Presstitutes

U.S. ranked 32nd in press freedom index

"Reporters Without Borders on Wednesday launched a new indicator measuring global press freedom by aggregating the scores of its annual index, from perennial table-topping Finland to worst offenders Eritrea. 'In view of the emergence of new technologies and the interdependence of governments and peoples, the freedom to produce and circulate news and information needs to be evaluated at the planetary as well as national level,' the Paris-based watchdog said. Northern European countries topped the rankings of its separate Press Freedom Index, while the small, reclusive African nation of Eritrea came last." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. ranked 32nd in press freedom index

Alex Jones TYT Interview: Guns, Conspiracies, and Mental Health

"After his appearance on Piers Morgan, Alex Jones has made the news for his stance on guns and his various global conspiracy theories, including one about a group determined to build a dystopia and kill people off. In a heated interview, Cenk Uygur questioned his various statements, and even asked him the question, 'Have you ever sought mental health treatment?' Well, according to Jones, America needs mental health treatment. What does he mean? Watch, as Cenk Uygur attempts to get to the bottom of it." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAlex Jones TYT Interview: Guns, Conspiracies, and Mental Health

‘Rise of the Drones’ Is Mostly a PBS Infomercial for the Military Defense Industry

"The widely-acclaimed PBS program, NOVA, premiered a documentary on unmanned aerial vehicles or drones. The documentary, 'Rise of the Drones,' was produced to explore how the technology is revolutionizing warfare and creating the next generation of cutting-edge surveillance. It was created to provide a glimpse at how the technology has advanced and how innovations might progress in the future. Before the documentary began, PBS noted the program had received funding from the David H. Koch Foundation for Science. It also received 'additional funding' from Lockheed Martin." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘Rise of the Drones’ Is Mostly a PBS Infomercial for the Military Defense Industry

Whole Foods CEO: Obamacare-Fascism Comparison Won’t Hurt Profits

"The CEO earlier this week criticized President Barack Obama’s health care reform law, saying 'it's more like fascism,' and that the government controls 'the means of production' in health care. Mackey later said in a segment on HuffPost Live on Thursday that he regretted comparing Obamacare to 'fascism,' despite remaining skeptical of Obama’s plan. 'I regret using that word now because it's got so much baggage attached to it,' Mackey said. 'Of course, I was just using the standard dictionary definition.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhole Foods CEO: Obamacare-Fascism Comparison Won’t Hurt Profits

EU panel seeks power to fine, censor and fire journalists

"A series of recommendations issued Monday (PDF) by the European Union’s 'High Level Group' proposes the establishment of 'media councils' in every member state that would be monitored by the European Commission and given the power to fine, censor and even fire individual journalists if deemed appropriate. Another recommendation pertaining to media councils advises that they be staffed 'with a politically and culturally balanced and socially diverse membership,' with lawmakers — not journalists or publishers — making the nominations." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEU panel seeks power to fine, censor and fire journalists

Statist Media Courtesan: All Rights are “Infringe”-able

"The cliché about shouting fire in a crowded theater was coined to justify a horrible Supreme Court ruling that upheld the prosecution of an individual who used his rights under the First Amendment to protest the draft during World War I. Rather than building on such bad precedents we should be correcting the abuses they produced. Leaving those matters aside, however, Andrea Mitchell apparently doesn’t understand that even in those cases, the government did not infringe rights through prior restraint – that is, pre-emptively punishing people for crimes they haven’t committed. That’s one of the myriad evils embodied in so-called gun control measures." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingStatist Media Courtesan: All Rights are “Infringe”-able

Themes for 2013: Eight trends to follow in 2013 and beyond.

"Rather than attempt to predict the unpredictable – that is, specific events and price levels – let’s look instead for key dynamics that will play out over the next two to three years. Though the specific timelines of crises are inherently unpredictable, it is still useful to understand the eventual consequences of influential trends. In other words: policies that appear to have been successful for the past four years may continue to appear successful for a year or two longer. But that very success comes at a steep, and as yet unpaid, price in suppressed systemic risk, cost, and consequence." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThemes for 2013: Eight trends to follow in 2013 and beyond.

Legal Gun Owners in New York Outed Like Sex Offenders

"A corporate media owned website in New York has posted the names and addresses of pistol permit holders in three counties in the state. Data for all permit categories, unrestricted carry, premises, business, employment, target and hunting, is included, but permit information is not available on an individual basis. The Journal News submitted Freedom of Information requests for the names and addresses of all pistol permit holders in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties. It used Google Maps to pinpoint specific locations and included the names and addresses of permit holders, without specifying a reason for invading the privacy of handgun owners." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLegal Gun Owners in New York Outed Like Sex Offenders

Paula Was Not the Only One in Bed With Petraeus

"Petraeus got what he wanted from the relationship with the Kagans as well. Each time Petraeus descended on Capitol Hill he was treated like a god by lawmakers. That was the Kagans' doing. They rushed home from their extended stints 'running' the war in Afghanistan to pen saccharine pieces on the glories of Patraeus, just the kind of hero the pro-war faction in Congress (as in the entire Congress minus a handful) needed. This, in a nutshell, is why the desperate race to solve the 'fiscal cliff' is in reality a desperate race by Congress and the president to avoid any cuts in the military budget. Otherwise the Fred Kagans of the world will sic their think tank brigades on you." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPaula Was Not the Only One in Bed With Petraeus

The Forever Wars of Frederick & Kimberly Kagan

"Kimberly is currently president for the oddly named Institute for the Study of War while Fred is the director of the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute. Fred’s brother Robert is at the Brookings Institution and has also been a foreign policy adviser to both John McCain and Mitt Romney. The Kagans are classic neocon entrepreneurs who rely on nepotism and cronyism to work their way through the system. Kimberly studied ancient history at Yale under Donald Kagan and then married his son. She is now billed as a 'military expert' by the neocon media in spite of her lack of any actual military experience." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Forever Wars of Frederick & Kimberly Kagan