril
Formerly,
The Llano Ledger
www.libertyinperil.com
P.O. Box 151
Buchanan Dam, Texas 78609

c. Liberty In Peril

*********************************

Rebecca Lange, Llano County Attorney
Llano County Attorney's Office
Llano, Texas 78643

February 9, 2018

Re: Berardi Property Rights Denial-Damage To Pace Arrow-Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764

Counselor:

As you're well aware, we have an outrageously corrupt, abusive, achingly inept Llano County Sheriff's Office here in Nazi Llano County. Worse, you and your office aid and abet these SS jackbooted bastards in black. The issue at the moment is the same it's been the last six months.

How is it two surveyor companies, the Appraisal District, the Tax Office, the Precinct 3 Commissioner, even the goddamned Sheriff himself now states Kingsland resident James Berardi owns the lots in contention all these months?

Yet, you ludicrously assert that's not the County's legal position. It's not? Why not? You claim you're not a real estate expert. Rather than accept the advice of two surveyor companies, the Precinct 3 Commissioner, the Appraisal District, the Tax Office, and even the Sheriff himself, you've inexplicably chosen to follow the advice of property owner Johnny Greene, -- who conveniently happens to be reportedly in the oil industry.

Question to be asked. Could you have received any 'consideration' in return, -- up to and including a bribe? Only way to know for sure is for the District Attorney to conduct a criminal investigation. Apparently, there has been none. If not, why not?

Equally pointedly, why hasn't Llano County Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764 been held criminally accountable for egregious abuse of power involving denial of property rights to this Kingsland property owner? To say nothing of consequent resultant physical damage done to a motor home on that property.

Our achingly useless, worthless, gutless Sheriff has ignored an email vis a vis the damage this jackbooted thug is responsible for. Interestingly, his fellow officers believe him to be an idiot. Yet, the Sheriff continued to defend this piece of human excrement until he realized this entire fiasco would not be swept under the carpet.

Rodriguez is indeed an idiot. Would you believe this piece of crap ordered the motor home to be moved on to an unmarked unused Llano County road? That motor home has indeed been moved back to where it was parked before Rodriguez forced it to be moved. Why hasn't the County paid for the cost of moving it back? To say nothing of the damage.

Equally pointedly, why is it the County has allowed Theresa Ahrens to park and live in her tiny cottage on that very same road? Why hasn't she been evicted by the County? Why was she assessed taxes on an adjacent improvement she doesn't own?

Why is it, Counselor, Johnny Greene is paying for the attorney retained by Ms. Ahrens? Is Greene attempting to make this all go away by bribery? Greene has also informed Berardi he is going to sue. For what? Has Greene lost his mind?

What about Wells who installed a $4500 septic system on a lot turns out he does not own as a result of Greene, an outrageously inept County, to say nothing of the Llano County Attorney who remains equally determinedly clueless?

How about Bolen who hasn't a pot to piss in, but was nonetheless f--ked over by Greene to say nothing of an egregiously inept County, to say nothing of you and your goddamned equally incompetent office?

None of this is going away, Counselor, -- any time soon. Will not be swept under the carpet as all the other crap going on in this hell hole County. Not a chance. Expect a full expose in this publication whether or not this outrageous fiasco finally gets resolved. Including full public exposure of both the Sheriff and his jackbooted thug.

Tim Chorney, Publisher
Liberty In Peril
Formerly,
The Llano Ledger
www.libertyinperil.com
P.O. Box 151
Buchanan Dam, Texas 78609

c. Liberty In Peril

*******************

Bill Blackburn, Sheriff
Llano County Sheriff's Office
2001 N. State Hwy. 16 Suite A
Llano, Texas 78643

August 23, 2017

Re: Damage To Pace Arrow-Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764

Sheriff:

Archive and retain all reports vis a vis damage to the Pace Arrow resulting from egregious abuse of authority perpetrated by Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764, on the Berardi property in Kingsland on 8-16-17.

Tim Chorney, Publisher
Liberty In Peril
Formerly,
The Llano Ledger
www.libertyinperil.com
P.O. Box 151
Buchanan Dam, Texas 78609

c. Liberty In Peril

Wake up, Sheriff. Again, where is dashcam video of the killing of Jeffrey Gray Wise, 52, of Austin by DPS and the Llano County Sheriff's Office? Three hundred eighty eight weeks, now. A goddamned disgrace. Why are you still sitting on this information? What are you hiding, Sheriff? What is the identity of the officers who killed Wise? Too gutless to release this information to the public that pays your salary and that of your goons? Reportedly, there were three officers involved in the shooting.

Who are they, Sheriff? Their past history? An ongoing investigation remains a lame bullshit excuse. How can you and your goons be trusted when you refuse to disclose information? Three hundred eighty eight weeks. Especially, your egregious failure to disclose the identity of the officers who pulled the trigger. To cover your sorry ass, Sheriff? Those of your thugs? The people have a right to know what happened, how it went down. You don't understand that, Sheriff? Sadly, clearly, you answer to no one. Including taxpayers. Especially, taxpayers.

Until you and your goons come clean, doubt will remain this was indeed a good shoot. The longer you drag your feet, the greater the doubt. Think not? Wake up. Your credibility has tanked. Isn't getting any better as this bullshit continues unabated. Three hundred eighty eight weeks. Still no identification of the officers involved ... Can't get your stories straight? In line? Discrepancy between LCSO and DPS? Wake up, Sheriff. The public no longer buys the bullshit. No longer trusts you. On this and many, many other issues. You have no credibility. Absolutely, none.

Readers, this is but one of about four other highly questionable killings by law enforcement in Llano County in the last decade or so. There was one within the City of Llano, another in a field near Fuzzy's Corner, Buchanan Dam, yet another in Point Tella, Buchanan Dam, still another in Tow. If there are any others I may have neglected to mention, kindly email.

It's time the public be fully informed. -- Know what we're dealing with here and how 'law' 'enforcement' operates in this hell hole County. If these jackbooted bastards are not reined in, the life lost could be many others courtesy of a law enforcement system that is no longer accountable to anyone. ... Right, Sheriff? TL? "Sonny Boy?" Madam County Attorney?

The Sheriff seems to have no clue the people who pay him and his goons are entitled to know whom is killing whom and why. This shit always seems to be swept under the carpet. Ignored. The attitude of these jackbooted sons of bitches is trust us. They can't be. They've lied too many times. Refuse to be accountable to anyone. We live in a goddamned fascist police-state where law enforcement does as it pleases. Usually, with impunity. This has to change.

The Texas Rangers have become rubber stamp to atrocities committed by law enforcement. This also has to change. No one is holding law enforcement accountable any longer. No one. No one in state or federal government. This is precisely why Ferguson triggered such an uproar. There was no justice there. None here. None anywhere. Officers are abusive, corrupt, inept.

Falsely ticket and arrest the innocent to line County coffers. Court fees charged continue to be horrendous. -- Aren't taxpayers already looted to pay these costs? Aren't you not only double f--king those falsely accused, but taxpayers also hellaciously looted to pay the very same costs? Yet, the criminal bastards in power in Llano continue to pile on the fees. This is nothing more than goddamned bullshit. This money finds its way into the pockets of the corrupt, abusive bastards who falsely believe they run and own this hell hole.

Would you believe the last time the Sheriff's Office happened to be 'audited' during the Garrett regime, reportedly, auditors couldn't figure out what went where and why? Yet, surprise, surprise. Nothing was done. There has to be transparency. There is none. Why would these thieving bastards want any? ... Right, Sheriff? TL? How else could they so easily steal and loot with virtual impunity? Worse, this reinforces jackbooted power in this goddamned, godforsaken hell hole County.

The public has a right to know the histories of the Sheriff's goons. Clearly, the Sheriff doesn't think so. That is, where they came from. Why they left where they were. What is happening here is the Sheriff is using 'personnel matters' as a convenient excuse to deny the public access to the history of outrageously corrupt, abusive, inept officers who are no more than criminals themselves.

He's protecting his outrageously corrupt, abusive, inept jackbooted bastards. Worse, the standards imposed by sheriff's offices statewide with the exception of metropolitan counties are well below those of DPS and city police departments. Why? So the corruption, abuse, ineptness, and outright stealing can continue unabated? This has to change. ... Can't have that, can we? Sheriff? TL?

The public should understand Llano County authorities have it all sewn up. Did you know the Texas Attorney General does not have the authority to investigate and prosecute County authorities on his own? The District Attorney has to call for an investigation by the Texas Rangers. Then, the State can prosecute if it so chooses.

Consequently? Guess what? Nothing will happen. Nothing ever does. The goddamned corruption continues unabated until you, the public, pressure authorities. Precisely, why we all enjoy the 'best' government money can buy. Literally. Without question, the corrupt, abusive, inept sons of bitches are all bought and paid for. Firmly clamped to the taxpayer tit. Dependent on money looted from innocent citizens caught in their web. Phony fines and court costs cleverly designed to f--k the innocent and enrich the pieces of shit who falsely believe they run and own Llano County. Right, Sheriff? TL? "Sonny Boy?" Madam County Attorney?

Interestingly, the former Sheriff and District Attorney were reportedly forced to retire after an outrageous scandal involving a drunk driving police officer from out of town. Including special treatment of the drunken son of a bitch that no other citizen caught doing the same would have been afforded. An honest, honorable Llano County Deputy suffered the consequences. Forget? Great officers do not last in this hell hole County. ... Right, Sheriff? TL? "Sonny Boy?" Madam County Attorney?

With all ongoing abuse in this goddamned County, one thing remains for damned sure. We're just getting started, Sheriff. You will continue to be exposed for whom and what you and your corrupt, abusive, inept jackbooted bastards have become, truly are, not what you phonies purport to be, that is, how you continue to f--k over a public you've falsely sworn to protect and defend. -- Exposure, the only way short of an unwanted dreaded revolution to force desperately needed change in a goddamned fascist police-state. The Fourth Reich.

