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Guantanamo Sued by Canadian Rock Band

By
anonwatcher
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13

The enhanced interrogation procedures implemented against prisoners in Guantanamo that are currently under scrutiny, have drawn more fire from an unexpected Canadian source. Skinny Puppy, a Vancouver, BC band, and who is known for being one of the first to establish the ‘industrialist’ genre of music, is suing the American military for the use of their music during interrogation procedures.

According to a former employee of Guantanamo and who is a fan of the band, informed them that their music was being used to torture prisoners and extend their ‘capture shock’ as a means of gaining information. The employee, Cevin Key, reached out to the band after he decided to write a book about his employment with the institution.

Skinny Puppy has reportedly invoiced the military complex for use of their music to the tune of $666,000. Up until this time, representatives of Guantanamo have denied receiving the invoice and have declined to comment on the use of the band’s music as a device of torture.

 

Related Articles:
List of Songs the CIA Used to Torture Muslim Prisoners
The Playlist Used By The CIA To Torture Detainees

Spain’s New Anti-Protest ‘Gag Law.’

By
anonwatcher
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5

Spain has just introduced a ‘gag law’ to prohibit protestors from taking to the streets. Arguing that the new laws surrounding the rights to protest have been introduced under the guise of public security, opponents are arguing that it will restrict civil liberties.

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The new Citizens Security Law will provide government authorities sweeping powers over the Spanish population. Essentially, any unauthorized protests will incur a fine of up to 600,000 euros if deemed to be outside an essential public building such as a university or hospital. Also employed is an additional 600 euro fine to any individual who shows a lack of respect to any uniformed authorities during a protest, and photographing or filming a police officer can incur up to a 30,000 euro fine. It also incurs harsh penalties for using specific hashtags on Twitter. If in the event the person fined is unable to pay the penalty, seizure of assets, including your house, will occur without a day in court unless you want to contest the seizure. [1]

The conflicting introduction of these new laws has not only created waves in the international community but it is also reminiscent of Franco’s regime that lasted until his death in 1975 and a law he introduced called the Law of Public Order. Franco’s dictatorial regime started with a coup that saw the rise of the Spanish Civil War. Coming from a military background, it was Franco who rose quickly to power, gaining support in the early years from Hitler and Mussolini. It is estimated that he could have been responsible for up to 400,000 deaths over his reign until his death, when Juan Carlos I succeeded him and transitioned Spain into a democracy. SpainNewLaw-660x372

The growing number of strikes and demonstrations in recent times against the austerity programs, massive recession and high unemployment rates have launched a new political party that seemingly overnight has grown from a fringe party to a potential contender for mass representation of the people. It also appears to be the main instigator to the new laws that Amnesty International, police unions, amongst others, have rejected, in order to quash a political party that could change the face of Spain and represent the underdog of Spain. [2]

In the words of Nurra (2014), if you live in Spain and the only thing you attend is a bull fight, you have nothing to worry about.

[1] Nurra, M. (2014, 20 December) Spain will soon approve the most repressive anti-protest law in Europe http://www.valigiablu.it/anti-protest-law-spain/ (Retrieved 2014, 22 December)

[2] Reguly, E. (2014, 5 November) From fringe to spotlight: European austerity breeds radical politics http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-business/out-of-the-fringe-and-into-the-spotlight-european-austerity-breeds-radical-politics/article21462957/ (Retrieved 2014, 22 December)

Mother Seeks Conviction For 12 Year Old Tamir’s Death

By
anonwatcher
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1

The mother of fatally wounded boy, Tamir Rice is seeking a conviction of the Cleveland Police Officer responsible for the shooting. Tamir Rice, a 12 year old boy was fatally shot down within 2 seconds of the Police Squad Car arriving, and later found to be in possession of a toy gun.

The Police Officer in question had resigned from the Independent Police in 2012, with files following him, stating his immaturity and inability to handle stressful situations, particularly when handling a firearm. The files go on to note his inability to follow commands, especially during firearms training on the range.

Loehmann, the Police Officer who fired the fatal shots at Tamir Rice, joined the Cleveland Police Department in March 2014. The Cleveland Police Department have recently admitted that they were unaware of the reports files against Loehmann by the Independent Police pertaining to his inability to follow direction or cope with stressful situations.

Tamir Rice has been described as a bright child good at sport and who helped at his local recreation center where he was shot.

The family’s attorney, Tim Kucharski issued during a statement while representing the family, that the ‘Police officers are supposed to deescalate not escalate situations.’

Cops Hate New Android & Apple Phones

By
Tiobe
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12

Written by: Tiobe

 

Perhaps the best accidental endorsement of security with Apple’s iOS 8 and Android’s Lollipop operating system are statements made by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) disparaging the level of encryption.

