Month: December 2017

Medical Marijuana and Gun Ownership under Review in Hawaii

The Honolulu Police Department recently sent out letters to legal medical marijuana patients notifying them that they would need to voluntarily surrender their guns. The request was based upon an interpretation of the law that since marijuana maintains illegal status under federal law, then medical marijuana patients would be disqualified from gun ownership.

As reported by The Honolulu Star in November, Honolulu police Chief Susan Ballard sent out a letter to medical marijuana cardholders stating, “Your medical marijuana use disqualifies you from ownership of firearms and ammunition. If you currently own or have any firearms, you have 30 days upon receipt of this letter to voluntarily surrender your firearms, permit and ammunition to the Honolulu Police Department or otherwise transfer ownership.”

In the letter, Ballard cited Hawaii Revised Statutes, Section 134-7 as the reason for the move.

That section reads in part,

(c)  No person who:

(1)  Is or has been under treatment or counseling for addiction to, abuse of, or dependence upon any dangerous, harmful, or detrimental drug, intoxicating compound as defined in section 712-1240, or intoxicating liquor;

(2)  Has been acquitted of a crime on the grounds of mental disease, disorder, or defect pursuant to section 704-411; or

(3)  Is or has been diagnosed as having a significant behavioral, emotional, or mental disorders as defined by the most current diagnostic manual of the American Psychiatric Association or for treatment for organic brain syndromes;

shall own, possess, or control any firearm or ammunition therefor, unless the person has been medically documented to be no longer adversely affected by the addiction, abuse, dependence, mental disease, disorder, or defect.

On December 7, 2017, Ballard reversed her decision and said the HPD was in error and that current gun owners would be able to keep their guns. However, the policy is under review and no new gun permits are currently being granted to those registered in the medical marijuana database.

No similar restrictions have been issued for persons under medical treatment for other pain relieving prescriptions which might also be interpreted as impairing a person’s ability to responsibly handle a firearm.

 

Naughty Toy Elf Sparks Complaints: Have We Lost Our Sense of Humor?

 

When UK’s discount retailer Poundland started an advent calendar/advertising campaign on social media, including Twitter and Facebook, complaints that the “Elf Behaving Bad” daily post was offensive began to surface. Apparently, complaints of the naughty elf have now been lodged with the UK’s advertising standards bureau, but most find the elf pretty funny. Apparently, one naughty elf photo caused a stir when the toy elf “teabagged” a toy doll, causing #MeToo activists to complain as well as Twinings Tea Company. Check out @Poundland on Twitter to see if you are horrified or amused.

Poundland Sparks Fury with Christmas Campaign Featuring Elf in Bizarre Sexual Positions:

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/poundland-sparks-fury-with-christmas-campaign-featuring-elf-in-bizarre-sexual-positions-a3725491.html

 

New Antifa Documentary Now Online: Global Uprisings

Update: The new 30-minute documentary is now available for free viewing or download here:

ANTIFA: Special January 20th Screener!

 

The film will be available online by midnight Central European time at the end of January 19, so anyone can organize a screening and download it to show on January 20. If you need to communicate with someone in advance about showing the film, email info@weinterruptthisprogram.org.

Here’s a trailer for the film:

Since the election of Donald Trump, acts of racist violence have proliferated across the United States. Racists and misogynists feel emboldened to express and act on their views. White nationalist groups and resurgent traditional white supremacist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan have used Trumps victory to gain new recruits. All that stands in their way are the groups of anarchists and anti-state communists who have taken it upon themselves to prevent fascism from becoming a powerful political force in the United States. This film tells the story of what “Antifa” is and why people are using these tactics to confront racism and fascism in the US today.

Who are the anti-fascists? What motivates them to risk their lives to fight the far right? What is the history of militant anti-fascism and why is it relevant again today? How is anti-fascism connected to a larger political vision that can stop the rise of fascism and offer us visions of a future worth fighting for? Through interviews with anti-fascist organizers, historians, and political theorists in the US and Germany, we explore the broader meaning of this political moment while taking the viewer to the scene of street battles from Washington to Berkeley and Charlottesville.

New Documentary on January 20, 2017: ANTIFA

Australian Federal Police Make Record-Breaking Meth Bust

Friday, 22 December 2017

 This is a joint media release issued by the Australian Federal Police, Australian Border Force, Western Australia Police Force, AUSTRAC and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission

A record 1.2 tonnes of methamphetamine has been seized on the west coast of Australia and eight men have been charged as a result of a complex, multi-agency investigation which traversed the country.

It is the largest meth bust in Australia’s history, topping an unrelated 903-kilogram seizure in Melbourne in the first quarter of 2017. It is the largest ever drug seizure in Western Australia.

