Tag: police state

Anti-War Group Releases Activist Guide to End Militarized Policing in US

In an effort to curtail police militarism, anti-war group Win Without War on Thursday released an activist guide titled Stop Militarizing Our Communities: 5 Things You Need to Know About the 1033 Program.

The activist guide was authored by Tanaya Sardesai, a student at Pomona College and a former intern at Win Without War, and centers on the Department of Defense’s 1033 program, which is responsible for supplying military weaponry to domestic law enforcement.

“Foreign policy and domestic policy are intertwined,” said Sardesai. “Violence committed against communities of color abroad fuels violence against communities of color at home. We must end state violence and knee-jerk militarism, wherever it occurs. Ending the 1033 program is a small but necessary step toward that.”

The 1033 program, also referred to as the Law Enforcement Support Office Program, is characterized by Win Without War as a byproduct of colossal U.S. Pentagon budget and a hyper-militarized foreign policy that perpetuates ongoing conflicts around the world.

“Militarism abroad and militarism at home are inseparable,” explained the group in a statement. “One of the key ways our endless wars have blown back to exacerbate violence and undermine human security in the United States is through the DoD’s 1033 program.”

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New York lawmakers seek major expansion of state power to criminalize sexual relations

Due to pressure from activists and political figures including President Joe Biden, colleges have made it harder for students accused of sexual misconduct to show they obtained “consent” from their partners.

Lawmakers in New York are now looking to expand this effort to criminal courts.

Bills in the state Assembly (A6540) and Senate (S6200) would nullify consent if it were obtained through “deception, fraud, concealment or artifice,” meaning a person who told a falsehood or incomplete truth in the pursuit of sex could be prosecuted for sexual assault.

Assembly sponsor Rebecca Seawright portrayed the measure, which would define consent for the first time in New York penal law, as needed to “hold predators like Harvey Weinstein accountable.” 

A press conference outside her office featured two women who testified against the disgraced Hollywood producer, Tarale Wulff and Dawn Dunning, according to ABC News. Since Weinstein defended himself by claiming “that he felt confused” about the definition of consent, “there will be no more confusion” under this legislation, Wulff said.

The Senate version, sponsored by James Sanders, invokes sexual assault trials for Weinstein and entertainer Bill Cosby. Jurists in both proceedings told jurors to use their “common sense” in defining consent, which resulted in a mistrial for Cosby, an extensive “Justification” section claims.

“Failure to define consent creates disparate outcomes in convicting sexual predators as each jury grapples to create its own definition with no guidance from New York State’s statutes,” the Senate version reads. “This vital concept cannot be left to chance.”

New York criminal defense attorney Scott Greenfield faulted their wording as being unrealistic “in the real world.”

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CNN Analyst Says White House Should Tell Americans: “The Moment Of Freedom For You Is When You Get Vaccinated”

A CNN panel suggested the administration should persuade unvaccinated people to take the Covid-19 vaccine by offering them their freedom in return.

In a discussion on how the White House can convince “vaccine hesitant” individuals to dose up, CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen urged using the promise of freedom and a return to normality as incentives.

“If we can tell those individuals who otherwise would not get vaccinated, if we say to them, the moment of freedom for you is when you get vaccinated, when you reach the two-week mark, these are people who otherwise might not be vaccinated, so let’s give them that incentive,” Wen said Thursday.

Wen made similar remarks earlier this month when she suggested the CDC and the White House use the promise of freedom as a proverbial “carrot” on a stick for unvaccinated individuals.

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