Wednesday, April 3, 2013

13-04-04 Cyprus - a cautionary tale



It is all the usual suspects...  robbing a small nation, they don't bother to hide. jz
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Cyprus bailout inside info? 132 companies pull out over $900mn in deposits:
One hundred and thirty-two companies reportedly had inside knowledge of Cyprus' impending levy tax as they withdrew deposits worth US$916 million in the run-up to the bailout deal.
Capital flight abounds in Eurozone - UBS:
According to Research Analyst Gareth Berry at UBS, "We expect that the theme of capital flight out of the Eurozone will continue to run for some time in the wake of the Cyprus bailout."
Cyprus rescue plan will require great efforts, IMF says:
They will mean a doubling of taxes on interest income to 30% and a rise in corporation tax from 10% to 12.5%.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22014500

Ottawa weighing plans for bank failures:
Ottawa is contemplating the possibility of a Canadian bank failure - and the same sort of pitiless prescription that was just imposed in Cyprus.

13-04-04 Still hunting down Assange...


Freedom of speech is under seige in the Ecuador embassy in London...  with US, Sweden acting as the lackeys of the US... jz
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Julian Assange may be safe from extradition to US, says Justice Stefan Lindskog:
In a rare public lecture delivered in Adelaide, Justice Stefan Lindskog defended the leaking of classified information, saying the case against the WikiLeaks founder was "a mess'', and raised many questions over the legality of the US ever being able to extradite Assange via Sweden.
Chance of Julian Assange going to US:
A TOP Swedish judge has conceded it was possible that his government may send Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to the US if it successfully extradited him over a sex crime investigation.
Julian Assange to run for Australian Senate Video -
Wikileaks founder and gadfly Julian Assange will contest the upcoming federal election in Australia this September by running for a Victorian Senate seat in the Australian parliament

13-04-04 US: Police as highwaymen


There are numerous similar reports in recent years, mostly from southern states.  Police consider it their right to confiscate cash carried in vehicles moving on the highways.  Where does the money go?  
The underlying issue is also the reluctance of many latinos (and others) to rely on the banks (wonder why...), instead conducting transactions in cash.  
jz
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Wikipedia - the government propaganda organ
highwayman was a thief and brigand who preyed on travellers. This type of outlaw usually travelled and robbed by horse, as compared to a footpad who travelled and robbed on foot. Mounted robbers were widely considered to be socially superior to footpads.[1] Such robbers operated in Great Britain andIreland from the Elizabethan era until the early 19th century.
Asalto al coche (Robbery of the coach), by Francisco de Goya
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Jail for Breathing While Brown in Texas

By Courthouse News Service
April 03, 2013 "Information Clearing House" -"CN" - WACO, Texas (CN) - A Texas sheriff threw two Latino men into jail for 39 days "with no charges, no hearing, and no probable cause" and seized the $14,000 they had saved up to buy a new car, the men claim in Federal Court.

Roberto Moreno-Gutierrez and Jaime Moreno-Gutierrez sued Hill County, the Hill County Sheriff's Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety, in Federal Court. Hill County, whose seat is Hillsboro, is between Waco and Dallas.

"On March 31, 2011, plaintiffs Roberto Moreno-Gutierrez and Jaime Moreno-Gutierrez left their home in Killeen, Texas and were traveling to a car dealership in Plano, Texas to purchase a vehicle, specifically a 2007 Nissan Maxima Hybrid Electric Vehicle," the complaint states.

"Defendant Jaime Moreno-Gutierrez, having sold a prior vehicle, a 2004 GMC Envoy, for nine thousand and no/100ths ($9,000.00) dollars, part cash and part check and combining his money with a loan of four thousand and no/100ths ($4,000.00) dollars, had gathered together over fourteen thousand and no/100ths ($14,000.00) dollars in cash and checks for the purchase, which is confirmed by Hill County Jail property receipts."

The men claim Texas State Trooper Carl R. Clary pulled them over, driving a K-9 unit.

"The trooper provided no traffic violation information or reason for the stop to the plaintiffs," the complaint states. "The trooper requested driver licenses from both plaintiffs, which he then took to his patrol unit. Upon returning, he requested to search the vehicle. Consent was given, and he then brought out his dog. After a search, the dog was put in its kennel. No drugs or drug paraphernalia were found in the vehicle or on the plaintiffs.

"The officer used a translator apparatus to translate his questions but did not translate the Spanish responses into English. He inquired as to the money, and plaintiffs explained where it came from and why they had legal possession.

"There was simply no indication of wrongdoing. Nevertheless, Trooper Clary seized the money and waited for backup. After 20 minutes, the plaintiffs were taken to another squad car and were told they were going to be interviewed where it was quiet. Even though there was no sign from the K-9 and, therefore, no probable cause, the arriving officers tore apart the vehicle looking for money or drugs that did not exist.

