FBI's arrests for "terrorist plots"
25 July 2015
The FBI claims to have blocked 60 PISSI-inspired shooting attacks in the US.
It could be true, but I am skeptical that these were real plans. Every time the FBI arrests people for "terrorist plots", they turn out to be fantasy plots led and arranged by agents of the FBI. These 60 "plots" could be more of that.
Urgent: SAFE Act
25 July 2015
US citizens: call on elected officials to support the SAFE Act, which would fix some of the causes of over-imprisonment and make it easier for ex-cons to do something other than crime.
Urgent: Break up banks "too big to fail"
25 July 2015
US citizens: support breaking up the banks that are "too big to fail".
Urgent: End repression of women
25 July 2015
Everyone: call on Sudan to end repression of women for their clothing.
Urgent: No tax loophole for offshoring
25 July 2015
US citizens: tell the IRS not to give hedge funds a tax loophole for offshoring.
Urgent: US government job applications
25 July 2015
US citizens: Call on Obama to remove the "have you ever been in prison" box from US government job applications.
Urgent: No tar sands pipeline expansion
25 July 2015
US citizens: phone Obama and object to expanding a tar sands pipeline, which you might call Keystone2.
Corporations push for tax giveaway
25 July 2015
Corporations Push for Giant Repatriation Tax Giveaway.
UK's data retention law overturned
25 July 2015
A UK court overturned UK's data retention law.
UK government gags scientists
25 July 2015
The UK government appointed scientists to give advice that neonicotinoids are safe to use. It appears they were going to say "no", because the government ordered them not to withhold information.
War
25 July 2015
What makes terrorism so bad is that it is war waged against civilians. Thus, attacking soldiers is not terrorism — it is war.
Gunshot detection system records conversations
25 July 2015
ShotSpotter detects gunshots automatically, but its microphones also record conversations.
The system should be redesigned to do enough local processing so that it can't transmit anyone's conversations over the net.
Imprisoned for distributing disfavored views
25 July 2015
A British man will be imprisoned for year for distributing videos and a magazine presenting disfavored views.
What point is there in defeating PISSI at the cost of abolishing basic human rights?
When certain views are prohibited, mistakes will expand effect.
Aden taken
25 July 2015
The US and Saudi-backed faction in Yemen has taken hold of the city of Aden. Since the Houthis hold most of Yemen, this defeat for them moves that country further away from peace or stable government.
Is this faction better than the Houthis? I see no reason to think one or the other deserves anyone's support.
China punishes musical group
25 July 2015
China canceled concerts by a musical group as punishment for wishing the Dalai Lama happy birthday.
The quoted hostile comments were posted, I expect, by the state's troll army.
Thugs in US public schools
25 July 2015
Stationing thugs in US public schools has a natural result: they attack students.
Goldman Sachs profited from Greek debt
25 July 2015
Goldman Sachs helped Greece hide part of its debt so it could join the euro zone.
The deal was expensive for Greece, as that part of Greece's debt doubled in a few years. But it got Greece into the euro zone, which was even worse for Greece.
Shortage of fresh water
25 July 2015
The drought in California, and water shutoffs for poor people, are foretastes of the big shortage of fresh water forecast for 2030.
Mandatory minimum sentences
25 July 2015
Obama called for ending mandatory minimum sentences, at least for nonviolent drug offenses, and for removing some of the obstacles for ex-cons to re-enter society.
Death of anti-thug-violence activist
25 July 2015
Texas thugs attacked an anti-thug-violence activist on the street, put her in jail (for false charges, I would guess), then claim her death in jail was suicide.
Her friends don't believe it was suicide.
End of nuclear plant construction
25 July 2015
Nuclear power plant construction is gradually grinding to a halt, as renewable energy is clearly cheaper as well as much safer.
Treason charge against Netzpolitik
25 July 2015
Netzpolitik, a German journalism site, has been charged with treason for reporting on German government surveillance of the German press.
La Quadrature du Net: We Must Support Netzpolitik Against the German Government Pressure!
German leftists in support of Greece
25 July 2015
German leftists have begun protests in support of Greece and plan to repeat them every week.
Right-wing German MPs object to further bailouts "for Greece", absurdly claiming that it is Greece's fault that the past bailouts "for Greece" did not reduce its debt. That's ridiculous — they never had a chance of reducing Greece's debt.
