Homeland Stupidity

Banned From the US? There’s a Robot for That

"Two telepresence robots roll into a human-computer interaction conference. Sounds like the beginning of a very nerdy joke, but it really happened (#2017). A few weeks ago in Denver, Colorado, a robot I was piloting over the internet from my computer in Idaho stood wheel-to-wheel with a similar 'bot in a pink skirt controlled by a researcher in Germany. We huddled. We introduced ourselves by yelling at each other's screens. Given the topic of the conference, this particular human-computer interaction was a little too on the HD touch-screen nose. But as much as we symbolized the future, we were also a political statement about a troubled present." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBanned From the US? There’s a Robot for That

Trump’s travel ban brought back from the dead by Supreme Court

"The Supreme Court agreed Monday to review President Donald Trump’s travel ban and partially reversed lower court rulings that blocked the ban from being implemented. Trump’s travel restrictions on people from six Muslim-majority nations can be applied to individuals 'who lack any bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States,' the Supreme Court ruled." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTrump’s travel ban brought back from the dead by Supreme Court

US plans ‘enhanced security’ for air travel from 105 countries

"The new measures will affect 105 countries hosting approximately 280 airports, 180 airlines, and about 2,100 daily flights carrying 325,000 US-bound passengers. DHS already has in place a policy that bars electronic devices larger than a cell phone from Turkey and several Middle Eastern airports. The UK has a similar policy, affecting airports in six countries." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS plans ‘enhanced security’ for air travel from 105 countries

US Government Spends Billions Reviving Cold-War Nuclear War Bunkers

"Cold War-era government bunkers across the country were built to house the President and various Washington elites — members of a so-called 'shadow government' in the worst nuclear Armageddon scenario. Since September 11, 2001, Congress has intensified their interest in and funding of top secret 'Continuity of Government' (COG) in ways not seen since the Cold War." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS Government Spends Billions Reviving Cold-War Nuclear War Bunkers

White House Makes It Official: It Wants to Keep Snooping on Americans

"President Donald Trump and allies may complain on Twitter and out loud how the Deep State illegally snooped on him under his predecessor, Barack Obama, but that doesn't mean the White House wants less surveillance authority. The White House and several GOP senators have made it official: They want to make some significant surveillance authorities permanent under law without addressing concerns by civil liberties and privacy advocates that these authorities are being used to collect Americans' data without the use of warrants." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhite House Makes It Official: It Wants to Keep Snooping on Americans

US to criminalize undeclared cash, bitcoin, gift cards, prepaid phones

"Have too much cash? You’d better tell the government. If not, they’re authorizing themselves in this bill to seize not just the money you didn’t report, but ALL of your assets and bank accounts. They even go so far as to specifically name 'safety deposit boxes' among the various assets that they can seize if you don’t fill out the form." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS to criminalize undeclared cash, bitcoin, gift cards, prepaid phones

Anti-Muslim Bigots Are “Useful Idiots” for ISIS

"The Islamophobes see themselves as politically incorrect truth-tellers; as bold and blunt opponents of the radicals and the extremists. The reality is that they are the accomplices, the unpaid agents, of those very same radicals and extremists. Every terrorist needs a Katie Hopkins. It is one of the great ironies of our time — those who shout loudest about the threat posed by ISIS are often the biggest propagandists for ISIS." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAnti-Muslim Bigots Are “Useful Idiots” for ISIS

‘We need a final solution,’ British columnist tweets after Manchester bombing

"A British tabloid columnist faced calls for a police investigation on Tuesday after she used the term 'final solution' to describe how the country should respond to the deadly bombing in Manchester. The phrase is the well-known euphemism used by the Nazis for the genocide of the Jews. In late 2015, during the U.S. presidential election, Donald Trump praised Hopkins on Twitter as a 'respected columnist' and thanked her for her 'powerful writing on the U.K.’s Muslim problems.'" Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘We need a final solution,’ British columnist tweets after Manchester bombing