Have your jackbooted thugs been tested for steroids, Sheriff? If you've nothing to hide, Bill, release the results of all drug testing. 'Personnel matters?' Bullshit. Looted taxpayers have the right to know. They're footing the bill for all this goddamned corruption, abuse, ineptness. When will you and the boys end the shakedowns? Looting of the innocent to line County coffers? No honor at all?

Where are your swastika armbands, you fascist son of a bitch? You and your thugs remain out of uniform. Once again, Sheriff, and ad nauseum, did you and/or your goons pressure Schilling to exit the race? Did you steal the election? If so, an aggressively stupid, achingly gutless public gets what it truly deserves. One of the most corrupt, abusive, inept 'law' 'enforcement' agencies in our formerly great country.

While the business and church communities stood tall during the recent Kingsland flood catastrophe, there was one glaring exception. On 10-17-18, the Antlers Coffee Shop closed due to storm-related failure of the Kingsland water system. Patrons, however, are routinely allowed to get online outside even when the shop is closed.

A long-term coffee shop customer entered the hotel lobby to ask the desk clerk whether wifi was still up and running after the catastrophe. She said it was and told the patron he could get online inside the closed shop. She then asked him to have another regular customer who had just arrived outside to come in and get out of the cold as well.

Antlers co-proprietor Rick apparently quickly got wind of both customers, made quite a jackass of himself emulating the petulant narcissist currently occupying the Oval Office. Aggressive stupidity at a time the Kingsland business community is indeed suffering, can least afford it. Further proof positive of the old adage 'can fix ignorant, can't fix stupid.'

Why would, why should both customers put up with this? Think this hasn't happened to others?

TC 10-19-18

Newsletter Text 843
September 29, 2023

While our country is indeed coming apart at the seams, neither major political party is worth a shit for totally different reasons, law enforcement continues to abuse and murder innocent unarmed civilians, the scientific and engineering communities continue to remain stunningly productive, amazingly creative. Achieve the seemingly impossible.

NBC News reports:

"A capsule containing precious samples from an asteroid landed safely on Earth on Sunday, the culmination of a roughly 4-billion-mile journey over the past seven years. The asteroid samples were collected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, which flew by Earth early Sunday morning and jettisoned the capsule over a designated landing zone in the Utah desert. The unofficial touchdown time was 8:52 a.m. MT, 3 minutes ahead of the predicted landing time. The dramatic event — which the NASA livestream narrator described as “opening a time capsule to our ancient solar system” — marked a major milestone for the United States: The collected rocks and soil were NASA’s first samples brought back to Earth from an asteroid. Experts have said the bounty could help scientists unlock secrets about the solar system and how it came to be, including how life emerged on this planet.

"The samples were gathered from the surface of a near-Earth asteroid known as Bennu. The space rock, which is roughly as tall as the Empire State Building, is located more than 200 million miles away from Earth but orbits in such a way that it occasionally swings within 4.6 million miles of the planet. Bennu’s main draw owes to its age. The asteroid is estimated to have formed in the first 10 million years of the solar system’s existence, making it a pristine remnant from a chaotic time more than 4.5 billion years ago. As such, studying an asteroid’s chemical and physical properties is thought to be one of the best ways to understand the earliest days of the solar system. “They’re pretty well untouched from right around 4.5 billion years ago,” Betts said. “To get insights into these rocks gives real power to not just the science of asteroids but to everything in our solar system.” Researchers are keen to understand what role — if any — asteroids played in the emergence of life on Earth. There are theories, for instance, that asteroids and comets may have delivered water and other building blocks of life to the planet. Bennu has also been of interest to scientists because, like other near-Earth asteroids, it is classified as a potentially hazardous object. NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office previously estimated that there is a 1 in 2,700 chance of Bennu slamming into Earth sometime between the years 2175 and 2199. It’s estimated that the sample return capsule contains around 8.8 ounces of rocky material from Bennu. After it is recovered, the capsule will be transported to a temporary clean room on the military range before being flown to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Agency officials said they hope to open the capsule on Monday or Tuesday, though it may take around a week before scientists can accurately weigh how much rocky material is inside."

Amazingly:

"The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft (short for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer) spent nearly two years circling Bennu before using its robotic arm in what was described as a “high five” maneuver to scoop up pieces of the space rock. Early Sunday, the spacecraft jettisoned the samples as it skirted 63,000 miles above Earth’s surface, sending the capsule screaming through the atmosphere at around 27,650 mph. A series of parachutes helped slow the capsule before it touched down in Utah’s western desert."

Not the first:

"While these are NASA’s first samples collected and brought back from an asteroid, they are not the first in history. Japan’s Hayabusa mission in 2010 delivered to Earth a few micrograms of material from an asteroid called Itokawa. A second mission, dubbed Hayabusa2, delivered to Earth a small sample from an asteroid known as Ryugu in December 2020."

This mission is far from over:

"The $1 billion OSIRIS-REx spacecraft may have completed its high-profile delivery, but the probe is not yet finished with its journey. After releasing the sample capsule, the spacecraft fired its thrusters to take it beyond Earth and on a course to investigate another asteroid known as Apophis. This space rock, which measures about 1,200 feet across, is projected to come within 20,000 miles of Earth in 2029. As part of its extended mission, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will take careful measurements of the space rock’s orbit. NASA also intends to approach Apophis and use the spacecraft’s gas thrusters to dislodge and study rocky material from the asteroid."

Hat's off to the men and women conducting this research.

Highly reminiscent of our outrageously bought and paid for judiciary, Llano County prosecutors, Sheriff Bill Blackburn and his criminal SS jackbooted bastards in black who continue to egregiously disgrace themselves and the badge, do as they please regardless of the law and Constitution, carefully consider the following. It's appalling. Runs against the grain of everything our formerly great country once stood for. No longer.

What took so long? ABC News reports:

"After 48 years, a man who says he was wrongfully convicted of murder has officially had his case dismissed. Glynn Simmons was 22 when he was convicted of first-degree murder in the 1974 death of Carolyn Sue Rogers at a local liquor store. Simmons is now 70. He received a death penalty sentence in 1975. However, his sentence was modified to life in prison in 1977 following a U.S. Supreme Court decision, according to Oklahoma County District Court Attorney Vicki Zemp Behenna. In April, Behenna requested that Simmons’ conviction be vacated and retried after a review of the case found that “a lineup and certain police reports that were available at the time were not turned over to the defense.” Behenna argued that the circumstances “cast a shadow over his right to a fair trial.” In July, Oklahoma County District Court Judge Amy Palumbo vacated Simmons’ conviction and set the case for a new trial, allowing Simmons to be released for the first time in 48 years. Behenna then asked for the case to be dismissed, arguing that the state will not be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Simmons was responsible for the death. Behenna said in a statement that this is because there is no longer physical evidence; the original investigators and detectives in the case are not available or deceased; and the surviving victims are not available or deceased."

Get this:

"Behenna added the defense alleges that their alternate suspect was identified in one of the lineups. Palumbo ruled Tuesday that the case will be dismissed with prejudice, meaning the case cannot be retried. “I plan to use my remaining time to help others who are still stuck where I was,” said Simmons in an online post. “We need to fix this system so that what happened to me will never happen to anyone else, ever again!” He said he is currently undergoing chemotherapy for liver cancer."

The entire legal system is in desperate need of revision.

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve. Forfeiture of liberty. At the hands of outrageously corrupt and abusive government.

More of the same old shit. Think it'll ever change? NPR(AP) reports:

"A man wrongly convicted of two separate violent crimes will be compensated by the state of Maryland after spending years behind bars, including over a year after he had been proven innocent. A Maryland board approved more than $340,000 for a settlement on Wednesday in compensation for Demetrius Smith who was wrongly convicted of murder and first-degree assault and spent more than five years in prison. Gov. Wes Moore, who chairs the three-member Board of Public Works, apologized to Smith before the board approved the settlement, noting that it's been more than a decade since his release in 2013. "We're here today more than 10 years after he was released from incarceration, providing Mr. Smith with long overdue justice that he was deprived of, an apology from the state of Maryland that until today he's never received," Moore told Smith, who attended the hearing in person. Smith was 25 in 2008 when he was wrongfully charged with murder."

Get this. It's appalling:

"Gov. Moore noted that at Smith's bail hearing, the judge said the case before him was "probably the thinnest case" he had ever seen. But, Moore said, "the prosecution was determined to press forward, relying on testimony from a witness who was later found to have not even been at the scene of the crime." Less than two months after his arrest, while on bail, Smith was arrested and taken into custody for first-degree assault. Once again, the prosecution relied on witnesses who later recanted their testimony, the governor said."

The entire legal system is in desperate need of revision.

"In 2010, Smith was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, plus 18 years. In 2011, he entered an Alford plea for the assault charge, maintaining his innocence. Moore said Smith entered the plea after losing faith in the criminal justice system. Under an Alford plea, the defendant does not admit guilt but acknowledges the likelihood of a conviction if the case went to trial."

Jesus Christ. What a crock of shit. Appalling. Outrageous.

Gets worse:

"In 2011, the Maryland U.S. attorney's office charged the person who was actually responsible for the murder, and Smith's innocence was proven. But he still spent another year and a half in prison, the governor said. It wasn't until 2012 that the state finally dropped the murder conviction."

Nazi justice. In a de facto fascist police-state, democratic republic in name only. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

"In May 2013, Smith petitioned the court to revisit his Alford plea for the assault charge, and his sentence was modified to time served, plus three years probation, which was later reduced to probation. "I am deeply sorry for the fact that our justice system failed you not once, but our justice system failed you twice, and while no amount of money can make up for what was taken from you, the action this board is taking today represents a formal acknowledgment from the state for the injustice that was caused," Moore told Smith."

