2014: March - June Political Notes - Ric

Each political note has its own anchor in case you want to link to it.

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30 June 2014 (A new scheme for voting)
A new scheme for voting on levels resource usage encourages people to vote what they think is good for society.
30 June 2014 (Green Party candidate facing felony charges)
A Green Party candidate and community organizer in the US is facing felony charges that seem to be fabricated by political opponents.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
30 June 2014 (Thugs' latest excuse for operating military weapons)
US thugs' latest excuse for operating military weapons: hypothetical violent attacks by combat veterans.
US combat veterans received horrible treatment while dishing out horrible treatment to the inhabitants of some other country. Some of them are psychologically wounded, but only a handful have expressed this in the sort of violence that the thugs imagine an excuse. The US could handle that problem with perhaps 6 regional SWAT teams, all of which would spend most of their time waiting for a call.
30 June 2014 (Biometrics Nightmare)
Biometrics Nightmare: Coming to a Street Corner Near You.
30 June 2014 (Investments in danger due to global heating)
A study shows in detail that investments are in great danger due to global heating.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
Of course, this had to be true; as global heating degrades ecosystems, it will undermine many industries.
30 June 2014 (Refugees that were trying to reach Australia)
The Australian government refuses to say what it is doing to the people on two boats of refugees that were trying to reach Australia.
30 June 2014 (Australian government hurrying complex changes)
The Australian government is trying to hurry complex changes in support for poor and disabled people.
I suppose that the real aim of these changes is dooH niboR, the complexity is meant to disguise and distract, and the haste is so people can't get to the bottom of things in time to demonstrate this clearly.
30 June 2014 (Fired for mentioning Mohammed had sex with his 9-year-old wife)
A radio show host was fired for mentioning that Mohammed had sex with his 9-year-old wife (Aisha), which by today's usual standards would be called pedophilia.
As far as I know, 9-year-olds don't generally want sex with anyone. Mohammed's marriage to a child reflected the general practice of treating girls and women as property. Western countries have mostly rejected this, but many parts of the world still practice it.
By today's prudish standards, having sex with a 17-year-old would be called pedophilia too. These standards go too far in the other direction.
30 June 2014 (Poor for months, not for years)
While around 16% of Americans were poor when surveyed in 2012, most of them are poor for periods of months, not for years.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
Almost 1/3 of Americans were poor for a period of months in the last few years.
We ought to provide the help needed by those who are temporarily poor, and also help for those who are poor for years.
30 June 2014 (Unemployment shame)
It is superfluous for right-wing politicians to tell the unemployed to feel ashamed of being unemployed, because they do so anyway.
I can't understand why anyone is ashamed to be poor or unemployed, unless it is that person's own fault. For instance, if it is the fault of a system that inflicts poverty on many, why be ashamed of that? It's the culprits who ought to feel shame. Don't feel ashamed, organize!
Fortunately for me, I have never felt the slightest need to base my self-esteem on being seen to spend money. I don't care if I can treat people to drinks, return a financial favor, or give a "suitable gift" to meet a silly social obligation. I reject the holidays that businesses have converted into occasions when one is supposed to give gifts. When I have a birthday party, I ask people to bring food and desserts for all to enjoy, not gifts for me.
I suggest that poor people feel equally unashamed, so they can organize instead.
29 June 2014 (Urgent: Stop sentencing dissidents to death)
Everyone: Call on Egypt to stop sentencing dissidents to death.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
29 June 2014 (PRISM, Local Edition)
PRISM, Local Edition: NY DA Employs 381 Secret Orders to Gather Complete Digital Dossiers from Facebook.
29 June 2014 (YouTube censorship)
YouTube has made private deals with the copyright industry to censor works that are fair use.
More information.
If Google intends not to "be evil", it must stop this.
29 June 2014 (US and EU to undermine treaty)
The US and the EU will fight to the end against a treaty to restrict human rights abuses by corporations.
29 June 2014 (Facebook's malicious Javascript)
Facebook, as an "experiment", collected the text its useds started to enter as status updates and ultimately did not send.
Facebook also announced it planned to track mouse movement even in the absence of a click.
These work by means of malicious Javascript code.
29 June 2014 (Central banks buying world assets)
Central banks, and especially China's, are creating money simply so they can buy up world assets.
29 June 2014 (ISP's arguments against net neutrality)
5 absurd arguments US ISPs are making for ending net neutrality.
29 June 2014 (Eastern Caribbean drought)
The Eastern Caribbean faces long-term drought.
29 June 2014 (Raped women put on trial)
In Mexico, women who fight back when raped are often put on trial.
29 June 2014 (Rising seas)
Rising seas have left thousands of poor people in Liberia homeless.
This is no accident: over coming decades it will become millions.
29 June 2014 (Repression of drug users)
Russia imprisons drug users without medical care.
The US has repressed drug users, but it is starting to soften a little.
28 June 2014 (Urgent: Clean Water Act)
US citizens: call on your senators to oppose the bill to stop the EPA from extending the Clean Water Act to more waterways.
28 June 2014 (Urgent: Protect whales and dolphins)
US citizens: call on Obama to end Navy sonar training exercises in areas where they kill whales.
28 June 2014 (Obama's excuse for killing al-Awlaki)
Obama's lawyers cited the global-war law (the Authorization for Use of Military Force) as an excuse for killing al-Awlaki.
28 June 2014 (Surveillance lessons from 1971)
Surveillance Lessons from 1971 Still Resonate Today.
28 June 2014 (NSA says)
The NSA says it queried its massive phone phone call records for 248 people in the US during 2013.
The NSA makes up its own meanings for everyday words, so we can't assume this statement means what it seems to mean. If we knew all the facts, the number of people in the US that we would say they looked at the phone records of could be up to 248 million, for all we know.
28 June 2014 (Obama requests $58.6 billion for war)
Obama Requests Nearly $60 Billion to Continue Endless War.
28 June 2014 (Racial prejudice against blacks)
Most Americans falsely believe that racial prejudice has ceased to make the lives of American blacks difficult.
In fact, racial prejudice against blacks extends to actions of the state, from searching arbitrary people on the street to imprisoning them.
28 June 2014 (The first Iraq War)
The First Iraq War Was Also Sold to the Public Based on a Pack of Lies.
My views were not influenced by reports of atrocities against babies in a hospital, because I did not see those reports. I don't watch TV. I was surprised later to read about this.
I think my views were influenced by the reported threat to attack Saudi Arabia, which according to this article was a fabrication.
I have to raise the question of whether the Kuwaiti government's request for military support against an invader ceased to be valid once its territory is totally conquered.
28 June 2014 (Money that supports Republicans)
Chris Christie has given over a billion dollars to companies that support Republicans.
28 June 2014 (Proposed UK law re fossil fuel)

The UK proposes a law to treat its undersea fossil fuel reserves solely in business terms; it would require maximizing income from them.
28 June 2014 (Imprisoned in Egypt without charges)
Egypt has held Khaled Al-Qazzaz in prison without charges for a year based apparently on his having a government job under Morsi.
28 June 2014 (Human rights advocate assassinated)
Libyan human rights advocate Salwa Bugaighis was assassinated.
28 June 2014 (Poachers poisoning vultures)
Poachers in Africa are using poison that kills vultures. It is so effective that the vultures could be wiped out.
28 June 2014 (Demanding that people "cheer up")
Urging people to "cheer up" when they are miserable makes them feel worse.
I have always found it frustrating to be subject to that sort of "help". I understand it as a demand, "Stop being a downer!"
28 June 2014 ("Gay pride" rally in Georgia)
Pro-Russian subversives in Georgia tried to fund a "Gay pride" rally to provoke attacks from bigots, which (they hoped) would create friction between Georgia and the west.
Georgia can make itself invulnerable from this direction by teaching Georgians that bigotry against gays is bad for the nation.
28 June 2014 (Detroit's water shut-offs)
Detroit's water shut-offs are being aimed at poor blacks, while rich companies get away with not paying their bills.
Water shut-off workers attack those who cite laws against them, while the city thugs act like Israeli troops watching settlers attack Palestinians.
Soon they can change the city's name to Detriot.
28 June 2014 (Syrian air strikes target ISIS)
Assad And Maliki Unite against Common Enemy, ISIS.
28 June 2014 (Out of the frying pan, trapped in the fire)
Meriam Ibrahim has been banned from leaving Sudan, but has been received at the US embassy in Khartoum.

Now the question is whether she will be trapped there like Assange in the Ecuadorian embassy in London.
28 June 2014 (Russian corpses smuggled out of Ukraine)
Someone is paying Russians to fight in Eastern Ukraine. If they get killed, their bodies get spirited away to Russia and disappeared, as a cover up.
28 June 2014 (Scene of the crime)
Human Rights Watch presents satellite images that show where ISIS murdered 160 or more prisoners.
28 June 2014 (It's not over until it's over)
Ashraf Ghani claimed victory in the Afghan presidential election despite charges of rigging the election.
28 June 2014 (Cash crop exports and biofuel create starvation)
Land Taken Over by Foreign Investors Could Feed 550m People, Study Finds.
28 June 2014 (Red Cross lawyers up vs. Mother Jones)
The American Red Cross, asked how it spent the money raised for aid to victims of Hurricane Sandy, said this was a trade secret.
28 June 2014 (Michigan not rich enough for human rights)
UN rapporteurs condemn Detroit's disconnection of poor people's water.

This must be preparation for a bigger nefarious scheme; if they just wanted to collect water bill debt, they would go after the businesses that owe large arrears.
28 June 2014 (British Home Secretary to investigate undercover police excesses)
A special inquiry will look for cases in which withholding of evidence by UK undercover thug infiltrators led to unfair trials of dissidents.
28 June 2014 (Making war easier)
The availability of killer drones encourages the US to enter wars which it would otherwise have stayed out of.
28 June 2014 (Dismantling the 4th Amendment)
In "post-Constitutional America", the constitutional limits on government searches have mostly been negated through a web of excuses.
28 June 2014 (Slavery taints global production chains)
Modern Slavery Will Continue If Corporations Keep Passing the Buck.

We must prosecute marketing companies if they fail to control the working conditions of their production.
28 June 2014 (Joke the Joker)
Protesters Launch a 135-Foot Blimp Over the NSA's Utah Data Center.
28 June 2014 (Zhang Haixin)
Chinese forged official seals to block evictions in their town.

They have been imprisoned for it, but they did some good.
28 June 2014 (The business of government)
Tony B'liar has been allowed to push absurd policies in the Middle East, but now it seems he has been using them for his own enrichment.
28 June 2014 (Beat them harder)
Republicans are campaigning to allow school staff to grab, hold down, tie up and choke students.
28 June 2014 (Passing the buck)
Some US cities want to deal with annoying unsightly homeless people by giving them one-way bus tickets to someplace else.
28 June 2014 (Don't forget the butterflies)
Many pollinators are in danger, not just honeybees.
28 June 2014 (SOP: Explicit hypocrisy)
Boner says he will sue Obama for making executive orders that exceed his authority. Boner did not mind when Bush did that.
28 June 2014 (No more buffer zone )
The Supreme Court struck down the Massachusetts law that bans protest within 35 feet of an abortion clinic.

35 feet is not very far. Anti-abortionists have a right to present their views, but they can make themselves heard at the clinic door even from 35 feet away.
28 June 2014 (U.S. Highway Trust Fund faces bankruptcy)
Republicans are holding highway repair hostage to attack the environment, workers' pay, efficient cars, disabled workers, children, and safety on roads.

They set out to sabotage America by hook or by crook.
28 June 2014 (Drone on the farm)
A private campaign aims to use drones to expose inhumane and dangerous practices of factory farms.
28 June 2014 (Pakistan's attack on the Taliban)
Pakistan's attack on the Pakistani Taliban has led half a million people to flee the area.
28 June 2014 (Ban on large sugary drinks was overturned)
Mayor Bloomberg's ban on large sugary drinks was overturned by a court, leaving the question of how to protect millions of people from obesity and consequent sickness.
28 June 2014 (US TV network news shows)
US TV network news shows say more about billionaires than about poverty.
28 June 2014 (Accusing Assad of helping ISIS)
Accusing Assad of helping ISIS build up as a rival for his other enemies.
28 June 2014 (Obama wants to train "moderate" Syrian rebels)
Obama wants to train "moderate" Syrian rebels in Jordan.
It sounds like a good idea in theory, but I suspect that in practice the alliances are fluid and it won't be easy to find the right people to train.
28 June 2014 (Urgent: Require public companies disclose all political spending)
US citizens: call on the SEC to require public companies to disclose all political spending.
28 June 2014 (Urgent: Make CarMax stop claiming its cars are safe)
US citizens: ask the FTC to make CarMax stop claiming its cars are safe without carrying out manufacturer recalls.
28 June 2014 (National Research Council of Spain blacklists)
Evidence proves that the National Research Council of Spain blacklists anyone that complains of unfair treatment.
I know someone who was employed as a teacher by a different part of the Spanish and was cheated of pay, but did not dare complain for fear of being blacklisted.
28 June 2014 (GMO companies are spending heavily)
GMO companies are spending heavily in Hawaii to override popular pressure to regulate or ban GMOs there.
28 June 2014 (Pesticide experiments)
Pesticide experiments in part of Kauai threaten endangered wildlife species that live only on that island.
28 June 2014 (Repairing UK infrastructure to cope with global heating)
Repairing UK infrastructure to cope with global heating for a few decades will cost most of a trillion dollars.
27 June 2014 (Urgent: End Sallie Mae contract)
US citizens: tell the Dept of Education to stop dealing with Sallie Mae.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
27 June 2014 (Urgent: Require GMO labeling)
US citizens: call on the FDA to require food labels to mention GMO content.
27 June 2014 (Urgent: Oppose appointment of Armstrong)
US citizens: call on Obama not to appoint right-winger Ward Armstrong as a federal judge.
According to Daily Kos, Ward Armstrong voted to abolish Obama's health care law, supported allowing handguns in bars, voted to close Virginia's abortion clinics and supported a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.
27 June 2014 (Chinese tactic against dissidents)
A peculiar Chinese tactic against non-famous dissidents: forcing them to take an all-expenses-paid vacation.
27 June 2014 (Being Atheist in Nigeria)
Mubarak Bala was put in a mental hospital in Nigeria for saying he is an Atheist.
27 June 2014 (Cell phone searches)
The Supreme Court's decision on searching arrested people's cell phones applies to computers and any other digital devices.
27 June 2014 (Ukraine-EU austerity pact)
Ukraine Due to Ink Austerity Pact with EU.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
27 June 2014 (Wars)
American Hindsight: Wars Aren't 'Worth It'.
Some wars are worse than a mistake, of course.
27 June 2014 (Deadly "bee-friendly" plants)
About half the "bee-friendly" plants on sale in the US and Canada contain neonicotinoid pesticides which kill bees.
27 June 2014 (Australia's coal baron senator)
A coal baron got himself elected to the Australian Senate, and now blocks Abbott's plan to crush renewable energy in Australia.
27 June 2014 (Greenpeace director's plane commute)
Greenpeace is embarrassed because its director was commuting by airplane. However, questions of which technologies to eschew personally for the sake of the environment are not so easy to answer.
We can't end global heating by choosing to fly less. We need to convince millions of others to fly less, for instance with a higher tax on flying such as the EU tried to impose.
Burning fuel is not an act of oppression; it only becomes harmful because of the amount we burn. This makes the right decision about Greenpeace's own fuel use less clear. In the end, I think it is important for the director to take trains, not because it will save significant energy, but so he can set a better example.
In the free software movement, campaigning for users' right to control their computing, we face questions that at first sight look similar to those Greenpeace faces, but there is a crucial difference. Nonfree program is not a form of pollution, it is an injustice. If you run a nonfree program, the injustice towards you is independent of who else runs it. Thus we say nobody should run a nonfree program and nobody should develop one. For us to legitimize nonfree software would be self-contradictory.
27 June 2014 (Human destruction of habitats)
Human destruction of habitats threatens the survival of apes in the wild. (Along with thousands of other species that are less fascinating to us.)
27 June 2014 (Road may be renamed after Liu Xiaobo)
The road that passes the front of the Chinese embassy to the US may be renamed after Liu Xiaobo.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
I am in favor of this. If China does not like to be embarrassed by its own conduct, it can retaliate by renaming the street where the US embassy to China stands. How about "Guantanamo Road"? "Edward Snowden Avenue"? "Dubya's War Crimes Boulevard"?
27 June 2014 (Twisted "advances")
Look at the twisted "advances" that store owners want to inflict on you.
27 June 2014 (Writers have authorized censored editions for China)
Many US writers have authorized censored editions for China.
27 June 2014 (Black US women face eviction)
While a large fraction of black US men are in prison, a similar fraction of black US women face eviction.
27 June 2014 (Referendum to call for democratic elections in Hong Kong)
1/5 of Hong Kong's voting population held an unofficial referendum to call for democratic elections in Hong Kong.
If it were a real referendum, you couldn't trust the outcome, because it is being done over the internet.
27 June 2014 (Emergency exception for neonicotinoids)
Now that the UK has partially banned neonicotinoids, one manufacturer has asked the UK for a giant "emergency" exception.
27 June 2014 (The malware that US and other governments inject)
The malware that the US and many other governments inject into computers to spy on them.
27 June 2014 (Urgent: Limit carbon pollution from existing power plants)
US citizens: call on the EPA to go ahead and limit carbon pollution from existing power plants.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
27 June 2014 (The FBI's new biometric database)
Warning: the FBI's new biometric database threatens Americans with total tracking on the street.
27 June 2014 (How US is Fueling Military Repression in Honduras)
How the US is Fueling Military Repression in Honduras.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
27 June 2014 (Sudan charged Mariam Ibrahim with "forging a passport")
Meriam Ibrahim got a passport from South Sudan because her husband is from there. So Sudan has charged her with "forging a passport".
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
This charge is absurd even denying the passport's validity. It represents malice, nothing more.
27 June 2014 (Genetically modified corn and soy)
Genetically modified corn and soy have created a web of harmful consequences not anticipated when they were first used.
27 June 2014 (Imprisoning children and teenagers that cross the US border)
Obama is moving towards imprisoning children and teenagers that cross the US border without papers.
The crucial point is that it is feasible to expel these people without keeping them in prison while their cases are decided.
If the US wants fewer minors from Central America to cross the border, it might be more effective to run a campaign to inform the public in Central America that getting over the US border does not, as they have been told, give you permission to stay in the US.
26 June 2014 (Global heating and overfishing)
Global heating and overfishing threaten irreparable damage to the ocean.
26 June 2014 (Striking platinum miners in South Africa have won a raise)
Striking platinum miners in South Africa have won a raise.
26 June 2014 (Dubya's lies that were excuses for attacking Iraq)
Most US Republicans still believe Dubya's lies that were excuses for attacking Iraq, and reading corrections of these lies only reinforces their beliefs.
They are, in effect, insane.
26 June 2014 (Many countries systematically persecute Christians)
Many countries systematically persecute Christians.
26 June 2014 (SWAT teams mainly used for minor matters)
The ACLU reports that SWAT teams are used nowadays mainly for minor matters when the targets are nonwhite.
Towns acquire military weapons for thugs in the name of "protecting" people from danger scenarios that are theoretically possible but hardly ever happen. The consequence is to expose us to real danger.
It's the same with stationing thugs in schools.
26 June 2014 (Obama regime's memo on drone assassination)
The Obama regime's memo on drone assassination shows the flaws in its legal reasoning.
26 June 2014 (Tax dodging businesses hurt the whole world)
The IMF recognizes that tax dodging businesses hurt the whole world.
26 June 2014 (MCHM toxicity)
The US government never tested MCHM for toxicity, but a city in West Virginia became the guinea pigs for an unplanned experiment.
26 June 2014 (Thai military regime used malicious Facebook app)
The Thai military regime used a malicious Facebook app to trick people into giving their email addresses and passwords when they try to visit banned sites.
26 June 2014 (Thugs lured school children into giving iris scans)
Massachusetts thugs lured school children into giving iris scans.
26 June 2014 (Thugs need warrant to search phones of people who are arrested)
The US Supreme Court ruled that thugs need a warrant to search the phones of people who are arrested.
26 June 2014 (How sugar companies intimidated medical criticism)
Showing how the sugar companies have intimidated medical criticism of the effects of eating so much sugar.
25 June 2014 (Spread of neonicotinoids)
Toxic neonicotinoids spread through dust and water to affect wildlife off the farm.
25 June 2014 ("No fly list" ruled unconstitutional)
A US judge ruled that the "no fly list" is unconstitutional punishment without due process.
This will surely be appealed, and I have no faith in our current Supreme Court to defend human rights in a meaningful way except for corporations.
25 June 2014 (Living wage in the UK)
Calling on UK employers to pay everyone a living wage, and on the UK government to require this.
25 June 2014 (Jobs curbing global heating)
The work needed to curb global heating would boost the economy as a side effect, according to the World Bank.
In addition, a lot of this work generates more employment than other ways of using the money.
The bank's report also endorses a carbon tax.
25 June 2014 (UK minister wants more surveillance)
The UK minister of repression says that what the UK does isn't mass surveillance, and asks for laws to increase it.
25 June 2014 (Social Security's offices)
A Secret Plan to Close Social Security s Offices and Outsource Its Work.
It is wrong to outsource any government service unless people are better off getting the service directly from companies in a competitive market.
25 June 2014 (Iraq is still about oil)
Iraq is still about oil. Maliki increased the oil income and directed it to weapons purchase and serving Shi'ites only.
25 June 2014 (NJ gov's illegal funding scheme)
NJ Governor Christie seems to have imposed a deceptive and illegal funding scheme for some bridge improvements.
25 June 2014 (Assange's arrest warrant)
Julian Assange's lawyers have two new grounds to challenge the warrant that orders him sent to Sweden for questioning.
We know the warrant is a phony pretext because the Swedish prosecutors are welcome to question Assange at any time; they need only visit him in the Ecuadorian embassy.
25 June 2014 (Case against al-Jazeera journalists)
Six (absurd) Flaws in the Case against Three Jailed al-Jazeera Journalists.
A more fundamental flaw is the idea that "endangering national security" by journalism is a crime.
25 June 2014 (Islamist terrorist funded by charcoal)
Reportedly the Shabaab, Islamist terrorists in Somalia, get most of their funds from illegal timber made into charcoal.
This makes me wonder what part of the trade flow the Shabaab control. Is it the transport of charcoal into Somalia for sale there? Or some other part?
If it is the former, it would be easy for the US to wipe out their funding by selling cheap charcoal in Mogadishu.
24 June 2014 (Urgent: Call on Gov. Walker to resign)
Everyone: call on Wisconsin Governor Walker to resign immediately.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
24 June 2014 (UK "anti-terrorism" laws)
As UK thugs arrested some aged protesters, they forced a reporter to delete footage of the arrest by threatening to arrest him under "anti-terrorism" laws.
These laws expose us to the greater danger of government repression, so a large part of them must be repealed.
24 June 2014 (Desertion by FARC soldiers)
Hundreds of FARC soldiers have deserted; the Colombian government has programs to encourage this.
The FARC started as a rebellion against tyranny after a leftist presidential candidate was assassinated, but it subsequently degenerated into a sort of crime syndicate. Its disappearance is to be wished for, all things being equal; but what will Colombia do to eliminate Colombia biggest and most harmful terrorist group — the paramilitaries?
The paramilitaries have been closely linked to the government.
They work for companies such as the Coca Cola concession, killing union organizers, which is why there is a world-wide boycott of all Coca Cola Company products. I therefore reject Minute Maid juice, and their various brands of bottle water.
24 June 2014 (Punishing parents who are poor)
The right-wing approach to parents in poor, bad neighborhoods is to offer them lectures in doing the impossible, or punish them.
Some of them could be validly criticized for having children without being in a position to raise them properly. But not all: some of them may have had good jobs back then, and reasonably expected they could afford to raise children. Anyway, society failed to teach them this precept; society therefore shares the responsibility for the current problem.
Whoever's at fault, it's not the children. Society should provide the real help that their parents need.
24 June 2014 (UK forces ISPs to keep user data)
The UK continues forcing ISPs to keep data about their users' contacts in defiance of the European Court of Justice.
24 June 2014 (Roundup and cancer in mice)
The scientists who reported that Roundup causes cancer in mice stand by their results.
24 June 2014 (Fossil-fuel company denialists)
Fossil-fuel company denialists have led most Americans to think that lots of climate scientists doubt that humans are causing global heating.
24 June 2014 (Al-Sisi's political prisoners)
Obama asked al-Sisi to free political prisoners, but al-Sisi sees no need to heed this request.
Al-Sisi knows that Obama's request was for public image only, since the US supports other repressive regimes, notably that of Bahrain.
24 June 2014 (Ales Bialiatski freed)
Belarus has released human rights defender Ales Bialiatski from prison.
24 June 2014 (Cease-fire agreement in Ukraine)
Separatists in Ukraine agreed to a cease-fire, encouraged by Putin.
24 June 2014 (General Haftar)
About General Haftar whose army or militia may take over Libya.
24 June 2014 (Malaysian protesters face prison)
Environmental protesters against a mine in Malaysia could be imprisoned for two years.
24 June 2014 (Plunder of the High Seas)
Fuel Subsidies 'Drive Fishing Industry's Plunder of the High Seas'.
24 June 2014 (Hottest May on record)
May 2014 was the hottest May for as long as sufficient records are available (since 1880).
More info.
24 June 2014 (US Border Patrol)
People living in southern Arizona regard the US Border Patrol as an occupying army because it oppresses them constantly.
The Border Patrol can search and molest people in a wide strip of territory extending 100 miles from each border and each coast. 2/3 of the US population lives in this strip, which the ACLU refers to as the "Constitution-free zone".
Strictly speaking, it is not supposed to do this on a whim, but in practice it can act arbitrarily.
24 June 2014 (University divestment from fossil fuels)
The University of Dayton has divested from fossil fuels.
24 June 2014 (Lunatic theocrats of ISIS)
The lunatic theocrats of ISIS are, figuratively, the ghosts of the Iraqis that Bush and B'liar tortured and killed.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
24 June 2014 (Meriam Ibrahim arrested again)
Sudan released Meriam Ibrahim from prison.
But when she tried to leave Sudan, she was arrested again.
Ms Ibrahim was sentenced to death for calling herself a Christian despite having been considered Muslim at age 5.
24 June 2014 (Neonicotinoids poison ecosystems)
Neonicotinoids put the world food supply at risk by poisoning ecosystems.
Not only bees are being harmed, but other insects too, and worms, and birds.
23 June 2014 (Al-Sisi's contempt for the US)
By imprisoning journalists, al-Sisi also showed contempt for the US, which he expects will support him fully no matter how arbitrary he is.
23 June 2014 (UK bans teaching creationism as science)
The UK has banned schools from teaching creationism as science.
23 June 2014 (High pay for CEO, low profits for company)
A study finds that high pay for a CEO correlates with low profits for the company.
This means the FSF should be in great shape since its president gets no pay at all.
23 June 2014 (Phone "kill switch" bill)
A bill being considered in California would require all portable phones to have a "kill switch". The EFF opposes this because it is tantamount to requiring a back door with which someone could remotely sabotage the phone.
I am concerned also that it would require phones to be designed such that it is impossible to replace the operating system with a free system such as Replicant.
23 June 2014 (Videos of force-feeding prisoners)
Now that videos of force-feeding prisoners in Guantanamo threaten to embarrass the US government, it has stopped making videos of this.
What grounds can the US government offer for declaring these recordings a state secret? Obviously the only reason is that they are proof of the state's wrongdoing. For a state to keep secrets for that reason is prima-facie wrong.
23 June 2014 (Outbreak of Ebola virus)
Medicins Sans Frontieres says that the outbreak of Ebola virus is spreading and that it has run out of resources to send teams to new sites that have sick people.
23 June 2014 (Tasmanian world heritage forest)
UNESCO rejected the Australian government's plea to remove 270 square miles from the Tasmanian world heritage forest in order to chop it down.
23 June 2014 (Australia to require phone data collection)
Australia plans to require phone companies to engage in massive data collection about the public.
23 June 2014 (UK gov't requires time wasting)
The UK government stops unemployment benefits for people who can't prove they are spending 35 hours a week looking for nonexistent jobs.
What is the sense in requiring the unemployed to spend 35 hours a week this way? It's not going to find them jobs. It seems to be designed specifically to make sure they have no more free time than if they were employed.
Wouldn't it serve that purpose just as well to let them volunteer for a nonprofit organization? Then their 35 hours would at least serve some constructive purpose.
23 June 2014 (Journalists convicted of "aiding terrorists")
Al-Jazeera journalists in Egypt have been convicted of "aiding terrorists" and "endangering national security" based on TV broadcasts as evidence. Some of the broadcasts were not even about Egypt.
The court's reasoning must be similar to the reasoning by which a UK court endorsed the interrogation of David Miranda as a "terrorist suspect" in order to attack journalism.
The US has resumed military support to Egypt.
23 June 2014 (Gov't-aided sale of junk food)
How the US Government Helps McDonald's Sell Junk Food.
23 June 2014 (Privatization of Australian assets)
The unpopular right-wing Australian government is trying to privatize state assets as fast as possible, and the Labor party is not resisting very hard.
There is no need to let someone strip the treasury to get money to spend on public works. Making businesses and the rich pay their fair share of taxes will do the job.
23 June 2014 (Plutocracy and poverty)
Reducing poverty in the US can't be separated from ending plutocracy.
23 June 2014 (Afghan presidential runoff fraud)
There is evidence of big fraud in the Afghan presidential runoff.
23 June 2014 (Labeling dissidents as "terrorists")
U.S. Funds Terror Studies to Dissect and Neutralize Social Movements.
Labeling dissidents as "terrorists" is a pervasive characteristic of oppressive governments world-wide.
23 June 2014 (Work efficiency vs productivity)
Total surveillance at work can lead to more efficient systems.
However, in other cases, privacy for workers can improve productivity.
It would be a mistake to make productivity the main criterion in judging the monitoring.
Monitoring can be a tool to make workers work harder for the same pay (because the high-unemployment plutocracy of the US does not do raises). As for the benefits of higher productivity as such, those will go mainly to the rich.
23 June 2014 (Albuquerque city thug chief)
The people of Albuquerque held a 'People's Trial' of the city thug chief.
23 June 2014 (Urgent: Reform of US mining law)
US citizens: support reform of the 19th-century US mining law that gives away public resources to private companies.
23 June 2014 (Floods in the US Northeast)
Scientists Predict Increased Rain, Floods for [US] Northeast.
Bigger floods will transport toxins in piles of waste — from fracking, for instance — into water supplies.
23 June 2014 (Rebellion against Common Core)
The rebellion against the Common Core has made the Gates Foundation hesitate in pushing it.
23 June 2014 (Cheney blames his disaster on Obama)
Dick Cheney joined with Dubya to destroy Iraq, but now has the gall to blame his disaster on Obama.
Blair should be lecturing on Iraq from the dock at the International Criminal Court.
23 June 2014 (NSA and US financial conspiracies)
The NSA surely knows about all the financial conspiracies that have wreaked tremendous harm on the US. Strange that it doesn't try to stop them or punish them.
23 June 2014 (NSA facilities in Germany)
About NSA facilities in Germany that snoop on the communications of Europeans.
23 June 2014 (Monopolies on ideas, lands, and natural resources)
If there were no monopolies on ideas, lands, or natural resources, advances in technology that improve efficiency would automatically benefit everyone.
The article is somewhat misled by the overgeneralization symbolized by "intellectual property". It stands for various things that are not similar and should not be grouped together.
Patents and copyrights are artificial systems and could be abolished just by deciding to do so. Abolishing trade secrets is not so simple, though abolishing punishment for leaking one would reduce the prevalence of them. As for trademarks, they don't prevent people from making comparable goods without the same markup; only people in thrall
Putting the term in scare quotes is not enough to avoid the confusion it causes. See http://gnu.org/philosophy/not-ipr.html.
Meanwhile, natural resources including arable land and fresh water are in short supply. We can't make more of them by abolishing property rights on them.
We may need to compensate for this tendency of physical property rights rather than abolish them.
23 June 2014 (Technological singularity)
Arguing that humans can, and should, prevent a technological singularity from occurring.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
23 June 2014 (Israel's own wrongs)
Peace Now: Israel must look at its own wrongs, not just Palestinians' wrongs.
23 June 2014 (Australians recognize global heating)
70% of Australians now recognize that global heating is occurring, and they think their government is doing a lousy job of dealing with the problem.
23 June 2014 (Canadian court-ordered global censorship)

