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A judge asked Monroe County to provide him with the records of a reporter's license plate.(Photo: Christina Nellemann, Getty Images/iStockphoto)

An attorney for the Democrat and Chronicle argued Tuesday in state Supreme Court that Monroe County officials erred in refusing to release records that could show how extensively police use high-speed license-plate cameras to log where and when law-abiding citizens are driving.

The county maintains a database of license-plate records collected by these cameras, which often are mounted on police cruisers, and had amassed about 3.8 million records as of last summer. In July, reporter Steve Orr asked to see any records on his own license plate, those of six colleagues and two used on a pair of government vehicles assigned to Mayor Lovely Warren and Deputy County Executive Dan DeLaus.

County officials denied Orr's request. The Democrat and Chronicle asked a judge this fall to step in and order the records released.

Attorney Christopher Thomas of Nixon Peabody LLP told Justice John J. Ark on Tuesday morning that other law enforcement agencies including the Greece Police Department have readily handed over such information to people who asked for records on their own plates.

Deputy County Attorney Matt Brown said the decisions of other government agencies are "wholly irrelevant" because there have been no other court cases to settle how to deal with this issue.

The county has argued that releasing the records would be an invasion of personal privacy or interfere with a law enforcement investigation two reasons that government agencies can withhold records under the state's open records law.

Thomas criticized the county's argument that the records could somehow compromise an investigation.

"What the county is saying is that we're all suspects until we're not suspects, and we can't see our own data because we might some day be a suspect," he said.

Thomas also said the county simply could have requested proof that the reporters and editors involved in the request consented for their records to be released. All have since signed letters saying as much.

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Judge hears Democrat and Chronicle plate reader suit

"The state cannot discriminate, and if it does so, that is an abuse of power": Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm. Photo: Peter Rae

Same-sex marriage is vital for three reasons: liberty, conscience and state power.

That's the argument of Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm who on Wednesday introduced a private senator's bill to allow same-sex marriage.

The bill would allow any Australian to marry regardless of "sex, sexual orientation and gender identity".

However, it also gives non-government religious and civil celebrants the right to refuse to marry same-sex couples.

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The libertarian doesn't believe government should interfere in individual choices and freedoms, and also supports the medical use of marijuana and assisted suicide.

Banning same-sex marriage diminishes people's ability to make life plans and marriage equality keeps state power in check, he says.

"The state is a wonderful servant but a terrible master," he says.

"The state cannot discriminate, and if it does so, that is an abuse of power."

Continued here:
Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm introduces same-sex marriage bill

Democrat Can #39;t Answer Question on How Is Illegal Amnesty Legal

By: Rick Wells

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Democrat Can't Answer Question on How Is Illegal Amnesty Legal - Video

A rift has developed within the Social Democratic Party over the decision of the local party organization in the north Bohemian town of Duchcov to enter into a coalition with the ultra-right Workers Party of Social Justice whose members have in the past organized anti-Romany demonstrations in the town. The partys national leadership has distanced itself from the coalition and called for the local party organization to be scrapped, but the partys regional leadership has surprisingly refused to comply, arguing that the coalition is perfectly legitimate.

Anti-Romany demonstration in Duchcov in 2013, photo: Gabriela Hauptvogelov Duchcov, a town of 9,000 inhabitants in north Bohemia, has frequently made headlines in the past year due to growing anti-Romany sentiment among the locals. The problems flared up in the wake of an attack against a white couple by five members of the Romany minority. Although a court later ruled that the attack was not racially motivated the floodgates of anti-Romany sentiment were wide open and the ultra-right Workers Social Justice Party exploited the public mood to the full, organizing a number of anti-Romany protests in the town that ended in violent clashes with the police.

The Workers Party of Social Justice, successor to the Workers Party which was dissolved by the Czech Supreme Administrative Court in February of 2010 on the grounds that it incited racial hatred, came fourth in Octobers local elections and accepted an offer from the local Social Democratic Party organization to enter into a three-way coalition made up of the Social Democrats, the Workers Social Justice Party and the Communists.

The news evoked outrage at the partys national leadership with party leader, Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka saying that under no condition would any Social Democrat enter into a coalition with an ultra-right party in Duchcov or any other Czech town or village. He called a meeting of the partys national leadership which unanimously backed his demand for the Duchcov local party organization to be scrapped and its members expelled from Social Democrat ranks for violating the partys statutes and undermining its basic values.

However, Mondays meeting of the partys regional leadership in Usti brought an unexpected development. The regional organization defied the wishes of the party leadership saying it had studied the coalition agreement signed in Duchcov and found nothing that would be in violation of the partys statutes. It moreover pointed out that the Workers Social Justice Party was a legitimate political entity that had received support from the locals.

Jaroslav Foldyna, photo: archive of Radio Prague Jaroslav Foldyna of the Usti leadership told Czech Television:

We found nothing which would justify their expulsion, nothing on the grounds of which we could say - get out of the party because you are tarnishing our image; what you are supporting here is racist and xenophobic we found no such thing.

The new town council in Duchcov has seven members three Social Democrats, three Communists and one councilor for the Workers Social Justice Party. The latter Jindich Svoboda is a well-known figure in the town having organized a series of anti-Romany protests. Although today he claims to have nothing against the Romany minority, a statement posted on his Facebook page in 2013 suggests otherwise - he welcomes growing ethnic unrest and refers to the Roma as black swine who should all be killed. Moreover as a former organizer of violent anti-Romany protests Svoboda has now been put in charge of security in the town.

Social Democrat leader Bohuslav Sobotka reacted to the latest developments from Israel saying he was not going to let the matter rest and would re-open a debate on the issue upon his return.

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Social Democrat leadership up in arms over local government coalition with ultra-right party

Trey Gowdy slams Democrat opposition at contempt hearing for Eric Holder
Trey Gowdy slams Democrat opposition at contempt hearing for Eric Holder.

By: Murat Muratti

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Trey Gowdy slams Democrat opposition at contempt hearing for Eric Holder - Video