Monthly Archives: March 2013

U.S. officials warn Pakistan risks sanctions over Iran pipeline

"Pakistan risks sparking US sanctions if it pursues its plans with Iran to build a $7.5 billion gas pipeline linking the two nations, a senior US official said in a renewed warning Monday. 'We have serious concerns, if this project actually goes forward, that the Iran Sanctions Act would be triggered,' State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said. 'We’ve been straight up with the Pakistanis about these concerns.' Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad launched the construction of a much-delayed section of the gas pipeline with his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari at a ceremony on the border of the two neighbors." Continue reading →

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UN: Human rights abuses increase in Iran in 2012

"Human rights violations in Iran spiralled in 2012, a United Nations monitor said Monday in a report spotlighting abuses including repression of freedom of speech, torture and secret executions. 'There has been an apparent increase in the degree of seriousness of human rights violations in the Islamic Republic of Iran,' Ahmed Shaheed said in his report to the UN Human Rights Council. Shaheed highlighted 'frequent and disconcerting' reports about 'punitive state action' against a number of groups, including the jailing of opposition politicians, journalists and human rights campaigners." Continue reading →

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US citing security to censor more public records

"The U.S. government, led by the Pentagon and CIA, censored or withheld for reasons of national security the files that the public requested last year under the Freedom of Information Act more often than at any time since President Barack Obama took office. Overall, the Obama administration last year answered its highest number of requests so far for copies of government documents, emails, photographs and more, and it slightly reduced its backlog of requests from previous years. But it more often cited legal provisions allowing the government to keep records or parts of its records secret, especially a rule intended to protect national security." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS citing security to censor more public records

Cop’s Free Speech Rights Violated for Supporting Cannabis Law Reform

"While the higher ups are going to try and argue that their permission to lobby was only revoked due to a technical violation (supposedly because he didn’t get a business license for his address), it is clear that they are only punishing the sergeant because of his support for cannabis law reform. It isn’t just a coincidence that the department allowed Sgt. Wiegert to lobby for the St. Louis Tea Party for a few years and only had a problem with his lobbying activity once he started working for Show-Me Cannabis Regulation." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCop’s Free Speech Rights Violated for Supporting Cannabis Law Reform

Phoenix officer calls 5-day suspension for tackling 15-year-old girl too harsh

"A Phoenix Police officer has been suspended after tackling a 15-year-old girl. The video, posted on YouTube, made national headlines two years ago. Monday, that officer appealed, saying his punishment is too harsh, fighting the 5-day suspension at a hearing. That hearing is closed to the public at his request, so we won't get to hear why he believes his punishment was too harsh." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPhoenix officer calls 5-day suspension for tackling 15-year-old girl too harsh

Brazilian docs fool biometric scanners with bag full of fake fingers

"A Brazilian doctor was arrested for allegedly defrauding her employer, a hospital in the town of Ferraz de Vasconcelos, near São Paulo. At the time of her arrest, she was equipped with a total of sixteen fingers—ten of which God gave her, and six of which were crafted of silicone and given to her by coworkers. At least three of the extra fingers bore the prints of fellow doctors at the hospital. The doctor, Thaune Nunes Ferreira, 29, claims through her attorney that she was forced to use the silicone fingers to clock in to the hospital's time card system in order to cover for absentee colleagues." Continue reading →

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White House denies claims of collusion with the Taliban

"The White House on Monday strongly rejected allegations from Afghan President Hamid Karzai that the United States was colluding with the Taliban to justify the presence of US troops in the country. 'That’s categorically false, and nobody believes it,' White House spokesman Jay Carney said when asked about Karzai’s remarks. Karzai had charged that Taliban bombings helped the United States argue for a long-term military presence and that Washington was holding 'daily' talks with the insurgents behind the backs of his government." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhite House denies claims of collusion with the Taliban

LA Times: Only An Incipient “Terrorist” Denounces State Murder

"Citing the most recent missive from the self-appointed Stasi at the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Los Angeles Times claims that there are 1,360 proto-terrorist groups -- sneeringly denounced as 'patriots,' 'constitutionalists,' and 'sovereign citizens' -- scattered throughout the Soyuz. 'These groups should be closely monitored, with resources adequate to the task, even if it means shifting some homeland security money from the hunt for foreign terrorists,' concludes the paper." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLA Times: Only An Incipient “Terrorist” Denounces State Murder

“If Quoting the Constitution Makes Me a Terrorist, We Are in Hitler’s America”

"Cops in New Jersey arrested a homeschooling mother -- the daughter of Jewish folks who survived the Nazis -- because she quoted the Constitution at a tax-protest. They agreed to release her if she turned over her guns. As she explained, '[So I] sit in jail and my daughter doesn’t have a mother…?' ... , implying that she didn’t really have a choice in the matter. Hart turned over her two firearms and associated equipment, and was told that she’ll get them back 'when this is all over.' For all you fans of 'privatization,' the 'private' company doubling the Harts' real-estate 'assessment' is the one that sicced the thugs-in-blue on Ms. Hart." Continue reading →

Continue Reading“If Quoting the Constitution Makes Me a Terrorist, We Are in Hitler’s America”

How Our Rulers Deal With Blown Tires When Drunk

"A drunk cop near Las Vegas drove several miles on a blown tire in 'a $50,000 unmarked SWAT vehicle,' rim sparking the while. Another motorist tried to alert Officer Sot; naturally, the cop ignored him. So the motorist called 911, reporting a drunk driver whose car was on fire. You can guess the outcome: 'Las Vegas police, which investigated the fire, determined nothing criminal had taken place and did not take an incident report, spokeswoman Laura Meltzer said.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHow Our Rulers Deal With Blown Tires When Drunk