Reason Morning Links: G-20 Kicks Off, Census Worker Hanged, ACORN Sues

- Financial crisis on the agenda as G-20 summit kicks off in Pittsburgh today.

- Census worker hanged in Kentucky, with the word "fed" written on his chest.

- FDA ban on flavored cigarettes takes effect today.

- Obama administration to use existing law to support its argument for indefinite detention of terror suspects.

- ACORN sues filmmakers, Breitbart.com for taking, distributing undercover videos.

Comments

[Cabeza de Vaca]

"Census worker hanged in Kentucky, wit the word "fed" written on his chest."

Let the media frenzy of libertarian bashing begin.

[FrBunny]

GMA already called it an "anti-govt hate crime". There is no slippery slope.

[Rich]

Wait'll it turns out to be a guilt-ridden suicide.

[Nick]

I never really thought of Census workers as the type of "Feds" to be concerned with. They're one of the few constitutional federal jobs and all they do is ask questions legally, not in violation of any rights.

[John]

ACORN really is stuck on stupid. That lawsuit is going to let Breitbart get all kinds of fun discovery into their operations. And it will give the videos and their makers huge publicity. They should want this story to go away and quietly let Congress keep funding them even thought they alledgedly "voted" to cut them off. Instead, they are going to sue and ensure their dirt is out there for months to come.

[Untermensch]

My prediction is that it will be some sort of paleocon or a rural meth maker protecting his stash who killed the federal census guy, but libertarians will still get blamed for it.

[John]

I bet he stumbled into a meth lab or a chop shop. Horribly tragic but the troglodyte's who did it most likely have nothing to do with politics.

[Joe M]

Attacking a federal worker during or because of his federal job is a federal crime.

Thoughtcrime is alive and well.

As for the ACORN suit, no one can be surprised. I'm actually surprised it took this long to do it. Really, it's good news that ACORN is using resources on this, instead of whatever other nonsense.

[Johnny Longtorso]

What we hear about the census worker from the MSM will be what the feds want us to hear.

[Nipplemancer]

i'd say he stumbled upon moonshiners, a meth lab, or a pot farm.

[Art-P.O.G.]

Damn, beat SugarFree with the Kentucky link. Greatest state in the Union.

[Xeones]

Untermensch, you forgot about Steve Smith.

[Xeones]

Kentucky's not a state, Art. It's a commonwealth.

[Nipplemancer]

4 cops shot during no-knock raid in NJ:

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090924/D9ATMR580.html

[SugarFree]

Computer problems. Anyway, I vote meth lab too.

You think the DEA ever impersonated agents as census workers to get people to open up so they could smell for a meth lab?

[SugarFree]

you forgot about Steve Smith.

The news isn't reporting any sexual assault. So far.

[John Tagliaferro]

My prediction is that it will be some sort of paleocon or a rural meth maker protecting his stash who killed the federal census guy, but libertarians will still get blamed for it.

If you are correct, plus if meth were legal this would not have happened. My libertarian position is to have legal meth, but I don't want any for me.

[Untermensch]

Xeones, I should know this, but Steve Smith?

[James Ard]

I just pray to god the dude was white.

[Joe M]

Nipplemancer, I'm sure that it was an isolated incident. After all:

Ford would not characterize the underlying drug and weapons case other than to say it was "big enough to attract the attention of the task force."

And how often are cases that big? Probably no more than ten or twenty times a day.

Of course, I'm sure this will be used as further proof that no-knock SWAT raids are the only safe way to bust drug suspects. Just imagine if a regular police officer had knocked!

[Warty]

Steve Smith likes to let his victims age a bit before he rapes them. Whoever stole his conquest is going to pay dearly.

[Parents Rights / Marine Patrio]

The census worker's death is tragic, but who's to say this wasn't self inflicted and/or a possible attempt to tar the anti-census movement and make it look crazy? They have done this type of thing before (remember the GA congressman who painted the Nazi swastika on his own office, or the hate crimes professor who hung a noose on her own door? These people have no shame.

Regardless of what happened, it's still impertive to resist the census (just not with violence, I usually give them a copy of Atlas Shrugged and tell them I'll answer their questions after they've read it). 😛

[Frustrated Census Worker]

You think the DEA ever impersonated agents as census workers to get people to open up so they could smell for a meth lab?

