Author: Joe from MassPrivateI

The Saker – by Eric Zuesse

On Tuesday, June 14th, NATO announced that if a NATO member country becomes the victim of a cyber attack by persons in a non-NATO country such as Russia or China, then NATO’s Article V“collective defense” provision requires each NATO member country to join that NATO member country if it decides to strike back against the attacking country. The preliminary decision for this was made two years ago after Crimea abandoned Ukraine and rejoined Russia, of which it had been a part until involuntarily transferred to Ukraine by the Soviet dictator Nikita Khrushchev in 1954. That NATO decision was made in anticipation of Ukraine’s ultimately becoming a NATO member country, which still hasn’t happened. However, only now is NATO declaring cyber war itself to be included as real “war” under the NATO Treaty’s “collective defense” provision.  Continue reading “NATO Says It Might Now Have Grounds to Attack Russia”

AlterNet – by Steven Rosenfeld

Many Bernie Sanders supporters are holding out hope that by the time California finishes counting its 2016 Democratic presidential Primary ballots, he might emerge with a victory, a photo finish or something closer than the double-digit loss to Hillary Clintonannounced by the Associated Press a week ago on election night.

That’s because out of 9.2 million ballots cast across California, 2.3 million remain unprocessed, according to the Secretary of State’s tally as of 5pm Monday. As 58 county registrars and their staffs keep counting ballots across California, the balance in at least three counties has shifted from an election night call for Clinton to emerging slight leads for Sanders. Santa Barbara, located on the central coast, is the highest-profile example.   Continue reading “Why California Still Hasn’t Processed Over Two Million Ballots from the Primaries; Bernie Supporters Scratching Their Heads”

Reuters

The worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history has prompted the American Medical Association to call gun violence a “public health crisis” and urge that Congress fund research into the problem.

The AMA, which lobbies on behalf of doctors, said on Tuesday it will press Congress to overturn 20-year-old legislation that blocks the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from conducting research on gun violence.   Continue reading “U.S. doctors call gun violence a ‘public health crisis’”

MassPrivateI

Last month, ‘Public Intelligence‘ released a Financial Crimes Enforcement Network documentrevealing how banks are spying on our everyday transactions for DHS.

Your bank transactions are being reported to DHS

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) is issuing this advisory to provide financial institutions with information on identifying and reporting transactions possibly associated with Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTFs) who support the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), al-Qa’ida, and their affiliates in Iraq and the Lev ant region. Financial institutions may use this information to enhance their Anti-Money Laundering (AML) risk-based strategies and monitoring systems.   Continue reading “Banks are secretly ‘red flagging’ our everday transactions for DHS”

Reuters

A Chicago police officer has been relieved of his duties after a video posted online showed him stomping on a man’s head during an attempted arrest, officials said on Tuesday.

The officer will be relieved of duties while the Independent Police Review Authority investigates the incident, police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in an emailed statement to Reuters.   Continue reading “Chicago cop relieved of duties after head-stomping caught on video”

Tech Dirt – by Mike Maskick

The script for what to do following a tragedy like the one in Orlando over the weekend is now quite clear: politicians want to appear “serious” about the issue, and thus they say stuff to appease people, even if what they say makes no sense. There was a lot of senseless rhetoric going around, of course, and we’ll leave the usual debates about issues we don’t cover on Techdirt to lots of other sites. But an issue we do cover is surveillance and bogus ideas like “watch lists” where a mere accusation leads to basic rights being taken away. And, unfortunately, it appears that both major Presidential candidates are advocating for greater surveillance and denial of civil liberties as a response to someone shooting up a nightclub and killing dozens of people.    Continue reading “Both Trump And Clinton Suggest Expanding Mass Surveillance, Bogus Watch Lists After Attack In Orlando”

EAG News – by Steve Gunn

MADISON, Wis. – Is the University of Wisconsin-Madison running the risk of having minority students viewed as being coddled and overprotected from “seemingly minor or unintentional” slights?

Is it creating an environment where the slightest statement or action could provoke a finger-pointing witch hunt for students who are accused of insensitivity?   Continue reading “University of Wisconsin students to undergo mandatory ‘cultural competency training’”

Reason – by Andrew Napolitano

While Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are battling in their final round in the Democratic primaries and Donald Trump is arguing that Clinton should be in prison for failing to safeguard state secrets while she was secretary of state, the same FBI that is diligently investigating her is quietly and perniciously seeking to cut more holes in the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution.

