Yet another disturbing step is taken in the march toward complete integration of local and federal law enforvcement, all in the name of fighting “terrorism”. This time, it is a justive department proposal that would allow investigation of a person who is suspected of supporting “terrorism” without an underlying crime. From the Washington Post article:
Under the Justice Department proposal for state and local police, published for public comment July 31, law enforcement agencies would be allowed to target groups as well as individuals, and to launch a criminal intelligence investigation based on the suspicion that a target is engaged in terrorism or providing material support to terrorists. They also could share results with a constellation of federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies, and others in many cases.
Michael German, policy counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union, said the proposed rule may be misunderstood as permitting police to collect intelligence even when no underlying crime is suspected, such as when a person gives money to a charity that independently gives money to a group later designated a terrorist organization.
The white house says that “internal procedures” are in place to make sure that civil rights aren’t violated, but I have a tough time believing that there are any “internal” people left who give a damn about civil liberties. Many of the regulations and restrictions were put in place after the Nixon-era investigations that showed how intelligence collection services had been abused by the Executive branch against domestic targets. It appears that we have either forgotten about that, or don’t care anymore. Another piece of the Republic dies.
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As you may know, Barack Obama has proposed a massive national service program that will require those who receive Federal Student Aid to perform forced labor in direct violation of the Constitution. Thomas E Woods writes a response that ties this proposal to a long line of other forced service projects that have sought, over the years, to forcefully steal the labor of people under the guizse of patriotic service to the state. From his post on Lew Rockwell:
No kind of conscription, whether on behalf of the welfare or the warfare sectors of the imperial capital, can be reconciled with freedom. Nor can it be reconciled with the Constitution. But those who govern us laugh with contempt at such arguments. And yet Americans persist in the delusion that they have a Constitution that limits their government. There is something deeply pathological about this.
The bottom line is that I own my body and its labor. No government bureaucrat can steal that from me.
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The EFF—one of the last outposts of liberty and freedom today—has filed an amicus brief in support of requiring a warrant to obtain information that relates to a cell phone subscriber’s location. From the Ars Technica Article:
The government shouldn’t be able to obtain a person’s cell location data without an appropriate warrant, argue the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Center for Democracy and Technology, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the ACLU of Pennsylvania. The groups have submitted an amicus brief to a federal court in Pennsylvania in response to an application by the government to obtain stored cell site location information (CSLI) from a cell provider, arguing that such records are protected by the Fourth Amendment.
Did you know that, using cell site triangulation, the authorities can pinpoint your exact location without your knowledge? Is that something that they should be allowed to do without a warrant? I think that freedom of movement is one of the essential rights that we have as humans, and it disgusts me to no end to think that some NSA thug can follow me around without revealing his reasons for doing so before a judge.
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Anyone else see the humor in the following statement:
Mr. Kilpatrick’s office released a statement saying that the mayor’s chief of staff, Kandia Milton, will serve as acting mayor while Mr. Kilpatrick is in jail. “Residents can be assured government will continue to operate as usual,” the statement said.
Oh, yes. I’m sure that the citizens of Detroit will be delighted to know that their government will continue to operate as usual.
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In a recent court ruling, it was determined that US Federal Reserve Notes (I won’t insult your intelligence by calling them “money”) discriminate against the visually impaired because there is no way to distinguish different denominations by touch. Inevitably this led to hearings in the House Banking committee, which thankfully includes Congressman Ron Paul, who pointed out the obvious: If we had a free market for currency, there would be no need for such a lawsuit, because the visually impaired could choose to use currency that met their needs—just like everyone else.
It is well known that I am a proponent of sound, commodity-backed currency. Anyone who has ever felt the heft of a gold or silver coin, noticed the variation in size and design among different denominations of precious metal coins, or examined the different types of reeding, incusing, and other edge designs, recognizes that coins are far superior to paper bills in terms of their ability to be distinguishable solely by touch.
Ron Paul’s Complete Statement
I am not big fan of the Industrial Workers of the World, but it is hard to imagine how the police could justify doing this to a protester in front of a restaurant. Yes, her leg is facing the wrong way. Oops.
Providence RI, Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) march on Jackies Galaxy, a local restaurant chain supplied by HWH/Dragonland in NYC, a supplier notorious for slave labor conditions and a lack of basic labor rights. A few blocks before finishing the march, North Providence police brutally tackled two of the marchers after they moved to the sidewalk too slowly, both were arrested and one suffered a badly broken leg in the attack
more photos
IWW press release
While most people took a cavalier attitude toward the CIA secret torture camps, known as “black sites”, in Romania and Poland, knowing that some “terrorists” disappeared to a CIA detention center on Diego Garcia, which is British Territory, is starting to concern some in the home of Magna Carta.
According to a former senior American official, it appears another locale can be added to the international roster of interrogation sites — one both more obscure and potentially more controversial than the alleged sites in Poland and Romania. The source tells TIME that in 2002 and possibly 2003, the U.S. imprisoned and interrogated one or more terrorism suspects on Diego Garcia, an island in the Indian Ocean controlled by the United Kingdom.
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It looks like there may be some progress in the pursuit of solar energy as a viable option by solving the storage problem. Scientists have adapted a mechanism similar to the one used by plants to store energy by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen. The big question now is figuring out how the oil companies will crush the idea.
“In a revolutionary leap that could transform solar power from a marginal, boutique alternative into a mainstream energy source, MIT researchers have overcome a major barrier to large-scale solar power: storing energy for use when the sun doesn’t shine.”
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The Environmental Working Group’s research on pesticide residues ranked the most common fruits and vegetables on their level of pesticide residue. Inspired by Dr. Weil’s analysis of these data, here are the foods that you absolutely must buy organic, and those that you can get by with obtaining conventionally.
Keep in mind that this doesn’t take into account the other benefits of buying organic produce such as reduced toxins in agricultural runoff, safer conditions for workers, etc.
Conventional is Okay
- Broccoli
- Eggplant
- Cabbage
- Banana
- Kiwi
- Asparagus
- Sweet peas (frozen)
- Mango
- Pineapple
- Sweet corn (frozen)
- Avocado
- Onion
Gotta be Organic
- Peaches
- Apples
- Sweet Bell Peppers
- Celery
- Nectarines
- Strawberries
- Cherries
- Lettuce
- Grapes
- Pears
- Spinach
- Potatoes
