Alternative News

Barrett Brown Faces 105 Years in Jail

"Encountering Barrett Brown's story in passing, it is tempting to group him with other Anonymous associates who have popped up in the news for cutting pleas and changing sides. Brown's case, however, is a thing apart. Although he knew some of those involved in high-profile 'hacktivism,' he is no hacker. His situation is closer to the runaway prosecution that destroyed Aaron Swartz, the programmer-activist who committed suicide in the face of criminal charges similar to those now being leveled at Brown. But unlike Swartz, who illegally downloaded a large cache of academic articles, Brown never broke into a server; he never even leaked a document." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBarrett Brown Faces 105 Years in Jail

This Man Can’t Say Why the Government Wants to Jail Him for a Century

"In the US government's campaign against journalists, Barrett Brown is one of the lesser-known victims. And now even less will be forthcoming about his story, as the Texas-based writer, satirist and Internet activist is under a federal court gag order, forbidden to talk about his case or the charges that could land him in prison for more than 100 years. Brown was arrested in Dallas a year ago, hit with a dozen charges of identity theft for pasting a link to the chat room of ProjectPM, a wiki research forum he founded in 2009. The link led to a huge cache of hacked documents posted to WikiLeaks that had been purloined from the intelligence contractor Stratfor Global Intelligence." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThis Man Can’t Say Why the Government Wants to Jail Him for a Century

Starbucks CEO: ‘Guns are not a part of the Starbucks experience’

"In an open letter released today, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said that Starbucks will now 'respectfully request' that gun owners not bring their guns into Starbucks, even in states where 'open' or 'concealed carry' is permitted. 'We’re not pro-gun or anti-gun,' he told Bloomberg Businessweek, but he wanted to stop events like Starbucks Appreciation Day, in which those legally permitted to carry firearms were encouraged to patronize Starbucks while brandishing firearms." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingStarbucks CEO: ‘Guns are not a part of the Starbucks experience’

Ex-cops get new trial in post-Katrina bridge shootings

"A federal judge tossed the convictions of five ex-New Orleans police officers accused of shooting an unarmed family and firing on others as they tried to flee the flooded city. District Judge Kurt D. Engelhardt issued a 129-page ruling that cited a lengthy list of 'egregious and inflammatory' comments made online by at least three Justice Department officials. One of the top federal prosecutors in the case questioned how the officers were issued badges in a comment posted on a newspaper website just minutes before jury selection began, according to the ruling. Prosecutors are forbidden under Justice Department policies from making public statements that could influence the outcome of a case." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEx-cops get new trial in post-Katrina bridge shootings

Canadian Group Protests Missing Signs In Speed Camera Zones

"Wise Up Winnipeg members stood at the corner of Stafford Street and Warsaw on Friday warning drivers with bright yellow signs that read, 'Unsigned school zone ahead.' The group wants to bring attention to the city's refusal to act on a list of 203 locations where they say the signs do not comply with legal standards. So far, city officials are not commenting on the matter and have installed only three new warning signs since the group raised the issue last October. On Tuesday, video was posted of Winnipeg city employees pulling down a speed limit sign. The city is looking to further increase citations by reducing school zone speed limits from 50km/h (31 MPH) to 30km/h (19 MPH)." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCanadian Group Protests Missing Signs In Speed Camera Zones

US farmers challenging Monsanto patent claims appeal to Supreme Court

"Seventy-three US farmers, seed companies, and public advocacy groups appealed their case against Monsanto Co. to the Supreme Court on Thursday. The case seeks to challenge Monsanto’s aggressive claims on patents of genetically-engineered seeds and aims to bar the chemical and biotech company from suing anyone whose field is contaminated by such seeds. Monsanto has in the past sued over 100 farmers for patent infringement and won cases against farmers who were found to have used seeds without paying the company royalties." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS farmers challenging Monsanto patent claims appeal to Supreme Court

Judge Bars Jewish Man from His Own Trial then Finds Him Guilty

"The Rutherford Institute has come to the defense of a Jewish man who was barred from participating in his own trial after a circuit court judge removed him from the courtroom for insisting on wearing a head covering in keeping with his Jewish beliefs. Stephen Orr, a resident of Chesapeake, Va., was tried in absentia and found guilty, after a Circuit Court judge denied his request to wear a hat, or 'kippah,' into the courtroom in keeping with a Jewish mandate that persons wear a head covering at all times. The judge allegedly based his denial on the fact that other Jewish litigants appear in court without a head covering." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJudge Bars Jewish Man from His Own Trial then Finds Him Guilty

“You Know How to Leave”: Scenes from a Police Riot in Idaho Falls

"The initial police contact – to investigate a noise complaint, recall – occurred at around 10:49 PM. Within about twenty minutes, the air was thick with shouting and screaming, and a fleet of about a dozen police cars had converged on the address. Lund’s attack on Dindo left the living room floor filled with shattered furniture. So in the interests of preserving the 'peace,' Lund and his costumed buddies assaulted two unresisting men, committed felonious battery on a 79-year-old woman and a pregnant mother, destroyed property, terrorized a completely innocent next-door neighbor, and disrupted an entire city block. The Madrigals were able to post unedited video of most of the episode on-line." Continue reading →

Continue Reading“You Know How to Leave”: Scenes from a Police Riot in Idaho Falls

Why is California Jailing Landscapers? Don’t Cops Have Better Things to Do?!

"California suffers from one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation and the state is under court order to release 10,000 inmates, yet state agents are jailing people who manage to find home-improvement work. After placing ads on Craigslist, California State License Board investigators go undercover posing as homeowners, when landscapers, painters, and other contractors show up, the agents give them the 'To Catch a Predator' treatment. CSLB recently announced that agents from the Statewide Investigative Fraud Team had completed operation 'California Blitz.' SWIFTers busted 79 perps for contracting without a license; they face $5,000 in fines and up to six months in jail." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhy is California Jailing Landscapers? Don’t Cops Have Better Things to Do?!

Detroit Bus Company Helps Detroiters Get Around

"When it appeared in 2012 that plans to put even a 4-mile streetcar line through downtown Detroit were dead, Andy Didorosi was fed up. Only 25 at the time, he was already a serial entrepreneur in Detroit, launching a co-working space called Paper Street, a local racing event called the Thunderdrome and numerous other projects. So he bought a bus, hired graffiti artist Kobie Salomon to paint it, and named it Bettis. That old school bus became the Detroit Bus Company, Didorosi's first experiment to show how mass transit could be improved in Detroit." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDetroit Bus Company Helps Detroiters Get Around