Saturday, May 18, 2013
House Judiciary Committee drone hearing: one step closer to legislation restricting drone use
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| Chris Calabrese of the ACLU delivers his testimony |
Activist Post
The House Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing yesterday examining the privacy implications of allowing aerial drones into domestic airspace, setting the stage for potential legislation restricting the use of drones.
While drones are already used across the U.S. by more entities than we know, by 2015 the airspace will be opened up to much more widespread use. That said, local law enforcement agencies, Customs and Border Protection, National Guard units, U.S. Marshals, the military, private entities, colleges and many more have already flown or are planning to fly drones domestically.
During the hearing, the participants referred to H.R. 637 introduced by Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas). Poe previously said that the Judiciary Committee could move to limit drone use and that it is looking increasingly likely.
Dr. Andrew Wakefield’s Candid Remarks about the MMR Vaccine
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| image source |
Activist Post
In the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson, and adopted by the British colonies in 1776, a clause appears that lays down a gauntlet of sorts, i.e., “when in the course of human events it becomes necessary…” Well, it seems that Dr. Andrew Wakefield has arrived at necessary crossroads and has issued challenges to British health authorities regarding the facts surrounding the MMR vaccine.
In Wakefield’s most recent video, he discusses how sentinel cases of autism were reported—as documented by Freedom of Information filings—long before he became aware of the situation or even before he co-authored The Lancet article that ‘attack dog journalist’ Brian Deer worked so diligently to have retracted, thereby disgracing Dr. Wakefield for reporting observations that were suspect with the MMR vaccine.
As a result of the British medical establishment’s apparent collusion to protect all vaccine programs, a course of action was taken to disenfranchise Dr. Wakefield; make him an exemplary professional scapegoat; but do nothing to prevent serious adverse vaccine events from occurring to infants, toddlers, and children.
Washington Signals Dollar Deep Concerns
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| Dees Illustration |
Activist Post
Over the past month there has been a statistically improbable concurrence of events that can only be explained as a conspiracy to protect the dollar from the Federal Reserve’s policy of Quantitative Easing (QE).
Quantitative Easing is the term given to the Federal Reserve’s policy of printing 1,000 billion new dollars annually in order to finance the US budget deficit by purchasing US Treasury bonds and to keep the prices high of debt-related derivatives on the “banks too big to fail” (BTBF) balance sheets by purchasing mortgage-backed derivatives. Without QE, interest rates would be much higher, and values on the banks’ balance sheets would be much lower.
Quantitative Easing has been underway since December 2008. During these 54 months, the Federal Reserve has created several trillion new dollars with which the Fed has monetized the same amount of debt.
One result of this policy is that most real US interest rates are negative. Another result is that the supply of dollars has outstripped the world’s demand for dollars.
These two results are the reason that the Federal Reserve’s policy of printing money with which to purchase Treasury bonds and mortgage backed derivatives threatens the dollar’s exchange value and, thus, the dollar’s role as world reserve currency.
Why Obama Will Survive the Equivalent of Five “Watergate Scandals”
Dave HodgesActivist Post
Mark Twain once talked about history not necessarily repeating, but he noted that history sure does rhyme.
Richard Nixon was unable to survive one direct hit upon his administration, namely, the Watergate scandal. Conversely, Obama is facing five scandals which dwarf Watergate in terms of criminality, abuse of power, malfeasance of office and outright treason.
The damage inflicted upon the American people by the criminal syndicate occupying the White House is unparalleled in American history. Yet, Obama is going to survive and this article will describe how Obama is this century’s version of the famous escape artist, Houdini.
IRS Scandal Headlines: More Than Meets the Eye
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| Dees Illustration |
Activist Post
More than targeting political enemies is involved. More on than below. The practice is longstanding. Republican and Democrat administrations use the IRS abusively.
During the Coolidge administration, Republican Senator James Couzens investigated the IRS' predecessor - the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).
Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon sued him. University of Virginia Law Professor George Yin called doing so the "greatest tax suit in the history of the world." At issue was political intrigue, backstabbing, and unintended consequences.
Franklin Roosevelt targeted William Randolph Hearst, Louisiana Governor Huey Long, and anti-administration critic/popular radio host Father John Coughlin. IRS officials investigated their finances.
In the 1940s and 1950s, hundreds of IRS employees were sacked and/or indicted for involvement in widespread corruption and bribery.
Friday, May 17, 2013
US Suspends Constitution in Permanent World War on Terror
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| Dees Illustration |
Activist Post
Two disturbing developments have occurred in the last couple of days that have gone relatively unnoticed compared to the recent IRS, AP, and Benghazi scandals.
First, the senate is debating an expansion of the already broad powers of the 2001 Authorization to Use Military Force (AUMF) so the U.S. can essentially engage any area in the world in the war on terror, including America. Which brings us to the second development: the Pentagon has recently granted itself police powers on American soil.
Assistant Secretary of Defense Michael Sheehan told Congress yesterday that the AUMF authorized the US military to operate on a worldwide battlefield from Boston to Pakistan. Sheehan emphasized that the Administration is authorized to put boots on the ground wherever the enemy chooses to base themselves, essentially ignoring the declaration of war clause in the US Constitution.
Cloned Beef: A Rockefeller Story
Does anybody really know what’s for dinner? What interests are creating these brave new foods, anyway?
Aaron Dykes and Melissa Melton
Activist Post
A dangerous trend is cementing into place, where GMO foods, aspartame added to milk and cloned meat can all enter the marketplace without being labeled — or even officially announced — to the public.
And while a major controversy has erupted over labeling genetically modified food staples, commonly mixed in with a wide array of foods, we are told that cloned beef may not even be identifiable or distinguishable, and may already be in our food supply.
Are we eating cloned meat? (Ask Rockefeller)
The FDA gave assurances in 2008 that it is totally safe; but if any risks are identified, how will the public even know what’s on the end of its fork? The FDA lifted what was already only a “voluntary” ban on these cloned meats, so it may well have already entered the market — unlabeled.
Aaron Dykes and Melissa Melton
Activist Post
A dangerous trend is cementing into place, where GMO foods, aspartame added to milk and cloned meat can all enter the marketplace without being labeled — or even officially announced — to the public.
And while a major controversy has erupted over labeling genetically modified food staples, commonly mixed in with a wide array of foods, we are told that cloned beef may not even be identifiable or distinguishable, and may already be in our food supply.
Are we eating cloned meat? (Ask Rockefeller)
The FDA gave assurances in 2008 that it is totally safe; but if any risks are identified, how will the public even know what’s on the end of its fork? The FDA lifted what was already only a “voluntary” ban on these cloned meats, so it may well have already entered the market — unlabeled.
California Bill to Make Bribery Legal for UC Officials Passes Through Committee
Alec Sheer
Activist Post
As children, and throughout our duration in grade school, we have all been taught that bribery is not ethical, nor legal.
California, however, a state known for its eccentric lifestyle and political affairs, will be adding to its unique notoriety if its legislature chooses to pass Assembly bill (A.B.) 173.
This is a bill that exempts University of California officials and contractors from four statutes in the CA public contract code: Sections 10522, 10523, 10524, and 10525. The text of these sections read as follows:
Section 10522: “Any officer or employee of the University of California who corruptly performs any official act under this chapter to the injury of the university is guilty of a felony.”
As children, and throughout our duration in grade school, we have all been taught that bribery is not ethical, nor legal.
California, however, a state known for its eccentric lifestyle and political affairs, will be adding to its unique notoriety if its legislature chooses to pass Assembly bill (A.B.) 173.