Interesting thought ...

[John]

Nipplemancer,

The lesson should be "perhaps we should stop sending cops into buildings like storm troopers". You charge into a building with a gun and someone is waiting on you, you are fucked. I don't care good you are my action will be your reaction every time. Sadly the lesson will be "we should have used more force". Eventually, we are going to go from no knock raids to JDAM raids.

[Nipplemancer]

not steve smith, but..

Animal Cruelty Charges Dropped against cop who tried getting free blowjobs from some calves.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/20090924_Animal-cruelty_charges_dropped_against_Burlington_County_cop.html

[Rich]

I just pray to god the dude was white.

He looks white.

And, ... RACIST!

[Nick]

I still cannot understand why these cops don't think its smarter to pick these guys up on their way to the mailbox. No, they have to surprise people with guns in the middle of the night. Shivers would still be alive and Frederick not in jail if they didn't use these idiot tactics. Nevermind that guns ARE legal and drugs SHOULD BE legal.

[Warty]

Shivers would still be alive and Frederick not in jail if they didn't use these idiot tactics.

Not to mention the Branch Davidians.

[Rich]

Nipplemancer, you can't fool me. That's from The Onion.

[P Brooks]

The news isn't reporting any sexual assault.

The police declined to say what was used to carve "FED" into the man's chest.

[Warty]

Appalachia scholar Roy Silver, a New York City native now living in Harlan County, Ky., said he doesn't sense an outpouring of anti-government sentiment in the region as has been exhibited in town hall meetings in other parts of the country.

Got that? The town hall protesters are MURDERERS.

[ed]

Census worker hanged in Kentucky, with the word "fed" written on his chest

Was it written backward?

[Nick]

Whoa, Rich! If that guy came to my house, I'd have probably killed him, too. I don't want to end up in some weirdo's freezer.

[John]

"I still cannot understand why these cops don't think its smarter to pick these guys up on their way to the mailbox."

Because they are stupid. They want to be badasses. The problem with being a badass is that eventually you run into someone who is just as big of a badass and has the drop on you. You have to be a complete retard to choose to kick down a door and charge into a building with a potentially hostile person in there when you could just wait and grab them outside.

[Rich]

Eventually, we are going to go from no knock raids to JDAM raids.

Nah.

[John Tagliaferro]

Um, who is Steve Smith?

[Warty]

Steve Smith is what mothers use to frighten their kids into eating their vegetables.

[SugarFree]

P Brooks,

They say "scrawled" on his chest. But then they also are unsure of the "instrument" used to write it. Ew.

By the way, finding people hung in the woods isn't common in KY, but it happens more than you think. As well as entire families being killed by arson.

[John Tagliaferro]

Was it written backward?

It was "DEF" written backward. Ran out of room for Leppard.

[Joe M]

Come on, Rich, what's a few blocks of houses destroyed for a good cause? People will gladly give up their homes, if it means a drug dealer was killed. They'll feel much safer as they dig through the ashes, assuming they were killed in the blast or ensuing fire.

[Nipplemancer]

don't I know it. When i was in the Marine Corps we did lots of training in urban warfare (Gen. Krulak was rather prescient in that regard, because this was about 5 or 6 years before we went back to Iraq) and the scariest thing a salty old gunny said to me was that during the battle of Hue the casualty rate for the house-to-house combat was over 70%.

[SugarFree]

Um, who is Steve Smith?

Imagine a horrific chimera of chupacabra, Bigfoot and Matt Yglesias.

[Art-P.O.G.]

Xeones,

A commonwealth like Virginia or like Puerto Rico?

[James Ard]

Isn't Kentucky one of the biggest pot growing states? The poor guy may have wandered into a harvesting.

[SugarFree]

I used to defend Kentucky until the state slapped the 2nd highest liquor tax in the nation on us. Assholes.

[Nipplemancer]

James - yup, part of the "Green Triangle"

[R C Dean]

The ACORN thing comes down to how well-funded Breitbart and the journalists are. ACORN, which has very deep pockets, is undoubtedly betting that they can just outspend them and outlast them in the courts. If Breitbart et al can get some deep pocket support of their own, this could turn into a bloodbath for ACORN.