Not good enough. Nowhere near.

History repeats itself. In follow-up to an egregious case covered repeatedly here and elsewhere, The Associated Press reports:

"Two Denver-area police officers who put Elijah McClain in a neck hold ignored his pleas of “I can’t breathe” before the Black man was injected by paramedics with a powerful sedative and died, prosecutors said Wednesday, as a trial began over the 2019 confrontation that became a rallying cry for protests and spurred police reform. In opening arguments for the first of several trials stemming from McClain’s death, lawyers for the two sides painted contrasting pictures of the fatal struggle after he was stopped by police in Aurora. Officers Randy Roedema and Jason Rosenblatt approached McClain, a 23-year-old massage therapist, as he walked home from a convenience store carrying only a plastic bag with three cans of iced tea and his phone. A 911 caller had reported him as “sketchy.”

Why? Because he's Black?

"If prosecutors can convince jurors the Aug. 24, 2019 stop was unjustified, that would undermine any argument that McClain’s injuries were a result of the officers just doing their jobs. Roedema and Rosenblatt are both charged with criminally negligent homicide, manslaughter and assault. They have pleaded not guilty but have never spoken publicly about the allegations against them. The trial is expected to last about a month. A third officer and two paramedics are also charged in McClain’s death and are scheduled for trial later this year. Officials have determined the sedative ketamine played a key role in McClain’s death, which fueled renewed scrutiny about the use of the drug for people considered to be acting erratically and led Colorado’s health department to limit when emergency workers can administer it. In 2020, neck holds by police were banned by the state’s Democratic-led Legislature. Prosecutor Jonathan Bunge said the officers violated department policies by using excessive force against McClain, who was unarmed, and failing to deescalate the situation. “Listen to Elijah’s words,” Bunge said as he replayed police body camera video of the episode. “When Elijah is on the ground handcuffed, he’s saying over and over and over again, ‘I can’t breathe. Please help me.’” McClain threw up repeatedly after the neck hold and was drowning in his own vomit, according to Bunge. “He is drifting further and further toward death. The sedative is the last thing he needs,” the prosecutor said."

Defense of the indefensible by shyster defense counsel:

"But Roedema’s attorney, Reid Elkus, said the officers’ actions were in line with department policies and their own training. McClain was stopped in a “high-crime area,” and officers repeatedly told him to halt before he complied, Elkus said, adding that they didn’t want to hurt him. “Just because a tragedy occurred doesn’t mean criminality occurred,” Elkus said. He blamed McClain’s death on paramedics who later arrived on the scene and took control over his care. “After being injected with ketamine, that’s when Mr. McClain’s pulse stopped,” Elkus said. “Mr. McClain died because paramedic (Jeremy) Cooper injected him with 1.7, 1.8 times the ketamine for someone his weight and size.” Rosenblatt’s attorney, Harvey Steinberg, argued that the officers had no choice but to stop McClain after the 911 call. He added that McClain showed “continued resistance” after he was stopped and the officers were forced to respond accordingly. “Please be fair and don’t allow emotion or sympathy come into it,” Steinberg told jurors. “And don’t let politics enter into this at all.”

Nazi justice in a de facto fascist police-state, democratic republic in name only. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

"McClain’s mother sat in the front of the courtroom for the opening statements. Sheneen McClain dabbed tears from her eyes when Bunge described how her son, who was often cold, was wearing a runner’s mask when he went to a convenience store near his house before police stopped him. Family members of the two officers also were present, as were other Aurora police. Before jury selection could be finalized, Judge Mark Warner talked behind closed doors with attorneys for both sides as well as a man whom the defense struck from the jury pool after he said he’d been racially profiled about a half-dozen times by police, including in Aurora. The man remained off the jury, but what happened in the closed discussions was not revealed in open court. The 12 jurors and 2 alternates appeared to be mostly white. Other potential jurors who were removed included a woman who identified herself as Hispanic and said her husband was singled out for arrest in a conflict with white people. Removals by prosecutors included the daughter of a police officer who said officers weren’t being supported by society and a former EMT who witnessed people being given ketamine. In response to a defense objection, the judge found that the prosecution did not remove potential white jurors because of their race."

Stonewalling:

"Charges were not brought for two years after McClain died, by which time a national reckoning had begun over racial injustice in American policing following the murder of George Floyd by officers in Minneapolis. In 2019, a local district attorney, Dave Young, called McClain’s death “tragic” but decided against prosecuting the officers largely because the coroner’s office could not determine exactly how McClain died. A revised coroner’s report was issued in 2021, relying in part on information from a grand jury investigation. It found the cause of death was complications from ketamine after McClain, who weighed 140 pounds (64 kilograms), overdosed because he received a higher dose than recommended for someone of his size, pathologist Stephen Cina found. “I believe that Mr. McClain would most likely be alive but for the administration of ketamine,” Cina said. Cina said he couldn’t rule out whether the stress of being held down by the officers may have contributed to McClain’s death."

What legitimate probable cause did these jackbooted bastards have for stopping their victim in the first place?

"Officer Nathan Woodyard, who is set to go on trial later this year, was the first to approach McClain and was soon joined by Roedema and Rosenblatt. McClain, using earbuds, initially kept walking. Within 10 seconds, Woodyard put his hands on McClain, turning him around. As McClain tried to escape his grip, Woodyard said, “Relax, or I’m going to have to change this situation.” The encounter quickly escalated, with officers taking him to the ground and putting him in a neck hold. McClain suffered cardiac arrest on the way to the hospital and was pronounced dead three days later. Prosecutors played numerous body camera clips including one in which they said McClain spoke his last words as Roedema jerked up on one of his arms, popping a joint. “Please help me,” McClain was heard saying. “Please help me.”

The Associated Press reports:

"Elijah McClain’s mother left a Colorado courtroom in tears Friday after prosecutors showed video footage of the 23-year-old Black man pinned down by police officers during a fatal 2019 confrontation, which rose to prominence during nationwide protests over racial discrimination and excessive force in policing. Two officers from the Denver suburb of Aurora are on trial for manslaughter and other felony charges. The episode was captured by police body cameras, and prosecutors are leaning heavily on that footage to convince jurors that excessive force contributed to McClain’s death."

Get this:

"Dr. David Beuther, a pulmonary critical care physician, testified Friday that he heard McClain panting during the encounter and that his breathing became more labored later. He said he believes McClain inhaled his vomit into his lungs, making it difficult for him to breathe, and was not able to expel it as he lay on his side, held down by police. His health continued to deteriorate to such an extent that he belonged in a hospital intensive care unit in the seconds before the ketamine was injected into his arm, he said. The racial reckoning in the United States that followed George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police brought renewed interest in McClain’s death. Charges in the case were brought in 2021 after Colorado’s attorney general convened a state grand jury to investigate. A revised coroner’s report determined a powerful sedative called ketamine given by paramedics to McClain played a key role in his death. Sheneen McClain, Elijah’s mother, sat in the front row of the courtroom for a third day and seemed to be breathing deeply as the video clips were shown for about an hour. She turned down an offer of tissues as she sat near lawyers from the state toward the beginning of the footage but left the courtroom in tears when it ended. She sobbed as she was escorted into an office down the hallway and returned to watch testimony about an hour later. At the end of the day outside court, McClain said she planned to be at the trial each day despite the pain of having to relive what happened to her son because she wanted people to know he was a real person. “Knowing everything that Elijah went through gets me here everyday,” she said. The video shown Friday was enhanced by the prosecution to remove distracting sounds and brighten images from the confrontation on Aug. 24, 2019. Some jurors took notes and one appeared to doze off as the footage was played in the courtroom after the lights were lowered. As the struggle starts, McClain can be heard saying “I intend to take my power back,” and one of the officers radios for more help saying, “Give us more units. We’re fighting him.” Soon, muffled cries and groans can be heard from McClain. He apologizes and then appears to try to explain himself, but the officers do not respond. When an officer tells him to stop moving McClain replies, “I wasn’t trying to do that. I can’t breathe correctly.” McClain can be heard vomiting, and an officer directs McClain to throw up away from him."

The jackbooted bastards had no probable cause to stop him. None.

"The city of Aurora agreed in 2021 to pay $15 million to settle a lawsuit brought by McClain’s parents. The lawsuit alleged the force used by officers against McClain, and his struggle to survive it, dramatically increased the amount of lactic acid in his system, leading to his death, possibly along with the large dose of ketamine he was given. Lawyers for the officers have argued their actions were in line with department policies and not responsible for McClain’s death. They’ve sought to shift blame to the paramedics who injected the ketamine. Trials against a third officer and two paramedics are scheduled in the coming months."

More of the same. Murder. ABC News(AP) reports:

"Nine Memphis jail deputies have been indicted in the death of a Black man who was having a psychotic episode and died in custody last fall after jailers punched, kicked and kneeled on his back during a confrontation, a sheriff said Wednesday. Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner, who oversees the jail where 33-year-old Gershun Freeman was beaten, disclosed the existence of the indictments during a news conference Wednesday but declined to offer more details, including the names of the county jail deputies and the charges they face."

No transparency. Protecting and coddling the jackbooted bastards.

"The Associated Press was unable to obtain the indictments late Wednesday. But lawyers for Freeman's family in a wrongful death lawsuit against Bonner said the indictments were sealed. They declined to name the jailers and the charges, only saying that they are serious. Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk released video in March of Freeman at the Shelby County Jail. The video shows Freeman was beaten by at least 10 corrections officers Oct. 5 after he ran naked from his cell. His attorneys say he was also struck with handcuffs, rings of jail keys and pepper spray cannisters."

How the jackbooted bastards get their cookies off.

"Freeman had “psychosis and cardiovascular disease and died of a heart attack while being restrained,” Bonner said in a March statement, citing a medical examiner’s report. Freeman’s manner of death is listed as a homicide in the autopsy report from the West Tennessee Regional Forensic Center, although the report says that this “is not meant to definitively indicate criminal intent.”

