More examples of police arresting people for filming them

Police commonly arrest people for filming them. In fact, there are websites that exist to document this, such as Photography is Not a Crime. Arrests happen daily across the nation. Here are a few cases.I. Louisiana sheriff's deputies arrest a man for filming a traffic stop,...

Why can the police put you in jail for a week, after an illegal a

A recent U.S. Supreme Court case affirmed the ability of police to engage in strip searches after an arrest, at a police station, even for minor arrests. I am kind of torn on this, because while I don't support the drug war, along as it exists I can understand police wanting...

Illegal conviction for investigating police wrongdoing

In New Hampshire recording another person in a phone coversation without their consent is a misdemeanor. A Ademo Mueller recorded a phone conversation he had with a police officer ( a very short one) asking the officer about what seemed to be clearly an unnecessary use of...

Would Bruno Mars be safe walking streets of NYC with police

If you are a young black or latino man in New York City, like the star singer Bruno Mars, the 4th Amendment does not really apply to you. It does in theory, and arguably it still does somewhat in part, but not really on the streets of the city. That is not to say that a young...

How the war on drugs is runining lives

The MPP is asking you to urge your members of Congress to end all federal penalties for possession of marijuana. While it is an uphill battle, all good battles are that way in the beginning.By the way, if you want to read a number of good columns on the benefits of...

Mitt Romney wants anti-gay Justices like Scalia, on the Court?

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is one of the reasons that we have a Bill of Rights. To protect us against people like him. See, the Founding Fathers knew there would be people like Scalia in positions of power. People like Scalia who view Americans with a limited...

Why writer is right, we need to dump the electoral college, now!

I've always despised the electoral college. It's an absurd system. It does exactly the opposite of what its' defenders allege. It motiviates candidates to visit only a few large states, when supporters of it amazingly state that without it candidates would only visit a few...

Politician tries to silence pro-gay NFL linebacker

One would think there wouldn't be many NFL football players who support marriage equality for gays in the U.S. One might be wrong though. The vast majority of NFL players are under 30 and the vast majority of those under 30 support marriage equality. Well, a Baltimore Ravens...

If you are a barber, be ready to have guns in your face by cops

In most states there are licensing requirements for barbers. Well, in Florida, the police take advantage of those licensing requirements to check for drugs in barber shops. Sometimes, with guns drawn. I wish I was kidding. Would police take advantage of licensing of doctors...

Should the police break down your door for marijuana?

You're in your house, sound asleep, and a group of men kick down your front door in the middle of the night. They have guns drawn, pointing at you and they are shouting. You wake up from a sound sleep and you don't know who they might be. Your children are crying, they are...

Why did police ignore 4th Amendment rights of students at search?

This is an amazing case out of Greene County, Missouri. High school students at Central High School were ordered to leave their possessions in their classrooms, be it notebooks, purses, backpacks etc for sheriff's deputies to search, really ransack, at will. No reasonable...

Why the tradition argument against gay marriage is bogus

Is tradition a good thing? Or, to rephrase the question, is something good because it has a lot of tradition behind it? Well, many good things have lasted because they are good and hence became a tradition.But, are traditional beliefs, institutions or events good in of itself...

Was a commissioner threatened with murder for not having prayer?

I was reading about a case out in Craven County, North Carolina. See, the Board of Commissioners out there reguarly opens its meetings with sectarian prayer. Frankly, I don't think any prayer should open a governmental meeting, but at least the courts have ruled against...