Thousands of activists march on Washington to rally against NSA spying
Stop Watching Us rally credit: @johnzangas/Twitter
by Madison Ruppert
Activist Post
October 27, 2013
Thousands of activists joined forces on Saturday to protest the NSA surveillance of both domestic and international targets by marching on Washington, D.C.
This comes shortly after it was revealed that the NSA spied on the phones of 35 world leaders. Furthermore, both France and Mexico have recently responded quite critically to U.S. surveillance in their countries, though Director of National Intelligence James Clapper issued a cleverly worded denial of the reports.
On Saturday, it was also reported that 21 countries are in the process of creating a UN resolution to condemn NSA surveillance.
The march was organized by Stop Watching Us, a coalition of over 100 groups ranging from the ACLU to the Electronic Frontier Foundation to FreedomWorks to Demand Progress to the Council on American-Islamic Relations to Occupy Wall Street and many more.
A statement from Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor responsible for leaking the now famous documents exposing mass collection of phone records and widespread internet surveillance, was read to rally participants.
“Our representatives in Congress tell us this is not surveillance. They’re wrong. Now it’s time for the government to learn from us,” Snowden wrote in the statement read by Jesselyn Radack, national security director for the Government Accountability Project.
Radack gestured in the direction of the Capitol building and said, “We are watching you,” according to USA Today.
“Today, no telephone in America makes a call without leaving a record with the NSA. Today, no Internet transaction enters or leaves America without passing through the NSA’s hands,” Snowden’s statement read, according to the Christian Science Monitor.
Participants carried a wide variety of signs, but all promoted the same goal of an end to mass surveillance.
The rally featured many notable speakers, including Rep. Justin Amash, a Michigan Republican noted for his defense of privacy.
Amash was an early critic of the NSA’s surveillance and has been an ardent opponent of other pieces of legislation he deemed to be a threat to the Constitution.
Dennis Kucinich also spoke at the rally:
Multiple NSA whistleblowers also showed up at the rally, including Russell Tice:
And Thomas Drake:
There were even rallies in Germany to protest the NSA surveillance in their country:
It remains to be seen if the government will react to the rise of negative popular sentiment in response to NSA spying.
Up until this point, it hasn’t seemed to sway the Obama administration, many legislators and government agencies all that much, since, as the Chicago Tribune put it, they “have defended the NSA programs as crucial in protecting U.S. national security and helping thwart past militant plot[s].”
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U.S. Public Schools Now Legally Torturing and Sometimes Even Killing Students — video included
By Shepard Ambellas | October 27, 2013 | 2:52pm EST | Special Report
From “Skin-Shock Therapy” to exclusion rooms, public school systems across the United States are engaging our youth with in torturous and aggressive discipline measures, in some cases ending in the death of a student.
1912 illustration of an inmate in an American prison receiving “the paddle”, a form of torture used for punishment. This was illegal at the time. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
(INTELLIHUB) — In an extremely shocking and sickening report, thankfully brought to us by Brian Ross of Nightline on ABC News, we can clearly see a pattern and push toward a police state trend in America that’s not slowing down anytime soon. Public and private schools around the country are now in the business of torturing students and in some cases like Corey Foster’s mentioned in the report, even killing them in the process all in the name of discipline and safety.[1]
Foster, now dead from cardiac arrest during a failed restraint session after being told to “stop playing basketball”, is just one of many examples of students that have been killed in school discipline procedures.
Although these restraint and torture methods are barbaric, especially for children, surprisingly the methods are not illegal in most states. In fact, only “17 states” have laws limiting such action within the school system.
Experts are split on the use of these techniques, while some say they are good for the children and can even protect them in some cases, others simply are not having it, claiming that children exposed to such techniques become even more violent displaying even more behavioral problems down the line. Although a general consensus amongst the public concludes these methods are not warranted, the government backed indoctrination programs will continue for now.
As a side note, I myself attended the 7th grade in a Pensacola public school in the “sunshine state” of good old Florida, in the “Bible Belt” mind you, and had one encounter myself that I will never forget.
