Brendan Minish

@bminish.bsky.social

1008 Followers 2173 Following

Former CTO, Linux sysadmin, AuDHD, Amateur Radio Enthusiast, Rewilder, Drugs policy reform advocate. @bminish@mastodon.ie

When asked by the Leinster Leader about this crime, a garda spokesperson responded: "Gardaí received a report of a theft from a commercial premises at Newbridge, which took place shortly before 6pm on February 5 last. "A number of items were taken." The spokesperson added that investigations ongoing.
Dear Mr Harris Either all the policy experts and all the agencies with responsibility for ameliorating some of the worst elements of the homelessness crisis (many and various) are all completely wrong. Or you are a Racist who has run out of excuses for widespread & on-going policy failures in housing, healthcare, immigration policy, planning for economic growth, etc and is now having a go at 'populism' https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/housing-planning/2025/12/31/simon-harris-claims-significant-number-in-emergency-accommodation-dont-have-housing-right/ For many years I was a reliable FG supporter in general & local elections and have voted in every election for decades. But frankly I am utterly appalled with the current direction of travel and will not be supporting FG in the next election in any way whilst all this punching down on the most vulnerable in society is 'official FG' policy. I remember Enda Kenny fondly, He was my constituency TD and a man of integrity who also had to deal with policy failures & difficult national decisions under his stewardship. Whilst we did not agree on many things, we collaborated on other matters (some of lasting national significance) and I never ever heard him victim blaming the vulnerable for their plight. You should be gravely ashamed of the racism and dishonesty you are choosing to use as 'spin' to deflect public attention from the many serous policy failures of your government and your party. It brings the entire party into disrepute and raises echoes of FG's 'difficult past' with Eoin O'Duffy. Nor will it move us any closer to solving the many intertwined issues that that Ireland currently faces. History will not be kind to FG's present day policies & without a re-evaluation of your own approach to both 'PR spin' and policy, history will not be kind to Simon Harris Either. Regards
Marine traffic screenshot showing the current reported position as about 430 Nautical miles off the coast of north-west mayo, over 200NM beyond the EEZ
Goebbels ends Careers of five Araan actors who made witticisms about the nazi Regime
Also located were bags of the drug and while the overall value was given as €150,000, a garda involved in the investigation said that it was difficult to evaluate the haul. A lot of the drugs were of poor quality and some saturated which would have increased the weight. An analysis carried out for the defence put its worth at €600.
Recording Stop and Searches on PULSE “Stop and search” is a useful tool in tackling crime. Most jurisdictions have power to stop and search people who are suspected of being in possession of stolen property or articles with which to commit an offence. This is used particularly around investigations of suspected street robberies and burglaries. Currently in Ireland, there is no provision under stop and search powers to search people who may be in possession of stolen property. Consequently, this results in stop and searches
It is understood that there was some concern about the health diversion scheme within sections of Garda HQ and that extensive discussions were held over the years to get a version of it accepted. An Garda Síochána has urged that any changes to either the law or its application must still give gardaí a clear legal basis to search people for drugs.
An account from the ballyfermot echo 19/2/1998 of a court case for €5 (0.25gr) of cannabis found after a house search, by Garda Justin Kelly Kelly is now Cpief commissioner
It is understood that there was some concern about the health diversion scheme within sections of Garda HQ and that extensive discussions were held over the years to get a version of it accepted. An Garda Síochána has urged that any changes to either the law or its application must still give gardaí a clear legal basis to search people for drugs.
Picture of a vintage benzine fueled lighter with a nicely painted picture of a hospital on the front
The events at Tiananmen Square (also known as the ** Tiananmen Square protests of 1989**) were a series of peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations led primarily by students and other civilians in Beijing, China, beginning on April 15, 1989 , and lasting for several weeks. These protests were primarily sparked by calls for political reform, freedom of speech, human rights, and an end to corruption in the Chinese government. The protests initially gained momentum as a peaceful movement, with students and other citizens gathering in Tiananmen Square to articulate their demands. The demonstrations were met with a mixed reaction from the Chinese government, which initially appeared to condone the protests but later grew increasingly uneasy as the movement gained international attention and support. Key Developments: Beginning of Protests : The protests began after Beijing students and others took inspiration from the "Democracy Wall" movement, which had allowed citizens to post anti-corruption and reformist slogans on a wall in北京大学 (Peking University). This movement quickly escalated as students and other citizens called for more significant political reforms. Government Response : In late May 1989, the Chinese government took decisive action to suppress the protests. On June 3-4, 1989 , the Chinese military was deployed to clear Tiananmen Square of protesters. The operation was violent, and hundreds (or possibly thousands) of civilians were killed. Exact numbers are unknown due to censorship and restrictions on information by the Chinese government. The government declared martial law, arrested thousands of participants, and tightly controlled media coverage of the events. The protests were effectively crushed, and many participants faced harsh sentences, including long prison terms. International Reaction : The Tiananmen Square generated significant international condemnation. Many countries condemned the Chinese government's actions as a violation of human rights
Picture of a benzine fueled lighter from the 1960's or 70's it says Blue cross blue shield of Kentucky. Blue cross hospital plan inc.
Where the market value is €13,000 or more You are liable to a minimum prison sentence of 10 years, if you are convicted for either: Possessing drugs with a market value of €13,000 or more, or Importing drugs with a market value of €13,000 or more However, if the court decides that there are exceptional circumstances in your case, this minimum sentence does not apply.
