statism

Only One Big Telecom CEO Refused To Cave To The NSA; Jailed For Years

"Former Qwest CEO Joseph Nacchio is currently serving a six-year sentence after being convicted of insider trading in April 2007 for selling $52 million of stock in the spring of 2001 as the telecommunications carrier appeared to be deteriorating. During the trial his defense team argued that Nacchio, 63, believed Qwest was about to win secret government contracts that would keep it in the black. Nacchio alleged that the government stopped offering the company lucrative contracts after Qwest refused to cooperate with a National Security Agency surveillance program in February 2001." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOnly One Big Telecom CEO Refused To Cave To The NSA; Jailed For Years

Redditors Raise More Than 32 Bitcoins (over $4,000) for Homeless Shelter

"In May of this year, the Pensacola City Council passed a 'camping ban' ordinance despite significant opposition. The ordinance bans camping on city-owned and residential property and prohibits sleeping, bathing and shaving in public restrooms. The ordinance effectively make it a crime to be homeless. In his post, Greg called Bitcoiners to action by sharing his experience and offering to match donations made to Sean’s Outpost. Hundreds of donations came in (and were matched) with several donations over $100. The largest single donation came from Redditor 'shakethatbass' who donated a whopping 15 bitcoins – worth over $1,700." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRedditors Raise More Than 32 Bitcoins (over $4,000) for Homeless Shelter

Additional $2.1M Seized from Mt. Gox Accounts – Now Over $5M Total

"The executed seizure warrant for Mt. Gox’s account with Dwolla was published, showing $2.9 million was seized by the US government. According to documents obtained today by TGB’s research staff from the records of the District Court of Maryland, more than $2.1 million was also seized from two of Mt. Gox’ Wells Fargo accounts – totaling to more than $5 million seized from Mt. Gox accounts by the US government. One of the accounts at Wells Fargo was registered to Mutum Sigillum LLC, the same entity associated with the Dwolla account. The second Wells Fargo account seized was in the name of Mark Karpeles himself." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAdditional $2.1M Seized from Mt. Gox Accounts – Now Over $5M Total

Bitcoin’s Washington problem

"On paper, the popular virtual currency Bitcoin is the type of entity that traditionally would hire a powerful K Street lobbying firm to protect its interests in Washington, especially in the cutthroat world of financial regulations. But Bitcoin doesn’t exist on paper. With no public founder or organization behind it, Bitcoin isn’t in a strong position to defend itself from government scrutiny or lobby Congress on critical issues including privacy. As a fully decentralized network, the closest thing Bitcoin has to formal representatives are exchanges that facilitate the buying and selling of Bitcoins against other currency, and trade associations that represent them." Continue reading →

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10 Shocking Examples of Police Killing Innocent People in the “War on Drugs”

"In a democratic republic, the 'innocent until proven guilty' concept is supposed to be sacrosanct. Jurors, police officers, judges and prosecuting attorneys—at least in theory—are required to err on the side of caution, and if a guilty person occasionally goes free, so be it. But with the war on drugs, the concept of innocent until proven guilty has fallen by the wayside on countless occasions. The war on drugs is not only fought aggressively, it is fought carelessly and haphazardly, and a long list of innocent victims have been killed or maimed in the process. Below are 10 innocent victims who became collateral damage and lost their lives in the war on drugs." Continue reading →

Continue Reading10 Shocking Examples of Police Killing Innocent People in the “War on Drugs”

Kathryn Johnston shooting – Wikipedia

"Kathryn Johnston was an elderly Atlanta, Georgia, woman who was killed by undercover police officers in her home where she had lived for 17 years. Three officers had entered her home in what was later described as a 'botched' drug raid. Officers cut off burglar bars and broke down her door using a no-knock warrant. One of the officers planted marijuana after the shooting. Later investigations found that the paperwork stating that drugs present at Johnston's house, which had been the basis for the raid, had been falsified. The officers later admitted to having lied when they submitted cocaine as evidence claiming that they had bought it at Johnston's house." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingKathryn Johnston shooting – Wikipedia

Snapshots of Soviet America: The Rita Hutchens Story (Teaser)

"Rita Hutchens, a middle-aged quilt artist from Sandpoint, Idaho, experienced the dreaded 'midnight knock' -- the hallmark of a totalitarian police state -- as part of a Soviet-style campaign of official persecution. Her 'offense' was to seek redress for being assaulted by a police officer in what was ruled to be an illegal arrest. (This is the teaser for a full-length documentary.)" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSnapshots of Soviet America: The Rita Hutchens Story (Teaser)

Killing Without Consequences: “Counter-Insurgency” Warfare in Greenfield, CA

"A three-member 'break and rake' team approached the house, shattered a window, and threw in a flash-bang grenade. The fire quickly propagated itself through the house, generating a dense black cloud of highly toxic smoke. The SWAT team then trained its weapons on the house, which effectively prevented the victim from escaping from the burning building. The Fire Department responded quickly once fire enveloped Serrato’s home – but the SWAT team held them at bay for nearly a half-hour while the screaming victim was trapped inside. By the time the firefighters could enter the home, Serrato was dead." Continue reading →

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Kim Jong Un woos defectors: Come home. We won’t kill you … promise

"North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is taking a new approach to defectors who have fled his impoverished and repressive state, promising they will not be harmed if they come home, and even offering cash rewards, according to some in the exile community. That’s in sharp contrast to the approach taken by Kim’s father, who during nearly 20 years in power hid the issue and severely punished the families of those who defected, fearing they would undermine the state with their tales of the prosperous South. Exactly why Kim has taken a different view of defectors is unclear." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingKim Jong Un woos defectors: Come home. We won’t kill you … promise

Obama DOJ Asks Court to Grant Immunity to George W. Bush For Iraq War

"In court papers filed today (PDF), the United States Department of Justice requested that George W. Bush, Richard Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice and Paul Wolfowitz be granted procedural immunity in a case alleging that they planned and waged the Iraq War in violation of international law. Plaintiff Sundus Shaker Saleh, an Iraqi single mother and refugee now living in Jordan, filed a complaint in March 2013 in San Francisco federal court alleging that the planning and waging of the war constituted a 'crime of aggression' against Iraq, a legal theory that was used by the Nuremberg Tribunal to convict Nazi war criminals after World War II." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama DOJ Asks Court to Grant Immunity to George W. Bush For Iraq War