statism

Boycott Israel & you won’t get aid donations, Hurricane Harvey victims told

"The city of Dickinson, Texas, told individuals and businesses on Monday that they are now accepting applications for 'grants from the fund generously donated to the Dickinson Harvey Relief Fund' for storm damage repair. In order to apply for the grant, however, applicants must agree to a number of clauses, one of which is asserting that they do not boycott Israel. The clause stems from a Texas law passed in May, which became effective on September 1, that requires all state contractors to verify in writing that they are not participating in boycotts of Israel."

Continue ReadingBoycott Israel & you won’t get aid donations, Hurricane Harvey victims told

Researchers: Government shouldn’t use AI if it can’t explain decisions

"Government institutions are already blindly following the direction the algorithms give. A report by ProPublica found that an algorithmic system for criminal sentencing was biased against black people—not by understanding the color of their skin but by using flawed data correlated with race. Teachers in Texas recently won a case where their job performance was being evaluated by an algorithm—a circuit court found that the unexplainable software violated the teachers’ 14th amendment rights to due process."

Continue ReadingResearchers: Government shouldn’t use AI if it can’t explain decisions

Wrong Facebook translation gets man arrested for posting ‘good morning’

"Facebook has apologized after a Palestinian man was arrested by Israeli police for a post saying 'good morning' that its automatic-translation service erroneously translated as 'attack them' in Hebrew and 'hurt them' in English."

Continue ReadingWrong Facebook translation gets man arrested for posting ‘good morning’

New Measures Impose Interviews On Travelers Returning To The US

"If you’re traveling back to the US on or after Thursday, expect a broad range of new measures, including short interviews. According to Airlines for America, the new policies will affect 325,000 airline passengers on about 2,000 commercial flights arriving daily in the US. Those figures include flights on 180 airlines from 280 airports in 105 countries. That’s a whole lot of people on a significant number of flights, so be aware that you may experience more delays than usual. Lufthansa said that travelers could expect to encounter short interviews at check-in or at the gate, and passengers on Lufthansa’s Swiss should check-in at least 90 minutes before departure."

Continue ReadingNew Measures Impose Interviews On Travelers Returning To The US

Donald Trump didn’t create presidential dictatorship — he inherited it

"Violating the Constitution is practically the job description for modern presidents. It was George W. Bush’s White House, not Trump, that asserted a 'commander-in-chief override' entitling presidents to ignore the law and the Bill of Rights. Congress utterly failed to thwart that outrageous claim. Presidents have amassed vast authority because they are judged on their rhetoric and purported goals, not on their constitutional fidelity."

Continue ReadingDonald Trump didn’t create presidential dictatorship — he inherited it

Trump Unleashes CIA Kill Teams In Afghanistan

"Trump previously loosened CIA drone strike rules in Afghanistan that will now allow for some civilian casualties relative to the importance of the target. 'We’ll be here as long as it takes until you change your mind,' Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said recently in a message to the Taliban."

Continue ReadingTrump Unleashes CIA Kill Teams In Afghanistan

IRS Still Stealing Cash From Immigrant Business Owners

"After the gas station went under, and Kwon’s wife died amid the stress of it all, after he moved from his neighborhood in shame and the Internal Revenue Service changed its policy so no other small business would get steamrolled this way — the agency won’t give Kwon his money back. That’s $59,117.47 the IRS is holding on to. As recently as August — the last time Kwon, now 73, asked for his money back — the IRS said no. He’s heartbroken that the country he loves is treating him this way."

Continue ReadingIRS Still Stealing Cash From Immigrant Business Owners

Dark side of Ca. pot legalization: a bonanza of government jobs

"The state is on a hiring binge to fill what eventually will be hundreds of new government positions by 2019 intended to bring order to the legal pot economy, from keeping watch on what’s seeping into streams near cannabis grows to running background checks on storefront sellers who want government licenses. Thousands of additional jobs are expected to be added by local governments. Last January, just 11 full-time workers were part of what’s now known as the Bureau of Cannabis Control, the state’s chief regulatory agency overseeing the pot market. Now, it’s more than doubled, and by February the agency expects to have more than 100 staffers."

Continue ReadingDark side of Ca. pot legalization: a bonanza of government jobs