On one hot summer morning during P.E. class I was attacked by a fellow student in the locker room as he came at me full force in a boxing style stance unloading a melee of punches. Out of instinct, I rapidly reacted and defended myself as would anyone in this situation delivering a one kick K.O. to my attacker. After the fight I was taken to the office and I quickly realized it didn’t matter to the school staff that I did not start the fight, I was going to be punished anyways.
To my surprise the school planned to inflict physical pain on me. My discipline was 1-week suspension and what the school refereed to as “ten licks”, meaning I was going to get paddled, and paddled good.
Once I arrived at the school’s Dean’s Office, the staff had me bend over. They made me put my hands on the desk as the Dean proceeded to pull out a 2 foot long wooden paddle about 1–1/2 inches thick waving it around to intimidate me. I was terrified.
The paddle was filled with holes drilled all throughout the paddle’s face so the Dean can gain more speed with each swing, limiting the air resistance before slamming into the victims buttocks. And yes, I was the next victim. Let’s just say the “ten licks” I received that day severely bruised and hurt me beyond any ass beating I have ever received prior to or after for that matter.
Once I arrived at home later that day, my Mom was in shock. She saw the marks on me from the torture the school inflicted and was infuriated. She immediately went down to the school and demanded that someone be held accountable. However, she found out to her surprise, no one cared. In fact, the school staff told her that the torture was “legal” and “approved.
What is wrong with our public school systems? Why should teachers and school staff be able to push the limits of discipline and use these torturous tactics?
Sources:
[1] Death at School: Parents Protest Dangerous Discipline – YouTube.com
Writer Bio:
Shepard Ambellas founder, director and editor-in-chief of Intellihub.com, is a researcher, investigative journalist, radio talk show host, activist, and filmmaker. Follow him on Twitter.
For media inquires, interviews, questions or suggestions for this author, email: shepard@intellihub.com or telephone: (347) 759-6075.
Read more articles by this author here.
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Officer Goes on Dangerous In-Store Rampage…For a Squirrel
by Amanda Warren
Activist Post
October 24, 2013
For the second time in two days I have had the opportunity to write about Dollar General store as the scene of a violent crime. Unlike yesterday’s post where a pastor with a conceal-carry pistol saved the life of the Dollar General store staff and the criminal involved, this second incident involved an officer who was tasked with protecting the public, but instead acted as perpetrator of the crime.
This incident which occurred in Mountain City, TN in late September involved former officer Jody Putnam who felt justified in using deadly force in a crowded store when confronted inside with a vicious…and frightening…squirrel.
Property owner Carl Duffield had tried unsuccessfully to remove the frightened creature from the store and reached out to animal control, but that officer was out – so Putnam, who had no animal control experience or common sense, was dispatched instead.
Rather than find a humane trap, Putnam began immediately firing shots from his gun at the squirrel in the back of the crowded store. When that failed to kill something, he wildly hosed the area with pepper spray.
Duffield said:
Shooting back there, of course that should not have been, that should not have happened. Then [he] began to spray it with mace and pepper spray.
But the spray got on more than just the little squirrel:
There was a lot of people that come out and just like me they came out and they were coughing and a hacking it was comical…but I’m sure they didn’t feel that way, the customers that came out.
Traumatized customers who re-entered the store were most likely further horrified to find the dead squirrel under Putnam’s shoe.
Increasing Data Collection and Surveillance in the North American Homeland
Be Your Own Leader
October 15, 2013
By Dana Gabriel
Some of the corporate interests that are steering the U.S.-Canada Beyond the Border integration agenda are not quite satisfied with its progress so far and they would like the implementation process to be accelerated. The bilateral initiative which was launched almost two years ago promotes a shared vision for perimeter security. It seeks to improve information sharing between security agencies. Under the agreement, both countries are moving towards a coordinated entry/exit system and are developing a harmonized cargo security strategy. In addition, the U.S. and Canada are strengthening integrated cross-border intelligence sharing and law enforcement operations. Canada’s own electronic eavesdropping agency is also working hand and hand with the NSA. They are both increasing data collection and surveillance in the North American Homeland.
