Resistance

‘Don’t Shoot My Dog’ Laws Proposed

"The natural enemy of the family dog is the local cop. Some of the stories we hear about cops shooting dogs, man, it’s like they don’t even try to deal with the animal reasonably. They shoot first and put the leash on later. I get that some people are just irrationally afraid of dogs, but cops are armed and in stressful situations. And since 'dog murder' isn’t really a thing, there’s no incentive for cops to hold their fire. We’ve reported in the past about how jury awards are going up when cops are found to recklessly kill family pets. But money cannot replace the companionship of a best friend. Now, one state is trying to take more decisive action." Continue reading →

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Texas Supreme Court bars sentimental value suits from dog owners

"The Texas Supreme Court ruled on Friday that bereaved dog owners cannot file lawsuits calling for their pets’ sentimental value. The Dallas Morning News reported on Friday that, per the ruling, dog owners can only be legally compensated for the market cost of their pets. 'Under Texas common law, the human-animal bond, while undeniable, is uncompensable,' Justice Don R. Willett wrote in the court’s unanimous decision, which reversed a ruling by the state 2nd Court of Appeals in Fort Worth." Continue reading →

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Anti-drone protests kick off in San Diego

"From coast-to-coast, human rights activists have launched a month-long protest against the use drones by the US government. Throughout the month of April, the 'Days of Action' demonstrations will take it to the companies behind the construction of these robots in the sky. RT's Ramon Galindo brings us more from San Diego, California." Continue reading →

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Cops with Drones: Alameda Co., CA Weighs Technology vs. Privacy

"For a long time, drones - unmanned aircraft - were used only by the military. Now local law enforcement wants them for police work such as surveillance and search-and-rescue missions. That in turn has sparked a fierce debate over the balance between cutting-edge law enforcement technology and the privacy rights of citizens." Continue reading →

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BionicOpter dragonfly drone flutters about, blows minds

"Festo isn't quite the household name that Boston Dynamics is. (And, really, we're not entirely sure Big Dog is a regular topic of conversation at dinner tables yet.) But, it certainly deserves just as much attention for the work they're doing with robotics. After crafting a machine last year that soared around like a herring gull, now the company has created BionicOpter. The 17.3-inch long dragonfly drone can flutter through the air in any direction, and even hover, just like its biological inspiration." Continue reading →

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Obama: US Tyranny Impossible Because ‘Government Is Us’

"The government is most assuredly not us – at least not all of us – which is why our system of government is designed to protect the rights of minorities while still allowing majorities to legislate without violating those rights. Obama’s defense to charges of incipient tyranny is that tyranny can never happen here. Which, of course, makes it more likely that tyranny will happen here. The second odd angle is Obama’s insistence that the Constitution constrains him. The natural inference seems to be that if it were not for the Constitution, Obama would indeed pursue a federal gun seizure." Continue reading →

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Americans Can Be Executed Without Charges — But Criminal Banks Can’t Be Prosecuted

"On the same day that Kentucky Senator Rand Paul was filibustering the nomination of John Brennan to head the CIA over the nominee’s involvement in lethal drone strikes, Attorney General Eric Holder defended arbitrary power before the Senate Judiciary Committee. As we noted earlier, Holder told the Committee that any Congressional action to restrict the targeted killing program would represent an unconstitutional limitation of presidential powers. In the same hearing, Holder said that some corrupt banks are simply too big to prosecute." Continue reading →

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Glenn Greenwald: Three Democratic myths used to demean the Paul filibuster

"For the first time since the 9/11 attack, even lowly cable news shows were forced to extensively discuss the government's extremist theories of power and to debate the need for checks and limits. All of this put Democrats - who spent eight years flamboyantly pretending to be champions of due process - in a very uncomfortable position. The politician who took such a unique stand in defense of these principles was not merely a Republican but a leading member of its dreaded Tea Party wing, while the actor most responsible for the extremist theories of power being protested was their own beloved leader and his political party." Continue reading →

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NATO air strike kills 10 children in Afghanistan

"A NATO air attack in eastern Afghanistan has killed 10 children, officials said Sunday, the latest case of civilian casualties which provoke great anger in the war-torn country. The children were killed during a joint Afghan-NATO operation in the Shigal district of restive Kunar province bordering Pakistan late on Saturday. An Afghan official involved in the operation who did not want to be named said air support was called in after local and coalition forces came under attack, resulting in the death of an American and injuries to several Afghan soldiers. The official said the force did not know there were women and children in the houses that were hit." Continue reading →

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‘Carrying the Future’ in Afghanistan

"The rest of the world does resist. It does not want our propagandistic textbooks, it does not want our drones, it does not want our support of radical Islamists, it does not want our soldiers, and it does not want our diplomats or NGOs engaging in all manner of manipulation of domestic affairs overseas. Sadly, until young Americans like this foreign service officer start to question the mythologies spouted by politicians and duly amplified by the corporate media about the indispensability of the US 'carrying the future,' there will be many more unnecessary deaths -- on all sides." Continue reading →

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