Orwellian

Christopher Dorner Becomes First Human Target For Drones On US Soil

"It was revealed that Dorner has become the first human target for remotely-controlled airborne drones on US soil. A senior police source said: 'The thermal imaging cameras the drones use may be our only hope of finding him. On the ground, it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.' Asked directly if drones have already been deployed, Riverside Police Chief Sergio Diaz, who is jointly leading the task force, said: 'We are using all the tools at our disposal.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChristopher Dorner Becomes First Human Target For Drones On US Soil

FAA Releases New Drone List—Is Your Town on the Map?

"The Federal Aviation Administration has finally released a new drone authorization list. This list, released in response to EFF’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit, includes law enforcement agencies and universities across the country, and—for the first time—an Indian tribal agency. In all, the list includes more than 20 new entities over the FAA’s original list, bringing to 81 the total number of public entities that have applied for FAA drone authorizations through October 2012." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFAA Releases New Drone List—Is Your Town on the Map?

UK deploys toy-sized spy drones in Afghanistan

"British troops in Afghanistan are now using 10-centimeter-long 16-gram spy helicopters to survey Taliban firing spots. The UK Defense Ministry plans to buy 160 of the drones under a contract worth more than $31 million. The remote-controlled PD-100 PRS aircraft, dubbed the Black Hornet, is produced by Norwegian designer Prox Dynamics. Each drone is equipped with a tiny tillable camera, a GPS coordinate receiver and an onboard autopilot system complete with gyros, accelerometers and pressure sensors, which keeps it stable in flight against winds as strong as 10 knots, according to reviews." Continue reading →

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The government has your baby’s DNA

"Newborn babies in the United States are routinely screened for a panel of genetic diseases. Since the testing is mandated by the government, it's often done without the parents' consent. In many states, such as Florida, where Isabel was born, babies' DNA is stored indefinitely. Many parents don't realize their baby's DNA is being stored in a government lab, but sometimes when they find out, as the Browns did, they take action. Parents in Texas, and Minnesota have filed lawsuits, and these parents' concerns are sparking a new debate about whether it's appropriate for a baby's genetic blueprint to be in the government's possession." Continue reading →

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Seattle Mayor Orders Police to Dismantle Its Drone Program After Protests

"In an amazing victory for privacy advocates and drone activists, yesterday, Seattle’s mayor ordered the city's police agency to cease trying use surveillance drones and dismantle its drone program. The police will return the two drones they previously purchased with a Department of Homeland Security grant to the manufacturer. In May of last year, we urged concerned citizens to take their complaints to their local governments, given Congress has been slow to act on any privacy legislation. The events of Seattle proves this strategy can work and should serve as a blueprint for local activism across the country." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSeattle Mayor Orders Police to Dismantle Its Drone Program After Protests

Bob Higgs: The Relentless March of the U.S. Police State

"The question is: how much farther must we travel down this road before people will be compelled to admit that 'the land of the free' is more a reassuring myth than a description of the land in which we actually live—to recognize that the freedoms to go shopping and browse the Web are not enough to make a society genuinely free?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBob Higgs: The Relentless March of the U.S. Police State

Judge Napolitano on Obama’s Drone Strike Policy: ‘This Is the Power Claimed by Kings and Tyrants’

"'It says 'any informed high-level U.S. government official can strip an American of his or her constitutional protections and order the killing of that American if the person is overseas, if it's difficult to arrest that person,' said Napolitano, explaining that the memo does not clearly define what 'imminent danger' to the United States means. 'This is the power claimed by kings and tyrants. This is about as un-American a power as one could imagine,' he said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJudge Napolitano on Obama’s Drone Strike Policy: ‘This Is the Power Claimed by Kings and Tyrants’

To Kill an American

"There were not too many surprises in the newly disclosed 'white paper' offering a legal reasoning behind the claim that President Obama has the power to order the killing of American citizens who are believed to be part of Al Qaeda. We knew Mr. Obama and his lawyers believed he has that power under the Constitution and federal law. We also knew that he utterly rejects the idea that Congress or the courts have any right to review such a decision in advance, or even after the fact. Still, it was disturbing to see the twisted logic laid out in black and white. It had the air of a legal justification written after the fact for a policy decision that had already been made." Continue reading →

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Britons with data on Amazon, Apple and Google cloud servers in America can be snooped on in secret by U.S. government

"Britons who store their data on cloud-based servers in America could have all their files rooted through in secret by the U.S. government, it emerged today. Campaigners say a renewed piece of American legislation will allow federal agencies to spy on foreign nationals without warning. The U.S. government granted itself the right to snoop after its secret rubber-stamping of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). This means anyone abroad using the internet storage facilities provided by American companies like Amazon, Google, and Apple, open themselves up to investigation by the federal authorities - while Americans are protected because of their constitution." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBritons with data on Amazon, Apple and Google cloud servers in America can be snooped on in secret by U.S. government

Mandatory TSA Pat Downs At Super Bowl

"The Super Bowl’s designation as a level one National Special Security Event (NSSE) means that the spectacle is now an annual showcase for America’s post-9/11 descent into a security-obsessed police state, despite the fact that statistically, Americans are more likely to be killed by peanut allergies, bee stings and bath tubs than they are by terrorists. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano also indicated that TSA 'screeners' would conduct at least some of the pat downs. Mobile gamma ray scanners will also be used to check truck deliveries just as they were last year at the Lucas Oil Stadium." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMandatory TSA Pat Downs At Super Bowl