It Is Illegal To Feed The Homeless In Cities All Over The United States

"More than 50 large U.S. cities have adopted 'anti-camping' or 'anti-food sharing' laws in recent years, and police are strictly enforcing these laws. Sometimes the goal appears to be to get the homeless people to go away. Apparently heartless politicians believe that if the homeless can't get any more free food and if they keep getting thrown into prison for 'illegal camping' they will eventually decide to go somewhere else where they won't be hassled so much. This is yet another example of how heartless our society is becoming. The middle class is being absolutely shredded and poverty is absolutely exploding, but meanwhile the hearts of many Americans are growing very cold." Continue reading

Continue ReadingIt Is Illegal To Feed The Homeless In Cities All Over The United States

Congress To Holder: Explain Why NSA Supplies DEA Info Which It Then Launders

"For example, they might send info to the DEA about a likely drug deal, and the DEA would then tell its agents that they should come up with a pretense to stop a certain truck at a certain truck stop at a certain time. The agents would work with local police to concoct a reason to pull the truck over, and voila, drugs found. But, most importantly, at no point would the fact that such information was used to lead to the stop be revealed, and that's unconstitutional. If you're accused, you're supposed to have access to all of the evidence being used against you. Continue reading

Continue ReadingCongress To Holder: Explain Why NSA Supplies DEA Info Which It Then Launders

Small minds, big ideas: The implications of the IRS targeting anti-tax groups

"Any time you give a state agency a goal with an extremely broad, malleable definition, the agency is going to tend to interpret its mission as broadly as possible. And when that goal is inherently incompatible with a free society, the agency’s powers will inevitably grow at the expense of individual liberties and the rule of law. We shouldn’t trust the IRS to take as much money as it wants; we shouldn’t trust the military to invade the countries it thinks need to be invaded; and we shouldn’t trust the state security apparatus to 'keep us safe from terrorism.' The best thing that can happen to an agency trusted with such a goal is that it will fail. The worst is that it will succeed." Continue reading

Continue ReadingSmall minds, big ideas: The implications of the IRS targeting anti-tax groups

72 Types Of Americans Considered ‘Potential Terrorists’ In Official Documents

"1. Those that talk about 'individual liberties'; 2. Those that advocate for states’ rights; 3. Those that want 'to make the world a better place'; 4. 'The colonists who sought to free themselves from British rule'; 5. Those that are interested in 'defeating the Communists'; 6. Those that believe 'that the interests of one’s own nation are separate from the interests of other nations or the common interest of all nations'; 7. Anyone that holds a 'political ideology that considers the state to be unnecessary, harmful,or undesirable'; 8. Anyone that possesses an 'intolerance toward other religions'; 9. Those that 'take action to fight against the exploitation of the environment and/or animals'; [..] " Continue reading

Continue Reading72 Types Of Americans Considered ‘Potential Terrorists’ In Official Documents

Has The CIA’s Phoenix Program Been Resurrected In Syria?

"Phoenix went far beyond aspirations of 'winning' in Vietnam. The program utilized a 'by any means necessary' strategy to warfare that included the use of random assassination and the FABRICATION of enemy atrocities in order to rally the civilian population around U.S. forces. PRU operators routinely targeted the backwater villages of Vietnam, killing at least 20,000 civilians as later admitted by CIA Director William Colby. The slaughter of villages was frequently blamed on the Vietcong, while PRU's ran rampant in the jungles, physically mutilating victims in order to draw greater emotional reactions from Southern citizens as well as oblivious Americans back home." Continue reading

Continue ReadingHas The CIA’s Phoenix Program Been Resurrected In Syria?

Bitcoin Gains Credit Union Cred

"A New Jersey credit union has agreed to accept accounts transferred from a trading exchange that handles Bitcoin and other virtual currencies. The move, apparently aimed at attracting business from investors and financial institutions that trade in the alternative forms of tender, could provide them with a much needed level of legitimacy. Staff reporters discuss." Continue reading

Continue ReadingBitcoin Gains Credit Union Cred

Sure, You Can Steal Bitcoins. But Good Luck Laundering Them

"Bitcoin is a bit of a paradox. It can be used nearly anonymously: any two people can easily set up brand new Bitcoin wallets, meet in a park, and exchange cash for Bitcoin. But at the same time, Bitcoin trades are public: all transactions are shared in a publicly available file called the Blockchain that’s posted to the Bitcoin peer-to-peer network. That public ledger makes it pretty tough for big-time criminals to launder money through the network. At least that’s what researchers at the University of California and George Mason University found when they studied the Bitcoin network by developing sophisticated tools to track how money was moving around it." Continue reading

Continue ReadingSure, You Can Steal Bitcoins. But Good Luck Laundering Them

Regulator on Bitcoin: Same Rules Apply

"The top U.S. anti-money-laundering regulator on Monday told a Bitcoin trade group that exchanges for the virtual currency must follow the same rules as established financial institutions, highlighting the government's efforts to keep tabs on a small but growing segment of the financial world. The Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or Fincen,hosted the Bitcoin Foundation and other regulators and law-enforcement officials as the sides grapple with the rise of virtual currencies. Such digital money isn't backed by a central government and often, as with Bitcoin, isn't controlled by any central entity." Continue reading

Continue ReadingRegulator on Bitcoin: Same Rules Apply

Inside the Bitcoin advocates’ closed-door meeting with federal regulators

"The U.S. government took the latest step toward regulating virtual currencies on Monday as representatives from the Bitcoin Foundation met behind closed doors with federal officials in Washington. Attendees say the meeting was cordial, with regulators listening carefully as Bitcoin advocates warned that excessive regulation could drive innovation in virtual currencies overseas. Nearly a dozen high-level agencies were in attendance, including the Justice Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, the Internal Revenue Service, the Secret Service and the Financial Crimes and Enforcement Division (FinCEN) of Treasury, which convened the discussion." Continue reading

Continue ReadingInside the Bitcoin advocates’ closed-door meeting with federal regulators