A court in Canada ordered Google to remove a particular site from its search results world-wide.
22 June 2014 (Urgent: Condemn politicians that defend rape)
Everyone: Tell Indian PM Modi to condemn the politicians that defend rape.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
22 June 2014 (Urgent: Protest July 5-12 in the US)
US citizens: protest July 5-12 against "human rights" for corporations.
22 June 2014 (Egypt's Guantanamo/Bagram)
Egypt has its own Guantanamo/Bagram prison.
As with Guantanamo and Bagram, they are controlled by the military and the state denies them the rights of suspects. As in Guantanamo and Bagram, they are tortured. As in Guantanamo and Bagram, some were arrested for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The torturers come from al-Sisi's part of the Egyptian army.
22 June 2014 (Every algorithm is simply math)
The Supreme Court doesn't understand that every algorithm is simply mathematics.
22 June 2014 (T-Mobile data caps)
T-Mobile Uses Data Caps to Manipulate Competition Online, Undermine Net Neutrality.
22 June 2014 (Low-wage janitors fired after strike)
Low-wage janitors working at (but not for) the University of London went on strike and got a small raise, but now their jobs will be eliminated and they will all be fired.
Contracting out work instead of hiring people to do it must be regulated such that it does not provide a means to make the work precarious or undermine workers' rights.
22 June 2014 (London protest against austerity)
50,000 protested in London against austerity.
They need to launch a party to replace Labour, which has turned into a center-right party.
22 June 2014 (US intervention in Iraq)
Obama has recognized that US intervention in Iraq can't solve Iraq's problem.
22 June 2014 (Ukraine ceasefire)
Ukraine's president declared a unilateral cease fire. Rebels have continued to attack with heavy weapons.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
22 June 2014 (Bush's "surge" in Iraq)
Right-wingers pretend that Bush's "surge" won the war in Iraq.
22 June 2014 (Importance of vaccinating children)
Measles does no lasting harm to most people, but it can occasionally maim and even kill. Spread the word that it is important to vaccinate children.
22 June 2014 (Church to divest from Israeli occupation)
The Presbyterian Church voted to divest from three US companies directly connected with the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
22 June 2014 (Military supplies for thugs)
The Obama regime is dumping surplus military supplies on thug departments across the US.
The thugs say they are buying equipment which they hope will never be used. But once they have a SWAT team, they make rules to use it frequently, and it creates an opening for fatal mistakes.
22 June 2014 (Public funding of election campaigns)
Larry Lessig argues that only public funding of election campaigns can cut the influence of the rich over US elections.
I am in favor of public funding of election campaigns, but reversing the Corporations United decision and abolishing "human rights" for corporations are necessary too. I think he is mistaken in claiming that the Senate vote on the proposed amendment is useless if it won't pass; it can help replace senators who want to keep the Corporations United decision with senators that will vote to overturn it.
Meanwhile, the text of the amendment has problems too.
These will need to be fixed before there is a vote where it may pass.
22 June 2014 (Walker tied to criminal conspiracy)
Governor Walker has been tied directly into a criminal conspiracy to violate campaign finance laws.
Right-wingers got a judge to try to shut down the investigation.
A giant right-wing foundation supports political efforts to stop the investigation.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
22 June 2014 (NetClean goes global)
Turkish Censorship: Swedish Built, by Royal Appointment.
22 June 2014 (Family style totalitarianism)
(Right-wing UK ministers) Blame the Feckless Parents — As Long As They're Poor.
22 June 2014 ("Iraq" Is Still Arabic for "Vietnam")
Comparing Obama's dilemma in Iraq with Kennedy's dilemma in Vietnam.
22 June 2014 (Disturbing news from NOAA oceanographers)
Increased CO₂ in the ocean makes phytoplankton sick. They become less nutritious and more toxic for all the higher levels of the marine food chain.

Their numbers might be affected, and they provide half our oxygen supply.
22 June 2014 (NSA funding selectively slashed)
The House of Representatives voted to stop two NSA surveillance activities by restricting its funding.
22 June 2014 (Abbott government abnegates environmental responsibility)
The plan to end Australian federal environmental management and let states decide is a plan to let companies trash and plunder the national heritage.
22 June 2014 (Mohamed Badie and supporters sentenced to death)
The leader of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and almost 200 supporters have been sentenced to death.

