DHS Brags of Arresting 5% of Criminal Aliens It Freed From Detention — On the heels of releasing over 36,000 criminal aliens from detention, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has the audacity to pat itself on the back for arresting a tiny fraction of the illegal immigrants—thousands convicted
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Gooferment is immoral, ineffective, and inefficient.
This just proves it.
Sorry, but it’s time for a reset!
Argh!
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Bernanke rejects charge of Fed ‘throwing seniors under bus’
Bernanke, in first blog post, rejects accusation of Fed ‘throwing seniors under the bus’
Associated Press By Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer
*** begin quote ***
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ben Bernanke no longer leads the Federal Reserve, but he’s hardly letting up in his defense of the ultra-low-rate policies he engineered — and his successor, Janet Yellen, has continued.
In his first post as a new blogger Monday, Bernanke struck back at critics who he said had charged the Bernanke Fed with, among other things, “throwing seniors under the bus” by keeping rates too low for too long.
He also disputed accusations that the Fed is still distorting financial markets and investment decisions by keeping rates “artificially low.”
Both criticisms, Bernanke wrote in “Ben Bernanke’s Blog,” reflect a misunderstanding of economic reality.
*** end quote ***
So, how does he explain the “zero interest rate” policy impact on the retirement savings of seniors?
I know for a fact at least one senior who earned nothing on her capital savings and had to use the capital for expenses.
Now she has NOTHING but charity from the family.
Sorry, but the Gooferment and Wall Street have done just fine; her, not so much.
Argh!
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Pennsylvania man arrested in courthouse for skipping out on jury duty 11 times in 2 years
Published March 24, 2015
Associated Press
*** begin quote ***
SOMERSET, Pa. – A Pennsylvania man who skipped out on jury duty 11 times in the last two years has been arrested inside a courthouse while seeking relief from a child support ruling.
*** end quote ***
I thought slavery was eliminated?
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Under current law, first-time offenders can lose their license for three months to a year, while second-time offenders can lose it for two years. A third offense can result in a license suspension of 10 years.
http://www.northjersey.com/news/christie-rejects-dwi-penalty-changes-1.1294240
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IT would seem that everyone is pandering.
Many of the DWIs that I have heard about are more “technical violations” (i.e., fellow in his driveway not going anywhere or been anywhere; checkpoint stops; lost driver on the side of the road).
I’d suggest that DWI without damage or victim, isn’t a crime.
I’d suggest that in today’s economy, those convicted have to drive to work.
I’d suggest that this is more about a cash grab then safety or changing behavior.
If it was “SOOoooo dangerous”, my generation would have been dead a long time ago.
Too frequently, I read about multiple offenders getting arrested again.
Too frequently, I read about “police” in accidents with no penalty. (Unless they kill themselves) Where the thin bluw line protects them.
Too frequently, I read about the bereaved family members advocating draconian penalties. While I am sympathetic to their loss, that’s not how to make policy.
Drive drunk and kill some one, you go away forever. (I feel the same way about murderers. No death penalty.)
Hurt someone or damage property, severe penalties. Restitution!
All the other “technical violations” are victimless.
imho
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After a Twelve Year Mistake in Iraq, We Must Just March Home
written by ron paul
sunday march 22, 2015
*** begin quote ***
Twelve years ago last week, the US launched its invasion of Iraq, an act the late General William Odom predicted would turn out to be “the greatest strategic disaster in US history.”
Before the attack I was accused of exaggerating the potential costs of the war when I warned that it could end up costing as much as $100 billion. One trillion dollars later, with not one but two “mission accomplished” moments, we are still not done intervening in Iraq.
President Obama last year ordered the US military back into Iraq for the third time. It seems the Iraq “surge” and the Sunni “Awakening,” for which General David Petraeus had been given much credit, were not as successful as was claimed at the time. From the sectarian violence unleashed by the US invasion of Iraq emerged al-Qaeda and then its more radical spin-off, ISIS. So Obama sent the US military back.
*** end quote ***
Remember “the enemy of your enemy is your enemy” — Netanyahu?