But in a way they are right. The proposed bailout of Greece's creditors will only increase Greece's debt, and it makes no sense to do that.
Tories plan to change voter registration
25 July 2015
Following the Republican example, the Tories are planning to change voter registration so as to suppress opposition voters.
Banksters' economic invasion of Greece
25 July 2015
Jürgen Habermas, intellectual father of the European Union, calls it an undemocratic trap.
The euro-banksters' economic invasion of Greece was the act of tyrants punishing a rebel province. Suffering and humiliation are their goal.
The financial elite has shown off its power to spit on democracy, economics, and statesmanship.
I suggest that Greece and Europe need a political party consisting of real stake holders: the Wooden Stake Party, whose aim will be to put stakes into the heart of the vampire banks.
But I think it is a mistake to put the blame on Germany. The banksters are the culprits.
Clinton and Bush's campaign funds
25 July 2015
Clinton and Bush have got large campaign donations from lobbyists.
Vote for Sanders for president.
Oceans will continue heating
25 July 2015
The already emitted greenhouse gases will keep heating the oceans for centuries.
Walker's illegal campaign activities
25 July 2015
Scott Walker's cronies on the Wisconsin Supreme Court ordered an end to an investigation of Walker's illegal campaign activities.
Drone assassinations and Iraq invasion
25 July 2015
The former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency acknowledges that drone assassinations create more terrorists than they kill, and that the invasion of Iraq helped create PISSI.
Commercial fishing in the Arctic Ocean
25 July 2015
The Arctic countries have agreed to ban commercial fishing in the Arctic Ocean. This does not prohibit other countries' ships from fishing there, however.
Semi-enslaved US youths
25 July 2015
US youths are semi-enslaved to do door-to-door sales work. They are not literally forced to continue working, but stopping is very difficult.
I am looking for people to monitor web sites for news articles I might be interested in.
Chinese censorship
24 July 2015
Chinese censorship has mostly erased memory of the Tiananmen protests and massacre: most younger Chinese don't know anything about it.
Disability
24 July 2015
The UK's government considers permanent disability as a personal failing. It subjects people with incurable conditions to repeated tests to see if they can theoretically work, although practically speaking the answer is clear in advance.
Sandra Bland
24 July 2015
There are major mysteries in the arrest and death of Sandra Bland.
At least, they are mysteries for us; the thugs know most or all of the answers.
Growing vegetables
24 July 2015
A town in Florida (and many other places in the US) ban growing vegetables in your front yard . Two residents are fighting back in court.
Protesters in Cambodia
24 July 2015
Protesters in Cambodia have been convicted of "insurrection" and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Undermining female politicians
24 July 2015
The media undermine female politicians by talking about their appearance instead of what they stand for. Regardless of what is said about their appearance, it costs them support, based on a foolish and irrelevant reason. I don't care what Clinton looks like, and I don't care what Sanders looks like.
Radium
24 July 2015
High radium levels have appeared in water in Pennsylvania, and fracking is suspected as the cause.
Human Rights Watch
24 July 2015
Human Rights Watch : Israeli forces are choking, beating, and abusing Palestinian children as young as 11, arresting and coercing them into confessions without granting them access to lawyers or even informing their parents of their whereabouts.
Canadian Surveillance
24 July 2015
Canada's Anti-Terror Legislation Faces Legal Challenge by Free Speech Advocates.
In addition to banning journalism, it gives the government effectively unlimited power for secret surveillance.
When you put this together with the government's attacks on science and the climate, it seems that the Canadian government has declared war on Canada.
Welfare
24 July 2015
Children growing up in poverty have less brain development in areas required for academic and professional success. After this, it won't be their fault if they are unqualified for good jobs. It will be the country's fault, for handicapping them in childhood through inadequate welfare support.
Organic farms
24 July 2015
It is possible for an organic farm to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but in practice most of them don't do that.
A carbon tax would give a boost to the ones that do.
New Orleans
24 July 2015
The population of New Orleans decreased after Hurricane Katrina, but the supply of affordable housing decreased even more. Many poor people now have to pay half their income for rent.
Most of the public schools have been converted into "charter schools", and the public mostly disapproves of the change.