That amendment — which requires the government to obtain a search warrant issued by a judge based upon some evidence of criminal wrongdoing, called probable cause, before the government can search persons, houses, papers or effects — is the linchpin of the right to privacy, famously referred to by Justice Louis Brandeis as the right to be let alone.   Continue reading “The Fourth Amendment Is Supposed to Work for the People, Not the Government”

ArsTechnica – by David Kravets

Who knew? Banking giant Citigroup has trademarked “THANKYOU” and is now suing technology giant AT&T for how it says thanks to its own loyal customers. This is “unlawful conduct” amounting to wanton trademark infringement, Citigroup claims in its federal lawsuit.

Here is a copy (PDF) of the trademark certificates and trademark applications connected to what Citigroup is calling its “THANKYOU Marks.”   Continue reading “Citigroup trademarks “THANKYOU” and sues AT&T for thanking clients”

Activist Post – by Brandon Turbeville

As more and more evidence emerges regarding the mass shooting in an Orlando gay club that resulted in the death of at least 52 people and many more injured, signs are increasingly pointing toward the possibility of a false flag operation.

Already, a number of points lend credence to those who might suggest that intelligence agencies more so than desert-dwelling terrorist organizations are responsible for organizing and directing the attacks. A number of questionable aspects regarding this shooting include:   Continue reading “5 Reasons To Question The Official Story Of The Orlando Shooting”

The Statesman – by Chuck Lindell

Law enforcement can seize private property that was used in the commission of a crime, even if evidence of wrongdoing was illegally obtained by police, the Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday.

Because the process of seizing property takes place in civil court, property owners aren’t protected by criminal court rules that call for evidence to be tossed out if it was obtained in an unconstitutional search or seizure, the unanimous court ruling said.   Continue reading “Court: Illegally obtained evidence doesn’t bar asset seizures”

Washington Post – by Caitlin Dewey

There’s a scene in the dystopian scifi novel “Ready Player One” in which the protagonist glimpses the dossier of personal information a major tech company has gathered on him. It includes his height and weight, his browser history, his address — even several years of his school transcripts.

We’re still several years away from that vision, thankfully, but a new British startup called Score Assured has taken a big step in that direction: The company wants to, in the words of co-founder Steve Thornhill, “take a deep dive into private social media profiles” and sell what it finds there to everyone from prospective dates to employers and landlords.   Continue reading “Creepy startup will help landlords, employers and online dates strip-mine intimate data from your Facebook page”

The Newspaper

Requiring motorists to undergo a breath test at a a police officer’s request does not offend due process or the constitution, according to a ruling handed down last week by the Texas Court of Appeals. A three-judge panel weighed five arguments John Andrew Rankin posed in a failed attempt to strike down the state’s implied consent statute.

Rankin had been pulled over by McAllen Police Officer Luis Villarreal on July 19, 2014, and during the stop the officer noticed signs of intoxication. Officer Villarreal he decided to place Rankin under arrest and take him to the station for a breath test. Rankin refused to blow, even after being advised that he would automatically lose his driver’s license for six months.    Continue reading “Texas Appeals Court Rejects Challenge To Implied Consent Law”

AZ Family – by David Baker

PHOENIX (KPHO/KTVK) – Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is offering a two-day summer camp for kids designed to teach them about the dangerous road they could head down if they get involved with drugs, alcohol, and/or gangs.

It’s called Sheriff Arpaio’s Camp Summer Stars and takes place at Tent City. The program combines two others from the Sheriff’s Office: T.O.U.G.H. Tents and S.T.A.R.S., which are designed to show young people the realities of jail life and to prevent them from getting involved in illegal activity.   Continue reading “Sheriff Arpaio offers 2-day ‘summer camp’”

Breitbart – by Ben Kew

The University of Oklahoma has revealed it will be introducing a hotline designed as a means for students to complain about microagressions and bias incidents.

The hotline promises to be a “safe place” for students to raise concerns and report incidents, which is open 24/7 all year round.   Continue reading “University of Oklahoma Introduces 24/7 ‘Microagression’ Hotline”

Fox News

MIAMI –  For 17 years, a South Florida couple grew vegetables in a front-yard garden until a new town ordinance was passed limiting such gardens to backyards. Now, the couple is asking a judge to uproot the ban they claim violates their constitutional rights.

Tom Carroll and Hermine Ricketts say they dug up the garden in front of their Miami Shores home in August 2013 when town officials threatened to fine them $50 a day if they didn’t. The threatened fine came a few months after the Miami Shores Village Council adopted a new zoning plan for the town of about 10,500 north of Miami.   Continue reading “Florida couple sues after town bans front-yard gardens”