statism

Chinese revolt over government plan to ban BBQ in order to fight epic smog problem

"China web-users were furious Thursday over plans to tackle pollution with a ban on barbecues, wryly asking if Beijing would stamp out fried food and normal bodily functions in its war on smog. The controversial measure is being explored as Beijing aims to confront the heavy pollution which has choked large swathes of the country in recent weeks. State media said Wednesday that the country’s environmental watchdog had issued draft guidelines advising major cities to adopt legislation banning 'barbecue-related activities'. Barbequed food is a favourite dish in China, particularly lamb skewers, a speciality of the north-western region of Xinjiang." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChinese revolt over government plan to ban BBQ in order to fight epic smog problem

Chinese-Made Globes Anger The Philippines With A Territorial Claim

"A tiny, barely-noticeable line on some Chinese-made globes has created insult in Manilla where they are being sold in bookshops. The problem is that these globes appear to use China's 'nine-dash' map of the sea, first published in 1947, which shows Chinese territory extending hundreds of miles south from China's Hainan Island to the equatorial waters off the coast of Borneo. That little line indicates that the Spratly Islands are within Chinese territory, ignoring that they are currently the subject of overlapping territorial claims by China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChinese-Made Globes Anger The Philippines With A Territorial Claim

Bradley Manning: 1,000 days in detention and secrecy still reigns

"There’s a much bigger reason why the cloak-and-dagger approach of the US government to this trial should be taken seriously. America doesn’t seem to have woken up to this yet, but the prosecution of Bradley Manning poses the greatest threat to freedom of speech and the press in this country in at least a generation. When one of the prosecution lawyers was asked whether the government would still have gone after Manning had he leaked to the New York Times instead of WikiLeaks, she unhesitatingly replied: 'Yes'. If that’s not a threat to the first amendment, then what is?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBradley Manning: 1,000 days in detention and secrecy still reigns

10 things the FBI won’t fire you for

"A year-in-review email recently circulated to employees at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that leaked online this week (PDF) reveals a series of disciplinary actions taken against agents during 2012. While some of the agents’ transgressions were entertaining for how out-of-line they got, it’s also particularly interesting to highlight what the bureau does and does not consider a fireable offense. While things like committing check fraud, spying on a supervisor and purchasing child pornography absolutely did trigger terminations in 2012, here are 10 other things the FBI apparently will not fire you for." Continue reading →

Continue Reading10 things the FBI won’t fire you for

16 Ways to Cut Defense Spending

"Admiral Mike Mullen, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that 'the greatest threat to our national security is our debt.' Senator Coburn said on 'Morning Joe' on Feb 13 that '$100 billion could be cut.' Ron Paul says that only about half the defense budget is for defense, the other half is for militarism abroad. So here are 16 ways to cut its waste, fraud, and abuse of American taxpayers. They don’t include the largest benefit of all: the value many of the highly skilled and motivated men and women in the military could bring to the civilian workforce. The mostly wasted talent pool is incredible. All American strategy should be re-examined." Continue reading →

Continue Reading16 Ways to Cut Defense Spending

States step up fight against use of surveillance drones by law enforcement

"Lawmakers in at least 11 states are proposing various restrictions on the use of drones over their skies amid concerns the unmanned aerial vehicles could be exploited by local authorities to spy on Americans. Virginia lawmakers on Tuesday approved a two-year moratorium on the use of drones by police and government agencies. Proponents of the legislation say the unfettered use of drones could infringe on Virginians' privacy rights. In an attempt to address police concerns, legislators carved out exceptions for the use of drones in emergencies, or to search for missing children or seniors." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingStates step up fight against use of surveillance drones by law enforcement

Ben Swann Reality Check: Growing National Divide Over Guns and Gun Control

"t no time in recent history has the country been so dramatically divided over the issue of guns. Unprecedented new laws are being proposed across the nation and gun owners are taking very vocal stands. Ben Swann has a look at the growing divide in a Reality Check you won't see anywhere else." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBen Swann Reality Check: Growing National Divide Over Guns and Gun Control

When can your government kill you?

"The administration seems happy to answer whether or not anyone has been killed in a drone strike in the United States. No one has yet answered whether targeted killings, conducted via some means other than drones, have ever been carried out. And no one has yet answered whether either the Obama administration or the Bush administration before it ever has operated at the boundaries of what OLC says is possible within the United States. That’s important because people have died in counterterrorism operations within the United States." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhen can your government kill you?

American Citizens Split On DOJ Memo Authorizing Government To Kill Them

"Following the release of a secret Department of Justice memo this week that outlines the administration’s legal justification for killing U.S. citizens, a new Pew Research Center poll has revealed that a majority of Americans are torn over whether they support the government’s right to kill them anywhere at any time without due process." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAmerican Citizens Split On DOJ Memo Authorizing Government To Kill Them

Paul Craig Roberts: Obama’s Expanding Kill List

"If the Obama regime is on the side of the government, as in Algeria, it will kill the rebels opposing the government. If the Obama regime is on the side of the rebels, as in Libya, it will kill the government’s leaders. Whether Washington sends a drone to murder Putin and the president of China remains to be seen. The elasticity of the Kill List and its easy expansion makes it certain that Washington will be involved in extra-judicial executions of those 'associated with terrorism' over much of the world. Americans themselves should be alarmed, because the term 'association with terrorism' is very elastic." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPaul Craig Roberts: Obama’s Expanding Kill List