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That’s why you need to be armed. Because the bad guys aren’t scared of an occupied home.
Argh!
And, what do you bet that these fine upstanding misunderstood gentlemen have (1) a rap sheet; or (2) on “parole”?
Argh squared!
RECOMMENDATION: Shooter needs more range time; three got away.
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https://www.lewrockwell.com/2015/03/robert-wenzel/coerced-voting-in-fixed-us-electionse280a8/
Obama Broaches the Idea of ‘Mandatory Voting’
By Robert Wenzel
Target Liberty
March 20, 2015
*** begin quote ***
While discussing money in politics on Wednesday, President Obama broached a topic normally confined to academic circles: A law requiring people to vote, reports David Jackson at USA Today.
*** end quote ***
Anyone else think, like I did when I first heard this asinine idea, of the old USSR / North Korea / Cuba style voting?
“If voting made any difference they wouldn’t let us do it.” ― attributed to Mark Twain
I’ve been voting every since I could, and it’s mattered not.
And, the joke is: “if you don’t vote, you can’t complain. if you vote and lose, you voted for it. if you vote and ‘win’, nothing changes.”
I’ve come to the conclusion that “voting” is a waste of time.
Secession is the only chance for freedom and liberty.
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Mar 25, 11:17 AM EDT
KERRY FLIES TO SWITZERLAND FOR MAKE-OR-BREAK IRAN NUKE TALKS
BY MATTHEW LEE
AP DIPLOMATIC WRITER
WASHINGTON (AP) — With an end-of-March deadline days away, Secretary of State John Kerry is heading back into negotiations with Iran, hoping to seal a framework deal to roll back its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
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Now it appears that there is no written agreement?
This violates everything I learned from Judge Judy!
“I wouldn’t believe you, if your tongue came notarized.” … attributed to Judge Marilyn Milian, but may have an earlier history.
Argh!
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Home > Dr. Greger’s Medical Nutrition Blog > Food Manufacturers Get to Decide if Their Own Additives Are SafeFood Manufacturers Get to Decide if Their Own Additives Are SafeWritten by: Michael Greger M.D. on March 19th, 2015
*** begin quote ***
In 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced their plans to all but eliminate trans fats from processed foods, citing a CDC statistic that the elimination of partially hydrogenated oils from the food supply could prevent more than 10,000 heart attacks and thousands of deaths every year. Up until that point, trans fats enjoyed their so-called “GRAS” status: “Generally Recognized As Safe.” How did these killer fats get labeled as safe?
Who decides what’s safe? Currently, a “generally recognized as safe” determination is made when the manufacturer of a food substance evaluates the safety of the substance themselves and concludes that the use of the substance is safe. In other words, the company that manufactures the substance gets to determine if it is safe or not. This approach is commonly referred to as ”GRAS self-determination.” To make matters worse, not only do companies not have to inform the public, they don’t even have to inform the FDA. A company may voluntarily tell the FDA they just came up with a new food additive that they’ve decided is safe, but are not required to do so.
The cumulative result is that there are an estimated 6,000 current affirmative safety decisions which allow for more than an estimated 10,000 substances to be used in food (See Who Determines if Food Additives are Safe?). In addition, an estimated 1,000 manufacturer safety decisions are never reported to FDA or the public. “Manufacturers and a trade association made the remaining decisions without FDA review by concluding on their own that the substances that they themselves were selling were safe.”
*** end quote ***
What could possibly go wrong?
Argh!
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CONTROVERSIES
Union lobbyist who worked one day as a teacher suing Illinois for $30,000 pension
By Eric BoehmPublished March 19, 2015watchdog.org
*** begin quote ***
After working one day as a substitute teacher in Illinois, David Piccioli could be entitled to an annual pension of more than $30,000.
And he’s suing the state to make sure he gets paid.
Piccioli is a retired union political activist who’s already pulling down a pair of state pensions from Illinois’ beleaguered public retirement system. But he’s taking the Teachers Retirement System to court to squeeze more money out of the state.