EU
24 July 2015
The EU has agreed to ban imports of clothing with nonylphenol ethoxylates, which gets into rivers and harms fish.
Republicans
24 July 2015
Republican candidates are defending McCain from smears against his military record, but they eagerly profited from smears against Kerry.
2015 is the hottest year
24 July 2015
2015 is on track to be the hottest year since human records began, judging from the first half of the year.
Global Heating
24 July 2015
The main British scientific, engineering and medical organizations call for immediate and firm action to but the brakes on global heating.
Governments in the pockets of the fossil fuel industry are not listening. Ironically, only China plans to take firm action. In China, the fossil fuel interests are owned by "Communist" plutocrats that will feel the consequences if climate mayhem impoverishes China. In Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US, the owners of the fossil fuel interests think they will get by ok if climate mayhem impoverishes those countries.
Street lights
24 July 2015
Street lights and interior lights are being designed to track people.
This ought to be prohibited on the double, on streets and in any place that the public is regularly admitted to (such as stores).
Ashley Madison
24 July 2015
I don't think that the purpose of Ashley Madison (facilitating sexual affairs for married people) was bad in itself. However, the company did many sleazy things , going as far as to accept pay to delete people's profiles, then not really deleting them.
It also committed negligence that could leak data about its users , and the worst instance was keeping so information about them in the first place.
I feel no sympathy for the company, but I condemn the wrong that the crackers (please don't call them "hackers") have done to the users of the site in taking their data hostage.
I also disagree with the crackers supposed moral grounds for trying to shut the site down. I don't regard monogamy as ethically privileged. On the contrary, I disapprove of possessiveness and oppose the social pressure for people to agree to monogamy which doesn't fit them.
Therefore, I do not criticize having an affair, and I reject the label of "cheating" for it.
California fines farmers
24 July 2015
California is fining some farmers for using water after a notice to cut back.
It is too bad that crops and trees will be lost, but there is no way California can avoid that. All that can be done is to try to keep things running at a level that is sustainable.
Abortion
24 July 2015
Wisconsin, under Republican control, has made abortion after 20 weeks a crime.
Abortions that late are only done because of special circumstances.
The law is based on fantasy science; the anti-abortion forces claim that a fetus can feel pain after 20 weeks. This is impossible because the fetus's brain is not connected then.
The directly contradicts Roe v Wade, so it ought to be unconstitutional, but it is hard to count on that with today's Supreme Court. Doctors will be scared.
95% of US women who have abortions are subsequently content with their decision.
I wonder what fraction of women that have babies later regret it.
Terrorists
24 July 2015
An expert who has interviewed many terrorists says that the details of the ideology they choose to fight for are secondary in recruiting them, and that focusing on ideology is largely missing the point.
Ashley Madison
24 July 2015
Crackers have obtained personal information from a controversial dating site, Ashley Madison, and are threatening to release it unless the site shuts down.
My conclusion is that dating sites should not have users' personal information, except for what the users choose to publish.
UK welfare cuts
24 July 2015
UK welfare cuts will force poor families out of many regions of England.
California's groundwater
24 July 2015
California's groundwater, what remains of it, is increasingly contaminated by nitrates and uranium.
Factory in Philippines
24 July 2015
A factory in the Philippines burned two months ago, and most of the workers were killed because the factory had no fire escapes. The government has taken no action against those responsible.
Local corruption was clearly involved, but business globalization took advantage of it.
RSF
24 July 2015
RSF: Leaders who publicly threaten journalists.
I think they have been unfair to President Correa in including him in this list. If you look at what they say he did, it consists of (1) threatening to criticize one of his critic in the press, and (2) saying that some journalists repeat right-wing propaganda (which they do, in Ecuador, just as in the US).
London thugs
24 July 2015
London thugs want teachers to label protesters as terrorists.
This persistent tendency indicates bad faith. Right-wing governments are exaggerating the danger of "terrorism" to use the fear against democracy.
Anti-marijuana activists
24 July 2015
Anti-marijuana activists are suing the landlords, insurance companies, etc. of state-legal marijuana sellers in Colorado and Washington, to drive them out of business.
Ivory Coast
24 July 2015
In Ivory Coast, adults and children are killed or tortured after they are accused of "witchcraft".
