Winning Hearts & Minds

Ex-IMF head Strauss-Kahn denounces treatment in U.S. rape case

"Disgraced ex-IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn said the legal principle of being innocent until proven guilty was violated in the sex scandal that brought him down. Strauss-Kahn told CNN he was still angry with the US justice system over his treatment in 2011 when he was paraded before TV cameras in New York in handcuffs, on charges of rape that were later dropped. 'The problem is that it’s a moment where in all European, American society you are supposed to be innocent, you are supposed to be innocent until you are convicted,' he said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEx-IMF head Strauss-Kahn denounces treatment in U.S. rape case

Audited Virginia farmer faces more thuggery

"Martha's disputes brought her national attention because of her willingness to stand up to ridiculousness. She was cited and threatened with $5,000 fines for hosting a birthday party for eight 10-year-old girls without an 'events' permit from the county. A Fauquier County supervisor blabbed about her IRS audit two days after the notice was signed at the IRS and six days before Boneta received it. That shows collusion. Then in 2011 the county concocted an ordinance restricting farm sales that was enforced only against Boneta. She was cited for selling such things as emu-feather necklaces and homemade pies without a 'special administrative farm sales permit.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAudited Virginia farmer faces more thuggery

Why did Charlie Chaplin renounce the America which made him world-famous?

"'It is not easy to uproot myself and my family from a country where I have lived for 40 years without a feeling of sadness. Since the end of the last world war, I have been the object of lies and vicious propaganda by powerful reactionary groups who by their influence and by the aid of America’s yellow press have created an unhealthy atmosphere in which liberal-minded individuals can be singled out and persecuted.' - Williamson Daily News – April 22, 1953" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhy did Charlie Chaplin renounce the America which made him world-famous?

Private paramilitaries guard Wisconsin mining site from protesters

The company brought in the paramilitary forces after being confronted by a group of about 15 protesters in June. At least one of the demonstrators, a young woman, was hit with misdemeanor charges for trying to take a camera away from one of the company’s geologists. Gogebic claims they’ve since caught several people illegally camping on their property and did not want to take any chances. The company hired by Gogebic is Arizona-based Bulletproof Securities, which boasts that many of their employees are ex-military. A spokesperson for Gogebic told The Cap Times on Tuesday that they’re considering restricting their drilling sites from public access." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPrivate paramilitaries guard Wisconsin mining site from protesters

Over 700 arrested so far in North Carolina ‘Moral Monday’ protests

"Demonstrators rallied outside the Legislative Building in the first 'Moral Monday' protest since the state Senate approved an unexpected bill last week increasing restrictions on abortion providers. Janet Colm, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood, was among 64 protesters who were arrested when the demonstration moved inside the building. Over the past two months, more than 700 people have been arrested in the weekly protests against the actions of the Republican-led General Assembly. In anticipation for Monday evening's arrests, the Wake County Magistrate's Office more than doubled its staff to help handle the influx of arrests." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOver 700 arrested so far in North Carolina ‘Moral Monday’ protests

Federal judge orders Secret Service to release files on Internet activist Aaron Swartz

"U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly issued her ruling in response to a lawsuit filed by Wired reporter Kevin Poulsen, who is investigating the reasons for the heavy-handed prosecution that spurred Swartz to commit suicide. Swartz, who helped create the first RSS protocol at age 14 and co-founded the popular websites Reddit and Demand Progress, was charged in 2011 of stealing data from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology after he accessed a secure database of academic papers. Prosecutors threatened him with up to 30 years in prison, and Swartz committed suicide by hanging in January, at just 26 years old." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFederal judge orders Secret Service to release files on Internet activist Aaron Swartz

Kim Dotcom: All Megaupload servers ‘wiped out without warning in data massacre’

"Kim Dotcom has accused the US government and Leaseweb, one of the hosting providers of former file-sharing site Megaupload, of deleting millions of personal files 'without warning.' The information stored on the dormant servers – 'petabytes of pictures, backups, personal & business property' – was what Dotcom called evidence in the case US authorities launched against him in January 2012. Dotcom is wanted in the US on criminal charges for facilitating copyright fraud on a massive scale. 'This is the largest data massacre in the history of the Internet,' Dotcom wrote on Twitter." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingKim Dotcom: All Megaupload servers ‘wiped out without warning in data massacre’

Germany defends ‘strictly legal’ cooperation with NSA

"Angela Merkel's government said on Monday that its cooperation with American intelligence was fully regulated by strict legal guidelines after a magazine reported that the U.S. National Security Agency was in close cahoots with German spies. Germany's opposition demanded that her government explain how much it knew about U.S. surveillance tactics ahead of talks with Washington about the NSA. Der Spiegel's report that the NSA works with Germany and other Western states on a 'no questions asked'-basis undermines the chancellor's indignant talk of 'Cold War' tactics revealed by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGermany defends ‘strictly legal’ cooperation with NSA

U.S. considering speeding up Afghanistan pullout

"The United States is seriously considering speeding up the withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan because of frustration with President Hamid Karzai, the New York Times reported. Obama’s relationship with Karzai has been deteriorating and suffered a big and new blow last month with an effort by the United States to open peace talks with the Taliban in Qatar. Karzai opposed the talks, and halted negotiations with the Americans on a long-term security deal needed to keep US forces in Afghanistan after 2014, the Times said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. considering speeding up Afghanistan pullout

Why Sir John Templeton renounced US citizenship – AKA why the US shot itself in the foot

"The media is prone to depict Templeton as a tax cheat. The reason? Had he been a U.S. citizen when he died, the U.S. government would have received approximately 100 million in estate taxes. I am not aware of Templeton ever publicly stating his reasons for renouncing U.S. citizenship. Nobody knows for sure. But, I suspect that the correlation between his renouncing U.S. citizenship in 1964 and the enactment of the CFC (Controlled Foreign Corporation and SubPart F) rules in 1962 did play a role. The 1962 changes in the Internal Revenue Code meant that Templeton may have been forced to choose between U.S. citizenship and his mutual fund business." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhy Sir John Templeton renounced US citizenship – AKA why the US shot itself in the foot