Anthony Martin's Weblog - Filed under 'Memory Hole'

September 14, 2009

Suspicionless Checkpoint, Addendum

Lieutenant Stephen D’anjou says that the suspicionless checkpoint (covered previously) was announced to the Daily Breeze on September 2nd. Again, I find no mention on the Daily Breeze website, so we still have an effective Internet blackout of this information.

The Lieutenant believes it was also posted on Torrance Police Department website, but he said the website program never published it. An honest mistake. I've seen first hand that this can be a common mistake in any web publishing environment.

But there's something else I'd like to point out. See if you can tell the difference between the two announcements. One announcement was for the 11th, the other was for June 19th.

You must have flash to see this embedded document.

(download)

You must have flash to see this embedded document.

(download)

The information published about June 19th, 2009 listed the intersection as well as the time. But the information published about September 11th, 2009 does not list the intersection.

It's already beyond recognition of what it was originally. They're just going to keep tweaking and modifying this.

If you still don't understand why this is bad, please review my previous article on the subject. Also consider an article called "Bloodsuckers in Blue" on Lew Rockewell's web site.

Filed under // Liberty Local Memory Hole Resistance Rule of Law Torrance

Comments [0]

September 12, 2009

Last Night's Suspicionless Checkpoint

Last night, I observed a suspicionless checkpoint on Artesia going eastbound toward Van Ness. All eastbound traffic was being stopped. A lot of cars were being towed.

I contacted Torrance Police Department to inquire as to why these activities were not announced ahead of time. The initial response from Lieutenant Stephen D’anjou (via Blackberry) was that the press release was sent out last week.

I believe Lieutenant D’anjou is mistaken. I checked the Torrance PD web site and no such press release was listed on their press release page. Maybe a press release was sent out but just not posted on the web page. The local paper would have gotten a copy if that's the case.

But this is not the case from what I can tell. Daily Breeze (the local newspaper in Torrance) has announcements for other such activity in the past, but not the one regarding last night. Was it announced only in hard copies of the newspaper? Is this an Internet blackout?

Yet indeed, here is a view of the actual suspicionless checkpoint from the corner of Artesia and Van Ness, looking back to the west:

(download)

This is a shot of the parking lot next to the activity:

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Torrance Police Department believes the "DUI" checkpoint is a proven effective method for increased awareness of the dangers of impaired driving.

In the past, by publicizing these enforcement and education efforts, Torrance Police Department believes motorists can be deterred from drinking and driving.

Typically, funding for these kinds of operations is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

But last night, they broke from their previous motivation and imposed the suspicionless checkpoint without even prior notice.

Whatever your belief of the effectiveness of these suspicionless checkpoint, know this. It is a violation of the 4th Amendment of the US Constitution to demand evidence of a crime without probable cause. The suspicionless checkpoint, by definition, lacks probable cause.

It is much easier to introduce an intrusive measure by watering down the most intrusive aspects. It is harder to be against suspicionless checkpoints when they are announced ahead of time. But is easy to just stop announcing them once they become commonplace.

We are no longer on our way to a police state. We live in a police state now. It's only going to get worse.

Filed under // Liberty Local Memory Hole Resistance Rule of Law Torrance Video

Comments [0]

March 4, 2009

Google Fail (Google Voice Search + Earthquake)

One neat application for iPhone is Google Voice Search. So today, I tried the new Earthquake results in Google. I'm sure they'll fix it soon, but witness a rare Google FAIL!

Click here to download:

Google_Fail_Google_Voice_Searc.zip (106 KB)

Filed under // Fail Gadgets Geek Stuff Google Information Technology Local Memory Hole Mobile

Comments [0]

February 4, 2009

DHL Sign

Sent from my iPhone

Filed under // Economic Memory Hole

Comments [0]

January 29, 2009

The Dollar is Doomed

I really can't add anything witty or insightful to what I'm about to show you (as if I ever). But I think the video below shows exactly where we are. Where we're going is another matter. Please turn on the sound, it helps set the mood.

Source: The Dollar is Doomed

(download)

Source: Fed Reserve Fails to Reflate the US Banking System

Additional context: Ben Bernanke's Wild Ride (and Ours)

Filed under // Economic History Memory Hole Political Spooky Video

Comments [3]

January 20, 2009

Lapdog CDA Law

I just think it's interesting that one of the ads in the bus I regularly take is a complete lie. I guess "truth in advertising" doesn't apply to government and corrupt lapdog corporations. The ad reads:

Healthy Kids Need Healthy TeethThe law requires that kindergartners
receive a dental checkup
La ley ahora requiere que los kindergartners
 reciban un examen dental
To learn more call 800.CDA.SMILE or visit cda.org.
A MESSAGE FROM THE CALIFORNIA DENTAL ASSOCIATION

Only, the law does not require any such thing. It is a falsehood to imply that the law requires dental checkups for two reasons:

The state has no jurisdiction to make any such law.
The state law itself allows a waver.

