Archive for the 'Dictatorship' Category
As Border Security Expands, Complaints of Abuse Rise Among Americans
April 30th, 2014Via: McClatchy: A series of lawsuits filed in recent months in federal courts along the U.S. border with Mexico highlight what advocates say is a growing list of complaints against two U.S. agencies that have expanded rapidly amid the clamor to secure the nation’s borders. In one lawsuit, centered on events in Chula Vista, Calif., […]
Pentagon to Destroy $1 Billion Worth of Ammunition [???]
April 29th, 2014Via: USA Today: The Pentagon plans to destroy more than $1 billion worth of ammunition although some of those bullets and missiles could still be used by troops, according to the Pentagon and congressional sources. It’s impossible to know what portion of the arsenal slated for destruction — valued at $1.2 billion by the Pentagon […]
Cody Wilson: Happiness Is a 3-D Printed Gun
April 28th, 2014About two thirds of the way through the interview, he talks about Bitcoin, and I’d really like the handful of people out there who continue to think of Bitcoin as some sort of magic, anonymous money/transaction system to pay very close attention. One more time: It isn’t. Now, do I think his Dark Wallet thing […]
Stereotype That People Renouncing U.S. Citizenship Are Wealthy Tax Dodgers Is Ridiculous
April 26th, 2014Is this fairly standard with members of the American diaspora around the world now? When you encounter a group of Americans abroad, are they talking about the U.S. in terms that range from total disappointment to quivering, tear inducing horror? —I’m Now a New Zealand Citizen Via: AP: Decisions to renounce “are driven by a […]
Feds Beg Supreme Court to Let Them Search Phones Without a Warrant
April 24th, 2014Via: Wired: American law enforcement has long advocated for universal “kill switches” in cellphones to cut down on mobile device thefts. Now the Department of Justice argues that the same remote locking and data-wiping technology represents a threat to police investigations–one that means they should be free to search phones without a warrant. In a […]
FBI Adds People to No Fly List for Refusing to Become Informants
April 23rd, 2014Via: The Guardian: Naveed Shinwari hasn’t seen his wife in 26 months. He suspects it’s because he refused to become an informant for the FBI. In February 2012 Shinwari, who has lived in the US since he was 14, flew to Afghanistan to get married. He says that before he could get home to Omaha, […]
Washington State School District Sets Up ‘Homeland Security Class’
April 23rd, 2014Via: Storyleak: The Department of Homeland Security is partnering with a Washington state school district to recruit future employees through a new high school curriculum. An employment application posted by Evergreen Public Schools this weekend requests a certified “Homeland Security Instructor” to steer young students into a career with the agency. “Instruct high school juniors […]
Pentagon’s Superpowered Autopilot Will Do the Work of 5 Crew Members
April 22nd, 2014Via: Wired: Some think that the Defense Department couldn’t possibly reduce its forces as much as it claims it will. After all, who would fly the planes? Now DARPA has an answer. The Pentagon’s research arm is developing a sophisticated, drop-in autopilot that can replace as many as five crew members of a military aircraft, […]
Western Lawmakers Gather in Utah to Talk Federal Land Takeover
April 19th, 2014Via: The Salt Lake Tribune: It’s time for Western states to take control of federal lands within their borders, lawmakers and county commissioners from Western states said at Utah’s Capitol on Friday. More than 50 political leaders from nine states convened for the first time to talk about their joint goal: wresting control of oil-, […]
China Just Revealed a Major State Secret: Nearly 20% of Its Farmland Is Polluted
April 18th, 2014Does one double or triple this number to approach the reality of the situation? Via: Quartz: Almost one-fifth of China’s farmland is polluted, according to a government report released this week. Officials have acknowledged the country’s problems with water and air pollution, but the extent of soil contamination has been a closely guarded “state secret,” […]
