While America gears up to celebrate Thanksgiving and President Obama traditionally pardoned ‘Liberty’ and ‘Peace’, two Thanksgiving turkeys who were spared from ending up on a family's Thanksgiving dinner table, one local family saw both their liberty questioned and their peace interrupted.
"Tomorrow is one of the best days of the year to be an American", said President Obama today at the White House. "It’s a day to count our blessings, spend time with the ones we love, and enjoy some good food and some great company."
Barbara Arnwine, Executive Director of the Lawyers Committee and established attorney for more than two decades and her family, were met early Monday by the sounds of swat and police raiding their home at 5:30 am.
“They held us a gunpoint for three hours”, said Arnwine, who is helping to lead the charge of identifying voter fraud and discrimination in states around the country for the upcoming 2012 election.
While Arnwine and members of the Lawyers Committee are calling for the Department of Justice to stop what she, and others call ‘assaults’ on voters, she found her and own family under assault.
She, her son, and nephew were all held at gun point while the officers raided her home.
The reason has yet to be determined.
Arnwine explains her ordeal with PG County police to Pacifica Radio/WPFW's Askia Muhammad.
“It’s on the way”, we were told, said Arnwine.
Arnwine said the officers even went as far as to demean her education asking her in derogatory fashion, where did she go to school and the year she graduated as to suggest she wasn’t properly credentialed. When she told the officers that their actions weren’t warranted and she knew her constitutional rights she was met with ‘they don’t apply here today’.
She said the police even went as far as to ask her son what car he drove, “so we’ll know you when we see you in the street.”
“There was no other purpose that I could see”, Arnwine explained.
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The First Lady Hosts Country Music Night at the White House.
Continuing the White House music series, the First Lady hosted a country music workshop at the White House featuring the likes of country music artists Darius Rucker (Hootie and the Blowfish), Lyle Lovett and Kris Christopherson.
Students from H.D. Woodson, and other area schools, were invited participated in the workshop where they asked questions and learned about the careers of the musicians.
The advice given to the students about pursuing their passions, "keep at it". "If it's in your heart, then you should keep doing it", said Kristofferson.
Things you might not have known about the three singers.
Kris Kristofferson was a janitor before making it big.
Darius Rucker shared a house with 14 siblings growing up.
Lyle Lovette thought he wanted to be a journalist before becoming a singer.
Watch the video below to learn even more about the trio who blessed the students with individual performances.
The evening event, which will also feature James Taylor, Dierks Bentley and The Band Perry, will be shown on PBS Thanksgiving evening.
Said President Obama in his remarks, "As Charley Pride, who played here two years ago, once said: “There is enough room in country music for everybody.” And over the past five years, I’ve had the extraordinary opportunity to travel all across America. I’ve hopped on planes to big cities. I’ve ridden buses through small towns. And along the way, I’ve gained an appreciation for just how much country music means to so many Americans."
"Tomorrow is one of the best days of the year to be an American", said President Obama today at the White House. "It’s a day to count our blessings, spend time with the ones we love, and enjoy some good food and some great company."
For one Prince Georges County family their holiday will be marred by the resounding sounds of Prince George’s county police officers banging at their door.
Barbara Arnwine, Executive Director of the Lawyers Committee and established attorney for more than two decades and her family, were met early Monday by the sounds of swat and police raiding their home at 5:30 am.
“They held us a gunpoint for three hours”, said Arnwine, who is helping to lead the charge of identifying voter fraud and discrimination in states around the country for the upcoming 2012 election.
This summer Arnwine, Reverend Jesse Jackson and other Civil Rights activists, held a press conference at the National Press Club to make citizens aware of the tactics being used.
“These efforts to limit access to the ballot take several forms, including voter identification and proof of citizenship laws, voter intimidation and suppression and "election integrity" squads who challenge voters at the polls”.
“These efforts to limit access to the ballot take several forms, including voter identification and proof of citizenship laws, voter intimidation and suppression and "election integrity" squads who challenge voters at the polls”.
While Arnwine and members of the Lawyers Committee are calling for the Department of Justice to stop what she, and others call ‘assaults’ on voters, she found her and own family under assault.
She, her son, and nephew were all held at gun point while the officers raided her home.
The reason has yet to be determined.
Arnwine explains her ordeal with PG County police to Pacifica Radio/WPFW's Askia Muhammad.
“It’s on the way”, we were told, said Arnwine.
Arnwine said the officers even went as far as to demean her education asking her in derogatory fashion, where did she go to school and the year she graduated as to suggest she wasn’t properly credentialed. When she told the officers that their actions weren’t warranted and she knew her constitutional rights she was met with ‘they don’t apply here today’.
The officers, with guns drawn, challenged Arnwine and her family, suggesting that if they made one wrong move, she and her family would be met with a unfavorable-like fate.
“Don’t make me hurt you” seemed to be the order of the day, recounted Arnwine.
Arnwine later said after the police failed to produce a warrant, and acted as though they didn’t know who she was, misspelling her name, that she thinks the swat team had the wrong house. She called the ordeal a “fishing exposition”.
Said Arnwine, “This is totally, totally sloppy, bad, careless police misconduct. Truly unprofessional. Totally unjustified.”
President Obama, learning of the event, sent emails to members of Congress asking for an explanation of what happened.
Arnwine said she believes the ordeal was totally meant to “intimidate, humiliate and threaten” her and her family.She said the police even went as far as to ask her son what car he drove, “so we’ll know you when we see you in the street.”
“There was no other purpose that I could see”, Arnwine explained.
Arnwine said she plans to file a law suit against the PG County police department.
“Shame on them”, she said.--
Related
This article was read and featured here.
----
The First Lady Hosts Country Music Night at the White House.
Continuing the White House music series, the First Lady hosted a country music workshop at the White House featuring the likes of country music artists Darius Rucker (Hootie and the Blowfish), Lyle Lovett and Kris Christopherson.
Students from H.D. Woodson, and other area schools, were invited participated in the workshop where they asked questions and learned about the careers of the musicians.
The advice given to the students about pursuing their passions, "keep at it". "If it's in your heart, then you should keep doing it", said Kristofferson.
Things you might not have known about the three singers.
Kris Kristofferson was a janitor before making it big.
Darius Rucker shared a house with 14 siblings growing up.
Lyle Lovette thought he wanted to be a journalist before becoming a singer.
Watch the video below to learn even more about the trio who blessed the students with individual performances.
The evening event, which will also feature James Taylor, Dierks Bentley and The Band Perry, will be shown on PBS Thanksgiving evening.
Said President Obama in his remarks, "As Charley Pride, who played here two years ago, once said: “There is enough room in country music for everybody.” And over the past five years, I’ve had the extraordinary opportunity to travel all across America. I’ve hopped on planes to big cities. I’ve ridden buses through small towns. And along the way, I’ve gained an appreciation for just how much country music means to so many Americans."
This is DISGUSTING! And in my oppinion, we the American People just don't give a dam about anything that is not directly related to them. So the constitrution will continue to be eroded, because we just don't give a DAMM!!! The Government and Police only have the power we give them. Think about that for a while, ok, just think about it.
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