Resistance

How “Your” Government Works

"The Obama administration has announced the formation of a panel of “outside experts” to review the NSA’s surveillance practices. And a wide-ranging, diverse collection of experts they are; when it comes to institutional backgrounds and viewpoints, they span the entire spectrum from A to B. They remind me a bit of the space shuttle crew in an episode of The Simpsons: 'They’re a colorful bunch … There’s a mathematician, a different kind of mathematician, and a statistician.' If you think all this insider involvement in policy represents 'regulatory capture,' or the corruption of an originally pristine system by campaign money and lobbyists, you’re missing the point." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHow “Your” Government Works

Mexico leader to discuss alleged U.S. spying with Obama

"Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said Wednesday he would voice concerns about alleged US spying on his emails to US counterpart Barack Obama, warning it would be illegal if proven true. The new claims of spying in Latin America came two months after allegations of widespread US electronic espionage in the region that infuriated allies and rivals alike. 'If it is proven that an action took place, with the use of espionage means, this is clearly not permitted and it is outside the law,' Pena Nieto told reporters during a layover in Canada on his way to Saint Petersburg." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMexico leader to discuss alleged U.S. spying with Obama

Florida man cites ‘Bush doctrine’ after pre-emptive killing of neighbors

"Lawyers for a Florida man this week cited President George W. Bush’s pre-emptive war in Iraq and the 'Bush Doctrine' as a defense after their client killed two neighbors and attempted to kill a third on Labor Day. According to officials in Titusville, Woodward had snuck up on his neighbors while they were having a Labor Day barbecue. Police responding to the scene found that Gary Lee Hembree, Roger Picior and Bruce Timothy had all been shot. Hembree and Picior were later pronounced dead. Blake survived, even though he had been hit 11 times. In their motion, Woodward’s attorneys claimed that the victims had called him names and threatened to 'get him.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFlorida man cites ‘Bush doctrine’ after pre-emptive killing of neighbors

Leaked Sony ad for QX10 and QX100 lens cameras

"Sony still hasn't announced its QX10 and QX100 lens cameras, but the flood of leaks just isn't slowing down. An official video ad for the QX10 and X100 has now surfaced on the web, offering the best glimpse yet at how Sony envisions consumers using these unique products. In the clip, we see that linking the QX10 and QX100 with a smartphone will be a simple, one-touch process — at least with Sony's own Xperia hardware — and you'll be using the PlayMemories app to control each lens. Sony is also trying to push ease of use here, with one user effortlessly sliding his phone into a cradle before casually snapping images on the street." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLeaked Sony ad for QX10 and QX100 lens cameras

Watch What Happens When the Camera is Turned On Cops

"There are now over 50,000 SWAT raids annually in America — the types of raids that were designed for and then perfected in the streets of Fallujah and Kandahar. Without radical restraints on the state’s power to initiate and dispense lethal force through its law enforcement agencies, our rights to life, liberty, and property are and will continue to be severely threatened. Yet despite the fact that U.S. law enforcement eerily resembles East Germany’s Stasi with even greater technological tools to inflict terror, all it takes is a tiny little camera on a cop’s chest to drastically minimize abuse, arbitrary coercion, and makes cops act like the peace officers they are intended to be." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWatch What Happens When the Camera is Turned On Cops

Huntington continues arresting people who record police encounters

"Another Huntington police officer is accused of falsely arresting a person for recording his on-duty actions. In the complaint filed Aug. 22 in U.S. District Court, the Thomases allege Officer Brian Lucas arrested Xavier for watching him conduct a traffic stop at a convenience store last year and detained Martin for filming the arrest on his cell phone, which was deleted by another officer. The suit comes on the heels of a settlement reached earlier this month between the City and another resident who alleged three officers falsely arrested him for filming them perform a traffic stop at a housing project two years ago." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHuntington continues arresting people who record police encounters

Syracuse’s ‘most prolific sex offender’ lied to acquire government job

"Despite having hired the man Syracuse police call the ‘most prolific sex offender’ in the area, Syracuse city officials confirmed to CNY NY that they don’t plan on changing their hiring practices or checking into the background of current employee. On the application, obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request, Carrigan was twice asked and twice lied about whether he had ever been convicted of a crime, felony or misdemeanor. When he was fired from his DPW job after a 2012 arrest for having oral sex with a 15-year-old boy, the city refused to amend its policy on background checks. Carrigan was a level three sex-offender when he applied for the job in 2009." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSyracuse’s ‘most prolific sex offender’ lied to acquire government job

Australian postal workers who send porn from work e-mail will no longer be sacked

"Emailing pornography on work addresses should not automatically be considered a sackable offence, an Australian workplace tribunal has ruled. The Fair Work Commission made the decision after considering a case in which three postal workers were fired after it was found they used work email addresses to send or distribute sexually explicit material. The commission said the terminations of the workers — all of whom were long-standing employees of Australia Post — were too harsh, it confirmed on Wednesday." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAustralian postal workers who send porn from work e-mail will no longer be sacked

Secret U.S. documents reveal Al-Qaeda has anti-drone operation

"Al-Qaeda’s leaders have set up cells of engineers to try to shoot down, disable or hijack US drones, The Washington Post reported late Tuesday citing top-secret US intelligence documents. The Al-Qaeda leadership is 'hoping to exploit the technological vulnerabilities of a weapons system that has inflicted huge losses against the terrorist network,' the Post said online. The Al-Qaeda commanders are keen to achieve 'a technological breakthrough (that) could curb the US drone campaign, which has killed an estimated 3,000 people over the past decade,' the Post reported. [Drone strikes] have taken a toll among civilians in those countries, something that has fueled anti-US sentiment." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSecret U.S. documents reveal Al-Qaeda has anti-drone operation

Australian TV networks reject anti-Rupert Murdoch commercial

"Australia’s commercial television networks are refusing to run an advert which accuses Rupert Murdoch of printing 'misleading crap' in his newspapers ahead of national elections, the activist group behind the ad said Wednesday. The left-leaning GetUp!, which describes itself as an independent community advocacy organisation, is complaining to the competition watchdog after three major commercial networks refused to air the video which has been viewed more than 270,600 times on YouTube. Network Ten, of which Murdoch’s son Lachlan Murdoch is a director, had said it did not want to target another media organisation." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAustralian TV networks reject anti-Rupert Murdoch commercial