Tag Archives: Virginia

Adan Salazar ~ TSA Protester With 4th Amendment Written On Chest Wins Trial Over Airport Arrest

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Infowars.com | January 30, 2013

A young man who visited Virginia’s Richmond International Airport and presented an abridged version of the Fourth Amendment on his shirtless chest can sue the TSA for violating his First Amendment right to free speech, a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday.

After being detained and questioned at the airport for over an hour, Aaron Tobey put forth a civil rights lawsuit against a host of defendants seeking $250,000 in damages.

Tobey approached the Richmond airport terminal in December 2010 and opted out of the radiation-firing nude body scanner; instead, he chose the enhanced pat down where he stripped down to his shorts and staged a silent protest via his body. See video

What Mr. Tobey had written on his body is likely what incited consternation among the screeners. On his chest and gut, Mr. Tobey had inscribed in black marker the words, “Amendment 4: The right of the people to be secure against unreasonable searches and seizures shall not be violated.”

Circuit Judge Roger Gregory, in his majority opinion, offered a more precise version of events: In anticipation that he might be subjected to enhanced screening, Mr. Tobey had written the text of the Fourth Amendment on his chest as he believed AIT scanning was unconstitutional. Before proceeding through the AIT unit, Mr. Tobey calmly placed his sweatpants and t-shirt on the conveyor belt, leaving him in running shorts and socks, revealing the text of the Fourth Amendment written on his chest.

Agent Smith advised Mr. Tobey he need not remove his clothes. Mr. Tobey calmly  responded that he wished to express his view that TSA’s enhanced screening procedures were unconstitutional.

At this point, Agent Smith radioed for assistance. As commanded by her supervisor, Appellant-Agent Jones, Agent Smith ordered Mr. Tobey to remain in front of the AIT unit.

Agent Jones and unknown Appellant-Agent Doe then asked RIC police for assistance. At no point did Mr. Tobey refuse to undergo the enhanced screening procedures. Nor did he decline to do anything requested of him. In fact, Mr. Tobey alleges that he “remained quiet, composed, polite, cooperative and complied with the requests of agents and officers.

The lawsuit claims that Tobey, “in the exercise of his rights to Free Speech and to petition the United States government for the redress of grievances, was arrested without probable cause, falsely imprisoned and maliciously prosecuted for the partial removal of his clothing and display of the text of the Fourth Amendment on his chest…”

The TSA had originally moved to dismiss Tobey’s lawsuit claiming that his “bizarre behavior gave rise to further police inquiry” and provided a reasonable basis for detention; however, they weren’t able to dismiss the claim that his First Amendment had indeed been violated, a complaint that was validated by the Circuit Court of Appeals.

Aaron’s father, Robert Tobey, reportedly says he’s proud of his son and argues there was nothing bizarre about Aaron’s behavior whatsoever: “Bizarre behavior in an airport to me is someone jumping up and down you know causing a ruckus. This was just the opposite.”

Wired.com noted, “In sending the case to trial, unless there’s a settlement, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 and reversed a lower court judge and invoked Benjamin Franklin in the process,” referring to Judge Gregory’s published opinion where he stated:

While it is tempting to hold that First Amendment rights should acquiesce to national security in this instance, our Forefather Benjamin Franklin warned against such a temptation by opining that those “who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” We take heed of his warning and are therefore unwilling to relinquish our First Amendment protections—even in an airport.

Wired further noted that TSA had questioned Tobey “about his affiliation with, or knowledge of, any terrorist organizations, if he had been asked to do what he did by any third party, and what his intentions and goals were,” a disturbing detail that will not come as a shock to a majority of Infowars readers.

According to Newsplex.com, “The circuit court’s opinion will either be appealed by the government to the entire Fourth Circuit or it will be ordered back to the U.S. District Court.”