They are being held responsible for a protest in a far-away town which was a response to the thugs' murder of many protesters in Cairo. As usual, the thugs have not been charged for that.
22 June 2014 (What Mayors Can Do to Support a Neutral Internet)
Neutrality Begins At Home: What U.S. Mayors Can Do Right Now to Support a Neutral Internet.
22 June 2014 (Spreading the harmful parts of NAFTA)
Obama said he would fix the harmful parts of NAFTA, but instead he is trying to spread them around the world.
22 June 2014 (Miami Sues Banking Giant Over Predatory Mortgages)
Miami Sues Banking Giant Over Predatory Mortgages.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
22 June 2014 (FISA court renewed NSA's permission)
The FISA court renewed the NSA's permission to collect records about nearly all phone calls in the US.
22 June 2014 (Urgent: Abortion coverage for Peace Corps volunteers)
US citizens: Tell Congress to provide abortion coverage for Peace Corps volunteers who are raped or face death from pregnancy.
22 June 2014 (Most internet users value privacy)
Most internet users value privacy; why don't they act rationally to protect it?
My conclusion: society as a whole must make the internet respect everyone's privacy.
22 June 2014 (Urgent: Reparations to people who were imprisoned)
Everyone: call on the Chicago City Council to make reparations to the people who were imprisoned after thugs tortured them into false confessions.
I think those thugs should be prosecuted, too.
22 June 2014 (Urgent: Support continued protection of the endangered red wolf)
US citizens: support continued protection of the endangered red wolf.
22 June 2014 ("Task force" to think about how to protect bees)
Obama launched a "task force" to think about how to protect bees.
It seems like an excuse to delay taking the necessary action
22 June 2014 (Is your congresscritter a capitalist crony)
How to find out if your US congresscritter is a capitalist crony (i.e., for sale).
I am not sure this criterion will catch every capitalist crony in Congress. It is a sufficient condition but not a necessary one.
22 June 2014 (Run a WiFI net with no password)
The EFF asks you to run a WiFI net with no password. It also provides free software to put in the router so others can connect through it without slowing or seeing your own traffic.
The copyright industry doesn't want you to do this, and that's exactly why you should: to avoid being conscripted as an enforcer in the War on Sharing.
22 June 2014 (Text Drivers by Scanning Their Plates)
GM Wants You to Creepily Text Drivers by Scanning Their Plates.
Thugs have been finding women from their license plates for decades. This is not quite as effective since it doesn't show her address.
22 June 2014 (Drone designed to spray protesters with pepper spray)
A drone has been designed to spray protesters with pepper spray. It is being offered to help oppressive South African mining companies crush strikes.
22 June 2014 (US gov't asked thugs to lie to judges)
The US government asked Florida thugs to lie to judges, and the thugs did.
22 June 2014 (Selling Off America's Public Lands)
How Politicians Are Using Taxpayer Money To Fund Their Campaign To Sell Off America's Public Lands.
20 June 2014 (Interviews with Iraqi Sunnis)
Interviews with Iraqi Sunnis, some of whom want a sectarian war while others fear it.
20 June 2014 (Number of refugees world-wide)
The number of refugees world-wide has exceeded 50 million for the first time since World War II.
I fear it will grow greatly in the future due to the effects of global heating. Many areas will become too hot, too dry, or too wet to live in.
20 June 2014 (Central Americans fleeing violence)
Large numbers of people from Central America are arriving at the US-Mexico border and asking for asylum in the US.
It's the US "war on drugs" that creates the violence that they are fleeing.
20 June 2014 (Oil and frack wells leaking methane)
Abandoned oil and frack wells leak methane, and may amount to as much as 13% of Pennsylvania's contribution to global heating.
20 June 2014 (Israel kills two Palestinians)
Israel has killed two Palestinians while searching for three missing teenagers.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
20 June 2014 (Opinion is crime in the UK)
The UK is waking up to the fact that its censorship jails people for stating views that are considered offensive.
Azhar Ahmed was convicted of the crime of expressing rage against British soldiers for killing civilians. Here is what he wrote.
He said "all soldiers", which literally means all the soldiers in the world, but it seems likely he meant a smaller set of soldiers. It surely includes the British soldiers in Afghanistan, at least.
His words did not threaten violence or call on anyone else to commit violence. This was nothing but a moral opinion, but the UK is a tyranny that makes moral opinion a crime.
20 June 2014 (LA law against living in vehicle)
Los Angeles's law against living in a vehicle was struck down as vague because it was written to be very broad.
While this is a victory, society must help homeless people, not harry them.
20 June 2014 (Urgent: Clean Water Act)
US citizens: call on the senate to reject a plan to undermine the Clean Water Act.
20 June 2014 (UK approval for US activities)
A committee of the UK parliament wants to require explicit UK approval for US activities such as rendition of prisoners.
I think this wouldn't go far enough, because B'liar would have given approval for whatever the US wanted to do. The UK government already uses strange shenanigans to conceal its decision making about Iraq.
20 June 2014 (Jobless youth who get welfare)
Decades of Thatcherite propaganda have convinced most Britons that jobless youth who get welfare are exploiting the system. Even the Labour Party proposes to cut aid for them.
What a convenient way to distract people from those who are truly getting more out of the system than they put in: the rich. The number of millionaires in the world is growing fast, proof of how effectively today's policies concentrate wealth.
The rate of poverty in the UK has doubled since 30 years ago, even though the size of the economy has doubled and the population has not.
That's right-wing economic policy for you.
20 June 2014 (Minors crossing US-Mexico border)
So many minors are crossing the US-Mexico border that the US border patrol has trouble coping with the ones it catches.
The article says "children", but it is clear the article means "minors". Only some of them are children. But how do 6-year-olds cross the border illegally? Not alone, surely.
Another interesting question is what has caused so many minors to cross Mexico to get to the US.
20 June 2014 (The blame for bad US education)
Conservatives try to blame bad US education on incompetent teachers to distract from more important influences such as poverty.
20 June 2014 (A torturer's remorse)
A World-War-II Japanese torturer became a monk to express his remorse. His British victim was able to forgive him, but did not entirely heal.
So far, there are no reports that Dubya feels remorse over torture.
20 June 2014 (The value of ecosystem services)
A study estimates the value of ecosystem services at around 140 trillion dollars a year.
It would have been around 165 trillion if not for the degradation of various systems since 1997.
These figures shouldn't be pressed too far. We can't afford to dispense with a trillion dollars in ecosystem services even if it would gain 2 trillion in production of something. If we lost all the world's ecosystem services, we could not replace them, we would just die.
20 June 2014 (India closes Coca Cola plant)
India has closed a Coca Cola plant for extracting too much water.
20 June 2014 (King George's abuses)
King George's abuses inspired the Bill of Rights as a response. Bush and Obama have set it at naught by committing similar abuses.
19 June 2014 (US and EU negotiating treaty to deregulate banks)
The US and EU (and various other countries) are negotiating a treaty to deregulate banks. As if they weren't too deregulated already!
That is because these countries' governments are subservient to banks.
The treaty draft was published by Wikileaks. Hurray for Wikileaks!
19 June 2014 (Urgent: End US attacks on medical marijuana)
US citizens: phone your senators to support the amendment to end US attacks on state-legalized medical marijuana.
A measure like this has passed in the House of Representatives so there is a good chance of success.
The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
19 June 2014 (Dirty uranium (DU) shells in Iraq)
10 years after invading Iraq, the US released information about the whereabouts of some 3% of all the dirty uranium (DU) shells that were fired.
The data shows that ttroops often fired them in civilian areas and at non-armored targets, although they were ordered to avoid this so as to minimize the harm that the DU would do.
This might be because they were careless, or because they were short of other ammunition at the time.
19 June 2014 (Labour's contempt for the British youth)
On Labour's contempt for the British youth for whom there are no jobs.
19 June 2014 (Iranian Child Bride Faces Execution)
Iranian Child Bride Faces Execution for Killing the Man She Was Forced to Marry.
19 June 2014 (Hungary's method of fighting homelessness)
Hungary's method of fighting homelessness: jail the homeless.
19 June 2014 (Russia supporting campaign against fracking)
A NATO official says Russia is supporting the campaign against fracking to keep Europe dependent on Russian gas. In response, Friends of the Earth suggested Russia may have infiltrated the UK government to cancel renewable energy plans, to keep Europe dependent on Russian gas.
Neither one is impossible, but they wouldn't make fracking any less dangerous or renewable energy any less necessary.
19 June 2014 (Tesla cars allow company to determine car's location)
Tesla cars allow the company to extract data remotely and determine the car's location at any time. (See Section 2, paragraphs b and c.)
The company says it doesn't store this information, but if the state orders it to get the data and hand it over, the state can store it. Your car should not allow anyone to remotely determine where it is!
19 June 2014 (Governor Walker connected to violations of campaign laws)
Wisconsin Governor Walker is connected to violations of campaign laws.
19 June 2014 (Violent mental illness and guns)
Blocking people with a history of violent mental illness from buying guns substantially reduces their likelihood of shooting anyone — but those people are so few in number that it makes a tiny difference in the total number of shootings.
The article suggests other approaches that could have more effect.
According to Bowling for Columbine, Canada makes it easy to own a gun but puts lots of safety restrictions on how to store them and how to take them out of the house — and has a much lower rate of gun crime. Perhaps this is a good approach to follow.
Banning large magazines seems to have common sense, too.
19 June 2014 (Detroit is shutting off water)
Detroit is shutting off water for tens of thousands of residents who can't afford to pay.
Governments imperil people's access to water by allowing companies such as Nestle more influence than people in their water policy decisions.
Providing fresh water to every human being is squeezed between resource grabs by the rich on one side, and population growth on the other. We need to end both of them.
19 June 2014 (Governments let NSA run taps on cables)
Other governments including Germany and Denmark let the NSA run taps on cables.
19 June 2014 (Chinese anti-corruption activists have been imprisoned)
Chinese anti-corruption activists have been imprisoned.
It seems corrupt officials in China are too big to embarrass, much as corrupt banks in the US are too big to jail.
19 June 2014 (Wikileaks punctured pretense that the US respects human rights)
The US hounds Wikileaks and Assange because they punctured the pretense that the US respects human rights.
19 June 2014 (Rebellion in the Ukraine is not over)
The rebellion in the Ukraine is not over, although Iraq has displaced it from the immediate news.
19 June 2014 (Authorization for Use of Military Force)
The US Congress's misguided Authorization for Use of Military Force against al Qa'ida does not apply to ISIS, because those two groups are enemies.
19 June 2014 (Uganda's president/monarch excluded TV station)
Uganda's president/monarch, who plans for his son to succeed him, excluded a TV station from his events because it showed him asleep during an event.
In the US, presidents exclude reporters from White House events if they ask probing questions.
19 June 2014 (UK "domestic extremists" list)
The UK thugs won't say how many politicians are in their "domestic extremists" list.
19 June 2014 (Iran's women rebel against clothing monitors)
Iran's women rebel little by little against the regime's clothing monitors, who have given up on harassing men.
19 June 2014 (Urgent: Reopen the Social Security offices)
US citizens: Call on Congress to reopen the Social Security offices that it has shut down.
19 June 2014 (US Bombs And Drones)
More US Bombs And Drones Will Only Escalate Iraq's Horror.
19 June 2014 (Cigarette sales according to Murdoch news)
A Murdoch newspaper in Australia published a report claiming that plain packaging for cigarettes has increased sales. It seems to be a false report.
The fact that the report is backed by the tobacco companies shows it can't be true. If this policy really did increase cigarette sales, they would favor the policy.
One of the distortions from the Australian has infiltrated the Guardian article: the term "intellectual property rights". That term is a misleading generalization about unrelated laws, and it's used to suggest these laws represent a bogus "principle" that never existed in the first place.
Every statement formulated using "intellectual property rights" should be distrusted. I take care not to use the term. I won't even cite it without denouncing it as bogus.
See http://gnu.org/philosophy/not-ipr.html.
19 June 2014 (UK "domestic extremism" list)
The UK thugs placed two Green Party legislators on the "domestic extremism" surveillance list.
"Extremism" means "failure to uphold the ruling extractivist regime".
19 June 2014 (US drone attacks)
A US drone attack in Pakistan seems to have targeted enemies of the Pakistani government, rather than terrorists that might attack the US.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
That does not necessarily make it worse, because I think that's the wrong question to ask.
If the government of Pakistan is fighting rebels on the battlefield and asks the US for military help in the form of drone bombers, providing that help would not be an outrage. It would be no more horrible to do this with drones than with crewed aircraft or an armored division. (Other questions would remain, such as whether such help in a given situation is necessary, justified, and wise policy.)
What makes the drones particularly threatening is that they are used for assassination away from battlefields.
19 June 2014 (UK surveillance of social media)
According to this article, the UK court decision allowing blanket surveillance of social media includes even private messages and data, if they are mediated by a server outside the UK.
I am not impressed by the supposed "earnestness" of the snoopers to protect Britons from "terrorism", because in the UK that term has been stretched to include whatever the government wants it to mean. Sometimes it means possessing a book the state considers suspect. Sometimes it means a journalist's lover making a connection in an airport.
If the Magna Carta originally protected mainly barons, that does not lessen its importance: it was the origin of our ideas of the rights of those accused of crimes.
The UK government's two-decade attack on those rights endangers everyone in Britain, and elsewhere too as the UK's rejection of the "rights of Englishmen" may influence other states.
19 June 2014 (Three missing Israeli teenagers)
Since there is no evidence about what happened to three Israeli teenagers, Israel is using their disappearance as an excuse to imprison lots of members of Hamas.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
Israel is also wreaking vengeance on prisoners who are members of Hamas, who are the most unlikely suspects in the whole territory of Israel and Palestine.
Meanwhile, Israel kidnaps hundreds of Palestinian teenagers every year.
Nominally these teenagers are "arrested"; but since most of them are beaten and not told charges against them, it is more of a kidnapping than a proper arrest of a suspect.
19 June 2014 (Iraqis' suspicions about army)
Iraqis suspect their army was told to surrender territory to ISIS and to the Kurds.
19 June 2014 (UK politicians)
The UK experiences the humiliation of being ruled by politicians that think their job is to attract foreign investment.
19 June 2014 (Water recycling)
Parts of the US need to start recycling water or they won't have enough.
One issue not mentioned is that waste water has lots of medicines and endocrine disruptors. Ordinary sewage treatment does not do anything about them.
19 June 2014 (American 'Healthcare')
American 'Healthcare' Exceptionalism: Highest Costs, Worst Care.
19 June 2014 (Neocons in US mainstream media)
US mainstream media are presenting advice about Iraq from the same neocons whose advice 12 years ago was a disaster.
19 June 2014 (Israel won't let whistleblower travel)
UK legislators invited nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu to a meeting in parliament on protection of whistleblowers. Israel did not allow him to travel.
Solitary confinement is a form of brainwashing. Vanunu has demonstrated his strength of mind by standing up to it. And what kind of state stops citizens from traveling to foreign meetings? Remember when the USSR did that?
19 June 2014 (Hope for peace in Iraq)
There might be hope for peace in Iraq if the government allows Sunnis to be equal citizens.
19 June 2014 (Medical harm due to eating cassava)
Researchers retracted their paper about medical harm due to eating cassava because a company objected to the conclusions.
19 June 2014 (Julian Assange's human rights)
Groups demand respect for Julian Assange's human rights.
19 June 2014 (40 billion dollars wasted)
The US spent 40 billion dollars on a ballistic missile defense system that does not work.
19 June 2014 (Whooping cough risk in California)
Superstitious resistance to whooping cough vaccination has left many children in California vulnerable to the disease, which can be fatal for children.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
19 June 2014 (The US, Kuwait and Iraq)
Claims that the US encouraged Kuwait to carry out economic warfare against Iraq around 1990.
This would have stimulated Saddam Hussein to attack Kuwait. In addition, the US ambassador appears to have encouraged this by telling Hussein the US would not object.
Perhaps Bush planned to create an excuse for war with Iraq.
I am not convinced that all the claims in that article are correct.
19 June 2014 (Seeking profit from suffering)
The US Supreme Court supported the vulture capitalists that are hounding Argentina to pay debts that they bought for pennies on the dollar.
The vulture capitalists seek to profit from suffering. They deserve to lose everything they own and find themselves homeless.
Perhaps Argentina can arrange this by borrowing a technique from the US handbook. Argentina can to pass a law making it a crime to receive interest from debt which has been handled in this way. Then it can send agents to capture the vultures and render them to Argentina for trial.
19 June 2014 (Urgent: UK march against austerity)
In the UK: join the march against austerity in London on June 21.
19 June 2014 (NSA ground zero in Germany)
Revealed: Germany is Ground Zero for NSA's 'Secret Surveillance Architecture'.
19 June 2014 (The focus on economic growth)
The world's policy focus on economic growth is a relic of the pre-Reagan period when growth reduced inequality (because the rich hadn't reduced the rest to trickle-down).
Today what we need is to spread the wealth, and that fits the need to reduce humanity's ecological footprint.
19 June 2014 (Brazilian thugs attack protesters)
Brazilian thugs attacked a protest camp with pepper spray, and shot a journalist rubber-coated steel bullet for no reason.
19 June 2014 (US officers reluctant to bomb ISIS)
US officers are reluctant to bomb ISIS forces, saying they don't have the intelligence to identify them.
On the battlefield, friendly troops tell you where the enemy is. Their supply columns are easy to recognize. This leads me to think that the US is considering assassinations rather than a military operation.
If you need intelligence to recognize the enemy, an air strike is the wrong approach.
19 June 2014 (Iranian journalist imprisoned)
An Iranian journalist has been imprisoned for working with the BBC, although she never did.
19 June 2014 (Afghan election fraud)
An Afghan presidential candidate alleges election fraud.
19 June 2014 (Argentina's scheme to pay creditors)
Argentina has a scheme for paying all its creditors except the vultures.
19 June 2014 (Oakland to divest from fossil fuel)
Oakland City Council Votes to Divest from Fossil Fuel Companies.
19 June 2014 (Bush and Blair's war crimes)
Why Bush and Blair Should Be Prosecuted for War Crimes.
19 June 2014 (For-profit health care)
Reagan made US health care costs shoot up by opening the door to for-profit hospitals and for-profit medical insurance.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
What he did can be undone. We don't have to allow for-profit health care.
19 June 2014 (No-fishing marine zones)
Obama says he will greatly extend no-fishing marine zones.
18 June 2014 (Courts run by Pakistani Taliban)
The Pakistani Taliban run unofficial courts that many people prefer because they are less corrupt than the state's courts.
18 June 2014 (Tax loophole to duck US taxes)
US companies are using a tax loophole to duck US taxes by locating their headquarters outside the US.
Clearly the US tax law needs to be changed so this does not work.
18 June 2014 (Corporations you can't sue)
How Corporations Became People (sic) You Can't Sue.
18 June 2014 (Iraqi Sunnis and Shi'ites)
Iraqi Sunnis and Shi'ites got along ok for hundreds of years until the disagreement was politicized by Saddam Hussein.
This reminds me of the situation between Serbs and Croats, who got along well enough until politicians used the split to build their careers.
In both cases there was a violent dispute in the past, which people had stopped making a fuss about, but the politicians were able to take advantage of it.
18 June 2014 (US troops sent to Iraq)
Obama sent some US troops to Iraq, supposedly not for fighting.
18 June 2014 (Fukushima "ice wall")
The "ice wall" barrier to keep ground water away from the ruined Fukushima reactors is not working: they can't keep the ground cold enough.
Why not make a concrete wall, or a plastic wall? Digging into the ground is not that hard.
18 June 2014 (Posting on social media)
A UK court ruled that the state is allowed to read what people publish in social media.
If you publish something, you must expect anyone and everyone to read it. Thus, society should reject the practice of publishing the intimate details of people's lives, and especially details of other people's lives.
If you post on social media, don't talk about your friends; whether to say what they do or think is up to them.
18 June 2014 (UK charities threatened)
Charities that help the poor in the UK are being threatened with closure if they talk about the political cause of poverty.
18 June 2014 (SF recycling and composting)
San Francisco is on track to recycle or compost all waste by 2020.
In addition, sale of water in plastic bottles will be banned on public property. I think this is a good idea, but there should be a hefty tax on small bottles of water no matter where sold. I carry a water bottle with me, and refill it when I find potable water available.
18 June 2014 (Poor people denied medical care)
24 US states have denied poor people US-funded medical care based on ideological opposition to allowing poor people to get help from the state.
Helping the poor is one of the purposes of having a state.
18 June 2014 (Fracking regulator gags staff)
The Texas agency that regulates fracking has gagged its staff, perhaps to support an apparent coverup of the danger of methane leaks from frack wells.
These companies are taking the world to frack and fruin.
18 June 2014 (Golden Gate dam)
145,000 people in California live at less than 3 feet above sea level, which means lots of flooding in coming decades due to global heating.
But it will go far beyond that. Some are predicting sea-level rise of 3 meters (10 feet) by 2100.
Shall we start designing the Golden Gate dam?
17 June 2014 (How the "internet of things" could become a nightmare)
How the "internet of things" could become a nightmare just by carrying out its stated purpose.
However, in order to become widely used, this technology would need a "social" element: social pressure to use it because otherwise nobody will like you, or nobody will hire you. The designers will surely come up with a way to put pressure on people to suffer the various nastiness of "smart homes" (including spying and reporting to companies and the state).
You will be well advised to start practicing now to reject addictive technology.
17 June 2014 (Microsoft is a patent aggressor)
Microsoft is a patent aggressor against free software (in Android).
17 June 2014 (Hayek on democracy)
Economist Friedrich von Hayek accused democracies of doing the nasty things that fascist plutocracies really do. His contrary-to-fact theories have been repeated by generations of Libertarians.
On the other hand, there's a little truth in what he says about how the masses can be led by propaganda — when those who issue the propaganda own most of the media and corrupt the elected officials, which is what those who make use of Hayek do today.
17 June 2014 (Antibiotic-resistant bacteria found in squid for sale)
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have been found in squid for sale.
This bacterium is not dangerous to healthy people, but bacteria exchange genes even with different species.
We need to stop feeding antibiotics massively to farm animals, since that is a major cause of resistance.
17 June 2014 (Academic journals)
A publisher of academic journals ordered the editors of a journal not to publish a paper about the high cost of journal subscriptions. The editors unblocked it by going on strike.
This debate addresses a significant problem, but takes a shallow view of it. It focuses on price rather than freedom, and discusses "open access" which is too weak a goal.
17 June 2014 (Most Americans still distrust Atheists)
Most Americans still distrust Atheists on principle and would refuse to vote for one.
What fools — it's the religious people that are dangerous.
17 June 2014 (Timberland created a Kafkaesque policy)
Timberland has created a Kafkaesque policy to prevent prisoners from exchanging defective boots.
17 June 2014 (Opinions of US Supreme Court being surreptitiously changed)
Published opinions of the US Supreme Court are being surreptitiously changed.
Detecting this is useful, but the real question, I think, is why it happens and why it isn't stopped.
17 June 2014 (US covering up war crimes)
The US military has adopted a policy of covering up war crimes by declaring photos of them "secret".
Urinating on a corpse does no real harm to anyone — it is an insult, not an injury. (If someone pisses on my dead body after I'm dead, I won't even notice it.) I don't see why that should be considered a war crime. However, the same policy would apply to covering up real crimes, including killing and torture.
17 June 2014 (Broadband for America, an astroturf group)
Broadband for America, an astroturf group funded by the big ISPs and set up to oppose network neutrality, created a false image of broad community support by listing many organizations as supporters without asking them.
17 June 2014 (Private Wealth, Public Squalor)
Private Wealth, Public Squalor: America's Dilemma.
17 June 2014 (Tea Party challenger condemned plutocracy)
The Tea Party challenger that defeated Rep. Cantor campaigned condemning plutocracy too.
So the plutocrats have a new lie: claiming that social programs to redistribute wealth to the many paradoxically cause poverty. It's nothing but Reagan's "trickle down" stated in a different way.
17 June 2014 (Rebels in Ukraine seized a gallery / cultural organization)
Rebels in eastern Ukraine seized a gallery / cultural organization, apparently to shut it down.
17 June 2014 (School banned sunscreen)
A school in Texas has banned sunscreen, causing students to get sunburned. They say sunscreen is a drug.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
This would be merely ludicrous if it were not the natural result of the "zero tolerance" idea that makes strictness (no matter how unreasonable) a goal in itself.
Meanwhile, sunscreen is not enough to avoid skin cancer, over the long term. People with a special susceptibility to melanoma really need to avoid activity in the sun.
17 June 2014 (Bogus science)
The National Academy of Sciences found that many methods of identifying people from traces at a crime scene are bogus science, but juries think crime labs can do no wrong.
As a result, they are an excuse to imprison the "usual suspects" (for instance, blacks).
17 June 2014 (Quake near Fukushima)
A medium-size quake near Fukushima reminds us that a bigger quake could release all the radioactive material in the ruined nuclear plants.
16 June 2014 (Urgent: Fossil fuel shipping schedule)
US citizens: tell your state governor you want to know when fossil fuels are shipped by rail.
16 June 2014 (Urgent: No Roundup together with 2,4-D)
US citizens: Call on the EPA not to approve using Roundup together with 2,4-D.
16 June 2014 (Extreme Acts of Greed)
Extreme Acts of Greed Against the American People.
16 June 2014 (The Guantanamo kangaroo courts)
The Guantanamo kangaroo courts may have been undermined because the FBI infiltrated the defense team.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
16 June 2014 (Nuclear weapons)
Nearly all the countries with nuclear weapons are developing new launch vehicles. There is little interest in disarmament.
So we will all run hard just to stay more or less in the same place. However, it may not be exactly the same place. New weapons systems may be more destabilizing. In principle, they could also be less destabilizing, but that isn't likely to happen.
16 June 2014 (Secret trial in China)
It appears that China has secretly tried and sentenced an Uighur academic for criticizing the government.
This is the sort of system that the UK wants to set up for people accused of "terrorism", which in the UK can mean nothing more than owning a book that is considered suspect.
16 June 2014 (Excuse used to arrest Palestinians)
The kidnapping of three Israeli settler teenagers has provided an excuse to arrest lots of Palestinians, even members of parliament.
16 June 2014 (Genetically modified bananas)
Genetically modified bananas are designed to provide poor people in Africa with enough vitamin A.
This might be a good thing, if there isn't a catch. Any possible health problems will probably be less than the health problems these will prevent. Is there a legal catch, a patented gene?
This can postpone the need to curb human population growth, but not eliminate it.
16 June 2014 (Global heating denialist Abbott)
Australian Premier Abbott has been a global heating denialist for many years.
16 June 2014 (Manning explains military's use of press)
Chelsea Manning explains how the US military uses embedding to procure favorable press treatment, covering up "bad news" such as Maliki's repression of the authors of articles that criticized him.
16 June 2014 (Energy made from coal)
The fraction of energy made from coal has risen to the same level as in 1970.
However, the absolute level must be much higher now than in 1970.
We need a carbon tax to put an end to this.
16 June 2014 (Pakistan's army attacks Taliban)
Pakistan's army has attacked the Pakistani Taliban.
I don't think this is meant to wipe them out, rather to teach them to lower their profile.
16 June 2014 (US and Iran acting as allies)
The US and Iran are effectively acting as allies.
The revolutionaries of Iran, in the 1980s, hated the US. They had grounds, however, so I can't blame them for that. However, I condemned and still condemn the Iranian regime for its repression of non-Muslims, women, and to a lesser extent men. The details are different, but Iran and ISIS represent the same theocracy.
A Republican senator calls for allying with Iran as the "lesser evil".
Maybe he's right, but there was a more effective lesser evil in Iraq, who was Iraqi in addition: Saddam Hussein. Like Iran's regime and ISIS, he was a murderous dictator, but at least he wasn't a theocratic murderous dictator.
16 June 2014 (Drought and heat in California)
Due to drought and heat (both caused by human activity), California is delivering juvenile salmon straight to the sea.
16 June 2014 (Loss of office jobs to automation)
Office workers and professionals are losing their jobs to automation.
We must establish a basic income based on taxing the companies that own the automation.
16 June 2014 (Obama threatens border patrol agents)
The Obama regime threatens to prosecute border patrol agents that talk to journalists about how immigrant children are treated.
16 June 2014 (UK's plans for mostly-secret trial)
The UK's plans for a mostly-secret trial use the competition between news outlets to manipulate them to go along with it.
16 June 2014 (Federal Reserve Board of Governors)
The Federal Reserve Board of Governors can and should represent all Americans, not just banksters.
16 June 2014 (War on Islamic fascism)
Bush And Blair Said Iraq Was a War on Islamic Fascism. They Lost.
16 June 2014 (Case against fracking in Europe)
Making the case to Europe not to allow fracking.
16 June 2014 (ISIS murdering captured soldiers)
ISIS seems to be murdering captured Iraqi soldiers en masse.
16 June 2014 (Arbitration of workers' strike)
Transport workers in Philadelphia say they are happy with the arbitration process that Obama started as part of ending their brief strike.
16 June 2014 (Vodaphone's tax dodging)
UK Uncut is protesting Vodaphone for its tax dodging.
16 June 2014 (Murder of rainforest defenders)
Murder of rainforest defenders in Brazil, at the rate of one a week, is one face of the rich business of deforestation. The other face is its arrogant political and lobbying effort.
Will Brazil use its new "organized crime" law against these plantations, or only against protesters?
16 June 2014 (Missing Israeli teenagers)
Three Israeli teenagers disappeared on the way home from school to Israeli colonies in Palestine. The government assumes they were kidnapped by Palestinians.
16 June 2014 (Neocons' advice in 2002)
With neocons pushing for the US to enter the war in Iraq, remember how mistaken their advice was in 2002.
Some neocons aimed to split up Iraq to weaken it. The current civil war is almost what they wanted.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
16 June 2014 (Iranian troops to aid Iraqi gov't)
Iranian troops are going to the aid of the Iraqi government, since its own troops hardly fight.
16 June 2014 (Sabotaging UK's NHS)
The UK Conservatives have another method of sabotaging the UK's National Health Service: by cutting doctors' pay so that they can't maintain staffing levels.
16 June 2014 (Brazilian thugs labeling protests as "organized crime")
Brazilian thugs are labeling protests as "organized crime" to arrest protest leaders preemptively.
16 June 2014 (Oil drilling near Ibiza)
Ibiza is united to fight against oil drilling in the waters near Ibiza.
If you ignore the coming global heating disaster, it would be a matter of weighing the sea life that could be destroyed by a possible disaster against the value of the oil. But given that we must leave 80% of known reserves un-extracted it is totally useless exploring for more.
16 June 2014 (Urgent: Support the RAISE Act)
US citizens: support the RAISE Act to broaden social security benefits.
16 June 2014 (Secret FISA court opinions)
A US judge demanded that the Obama regime hand over secret FISA court opinions.
16 June 2014 (The stories of the long-term unemployed)
Protests in Washington read the stories of the long-term unemployed.
Obama, why aren't you participating?
16 June 2014 (Russia letting Ukrainian separatists take weapons)
The US says that Russia is letting Ukrainian separatists collect obsolete tanks and surplus multiple rocket launchers, which they take into Ukraine.
16 June 2014 (Egyptian President leading a campaign against sexual violence)
Egyptian President al-Sisi is leading a campaign against sexual violence.
Although there are reasons to doubt whether he can or will make progress on this, I think we should give him a chance to succeed. However, we must not let this distract us from his repression. Jailing rapists it is no excuse for jailing journalists and dissidents.
16 June 2014 (Urgent: Tell Obama, don't bomb Iraq)
US citizens: tell Obama, don't bomb Iraq.
16 June 2014 (US media on crisis in Iraq)
In US media, the crisis in Iraq is because the Bush forces left, not because they invaded.
16 June 2014 (Destroyed by global heating)
A future historian writes about how 21st century civilization allowed itself to be destroyed un-resisting by global heating.
It is an understatement to say that "Western" civilization faces destruction. Civilization will be hit globally. China will not escape; Shanghai and Suzhou face inundation.
I say "global heating", not "climate change", because the latter term was coined by the denial lobby as a way to downplay the threat, then adopted by environmentalists as a fundamentally misguided attempt to "compromise" with denialists.
15 June 2014 (Today's Republicans)
Today's Republicans feel no shame about being factually wrong.
15 June 2014 (Sand for fracking)
Sand for fracking is obtained by eliminating farms in Illinois.
Perhaps it does not matter — global heating will make those farms nonproductive anyway.
15 June 2014 (Unceasing rise in sea level)
The unceasing rise in sea level shows there has been no pause in global heating.
15 June 2014 (Twitter Is Censoring Us)
Condom Companies: Twitter Is Censoring Us.
15 June 2014 (Israel is an army)
Uri Avnery: Israel, like Prussia, is an army that has a state.
15 June 2014 (Uber)
Why you should not use Uber.
15 June 2014 (Air war against ISIS)
Obama says he might conduct air war against ISIS, but only if there is a workable plan for reconciliation between the various ethnic groups in Iraq.
This may serve as a reason for the US not to intervene. But even if a plan looks workable on paper, it may be pure fantasy.
15 June 2014 ("Blueberry pomegranate")
Coca Cola Company (perhaps its subsidiary Minute Maid) is passing off Apple and Grape juice as "blueberry pomegranate", while POM makes dubious health claims about real pomegranate juice.
15 June 2014 (Blaming the disintegration of Iraq on Obama)
US mainstream (i.e., right-wing) media are blaming the disintegration of Iraq on Obama for pulling out the Bush forces, rather than on Bush for sending them in.
Obama sets himself up for such criticism by failing to condemn Bush for sending them in.
As Obama considers some sort of military intervention in Iraq, McCain has the gall to claim the Bush forces won the war there.
They didn't win in any military sense. They made Iraq calmer by paying support to the non-jihadi Sunni leaders thus separating them from al-Qa'ida, after which the Iraqi government refused to give US troops immunity from prosecution for war crimes and the US removed them rather than allow them to be prosecuted when they commit war crimes.
15 June 2014 (Urgent: Authorize federal contract workers to unionize)
US citizens: call on Obama to authorize federal contract workers to unionize.
15 June 2014 (EU will limit production of biofuels from food crops)
The EU will limit production of biofuels from food crops.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
Unfortunately, the limit is too high, and would allow the amount of food diverted for fuel to increase.
15 June 2014 (Tesla Motors' policy of nonaggression with patents)
Tesla Motors has followed Twitter in adopting a policy of nonaggression with patents.
15 June 2014 (Prisoners transferred from secret prison of Bagram)
Obama has transferred 12 of the 50 non-Afghan prisoners from the secret prison of Bagram.
Who they are is a secret, where they were sent is a secret, and whether they are now being tortured is a secret.
15 June 2014 (Nuclear power will be more expensive than solar and wind power)
Nuclear power in Europe will be more expensive than solar and wind power in just a few years.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
The expense of nuclear power comes partly from the expensive procedures needed to make disasters less likely, but even with them it is more dangerous than solar and wind power.
15 June 2014 (Suicides from financial crisis and austerity)
Estimating that the financial crisis and austerity have caused 10,000 suicides.
There will also be people who died from consequences of poverty, such as homelessness, stress, and lack of medical care.
15 June 2014 (Urgent: Call for no US intervention in Iraq)
US citizens: call for no US intervention in Iraq.
15 June 2014 (LinkedIn is being sued)
LinkedIn is being sued for miss-using people's entire list of email contacts.
15 June 2014 (Arrested for creating "disturbances")
Pu Zhiqiang, who defended Ai Weiwei, was arrested on absurd charges of "creating disturbances" and "illegally obtaining personal information".
The joke is in China, since arresting someone for "creating disturbances" is as tyrannical as arresting someone for "being a human rights lawyer" or "criticizing government policy".
15 June 2014 (Don't expect Clinton to reduce surveillance)
Don't expect Clinton to do anything to reduce massive US surveillance of everyone.
In addition, she supports the plutocracy on economics and supports imposing plutocratic regimes elsewhere.
15 June 2014 (Thai rulers carrying out agenda of red shirt protesters)
The Thai military rulers are quietly carrying out the agenda of the red shirt protesters that represented an elite minority that lost every election.
15 June 2014 (Killers are called "terrorists" only if they are Muslims)
In the US, killers are called "terrorists" only if they are Muslims.
14 June 2014 (Urgent: Divest from Israeli occupation)
Everyone: encourage the Presbyterian Church to divest from the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
14 June 2014 (Urgent: Inspection of prisons)
US citizens: Call on the US to allow inspection of the prisons for immigrants facing deportation, and respect human rights of children in these prisons.
14 June 2014 (Urgent: Support net neutrality)
US citizens: phone FCC Commissioner Wheeler to support net neutrality.
14 June 2014 (Iraqi solders desert en masse)
The Iraqi army has proved to be a paper tiger as soldiers deserted en masse.
Ironically, it's not the first time. It happened in 2003 when the Iraqi army had been built by Saddam Hussein.
14 June 2014 (US fighting supporting Maliki)
The US is absurdly fighting supporting Maliki in Iraq against ISIS, while looking to overthrow his ally Assad and imposing sanctions on his ally Iran.
14 June 2014 (Oxfam action against poverty)
Oxfam takes action against poverty and hunger, but many Britons think that it should not campaign against poverty and hunger created in the UK.
Their rebukes often start from the ridiculous right-wing claim that there the UK has no money to help the poor. The UK has plenty of money, but lets the rich have it.
14 June 2014 ("Conservationist" Australian PM)
Australian PM Abbott called himself a conservationist.
I guess this means he hasn't finished destroying the ecosphere quite yet.
How many levels of falsehood are there in that claim?
14 June 2014 (Customer purchase records)
Stores ask for customers' email addresses for surveillance purposes: to unify their purchase record with their browsing record.
I don't identify myself to stores. I pay cash anonymously.
14 June 2014 (Obama considers bombing ISIS)
Obama is considering a bombing campaign against ISIS.
I shed no tears for ISIS, but bad things could result. For instance, civilian casualties could help ISIS win support among Iraqi Sunnis. This isn't a conventional war against an army: ISIS defeated the far larger and better equipped Iraqi army because the latter had no will to fight.
Dividing Iraq into a federation of regions might enable it to have peace.
14 June 2014 (Grant Snowden asylum in France)
A petition to grant Snowden asylum in France has got 150,000 signatures.
I would have urged French citizens to sign it, except that it is on a site (change.org) which requires use of nonfree software to sign. Since I learned about that problem, I never recommend petitions there.
14 June 2014 (ISIS threat to Iraqi women)
Rescuing Iraqi feminists and vulnerable women from the advance of ISIS.
14 June 2014 (Perverting social science)
Militarized funding perverts the social sciences in the UK.
14 June 2014 (Revenue-neutral carbon tax)
In Charts: How a Revenue-Neutral Carbon Tax Creates Jobs, Grows the Economy.
14 June 2014 (Disapproval of empathy)
A Palestinian professor who brought Palestinian students to Auschwitz to help them empathize with Jews was hounded into resigning.
US Jews that condemn Israel's occupation practices often get hounded similarly.
14 June 2014 (Sunnis pushed into hands of ISIS)
Maliki pushed Iraq's Sunnis into the hands of ISIS by rejecting them as politicians and as protesters.
For instance, the Sunni vice president was prosecuted and forced into exile.
14 June 2014 (Shadow of Vietnam War over US)
The Vietnam War still casts its shadow over the US, in the form of readiness to go to war.
14 June 2014 (Indian students arrested)
Indian students have been arrested for comparing Prime Minister Modi with Hitler and bin Laden.
Whether that comparison is valid is beside the point: to punish them for stating their views is tyranny.
14 June 2014 (EU to subsidize fracking)
The EU says it plans to reduce CO₂ and methane emissions but it will give a subsidy of around $150 million to fracking.
This is excused by the fallacious claim that fracking reduces greenhouse emissions, but that conclusion was drawn by ignoring the methane leaks from wells.
14 June 2014 (Australia sent boat people to prison)
Australia sent boat people to a prison in Manus Island (part of Papua New Guinea) so that they would not be "in Australia", then claimed that Papua New Guinea was responsible for their imprisonment although in fact Australia had control.
The first part resembles the US excuse for the Guantanamo no-human-rights zone.
14 June 2014 (Wildlife reserves in Africa)
Wildlife reserves in Africa face the death of a thousand cuts.
14 June 2014 (Migratory birds threatened)
Tar sands mining threatens migratory birds including the whooping crane.
Extracting oil from tar sands is a sort of strip-mining which involves deforestation of large tracts of land.
14 June 2014 (Some Iraqis are happy with the takeover by ISIS)
Some Iraqis are happy with the takeover by ISIS.
I get the feeling that no feminists were asked.
Interviews with three inhabitants of Mosul.
14 June 2014 (Economic Hardship Makes People More Racially Biased)
STUDY: Economic Hardship Makes People More Racially Biased.
14 June 2014 (Legalizing and regulating drugs)
Anne-Marie Cockburn's daughter died from a freak consequence of taking MDMA that was twice as strong as usual. She calls for drugs to be legalized and regulated in potency, to prevent such accidents.
14 June 2014 (UK PM Cameron hobnobbed with Charoen Pokphand CEO)
UK PM Cameron objects to any organized pushback against Charoen Pokphand prawns; is it a coincidence that he hobnobbed with its CEO and tried to hush it up?
14 June 2014 (US politicians have created a cult of the US soldier)
Since the 1970s, US politicians have created a cult of the US soldier, calling them "warriors" and "heroes" in a way that wasn't done before. This goes along with the increasing general authoritarianism of the US.
14 June 2014 (5 nutty anti-science theories of US conservatives)
5 nutty anti-science theories of US conservatives.
14 June 2014 (Rate of violence in US schools has been declining)
The rate of violence in US schools has been declining for 20 years, following the decrease in lead in gasoline.
The multiple killings every week or two are shocking, but don't amount to a lot of victims compared with the other sorts of violence among teenagers, and that has been going down in the US.