The Chicago Tribune reported Thursday that Piccioli is already collecting $31,000 annually from the Teacher Retirement System, but he could get an additional $36,000 annually if he wins his case. He’s also collecting a $30,000-pension from a different state retirement system for his time as a legislative aide in Springfield, according to the Tribune.
Piccioli is a retired lobbyist for the Illinois Federation of Teachers and never worked in a classroom, but he took advantage of a loophole in Illinois pension law to score his teaching pension.
In 2007, he worked one day as a substitute teacher at a Springfield school. Under Illinois pension law, that one day in the classroom allowed him to qualify for a pension that would pay him for all of his years of work as a member of the union.
*** end quote ***
Time to END “public” pensions, PERIOD!
401k 403b IRA
Just like the mundane peons!
No need to worry about “loopholes”, “double dipping” or any other form of corruption!
Sorry, that Taxpayer is broke and the politicians and bureaucrats have hocked the “family jewels”, “seed corn”, and “mortgaged the farm to the hilt”.
Argh!
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2015-Mar-23
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/03/23/my-three-part-plan-for-post-obamacare-era/
HEALTH CARE
My three part plan for the post-ObamaCare era
By Sen. Marco Rubio
Published March 23, 2015
FoxNews.com
*** begin quote ***
First, we should provide an advanceable, refundable tax credit that all Americans can use to purchase health insurance. The value of these credits should increase every year, and we should set the tax preference for employer-sponsored insurance on a glide path to ensure that it will equal the level of the credits at the end of the decade. This will prevent large-scale disruptions and reform one of the most significant distortions in our tax system.
*** end quote ***
Sounds like a great idea!
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February 6, 2015
Pull a Fixler
Jesse Hertzberg
*** begin quote ***
Five or ten minutes into many meetings at Etsy, Eric Fixler, a senior software engineer at the time, would pick up his stuff and just walk out the door, mumbling something about not being useful here. If he had nothing to contribute, he went and found a better use of his, and our, time… teaching me a valuable lesson along the way.
There is no reason to sit in a meeting to which you add no value. Everyone invited should be there for a reason, and if you are there for a reason, you should be actively contributing, regardless of role or seniority. We hired you for your experience and insight, not to be a wallflower. If you can’t actively contribute to this particular discussion, there should be nothing wrong with leaving. We certainly don’t want to be wasting anyone’s time. Everyone at a startup has a million things to do.
Thus was born The Fixler, a simple and powerful rule: If you are sitting around a conference table and your presence isn’t necessary nor adds value to the others in the room, you may get up, say ‘Fixler’, and walk out without explanation or penalty.
*** end quote ***
Astonishingly simple.
Like when I tried to decree that every meeting had to have roles assigned: Organizer, Facilitator, Scribe, Timekeeper, Wrangler, and Naysayer.
(Note: the Naysayer was required to find and declare “it’ll never work”, “we’ve tried that before”, or “waste of time” ofter and loudly. Or any other absolutely negative comment.)
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http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-antidepressant-drugs-really-work/
Do Antidepressant Drugs Really Work?
*** begin quote ***
These revelations hit in 2008—Prozac, Serzone, Paxil, and Effexor—they worked, but so did sugar pills, and the difference between the drug and placebo was small. That was 2008. Where were we by 2014? Analyses of the published data and the unpublished data that were hidden by drug companies reveals that most (if not all) of the benefits of antidepressants are due to the placebo effect.
And what’s even worse, Freedom of Information Act documents show the FDA knew about it but made an explicit decision to keep this information from the public and from prescribing physicians. How could drug companies get away with this?
*** end quote ***
Argh!
And, I have the tin foil hat when I say that the Gooferment is immoral, ineffective, and inefficient?
OK!
Why can’t we shut down the FDA?
Make Big Pharma defend themselves in the free market. Underwriters’ Laboratory, Consumers Union, and a bunch of other free market institutions will keep us safer than the FDA has ever done.
And, look at the side effects.
Argh!
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http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2015/03/911-commissioners-didnt-believe-government.html
*** begin quote ***
If the 9/11 Commissioners themselves doubt the information from the government, why should we believe it?
*** end quote ***
What makes anyone think that they “know the truth” about anything?
