Society's Child

Federal court bans government prosecution of medical marijuana users and growers - if they comply with state laws

Matt Agorist
The Free Thought Project
Wed, 17 Aug 2016 00:00 UTC

Last week, the tyrannical DEA doubled down on their asinine and immoral decision to classify marijuana as having no medical value — promising to continue to kidnap, cage, and kill people for possessing it. However, in a major victory, and a well-deserved slap to the face of the DEA, a federal appeals court just ruled that prosecuting medical marijuana users and growers is now banned.

The Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals' three-judge panel has ruled that the Department of Justice (DOJ) cannot spend budget money to prosecute people who grow, sell or use medical marijuana — if they comply with state law.

The 25 states who've found themselves subject to continuous raids — in spite of medical pot being legal — will now have solace in the fact that the DOJ can no longer throw money at the futile and immoral practice of arresting people for a plant.

"If the federal government prosecutes such individuals, it has prevented the state from giving practical effect to its law," Circuit Judge Diarmuid O'Scannlain wrote for the court.

The ruling stems from a 2014 congression budget rule saying that the DOJ cannot use funds to prevent US states "from implementing their own state laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of medical marijuana."

Female prisoners were once a rarity, but now they're the fastest rising prison population

RT
Thu, 18 Aug 2016 23:40 UTC

Female prisoners were once unheard of in most US counties, but in the last half-century, they have been filling cells with higher rate increases than their male counterparts, according to a new study.

Mandatory minimum sentencing and the drug war have contributed to the phenomenon of prison overpopulation, but even as the issue grows this presidential election year, the full scope of the impact on American life is still being uncovered.

In a study released Wednesday by the Vera Institute of Justice and the Safety and Justice Challenge initiative, the number of women in prison and jails in 2014 was reported to have multiplied nearly 14 times from 1970.

"Once a rarity, women are now held in jails in nearly every county — a stark contrast to 1970, when almost three-quarters of counties held not a single woman in jail," the report read, according to the New York Times.

Women made up only 11 percent of all arrests in 1960, but by 2014, that figure more than doubled to 26 percent, the recently-published report found.

While the imprisoned population has grown overall, with men still far outnumbering women behind bars, the rate increases are much higher for the fairer sex. In 1970, under 8,000 women were held in municipal and county jails for misdemeanors or pre-trial procedures, compared with 110,000 in 2014.

Fans of Scottish football team wave Palestinian flags in match against Israel, defying UEFA

RT
Thu, 18 Aug 2016 14:41 UTC

The Celtic football team faces a penalty from UEFA after the Scottish club's fans waved Palestinian flags during a Champions League playoff match against Israel's Hapoel Be'er Sheva. The not-so-warm welcome was followed by a defeat for Israel: Celtic FC won the match 5-2.

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) forbids political statement displays at football matches. Prior to showdown, fans had been warned that any political protest inside the stadium would result in repercussions from the governing authority, which could lead to fines or even Celtic Park stadium closure.

Scottish police urged fans to not bring Palestinian flags, threatening them with arrest, the Daily Record reported. Under Scottish law anyone found guilty of inciting "hatred against a group of persons based on their membership (or presumed membership) of a group," could be detained.

But despite the UEFA warning, the Scottish fans went on to display Palestinian flags at the match, handed out prior to the game by "Palestine Alliance" activists.

Russian mufti who said female genital mutilation 'reduces perversion in the world' says statement was joke gone wrong

RT
Thu, 18 Aug 2016 08:25 UTC

One of Russia's most senior Islamic scholars says his statement that Muslim women should undergo genital mutilation to "decrease the amount of sin in the world" was taken too literally by the media and misinterpreted.

"I was asked by the media if I was aware of the practice of female circumcision. I said I was, though it is not a part of Sharia [Islamic law],"Ismail Berdiev, the head of the North Caucasus Muslim Coordination Center, told RT in a phone interview.

"Then as a joke I added that if there was more of it, there would be less perversion in the world. And the media just printed the words and ran with the story...next I hear of it, is 'cleric wants to sterilize all women'."

Comment: So, what he really meant was fewer clitorises would result in less perversion in the world? How is that a joke.

As well as heading an organization that represents millions of Russian Muslims in southern republics such as Chechnya and Dagestan, the mufti, a title given to Islamic scholars, also has a seat on the Presidential Council for Coordination with Religious Organizations, meaning he has a say in developing Russia's religious policies.

While different quotes appeared from the mufti throughout Tuesday, in at least one, given to the respected state news agency Interfax, Berdiev allegedly claimed that, "all women must be circumcised to reduce perversions in the world, to tame sexual urges." He also said that the practice was absolutely "harmless" to health.

Comment: Barbaric! Female genital mutilation is 'harmless, helps tame desire', says senior Russian mufti

Brazilian police: Ryan Lochte fabricated story of being robbed, swimmers vandalized gas station

RT
Fri, 19 Aug 2016 14:19 UTC

US Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte "fabricated" a story about being robbed at gunpoint in Rio de Janeiro, a Brazilian police official has said. A surveillance video shows that the swimmer and his teammates damaged a suburban gas station.

The incident actually involved the US Olympians breaking down a bathroom door at a gas station, and paying for the damages.

"There was no robbery," the police spokesman told reporters at the news conference on Thursday afternoon. While the investigation is still ongoing, police have determined that "acts of vandalism were perpetrated by one or more of the athletes," breaking mirrors and other fixtures inside the gas station bathroom.

