Tag: police state

‘Blesses the Government’s overreach’: Clarence Thomas swipes at fellow justices over ‘series of errors’ in ‘ghost gun’ regulations ruling, and includes his own evidence

The Supreme Court ruled 7-2 Wednesday to uphold a federal agency’s rule regulating so-called “ghost guns,” with the conservatives breaking ranks as Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented from a majority opinion penned by Justice Neil Gorsuch.

“Ghost guns” and “weapons”

The case, Bondi v. Vanderstok, stems from a 2022 Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) regulatory revision of the Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA) that defines firearm, firearm frame, and receiver. The GCA authorizes the ATF to regulate “any weapon … which will or is designed to or may readily be converted to expel a projectile by the action of an explosive.”

That revision followed a 2021 statement from Merrick Garland in which the then-attorney general said: “Criminals and others barred from owning a gun should not be able to exploit a loophole to evade background checks and to escape detection by law enforcement.”

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Indiana Lawmakers Approve Bill To Ban Marijuana Advertising On Billboards

Tuesday discussion around a Bureau of Motor Vehicle (BMV) bill descended into impassioned debate over marijuana advertising, which Republican lawmakers said should be restricted.

In contention was House Bill 1390, authored by Rep. Jim Pressel (R-Rolling Prairie). The underlying legislation originally just dealt with BMV agency matters, like insurance verification, specialty license plates and registration stickers.

But among multiple changes adopted by the Senate Homeland Security and Transportation Committee on Tuesday—including a significant amendment addressing “predatory” towing—was a ban on “outdoor” marijuana advertising, notably on highway billboards.

Specifically, the amended bill language seeks to prohibit outdoor advertisements for products containing marijuana or a variety of other controlled substances, including heroin, LSD and ecstasy.

The bill now moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Pressel, whose district extends to Indiana’s northern border, described “billboards all over the place that say, ‘Come to my store and buy this,’” referencing dispensaries in Michigan, where recreational marijuana is legal.

“And we have trucks—mobile billboards—that drive around and sit in front of our parks. That’s unacceptable, and it sends a mixed message to the consumer that this product is legal in Indiana, which it is not,” said Pressel, who unsuccessfully attempted to add the provision to a separate House bill earlier in the session.

“I think that’s an unfair message,” he continued, “and I believe that we should get in front of this to say that if it’s an illegal substance, listed on our illegal substance list in the state of Indiana, you should not be able to advertise for that.”

Multiple advertisers pushed back.

Ron Breymier, executive director of the Outdoor Advertising Association of Indiana, cited First Amendment issues. He argued that policymakers can dictate the size and placement of billboards, but “not the actual advertisement itself.”

Phones and internet searches, Breymier said, are a “greater threat” than billboards.

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Federal Official Downplays Criticism That Saliva-Based Marijuana Testing As Urine Alternative Would Spur Use By Truckers

Amid ongoing discussions about how to ensure drivers aren’t impaired by marijuana, a federal official recently pushed back on criticism that proposed implementation of saliva-based drug testing could incentivize more cannabis use by commercial truckers.

In comments to the publication Transit Topics, an unidentified official from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) responded to assertions from the CEO of a drug-testing company that oral fluid testing “means truckers who use cannabis will be able to do so with near impunity, as long as they avoid a drug test for a couple of days.”

The contention of the CEO—Ken Fichtler, of Gaize—was that the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) “shift to oral fluid testing will have serious consequences for the trucking industry” because saliva testing has a shorter detection window than typical urine-based testing. He said the tests detect use within the past “24 to 48 hours,” which is far shorter than the period of weeks when marijuana metabolites can be detected in urine.

DOT finalized the new testing policies in 2023 to allow oral saliva drug testing as an alternative to urine-based tests.

The SAMHSA official, granted anonymity by Transit Topics, disputed Fichtler’s claims—both on the test’s detection window itself and the implications of DOT’s revised testing policies for truckers’ marijuana use.

“In referenced journal articles, cannabis use can be detected via oral fluid testing for up to 72 hours,” the official said. “When a donor receives a request for collection, the donor will not know if the test will be an oral fluid or urine collection until they arrive at the collection facility for a federal agency.”

