Author: Joe from MassPrivateI

MassPrivateI

Across the country fire departments in Connecticut, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Illinois have begun encrypting their radio transmissions, effectively turning them into secret public safety organizations.

The latest fire department to ‘go dark’ and hide its communications from the public is the Denver Fire Department in Colorado.   Continue reading “Fire departments are ‘going dark’ and becoming secret public safety organizations”

The Guardian

China has blocked millions of “discredited” travellers from buying plane or train tickets as part of the country’s controversial “social credit” system aimed at improving the behaviour of citizens.

According to the National Public Credit Information Centre, Chinese courts banned would-be travellers from buying flights 17.5 million times by the end of 2018. Citizens placed on black lists for social credit offences were prevented from buying train tickets 5.5 million times. The report released last week said: “Once discredited, limited everywhere”.  Continue reading “China bans 23m from buying travel tickets as part of ‘social credit’ system”

Strategic Culture – by Eric Zuesse

Here are America’s recent targets for regime-change (against which have been used economic sanctions, invasion, and enormous destruction) — and all of them are nations that never invaded nor threatened to invade America:

Iraq 2003, Libya 2011, Syria 2011-2018, Yemen 2015-now, Ukraine 2014, and Venezuela 2017-now.    Continue reading “Lies America’s News-Media Tell”

ABC 7 News

UPLAND, Calif. (KABC) — Like many kindergarteners, 5-year-old Kyler has plenty of hobbies and interests – and one of his dreams is that he wants to be a policeman.

At least he wanted to be one until an incident last week at Foothill Knolls Elementary School.    Continue reading “Upland school calls police on 5-year-old boy”

Courthouse News – by Nick Calhill

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) – After an argument with his wife ended nonviolently, Joseph Ledesma hopped into his truck to try and clear his mind. But before he could make it out of his driveway, a Vallejo Police officer appeared and started thumping on the truck window with a flashlight.

What started as a typical domestic violence call – the marital dispute ended quietly before officers even arrived – escalated into a police beating that left the 5-foot-5-inch, middle-aged husband with broken arms and without a job on Christmas.   Continue reading “Claims of Brutal Beating by Police Headed to Trial”

The Charlotte Observer

Sheriff’s deputies pushed them against jail-yard fences and shoved them to the ground. They yelled and cursed within inches of their faces. They forced them to run for long periods, ignoring pleas for breaks, until some vomited.

Receiving this treatment: Kids and teens — one was 8 years old.   Continue reading “Sheriff says ‘Scared Straight’ program helps troubled kids. Experts say it’s child abuse”

MassPrivateI

For years the push to replace physical drivers licenses with digital drivers licenses has relied one one thing; privacy.

But all of the “fake news” the public has been fed about their privacy is about to come “crashing” down, literally.

A Nevada bill if passed would allow police to search everyone’s smartphones.   Continue reading “Digital drivers licenses and smartphones will be searched by police”

USA Today

The Trump administration can go ahead with a ban on the rapid-fire gun attachments used to carry out the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, a federal judge ruled late Monday, turning back one of the first legal challenges to the ban.

The decision by U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich in Washington rejected challenges to the ban on the rapid-fire attachment known as bump stocks weeks before it was scheduled to go into effect.    Continue reading “Judge says ban on rapid-fire ‘bump stocks’ can go forward, rejects challenge to new rules”

The Daily Journal

A suspended San Francisco police officer accused of a November bank robbery is already facing charges in San Mateo County for allegedly stealing from an elderly man with Alzheimer’s disease, according to officials.

Rain Daugherty, 44, of San Francisco, is due in federal court Friday morning for a hearing on whether he should be granted bail while awaiting trial.   Continue reading “Suspended cop faces San Mateo County elder abuse charge”

The Hill

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) on Monday issued an executive orderwithdrawing the state’s National Guard troops from the southern border.

Evers said in a tweet that there is not evidence of a crisis at the border and there is thus “no justification” for having troops there.   Continue reading “Wisconsin governor issues order pulling National Guard troops from border, citing no ‘crisis’”

Steemit – by James Corbett, The Corbett Report

As a well-known adage holds: “To the victor go the spoils.” But it might well add: “Meanwhile, the losers go to the gallows.”

This is the logic of victor’s justice. It is the logic of the Treaty of Versailles, which demanded unpayable reparations from the vanquished German nation. It is the logic of the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal, where perpetrators of war crimes pronounced judgement on the war crimes of the defeated. It is the logic of Abu Ghraib, where the US military tortured and killed its enemy captives.   Continue reading “Victor’s Justice: The Truth About the International Criminal Court”

MassPrivateI

Arizona State University (ASU) which spent $307 million to renovate Sun Devil Stadium has learned a lot about Smart City surveillance.

ASU used facial recognition to spy on alumni, students, faculty and families. And now they want to share what they learned by bringing it to a stadium or city near you.   Continue reading “ASU Law School wants cities around the world to use facial recognition”

CBS New York

ST. JAMES, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — A high-tech search for a missing dog led to gunfire on Long Island on Sunday.

Now, a man is under arrest, CBS2’s Hazel Sanchez reported.

Kato Ortiz of Port Jefferson did not give up the search for “Dezi,” an 18-month-old dog he had just placed in a new forever home, after taking care of the pup for about six months. The dog was found late Sunday night.   Continue reading “Long Island Man Arrested For Shooting Down Drone That Looks For Missing Dogs”

Eric Peters Autos – by Peter

Speed cameras are like kudzu – they have to be beaten back every so often.

If, that is, the public has any idea they are about to get mulcted by them.

With almost no notice and even less media coverage, Virginia is on the verge of erecting these automated revenue collectors on its highways. Two companion bills (509 and 917) have already passed the General Assembly and now await the signature of Governor “Coonman” Northam.   Continue reading “Virginia’s Automated Revenue Collectors”

BuzzFeed News – by Caroline O’Donovan

William Blum

Instances of the United States overthrowing, or attempting to overthrow, a foreign government since the Second World War. (* indicates successful ouster of a government)  Continue reading “Overthrowing other people’s governments: The Master List”