This blog post cited tugs at the threads of loose ends.
9/11 gave us the “Department of Homeland Security” and, of course, it’s unionized.
If airlines were not on the Federal dole, then they would be accountable for their security decisions.
Instead we get the Gooferment involved in everything.
Argh!
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Advisory: Power Outage – Parts of Monmouth Junction Impacted; Traffic Lights Out on parts of Rt 522 and Route 1
*****************
Just out of curiosity, why don’t traffic lights have a UPS and fail “safe”?
Seems simple enough!
Failure mode is flashing red arrow right?
–30–
Does such a thing exist?
–30–
http://zenpencils.com/comic/kenrobinson/
162. SIR KEN ROBINSON: Full body education
By Gav on October 10, 2014
*** begin quote ***
Sir Ken Robinson is a leading authority on education and creativity. A former professor of education, he now advises governments and businesses around the world and is one of the most sought-after speakers on education. The quotes used in the comic are taken from Robinson’s now-famous 2006 TED talk How schools kill creativity. It is the most viewed TED talk ever, and also one of the funniest in my opinion (gotta love that dry British humour). If you haven’t seen it, then stop what you’re doing and go watch it.
Robinson explains that the school system was invented in the 19th century to meet the needs of rapid industrialisation and is extremely outdated, focusing way too much on left-brain academic learning. “If you think of it, the whole system of public education around the world is a protracted process of university entrance. And the consequence is that many highly talented, brilliant, creative people think they’re not, because the thing they were good at at school wasn’t valued, or was actually stigmatised.”
He gives the example of Gillian Lynne, a world-renowned dancer and choreographer, who as a student was terrible at school and most likely would have been diagnosed with ADHD today. Luckily, a specialist noticed that Lynne wouldn’t sit still and was naturally dancing to the music playing in the office and suggested to Lynne’s mother that she send the child to dance school. (Robinson explains it a lot better than I just typed it).
*** end quote ***
Gooferment Skrules are for a time that has past.
We need to separate Gooferment and Education!
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Finally, I’ve going to move off the Apple and Microsoft infrastructure and on to the “cloud”.
Will be looking for alternatives to take the things I do to the cloud.
“Blundering along”
Laff.
The Chromebook and chromebox have imho won the cheap thin client hardware battle.
Have to see if there are any problems?
–30–
A dad was executed for deaths of his 3 girls. Now a letter casts more doubt.
By Maurice Possley, The Marshall Project March 9
*** begin quote ***
CORSICANA, Tex. — More than a decade after Cameron Todd Willingham was executed for the arson murder of his three young daughters, new evidence has emerged that indicates that a key prosecution witness testified in return for a secret promise to have his own criminal sentence reduced.
In a previously undisclosed letter that the witness, Johnny E. Webb, wrote from prison in 1996, he urged the lead prosecutor in Willingham’s case to make good on what Webb described as an earlier promise to downgrade his conviction. Webb also hinted that he might make his complaint public.
Within days, the prosecutor, John H. Jackson, sought out the Navarro County judge who had handled Willingham’s case and came away with a court order that altered the record of Webb’s robbery conviction to make him immediately eligible for parole. Webb would later recant his testimony that Willingham confessed to setting his house on fire with the toddlers inside.
*** end quote ***
As a pro-life pro-choice little L libertarian, here’s a great example of the Gooferment being immoral, ineffective, and inefficient!
Why bother with trials?
Just let the Gooferment kill whomever it wants.
Saved the taxpayers a lot of unnecessary expense.
Argh!
How can anyone not be outraged.
Life without parole is the best that society can do. We are not all-knowing gods.
Bring back Devil’s Island, Alcatraz, and such.
At least then when the mistake is made, there is some possibility to make amends.
Argh!
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State Dept. Source: Hillary Likely Used Unauthorized iPad, iPhone as Sec. of State
MARCH 10, 2015
*** begin quote ***
Clinton’s persistent efforts to persuade the State Department’s technology security experts to approve the use of her favorite Apple devices led those in the division to conclude that she did in fact go through with it. “My guess is she did it and wanted approval after the fact,” JW’s source said. “But no waivers were ever issued.” JW reached out to the State Department for a comment on this latest potential scandal surrounding its former leader, but failed to get a response.