Even small amounts of lead make children less intelligent. That leads them to be violent, because sometimes they can't see a better response. But lead-induced stupidity would affect all sorts of decisions, including voting. I wonder if the effects of lead poisoning lead people to believe right-wing "solutions", such as Reagan's "trickle-down", and the idea that cities ought to lure businesses away from other cities by offering them subsidies.
14 June 2014 (Apple Limits Mobile Device Location Tracking)
An Umbrella in the Hurricane: Apple Limits Mobile Device Location Tracking.
14 June 2014 (Urgent: Convert gov't buildings to solar power)
US citizens: Call on the US government to convert its own buildings to solar power.
14 June 2014 (Mormon church moving to excommunicate dissidents)
The Mormon church is moving to excommunicate dissidents.
I cannot criticize a group which stands for a position on some question for expelling members that disagree with that position. That's a separate question from whether I criticize the position itself.
14 June 2014 (Weather forecasters banned from discussing global heating)
The Canadian government has banned government-funded weather forecasters from discussing global heating.
That government is denialist and in thrall to the fossil fuel companies.
14 June 2014 (Squatters received hospitality in church where Pope visits)
Squatters have received hospitality in a church where the Pope regularly visits, after they were chased out of a disused office building.
14 June 2014 (Los Angeles trying to expand school thug force)
Los Angeles is trying to divert education funds into expanding its school thug force.
14 June 2014 (State imposed secrecy on trial defense)
Wang Yam was convicted of murder in the UK, after the state imposed secrecy on his defense. He wants to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, but he is forbidden to present his case to the court.
The secrecy is a real factor because, as stated, pertinent witnesses who might exonerate him are unable to know that they are pertinent witnesses.
14 June 2014 (Poor parents not more likely to hurt or neglect their kids)
Poor parents are not more likely to hurt or neglect their kids. They're just more likely to be punished for failings both real and imagined.
The exception is what the complexities of coping with poverty don't allow parents to give their children care by the ideal standard. This provides an excuse to punish them.
13 June 2014 (Urgent: Global heating stories on Faux)
Everyone where Faux News is available: call on that channel to make its global heating stories fit science.
13 June 2014 (Cell phone location tracking)
For First Time, Appeals Court Rules Warrant Is Required For Cell Phone Location Tracking.
More analysis of the basis of this decision.
It's a step forward but it isn't enough. I expect the NSA will still get all of this data about you if you carry a portable tracking device. (I won't!)
What we need is for the system not to start recording your location data without a warrant.
13 June 2014 (Venezuela's system of justice)
The International Commission of Jurists says that Venezuela's system of justice is weak because judges lack independence from the executive.
The ICJ has also criticized the judicial system of the coup-installed government of Honduras.
The condemnation of the post-coup regime is stronger in the full report in Spanish.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
13 June 2014 (Big US companies running schools)
Big US companies are starting to run schools (combined high school and community college), steering people to work for those companies.
This is part of propagating the myth that plenty of job openings exist in the US but people are not trained for them.
The one that's run by Microsoft surely teaches people proprietary software, which is wrong for a school to do.
13 June 2014 (People misled about jobs from coal)
The coal industry has successfully misled people in a coal region of Australia about how many jobs it supports.
13 June 2014 (ISIS aims to take Baghdad)
ISIS aims to take Baghdad, and it is not clear the Iraqi army can prevent this.
The Iraqi Shi'ites will fight back with their own militias, though.
13 June 2014 (Militarization of social science)
Social Science Is Being Militarized to Develop 'Operational Tools' to Target Peaceful Activists And Protest Movements.
13 June 2014 (Sunscreen does not prevent melanoma)
A study on mice finds that even the strongest sunscreen does not prevent melanoma, it only slows the development of melanoma.
A tan is a signal meaning, "Don't mate with me, I subordinate important things to superficial things."
13 June 2014 (Protest against tar sands pipelines)
Canadians are protesting the plan to export tar sands oil through Quebec.
13 June 2014 (Environmental protection in India)
India's Intelligence Bureau accused Greenpeace of undermining the economy.
This is the standard right-wing argument against environmental protection of any kind: that it gets in the way of the easy profits available by tearing up the ground and by poisoning air and water.
12 June 2014 (Children as young as 5 cross into the US from Mexico alone)
Children as young as 5 cross into the US from Mexico alone, and are treated horribly by the US border patrol.
12 June 2014 (Governor Walker's program to increase jobs)
Governor Walker's program to increase jobs by handouts to businesses claims to have created 5000 jobs at the cost of 200 million dollars.
State handouts to business, supposedly to keep or create jobs, enter a Red Queen cycle where ever more handouts are required just to stay in the same place. We should cut all of them out.
12 June 2014 ("Reformist conservatives")
"Reformist conservatives" are another variation of the same old right-wing falsehood.
12 June 2014 (Fracking poisons water pollutes air)
Fracking poisons water pollutes air: more evidence that this can't be prevented.
12 June 2014 (Businesses suing to overturn Seattle's minimum wage law)
Businesses are suing with a range of excuses to overturn Seattle's minimum wage law.
12 June 2014 (NSA told court it is unable to preserve evidence)
The NSA told a US court it is unable to preserve evidence about its operations.
12 June 2014 (Paid spies infiltrated protesters)
Paid spies infiltrated the protesters opposing the proposed Maules Creek coal mine in Australia, and told thugs how to sabotage every protest plan.
12 June 2014 (90% of lemur species are threatened with extinction)
90% of lemur species are threatened with extinction, mostly because humans have cut down most of the forests where they live.
12 June 2014 (Welfare support denies people opportunity to learn to be "virtuous")
The Australian "social services minister", whose aim is to abolish social services as far as possible, says that welfare support for the poor denies people the opportunity to learn to be "virtuous".
However, it's the opposite. Contemptuous policies like his tend, in the long term, to teach values of contempt for others.
For the short term, many Australians remain virtuous, and demonstrate this by protesting in their thousands against these plans.
12 June 2014 (UK's "terrorism" trial)
The UK's "terrorism" trial will be held only partly in secret.
Aside from the question of whether those two men are guilty as charged, there is the even more important question of what the supposed crime consists of, and whether than ought to be a crime at all.
12 June 2014 (Indian thugs raped a woman who would not pay a bribe)
Indian thugs raped a woman who would not pay a bribe.
The bribe was supposed to be to get her husband, also a thug, out of jail. The article doesn't say why he was in jail, or whether they wanted the bribe to follow the law or to break it.
12 June 2014 (Most governments have done nothing in response to Snowden's revelations)
Most governments have done nothing in response to Snowden's revelations of how they are spying on us and other governments are spying on them.
12 June 2014 (Antinuclear activist faces prosecution for a tweet)
A Japanese antinuclear activist faces prosecution for a tweet that criticized a nuclear industry lobbyist.
Another example of repression of antinuclear protesters in Japan.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
He was released after 21 days in jail.
12 June 2014 (When Boris Johnson gets himself "hit" with the water cannon)
When Boris Johnson gets himself "hit" with the water cannon he wants to aim at protesters, will he keep to a very safe distance and choose safe surroundings? The protesters won't have that choice.
12 June 2014 (Clinton apologized for voting for conquest of Iraq)
Hillary Clinton has apologized for voting for the conquest of Iraq, but only in the hope we won't hold it against her.
It was easy enough to see that the invasion was an evil scheme and that the arguments for it were bogus. Millions of people saw that at the time. Has Clinton learned to reject the sort of thinking that enabled those bogus reasons to determine US actions? Surely not, so she should not be president.
11 June 2014 (Victims of sexual violence in war should get reparations)
The victims of sexual violence in war should get reparations.
First of all, they are entitled to abortions, without charge or fuss, so they are not compelled to bear the child of a rapist who may also have murdered their relatives or friends.
11 June 2014 (Mines in Congo)
A legal requirement on manufacturers to register their mineral supply chains has prized 2/3 of the mines in the Congo away from warlords.
This suggests that registration of the supply chain could also put an end to other forms of gross industrial wrong, such as deforestation and exploitative factory conditions.
11 June 2014 (San Francisco will vote on raising the minimum wage)
San Francisco will vote on raising the minimum wage.
11 June 2014 (The Iraqi army is collapsing)
The Iraqi army is collapsing before attacks by Isis.
There is a dispute about whether the troops ran away or corrupt officers pulled them out.
11 June 2014 (US corn production in danger)
US corn production is in danger from global heating.
11 June 2014 (Sentenced to 15 years in prison for leading a protest)
Egyptian freedom Alaa Abd El Fattah has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for leading a protest.
Many governments imprison people for protesting. In the US, the thugs attack protesters and then accuse them. Egypt openly admits that the crime is protesting, thus declares its opposition to human rights.
11 June 2014 (Ukraine's Tax Cheats)
How Ukraine's Tax Cheats Stole Billions from the Country's Coffers.
11 June 2014 (London plans to equip its thugs with water cannon)
London plans to equip its thugs with water cannon as a symbolic statement of readiness to repress possible resistance to plutocratic rule.
11 June 2014 (Chris Christie's tax subsidy policy)
Chris Christie's policy, offering a tax subsidy to every company that threatens to move jobs out of New Jersey, has done a lot of harm to state income and hardly any good for the state's economy.
In general, when governments compete to make handouts to businesses, the businesses gain and the people lose. When a politician says he thinks his job includes handouts to companies if they put their jobs in a certain district, state, or company, that means he has the wrong political outlook.
11 June 2014 (Urgent: Support the UN plan for ocean sanctuaries)
US citizens: call on Kerry to support the UN plan for ocean sanctuaries.
11 June 2014 (Isis, more cruel and vicious than al Qa'ida)
Correction: the Islamist fanatics that have conquered Mosul are not al Qa'ida. Their group, Isis, is even more cruel and vicious than al Qa'ida.
11 June 2014 (UK threatens to deport Tamil refugee)
The UK threatens to deport a Tamil refugee back to Sri Lanka for the second time. The thugs raped and tortured him after his first deportation.
He says he will die rather than be sent back there again.
It is not an accident that the UK does this. The legal system has been designed to create excuses to reject refugees, and that systematically leads to results like these. If he comes to the point of killing himself, I hope he does it in a spectacular way that will shame the officials (both the British and the Sri Lankan) who will have driven him to it.
11 June 2014 (Public pressure made oil company drop plans to drill)
Public pressure has made an oil company drop plans to drill in Virunga national park (where half the world's mountain gorillas live).
11 June 2014 (Cantor was defeated)
Congresscritter Cantor was defeated in the Republican primary by a tea party extremist.
This could cause Republicans to become even more bent on sabotaging the US government than they were last year.
11 June 2014 (Haitian quake survivors used as 'slaves')
Haitian quake survivors used as 'slaves' in building of World Cup stadium in Brazil.
Haitian migrant workers are being worked into the ground building stadiums for the World Cup in Brazil, and the subcontractors that hired them don't pay them.
11 June 2014 (Urgent: Stop union-busting in Indonesia)
Everyone: call on Nike to stop union-busting in Indonesia.
11 June 2014 (Garment workers in Eastern Europe)
Garment workers in Eastern Europe are forced to work overtime just to make a minimum wage.
They work for subcontractors of big name brands. This problem is the result of the deregulation that made it possible for a famous company to become a shell that outsources its production to contractors that outsource to subcontractors, etc.
The solution is to make the shell companies legally responsible for the wrongdoing of the subsubsubcontractors.
11 June 2014 (Urgent: More funding for the Veterans' Administration)
US citizens: call on Senator McConnell to allow a vote on more funding for the Veterans' Administration.
11 June 2014 (Places for produce and groceries)
The inhabitants of Camden, New Jersey, have no access to supermarket, but they grow produce and even chickens.
It seems to me that every city ought to arrange a place where people can buy produce and a wide variety of groceries. If private business fails to do the job, why should the city leave people to cope on their own?
11 June 2014 (Mathematicians against the NSA)
Mathematicians Urge Colleagues To Refuse To Work For The NSA.
11 June 2014 (US gov't agency SWAT teams)
Many US government agencies now have their own police, even their own SWAT teams.
11 June 2014 (iiNET against War on Sharing)
iiNET, an Australian ISP, calls on the public to fight back against the War on Sharing.
11 June 2014 (VA trying to subpoena complaints)
The US Veterans' Administration is trying to subpoena the complaints about the Veterans' Administration received by the Project on Government Oversight through its anonymous tip line.
POGO argues that the subpoena is invalid and says it will not hand over the information, but will tell the VA about the problems reported.
Here is POGO's response.
11 June 2014 (NYC fined for thugs' crimes)
New York City will pay half a million dollars to some Occupy protesters that were arrested for no valid reason.
We know from sad experience that fining the city for crimes by thugs is no deterrent to recidivism. We must prosecute these thugs and put them in jail.
11 June 2014 (Iraq in all-out civil war)
Iraq has fallen into all-out civil war.
11 June 2014 (Legislative districts in US states)
A proposal to require US states to select legislative districts through a nonpolitical system.
Gerrymandering undermines democracy, and these committees might be a good idea. I am not sure the federal government has the power to impose this on states.
However, it is a mistake to say that gerrymandering allows "politicians to draw their own districts". Rather, state legislatures draw the districts for the House of Representatives. They sometimes do this so as to kick a real hero such as Dennis Kucinich out of Congress.
11 June 2014 (Ukrainian film director prosecuted)
A Ukrainian film director who was in Crimea when Putin's forces took it over is being prosecuted on absurd charges, Putin style.
11 June 2014 (Imprisonment of US teenagers)
The US imprisons a large fraction of teenagers for minor "crimes" such as not going to school.
The US would rather imprison teenagers than educate them; the school-to-prison pipeline feeds this prison-to-crime pipeline.
Perhaps it makes inhumane plutocratic rational sense. The plutocratic state sees the non-rich as nothing but instruments for the rich to use. A large fraction of the population is no longer useful to them as free workers, but it still finds them useful if forced into slave labor. The system has evolved to convert many youths into criminals so it can imprison them again as adults and make them work for a pittance.
11 June 2014 (Dhondup Wangchen free)
Tibetan film-maker Dhondup Wangchen was freed after 6 years in prison for making a movie of interviews with Tibetans.
11 June 2014 (States that lean right-wing are most dependent)
In the US, the states that lean right-wing are also most dependent on federal government spending.
It is not obvious what this implies. My theory is that the governments of those states have imposed laws that impoverish people, causing them to get more federal aid per capita.
11 June 2014 (Serbia is threatened by censorship)
Serbia is threatened by censorship — and not just on the internet; people who criticize state actions face threats for "ruining the reputation" of the government.
11 June 2014 (Big Data has inherent biases)
Big Data has inherent biases from the system that collects it.
11 June 2014 (Urgent: Tell Walmart to stop paying low wages)
Everyone: tell Walmart to stop paying wages so low that employees depend on public assistance.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
11 June 2014 (Urgent: Call on the EPA to ban neonicotinoids)
US citizens: call on the EPA to ban neonicotinoids, which have now been tied very clearly to colony collapse disorder of bees.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
11 June 2014 (Killing of two Palestinian teenagers by Israeli troops)
Human Rights Watch says the killing of two Palestinian teenagers by Israeli troops was a war crime.
11 June 2014 (Urgent: Vegetables and fruits in school lunches)
US citizens: call on Congress to preserve requirements for vegetables and fruits in school lunches.
11 June 2014 (Google's Right to be Forgotten)
Google's Right to be Forgotten — Industrial Scale Misinformation?
I just have one small point to criticize: it says "breaching US intellectual property law", but I think this really refers to copyright law only. By using "intellectual property", the article spuriously drags in patent law, trade secret law, trademark law, publicity rights, and others.
If it had said "breaching US copyright law", it would be shorter and clearer — and correct, too!
11 June 2014 (Resistance to standardized testing)
Resistance to standardized testing in the US, Canada and Mexico.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
11 June 2014 (Legalization of marijuana)
Legalization of marijuana makes it possible to require products to provide the dose they say they provide.
11 June 2014 (A plan to protect New York City from rising sea levels)
A plan to protect New York City from rising sea levels uses enlightened methods rather than levees that are dead space.
Any protection that we build will work only up to a certain amount of sea level rise. What amount of rise is this project intended to cope with, and roughly when will it cease to be enough?
11 June 2014 (Genetic Testing of Citizens)
Genetic Testing of Citizens Is a Backdoor Into Total Population Surveillance by Governments and Companies.
11 June 2014 (Businesses are arming drones)
Businesses are arming drones with not-always-lethal weapons to attack striking workers.
11 June 2014 (Selfish right-wing values)
Right-wing policies of cruelty spread selfish right-wing values, which ultimately make the people in a country more unhappy, even those who aren't poor.
11 June 2014 (The boats that catch feed for Thai prawn)
The boats that catch feed for Thai prawn farms are crewed by slaves, who are beaten and even killed at the whim of the owners.
10 June 2014 (Islamist rebels conquer Mosul)
Islamist rebels in Iraq, affiliated with al Qa'ida, have conquered Mosul.
At one point, the Bush forces managed to separate the traditional Sunni leaders from al Qa'ida by paying them. Maliki dropped the practice, and now the fanatics seem to rule the Sunni areas uncontested.
10 June 2014 (Root for the World Cup protesters)
Why you should root for the World Cup protesters.
I won't pay attention to the games themselves — I don't care who wins them.
10 June 2014 (Australian medical cuts)
Australian medical cuts will force old, sick and poor people to do without medicine.
10 June 2014 (Slavoj Žižek on Ukraine)
Slavoj Žižek on Ukraine.
How ironic is the Russian admiration of Stalin as a sort of great fascist.
10 June 2014 (Soviet-style gov't in Belarus)
A Belarusian politician, from Belarus's short period of democracy, says that Soviet-style government is making a comeback.
Democracy still exists in parts of the old Soviet Union, such as the Baltic states, Georgia, Armenia, and in Ukraine more or less. In addition, Kyrgyzstan has a fragile democracy.
10 June 2014 (Cost of oil extraction)
Extraction of oil is becoming too expensive for oil companies, so the rate of extraction will have to decrease.
Some companies are writing off substantial amounts of supposed reserves, but this is not yet proceeding at the rate needed to eliminate the carbon bubble.
The Koch brothers will try to force the US to move towards toxic coal rather than towards renewable energy and efficiency improvements.
10 June 2014 (Privatized prisons for non-citizens)
The US government puts non-citizens into special privatized prisons where they are treated horribly.
Americans, how would you feel if some other country gave special bad treatment to prisoners who are US citizens, because they are foreigners? This is the same.
10 June 2014 (Global heating axis)
Australia and Canada have made a boil-the-Earth global heating axis.
10 June 2014 (The intervention in Libya)
The intervention in Libya has had a lot of bad consequences. I say this as one who supported the intervention.
Would it have been less bad to do nothing and let Gaddafi crush the rebels? Was there some other way to prevent this that would have led to a better outcome? I don't know.
10 June 2014 (Walmart truck driver sleep deprived)
A fatal collision between a Walmart truck and a bus was caused by a truck driver that had not slept in 24 hours.
I wonder why the driver had not slept for 24 hours. Was it perhaps that his employer puts drivers under pressure that in practice requires them to do this to get by?
10 June 2014 (Climate Catastrophe)
Where Is the Signboard to Warn of a Climate Catastrophe?
10 June 2014 (TAFTA)
In addition to attacking our rights and undermining regulation of business, TAFTA aka TTIP would lead to only a tiny amount of economic growth.
That growth would not go to workers, because treaties like this give business more power to drive down wages and hurt working conditions. The plutocrats would grab all the benefits, and more, leaving workers worse off than without the treaty.
TTIP stands for "This Treaty Is Plutocratic".
TAFTA (its other name) stands for "Turn All Freedom To Ashes".
10 June 2014 (Mental health care)
Mental health care in the US is totally inadequate.
The cause, of course, is insufficient funds, which in turn is caused by plutocracy.
10 June 2014 (The State Dept under Clinton)
Under Hillary Clinton, the State Department has become an auxiliary of US military action.
10 June 2014 (Japan to resume killing whales)
Japan intends to resume killing whales despite the court order.
I can't understand why Japan's government insists on continuing an activity whose economic importance is so small, that is unpopular even in Japan, and inspires ill will around the world (as if it were Japan's Guantanamo).
10 June 2014 (Illegitimate French public debt)
A study by economists concludes that 60% of French public debt is illegitimate — imposed on the country by looters.
The percentage will be much bigger in poor countries that were easier for the looters to push around.
So the next step is to cancel the illegitimate debt. Is it possible to distinguish legitimate bonds from illegitimate ones so as to cancel only the latter?
10 June 2014 (Global heating threatens fruit and nut trees)
Global heating threatens fruit and nut trees in California's central valley.
10 June 2014 (Egg production company's illegal practices)
Jack DeCoster owned 10% of US egg production, and repeatedly committed fraud as well as mistreatment of employees. His company's illegal practices were responsible for making at least 2000 people sick with salmonella.
The fact that the company was able to continue operating for 14 years after it was first caught demonstrates that inspection needs to be stronger. We must treat companies with the suspicion we would give to gang members and juvenile delinquents.
10 June 2014 (Investigate Bill Gates' Role in Common Core)
Time for Congress to Investigate Bill Gates' Role in Common Core.
It is interesting that Republicans have said little to oppose the effective cancellation of states' rights in the area of education.
10 June 2014 (A 13-year-old boy has passed the Turing test)
A 13-year-old boy has passed the Turing test.
10 June 2014 (Israel cites Guantanamo as an example)
With Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike to protest imprisonment without trial, Israel plans to force-feed them, and cites Guantanamo as an example.
When the US practices torture, it spreads torture around the world.
10 June 2014 (Urban design and architecture)
Modern urban design and architecture is systematically designed to deny homeless people a place to lie down, so that the callous and successful will be spared the ugly sight of them.
The article also explains how aid-cutting right wing governments develop bureaucratic excuses that systematically refuse homeless people any help in finding a place to sleep. This goes hand in hand with the policies that make so many people homeless.
10 June 2014 (Pakistan's Taliban attacked Karachi airport)
Pakistan's Taliban attacked Karachi airport with suicide bombers and accused the government of using peace negotiations as a sham.
The basis for that accusation seems to be that the government did not cease fire during the talks. But if no cease-fire was agreed on, continuing to fight while negotiating was not dishonest.
10 June 2014 (Air conditioning making US cities hotter)
Air conditioning is making US cities substantially hotter, leading to more use of air conditioning.
10 June 2014 (China CO₂ emissions)
China has quashed the hopes that it would push for cuts in world CO₂ emissions.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
I guess losing Shanghai and Suzhou is not that important to the rulers of China after all.
10 June 2014 (Urgent: Reduce CO₂ emissions from power plants)
US citizens: support the EPA in reducing CO₂ emissions from power plants.
10 June 2014 (Urgent: End the overuse of antibiotics on farm animals)
US citizens: call for ending the overuse of antibiotics on farm animals.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
10 June 2014 (Child poverty in UK)
The UK government will fall far short in its supposed effort to reduce child poverty.
That's because its important policies are designed for dooH niboR and increase child poverty.
10 June 2014 (Western governments and companies supported monarch of Qatar)
The corrupt association of Western governments and Western companies supported the monarch of Qatar in luring hundreds of thousands of migrant workers into semi-slavery.
This has proved fatal to hundreds of them, and left a far larger number trapped or maimed, but it is an injustice to each and every one.
I suspect that the government of Nepal declines to act because it wants the foreign exchange that the migrants send home.
10 June 2014 (The high expense of college)
The high expense of college in the US relates to a change in attitude: treating college as a ticket to the middle class rather than as a way to give society educated citizens.
10 June 2014 (Urgent: authorize postal banking)
US citizens: call on Congress to authorize postal banking.
09 June 2014 (Urgent: Network neutrality)
Send comments in favor of network neutrality to the FCC at openinternet@fcc.gov. Give the Proceeding Number, which is 14-28.
09 June 2014 (Urgent: Fire DEA administrator Leonhart)
US citizens: Urge Obama to fire DEA administrator Leonhart.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
09 June 2014 (Gay conversion therapy)
The Texas Republican Party has endorsed conversion therapy which is supposed to convert gays to straights.
Their position is not real family values, it is correct-family-only values.
09 June 2014 (Australia puts asylum seekers in danger)
After Australia leaked the names of 10,000 asylum seekers, it has given them just 14 days to explain why that leak might put them in danger if sent back.
09 June 2014 (Former Israeli soldiers describe cruelty)
Former Israeli soldiers describe the repetitive cruelty, humiliation and even murder of the occupation of Palestine.
09 June 2014 (Palestinian unity government)
Uri Avnery: Netanyahu says the Palestinian unity government, made of of ministers not aligned with Hamas or Fatah, is unacceptable because it makes Hamas responsible for Palestine's conduct towards Israel.
As Avnery points out, this precise point means that Hamas now upholds peace with Israel day by day.
09 June 2014 (Bill for worker-owned co-ops)
Vermont senators have proposed a bill to facilitate worker-owned cooperative businesses in the US.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
09 June 2014 (Meats imported into the US)
The US continues to allow meat imports from certain countries even though they have privatized their meat inspection systems.
09 June 2014 (Global heating lawsuit sidestepped)
A US appeals court found an excuse to sidestep a lawsuit on behalf of young Americans for the harm that global heating will do to them.
This harm is quite likely to include an early death.
08 June 2014 (Cost of coral reef destruction)
The economic loss caused by destruction of coral reefs has been estimated at around 12 trillion dollars.
And that's just one of the big damages that our CO₂ emissions will cause.
08 June 2014 (Contamination from frack well)
Matching chemical signatures show that the contamination in Steve Lipsky's well is coming straight from Barnett Shale's frack well.
08 June 2014 (Join Climate Fight 'Or Step Aside')
Global Citizens to Elites: Join Climate Fight 'Or Step Aside'.
08 June 2014 (Meet the Press propaganda)
Meet the Press's Snowden Debate: Traitor or Criminal?
I haven't had a TV set since 1970, and I've almost never watched Meet the Press or the other mainstream TV shows that claim to present political debate. It would be a hassle for me to see them. But it appears that they are propaganda outlets for the plutocratic state in all but name.
08 June 2014 (US economic growth since the 70s)
The New York Times thinks there is a mystery about why US economic growth since the 1970s has not reduced poverty.
The overall answer is, right-wing dooH niboR policies, but the Times is not supposed to acknowledge that.
08 June 2014 (The freed Guantanamo prisoners)
Right-wing distortions claim that 1/3 of the freed Guantanamo prisoners have "returned to the battlefield" although only 4% of them were reported ever to have been on a battlefield before.
Even if this claim were true, it would not justify imprisonment without trial. Captured enemy combatants should be treated with the respect due to prisoners of war.
08 June 2014 (Golden Dawn now openly Nazi)
The Golden Dawn party has become openly Nazi and a force for anti-semitic violence.
Why do they blame powerless poor foreigners rather than the powerful businesses that have Greece in a stranglehold?
08 June 2014 (Children of raped Tutsi women)
Tutsi women who were raped by those who murdered their families sometimes hated their children.
Abortions should have been part of the aid that the world gave to Rwanda after the genocide.
08 June 2014 (Urgent: Protect forests)
Everyone: call on India to protect forests from mining companies.
08 June 2014 (Pakistan shuts down news channel)
The Geo News TV channel in Pakistan has been shut off as punishment for criticizing the country's spy agency, the ISI.
The ISI has reportedly sponsored the Taliban in Afghanistan.
08 June 2014 (Gov't spying on Vodaphone customers)
More about how governments spy directly on Vodaphone customers.
India is working on that sort of spying directly on all communications systems.
08 June 2014 (Global heating and global disaster)
It appears civilization will fail to stop global heating and global disaster.
But we should not give up fighting, because we can still reduce the scope of the disaster.
08 June 2014 (Surveillance debate anniversary)
Edward Snowden comments on the first anniversary of the surveillance debate that his heroism made possible.
08 June 2014 (Urgent: Raise the minimum wage)
US citizens: pressure Republicans to raise the minimum wage.
08 June 2014 (Urgent: Protect right whales)
US citizens: tell the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council to maintain the fishing regulations that protect right whales.
08 June 2014 (Urgent: Remove Koch from WGBH board)
In the US: call on PBS to make WGBH remove a Koch brother from its board of trustees.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
08 June 2014 (Urgent: Protect old-growth trees)
US citizens: call on the USDA not to allow a massive cut of old-growth trees in the Tongass National Forest.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
08 June 2014 (Crackdown on dissent in Thailand)
Thailand's military rulers are cracking down on online dissent.
08 June 2014 (The USA Freedumber Act)
Senator Warner gets the government to admit that the USA Freedumber Act would expand the NSA's access to data about American's phone calls.
08 June 2014 (Nonviolent opposition to Assad)
Nonviolent opposition to Assad's rule continues alongside the armed rebellion.
08 June 2014 (A world without net neutrality)
In Harm's Way: The Dangers of a World Without Net Neutrality.
08 June 2014 (Israeli thugs attack TV studio)
Israeli thugs attacked the studio where "Good Morning Jerusalem" was being broadcast and arrested the personnel and an interview guest.
They were accused of dissent.
08 June 2014 (Nigeria's "war on terror")
Nigeria's "war on terror" has involved killing over a thousand prisoners. Several journalists have been arrested and tortured.
08 June 2014 (CIA "can't confirm or deny")
When the CIA jokes that it "can't confirm or deny", it's a sick joke.
08 June 2014 (Use of diclofenac in animals)
Use of diclofenac in animals can wipe out vultures in Europe as it did in India.
08 June 2014 (New president of Ukraine stubborn)
The new president of Ukraine says he will not accept Russia's conquest of the Crimea and will not agree to a federal structure for Ukraine.
I can't see any sense in being stubbornly opposed to a federal structure. As for Crimea, it would be proper to have an honest election in which those who don't want Russian rule can safely vote.
08 June 2014 (Macabre side of global heating)
Global heating has its macabre side: floating corpses out of their graves.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
08 June 2014 (GMO corn is the main cause of decline of the monarch butterfly)
A study finds that GMO corn in the US is the main cause of the decline of the monarch butterfly.
08 June 2014 (Brazil spending more on security against the people)
As Brazilians protest the Brazil's support for the soccer world cup for spending money on businesses instead of people, the government's response is to compound the wrong by spending more on security against the people.
08 June 2014 (New York Governor's energy plan)
New York Governor Cuomo's inadequate and unambitious energy plan.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
08 June 2014 (Urgent: Stop sending youth offenders to privatized prisons)
Everyone: call on Florida to stop sending youth offenders to privatized prisons.
08 June 2014 (Cable Companies Are AstroTurfing)
Cable Companies Are AstroTurfing Fake Consumer Support to End Net Neutrality.
08 June 2014 (Privatizing government services)
Privatizing government services hurts the whole community as well as the workers. The supposed "cost savings" don't include the costs of the government assistance that the employees of these contractors will need because of their low pay.
08 June 2014 (Legalization of marijuana in Colorado)
Legalization of marijuana in Colorado seems to have led to a substantial decrease in crime, and no increase in use by teenagers.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
We need to end the cruel War on Drugs.
08 June 2014 (The Vostok Battalion of pro-Russian rebels)
The Vostok Battalion of pro-Russian rebels seems to get money from Russia but maybe not arms.
08 June 2014 (Defamation Suits)
Defamation Suits Used to Bludgeon Southeast Asian Bloggers and Independent Press.
08 June 2014 (Fortune 500 companies using tax-avoidance schemes)
Most of the Fortune 500 companies are using tax-avoidance schemes.
07 June 2014 (Urgent: Merkley's bill)
US citizens: call on your senators to cosponsor Merkley's bill to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan now.
07 June 2014 (Urgent: James Risen)
Everyone: call on Obama not to jail James Risen.
He is threatened with imprisonment if he does not identify a whistleblower who would himself probably be sent to prison for many years.
07 June 2014 (Urgent: Students Emergency Refinancing Act)
US citizens: support the Students Emergency Refinancing Act.
07 June 2014 ($200 million state-subsidized mall)
Chris Christie has rewarded campaign supporters with 200 million dollars in state money for their a new shopping mall.
The mall is apparently directed at the wealthiest customers. In the new US of increased inequality, they can buy more, while others struggle.
07 June 2014 (China to deport Guo Jian)
China will deport Guo Jian to Australia.
Guo Jian was jailed for an art work that criticized the massacre of hundreds or thousands of students at Tiananmen Square in 1989.
07 June 2014 (Elephant poaching)
Elephant poaching in Kenya is run by organized crime gangs under the control of local elites that are "too big to prosecute".
07 June 2014 (US oil extraction forecast)
A forecast says that US oil extraction will start falling in about 10 years.
07 June 2014 (Punishing the poor)
In London, many poor people can't see a way to get by except by stealing. When caught, their are fined, and the fines are deducted from the already-inadequate welfare payments.
07 June 2014 (Religious extremism in art)
Christian and Jewish religious extremism can be seen in works of art that continue to be admired as classics.
At present, these works do not seem to inspire suicide bombers, but I won't take for granted that can't ever happen.
07 June 2014 (Technological "advances" in surveillance)
The technological "advances" that make the difference between J Edgar Hoover's FBI and today's total surveillance state.
07 June 2014 (Vodaphone)
Vodaphone says that several governments tap into its phone calls directly.
07 June 2014 (Copyright infringement claims)
Europe's top court ruled against the publishers' "irrational" claims that looking at web pages is copyright infringement.
07 June 2014 (Efforts to defend UK soil)
George Monbiot: The Farming Lobby Has Wrecked Efforts to Defend Our [UK] Soil.
07 June 2014 (Rising sea level threatens Jamestown)
Jamestown, the first known English settlement in the US, is being inundated by rising sea level.
Part of the rise is due to global heating.
07 June 2014 (Gaps in Geithner's autobiography)
Geithner's autobiography is full of gaps, inconsistencies and falsehoods, all contrived to present the arsonist as a fireman.
07 June 2014 (Argentina's debt deal)
The debt deal that Argentina got is not really such a good deal for Argentina.
07 June 2014 (Repression of Tibetans)
The elected leader of Tibetans in exile calls on China to relax the repression of Tibetans so they will stop burning themselves to death.
07 June 2014 (Drug-resistant malaria)
Counterfeit medicine has helped malaria evolve resistance to the drug used to cure it.
07 June 2014 (Big Spill blowout protection)
A US report says that BP's system to protect against a blowout was not suitable for the purpose, and the same inadequate system is in use today.
The US has not adopted rules to prevent a repetition of the Big Spill. This reflects the political power of the oil companies: these dangerous beasts are too big to cage.
07 June 2014 (UK's proposed secret trial)
The UK government not only proposes to have a secret trial of anonymous suspects, it also wanted to forbid the press to report on the fact that this was going on.
Once a state accepts the principle of trampling human rights in the name of "security", its natural tendency is to keep going further until people have no rights that it can't deny them. We have seen the same in the US, where the president can imprison anyone forever without a trial.
A state that escapes from the people's control is more dangerous than any underground group. If we are not willing to risk our lives for democracy and human rights, we won't have them for long.
07 June 2014 (Urgent: Sunshine in Litigation Act)
US citizens: ask your Senators to support the Sunshine in Litigation Act, requiring courts to publish information that is crucial to public safety.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
07 June 2014 (Ellsberg on Manning and Snowden)
Daniel Ellsberg: Both Manning & Snowden Exposed Government Secrecy to Proper Debate.
07 June 2014 (Predicted El Niño event)
The predicted El Niño event will damage coral world-wide, and due to the higher "normal" temperature, they will be less able to recover.
Coral is also endangered by ocean acidification, and if it is extinct by 2050, many other marine species will also be extinct, and a large fraction of sea food we eat will disappear.
07 June 2014 (Phony cell phone tower cover-ups)
When US thugs use phony cell phone towers, they cover this up by deceiving courts.
07 June 2014 (Activism alone won't suffice)
Falkvinge: activism alone won't suffice; we must compete in elections.
07 June 2014 (Ways Snowden changed the world)
Four ways Edward Snowden changed the world — and why the fight's not over.
The "authorities" want to shoot the messenger and bury his message.
A Message From Edward Snowden, One Year Later.
07 June 2014 (Phony cell phone towers)
The ACLU sued Florida to get records of surveillance through phony cell phone towers, so US thugs seized the records to make the Florida court impotent.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
07 June 2014 (Sprint and T-mobile want merger)
Now Sprint and T-mobile, two large US phone competitors, want to merge.
Such large companies should never be allowed to merge. Instead, we should break up their larger competitors, in this case Verizon and AT&T.
07 June 2014 (Sustaining our oceans)
The Challenge of Sustaining Our Oceans.
07 June 2014 (Urgent: Oppose the USE Freedumb Act)
US citizens: phone your senators to oppose the USE Freedumb Act, the house-passed caricature of the USA Freedom Act.
07 June 2014 (Urgent: Stop plans to attack Canadians' rights with the TPP)
Everyone: tell Canada to stop plans to attack Canadians' rights with the TPP.
07 June 2014 (Thugs carried a fake cell phone tower)
Thugs carried a fake cell phone tower from door to door to find a suspect's portable phone.
We want criminals like that one to be caught. I think it would be reasonable for a court to give permission to use a similar device, which would be programmed with one phone number, to locate that particular phone in this way.
07 June 2014 (Urgent: Stop printing letters that deny global heating)
Readers of the Boston Globe: ask the Globe to stop printing letters that deny global heating.
07 June 2014 (It takes more than an election to make a democracy)
It takes more than an election to make a democracy.
07 June 2014 (Koch brothers asked Supreme Court)
The Koch brothers have asked the Supreme Court to rule against "union shop" requirements for public sector workers; this would lead to low wages and bad working conditions.
07 June 2014 (Australian politicians helped write lobbying materials)
Australian politicians helped write lobbying materials for businesses that wanted reduced regulation in planning buildings.
07 June 2014 (Nauru has expelled 5 opposition legislators)
Nauru has expelled 5 opposition legislators to protect Australia's domination.
07 June 2014 (More housing units in occupied Palestinian territory)
Israel has announced a plan to build 900 more housing units in occupied Palestinian territory.
Wait a moment, does Netanyahu think the "peace talks" are still going on?
07 June 2014 (Facebook could control an election)
Facebook could control an election just by selectively deciding who to urge to vote.
The article repeats a common historical myth, the idea that Dubya won the 2000 election in Florida. In fact, his campaign stole the election. Katherine Harris falsely disenfranchised around 50,000 black voters based on the similarity of their names to names on a list of felons. The voters disenfranchised were not felons, but Harris vetoed checking who was really a felon.
05 June 2014 (People who raped a Dalit girl threatened violence against her father)
The people who raped a Dalit girl (who then killed herself) have threatened violence against her father for rebuking them.
05 June 2014 (Study find very little social mobility)
A 30-year study of 800 poor children who started school in Baltimore in 1982 has found very little social mobility: if your parents were poor, you almost certainly end up poor.
05 June 2014 (Innocent people convicted by lies from the FBI crime lab)
The struggle to free the innocent people convicted by lies from the FBI crime lab.
05 June 2014 (Noam Chomsky: the US surveillance state)
Noam Chomsky: the US surveillance state provides the secrecy to shield abuses of US power.
05 June 2014 (Crackers' latest prank)
Some crackers' latest prank is to generate a false report of an incident and get a SWAT team sent to an innocent person's address.
These people are crackers because they break computer security. They are hackers because they are practicing playful cleverness. Unfortunately, being playful and clever does not ensure that an activity is ethical. This prank is not innocent: SWAT raids kill innocent people.
However, the prank is merely the trigger for the danger; the root cause of the danger is the policies that use SWAT teams too often.
05 June 2014 (Koalas have adapted to increased temperature)
Koalas have adapted to increased temperature in Australia by cooling their bellies against trees.
This will get them only so far; eventually the heat will kill them.
05 June 2014 (Biodiversity offsetting)
Biodiversity offsetting is the risky practice of compensating for destruction of some wildlife habitat by constructing replacement habitat.
The main flaw is that the habitat we destroy is sure to be destroyed, but it will take years to see whether the replacement habitat really functions. And what do you do if it doesn't?
This system of offsetting provides the opportunity for developers (and their state backers) to propose replacements without even trying to scrutinize the plans carefully. By the time it becomes apparent that the replacement habitat was never really used by the ecosystem it was meant for, nobody will be accountable.
05 June 2014 (Sit-In in mayor's office to protest killings by thugs)
Activists in Albuquerque held a sit-in in the mayor's office to protest the many killings committed by thugs.
One thug pushed a protester to the wall and charged the protester with attacking him. Typical thug behavior. What's unusual is that the thug said in advance he would do that. This proves it is an intentional act to lie and frame someone. Will this thug be prosecuted for perjury?
05 June 2014 ("Domestic terror task force")
Obama is going to revive the "domestic terror task force".
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
I suppose this will be another scheme for investigating dissidents and journalists, as well as once in a while one of the real right-wing extremists. Thugs generally feel sympathy towards right-wing extremists as long as those have not reached the point of actual killing.
05 June 2014 (Governments investing too much in fossil fuels)
Governments are investing too much in fossil fuel use and not enough in renewable energy.
5 June 2014 (Cancer increase in Fukushima)
There is an increase in the rate of thyroid gland symptoms in children living in the area around Fukushima.

