Winning Hearts & Minds

Colorado secede? Counties weigh exit plan to form state of ‘North Colorado’

"It’s an uphill climb that looks Rocky Mountain high, but a collection of independent-thinking counties may mount an effort to secede from the rest of Colorado and form their own new state. The idea is rooted in the political rift that many Coloradans – especially rural ones – feel with a Denver-based state legislature that has taken a liberal turn in recent years. A new state, if it formed, might be called North Colorado. Similar ideas have sprung up in other US states. But again, since 1863, secession to form a new state hasn’t actually happened." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingColorado secede? Counties weigh exit plan to form state of ‘North Colorado’

19-Year-Old Commits Suicide After Sheriff Posts Bullying Facebook Message

"The Latah County Sheriff's Office in Idaho had posted a photo of 19-year-old Pullman, Wash., resident Andrew Cain alongside a message saying, 'We have decided that Andrew Cain is no longer the Wanted Person of the Week… he is the Wanted Person of the Month of June. Congratulations!.' A few days later, Cain took his own life. Whitman County Coroner Pete Martin said that Cain had suffered from depression 'and a number of problems.' The Latah County Sheriff's Office told HuffPost there were three warrants out for Cain: one for driving without privileges and one for possession of a controlled substance, while unable to say what the third warrant was for." Continue reading →

Continue Reading19-Year-Old Commits Suicide After Sheriff Posts Bullying Facebook Message

Government’s Spirit-Crushing Hatred Of Lemonade

"Traditional civil liberties such as freedom of speech and freedom of religion ultimately rest on an individual's ability to exercise the right of economic ownership over his or her own body. To attack economic rights is to attack civil liberties. And it is not funny when police with guns close down a 4-year-old's lemonade stand. It is damned frightening." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGovernment’s Spirit-Crushing Hatred Of Lemonade

Florida woman charged with felony battery for kissing cop’s nose

"A Florida woman is in jail on Tuesday after being charged with felony battery for allegedly kissing a police officer on the nose. According to a police report obtained by The Smoking Gun, Manatee County Sheriff’s Office deputies were called to the home of 62-year-old Peggy Hill on Saturday after a dispute with a neighbor about a fence between their properties. The report claimed that Sgt. Randy Lamb was speaking to Hill when 'she approached him and kissed him on the nose against his will.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFlorida woman charged with felony battery for kissing cop’s nose

Drone strikes are an order of magnitude deadlier to Afghans than manned aircraft

"A study conducted by a US military adviser has found that drone strikes in Afghanistan during a year of the protracted conflict caused 10 times more civilian casualties than strikes by manned fighter aircraft. The new study, referred to in an official US military journal, contradicts claims by US officials that the robotic planes are more precise than their manned counterparts. It appears to undermine the claim made by President Obama in a May speech that 'conventional airpower or missiles are far less precise than drones, and likely to cause more civilian casualties and local outrage'." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDrone strikes are an order of magnitude deadlier to Afghans than manned aircraft

3 big revelations from the newly leaked NSA documents

"Perhaps the most damning new revelation is that the U.S. government may have been spying on friends as well as foes. Thirty-eight embassies and missions are outlined as 'targets' on one document, reports the Guardian. The document details the range of spying techniques employed, 'from bugs implanted in electronic communications gear to taps into cables to the collection of transmissions with specialized antennae.' Along with 'traditional ideological adversaries' and 'sensitive Middle Eastern countries,' the unofficial roster of spy targets includes French, Italian, and Greek embassies, as well as Japan, Mexico, South Korea, India, and Turkey." Continue reading →

Continue Reading3 big revelations from the newly leaked NSA documents

3 big revelations from the newly leaked NSA documents

"Perhaps the most damning new revelation is that the U.S. government may have been spying on friends as well as foes. Thirty-eight embassies and missions are outlined as 'targets' on one document, reports the Guardian. The document details the range of spying techniques employed, 'from bugs implanted in electronic communications gear to taps into cables to the collection of transmissions with specialized antennae.' Along with 'traditional ideological adversaries' and 'sensitive Middle Eastern countries,' the unofficial roster of spy targets includes French, Italian, and Greek embassies, as well as Japan, Mexico, South Korea, India, and Turkey." Continue reading →

Continue Reading3 big revelations from the newly leaked NSA documents

Egyptian president rejects army’s ultimatum to meet demands of protesting crowds

"Egypt’s presidency on Tuesday rejected an army ultimatum threatening to intervene if Islamist President Mohamed Morsi did not meet the demands of the people, raising the stakes in the country’s political crisis. The army statement, read out on television Monday, had given Morsi 48 hours to comply with its call. 'If the demands of the people are not met in this period… (the armed forces) will announce a future roadmap and measures to oversee its implementation,' it said. But in a statement issued overnight, the presidency insisted it would continue on its own path towards national reconciliation." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEgyptian president rejects army’s ultimatum to meet demands of protesting crowds

Pro-democracy protest in Hong Kong draws tens of thousands

"Younger activists have become increasingly politicized. Surveys show they identify themselves more as Hong Kong citizens than Chinese nationals – a trend that alarms Beijing, which is eager for the city to show more 'patriotism' to the motherland. Despite China’s pledge to allow a direct poll for the city’s leader in 2017, recent signs from senior Chinese officials have raised concern Beijing may somehow try to rig the rules to screen out opposition candidates from taking part. The former British colony returned to Chinese rule on July 1, 1997, with the promise of universal suffrage as an 'ultimate aim' in its mini-constitution." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPro-democracy protest in Hong Kong draws tens of thousands

Protesters rally in support of anti-bank chalk activist facing 13 years

"Demonstrators gathered outside the Hall of Justice in San Diego, California on Sunday to chalk their support for a local man facing up to 13 years in jail for using washable chalk to voice his protests against Bank of America. 'All I am permitted to say is, I disagree,' the defendant, Jeff Olson, told KGTV-TV as he joined the rally on his behalf before slapping a piece of tape across his mouth with the words 'Gag order' written on it to comply with Judge Howard Shore’s order for him not to comment on the case. Olson attracted the attention of the office of City Attorney Jan Goldsmith at the behest of bank officials, who asked for him to be prosecuted." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingProtesters rally in support of anti-bank chalk activist facing 13 years