Vermont Man Sues Cops After Illegal Confiscation Of His Car For “Exercising His Right” To Refuse Warrantless Search

Cops Seize Car When Told To Get A Warrant, Tell Owner That’s What He Gets For ‘Exercising His Rights’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

” Yeah, so you’ve read the headline. No criminal activity. No charges brought. And a cheap shot fired across the bow of the Fourth Amendment, not to mention Vermont’s own Constitution.

  But let’s travel back further to set this up. Twenty-one-year-old Gregory Zullo was supposedly pulled over for having his license plate registration sticker (incidentally) covered by a small amount of snow.

Not a crime. From the ACLU filing [pdf link]:

  At all times relevant to this action, it was not a violation of Vermont law to drive a car on which the validation sticker on the rear license plate – but not the numbers and letters of the license plate itself – was touched by snow, leaves, or any other material.

  The lawsuit notes that the officer who stated this was the reason he initiated the event spent no further time on that subject. He didn’t bother to brush the snow away from the registration sticker or have Zullo do it, despite the fact that both spent over 30 minutes no more than a few inches away from the offending plate.

  Officer Hatch spent most of his time trying to talk Zullo into allowing him to search the vehicle without a warrant. Hatch seemed to be convinced that Zullo was involved with the heroin traffickers he was searching for. Hatch tried everything, including lying.

  More than once, the defendant’s employee told Mr. Zullo that Mr. Zullo should consent to a search because the police dog in the back of his truck smelled something. “

Read more here and here

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Vermont Bill H.735 Makes Gun Confiscation More Likely

Vermont: Gun Confiscation Provisions Tucked Inside Bill On Government Fees

” Buried inside a bill that would adjust fees for lottery ticket sales, returned checks and the use of the “Market Vermont” logo, is a budding requirement for police to confiscate, store for a fee and sell privately owned guns.

  The legislation, among its many regulatory tenets, would establish a framework for law enforcement to seize and store guns from those who are the subject of a restraining order.

“ We’re talking about folks who have been abusive to their partner or spouse, usually wife,” Gov. Peter Shumlin said at a news conference in Barre last week.

  Ostensibly designed to adjust certain judicial and executive fees inside the Vermont government, just six pages of the 31-page bill, H.735, deal with firearms. It is this section, however, that is drawing the most attention.”

   Guns.com has more on this latest sneaky effort by pols to confiscate guns . It’s a good thing women never make any false accusations against spurned lovers , or there might be people men persecuted by the State on heresay “evidence”. 

   While we realize that this bill does not explicitly push confiscation it does place an undue financial burden on citizens that have not been convicted of any offense merely on the suspicion that they might be used in a crime .

   We certainly do not wish any harm on women or any other domestic partners but if the State feels the need to take an individual’s guns without prior conviction then the State should be obligated to foot the bill for the safe storage of confiscated arms until it has attained a conviction .

    For an innocent man to have his guns taken by the State solely on the word of a disgruntled lover and be sent a bill for such storage even if found nit guilty at the end of the day is a penalty without a crime and and affront to due process .

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Who Needs Minimum Wage Hikes ? Welfare Pays Much Better Than Work

Welfare Payouts Top $20 Per Hour In Eight States

 

 

 

 ” In 35 states, welfare, housing assistance and other benefits pays more than a minimum wage job, according to a new study by the Cato Institute. The study also found that in 13 states, the payout is more than $15 per hour.

  Of course, this study doesn’t take into account that not everyone on public assistance receives all of the programs. But if they did, their payout would be significantly higher than even a starting teacher’s salary in 11 states or a computer programmer in 3 states.

  The states with the highest welfare payouts – more than $20 per hour – are Hawaii, with payments equaling $29.13 per hour, DC at $24.43 per hour, Massachusetts at $24.30 , Connecticut at $21.33, New York at $21.01 per hour, New Jersey at $20.89 per hour, Rhode Island at $20.83 per hour and Vermont at $20.36 per hour.“

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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POLICE: “SHUT UP OR GET TICKETED”

VERMONT TRAFFIC STOP LEADS TO FEDERAL CIVIL RIGHTS DISPUTE (VIDEO)

 

 

 

” Rod MacIver received a faulty ticket in December which lead him to suing the small Vermont town of Shelburne. He arrived at court to fight the complaint but the judge in small claims court had to postpone the hearing. The police officers who were defending themselves were advised by their attorney to skip the court date and go to a local coffee shop instead. Now the ACLU has gotten involved and slapped the town with twin federal civil rights cases.

The ACLU believes that the officers violated MacIver’s Fourth Amendment rights in pulling him over for no reason and his First Amendment rights when the officer told him to “shut up or get ticketed”. Police initially argued that their video showed a violation, but then conceded later he was wrong and the man apparently committed no crime. Now the police are left to fight off MacIver and the ACLU.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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10 Worst States For College Graduates In Student Debt

 

” The student debt crisis continues to grow larger and more dangerous with each passing school year. The skyrocketing price for a college degree is causing an epidemic with student loans as more people rack up unsustainable amounts of debt to further their education. Using debt to obtain a degree can be beneficial if done properly, but there are certainly some states worse off than others when comparing debt to earnings .