Children in poverty
24 July 2015
20% of children in the US live in poverty. For black children, that is 38%.
The US should be ashamed to leave any children in poverty.
Gates Foundation
24 July 2015
The Gates Foundation held a meeting about seed policy for Africa, with seed company Syngenta, and international funding agencies — but didn't invite any farmers.
Farmers would have objected to plans to promote patented seeds.
Body Cameras
24 July 2015
Keep Body Cameras Off Public-School Educators.
Back doors in encryption
24 July 2015
Attacking the argument for government back doors in encryption.
The article does not mention another crucial point: when the state has a concrete reason to suspect someone, enough to justify a search warrant, it can snoop on that person's conversations in many other ways.
Internet of Things
24 July 2015
The "internet of things", for those who don't reject it, will be the greatest mass surveillance infrastructure ever.
The author fears (and I agree) that it will direct people towards being "intensely individualistic, segmented, micro-financialised" and "semi-autonomous, tethered beings." I too think this is a real danger.
UK Government
24 July 2015
The UK government plans to make strikes illegal, usually.
It also plans to interfere with union funding for the Labour Party.
Unions ought to fund a party that really stands for the non-rich, not the center-right party that Labour has become. But the right wing does not want unions or workers to have any power.
Campaign to prosecute thugs
24 July 2015
A year after a thug killed Eric Garner, mothers of various blacks killed by US thugs campaign to prosecute the killers.
Wisconsin Supreme Court
24 July 2015
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has essentially destroyed Wisconsin campaign finance law, in a corruptly made decision that applies to the judges' own campaigns.
Ku Klux Klan
24 July 2015
The Ku Klux Klan is no longer a political force , but it is a symbol of continuing racism in the US.
Uri Avnery
24 July 2015
Uri Avnery: as Obama tries to bring Iran into an alliance against PISSI, Netanyahu is determined to fear Iran for no good reason.
I am skeptical of the idea of defeating PISSI with Shi'ite armed strength. When Sunnis are ruled by Shi'ites, that gives them the impetus to start terrorist groups.
Access to public records
24 July 2015
Government agencies in Massachusetts unfairly hamper access to public records The law is weak, and agencies disregard it.
Euro-cutbacks
24 July 2015
Euro-cutbacks were a "success" in Ireland, Spain and Portugal, from the viewpoint of the IMF and the banks. It's not clear they were a success for the non-rich.
US prisoners
24 July 2015
Many US prisons don't feed prisoners enough. That might be good for the ones who are obese, but for the prisoners that are not obese, it is dangerous.
Traveling to school
24 July 2015
A Senate bill contains a clause to refrain from harassing parents that allow children to travel to school on their own.
College Safe Space
24 July 2015
Parents Dedicate New College Safe Space In Honor Of Daughter Who Felt Weird In Class Once.
Mining
24 July 2015
Mining for rare metals on the ocean floor requires regulation for environmental protection.
Torture against Communists
24 July 2015
The Philippines is accused of using a campaign of murder and torture against Communists, and social workers that help the poor, with US backing and guidance.
Monitoring everyone
24 July 2015
Mobile phone call and GPS records show , roughly, whether the user is depressed.
I might agree to enable such monitoring by my doctor if I had been depressed. However, allowing the state to monitor everyone this way is dangerous.
"Smartphones"
24 July 2015
How stores plan to use customers' "smartphones" to learn more about them while getting them to buy more recklessly.
The devices invite dependence.
If you want to be really smart, join me in opting out.
Caroline Small
24 July 2015
The thugs who shot Caroline Small were protected by a thoroughly dishonest prosecution.
Imitating ceremonial clothing
24 July 2015
Some Canadian events are starting to forbid imitation native feather headdresses.
I think it is boorish to imitate the ceremonial clothing of some other people, while neglecting its meaning; but that should not be forbidden. Nobody has the right to own a mode of dress.
Greece
24 July 2015
Greece has accepted the banksters' suzerainty; this will lead to ever-worsening disaster unless plenty of debt is cancelled.
Meanwhile, as the left has cracked, Greeks may try the neo-Nazis that blame poor immigrants instead of the banksters.
Varoufakis says that the foreign-imposed regime will fail.
