Democracy & Civics

Fake Drug Den Targets Texas Police

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Narcotics police in Odessa, Texas, were the unlikely subjects of an online reality show called Kop Busters that aims to expose police corruption. The show crew set up a fake drug den in an empty house with indoor-gardening equipment typically used to cultivate marijuana, but instead growing a pair of Christmas tree saplings. The video on the program’s site shows a group of police entering the house, then discovering the decoy Christmas trees — along with a message taped to the wall, informing officers that they were being recorded and asserting that their search warrant was illegally obtained without probable cause. The origins of the project date back to 2005, when an Odessa woman named Yolanda Madden was arrested and found guilty of methamphetamine possession with intent to sell. During her court trial, however, a police informant testified that he was asked by the Odessa narcotics department to plant the drugs on her, but that he unknowingly planted the drugs on the wrong woman.

Democracy & Civics

NSA: Total Information in Texas?

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The National Security Agency is creating a new data center in southern Texas that critics say will track the daily activities of all Americans, reports the San Antonio Current. The 470,000-square-foot data warehouse, formerly a Sony microchip facility and almost as large as the local football stadium, could help the government identify potential terrorist threats. Yet the lack of oversight of NSA activities has raised civil-rights questions — as has the proximity of a nearby Microsoft facility, which could provide access to the software company’s mass of stored email data. In particular, activists say that the NSA’s “watch list” of people who may be a threat to national security is not always accurate. The Current also cites an October report sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security that found data mining to be ineffective for identifying terrorists or potential attacks.

Democracy & Civics

Newspaper D-Day in 2010?

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Urban newspapers, which are facing a startlingly bleak selling environment, are in such decline that some cities may lose their local newspapers completely within a couple of years. Editor and Publisher magazine reports that low advertising revenue is a major factor driving huge debt among many newspapers. That may force some to default on payments and fold within the next year or two. Two major newspaper companies — the McClatchy Company and Tribune Company — already have dismal credit ratings. In a recent media outlook report, credit ratings firm Fitch Ratings said, “Fitch believes more newspapers and newspaper groups will default, be shut down and be liquidated in 2009 and several cities could go without a daily print newspaper by 2010.”

Democracy & Civics

Nonprofits Brace for Economic Slump

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Nonprofit organizations across the United States are being hit hard by the economic crisis, as contributions from foundations, corporations and private donors diminish. Even as demand for social services increases, nonprofits are being forced to cut staff and reduce operations, according to Crain’s New York Business. Professor Paul Light of New York University projects that at least “100,000 nonprofits nationwide will be forced to close their doors in the next two years” due to the economic downturn, and called for foundations to increase their annual giving. As charitable donations decline, nonprofit groups may be forced to help each other survive through strategies like back-office consolidation, strategic alliances and health- care-plan mergers. Clara Miller, chief executive of the Nonprofit Finance Fund, which provides loans and financial services, said that a boost from foundations might not be enough given cuts in government spending.

Nation

U.S.: New Push for Felon Voting Rights

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While Maine and Vermont are the only two American states that allow all prison inmates to vote, many other states are increasing voting rights for felons. The Los Angeles times reports that the drive to restore voting rights is backed strongly by justice-reform advocates, the African American community, and evangelical Christians. Because one out of eight black men cannot vote due to prior convictions, voting rights can turn into a civil rights issue. Pat Nolan, a leader of the Christian reform group Prison Fellowship, told the newspaper it was a matter of forgiveness: “Why, after someone has paid their debt, do we continue to punish them?” More than five million people in the U.S. cannot vote due to felony convictions.

Nation

Social Media Changes Elections

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While the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections saw the web emerge as a powerful force in political campaigns, the 2008 race harnessed the power of the Internet to an unprecedented degree for fundraising, volunteer coordination, voter recruitment and post-election communication. In the 2004 election, Newsdesk.org first reported on the emergence of social-networking services as campaign tools, with more tech-savvy candidates embracing the technology. Today, social media in elections and politics has reached a whole new level, with Change.gov, a website launched by President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team, at the forefront. The site is soliciting feedback and ideas from the American public and will document Obama’s transition to the Presidency, according to the BBC. The website also lists Obama’s policy priorities, job possibilities in the new administration, and information on the transition itself.

Democracy & Civics

U.S. Border Checkpoints Move Inland

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An activist group says that the United States has expanded border checkpoints deeper into the nation than the Constitution permits — but government officials say they’re acting within the limits of the law as defined by the federal court system. The American Civil Liberties Union is highlighting what it refers to as “Constitution-free zones” in America that extend 100 miles inside U.S. borders and encompass nearly two-thirds of the nation’s citizens, reports Wired News. The checkpoints are protected under the Fourth Amendment, which give border authorities search-and-seizure rights — yet according to ACLU spokeswoman Caroline Fredrickson, extending those powers into U.S. territory is “a classic example of law enforcement powers expanding far beyond their proper boundaries — in this case, literally.” Federal authorities, however, say the ACLU they are following Supreme Court guidelines. Since 9/11, the government has allowed the Department of Homeland Security to set up more than 30 new internal checkpoints where they can ask people for their papers without telling them why.

Nation

Kentucky Questions Psychiatric Drugs for Children

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Kentucky is the most recent state with plans to curb anti-psychotic drug prescriptions for children. The educational program should save state Medicaid millions of dollars and is already established in 19 other states. The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that although “atypical anti-psychotic” drugs can be used to successfully treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and autism in children, they can be inappropriately or over-prescribed. Healthcare providers fear that substantial weight gain from the drugs, a common side effect, could lead to higher rates of Type II diabetes for young patients. The plan will launch in early 2009 with letters to prescribers detailing the latest guidelines for appropriate use, prescription and risk.

Economy

Poking Holes in the Golden Parachute

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The Wall Street bailout bill recently passed by Congress includes a provision that puts a $500,000 cap on the executive pay that the leaders of affected companies can deduct from their taxes. According to the Christian Science Monitor, any executive pay on Wall Street exceeding that cap is taxable — yet some are concerned Wall Street executives will find loopholes that allow them to walk away with millions. Initial versions of the taxpayer-funded bailout had no executive pay restrictions, but outrage from citizens and politicians alike forced Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson to make revisions. Although it’s possible the executive salary cap could reverse the excessive trends of previous decades, Doug Elmendorf, a Brookings Institute expert, said “These are the most clever people when it comes to writing financial contracts. They will hire people to figure out how to get around it.”

Environment

Methane Harvest Debuts in Texas

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San Antonio, Texas will be the first city in the United States to harvest methane gas from human waste on a commercial scale and turn it into clean-burning natural gas. San Antonio’s Business Journal said the city signed a 20-year lease with Ameresco Inc., who will convert the city’s “biosolids” — sewage — into natural gas. “The citizens of San Antonio produce about 140,000 tons of biosolids each year,” said Steve Clouse, chief operating officer of San Antonio’s water system. Methane gas, the main byproduct of human and organic waste, is a major component of natural gas that is burned in power plants, furnaces and combustion generators. The city’s biogas will be prepared in a processing plant built in San Antonio and then sold on the open market, making it the first city to do large-scale conversion of methane gas to fuel for generating power.