Minister of Transport Lisa Raitt gave a speech at the Association of Canadian Port Authorities annual conference in August. She stated that, “Ensuring the security of our transportation systems is key to strengthening the Canada-U.S. trade relationship. To build prosperity through trade, businesses and governments on both sides of our shared border must have confidence that our transportation systems will work together to meet our mutual security needs. That is why Canada and the United States are working closely together to implement the Beyond the Border Action Plan.” While she didn’t reference the Maritime Commerce Resilience Project by name, Raitt acknowledged that the U.S. and Canada are, “developing a joint cross-border approach to help maritime commerce recover faster after a major disruption.” This would include a significant natural disaster or terrorist attack that impacts North America. She also mentioned a pilot program underway at the Port of Prince Rupert which is part of efforts to harmonize the cargo screening process between the U.S. and Canada. Both countries continue to advance this agenda through the Integrated Cargo Security Strategy, a key component of the Beyond the Border deal.
The Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE) is an influential organization that lobbies the government on behalf of Canada’s largest corporations. Throughout the years, they have tirelessly pushed for deeper continental integration. In a letter sent to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, John Manley, President and CEO of the CCCE lays out what some of the Conservative Party’s priorities should be in the next session of parliament. As far as the North American partnership goes, the CCCE called on Canada, the U.S. and Mexico to further strengthen and renew their trilateral relationship. This includes forging a North American energy advantage through projects such as the Keystone XL pipeline which it noted was, “An essential step is the development of a comprehensive strategy to expand and enhance cross-border energy infrastructure.” The CCCE’s letter to Prime Minister Harper also stressed that, “The Canada-U.S. Beyond the Border and Regulatory Cooperation initiatives that you helped launch two years ago hold much promise, although so far tangible benefits have been few and far between.” In other words, big business who have to most to gain from these agreements want to speed up the whole process of North American integration.
At the end of June, the Department of Homeland Security and the Canada Border Services Agency began Phase II of the Entry/Exit System, a commitment of the Beyond the Border action plan. The project builds on Phase I which involved collecting and exchanging biographic information at four selected land border crossings. Phase II has been expanded to include the exchange of biographic entry data collected from third-country nationals and permanent residents of Canada and the U. S. at all common ports of entry. In 2014, they will also start sharing biometric information at the border. Both countries are moving closer to fully implementing a biometric entry and exit data system. They are laying the groundwork for the creation of a North American biometric ID card. The U.S. and Canada are further merging databases and are expanding surveillance and intelligence gathering activities.
On July 12, Montana Democratic Senator Jon Tester chaired the hearing, Protecting our Northern Border: Enhancing Collaboration and Building Local Partnerships. The meeting emphasized how, “Securing such an expansive border requires a multi-faceted approach. In addition to a smart and effective deployment of technology and manpower, we must also be doing everything we can to ensure federal, local, state and Canadian partners are working very closely and collaboratively.” It also described other, “opportunities for collaboration and cost-sharing, including stronger partnerships between agencies, local officials, tribes and the private sector.” Before the hearings took place, Senator Tester talked to the CBC about the prospect of deploying a high-tech cable sensor along the U.S.-Canada border. This would include the installation of the Blue Rose in-ground perimeter defense security system. The low-level surveillance radar is based on fibre optic technology which is used, “to detect sound and vibration transmitted by intruders such as people walking or running and moving vehicles near the sensor.” The increased militarization of the northern border is forcing Canada to further comply with U.S.-style security measures.
A controversial U.S.-Canada cross-border law enforcement initiative which is essentially a land based version of the Shiprider program has been delayed due to legal ramifications. Under the Beyond the Border perimeter security plan, the Next Generation pilot project which would create integrated teams in areas such as intelligence and criminal investigations was scheduled to be launched in the summer of 2012. According to an RCMP memo, the U.S. is demanding that its agents taking part in the bilateral undertaking be exempt from Canadian law. This has raised serious concerns about transparency, accountability and responsibility. It is yet another attempt by the U.S. to chip away at Canadian sovereignty. An article by Michael Harris warned that, “Once you give the U.S a platform to carry weapons and perform investigative duties inside our country, how far will they push the next envelope?” The pilot project is part of the process of further acclimating U.S. policing activities in Canada. As part of a North American security perimeter, both countries continue to expand the nature and scope of joint law enforcement operations, along with intelligence collection and sharing.