Jesus Christ. Give me a break. Protecting and coddling the murderous jackbooted bastards?

"Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy asked the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to look into the death. Funk is acting as an independent prosecutor in the case out of Nashville. Memphis has been roiled by Tyre Nichols’ fatal beating by Memphis police in January. The Black motorist was punched, hit with a baton, kicked and pepper sprayed during an arrest that was recorded on video. His death led to seven police firings, including of the five officers who have since been charged with second-degree murder in state court and federal civil rights violations. They have pleaded not guilty to all the charges. Nichols' family members were present at a March news conference during which Gershun Freeman's family called for the corrections deputies involved in the confrontation with Freeman to be punished. Freeman had been booked in jail Oct. 1 on charges of attacking and kidnapping his girlfriend, according to court records. The video begins with two corrections officers serving meals to inmates in a narrow hallway. When Freeman’s cell opens, he runs out unclothed and appears to charge at the officers."

Clear indication of severe mental issues.

"The officers wrestle him to the ground and begin to punch, kick and pepper-spray him. They are joined by additional officers. The deputies move with Freeman out of the hallway. From another camera’s view, Freeman is seen wrapping himself around an officer’s legs in a different hallway. The video shifts to a bank of escalators and Freeman, still naked, runs up one of them. In another hallway, a struggle continues with officers attempting to restrain him before getting him face-down on the ground. They can be seen stepping and kneeling on his back before he becomes still. One officer remained on Freeman’s back for several minutes before he was lifted. He appears limp when officers do lift him up, with his head falling forward between his knees and his hands cuffed behind his back. He remains in that position until medical employees arrive, and the video ends."

Clearly, these officers couldn't have cared less. How they get their cookies off beating the shit out of the mentally ill.

"Bonner, who is running for mayor of Memphis, said the deputies have been placed on paid administrative leave."

A paid 'vacation.' ... Reward for murdering their mentally ill victim?

Think Bonner doesn't have some mental issues of his own? Get this:

"Bonner said he supports them and claims the release of the video and the indictments are politically motivated because Mulroy, the Shelby County district attorney, supports a different mayoral candidate."

Sounds remarkably like the congenital liar Trump nazi, doesn't he? LOL. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

Gets worse:

“Let me be clear. No action — no action — by any Shelby County Sheriff's Office employee caused Mr. Freeman's death,” Bonner said, adding later that he would be “the first one to donate” to any fundraiser to help with his deputies' legal fees."

Raw insanity. Day is night, night is day, and shit smells perversely sweet. All ass backwards in the world of this goddamned police chief, would-be politician.

"In a statement, Mulroy said he had endorsed candidate Van Turner for mayor before Freeman's death. Mulroy also said he recused himself from the investigation “to keep politics out of the case.” “I’ve had no involvement at all in the case since last year, and played no role in the decision to indict,” Mulroy said, adding that he supported the video release “in the name of transparency.” Brice Timmons, a lawyer for Freeman's family, said Bonner is to blame for Freeman's death. “He supports his officers. He creates these policies,” Timmons said in a news conference just outside the sheriff's office."

In follow-up to a particularly appalling case covered repeatedly here and elsewhere, NBC News reports:

"The Mississippi police department that recently caused a mistrial in a case that drew national attention has “competency issues” in its investigations unit that impede the department’s effectiveness, an independent investigator concluded. The city of Brookhaven hired William Harmening, a retired law enforcement officer, to review its police department last month after a Lincoln County grand jury cited a number of issues within the agency, including a “lack of professionalism.”

Sad, isn't it?

"Harmening was tasked with investigating the grand jury’s complaints and completing a review of the department, Mayor Joe Cox said in a statement Thursday. Two criminal justice professors — one at the University of Mississippi and the other at the University of Southern Mississippi — also reviewed all aspects of the independent probe, Cox said. The Board of Aldermen adopted Harmening’s report at its meeting Tuesday and voted to retain him to assist the city “with updating the policies and procedures addressed in his review,” said Cox, who pledged to “operate with transparency, efficiency and professionalism.”

Think so? Certainly, hope so.

"In the scathing report in July, a Lincoln County grand jury said that after having considered dozens of criminal cases presented by the Brookhaven Police Department, it found that officers “poorly investigate their cases,” that the department has a habit of witness-blaming, that it is complacent, that it “does not complete investigations in a timely manner” and that it “is arresting individuals without sufficient probable cause,” among other issues."

How about that? Nothing quite like nazi justice, is there? Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

Readers will recall:

"In mid-August, a little over a month after the grand jury issued its report, a judge declared a mistrial in the case of a white father and his son who were accused of chasing and shooting at a Black FedEx driver who had dropped off a package at a home after it was revealed that a Brookhaven police detective withheld evidence. Harmening’s 32-page report included his recommendations “for enhancing” the department’s effectiveness and professionalism. He wrote that his evaluation included a review of the department’s policies and procedures, as well as discussions with Lee Bates, the district attorney for Lincoln, Pike and Walthall counties, and Brookhaven police officers, including Chief Kenneth Collins and his command staff. “They were all cordial however, I was not allowed access to certain requested items, including personnel and investigative files,” he said in the report."

Yet, another example of egregious stonewalling. To protect their outrageously incompetent, corrupt, abusive, achingly criminal asses. Indeed, a problem all across this country.

"Harmening said he learned that the department “is in need of rebuilding.”

At best, an egregious understatement.

“The department is going through what many departments of its size have experienced, and sometimes it becomes necessary to draw a line in the sand and basically start over,” he wrote. The department serves about 11,600 residents in the city about 55 miles south of the state capital, Jackson. It had 27 officers, including its chief, as of last month. He cited a number of issues within the department, including “a severe manpower shortage,” “a confusing and inefficient command structure,” “a lack of officer training,” “competency issues” in its investigations unit and “a lack of integration with the two prosecutors’ offices they work with.” “These are all problems that can be fixed with time, a new set of well-defined policies and protocols, and a new vision for the Department,” he wrote."

Sounds like empty, hollow, meaningless rhetoric designed to placate, -- not force desperately needed change.

"Collins, the chief, did not immediately reply to requests for comment."

Impossible to credibly defend the indefensible. Indeed, a problem all across this country in law enforcement.

"Harmening also recommended creating a police committee within the Board of Aldermen, composed of the mayor, two board members and the city attorney. Harmening faulted the department’s hiring practices, writing that it “does not currently utilize a comprehensive and standardized hiring methodology.” He said that background investigations are not conducted and that, “contrary to their own policies, there is no polygraph exam or psychological assessment.” He said he discovered that officers have “been hired with a criminal background and subsequent name change,” “with a known addiction to prescription drugs” and “even with a DUI in their past,” all of which, he wrote, are unacceptable in law enforcement."

No question.

“Less than quality hires will inevitably result in short-term employment and constant turnover,” he wrote. He also said the department has two conflicting and “problematic” disciplinary policies, neither of which it appears is being followed, which “creates a legal morass that is worse than having no policy at all.” Harmening wrote that there is probably not an issue in the police department “that needs more immediate attention than its Investigations Unit” and cited the mistrial of the two white men in the attempted murder case. A judge declared a mistrial in the case of Brandon Case and his father, Gregory Case, after Brookhaven Police Detective Vincent Fernando acknowledged under oath that he did not give the prosecution or the defense a videotaped statement police had taken from D’Monterrio Gibson, a former FedEx driver whom the men were accused of shooting at and chasing in January 2022. Gibson was not injured. The case drew national attention and comparisons to the murder of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia in 2020. Harmening’s report said his assertion that the department lacked a “qualified and competent” investigative unit was supported by the district attorney, Bates. Bates told him, according to the report, that there were cases that were insufficiently investigated before they were brought to him for prosecution, that there were “cases where he personally went to the crime scene at a later date and time only to find important evidence that had been missed or left behind by detectives,” that there were “cases where obvious clues were missed” and that Bates had told him that at least one police detective “is not allowed to bring him a case because of their inability to conduct a proper investigation.”

Achingly appalling. Indefensible.

"Cox did not give a timeline for when the police department will update its policies and procedures."

Think desperately needed change will ever occur?

Corruption at the top of the law enforcement food chain. CBS News reports:

"Charles McGonigal, a former top counterintelligence official at the FBI, pleaded guilty Friday to concealing his contacts with foreign officials and hundreds of thousands of dollars that he accepted from a former employee of a foreign intelligence service. McGonigal, 55, was charged by federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., with concealing $225,000 in cash that he received from a former employee of Albania's intelligence agency. Prosecutors alleged he also misled the FBI by not properly disclosing his overseas travels and contacts with foreign nationals while he was still employed by the bureau. He pleaded guilty to a single count of concealment of material facts on Friday. He faces up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. The judge scheduled a sentencing hearing for Feb. 16, 2024. In exchange for his guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to ask the judge to dismiss eight other counts included in the original indictment. McGonigal pleaded guilty last month to separate charges in New York related to his work for a Russian oligarch."

Lined his pockets, abused his authority. Report goes on and on in great detail.

In follow-up to another horrendous case covered repeatedly here and elsewhere, The Associated Press reports:

"The FBI said Friday it has opened a civil rights investigation into allegations in recent lawsuits that police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, assaulted drug suspects they detained in an obscure warehouse known as the “Brave Cave.” In one case, a man says he was taken to the warehouse and beaten so severely he needed hospital care before being booked into jail. In another, a woman claims she was strip-searched, with an officer using a flashlight to scan her body. Since the first complaint was filed last month, the city’s mayor has ordered the facility closed, the police department has disbanded its street crimes unit and an officer at the center of the allegations — the son of a current deputy chief — resigned and was arrested on a simple battery charge. FBI officials confirmed Friday that the agency has opened an investigation based on “allegations that members of the department may have abused their authority.”

