Judge acquits Hutaree militia members of conspiracy charges

DETROIT – A federal judge Tuesday acquitted seven Hutaree members of all conspiracy charges, concluding the government didn't have enough evidence that the group plotted a violent revolt that included killing a police officer and bombing a funeral.

U.S. District Judge Victoria Roberts dismissed all charges against five of the defendants. Illegal weapons charges remain against two defendants: the supposed ringleader, David Stone Sr., and his son Joshua Stone.

Defendants acquitted of all charges are Tina Stone, 46, and David Stone Jr., 22, both of Adrian, Mich.; Michael Meeks, 42, of Manchester, Mich; Thomas Piatek, 48, of Whiting, Ind.; and Kristopher Sickles, 29, of Sandusky, Ohio.

"We're just grateful to Judge Roberts for having the courage to do the right thing. … Very few judges have that kind of courage," said lawyer Michael Rataj, who is representing Tina Stone.

"There was no case. There was no conspiracy," Rataj said, further claiming the case was the result of overzealous federal agents.

In the 28-page decision, Roberts wrote: "The evidence is not sufficient for a rational factfinder to find that defendants came to a concrete agreement to forcibly oppose the authority of the government of the United States as charged in the indictment."

She said prosecutors shifted positions since the defendants were indicted; the indictment charges a specific plan to overthrow the United States government.

Prosecutors now argue that the group had a general plan to engage in violence to provoke a response from law enforcement, she said.

"The prosecution is not free to roam at large — to shift its theory of criminality so as to take advantage of each passing vicissitude of the trial," Roberts said. "If the government now admits that the plan alleged in Count 1 of the indictment (seditious conspiracy) did not exist, then defendants must be acquitted."

Gina Balaya, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's office, said the prosecutor's office is going to withhold any comment until the end of the trial.

In court documents filed last week, prosecutors defended the charges, saying they had proof that a violent plan was in the works and that the government stopped it before it took effect.

"That there was no specific date, place, or target for this conflict — or that it was not certain whether the Hutaree intended to initiate the conflict or simply to engage in it once initiated by other forces is of no moment," Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sheldon Light and Christopher Graveline wrote. "The evidence supports the conclusion that there was a plan, an agreement, among these defendants and others to join in opposing by force the government of the United States when the time came."

Tuesday's acquittals come days after the government rested its case with videos of bomb explosions.

Those acquitted could have faced up to life in prison if convicted.

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Evidence of War Lies Public Pre-War This Time

When President George W. Bush was pretending to want to avoid a war on Iraq while constantly pushing laughably bad propaganda to get that war going, we had a feeling he was lying.  After all, he was a Republican.  But it was after the war was raging away that we came upon things like the Downing Street Minutes and the White House Memo.
Read Full Article:  http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/03/evidence-of-war-lies-public-pre-war-this-time.html

Dual Citizenship -- Loyal to Whom?

 

There is a new law -- the so-called "Hate Speech" law, that just passed the House and is expected to pass the Senate and become law very soon. It was originally designed to guard against discrimination of oppressed minorities but was soon recognized as a way for Israel to forever end any criticism of the state of Israel and Zionism. When it is law, this page, and many like it will be deleted from the internet as yet another mile marker of the infringement of truth and free speech by certain dual-nationals at the expense of true and patriotic Americans. 

See Full Article:  http://www.viewzone.com/dualcitizen.html

Pink Slime For School Lunch: Government Buying 7 Million Pounds Of Ammonia-Treated Meat For Meals

 

Pink slime -- that ammonia-treated meat in a bright Pepto-bismol shade -- may have been rejected by fast food joints like McDonald's, Taco Bell and Burger King, but is being brought in by the tons for the nation's school lunch program.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is purchasing 7 million pounds of the "slime" for school lunches, The Daily reports. Officially termed "Lean Beef Trimmings," the product is a ground-up combination of beef scraps, cow connective tissues and other beef trimmings that are treated with ammonium hydroxide to kill pathogens like salmonella and E. coli. It's then blended into traditional meat products like ground beef and hamburger patties.

"We originally called it soylent pink," microbiologist Carl Custer, who worked at the Food Safety Inspection Service for 35 years, told The Daily. "We looked at the product and we objected to it because it used connective tissues instead of muscle. It was simply not nutritionally equivalent [to ground beef]. My main objection was that it was not meat."

Custer and microbiologist Gerald Zernstein concluded in a study that the trimmings are a "high risk product," but Zernstein tells The Daily that "scientists in D.C. were pressured to approve this stuff with minimal safety approval" under President George H.W. Bush's administration. The USDA asserts that its ground beef purchases "meet the highest standard for food safety."

Controversy surrounding "pink slime" stems from various safety concerns, particularly dangers associated with ammonium hydroxide, which can both be harmful to eat and has potential to turn into ammonium nitrate -- a common component in homemade bombs, according to MSNBC. It's also used in household cleaners and fertilizers.

In 2009, The New York Times reported that despite the added ammonia, tests of Lean Beef Trimmings of schools across the country revealed dozens of instances of E. coli and salmonella pathogens.
Between 2005 and 2009, E. coli was found three times and salmonella 48 times, according to the Times, including two contaminated batches of 27,000 pounds of meat.

A public outcry against the "slime" is led perhaps most prominently by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver,
who had also successfully waged war against flavored milk in Los Angeles schools and continues a crusade for healthier school lunches.

News of the USDA's plan to bring 7 million pounds of "pink slime" to school cafeterias nationwide comes just weeks after the government announced new guidelines to ensure students are given healthier options for school meals. The new standards call for more whole grains and produce as well as less sodium and fat in school meals. While the measures mark a step forward from previous years, they still compromise amid push-back from Congress to keep pizza and french fries on the menu -- counting both the tomato paste on pizza and the potatoes that make fries as vegetables.

Still, some schools -- like several in California -- have taken the matter into their own hands, and have found ways to profit from those efforts. Umpteen school districts have taken part in a decade-long initiative, supported by a philanthropic organization, that provides schools with equipments and chefs who teach cafeteria workers to cook from scratch and produce fresh meals.

A recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that more than a third of high school students were eating vegetables less than once a day -- "considerably below" recommended levels of intake for a healthy lifestyle that supports weight management and could reduce risks for chronic diseases and some cancers.

Lies, Damn Lies, and Major Media Scoundrel Journalism

Merriam-Webster's defines journalism as involving "writing characterized by a direct presentation of facts or description of events without an attempt at interpretation." 

In other words, the truth, the whole truth, and nothing else.

The Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics Preamble states:

...public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues. Conscientious journalists from all media and specialties strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist's credibility.

The Radio-Television News Directors Association Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct stresses public trust, credibility, accuracy, and truth: "(R)eporting (must exclude) anything known to be false." It must stress fairness, integrity, independence, accountability, and "responsibility to the profession of electronic journalism."

Clearly, major media print and broadcast journalism fails on all counts. They serves wealth and power. They feature managed and junk food news. They exclude truth and full disclosure. Readers, viewers, and listeners are cheated by lies, damn lies, and an agenda harming their vital interests.

See Full Article:  http://www.activistpost.com/2012/03/lies-damn-lies-and-major-media.html