An example on how North America is being increasingly viewed a single entity occurred several months back during a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting. California Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein displayed a map that was designed by the National Security Agency (NSA) which showed domestic and global terror activity that it has allegedly helped disrupt. When it came to North America, the diagram identified Canada and Mexico as part of the U.S. Homeland. While the move garnered a lot of speculation, RT pointed out, “Whatever the reason for the NSA’s creation of the Homeland, the spy agency has already been condemned for failing to respect the sovereignty of other nations through its extensive data-collection efforts.” The NSA is also working in close partnership with Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC). An article from Global Research explained that, “the two organizations have integrated personnel—i.e. swap personnel to improve seamless collaboration. They also share Internet surveillance programs.” It went on to say that the NSA, “shares information on Canadians’ communications with Canada’s national security apparatus in exchange for information that CSEC gathers on Americans.”
The never ending war on terrorism is being used to justify the huge police state security apparatus being assembled. This includes the militarization of the northern border and the creation of a North American security perimeter. In the name of national security, there has been a steady erosion of civil liberties and privacy rights in both the U.S. and Canada. Our freedoms are under assault. The amount of information being collected and shared on all aspects of our daily lives has expanded and is being stored in massive databases. Sweeping new surveillance powers targeting terrorists and other criminals are being increasingly turned against those who are critical of government policy. There is a concerted effort to demonize political opponents, activists, protesters and other peaceful groups. We are witnessing the criminalization of dissent where those who oppose the government’s agenda are being labelled as terrorists and a threat to security.
Related articles by Dana Gabriel:
Canada Being Assimilated Into a U.S. Dominated North American Security Perimeter
U.S.-Canada Harmonizing Border Security and Immigration Measures
U.S.-Canada Integrated Cybersecurity Agenda
The Pretext for a North American Homeland Security Perimeter
Dana Gabriel is an activist and independent researcher. He writes about trade, globalization, sovereignty, security, as well as other issues. Contact: beyourownleader@hotmail.com Visit his blog at Be Your Own Leader
MUST SEE — “I Support an Orwellian Police State in America”
Mark Dice
October 21, 2013
Political prankster Mark Dice asks San Diego beach-goers if they’ll sign a petition supporting “the Police State” which includes “Orwellian” and “Nazi-Style” tactics to “keep Americans safe” in this “Brave New World.”
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Check out The Illuminati: Facts & Fiction in paperback on Amazon.com, or e-book on Kindle, iBooks, Nook, or Google Play. http://www.amazon.com/Illuminati-Fact…
Fukushima Spawns New Monster – Gigantic Radioactive Oarfish Discovered Off California Coast
National Report
October 17, 2013
Serious Medical Complications Are Expected For Those Who Came In Contacted With The Mutated Oarfish
<NR>Toxic tides from the failing Fukushima power plant have been brewing up some frighteningly huge creatures off the shores of the Pacific.
Jasmine Santana was snorkeling off the Southern California coast when she noticed something unusual about 15 feet below. It was the lifeless body of a massive eel-like fish measuring almost 18 feet in length. She grabbed the colossal carcass and dragged it to shore where the stench of it’s decomposing bulk drove everyone off the beach.
This didn’t stop a horde of attention thirsty instagram hipsters from posing with the freakishly large decomposing radioactive mutant. They suppressed their urge to vomit long enough to gently cradle the massive putrid animal for a hasty photo shoot.
<NR>Toxic tides from the failing Fukushima power plant have been brewing up some frighteningly huge creatures off the shores of the Pacific.
Jasmine Santana was snorkeling off the Southern California coast when she noticed something unusual about 15 feet below. It was the lifeless body of a massive eel-like fish measuring almost 18 feet in length. She grabbed the colossal carcass and dragged it to shore where the stench of it’s decomposing bulk drove everyone off the beach.
This didn’t stop a horde of attention thirsty instagram hipsters from posing with the freakishly large decomposing radioactive mutant. They suppressed their urge to vomit long enough to gently cradle the massive putrid animal for a hasty photo shoot.
– See more at: http://nationalreport.net/fukushima-spawns-radioactive-oarfish/#sthash.SUij9pNC.dpuf
PN 