The Western Australian Joint Organised Crime Task Force (WA JOCTF) has been working in close partnership since July to dismantle a drug trafficking network, believed to be based in Australia. The WA JOCTF involves the Australian Federal Police (AFP), Western Australia Police Force, Australian Border Force (ABF), AUSTRAC, and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission. It also received assistance from members of the Department of Home Affairs.

Police will allege in court a marine vessel, the Valkoista, arrived at the Port of Geraldton, WA, around 2am WST yesterday (Thursday, 21 December 2017).

Police will allege the drugs were then offloaded into a white hire van shortly before 4am WST. Tactical response police officers intercepted the van as it reversed from the dock. Police arrested the three occupants of the van: a 33-year-old man from southern Sydney and two men from NSW, aged 38 and 52.

Simultaneously, police boarded the Valkoista and arrested three crew members onboard: a 45-year-old man from the NSW Central Coast and two men from South Australia, aged 48 and 44.

Fifty-nine bags containing approximately 20 kilograms of methamphetamine were seized from the vehicle. An additional bag containing approximately 20 kilograms of methamphetamine was found on the vessel, bringing the total amount of methamphetamine seized to around 1.2 tonnes. This amount of methamphetamine has an estimated street value of $1.04 billion.

The six men were transported to Geraldton Police Station for processing.

The vessel and the vehicle were seized by police, searched, and forensically examined. Search warrants were also conducted at residential properties in Sydney, the NSW Central Coast, and Adelaide.

Two men from South Australia, both aged 37, were later arrested at a hotel in Hillarys in northern Perth for their alleged involvement in this drug importation.

The two men, along with the crew of the Valkoista, have been charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, contrary to subsection 307.1(1) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth). The occupants of the van have been charged with possessing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug reasonably suspected of having been unlawfully imported, contrary to section 307.8 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).

Both offences carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

The eight men have been remanded in custody. The two men charged in Perth are scheduled to appear in Perth Magistrates Court today. The six men charged in Geraldton are scheduled to appear in Perth Magistrates Court on Wednesday, 17 January 2018.

AFP Deputy Commissioner Operations Leanne Close said police were continuing to gather and evaluate evidence.

“The success of this operation is a testament to the patience and dedication of our investigators, who have been working around the clock in the lead-up to Christmas to disrupt this record importation,” Deputy Commissioner Close said.

“The AFP will allege in court these men intended to distribute the drugs along the east coast of Australia – what these men didn’t count on was a calculated, intelligence-led response from the WA Joint Organised Crime Task Force which drew on the strengths and capabilities of the different agencies involved.”

Western Australia Police Commissioner Chris Dawson has commended the hard work of the joint agencies which has stopped many millions of harmful drug hits from reaching our cities and towns.

“I attribute the success of this operation to WA Police jointly working with National partners in the Joint Operational Crime Task Force. Intelligence has led to five law enforcement agencies working together to disrupt what we will allege is a serious crime syndicate. We are striking at the top end of drug trafficking before it gets further down the distribution chain,” WA Police Commissioner Dawson said.

ABF WA Regional Commander Rod O’Donnell praised the work of all involved, including the ABF’s Maritime Border Command and Strategic Border Command officers who provided significant monitoring and response capability during the operation, both on land and at sea.

Investigators from ABF Enforcement Command and intelligence from the Department of Home Affairs were also critical.

“This result is the culmination of several months of hard work by officers and staff from a number of state and federal agencies and, once again, together we have stopped a significant amount of methamphetamine before it could reach the Australian community,” Commander O’Donnell said.

“Australia’s maritime border is vast and some criminals clearly think they can exploit that and evade detection – they are wrong. These criminals should always assume we are nearby and we are watching.”

AUSTRAC National Manager Intelligence Dr John Moss said the agency supported the joint task force by developing the financial networks of the main suspects. AUSTRAC analysts collaborated with the task force to ensure relevant, accurate, and timely all-source intelligence was constantly available to support the investigative strategy.

“AUSTRAC financial intelligence was a critical element in detecting and monitoring the criminal activities of this drug syndicate,” Dr Moss said.

Elderly Couple Caught with 60 Pounds of Pot; Delivering Presents

The York County (Nebraska) Sheriff’s Office shared the following story on its Facebook Page without further comment. A man and woman, both in there 80s,  was travelling from California to Vermont when they were stopped in York County for crossing the center line.

The octogenarians explained to the deputies they were not selling the marijuana but intended to give it away as Christmas gifts. They were booked into the York County Jail.

 

 

Coast Guard Cutter Seizes 7 Tons of Cocaine & Rescues Ocean Wildlife

 

Photo: A Coast Guard Cutter Thetis boat crew arrives on scene with a jettison field and an entangled sea turtle during a 68-day Eastern Pacific counter drug patrol in 2017. They saw significant chaffing from the lines on his neck and flippers. (Coast Guard photo)

KEY WEST, Fla. — The Coast Guard Cutter Thetis returned to homeport in Key West Sunday following a 68-day Eastern Pacific counter drug patrol.

