Problem Machine Posted December 10, 2014 Plus the CIA has been tied up in shit like this for as long as there has been a CIA, hasn't it? Isn't this unconscionable bullshit pretty much the reason it exists? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mangela Lansbury Posted December 10, 2014 The earliest CIA action I can think of off hand is... overthrowing governments...? So yeah, pretty much. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gormongous Posted December 10, 2014 On 12/10/2014 at 10:07 PM, Mangela Lansbury said: The earliest CIA action I can think of off hand is... overthrowing governments...? So yeah, pretty much. And the FBI has its roots in the Pinkertons, a nineteenth-century for-hire private army best known for strike-breaking. Yay, government! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bjorn Posted December 10, 2014 On 12/10/2014 at 10:14 PM, Gormongous said: And the FBI has its roots in the Pinkertons, a nineteenth-century for-hire private army best known for strike-breaking. Yay, government! The Secret Service assisted in rounding up of Japanese Americans for internment in WW2. Modern SWAT teams are descended from the union busting efforts of California cops in the '60s. The postal inspection service (the police arm of the post office) has a storied career of oppression and harassment (see Comstock). I don't know that the Park Police has ever been part of the systemic oppression of anyone. So yah national parks? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Twig Posted December 10, 2014 On 12/10/2014 at 10:44 PM, Bjorn said: I don't know that the Park Police has ever been part of the systemic oppression of anyone. So yah national parks? Arsonists are people, too! )': Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrHoatzin Posted December 10, 2014 That police is supposed to solve crime and protect the people is a clever bit of propaganda. The purpose of the police is to hunt for code violations and enforce property rights. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Patrick R Posted December 10, 2014 I remember listening to the audiobook of Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA, and it was just like listening to a 19 hour Aristocrats joke, with war crimes replacing sex acts. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
juv3nal Posted December 11, 2014 apparently COINTELPRO is alive and well in Berkeley: http://atane.tumblr.com/post/104947147114/america-wakiewakie-undercover-cop-attempts-to Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henroid Posted December 15, 2014 Today in Oakland a protest blockaded the entrance to the Oakland Police Department. On the net this is represented by the hashtag #shutdownOPD And frankly I approve; I really hope that part of their demand is that Jean Quan steps down as mayor, as she's one of the biggest voices in the country in favor of militarizing the police and allowing the status quo to continue. The OPD needs to be disarmed, along with that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henroid Posted December 16, 2014 Also this happened and just kinda put a punctuation point on the whole thing. I forgot to mention that the Oakland PD is like the LAPD in that they're super trigger-happy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bjorn Posted December 16, 2014 That's awesome. Is that a picture of someone hanging it, or taking it down? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henroid Posted December 16, 2014 On 12/16/2014 at 2:21 PM, Bjorn said: That's awesome. Is that a picture of someone hanging it, or taking it down? Hanging it up. I'm putting the image on a thumb drive and taking it to work so I can make it into a poster. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gormongous Posted December 18, 2014 I can't independently verify this, but if it's true, it's very awkward: the only witness to support Darren Wilson's testimony is mentally ill, a chronic liar, and a documented racist. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bjorn Posted December 18, 2014 I didn't read through the whole Smoking Gun piece, but this Slate article says that her testimony was questioned and undermined by prosecutors during the Grand Jury. Slate acts like that makes it case closed, nothing-to-see-here, move along. But wait, why the fuck would a prosecutor ever put her in front of a grand jury at all then? To confuse and overwhelm them with too much information, too many viewpoints, to make the entire thing muddled. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gormongous Posted December 19, 2014 On 12/18/2014 at 3:34 PM, Bjorn said: Slate acts like that makes it case closed, nothing-to-see-here, move along. But wait, why the fuck would a prosecutor ever put her in front of a grand jury at all then? To confuse and overwhelm them with too much information, too many viewpoints, to make the entire thing muddled. McCulloch said in a recent interview that he made the deliberate decision to present the grand jury with testimony from witnesses he knew had lied and were lying. He frames this decision as his professional duty to make sure everyone's stories got heard: http://www.buzzfeed.com/mikehayes/st-louis-prosecutor-says-he-knew-witnesses-lied He also says that he has no intention of charging said witnesses with perjury, because of reasons. I admit, I have no clue anymore what it means to be a lawyer, let alone district attorney. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bjorn Posted December 20, 2014 Isn't knowingly putting a lying witness on the stand prosecutorial misconduct and grounds for disbarment? Like, that's basic lawyering 101. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gormongous Posted December 20, 2014 On 12/20/2014 at 6:56 AM, Bjorn said: Isn't knowingly putting a lying witness on the stand prosecutorial misconduct and grounds for disbarment? Like, that's basic lawyering 101. Yep, it's apparently called subornation of perjury: http://www.justice.gov/usao/eousa/foia_reading_room/usam/title9/crm01752.htm McCulloch openly admitted in his interview to four of the five particulars needed to convict him of that charge; the only thing missing is explicit evidence that he knew ahead of time that the witness was going to lie. McCulloch has risen into the public view so rapidly, I'm having a hard time telling if he's one of the most corrupt public officials I've ever seen or just one of the most incompetent. Or both! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mangela Lansbury Posted December 20, 2014 Given my many conversations with a close friend who's a prosecutor, here's an even more concerning thought: Is McCulloch just your average DA facing a case where he has to justify his shitty decisions on a larger scale than usual? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brkl Posted December 20, 2014 Well, losing a grand jury is not average, it's exceedingly rare. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Twig Posted December 20, 2014 What about losing a grand jury against a cop? (I'm asking legitimately, if that's not clear.) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bjorn Posted December 20, 2014 On 12/20/2014 at 4:35 PM, Twig said: What about losing a grand jury against a cop? (I'm asking legitimately, if that's not clear.) No, that's super common. It's basically the norm. On 12/20/2014 at 7:28 AM, Gormongous said: Yep, it's apparently called subornation of perjury: http://www.justice.gov/usao/eousa/foia_reading_room/usam/title9/crm01752.htm McCulloch openly admitted in his interview to four of the five particulars needed to convict him of that charge; the only thing missing is explicit evidence that he knew ahead of time that the witness was going to lie. McCulloch has risen into the public view so rapidly, I'm having a hard time telling if he's one of the most corrupt public officials I've ever seen or just one of the most incompetent. Or both! I think you have to go with both. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Twig Posted December 20, 2014 On 12/20/2014 at 4:40 PM, Bjorn said: No, that's super common. It's basically the norm. Okay, that's sort of what I figured would be the case. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
itsamoose Posted December 20, 2014 The McCulloch situation reminds me of a story a buddy of mine in the military likes to tell about something he refers to as "stand by to stand by". When the troops would be mustered, he would have to arrive something like 4 hours early and just stand around. He explained the reason for this is that no one wanted to get in trouble because someone was late. So when the department of the army set the muster time, each successive rung of the hierarchy would push it forward by half an hour or so with the end result being hours of waiting. Looking at everything McCulloch either did or was complicit in to me just seems like he was trying to absolve himself of as much responsibility as possible, from both the public and the police with little interest in doing his job well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nachimir Posted December 24, 2014 The police shot and killed another black teenager, Antonio Martin, two miles from Ferguson last night. Eyewitnesses describe how he was breathing after he'd been shot but was left to die on the ground for half an hour with no medical attention. He's already being smeared by the media as a gun toting monster. Lots on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hashtag/AntonioMartin?src=hash About a week ago, at a Police charity event in LA the guests all sang a racist song crowing over the death of Michael Brown. The venue condemned it, and the organising officer defended it by saying "This is America". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Problem Machine Posted January 5, 2015 One of the grand jurors from the Darren Wilson case is suing Robert McCullough for misrepresenting the circumstances Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