This is a bill that exempts University of California officials and contractors from four statutes in the CA public contract code: Sections 10522, 10523, 10524, and 10525. The text of these sections read as follows:
Section 10522: “Any officer or employee of the University of California who corruptly performs any official act under this chapter to the injury of the university is guilty of a felony.”
Activists Help Farmer Who Owes Over $80K After Losing Monsanto Patent Case
Heather Callaghan
Activist Post
You may have heard of 76-year-old Vernon Hugh Bowman from Indiana who tenaciously took on Monsanto all the way to the Supreme Court over a patent infringement claim.
Since the Supreme Court upheld Monsanto's end the other day, Bowman now owes $84,456 to the multi-billion GMO giant Monsanto. It was a landmark case with currently unknown implications, especially for farmers whose fields are unwittingly contaminated with patented Monsanto seeds. You can read more details on the case here.
According to a fund-raising effort created by Garret John LoPorto, Bowman barely has enough to make ends meet, using run-down tractors and having tried using second-hand seeds from granaries.
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| Image: nickbuxton/Flickr |
You may have heard of 76-year-old Vernon Hugh Bowman from Indiana who tenaciously took on Monsanto all the way to the Supreme Court over a patent infringement claim.
Since the Supreme Court upheld Monsanto's end the other day, Bowman now owes $84,456 to the multi-billion GMO giant Monsanto. It was a landmark case with currently unknown implications, especially for farmers whose fields are unwittingly contaminated with patented Monsanto seeds. You can read more details on the case here.
According to a fund-raising effort created by Garret John LoPorto, Bowman barely has enough to make ends meet, using run-down tractors and having tried using second-hand seeds from granaries.
Porton Down's Legacy of Death: Inquest to take place shortly concerning death of scientist
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| image source |
Activist Post
In April of 2012, Dr. Richard Holmes took a stroll in the woods in Wiltshire, England. His body was found two days later.
Holmes is one of several Porton Down scientists who have died under questionable circumstances. The death in November 2001 of Vladimir Pasechnik was ruled to be a stroke, although co-workers stated that Pasechnik was in good health. Vladimir Pasechnik was a Russian defector who first alerted the West to the extensive clandestine research into biological warfare taking place within the Soviet Union.
His death was, oddly, belatedly announced by Dr. Christopher Davis of Virginia. Davis was the member of British intelligence who debriefed Dr. Pasechnik at the time of his defection. The announcement of Pasechnik's death did not come in England until a month after he died. Interestingly, Pasechnik was also debriefed by a Dr. David Kelly, head of microbiology at Porton Down, which is England's top secret chemical, biological and nuclear laboratory.
Humans Fully Outsourced to Robots by 2045?
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| image source |
Activist Post
Discussion of the "Singularity" -- the moment when computer intelligence surpasses that of humans to such an extent that humans become practically redundant -- has been gaining steam across the media spectrum. Ray Kurzweil pointed to 2045 as the date of this tipping point, after which anyone unprepared for merging with machines would likely face a very unproductive personal future.
With the rise of automation, a background debate echoes the idea of full spectrum human-machine integration. For those who might overlook the full theoretical endgame of the Singularity, including transhumanism and immortality, the economic singularity is showing itself already.
The outsourcing of human jobs as a side effect of globalization has arguably contributed to the current unemployment crisis in the United States. However, a growing trend sees humans done away with altogether, even in those countries where U.S. jobs have landed, as a fully robotic workforce takes over - curiously by the same singularity date of 2045 - according to professor Moshe Vardi, a Rice University computer science professor.
So what does this mean for the future of human relevance?
Robo Raven: New 3D-Printed Drone Mimics Nature
Nicholas West
Activist Post
The march toward developing drones that mimic nature continues unabated. Robobee has received a lot of attention lately for taking flight as a possible replacement pollinator for the declining natural bee population, while also offering the dual-use swarm surveillance and weapons' capabilities sought after by the military.
