Land Of The Flea

88-year-old peaceful activist wins surveillance database fight

"Three appeal court judges have ruled that police violated the human rights of an 88-year-old peaceful campaigner when they secretly labelled him a 'domestic extremist' and recorded his political activities. John Catt, who has no criminal record, was shocked when he discovered police had clandestinely kept a detailed note of his presence on more than 55 demonstrations over a four-year period. On Thursday, he won his legal action to have the records deleted from a secret database of so-called domestic extremists. Details of the surveillance were revealed by the Guardian in 2010." Continue reading →

Continue Reading88-year-old peaceful activist wins surveillance database fight

U.S. to let spy agencies scour Americans’ finances

"The Obama administration is drawing up plans to give all U.S. spy agencies full access to a massive database that contains financial data on American citizens and others who bank in the country, according to a Treasury Department document seen by Reuters. The proposed plan represents a major step by U.S. intelligence agencies to spot and track down terrorist networks and crime syndicates by bringing together financial databanks, criminal records and military intelligence." Continue reading →

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Special Forces axe their plan to infiltrate Utah after locals complain about exercise ‘imposing martial law’

"The U.S. Army chose a quiet community in central Utah as the training ground for Special Forces soldiers needing to develop Jason Bourne-like skills and to learn how to build a resistance movement by infiltrating the town leadership. With the deeply religious culture present in Manti, Utah and the desert landscape of the area, residents were deemed ideal candidates by the Defense Department to role play with soldiers in the 10th Special Forces as part of a two week training exercise in July on unconventional warfare tactics. Now that sequestration is in full effect, the Utah mission was called on Thursday to the relief of residents." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSpecial Forces axe their plan to infiltrate Utah after locals complain about exercise ‘imposing martial law’

Ron Paul: Congress, Drones and The Imperial Presidency

"The administration's outrageous response to the most serious Constitutional question of all − when a government can kill its own citizens − is clear evidence of an executive branch out of control. Many of the drafters of the Constitution envisioned the presidency as an office with very limited powers, but even the most dedicated proponents of a strong presidency at the time would be shocked to see the concentration of power in the modern presidency. Today the presidency is viewed as the center of the federal government, with each successive administration expanding the power of the executive at the expense of Congress and the people." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRon Paul: Congress, Drones and The Imperial Presidency

Judge approves use of ‘truth serum’ on accused Aurora shooter James Holmes

"Legal and medical experts are questioning the decision of a judge inColorado to allow James Holmes, the suspected gunman in the Aurora cinema shooting, to be tested with a 'truth serum' should he plead not guilty by reason of insanity. William Shepherd, chair of the criminal justice section of the American Bar Association, whose members include both prosecutors and defence lawyers, said that the proposed use of a 'truth drug' to ascertain the veracity of a defendant's plea of insanity was highly unusual in the US. He predicted it would provoke intense legal argument relating to Holmes's right to remain silent under the fifth amendment of the US constitution." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJudge approves use of ‘truth serum’ on accused Aurora shooter James Holmes

UN: Human rights abuses increase in Iran in 2012

"Human rights violations in Iran spiralled in 2012, a United Nations monitor said Monday in a report spotlighting abuses including repression of freedom of speech, torture and secret executions. 'There has been an apparent increase in the degree of seriousness of human rights violations in the Islamic Republic of Iran,' Ahmed Shaheed said in his report to the UN Human Rights Council. Shaheed highlighted 'frequent and disconcerting' reports about 'punitive state action' against a number of groups, including the jailing of opposition politicians, journalists and human rights campaigners." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUN: Human rights abuses increase in Iran in 2012

US citing security to censor more public records

"The U.S. government, led by the Pentagon and CIA, censored or withheld for reasons of national security the files that the public requested last year under the Freedom of Information Act more often than at any time since President Barack Obama took office. Overall, the Obama administration last year answered its highest number of requests so far for copies of government documents, emails, photographs and more, and it slightly reduced its backlog of requests from previous years. But it more often cited legal provisions allowing the government to keep records or parts of its records secret, especially a rule intended to protect national security." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS citing security to censor more public records

LA Times: Only An Incipient “Terrorist” Denounces State Murder

"Citing the most recent missive from the self-appointed Stasi at the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Los Angeles Times claims that there are 1,360 proto-terrorist groups -- sneeringly denounced as 'patriots,' 'constitutionalists,' and 'sovereign citizens' -- scattered throughout the Soyuz. 'These groups should be closely monitored, with resources adequate to the task, even if it means shifting some homeland security money from the hunt for foreign terrorists,' concludes the paper." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLA Times: Only An Incipient “Terrorist” Denounces State Murder

“If Quoting the Constitution Makes Me a Terrorist, We Are in Hitler’s America”

"Cops in New Jersey arrested a homeschooling mother -- the daughter of Jewish folks who survived the Nazis -- because she quoted the Constitution at a tax-protest. They agreed to release her if she turned over her guns. As she explained, '[So I] sit in jail and my daughter doesn’t have a mother…?' ... , implying that she didn’t really have a choice in the matter. Hart turned over her two firearms and associated equipment, and was told that she’ll get them back 'when this is all over.' For all you fans of 'privatization,' the 'private' company doubling the Harts' real-estate 'assessment' is the one that sicced the thugs-in-blue on Ms. Hart." Continue reading →

Continue Reading“If Quoting the Constitution Makes Me a Terrorist, We Are in Hitler’s America”

Democrats Demand Reinstatement of The Draft

"You’ve got to drop your aspirations and either pick up a gun for peace or engage in some meekly paid community service position for two years (should you survive them with your soul intact). You were always bothered by the fact that federal financial aid came with the stipulation that you sign up for Selective Service. Now you realize how contracts work. You might complain about your post in the new Civilian Service Corps: Is your pay inadequate? Is your assigned position benefitting a local elite rather than those truly in need? Tired of killing women and children? Suck it up, soldier, er, 'public servant' – your wages are paid in glory to the fatherland." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDemocrats Demand Reinstatement of The Draft