Politicians Around the US Move to Make Protesting Illegal

Indiana passed a bill on Wednesday that authorizes police officers to shut down highway protesting “by any means necessary.” S.B. 285, as it is known, obliges a public official to dispatch all available officers within 15 minutes of discovering any assembly of 10 or more people who are obstructing vehicle traffic.
The bill then authorizes the responding officers to clear roads “by any means necessary.”

Critics are calling it the “Block Traffic and You Die” bill, an apt name for a bill that has co-opted the phrase “any means necessary,” used famously in speech delivered by Malcolm X during the Civil Rights movement, turning it into a threat against government dissent (with no apparent awareness of the irony).

Federal Agents Call Their Use Of "Stingray" Surveillance Classified

Newly released documents show federal agents using cellphone surveillance technology called some of their work “classified” even though Justice Department officials have said such methods are normal court-approved law enforcement, not spying or intelligence tactics, reports the Wall Street Journal. The "classified" designation suggests a mingling of law enforcement with national-security and espionage work—two areas usually kept distinct to protect Americans’ privacy. It raises fears about the secrecy surrounding a form of digital surveillance that has drawn criticism from civil-liberties groups. The documents were provided by the U.S. Marshals Service in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from the American Civil Liberties Union. They show the Marshals Service paid more than $10 million from 2009 to 2014 to buy machines known as cell-site simulators, also called Stingrays or “dirtboxes,’’ that scan surrounding cellphones to hunt for suspects.

IRS Gets New Powers to Revoke Passports

Submarined deep in the transportation bill passed by Congress last December was a bold, brand new power given to the IRS to collect taxes. If you have a federal tax debt amounting to $50,000 or more, starting this month, the IRS can get your passport cancelled by sending a message to the State Dept. to do so. That $50,000 includes penalties and interest.

Filed under "Orwellian"

Given the fact the IRS collection unit has at times not been so state of the art, given the mistakes the IRS has already made in wrongfully emptying bank accounts and seizing assets, does anyone really think it’s okay for unelected bureaucrats to seize passports, blocking a basic freedom, that is freedom of movement?

The new law, entitled “Revocation or Denial of Passport in Case of Certain Tax Delinquencies,” could mean taxpayers will even be rejected for passports upon renewal.

Related:

Tax Double Whammy: IRS Can Revoke Passports And Uses Collection Agencies