Tag: police state

Tony Blair urges Starmer to bring in national digital IDs to use against the populist right

Former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair wants his successor as British premier and Labour Party leader, Sir Keir Starmer, to impose a digital ID regime, in part to “flush out” anti-mass migration populists. 

“What the populists do is they take a real grievance and they exploit it but they very often don’t want to have a solution because solutions are much tougher than talking about problems,” Blair said, adding: “The grievance would be on immigration that the thing is out of control. The grievance would be on crime that we’re not doing enough on it. So you say, ‘OK, here’s what you do’. And then you have a big political fight. The populist is forced to choose. You’ve got to create an agenda that the other side has to respond to.”

Right-wing populists do offer solutions to Britain’s record-breaking mass migration influx – for example, simply capping visas issued at a set level – but in an interview with The Times,[1] Blair implies they have no proposed policy fixes and that digital ID can fill this gap.

“We are putting in place the building blocks for it, so that’s good. But we should embrace it fully and roll it out as soon as we can because it will have an immediate set of benefits,” the Iraq War architect told the newspaper, which revealed he is in regular contact with Prime Minister Starmer and his Cabinet.

“There will be a big debate coming down the line – and this is the political argument people should have – which is: how much privacy are you prepared to trade for efficiency? … My view is that people are actually prepared to trade quite a lot,” he argued, adding: “I think it’s a political debate the Government will win. It will also flush out a lot of people who want to talk about issues like immigration or benefit fraud but don’t actually will the means to get to the end.”

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The Government Says Money Isn’t Property—So It Can Take Yours

As a lawyer who sues the government, you get used to the different kinds of arguments that government lawyers use to justify abuses of individual rights—sweeping claims of government power, bad-faith procedural obstacles, and more.  

This was a new one: The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) argued that confiscating $50,000 from a small business did not infringe the business’ right to private property because money is not property.  

“Money is not necessarily ‘property’ for constitutional purposes,” the government’s brief declared—putting the very idea of property in square quotes. Reading at my desk, I practically fell out of my chair. 

The DOJ gave three rationales for the argument, all packed into a doorstopper of a footnote: (1) the government creates money, so you can’t own it; (2) the government can tax your money, so you don’t own it; and (3) the Constitution allows the government to spend money for the “general welfare.”

If a libertarian was asked to write a satire of a government lawyer’s brief, this is what they might come up with. But here it was, in black and white. 

Whose money, specifically, was the government saying wasn’t property? That of Chuck Saine, the owner of C.S. Lawn & Landscaping, a small landscaping business outside Annapolis, Maryland, which he has operated for over 40 years. 

Saine became a client of the Institute for Justice (I.J.), a public interest law firm, when the federal government sought to impose over $50,000 in liability on his business through a “trial” held deep inside the bowls of a federal administrative agency. At said trial, both the prosecutor and the judge were employed by the same federal agency. 

I.J. sued, arguing that before the government can impose that kind of liability, it has to provide a real trial before a real judge and jury. The specifics of what the government claims Saine did wrong (in short: arcane labor law) are beside the point. If the government wants to confiscate over $50,000 from your business, you must have the chance to argue your defense to an impartial judge and jury—not an agency bureaucrat. 

Now, the DOJ argued that Saine has no right to a real judge and jury because the government was only trying to take his money, not his property. They claimed that fiat currency is a legal fiction that the government can as easily destroy as create. Lest anyone miss the implicit connection to the history of the gold standard, DOJ’s footnote prominently cited the Legal Tender Cases—where the Supreme Court upheld laws forcing people to accept paper currency, rather than gold and silver, as payment for debts. 

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BOOM! Kash Patel Fires Warning Shot at Pelosi During Senate Confirmation Hearing – Lays Blame for J6 Rioting Directly at the Feet of Nancy Pelosi 

Senator Ted Cruz questioned Kash Patel on Thursday during his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Nancy Pelosi’s refusal to protect the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Finally, the truth is coming out!

Senator Ted Cruz: What were you doing on that day?

Kash Patel: On that day, specifically, responding to, preparing to mobilize and employ the National Guard once we got the lawful request from the local governing authority, which was the mayor of DC and the speaker of the House.

Senator Ted Cruz: Now, how many days in advance were you working to prepare the Department of Defense to help secure the Capitol on January sixth?

Kash Patel: Days in advance, Senator, we were in the oval office on an unrelated national security matter with the President of the United States, the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and myself and the President authorized up to 20,000 plus National Guard men and women to secure any security measures necessarily related to the capital. We were moving to the fullest extent of the law before the requisite request came from a local governing authority days ahead of time.

Ted Cruz: While you were Chief of Staff at DOD, how many times did DOD approach Capitol Police and ask if they needed National Guard assistance?

Kash Patel: I believe those letters are well-documented numerous instances, and numerous of those instances, those requests were shut down.

Ted Cruz: Now, am I correct that the Capital Sergeant at Arms said assistance was unnecessary?

Kash Patel: That’s correct, Senator.

Ted Cruz: Who did the Sergeant at Arms report to?