The cutter Thetis crew worked alongside the Pacific Tactical Law Enforcement Team, an aviation detachment from the Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron and a Royal Canadian Navy maritime coastal defense vessel in support of Operation Martillo seizing 6,755 kilograms of cocaine and 14 pounds of marijuana during eight separate interdictions that resulted in the apprehension of 24 suspected smugglers.

While on patrol Nov. 19, the cutter launched its Over the Horizon small boat to investigate a debris field. The boat crew discovered a large sea turtle entangled in multiple bales of suspected contraband.

Coast Guard Ens. Mark Krebs, the pursuit mission commander, said that as his team arrived on scene with the jettison field, they immediately noticed the entangled sea turtle. They saw significant chaffing from the lines on his neck and flippers. They briefed the commanding officer and went to work, carefully cutting the lines wrapped around the sea turtle and then eventually freeing him.

The boat crew recovered over 75-feet of line to prevent further entanglement of sea life and returned to the law enforcement mission recovering over 1,800 pounds of cocaine valued at over $53 million dollars from international waters.

During this patrol, the combined efforts of the cutter Thetis crew, Joint Interagency Task Force South, HITRON, PACTACLET and other Coast Guard assets eliminated nearly seven tons of illicit narcotics with a street value over $135 million dollars that pose a threat to national security and regional stability.

Operation Martillo is a U.S., European and Western Hemisphere partner-nation effort launched in January 2012 targeting illicit trafficking routes in coastal waters along the Central American isthmus.

Operation Martillo demonstrates a clear commitment of the Western Hemisphere and European nations to work as partners to counter the spread of transnational criminal organizations and to protect citizens in Central America from the violence, harm and exploitation created by these criminal networks.

Operation Martillo is an international, interagency operation that includes the participation of 18 countries committed to a regional approach against transnational criminal organizations moving illicit cargo. To date, partner nation efforts have contributed to 57 percent of all disruptions to illicit trafficking and 60 percent of the metric tons captured as part of the Operation Martillo initiative.

Nikki Haley: The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack

“TROUBLE IN TOYLAND”: DANGEROUS TOYS ON STORE SHELVES

Photo: “My Friend Cayla” doll that could compromise privacy and other toys deemed problematic by PIRG.

32ND ANNUAL “TROUBLE IN TOYLAND” SURVEY FINDS DANGEROUS TOYS ON STORE SHELVES

Expert Tips Can Help Parents Shop Safely

Chicago, IL – Stores nationwide are still offering dangerous and toxic toys this holiday season and, in some cases, ignoring explicit government safety regulations in the process, according to U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) Education Fund’s 32nd annual Trouble in Toyland report. The survey of potentially hazardous toys found that, despite recent progress, consumers must still be wary when shopping for children’s gifts.

The report exposes fidget spinners full of lead, inadequately-labeled toys and balloons that pose a choking hazard, and data-collecting toys that may violate children’s privacy and other consumer protection laws. We also provide a list of toys that have been recalled over the past year.

“We should be able to trust that the toys we buy are safe. However, until that’s the case, toy buyers need to watch out for common hazards when shopping for children’s presents,” said Dev Gowda, Toxics Advocate with U.S. PIRG Education Fund.

For more than 30 years, the U.S. PIRG Education Fund’s Trouble in Toyland report has offered safety guidelines for purchasing toys for small children, and has provided examples of toys currently on store shelves that pose potential safety hazards. Over the years, our reports have led to more than 150 recalls and other enforcement actions. Key findings from the report include:

●      Data-Collecting Toys: As toymakers produce more and more products that are part of the “Internet of Things,” data collection and the sharing of consumer information become greater concerns. For example, we list a doll, “My Friend Cayla,” which we found at Wal-Mart and Kohl’s, which has been banned in Germany for privacy violations and is the subject of a complaint by several consumer groups to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission because it may violate the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. In July, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a warning to consumers to “consider cybersecurity prior to introducing smart, interactive, internet-connected toys into their homes.”

●     Small Parts: Despite a ban on small parts in toys for children under the age of three, we found several toys that contain small parts, but do not have any warning label at all. These included a peg game, golf, and football travel games that we found at Dollar Tree.

