Whistleblower says US keeping him from think tank work, as he ‘might comment on prison reform’Whistleblower John Kiriakou, a former CIA veteran recently released from federal prison for disclosing the agency’s torture program, says the federal government recommended he not work for a Washington think tank on account of his goal of prison reform.
US citizens protest Border Patrol checkpoints, refuse questioning, post videos onlineA growing number of Americans is protesting invasive Border Patrol checkpoints deep inside US territory by refusing to answer questions, and posting online their recordings of harassment by officers. More and more YouTube videos document citizens’ resistance to the Border Patrol at checkpoints throughout the 100-mile zone along US borders.
Foreclosure to Home Free, as 5-Year Clock ExpiresMIAMI – In September, Susan Rodolfi celebrated an unusual anniversary: five years of missed mortgage payments. She is like a ghost of the housing market’s painful past, one of thousands of Americans who have skipped years of mortgage payments and are still living in their homes.
The uncounted: why the US can’t keep track of people killed by policeA year ago, in a bureaucratic shift that went unremarked in the somnolent days before Michael Brown was shot dead in Ferguson, Missouri, the US government admitted a disturbing failure. The top crime-data experts in Washington had determined that they could not properly count how many Americans die each year at the hands of police.
Small 9/11 Truth Victory Unknown to Most Americans: UK Man Won Case against BBC for 9/11 Cover UpHorsham, UK, 2013 – Tony Rooke, in an act of civil disobedience, refused to pay the mandatory £130 TV license fee claiming it violates Section 15 of the Terrorism Act. Rooke’s accusation was aimed at the BBC who reported the collapse of WTC 7 over 20 minutes before it actually fell, and the judge accepted Rooke’s argument.
Have the Banks Escaped Criminal Prosecution because They’re Spying Surrogates?I’m preparing to do a series of posts on CISA, the bill passed out of SSCI this week that, unlike most of the previous attempts to use cybersecurity to justify domestic spying, may well succeed (I’ve been using OTI’s redline version which shows how SSCI simply renamed things to be able to claim they’re addressing privacy concerns).
Robert Reich: In Our Horrifying Future, Very Few People Will Have Work or Make MoneyIt’s now possible to sell a new product to hundreds of millions of people without needing many, if any, workers to produce or distribute it. At its prime in 1988, Kodak, the iconic American photography company, had 145,000 employees. In 2012, Kodak filed for bankruptcy.
Bank of America’s Inconsistent Positions re: Faulty Residential Mortgage-backed Securities | The National Law ReviewBank of America recently moved to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Ambac Assurance Corp. in New York state court, alleging $600 million in damages for fraudulent inducement in connection with payments it made under policies insuring faulty residential mortgage-backed securities issued by Countrywide.
UN torture investigator calls for access to US prisons, Gitmo detaineesThe United Nations special rapporteur on torture lambasted the United States for continually obstructing his requests to visit prisons where 80,000 people sit in solitary confinement and to freely speak with inmates at Guantanamo Bay. Juan E.
LA to Pay $50K to Detained Photographers and Teach Deputies That Photography is Not a CrimeLos Angeles has agreed to pay a $50,000 settlement to three photographers after they were detained by LA County Sheriffs while taking pictures in public places. As part of the settlement, the city will also teach its sheriff deputies that photography is not a crime.
Wikipedia sues NSA, DoJ over mass surveillanceThe nonprofit Wikimedia Foundation, which runs Wikipedia free online encyclopedia, is preparing a lawsuit against the US National Security Agency and US Department of justice over a mass surveillance program initiated by the government. Wikimedia is heading to court to prove that NSA’s Upstream program gathers foreign intelligence information through capturing communications with “non-US persons,” reports Reuters.
Homeowners burned by mortgage scandal cry foul on LegislatureIt isn’t easy to talk about filing for bankruptcy or losing your home, but as Montana’s Legislature moves to make it more difficult for homeowners to sue the mortgage industry for deceptive practices, tongues are loosening up. Montana Senate lawmakers have passed two bills to undo a landmark court ruling that benefited homeowners who sued big banks for mishandling mortgages.
‘A mass sterilization exercise’: Kenyan doctors find anti-fertility agent in UN tetanus vaccine‘This WHO campaign is not about eradicating neonatal tetanus but a well-coordinated forceful population control mass sterilization exercise using a proven fertility regulating vaccine.’
Gitmo2Chicago: Activists demand probe of ‘secret interrogation facility’ (PHOTOS)Activists in Chicago are demanding a thorough investigation into Homan Square, a local detention facility which is being compared to a CIA black site. Several dozen protested on Saturday after police denied the accusations.
A Whistleblower’s Horror StoryThis is the age of the whistleblower. From Chelsea Manning to Edward Snowden to the latest cloak-and-dagger lifter of files, ex-HSBC employee Hervé Falciani, whistleblowers are becoming to this decade what rock stars were to the Sixties – pop culture icons, global countercultural heroes. Sidebar Will HSBC Deal Come Back to Haunt Loretta Lynch?
Silent treatment: Florida drivers at DUI checkpoints refuse to talk to cops (VIDEO)Still from Youtube video. Drivers in Florida are often subjected to drunk driving checkpoints, but a lawyer says the stops are unconstitutional and is giving drivers tips to flout the checks. That’s leading to complaints and concern from law enforcement.
Discontent with Washington, US states look to nullify federal lawsReuters/Mark Leffingwell State legislatures in the US are considering more than 200 bills – from gun rights to marijuana accessibility – that would nullify or work around various federal laws and regulations crafted in Washington, according to a states’ rights advocacy group.
Marijuana Grower Shot SWAT Cops Who Kicked Down His Door, Jury Says They Don’t Blame HimRecently, there has been some talk about places that allow you to shoot officers if they are in the wrong when they enter your home.
New Mexico sheriff foils IRS attempt to seize resident’s property – reportReuters / Jonathan Alcorn A sheriff in New Mexico physically stopped US Marshals from enforcing Internal Revenue Service orders at a residential property, later calling on the IRS to halt a public auction of the premises until the tax-owing homeowner’s court appeal is heard. According to BenSwann.com, Eddy County (N.M.)