Jonathan Sanders
24 July 2015
A thug kept a chokehold on Jonathan Sanders for half an hour to kill him, apparently with malice aforethought.
California beach oil spill
24 July 2015
The California beach oil spill contains many toxic substances.
Southern white culture
24 July 2015
Southern white culture is full of traditions with African roots; some of them were used by the original Ku Klux Klan.
Genghis Khan
24 July 2015
A group of tourists, visiting Mongolia, were accused of "promoting terrorism" for watching a terror video about Genghis Khan.
Genghis was a real terrorist, just as bad as PISSI . His forces slaughtered the population of any city that did not immediately surrender, to terrorize other cities into surrendering.
Even watching or distributing videos depicting real terrorism should not be a crime.
Chris Christie
24 July 2015
Chris Christie conspired with the water industry to make a law allowing cities to privatize water supply without a vote by the citizens.
Shell
24 July 2015
Shell's emergency-handling ship was damaged severely in a collision with an uncharted reef, and has to go back to Portland for repair. Shell plans to drill anyway.
Colorado thug
24 July 2015
A Colorado thug threw a handcuffed woman to the ground, which could have killed her.
"Cryin'air"
24 July 2015
Cryin'air has pulled its base out of Denmark to avoid the laws that protect workers' rights.
It is a good idea to avoid Cryin'air ("Ryanair").
Egyptian journalists
24 July 2015
The head of an Egyptian journalistic organization has been arrested and accused of being supporting the Muslim Brotherhood — and of possession of video editing equipment!
The Muslim Brotherhood advocated trampling human rights — that's inherent in political Islamism — but it did not try to crush dissent or abolish democracy.
Fracking sites
24 July 2015
People who live near fracking sites are more likely to go to the hospital for heart or nervous system conditions.
Military aid to Israel
24 July 2015
Obama has offered to increase US military aid to Israel. This will enable Israel to bomb Gaza more often. It is already planning to devastate Gaza even more. The world has not pushed back very hard about the previous bombing.
It is interesting to see how Israel's tactical practices help PISSI supporters try to take over from HAMAS.
Curb the use of tobacco
24 July 2015
The US Chamber of Commerce is pressuring various governments around the world not to take steps that curb the use of tobacco.
The US Chamber of Commerce is poison — literally.
Overuse of resources
24 July 2015
Our overuse of Earth's resources is putting a huge debt burden on future generations.
The authors do not realize that the term "anthropocene" encourages the problem they are concerned about.
Banned political posters
24 July 2015
Portland State University banned political posters because they might make some students feel uncomfortable.
I think this is related to a change in people's idea of the purpose of college: professional training, rather than developing the ability to think. For the latter, students obviously must confront uncomfortable ideas. For the former, ideas are an obstacle to some students' training.
Marine Pun
23 July 2015
Urgent: Protect red wolves
23 July 2015
US citizens: call for proper protection of red wolves.
An attempt to monopolize use of a color
23 July 2015
We should not consider it "cute" when Pantone tries to monopolize use of a color through trademarks.
The article has a fundamental confusion: it confuses copyright law with trademark law by using the confusion term "intellectual property". Those two laws are totally different in what they do, and it is a mistake to generalize about the two.
Use of tissues from aborted fetuses
23 July 2015
Planned Parenthood collects tissues from aborted fetuses, if the woman consents, to facilitate medical research that can save the lives of human beings. You need to be twisted to see a scandal in this.
US oil companies bilk poor countries
23 July 2015
US oil companies pump oil in poor countries, then cheat the governments by not paying the royalties agreed on. The Dodd-Frank bill, which was supposed to make them come clean, is not being enforced.
The War on Sharing
23 July 2015
The latest attack in the War on Sharing: a company chose people based on IP addresses to demand they agree to pay an amount to be named later.
Sharing should be legal.
Texas denying birth certificates
23 July 2015
Texas is denying birth certificates to children of immigrants.
UK's plans to support Syrian rebels
23 July 2015
John Pilger: the UK was planning to fund rebels in Syria "two years before the Arab Spring".
I don't entirely agree with him in regard to dealing with PISSI. Using air power to stop PISSI's advance was justified and effective. Recapturing Sunni cities with Shi'ite militias is a different matter.
Urgent: Thank Obama for pursuing peace
23 July 2015
US citizens: thank Obama for pursuing peace with Iran.
