Jul 02
“Secret government documents leaked to The Intercept by a whistleblower show that, according to official figures, 90 percent of people killed in U.S. drone strikes in a five-month period in provinces on Afghanistan’s eastern border with Pakistan were not the intended targets.” See here (Salon). And here (The Intercept).
Jun 24
It finally happened. The legislature and governor of a state (Hawaii) have approved a gun registry for all residents who possess firearms. Hawaii signed a bill Thursday to become the first state to enter gun owners into an FBI database that will automatically notify police if an island resident is arrested anywhere else in the …
Jun 23
The U.S. government has been bolstering the powers, privileges and immunities of federal employees for years. Career federal employees now get 8 weeks of PAID vacation annually. They are paid around twice what a private sector worker in the same field would make (and this does not include the paid vacation!). Federal workers are increasingly …
Jun 01
Astounding blow to privacy from the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia. See here. For years the government has been arguing that any information you give up to a “3rd party” is not “private.” Thus, the government may intercept it without so much as a warrant. Although warrants are necessary for government …
May 14
Two decades ago, Venezuela was a vibrant but struggling, up-and-coming democracy. The voters overwhelmingly approved of Hugo Chavez and took the country in a big-government, socialist direction. Venezuela drove out private businesses, censored the press, and imprisoned dissidents. You know, . . . to help the poor. Now the poor are poorer than ever. Mobs …
May 10
The inquisitors of the Spanish Inquisition generally began their interrogations with a single question: “Do you know why we’ve summoned you here today?” The goal behind such questions was to get the hapless subject to admit to heresy or blasphemy. Nothing has changed since the 1300s Today it has become customary for troopers who pull …
May 08
Egyptian government officials have arrested a teenage comedian who criticized government. See here.
May 07
Journalism in favor of government has always been one of the safest occupations in the world. Journalism disfavored by government has always been one of the world’s most dangerous occupations. Now there is news that an Egyptian court has sentenced three journalists to death for supposedly reporting facts that undermined Egypt’s “national security.” Thankfully, the …
May 03
Every government that has ever existed has ultimately come for all property, all money, all freedom, and to kill all who resist. Governments often view criticism as treason or sedition, and claim that dissenting voices are trying to commit terrorism or overthrow the government. Now a Canadian citizen with a work visa to Nepal has …
May 02
Over the years, countless government firefighters have been found to have started the fires they ‘heroically’ help extinguish. Hundreds if not thousands of deadly arsons have been secretly set by government firefighters. This is true of home arsons as well as forest fires. It may even be that a sizeable percentage of all arsons are …