Not knowing whether to expect a saliva or urine test, in other words, would prevent the situation described by Fichtler of drivers simply stopping marijuana use a few days before a saliva-based test.

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Nebraska Bill To Implement Voter-Passed Medical Marijuana Law Awaits Changes Ahead Of Committee Vote

The legislative committee mulling how to help implement Nebraska’s voter-led medical cannabis laws awaits an amendment before lawmakers vote on whether to advance the bill.

Legislative Bill 677, from state Sen. Ben Hansen (R-Blair), seeks to help carry out the overwhelming voter approval to legalize and regulate medical cannabis in the state last fall. His bill would create a regulatory structure for licensing and detail how patients or caregivers could become registered to obtain up to five ounces of physician-recommended cannabis at one time.

State Sen. Rick Holdcroft (R-Bellevue), chair of the Legislature’s General Affairs Committee, said last week that he and seven other committee members were awaiting a final amendment that could help the currently deadlocked committee decide whether to advance the bill.

“The people have spoken, and we need to put in place the best possible regulatory structure,” Holdcroft told the Nebraska Examiner.

Hansen has said one key change in his amendment would be tracking medical cannabis through the state’s prescription drug monitoring program, similar to the process for opioids. At least nine states use a local prescription drug monitoring program to carry out local medicinal cannabis laws.

The Blair senator has also voiced support for defining a “qualifying medical condition” for which a health care practitioner may recommend the drug and requiring that a physician be required to be appointed to one of the two at-large spots on the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission charged with regulating and implementing the laws.

The new commission automatically includes the three commissioners of the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission. Under current law, the governor has the option to appoint two more members.

‘The people have spoken’

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DEA Promotes ‘Anti-420 Day’ Contest For Young People To ‘Flood’ Instagram With Marijuana Warnings

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is promoting an “Anti-420 Day” campaign that’s recruiting students to send short videos warning their peers about marijuana use.

In a bulletin that was distributed on Tuesday, DEA’s JustThinkTwice.com site shared details about the campaign, which is being run by the anti-cannabis nonprofit organization Johnny’s Ambassadors.

“Be an Instagram Influencer for Anti-420 Day,” the message says. “Johnny’s Ambassadors is hiring teens and young adults (high school and college students) to create original videos about the harms of youth THC use for Anti-420 Day.”

The plan is to “flood” Instagram with the short-form videos that would feature students talking about “why young people should not use THC.”

Students would be eligible for a $25 Amazon gift card for a personal video, $35 for a group video and $50 for a “professionally produced educational video or skit with adult sponsor supervision.”

“Your video should either be an educational Youth THC Prevention video on why young people shouldn’t use THC products (vapes, dabs, weed, edibles, gummies) OR a personal story of how you have been impacted by THC use (yourself, a friend, a family member, or a loved one),” the organization said.

It also provided examples of potential prompts, including explainers on “why THC impacts athletic performance on a team” and busting “commonly-held but incorrect myth about THC.”

“Tell a personal story about how you’ve been negatively impacted by THC use” or perform a “skit or drama to educate other teens why using products with THC is bad for you,” the description from Johnny’s Ambassadors—which was founded the parents of a child who died by suicide after consuming high potency marijuana concentrates—says.

There are some restrictions on the content, including a ban on “swearing” in the videos. And no content is allowed that “depicts, imitates, or promotes the possession or consumption of any THC product.”

“DO NOT IMITATE THE USE OF THC/MARIJUANA OR PARAPHERNALIA OF ANY KIND, EVEN AS A JOKE,” it emphasizes.

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Northern Irish Pastor Prosecuted for Sermon on John 3:16

Clive Johnston, a retired pastor in Northern Ireland, is facing prosecution for allegedly violating “abortion buffer zones laws” by preaching an open-air sermon on John 3:16.

Johnston, 76, decided to preach a sermon on the famous verse last July outside of Causeway Hospital in Coleraine, according to a release from The Christian Institute, which is representing him.

The elderly minister “never mentioned” abortion specifically in his sermon, raising the question of whether “a law designed to stop abortion protests” should be “used to criminalise gospel preaching.”

The open-air Sunday sermon was delivered from the “fringes of a buffer zone on the other side of a dual carriageway” from the general hospital.

