Land Of The Flea

School & Experts Put Genius Boy In Special Ed, Now On Track For Nobel Prize

"Numbers were his passion and he was getting bored of early grades of elementary school as they did not come close to challenging him. Finally, his parents made the decision to take him out of public school and special ed programs regardless of the fact doctors had diagnosed him with ASD. Jacob’s incredible memory and mind allowed him to attend university classes after he taught himself all of high school math in just two weeks. He is currently on track to graduate from college by the age of 14 and it is believed his research into math and physics may begin to challenge some of the established theories in physics." Continue reading →

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The Tipping Point

"Jesus said that when a garment gets so old, attempting to patch it with new cloth will just tear it up worse. The authoritarian state seems to be reaching that point, beyond which any attempt to patch it up or prolong its life just hastens its demise. The interesting thing about the federal prosecutions of Aaron Swartz and Chelsea Manning is that the vindictive approach to piling up charges and seeking maximum sentences were calculated attempts to send a message to anyone else contemplating sabotage against the information control regime. But those attempts have done more to inspire sympathy among the uncommitted and galvanize the information freedom movement than to terrify would-be leakers." Continue reading →

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When Your Car Is Spying on You

"Traffic cameras in Britain as well in Los Angeles and other jurisdictions overwhelmingly ring up drivers for offenses that wouldn't trouble a cop. New Jersey is just the latest state scandalized by discovery that yellow lights are set below the state minimum in order to yield more red-light camera tickets. London uses its cameras to levy special fees on those who drive SUVs in the city's financial distract. In some future discrimination or hate-crime lawsuit, will vehicle records be called up to show you locked your doors in a minority neighborhood but not in a white neighborhood? Will the state decide to raise your ObamaCare copays because a face-recognition camera also recognized a cigarette?" Continue reading →

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AT&T paid for access to 4 billion call records a day for federal, local drug investigations

"US law enforcement officers working on anti-drugs operations have had access to a vast database of call records dating back to 1987, supplied by the phone company AT&T. The project, known as Hemisphere, gives federal and local officers working on drug cases access to a database of phone metadata populated by more than four billion new call records each day. Unlike the controversial call record accesses obtained by the NSA, the data is stored by AT&T, not the government, but officials can access individual’s phone records within an hour of an administrative subpoena. AT&T receives payment from the government in order to sit its employees alongside drug units to aid with access to the data." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAT&T paid for access to 4 billion call records a day for federal, local drug investigations

Labor Day ‘Mackinac Bridge Walk’ will feature warrantless bag searches

"An annual tradition since 1958, the Labor Day walk/run across the Mackinac Bridge creates the kind of family memories that last a lifetime. New for this year, families and friends will have the demeaning experience of police performing warrantless bag searches to add to their priceless memories and timeless photographs. For the 56th annual event, the Michigan State Police (MSP) will conduct searches of bags, purses, and backpacks for all attendees wanting to make the walk across the bridge — all without probable cause of a crime." Continue reading →

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Anti-War Protesters to Cop: We Don’t Need A Permit, We Have The Constitution

"A group of activists gathered on the side of the road to waves signs in Spartanburg, S.C. in protest of Obamas intentions to strike Syria with missiles in response to an alleged gas attack by the Syrian government against it’sown citizens. A police officer approached the activists and told them they would need to have a permit to assemble in the future but the activists were not having it. Citing that the constitution is the national permit for peaceable assembly, these protestors stood strong for the rights of all Americans today." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAnti-War Protesters to Cop: We Don’t Need A Permit, We Have The Constitution

FBI increases surveillance of Syrians in U.S.

"The FBI has beefed up its surveillance of Syrians living in the United States ahead of a possible US military attack on Syria, The New York Times reported Sunday. The newspaper said FBI agents are set to interview hundreds of Syrians in the coming days. US officials are especially concerned because Syria’s close ally Iran has warned that any military action on Syria would leave Israel in flames. It said senior FBI officials have also directed the bureau’s field offices to follow up with sources linked to Syrians as part of an effort to identify any talk of a retaliatory strike. And Syrians currently under investigation will be placed under closer scrutiny." Continue reading →

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Snowden files reveal NSA spied on Brazil and Mexico presidents

"Rio de Janeiro-based journalist Glenn Greenwald told Globo on Sunday that a document dated June 2012 shows that Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto’s emails were being accessed. That was a month before his election. The NSA also intercepted some of Pena Nieto’s voicemails. The communications included messages in which the future leader discussed the names of potential cabinet members. As for Brazil’s Dilma Rousseff, the NSA said in the document that it was trying to better understand her methods of communication and interlocutors using a program to access all Internet content the president visited online." Continue reading →

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Policing Prosecutors

"A hungry man stealing a loaf of bread from a market to feed his family is treated differently than a con man bilking senior citizens for personal gain. Aaron Swartz knew he was breaking the law when he downloaded those articles. What he did not know, was that if a prosecutor wanted to make his life hell, she could credibly see to it that he was locked up until his mid 50’s. We should make sure that punishments fit crimes, and that when we collectively threaten to remove a human being from society for a generation or two, they actually did something worthy of such a profound punishment." Continue reading →

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