[John Tagliaferro]

Imagine a horrific chimera of chupacabra, Bigfoot and Matt Yglesias.

Why didn't you just say Balko?

[James Ard]

Ruphert Murdock has deep pockets, but nowhere near as the bottomless pocket we will be providing ACORN.

[John Tagliaferro]

Art-P.O.G.,

Commonwealth's are the same as States. They just want a big snooty word to self identify with.

[SugarFree]

Foreign Merchandise WTF

[Joe M]

WEREN'T killed, damnit.

[SugarFree]

Why didn't you just say Balko?

Because Balko's awesome and Steve Smith is just whiny. He even went so far as to try the "Why is ACORN a big story all the sudden?" spin control yesterday.

[James Ard]

SF, Sadly, Obama would appreciate the compliment.

[Rich]

Foreign Merchandise WTF

[sputter, sputter, ...] Double racist!!

[John Tagliaferro]

Okiedokie SF

[SugarFree]

Our new Slate "allies."

"Don't read the healthcare bill! Just pass it, already!"

[Pro Libertate]

Why is ACORN a big story? From its name, it is clearly very small. Wee, in fact. Obviously, this is the work of the Vast Rightwing Conspiracy?, which is making the little, insignificant, untrammeled good organization that is ACORN into an OAK. Those tens of millions of racists in the GOP are responsible, mark my words.

Tiny, I tell you! Minute! Virtually invisible to the eye!

[Barack Oh Bomb Us]

"If Breitbart et al can get some deep pocket support of their own, this could turn into a bloodbath for ACORN."

I suspect someone will start a defence fund.

Bertha Lewis is going to jail.

[Rich]

SF, thanks for the Slate link.

Maybe the Constitution should be written in "conceptual language". 😉

[James Dink]

Maybe FED was carved in his chest with a copy of CATO's pocket Constitution.

[Lord Jubjub]

Somewhat surprised I've seen no mention of fava beans in this thread.

[Citizen Nothing]

I usually give them a copy of Atlas Shrugged

I was watching a scene from an old episode of Numb3ers on my iPhone last night (don't ask). One of the FBI profilers, or whatever, was describing the modus operandi of the Manson-like bad guy, noting that he had read "Nietzsche, Ayn Rand and Charles Manson in prison."
'Nuff said, right?

[SugarFree]

io9 review of Transition by Iain Banks, now with bonus libertarian bashing.

[Bertha Lewis]

Bertha Lewis is going to jail.

We are willing to go to any means necessary to avoid it.

[bigbigslacker]

Isn't Kentucky one of the biggest pot growing states? The poor guy may have wandered into a harvesting.

Too early for that. Not that I know anything about that sort of thing...

[WWJGD]

SugarFree

Most annoying part of that io9 link is the comment:

The thing is, I get the whole self-esteem thing; that's important, the individual deserves respect. Even the capitalism thing I can sort of understand, even if I don't really agree with it.

It's the part about shirking social responsibility or not respecting other worldviews--the utter contempt for compassion that the nutters hold--that's the stuff that gets me mad.

[P Brooks]

But ACORN says no tax returns were actually prepared at the Baltimore office, and that the audio portion of the video recorded there was obtained illegally, since Maryland requires two-party consent for sound recordings. The multimillion-dollar lawsuit cites "extreme emotional distress" on behalf of two workers who were fired after the video was posted online.

The videos were "clear violations of Maryland law that were intended to inflict maximum damage to the reputation of ACORN, the nation's largest grassroots organizer of low-income and minority Americans," said ACORN attorney Arthur Schwartz. "Unfortunately they succeeded."

"Unfortunately, they succeeded."

This reminds me of one of those
"The car plowed into the hapless pedestrians on the sidewalk."
stories.

The driver of the car is a VICTIM.

[SugarFree]

WWJGD,

I'd be cool if they'd get a new shtick at least. Smearing us with Rand's hyperbole is so fucking tired.

[WWJGD]

SF-

At least they didn't start with roads...

[SugarFree]

Well, as long as they can stick with crazy, they don't need roads. Like Doc Brown, actually.

[What The]

he had read "Nietzsche, Ayn Rand and Charles Manson in prison."
'Nuff said, right?

