Jon Rappoport

(Part 1: here)

Note to readers: the people in charge of, yes, running the future are counting on a populace who can’t think beyond a few weeks or months. That’s their ace in the hole. The long-term future must always seem blurry and vague—and a waste of time to consider. Why? It’s obvious. The people in charge are always building the long-term future, brick by brick, and if very few citizens can grasp what it looks like, how can they object or resist or sound an alarm?   Continue reading “The op: unelected agents now infiltrating ‘critical infrastructures’ Jan 9”

MassPrivateI

Say goodbye to privacy and hello to Big Brother, soon every home appliance you purchase will spy on us. The list of home appliances that use Amazon’s Alexa, Google Home, Samsung’s ‘SmartThings hub‘ and Amazon’s Fire TV is growing at a disturbing pace.

Private companies are using our refrigerator, dishwasher, oven, toaster, water heater, air conditioner, ceiling fan, washer and dryer, electrical outlets, light bulbs and lamps to spy on us inside our homes.
(LG’s ‘Instaview‘ refrigerators have Alexa installed in them.)   Continue reading “Amazon & Microsoft use appliances and toys to spy on families worldwide”

Reason – by C.J. Ciaramella

It was the first time in Mississippi defense attorney Richard Rehfeldt’s long career that he can remember where police seized a client’s furniture.

In 2012, Rehfeldt says the Hind County Sheriff’s Office raided his client’s apartment on suspicion her boyfriend was a drug dealer. Anything purchased with drug proceeds is fair game to be seized by police under civil asset forfeiture laws, and they determined the boyfriend had furnished the apartment, so off went her TV, her table and chairs, her couch, her lamps, and even the pictures on the wall.
Continue reading “Inside Mississippi’s Asset Forfeiture Extortion Racket”

Huffington Post – by Mary Papenfuss

Just when you thought ethics standards couldn’t get much worse on Capitol Hill… It’s emerged that the House GOP quietly changed a rule last week to allow members to keep their records hidden from ethics or criminal investigations.

The tweak allows politicians to conceal any information members produce — even suspicious expenditures and budgets — if the Office of Congressional Ethics or the Department of Justice investigates them for criminal activity, the Center for Responsive Politics reports.

Continue reading “Congress Quietly Passes New Rule Allowing House Members To Hide Records From Ethics Probes”

USA Today – by Igor Volsky and Mark Glaze

Federal investigators allege that in November, an “agitated and incoherent” Esteban Santiago walked into an FBI office and complained that “his mind was being controlled by a U.S. intelligence agency.” The FBI turned over the case to local authorities and Santiago underwent a mental health evaluation, as he complained of hearing voices and having visions. Earlier in the year, he had been arrested for displaying violent behavior toward his girlfriend and charged with breaking down a door to get to her, smacking her and strangling her.

It appears that none of this prevented him from legally owning a firearm in the United States of America or transporting it on an airplane.    Continue reading “Propaganda Alert: After Fort Lauderdale, go after the guns”

Click on Detroit – by Shawn Lee

ROSEVILLE, Mich. – A Roseville man took to Facebook to insult an officer who gave him a ticket for warming up his car in his own driveway.

“Every person warms up their car,” Nick Taylor said. “We live in Michigan!”    Continue reading “Roseville man criticizes officer who gave him ticket for warming up car in own driveway”

The College Fix – by Kate Hardiman

The Student Coalition for Progress at the University of Wisconsin-Madison recently pushed a petition that alleged University of Wisconsin Madison’s Young Americans for Freedom chapter is a hate group and its members and efforts “create a hostile environment on campus.”

Young Americans for Freedom is a conservative student organization that aims to promote free market economics and Reaganesque principles.   Continue reading “UW-Madison’s Young Americans for Freedom labeled hate group”

Tampa Bay Creative Loafing – by Kate Bradshaw

Temperatures were dipping into unfriendly territory Saturday afternoon as sports fans flocked to the events at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park.

At nearby Lykes Gaslight Park, members of Tampa’s homeless community were gathered for hot coffee and bagels, courtesy of the group Food Not Bombs.

There were no altercations, no illicit substances, no bad behavior—unless you count that, according to the City of Tampa, that coffee and bagels were illegal.
Continue reading “In Tampa, Food Not Bombs activists arrested for feeding the homeless—again”

Jon Rappoport

On a scale of importance from 1 to 10, with 10 being the most important, this breaking development is a 500.