As reported earlier in this publication and elsewhere, it's far, far worse than that.

"This latest scandal adds to a long list of corruption and misconduct allegations plaguing the Baton Rouge Police Department, which came under significant scrutiny following the 2016 fatal police shooting of Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old Black man. In 2021, a corruption probe into the department’s narcotics division led to criminal charges and internal discipline against officers accused of stealing drugs from evidence and lying on police reports. Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul, who was hired to lead the agency in the wake of Sterling’s killing, said he was so concerned over the recent warehouse claims that he drove to the FBI’s New Orleans field division and asked them to review the allegations. “There were some mistakes made,” Paul told The Associated Press, acknowledging that his internal affairs division initially failed to investigate. “I promise you we will get to the bottom of this.”

How could he not have known?

"The most recent lawsuit, which attorneys filed earlier this week on behalf of Ternell Brown, alleges officers pulled her over in June, took her to the same “black site” and strip-searched her for “contraband.” She was released without charges when officers concluded the prescription drugs in her possession were legal. Her attorneys wrote in the lawsuit that they are still learning “the full horror of what the street crimes unit did there. ... Even those who were not beaten at the torture warehouse, we now know, were still sexually humiliated.”

Sexually assaulted according to earlier reports. Severely beaten.

"The officer who resigned, Troy Lawrence Jr., has been the subject of several civil rights lawsuits and excessive force complaints in recent years. His father, Troy Lawrence Sr., was promoted to deputy chief in 2020 after commanding the street crimes unit, which went by the acronym BRAVE, for Baton Rouge Area Violence Elimination. It was not clear late Friday whether Lawrence Jr. had an attorney who could comment on his behalf. An email sent to the police union seeking comment late Friday wasn’t immediately answered."

Not possible to credibly defend the indefensible.

"According to a lawsuit filed last month, he repeatedly turned off and muted his body camera during his interactions with Jeremy Lee, the suspect who ended up hospitalized with broken bones and other injuries. Inside the warehouse, officers punched and kicked him while he screamed for help, the lawsuit alleges. After he was violently interrogated and arrested, the only criminal charge prosecutors pursued against Lee was resisting arrest. Shortly after Lee’s lawsuit, Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston Broome ordered the warehouse closed, saying she was previously unaware of the facility’s existence. “The severity of these allegations deeply concerns me, especially given the potential impact on the trust our community places in us,” Broome said."

How could she not have known? Not credible.

"Thomas Frampton, an attorney representing both Lee and Brown, said his team has heard from dozens more people alleging abuse inside the warehouse and they plan to file additional lawsuits. “This kind of misconduct is so entrenched that people had little reason to expect any kind of positive change,” he said, praising the FBI’s decision to launch an investigation."

How can the following repeatedly happen in what is supposed to be a democratic republic based on the rule of law and the U.S. Constitution?

CBS News(AP) reports:

"A judge dismissed a murder charge against a Georgia man who spent more than 20 years in prison, ending a decadeslong legal fight to exonerate him. The Floyd County judge dismissed the case at the request of the district attorney, who decided not to bring Joey Watkins to trial again after his initial conviction was vacated. The Georgia Innocence Project and other attorneys waged a lengthy fight to overturn the conviction. Watkins and his attorneys said they wept as they called him to say the charges were being dropped. "Cried like a baby I guess you could say, just knowing that it was finally finished, finally over," Watkins told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. Watkins celebrated his freedom at the Harvest Moon Cafe in Rome, Georgia, according to a Facebook post by the Georgia Innocence Project. "I can't tell you how good I feel," Watkins said, according to the Facebook post. "Do you know how many times I drove by and looked up at these windows and thought, one day I'll be able to sit up there, have a beer, and actually relax? Well, that day is finally here and I am so grateful."

Here's what went down:

"Watkins, now 43, was 20 when he was convicted and sentenced to serve life plus five years in prison for the 2000 slaying of Isaac Dawkins in northwest Georgia. Dawkins was driving his truck along a highway when someone opened fire and shot him in the head. The Georgia Supreme Court in December agreed with a judge that Watkins should have a new trial, and a judge in January agreed to release him from jail on bond as he awaited his second trial date. The district attorney's office filed a motion to drop the prosecution, and a judge granted the request on Thursday, according to the Georgia Innocence Project. Christina Cribbs, senior attorney with the Georgia Innocence Project, said Watkins won the new trial request based on issues with juror misconduct and other factors. But she said cellphone data shows that he was not near Dawkins. After spending more than half his life behind bars, Watkins said he is trying to adjust and rebuild his life. "Everything that you knew is different. Places. People. It's just like time stops and restarts," he said. "I'm just grateful at another chance of life." Cribbs said that while it is joyful to see Watkins released, there is a lot of "sadness there too about what was lost." "There is no way Joey can get those 22 years back," Cribbs said."

That's right. A step in the right direction? Find an attorney and sue.

"A GoFundMe page set up for Watkins had raised more than $10,000 as of Monday morning. "Though the future for Joey is bright and he is working hard to set himself up for success, there's still a long road ahead," the Georgia Innocence Project wrote on Facebook."

No question.

The ongoing problem? History keeps repeating itself:

"Watkins' freedom comes just days after Jesse Johnson, an Oregon man sentenced to death for a 1998 murder, was released from prison two years after the Oregon Court of Appeals reversed the conviction."

Think law enforcement will ever smarten up? End its disingenuous duplicity? ABC News(AP) reports:

"Randal Quran Reid was driving to his mother's home the day after Thanksgiving last year when police pulled him over and arrested him on the side of a busy Georgia interstate. He was wanted for crimes in Louisiana, they told him, before taking him to jail. Reid, who prefers to be identified as Quran, would spend the next several days locked up, trying to figure out how he could be a suspect in a state he says he had never visited. A lawsuit filed this month blames the misuse of facial recognition technology by a sheriff's detective in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, for his ordeal. “I was confused and I was angry because I didn’t know what was going on,” Quran told The Associated Press. “They couldn't give me any information outside of, ‘You’ve got to wait for Louisiana to come take you,' and there was no timeline on that.”

Get this. It's horrendous:

"Quran, 29, is among at least five Black plaintiffs who have filed lawsuits against law enforcement in recent years, saying they were misidentified by facial recognition technology and then wrongly arrested. Three of those lawsuits, including one by a woman who was eight months pregnant and accused of a carjacking, are against Detroit police. The technology allows law enforcement agencies to feed images from video surveillance into software that can search government databases or social media for a possible match."

Raw racist nazism in what is supposed to be a democratic republic, not a goddamned de facto fascist police-state. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

"Critics say it results in a higher rate of misidentification of people of color than of white people. Supporters say it has been vital in catching drug dealers, solving killings and missing persons cases and identifying and rescuing human trafficking victims. They also contend the vast majority of images that are scoured are criminal mugshots, not driver’s license photos or random pictures of individuals. Still, some states and cities have limited its use. “The use of this technology by law enforcement, even if standards and protocols are in place, has grave civil liberty and privacy concerns," said Sam Starks, a senior attorney with The Cochran Firm in Atlanta, which is representing Quran. "And that’s to say nothing about the reliability of the technology itself.”

That's right. No question.

"Quran's lawsuit was filed Sept. 8 in federal court in Atlanta. It names Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joseph Lopinto and detective Andrew Bartholomew as defendants."

Sue the living shit out of the racist bastards.

"Bartholomew, using surveillance video, relied solely on a match generated by facial recognition technology to seek an arrest warrant for Reid after a stolen credit card was used to buy two purses for more than $8,000 from a consignment store outside New Orleans in June 2022, the lawsuit said. “Bartholomew did not conduct even a basic search into Mr. Reid, which would have revealed that Mr. Reid was in Georgia when the theft occurred,” the lawsuit said. Reached by phone, Bartholomew said he had no comment. A spokesman for the sheriff's office, Capt. Jason Rivarde, said the office does not comment on pending litigation."

Not possible to credibly defend the indefensible.

"In an affidavit seeking the warrant, Bartholomew cited still photographs from the surveillance footage, but did not mention the use of facial recognition technology, according to Quran's lawsuit. The detective said he was advised by a “credible source” that one of the suspects in the video was Quran. A Department of Motor Vehicles photograph of Quran appeared to match the description of the suspect from the surveillance video, Bartholomew said. Starks believes the source Bartholomew cited was facial recognition technology, making the affidavit “at best misleading," he said. A January email from Jefferson Parish Deputy Chief Dax Russo to the sheriff is further evidence of that, according to Starks. The email explaining the events that led to Quran's arrest said members of the force were told again that they need additional evidence or leads when using facial recognition technology for an arrest warrant, according to the lawsuit. The suit accuses Bartholomew of false arrest, malicious prosecution and negligence. Lopinto failed to implement adequate policies around the use of facial recognition technology, so he, too, should be liable, the lawsuit contends. It seeks unspecified damages."

Sad, isn't it, law enforcement can be so inept and duplicitous?

"As Quran sat in jail, his family hired an attorney in Louisiana who presented photos and videos of Quran to the sheriff's office. The person in the surveillance footage was considerably heavier and did not have a mole like Quran’s, according to his lawsuit. The sheriff's office asked a judge to withdraw the warrant. Six days after his arrest, sheriff's officials in Georgia's DeKalb County released Quran. His car had been towed, and the food at the jail had made him sick, he said. Quran, who works in transportation logistics, also missed work. Nearly a year later, the experience still haunts him. He wonders what would have happened had he not had money to hire an attorney. And he still thinks about that police stop on a Georgia interstate. “Every time I see police in my rearview mirror, he said, "it just flashes back my mind to what could have happened even though I hadn’t done anything.”

'Judge' figuratively in bed with the jackbooted bastards in blue. The Associated Press reports:

" A judge dismissed all charges, including a murder count, against a Philadelphia police officer who shot and killed a driver who had a knife, agreeing with defense lawyers who said the officer could have feared for his life."

