Sunday, August 31, 2008

Police "snatch squads" at RNC

Jane Hamsher and Glenn Greenwald over at FireDogLake report that "Ramsey County police raided several homes occupied by people here to protest at the Minneapolis Republican National Convention. It's believed that these were associated with another raid conducted last night, and the target were individuals associated with a group called the RNC Welcoming Committee."



These preemptive police raids against suspected protesters on trumped up or imaginary charges are highly suspect. The search warrants used for the raids are sealed by the police, so the justification for the raids isn't clear.

There's more details from "The Daily Planet Twin Cities", including the fact that one suspected peaceful protester and homeowner was arrested and jailed without charges. MN police may hold someone without charges for up to 36 hours, but that doesn't include weekends or holidays, so this person may be in jail for FIVE days without charges.

Maybe there's time to get him on a plane to Gitmo for some intensive interrogation.

The Daily Planet article also shows a list of items found in the home during the search that could be used for terrorism. Based on the list and the contents of most people's homes, you're all terrorist too. Here's what you can be arrested for and held without charges for up to five days:
* materials to create “sleeping dragons” (PVC pipe, chicken wire, duct tape) to bind people together
* large amounts of urine, including three to five gallon buckets of urine (OK, this one I don't have, but that's because our toilets work)
* wrist rockets
* a machete, hatchet and several throwing knives
* a gas mask and filter (nope, I don't have any of them, either)
* empty glass bottles
* rags
* flammable liquids
* homemade caltrops (devises used to disable buses in roads)
* metal pipes
* axes
* bolt cutters
* sledge hammers
* repelling equipment
* Kryptonite locks
* empty plastic buckets cut and made into shields
* material for protective padding
* an Army helmet
So, if you take away the buckets of urine, "caltrops", gas mask and homemade shields (which given the nature of the local police, you'll need just to walk down the street without getting gassed or shot with rubber bullets) most homeowners basically have everything else on the list. So does everyone who lives on my street, and in my town, and all over the nation.

We apparently live in a nation full of terrorists. Expect a "no-knock" visit from the riot squad any time soon. This is George Bush's America!

9 comments:

Bob Symmes said...

"RAPPELING" is a method of climbing down vertical surfaces (such as a building or a cliff);

"REPELLING" is a Republican.

Your spell-checker

Anonymous said...

Large amounts of urine. uh, that's weird.

CT Bob said...

Bob - exactly!

Carterman - hey, if they needed urine that bad, they can pretty much have held a kegger the night before the event and fill the containers with fresh pee, rather than rancid three-day-old piss. I have a feeling the urine thing is merely an intentional misrepresentation by the cops.

Have you EVER heard of a mass protest where people were throwing PISS (which is assault, and if done in public is a sure way to end up in jail)? Like anyone would be able to just waltz in and dump a huge bucket of warm piss on McCain like he was the Giants coach near the end of the Super Bovl.

Bob Symmes said...

The implication made is that urine can be mixed w/fertilizer to make explosives. That was the explosives of choice for both Oklahoma City & WTC 93.

Of course, human urine isn't as effective as animal urine for this end, but the Gestapo has to put its message out...

CT Bob said...

I thought they used fuel oil and fertilizer?

Bob Symmes said...

The mixture was home heating fuel, urea, & fertilizer...the nitrates in urine is necessary to the mix (I don't want to give the idiots more details, though they've got enough recipes on the Web)

Bob Symmes said...

however, a more common use for urine is to make gunpowder (again, though bird droppings or bat guano is a better source)

Authentic Connecticut Republican said...

Considering what did happen, the police apparently acted on good information.

CT Bob said...

It's shameful. I hope they got arrested for it.

You have to wonder WTF the security people were thinking in allowing people carrying BOTTLES OF UNKNOWN LIQUIDS in to assault delegates getting off the buses?

Jesus, if I try to carry a half bottle of Snapple onto a plane, all hell breaks loose! What did those idiots in St. Paul spend their $50 million on, fancy new jack boots? I want a refund if that's they're idea of proper security!