Kash Patel: The speaker of the House.

Ted Cruz: That would have been Nancy Pelosi at the time. Is that correct?

Kash Patel: Yes, Senator.

Ted Cruz: Would that also be Chuck Schumer, then the Senate Majority Leader?

Kash Patel: The Sergeant at Arms, yes, Senator, reports up there.

Ted Cruz: Did Mayor Bowser, the Democrat elected mayor in DC, either request or allow National Guard assistance?

Kash Patel: She put in writing on the days leading up to January sixth, a declination for National Guard additional support, and that letter is available publicly to the world.

Ted Cruz: Just to speak English for folks at home, a declination meant she said, no, don’t send National Guard. Is that right?
Kash Patel:

Ted Cruz: Yes sir.

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UK Gov’t Wants Sweeping Powers to Spy on Your Bank Account

The UK’s Labour government announced plans this week that would further erode civil rights in the country, this time in the name of “preventing benefit fraud”.

The plans include revoking the driver’s licenses of those convicted of benefit fraud, “early morning raids” by “crack teams” from the DWP, and – most shockingly – permitting the government access to private banking information so they can take back money they believe they are owed, without the knowledge or permission of the accused.

In their own classically impartial fashion, the BBC reported this as:

Benefit cheats could be stripped of driving licenses

But this isn’t about “benefit cheats”. Even the government’s own figures say that benefit fraud makes up only ~3% of the welfare budget, and this move will only save £1.5 billion over the next five years.

£300 million per year is nothing in government terms. They just pledged 10x that amount, per year, to Ukraine.

They don’t care about the money, they care about power and precedent.

  • They want to be able to take away your driver’s license.
  • They want to be able to monitor your bank account.
  • They want to be able to take your money without your knowledge.
  • They want to be able to search your electronic devices and track your spending.

Maybe it will start with “reclaiming benefits”, but do you think it will end there?

Remember they also want to introduce Universal Basic Income, which would mean – technically – everyone is on “benefits”.

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Jolani Declares Himself President Of Syria After Canceling Elections & Constitution

Last month the de facto leader of Syria, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani (aka Ahmad al-Sharaa), told Al Arabiya TV that it would take up to four years in hold new elections after Assad was ousted and fled the country on Dec. 8. This obviously undemocratic pronouncement was met with silence among Western leaders, who had long supported the anti-Assad ‘revolution’ and regime change efforts.

In a ‘victory’ speech given Wednesday night, Jolani declared himself president of Syria, claiming that this would be for an unspecified transitional period. “We announce the appointment of Commander Ahmad al-Sharaa as head of state during the transitional period. He will assume the duties of the president of the Syrian Arab Republic and represent the country in international forums,” a statement said.

“The president is authorized to form a temporary legislative council for the transitional phase, which will carry out its duties until a permanent constitution is enacted and put into effect,” the announcement added.

The statement further confirmed the cancellation of Syria’s 2012 constitution and the dissolution of the former government’s parliament, the army, as well as security agencies, state SANA noted. Additionally all armed factions which previously fought Assad and the Syrian army have been declared dissolved and will be integrated into state institutions.

Western mainstream media spent years whitewashing the hardline Islamist-led regime change war, as it was also backed by US intelligence, NATO allies, and the Gulf states. Al-Qaeda linked militants were presented all along as somehow being enlightened Jeffersonian Democrats. 

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The Tyler Burleson Story – Tennessee Patriot Sits in Jail Today after He Stopped Everything to Help the Victims of Hurricane Helene

Tyler Burleson is behind bars tonight awaiting an arraignment in Unicoi County, Tennessee, three days past the 72-hour limit required by law. Burleson has been instrumental in bringing relief to those affected by Hurricane Helene over the last four months. Tyler has put his business and life on hold to help serve the community. He helped the community open a distribution area where hurricane victims could come and get supplies they need. This was done due to the lack of response given by FEMA to bring aid to those suffering. He has received pushback from authorities about having a distribution center and not having the proper permission to run such a place for the community. However, This has not stopped him and the other volunteers from providing for their fellow man.

Burleson revealed to Steve Bannon on his Real America’s Voice Warroom show this week that he was arrested on allegations of a bounced check even though he claims the check was made whole and resolved even before the arrest last week. Also, the alleged victim is not pressing charges. Although, there seems to be more to this arrest than meets the eye and some have ideas of why it took place, Burleson just wants to be free of this and continue helping his fellow citizens.

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Ross Ulbricht: Implications for the Future of Freedom in America

In 2011, Ross Ulbricht founded the website Silk Road.

It was a cleverly designed online marketplace that leveraged decentralized technologies like Tor and Bitcoin to establish an anonymous and completely free market without government interference.

Much to the chagrin of politicians like Chuck Schumer, the Silk Road operated openly and successfully for about two and a half years.

Eventually, the government managed to identify Ross, arrest him, and shut down the Silk Road.

What’s your perspective on the concept of the Silk Road and the government’s response to it?

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CBSA refusing to honour pardon for Jan. 6 fugitive detained in B.C.