Almost. TV writers are stupid fucks. There. 'Nuff.

[John Tagliaferro]

Maybe the Constitution should be written in "conceptual language". 😉

Slate is written in conceptual language. They are really hawkish rightwing Libertarians,

[Pro Libertate]

SugarFree,

Grrr. For the group, let me quote the highpoints:

D'Ortolan, who has lived for 200 years by transitioning into younger bodies, represents the raw, libertarian lust for personal gain. And Mulverhill characterizes D'Ortolan's position tartly in this way: "Libertarianism. A simple-minded right-wing ideology ideally suited to those unable or unwilling to see past their own sociopathic self-regard."

I'm feeling a raw, libertarian lust to pound someone's head against a wall for making ridiculous statements.

[Tonio]

Well, ACORN kind of had to file that suit for strategic reasons. Because not to do so would be to tacitly admit they'd done something wrong (or failed at due diligence).

Plus, this let's them play the victim card. Remember "Bitch set me up"?

[Hanibal Lector]

A census taker tried to test me once...

[Barack, Oh Bomb Us]

"Remember "Bitch set me up"?"

Actually, she did.

[The Emperor has no Shuka]

"A census taker tried to test me once..."

There's a test?

[John Lee Pettimore]

He should have known not to go down Copperhead Road.

[Invisible Finger]

The videos were "clear violations of Maryland law that were intended to inflict maximum damage to the reputation of ACORN, the nation's largest grassroots organizer of low-income and minority Americans," said ACORN attorney Arthur Schwartz. "Unfortunately they succeeded."

This is why I expect ACORN will get additional funding via homeland security. So they can be proactive in spotting potential terrorists walking into their offices with concealed weapons like explosives or video equipment.

[Art-P.O.G.]

pSSSHHHH, John Tagliaferro, thanks for explaining the "commonwealth" thing to me, but you're the one who didn't know who Steve Smith was. Face!

[Rhywun]

I'd be cool if they'd get a new shtick at least. Smearing us with Rand's hyperbole is so fucking tired.

Good luck with that. Guilt-tripping people for not being "compassionate" is part of their religion.

[Nick]

Why do we always get tagged as not being compassionate? We tend to argue for the fair defense of innocents a lot, as well as letting people be left alone. Is it because we think guns are good and theft taxes are bad?

(end rant, puts top hat back on, wipes monocle clean)

[Jonas]

The most deadly attack on federal workers came in 1995 when the federal building in Oklahoma City was devastated by a truck bomb, killing 168 and injuring more than 680. Timothy McVeigh, who was executed for the bombing, carried literature by modern, ultra-right-wing anti-government authors.

It's really tragic what happened to that census worker, but it's just disgusting how these journalists can't even write a fucking 500 word article without jumping to OMFG EXTREME RIGHT-WING TERRORISM.

He was probably killed by some random lunatic looking to stir up trouble. It's like how the Manson people tried to make it look like angry black people killed Sharon Tate et al.

[Jonas]

Also, the irony of the ad on the side promoting a book that apparently has something to do with feds killing innocent people is kind of... je ne sais quoi.

[anarch]

The Census Bureau has suspended door-to-door interviews in rural Clay County

The New York Times should choose its verbs more carefully.

[Pro Libertate]

I thought the Beatles killed Sharon Tate.

[P Brooks]

"Maxwell's Silver Hammer" was a how-to guide.

[Nick]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zrsl8o4ZPo

An isolated incident?

[The Emperor has no Shuka]

Yesterday, Robert Mugabe praised Obama's UN speech, saying that unlike previous presidents, Obama "didn't dictate". The irony! Oh how it burns!

[The Emperor has no Shuka]

Toilet paper is far from being the biggest threat to the world's forests: together with facial tissue, it accounts for 5 percent of the U.S. forest-products industry, according to industry figures. Paper and cardboard packaging makes up 26 percent of the industry, although more than half is made from recycled products. Newspapers account for 3 percent.

But environmentalists say 5 percent is still too much.

"It's like the Hummer product for the paper industry," said Allen Hershkowitz, senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council. "We don't need old-growth forests . . . to wipe our behinds."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/23/AR2009092304711_pf.html

[Joe Biden]

Obama "didn't dictate".

Of course he didn't. I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate.

