John Whitehead

Everybody’s Guilty: To the Police State, We’re All Criminals Until We Prove Otherwise

“In a closed society where everybody’s guilty, the only crime is getting caught.”—Hunter S. Thompson The burden of proof has been reversed. No longer are we presumed innocent. Now we’re presumed guilty unless we can prove our innocence…

Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Visiting a Barbershop Too Often: Lacking Proof, Court Relies on Algorithm to Assume Scope of Crime

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Despite a lack of direct evidence that a suspect was engaged in ongoing illegal activities, a court sentenced the man to five years in prison based in part on the frequency of his visits to a barbershop…

Red Flagged Nation: Gun Confiscation Laws Put a Target on the Back of Every American

“We are fast approaching the stage of the ultimate inversion: the stage where the government is free to do anything it pleases, while the citizens may act only by permission; which is the stage of the darkest periods…

Everything Is a Weapon: The U.S. Government Is Waging Psychological Warfare on the Nation

“Have you ever wondered who’s pulling the strings? … Anything we touch is a weapon. We can deceive, persuade, change, influence, inspire. We come in many forms. We are everywhere.”— U.S. Army Psychological Operations recruitment video The U.S. government…

Houston Forces Private Businesses to Install 24/7 Citywide Digital Surveillance Cameras for Warrantless Access by Police

HOUSTON, Tex. — The Rutherford Institute is calling on the City of Houston to address glaring constitutional concerns relating to a recently adopted ordinance that requires private businesses to install citywide digital surveillance cameras that can be accessed…

America, Meet Your New Dictator-in-Chief: The President’s Secret, Unchecked Powers

“Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness have given way to permanent crisis management: to policing the planet and fighting preventative wars of ideological containment, usually on terrain chosen by, and favorable to, our enemies. Limited government and…

Mass Shootings: The Vicious Cycle Fueled By America’s Toxic Cult of Violence

“Mass shootings have become routine in the United States and speak to a society that relies on violence to feed the coffers of the merchants of death. Given the profits made by arms manufacturers, the defense industry, gun dealers…