Crock of shit. A 'shoot first, ask questions later' jackbooted mentality. Un-American. Right wing nazi. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

"The municipal judge ruled after a courtroom packed with police and relatives of Eddie Irizarry watched about 20 minutes of harrowing video of the brief traffic stop that led to the death of 27-year-old. The defense argued that Officer Mark Dial acted in self-defense when he fired his weapon at close range through the rolled-up driver’s side window of Irizarry’s sedan on Aug. 14. Dial’s partner, Officer Michael Morris, testified that he saw the driver holding a knife with a black metal handle that could have looked like a gun. He said Irizarry was holding the knife against his leg and started to raise it as Dial approached the car, which had stopped the wrong way on a one-way residential street. “I screamed that he had a knife,” Morris testified."

Yet, the son of a bitch in blue, Officer Dial, opened fire. Became judge, jury, and executioner. Apparently, how he gets his cookies off.

The fix was apparently in:

"Defense lawyer Brian McMonagle urged Judge Wendy Pew to drop all charges, which included manslaughter, official oppression and four other counts. “He is firing while trying to take cover,” McMonagle said in court Tuesday, adding that the charges never should have been filed by District Attorney Larry Krasner. “I agree with you 100%,” the judge replied as she threw out the case for a lack of evidence."

There was no need to take cover. None. The son of a bitch was warned by his fellow officer the victim had a knife. Was still in his vehicle.

"Krasner’s office vowed to appeal to try to reinstate the charges, including the murder charge."

Need to do so. Immediately. The jackbooted bastard presents an exigent threat to the public, protected and coddled by the outrageously incompetent goddamned 'judge.'

"Irizarry’s relatives appeared stunned and distraught by Pew’s ruling. “We are going to continue to fight for justice, because that was wrong,” said Aracelis Brown, 28, the victim’s cousin. Morris said the officers started following Irizarry after he sped past them in a bike lane and rounded a corner. They did not put their lights and sirens on, but sent in information about the vehicle. Morris said he was not sure if they received any information back for[by?] police radio. Police bodycam footage shows Dial shot Irizarry about seven seconds after getting out of a police SUV and walking over to his car. He fired a total of six rounds."

An execution perpetrated by a jackbooted bastard in blue.

"Sitting at the defense table, Dial dabbed his eyes with a tissue as prosecutors played video of the fatal shooting from the officers’ body-worn camera. Krasner had called bodycam videos from Morris and Dial “crucial evidence in the case,” saying they “speak for themselves.”

'Crocodile tears' shed by a disingenuous, gutless, murderous officer. The prosecutor got it right. Particularly, in light of the fact the department initially couldn't, didn't accurately present the circumstances and facts of the encounter:

"The police department had to backtrack from initial statements that said Dial shot the driver outside the vehicle after he “lunged at” police with a knife. Dial, a five-year member of the force, had been suspended with the intent to dismiss after officials said he refused to cooperate with investigators."

If truly innocent, why stonewall?

“You’re sitting here telling me that he was trying to lunge at you. He was not. He was locked in the car. So there was no way that he could get to you guys, and yet you still felt threatened and shot at him,” said Brown, the cousin, who ascribed the judge’s ruling to “favoritism” toward police."

No question. The 'judge' was not impartial. Far from it.

"Defense lawyers noted that even the detective who had sought a warrant for Dial’s arrest asked that the top charge be voluntary manslaughter, not murder."

Truly believe the detective was impartial?

"Dial’s bail had been revoked this month after prosecutors argued the charges made him ineligible for release. He was expected to be released sometime Tuesday."

Bail revocation? Rightfully so.

NBC News reports:

"A judge on Tuesday dismissed all charges, including murder, against the Philadelphia police officer who had been accused of wrongfully killing a motorist last month. Mark Dial had pulled over 27-year-old Eddie Irizarry on Aug. 14 before the officer shot him through the rolled-up driver's side window, body camera footage has shown. The footage was played in court on Tuesday but Philadelphia Municipal Judge Wendy Pew ruled there was not enough evidence to go to trial, bringing an emotional reaction from Irizarry's loved ones in court. The defense argued that Dial, 27, could be seen backing away from the vehicle as he opened fire, believing the motorist had a gun. The footage showed that Irizarry had been holding a knife in his right hand. Dial had been charged with murder, voluntary manslaughter, official oppression and four other counts before Pew dismissed all counts. "My thoughts are with Eddie Irizarry’s family and loved ones today as they continue to seek justice and answers around his death," Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said in a statement, urging the district attorney's office to "do everything in its power to pursue justice and accountability." Prosecutors vowed to appeal Pew's ruling and have charges brought against Dial again."

Need to. Justice demands it.

“The District Attorney’s Office disagrees with the decision by Municipal Court Judge Wendy L. Pew to dismiss all criminal charges against defendant Mark Dial for the killing of Eddie Irizarry on August 14, 2023," said a statement by the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office. "Special Investigations Unit prosecutors will be filing an appeal of this decision to the Court of Common Pleas by the end of today. In keeping with our oath to seek justice, we will move to have all criminal charges, including murder, reinstated against this defendant.”

Justice demands it.

"Family members and supporters of Irizarry, some who wore T-shirts saying “Justice for Eddie Irizarry,” said they were stunned by Tuesday’s ruling. “We are going to keep fighting,” Irizarry’s grandfather Nelson Garcia told NBC Philadelphia in Spanish outside court. “This is not OK.” Dial has been in custody since Tuesday of last week after initially posting bail and being released. But prosecutors had successfully argued for the defendant to be placed back into custody, saying bail is typically not offered if charges could bring a life sentence or if the accused offender poses a threat to the community. Pew ordered Tuesday that Dial be released."

ABC News reports:

"A judge dismissed the case against a former Philadelphia police officer who had been charged with murder in connection to the death of Eddie Irizarry, according to Philadelphia ABC station WPVI. Mark Dial had been charged earlier this month with murder, voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment of another person and official oppression, in the Aug. 14 shooting. Judge Wendy Pew dismissed the case during a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, citing lack of evidence, WPVI reported. Originally, police had said that Irizarry, 27, was outside the car and was killed after lunging at police with a knife, but two days later the department acknowledged that he was shot while inside his car. In announcing the charges, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner released footage from the body-worn cameras of Dial and a second officer who was at the scene, warning the video "will in some ways be traumatic." The district attorney's office said it plans to file an appeal on Tuesday, saying in a statement it "disagrees" with the judge's decision. "In keeping with our oath to seek justice, we will move to have all criminal charges, including Murder, reinstated against this defendant," the statement said."

Justice demands it.

"The footage shows Dial getting out of his cruiser and approaching Irizarry's car with his gun drawn. "I will f------ shoot you," he says, before firing into the front driver's seat where Irizarry was seated. Prior to shots being fired, an officer can be heard yelling at Irizarry to show his hands. Dial fired six shots "at close range," Krasner said."

An execution.

"Brian McMonagle, one of Dial's attorneys, said they were "elated" at the judge's decision and said the officer was acting in self-defense. "We have said from the very beginning, this is a tragedy and not a crime," he told reporters while leaving the courthouse on Tuesday. McMonagle said evidence presented in court Tuesday -- including testimony from Dial's partner at the scene of the shooting -- showed that the officers believed Irizarry raised what appeared to be a gun and "pointed it" at them. The officers later determined the object to be a knife, McMonagle said. "Before there was a discharge in this case, the other officer shouted gun, and my officer thought what he clearly believed to be a gun before he fired," McMonagle said. "There's no doubt about the fact that he believed it was a gun."

Are you lying, Counselor? The Associated Press reports the second officer, "Dial’s partner, Officer Michael Morris, testified that he saw the driver holding a knife with a black metal handle that could have looked like a gun. He said Irizarry was holding the knife against his leg and started to raise it as Dial approached the car, which had stopped the wrong way on a one-way residential street. “I screamed that he had a knife,” Morris testified."

Think defense counsel may have been talking out his ass, that is, lying like hell? Get this:

"McMonagle had previously called the murder charge "abhorrent."

Called the truth, Counselor. Wake up.

"The undisputed facts of the case are that an individual made an illegal turn right in front of police officers, took off at a high rate of speed, and then tried to evade officers by going down a one-way street the wrong way, tried to hide from them," McMonagle told reporters earlier this month."

The above quote is true. The following is bullshit. Not true. Deliberate distortion of reality:

"And when police officers ordered him to show his hands, he instead produced a weapon and pointed it at an armed police officer," he continued."

Sad, isn't it? Deliberate protection and coddling of a murderer in blue.

"Dial was initially released on $50,000 bail on Sept. 8, though his bail was revoked after prosecutors argued he was not eligible with a potential first-degree murder charge on the table. The city's police commissioner at the time, Danielle Outlaw, said on Aug. 23 that Dial would be terminated at the end of a 30-day suspension."

Now, the son of a bitch will present a continued threat to the community.

"Outlaw, who has since left the department, said at the time that an administrative investigation found Dial violated department rules against "insubordination" by allegedly refusing to obey "proper orders from a superior officer." She said the administrative investigation also accuses Dial of "conduct unbecoming" an officer for "failure to cooperate in any departmental investigation." Philadelphia Jim Kenney said in a statement Tuesday that he trusts the district attorney's office "will do everything in its power to pursue justice and accountability." "My thoughts are with Eddie Irizarry’s family and loved ones today as they continue to seek justice and answers around his death," he said, adding he remains confident that the police department's Internal Affairs Bureau's investigation into the shooting "will provide accountability and transparency following the police-involved shooting that took Mr. Irizzary’s life."

Think so? Believe it?

A corrupt U.S. Supreme Court Justice? Think so? NPR reports:

"New conflict of interest allegations have surfaced about Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. In a lengthy article published on Friday, ProPublica reports that Thomas over the years has maintained a close relationship with the Koch network, one of the largest and most influential political organizations in the country, and that the justice, on at least two occasions, spoke at fundraising events for the conservative organization. According to ProPublica, Thomas has at least twice been brought in to speak at private dinners for large donors to the Koch network. That put him in what ProPublica called "the extraordinary position" of having served as "a fundraising draw" for a network that has repeatedly brought cases before the Supreme Court."

That's a problem. A big problem. Here's why:

"In 2021, one of the Koch entities, Americans for Prosperity, successfully challenged state laws that required nonprofits to disclose the identity of their large donors. And this year, the network is supporting a challenge to a longstanding Supreme Court regulatory precedent. Thomas did not recuse himself from the 2021 case, nor is there any indication he will recuse himself from this term's case, a challenge to a nearly 40-year-old Supreme Court precedent, Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council, in which the justices ruled unanimously that courts should defer to a federal agency's interpretation of an ambiguous statute as long as that interpretation is "reasonable." The newest report is the latest in a series about Thomas from ProPublica spotlighting conflict-of-interest allegations that include undisclosed luxury travel and gifts paid for by a billionaire GOP megadonor."

Torture. The Associated Press reports:

"A military judge at Guantanamo Bay has ruled one of the 9/11 defendants unfit for trial after a military medical panel found that the man’s sustained abuse in CIA custody years earlier has rendered him lastingly psychotic. The judge, Col. Matthew McCall, said the incompetency finding for Ramzi bin al-Shibh meant that prosecution would continue for his four co-defendants without him. McCall issued his ruling late Thursday. Pre-trial hearings for the remaining defendants resumed Friday in the military courtroom at the U.S. naval base on Cuba. No trial date has been set for the case, which has been slowed by logistical problems, high turnover and legal challenges."

A massive catastrophic failure of justice in what is supposed to be a democratic republic, not a de facto fascist police-state where nearly anything goes including torture.

"A Yemeni, al-Shibh is accused of organizing one cell of the 19 hijackers who commandeered four commercial airplanes to carry out the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people outright in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. The attacks were the deadliest of their kind on U.S. soil. The attacks rocked Americans and people around the world. They led the George W. Bush administration to take extraordinary steps in what it called a war on terror: invading Afghanistan and Iraq, setting up an extraordinary program of CIA interrogation and detention, and creating the special prison and military commission at Guantanamo."

Certainly, a massive failure of the Bush Administration. These defendants should have been brought into the United States where the crimes occurred, stood trial in our court system. Raises the question did the former president deliberately obstruct justice by moving legal proceedings out of this country to what has turned out to be a system of kangaroo justice at Guantanamo Bay? --Where anything goes including egregious abuse and torture? Think it's bullshit? Wake up:

"A military medical panel last month diagnosed al-Shibh as having post-traumatic stress disorder with secondary psychosis, and linked it to his torture and solitary confinement during his four years in CIA custody immediately after his 2002 arrest. Al-Shibh has complained for years since his transfer to the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay that his guards were attacking him, including by invisible rays, so as to deprive him of sleep and cause him pain. McCall’s ruling noted that psychological reports dating back at least to 2004 had documented al-Shibh’s mental issues. Defense attorney David Bruck told McCall in a hearing Tuesday that al-Shibh’s overwhelming focus on trying to stop the invisible attacks, and his insistence that his defense lawyers do the same, rendered him incapable of meaningfully taking part in his defense. Bruck pointed to what he said was al-Shibh’s solitary confinement over four years in detention at CIA black sites, and torture that included his being forced to stand sleepless for as long as three days at a time, naked except for a diaper and doused with cold water in air-conditioned rooms, for the man’s lasting belief that his American guards were still conspiring to deprive him of sleep. Bruck indicated in Tuesday’s hearing that al-Shibh would be expected to remain in custody while court officials waited for him to become mentally competent again, if that ever happens. Defense attorneys and a U.N.-appointed investigator have argued that the five 9/11 co-defendants should be given physical and psychological care for the lasting effects of the torture they underwent while in CIA custody under the Bush administration."

Why weren't the former president and his henchmen ever held legally accountable? This certainly remains a black eye on our country.

"Bruck told McCall in Tuesday’s hearing PTSD treatment would offer the best hope of al-Shibh ever regaining competency to stand trial. He said the forced sidelining of the U.S. case against the man would be “an opportunity for the country to come to account on the harm” done by what he called the CIA’s “program of human experimentation.” The five 9/11 defendants were variously subjected to repeated waterboarding, beatings, violent repeated searches of their rectal cavities, sleep deprivation and other abuse while at so-called CIA black sites. The CIA says it stopped its detention and interrogation program in 2009. A Senate investigation concluded the abuse had been ineffective in obtaining useful information. President Joe Biden this month declined to approve post-trauma care when defense lawyers presented it as a condition in plea negotiations."

This certainly remains a black eye on our country. Remains nazi justice in what is supposed to be a democratic republic, not a de facto fascist police state where nearly anything goes including egregious abuse and torture. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

Think the nazi element in the Republican Party does not present an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties as well as truth itself? Time to wake up. Before too late. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

The Washington Post reports:

"Academics, universities and government agencies are overhauling or ending research programs designed to counter the spread of online misinformation amid a legal campaign from conservative politicians and activists who accuse them of colluding with tech companies to censor right-wing views. The escalating campaign — led by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and other Republicans in Congress and state government — has cast a pall over programs that study not just political falsehoods but also the quality of medical information online.

“In the name of protecting free speech, the scientific community is not allowed to speak,” said Dean Schillinger, a health communication scientist who planned to apply to the NIH program to collaborate with a Tagalog-language newspaper to share accurate health information with Filipinos. “Science is being halted in its tracks.” Academics and government scientists say the campaign also is successfully throttling the years-long effort to study online falsehoods, which grew after Russian attempts to interfere in the 2016 election caught both social media sites and politicians unawares. Interviews with more than two dozen professors, government officials, physicians, nonprofits and research funders, many of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss their internal deliberations freely, describe an escalating campaign emerging as online propaganda is rising.

"As Jordan’s probe expands, some university lawyers have urged academics to hold on to their records and be prepared to receive subpoenas from the committee, according to two people familiar with the matter.

"Many academics, independent scholars and philanthropic funders are discussing how to collectively defend the disinformation research field. One proposal would create a group to gather donations into a central fund to pay for crisis communications and — most critically — legal support if one of them gets sued or subpoenaed in a private case or by Congress. The money could also fund cybersecurity counseling to ward off hackers and stalkers and perhaps physical security as well.

“There is this growing sense that there need to be resources to allow for freedom of thought and academic independence,” said one longtime philanthropy grant maker who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters. University academics are also mulling ways to rebrand their work to attract less controversy. One leader in a university disinformation research center said scholars have discussed using more generic terms to describe their work such as “information integrity” or “civic participation online.” Those terms “have less of a bite to them,” said a person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak on the private discussions. Similar conversations are occurring within public health agencies, another person said. “This whole area of research has become radioactive,” the person said."

The above just scratches the surface of an extremely long and detailed report. Certainly, an exigent threat to academic freedom and pursuit of truth itself by the nazi element in the Republican Party. Democrats are no better. Have egregiously failed to effectively challenge this blatant attack on life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties as well as the pursuit and reporting of truth itself as opposed to disinformation. Raw nazism. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

Cost of lawsuits against law enforcement. CBS News reports:

"New York City has paid at least $35 million to settle allegations of civil rights violations by police against people protesting the 2020 death of George Floyd. Pasadena, California paid the children of Anthony McLain $7.5 million in a 2021 settlement after their father was killed fleeing a traffic stop. In Texas, San Antonio settled a wrongful death lawsuit in 2022 with the family of Antronie Scott for $450,000 after an unarmed Scott was shot and killed by a police officer. In Graham, a small town in North Carolina, alleged excessive use of force by police during a voting rights march led to a $336,900 settlement in 2021. Cities can face hundreds of lawsuits related to police misconduct each year — often related to the conduct of just a few officers — and while the payouts vary wildly, settlements are almost always funded by taxpayers. Police officers have qualified immunity, which means they are generally shielded from criminal prosecution, so for people alleging misconduct, lawsuits may be the only recourse."

That's quite true. Directly due to the fact that criminal jackbooted bastards in blue are seldom prosecuted for their crimes. Needs to change. Instead, these bastards are protected and coddled. Not held accountable for their crimes. If taxpayers are tired of footing the bill, it's time to demand that the jackbooted bastards in law enforcement are criminally prosecuted.

"There are ongoing, continuous, regular settlements for police misconduct," said Anne Houghtaling, an attorney and the senior deputy director of strategic initiatives at the Legal Defense Fund, which operates the National Police Funding Database through its Thurgood Marshall Institute. The database looks at police misconduct data, among other information. "It seems almost as if it's a cost of doing business in some jurisdictions."

Failed government is directly responsible for this. Tolerates the criminal element in law enforcement instead of demanding criminal prosecution of these officers. Taxpayers wind up footing the bill instead of the criminals in law enforcement. Readers are reminded it is reported most officers never fire their weapons while on duty during their entire career. Interesting, isn't it? Time to get the criminal element out of law enforcement if there is to be meaningful change.

"What are police misconduct settlements? Police misconduct settlements are agreements made when a civil suit alleging civil rights violations is resolved out of court instead of at trial. Settlements usually result in at least one of two outcomes: The person or estate bringing the case can receive money, or, more rarely, a policy change may follow the settlement. Settlements rarely include an admission of wrongdoing or guilt, said Joanna Schwartz, an attorney, law professor and the faculty director of the David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy at the UCLA School of Law."

This needs to change. The criminal element in law enforcement needs to be held accountable and criminally prosecuted instead of being protected and coddled.

