statism

Glenn Greenwald: Carmen Ortiz and Stephen Heymann: accountability for prosecutorial abuse

"Prosecutors are vested with the extraordinary power to investigate, prosecute, bankrupt, and use the power of the state to imprison people for decades. The US has become a society in which political and financial elites systematically evade accountability for their bad acts, no matter how destructive. Those who torture, illegally eavesdrop, commit systemic financial fraud, even launder money for designated terrorists and drug dealers are all protected from criminal liability, while those who are powerless - or especially, as in Swartz's case, those who challenge power - are mercilessly punished for trivial transgressions." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlenn Greenwald: Carmen Ortiz and Stephen Heymann: accountability for prosecutorial abuse

US Attorney files dismissal of Swartz’s case, refuses to comment on his death

"Despite Swartz’s family literally placing the blame for his death on the state, and both MIT and JSTOR releasing public statements that were largely positive in how they portrayed him, a spokesperson for Ortiz told the Los Angeles Times, 'We want to respect the privacy of the family and do not feel it is appropriate to comment on the case at this time.' After a year and a half of state harassment, the threat of over 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine hanging over Swartz’s head, after both JSTOR and MIT dropped their criminal charges, the government went after Swartz like a rabid dog – and got a kill." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS Attorney files dismissal of Swartz’s case, refuses to comment on his death

“Gun Control for the Children?” Sorry, No Sale.

"It’s not difficult to see why politicians support 'gun control,' which is more accurately described as 'victim disarmament.' What predator wouldn’t prefer that its prey lack teeth or claws? In Barack Obama’s world, events like the Newtown massacre are a small price to pay for the uncontested ability to do wholesale what Adam Lanza did retail. What’s hard to understand is why we’ve put up with the predator for so long. In the 20th century alone, governments murdered in excess of 260 million people, and that’s an extremely low-end estimate." Continue reading →

Continue Reading“Gun Control for the Children?” Sorry, No Sale.

Study: Democracy in decline around the world

"Democracy around the world was in decline in 2012 for the seventh year in a row as the Arab Spring led nervous autocratic leaders to clamp down on any stirrings of dissent, a study said Wednesday. The annual report by the Freedom House non-governmental organization found 90 countries now enjoyed full freedom, up from 87 nations in 2011, but 27 places saw new restrictions on rights of assembly, expression, and the media." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingStudy: Democracy in decline around the world

Here’s The List of 23 Anti-Gun Executive Actions President Obama Announced Today

"Gun Violence Reduction Executive Actions. Today, the President is announcing that he and the Administration will: 1. Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal agencies to make relevant data available to the federal background check system. 2. Address unnecessary legal barriers, particularly relating to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, that may prevent states from making information available to the background check system..." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHere’s The List of 23 Anti-Gun Executive Actions President Obama Announced Today

Take Steps Today To Say “Adieu” Tomorrow

"Governments are becoming increasingly hostile toward citizens that leave for greener pastures, and they will use any means to prevent the outflow. They will publicly humiliate expats; Hollande has called Depardieu 'pathetic' and 'unpatriotic.' They will enact laws to specifically punish expats for leaving; the US Congress attempted to pass a law aimed at punishing Eduardo Saverin, the Brazilian-born co-founder of Facebook who renounced his US citizenship. They will even take proactive steps to prevent citizens from leaving, either by limiting their citizens' ability to freely travel or by limiting their citizens' ability to relocate their capital abroad." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTake Steps Today To Say “Adieu” Tomorrow

The Basket Case Sometimes Known as Japan

"Japan may be the poster child for reckless and irresponsible tax and spending policy. Even though the public sector already is far too big and even though the government has incurred more debt than any other developed economy, the new Prime Minister thinks another Keynesian stimulus package is the recipe for economic revival. I’m not joking. Even though the economy has been stagnant for 20 years – a period that has seen several so-called stimulus schemes, the government wants to throw good money after bad." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Basket Case Sometimes Known as Japan

Anthony Gregory: Newtown and the Bipartisan Police State

"The way that one mass murderer has been turned into a poster boy for the agenda of depriving millions of Americans of the right to own weapons that virtually none of them will ever use to commit a crime is disgusting, and seems to be rooted in some sort of cultural bigotry. Nothing else would easily explain the invincible resistance to logical arguments such as: rifles are rarely used in crimes, gun control empowers the police state over the weak, and such laws simply do not work against criminals, full stop. Rifles are easier to manufacture than methamphetamine, and we know how well the drug war has stopped its proliferation, and 3D printing will soon make it impossible to stop." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAnthony Gregory: Newtown and the Bipartisan Police State

Private Pilot Nearly Shot Down for Violating “Secret No-Fly Zone”

"Despite the fact that he had done nothing wrong, Fleming was handcuffed, charged with 'breach of peace,' and held for more than 24 hours before being interrogated by FBI and Homeland Security officials. The charges were dismissed after he showed the investigators that the zone wasn’t marked in aviation charts – but he was required to sign a document promising that he wouldn’t file a lawsuit against the officials who had illegally detained him. He later learned that local police officials had made preparations to shoot down his glider if he hadn’t landed as quickly as he did. Fleming did nothing illegal – yet he was brutalized by people prepared to kill him." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPrivate Pilot Nearly Shot Down for Violating “Secret No-Fly Zone”