Weekend Reading

“bullet” The Road to Hell. Disturbing news via TalkLeft. If you live in Louisiana, Texas, or Mississippi, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has just taken away some of your constitutional rights.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that police do not need an arrest or search warrant to conduct a swift sweep of private property to ensure their own safety. Any evidence discovered during that search now is admissible in court as long as the search is a “cursory inspection,” and if police entered the site for a legitimate law enforcement purpose and believed it may be dangerous.

The case involved a dangerous criminal, but you know how such a ruling will be used. Cops come to your home because of a noise complaint when you’re having a party. Routine. But, to “insure their safety” they’re going to take a look around your house. So they go into all the rooms, and, Oh look, there’s a marijuana pipe on the dresser in your bedroom. Busted.
Hope this one gets squashed by the Supremes.
“bullet” Go to LastOneSpeaks and check out this story and this one about spraying in Columbia. It seems that some courageous Columbians are standing up to oppose the destruction of their country by the DEA.

To not fumigate the national parks would be, for one honorable time, to put the national interest of a country with the second greatest environmental wealth on the planet before the interest of the United States.”

Excellent coverage at Last One Speaks.
“bullet” Jim at Vice Squad has a somewhat amusing story from Indiana. Seems an appeals court won’t allow seized cocaine to be used in a prosecution. Why? Could it be…

• The bust was set up by an informant who suggested a sting
• The informant arranged to speed through town with the mark, so the cops would pull him over and discover cocaine on the passenger
• The informant mentioned to police that he had been drinking and using coke and the police went along with having him speed through town anyway
• The informant was supposed to be on home detention at the time, which the officers knew

Gee, why would the judges throw out that brilliantly conceived sting? Prospect, Indiana. Police I.Q.: 0
Vice Squad also has a post by Mike detailing some interesting drug war anecdotes from Moscow to Texas.
“bullet” Check out this week’s Drug Chronicle, complete with updates from Canada, Peru, Arkansas, Australia, Nevada, and Oklahoma.
“bullet” Drug Sense’s Weekly Newsletter is online here.