Johnston had a preliminary hearing on March 21 and expects a trial “in the next few months.”

“If convicted, the grandfather of seven, who has never been in trouble with the police, faces a criminal record and maximum fines totaling thousands of pounds,” according to The Christian Institute.

The organization noted that “it is now a criminal offence for people to be ‘impeded, recorded, influenced or to be caused harassment, alarm or distress’ within the areas” encompassed by the buffer zones.

Johnston, who previously served as president of the Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland, is accused of “influencing” rather than impeding or harassing.

The Christian Institute added that the prosecution comes after the Green Party passed legislation three years ago creating buffer zones ranging between 100 meters and 150 meters.

The buffer zones around abortion clinics are meant to dissuade Christians from speaking to men and women entering or from encouraging them to choose life.

Simon Calvert, the deputy director of The Christian Institute, said in a statement, “We have amazing gospel freedom in this country, and we encourage Christians to use those freedoms, so that more people will hear about the love of God.”

“That’s why we’ve taken on this case,” he added. “Prosecuting someone for preaching John 3:16 near a hospital on a quiet Sunday is an outrageous restriction on freedom of religion and freedom of speech.”

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Key Nodes of Federal Government Censorship

Over the past three weeks, anyone interested in free speech (or not) has been on the receiving end of a non-consensual firehouse of flood-the-zone information warfare. Every man and his DOGE has chimed in, capturing via screenshot a score of Osama bin Laden of censorship hideouts – “It’s USAID!” “It’s NED!” “It’s NIH”!

USAID in particular has been made responsible for everything, from funding chemtrails in Naples to biting your own cheek. It’s a shame the word misinformation is of so little use anymore.

USAID is important, but the censorship happens via a system comprising hundreds, possibly thousands, of organisations, small and large. Is there a secret bunker? I don’t know, it isn’t impossible, but the approach is cartoonish. There are key nodes, organisations, and networks that are more important than others, particularly those that hand out money. In fact “complex” was the term that quickly gained favour during the Twitter files, precisely because it captured the system’s complexity – it’s what made it work and minimised public scrutiny.

Over the past couple of months, liber-net has built a database of almost 1,000 federal government awards from 2016-2024 that went towards countering “misinformation” and other similar censorship pretexts. That work aims to complement the mapping of the Censorship Industrial Complex we did for Matt Taibbi. That work looked partly at government funding but focused more on the leading censorship organisations and their often public and private support.

Not all of the 1,000 grants logged are dubious, but many are. We’ve been going through each by hand – reading their project pages, papers, and reports to find out how big a problem they are. Can AI help? Yes to a degree but from what we’ve tried, AI can’t yet really understand why one grant is horrible and the next one is just a bit meh.

The map above is a sketch of where we think the funds have come from to date based on the analysis we’ve been able to do. I emphasise sketch because out of the almost 1,000 awards, I still have another 300-400 to review. Of the 500+ I have looked at so far, around 200 are highly problematic, and another 100 are extremely dubious.

Keep in mind we are looking only at grants that could be considered “censorship” so anything that looked at “misinformation,” “hate speech,” “information integrity,” “information operations,” “content moderation,” “fact-checking” et al. We aren’t looking at grants for dubious woke culture war projects that have set the internet aflame the past couple of weeks.

To give you an idea, the grants include NSF money to Meedan (one of Twitter’s four go-to organisations for Covid “misinformation”) to develop AI to spy on encrypted private messaging groups to weed out so-called “misinformation,” including to create and scale “tip lines” “to millions of users” – aka snitching on a mass scale.

Or more NSF money to the University of Illinois to “track locations, people, and organizational affiliations of dubious COVID-19 information” based on whether they questioned CDC guidance.

Once we’ve finalised reviewing the remaining grants we’ll produce a much more accurate map and systemic analysis of how much each agency was funding censorship, and who they were paying to do it. This teaser is because I have a bee in my bonnet about the dynamite fishing I am seeing where a net, if not a rod, would be more useful.

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When Watchdogs Sleep: The Failure of Government Oversight

Imagine a world where the people tasked with protecting you are the ones leaving the door wide open for danger. Sounds like a bad movie plot, right? But this isn’t fiction. This is the reality of government oversight—or the lack of it. Agencies created to prevent corruption and ensure fairness often end up doing the opposite. They don’t just fail; they become part of the problem. How does this happen? Let’s dig in.