*** end quote ***
For the “little people”, you do this and you get fired.
For the “big people”, “what difference does it make?”
Argh!
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Lead Independent Director of Tiptree Financial
FROM A RECENT ONLINE JOB AD I SAW
“All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability status. EEO/AA/M/F/Disabled/Vets”
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I guess fat old white guy injineers can be discriminated on by age?
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Ten reasons to vote against the use of military force
By Rep. Dennis Kucinich
Published March 11, 2015 FoxNews.com
*** begin quote ***
7. A Solution: Follow ISIS’ money, and shut it down.Where is ISIS getting its money? Up to 100,000 ISIS fighters are funded by Gulf State donors, identified in the past as being from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait. Fully equipping and providing for one modern combat-ready soldier can cost $850,000 to $1,000,000 a year. ISIS’ army could be gaining $85 billion to $100 billion a year from various sources. We can either commit the U.S. military to another war, and the U.S. to further risk of impending attacks through the genesis of a new crusade, or we can fight this threat with intelligent power and high technology.
The administration must identify the specific sources of ISIS’ money, the individuals, the nations and the means of transfer, and shut them all down. It must sanction countries and individuals, tie up their bank accounts and commercial activities, freeze their assets and cancel their credit cards. Send platoons of accountants from the Treasury Department and the IRS into the fray, not platoons of U.S. soldiers. The U.S. must track oil sales, sales of antiquities and other valuables. Anyone involved in any transactions of any kind with ISIS must be identified and sanctioned.
*** end quote ***
I don’t often agree with a Liberal Leftie, but in this case, I think he’s correct.
“Not my monkey; not my circus.”
The fact that our alledged ally, Saudi Arabia, is funding this to keep their own power is crazy.
Bring the girls and boys home. Tell the “bad guys”, you “mess with us and we’ll nuke ya”!
Argh!
Dona Nobis Pacem
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http://www.economics21.org/commentary/PRRIA-2015-amtrak-reform-subsidies-privatization-2015-03-06
Amtrak Bill Continues History of Wasted Subsidies
Matthew Sabas | 03/06/2015
*** begin quote ***
Four Decades of Failure
Congressional Republicans were elected on a platform of cutting spending, but taxpayers will continue to pay for Amtrak’s losses for at least 5 more years if a bill that just passed the House becomes law. Can’t Congress do better?
Amtrak has cost the government over $45 billion in subsidies over the last 44 years, allowing it to finance the upkeep of unprofitable routes, overstaffed trains, and the mismanagement of its food services.
The bipartisan Passenger Rail Reform and Investment Act of 2015 would subsidize Amtrak by an estimated $7 billion from 2016 to 2020. It passed the House by 316 votes to 101 votes on Wednesday and is now headed to the Senate and, presumably, President Obama’s signature. Amtrak has been operating without official funding authorization since the previous bill expired in October 2013.
*** end quote ***
How can it operate without an “official funding authorization”?
Why pass anything?
It’s a sad state of affairs just how “law-less” we have become.
The Dead Old White Guys must be rolling over!
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http://nhindependence.org/video-southern-tier-towns-looking-to-cut-ny-ties/
Southern Tier towns looking to cut NY ties
Posted on Mar 6, 2015
*** begin quote ***
The local economy is pushing one organization in Upstate New York to pose a question: Is it possible to secede to Pennsylvania?The Upstate New York Towns Association is researching this very topic. The group says a few factors pushing its research are high property taxes, low sales tax revenue and the recent decision to ban hydraulic fracturing in New York.“The Southern Tier is desolate,” said Conklin Town Supervisor Jim Finch (R). “We have no jobs and no income. The richest resource we have is in the ground.”Finch said the ground in Conklin is rich with natural gas in the Marcellus Shale. However, that shale is unable to be tapped. He described this ban as a violation of his natural rights as a property owner.
*** end quote ***
This is a good sign.
Vote with your feet if you can.
Vote to secede if you can’t.
