Fascism

I Paid To See A Movie About Singing. I Got 90 Minutes Of Pentagon Propaganda.

"Retired Army lieutenant colonel Thomas Lesnieski, who was involved with the production of the film, says that in order to 'make sure that the way the military is portrayed is done right,' changes were made to the script of Pitch Perfect 3 after the film enlisted 'DoD support'."

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How the Government Hides Secret Surveillance Programs

"Parallel construction is when law enforcement originally obtains evidence through a secret surveillance program, then tries to seek it out again, via normal procedure. In essence, law enforcement creates a parallel, alternative story for how it found information. That way, it can hide surveillance techniques from public scrutiny and would-be criminals. A new report released by Human Rights Watch Tuesday, based in part on 95 relevant cases, indicates that law enforcement is using parallel construction regularly."

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LAPD takes another step toward deploying drones domestically

"Advocates say camera-mounted drones could help protect officers and others by collecting crucial information during high-risk situations or searches without jeopardizing their safety. For many privacy advocates and police critics, however, the drones stir Orwellian visions of unwarranted surveillance or fears of militarized, weapon-toting devices patrolling the skies. LAPD brass, along with police commissioners, tried to ease those concerns last fall by promising careful restrictions on when the drones would be used, and strong oversight of the pilot program."

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White House Planning Private Spies to Counter “Deep State” Enemies

"The Trump administration is considering a set of proposals developed by Blackwater founder Erik Prince and a retired CIA officer — with assistance from Oliver North, a key figure in the Iran-Contra scandal — to provide CIA Director Mike Pompeo and the White House with a global, private spy network that would circumvent official U.S. intelligence agencies, according to several current and former U.S. intelligence officials and others familiar with the proposals."

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Judge halts Indiana city’s code-enforcement property seizure racket

"The judge had particularly harsh words for Hall, who indicated in emails that it would be 'financially disastrous' for residents to try to improve their homes, because the homes would be demolished anyway. Such statements, coupled with the city’s policy of not levying fines against LLC-owned homes, undermine the goal of maintaining safety, Mount said."

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The Secret Billion Dollar Tax You’ve Never Heard About

"Unclaimed property is one of the fastest growing sources for state revenue, and many believe that most unclaimed property is not reported. The lucrative silence surrounding unclaimed property has shifted from business entities, prior to the enactment of unclaimed property laws, to the current lucrative silence that allows unclaimed property to become a vital source of revenue for state governments."

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