The Canada Border Services Agency is refusing to honour U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order to pardon those involved in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot in Washington D.C.

An Indiana man detained in a Surrey, B.C. immigration detention centre may soon be free to return following U.S. President Trump’s executive order to pardon all those involved in storming the Capitol building in Washington in 2021. 

Antony Vo, 32, fled to Canada to make an asylum claim to avoid sentencing after being convicted of four non-violent misdemeanours that occurred during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot.

“It has been a long fight for my client but I am happy he has been pardoned in the USA so he will likely drop his claim and return to the USA,” Vo’s U.S. lawyer Damilo Ausni told True North. 

The CBSA attempted to intervene in the matter by sending a letter to the Immigration Refugee Board last week prior to Vo’s hearing to state that he was “not on the list of individuals pardoned by the US President.”

Along with specific individuals pardoned by name in the executive order, Trump also granted “a full, complete and unconditional pardon to all other individuals convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.”

Vo’s legal representation in Canada, Robert Tibbo, told the National Post that his client’s counsel in the U.S. all indicate that “yes, 100%, he’s been pardoned.” 

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Romania’s Voided TikTok Election

On November 24, at the southeastern frontier of the European Union and NATO, Romanian voters delivered an unexpected victory to a rightwing populist named Călin Georgescu in the opening round of the country’s presidential election. Always considered a longshot, Georgescu had been polling in the single digits just weeks before surging to claim first place with 23 percent of the vote. The result shocked Romania’s two dominant parties, who found themselves on the sidelines as Georgescu campaigned for the runoff against another anti-establishment candidate who came in second place, Elena Lasconi of the reformist Save Romania party.

Then, on December 4, four days before the deciding round was to take place, Romania’s Supreme Defense Council (CSAT) released a small clutch of heavily redacted documents from the country’s foreign intelligence service. The documents outlined allegations of a Kremlin-backed social media campaign that supported Georgescu in violation of national election laws. “Data were obtained,” the accompanying government statement read, “revealing an aggressive promotion campaign that exploited the algorithms of some social media platforms to increase the popularity of Călin Georgescu at an accelerated pace.”

Within hours, the U.S. State Department expressed its “concern” over the allegations. Two days later, on December 6, Romania’s Constitutional Court unanimously ruled the November 24 vote invalid. “The entire electoral process for electing the President of Romania is annulled,” the court announced, citing government claims of irregularities on social media. Six weeks passed before a redo date of May 4 was finally announced on January 16.

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A Guilty Plea Implicates ‘Almost the Entire’ Albuquerque DWI Unit in Longstanding Police Corruption

From 2008 to through 2023, federal prosecutors in New Mexico say, Albuquerque police officers conspired with a local defense attorney, Thomas Clear, and his investigator, Ricardo Mendez, to make DWI cases disappear in exchange for bribes. Mendez pleaded guilty on Friday to eight federal charges in connection with the long-running scheme, which prosecutors say mainly involved officers assigned to the Albuquerque Police Department’s DWI unit but also included employees of the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) and the New Mexico State Police (NMSP).

The details of this massive corruption scandal have been slowly emerging since January 2024, when FBI agents searched Clear’s office. The federal investigation of the Albuquerque Police Department (APD), which also involved searches of officers’ homes, resulted in the dismissal of some 200 DWI cases and an internal probe. So far, the Santa Fe New Mexican reports, “at least a dozen Albuquerque police officers have been placed on leave,” and many of them have dodged interviews with internal investigators by resigning. But Mendez’s guilty plea is the first public confirmation of criminal charges in the case, and it reveals more extensive corruption than the initial press reports suggested.

According to the charges against Mendez, which include racketeering, bribery, and “interference with commerce by extortion,” he and his boss, Clear, had a mutually beneficial arrangement with Albuquerque cops who specialized in nabbing drunk drivers. The officers would generate business for Clear by referring arrestees to his office. Those clients, who typically paid Clear in cash, were amazed and delighted at his ability to make their cases go away, sparing them prosecution and revocation of their driver’s licenses. But federal prosecutors say that impressive track record was not due to Clear’s legal skills so much as his payoffs to the cops, who conveniently failed to show up at pretrial interviews or court hearings, allowing the aptly named Clear to seek dismissal of the charges on the grounds that the crucial witnesses against his clients were absent.

Initially, those no-shows involved pretrial interviews (PTIs) of witnesses that defendants were entitled to arrange. After March 24, 2022, when the New Mexico Supreme Court suspended PTIs for cases filed in Bernalillo County Municipal Court, the must-miss events were motion hearings and trials. As a reward for their poor attendance record, prosecutors say, officers “were often paid in cash but, at times, also received other benefits and things of value,” including “free legal services, gift cards, hotel rooms, and other gifts.”

According to prosecutors, Albuquerque officers sometimes would, contrary to department policy, refrain from charging DWI suspects and instead provide their contact information or their driver’s licenses to Mendez. Those drivers “were asked to pay several thousand dollars in U.S. currency in exchange for the APD officer not filing charges against the DWI Offenders.”

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