DC Crumbles As Government Spends Abroad [Video]

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RTAmerica | July 6 2012

It has been seven days since a severe storm struck the Washington, DC area; the brief storm uprooted trees which damaged property and cut power for millions of people in the Mid-Atlantic. Still people are left without power and while Americans are dealing with record high temperatures, the US government chooses to spend millions of dollars on upgrading Guantanamo Bay’s infrastructure as well as Iraq, literally leaving many Americans in the dark. Liz Wahl brings us more.

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Alex Newman ~ U.S. Bilderberg Attendees Violating Federal Law, Activists Say

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The New American | June 2 2012

As a shadowy collection of the world’s power brokers gathers in Chantilly, Virginia, for the elite Bilderberg conference this weekend under unprecedented media scrutiny, activists from across the political spectrum are arguing that U.S. citizens attending the controversial confab are potentially committing a felony by violating the Logan Act. And while the chances of charges being brought anytime soon are probably slim, anti-Bilderberg protesters admit, more than a few critics of the meeting are still loudly calling for federal prosecutions to bring any and all perpetrators to justice.

The yearly gathering includes media magnates, titans of industry, top bankers, influential politicians, royalty and nobility, prominent academics, military and “intelligence” chieftains, and many other members of the so-called “global elite.” And the 2012 conference is no different. According to a guest list released by the group — which analysts who study Bilderberg say typically omits certain key participants — there are about 50 Americans in attendance, all of them extraordinarily influential. Other participants hailed mostly from Europe, though even a high-ranking official from the Communist dictatorship ruling China was in attendance this year.

The legal problem raised by critics is that federal law specifically bars any U.S. citizen without government permission from working with foreign officials on matters of policy. Passed under the John Adams administration in 1799, the Logan Act was amended as recently as the 1990s and, despite almost never being used, remains on the books today. And that, Bilderberg opponents say, means that Americans meeting with foreign officials at the secretive gathering should be investigated and eventually prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

The Logan Act states, in part: “Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.”

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Bilderberg Behind The New World Order?

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RTAmerica | May 31 2012

For over half century, a collection of world leaders have been meeting annually across the globe, but this year the Bilderberg group, which many believe sets global agendas, is gathering in Chantilly, Virginia. A lot of people think the decisions made here only benefit the rich and powerful. Abby Martin joins us for more on Bilderberg.

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Bilderberg Has Alex Jones Thrown Out of Marriott Hotel

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InfoWars | May 30 2012

May 30, the day before the official kick off of the Bilderberg conference, Alex Jones and crew were officially kicked out of the hotel by a manager on the premise that “renovation” was underway. The previous night, the hotel called Alex Jones to cancel his reservation. Later, crew member Aaron Dykes showed up at the hotel to check in under a separate reservation and was also refused, told by different staff members that the hotel was “overbooked” and, separately and conflictingly, that it was undergoing renovation. Infowars has confirmed from multiple sources that the Bilderberg group will indeed be meeting at the Westfields Marriott in Chantilly, Virginia this weekend.

Watch the video of the incident:

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Virginia’s Anti-NDAA Bill Set to Become Law; Ariz. Joins the Fight

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Joe Wolverton, II | The New American | April 20 2012

After agreeing to changes suggested by Governor Bob McDonnell, both houses of the state legislature of Virginia passed HB 1160, the bill sponsored (and shepherded) by Delegate Bob Marshall (right) that prohibits state officers and agents from participating in the unconstitutional detention of citizens of the Old Dominion.

Neither the vote in the state House of Delegates nor the state Senate was even close: the House approved the measure 89-7 and the Senate followed suit later in the day voting 36-1 to make HB 1160 the law in Virginia.
In an interview with The New American, Delegate Marshall described the process that resulted in Virginia’s ultimate passage of a bill that reinforces the protections of the Constitution and basic civil liberties in Virginia.

“I worked with the governor’s staff to word his amendments in such a way that would be acceptable to the House and the Senate,” said Marshall.

“From the beginning, there was one goal: for Virginia to distance itself from ever participating in the illegal, unconstitutional detention of any citizen living in our state,” Marshall continued.