The security guard did not speak English, the athletes did not speak Portuguese, so a customer offered to translate. In the end, the athletes paid "100 reals (around $30) and a $20 bill" in damages, and drove off in a taxi.

Comment: While the US athletes in Rio along with the Western media wags their finger at Russian athletes for a non-existent doping scandal, US athletes are going around acting like buffoons. The Americans try to act self-righteous towards the Russians, but they've not only shown a lack of sportsmanship during the competition, but the swimmers involved in this incident also show a lack of maturity and the "exceptional" state of mind that many Americans in foreign countries possess.

Chicago police chief recommends firing 7 cops accused of covering up shooting of Laquan McDonald

RT
Fri, 19 Aug 2016 14:13 UTC

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson has recommended firing seven officers accused of covering up the police shooting of Laquan McDonald in October 2014.

An initial investigation into the incident carried out by the city's inspector general also recommended that two other officers involved should be fired. According to a statement from Chicago Police Department (CPD), however, these two officers "have since retired."

Johnson was also advised by the inspector general that a 10th officer, a female, should also be sacked, but Johnson has decided against this.

In a message to rank and file officers on Thursday, Johnson wrote that he's aware "this type of action can come with many questions and varying opinions," but added that "these decisions were not made lightly."

"As I have said before, with every decision that I make, I always keep in mind the tremendous sacrifice, bravery and commitment of every officer," he continued, according to the Chicago Sun Times.

Jewish man injured in stabbing attack in France's Strasbourg

Sputnik
Fri, 19 Aug 2016 13:49 UTC

A Jewish man was injured in a knife attack in the French city of Strasbourg on Friday.

According to Le Parisien newspaper, a police investigation revealed that the man was sitting at a table on the terrace of a cafe when the attacker approached him. The suspect reportedly shouted "Allahu Akbar" ("God is great" in Arabic) before hitting the man with a knife.

The life of the attack's survivor is not in danger, according to the paper.

A suspected perpetrator was swiftly arrested, the paper reported. At this stage, nothing points to the attack being an act of terrorism, according to the media.

Military contractor jet crashes in Las Vegas, cause unknown

RT
Thu, 18 Aug 2016 13:10 UTC

An aircraft has crashed in North Las Vegas between the Nellis Air Force base and the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Clark County Fire Department reports. Smoke was seen rising from the scene Thursday morning. The wreckage came down near Sloan Lane and Ann Road. Nellis AFB officials confirmed a civilian contractor aircraft supporting 57th Wing operations came down near the base at 7.40 a.m. local time, KVVU reports. The pilot sustained minor injuries in the accident and an investigation is under way. The plane was a (T)A-4K third-generation Skyhawk.

Introduced to US Navy service before the Vietnam era in 1956, the A-4 was retired in 2003. Florida-based Draken International, a private contractor providing training jets for the US military, acquired several of the aircraft from the Royal New Zealand Air Force Scott Poteet, a Draken representative, told reporters the pilot was the only person in the plane and is being treated at Nellis hospital. He was described as being "one of the most experienced in the squad," with more than 20 years experience.

Deutsche Bank whistleblower rejects share of $16.5mn award, blasts SEC for not going after execs

RT
Fri, 19 Aug 2016 12:21 UTC

A former Deutsche Bank risk officer has refused his share of a $16.5 million award from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for reporting misdeeds. Eric Ben-Artzi accuses the SEC of not going after executives, but hitting lower-ranked employees.

Ben-Artzi was one of the three whistleblowers to report an improper accounting at Deutsche in 2010 and 2011. The bank was fined $55 million in total, of which Ben-Artzi was due a 15 percent share of the fine - or half of the 30 percent allocated to the whistleblowers - which he is refusing to take.

Twitter has closed 235,000 accounts since February for 'promotion of terrorism'

RT
Thu, 18 Aug 2016 23:13 UTC

Global social media service Twitter says it pulled the plug on 235,000 accounts for spreading of extremism in the past six months. A massive spike in suspensions followed major terror attacks, Twitter states.

"While our work is not done, today we are announcing that we have suspended an additional 235,000 accounts for violating our policies related to promotion of terrorism in the six months since our February 2016 post," a statement by Twitter reads.

The is the latest move by the tech giant since it started cracking down on social media abuse by terrorist members and sympathizers last year.

The overall number of accounts shut down since June 2015 by the service now stands at 360,000.

Twitter has been prompted to react to an increased use of its service by those sharing terrorist propaganda in the wake of numerous terror attacks that shook Europe, Middle East and the US.

Comment: Twitter shuts down 125,000 accounts linked to Daesh Takfiri terrorist group

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Society's Child

Federal court bans government prosecution of medical marijuana users and growers - if they comply with state laws

Female prisoners were once a rarity, but now they're the fastest rising prison population

Fans of Scottish football team wave Palestinian flags in match against Israel, defying UEFA

Russian mufti who said female genital mutilation 'reduces perversion in the world' says statement was joke gone wrong

Brazilian police: Ryan Lochte fabricated story of being robbed, swimmers vandalized gas station

Chicago police chief recommends firing 7 cops accused of covering up shooting of Laquan McDonald

Jewish man injured in stabbing attack in France's Strasbourg

Military contractor jet crashes in Las Vegas, cause unknown

Deutsche Bank whistleblower rejects share of $16.5mn award, blasts SEC for not going after execs

Twitter has closed 235,000 accounts since February for 'promotion of terrorism'

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