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The mom in the following video was pulled over by a police officer for allegedly talking on a cell phone while driving. She was, however, able to prove that she was not using a cell phone, so the cop decided to write her a ticket for driving 5 miles per hour over the speed limit instead.

The mom wanted proof that she was speeding, so she asked the cop to see the video from the dash cam. The cop ordered her back in the car. When she disobeyed he said he was going to arrest her, so she got back in the car.

The cop said he wanted her back in the car because she was impeding traffic, but he later forces her to the ground in the middle of the road.

The cop then pulls her out of the car, shoots her with a taser gun and places her under arrest, leaving her children alone in the car for 40 minutes.

From MSNBC:

“I was driving with my hand on my cheek, and I think that’s what he saw,” Harmon told Vieira. “After I had given him the chance to look in my purse, check for a cell phone, then he manufactured the ticket with speeding. Again, I told him that he was wrong; I wasn’t speeding, either. Then we went back and forth.”

The mom was then cited for four offenses: speeding, talking on a cell phone while driving, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct.

All charges were dropped after prosecutors were shown this video:

The mom has now decided to file a lawsuit against the department.

A law that was meant to “protect the children” seems to have had some adverse consequences. Under the guidance of the law, federal officials are now advising that all children’s books published before 1985 be considered unsafe and may even be unlawful to sell.

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 was passed when many were afraid of toys that were coming from China with lead paint:

Among its other provisions, CPSIA imposed tough new limits on lead in any products intended for use by children aged 12 or under, and made those limits retroactive: that is, goods manufactured before the law passed cannot be sold on the used market (even in garage sales or on eBay) if they don’t conform. The law has hit thrift stores particularly hard, since many children’s products have long included lead-containing (if harmless) components: zippers, snaps, and clasps on garments and backpacks; skateboards, bicycles, and countless other products containing metal alloy; rhinestones and beads in decorations; and so forth.

The law also hit hard in the used children’s book market. Megan McArdle over at The Atlantic explains how the ban has essentially outlawed one of her favorite past-times:

Some of my happiest memories as a child are of reading the old children’s books I found at houses and in the libraries of my school and camp. Musty smelling, filled with deco and nouveau style pictures of girls in strange costumes, they were a tangible link to the past. Not merely because some child had held that book in 1920, but because to read the popular fiction of another era is to take at least a few halting steps into its foreign mental world.

So when I see old children’s books–and by “old” I mean “pre-1960″–I often buy them. I love having the companions of my childhood to hand. I’ve always enjoyed the prospect of having more space to really take up collecting.

Apparently, I can forget about that. Congress has apparently outlawed my hobby. Nor is this merely ideological hysteria. I just checked Amazon, and while there are still some old books for sale, it looks as if there are a lot fewer than there used to be.

This is the Law of Unintended Consequences in full effect. Nice going Congress critters!

According to a recent Rasmussen telephone poll 75% of Americans are in favor of a Federal Reserve Audit. The results show that only 9% oppose the idea and 15% are not sure.

Texas Congressman Ron Paul introduced H.R. 1207, which would allow the Government Accounting Agency to audit the books of the Federal Reserve. The bill now has 282 co-sponsors in House including all Republicans and 101 Democrats. The Senate version of the bill has 20 co-sponsors.

According to Rasmussen Reports:

Support for the bill has grown now that the Obama administration is proposing to give the Fed greater economic regulatory powers. The Fed which sets U.S. monetary policy was created as an independent agency to keep it free of politically-motivated interference.

Predictably, Fed Chairman Ben Bernake is opposed to the bill saying on PBS, “I don’t think the American people want Congress running monetary policy.”

Chicago police superintendent tries to implement shoot first policy without consulting city hall.

Reedsville WV police officer accused of several countes of criminal misconduct from fabricating evidence to excessive force.

Chattanooga TN police supervisor gets written reprimand for choking handcuffed suspect, chief says its not slap on wrist.

New York State Trooper assigned to Counter Terrorism unit arrested for aggravated harassment & falsifying records.

Two Knoxville TN cops who resigned when two 13-year-old girls alleged sexual misconduct are now subjects of a child porn warrant.

Or was it for sitting down too slowly?

Either way, check out my article on DigitalJournal.com about the whole incident and make sure to vote for it. The more visibility this story gets the better.

While you’re at it, listen to Saturday’s episode of Free Talk Live where Mark and Toby discuss the incident and hear from callers:
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Stevens, 83, is under a federal investigation for his relationship with Bill Allen, an oil field services contractor who was convicted this year of bribing state lawmakers.

A new animation from JibJab.com poking fun at FOXNEWS, CNN and MSNBC: