Pirates and Emperors

It Is Now Common Knowledge That US Drones Bomb Civilian Rescuers

"That tactic is known as the 'double tap,' which bombs multiple targets in relatively quick succession — meaning that the second strike often hits first responders. In 2007 the FBI said the tactic as commonly used by terrorist organizations such as Hamas. Last year a study by NYU and Stanford detailed the U.S. use of the double tap, providing first-hand accounts of its devastating effect on rescuers and humanitarian workers. Last June the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings Christof Heyns said he considers secondary strikes to be 'war crimes.' The fact that it is now normalized as a common tactic of the U.S. drone war is stunning." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIt Is Now Common Knowledge That US Drones Bomb Civilian Rescuers

Who is this that “Makes Nations Tremble”?

"Mr. Obama and his predecessor, George W. Bush, had gone to the Tanzanian capital to commemorate the 15th anniversary of a terrorist bombing at the U.S. embassy. Just hours later, his administration quietly ordered two European countries – France and Portugal – to deny access to their airspace to a plane carrying Bolivian President Evo Morales home from Russia. This was a hijacking – an act of official terrorism committed against an elected head of state of a country with which the US is not at war. The President who authorized it commands a nuclear arsenal and routinely kills innocent people through remote-controlled drones." Continue reading →

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Homicide convictions upheld for faith-healer parents whose daughter died

"Wisconsin and more than a dozen other states have protections in place to keep parents who choose prayer over medical attention from being charged with child abuse. The Neumanns’ attorneys maintain that the law protects parents up through the creation of a potentially lethal situation, making the line where faith-healer parents cross over into criminal liability a blurry one. An Neumann family attorney told the AP that the couple is 'devastated' by the decision. 'They’re still mourning the loss of this child,' said Dale Neumann’s defense lawyer Steven L. Miller. 'From their perspective they felt they were acting in a legal manner.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHomicide convictions upheld for faith-healer parents whose daughter died

Crime of Making a Terrorist Threat

"Imagine calling in police because some little kid points a toy gun or his finger, and says 'Bang, bang, you're dead'. This is already happening. These things are all birds of a feather. Penalties are severe. These laws are oppressive. They make crimes out of many varieties of ordinary statements made by ordinary people in many situations. Someone who speaks in anger, or when tipsy, or because they're upset, or without meaning what they say, can suddenly be in hot water. It is not uncommon for people to say 'I'll kill you' without meaning it. These laws give the justice system heavy artillery to fire against anyone who falls into its clutches for any reason." Continue reading →

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Edward Snowden: Master of Realpolitik

"Snowden is simply doing what states do all the time, which is to engage in realpolitik in pursuit of their own interests. Why is it immoral for Snowden to play the Russian regime against the American one, when it is moral for the American regime to pit the Syrian 'rebels' (who eat the internal organs of their victims) against the Syrian regime? Over the years, the United States has allied itself with an endless list of mass murderers ranging from Stalin to Pol Pot to Pinochet and Saddam Hussein. But Snowden lived in China for a little while! What a horrible guy!" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEdward Snowden: Master of Realpolitik

Pardon Me? It isn’t Snowden Who Needs Clemency

"It isn’t Snowden who needs clemency. It’s Barack Obama, his co-conspirators and his accessories before and after the fact. Nor is it Snowden alone before whom the crooks should be made to grovel for mercy. The fate of the Obama Spy Ring rightfully belongs in the hands of ALL its victims. Will these telecom voyeurs, these data burglars — and their bosses — be made to truly pay for their crimes? It seems unlikely, as they are made members of the world’s most powerful organized crime syndicate, the government of the United States." Continue reading →

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The Trick is to Suspend the Constitution Without Admitting It

"The executive branch has routinely invoked the so-called PATRIOT act, and the Authorization for Use of Military Force to supposedly permit the President and his subordinates to wage war anywhere on the face of the earth, carry out all-encompassing electronic surveillance of the entire population, and even carry out summary executions of anyone – including U.S. citizens – deemed to be enemies of the state. Pakistan endured a similar period of executive rule under the reign of military dictator Pervez Musharraf between 1999 and 2008. The Pakistani government is preparing to put Musharraf on trial for treason for suspending that country’s constitution." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Trick is to Suspend the Constitution Without Admitting It

Bloomberg anti-gun group apologizes for calling alleged Boston bomber, shot by police, a ‘victim’

"A gun control group founded by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg apologized Wednesday for mistakenly including one of the alleged Boston marathon bombers in a list of people killed by gun violence since the massacre in Newtown, Connecticut. That list was delivered to Sen. Kelly Ayotte’s (R-NH) office amid a protest organized by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, which targeted the New Hampshire Republican for her vote against gun control regulations proposed by the White House. Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed in an April shootout with police." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBloomberg anti-gun group apologizes for calling alleged Boston bomber, shot by police, a ‘victim’

Fake cop scams seniors out of nearly half a million dollars with faux ‘sting operations’

"Police in Washington state are searching for a man who they say has scammed seniors out of nearly a half a million dollars by pretending to be a police officer, recruiting unsuspecting victims for faux 'sting operations' involving large cash transfers. It begins as a phone scam, police told The Seattle Post Intelligencer. Introducing himself as either Sgt. Drumbowski or Capt. Jack Truska, the conman preys mainly on elderly women with claims of a counterfeit money investigation that he needs help with. The elaborate rouse ends with the fake police officer meeting the victim and taking a large sum of money from them — at least six women have lost around $75,000 per shakedown." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFake cop scams seniors out of nearly half a million dollars with faux ‘sting operations’

California man posing as cop charged with sexual assault

"Stepp reportedly used a website to arrange for a meeting with a prostitute at a hotel in El Segundo, California. Police spokesperson Lt. Jaime Bermudez told CBS News that once inside the room with the woman, Stepp allegedly identified himself a police officer, flashed a fake badge and locked the woman into handcuffs, then sexually assaulted her. The woman reported that Stepp was joined by an accomplice who took her cash and credit cards. Stepp was apprehended on Monday when he tried to use one of the stolen credit cards." Continue reading →

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