Alternative News

Houston Cops Accused Of Deadly Force On Unarmed, Disabled Man

"One major case being investigated is the shooting death of 45-year-old Brian Claunch, a mentally ill, double-amputee in a wheelchair, at the hands of a Houston police officer. Police Officer Matthew Marin shot and killed the one-armed and one-legged Claunch in September 2012 inside a group home for the mentally ill when responding to a dispatcher’s call that Claunch was suspected of disorderly conduct inside the home. The Houston PD claims that Claunch threatened Officer Marin and was waving an object at the time of the shooting. Marin reportedly told investigators he didn’t know the object in Claunch’s hand was a writing pen." Continue reading →

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New York: Federal Appeals Court Upholds Motorcycle Roadblock

"The Second Circuit US Court of Appeals last week upheld the use of roadblocks designed to detain motorcyclists so they can be issued $85 tickets when wearing unapproved helmets. New York is one of only 19 states that currently require all riders to wear a DOT-approved helmet. In 2007, the New York State Police began using federal taxpayer grant money to target these motorcyclists for the express purpose of generating citations. Roadblocks for motorcycles would be set up with the stated objective 'to detect motorcycle safety violations and ensure proper registration and operator compliance with New York State's motorcycle license requirements.'" Continue reading →

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Legal Gun Owners in New York Outed Like Sex Offenders

"A corporate media owned website in New York has posted the names and addresses of pistol permit holders in three counties in the state. Data for all permit categories, unrestricted carry, premises, business, employment, target and hunting, is included, but permit information is not available on an individual basis. The Journal News submitted Freedom of Information requests for the names and addresses of all pistol permit holders in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties. It used Google Maps to pinpoint specific locations and included the names and addresses of permit holders, without specifying a reason for invading the privacy of handgun owners." Continue reading →

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Grandmother Struck and Killed by Drunk Driving NY Officer

"A former NYPD detective — whose BAC was more than three times the legal limit when he plowed into a Bronx grandmother with a cop car — was convicted of manslaughter yesterday. Former Detective Kevin Spellman, however, beat the rap on the most serious charges against him (aggravated vehicular homicide and first-degree vehicular manslaughter) in the death of 66-year-old Drane Nikac. Following the accident, Spellman refused a breathalyzer test, and his BAC wasn’t tested until five hours after he slammed into the Bronx grandmother while driving erratically in his NYPD-owned Chevy Impala." Continue reading →

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Glenn Greenwald: New York’s top court highlights the meaninglessness and menace of the term ‘terrorism’

"What the court is admitting here is amazing. It is saying that when someone is accused of terrorism, the rules governing trials and law completely change. All sorts of things that the state is normally barred from doing on the grounds that it is unjust suddenly become permissible when someone faces terrorism charges. Indeed, so 'prejudicial' are these special rules of 'justice' for terrorism cases that anyone convicted under these rules is, by definition, treated unfairly if terrorism is inapplicable. That's what has happened in the post-9/11 era: a whole new system of 'justice', with all new rules designed to ensure convictions and long prison terms." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlenn Greenwald: New York’s top court highlights the meaninglessness and menace of the term ‘terrorism’

Will Grigg: Merely Being Arrested Can Ruin Your Life

"A recent investigation by the Gainesville Sun found that local police agencies make hundreds of entirely unnecessary arrests every year. The victims are arrested without charge, but the arrest is instantly noted in databases that are used for background checks for employment and housing. Even if the victim’s criminal record is expunged, the digital trail cannot be erased. Many of those arrests are summary punishment for 'contempt of cop.' Others are made for cynical reasons related to career advancement within the state’s punitive priesthood." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWill Grigg: Merely Being Arrested Can Ruin Your Life

Blind juggling robot keeps balls in the air for hours

"Researchers at the Institute for Dynamic Systems and Control (IDSC) at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich have created a juggling robot, the so-called 'blind juggler,' which, in spite of its lack of visual sensors, is capable of flawlessly juggling a ball or balls for hours. The robot was designed by Philipp Reist and Raffaello D’Andrea and uses only mechanical sensors in its paddle, which is slightly curved. The robot registers nine different aspects of each bounce of the ball, including speed, angle and spin." Continue reading →

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Double-barrelled 50 kW German laser weapon shoots down drones and mortar rounds

"German defense contractor Rheinmetall has shown off a new two-part laser system with a combined output of 50 kW, capable of shooting down drones and intercepting mortar rounds in mid-flight. The high-energy laser (HEL) weapon consists of a 30 kW primary laser mounted on a rotating turret and a 20 kW secondary beam for targeting stationary objects. In tests conducted in late November, the beams combined to slice through a 15mm steel girder at a distance of roughly 1,000 yards, while the 30 kW laser on its own was able to intercept a drone moving at more than 110 mph." Continue reading →

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I Met the Enemy

"I recently had an opportunity to visit Iran. Family and friends warned me not to go because everyone knows the people in Iran all hate Americans. I found the Iranian people to be among the friendliest I have ever met anywhere in the world. I have new friends there that I will hold dear to my heart for the rest of my life. Oh how I wish a million Americans would visit Iran and meet the people there. If more Americans could see for themselves what I saw, they would demand our government change its policies toward these wonderful people. I met the enemy ... and I love them." Continue reading →

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NYPD to Start Searching Internet for Pre-Crime Shooters

"Big brother just gets bigger and bigger. They take advantage of any event to grow. The NYPD intends to create algorithms that scan the text of conversations in chat rooms, social media and emails for clues on potential ‘apolitical or deranged killers’. NYPD Police Chief Raymond Kelly said in a statement: 'The goal would be to identify the shooter in cyberspace, engage him there and intervene, possibly using an undercover to get close, and take him into custody or otherwise disrupt his plans.' This is particularly bizarre since it appears that Adam Lanza, the shooter at the Sandy Hook Elementary School, didn't leave any kind of Facebook or Twitter clues." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNYPD to Start Searching Internet for Pre-Crime Shooters