it can’t happen here

Second Drone Crash In One Week On Highway In Florida, Carrying Self-Destruct Charge

"The latest crash came Wednesday morning around 8:25 when the drone crashed alongside US 98 in the Silver Flag area on the east side of the base. Eye witnesses say the QF 4 drone crashed while taking off, exploded and sent up a large black cloud. Base and local police and safety officials have closed Highway 98 and are anticipating that it will remain closed for up to 24 hours. According to WJHG, the closure is being done because of a small self-destruct charge carried on board the drone. The status of this device is unknown. It is powered by a short-life battery which will be fully depleted in 24 hours." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSecond Drone Crash In One Week On Highway In Florida, Carrying Self-Destruct Charge

NDAA: It Still Makes a Mockery Of American Values

"While most of the country has been consumed with the George Zimmerman trial and other political distractions pushed on us by the mainstream media, the U.S. government’s consistent and aggressive violations of civil liberties continue with minimal protest. The PRISM surveillance program, the phony 'due process' of the FISA courts, and the militarization of law enforcement are the most pervasive examples, but the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is perhaps the most authoritarian of them all and makes a mockery of American values." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNDAA: It Still Makes a Mockery Of American Values

Beware the man on the white horse…

"As far back as ancient times, whenever civilizations fell into great crisis, people in desperation have almost invariably turned to a single individual who promised them better times. Of course, history is full of examples of men who did not give up power willingly once the crisis passed. The ancient historian Herodotus lists as many as fifty ‘tyrants’ in his writings, a word that has its origins in ancient Greek despotic rulers. For thousands of years, ambitious men have always taken advantage of crisis, social turmoil, and economic downturns to solidify their positions and take control… often creating even more destruction in their wake." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBeware the man on the white horse…

Beware the man on the white horse…

"As far back as ancient times, whenever civilizations fell into great crisis, people in desperation have almost invariably turned to a single individual who promised them better times. Of course, history is full of examples of men who did not give up power willingly once the crisis passed. The ancient historian Herodotus lists as many as fifty ‘tyrants’ in his writings, a word that has its origins in ancient Greek despotic rulers. For thousands of years, ambitious men have always taken advantage of crisis, social turmoil, and economic downturns to solidify their positions and take control… often creating even more destruction in their wake." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBeware the man on the white horse…

Lessons from Economic Crises in Argentina

"Just about every single thing that you could do to screw up a country, they have done. It is comical to see the extremes they have gone to. They are really completely out of control and the country is spinning off into la-la-land. Frankly, I love living right in the midst of all of it. There is a lesson to be learned from all of this, and I think it is a very important one. When it comes right down to it, any government – not just the Argentine government, but the US government as well – will simply do whatever it thinks it needs to do to keep the status quo intact, with no moral or ethical considerations." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLessons from Economic Crises in Argentina

Propaganda Ban Repealed As Government-Made News Floods U.S.

"For decades, a so-called anti-propaganda law prevented the U.S. government’s mammoth broadcasting arm from delivering programming to American audiences. But on July 2, that came silently to an end with the implementation of a new reform passed in January. The result: an unleashing of thousands of hours per week of government-funded radio and TV programs for domestic U.S. consumption in a reform initially criticized as a green light for U.S. domestic propaganda efforts. The law, the Smith-Mundt Modernization Act of 2012, was passed as part of the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act. The repeal of the propaganda ban went into effect this month." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPropaganda Ban Repealed As Government-Made News Floods U.S.

Glenn Greenwald: The crux of the NSA story in one phrase: ‘collect it all’

"The Washington Post this morning has a long profile of Gen. Keith Alexander, director the NSA, and it highlights the crux of the NSA stories, the reason Edward Snowden sacrificed his liberty to come forward, and the obvious focal point for any responsible or half-way serious journalists covering this story. It helpfully includes that crux right in the headline, in a single phrase. What does 'collect it all' mean? Exactly what it says; the Post explains how Alexander took a 'collect it all' surveillance approach originally directed at Iraqis in the middle of a war, and thereafter transferred it so that it is now directed at the US domestic population as well as the global one." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlenn Greenwald: The crux of the NSA story in one phrase: ‘collect it all’

Glenn Greenwald: The crux of the NSA story in one phrase: ‘collect it all’

"The Washington Post this morning has a long profile of Gen. Keith Alexander, director the NSA, and it highlights the crux of the NSA stories, the reason Edward Snowden sacrificed his liberty to come forward, and the obvious focal point for any responsible or half-way serious journalists covering this story. It helpfully includes that crux right in the headline, in a single phrase. What does 'collect it all' mean? Exactly what it says; the Post explains how Alexander took a 'collect it all' surveillance approach originally directed at Iraqis in the middle of a war, and thereafter transferred it so that it is now directed at the US domestic population as well as the global one." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlenn Greenwald: The crux of the NSA story in one phrase: ‘collect it all’

Paul Craig Roberts: Coup d’etat

"During my professional life it was Soviet Russia that persecuted truth tellers, while America gave them asylum and tried to protect them. Today it is Washington that persecutes those who speak the truth, and it is Russia that protects them. It is not the US that is damaged by Snowden’s revelations. It is the criminal elements in the US government that have pulled off a coup against democracy, the Constitution, and the American people who are damaged. It is the criminals who have seized power, not the American people, who are demanding Snowden’s scalp. The Obama Regime, like the Bush/Cheney Regime, has no legitimacy." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPaul Craig Roberts: Coup d’etat

Internet Fascism and the Surveillance State

"This has been a common historical pattern in the rise of totalitarian States, which have often sought to incorporate large business concerns into their network of power. Indeed, the very notion of 'public-private partnerships' in this sector readily brings to mind the worst aspects of fascist economic systems that have historically existed. The actions of US companies that have cooperated in the NSA’s mass surveillance operations calls into question the 'private' status of these companies. In many ways these companies have acted as an extension of the US government, providing information illegally, in exchange for privileges and intelligence." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingInternet Fascism and the Surveillance State