It might be a real problem caused by fallout, or it might just indicate more thorough examination.
5 June 2014 (China to implement carbon cap)
China has pledged to limit CO₂ emissions.

Perhaps the government has concluded that drowning Shanghai, Suzhou, and the whole surrounding region would be a big loss.
5 June 2014 (Urgent: Abolish Corporate Constitutional Rights)
US citizens: Ask senators to change the proposed constitutional amendment, SJR 19, to do the whole job — to reject the idea that human rights apply to corporations.
5 June 2014 (Urgent: Support Harvard divestment)
Everyone: support Divest Harvard, the campaign for Harvard to divest from fossil fuel.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
5 June 2014 (Let them eat cake, on camera)
Today's Big Brother seduces fools into encouraging everyone to watch them.
5 June 2014 (Justice in America)
Families of Americans killed in US drone attacks in Yemen have given up on suing for damages. US courts have stonewalled them for years.

However, a class action by prisoners in solitary confinement will proceed.
5 June 2014 (Inequity and hypocrisy)
Before you tell the unemployed to "get a job", you had better find some jobs they could get.
5 June 2014 (US gov plays stooge at Israeli-Palestinian peace talks)
How did Kerry manage not to understand that Israel had no interest in making his peace talks a success?
5 June 2014 (Settlers carry out ethnic cleansing in Israel)
Israel sent bulldozers to destroy half the Palestinian village of Id'eis, which is located in the region near the Jordan that Israel wants to ethnically cleanse.

Meanwhile, fanatic settlers are building another "illegal" colony — that is, one that supposedly has no government approval — with support from the army.
5 June 2014 (Eshel Prison hunger strike continues)
Israel has put 60 hunger-striking prisoners in solitary confinement.
5 June 2014 (Lanzhou New Area Project)
China plans to level over 700 mountains.
5 June 2014 (Predicable consequences)
Humanity is on track to exhaust crucial resources during this century, as predicted in 1972 by the Club of Rome.
5 June 2014 (LinkedIn supports Chinese censors)
LinkedIn has imposed Chinese censorship on users world-wide.

Perhaps the US should not allow US internet companies to do business in a way that would subject them to foreign censorship laws.
5 June 2014 (UK disposes of open justice)
The UK government plans to try people whose identity is secret, in a secret trial. They are accused of possessing books, and unspecified other things.

Could Stalin have done worse?
5 June 2014 (Generational disappointments)
Tim DeChristopher, who went to prison for sabotaging an oil auction, rebukes baby-boomers for not having the courage to resist the system that is carrying us toward global heating disaster.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
5 June 2014 (Top 5 NSA Myths)
Discredited claims that the NSA keeps making.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
5 June 2014 (I like you more when you're not here)
Arabs like the US better as a result of Obama's reduction in the visible US military profile in the Middle East. Hardly anyone wants the US to attack Syria or Iran.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]