“What concerns me about this is companies marketing something expressly to allow people to place themselves beyond the law,” FBI Director James Comey told reporters last September. “I like and believe very much that we should have to obtain a warrant from an independent judge to be able to take the content of anyone’s closet or their smart phone. The notion that someone would market a closet that could never be opened — even if it involves a case involving a child kidnapper and a court order — to me does not make any sense.”

Comey’s comments were in direct response to Apple changing the encryption of its new operating system to make users’ personal data impossible to retrieve, even if served with a warrant. Google quickly followed suit with its latest Android platform.

Apple and Google are likely acting in response to pressure from consumers, and it is very possible consumers differ from Comey on the definition of “independent court.”

Earlier this year, Yahoo, Inc. released thousand of pages of previously classified documents to the public from a 2007-2008 court case with the National Security Agency (NSA). The NSA requested Yahoo hand over user data, and when Yahoo refused, the NSA took the case before the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC), a secret court made up of 11 federal district judges and no obligation for public disclosure. FISC ruled Yahoo was legally obligated to comply with the NSA demand, and when Yahoo appealed this decision, it was faced with fines to the tune of $250,000 per day initially and set to double weekly. At that rate, Yahoo would have been insolvent in less than 100 days, and thus was forced to comply with NSA’s demands.

The case led to rumors that Apple had a “back door” in its operating system that allowed agencies like the FBI and NSA to retrieve user data at will.

“None of that is true, zero. We would never allow that to happen. They would have to cart us out in a box before we would do that,” responded Apple CEO Tim Cook. “I think people have a right to privacy.”

Cook’s sentiment might be noble, echoed by Apple consumers, and protected legally by the U.S. Constitution before the advent of the U.S. Patriot Act of 2001, but for the FBI, tasked with catching terrorists and pedophiles, it might go “too far.”

“I get that the post-Snowden world has started an understandable pendulum swing. What I’m worried about is, this is an indication to us as a country and as a people that, boy, maybe that pendulum swung too far,” Comey stated.

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Sources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/25/james-comey-apple-encryption_n_5882874.html

http://www.latesthackingnews.com/2014/11/20/police-hate-new-apple-google-smartphones/

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/09/15/apples-cook-your-data-is-not-our-business/

 

Fox News Host on CIA Torture Report: America is Awesome

By
Vandita
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5

Written by: Vandita

 

In the December 9 edition of Outnumbered, Fox News host Andrea Tantaros in reference to a recent release of the Senate Intelligence Committee’s report detailing CIA torture of terrorism suspects during the Bush administration, claimed that the country is “awesome” and the torture report need not be transparent as it only tries to ruin America’s awesomeness.

“The United States of America is awesome. We are awesome. But we’ve had this discussion. We’ve closed the book on it, and we stopped doing it,” Tantaros said. “The reason they want the discussion is not to show how awesome we are. This administration wants to have this discussion to show us how we’re not awesome. They don’t like this country, they want us to look bad and all this does is, have our enemies laughing at us that we are having this debate again.”

Tantaros labelled the torture discussion sparked by the report’s release a Democratic distraction from “Gruber or health care or the IRS”.

“The Bush administration did what the American public wanted, and that was do whatever it takes to keep us safe. These terror tactics have been stopped because as a country we decided we are better than this,” Tantaros said. “It’s not about democracy now. No, no. It’s about politics. It’s about Democrats being so lost as a party … that they turn to an old playbook.”

The rant implies what the CIA agents did was heroic and that they are guilty, if they are, only for a few minor, forgivable excesses as they were protecting America’s freedom.

Fox News response is simply – idiotic & laughable.

The torture report details the horrifying and illegal tactics used by CIA that resulted in little actionable intelligence…

The above is plain TRUTH and the below is a grand LIE…

Senator John McCain (Republican), who was tortured by North Vietnamese guerrillas after being shot down over the country in 1967, angrily railed against the abuses detailed in the report in a powerful speech. Watch him trash the arguments that America is less safe after having released the torture report…

This is not a partisan issue. But Republicans insist the report is meant to embarrass former President George Bush. Former Bush administration spokeswoman Nicole Wallace told Morning Joe she didn’t care about what tactics the CIA used, claiming the “notion that this somehow makes America less great is asinine and dangerous.”

Fox News’ Tantaros inadvertently exposed how insensible all these arguments are by reducing it to an ignorant chant.

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Source:

http://mic.com/articles/106118/fox-news-host-has-total-team-america-style-meltdown-over-cia-torture-report?utm_source=policymicFB&utm_medium=main&utm_campaign=social

 

 

 

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