statism

Creator of drone casualties visualization hopes data will ‘shock’ people

"Wesley Grubbs of Pitch Interactive told HuffPost Live on Tuesday that he created an interactive graph of the U.S. drone campaign in Pakistan to highlight civilian causalities. 'We want to shock people,' he explained. 'What we tried to do though with this was not just shock people with the number of casualties, but to shock people with the amount of information that we really don’t know.' The data visualization illustrates the number of casualties from drone strikes in Pakistan between 2004 and 2013, categorizing the victims as either children, civilians, alleged combatants, or high-profile targets." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCreator of drone casualties visualization hopes data will ‘shock’ people

One Man Blocking Arizona Anti-NDAA Bill

"Arizona has the chance to become the first state in America to enact real protections for its citizens against the NDAA. HB 2573, introduced by Rep. Carl Seel, passed Committee 6-2 last month, and passed the Rules Committee yesterday. Yet, one Representative does not see the tide turning to liberty. Representative Andy Tobin is currently blocking HB 2573 from receiving a full House vote. He is willing to kill protection for the people of Arizona, and allow the Federal government to trample the rights of his constituents." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOne Man Blocking Arizona Anti-NDAA Bill

Welcome to Sulphur Springs, Where the Police Chief is a Murderer

"Last April, the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement reinstated Brackney’s 'peace officer' certification. All that he needed now was a job opening – and one was soon created in Sulphur Springs. Between late 2010 and March 25 of this year, residents of Sulphur Springs had known the singular blessing of living in a community devoid of police. There hasn’t been a murder in Sulphur Springs in recent memory. By hiring a murderer as police chief, the people who presume to rule that tiny village managed to handle both the supply and demand side of law enforcement, as it were. Arkansas is riddled with tiny towns afflicted with police who are not merely corrupt, but demented." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWelcome to Sulphur Springs, Where the Police Chief is a Murderer

Cops running out of bullets? Thank the NRA

"Dayne Pryor is the chief of police in Rollingwood, Texas, a small suburb of Austin. 'I’ve been in law enforcement for 31 years and I’ve been a chief for eight years,' he sighs. 'And it’s just one of those things that I never thought I’d have a problem with, especially being in Texas.' Pryor’s problem, he explains to Salon, is that he’s having trouble finding ammunition and firearms for his officers, thanks to a national shortage. The cause? A run on supply from gun lovers afraid that Congress or state legislatures will impose new gun control laws in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCops running out of bullets? Thank the NRA

Police restrain crowd from taking food to be thrown away after supermarket eviction

"Law enforcement officials pushed back hundreds of people who were crowding around a large pile of merchandise outside an Augusta grocery store Tuesday afternoon. But the goods sitting in the parking lot of the Laney Supermarket didn't make into anyone's hands. Instead, the food people hoped to take home was tossed into the trash. SunTrust Bank in Atlanta owns the property and they're sending the merchandise to the landfill after evicting the Chois, the owners of the grocery store." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPolice restrain crowd from taking food to be thrown away after supermarket eviction

California’s Golden Bureaucrat Snags $400K of Yearly Compensation – for the Rest of Her Life!

"Alameda County supervisors have really taken to heart the adage that government should run like a business — rewarding County Administrator Susan Muranishi with the Wall Street-like wage of $423,664 a year. For the rest of her life. …Muranishi’s annual pension will be equal to the dollar total of her entire yearly package — $413,000. She also has a separate executive private pension plan, for which the county chips in $46,500 a year." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCalifornia’s Golden Bureaucrat Snags $400K of Yearly Compensation – for the Rest of Her Life!

Another California scheme to fleece motorists and eviscerate their rights

"AB666 would require that these tickets be prosecuted through an administrative hearing conducted by the jurisdiction running the camera program rather than through an independent traffic court. ...AB666 makes the vehicle owner responsible for violations committed by someone else unless you can prove who was driving the vehicle...And if you don't, they will put a hold on your registration until you pay up. Not bad enough? The hold on your registration gets applied as soon as they mail you the ticket, not after you are found guilty. It gets worse. The tickets are considered Prima Facie evidence against you. No other evidence has to be submitted against you." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAnother California scheme to fleece motorists and eviscerate their rights

Maryland Senate Votes To Cover Up Speed Camera Errors

"Earlier this year, a number of lawmakers in Maryland vowed to reform the way speed cameras were operated in the state. Officials were rocked by the revelation that more than 5 percent of photo ticket recipients in Baltimore were likely innocent with lax oversight and faulty photo radar equipment to blame for the bogus citations. On Monday, the state Senate voted 46-1 to cover up future errors." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMaryland Senate Votes To Cover Up Speed Camera Errors

Post-Cyprus Blues: Confusion and an Erosion of Faith

"It may be misleading to project the crisis and resolution in Cyprus onto other quite different financial crises in other quite different economies. The common ground may be a rising fear of capital controls and the search for safe havens that won't implode or change the rules overnight. The sudden emergence of risk in what was perceived to be a safe haven will likely spark interest in non-banking safe havens, for example, precious metals, and what correspondent Mark G. calls the Glass Jar Bank, which he observes is still a popular alternative in Eastern Europe to entrusting one's cash to banks." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPost-Cyprus Blues: Confusion and an Erosion of Faith

War Without End

"There has been much in the news over the past two weeks commemorating the 10th anniversary of the beginning of the pre-emptive Iraq War. The above YouTube video commemorates the ending of an even greater conflict, World War I, which began in 1914 and ended in 1918. This is one of the most powerful and heart-wrenching documentaries you will ever watch, especially the never-to-be-forgotten recitation of the Siegfried Sassoon poem, Aftermath, by actor Jeremy Irons at the end of the program (which garnered an Emmy Award)." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWar Without End