Orwellian

Bipartisan bill would require a warrant for police to search emails

"A bill introduced Tuesday by Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Mike Lee (R-UT) would require police obtain a warrant before scouring a suspect’s email accounts. The Electronic Communications Privacy Act Amendments Act (PDF), which was also introduced in the last Congress, returns right as the Obama administration has signaled readiness to update the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) of 1986 by applying the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition on unreasonable search and seizure to some emails stored on cloud services. Good news for Leahy and Lee: It appears the Obama administration agrees, at least in principle." Continue reading →

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U.K. police hope to sniff out pot growers with marijuana-scented cards

"Thousand of houses in the UK are being sent marijuana-scented 'scratch and sniff' cards in a new bid to track down marijuana growers. The charity group Crimestoppers explained the cards were designed to educate residents about the smell of marijuana. They hope once people can recognize the smell of cannabis plants, they will be able to help law enforcement officials identify illegal growing operations. The green-and-black cards also provide other signs to look out for, including homes that have 'visitors at unsociable hours' or buildings that generate an excessive amount of heat. Homes with closed blinds should be under suspicion as well." Continue reading →

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Disarm Subjects and Make them Spy on Each Other: New York State’s Totalitarian Formula

"Benjamin M. Wassell of Silver Creek, New York, a wounded Iraq war veteran, is the first resident of that state to be arrested and face prosecution under its draconian new firearms law. He was arrested during an undercover operation by state police in which he sold an AR-15 rifle and six large-capacity clips on January 24. Wassell has been charged with three felonies and a misdemeanor. If they have their way, New York police officials will be doing a brisk business in incarcerating innocent gun owners. The State of New York has established an anonymous tip line encouraging people to report suspected 'illegal gun owners' for a $500 reward." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDisarm Subjects and Make them Spy on Each Other: New York State’s Totalitarian Formula

South Carolina Introduces Anti-NDAA Legislation

"South Carolina Senator Tom Davis has sponsored the Liberty Preservation Act to nullify the National Defense Authorization Act. The bill addresses the fact that 'Section 1021 of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 purports to assert the President’s authority to not only arrest suspected terrorists, but also to determine whether a trial, including the type of trial, will be held for those arrested;' and that 'Section 1022 of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 requires detention without trial by the military for a certain class of terrorist and authorizes, but does not require, the same for citizens of the United States.'" Continue reading →

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Obama administration: Warrantless GPS tracking needed to fight terrorism

"The Obama administration will argue before a federal appeals court on Tuesday that law enforcement must regain the ability to use GPS tracking devices without a warrant, which it says is necessary to continue the fight against terrorism. The use of GPS devices in warrantless snooping has been illegal since January 2012, when the Supreme Court ruled that vehicles are private property protected by the Fourth Amendment, which guarantees freedom from unreasonable search and seizure. If the Obama administration is successful on its appeal however, GPS devices will be fair game for police nationwide." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama administration: Warrantless GPS tracking needed to fight terrorism

Americans Are War Weary … And The Neocons Don’t Like It

"Americans may not know what's going on 'over there' or even know where 'over there' is on a map. But they do know that it's very expensive. Americans also know that the U.S. economy is a total disaster. CNBC can wave their pom-poms about a rising stock market, and the CPI can say 2% until the end of time. But the truth cannot be hidden. When Americans look at the unemployment surrounding them and the relentlessly rising bills hitting the mailbox, it doesn't cut it that the propaganda machine tells them it's only an illusion. The steel-tight system that the warmongers have crafted is eating itself alive." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAmericans Are War Weary … And The Neocons Don’t Like It

An Orwellian America

"We have been gradually disempowered by a corporate state that, as Huxley foresaw, seduced and manipulated us through sensual gratification, cheap mass-produced goods, boundless credit, political theater and amusement. Now that credit is drying up, good jobs for the working class are gone forever and mass-produced goods are unaffordable, we find ourselves transported from 'Brave New World' to '1984.' The state, crippled by massive deficits, endless war and corporate malfeasance, is clearly sliding toward unavoidable bankruptcy. It is time for Big Brother to take over from Huxley’s feelies, the orgy-porgy and the centrifugal bumble-puppy." Continue reading →

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In Greece: As ‘Austerity’ Ignites Masses, Elites Turn To Imperial Stormtroopers

"The usually reserved waitress at our favorite Greek-owned Sunday breakfast place approached us in dismay. Her daughter and son-in-law were escaping Greece for the US. Even middle class professionals were finding themselves digging in the garbage for food to eat, she said. Former Greek career diplomat Leonidas Chrysanthopoulos says that the government has hired Blackwater, the American private military firm infamous for its activities in Iraq, which now goes by the name 'Academi', along with five other international for-profit security outfits. He says bluntly: 'The Greek government does not trust the police whose salaries have also been cut.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIn Greece: As ‘Austerity’ Ignites Masses, Elites Turn To Imperial Stormtroopers

Court: CIA cannot continue to deny basic information on drone program

"The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals held in a 3-0 vote on Friday that the CIA must reveal whether it has any 'involvement' or 'interest' in the U.S. drone program, saying its refrain that the agency cannot acknowledge the program’s existence is undermined by officials’ public statements. Those public statements came from President Barack Obama, newly-minted CIA director John Brennan and former CIA Director Leon Panetta, all of whom have confirmed that some agency of the U.S. government uses drone aircraft to drop bombs." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCourt: CIA cannot continue to deny basic information on drone program

How the System Treats a Good Cop

"As a New York City Police Officer assigned to the 81st Precinct, Adrian Schoolcraft became disillusioned when supervisors talked about manipulating crime statistics and carrying out illegal arrests. Schoolcraft blew the whistle – and immediately paid a steep price. A police strike force raided Schoolcraft’s apartment and forcibly confined him to a mental ward at Jamaica Hospital under the care of Dr. Isak Isakov, supposedly to prevent him from harming himself. He was held there for six days. An internal investigation validated nearly all of Schoolcraft’s claims – yet nobody has ever been punished for his abduction and false imprisonment." Continue reading →

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