![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Three links
Feb. 24th, 2006 11:21 amSome of these have been floating about in my head while I searched for the words to use to rail about them.
In Orange County, California: Woman claims she was gang raped, but a videotape of the incident shows her to be a willing and enthusiastic participant.
Even after she was informed that there was a videotape of the incident, she insisted on proceeding with her complaint. The article notes that without the videotape, the men could have spent the rest of their lives in prison if convicted of kidnapping and aggravated rape with a handgun....but Mooney/Kerr faced a maximum of six months in jail for her false accusations and attempts to ruin these men's lives. The only reason she was charged with two felonies (and is now facing a maximum of 44 months in jail) is because she took several thousand dollars from a taxpayer-funded victims' assistance program to relocate herself after her claimed "gang rape". What the fuck?
In Bethesda, Maryland: Homeland Security stormtroopers stroll into public library, tell all the patrons that viewing of Internet pornography is forbidden.
After the two made their announcement, one of them decided to question an Internet user's choice of viewing material and asked him to step outside. One of the librarians, fortunately, stepped in to protest, and the two went into the library's work area to discuss things further. Eventually the police were called as well, but no one had to step outside except the two stormtroopers.
Montgomery County's chief administrative officer, Bruce Romer, issued a statement calling the incident "unfortunate" and "regrettable". That's putting it mildly. Again: what the fuck?
In Boise, Idaho: Man puts antiwar, anti-Bush stickers on truck, is harassed by Homeland Security stormtroopers.
Dwight Scarborough, a scientist who works for a federal agency in Boise, was told that he was violating Homeland Security by the many anti-war slogans he had posted on his private vehicle. This despite the fact that he and his supervisor had previously reviewed all federal statutes relating to signs or stickers on employee vehicles and that there were (of course) no laws forbidding the display of any kind of stickers on employee vehicles. Two armed Homeland Security officers begged to differ, though, and showed up at his workplace to tell him to remove the stickers. For the third time: what the fuck?
Scarborough, being an experienced peace activist, fortunately tape recorded the conversation (please note: with the officers' permission), and (quite rightly) refused to remove the stickers and signs. Eventually nothing came of the incident, although he has lawyers coming out of the woodwork to defend him pro bono if he is ever cited for alleged violations.
What the hell is going wrong with this country? I feel like this is a nightmarish replay of Pain of Salvation's "Omni Permanere" from their concept album "BE". In that song, an ominous church organ plays massive chords while fragmentary news reports tell a tale of escalating, accelerating decay and destruction, painting the picture that our world is tearing itself apart.
I applaud the unnamed library worker who stood up for the patron accused of viewing objectionable material. I applaud Dwight Scarborough for standing up for his right to free speech. I applaud the unnamed men in Orange County who refused to be intimidated by Mooney's spurious tales of gang rape and assault. Stand up for your rights, people. We are moving closer to a police state. Stand up for your rights and scream when someone tries to take them away from you.
[[edited to fix the location of the first story;![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
genepool23 points out that it was Orange County CALIFORNIA, not Florida]]
-- END OF LINE --
[[The Oracle would like to know if you've been the victim of stormtrooper tactics or know anyone who has.]]
In Orange County, California: Woman claims she was gang raped, but a videotape of the incident shows her to be a willing and enthusiastic participant.
Even after she was informed that there was a videotape of the incident, she insisted on proceeding with her complaint. The article notes that without the videotape, the men could have spent the rest of their lives in prison if convicted of kidnapping and aggravated rape with a handgun....but Mooney/Kerr faced a maximum of six months in jail for her false accusations and attempts to ruin these men's lives. The only reason she was charged with two felonies (and is now facing a maximum of 44 months in jail) is because she took several thousand dollars from a taxpayer-funded victims' assistance program to relocate herself after her claimed "gang rape". What the fuck?
In Bethesda, Maryland: Homeland Security stormtroopers stroll into public library, tell all the patrons that viewing of Internet pornography is forbidden.
After the two made their announcement, one of them decided to question an Internet user's choice of viewing material and asked him to step outside. One of the librarians, fortunately, stepped in to protest, and the two went into the library's work area to discuss things further. Eventually the police were called as well, but no one had to step outside except the two stormtroopers.
Montgomery County's chief administrative officer, Bruce Romer, issued a statement calling the incident "unfortunate" and "regrettable". That's putting it mildly. Again: what the fuck?
In Boise, Idaho: Man puts antiwar, anti-Bush stickers on truck, is harassed by Homeland Security stormtroopers.
Dwight Scarborough, a scientist who works for a federal agency in Boise, was told that he was violating Homeland Security by the many anti-war slogans he had posted on his private vehicle. This despite the fact that he and his supervisor had previously reviewed all federal statutes relating to signs or stickers on employee vehicles and that there were (of course) no laws forbidding the display of any kind of stickers on employee vehicles. Two armed Homeland Security officers begged to differ, though, and showed up at his workplace to tell him to remove the stickers. For the third time: what the fuck?
Scarborough, being an experienced peace activist, fortunately tape recorded the conversation (please note: with the officers' permission), and (quite rightly) refused to remove the stickers and signs. Eventually nothing came of the incident, although he has lawyers coming out of the woodwork to defend him pro bono if he is ever cited for alleged violations.
What the hell is going wrong with this country? I feel like this is a nightmarish replay of Pain of Salvation's "Omni Permanere" from their concept album "BE". In that song, an ominous church organ plays massive chords while fragmentary news reports tell a tale of escalating, accelerating decay and destruction, painting the picture that our world is tearing itself apart.
I applaud the unnamed library worker who stood up for the patron accused of viewing objectionable material. I applaud Dwight Scarborough for standing up for his right to free speech. I applaud the unnamed men in Orange County who refused to be intimidated by Mooney's spurious tales of gang rape and assault. Stand up for your rights, people. We are moving closer to a police state. Stand up for your rights and scream when someone tries to take them away from you.
[[edited to fix the location of the first story;
genepool23 points out that it was Orange County CALIFORNIA, not Florida]]-- END OF LINE --
[[The Oracle would like to know if you've been the victim of stormtrooper tactics or know anyone who has.]]