Land Of The Flea

Idaho, Arizona Schools Go Into Full Prison Mode

"Schools in Meridian, Idaho went into full 'prison mode' after a student who brought a folding shovel to Heritage Middle School in Meridian, Idaho prompted the school’s 'resource officer' to call for a full lockdown. On February 5, three schools in Yuma, Arizona were placed on lockdown as the result of what was later described as a 'rumor' of a gun on campus. Officers from two local law enforcement departments and two federal agencies – many of them kitted out in full combat attire – were mobilized for the operation. The students were held in custody for more than three hours before being released." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIdaho, Arizona Schools Go Into Full Prison Mode

The Barbaric Thieves and Sexual Assailants

"Shortly after 9/11, [renowned Polish pianist Krystian Zimerman’s Steinway] was confiscated at JFK Airport when he landed in New York to give a recital at Carnegie Hall. Thinking the glue smelled funny, the TSA decided to take no chances and destroyed the instrument.' Yes. A Steinway. Which Mr. Zimerman had modified himself. It has now broken 'a rare Heinrich Knopf bow belonging to [cellist] Alban Gerhardt … In what the cellist called ‘an act of brutal and careless behaviour’, the bow stick … was snapped in two, over the bridge of the cello, by air security staff at O'Hare International Airport, Chicago, as they examined the case’s contents.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Barbaric Thieves and Sexual Assailants

The Barbaric Thieves and Sexual Assailants

"Shortly after 9/11, [renowned Polish pianist Krystian Zimerman’s Steinway] was confiscated at JFK Airport when he landed in New York to give a recital at Carnegie Hall. Thinking the glue smelled funny, the TSA decided to take no chances and destroyed the instrument.' Yes. A Steinway. Which Mr. Zimerman had modified himself. It has now broken 'a rare Heinrich Knopf bow belonging to [cellist] Alban Gerhardt … In what the cellist called ‘an act of brutal and careless behaviour’, the bow stick … was snapped in two, over the bridge of the cello, by air security staff at O'Hare International Airport, Chicago, as they examined the case’s contents.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Barbaric Thieves and Sexual Assailants

Man Sues TSA For $5 Million Following Peanut Butter Arrest

"An Arizona man who was arrested at the behest of the TSA, following a wisecrack over a jar of peanut butter is suing the federal agency for $5 million. Frank Hannibal, 50, was detained and dragged from LaGuardia Airport recently by police after a run-in with TSA agents over the jar of gourmet sandwich spread. 'The liquid oil that separated from the peanut butter had them baffled,' Hannibal told the New York Daily News. Hannibal spent the next 24 hours in a cell, during which time he was fed a peanut butter sandwich by cops who later charged him with the felony of 'falsely reporting an incident'." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMan Sues TSA For $5 Million Following Peanut Butter Arrest

LAPD: Collateral Damage For The Sake Of The State

"Soldiers and other killers for hire in Iraq and Afghanistan are carefully trained to stop thinking of their targets as human beings. Otherwise they'll flinch and hesitate when they need to kill. 'If you ask yourself, ‘did he kiss his kids goodbye this morning,’ you’re through,' I remember one sniper saying. And I remember this one, too: 'Sorry, The chick got in the way.' Many LAPD and other police force members are veterans of those wars. Do you think they can forget that training? Turn it off like a switch? The LAPD-Dorner case has proven that they can't." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLAPD: Collateral Damage For The Sake Of The State

Christopher Dorner and the Chaos Inherent to Government

"The LAPD and surrounding police departments were out in full force, their penchant for unleashing deadly violence without warning on no more basis than a hunch on open display. In truly military fashion, police even unleashed a surveillance drone as part of the search. Understandably, many felt unsafe. And for what? While bringing Dorner in — or down — was clearly a priority, the way in which he was pursued, the pile of resources devoted to his capture, and the unprovoked violence inflicted on civilians made it clear that that priority wasn’t rooted in public safety." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChristopher Dorner and the Chaos Inherent to Government

Welcome to the Malware-Industrial Complex

"Freshly discovered weakness in a popular piece of software, known in the trade as a 'zero-day' vulnerability because the software makers have had no time to develop a fix, can command prices in the hundreds of thousands of dollars from defense contractors, security agencies and governments. This trade in zero-day exploits is poorly documented, but it is perhaps the most visible part of a new industry that in the years to come is likely to swallow growing portions of the U.S. national defense budget, reshape international relations, and perhaps make the Web less safe for everyone." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWelcome to the Malware-Industrial Complex

Cyber security battle looms after Obama issues executive order

"President Barack Obama’s order aimed at ramping up protection from cyberattacks will address only a small portion of threats and sets up a fresh battle in Congress over legislation. Obama acted this week after two failed attempts in Congress to pass measures to protect critical infrastructure from computer attacks. Because most of the networks in question are in private hands, officials say they must rely on voluntary reporting by industry of any cyber threats or attacks. Legislation would be needed to shield businesses from liability when they do report potential malware threats." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCyber security battle looms after Obama issues executive order

At least 20 prisoners still missing from CIA ‘black sites’

"In one of President Barack Obama first acts in the White House, he ordered the closure of the CIA’s so-called 'black-site' prisons, where terror suspects had been held and, sometimes, tortured. But the CIA’s prisons left some unfinished business. In 2009, ProPublica’s Dafna Linzer listed more than thirty people who had been held in CIA prisons and were still missing. Some of those prisoners have since resurfaced, but at least twenty are still unaccounted for. A few emerged from foreign prisons after the turmoil of the Arab Spring. One has died." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAt least 20 prisoners still missing from CIA ‘black sites’

US Killed Hundreds of Children in Afghanistan, Says New Report — US Rejects Report

"The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child reported that it was 'alarmed' by reports that hundreds of children died as a result of the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan because of a 'reported lack of precautionary measures and indiscriminate use of force,' the Los Angeles Times reported over the weekend. The UN report also condemned the arrest and detention of children in Afghanistan. But the U.S. military said 'the reports were unsubstantiated and cited figures from the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan showing that the vast majority of civilian deaths and injuries in Afghanistan over the last several years were caused by insurgents.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS Killed Hundreds of Children in Afghanistan, Says New Report — US Rejects Report