Land Of The Flea

‘Find a safe haven,’ father tells Snowden in Russia

"'Edward, I hope you are watching this. Your family is well. We love you. We hope you are healthy, we hope you are well, I hope to see you soon, but most of all I want you to be safe. I want you to find a safe haven,' Lon Snowden said in an interview broadcast on Rossiya24 channel. In the interview dubbed into Russian, Lon Snowden said he hoped his son would return home one day. But he said that events over the past few weeks suggested that there were no guarantees of a fair trial in the United States, and that he therefore agreed with his son’s decision to remain in Russia." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘Find a safe haven,’ father tells Snowden in Russia

Snowden Is No Traitor: 55% to 34%

"In a massive shift in attitudes, voters say 45 – 40 percent of the government’s anti-terrorism efforts go too far in restricting civil liberties, a reversal from a January 14, 2010 survey, when voters said 63 – 25 percent that such activities didn’t go far enough. Almost every party, gender, income, education, age and income group regards Snowden as a whistle-blower rather than a traitor. The lone exception is black voters, with 43 percent calling him a traitor and 42 percent calling him a whistle-blower. There is a gender gap on counter-terrorism efforts as men say 54 – 34 percent they have gone too far and women say 47 – 36 percent they have not gone far enough." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSnowden Is No Traitor: 55% to 34%

Glenn Greenwald Tears Into Toobin Over Manning, Snowden

"Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald faced off against CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin over the sentencing of ex-Army private Bradley Manning and his acquittal on the charge of 'aiding the enemy.' Greenwald brought up Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg and people who exposed Bush administration scandals, telling Toobin that if he's going to make all these assertions about what whistleblowers shouldn't do, 'you're essentially calling for the end of investigative journalism.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlenn Greenwald Tears Into Toobin Over Manning, Snowden

Obama’s Auto Industry Bailouts in 2009: Taxpayers Lose, Big Time

"Despite surges in revenue and a catalog of new vehicles produced by the U.S. auto industry, taxpayers are still suffering from the 2009 bailouts, as General Motors (GM) would have to peddle their stock for $95.51 per share for taxpayers to break even, according to a government watchdog report published Wednesday. Even with a 25-percent spike in the price this year, that’s still well over twice what shares are selling for today, with the price currently lingering around $37 per share — meaning there’s little faith that taxpayers will break even on the nearly $50-billion GM bailout." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama’s Auto Industry Bailouts in 2009: Taxpayers Lose, Big Time

Copper theft ‘like an epidemic’ sweeping US

"An electrical power station in Wichita, Kan., or half a dozen middle-class homes in Morris Township, N.J. Even on a Utah highway construction site, crooks managed to abscond with six miles of copper wire. Those are just a handful of recent targets across the U.S. in the $1 billion business of copper theft. The five leading states for the thefts are Ohio, Texas, Georgia, California and Illinois, the NICB said. The FBI says copper theft is 'threatening U.S. critical infrastructure by targeting electrical substations, cellular towers, telephone land lines, railroads, water wells, construction sites, and vacant homes for lucrative profits.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCopper theft ‘like an epidemic’ sweeping US

Washington, D.C.’s First Medical Marijuana Dispensary Opens Blocks From Capitol

"Warren's purchase came 15 years after nearly 70 percent of residents of the nation's capital passed a ballot measure allowing the drug for prescription medical use. Congress repeatedly blocked implementation until 2009, and the city council moved forward with a unanimous vote to allow doctors to prescribe pot for certain chronically ill patients. Now, the city has licensed three dispensaries to sell pot and six cultivation centers to grow the plants. Capital City Care executives said they hoped D.C.'s strict regulations, allowing only patients with HIV, AIDS, glaucoma, severe muscle spasms and cancer to receive medical marijuana, will spare them from federal prosecution." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWashington, D.C.’s First Medical Marijuana Dispensary Opens Blocks From Capitol

Oakland to ban hammers, wrenches, tripods, walking canes, shields and other ‘tools of vandalism’ during ‘protests’

"The city of Oakland, California now wants to ban any object that could be used as a 'tool of vandalism,' including hammers, wrenches, slingshots, shields and presumably anything else with a blunt edge such as garden rakes or sticks. It's all part of Oakland's response to recent protests in which angry mobs of people caused significant damage to local businesses (because angry mobs tend to loot and burn their own neighborhoods first). The city claims these objects will be illegal to possess during a 'protest,' but there is no official definition of a 'protest,' meaning the police can invoke the ordinance any time they wish." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOakland to ban hammers, wrenches, tripods, walking canes, shields and other ‘tools of vandalism’ during ‘protests’

Free Barrett Brown – 321 Days In Detention Pending Trial

"Having previously been raided by the FBI on March 6, 2012 and not charged with any crime in relation to that incident, on September 12, 2012 Barrett Brown was again raided and this time arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation while he was online participating in a Tinychat session. He was subsequently denied bail and detained without charge and adequate medical treatment for over two weeks while in the custody of US Marshals. On December 4, 2012 Barrett was indicted by a federal grand jury on twelve additional counts related to data from the Stratfor breach. He faces these charges simply for allegedly pasting a hyperlink online." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFree Barrett Brown – 321 Days In Detention Pending Trial

The Bradley Manning verdict is still bad news for the press

"The public needs to awaken to the threat to its own freedoms from the Obama crackdown on leaks and, by extension, journalism and free speech itself. We are, more and more, a society where unaccountable people can commit unspeakable acts with impunity. They are creating a surveillance state that makes not just dissent, but knowledge itself, more and more dangerous. What we know about this is entirely due to leakers and their outlets. Ignorance is only bliss for the unaccountable." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Bradley Manning verdict is still bad news for the press

Statement by Julian Assange on Verdict in Bradley Manning Court-Martial

"Today Bradley Manning, a whistleblower, was convicted by a military court at Fort Meade of 19 offences for supplying the press with information, including five counts of ’espionage’. He now faces a maximum sentence of 136 years. The ’aiding the enemy’ charge has fallen away. It was only included, it seems, to make calling journalism ’espionage’ seem reasonable. It is not. Bradley Manning’s alleged disclosures have exposed war crimes, sparked revolutions, and induced democratic reform. He is the quintessential whistleblower. This is the first ever espionage conviction against a whistleblower. It is a dangerous precedent." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingStatement by Julian Assange on Verdict in Bradley Manning Court-Martial