Police State

How Bad Is The Surveillance State?

"Even more baffling to me is the reaction of some 'conservatives' who deny the scope of spying activities and, at once, minimizing the civil-liberties threat and justifying the activities as absolutely necessary and vital for the protection of the country. The truth is that the network television show 'Person of Interest' is much closer to reality than most people think – except for the fact that no one is actually using the mining of data to protect the lives of innocent American citizens caught in the crossfire. Let’s look at some of the hard, cold facts of today’s surveillance state." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHow Bad Is The Surveillance State?

No Rose Can Mask the Stench of Obama’s Tyranny

"Mr. Obama considers government's power to be illimitable, and individual freedom to be a revocable gift conferred by those who presume to rule the rest of us. This was made abundantly – and redundantly – clear in a recent interview Obama gave to the repellently sycophantic PBS host Charlie Rose regarding the totalitarian NSA surveillance program. Speaking about what he called 'tradeoffs' between freedom and security, Obama said: 'I don’t think anybody says we’re no longer free because we have checkpoints at airports.' There are dozens of imaginable variations on the official lie Obama decanted on the Charlie Rose program." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNo Rose Can Mask the Stench of Obama’s Tyranny

Restore The Fourth: Group Organizes Nationwide Anti-NSA Spying Protests On July 4

"Restore the Fourth is a grassroots, non-partisan, non-violent movement that seeks to organize and assemble nationwide protests on July 4th, 2013. Protesters in over 100 cities across America will gather to demand that the government of the United States of America adhere to its constitutionally dictated limits and respect the Fourth Amendment. http://www.RestoretheFourth.net provides a detailed list of protest locations. Restore the Fourth maintains that justification of the Fourth Amendment beyond the original text need not be given; the legitimacy of which is self-evident." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRestore The Fourth: Group Organizes Nationwide Anti-NSA Spying Protests On July 4

Incoming police chief shoots woman while trying to kill her dog

"A woman in North Carolina says that the incoming police chief in one town did not react to provide immediate assistance after accidentally shooting her while trying to kill her allegedly aggressive dog. Tamara Whitt said that she couldn’t understand why Winston-Salem Assistant Chief Barry Rountree would take the chance of firing his weapon while she was standing so close to the 'very passive' dog. Doctors told Whitt that the 40 caliber bullet would have to remain in her leg because it was too dangerous to remove. Rountree was placed on administrative leave. The city, however, insisted that Rountree’s swearing-in would go on as scheduled on Sunday." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIncoming police chief shoots woman while trying to kill her dog

Florida man facing criminal charges after cooking and eating family dog

"A 25-year-old Florida man was arrested and charged with animal cruelty on Thursday for allegedly killing his family’s dog, then cooking it and eating it. The Tampa Tribune reported on Friday that authorities picked up Thomas Huggins after being alerted by his his mother, Margie Huggins, that she had found the dog’s ribs inside a pot. She later showed officers more of the dog’s remains in the freezer, along with the dog’s head and innards, which were in a trash can. 'I don’t understand it. I’ve never been violent like that,' she said to the Tribune. 'I grew up in the church, in fear of Jesus Christ and the wrath that will be put on you. He doesn’t feel that.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFlorida man facing criminal charges after cooking and eating family dog

DEA Wages Hemp War Behind The Scenes In House

"The Drug Enforcement Administration has kicked its lobbying against legalizing industrial hemp into high gear, hoping to block an amendment in the House that would decriminalize the crop for research purposes. The Huffington Post has obtained a copy of talking points the DEA is circulating among members of Congress to press them to oppose the amendment -- raising the seemingly incongruous specter of the government using its resources to lobby itself. Hemp is legal to grow in many industrialized countries, including Canada, and is legal to import into the U.S. States such as Colorado and McConnell's Kentucky have legalized hemp growing, but await federal action." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDEA Wages Hemp War Behind The Scenes In House

Lawmakers propose cyber crime reforms inspired by Aaron Swartz

"Critics of the current law, called the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), say it is far too vague and led to the overzealous prosecution of Swartz after he accessed an MIT database containing academic research papers, many of which were created with public funding. Aaron’s Law would also cut back on redundant penalties in the current CFAA that can see some offenders punished twice for the same crime. The bill also seeks to address a flaw in the current law that makes 'unauthorized access' of any kind a felony, whereas something as simple as lying about one’s age to Facebook could be considered unauthorized access." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLawmakers propose cyber crime reforms inspired by Aaron Swartz

What the NSA Revelations Tell Us about America’s Police State

"Ongoing revelations by The Guardian and The Washington Post of massive, illegal secret state surveillance of the American people along with advanced plans for waging offensive cyberwarfare on a global scale, including inside the US, underscores what Antifascist Calling has reported throughout the five years of our existence: that democracy and democratic institutions in the United States are dead letters. If what the Bush and now, Obama regimes are doing is not Orwellian blanket surveillance of the American people, then words fail." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhat the NSA Revelations Tell Us about America’s Police State

The 14 Most Ridiculous Things Police Bought With Asset Forfeiture

"Hey, remember the police chief from #7? He’s back! The (former) police chief of Romulus, Mich. and five detectives were part of the town’s vice squad, investigating 'liquor license violations, prostitution and narcotics trafficking.' Thanks to those investigations, they allegedly spent more than $40,000 in asset forfeiture funds on marijuana, booze, and prostitutes. Now these cops face 22 felony counts…and just gave Nic Cage a new movie idea." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe 14 Most Ridiculous Things Police Bought With Asset Forfeiture

China’s state newspaper praises Edward Snowden for ‘tearing off Washington’s sanctimonious mask’

"The strongly worded front-page commentary responded to harsh criticism of China from the US for allowing Snowden to flee. 'Not only did the US authorities not give us an explanation and apology, it instead expressed dissatisfaction at the Hong Kong special administrative region for handling things in accordance with law,' wrote Wang Xinjun, a researcher at the Academy of Military Science. 'In a sense, the United States has gone from a 'model of human rights' to 'an eavesdropper on personal privacy', the 'manipulator' of the centralised power over the international internet, and the mad 'invader' of other countries' networks,' the People's Daily said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChina’s state newspaper praises Edward Snowden for ‘tearing off Washington’s sanctimonious mask’