 

With lenders handing out loans like candy, the amount of student loan debt in America has nearly doubled in the past five years, from $550 billion in late 2007 to $986 billion in the first quarter of 2013. In fact, two-thirds of recent graduates have student loans, with an average balance of more than $27,000, according to a new report from the Joint Economic Committee.”

 

READ MORE

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Price Of Gas Got You Down ?

States Consider Increasing Gas Taxes

 

 

 

” If you’ve ever felt the pain at the pump from filling up your tank and wanted to decry big oil, your anger would be misplaced.

That’s because a larger and larger chuck of change out of every gallon of gas you buy is tax going to the government.

Earlier this year, Wyoming increased its tax per gallon from 14 cents to 24 cents, the first increase the state has implemented in 15 years. The increased revenue is expected to raise  $47.4 million for highway work, and goes into effect in July.

Governors of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Michigan and Vermont have also proposed raising the consumption tax on placed on gas. The state legislature in New Hampshire will hold a hearing Thursday to considering phasing in a 15-cent-per-gallon increase.”

 

 

Related articles

• Gas prices climb higher in NH (wmur.com)
• Road funds on empty; more states weigh gasoline tax hikes (news.terra.com)
• Californians may pay nation’s highest gas taxes (kfwbam.com)
• It’s official: Gas tax going up (utsandiego.com)
• Petition against gasoline tax hike collects 4,000 signatures (vtdigger.org)
• Bill to end oil, gas tax holiday tabled (billingsgazette.com)

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Northeast Skiing Is Looking Up … 2 Feet Of Fresh Powder

A STATE-BY-STATE LOOK AT THE NORTHEAST BLIZZARD

 

 

 

 

 

”  A state-by-state look at the Northeast blizzard
A look at effects in states and provinces in the path of the storm sweeping across the Northeast and southern Canada:

 

CONNECTICUT

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy imposed a travel ban Friday on the state’s highways and deployed National Guard troops around the state for rescues or other emergencies.

A coastal flood warning was posted for southern Fairfield County, saying Friday evening’s high tide could be 3 to 5 feet higher than normal in western Long Island Sound.

The state’s two biggest utilities planned for the possibility that up to 30 percent of their customers _ more than 400,000 homes and businesses _ would lose power. As of early Saturday, more than 35,000 had no service.

Nonessential state workers were ordered to stay home Friday. Schools, colleges and state courthouses were also closed. All flights after 1:30 p.m. at Bradley Airport near Hartford were canceled. Connecticut Transit ceased all bus service by 6 p.m. Friday.

Some gas stations ran out of fuel Thursday night during the rush to prepare for the storm.

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MAINE “

Related articles

• A state-by-state look at the Northeast blizzard (cnsnews.com)
• Blizzard blankets U.S. Northeast, disrupting traffic and flights (uk.reuters.com)
• Blizzard blankets Northeast, disrupting traffic and flights – Reuters (reuters.com)
• State’s EOC activated as blizzard continues; coastal flood warnings issued (darientimes.com)
• Blizzard brings US northeast to a halt (nation.com.pk)

No Guns For Us , No Shooting For You

VERMONT GUN RANGE BANS POLICE OFFICERS FROM FACILITY OVER PROPOSED CITY-WIDE BAN ON SEMI-AUTOMATIC RIFLES

 

 

 

” A Vermont gun range has banned the Burlington Police Department from using its facility after City Council voted to advance a proposed ban on semi-automatic weapons and high-capacity magazines. And given the fact that such facilities are limited in the area, the move could impact when and where officers can go target shooting.

Officials with the Lamoille Valley Fish and Game Club told Fox News that it is hard for the facility to support the city, which includes police officers, due to the attempted gun grab by City Council.”

Related articles

• Gun range bans police (fellowshipofminds.wordpress.com)
• Shooting Range Bans Police Department In Protest Of City Council Gun Bill (connecticut.cbslocal.com)
• Police barred from Vermont gun range over proposed semi-automatic rifle ban (amresolution.com)
• Re: COPS NOT WELCOME!: Gun range prohibits police after city considers ban. (forum.prisonplanet.com)

Status Quo …

  Conn. Senate race goes to Murphy; Sanders, King win VT and ME

” Democrat Chris Murphy has won Connecticut’s bombastic Senate race, defeating Republican and former WWE president Linda McMahon. Combined with her previous bid in 2010, McMahon has dropped $100 million of her own personal fortune to pursue a Senate seat.

Elsewhere, it’s been a good night for the Independents. In Maine, Angus King has been elected to Senate, where he previously served as governor. In Vermont, independent junior Senator Bernie Sanders has won reelection.

Four other Democrats have also won re-election to the Senate: Bill Nelson in Florida, Sheldon Whitehouse in Rhode Island, Ben Cardin in Maryland and Tom Carper in Delaware. Meanwhile, in Tennessee, Republican Sen. Bob Corker won re-election.

The Senate races that remain toss-ups are in Indiana, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Virginia and Wisconsin.”

The Infamous Stringdusters ‘Cripple Creek’ GoPro LIVE

US man crushes seven police cars with tractor