Yemen, where the US is carrying out drone bombings, was not one of the countries surveyed.
04 June 2014 (Urgent: Vermont's GMO labeling law)
Everyone: call on Monsanto not to sue Vermont for its GMO labeling law.
04 June 2014 (Urgent: Reject tar sands oil pipeline)
Everyone: support Premier Clark of British Columbia in rejecting a tar sands oil export pipeline.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
04 June 2014 (Chiquita lobbying)
Why Chiquita Is Lobbying Against a 9/11 Victims Bill.
04 June 2014 (The USA Freedumber Act)
The USA Freedumber Act actually expands massive surveillance in several ways. It has been converted into a blow against freedom.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
04 June 2014 (6th graders seek payment for labor)
6th Graders Seeking Payment for Taking Common Core Field Tests.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
04 June 2014 (Absolute Computrace)
Is Absolute Computrace a Trojan horse in the BIOSes of millions of computers? We can't tell, because it is proprietary software.
The point is, precisely because we can't tell, we should never trust proprietary software. It is software for suckers.
04 June 2014 (Why James Risen faces prison)
Here's the bombshell for which the Obama regime is going to put James Risen in prison.
Do you think Americans should find out when the US government does such stupid things and the result is harmful? The US government thinks it should be able to cover them up so it appears perfect.
04 June 2014 (Releasing Guantanamo prisoners)
Now that Obama has claimed the right to release prisoners from Guantanamo with no notice, nothing is stopping him from trying or releasing every one of the prisoners.
He must shoulder all the guilt for imprisonment without trial in the US.
04 June 2014 (Pope Francis disappoints)
Disappointingly, Pope Francis urges people to have children. Just what the world doesn't need.
Although the Church opposes artificial birth control, that does not require urging people to have children. He ought to urge people to have humanitarian projects. That way, you won't feel alone when you are old.
04 June 2014 (US to work with Palestinian unity gov't)
The US will work with the Palestinian unity government.
Netanyahu is finding himself a little less able to extract support from the US government.
04 June 2014 (CO₂ emissions from power plants)
Obama has proposed limits to require reduced CO₂ emissions from existing power plants.
The solution would do a lot of good, but it won't reduce emissions fast enough to avoid disaster.
Carbon offsetting is an unreliable method of reducing emissions.
We could easily to a lot more.
04 June 2014 (Palestinian unity government)
Gush Shalom welcomes the Palestinian unity government.
04 June 2014 (Illegal migrants from Africa)
Thousands of illegal migrants are trying to get from Africa into Europe by any means possible.
More and more people flee Africa, due to population growth, the corporate land grab, wars over conflict minerals, and global heating. Population growth is mostly the fault of poor Africans; the other causes are not.
04 June 2014 (Queensland's privatizations)
Australia's maverick party leader threatens to reverse Queensland's privatizations.
Hooray! Privatization is an assault on the public's assets, carried out by the state as a surrender to the new owners. Those owners must get punished.
03 June 2014 (Europe should move faster to renewable energy)
The fighting in Ukraine — and the aggressiveness of gas supplier Russia — should make Europe wake up and move faster to renewable energy.
03 June 2014 (Big state payoff to a friend of Chris Christy)
Governor Chris Christy got New Jersey law changed, which permitted a big state payoff to a friend who donated to his campaign.
Even if these changes were not made specifically for the purpose of giving a payoff to his friend, they still help rich people at the expense of the state.
03 June 2014 (Seattle approved increase of minimum wage to $15)
Seattle has approved the increase of minimum wage to $15 an hour, disregarding the usual claims by businesses that the sky will fall.
03 June 2014 (Sargent Bergdahl was disgusted with the war)
Sargent Bergdahl, freed by the Taliban in an exchange, apparently had left his post because he was disgusted with the dishonesty of the war.
03 June 2014 (Constitutional amendment to reverse Corporations United)
The constitutional amendment that the Senate will vote on would reverse the Corporations United (*) decision but would not reject the idea that corporations are people. They are proposing only a half solution.
* Officially called "Citizens United", but I'd rather call them what they are than what they claim to be.
03 June 2014 (Don't Copy Our Welfare Cuts)
Don't Copy Our Welfare Cuts, New Zealand Experts Warn Australia.
03 June 2014 (Indonesia refuses to resume diplomatic ties with Australia)
Indonesia refuses to resume diplomatic ties with Australia without a commitment not to spy on Indonesian leaders.
What about the other Indonesians? Spying on other countries' leaders can be justified; spying on everyone is when it becomes Orwellian.
03 June 2014 (Peace deal with Taliban)
Karzai is angry that the US made a deal to exchange prisoners but has not made a peace deal with the Taliban.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
I don't know whose fault it is that the peace talks have failed.
03 June 2014 (Supreme Court sided with government against James Risen)
The US Supreme Court sided with the government against James Risen.
He will now go to prison to defend the confidentiality of his source.
03 June 2014 (Tortured and imprisoned for possessing tiny quantities of drugs)
In the UAE, people are tortured into confessions and imprisoned for possessing tiny quantities of drugs.
Ahmad Zeidan was imprisoned for possessing 1/20 of a gram of cocaine. It was in a car glove compartment; there must be a doubt about whether he knew it was there.
There's also the man who was imprisoned for a flake of marijuana on the sole of his shoe.
I do not make flight connections through Dubai or Qatar. The risk may be small, but there is no need to run that risk.
03 June 2014 (Proposing taxes to restrain housing price)
Proposing taxes to restrain the housing price in London and make space available cheaply for rent.
03 June 2014 (Punished for providing services to people)
In the UK, people will be punished for providing services to people when they had some "reason to suspect" they were helping a criminal group.
I'm afraid this means that lots of people won't be able to hire a lawyer or rent space, even though they are not criminals, because people will be scared to deal with them.
03 June 2014 (Reinterpretation of the 2nd Amendment)
How right-wingers in the National Rifle Association foisted a reinterpretation of the 2nd Amendment on the US.
03 June 2014 (SWAT team threw flash grenade into crib)
A SWAT team threw a flash grenade into Bou Bou Phonesavanh's crib, causing terrible injuries.
The US government has paid lots of towns to set up SWAT teams even though they have no real need for one. Rather than leave the teams unused, they make rules saying that on conditions XYZ the SWAT team must be sent "just in case". That creates lots of opportunities for the team to injure or kill people, in situations where nothing bad would have happened without the SWAT team.
I hope that Bou Bou dies from these injuries, because living with them would be horrible.
03 June 2014 (Poor Americans lose their jobs because they're jailed)
Poor Americans lose their jobs because they are jailed, then are ordered to pay for jailing them.
I hope Mr Papa and thousands like him tell the state they will never pay a cent, and dare the state to jail them until it chokes on them.
03 June 2014 (Urgent: Medical marijuana amendment)
US citizens: call on the Senate to pass the medical marijuana amendment adopted by the House of Representatives.
03 June 2014 (Urgent: Respect for workers' rights)
Everyone: call on T-mobile to respect workers' rights in the US.
03 June 2014 (NSA collection of face pictures)
The NSA collects millions of face pictures from internet communication.
They could get your face from Skype, if you use that.
03 June 2014 (Freed Iranian human rights lawyer)
An interview with Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh.
She was freed before the end of her sentence thanks to international pressure, but is still banned from practicing law.
03 June 2014 (Australian gov't class war)
The Australian government's class war can be understood in terms of the very wealthy constituencies where its leaders are elected.
03 June 2014 (Lobbying against green energy)
Fossil fuel companies are trying to use the new right-wing anti-EU MEPs to destroy green energy targets.
03 June 2014 (US plutocracy and inequality)
The effects of growing US plutocracy and inequality harm society as a whole.
03 June 2014 (Chinese artist imprisoned for art)
A Chinese democracy protester, who got asylum in Australia after the Tiananmen massacre, returned to Beijing to make an art work referring to the massacre. He was imprisoned for that.
03 June 2014 (Misogyny and "sexual entitlement")
The concept of "sexual entitlement" explains part of misogyny.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
03 June 2014 (Boat refugees on hunger strike)
Boat people seeking refuge in Australia, and sent to Christmas Island, have underlined their hunger strike by sewing their mouths shut.
03 June 2014 (Stopping Witch Burning in Kenya)
Stopping Witch Burning in Kenya?
03 June 2014 (Wheeler acts against net neutrality)
FCC Commissioner Wheeler repeatedly says he supports network neutrality, yet he repeatedly acts against it.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
03 June 2014 (Palestine's unity gov't sworn in)
Palestine's unity government has been sworn in, despite Israeli interference.
The Oslo Agreement called for many things that Israel has not done. I recall there was supposed to be a corridor for communication between Gaza and the West Bank. Perhaps both sides should finish implementing that agreement.
03 June 2014 (Baby's sex)
Why It's Best Not to Know Your Baby's Sex.
03 June 2014 (Pressure on Ukraine from Russia)
Russia's new method of pressuring Ukraine: requiring prepayment for natural gas.
03 June 2014 (College tuition in Australia)
Australia's right-wing government plans to increase college tuition fees and the interest for college loans. However, graduates whose income is low will not have to pay back the loans. So it will still be a lot better than the system in the US.
03 June 2014 (Record heat in Australia)
Australia has suffered the hottest two-year period since records started.
03 June 2014 (Sri Lankan refugees in Australia)
Sri Lankan refugees in Australia would rather die than be sent back there, and one set himself on fire because he couldn't stand the uncertainty about being sent back.
02 June 2014 (Urgent: Thank Pope Francis)
Everyone: Thank Pope Francis for recognizing the cruelty of the occupation of Palestine.
02 June 2014 (Urgent: Oppose HR 4752)
US citizens: Call on Congress to oppose HR 4752, which would ban the simple right way to restore network neutrality.
02 June 2014 (Erosion of topsoil in Maine)
The Desert of Maine shows what's in store for us if we don't stop farming practices that cause erosion of topsoil.
02 June 2014 (Tracking everyone who has a mortgage)
The US government plans to make a database with lots of intrusive information about everyone in the US that has a mortgage.
It is possible private data brokers already have all the same information about them. Does anyone know?
02 June 2014 (Religious repression in middle east)
Religious repression in Israel and Arab countries requires couples to go to Cyprus to marry.
02 June 2014 (Islamist repression of religious freedom)
On two occasions there are connection between Islamists fighting in Syria and murder of Jews.
This is still a fringe phenomenon, but all Islamists advocate repression that violates freedom of speech and freedom of religion. In particular, the religious freedom of anyone they decide is supposed to be a Muslim.
02 June 2014 (Tiananmen Square 25 years ago)
Ma Jian, who was a protester at Tiananmen Square 25 years ago, describes what happened there and the Chinese repression of all reference to it.
02 June 2014 (Prosecution of reporters in Egypt)
The Egyptian trial of three reporters for "endangering national security" shows that the prosecution is a sick joke.
02 June 2014 (Fossil fuel tax subsidies)
The UK government ha given around 4 billion dollars in tax subsidies to fossil fuel extraction in the North Sea in the past few years. This while cutting the subsidies for renewable energy.
The current right-wing government has shown all along, by its policy changes, that it was working for the fossil fuel companies.
The UK has had a lot of problems recently with flooding. Global heating is going to make that worse.
02 June 2014 (Protect your ears)
Protect your ears from loud music!
02 June 2014 (UK harasses Somali refugee)
A Somali refugee who became a British citizen is harassed and threatened every time he reenters the UK by agents that want him to become a spy.
02 June 2014 (Lavabit's fate decided in secret hearing)
Lavabit's fate, and the privacy of all its users, was decided in a secret hearing in which founder Ladar Levison was not allowed a lawyer.
The despicable juridical shenanigans of putting him in contempt of court without giving him a chance to object are redolent of a banana republic.
02 June 2014 (The Internet With A Human Face)
The Internet With A Human Face (an interesting speech).
02 June 2014 (UK imprisoning the mentally handicapped)
Due to insufficient funding, the UK's National Health Service consigns mentally handicapped people to prisons, and the prisons treat them inhumanely.
One committed suicide because he was bullied.
02 June 2014 (Looting of ancient sites in Egypt)
Looting ancient sites in Egypt has shot up since the revolution against Mubarak.
02 June 2014 (Sale of student data)
A bankrupt data broker that collected data about students may sell the data as an "asset".
02 June 2014 (US drone assassinations)
A missive from an anti-drone protester about the multiple levels of lies and secrecy that surround US drone assassinations.
02 June 2014 (Our bacterial biomes)
Investigating the effect of antibiotic usage on people's bacterial biomes, which might be part of the cause of increasing rates of various chronic medical problems.
01 June 2014 (Urgent: Reject the Tyson Foods Anti-Farmer Act)
US citizens: call on Congress to reject the Tyson Foods Anti-Farmer Act.
01 June 2014 (Urgent: reject bills that endanger the Endangered Species Act)
US citizens: call on Congress to reject bills that endanger the Endangered Species Act.
01 June 2014 (The idea of "digital natives")
The idea of "digital natives" is a confusion when applied to children or teenagers. They have learned to use digital technology but that mean they understand what's good or bad.
01 June 2014 (Thugs went to England to learn torture/brainwashing)
The thugs of Brazil's military dictatorship went to England to learn torture/brainwashing techniques that did not leave physical marks.
01 June 2014 (Iranians set up a phony news site to attack computers)
Iranians set up a phony news site to attack computers of US officials and journalists.
Attacking computers does not mean these people are "hackers". That's an insulting usage of the word.
It sounds like some of their methods were playfully clever, so maybe they really are hackers, but not because they were attacking computers.
01 June 2014 (Don't believe the claim that Meriam Ibrahim will be freed)
Don't believe the claim that Meriam Ibrahim will be freed, say her lawyers.
01 June 2014 (6 Cleveland thugs are being prosecuted)
6 Cleveland thugs are being prosecuted for shooting and killing two people in a stopped car.
01 June 2014 (Erdogan sent thugs to pre-empt expected protests)
Erdogan sent thugs to pre-empt the expected protests on the anniversary of the start of protests last year.
Looks like China.
01 June 2014 (5 Afghan prisoners in Guantanamo for one captured US soldier)
The US exchanged 5 Afghan prisoners in Guantanamo for one captured US soldier.
I am glad the US soldier is free, but having five fewer instances of national shame is a bigger step forward. The US must either try or free every one of the prisoners in Guantanamo.
01 June 2014 (Network neutrality)
A Congressman funded by the major ISPs has filed a bill to effectively ban the FCC from establishing network neutrality.
01 June 2014 (The Victims of the School of the Americas)
Not Forgotten: Street Art to Remember the Victims of the School of the Americas.
01 June 2014 (NSA's Shadow Database)
Getting the Innocent out of the NSA's Shadow Database.
01 June 2014 (The rich dragging US economy down)
The rich, by not paying taxes, are dragging the whole US economy down.
01 June 2014 (Transporting lots of oil by train)
Laying out the danger of transporting lots of oil by train.
We require every car driver to have insurance. Why not require every tank car to have insurance too, to cover the small but significant chance of a fatal explosion? This way, tiny shipping companies won't be able to go bankrupt and avoid liability, as happened after the Lac Megantic fire.
01 June 2014 (Humans causing extinction of species)
Humans are causing extinction of species at 1000 times the natural rate.
01 June 2014 (Urgent: Remove US from Afghanistan now)
US citizens: call on Obama to remove US from Afghanistan now, not years from now.
01 June 2014 (NSA releases one email from Snowden)
The NSA released one email from Snowden, which raises subjects relevant to NSA lawbreaking but doesn't allege wrongdoing. Snowden says that this is only part of what he said to the NSA headquarters.
The forces of total surveillance and intimidation will tell one lie after another. Three cheers for Edward Snowden!
01 June 2014 (Bush and Blair's conversations)
The UK Chilcot inquiry into why Bush and B'liar invaded Iraq will release passages and summaries of their conversations, rather than the real text.
01 June 2014 (The case for hope)
The case for hope in the fight to curb global heating.
01 June 2014 (Threats against non-voting Egyptians)
El-Sisi threatened to fine Egyptians that did not vote, but they still stayed away in large numbers.
01 June 2014 (Secret prisoners in Bagram)
Keeping US troops in Afghanistan through 2016 means keeping secret prisoners disappeared in Bagram through 2016.
01 June 2014 (Prisoners in Berlin set up union)
Prisoners in Berlin have set up a union to demand payment at the minimum wage for their work.
This cause is important for everyone. Do you want slave labor undermining your job?
01 June 2014 (Hereditary slavery in Niger)
The government of Niger is taking action against traditional hereditary slavery.
01 June 2014 (No cheap fix for global heating)
Why geoengineering does not offer a cheap fix for global heating, or even any fix at all.
01 June 2014 (The problems in the VA)
On the problems in the Veterans Administration.
Indeed, veterans would not need so much care if Dubya hadn't fabricated an excuse to conquer and occupy Iraq, but that's a separate issue. The veterans exist, their wounds and illnesses exist, and the VA owes them treatment.
While dishonesty about waiting lists is inexcusable, the root cause of the long waiting lists is failure to spend enough money to provide all veterans with proper care. That is the fault of plutocratist politicians, mostly Republican but some Democrats as well.
01 June 2014 (Global heating and wars)
Global heating effects are already starting wars. The US government is ready to respond so as to maintain and extend world plutocracy.
01 June 2014 (21st Century Copyright Extremism)
Crashing Down To Earth: On 21st Century Copyright Extremism.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
01 June 2014 (Glyphosate)
Various illnesses in children seem to be associated with exposure to glyphosate; for some children, removing glyphosate from their food and water leads to a remission of the illness.
To get clear proof that glyphosate causes these symptoms requires a more systematic experiment, but this is enough reason to treat it with great suspicion.
31 May 2014 (Gun-rights extremists in Texas)
Gun-rights extremists in Texas harass anyone that opposes them.
31 May 2014 (Eviction of 10 million Americans)
Banksters have kicked 10 million Americans out of their homes, and when communities organize to resist, cities send thugs and even SWAT teams to carry out the eviction.
This is all the more reason to demand that your city get rid of its SWAT team. It's unlikely to do anything good for the city's residents, and has a good chance of killing them from time to time.
31 May 2014 (NYC bill encourages use of free software)
New York City Councilman Kallos has introduced a bill to encourage use of free software in the city government.
It is not the strong requirement that every government should have, but it is a start.
31 May 2014 (Privatized schools in New Orleans)
New Orleans has closed all its public schools and forced the students into a segregated system of privatized schools with inexperienced teachers.
31 May 2014 (Tar sand oil extraction in Utah)
A tar sand oil extraction mine in Utah will threaten to pollute the Colorado River.
Another mine operated nearby 30 years ago; the site is still a dead zone.
31 May 2014 (Drought triggered protests in Syria)
The protests in Syria were triggered by a 6-year drought, for which global heating was probably one of the causes.
31 May 2014 (Tax pursuit of Britain's poorest)
The Cowardly Tax Pursuit of Britain's Poorest.
31 May 2014 (Tony Abbott's cuts)
When Tony Abbott was criticizing the previous government, he recognized a reduction in planned future spending increases as a "cut", but now that he makes the policy he insists they are different.
Abbott is becoming the suppository of all sophistry.
31 May 2014 (Google muscling into other markets)
Google is using its dominant position in one market to muscle into another, something that a few decades ago would have been prosecuted.
The other music streaming services are unethical because of their DRM. Will Google's be better, or just like the others? If it is better, then we should root for Google to get rid of them. If it will be unethical like the others, then we should call for a pox on all.
31 May 2014 (UK interest rates)
770,000 households in the UK face the danger of losing their homes in 2 years when interest rates rise.
31 May 2014 (New Pun)
New pun, Irish constellation.
31 May 2014 (Internet Voting)
Internet Voting
31 May 2014 (US gov't threatening security researchers)
The US government is threatening security researchers with prosecution.
This suggests that the "security" state has chosen a weak and insecure internet it can spy on, rather than a secure one we can use.
31 May 2014 (Who is backing Haftar in Libya)
Who is backing Haftar in Libya, and what is he doing?
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
31 May 2014 (The Egyptian election)
The Egyptian election proves that Sisi's support is not the overwhelming majority that he claimed, but — given his repression — nothing more.
31 May 2014 (Former Russian soldiers have taken control of building)
A group of former Russian soldiers has taken control of a building in Donetsk.
Perhaps they are still, in effect, Russian soldiers.
31 May 2014 (Humanitarian aid to people in Syria)
Delivery of humanitarian aid to people in Syria has been a failure.
I wonder what else can be done. Would it work to air-drop food packages to areas Assad won't allow aid to reach? Or would Assad drop bombs disguised as food?
31 May 2014 (Urgent: Let Medicaid keep drug costs down)
US citizens: tell Congress to let Medicaid keep drug costs down.
31 May 2014 (Urgent: Stop presenting "debates" on global heating)
Everyone: tell CNN to stop presenting "debates" on global heating by having two denialists converse.
31 May 2014 (Urgent: Stop foreclosures and start helping homeowners)
US citizens: call on the FHFA to stop foreclosures and start helping homeowners achieve reduction of principal.
31 May 2014 (Urgent: Used's computer's microphone)
Everyone: call on Facebook not to listen to sound through the used's computer's microphone.
31 May 2014 (China's annual repression)
China's annual repression of anything that alludes to the Tiananmen Square massacre of students is especially harsh and broad this year.
31 May 2014 (Jordan is censoring web journalism)
Jordan is censoring web journalism by imposing licensing of web sites and making sites responsible for readers' comments.
Obama and the EU seem to have given their blessing to this repression.
31 May 2014 (Saudi Arabia imposed total censorship and repression)
Saudi Arabia has imposed total censorship and repression, labeling any sort of dissent as "terrorism".
The US and the UK are moving along the same path, but have not gone so far.
31 May 2014 (NSA admitted Snowden tried to raise issue)
The NSA has admitted that Snowden tried to go through channels to report massive surveillance. However, officials systematically quash such attempts to raise an issue. The surveillance state created a Kafkaesque blindness to systematic violation of the Constitution and human rights.
31 May 2014 (Spying-industrial complex)
How the spying-industrial complex encouraged the buildup of the US total surveillance system.
31 May 2014 (Urgent: Nuclear weapon security programs)
US citizens: call on Obama to Keep funding nuclear weapon security programs.
31 May 2014 (Urgent: Block AT&T-DirectTV merger)
US citizens: call on the government to block the AT&T-DirectTV merger.
31 May 2014 (Urgent: Medicare coverage)
US citizens: support proposals for specific increases in the extent of Medicare coverage.
31 May 2014 (Kerry calls Snowden a coward)
Kerry called Snowden a coward for not returning to the US to be imprisoned and silenced.
Kerry's idea of loyalty is surrender to the US government, while Snowden defends America as a land of freedom where laws restrain government power.
There are many important jobs for which we need a state, but the state must respect human rights.
I suggest that Snowden offer to surrender for prosecution if Bush, his torturers and those who protect his torturers (such as Obama) do likewise.
31 May 2014 (Barcelona tries to demolish social center)
The people of Barcelona responded forcefully when the city tried to demolish an occupied social center (a squat that serves social purposes) that has functioned for 17 years.
31 May 2014 (A year after Gezi park protests)
A year later, the Gezi park protests have shown Turks the possibility and need for disputing with the state.
31 May 2014 (Lack of morphine due to War on Drugs)
Thanks to the War on Drugs, people dying of cancer in Senegal can't get morphine.
Lots of other people who have surgery surely suffer unnecessarily from the lack of morphine.
31 May 2014 (Kidnapping of Japanese by N. Korea)
North Korea says it will investigate again what happened to the Japanese that its forces kidnapped secretly from Japan.
30 May 2014 (Elizabeth Warren called on Obama)
Elizabeth Warren called on Obama to appoint people to the Federal Reserve Board who will regulate the banks strictly.
Obama won't do it, of course, but it is good to make him take heat about that.
30 May 2014 (Workers are being exposed to nano-particles)
Workers are being exposed to nano-particles, some of which may be toxic, but the workers don't even know.
30 May 2014 (Moms to EPA)
Moms to EPA: End Monsanto's Poisoning of America.
30 May 2014 (Motive for imprisoning James Risen)
The Obama regime's motive for imprisoning James Risen may be that he exposed a grave nuclear mistake.
Is it good for the country to allow the government to intimidate journalists that write about government mistakes?
30 May 2014 (Bills to limit CEO pay)
Various states are considering bills to limit CEO pay, or tax companies more if their CEOs get too much pay.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
30 May 2014 (US inequality has increased)
US inequality has increased within the 99% too.
The advice to get a college education would be good advice, but higher income is not a sure thing. You might find yourself unemployed and saddled with debts that will ruin your life.
29 May 2014 (Fossil fuel companies can face liability in the future)
Warning: fossil fuel companies that plot to keep global heating going can face liability in the future.
29 May 2014 (Moral Monday protesters arrested)
Moral Monday protesters were arrested after a sit-in in the North Carolina Republican legislator's office.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
29 May 2014 (Is David Koch Getting a Tax Write-off)
Is David Koch Getting a Tax Write-off for Dropping $900K on the [Wisconsin Governor] Walker Race?
29 May 2014 (Urgent: Protect domestic violence victims)
US citizens: call on Congress to pass the Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act, to stop convicted perpetrators of those crimes from buying guns.
29 May 2014 (Saving capitalism)
Inclusive Capitalism Initiative is Trojan Horse to Quell Coming Global Revolt.
If the rich want to save capitalism, they can do it — by ending plutocracy. Free the mass media from corporate control by abolishing media concentration. End voter suppression. Increase the taxes on the rich, and spend the money on education, medical care, infrastructure, and support for the poor.
Or maybe, as the author believes, this is just a front meant to convince the gullible that there is no need to defeat the plutocrats.
29 May 2014 (Innocent defendants pleading guilty)
A US judge says he thinks somewhere between 1 and 8 percent of defendants plead guilty although they are innocent, to escape long mandatory sentences.
29 May 2014 (Canada attacks science)
The government of Canada and that of Alberta are attacking science, journalism and civil society to protect the tar sands oil extraction from criticism.
This includes calling Greenpeace "extremists", firing and gagging scientists, spying on environmental groups, and deporting journalists.
We think of oil wells as occupying a small spot on the ground. We don't realize that extracting tar sands involves massive deforestation. It seems to be a kind of strip-mining.
29 May 2014 (IMF on income and wealth inequality)
The head of the IMF says that income and wealth inequality is harmful, recommending that states provide education and health care, tax the rich more, and regulate banks strictly.
Will any governments listen when the IMF says such things?
29 May 2014 (Giant forest fire in Alaska)
A giant forest fire is burning in Alaska, 243 square miles in size. And it's not even summer yet.
You can guess what caused this.
29 May 2014 (Strandings of humpback whales)
Frequent strandings of humpback whales seem to be caused by malnutrition.
I can see various ways in which effects of global heating could be contributing to this. For instance, it the whales giving birth could have moved away from the equator for the temperature and perhaps there is not enough to eat in the place they have moved to.
This is a hunch, not a certainty. The certainty is that global heating will mess up lots of ecosystems.
Polar bears in the area around Svalbard are having 1/3 as many cubs as usual. Probably because receding ice has made it hard for them to find food.
29 May 2014 (MH370 )
The lost Malaysian airliner apparently did not crash in the search area; the pings detected from that area appear to have been a red herring.

The idea that the pilots flew the plane over remote ocean until it ran out of fuel has always seemed implausible to me, mainly because that does not fit with the calm way they seem to have diverted the flight. What motive could they have had for this? If the satellite tracking data is truly conclusive, that must be where it went. Otherwise, I suspect that they landed the flight somewhere in Asia.

Even if that is so, I doubt that the passengers are still alive. It seems unlikely that anyone who arranged the hijacking would be so principled as to keep the passengers alive as prisoners for months rather than killing them.
29 May 2014 (Food and land)
The global plantation land-grab puts food supplies at risk, since the plantations produce less food per hectare.

It's due to maximizing profits rather than minimizing hunger.

In the long run, hunger will take most people if we don't stop human population growth.
29 May 2014 (Bad, worse, and better)
The EU plans to replace Russian gas with fracking, when it ought to reduce its need for gas.
29 May 2014 (Tony Abbott gets tough)
The Australian government is moving to seize the homes of workers fined for striking.
29 May 2014 (Nasty business)
Privatization of prisons is an obstacle to accountability about how they are run and respect for prisoners' rights.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
29 May 2014 (Get 'er done)
Transcanada does an incompetent job of pipeline construction.
29 May 2014 (Thanks, neighbor!)
Chicago's gun violence — which is less than some parts of the US — is fueled by lax gun laws in nearby states.
29 May 2014 (Growing internet usage worries CPP )
Cambodia's Draft Law Turns Free Speech into Cybercrime.
29 May 2014 (Playing the game)
Pushing everyone to be a "micro-entrepreneur" (aka "the gig economy") is a disguise for making workers precarious.

Entrepreneurs are often praised for "taking risks". The successful ones say they deserve reward for the risk they took. So what does it mean to force everyone, even people who have no savings, to be entrepreneurs? An old adage says, don't gamble what you can't afford to lose. Most Americans are barely getting by and are already in debt. A social system that requires them to "take risks" is one that makes life insecure.
29 May 2014 (Gun crazies)
Don't let concern for treating mental illness let guns off the hook.
29 May 2014 (Exploiting the Northwest Passage)
Transportation between the Atlantic and Pacific via the Arctic opens new risks of spreading invasive species that can wreak ecological havoc.

Here's a small example of what that can do.

Kudzu in the US is a bigger example.
29 May 2014 (Democracy in Egypt)
El-Sisi extended Egyptian voting one more day because the turnout is surprisingly low.

It looks like a lot of Egyptians don't like the candidate(s) on offer and are protesting in the only way that is still allowed. I wonder what will be done on the extra third day to make more people vote.
29 May 2014 (Silence aids Israeli aggression)
Tristan Thomas describes the web of fear that intimidates many from criticizing the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
29 May 2014 (Mahmoud Abbas speaks about Holocaust)
When Palestinians condemn Hitler's mass murder of Jews, Israeli politicians get angry because that's supposed to be an Israeli PR asset.
29 May 2014 (Israeli gov threatens PHR)
The Israeli government plans to revoke the tax exemption of Physicians for Human Rights for criticizing the treatment of illegal African immigrants in Israel.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
29 May 2014 (What peace talks?)
Netanyahu boasted to his supporters about how much he extended Israeli colonies in Palestine, and ridiculed the supposed "peace talks".

Those who read Uri Avnery's articles knew all along that Netanyahu did not take these talks seriously, which made them something between a desperate long-shot and a sham.
29 May 2014 (Palestinian "detainees" on hunger-strike)
Dozens of Palestinian hunger-strikers in Israeli prisons have been transferred to hospitals due to medical problems they have developed.

They are demanding basic human rights for prisoners, and an end to imprisonment without trial.
29 May 2014 (DePaul students vote to divest from occupation profiteers)
Students at DePaul University defied dishonest lobbying to vote to call for the university to divest from companies that provide weapons or surveillance systems to the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

It is a very narrow boycott, since it does not include companies that profit from the occupation. Still, it will be a good first step if the university adopts the policy.

Various sorts of boycott of Israeli companies and institutions are spreading.

I support boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israeli government institutions and companies that support or profit from the occupation. I don't advocate the broader boycott of Israeli institutions that some Palestinians propose, though I adhered to it during the trip in which they brought me to speak in Palestine.
29 May 2014 (Rudolph Randa treated well)
The US judge that stopped an investigation into Governor Walker's dark money has regularly accepted lavish "seminar" trips funded by right-wing groups.
29 May 2014 (Rolf Harris admits affair)
A performer on trial for alleged sexual assault years ago apologizes for an affair with someone younger than him.

I don't know whether his statement is true. What I can say is that if it is true, there is nothing wrong in it. Criticism of the relationship described here is evidently based on ageism and various sorts of possessiveness. That would be equally true if the girl had been 17 years old instead of 18 at the time.
29 May 2014 (Urgent: Save Oregon & California Wild Rivers from Strip Mining)
US citizens: call for no mining in a wild area straddling the California/Oregon border.
29 May 2014 (Urgent: Revise "Nutrition Facts" libeling)
US citizens: call on the FDA to make food products report the amount of added sugar.
29 May 2014 (Enrique Peña Nieto wants to sell off Pemex)
Mexico's right-wing government is planning to privatize fossil fuels, but Mexicans are pushing for an initiative to reverse this.

In Iran, foreign fossil fuel companies lied about their revenues so as to cheat the treasury. They are no more honest now.
29 May 2014 (Thanks for the bombs)
The US-established Iraqi government has repeatedly fired US-provided missiles and shells at the hospital in Falluja.
29 May 2014 (Toys for thugs)
The US-installed Haitian government used US-supplied water cannon against a protest of schoolgirls who called on the government to pay the teachers so that the teachers will go back to work.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
29 May 2014 (Another Iranian journalist jailed)
Iranian journalist Saba Azarpeik was arrested for criticizing the repression of journalists in Iran.
29 May 2014 (Denial machine heats up)
The Wall Street Journal published an editorial which denied not only global heating but the fact of climate scientists' consensus about it.

