'Sailor and girl at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier', May 1943.
Photograph by John Collier via the Library of Congress
The New York Times reports on seminars held to help local law enforcement get the most out of America's increasingly-used civil forfeiture laws. See something nice that your department could use?
Go for it!
In the sessions, officials share tips on maximizing profits, defeating the objections of so-called “innocent owners” who were not present when the suspected offense occurred, and keeping the proceeds in the hands of law enforcement and out of general fund budgets. [...]
But in the video, Mr. McMurtry made it clear that forfeitures were highly contingent on the needs of law enforcement. In New Jersey, the police and prosecutors are allowed to use cars, cash and other seized goods; the rest must be sold at auction. Cellphones and jewelry, Mr. McMurtry said, are not worth the bother. Flat screen televisions, however, “are very popular with the police departments,” he said. [...]
Mr. McMurtry said his handling of a case is sometimes determined by department wish lists. “If you want the car, and you really want to put it in your fleet, let me know — I’ll fight for it,” Mr. McMurtry said, addressing law enforcement officials on the video.
Blast from the Past. At Daily Kos on this date in 2003—Honoring our Veterans:
Some wonder why I am so vociferous in my condemnations of our administration and its dogged pursuit of Bush's War.
Unless you have been a veteran, you don't know what it's like to wear our nation's uniform. The sense of pride, the sense of responsibility it inspires. We love our country, and put our lives on the line on its behalf. We believe in what our country stands for -- notions of democracy, and freedom, and truth and justice. We are most intimately aware of the ultimate sacrifice paid by so many of our brothers in arms, because we ourselves were prepared to pay it.
Yet few of the people in charge made that sacrifice. Rather, they went out of their way to avoidserving their country. Cheney had "better things to do", Bush went AWOL. Virtually all of the "pundits" cheerleeding this war found creative ways to avoid serving. Wars are for the poor and the stupid to fight. Not for exhalted members of society like themselves.
Well fuck them.
Today is not for them. It's for those of us who wore that uniform, and those who continue serving our country even as their leaders fail them, lie to them, and use them as pawns in their great political and economic chessboard.
And for those of our brothers and sisters in uniform who gave their lives on behalf of noble causes, and those not so noble.
Tweet of the Day
K Street has been mired in a 3-year slump. The prospect of bipartisan compromise 2 help Big Business has cheered them
http://t.co/...
— @ddayen
Greg Dworkin set the tone for the show today with a collection of articles examining the policy vs. politics & ideology vs. pragmatism questions at the center of... well, everything. Why do we vote on Tuesdays? More about The Great Wage Slowdown. Colorado Democrats win back seats lost in gun recall. Political money (read: the Kochs) is changing (read: buying) statehouse reporting.
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