Land Of The Flea

Feeding Stray Cats In Philly Town Could Leave You Responsible For Their Health

"A proposed law in a town along the Main Line could punish people who feed stray cats. The new law would dictate if you feed it, you own it. And if you own it, you’re responsible for its vaccinations, says the proposal here in Radnor Township. In introducing the changes to current law here earlier this week, president of Radnor Township’s Board of Commissioners, Elaine Schaeffer says it’s not a feeding ban, instead it’s designed to protect against rabies. 'It requires those who choose to feed feral cats with a very minimum modicum standard of care.' Violation of the ordinance could carry a $300 to $1,000 fine." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFeeding Stray Cats In Philly Town Could Leave You Responsible For Their Health

San Francisco requires licensing, insurance for dog walkers

"A series of regulations went into effect earlier this month that will place new restrictions on San Francisco’s professional dog walkers. The new rules require dog walkers to obtain a city-issued permit, puts a limit on the number of dogs that can be walked at a time and requires dog walkers to have any vehicles used to transport dogs to be inspected, approved and carry $1 million in liability insurance." Continue reading →

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Govt wants all cars to track driver behavior, seatbelt usage and more

"Most people are unaware that newer vehicles already contain these event data recorders, which are a continuous feed of information, recorded by sensors. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 96 percent of 2013 model cars already house these black boxes. Private security expert Steve Rambam believes law enforcement agencies might seek to cut costs and save resources by monitoring driver data from discreet locations. Law enforcement could monitor people from the comfort of their office, sending tickets to the driver by mail. Old fashioned patrols could evolve into data police centers." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGovt wants all cars to track driver behavior, seatbelt usage and more

NSA, the secret AT&T spy room, and 2 Israeli companies

"In James Bamford’s 2008 interview, he mentions two Israeli companies, Narus and Verint, that almost nobody knew about. They played a key role in developing and selling the technology that allowed NSA to deploy its PRISM spying program. It’s obvious that these two Israeli companies, Narus and Verint, working for NSA, have been able to divert duplicate mega-tons of data to Israeli intelligence. The government-corporate juggernaut moves ahead. Their rationale—catching terrorists—is, in great part, a cover story to obscure the fact that the State wants control over the lives of all citizens, as it ratchets up the very conditions that provoke rebellion." Continue reading →

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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 →

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White House gives Homeland Security control of all communication systems

"When President Obama inked his name to the executive order on July 6, he authorized Homeland Security to take control of the country’s wired and wireless communications — including the Internet — in instances of emergency. The signing was accompanied with little to no acknowledgment outside of the White House, but initial reports on the order quickly caused the public to speak out over what some equated to creating an Oval Office kill switch for the Web. Now the Obama administration is addressing those complaints by calling the Executive Order a necessary implement for America’s national security." Continue reading →

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Gangs Ruled Prison as For-Profit Model Put Blood on Floor

"More than 130,000 state and federal convicts throughout the U.S. now live in private prisons such as Walnut Grove, as public officials buy into claims that the institutions can deliver profits while preparing inmates for life after release, saving tax dollars and creating jobs. No national data tracks whether the facilities are run as well as public ones, and private-prison lobbyists for years have successfully fought efforts to bring them under federal open-records law. Yet regulatory, court and state records show that the industry has repeatedly experienced the kind of staffing shortages and worker turnover that helped produce years of chaos at Walnut Grove." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGangs Ruled Prison as For-Profit Model Put Blood on Floor

Booz Allen Grew Rich on Government Contracts

"Over the last decade, much of the company’s growth has come from selling expertise, technology and manpower to the National Security Agency and other federal intelligence agencies. Booz Allen earned $1.3 billion, 23 percent of the company’s total revenue, from intelligence work during its most recent fiscal year. The government has sharply increased spending on high-tech intelligence gathering since 2001, and both the Bush and Obama administrations have chosen to rely on private contractors like Booz Allen for much of the resulting work. Thousands of people formerly employed by the government now do essentially the same work for private companies." Continue reading →

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Insider Speaks About Booz Allen, The Employer of Edward Snowden

"'If I was a little younger and a little crazier that would have been me. I know exactly why he did it,' was the comment that a former long-time Booz Allen Hamilton employee greeted me with, when I put a phone call into him to get his take on the NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, an employee of Booz Allen. My source had previously told me, before he left, that he was leaving Booz Allen because security at the firm was getting oppressive. My source tells me that Booz Allen always had important USG contracts, but they really picked up when the Carlyle Group bought Booz Allen. That's when you really started to see the Penatgon and CIA contracts flow in, he said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingInsider Speaks About Booz Allen, The Employer of Edward Snowden

Justin Raimondo: Snowden a Hero to Americans

"American voters say 55 – 34 percent that Edward Snowden is a whistle-blower, rather than a traitor, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released today. In a massive shift in attitudes, voters say 45 – 40 percent the government’s anti-terrorism efforts go too far restricting civil liberties, a reversal from a January 14, 2010, survey by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University when voters said 63 – 25 percent that such activities didn’t go far enough to adequately protect the country. Almost every party, gender, income, education, age and income group regards Snowden as a whistle-blower rather than a traitor." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJustin Raimondo: Snowden a Hero to Americans