Orwellian

Drone-Hunter’s Motto: “The Fly in Town — they Get Shot Down”

"On two occasions in a single week, surveillance drones operated from Florida’s Tyndall Air Force Base were destroyed in incidents that put the public at risk. This is one of many reasons why cities across the country should emulate the example set by Deer Trail, Colorado. The municipal government of that village of 540 people is considering a proposal under which it would issue a $100 reward to 'any shooter who presents a valid hunting license and … identifiable parts' of a federally operated drone. As Deer Trail resident Philip Steel explains: 'We do not want drones in town. They fly in town, they get shot down.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDrone-Hunter’s Motto: “The Fly in Town — they Get Shot Down”

Florida won’t investigate police shooting of Chechen man during questioning

"State investigators in Florida have rejected a request for an independent investigation of the fatal shooting of a Chechen man while he was being questioned about his ties to one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects. Florida’s department of law enforcement declined the request by the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida to look into the death of Ibragim Todashev. Todashev was killed in May while being questioned by FBI agents and others. Officials originally said Todashev lunged at an FBI agent with a knife. They later said it was no longer clear what happened." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFlorida won’t investigate police shooting of Chechen man during questioning

NSA Sings This Land Was Made For You And Me

"The Atlantic Wire reports on the head-scratching and ultimately face-palming presentation made by the NSA to a Senate Judiciary Meeting a couple of days ago. Besides being informed that North America is now just one, big, happy and trendy turquoise family, we learn of '9 threats involving U.S. Persons or Facilities Overseas' (lower left corner of the picture). Does 'involving' mean that we so-called U.S. Persons are under threat, or that we are a threat or, maybe, both simultaneously? Perhaps the NSA can explain since they seem to know more about us than we do. Hey, at least we finally got our name on the map." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNSA Sings This Land Was Made For You And Me

Russian Orthodox Church: Snowden deals blow to ‘global electronic prison camp’

"Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin has praised Russian authorities for not caving in to pressure from abroad, saying granting Snowden asylum would help prevent the establishment of a ‘global electronic prison camp’. 'It is encouraging news that Russia is demonstrating its independence in this case as it has in many others, despite the pressure' said the head of the Holy Synod’s Department for Relations between the Church and Society. Vsevolod Chaplin added that the Snowden saga has been broadly discussed both on the domestic and international level, with Russia’s position potentially bolstering its image as a country upholding 'the true freedom of ideals.'" Continue reading →

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When The NSA Comes To Town

"The main reason the NSA chose Utah was because of its cheap electricity. It also has abundant water, immunity from most types of natural disasters, and abundant open land, factors that have driven other companies, including Twitter, eBay, Overstock, Microsoft, and Adobe, to place their data centers in the state. But there is something deeper than cheap electricity — which the NSA and politicians courting the agency repeatedly called Utah’s 'patriotism.' The state is staunchly Republican and conservative. It is also known for unusually regressive laws regarding internet freedom." Continue reading →

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Former Cops Speak Out About Police Militarization

"In the book, I interview lots of older and retired police officers, many of them with SWAT experience. I also cite other police chiefs and sheriffs over the years who have raised concerns about militarization. The divide among police on this issue isn't political. Instead, the divide appears to be more generational. Older and retired cops don't seem to like where policing is headed. Younger cops, who are nudging policing in a more militaristic direction, are naturally fine with it." Continue reading →

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U.S. gives seal of approval to Egypt’s new leaders

"Supporters of deposed Egyptian president Mohamed Mursi prepared for confrontation on Friday, and the United States said Egypt’s military had been 'restoring democracy' when it drove him from office. Thousands were gathered in two Muslim Brotherhood camps in Cairo, defying warnings from the new army-backed government to abandon their protest or face action from security forces. Mursi, an Islamist who became Egypt’s first freely-elected president in June 2011, had faced weeks of street demonstrations against his rule. The turmoil has left Egypt more polarized than at any time since U.S.-backed autocrat Hosni Mubarak was toppled in 2011." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. gives seal of approval to Egypt’s new leaders

Exclusive: Dozens of CIA operatives on the ground during Benghazi attack

"Four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens, were killed in the assault by armed militants last September 11 in eastern Libya. Sources now tell CNN dozens of people working for the CIA were on the ground that night, and that the agency is going to great lengths to make sure whatever it was doing, remains a secret. Since January, some CIA operatives involved in the agency's missions in Libya, have been subjected to frequent, even monthly polygraph examinations, according to a source with deep inside knowledge of the agency's workings. The goal of the questioning, according to sources, is to find out if anyone is talking to the media or Congress." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingExclusive: Dozens of CIA operatives on the ground during Benghazi attack

Now We Know Why Googling Pressure Cooker Bombs Gets a Visit from Cops

"Michele Catalano was looking for information online about pressure cookers. Her husband, in the same time frame, was Googling backpacks. Wednesday morning, six men from a joint terrorism task force showed up at their house to see if they were terrorists. Which prompts the question: How'd the government know what they were Googling? Because the Googling happened at work. One hundred times a week, groups of six armed men drive to houses in three black SUVs, conducting consented-if-casual searches of the property perhaps in part because of things people looked up online." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNow We Know Why Googling Pressure Cooker Bombs Gets a Visit from Cops

The Cloud Belongs to the NSA

"The market is already providing some safer alternatives. SpiderOak, a secure cloud storage company, has seen its rate of sign-ups nearly triple over the past month. SpiderOak says even its engineers are unable to decrypt your personal data, so it is stored safely, according to CSO Online. Many of these are startups or crowdfunded experiments and may be worth keeping an eye on. Apple is expected to announce improvements to its iCloud service soon. How larger companies deal with this may affect markets in interesting ways." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Cloud Belongs to the NSA