The latest drone to come out of development utilizes 3D-printed components to produce a first of its kind: independently flapping wings. So effective is its mimicry, that product developers documented Robo Raven being attacked by a real hawk in the promo video below from Maryland Robotics Center:
It is the independently flapping wings enabled by 3D fabrication of its overall structure that offer this stunning level of drone evolution:
Activist Post
The march toward developing drones that mimic nature continues unabated. Robobee has received a lot of attention lately for taking flight as a possible replacement pollinator for the declining natural bee population, while also offering the dual-use swarm surveillance and weapons' capabilities sought after by the military.
The latest drone to come out of development utilizes 3D-printed components to produce a first of its kind: independently flapping wings. So effective is its mimicry, that product developers documented Robo Raven being attacked by a real hawk in the promo video below from Maryland Robotics Center:
It is the independently flapping wings enabled by 3D fabrication of its overall structure that offer this stunning level of drone evolution:
There is WHAT in your Bug Out Bag?
Gaye LevyActivist Post
Finding practical uses for ordinary items has always been a hobby of mine. It all started when I had my first apartment way back when and I used toothpaste to patch up nail holes left in the wall as I was hanging posters using the trial and error method. After that, there was no looking back. I was hooked on using household items in unusual ways.
It has been my experience that most preppers have this same penchant for wanting to use ordinary items for extraordinary purposes. Myself? I feel pretty clever in this regard. But today I have to tell you, Above Average Joe has me beat. Who would have thought that pantyhose could be put to practical use in a bug out bag?
Read on from Above Average Joe:
My BOB Has A Secret…And It Isn’t Pretty.
New Gun Tech to Make "Smart" Shooters
Activist Post
Austin, Texas has emerged as the premier site for advanced gun tech. Defense Distributed has now famously tested its fully 3D-printed handgun there (and had the blueprints subsequently restricted by the State Department), and Austin has been the chosen site for testing for a new "smart" rifle that is already drawing the type of attention to suggest that it, too, will cause an uproar. It is being billed as "the world's first precision guided firearm."
Utilizing a color graphics display, digital optics, laser targeting, and an autonomous system of computer algorithms to judge the perfect shot, years of practice are reduced to pulling the trigger and letting the gun hit the target from an expert-level distance. As an added bonus, a Wi-Fi transmitter can stream your shot to social media. "It's like a video game." (Source)
The gun is called TrackingPoint and will go on sale Wednesday for upwards of $22,000 per unit. Aside from some of the criticism from hunters that this is essentially like a golf club that could be programmed to hit a hole-in-one, others cite the ease that this could fall into the hands of terrorists. Additionally, it is worth mentioning that the "smart" element of this technology is on the docket to be applied in a very different way. Please read this key article by Julie Beal that outlines the problem-reaction-solution scenario that could erupt from the introduction of this technology.
Read other articles by Activist Post Here
Austin, Texas has emerged as the premier site for advanced gun tech. Defense Distributed has now famously tested its fully 3D-printed handgun there (and had the blueprints subsequently restricted by the State Department), and Austin has been the chosen site for testing for a new "smart" rifle that is already drawing the type of attention to suggest that it, too, will cause an uproar. It is being billed as "the world's first precision guided firearm."
Utilizing a color graphics display, digital optics, laser targeting, and an autonomous system of computer algorithms to judge the perfect shot, years of practice are reduced to pulling the trigger and letting the gun hit the target from an expert-level distance. As an added bonus, a Wi-Fi transmitter can stream your shot to social media. "It's like a video game." (Source)
The gun is called TrackingPoint and will go on sale Wednesday for upwards of $22,000 per unit. Aside from some of the criticism from hunters that this is essentially like a golf club that could be programmed to hit a hole-in-one, others cite the ease that this could fall into the hands of terrorists. Additionally, it is worth mentioning that the "smart" element of this technology is on the docket to be applied in a very different way. Please read this key article by Julie Beal that outlines the problem-reaction-solution scenario that could erupt from the introduction of this technology.
