Archive for the 'Dictatorship' Category
Madness: The Raisin Administrative Committee
July 23rd, 2013Via: Reason: “They want us to pay for our own raisins that we grew,” says Raisin Valley Farms owner Marvin Horne. “We have to buy them back!” Marvin and Laura Horne, fined for the federal crime of selling their own raisins. This is but one absurdity that Marvin and his wife Laura have faced during […]
The Eye of Sauron Is the Modern Surveillance State
July 23rd, 2013Via: Slate: What can literary fiction teach us about recent revelations that the National Security Agency has aggressively been gathering massive amounts of data on American citizens? The novel one usually turns to, of course, is George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, with its terrifying vision of the Thought Police. Even President Obama, in response to questions […]
Leaked Report Shows High Civilian Death Toll from CIA Drone Strikes
July 23rd, 2013This only covers the period from 2006 to 2009. Via: Salon: A secret document obtained by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism reveals for the first time the Pakistan government’s internal assessment of dozens of drone strikes, and shows scores of civilian casualties. The United States has consistently claimed only a tiny number of non-combatants have […]
‘What Is That Box?’ — When The NSA Shows Up At Your Internet Company
July 22nd, 2013Via: Buzzfeed: They came in and showed me papers. It was a court order from the FISC (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court) for the intercept, with the agent’s name… and the court’s information. I think it was three or four pages of text. They wouldn’t let met me copy them. They let me take notes in […]
CIA Backs Study Into How to Control Global Weather Through Geoengineering
July 22nd, 2013Via: Mother Jones: The Central Intelligence Agency is funding a scientific study that will investigate whether humans could use geoengineering to alter Earth’s environment and stop climate change. The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) will run the 21-month project, which is the first NAS geoengineering study financially supported by an intelligence agency. With the spooks’ […]
U.S. Expanding Military Drone Surveillance Operations Around the World
July 21st, 2013Via: Washington Post: As the Obama administration dials back the number of drone attacks in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen, the U.S. military is shifting its huge fleet of unmanned aircraft to other hot spots around the world. This next phase of drone warfare is focused more on spying than killing and will extend the Pentagon’s […]
Norwegian Woman Fighting Jail Sentence in Dubai for Reporting Rape
July 21st, 2013Dubai: The “cosmopolitan city” where rape victims are sentenced to prison. Via: AP: A Norwegian woman sentenced to 16 months in jail in Dubai for having sex outside marriage after she reported an alleged rape said she decided to speak out in hopes of drawing attention to the risks of outsiders misunderstanding the Islamic-influenced legal […]
A Shuffle of Aluminum, but to Banks, Pure Gold
July 21st, 2013If the left hand isn’t sharing information with the right hand, with hundreds of millions of dollars in potential trading profits hanging in the balance, I’m Santa Claus. —Usual Suspects Now Heavily Involved with Commodity Warehousing Via: New York Times: Hundreds of millions of times a day, thirsty Americans open a can of soda, beer […]
States Attempt to Get Israel to Admit Nuclear Arsenal
July 21st, 2013Good luck. Via: AP: After a two-year hiatus, Arab nations are relaunching efforts to single out Israel for criticism at a major international conference by preparing a resolution over the country’s alleged nuclear arsenal, suggesting that the Jewish state’s refusal to acknowledge it has such arms is threatening Middle East peace. The Arab push was […]
The One About Jimmy Carter Supporting Edward Snowden
July 19th, 2013Well, this is interesting, since the USS Jimmy Carter is effectively a purpose built NSA submarine that taps undersea fiber optic cables all over the world. Via: Huffington Post: Former President Jimmy Carter announced support for NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden this week, saying that his uncovering of the agency’s massive surveillance programs had proven “beneficial.” […]