He expressed his gratitude to “the many liberty-minded citizens across Virginia” for their valiant effort to persuade their state representatives to add their voice to the chorus of lawmakers calling for the shoring up of the barricades placed by the Constitution around life, liberty, and property.

“This victory would not have been possible without strong grassroots support for my bill from Virginians of all political backgrounds and persuasions. I thank them for taking the time to write letters, send e-mails and make telephone calls to the governor and General Assembly members.

And I am proud of the Assembly’s response,” Marshall said.

The bill, as originally introduced by Delegate Marshall on January 16, prohibited “any agency, political subdivision, employee, or member of the military of Virginia from assisting an agency or the armed forces of the United States in the investigation, prosecution, or detainment of a United States citizen in violation of the Constitution of Virginia.”

HB 1160, the amended bill, would prevent the use of any state agency or member of the Virginia National Guard or Virginia Defense Force to participate in the unlawful detention of a citizen of Virginia by the U.S. government in violation of the state and federal constitution as set forth in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The Senate vote completed legislative action on the bill, which had already been approved by Virginia’s House of Delegates where it was introduced by Delegate Bob Marshall.

One of the most noxious elements of the NDAA is that it places the American military at the disposal of the President for the apprehension, arrest, and detention of those suspected of posing a danger to the homeland (whether inside or outside the borders of the United States and whether the suspect be a citizen or foreigner).

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Virginia Says No to Lawless Imprisonment

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David Swanson | Global Research | Feb. 28 2012

Good things do come out of the Virginia state legislature. That normally reprehensible body has just stood up to the federal outrage that has come to be known as the NDAA. The letters stand for the National Defense Authorization Act, but at issue here is not the bulk of that bill. Virginia’s state government has no objection to dumping our grandchildren’s unearned pay into the pockets of war profiteers while our schools lack funding. At issue is the presidential power to lock people up without a trial, which was slipped into the latest military funding bill late last year and signed into law by President Barack Obama on New Year’s Eve. In fact, Virginia’s legislature does not object to that abuse except in one particular circumstance, namely when the victim of it is a U.S. citizen. But in that circumstance, Virginia says Hell No.

Locally in Charlottesville, we rallied at Republican Congressman Robert Hurt‘s office.

We urged him to vote No, and he did so, saying:

“After studying the controversial provisions and after hearing from many in the Fifth District, I concluded that the detainee provisions in the bill did not provide clear and unambiguous protection of the constitutional rights of American citizens. For this reason, I opposed the bill on final passage.”

Groups from across the political spectrum, including the Bill of Rights Defense Committee, urged passage of a bill in Virginia’s state legislature to nullify the new provisions.

Both houses have now passed the bill by veto-proof margins.

Here’s what the bill (House bill 1160) says:

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

§ 1. Notwithstanding any contrary provision of law, no agency of the Commonwealth as defined in § 8.01-385 of the Code of Virginia, political subdivision of the Commonwealth as defined in § 8.01-385 of the Code of Virginia, employee of either acting in his official capacity, or member of the Virginia National Guard or Virginia Defense Force, when such a member is serving in the Virginia National Guard or the Virginia Defense Force on official state duty, shall aid an agency of the armed forces of the United States in the conduct of the investigation, prosecution, or detention of any citizen pursuant to 50 U.S.C. § 1541 as provided by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (P.L. 112-18, § 1021) if such aid would place any state agency, political subdivision, employee of such state agency or political subdivision, or aforementioned member of the Virginia National Guard or the Virginia Defense Force in violation of the United States Constitution, the Constitution of Virginia, and provision of the Code of Virginia, any act of the General Assembly, or any regulation of the Virginia Administrative Code.

http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?121+ful+HB1160H1

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Censored Earthquake ~ Midwest to Southeast USA Shakes (Wiped Data)

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Dutchsinse | February 23 2012

Dutch writes “Reports of a censored earthquake came to me today — from a few different viewers who saw the USGS knock a Virginia / West Virginia earthquake off the map.