I hate to go beyond #1 because it is so important. The state has no jurisdiction in the mouth of our children. We parents are responsible. The notion that some parents have decided to forgo dental examinations for their children has no bearing on how I go about caring for my children.

They are free to take care of their children in their way, thus, I am free to take care of my children my way. This is what's called "freedom."

But #2 is also important. The law, as I read it, says that parents may opt out of the requirement. Which means saying "the law requires" is inaccurate, in this ad. The law requires either an examination or a statement by the parent to the contrary. What's interesting is that a parent who makes a statement to the contrary is reading the law. Are these parent likely to avoid dental checkups for their child?

So this is where I get angry. Advertisements like this are simply taxpayer funded attempts by state lobbyists to drum up business. I hate that!

Filed under // Liberty Local Memory Hole Photo Political Resistance Rule of Law Torrance Wrong

Comments [0]

December 3, 2008

$199k trades

You can't really see it anymore, but on the 26th, "Freddie Mac PRFD 'N'" (traded as NYSE:FRE-N) had a $200k trade (see discussion threads: WTF, Freedie preferred, impossible).

Well, it happened again on September 30th, this time "CLAYMORE US CAP ETF" (traded as AMEX:UBD) (see discussion threads: Another Screw Up By Google..., in at 48.21!).

I had not seen it happen again after that. Must have been a glitch in the Google (isn't that supposed to cause déjà vu?).

Filed under // Economic Memory Hole

Comments [0]

December 2, 2008

Strange NASDAQ Activity

At around 3:07 PM (EST), the NASDAQ flat-lined. The chart below shows what Yahoo! saw at the end of the day with the NASDAQ in blue and the Dow Jones Industrial average in red. Google shows the same thing and there's a message board with questions about it.

I'm sure it's a simple glitch in how the official data is being published because it affected all financial news outlets that I checked, including Yahoo!, Google, CNBC, MSNBC, et al.

Just one of those things, I guess.

Filed under // Economic Memory Hole

Comments [2]

November 12, 2008

NEWSPAPER BLANKETS U.S. CITIES, PROCLAIMS END TO WAR

I got an interesting e-mail today. Rather elaborate. I've attached the PDF below because the web site is really slow at the moment.

November 12, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SPECIAL TIMES EDITION BLANKETS U.S. CITIES, PROCLAIMS END TO WAR

* PDF: http://www.nytimes-se.com/pdf
* For video updates: http://www.nytimes-se.com/video
* Contact: mailto:writers@nytimes-se.com

Early this morning, commuters nationwide were delighted to find out
that while they were sleeping, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan had
come to an end.

If, that is, they happened to read a "special edition" of today's New
York Times.

In an elaborate operation six months in the planning, 1.2 million
papers were printed at six different presses and driven to prearranged
pickup locations, where thousands of volunteers stood ready to pass
them out on the street.

Articles in the paper announce dozens of new initiatives including the
establishment of national health care, the abolition of corporate
lobbying, a maximum wage for C.E.O.s, and, of course, the end of the
war.

The paper, an exact replica of The New York Times, includes
International, National, New York, and Business sections, as well as
editorials, corrections, and a number of advertisements, including a
recall notice for all cars that run on gasoline. There is also a
timeline describing the gains brought about by eight months of
progressive support and pressure, culminating in President Obama's "Yes
we REALLY can" speech. (The paper is post-dated July 4, 2009.)

"It's all about how at this point, we need to push harder than ever,"
said Bertha Suttner, one of the newspaper's writers. "We've got to make
sure Obama and all the other Democrats do what we elected them to do.
After eight, or maybe twenty-eight years of hell, we need to start
imagining heaven."

Not all readers reacted favorably. "The thing I disagree with is how
they did it," said Stuart Carlyle, who received a paper in Grand
Central Station while commuting to his Wall Street brokerage. "I'm all
for freedom of speech, but they should have started their own paper."

I think they are going to be very disappointed.

You must have flash to see this embedded document.

(download)

Filed under // Memory Hole Political

Comments [3]

November 1, 2008