A rolled up herbal substance on a small scales showing a reading of 1.01 gr
2014 Report. This report carried out by the Garda Síochána Inspectorate on the force’s operations included some analysis of the use of stop and search (pp.187-189) and state that they rely on ‘stop and searches being conducted under the Misuse of Drugs Act legislation’. This is done regardless of the suspected crime, as noted by the Inspectorate. Furthermore, the Inspectorate 'received negative feedback from within the Garda Síochána at all ranks about the use of stop and search’ due to the fact that virtually all searches are currently carried out under the Drugs Act. According to this report most searches, regardless of the basis of the search, are recorded on the PULSE system as searches under the Drugs Act. This led the Inspectorate to state that this leads to individuals being ‘stigmatised or further disadvantaged’. In a single year period (2013-2014), the report states that there were 145,776 of these searches conducted 9 . We are unable to find figures for later years, despite the Garda inspectorate seeking out this data and stating that there was to be a further review carried out. For comparison, the London metropolitan police, a police force serving a population of 9 million carried out ~116,000 Drugs stop and searches in 2022 1
Joint Committee on Drugs Use Interim Report October 2024
Joint Committeeon Justice Report on an Examination of the Present Approach to Sanctions for Possession of Certain Amounts of Drugs for Personal Use December 2022
a short write up of a court case where a person was convicted for possession £5 of cannabis after a house search by Detective Garda Justin Kelly
EU map showing the worst countries for death Ireland 97, Estonia 95 Norway 86
"I am the health minister who brought in a health-led approach to drug addiction. But that's not decriminalisation. "This is a complex issue, but I do stop at the health-led approach to addiction rather than going to the next level. "I certainly wouldn't be able to commit to a programme for government to decriminalisation, because I'm not there in my own mind," he said.
A close up of a female banded demoiselle side-on with the head to the right. the winks are translucent and coppery in the sun and the long body of the insect is iridescent green, it is sat on leaf 'chilling'
It is only lately, since marijuana became a problem in the United States in so far as it brought their army in Vietnam to a standstill, and research is being done with no consideration towards the cost or the money involved, that the side effects of marijuana have become known to the profession. It is seen now that marijuana can do terrible things. It can have the same effects as alcohol, certainly, but at ten thousand times the rate, causing decay of the brain, complete lack of initiative, loss of drive, loss of sense of purpose. The only one possible use that marijuana could have in the medical profession would be in the treatment of anorexia nervosa and it has been used successfully in experiments on this. That is the only possible use it could have, and all these lobbyists who went before their legislative assemblies in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the groups of people who put money into this—the Beatles, for instance, took a full page advertisement in the New York Times to promote the legalising of marijuana—now realise the effect this can have and has had. They can now see the solid indisputable medical facts that have come before the research establishments throughout the United States. Some groups did produce heretofore the research which showed that marijuana had no real ill-effects. We can be grateful that the side effects, severe as they are, are before us now. I would like to see the Minister putting this drug into category I of the list of drugs, and including with it amphetamine and dexedrine—amphetamine, in particular, because it can be injected.
There are a couple of aspects of the Bill which I shall mention but, again, they are more appropriate to Committee Stage. We will come up on Committee Stage very fundamentally against these sections which give new powers to the Garda. We will have to examine them very carefully and go into them very closely. There is always a danger in this regard that we would allow the urgency of some particular problem to allow us to brush aside the fundamentally important things in our society. We might, in our anxiety to deal with this drug problem, urgent and important and widespread as it is, overlook the necessity to protect civil liberty and the legal rights of the individual citizen.
The garda who is now our future commissioner mentioned in a short write up in the ballyfermot echo (19/2/'98). in this instance as a detective bringing someone to court for €5 (0.25gr ) of cannabis
A young man with long hair at a small sound desk at an event outdoors on a nice day, he's wearing a waistcoat and has a denim jacket hanging on his chair. There is an instrument case covered in stickers in the background and behind that is 3 people sitting in the grass, one is eating icecream
A picture of a Hacker herald radio from 1961, it's filthy, that beside the office ashtray look. the controls are on the top with a big speaker grill at the front. this is an early battery portable transistor set, now modified into a piece of 'art' of some kind by a frustrated advocate of evidence based drug policy reform
Screenshot from crain's Citizens assembly submission detailing the 2014 garda inspectorate report and it's finding of 145,776 recorded stop and searches being carried out in a single year (2014) for comparison the london met police serving nearly double the population as An garda carried out around 116,000 Stop and searches for drugs in 2022
An EU map with Norway and Turkey included showing the top 3 EU countries for drug deaths, Ireland leads Ireland 97 per million, Estonia 95, Norway 86
A very dirty english 1960's transistor radio made by hacker radio that appears to have spent a number of decades adjacent to the office ashtray. it is dirty & brown (although was probably once white ) the controls are on the top with a big speaker grill on the front. It also smells of decades old cigarette smoke, but that's bonus info forthose of you reading the text description
In medieval times, the humble "house-leek" or "Jupiter's beard", as it was known colloquially, was believed to ward off lightning when grown on the rooftop of a house or church. So efficacious was it in this respect, indeed, that it received from the Holy Roman Emperor an imprimatur:Habet quisque supra domum suum Jovis barbam, ordered Charlemagne - "Let each one have above his house the beard of Jupiter."