Orwellian

Putin Shows Global Mojo to Russians as U.S. Fumes Over Snowden

"Russian President Vladimir Putin is showing his gamesmanship on a global stage by giving his voters what they want with the asylum granted to ex-U.S. contractor Edward Snowden, while leaving the White House flustered. The decision is backed by almost twice as many Russians as those against it and those who view Snowden’s role as positive outnumber negative assessments three to one. Putin, who used Russia’s oil-powered wealth accumulation to build support for his 13-year rule, is facing an economy that threatens to slide into recession." Continue reading →

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Eric Margolis: Are We Becoming What We Once Hated?

"In the late 1980’s, an old friend of mine based in Moscow was calling her husband in the USA late one night. She said it was a 'typical dumb husband/wife call,' mostly about a broken garage door. Around midnight, a gruff voice broke into the call. 'This is your KGB listener. This is the most boring, stupid call I’ve ever listened to. Shut up and go to bed!' Ah, those innocent Cold War days. Today, Big Brother listens to your calls, reads your email, and follows your internet searches on silent cat’s feet. China’s Taoists warned, 'you become what you hate.' They are right." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEric Margolis: Are We Becoming What We Once Hated?

Minnesota Starts to Regulate and Track Gold Coin Dealers

"Minnesota has passed legislation that would regulate bullion coin dealers. But it has coin dealers and coin club officials scratching their heads over just what it means and how to comply. Implementation of the bill will have the effect of licensing bullion coin dealers in the state. Bullion coin dealers will be subjected to registration as of July 1, 2014, with the state commissioner of commerce at a fee of $25 for a bullion coin dealer and $10 for his representatives. The legislation defines 'bullion coin' as any coin that contains 'more than one percent by weight of silver, gold, platinum, or other precious metals.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMinnesota Starts to Regulate and Track Gold Coin Dealers

Tennessee newspaper editor is fired after writing an anti-Obama headline

"A Tennessee newspaper editor has been fired after writing a headline critical of President Obama. Drew Johnson's editorial, titled, 'Take your jobs plan and shove it, Mr. President: Your policies have harmed Chattanooga enough,' was published in the Chattanooga Times Free Press earlier this week when Obama visited the city. The timing of the column gave it a national audience it might not otherwise have had. As a result, it went viral online and Johnson, the editor of the Times Free Press editorial page, has since been let go. 'I just became the first person in the history of newspapers to be fired for writing a paper's most-read article,' he tweeted." Continue reading →

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NSA pays £100m in secret funding for GCHQ

"The US government has paid at least £100m to the UK spy agency GCHQ over the last three years to secure access to and influence over Britain's intelligence gathering programmes. The top secret payments are set out in documents which make clear that the Americans expect a return on the investment, and that GCHQ has to work hard to meet their demands. 'GCHQ must pull its weight and be seen to pull its weight,' a GCHQ strategy briefing said. It will raise fears about the hold Washington has over the UK's biggest and most important intelligence agency, and whether Britain's dependency on the NSA has become too great." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNSA pays £100m in secret funding for GCHQ

Free State Project Demands Apology For “Domestic Terrorism” Claims In Tank Grant Application

"As president of the Free State Project ('FSP'), a NH-based non-profit organization with the sole mission of attracting 20,000 pro-freedom people to the Granite State, I am alarmed and appalled at the cleverly worded insinuation that the FSP is a domestic terrorist threat, or that 'Free Staters' are 'active and present daily challenges' to the Concord Police Department. Individuals who sign up for the FSP generally subscribe to an ethical stance which asserts that 'aggression' is inherently illegitimate. Sadly, the DHS grant application only came to light through an ACLU public records request, and not as a result of transparent governance." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFree State Project Demands Apology For “Domestic Terrorism” Claims In Tank Grant Application

When ‘Smart Homes’ Get Hacked: I Haunted A Complete Stranger’s House Via The Internet

"Due to Insteon not requiring user names and passwords by default in a now-discontinued product, I was able to click on the links, giving me the ability to turn these people’s homes into haunted houses, energy-consumption nightmares, or even robbery targets. Opening a garage door could make a house ripe for actual physical intrusion. Thomas Hatley’s home was one of eight that I was able to access. Sensitive information was revealed – not just what appliances and devices people had, but their time zone (along with the closest major city to their home), IP addresses and even the name of a child." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhen ‘Smart Homes’ Get Hacked: I Haunted A Complete Stranger’s House Via The Internet

Jeffrey Tucker: Thank You, Russia?

"I’m as glad as the next guy that 'we' won the Cold War. But sometimes you just have to wonder: What was the point of those 45 years of nuclear stalemate? All that time, we were told that this was a mighty struggle between individualism and collectivism, between freedom and tyranny, between capitalism and communism. But at the end of the day, once everything has shaken itself out, it is Russia that is providing sanctuary to our best citizens. Is this some sort of strange dystopian novel? Well, yes, and it has a name: Nineteen Eighty-Four, by George Orwell." Continue reading →

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Zimmerman prosecution staffer files whistleblower suit over testimony on unreleased evidence

"A former employee of Florida State Attorney Angela Corey’s office is suing the prosecutor, claiming he was illegally fired after he testified on behalf of George Zimmerman, who was acquitted in the death of black teenager Trayvon Martin. Kruidbos was fired after testifying at a pre-trial hearing on June 6 that he believed prosecutors had failed to turn over to the defense, as required by evidence-sharing laws, potentially embarrassing evidence extracted from Martin’s cell phone." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingZimmerman prosecution staffer files whistleblower suit over testimony on unreleased evidence