Alternative News

Homeland Security Using Video Games to Recruit Top Students as Cyber Warriors

"Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is seeking up to 600 new student hackers to combat what they claim is the increasing danger of cyber attacks on critical infrastructure throughout the country. Rather than the normal propaganda techniques used to lure young Americans into other branches of the government, Homeland Security is taking a different route which includes the use of sophisticated video games to essentially promote job opportunities within their agency to young impressionable high school students." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHomeland Security Using Video Games to Recruit Top Students as Cyber Warriors

Creator of drone casualties visualization hopes data will ‘shock’ people

"Wesley Grubbs of Pitch Interactive told HuffPost Live on Tuesday that he created an interactive graph of the U.S. drone campaign in Pakistan to highlight civilian causalities. 'We want to shock people,' he explained. 'What we tried to do though with this was not just shock people with the number of casualties, but to shock people with the amount of information that we really don’t know.' The data visualization illustrates the number of casualties from drone strikes in Pakistan between 2004 and 2013, categorizing the victims as either children, civilians, alleged combatants, or high-profile targets." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCreator of drone casualties visualization hopes data will ‘shock’ people

One Man Blocking Arizona Anti-NDAA Bill

"Arizona has the chance to become the first state in America to enact real protections for its citizens against the NDAA. HB 2573, introduced by Rep. Carl Seel, passed Committee 6-2 last month, and passed the Rules Committee yesterday. Yet, one Representative does not see the tide turning to liberty. Representative Andy Tobin is currently blocking HB 2573 from receiving a full House vote. He is willing to kill protection for the people of Arizona, and allow the Federal government to trample the rights of his constituents." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOne Man Blocking Arizona Anti-NDAA Bill

Inside Oklahoma’s Quest To Dominate The American Drone Industry

"Oklahoma businesspeople, academics, and politicians are collaborating through an organization named USA-OK, which aims to make the heartland state the focal point of American UAV development. A quasi-affiliated group, the Governor’s Unmanned Aerial Systems Council (PDF), was formed via an executive order from Governor Mary Fallin in 2011. Both organizations are lobbying for commercial drone test sites in Oklahoma and increased government assistance in luring more large military contractors to the state. Oklahoma is already home to approximately 15 companies servicing the UAV industry." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingInside Oklahoma’s Quest To Dominate The American Drone Industry

Welcome to Sulphur Springs, Where the Police Chief is a Murderer

"Last April, the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement reinstated Brackney’s 'peace officer' certification. All that he needed now was a job opening – and one was soon created in Sulphur Springs. Between late 2010 and March 25 of this year, residents of Sulphur Springs had known the singular blessing of living in a community devoid of police. There hasn’t been a murder in Sulphur Springs in recent memory. By hiring a murderer as police chief, the people who presume to rule that tiny village managed to handle both the supply and demand side of law enforcement, as it were. Arkansas is riddled with tiny towns afflicted with police who are not merely corrupt, but demented." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWelcome to Sulphur Springs, Where the Police Chief is a Murderer

Cops running out of bullets? Thank the NRA

"Dayne Pryor is the chief of police in Rollingwood, Texas, a small suburb of Austin. 'I’ve been in law enforcement for 31 years and I’ve been a chief for eight years,' he sighs. 'And it’s just one of those things that I never thought I’d have a problem with, especially being in Texas.' Pryor’s problem, he explains to Salon, is that he’s having trouble finding ammunition and firearms for his officers, thanks to a national shortage. The cause? A run on supply from gun lovers afraid that Congress or state legislatures will impose new gun control laws in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCops running out of bullets? Thank the NRA

What Happens to Good Cops

"Justin Hopson was involved in a traffic stop in which his training officer carried out an unlawful arrest and ordered him to submit a false police report. He confronted his trainer and informed him that he would not testify when the case went to trial. His refusal to perjure himself in court, combined with a dashcam video that contradicted the falsified arrest report, led the prosecutor to dismiss the charges. It also led to severe retaliation against Hopson by a cult-like gang within the New Jersey State Patrol that called itself the 'Lords of Discipline.' Hopson was targeted for physical abuse, vandalism, petty theft, and harassment –and eventually driven from the force." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhat Happens to Good Cops

California’s Golden Bureaucrat Snags $400K of Yearly Compensation – for the Rest of Her Life!

"Alameda County supervisors have really taken to heart the adage that government should run like a business — rewarding County Administrator Susan Muranishi with the Wall Street-like wage of $423,664 a year. For the rest of her life. …Muranishi’s annual pension will be equal to the dollar total of her entire yearly package — $413,000. She also has a separate executive private pension plan, for which the county chips in $46,500 a year." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCalifornia’s Golden Bureaucrat Snags $400K of Yearly Compensation – for the Rest of Her Life!

Another California scheme to fleece motorists and eviscerate their rights

"AB666 would require that these tickets be prosecuted through an administrative hearing conducted by the jurisdiction running the camera program rather than through an independent traffic court. ...AB666 makes the vehicle owner responsible for violations committed by someone else unless you can prove who was driving the vehicle...And if you don't, they will put a hold on your registration until you pay up. Not bad enough? The hold on your registration gets applied as soon as they mail you the ticket, not after you are found guilty. It gets worse. The tickets are considered Prima Facie evidence against you. No other evidence has to be submitted against you." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAnother California scheme to fleece motorists and eviscerate their rights

Maryland Senate Votes To Cover Up Speed Camera Errors

"Earlier this year, a number of lawmakers in Maryland vowed to reform the way speed cameras were operated in the state. Officials were rocked by the revelation that more than 5 percent of photo ticket recipients in Baltimore were likely innocent with lax oversight and faulty photo radar equipment to blame for the bogus citations. On Monday, the state Senate voted 46-1 to cover up future errors." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMaryland Senate Votes To Cover Up Speed Camera Errors