for life and liberty

Drones Are Like Structured Finance

"What happened with structured finance and what's happening with drones is that the adoption and increased use of the technologies come to have an independent effect on the underlying phenomena, the housing bubble and the war on terror's killing bubble. Being effective and low-cost technologies, they heighten the bubbles as people use them intensively. The indiscriminate use or broad use or overuse of these technologies cause problems all their own and, in the hands of their users, who were investment bankers and now U.S. government officials, they become contributory causes of new problems." Continue reading →

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Deputy pepper sprays, beats man with Down Syndrome

"His eyes stinging with pepper spray, a developmentally disabled 21-year-old man was hit and forced to the ground before being taken into custody by California sheriff's deputies. Antonio Martinez was taken to a hospital and detained for possible obstruction of justice, but there was no citation or charge filed on that or other counts. While trying 'to gain compliance and prevent a possible escape,' the deputy used pepper spray on Antonio Martinez. The deputy began using a baton as an agitated crowd approached. The deputy hit Antonio Martinez with it, forcing him to the ground, then levied 'a couple more strikes to get his hands free'." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDeputy pepper sprays, beats man with Down Syndrome

Occupy activists sue Los Angeles over harsh treatment from police

"Activists with Occupy Los Angeles have filed suit against the city for what they allege was harsh police treatment as they were swept off City Hall grounds over a year ago. An estimated 1,400 officers drove about 300 demonstrators off the grounds on November 30, 2011; the activists had been camping out for eight weeks to support the Occupy Wall Street movement against economic inequality and wealth disparities. The activists claim they were denied food and water for hours while being detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center, at a jail in Van Nuys or on a bus to the detention center. Others allege they were refused access to bathroom facilities." 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

Indefinite Detention Without Trial: Completely Unconstitutional, Yet Routine

"Seattle residents Matt Duran and Katherine Olejnik have been imprisoned in the SeaTac Federal Detention Center for weeks. Neither of them has been indicted, arraigned, or even arrested for a crime. They have been imprisoned for civil contempt by a federal prosecutor for refusing to answer personal questions during a secretive grand jury investigation of other people in the Occupy movement. Olejnik exercised her constitutionally protected right to remain silent. That is why she was sent to prison on the orders of U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones. Duran’s case is nearly identical. They may remain in prison until 2014." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIndefinite Detention Without Trial: Completely Unconstitutional, Yet Routine

Records show FBI monitored ‘Anarchist’ Occupy Wall Street protests

"Newly-released records show the Federal Bureau of Investigations used counter-intelligence measures to monitor several Occupy Wall Street protests, at times labeling their actions as 'Anarchist' and investigating them as potential domestic terrorists. The documents, which were obtained by the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund in redacted form, show that the bureau began monitoring the movement as early as August 2011, when Occupy was establishing itself in Zuccotti Park in New York City. The fund’s director, Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, said the findings prove authorities overstepped their bounds in gathering information against lawful protesters." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRecords show FBI monitored ‘Anarchist’ Occupy Wall Street protests

U.S. Passport as Instrument of Control

"Career civil servant Ruth B. Shipley acted as chief of the Passport Division of the U.S. State Department from 1928 to 1955. Shipley personally reviewed every passport application, and prior to 1958 Supreme Court decision, her actions were subject to no judicial review. Shipley denied passports to Paul Robeson, Arthur Miller, Linus Pauling, and 'many other' Americans during the 1950s. Kahn’s article explores how Shipley acquired such power and how the US passport became an instrument to prevent rather than permit travel." Continue reading →

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Iran to citizens: avoid U.S. travel due to ‘targeted Iranophobia’

"Iran has issued a travel warning to its citizens against visiting arch-foe the United States, an official said, after the death of an Iranian national reportedly following a grilling by US customs officials. 'Iranian citizens are advised to avoid non-essential travels to the US and, in case of visit, to exercise maximum caution,' foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said in remarks reported by the ISNA news agency. The US is a 'high risk' destination for Iranian travellers, he said citing a 'targeted Iranophobia trend in the US and repeated incidents in which Iranian citizens are threatened and arrested there.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIran to citizens: avoid U.S. travel due to ‘targeted Iranophobia’

Democrat Kathy Hochul Plumps for Drones at Niagara Falls Air Base

"What's wrong with America? One thing for sure: its government. Here's one example. There's an air base in Niagara Falls. It's a U.S. Air Force base called the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station. It's run out of mission. It never had a good mission to begin with but that unproductive mission has run out. So now a local member of Congress has worked to get it a new mission, which would be DRONES. This will be approved today in the Defense Authorization Bill being voted in Congress. Drones and the military in general are one big pork barrel. This is what the U.S. Constitution has wrought by centralizing defense in the federal government." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDemocrat Kathy Hochul Plumps for Drones at Niagara Falls Air Base

U.K. pays Iraqi torture victims millions in compensation

"The Ministry of Defence has paid out £14m in compensation and costs to hundreds of Iraqis who complained that they were illegally detained and tortured by British forces during the five-year occupation of the south-east of the country. Hundreds more claims are in the pipeline as Iraqis become aware that they are able to bring proceedings against the UK authorities in the London courts. Human rights groups and lawyers representing former prisoners say that the abuse was systemic, with military interrogators and guards responsible for the mistreatment acting in accordance with both their training in the UK and orders issued in Iraq." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.K. pays Iraqi torture victims millions in compensation