Technocracy

Directed History: A Fact of Life?

"Last Wednesday, just before Angela Merkel flew to London to tell David Cameron how desperately she wants Britain to stay in the EU, she told the European Parliament: 'Of course the European Commission will one day become a government, the European Council a second chamber and the European Parliament will have more powers – but for now we have to focus on the euro and give people a little more time to come along.' In other words, the EU is still on track to become precisely that 'government of Europe' that Jacques Delors was boasting about in 1989 (to which Mrs Thatcher famously responded 'No, no, no')." Continue reading →

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EU suspends aircraft emissions trading rules

"The European Union has agreed to suspend its rules that require airlines flying to and from airports in the EU to pay for their carbon emissions. The rules had been unpopular with countries outside Europe such as the US, China and India. Climate commissioner Connie Hedegaard said she had proposed 'stopping the clock for one year'. The EU brought in the Emissions Trading Scheme on 1 January. India and China have been among the most vocal opponents of the ETS, with India banning its airlines from complying with it in April." Continue reading →

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Why License Plates Exist

"So the State can sell us yet another item no one needs or wants and milk more money from us, not only in the initial fee but later in fines, of course. The excuse that license plates help solve crimes is patently bogus. So rarely does that happen that a fascist organization actually awards a prize when it does. But license plates hand Leviathan another huge advantage, too: utter control of the serfs. Mayor Mike 'Nanny' Bloomberg has forced owners of gas stations to ration their product. And how does he accomplish that? Via those useless but expensive license plates." Continue reading →

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US, Canada announce cross-border action plan

"Since its announcement, the Beyond the Border program has been shrouded in secrecy. Its provisions included multiple information-sharing clauses, including common technical standards for sharing biometric data. The Beyond the Border initiative has been criticized by privacy advocates who worry that Canadians' personal data could be misused by multiple governmental agencies in the United States. Information on Canadian citizens is already being given to the U.S. government under the Secure Flight initiative, a program of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)." Continue reading →

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Department Of Homeland Security To Scan Payment Cards At Borders And Airports

"Travelers leaving or entering the United States have long had to declare aggregated cash and other monetary instruments exceeding $10,000. Now, under a proposed amendment to the Bank Secrecy Act, FinCEN will also require travelers to declare the value of prepaid cards that they are carrying, known now as 'tangible prepaid access devices.' Enforceability falls to the Department of Homeland Security, which is already developing advanced handheld card readers that can ascertain whether a traveler is carrying a credit card, debit card, or prepaid card." Continue reading →

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Ohio judge rejects lawsuit against voting machine software

"An U.S. District Court judge has rejected a suit alleging that Ohio voting machines were using dangerously vulnerable software that would allow votes to be blocked or altered. Judge Gregory Frost ruled that election activist and Green Party Congressional candidate Bob Fitrakis provided 'zero' evidence for his claims, offering instead only conjecture as to how and why the machines could fail. The judge sided with the state, which argued that discarding the ES&S system and finding and implementing a new system would cause confusion and delays within an already potentially overloaded voting infrastructure." Continue reading →

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PA voting machine ‘taken out of service’ for flipping votes to Romney

“A Pennsylvania electronic voting machine was taken out of service after being captured on video changing a vote for President Obama into one for Mitt Romney, NBC News has confirmed. Republicans have also said machines have turned Romney votes into … Continue reading →

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Obama executive order expands Homeland Security reach into local law enforcement

"The executive order creates a White House Homeland Security Partnership Council and Steering Committee, aimed at fostering local partnerships between federal and private institutions 'to address homeland security challenges.' The council will be chaired by 'the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, or a designee from the National Security Staff.' The executive order comes weeks after a damning Senate report on Homeland Security’s 77 fusion centers, which the Washington Post called 'pools of ineptitude, waste and civil liberties intrusions.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama executive order expands Homeland Security reach into local law enforcement

Canadian Law Bans Concealing Face At Protests

"This bill simply adds another layer of restraint when it comes to protests. It will have a chilling effect on anonymity and thus on participation in even peaceful protests. This is because those who wish to remain anonymous simply won't go for fear that a peaceful protest will turn violent – and they will then be ensnared by this new legislation. Both Washington and Canada are rolling out tiny drones that can take pictures of protestors. The law combating anonymity can be seen as a clever step toward making drone surveillance even more effective." Continue reading →

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Court OKs warrantless use of hidden surveillance cameras

"U.S. District Judge William Griesbach ruled that it was reasonable for Drug Enforcement Administration agents to enter rural property without permission -- and without a warrant -- to install multiple 'covert digital surveillance cameras' in hopes of uncovering evidence that 30 to 40 marijuana plants were being grown. This is the latest case to highlight how advances in technology are causing the legal system to rethink how Americans' privacy rights are protected by law." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCourt OKs warrantless use of hidden surveillance cameras