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U.S. Marijuana Party of Kentucky
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Posted by KyUSMJParty
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Wednesday, 25 August 2010 19:23 |
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Barry Cooper fights the law, wins: Odessa drops all ‘KopBusters’ charges
Exclusive: Cooper to release City of Odessa from $40 million civil suit
 Barry Cooper, a former Texas police officer who turned against the drug war and executed a reverse-sting operation against the Odessa police department, will walk free on all related charges, an attorney for Ector County announced Tuesday.
Cooper, perhaps the nation's best-known drug war activist thanks to his "Never Get Busted" DVDs, set up a fake marijuana grow house in Odessa, wired it for sound and video, then used an anonymous letter to bait police into a Dec. 2008 raid.
The letter was delivered to a local church, which eventually turned it over to police. Not long after that officers came crashing through the door.
Cooper, his wife Candi and another individual who assisted their operation were all arrested two months ago on the Class B misdemeanor charge of Making a False Report to a Peace Officer in relation to the Odessa sting. Candi's arrest took place at the family's apartment in south Austin and Barry turned himself in days later at the Texas capitol building, with a typical showman's flare.
A detailed report on Cooper's arrest was featured by RAW STORY.
The decision against prosecuting Cooper was made by Ector County Attorney Cindy Weir-Nutter, who had not returned a phone call at time of publication.
"The statute in Texas requires that the false report be made during an investigation, and there was no ongoing investigation," she told The Odessa American. "You have to be able to prove all elements of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt."
"The county attorney's office did not believe they had enough facts or evidence to convict Barry or Candi," James Gill, Cooper's Austin-based attorney, told RAW STORY. "In other words, they did not commit any crime."
"We're very excited that the county attorney's office has decided in this way," he added.
"We knew we were right," Cooper told RAW STORY. "We knew we designed that sting to where we weren't breaking any laws and we knew that when the Rangers came and tricked Candi and forced me to turn myself in ... We knew they were wrong too. We're thankful that a prosecutor had enough guts to say, 'This isn't right.'"
Cooper added that he would now drop the City of Odessa from a $40 million civil suit he filed against numerous entities and individuals, including the Williamson County Sheriff's Department, the Odessa Police Department and the Texas Rangers.
"[Odessa] decided not to prosecute us so there's no point in dragging them through this lawsuit, but we're going to turn it up on the Texas Rangers for false arrest and retaliation, because it's clear that's what they did."
"It's about time we had some good news," Candi Cooper said. "We have been through it lately. To hear this, it's very wonderful for our family."
Odessa resident Tammy Grimes, who was also charged for her supporting role in the sting, said she was "extremely excited" at the outcome.
"I'm very thankful for the good work that [Weir-Nutter] and her staff did," Grimes said. "I'm very happy and pleased."
The Texas Rangers may yet refile the charges in Odessa. The maximum penalty for Making a False Report to a Peace Officer in Texas is six months in prison.
Both Coopers are still being prosecuted by Williamson County for the same charge in a different case, where Barry claims to have caught a police officer stealing $45 from a reportedly suspicious package, as part of another "KopBusters" sting carried out in 2009.
That officer, Cpt. George Nassour, had Cooper served with civil suit papers on the evening of August 24, alleging slander and libel.
Updated from an original version. |
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Last Updated on Thursday, 02 September 2010 21:10 |
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Posted by KyUSMJParty
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Monday, 23 August 2010 20:39 |
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Daily Digest
You have requested to receive a Daily Digest e-mail from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Message: 1
From: U.S. EPA
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2010 10:08:35 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: Hazardous Waste News Advisory (HQ): EPA Announces a Schedule of Public Hearings on Proposed Coal Ash Regulations
CONTACT:
Latisha Petteway
petteway.latisha@epa.gov
202-564-3191
202-564-4355
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 19, 2010
EPA Announces a Schedule of Public Hearings on Proposed Coal Ash Regulations
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is hosting seven public hearings on the agency’s proposal to regulate the disposal and management of coal ash from coal-fired power plants. EPA’s proposal is the first-ever national effort to ensure the safe disposal and management of coal ash from coal-fired power plants.
