Homeland Stupidity

A Story of Slavery in Modern America

"Lola’s travel papers had expired in 1969, five years after we arrived in the U.S. She’d come on a special passport linked to my father’s job. After a series of fallings-out with his superiors, Dad quit the consulate and declared his intent to stay in the United States. He arranged for permanent-resident status for his family, but Lola wasn’t eligible. He was supposed to send her back. Lola’s legal status became what Filipinos call tago nang tago, or TNT—'on the run.' She stayed TNT for almost 20 years." Continue reading →

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1Password adds ‘travel mode’ to keep passwords safe at the (US) border

"Increasingly, people are being asked to turn over and unlock their phones at the border, and doing that can expose a huge amount of data. Add in an app like 1Password — a central repository for a ton of private data — and it’s easy to see why someone would be worried about having to hand over their phone." Continue reading →

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Manchester Bomber Was Product of West’s Libya/Syria Intervention

"A radicalized Libyan whose family fled Gaddafi's secular Libya, and later trained to be an armed 'rebel' in Syria, fighting for the US and UK 'regime change' policy toward the secular Assad government, Salman Abedi was the direct product of US and UK interventions in the greater Middle East." Continue reading →

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Court ruling nullifies US requirement that hobbyists register drones

"A federal appeals court on Friday struck down a regulation requiring the public to register drones. The US Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia found that the Federal Aviation Administration did not have the authority to regulate so-called 'model aircraft.' If it stands, the decision (PDF) means that the public does not have to abide by the FAA requirement established in 2015. To legally fly a drone, hobbyists are currently required to pay a $5 fee and dole out their name, home address, and e-mail address. Registration was required to be updated every three years. Maximum penalties for failing to comply included three years in prison and a $250,000 fine." Continue reading →

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James Bovard: Comey firing justly knocks FBI off its pedestal

"The FBI has a long record of both deceit and incompetence. Five years ago, Americans learned that the FBI was teaching its agents that the bureau 'has the ability to bend or suspend the law to impinge on the freedom of others.' This has practically been the FBI's motif since its creation." Continue reading →

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Global Entry Passengers Swept Up In Trump’s Travel Ban

"American citizens certified for Global Entry often learned of the issue only when they sought to travel, according to the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, which says it received 'dozens' of complaints and is seeking agency records about the revocations through the Freedom of Information Act. The CBP did not respond to questions about how many people had been purged and restored to the 'trusted traveler' programs. Several of the people who complained about being removed from the programs were U.S. citizens originally from countries not included in the bans: India, Lebanon, and Pakistan." Continue reading →

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Florida sheriff taunts drug dealers in video resembling ISIS propaganda

"The 90-second video message from Sheriff Peyton Grinnell features a stern message to heroin dealers in his community, as he's flanked by four deputies in body armor and black face masks, who stoically stare into the camera. Some people made comparisons to videos from the Islamic State, the terrorist group also known as ISIS whose propaganda often features masked men delivering fiery statements." Continue reading →

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