This is part of an organized and funded campaign to cause hundreds of millions of deaths (a predicted 100 million by 2030 alone), which is a plot for mass murder.
28 May 2014 (US-paid mercenaries in Afghanistan)
Obama says he will remove most of the US soldiers from Afghanistan by 2016, but this would not count US-paid mercenaries.
Apparently they will still engage in combat whenever they label an enemy as "al Qa'ida".
28 May 2014 (Woman killed by family in Pakistan)
A woman in Pakistan was killed by her family for marrying someone of her own choice. Her father has been arrested. I hope he never sees the outside of a jail for the rest of his life.
28 May 2014 (University presidents' salaries)
US university presidents are taking ever-bigger salaries while paying their teachers ever less.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
28 May 2014 (Massive snooping by US and China)
The Chinese government criticized the US for massive snooping.
Of course, China snoops too, as part of its system of massive censorship.
Both of these governments need to learn to respect human rights.
28 May 2014 (Progress in technology)
Is Progress in Technology Always Beneficial?
If a new technology will kill 1/10000 of the people who use a product, it's not a big cause of death compared with others. Rather than ban lots of technologies that may kill a small fraction of people, it would be more efficient to check technologies when they get in a position to affect a lot of people, and then require steps to make them safer — much like OHSA.
28 May 2014 (Funding of private schools in Chile)
Chile's President Bachelet proposes to reject neoliberal for-profit educational policies, ending public funding of private schools and providing gratis primary and secondary education for all.
28 May 2014 (Help Wanted)
Help Wanted: Slow and Expensive Corporate Accountant.
28 May 2014 (A Modest Proposal)
A Modest Proposal: Stop Spying on Dissidents And Invest "Homeland Security" Money in Climate Change Response.
Calling it "climate change" is a mistake, but I agree with the proposal. Alas, the plutocrats' lackeys that rule the US don't want to do either one.
28 May 2014 (Keep wifi networks passwordless)
Keep your wifi network without passwords!
28 May 2014 (Pre-coup Thai minister arrested)
A fugitive minister of the pre-coup Thai government gave a surprise press conference and was arrested.
28 May 2014 (North Korea's "supreme leader")
Is the "supreme leader" of North Korea a despot or a puppet? Or both at once?
28 May 2014 (China to limit pollution from cars)
China is taking stern measures to limit pollution from cars.
In the US, car companies veto such measures.
28 May 2014 ("Global warming" vs "climate change")
Confirmed: it is a mistake to talk about "climate change" if you want people to appreciate the disaster it stands for. "Global warming" gets the issue across better.
I use "global heating" instead because it is stronger.
28 May 2014 (How Iran uses Facebook)
Iran is imprisoning people for political statements on Facebook.
28 May 2014 (Spain's "citizen politics" party)
A new "citizen politics" party in Spain has won several seats in the European Parliament.
28 May 2014 (Marketing by fossil fuel companies)
Fossil fuel companies are following the path of the tobacco companies in marketing heavily to poor countries.
28 May 2014 (Phone calls recorded by NSA)
The NSA records nearly all phone calls in Afghanistan.
Maybe that's acceptable during a civil war, which Afghanistan is experiencing. But if the US claims to be supporting that country's government, it should ask that government's permission.
28 May 2014 (Koch attack on Detroit rescue plan)
The Koch brothers are now attacking a plan to rescue Detroit from bankruptcy while preserving workers' pensions.
28 May 2014 (Corporations United blocks vote)
A coal company blocked a vote in St Louis, against public donations to companies that do unsustainable energy, by citing the Corporations United decision.
The united corporations called themselves "Citizens United", but I call them what they are, not what they claim to be.
28 May 2014 (The damage global heating will cause)
Global heating will damage roads, bridges, railroads and power lines.
Under a plutocratic state whose masters won't pay enough taxes to maintain the infrastructure, this will mean lots of expense that will probably be met by starving more poor people.
28 May 2014 (Apple bans game about marijuana)
Apple has banned a game about growing marijuana from the iThing app store.
Games about other crimes such as killing people are still permitted. Perhaps Apple considers them to be less heinous.
27 May 2014 (Urgent: Boycott Scott products)
In the US: tell Scott you will boycott its products until it drops the Roundup-ready grass.
This GMO grass, engineered to be resistant to Roundup, will not be eaten by humans. But the Roundup could poison people who play on those perfect lawns.
Meanwhile, it will get into all the grass around the US, making organic beef impossible.
27 May 2014 (Australian Customs chief keeps mum)
The chief of Australian Customs refused to tell a senator whether a chart of a ship's entry into Indonesian waters is accurate.
27 May 2014 (Professors can be fired for tweeting)
Republicans in Kansas have imposed a policy on the state university that professors can be fired for tweeting anything the university chooses to consider harmful.
27 May 2014 (US still trying to prosecute Assange)
Evidence that the US is still trying to prosecute Julian Assange.
27 May 2014 (Secret negotiation of "trade treaty")
The European Commission is negotiating an antidemocratic "trade treaty" in secrecy, and turned water cannon on 1000 protesters in Brussels.
Based on previous treaties we have ever reason to expect these negotiators to be trying to attack democracy and human rights. The burden is on them to show they have changed their spots. Surely their most violent attack on the public is the treaty itself.
27 May 2014 (FBI to start recording interrogations)
The FBI will start making recordings of interrogations.
27 May 2014 (Flame retardant laws)
A renowned burn surgeon has confessed to taking money to make false testimony to support laws requiring use of flame retardants.
27 May 2014 (X-ray scanners moved to prisons)
The X-ray scanners that exposed American airplane passengers to the risk of dangerous radiation have been moved to prisons.
The prisoners, I suppose, can't opt out, and if a malfunction in prison causes a radiation burn the prisoners might not get proper treatment.
27 May 2014 (Misleading ads for painkillers)
Two counties in California are suing drug manufacturers alleging that misleading advertisements have provoked overuse of addictive painkillers.
27 May 2014 (PTSD)
A psychiatrist says that the definition of PTSD is being stretched to the point where everyone who has been through a disaster gets that diagnosis. Of the Bosnians she treated after the war, most of them had other problems that called for other treatments.
27 May 2014 (Urgent: Reject the 2,4-D herbicide)
US citizens: Call on the EPA to reject the 2,4-D herbicide that is likely to be very toxic.
27 May 2014 (Urgent: No antiaircraft missiles for Syria)
US citizens: urge Congresscritters to sign the letter urging Obama not to send portable antiaircraft missiles to Syrian rebels.
27 May 2014 (Thomas Paine and plutocracy today)
What Thomas Paine wrote in the 1770s is applicable to plutocracy today.
27 May 2014 (The wealth hidden from records)
Some economists attack Piketty's arguments by ignoring the wealth that the wealthy have hidden from records.
This may be the real purpose of some luxury goods: to hide wealth.
27 May 2014 (European Parliament elections)
In European Parliament elections, voters swung to a variety of anti-establishment parties, mostly right-wing.
This article says that the European Union requires fundamental reform. I've been saying so for years: it needs more democracy, and that lack of democracy makes it difficult to change the plutocratic policies of the euro zone.
27 May 2014 (Battle to control Donetsk airport)
Donetsk rebels seized the local airport, and Ukraine immediately counterattacked with air power.
I continue to believe that the Crimea is what Putin really wanted, and that he stirred up trouble in the Eastern Ukraine to draw a line under the seizure of the Crimea.
27 May 2014 (Consequences of NRA lobbying)
The Santa Barbara shootings demonstrate the consequences of NRA lobbying.
26 May 2014 (Strict censorship in Thailand)
The Thai military government has imposed strict censorship of dissent.
26 May 2014 (Corruption of science)
Republicans fight to shield corruption of science by businesses following in the footsteps of the Tobacco companies.
26 May 2014 (Elsevier tracking)
Some academics are concerned that companies such as Elsevier are tracking and manipulating their activities.
26 May 2014 (Australian Aboriginal children)
A large fraction of the Aboriginal children in Australia have been taken away from their families to "protect" them.
It is possible they really need this protection, but if so, that is a sign of the stress that their families feel, and poverty and racism probably play a role in causing that.
26 May 2014 (Execution for marrying a Christian)
The government of Sudan plans to execute Meriam Ibrahim for marrying a Christian, but only later. In the mean time, she is kept shackled in prison while she waits to give birth.
When you read about "Islamists", think of this barbarity — this is what they stand for.
26 May 2014 (Right-wing election in Colombia)
Colombia faces a run-off between the current right-wing president, Santos, and a foam-at-the-mouth right-wing opponent.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
Neither of them would free Colombia from the bondage of its treaty with the US.
26 May 2014 (Camera surveillance in Australia)
An Australian senator is angry that a surveillance camera captured his meeting with someone.
I share his indignation, and I claim that you and I deserve the same respect that he deserves, in the absence of a specific court order.
26 May 2014 (Protests against Chevron)
Coordinated protests against Chevron were held in 16 countries.
26 May 2014 (Heatwave-resistant chickens)
There is a project to breed chickens that won't be killed by the future heat waves we are in the process of causing.
To prevent damage from global heating, we would need hundreds of thousands of programs like this. It would be so much easier and cheaper to install renewable energy, and efficiency improvements, and thus curb global heating. But that requires putting an end to plutocratic government.
26 May 2014 (Urgent: Restore the Voting Rights Act)
US citizens: sign this petition to restore the Voting Rights Act.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
26 May 2014 (Urgent: Sign petition to FCC)
US citizens: sign this petition to the FCC for network neutrality.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
26 May 2014 (The what-the-hell effect)
Overcoming the what-the-hell effect.
26 May 2014 (Big Brother's data requests)
Large internet companies are suing for permission to disclose the number of national security letters they receive.
What we really need to know is how many people's data they give to Big Brother.
26 May 2014 (World food prices near record)
World food prices are close to the 2008 record level, and this is exacerbating the shortage of food in Somalia caused by bad harvests.
Global heating will make both of these factors worse, and a study predicts it will kill a hundred million people by 2030. After that, it will get much worse.
26 May 2014 (Obama pretends torture ended)
Obama said he would end torture by the US, and pretends to have done so, but he did not.
26 May 2014 (Organic food standards corruption)
The US Department of Agriculture is planning to corrupt the standards for organic food.
25 May 2014 (UK gov't working against public)
The UK government changes laws to encourage fracking, which the public hates, and hamper solar energy, which the public loves.
I see only one plausible explanation: ministers are working for the fossil fuel industry rather than for the public.
25 May 2014 (Millions march against Monsanto)
Millions Worldwide March Against Monsanto.
25 May 2014 (NSA and the copyright industry)
The Connection Between The Copyright Industry And The NSA.
25 May 2014 (Student loan debt collectors)
Obama Administration Sued for Refusing to Disclose Data on Student Loan Debt Collectors.
25 May 2014 (Media pundit advocates less democracy)
US media pundit David Brooks advocates reducing democracy in the US, so elites can impose the right-wing dooH niboR changes he claims Americans want.
In fact, few Americans want those changes; it's the elites that want them.
His most basic falsehood is the idea that the US has a lot of democracy now. Democracy is fighting a last-ditch resistance to the plutocracy that Brooks supports. We use our remaining shreds of democracy to oppose the changes he seeks.
25 May 2014 (Thailand's military rulers)
Thailand's military rulers are now arresting journalists and academics as well as politicians.
25 May 2014 (Society's misogynist strain)
Our society's misogynist strain seems to have inspired mass murder by a young man who hated women for rejecting him.
We can't ban misogyny, but organized efforts could lead many men away from it. Proper gun control could reduce the number of victims one man could succeed in killing.
I felt pain like that for years and years. While I was in college I never had a real date, only rejections. However, unlike him, I never hated any women, not even the women who rejected me. It was my fault that I did not appeal to them, or did not know how to make them comfortable. Where he demanded sex with a woman, I yearned for cherishing love with a woman, which is incompatible with hating.
Thus, while I understand and feel sorry for his pain, I don't understand his hatred. But it seems to be connected to certain standard patriarchal prejudices. He interpreted his pain in terms of those prejudices, and it became misogyny.
The pain is the result of the tendency of teenage society to make some into idols and others into outcasts. Outcasts never get a chance to learn anything, so they are stuck as outcasts. If only teen society could be structured so that the most popular youths would introduce the outcasts to sex and dating, the outcasts could start to understand relationships and could cease to be outcasts.
25 May 2014 (Erdogan fired aide who kicked protester)
Erdogan fired the aide who kicked a protester, after first trying to defend him.
More information.
25 May 2014 (Fighting Poverty Wages)
Fighting Poverty Wages.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
25 May 2014 (Big Credit Suisse's Sweetheart Deal)
Big Credit Suisse's Sweetheart Deal.
25 May 2014 (Obama supporting Israel's colonization)
Uri Avnery: Obama has given up on the hopeless peace process, but not on supporting Israel's increasing colonization of Palestine.
25 May 2014 (NBC TV's "Meeting America")
NBC TV's "Meeting America" series presents more of the right-wing white voices that NBC considers underrepresented.
NBC belongs to Comcast.
25 May 2014 (Books-A-Million chain of bookstores has ring-wing bias)
The Books-A-Million chain of bookstores has a systematic policy of right-wing bias. Ralph Nader is trying to change it.
25 May 2014 (Tar sands oil by rail)
Without Keystone XL, the company threaten to transport the tar sands oil by rail.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
25 May 2014 (Comcast has 100 lobbyists working for planned merger)
Comcast has 100 lobbyists working for approval of its planned merger. It is also lobbying against network neutrality and supports ALEC.
25 May 2014 (Urgent: Expand protected ocean habitat)
US citizens: Call on the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to expand protected ocean habitat for the North Atlantic right whale.
25 May 2014 (Urgent: Protect bees from neonicotinoid pesticides)
US citizens: call on the EPA to protect bees from neonicotinoid pesticides.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
24 May 2014 (Limitless war to continue)
The House of Representatives voted to continue limitless war. Here is how representatives voted.
24 May 2014 (Oregon's sellout to Monsanto)
The Oregon legislature's sellout to Monsanto.
24 May 2014 (UK thug union)
The UK government blames the thug union for various dishonest practices and plans to use them as an opportunity to attack the union.
It may be true that the thugs use the union to strengthen their cover-ups for attacking people, but some of their wrongdoing is unrelated to the union and obedient to their commanders.
24 May 2014 (Predatory commercial college)
A commercial college in London is even more predatory than commercial colleges in the US.
24 May 2014 (Predatory economics in Canada)
In Canada, predatory economics is making people sick, even killing them.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
24 May 2014 (Voting in Queensland)
Queensland, a part of Australia, has made it harder for the poor to vote and easier for the rich to buy elections.
24 May 2014 (Istanbul thugs shoot at protesters)
Istanbul thugs started shooting at protesters, but hit a mourner at a funeral. Tear gas prevented people from treating him, and he died.
24 May 2014 (Video of Israeli army shooting teenagers)
Israel is trying to smear the Palestinian teenagers shot by the army by saying the video recording was fake. B'Tselem says it is real.
24 May 2014 (Pentagon spreads imaginary fears)
The Pentagon is trying to manipulate Americans to condemn Snowden by spreading imaginary fears based on documents he says he doesn't have, assuming they were released in a way the journalists wouldn't do.
24 May 2014 (Antibiotic resistance)
Calling for an international effort against antibiotic resistance, which presents a danger comparable to global heating.
Imagine if we let companies block our response to this as they block our response to global heating. No, you don't have to imagine — they are doing it.
24 May 2014 (Crisis or cock-up)
The UK has a scarcity of available places to live, but maybe not a shortage of housing space as such. Rather, the wealthy use more than before, leaving little or none for the poor.

The article argues that the cause is government-given incentives to invest in housing rather than something productive. The US also has such incentives (the tax deduction for mortgage interest), and it might cause problems in the US too.
24 May 2014 (Freedom Act defanged)
EFF Dismayed by House's Gutted USA FREEDOM Act.
24 May 2014 (Circumventing the law wholesale)
The FBI collects US data for the NSA; then the NSA's data (including what GCHQ gets by spying on Americans) is used for prosecutions that have nothing to do with terrorism or national security.
24 May 2014 (Police favor right wing protests)
US thugs are quick to attack leftist protesters, but they leave right-wing "tea party" protesters alone.
24 May 2014 (Consequences of welfare reform)
Clinton's "welfare reform" has (as predicted) wiped out aid to poor families. 6 million Americans get no income except from food stamps.
24 May 2014 (Drone targets in Pakistan)
Most US drone attacks in Pakistan are aimed at houses, but this is hidden because the government calls them "compounds".
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
24 May 2014 (Accelerating global system failure)
The military coup in Thailand is related to the effects of global heating and increasing oil prices.
24 May 2014 (UK imposes fracking on landowners)
The UK government has decided to impose fracking by taking away landowners' legal right to reject it.
24 May 2014 (NYT roots for state control of media)
US mainstream media are supporting the criminalization of journalists such as Glenn Greenwald.
24 May 2014 (Urgent: Investigate Todashev execution)
Everyone: call on Massachusetts Attorney General Coakley to investigate the role of Massachusetts thugs in the killing of Ibragim Todashev.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
24 May 2014 (Method used to destroy Guardian's Snowden docs perplexing)
Why did GCHQ destroy certain specific chips in the Guardian's computers, such as the trackpad controller?
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
24 May 2014 (Worst places to work)
Ranking the world's countries in terms of treatment of workers.
The US is embarrassingly low on the list.
24 May 2014 (Twitter Steps Down From the Free Speech Party)
Twitter has bowed to Russian political censorship without even being subject to Russian law.
24 May 2014 (Urgent: Paid sick leave)
US citizens: tell Obama to order US contractors to give their employees paid sick leave.
24 May 2014 (Consumer Reports reports on consumers)
85% of US online consumers oppose Internet ad tracking.

They are focusing on the symptom (ad tracking) rather than the disease (massive surveillance), but it is a step forward.
24 May 2014 (Dangerous by design)
The US has ignored pedestrian safety for decades in building roads, and it shows.

Compare the 60,000 pedestrians killed since 2000 with the 3,000 killed by terrorist attacks. And that's just in the US! Wouldn't it be more useful to have a Global War on Pedestrian Fatalities than a Global War on Terrorism?
24 May 2014 (Occupy surveilled by counter-terrorist units)
Revealed: [US] Gov't Used Fusion Centers to Spy on Occupy.

Here is more detail.
24 May 2014 (More perversity)
A US court ruled in favor of force-feeding Guantanamo prisoners on hunger strike.

This is wrong — for any prisoner. Everyone has a right to die.
24 May 2014 (Protest and violence in Nigeria)
Teachers in Nigeria protested the government's weak response to Boko Haram.

Other Nigerians are resisting terror by preventing sectarian violence.
24 May 2014 (Solar power in Iran)
Helping Iran move to solar power could be a win-win solution to the political problem caused by Iran's enrichment of uranium.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
24 May 2014 (Genocide in Iraq)
Taking Action on US Genocide in Iraq.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
24 May 2014 (More irony)
Russia is about to impose a penalty of up to 5 years in prison for separatism.

Even advocating a referendum for secession would get this punishment.
24 May 2014 (Khalifa Heftar and Operation Karama)
Information about Haftar, the commander of the militia that is trying to take control of Libya.

If he were doing this against a civilian government with a history of really governing the country, it would be a military coup. In fact, Libya's government is little more than a coalition of militias.
24 May 2014 (Institutional meat-grinder)
Kafkaesque proceedings have put a 16-year-old transgender in Connecticut in solitary confinement after a life of horrible treatment.
24 May 2014 (Urgent: Support restaurant workers)
US citizens: call on Congress to stand up to the National Restaurant Association and support restaurant workers.
24 May 2014 (Urgent: Reduce carbon emissions)
Everyone: Tell General Mills and Kellogg to reduce their carbon emissions.
24 May 2014 (Urgent: Don't kill the internet)
US citizens: tell Obama, don't kill the internet.
24 May 2014 (Urgent: Investigation of the VA)
US citizens: call for an investigation of the Veterans Administration, not a witch-hunt.
24 May 2014 (Jamaican nature reserve threatened)
A Chinese investment project in Jamaica would destroy a nature preserve with unique species, as well as many local people's livelihoods.
23 May 2014 (NSA Bill That Just Passed Is Weak)
The NSA Bill That Just Passed Is So Weak, Original Backers Voted Against It.
23 May 2014 (Israeli troops uprooted 1,500 fruit trees)
Israeli troops uprooted 1,500 fruit trees on the Nasser family's farm to deny international volunteers the chance to harvest the fruit.
23 May 2014 (Weapon of Planetary Destruction)
Global heating is a Weapon of Planetary Destruction that can destroy many of humanity's greatest cities, and the fuse is already lit.
23 May 2014 (The New Populism challenges plutocracy in the US)
The New Populism challenges plutocracy in the US.
23 May 2014 (Techniques for getting out of debt)
Don't be embarrassed by being in debt, but here are smart techniques for getting out of debt.
23 May 2014 ('Not Lovin' It')
'Not Lovin' It': Low-Wage Workers Met by Riot Police Outside McDonald's HQ.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
23 May 2014 (former president of Guatemala sentenced to prison)
The former president of Guatemala has been sentenced to prison in the US for taking bribes.
23 May 2014 (Infection from forced feeding)
Ahmed Rabbani, imprisoned without charges in Guantanamo for 10 years, got an infection from forced feeding and vomited blood.
23 May 2014 (Recoverable US shale oil reserves)
A US government report says recoverable US shale oil reserves are just 40% of what was previously believed.
23 May 2014 (Sea level rise could wipe out lots of farm land)
Sea level rise could wipe out lots of farm land in this century.
23 May 2014 (Pakistani TV station accused of blasphemy)
The Pakistani TV station that barely escaped being shut down has been accused of blasphemy.
23 May 2014 (Thai army has converted martial law into a coup)
The Thai army has converted martial law into a coup.
23 May 2014 (Rising sea levels)
Landmark sites in the US threatened by rising sea levels.
23 May 2014 (Confronting the prejudice against abortion)
Confronting the prejudice against abortion.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
23 May 2014 (US build expensive advanced weapons)
While China approaches 10,000 miles of bullet train lines, the US builds expensive advanced weapons (trains of bullets).
I rode the Chinese high speed rail from Beijing to Hangzhou; it took just 6 hours. I'm sure lots of air miles are being avoided. The nasty thing is that passengers are required to identify themselves, but the US is becoming ever more like China in that regard.
23 May 2014 (Female genital mutilation)
A doctor will be prosecuted in Egypt for carrying out female genital mutilation.
23 May 2014 (Senate confirmed David Barron as a federal judge)
The Senate confirmed David Barron as a federal judge.
Just seeing his murder memo was only the first step. The next step should have been to study it in order to determine his fitness as a judge.
23 May 2014 (Recordings of force-feeding prisoners in Guantanamo)
The US seems to have made an extensive library of recordings of force-feeding prisoners in Guantanamo.
23 May 2014 (Visiting Syrian refugees in camps in Jordan)
Visiting Syrian refugees in camps in Jordan.
In terms of human rights, both Assad and his Islamist enemies are horrible. I don't see how any other side could win. Perhaps that means the best thing to do is help Assad win sooner, thus reduce the bloodshed.
A crucial question is, who is responsible for the civil war in Syria? Was it Sa'udi Arabia? Qatar? Did the US help them?
23 May 2014 (Contraceptives damage the fertility of freshwater fish)
Contraceptives damage the fertility of freshwater fish, but cleaning them out of wastewater looks to be very expensive.
It would be good for more women to switch to IUDs.
23 May 2014 (MDs of the National Health Service overworked)
The UK's right-wing government is condemning the MDs of the National Health Service for being overworked.
Why are they overworked? Because the government won't hire enough of them.
23 May 2014 (Chilean activist abolished student debt)
A Chilean activist abolished the student debt of a failing university by burying the notes that prove the students' debt.
23 May 2014 (NFL gave players dangerous painkillers)
The NFL gave players dangerous painkillers to keep them playing despite injuries, say former players.
I think people have a right to engage in activities that have a high risk of injury, but I don't get any pleasure from watching them do it.
23 May 2014 (Unemployment benefits)
A study confirms: ending people's unemployment benefits does not push them into employment. It only condemns them to hardship.
23 May 2014 (Contaminated water in jail)
After the chemical spill, the jail at Charleston WV gave each prisoner as little as 2 cups of clean water per day. When the jail went back to using tap water, prisoners claim it was still contaminated.
23 May 2014 (5 national landmarks threatened)
Here Are 5 National Landmarks Facing Climate Threats.
23 May 2014 (Thinking about wrong actions)
Intimidation in college classrooms: some students demand "trigger warnings" before discussing readings whose material could make someone feel uncomfortable.
Education should help people think about right and wrong actions, and that requires encouraging people to think about wrong actions. The idea of trying to shield people from thinking about them is misguided.
23 May 2014 (Obama's inaction)
A year after Obama was confronted in a speech about imprisonment without trial and the drone assassination campaign, he has done next to nothing to end them.
23 May 2014 (Violence from both sides of Ukraine)
Both sides in Ukraine intimidate, attack and kill those who disagree.
23 May 2014 (Trademark threat against parody)
Google made a trademark threat against a parody site that criticizes Google's activities.
23 May 2014 (Two counties ban GMO crops)
Two counties in Oregon have banned growing GMO crops. However, the state government may stop one of the two counties from implementing this.
23 May 2014 (Failure to organize in the US)
Median income has increased in Canada and Northern Europe, and now exceeds the US, even though US workers have to work harder.
The reason is clear: US workers fail to organize (through unions and government) to stop the rich from taking all that is produced.
23 May 2014 (Russia Today reporter arrested)
Ukraine has arrested a reporter for Russia Today.
23 May 2014 (Mubarak sentenced to prison)
Egypt's former president Mubarak has been sentenced to prison for corruption.
I expect he is guilty but I doubt his trial was fair.
22 May 2014 (What makes certain video games compulsive)
What makes certain video games compulsive (i.e., addictive).
I have the same psychological mechanisms as the people who get hooked on these games. But I have learned to sit back and think, "Do I really want to spend a lot of time this way? Is there something else I'd rather do?" I have developed the ability to decide to stop.
22 May 2014 (Australian students protested budget cuts)
Thousands of Australian students protested against gratuitous dooH niboR budget cuts.
22 May 2014 (The mines in Soma, Turkey)
The mines in Soma, Turkey, systematically hide unsafe conditions for the occasional visits of corrupt inspectors. The workers don't dare report violations.
22 May 2014 (Useful to continue to refute pseudoscience)
It is useful to continue to refute pseudoscience even though fools will systematically fall for it.
22 May 2014 (Urgent: "Investor-state" provisions)
US citizens: sign this petition against "investor-state" provisions that authorize companies to sue governments for laws that protect the public interest.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
22 May 2014 (Urgent: Support the climate resilience fund)
US citizens: call on the Senate to support the climate resilience fund.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
22 May 2014 (Urgent: Reject the Cove Point gas export project)
US citizens: call on Obama to reject the Cove Point gas export project.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
22 May 2014 (Israel trying to squeeze out remaining residents)
Israel is trying to squeeze out the remaining residents of Nabi Samuel by putting them effectively under siege.
22 May 2014 (Israel has arrested several Palestinian defense lawyers)
Israel has arrested several Palestinian defense lawyers.
22 May 2014 (Israeli troops attacked Palestinian homes and a hospital)
Israeli troops attacked Palestinian homes and a hospital near Jenin.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
22 May 2014 (Israeli call to support BDS against Israel)
An Israeli call to support boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel, arguing that nothing else can create the political will to remove the nationalists that have colonized the West Bank.
22 May 2014 (Israeli blogger grilled by intelligence agency)
An Israeli blogger was grilled by the intelligence agency after he requested on Twitter that people tell him the identities of the agents that torture Palestinian children.
22 May 2014 (Preserving competition)
The European Union shows what it is like to take the mission of preserving competition seriously.
22 May 2014 (Urgent: UN's Green Climate Fund)
Everyone: sign this petition to make sure the UN's Green Climate Fund supports only renewable energy.
22 May 2014 (Urgent: Rebuke opponents of net neutrality)
US citizens: rebuke the 20 democrats in Congress who supported the big ISPs against network neutrality.
22 May 2014 (Martial law in Thailand)
The Thai army imposed martial law but did not overthrow the government.
22 May 2014 (The climategate "scandal")
A study finds that the climategate "scandal" had only a transient effect on global heating denialism.
22 May 2014 (Experimenting on virulent viruses)
Does experimenting on virulent viruses pose a risk to humanity?
22 May 2014 (Murderers of Anna Politkovskaya)
The direct murderers of Anna Politkovskaya have been convicted, but whoever hired them is still getting away with it.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
22 May 2014 (No talk of Green Party in UK media)
Journalism in the UK doesn't talk about the Green Party.
22 May 2014 (Violence in Turkish leadership)
Violence towards the common people is established in today's Turkish leadership.
22 May 2014 (Teenagers killed by Israeli soldiers)
Israeli soldiers shot and killed Palestinian teenagers with not even a shred of an excuse.
The teenagers were far away from the soldiers and doing nothing in particular.
21 May 2014 (One Year After the Edward Snowden Disclosures)
Looking Back One Year After the Edward Snowden Disclosures - An International Perspective.
21 May 2014 (Reconstruction effort in Haiti)
The reconstruction effort in Haiti managed by the Clintons has been terribly mismanaged.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
21 May 2014 (Overuse of antibiotics in animals)
The UK wants to cut funds for watching for overuse of antibiotics in animals, which can be deadly for people.
21 May 2014 (The melt rate of Antarctic ice)
The melt rate of Antarctic ice has doubled in just a few years.
21 May 2014 (All sea turtles will be born female)
With a few degrees of global heating, all sea turtles will be born female. Unless they move to beaches further away from the equator.
21 May 2014 (NSA records all phone calls in Bahamas)
The NSA records all phone calls in the Bahamas and stores the data for a month, not for defense against attack, nor even to prevent terrorism — just to prosecute the War on Drugs.
21 May 2014 (Enbridge faces problems on line 9)
Canadian protesters shut down construction of a tar sands pipeline.
21 May 2014 (Little deterrent value in Credit Suisse plea deal)
Credit Suisse pled guilty to helping Americans evade taxes, and got a slap on the wrist; its stock price went up afterward.

The bank was not even required to disclose the names of those Americans. It shows the US government still does not dare to get firm with the banksters.
21 May 2014 (New Poor People's Movement? )
Teaching poor Americans how to organize politically for the rights and well being of the poor.
21 May 2014 (Anti Backpage.com bill casts a wide net)
A bill intended to stop advertising of coerced or "underage" prostitutes would create a much broader system of censorship.

I am in favor of taking effective action to end coercion of prostitutes.
21 May 2014 (Prison industrial complex trumps health research)
The US imprisons so many black males that long-term medical studies are left with few black male subjects.
21 May 2014 (ASCE enlist Digimarc)
The American Society of Civil Engineers has hired a company of copyright bullies to attack authors that post their own papers.
21 May 2014 (Shell Oil unafraid of stranded assets)
Shell denies the carbon bubble by projecting increasing use of fossil fuel.
In other words, Shell's projections blithely assume we will not stop baking our planet. Which really means Shell is determined to keep us baking it.

This is a scheme for mass murder bigger than the world has ever seen.
21 May 2014 (A friend in need)
Russia will veto a UN resolution to ask the International Criminal Court to prosecute war criminals in Syria.
21 May 2014 (Urgent: Stop HRW - U.S. Government coziness)
Everyone: Call on Human Rights Watch to shut the revolving door to the CIA.
21 May 2014 (NSA ponders Freedom Act)
Even though the amended USA Freedom Act would be only a small step against massive general surveillance, the NSA is already looking for ways to twist the meaning.
21 May 2014 (CIA won't do it again...)
The US says it will no longer use vaccination programs as a cover for spying.