Read other articles by Activist Post Here
Stop and Frisk: NYPD Racial Profiling
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| image source |
Activist Post
The Fourth Amendment states:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.In other words, constitutional law requires reasonable suspicion that a crime has been, is being, or will be committed to justify stopping and frisking a suspect.
New York State Criminal Procedure Law, section 140.50, authorizes stop and frisk. It's based on the 1968 Supreme Court's Terry v. Ohio ruling.
Can Chinese Herbal Medicine Treat Cancer? The Research Says Yes
Case Adams
Activist Post
A large scale review of research by Australia and Chinese University scientists has proved with thousands of studies using hundreds of thousands of cancer patients that Chinese herbal medicine offers significant treatment for most types of cancers - including breast cancer.
The research comes from Australia's University of Western Sydney and the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. The researchers analyzed and reviewed 2,964 human clinical studies that involved 253,434 cancer patients. Among these were 2,385 randomized controlled studies and 579 non-randomized controlled studies.
These studies covered most of the cancer types, but the cancers most studied were lung cancer, liver cancer, stomach cancer, breast cancer, esophageal cancer, colorectal cancer and nasopharyngeal (throat and sinus) cancer. Yes, breast cancer was the fourth most-studied type of cancer among these thousands of clinical studies.
The researchers discovered that the overwhelming majority of studies – 90% of the clinical studies - utilized herbal medicine.
A large scale review of research by Australia and Chinese University scientists has proved with thousands of studies using hundreds of thousands of cancer patients that Chinese herbal medicine offers significant treatment for most types of cancers - including breast cancer.
The research comes from Australia's University of Western Sydney and the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. The researchers analyzed and reviewed 2,964 human clinical studies that involved 253,434 cancer patients. Among these were 2,385 randomized controlled studies and 579 non-randomized controlled studies.
These studies covered most of the cancer types, but the cancers most studied were lung cancer, liver cancer, stomach cancer, breast cancer, esophageal cancer, colorectal cancer and nasopharyngeal (throat and sinus) cancer. Yes, breast cancer was the fourth most-studied type of cancer among these thousands of clinical studies.
The researchers discovered that the overwhelming majority of studies – 90% of the clinical studies - utilized herbal medicine.
Some of the Sheep Are No Longer Asleep
Dave HodgesActivist Post
The world is finally beginning to wake up to the global tyranny that is threatening all of humanity. In the past two months I have heard from people that I have not heard from or seen for 10-20 years. I have heard from former players, students, friends and neighbors.
Several people contacting out of my distant past may not sound significant, but I had zero expectation of hearing from any of these people again. And all of the contacts were motivated by their concern for the decimation of our Republic and my work towards reversing the trend curve.
Sometimes as I pound away at my keyboard in the middle of the night, I wonder if I am making a difference with regard to awakening the multitude of sheep in this country. Frequently, I have wondered if any of us are making a real difference. Yet, I have met so many gifted morally upstanding people in our Patriot movement. The majority of the people in the alternative media, too many to mention, have talent, charisma, intelligence, education, a love of God and country and are only motivated by the desire to live in a society which is governed by people who want to help their fellow man, not to enslave them.
I am very gratified to say that my personal barometer says that after a long battle, the journalists in the truthful media are beginning to reach a critical mass of influence.
Sen. Jeff Merkley reportedly planning to push amendment repealing ‘Monsanto Protection Act’
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| Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) |
Activist Post
According to a report, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) is planning on proposing an amendment to the upcoming farm bill repealing the rider known as the “Monsanto Protection Act.”
The rider quietly attached to the Agricultural Appropriations Bill for 2013 resulted in a great deal of public outrage, leading to an apology from Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.). Now it seems Sen. Merkley is trying to reverse the legislation after the massive outcry.
The “Monsanto Protection Act” is incredibly controversial because it allows Monsanto and similar companies to sell genetically engineered seeds even if a court order is issued to stop it.
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