Meet Liberty’s Exiles – The Loyalists in the Revolution

“On November 25, 1783, the last British troops pulled out of New York City, bringing the American Revolution to an end. But for tens of thousands of American loyalists, the British evacuation spelled worry, not jubilation. What would happen to them in the new United States? Would they and their families be safe? Facing grave doubts about their futures, some sixty thousand loyalists—one in forty members of the American population—decided to leave their homes and become refugees elsewhere in the British Empire. They sailed for Britain, for Canada, for Jamaica, and for the Bahamas; some ventured as far as Sierra Leone and India." Continue reading

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Northern Michigan Secession

"For those who have never been to northern Michigan, and the Upper Peninsula in particular, there is a culture here all its own, with no special love for the politics of Lansing and Detroit. As with Vermont, the effort to secede in northern Michigan still has passion and traction. And with American secession efforts receiving more visibility and thus being taken more seriously, we will hear much more about it in the coming years." Continue reading

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Disabled veteran kicked off boardwalk because of service dog

"A North Wildwood police officer issued Jared and his wife a summons because of the dog. Goering said, 'I expected to get more respect from him because of the jobs that we both have to do.' 'He mockingly asked if all veterans get service dogs,' said Jared’s wife, Sally Goering, 'his dog is medically necessary and he is a service dog.' In 2009, Jared was serving in Afghanistan when his vehicle was blown up by IEDs, twice, within 36 hours. Now, Jared uses his 3-year-old service dog, Gator, short for Navigator, to help him walk, and to get up and down stairs." Continue reading

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After gun enthusiast’s arrest, rifle-toting protestors gather outside McAllen PD

"Horton, the open carry advocate, visited the Public Safety Building on Wednesday afternoon and told police he wanted to take a photograph of himself holding an assault-style rifle, according to police. Officers warned Horton not to bring weapons onto the premises and he left. Horton returned later, apparently intending to photograph himself holding a rifle. Officers arrested him for trespassing and carrying a weapon where prohibited, according to the news release. Police later dropped the trespassing charge and Horton was released on a $25,000 bond." Continue reading

Continue ReadingAfter gun enthusiast’s arrest, rifle-toting protestors gather outside McAllen PD

Glenn Greenwald plans to release more Snowden files in 10 days

"Glenn Greenwald is planning to release more documents from the cache handed over to him by whistleblower Edward Snowden, claiming that what has been seen so far is just a very small slice compared to the bigger picture. Greenwald plans to make new revelations public 'within the next 10 days or so', expected to be related to secret US backed surveillance of the internet, worldwide. One of the conditions that Snowden had for receiving temporary asylum in Russia was that he stop leaking. But Greenwald already has access to these files - so technically speaking - these will not be fresh leaks but the disclosure of already leaked material." Continue reading

Continue ReadingGlenn Greenwald plans to release more Snowden files in 10 days

Montana Attorney General blames reporters for online threats against them

"Montana Attorney General Tim Fox (R) suggested that Associated Press reporters who were threatened after their personal information was leaked online brought it upon themselves. 'Whether or not there is a chilling effect I guess the media, the journalistic profession needs to contemplate when they ask for information whether or not they are creating a chilling effect in their own profession,' Fox told Montana Public Radio (MPR) when asked about the threats, which followed his office’s denial of an AP request for a copy of the state database concerning concealed firearm permit holders. A 2013 state law made such information classified." Continue reading

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U.S. Navy admiral pushes officers to curtail ‘jargon and gibberish’

"The fight against acronyms, adjectives and adverbs is one Kirby attacked with a handful of examples. 'The world isn’t a dangerous place. It’s a ‘dynamic and complex international environment'' Kirby mocked. 'We didn’t tell people we were reducing to one the number of carriers in the Middle East. We told them we were responding to a ’1.0 carrier presence requirement in the CENTCOM AOR.'' Faced with declining resources and a growing gap between the military and the American people, officers must communicate better, the email implored." Continue reading

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Photo of snoozing police officer in America’s most dangerous city enrages public

"A photo of a police officer in Camden, New Jersey, apparently asleep in his cruiser has prompted an investigation in the U.S. city with the nation’s highest violent crime rate in 2012. The photo, which shows the uniformed officer wearing sunglasses, head cocked back and mouth agape in the driver’s seat, began circulating on Camden-related Facebook pages this week. It was unclear whether the officer was napping or caught yawning at a bad moment, whether he was on break or on duty, or how long he had been on patrol. Camden has scrapped its city police force as a cost-saving measure, and the county force replaced it in May." Continue reading

Continue ReadingPhoto of snoozing police officer in America’s most dangerous city enrages public

How should you protect yourself from cyber surveillance?

"What are your risks in this era of surveillance, hacking and sloppy software coding? It depends. So what precautions should you be taking? Same answer: it depends. That’s a pretty unsatisfying bit of advice, isn’t it? Yet it’s a core truth of digital security. You should be concerned, very concerned, but in order to make decisions about your own security measures you should first figure out which threats you’re likely to face. Understanding what’s at risk – and that not all threats are equally daunting – is a key to how you should respond." Continue reading

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