"John J. Catanzara Jr., who heads Chicago's Fraternal Order of Police, told CBS News that he did not believe settlements should be entered into, criticizing them as a way to avoid litigation. "I think they serve a very negative kind of role, more than anything else, because they kind of blacklist an officer for doing something wrong," the police union chief said. He told CBS News that he believed lawsuits that plaintiffs win in court are "realistically few and far between," but didn't elaborate on what those cases might be or provide specific numbers about how many lawsuits he believes are not meritorious."

That's because he's lying. Distorting and misstating reality. First of all, in these settlements there is no admission of guilt. Second, jurors in these lawsuits are carefully selected to favor the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue. Anyone who has suffered at the hands of these bastards is excluded. Third, most judges favor law enforcement at the expense of those who have suffered at the hands of the jackbooted bastards.

The following is another egregious injustice that desperately needs change:

"Almost no settlements are paid out by the police officers accused of misconduct, researchers and data show. The cost is often borne by taxpayers, said Houghtaling. In some states, departments or municipal governments will also provide officers with a lawyer or cover their legal fees, Schwartz said. "There's a level of police officers not being held individually accountable, and so they're not paying for the settlements," Houghtaling said. "Their police departments are, and those departments are funded by tax dollars." Departments even budget for such settlements, Schwartz said. Police settlement costs themselves don't appear to deter misconduct, Schwartz and Houghtaling said, because those costs rarely impact an individual officer."

Needs to change.

"An investigation conducted by the Washington Post in March 2022 and cited by Houghtaling found that just a small number of officers are responsible for multiple settlements, with the Post reporting that more than 7,600 officers have been involved in more than one settlement, costing about $1.5 billion nationwide in the past 10 years. More than 1,200 officers in departments surveyed by the Washington Post had been involved in at least five settlements, and more than 200 officers had 10 or more. Houghtaling said that part of the problem with tracing repeated misconduct is that it's hard to track incidents between departments. "There's no national database of police officers that are terminated for misconduct," Houghtaling said. "So they may commit misconduct in one jurisdiction and maybe lose their job there, and then go down the street 30 miles to a different city or county or get a new job. There is sort of this disconnect between accountability and the financial consequences for it."

Precisely, why the criminal jackbooted bastards in law enforcement desperately need criminal prosecution, not protection and coddling.

"Catanzara, the union head, said he didn't see how settlements could serve as deterrents. "Nobody can explain to me how that even makes sense," he said. "Settlements are designed to get rid of a problem, so to speak, whether it's justified or not."

Precisely, why the criminal bastards in law enforcement desperately need criminal prosecution, not protection and coddling..

"Because it's "exceedingly rare" for settlements to include an admission of guilt or wrongdoing, according to Schwartz, a department can avoid admitting wrongdoing and make it harder for plaintiffs in future cases to use the facts of a previous case, leading to what Schwartz called "a systemic problem."

Truer words never spoken.

"When people are trying to show a pattern of misconduct in order to hold a local government responsible, you often have to show a pattern of prior misconduct that wasn't properly addressed by the department ... Courts have said that complaints and settlements are not proof in and of themselves, so the fact is many settlements can be inadequate to show a pattern of misconduct in the eyes of the courts," Schwartz said."

Certainly, a problem that needs to change.

"There are ways to reduce police misconduct, experts said. Police departments can gather and analyze information from lawsuits brought against them, Schwartz said, and bring in outside auditors or attorneys to look at this data to "identify concerning trends in officers who have repeatedly been sued," find "repeat allegations" against a particular department, squad or station, and determine if there are repeated issues suggesting "the need for more training or supervision." One rigorous study conducted by the independent, nonpartisan National Policing Institute found that when police were trained "on the concepts of procedural justice and fairness," crime and arrest rates in three different "high-crime areas" decreased, said Jim Burch, the research organization's president. According to the 2022 study, procedural justice is based on "giving people a voice, showing neutrality, treating people with respect, and showing trustworthy objectives." Training officers in these techniques made them "significantly more likely to behave" in line with them. Other options could be looking at policies reducing or limiting use-of-force and changing whether police officers or a different, trained organization should respond to some situations, Burch and Schwartz both said."

All the above would indeed result in desperately needed change. Requires, however, that criminal officers be fired and prosecuted, not protected and coddled.

The effort to expose Wells Fargo egregious deceptive trade practices continues. Several years ago to determinedly apply renewed pressure on our truly worthless, egregiously self-serving Texas Attorney General, now Governor, an excoriating email was sent to the bastard. Copies of which were also passed on to both offending Wells Fargo officers. A copy was also sent to the Davis campaign and others at the time.

Voters did have a right to know as Attorney General, the GOP candidate for Governor apparently selectively investigated, or not, bona fide complaints filed by citizens against banks too big to fail. Possibly, Wells Fargo could have lined his pockets in some fashion. That has yet to be determined.

The bastard and his office, no matter what, failed to respond to the complaint originally snail mailed several years ago. This material, figuratively targeting Wells Fargo and the governor 'wannabe' now Governor, had been posted and can be found by scrolling all the way down and clicking on the links well below. ... Governor? Wells Fargo bribe you to look the other way?

Will continue to do all I can to publicly expose this to all, both in this publication and elsewhere. Have done precisely that with the following email sent to Matt Turner, Matt Turner Video Services, Marble Falls, TX. A copy of it was also sent to Wells Fargo officer Amanda Wright. She has, indeed, been promoted branch manager. Reverse Darwinism. Survival of the unfittest.

This young woman has indeed been rewarded by the Wells Fargo corporate management suite for engaging in criminal deceptive trade practices and her undying loyalty to her corporate masters. The process to update those already informed of this fiasco has finally been completed. This latest material can be found by clicking onWells Fargo Deceptive Trade Practices Salvo 240, 2-8-19 .

The name of this publication was changed some fifteen years ago from The Llano Ledger to Liberty In Peril. The reason? Simple. Cowardly failure of this community to stand up to tyranny that has only exponentially worsened the last decade and a half. Clearly, demonstrated as well by the cowardly failure of businesses to financially support this publication. Either through advertising or other financial support. Too afraid doing so would enrage the bastards who run and own this hellhole County.

-- Despite the fact these businesses were, and are, being egregiously f--ked by these very same bastards. Tough, isn't it? Impossible to entertain any sympathy for cowardice, however. Especially in view of the fact this writer has placed himself in great jeopardy taking on these corrupt, abusive, inept criminal bastards. Alone.

Exactly, why you see no investigative material highly critical of these sons of bitches in other local rags. Sadly, cowardly, all advertising income immediately dries up. Consequently, the bastards continue their criminal chicanery with impunity. On a rampage. Thus, you get what you truly deserve. Always. Precisely, why this earlier name change to Liberty In Peril remains appropriate. -- Despite the fact this writer has not yet left the area. Ten years after originally intending to do so. Thirty years in this goddamned godforsaken hellhole.

This writer, then and now, remains primarily interested in state, federal, and international issues. Another reason for this publication name change. Despite the fact I stupidly cluelessly remain here, local issues must be addressed. Can't be ignored. That's where you come in dear readers. Have the courage to inform this writer of local abuse, corruption, ineptness you are aware of, have personally experienced.

... Information these criminal bastards do all they can to conceal, cover up. Otherwise, how can they effectively sustain the charade and intended result? Loot confiscation through a boot heel on the throat of the citizenry.

The only way, short of an unwanted dreaded second American revolution, to force badly-needed change is to expose all this to the light of day. These bastards are beginning to understand they have a problem. No question, the growing rage of those they've abused, looted, egregiously f--ked. It's time to stand up. Expose this corruption to glaring sunlight. Otherwise, as fools, cowards, you will remain under their thumb. From the loftiest business owner to those on the bottom of the food chain. Wake up. Grow a pair.

Still don't think that likely to happen. After all, you're bought and paid for. Owned. Not only by your government masters, but their masters. The corporate management suite. Your employers. Think not? Wake up. You're human chattel. Corporate-owned, bought and paid for. Precisely, why you cowardly, compliantly, literally bare your asses for corporate inspection by the company doctor. Willingly, compliantly, cowardly piss in a cup under employer supervision. To sit in front of a keyboard or stock shelves all day. You have no control of your lives. You're owned. Forget? For a measly salary, no job security, reduced to no benefits. At a time of record corporate profits and cash reserves.

Then, you gallingly complain about the oppression as you tolerate egregious theft of your labor. Not only by your corporate masters, but their bought and paid for government lackeys. Too cowardly to stand up, allow disclosure of your identity when you rightfully complain to this publication of being mercilessly f--ked. Some of you falsely arrested, criminally assaulted, bogusly fined for 'offenses' you did not commit. To line County coffers. Keep the peasants in line and under control. A fascist police-state. Nazi America.

Again, yet another reason why this publication is called Liberty In Peril. Most galling? Nothing changes if you fail to step up and challenge corrupt, abusive, inept authority. Too afraid, cowardly compliant to let the bastards know who you are. Did it ever occur to the cowards out there if the identity of the accuser is kept under wraps the bastards will falsely claim it's all made up by this publication? Thus, conveniently killing all credibility. Wake up.

Cowardice is unbecoming, unworthy of our formerly great country. Insult to injury? There are the hopelessly deranged who believe the chicanery reported here to be manufactured anyway. No matter the effort. No matter the research. No matter the proof. Wake up. This writer cannot do it alone. Snowball's chance in hell. Then again, cowardice, delusion is always amply, justly rewarded. Always. You continue to 'enjoy' the very best government money can buy. Literally.

Tim Chorney

Tim Chorney, Publisher
Liberty In Peril
Formerly,
The Llano Ledger
United States Of America

Cannot do it alone. Impossible. Not sustainable. This publication needs your financial and material support. Both. Time to step up.

Tim Chorney, Publisher
Liberty In Peril
... Formerly
The Llano Ledger

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Tim Chorney, Publisher
libertyinperil@protonmail.com