statism

Glenn Greenwald: On Prism, partisanship and propaganda

"One of the most significant aspects of the Obama legacy has been the transformation of Democrats from pretend-opponents of the Bush War on Terror and National Security State into their biggest proponents: exactly what the CIA presciently and excitedly predicted in 2008 would happen with Obama's election. Some Democrats have tried to distinguish 2006 from 2013 by claiming that the former involved illegal spying while the latter does not. But the claim that current NSA spying is legal is dubious in the extreme. If Democrats are so sure these spying programs are legal, why has the Obama DOJ been so eager to block courts from adjudicating that question?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlenn Greenwald: On Prism, partisanship and propaganda

Our Open Surveillance ‘Debate’: DOJ Wants to Block Release of Secret Court Opinion

"Because of the efforts of President Barack Obama's Administration to quash any release of even a smidgen of information about the government’s surveillance program, his comment today that he looked forward to a 'debate' on the issue was met with skepticism. Then, hours later, the Department of Justice responded to a lawsuit by the Electronic Frontier Foundation trying to stop the release of a secret court opinion connected to the very surveillance program about which Obama claimed to want to debate." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOur Open Surveillance ‘Debate’: DOJ Wants to Block Release of Secret Court Opinion

Feds want mental health records, float plan to ban guns from legal pot smokers

"The Department of Justice now wants to be notified of any mental health concerns and commitments 'for other reasons' for Americans so their names can be added to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System list of people banned from owning guns. But it appears the requirements of the privacy rule for medical records will be a barrier to that quick transfer of personal details, so the Department of Health and Human Services has proposed a change. Attorneys Todd Garvey and Brian Yeh wrote that federal firearms regulators will be aggressive about banning anyone who uses marijuana from buying – or possessing – a weapon." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFeds want mental health records, float plan to ban guns from legal pot smokers

Boy Who Refused to Take Off NRA Shirt Facing 1 Year in Jail

"Today, 14-year-old Jared Marcum appeared before a judge and was officially charged with obstructing an officer. A $500 fine and up to a year in jail, that’s the penalty that Jared could face, now that a judge has allowed the prosecution to move forward with it’s obstructing an officer charge against him. Prosecuting attorney Michael White refused to respond to any questions, as did Logan Police. The arresting officer from the Logan City Police Department, James Adkins, claims that when Jared refused to stop talking during the arrest and that hindered his ability to do his job, hence, the obstruction charge." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBoy Who Refused to Take Off NRA Shirt Facing 1 Year in Jail

Man Helping Sick Wife Charged With Marijuana Trafficking

"The resident, a 66-year-old man named Frank Dennis Peters, turned himself in to the authorities. Peters claims he has been growing the marijuana to assist his wife of 40 years who suffers from fibromyalgia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Peters added, 'I have a moral obligation to make my wife as comfortable as possible.' Under current law, medical marijuana is legal, but only if it is purchased from South Carolina’s Department of Health and Environmental Control. However, the Department has never actually distributed any marijuana according to department spokesman. The law is 33 years old." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMan Helping Sick Wife Charged With Marijuana Trafficking

Naomi Wolf: My creeping concern that the NSA leaker is not who he purports to be

"I hate to cast any skepticism on what seems to be a great story of a brave spy coming in from the cold in the service of American freedom. And I would never raise such questions in public if I had not been told by a very senior official in the intelligence world that indeed, there are some news stories that they create and drive — even in America (where propagandizing Americans is now legal). But do consider that in Eastern Germany, for instance, it was the fear of a machine of surveillance that people believed watched them at all times — rather than the machine itself — that drove compliance and passivity." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNaomi Wolf: My creeping concern that the NSA leaker is not who he purports to be

Eric Holder ‘confident’ of bringing NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden ‘to justice’

"The United States is confident it will bring Edward Snowden to justice for 'extremely damaging' leaks about secret internet surveillance programmes, US Attorney General Eric Holder said on Friday. 'The national security of the United States has been damaged by those leaks. The safety of the American people and safety of people in allied nations is at risk,' he said. Holder also said that he had agreed to share details with the European Union about the so-called PRISM programme, which was exposed after Snowden spoke to British and American newspapers." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEric Holder ‘confident’ of bringing NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden ‘to justice’

Missouri Appeals Court Strikes Down St. Louis Red Light Camera Ordinance

"Missouri's second-highest court on Tuesday ruled the St. Louis municipal ordinance authorizing the use of red light cameras is invalid. St. Louis adopted the photo ticketing ordinance in 2005, without the permission of the state legislature. American Traffic Solutions (ATS), the private company in charge of the program, began issuing $100 red light camera tickets in 2007. The measure presumes the owner of the vehicle is always the person driving it, which allows the city to prosecute the owner through the mail with penalties of up to $500 and ninety days in jail." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMissouri Appeals Court Strikes Down St. Louis Red Light Camera Ordinance

David Galland: Scenarios

"No one can predict the future – the world is too complex, and a big part of that complexity comes from the human species in which all traits, good and bad, are present. (Is there such a thing as an armadillo with bad character? A bunny rabbit?) When people with bad character, or even good character but suffering from delusions, backed by the full power of the state make it their business to protect you against an unforeseeable future, and approach their task with the idea that individual rights should play a distant second fiddle to the greater good, it's time to be cautious." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDavid Galland: Scenarios

Organic growers lose decision in suit versus Monsanto over seeds

"Monsanto Co. on Monday won another round in a legal battle with U.S. organic growers as an appeals court threw out the growers’ efforts to stop the company from suing farmers if traces of its patented biotech genes are found in crops. Organic farmers and others have worried for years that they will be sued by Monsanto for patent infringement if their crops get contaminated with Monsanto biotech crops. In its ruling Monday, the appellate court said the organic growers must rely on Monsanto assurances on the company’s website that it will not sue them so long as the mix is very slight." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOrganic growers lose decision in suit versus Monsanto over seeds