Each hearing will begin at 10:00 a.m. and continue until 9:00 p.m. with a break at noon and 5:00 p.m. local time. The hearings will continue past 9:00 p.m. if necessary. People who wish for a guaranteed slot to speak must register no later than three business days before each hearing. Additionally, walk-ins and written comments will be accepted at each hearing. The agency will consider the public’s comments in its final decision.
August 30: Hyatt Regency, 2799 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, Va
September 2: Grand Hyatt, 1750 Welton Street, Denver, Colo.
September 8: Hyatt Regency Dallas, 300 Reunion Boulevard, Dallas, Texas
September 14: Holiday Inn Charlotte (Airport), 2707 Little Rock Road, Charlotte, N.C.
September 16: Hilton Chicago, 720 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Ill.
September 21: Omni Hotel, 530 William Penn Place, Pittsburgh, Pa.
September 28: Seelbach Hilton, 500 Fourth Street, Louisville, Ky.
To pre-register to speak at the hearings, please call (703) 308-8429 or sign up online at
http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/industrial/special/fossil/ccr-rule/ccr-form.htm
The need for national management criteria and regulation was emphasized by the December 2008 spill of coal ash from a surface impoundment near Kingston, Tenn. The proposal will ensure for the first time that protective controls, such as liners and ground water monitoring, are in place at new landfills to protect groundwater and human health. Existing surface impoundments will also require liners, with strong incentives to close these impoundments and transition to safer landfills which store coal ash in dry form. The proposed regulations will ensure stronger oversight of the structural integrity of impoundments and promote environmentally safe and desirable forms of recycling coal ash, known as beneficial uses.
EPA has proposed two main management approaches, one of which phases out surface impoundments and moves all coal ash to landfills; the other allows coal ash to be disposed in surface impoundments, but with stricter safety criteria.
More information about the proposed regulation: http://www.epa.gov/coalashrule
To view the chart comparing the two approaches: http://www.epa.gov/coalashrule/ccr-table.htm
R281
Note: If a link above doesn't work, please copy and paste the URL into a browser.
View all news releases related to hazardous waste
This service is provided to you at no charge by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Visit us on the web at http://www.epa.gov/.
Sent by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW · Washington DC 20460 · 202-564-4355 |
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Last Updated on Thursday, 02 September 2010 18:05 |
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Posted by KyUSMJParty
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Monday, 23 August 2010 19:22 |
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When People ask me.....
Why do you continue to run - I continue to run not just to express my own convictions but to answer the call of the people who continue to ask me to run in the hope that my election will ensure that our government will again begin to work the way our founding fathers intended; to serve as a representative of the people and those laws so brilliantly laid out in order to form the most admired government in the World
What are your chances at a win - I am in a better position now than ever before. After having run so many times, I recognize that Kentuckians are beginning to realize our Commonwealth's continued economic, social and statistical decline is directly related to the victories of my previous opponents and the continuing dysfunctional government plaguing Kentucky election after election.
What party are you - I inform them that I have stepped outside traditional political lines to run as an Independent. An Independent who will serve the agenda of the people and not get caught up in partisanship, bickering and cronyism. I will freely give credit and blame to those who deserve it most.
When I experience skepticism - I remain convinced that together we can in fact affect Real change. Change first comes in the hearts of the people, which in turn will motivate their actions. If my candidacy somehow inspires each of you then I have effected much needed change. My election will mend Kentucky's broken government so that our great Commonwealth and her great People become the example as to how it is done rather than what not to do. I have, more than any other candidate, earned the vote of the people of Kentucky. I will continue to run until Kentuckians are duly served. Together we Can and Will restore Kentucky to prosperity.
When I am told that I am ahead of my time - Well I simply respond, Now's the Time....
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Last Updated on Thursday, 02 September 2010 21:15 |
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Posted by KyUSMJParty
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Wednesday, 18 August 2010 02:56 |
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Rand Paul Now Opposed to Medical Marijuana
By Mike Meno
Well, I feel cheap.
Back in May, when Kentucky Republican Rand Paul defeated an establishment candidate to win his party’s nomination for the U.S. Senate, I pointed out that one of the issues Paul used to win over voters was his support of medical marijuana laws.