With a little sleuth work , and some LUCK that the other feed wasn’t yet censored — I was able to track down the approximate epicenter of this quake based upon the helicorder signatures at each ANSS backbone station.

Heaviest shaking occurred in Florida, South/North Carolina!

Here is the link to use.. pull the charts before THEY TOO are gone for good !”

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/monitoring/anss/

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Virginia House Passes NDAA Nullification 96-4 (Thanks, VK)

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Kurt Nimmo | Info Wars | February 17 2012

In a move completely ignored by the establishment media, the Virginia House of Delegates has voted in favor of House Bill 1160 (HB1160), legislation that codifies in Virginia law noncompliance with the “kidnapping provisions” of section 1021 and 1022 of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 (NDAA).

The final vote, held on February 14, was 96-4. The bill was sponsored by Delegate Bob Marshall and was introduced on January 16th of this year.

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell is on record as opposing the legislation.

HB 1160 reads as follows: “A BILL to prevent any agency, political subdivision, employee, or member of the military of Virginia from assisting an agency of the armed forces of the United States in the conduct of the investigation, prosecution, or detention of a citizen in violation of the United States Constitution, the Constitution of Virginia, or any Virginia law or regulation.”

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The Tea Party Pork Binge

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By Daniel Stone (The Daily Beast) | Reader Supported News
October 31 2011

Guess what the conservatives who brought the nation to the brink of default this summer do in their spare time? Ask for government handouts. (An investigation into Tea Party pork.)

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, the Republican leadership’s tether to the Tea Party, flutters the hearts of the government-bashing, budget-slicing faithful with his relentless attacks on runaway federal spending. To Cantor, an $8 billion high-speed rail connecting Las Vegas to Disneyland is wasteful “pork-barrel spending.” The Virginia Republican set up the “You Cut” Web site to demonstrate how easy it is to slash government programs. And he made the Department of Housing and Urban Development the poster child for waste when he disclosed that the agency was paying for housing for Ph.D.s.

But away from the cameras, Cantor sometimes pulls right up to the spending trough, including the very stimulus law he panned in public. Letters obtained by Newsweek show him pressing the Transportation Department to spend nearly $3 billion in stimulus money on a high-speed-rail project – not the one he derided in Nevada, but another in his home state. “Virginia … will demonstrate that this historic investment in rail will create jobs, reduce congestion, spur economic growth and improve our environment,” says a letter he signed with other Virginia members in October 2009, cribbing President Obama’s own argument for the stimulus.

Cantor signed several such letters, including an earlier one seeking rail funds a month after he went on national television attacking the Vegas project. He also signed a letter in October 2009 seeking $60 million to build commercial ships, some likely along Virginia’s coastline. As for his bashing of HUD, until last year he owned as much as $50,000 in preferred stock in a real-estate company that receives federal housing assistance from the department.

As the government showdown over debt continues – the so-called congressional supercommittee negotiating cuts has been floundering for weeks – Newsweek found about five dozen of the most fiscally conservative Republicans, from Tea Party freshmen like Allen West to anti-spending presidential candidates like Rick Perry and Ron Paul, trying to gobble up the very largesse they publicly disown, in the time-honored, budget-busting tradition of bringing home the bacon for local constituents.

The stack of spending-request letters between these GOP members and federal agencies stands more than a foot tall, and disheartens some of the activists who sent Republicans to Washington in the last election.

“It’s pretty disturbing,” says Judson Phillips, founder of Tea Party Nation, when told about the stack of letters from members, many of whom he supported in 2010. “We sent many of these people there, and really, I wish some of our folks would get up and say, you know what, we have to cut the budget, and the budget is never going to get cut if all 535 members of Congress have their hands out all the time.”

Many of the letters seek to tap the stimulus, clean-energy loans, and innovation grants – programs the same Republicans have accused Obama and the Democrats of using to bloat government and jeopardize America’s future. And these fiscal conservatives often used in their private letters the same arguments they pan in public.

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