●     Lead: We found two fidget spinners from Target which had dangerously high levels of lead, well over the federal legal limit of 100 parts per million (ppm) for lead in children’s products. We tested for  lead a lab which is accredited by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). For Fidget Wild Premium Spinner Brass which we purchased at Target and is distributed by Bulls i Toy, L.L.C.: the center circle tested for 33,000 ppm of lead, which is more than 300 times the legal limit for lead in children’s products. For Fidget Wild Premium Spinner Metal which we also purchased at Target and is distributed by Bulls i Toy, L.L.C.: the center circle tested for 1,300 ppm of lead. On November 10th, Target announced that it will be removing the two fidget spinner models from its store shelves. Target had initially balked at our request to do so, citing a CPSC rule stating that general use products directed at adults don’t need to follow the same lead guidelines as children’s products directed at children 12 and under. The two models of fidget spinners we found were labeled for ages 14 and up. Our staff found them in the toy aisles at four Targets around the country. At the time of testing, the Target.com website even included a statement that the Fidget Wild Premium Spinner Brass is recommended for children ages 6 and up, which was misleading. Now, the CPSC, Target, and Bulls i Toy need to ensure that these two fidget spinners are recalled, so that people who have already purchased the products won’t suffer any health consequences from playing with them.

●      Balloons are easily inhaled in attempts to inflate them and can become stuck in children’s throats. Balloons are responsible for more choking deaths among children than any other toy or children’s product. We found five balloon sets on store shelves from Dollar Tree (H2O Blasters – Water Balloons and Disney Princess Punchball Balloons), Party City (Mega Value Pack 12 Water Bomb Packs and Mega Value Pack 14 Latex Punch Balloons), and Dollar City Plus (Party Balloons – 10) that are either marketed to children under eight or have misleading warning labels that make it appear that they are safe for children between ages three and eight.

“Even small amounts of lead in toys can be ingested when transferred from fingers to mouth or from fingers to food,” said national lead expert Helen Binns, MD, pediatrician at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.  “Lead harms the developing brain and is easily ingested through normal hand to mouth behaviors. Beware of these 2 fidget spinners, as they have dangerous amounts of lead.”

“Our leaders and consumer watchdogs need to do more to protect our youngest consumers from the hazards of unsafe toys. No child should ever be injured, get sick, or die from playing with a dangerous toy,” said Gowda. “The CPSC, manufacturers, and retailers should classify all fidget spinners as children’s products and hold them to federal lead limits. It’s simple common sense. And to prevent children from being exposed to lead-laden toys in the future, the CPSC needs to revise its loose and arbitrary regulations for determining the age range of a product.”

Even though many hoverboards have been taken off store shelves over the past year, they continue to pose dangers to children. Earlier this year, two young girls and a firefighter tragically died from a house fire that was believed to be caused by a hoverboard that was charging and overheated. And just last month, another house fire was believed to be caused by a hoverboard. Numerous hoverboards continue to be recalled by the CPSC for faulty battery packs.

In a victory for consumers, the CPSC in October issued a final rule prohibiting children’s toys and child care articles containing more than 1,000 ppm of five additional phthalate chemicals (DINP, DPENP, DHEXP, DCHP, and DIBP). U.S. PIRG Education Fund has been calling on the CPSC to ban these phthalates for several years and applauds the CPSC for its new rule. Phthalates are a group of chemicals used to soften and increase the flexibility of plastics such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and certain phthalates have been linked to altered development of the male reproductive system, early puberty, and cancer.

Parents and caregivers can also take steps to protect children from potential hazards. We recommend that parents:

●      Subscribe to email recall updates from the CPSC and other U.S. government safety agencies available at www.recalls.gov;

●      Shop with U.S. PIRG Education Fund’s Toy Safety Tips, available at toysafetytips.org;

●      Report unsafe toys or toy-related injuries to the CPSC at Saferproducts.gov;

●      Review the recalled toys in this report and compare them to toys in your children’s toy boxes;

●      Remember, toys on our list are presented as examples of potentially-dangerous toys. Our list is not exhaustive and other hazards may exist;

●      Put small parts, or toys broken into small parts, out of reach. Regularly check that toys appropriate for your older children are not left within reach of children who still put things in their mouths;

●      Eliminate small magnet hazards from your home;

●      Be aware that that toys connected to the Internet, as well as apps and websites, may be collecting information about children inappropriately. Learn more about the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA);

●      Make sure that the hoverboards you own contain a UL2272-certification sticker from the product-testing group Underwriters Laboratories. However, even UL2272 compliance cannot guarantee that a hoverboard will not overheat or catch fire.

View our full Trouble in Toyland report at www.uspirgedfund.org. Parents can find our list of unsafe toys, as well as tips for safe toy shopping this holiday season, at toysafetytips.org.

# # #

U.S. PIRG (Public Interest Research Group) Education Fund is an independent, non-partisan group that works for consumers and the public interest. Through research, public education and outreach, we serve as counterweights to the influence of powerful special interests that threaten our health, safety, or well-being.