Daily Links: 01/07/18 – SWATting in a land of warrior cops

• Radley Balko writes about the deadly risks of “SWATting” hoaxes in a time when police are trained to feel constantly threatened by the populace they serve.

• Actual attorney Ken “Popehat” White breaks down the ramifications of Attorney General Sessions’s revocation of Justice Department memos meant to curb federal interference in states where marijuana has been legalized. In short: Nothing much changes, individual users aren’t more likely to be arrested, but it casts FUD on what the future holds.

• Skeptic Magazine: Dismissing sexual assault victims and defending convicted serial child molesters. It’s time to put the professional skeptic movement on the same moral pedestal as the Catholic Church.

• Knoxville News Sentinel columnist sees the Freedom From Religion Foundation sending polite letters warning about Establishment Clause violations, compares them to ISIS trying to kill Jesus.

• “Let me talk to you. Let me help you, please.” If we criticize, as we should, cops who jump the gun and cause needless bloodshed, so should we celebrate officers who put themselves at risk to try and deescalate situations.
  (via @radleybalko)

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