The Illusion of Protection

We’re told that government agencies are our guardians. They’re supposed to watch over industries, enforce laws, and keep the powerful in check. But what happens when these watchdogs fall asleep on the job? Or worse, what if they’re not sleeping at all—what if they’re working for the very people they’re supposed to regulate?

Take the financial sector, for example. After the 2008 crash, we were promised tighter controls. New rules were put in place to prevent another disaster. But here’s the kicker: many of the people who wrote those rules came from the banks they were supposed to regulate. It’s like hiring a fox to guard the hen house. And guess what? The foxes are still eating well.

The Revolving Door

One of the biggest problems is what’s known as the “revolving door.” This is when government officials leave their posts to take high-paying jobs in the industries they once regulated. It happens all the time. A regulator today could be a corporate lobbyist tomorrow. And when that happens, whose interests do you think they’re really serving?

This isn’t just a theory. It’s a well-documented pattern. People in power use their government positions as stepping stones to lucrative private sector jobs. In return, they go easy on the companies they’re supposed to oversee. It’s a cozy arrangement that benefits everyone—except the public.

The Bureaucratic Black Hole

Government agencies are often criticized for being slow and inefficient. But what if that inefficiency is by design? When agencies drag their feet, it’s not just annoying—it’s dangerous. Delays in enforcement can allow bad actors to continue their harmful practices unchecked.

For instance, environmental regulations are supposed to protect our air and water. But when agencies take years to investigate violations, polluters have plenty of time to keep polluting. And by the time any action is taken, the damage is already done. It’s a system that seems almost designed to fail.

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Canadian activist Billboard Chris FORCIBLY ‘moved on’ in Brisbane

Canadian activist Chris Elston, widely known as Billboard Chris, has been forcibly moved on by Police in Brisbane, after initially suspecting he may have been arrested.

Elston, who has gained international attention for his opposition to woke transgender ideology, posted two videos online shortly before his claimed arrest, both without audio, suggesting technical issues.

He then tweeted, “I’m being arrested for having conversations in Brisbane,” alerting his over 400,000 followers on X to the unfolding situation.

The incident occurred while Elston was in Queensland’s capital talking to people on the streets. Video posts shared earlier showed police engaging with him, with one captioned, “Looks like I’m getting arrested in Brisbane,” followed by another indicating officers were debating whether to detain him. The lack of audio left viewers unable to discern the exact nature of the exchange.

Tesla owner Elon Musk took to X to support Elston, asking “are you ok?” in reply to his post about the incident.

Eslton later posted a full video of the interaction with authories showing the confrontation which led to officers moving him on from the mall area where he was talking to passers-by.

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SOUNDS FAMILIAR: Irish Prosecutors Consider Charging Conor McGregor With ‘Inciting Hate’ Right After He Announces Presidential Bid

It looks like leftists in Ireland are taking a page out of the leftist playbook in America.

No sooner had Conor McGregor announced his bid for president of Ireland, prosecutors announced that they may seek to charge him with inciting hate.

This looks like the same type of lawfare BS that we just went through for years here in the United States.

Breitbart News reports:

Irish Prosecutors Mull Charging Conor McGregor with ‘Inciting Hatred’ After Presidential Bid Announcement

In the wake of Conor McGregor announcing his intention to run for president, Irish prosecutors are reportedly considering charging the UFC legend over allegedly “inciting hatred” amid the 2023 Dublin riots.

In the wake of McGregor being invited by the Trump administration to the White House and later announcing his intentions to run for the Irish presidency, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in Dublin is said to be examining social media posts from the outspoken mixed marital artist for potential criminal charges, the Irish Independent reported.

According to the paper, the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI) recently sent the DPP a police file regarding an investigation into posts McGregor made in 2023. If the prosecutors take up the case, the Irish fighter could face up to seven years in prison for his social media comments under the European nation’s draconian speech restrictions.

One of the supposedly offending posts came on the night before the Dublin riots, in which McGregor said in response to Ukrainian refugees being allowed to vote in local elections: “Ireland, we are at war.”

People can see what’s going on here.

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