Alternative News

Why Have Police In America Turned Into Such Ruthless Thugs?

"What in the world does NASA need a SWAT team for? The police culture in America has fundamentally changed. In the old days, most police officers were extremely helpful and would give you directions or help you get your cat out of a tree. But if you stop and ask a police officer for help today, you will be lucky if all you get is some dirty language. These days, police all over the nation are actually being trained to bark orders at you and to respond to the least bit of resistance with overwhelming force. The results of this kind of training can often be extremely tragic. And with each passing year, it just gets even worse." Continue reading →

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Teen Killed by Taser, Cops Laugh & High-Five Each Other (Israel Hernandez) – Exclusive Interviews

"We Are Change headed to Miami Beach -- the site where Israel Hernandez was killed after being tased by Miami Beach Police. Exclusive interviews were conducted with Israel's best friends, who were with him the night he was caught drawing a small amount of graffiti on an abandoned building that was already covered in street art. According to his best friends/eye witnesses, after Israel was tased and apparently dead, the cops were laughing and 'high-five-ing' each other." Continue reading →

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Phoenix Police Helicopter responds to a photographer asserting rights

"The PPD officer who initiated the contact tried to disarm me right off the bat. (I was open carrying my 1911 in a holster on my right hip). He was unsuccessful as I stood my ground and stated that I do not consent in seizures. Now I know I could have just kept my mouth shut and not played along with their game and not answered any of their questions, but I guess I have to admit it was kind of fun, as you can tell from some of my answers to the PPD questions. Nothing dramatic ever really happened but I must say they sure did have one hell of a show of force with 15+ officers and an Air unit." Continue reading →

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Will Disney Soon Be Able to Break into Computers… Legally?

"Something called The IP Commission Report (subtitled A Report Of The Commission On The Theft Of American Intellectual Property) just crossed my desk. This new and very impressively produced report, authored by seven sets of hyper-impressive credentials, informs Congress that they should change US laws to go far, far beyond anything that has been authorized previously. On page 6, (by the report’s internal numbering), we get a bit of an overture – a foretaste of what’s to come. It says this: 'Companies that experience cyber theft ought to be able to retrieve their electronic files or prevent the exploitation of their stolen information.'" Continue reading →

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Driver’s License Renewal Gets Complicated

"From what I can tell, many of these problems trace back to the National Drivers Registry (NDR) Every state submits information to the NDR about drivers who have had the driver’s license suspended, revoked or who have been convicted of serious traffic violations. When a person applies for a driver’s license or renewal at the DMV, the person’s name and other identifying information such as date of birth, license number or social security number, is checked to see if they show up on the National Drivers Registry. If there is a match, he or she has to clear the problem up before a driver’s license can be issued." Continue reading →

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A Radical Constitutional Amendment to Protect Whistleblowers

"The Constitution’s failure to protect free speech at a seemingly basic level points to a major defect in its design. While it may be praiseworthy in forcefully demanding that the government it authorizes respect the rights of its citizens, it has not provided the real structural support to ensure that those demands are met. Anyone seriously interested in protecting free speech must push for a very radical 'constitutional amendment.' We should work not just to change the words of the document we call 'the Constitution,' but instead amend our legal system by completely changing the way it’s constituted." Continue reading →

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Rep. Alan Grayson on NSA spying: What if ‘Dictator Palin’ gets elected?

"'I heard Rush Limbaugh ranting almost incoherently about this just a few days ago on the radio,' the congressman said. 'He is very concerned about the fact that ‘Dictator Obama’ can get this information. I’m more concerned about the possibility that Dictator Palin can get this information, but regardless of who we are concerned about, the fact is we are both concerned.' Grayson has introduced legislation that would prohibit the Department of Defense from collecting Internet, telephone and other personal information generated by U.S. citizens without probable cause of a terrorism or criminal offense." Continue reading →

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Van Jones rips Obama’s ‘ridiculous’ denial of domestic spying operations

"Van Jones, a former White House special advisor, blasted President Barack Obama on Wednesday for cracking down on whistleblowers. 'First of all, we do have a domestic spying program, and what we need to be able to do is figure out how to balance these things, not pretend like there’s no balancing to be done.' 'He said that if somebody like Snowden wanted to be a whistle-blower, they could have gone ahead. Well, hold on a second, sir. That is — you are right now prosecuting more whistleblowers – not only than any American president, that every American president combined!'" Continue reading →

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Meshnet activists rebuilding the internet from scratch

"Across the US, from Maryland to Seattle, work is underway to construct user-owned wireless networks that will permit secure communication without surveillance or any centralised organisation. They are known as meshnets and ultimately, if their designers get their way, they will span the country. The Seattle Meshnet has just completed a successful crowdfunding campaign for meshboxes – routers that come preloaded with the cjdns software needed to join Hyperboria. Users will just plug the routers into their existing internet connection and be ready to go on the virtual meshnet – or a local physical meshnet when one becomes available." Continue reading →

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Snowden’s Email Provider Shuts Down

"I have been forced to make a difficult decision: to become complicit in crimes against the American people or walk away from nearly ten years of hard work by shutting down Lavabit. After significant soul searching, I have decided to suspend operations. I wish that I could legally share with you the events that led to my decision. I cannot. [..] This experience has taught me one very important lesson: without congressional action or a strong judicial precedent, I would _strongly_ recommend against anyone trusting their private data to a company with physical ties to the United States. Sincerely, Ladar Levison Owner and Operator, Lavabit LLC" Continue reading →

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