Now, in a telling political move, the son of Ron Paul has reversed his stance on the issue, telling the Associated Press last week that “he is opposed to the legalization of marijuana, even for medicinal purposes.” (He also stated that he doesn’t think the government’s war on drugs is “a real pressing issue” and that he wants to cut federal funding for drug treatment programs.)
Gee, I wonder if this has anything to do with that episode from his past that’s been discussed so much in the news lately. Is Paul selling out medical marijuana patients as part of a strategy to deflect criticism? Or am I being too cynical?
For the record, Paul’s Democratic opponent, Jack Conway, isn’t much better when it comes to marijuana issues, and has received police endorsements because of his support for tougher law enforcement strategies. |
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Last Updated on Thursday, 02 September 2010 22:35 |
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Posted by KyUSMJParty
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Wednesday, 18 August 2010 02:41 |
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Democrats in Kentucky are high on the possibilities of debating drug enforcement with Rand Paul. The Republican nominee for Senate has advocated cutting federal spending on drug enforcement, which he has said should be left to the states. Jack Conway, the Democratic nominee (and the state's attorney general), is ripping Paul for the stance and claiming that Paul is ignoring Kentucky's many drug problems.
The result is a strange alternate reality where the Democrats think they have the upper hand on the tough-on-crime stuff -- and the Republicans are shying from a fight over law and order. There are signs that Paul's views are costing him dearly in the relatively tight Senate race: yesterday, the Fraternal Order of Police in Kentucky backed Conway, citing, among other things, his work to fight drug abuse in the Bluegrass State.
What exactly does Paul believe when it comes to drugs? He wants the federal government to dramatically lower its drug enforcement profile. "Paul wants to cut federal funding for undercover drug investigations and drug treatment programs," the AP reported last week. "He said he is opposed to the legalization of marijuana, even for medicinal purposes. But he also has called drug sentences of 10 to 20 years too harsh."
Paul told the AP that he thinks too much is made of the War on Drugs and its impact on the election. "I don't think it's a real pressing issue," he told the AP. Paul maintains that voters in Kentucky's drug-plagued rural areas care more about fiscal policy and other issues then they do about federal drug enforcement money.
It's clear Conway sees an opening thanks to Paul's line. But even before the Republican mused on how much Kentuckians care whether the federal government is in the drug enforcement business, Conway supporters were arguing that the issue is a natural winner for them. Paul's less-than-Draconian views on drugs clash with Conway's tough-guy law enforcement image. If Conway is "just say no," Paul seems to be more nuanced.
"I think drugs are a scourge but at the same time I also understand that teenagers -- people that you may be related to, people that I may be related to -- have had drug problems," Paul said, according to the AP.
"What he needs to do is get off Fox News and get in his car and go to eastern Kentucky and learn about the problems with marijuana, the
problems with meth," Conway told WMYT-TV recently. "We have county judges in eastern Kentucky that will tell you that we've lost a whole generation to drugs. He just doesn't get it."
The Fraternal Order of Police seems to agree with Conway's view of things. "Jack Conway has been a strong, effective Attorney General. From helping close down the prescription pill pipeline from Florida to confiscating 70,000 child pornography images, nobody is tougher on crime than Jack Conway," Kentucky FOP President Spike Jones said in a statement yesterday.
Moving ahead, Democrats have said they plan to continue to attack Paul as weak on drugs. Not only do they think the issue is a winner for Conway -- but they also believe it highlights another running theme from the Democrats: Paul doesn't understand Kentucky. With his focus on national issues and constant talk about the "Obama-Pelosi-Reid" agenda, Democrats say that Paul is hiding a lack of understanding about the specific issues, like drugs, that are important to the state he wants to represent.
Paul rejected that idea in an interview with WMYT yesterday.
"I'm a physician and a father of three teenage boys, and I'm very concerned about drugs. I think we need to do everything we can to stop drugs," Paul told the station. "I personally think we've been trying the government solution, and maybe there are some good aspects to it. But we're still failing, and we're not getting rid of the drug problem."
The TPM Poll Average shows Paul leading Conway 46.3-41.0.
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