My overall opinion of Obama is that he is a flunky for the plutocrats, but on this issue he did the right thing.
Arabs imprisoned for "incitement"
23 July 2015
Under Israeli rule, Arabs are imprisoned for statements on the internet, which are called "incitement". Jews do it too, but they are never charged.
Some of these kinds of "incitement" are properly crimes. Some of them are exercise of free speech, and would be protected in the US by the First Amendment.
Economic pressure on Israel
23 July 2015
Economic pressure on Israel expresses faith that it has enough democracy to be influenced by this.
Israel rejects political talks
23 July 2015
Israel outright rejected political talks with Palestine.
Israel's prisoners
23 July 2015
Israel released Palestinian parliament member Riyad Mahmoud Radad after a year in prison for "enticing marches in support of prisoners".
What sort of country puts people in prison for leading protest marches?
Meanwhile, lawyer Shireen al-Eesawy is in solitary confinement in conditions that border on torture.
"Bailout" increases Greece's debt
22 July 2015
The "bailout" for Greece's creditors increases Greece's debt to 225% of GDP. That's almost double what it was before the previous "bailouts". However, all of the euro-zone is dominated by the banksters and it can all come crashing down under their deficit limits.
The IMF should veto the bailout for Greece's creditors, because the plan can't achieve the stated goal of reducing Greece's debt.
It would be easy to write off Greek debt to banks.
Low-cost, low-energy house
22 July 2015
A low-cost, low-energy house in Wales will make money on electricity.
The UK had a plan to encourage building such houses, but the Tories cancelled the plan to preserve fossil fuel profits.
Penalty for "false" information in Egypt
22 July 2015
The penalty for "false" (i.e., disagreeing with official sources) information in Egypt will not be imprisonment, only a fine that few Egyptian journalists could afford to pay.
Altered in this way, the law will be a medium-sized step towards tyranny rather than a giant step.
Retention of data from people that fly
22 July 2015
The Civil Liberties Committee of the European Parliament approved data retention for many records about people that fly.
HUD sneakily changing rules
22 July 2015
The Department of Housing and Urban Development is sneakily changing rules to permit two felonious banks to continue selling certain government-guaranteed mortgages.
Urgent: Mandatory overtime pay
22 July 2015
US citizens: support extending mandatory overtime pay to a lot more American workers.
Iran refuses US no-notice inspections
22 July 2015
The US is paying now, in the deal with Iran, for its duplicity in using inspections of Iraq's chemical and nuclear facilities as a front for ordinary spying.
EU greenhouse gas trading system
22 July 2015
Even weak moves to make the EU greenhouse gas emissions trading system function are running into opposition from lobbies.
Tory attack on unions
22 July 2015
This Tory Attack on Unions Should Remind Us How Much We Need Them.
I think the British unions should drop the "Labour" Party, which has no great concern for working people, and start another.
Selling water
22 July 2015
An article I disagree with argues against selling water in British Columbia (where it is abundant) for shipment elsewhere.
I think it make sense to sell water if you have extra water. However, you should stop selling water if you cease to have extra; any treaty that would make it hard to stop obviously must be abrogated.
As for fracking, which should be stopped for other reasons, it is valid to fight it by denying access to the giant quantities of water fracking needs, but that's not a principle, it's a tactic.
We should discourage the retail sale of bottled water, which is very wasteful, but that's not the only way to distribute water from other regions.
US sentencing system
22 July 2015
Commuting sentences must be followed by fixing the sentencing system.
TTIP revolving door
22 July 2015
Report Exposes 'Revolving Door' Within Corporate-Dominated TTIP Talks.
Protests after Greece passes austerity bill
22 July 2015
Greek MPs Pass Austerity Bill As Athens Police Clash with Protesters.
Another man choked to death by thug
21 July 2015
Another black man was choked to death by a thug.
Sperm whale population
21 July 2015
Estimates of the sperm whale population could be skewed by falsified data reported by Japan from whaling in the 1960s.
Exxon's funding of global heating denial
21 July 2015
Exxon said in 2007 it would stop funding global heating denialism, but it has continued.
Global heating makes flights less efficient
21 July 2015
Global heating is making flights take longer and burn more fuel.