Yearly Archives: 2013

6 Whopping Government Misstatements About NSA Spying

"Whistleblower Edward Snowden’s leaks about NSA spying have set off a fierce global debate about security and privacy in the internet age. The revelations of the United States performing mass surveillance on an international scale have also unleashed an avalanche of government misstatements aimed at defending, or even denying, the NSA’s dragnet surveillance. We’ve gone through them and picked out some of the biggest whoppers." Continue reading →

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United States military deployments – Wikipedia

"The military of the United States is deployed in more than 150 countries around the world, with 172,966 of its 1,372,522[1]active-duty personnel serving outside the United States and its territories. Most of these overseas personnel are deployed in combat zones in the Middle east, as part of the War on Terror. The following are countries, listed by region, in which U.S. military personnel are deployed. The most current numbers are based on United States Department of Defense statistics as of December 31, 2012.[1] These numbers do not include any military or civilian contractors or dependents. Countries with fewer than 75 U.S. personnel deployed are omitted." Continue reading →

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UN report: Afghan insurgents use marijuana fields as hiding places

"The amount of Afghan farmland planted with cannabis fell by nearly a fifth last year after one province launched a fierce eradication campaign, but a bumper crop meant that actual production rose compared with 2011, according to the UN. Overall Afghanistan produced 1,400 tonnes of commercial cannabis resin in 2012, worth around $65 million, the report estimated. Government efforts to stamp out poppy farming may even push up production of cannabis, the report warned. Last year the UN said Afghanistan’s importance as a source of resin for world markets might be growing as more farmers switched to the crop." Continue reading →

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Feds will continue to jail pot dealers ‘in all states’

"The White House has pledged to continue to jail those who traffick in marijuana or sell it to minors — even in two US states where its recreational use is now legal. Deputy Attorney General James Cole defended the federal decision not to challenge new laws legalizing marijuana in Colorado and Washington states. Cole pledged that in addition to blocking cannabis cultivation and distribution, US authorities would work to prevent the export of marijuana to places where the substance is still illegal, 'whether the state has legalized it or not.' And he added that Justice Department officials 'reserve the right… to challenge the state laws at a later time.'" Continue reading →

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Ex-TSA screener threatens LAX on eve of 9/11 anniversary

"Early this morning, members of a federal task force arrested Alpha Onuoha, a screener with the Transportation Security Administration who quit his position. According to Federal Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Laura Einmiller, Onuoha had been suspended recently, but suddenly resigned his position Tuesday afternoon and allegedly left a 'suspicious package' for another screener at TSA’s LAX Headquarters. The package is believed to have contained an eight-page letter in which Onuoha allegedly discusses the incident that led to his suspension, as well as his general feelings of disdain for the United States." Continue reading →

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Mobile Crime-Fighting App Gives Police Instant Database Access

"More than 600 San Francisco Police Department officers started using the app Monday, giving them access to internal SFPD, California DOJ and federal law enforcement databases. An additional 1,000 officers with the department are expected to participate in the initiative by the end of 2013. Emergency 911 call histories will also be accessible via the device, along with data records used by law enforcement including booking photos, DMV records and criminal histories. Agents can use JusticeMobile on their iPads to check potential gun buyers at weekend firearms shows statewide by checking names against the Bureau of Firearms Armed Prohibited Persons (APPS) database." Continue reading →

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Profiles in Pork

"One doesn’t have to sign up for law enforcement work as a Hail Mary way to avoid poverty, or the gulag . . . or the gas chamber. So, what sort of person chooses to become a law enforcer – and remains one – when it is still possible to avoid such a dirty occupation? An occupation that, as a matter of routine, puts one in the position of rousting – and caging – people who’ve done nothing that can be characterized as causing harm to others (or their property)? Who have merely run afoul of 'the law'? There seem to be four general types." Continue reading →

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The “Domestic Terrorist” You Can Call a Hero

"Bernard von NotHaus has been the called the Rosa Parks of the alternative money movement. More than 10 years ago, he had this idea that he would make his own money — not the fake stuff we are used to, but the real stuff made of actual silver. The feds raided him in in 2006. In 2007, the government outright stole 2 tons of coins from him, many of them featuring an image of Ron Paul, plus 500 silver coins and 50 gold coins. They threw him in jail and dragged his name through the mud many times. The government labeled him a 'domestic terrorist.' Yet — and this is what amazed me — he still hasn’t been sentenced. He walks around as free as you or me." Continue reading →

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Fed Warns of ‘Escalating Threats’ to U.S. Payment System

"The central bank oversees the nation's payment system. The Fed is seeking public comments on the weaknesses of the system, including its inability to process transactions in near-real-time. The U.S. lags behind other countries in the speed of transactions, the Fed said. 'In a world where several other countries are moving to ubiquitous near-real-time retail payment systems, the U.S. payment system does not have this capability,' according to the paper. The central bank also said 'cross-border payments from and to the United States are slow, inconvenient, costly and lack transparency regarding fees and timing.'" Continue reading →

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