"At the Hill County Sheriff Department, the plaintiffs were never handcuffed, never Mirandized and never told they were under arrest; rather, they were asked where they were from. The money was counted, and they were then booked into Hill County Jail for what jail documents call pending charges pursuant to 'money laundering.'"

So began their odyssey in Hill County Jail: an ordeal with a scant paper trail.

"The Texas Department of Public Safety Officer never filed a Probable Cause Affidavit," the complaint states. "There was no warrant; there is no record of the plaintiffs being brought before a magistrate; there is no record of a bond hearing; and no bond was ever set by Hill County authorities, all of which has been was confirmed by FOIA requests and USDOJ FBI CJISD Reports."

The plaintiffs say their families scraped together money to pay for their defense, and retained Peek & Toland on April 6, 2011.

"Between April 6, 2011 and April 12, 2011, counsel made several calls to the Hill County Sheriff Department/Jail and was told they had no information and to call DPS Officer Clary or the district attorney," the complaint states.

"On April 12, 2011, counsel sent a request to the Waco, Texas office of the Texas Department of Public Safety for contact information on the detective assigned to the case for copies of the probable cause affidavit and arrest warrant or offense report. None was provided.

"There was no cause number, offense report, warrant, or probable cause affidavit, defense counsel for plaintiffs had no reference for their requests for bond or bond hearing.

"Between April 12, 2011 and April 25, 2011, counsel, in a series of calls and visits, pointed out to the jailers there were no charges; no offense report; no probable cause affidavit on file; and plaintiffs were being held more than 72 hours in violation of Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, Section 17.033(b).

"Counsel was told to contact the arresting officer or the office of district attorney. On another occasion, counsel was told there was an 'ICE hold detainer.' The 48 hours passed and plaintiffs were not released. The FOIA request reveals no ICE hold detention (Form I-247) notice during this time." (Parentheses in complaint.)

After the plaintiff's attorney sent a letter to State Trooper Clary asking for information about their charges and did not get a response, he filed a motion with the Hill County DA's office for an examining trial, and another motion with Hill County's district clerk, seeking information and/or a case number.

Again there was no response, plaintiffs say.

"On May 9, 2011, (the first time immigration documents showed up in the FOIA file), ICE sends an immigration warrant, at which time immigration officials were told no charges were going to be pursued and an immigration bond was set and paid," the complaint states. "Plaintiffs were released after 39 plus days of incarceration with no charges; no hearing; and no probable cause, all in violation of state and federal laws and constitutional requirements.

"All authority to continue detention under the immigration detainer or state law had expired 36 days earlier. It was defendants' legal duty to immediately release plaintiffs.

"Nevertheless, defendants continued to imprison plaintiffs, without legal authority, for approximately 39 days.

"During this 39-day detention, both plaintiffs, their counsel and plaintiffs' family members protested to HCDF employees that they were entitled to release. HCDF employees responded by stating that they would remain in custody under the federal immigration laws.

"Plaintiffs had no opportunity to appear before a judge to seek release or to learn the reason they were deprived of his liberty. Plaintiffs had no opportunity to post bond."

The plaintiffs seek damages for civil rights violations, false imprisonment, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligent supervision, training and retention.

They are represented by Cary Toland of Brownsville.

Trooper Clary is not a party to the complaint.
 READ MORE:

13-04-04 Small change spent on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars...

10th.mtn.afghnistan
The Bill for the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and Occupation: $4 to $6 Trillion:
A recent report from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government's Linda Blimes put the combined cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan at somewhere between $4 and $6 billion dollars.

13-04-03 Ad Buster's "Tactical briefing" in re: Goldman Sachs


This Is How The Revolution Begins; Adbusters Tactical Briefing #42.

By  (about the author)     Permalink
OpEdNews Op Eds 

Hey all you wild spirits out there,
Here is how the Global Spring begins:
A few lone wolves among us start pasting posters in and around Goldman Sachs HQ at 200 West Street, Manhattan, New York. Groups of two or three turn up and hand out leaflets at their branch office at Maria de Molina 6-5a, Madrid, Spain. People start gathering and having fun outside Goldman's offices in 50 cities...
Then . . . on Thursday May 23, when Goldman Sachs holds its annual shareholders meeting at 222 South Main Street, Salt Lake City, Utah, 500 people turn up and solidarity games are held across the world. It gets serious when thousands start playing on September 17 in front of Goldman's branches in Los AngelesTorontoMoscowLondonBuenos AiresMelbourneBeijingMexico City. The media picks up on this fledgling global revolt. . .
And, one fine day, the whole thing suddenly catches fire . . . #GOLDMAN becomes a rallying cry for people everywhere to rise up against the financial fraudsters who have been f*cking around with our lives for far too long.
When the moment is ripe, all it takes is a spark.
for the wild,
Kono Matsu / kono at adbusters.org
Culture Jammers HQ
P.S. Find teammates and Goldman Sachs locations at meetup.com/goldman
Catch up on the gameplay thus far, here.
Now print this poster, and plaster it all over the world!


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