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Court Gives a Christmas Victory to Atlanta Street Vendors

"In 2009, Atlanta handed over all vending on public property to General Growth Properties—the first time any American city has set up such a centralized scheme for vending. As the monopolist has moved into areas of the city, Atlanta officials have revoked the existing vendors’ permits and forced them to leave. The first phase of the program eliminated approximately 16 vibrant vending businesses along with dozens of self-supporting private-sector jobs. Thankfully today’s ruling halted the second phase of the program—which included the area around Turner Field, where Plaintiffs Larry Miller and Stanley Hambrick’s vending businesses operate." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCourt Gives a Christmas Victory to Atlanta Street Vendors

Why it’s the Year of the Snake

"Just before President Obama jetted off to Hawaii and the U.S. Congress broke up for its short Christmas recess on Thursday, Dec. 28, the U.S. Senate debated renewal of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). It’s not for nothing the Chinese calendar calls 2013 the Year of the Snake." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhy it’s the Year of the Snake

Merry Christmas and Happy Gun Control, Chicago

"This is another banner year for Rahm Emanuel's tightly controlled non-gun 'paradise.' Chicago's own stats show that 440 school age children were shot in 2012 in Chicago's paradise. And yet, it has long been reported that the school where Rahm's children attend to their education has an armed security guard. Additionally, his children also have an armed escort to get them to and from school, just like those Hollywood celebrities who clamor for gun control while they enjoy full-time, armed bodyguards." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMerry Christmas and Happy Gun Control, Chicago

Petition Proposes Gun Free Zone for School President’s Daughters Attend

"The petition states that 'If Gun Free Zones are sufficient protection for our children,' meaning regular Americans' children, 'then Gun Free Zones should be good enough for politicians.' Likely spurred by a Breitbart report published earlier this week pointing out that the president’s daughters attend Sidwell Friends School in Washington D.C. – a school that has no less than 11 armed security guards at all times – the petition is quickly garnering the signatures needed to necessitate a response from the Obama administration." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPetition Proposes Gun Free Zone for School President’s Daughters Attend

Wary eyes shift to the skies as unmanned aircraft are tested in Oklahoma

"The simulated chase this month was among the first test flights in a U.S. Department of Homeland Security program designed to evaluate the possible civilian use of 'Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems.' In coming months, dozens of companies will come to Oklahoma to put their state-of-the-art aerial vehicles through a series of scenarios designed to test their capabilities in situations that police and firefighters might encounter. Many of the drones being tested come with very advanced surveillance technology, including radar, video cameras, infrared thermal imagers and wireless network detectors that can collect sensitive information." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWary eyes shift to the skies as unmanned aircraft are tested in Oklahoma

Senate Votes Against Fourth Amendment Protection Act

"Yesterday evening, the U.S. Senate voted on amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Amendments Act Reauthorization Act of 2012, H.R.5949, including one introduced by Sens. Rand Paul and Mike Lee. The amendment, known as the Fourth Amendment Protection Act extends Fourth Amendment guarantees to electronic communications and requires specific warrants granted through FISA courts in order to obtain this information. The amendment failed, 79-12." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSenate Votes Against Fourth Amendment Protection Act

Senate votes to extend warrantless wiretapping powers

"The law was set to expire at midnight on Friday, but the Senate’s vote means it will almost certainly be extended through December 2017. The extension continues warrantless wiretapping powers that apply even in the event that one person participating in the communication is an American citizen, despite the Fourth Amendment’s requirement for court oversight. It was originally passed in 2008 as a means of granting top Bush administration officials and the telecommunications companies legal immunity against suits over wiretaps that even the former president once claimed to be illegal." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSenate votes to extend warrantless wiretapping powers

2012 in Review: Biometric ID Systems Grew Internationally… And So Did Concerns About Privacy

"Around the world, systems of identification that employ automatic recognition of individuals’ faces, fingerprints, or irises are gaining ground. Biometric ID systems are increasingly being deployed at international border checkpoints, by governments seeking to implement national ID schemes, and by private-sector actors. Yet as biometric data is collected from more and more individuals, privacy concerns about the use of this technology are also attracting attention. Below are several examples of the year’s most prominent debates around biometrics." Continue reading →

Continue Reading2012 in Review: Biometric ID Systems Grew Internationally… And So Did Concerns About Privacy

Another woman arrested for defending herself against the TSA

"A South Korean woman visiting this country and, of course, having no idea that she was required to undergo physical assault as a condition of getting on a plane, was arrested at Orlando International Airport. 39-year-old Hyunjoo Kim was being groped by a TSA agent when she allegedly 'slapped' said agent." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAnother woman arrested for defending herself against the TSA