On Friday, the traditional day of the week for quietly releasing big news that will hopefully be ignored by the public—and also obscured by the Fort Lauderdale Airport shooting—the chief of Homeland Security announced that his office will be taking over US elections.   Continue reading “This Is A Coup: The Homeland Security Takeover Of US Elections”

AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — Citing increasingly sophisticated cyber bad actors and an election infrastructure that’s “vital to our national interests,” Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson is designating U.S. election systems critical infrastructure, a move that provides more federal help for state and local governments to keep their election systems safe from tampering.

“Given the vital role elections play in this country, it is clear that certain systems and assets of election infrastructure meet the definition of critical infrastructure, in fact and in law,” Johnson said in a statement Friday. He added: “Particularly in these times, this designation is simply the right and obvious thing to do.”   Continue reading “State election systems to get more federal aid for security”

Can you say Denver Broncos, This shit a maddening!

WKYT

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – Fayette County school leaders announced Tuesday night that the mascot of the new Frederick Douglass High School will no longer be the Stallions.

The mascot and colors for the new school, which is under construction off Winchester Road, were unveiled Monday.   Continue reading “High school ditches ‘Stallion’ mascot because it’s … ‘sexist’”

Gothamist – by Gaby Del Valle

Citing passenger safety and a need to combat driver fatigue, the city has proposed new rules that would require Uber and similar companies to share passenger pickup and drop-off data—but the ride-hailing company says these regulations could endanger its passengers, and is seeking to enlist them in its latest battle with the city.

On Wednesday, NYC-based Uber customers received an email with the subject line “The government wants to know where you’re headed … on every ride” that encouraged them to tweet at the Taxi and Limousine Commission using the hashtag #TLCDontTrackMe.   Continue reading “Citing Privacy Concerns, Uber Fights City’s Plan To Track Drivers’ Trips”

BBC News – by Zoe Kleinman

Beauty giant L’Oreal has unveiled a smart hairbrush packed with sensors to help consumers improve their brushing technique.

The Hair Coach, which will retail at just under $200 (£160), contains a microphone, gyroscope and accelerometer among other sensors.   Continue reading “CES 2017: Smart hairbrush listens for breaking hair”

MassPrivateI

Illinois wants hair stylists, barbers, cosmetologists, estheticians, hair braiders and nail technicians to identify domestic abuse victims by spying on their customers.

According to an article in the Chicago Tribune, a new Illinois law will force hair stylists, barbers, cosmetologists, nail technicians etc., to report domestic violence by taking advantage of their trusted relationship between their clients.   Continue reading “Hair stylists, barbers, nail technicians etc., forced to spy on customers”

Legal News Line – by Jessica Karmasek

WILMINGTON, Del. (Legal Newsline) – A public-interest law firm that represents class members against unfair class action procedures and settlements has filed an objection to a $5.5 million settlement with Google Inc. over allegations that the search engine giant circumvented web browser privacy settings.

The Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Center for Class Action Fairness filed its objection in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware late last month.   Continue reading “Public-interest firm calls $5.5 million settlement with Google over privacy settings ‘unacceptable’”

My AJC – by Jeremy Redmond

In a stunning decision that alters the immigration debate in Georgia, a Fulton County judge has ruled the state must permit residents who have been granted a special reprieve from deportation by the Obama administration to pay in-state tuition at state colleges and universities.

Released Tuesday, the ruling by Fulton Superior Court Chief Judge Gail Tusan says the state has improperly refused to extend in-state tuition to this group, which the federal government has declared “legally present” in this country.   Continue reading “Judge orders in-state tuition for some immigrants in Georgia”

Tenth Amendment Center – by Michael Boldin

CONCORD, N.H. (Dec. 28, 2016) – A bill prefiled in the New Hampshire State House for 2017 would require state courts to fully inform jurors of their right to nullify.

House Bill 133 (HB133) would require courts to “inform the jury of its right to judge the facts and the application of the law in relation to the facts in controversy.” An unusually short and concise bill by modern standards, it reads, in part:   Continue reading “New Hampshire Bill Would Require Courts to Inform Juries of Their Right to Nullify”

Town Hall – by Leah Barkoukis

Death sentences for apostasy, arbitrary detentions, extrajudicial killings, and systematic suppression of free speech are just some of the qualifications the countries elected by the United Nations to serve on its 2017 Human Rights Council have.

The Human Rights Council, mind you, is supposed to “uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights,” according to its mandate. Thus, one would think Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, China, Iraq, Cuba, Qatar, Burundi, and Bangladesh probably shouldn’t be members.   Continue reading “The List of Countries on the UN’s 2017 Human Rights Council Is Unreal”