- Ariel Castro might not think of himself as a monster, but he is, at least as far as the law and the rest of America's concerned. He was sentenced to life imprisonment plus 1,000 years:
Castro pleaded guilty to 937 counts, including murder and kidnapping, in connection with the kidnapping and abuse of Michelle Knight, Georgina DeJesus and Amanda Berry, whom he held captive for a decade in his Cleveland home. As part of the plea deal, the death penalty was taken off the table.
- Bradley Manning, the U.S. Army private who passed over 700,000 documents to Julian Assange's WikiLeaks Foundation, was found not guilty of "aiding the enemy," a charge that could have earned him the death penalty had prosecutors not chosen to seek a life sentence instead. However, he was found guilty on 19 of the 22 charges laid against him, charges that would likely keep Manning behind bars for the rest of his life.
- The Russian government just gave Edward Snowden asylum:
On Thursday, Snowden was granted temporary asylum in Russia and was allowed to enter the country’s territory.
According to the issued documents, the former CIA employee who broke PRISM spying scandal to the world is free to stay in Russia until at least July 31, 2014. Then the asylum status may be extended.
With that in hand, Snowden cannot be handed over to the US authorities, even if Washington files an official request. He can now be transported to the United States only if he agrees to go voluntarily.
- I bet NYPD Community Affairs Bureau chief Douglas Zeigler didn't think he would be a target for "
Chief Douglas Zeigler, 60, head of the Community Affairs Bureau, was in his NYPD-issued vehicle near a fire hydrant when two plainclothes cops approached on May 2, sources said.
One officer walked up on each side of the SUV at 57th Ave. and Xenia St. in Corona about 7 p.m. and told the driver to roll down the heavily tinted windows, sources said. What happened next is in dispute.
In his briefing to Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, Zeigler said the two cops, who are white, had no legitimate reason to approach his SUV, ranking sources said. After they ordered him to get out, one officer did not believe the NYPD identification Zeigler gave him.
The cops gave a different account:
When one officer spotted Zeigler's service weapon through the rolled-down window, he yelled "Gun!" according to sources who have spoken with the officers. Both cops raised their weapons and ordered the driver out of the car, sources said. Instead of saying he was an armed member of the NYPD, Zeigler shouted, "Don't you know who I am?" the sources said.
When one cop reached over to check the identification badge around Zeigler's neck, the chief pushed him away, sources said. Only then did Zeigler tell the two officers his name and rank, those sources said.
Zeigler, in his discussions with Kelly, said the officers never yelled "Gun!" sources said. One cop got into a heated argument with the chief even after seeing the ID, sources said.
Even being a part of the thin blue line doesn't make you immune to the Stop and Frisk phenomenon if you happen to be the wrong skin color. In fact, your mayor might think he's being a bit too soft on you and your kind.
- Gilberton Police Chief Mark Kessler has the next 30 days off to buff up his Second Amendment bonafides:
In a closed meeting, the council voted 5-1 to suspended Kessler for 30 days, “for use of borough property for non-borough purposes without prior borough permission.” In one of the videos, the tiny town’s sole police officer used automatic weapons, which he was only legally authorized to do in his official capacity.
He's already being hailed as a "Second Amendment leader" by numerous gun rights advocates. But seriously, can the town of Gilberton afford to have an individual this mentally unstable in charge of its police department?
As a law-abiding citizen and a supporter of the Second Amendment, I wouldn't want someone like this pulling me over.