[Allen Hershkowitz]

You took my quote completely out of context. What I said was, "We don't need old-growth forests to make toilet paper; we need women dressed as Catholic school girls to lick and wipe our behinds."

Please be more careful in the future.

[R C Dean]

The videos were "clear violations of Maryland law. . .

Not so clear, really. The MD AG has opined that the MD wiretap statute does not apply to videotape recordings. And, really, it can't, without making illegal every security camera in the state.

[Pro Libertate]

You know, I wonder whether this might be actionable. You'd think there would be some protection when you're exposing criminal activity, but just looking at a summary of Maryland law, this might be a problem. Maryland is a consent state for recording. That AG opinion appears to be balancing competing laws (this one and one on cop video cameras).

I seem to recall that video cameras that record voice in such states have to be accompanied by some sort of notice. Of course, there's an exception if there's no expectation of privacy, too.

[Vocabulary Police]

That NJ cop shooting is on the front page of google now. Funny how it never seems to make the front page when an innocent civilian is wounded or killed.

[R C Dean]

That AG opinion appears to be balancing competing laws (this one and one on cop video cameras).

Well, the MD statute says a person may not "wilfully intercept, endeavor to intercept, or procure any other person to intercept or endeavor to intercept, any wire, oral, or electronic communications."

You're right, PL, the MD opinion says video surveillance "alone" is not addressed, presumably because it doesn't catch sound/oral communications.

That leaves us with the "expectation of privacy" defense, discussed here.

State courts have interpreted the laws to protect communications only when the parties have a reasonable expectation of privacy, and thus, where a person in a private apartment was speaking so loudly that residents of an adjoining apartment could hear without any sound enhancing device, recording without the speaker's consent did not violate the wiretapping law. Malpas v. Maryland, 695 A.2d 588 (Md. Ct. Spec. App. 1997); see also Benford v. American Broadcasting Co., 649 F. Supp. 9 (D. Md. 1986) (salesman's presentation in stranger's home not assumed to carry expectation of privacy).

There's also a potential First Amendment claim here, based on the selective application of the wiretapping law to these defendants but not to other "reporters" who have used hidden cameras, etc. If the Breitbart crew can show that the local newsies have used hidden cameras for purposes of investigative reporting and not been prosecuted, they could have a pretty good case.

[Pro Libertate]

R C Dean,

I was thinking about that. If "traditional" media has historically been allowed to conduct such stings, why not these people? It was indisputably for the same purpose--to make public newsworthy facts. On the other hand, the hidden tape recorders and videos that we've seen before may have all come from one-party consent states. I think only twelve states require every party to consent.

Whether this was a situation where there would be no expectation of privacy is a big issue. All depends on how courts have ruled in MD, I guess. It looks like a private conversation to me. Most criminal conversations are, after all.

A related issue--can this be published?--is a different question. I think it clearly can. There's not really a privacy right in illegal activities.

[Tomcat1066]

I thought Reason would want to know about this. Links on blog site to Fox news story.

"I thought Reason would want to know about this. Links on blog site to Fox news story."

Here are the songs the children sing to Obama:

Song 1:
Mm, mmm, mm!
Barack Hussein Obama

He said that all must lend a hand
To make this country strong again
Mmm, mmm, mm!
Barack Hussein Obama

He said we must be fair today
Equal work means equal pay
Mmm, mmm, mm!
Barack Hussein Obama

He said that we must take a stand
To make sure everyone gets a chance
Mmm, mmm, mm!
Barack Hussein Obama

He said red, yellow, black or white
All are equal in his sight
Mmm, mmm, mm!
Barack Hussein Obama

Yes!
Mmm, mmm, mm
Barack Hussein Obama

Song 2:
Hello, Mr. President we honor you today!
For all your great accomplishments, we all doth say "hooray!"

Hooray, Mr. President! You're number one!
The first black American to lead this great nation!

Hooray, Mr. President we honor your great plans
To make this country's economy number one again!

Hooray Mr. President, we're really proud of you!
And we stand for all Americans under the great Red, White, and Blue!

So continue ---- Mr. President we know you'll do the trick
So here's a hearty hip-hooray ----

Hip, hip hooray!
Hip, hip hooray!
Hip, hip hooray!