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http://www.lewrockwell.com/2015/03/frank-hollenbeck/deadly-government-labs/
Five Steps to Fixing Greece’s Debt Problem
By Frank HollenbeckMises.org
March 5, 2015
*** begin quote ***
Step Five: Fix the New Drachma to Gold
Gold has many drawbacks, but gold’s primary advantage lies in the fact that it constrains current and future governments from using the printing presses to finance government expenditures. Once the tie to the euro is broken, Greece should then fix its new currency to gold. Even though Greece has no significant gold reserves, it can follow the example of Germany in 1923 when a broke Germany slowly returned to a gold standard by first fixing its money to non-gold commodities (i.e., rye bread in the German case).
By instituting true austerity and freeing the banking sector from the euro and the EU, Greece could go from being the example to avoid to the example to emulate in a relatively short period of time. With such a financial structure, Greece would benefit from long-term financial and economic stability. It would force Greece to make hard choices up front, thus avoiding later problems in the first place.
*** end quote ***
I’d want some of them. Or any hard money currency tied to something!
As a non-enconmist, I’d assume that there would be a capital inflow with a hard money currency.
Akin to the Swiss Franc, that’s becoming a proxy for a strong fiat currency.
And, if Russia or China do it, then that is the end of the US dollar as the world’s reserve currency.
Whatever happened to the gold dinar?
Remember what happened to Saddam when he made noises about wanting to be paid in gold for his oil?
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http://www.lewrockwell.com/2015/03/felix-bronstein/deadly-government-labs-2/
I’m From A Government Lab, And I’m Here To Help You
By Felix Bronstein
March 5, 2015
*** begin quote ***
Among other things, FBI’s handling of evidence in such cases as the Oklahoma City and the 1993 World Trade Center bombings was criticized. The investigation came about as a result of a whistleblower, Frederic Whitehurst, Supervisory Special Agent in the FBI Crime Lab. In 2003, an investigation by the Associated Press showed that “the FBI lab, which reformed itself after a mid-1990s scandal over bad science, is grappling with new problems that have opened its work on lead bullets and DNA analysis to challenges … .” The IG began an investigation, which eventually broadened to the FBI’s DNA analysis unit. In May of 2003, a man who spent 10 years in prison had his conviction overturned “because an FBI scientific expert gave inaccurate testimony and withheld evidence.” In the summer of 2003, the FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility began investigating its crime lab’s chief of scientific analysis, Steven Burmeister, regarding his conduct in the Oklahoma City bombing case. Burmeister initially claimed that the crime lab mishandled evidence, but then retracted that statement, allegedly under pressure. In July of 2014, it was revealed that the task force the Department of Justice created in 1996 to identify cases involving “fabricating evidence and reaching conclusions unsupported by science” and other mishandling by the FBI acted very slowly. A number of defendants were never informed that their convictions were based on such evidence, and at least 3 death row inmates were executed before they could be informed of this. “Nearly every criminal case reviewed … as part of [an] investigation started in 2012 of problems at the FBI lab has included flawed forensic testimony from the agency.” The FBI then stopped the review of its hair and fiber analysis unit until the July 2014 report came out.
In November of 2014, charges against several defendants were dismissed and prison sentences were vacated as a result of an FBI agent allegedly “tampering with drug and gun evidence.” In December of 2014, an audit revealed that “F.B.I. agents in every region of the country have mishandled, mislabeled and lost evidence.” Also in December, a General Accounting Office inquiry found that the “FBI’s genetic tests didn’t nail anthrax killer.” This corroborated prior investigations that found problems with how the FBI and its lab concluded that Bruce Ivins was the Amerithrax killer.
Perhaps the next time someone states that we must always only look to the federal government when truly important matters of science, safety, objectivity, justice, national security and transparency are concerned, one may take a pause, and consider these (and other similar) cases.
*** end quote ***
I have long ranted that the Gooferment is immoral, ineffective, and inefficient.
Here’s another example.
How do we shut this stuff down?
Does anyone believe anything that comes from them?
I don’t.
I used to.
But, they have lost ALL credibility.
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Reinke Faces Life 
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