I fear this will not be enough to convince the Taliban to permit vaccination.
21 May 2014 (War on the workers)
US Republicans in many states have passed laws to encourage theft of wages, reduce minimum wage, weaken unemployment insurance, and generally attack workers' rights in favor of business.
20 May 2014 (Urgent: Thank Obama)
US citizens: thank Obama for committing to peace with Iran.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
20 May 2014 (Mine company executives accused of deadly negligence)
Turkish mine company executives are accused of deadly negligence. People have various suspicions about the relationship between Erdogan's party and the mine.
20 May 2014 (Obama's proposed trade treaty with Europe)
Obama's proposed trade treaty with Europe would increase exports of natural gas to Europe, leading to more fracking in the US.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
Supporters of fracking claim it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but these estimates neglect the methane that leaks out of the frack wells.
20 May 2014 (Cecily McMillan sentenced to three months in prison)
Cecily McMillan has been sentenced to three months in prison.
She reports on the reasons other women were put in jail with her. The reporter who interviewed her was not allowed to bring in pen or paper.
20 May 2014 (Putin says he will withdraw troops)
Putin says he will withdraw Russian troops from the border with Ukraine.
I have suspected ever since the crisis there began that Putin instigated it so as to draw attention away the Crimea.
20 May 2014 (Baha'i leaders imprisoned )
Baha'i leaders in Iran have been imprisoned for 6 years simply for having an unauthorized religion.
20 May 2014 (Urgent: Limit US use of military force)
US citizens: call on your congresscritter to support bills to limit US use of military force in specific ways.
20 May 2014 (Eurozone rules remain economically harmful)
The Eurozone rules remain economically harmful, and there is no political will to fix this in either direction.
20 May 2014 (Artists turn their work into advertising)
Now that young people don't understand the meaning of "selling out", artists turn their work into advertising and convince themselves it is ok. Even when they satirize advertising, it is real advertising.
This is the original reason why there is no advertising here or in gnu.org and FSF.org. Of course advertising based on tracking people would be even worse.
20 May 2014 (Modi and the new face of India)
Pankaj Mishra: Narendra Modi and the new face of India.
19 May 2014 (Urgent: Reject Gene Green's letter)
US citizens: call your congresscritter and say, don't sign Gene Green's letter because it opposes network neutrality.
I got the info from this article, but you shouldn't report your call to them because the page requires nonfree Javascript code.
The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
19 May 2014 (Urgent: Support GMO labeling)
US citizens: Support Oregon's referendum to label GMOs.
19 May 2014 (Abbott's lies about budget cuts)
Abbott admits one of his lies about budget cuts in hospitals.
The cuts will hurt working age adults and single parents the worst.
Why not target the rich with tax increases instead?
19 May 2014 (Attack on Libyan Parliament)
A Libyan warlord's forces attacked Parliament, saying they were attacking Islamist/terrorist MPs.
19 May 2014 (Right-wing idea of sexual morality)
Right-wing legislators in US states are trying to make divorce more difficult.
Right-wing theocratic Christians want to force their rigid idea of sexual morality on everyone. This is part of that, as their opposition to sex education, birth control and abortion. Banning abortion (de facto, if not de jure) is their first target but they intend it as the edge of the wedge.
19 May 2014 (Urgent: Investigate ALEC)
US citizens: call on the Dept of Interior to investigate ALEC for undermining federal land use policy.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
19 May 2014 (Urgent: Decent wage from McDonald's)
Everyone: tell McDonald's to pay workers a decent wage.
19 May 2014 (Urgent: Make ISP service a common carrier)
US citizens: Call for making ISP service a common carrier.
19 May 2014 (Fighting fracking in Pennsylvania)
Organizing against the toxic local effects of fracking in Pennsylvania.
When fighting fracking, we should not forget global heating. The fact that 80% of known reserves must be left in the ground is crucial to this issue because it means we really lose nothing by not extracting that gas.
19 May 2014 (Today's radical rich)
Today's radical rich have come to think like an aristocracy, regarding the non-rich as their inferiors and whatever they pay the non-rich as largess.
19 May 2014 (Bill Clinton sides with plutocrats)
Bill Clinton has joined the class war on the side of the plutocrats. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton stays mum, apparently hoping for a chance to rule the US on their behalf.
19 May 2014 (Stop lies, stop wars)
War depends on lies. If we can stop the lies, we can stop wars.
19 May 2014 (Urgent: David Barron)
US citizens: call on the Senate to block the judicial nomination of David Barron until Obama publishes his drone assassination legal memos.
19 May 2014 (Super Taxes)
Why the Super-Rich Should Pay Super Taxes.
19 May 2014 (Militarization)
Militarization of "policing" is supposed to "protect" us, but it is the visible face of a government that serves the plutocrats.
19 May 2014 (The Post-Constitutional Era)
The Post-Constitutional Era: now that the US government can imprison anyone based on hand-waving, nobody really has any rights.
19 May 2014 (A federal Ukraine)
Arguing for a federal Ukraine, in a hurry.
19 May 2014 (Cecily McMillan)
Cecily McMillan was convicted of attacking the thug who groped her.
The fact that the same thug attacked several other protesters was suppressed. I doubt any witnesses were allowed to testify about the general predilection of thugs to lie in court.
19 May 2014 (Abdullah Elshamy)
Al-Jazeera journalist Abdullah Elshamy has been on hunger strike for 100 days in an Egyptian prison. He has been held without charges for most of a year.
19 May 2014 (Lies About Inequality)
The Four Biggest Right-Wing Lies About Inequality.
19 May 2014 (Slavery)
The leader of Boko Haram says he intends to sell the captured schoolgirls as slaves, and claims that Islam legitimizes slavery.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
In the US, the Southern Baptist church was founded so as to endorse slavery.
19 May 2014 (Most Important Economic Number)
The Most Important Economic Number Isn't GDP or Unemployment. It's Wages.
Decreases in the full extent of unemployment do tend to translate eventually into higher wages.
In the past, stimulating economic growth was an effective way to decrease unemployment and increase wages. But this is not true any more, as the US in recent years has seen lots of growth in total economic figures with little benefit for workers. We need to stop measuring the economy with total wealth, total production, etc.
19 May 2014 (Plutocratic regime change)
The visible effects of plutocratic regime change in the US.
19 May 2014 (Forced to choose)
Religious fanatics in the US make abortion unobtainable pretending to be assuring they are safe. The effect is to endanger pregnant women, who are forced to choose between risky underground abortions and risky childbirth.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
19 May 2014 (Inheritance tax)
Instead of the inheritance tax, that millions of fools oppose because of some irrational taboo against "taxing the dead", how about taxing bequests as ordinary income?
19 May 2014 (War on Journalism)
The US's reputation for freedom of the press is suffering from Obama's War on Journalism.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
19 May 2014 (Urgent: Google)
Everyone: tell Google, Pay your taxes!
19 May 2014 (Urgent: Clean Energy)
US citizens: ask your state officials to support clean energy and oppose the Koch brothers.
19 May 2014 (Mathematicians)
Mathematicians, refuse to work for the NSA!
19 May 2014 (Entrenched oligarchy)
Thomas Piketty has demonstrated that the world is moving beyond rule by an oligarchy of acquired fortunes, to rule by an entrenched oligarchy of inherited wealth.
19 May 2014 (Syrian refugees in Australia)
Australia is trying to pressure Syrian refugees to return to Syria, and has imprisoned them separately to weaken them.
One of them has gone mad from captivity.
19 May 2014 (The Voice of America)
Congress is considering a bill to turn the Voice of America officially into a state-controlled propaganda outlet.
19 May 2014 (US public schools re-segregated)
The US has re-segregated its public schools, and privatizing them makes segregation even worse.
Many "charter schools" are effectively prisons, preparing black youth for other prisons.
19 May 2014 (Famine and genocide in South Sudan)
South Sudan faces famine and genocide.
I don't know what can be done about it. Is outside influence fueling the fighting?
19 May 2014 (Students defy Boko Haram)
Students in Kano, Northern Nigeria, continue to defy Boko Haram for education.
However, the same spirit of oppression has already conquered Kano in the form of Shari'a law, with a "morality police" that enforces a code of prudery that has nothing to do with morality.
Several African countries agreed to joint military action against Boko Haram.
Algeria is not in the list. I linked to an article that claimed Algeria has stimulated Islamist violence in North Africa. I found that claim surprising because the government of Algeria fought such an Islamist movement in the 1990s (after suppressing an election which the Islamist party won).
If someone can show me more information about how Algeria relates to this, I'd appreciate it.
19 May 2014 (Privacy of student records)
Two senators have proposed a law to protect the privacy of student records that schools let companies hold.
This is a step forward but does not go far enough. It protects students from some kinds of commercial abuse, but that's all.
Schools should keep their own records, not entrust them to companies. They should store nothing but encrypted data in any off-site server.
19 May 2014 (Control of US laws and media)
US corporate media ignored the study that demonstrated US laws are controlled by elites, demonstrating that the corporate media are also controlled by those elites.
19 May 2014 (North Korea's OGD)
A defector from North Korea says that Kim Jong Un is a figurehead for a group that does not talk about itself, and that most people in the country don't know exists.
19 May 2014 (Tatars tortured and killed)
Not surprisingly, the Putin-supporting Russians that took over Crimea are torturing and killing Tatars that oppose the takeover.
It's possible that the people of the Crimea would have voted in a free and fair election to become part of Russia. The Tatar minority would be disappointed, but they would not be entitled to a veto.
But there was no such election, only a Soviet-style charade.
The pro-Putin forces in Donetsk used intimidation to "win" their "election".
19 May 2014 (Gov't interference with IPCC report)
It appears that the US and other governments that favor use of fossil fuels interfered with the latest IPCC report, weakening the "summary for policymakers" to understate the danger.
A few years ago, global heating deniers fabricated a phony scandal based on the leaked emails of climate scientists, distorting their words to claim that the scientists were overstating the danger. It will be interesting to see whether they condemn the intervention of much more powerful parties.
19 May 2014 (Erdogan aide kicks protester)
An aide to would-be Turkish tyrant Erdogan kicked a protester who was being held by two soldiers acting as thugs.
Erdogan is right that mines have a long history of fatal accidents — but why? Often this is because the mine companies skimp on safety, which they can do because governments fail to do their job and force the mine companies to do the job right.
19 May 2014 (Death sentence for marrying non-Muslim)
Sudan has sentenced a woman to death for marrying a non-Muslim.
The death penalty is always a injustice, but not the only one. To punish this in any fashion represents denial of human rights.
Muslim countries typically do not respect religious freedom. The oppression is greatest on non-Muslims, but, as this article shows, they oppress Muslims too.
To punish her would be equally unjust if she had had an affair instead of a marriage. Neither one is wrong.
18 May 2014 (Religion-based electioneering in India)
Religion-based electioneering is illegal in India and a BJP candidate is being investigated for this.
I am of two minds about this law. It is a limit on freedom of speech, but not for people in general, only for electoral campaigns. It is comparable to limits on campaign spending. Religion is to India as money is to the US.
18 May 2014 (Privacy International has sued to end GCHQ)
Privacy International has sued to end GCHQ's practice of breaking computer security (cracking).
Please don't call it "hacking".
18 May 2014 (Canada's excuse for abolishing anonymity online)
Cyber-bullying is Canada's excuse for abolishing anonymity online.
A similar law in South Korea was repealed because of its oppression.
18 May 2014 (Obama regime's approach to Snowden's reports)
The Obama regime's approach to Snowden's reports: "la la la I can't hear you."
18 May 2014 (Obama regime calls public-interest policies "trade barriers")
The Obama regime calls various countries' public-interest policies "trade barriers". These policies protect health, privacy and financial stability.
The US should adopt many of these measures, but you can't expect that to be done by someone who favors "free trade".
I sent a message to Senator Markey's office opposing the TPP, and received a message saying that he judged trade treaties in terms of gain or loss of US jobs. While that may have made sense back when trade treaties affected mostly the amount of exports and imports, it is absurd today. Nowadays the main effect of trade treaties on employed people is that they help the executives and owners get a bigger share and pay the workers worse. The treaties also attack our rights by abolishing public-interest policies and giving business more power. Finally, they undermine democracy by giving business lobbies an additional lever to use.
So I phoned his office and said the senator was too soft on trade treaties.
You can phone your elected officials, too.
18 May 2014 (Gluten-Sensitivity)
A very careful scientist rechecked his own discovery of gluten-sensitivity and found the problem does not really exist.
18 May 2014 (US women that advocate gun control)
US women that advocate gun control are persistently harassed and threatened by gun nuts.
18 May 2014 (ISPs have been cutting investment for 7 years)
As major US ISPs threaten to stop investing if we don't let them discriminate on the internet, they have been cutting investment for 7 years.
18 May 2014 (More likely to be fired that male CEOs)
Female CEOs are more likely to be fired that male CEOs, an indication that prejudice is operating.
We should not let the treatment of female executives, or even female not-chosen-as-executives, distract us from the far more larger issue of the rights of female workers and female unemployed.
18 May 2014 (Planting milkweed)
Some Americans are planting milkweed so that monarch butterflies can continue to exist.
In a few decades, I expect US agricultural land use to diminish due to global heating.
17 May 2014 (A US appeals court ruled that APIs are copyright-able)
A US appeals court ruled that APIs are copyright-able.
Here's why that is dangerous.
I've seen reports that this isn't a precedent and won't affect many other cases, but even if it is not certain disaster, it is a danger of disaster.
17 May 2014 (Australian gov't launched an army of lies)
The Australian government has launched an army of lies to justify its attack on the poor and the environment.
17 May 2014 (Obama regime officials lied to the Supreme Court)
Thanks to Snowden, we know Obama regime officials lied to the Supreme Court.
17 May 2014 (Urgent: Oppose fracking near Chaco Canyon)
US citizens: Oppose fracking near Chaco Canyon.
17 May 2014 (Urgent: Lumber from Brazil)
In the US: tell Lumber Liquidators, don't buy lumber from places in Brazil where most lumber is illegal.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
17 May 2014 (Skeptics on NSA Reform)
Skeptics on NSA Reform: Beware the 'Backdoors and Loopholes'.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
We can't solve this problem by limiting how the NSA is allowed to access massive dossiers about everyone. We need to prevent the accumulation of those databases.
17 May 2014 (ABS News in US presented a "debate")
ABC News in the US presented a "debate" about Snowden, with two guests that agreed in supporting massive surveillance and lying about Snowden.
17 May 2014 (US to increase shipments of arms to Syrian opposition)
The US announced plans to increase shipments of arms to the "moderate Syrian opposition".
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
Whatever kind of arms they get, a fraction will fall into the hands of al-Qa'ida groups that will either buy them (they are funded by Sa'udi Arabia!) or steal them. There is no way to support a just outcome in Syria by arming rebels.
Assad, evil as he is, is the lesser evil in Syria today. He is also winning, so opposing him means prolonging the war.
For the sake of the future, we should investigate whether the US helped or allowed Sa'udi Arabia to foment war in Syria, back when Syrians were doing peaceful protests for human rights.
17 May 2014 (Obama allowed medical insurance plans to limit what they will pay)
Obama has allowed medical insurance plans to limit what they will pay for a procedure, dumping the rest of the cost on the patient.
US hospitals regularly gouge patients, and the only thing that limits what they charge is that insurance companies push the prices down. If this decision means that insurance companies won't do that, the result is that most Americans will be gouged, losing the biggest part of the benefit of medical coverage.
17 May 2014 (Palestinians' expulsion and their right to return)
Uri Avnery on Palestinians' expulsion from Israel and their right to return.
17 May 2014 (Roundup combines with metals in soil)
Roundup seems to combine with metals in the soil (present in some regions) to cause kidney damage to farm workers.
17 May 2014 (Report condemned thugs)
A report condemned the way thugs in Quèbec attacked student protesters.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
17 May 2014 (A mask to fool face recognition cameras)
A mask is now available to fool face recognition cameras.
Some countries and some US states have banned masks, essentially making people helpless to resist surveillance by face-recognition cameras.
17 May 2014 (Main political parties don't care about poor)
With most Britons owning houses, none of the main political parties cares about the suffering inflicted on the poor (who don't own houses).
17 May 2014 (Crime to be homosexual)
Almost half the world's population lives in countries where it is a crime to be homosexual.
17 May 2014 (Urgent: Protect parrotfish and corals)
US citizens: Tell the government to protect parrotfish and endangered corals in the Caribbean.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
17 May 2014 (Urgent: Block federal funds to Texas)
US citizens: call on the US government to block federal funds to Texas until Texas implements federal requirements to protect prisoners from rape.
17 May 2014 (Urgent: Stop raids on marijuana providers)
US citizens: ask your congresscritter to stop US government raids on state-authorized medical marijuana providers.
17 May 2014 (The right to insult religion)
In Pakistan, people accused of "blasphemy", and lawyers that defend them, are murdered by Muslim fanatics.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
I propose to the US (and any country) to require all immigrants, perhaps even visitors, to make public statements on video saying "I affirm people's right to criticize, mock, even insult any religion or view about religion, no matter who believes in it, even if you or I believe in it." Without making this statement, they would not be allowed entry.
This way, those unwilling to reject religious intolerance will not be allowed to bring it with them.
17 May 2014 (Portugal obeys banksters)
Portugal has obeyed banksters' orders to drive wages down, but the banksters say it has to knock them down even further.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
17 May 2014 (Chinese banks disregard green policy)
China has adopted an enlightened policy against financing foreign projects that damage the environment, but Chinese banks disregard the policy.
17 May 2014 (Global heating denial campaign)
An organized media campaign continues fabricating a false appearance of doubt about global heating.
17 May 2014 (Obama against network neutrality)
Net Neutrality-Defender, Barack Obama, Missing in Action.
Obama is no fool. Why did he appoint a telco man to head the FCC? He must have expected this to attack network neutrality. No wonder he fails to defend it now.
He's not just "missing in action", he has defected to the enemy.
17 May 2014 (A Nazi-free Europe)
Never Forget: Grandson of Auschwitz Commandant Fights For A Nazi-Free Europe.
17 May 2014 (Global inequality)
Global Inequality and the Destruction of Democracy.
Taking wealth from others gives a higher rate of return than producing wealth. We have to change that.
17 May 2014 (Millions killed in the Congo)
Millions have been killed by fighting between factions in the Congo, and the US keeps stirring it up because of the minerals there.
17 May 2014 (US ISPs' bluff)
The major US ISPs threaten not to make any more investment if the FCC maintains network neutrality.
This article says they are bluffing.
If we give in to threats from businesses, they will push us around. We must treat them like any other bully and tell them that we will never give them what they want for threats. If they threaten us, we will make them regret it.
We could do as some other countries do, and separate the physical cables from ISP service. That way we could have a lot more competing ISPs that communicate over the same cables.
17 May 2014 (Snooping on "SkyDrive" storage)
Microsoft lets the US government snoop directly on its "SkyDrive" storage system.
Letting a company keep your data is for clods. We could call it a clod storage system.
17 May 2014 (Snooping on the public)
Coversnitch: snooping on the public as art.
In San Francisco, buses have microphones. In Canberra, taxis have microphones. Lampposts with microphones are being sold; where they have been installed, I don't know.
17 May 2014 (In Bagram Prison for 10 years)
The US kept Briton Yunus Rahmatullah prisoner in Bagram Prison for 10 years with the connivance of the UK government. He has just now been freed.
17 May 2014 (Uruguay's President Mujica)
10 admirable things about Uruguay's President Mujica.
17 May 2014 (Obama regime destroying videos of force-feeding)
Guantanamo prisoners' lawyers have sued to stop the Obama regime from destroying videos of force-feeding them, as well as the brutal way the guards grab these very weak men from their cells.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
17 May 2014 (Nuclear negotiations with Iran fail)
A new US demand seems likely to make the nuclear negotiations with Iran fail.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
17 May 2014 (Urgent: Protect network neutrality from the FCC)
US citizens: call on Obama to protect network neutrality from the FCC.
17 May 2014 (Urgent: Vote against Michael Boggs)
US citizens: tell your senators to vote against Michael Boggs.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
17 May 2014 (US obsession with an imaginary idea of "sexual predators")
The US obsession with an imaginary idea of "sexual predators" inspires policies that deny teenagers the chance to learn to deal with sexuality, while not helping much against real exploiters.
17 May 2014 (Urgent: Vote for Proposition 42)
California voters: vote for Proposition 42 (local government transparency) on June 3.
17 May 2014 (Urgent: National Restaurant Association's lobbying)
US citizens: tell your elected officials not to listen to the National Restaurant Association's lobbying.
Here's what the NRA does.
17 May 2014 (Urgent: Support renewable energy measures in the EXPIRE act)
US citizens: call on your senators to support renewable energy measures in the EXPIRE act.
16 May 2014 (Urgent: Protect parrotfish)
US citizens: call on the government to protect parrotfish and endangered corals in the Caribbean.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
16 May 2014 (US depends on Russian rocket engines)
The US depends on Russian rocket engines which its own sanctions now forbid importing.
16 May 2014 (Anti-Chinese riots in Vietnam)
China's oil drilling in a disputed area has sparked deadly anti-Chinese riots in Vietnam.
16 May 2014 (Baby-stealing priests in Chile)
Priests in Chile stole newborn babies, telling the unmarried mothers that the babies were born dead.
This wrong grew out of an underlying wrong. I expect that a considerable fraction of those women would have chosen to have an abortion, but abortion was banned by unjust laws. I think that remains the case.
16 May 2014 (Egyptian trial of journalists)
Lawyers for the al-Jazeera journalists on trial in Egypt have been told it will cost them $150,000 to see secret "evidence" against them.
16 May 2014 (US honeybee death rate)
A report says the rate of US honeybee deaths decreased last winter, but it is still so high that it threatens to wipe them out.
16 May 2014 (Massive surveillance of Americans)
Massive surveillance of Americans by the US government is linked to orders allowing military intervention against possible riots caused by likely future environmental disasters.
I've said that the US government is effectively a government of occupation, subjecting Americans to rule by the rich. Now it has a force of 20,000 soldiers to fight the American people on behalf of the rich.
16 May 2014 (California fires)
California fires are behaving in May the way they normally would in October, due to heat and drought.
Now imagine it's 70 years from now, 4C hotter, and even drier, and firefighting equipment has broken down and we can't afford to replace it.
16 May 2014 (Greenwald on US corporate media)
Glenn Greenwald: U.S. Corporate Media [are] "Neutered, Impotent and Obsolete".
16 May 2014 (FCC to kill network neutrality)
The FCC is pushing ahead with its plan to kill network neutrality despite tremendous opposition.
It is not by mistake. That is their mission.
16 May 2014 (Urgent: SAME Act)
US citizens: call on Congress to pass the SAME Act which would make Social Security recognize all legal marriages.
16 May 2014 (Urgent: No export of crude from the US)
US citizens: call on Obama not to permit export of crude oil from the US.
16 May 2014 (Bad treatment of new mothers)
The US is #1 in bad treatment of new mothers.
16 May 2014 (NSA intelligence "customer" DHS)
We need to know why DHS is an NSA intelligence "customer", and what that means.
16 May 2014 (ISPs ordered to block sites)
South Korea has started ordering ISPs to block web sites without a trial.
16 May 2014 (Emissions from gas and oil wells)
Victims call for regulation of air emissions from gas and oil wells.
16 May 2014 (Israel blocking peace)
Anonymous US officials reportedly admitted in an interview that Israel is blocking peace.
16 May 2014 (How big oil companies bribe)
Big oil companies no longer bribe officials directly — they do it in subtle, indirect ways.
16 May 2014 (Ukraine recruiting militias)
Ukraine is following a dangerous course by recruiting volunteer militias to fight separatists. They could so easily turn towards atrocities. Also, neo-Nazis will join these units even if the units are not officially aligned with neo-Nazis.
16 May 2014 (Fast-food workers to protest)
Fast-Food Workers to Protest in 30 Countries in Support of Higher Pay.
16 May 2014 (Australia's dooH niboR gov't)
For Australia's dooH niboR government, no lie is too absurd.
I suspect they will try to buy the electorate's favor with some sort of spending or short-term tax cut 4 months before the next election.
16 May 2014 (Hunger strikers in Guantanamo)
Prisoners in Guantanamo accuse the US of falsifying the number of hunger strikers and using force-feeding as a punishment.
16 May 2014 (Lowest-paid US workers organize)
In the US, workers doing the hardest and lowest-paid work are successfully organizing even though officially they have no right to unionize.
16 May 2014 (Urgent: No natural gas export facilities)
US citizens: call your congresscritters and senators to oppose HR. 6 and S. 2083, bills to authorize liquid natural gas export facilities.
The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
15 May 2014 (Canadian mining companies in Latin America)
Canadian mining companies harm the environment in Latin America, after bullying governments to allow it.
15 May 2014 (Israeli forces demolished some "illegal" settlement housing)
Israeli forces demolished some "illegal" settlement housing.
The fanatical settlers have generally got government support for their construction even for houses the government deems "illegal". (All the Israeli colonies in the West Bank are illegal under international law.)
15 May 2014 (Why Boko Haram is so powerful)
Boko Haram: six reasons why the Nigerian militant group is so powerful.
15 May 2014 (Tax on high-frequency stock trading)
Arguing for a tax on high-frequency stock trading.
Of course, one could go further and put a tax on all stock trading. Why not?
15 May 2014 (ICC investigating war crimes by British Bush forces)
The International Criminal Court is investigating war crimes by the British Bush forces, based on evidence that the crimes were carried out following orders, not by rogue individuals.
15 May 2014 (Illegal logging in Brazil)
Illegal logging is racing in Brazil, with the lumber passed off as legal.
In one state, over 3/4 of the timber is illegal.
Illegal logging is facilitated by a change in law imposed by arrogant business interests a few years ago.
15 May 2014 (Foreign workers in Qatar)
Qatar admits almost 1000 foreign workers have died over the past two years.
15 May 2014 (California emptying an aquifer)
California is emptying an aquifer, and this might cause a big earthquake.
15 May 2014 (FBI agent who shot and killed Ibragim Todashev)
The FBI agent who shot and killed Ibragim Todashev while interrogating him was a former thug with a history of violence.
If Todashev really attacked them, why did they have no video to show it?
15 May 2014 (Clinton smears supporters of democracy)
Plutocratist politicians such as President Clinton smear supporters of democracy by comparing our position to "blood lust".
15 May 2014 (Latest educational fad in US)
The latest educational fad in the US is trying to teach children better character, but there is no evidence that it works.
15 May 2014 (Fatah-Hamas reconciliation)
Israel used to reject negotiations with the PLO because it didn't represent all Palestinians. Now it rejects negotiations because the Fatah-Hamas reconciliation means the Palestinian Authority represents them all.
15 May 2014 (Israeli troops keep on shooting Palestinians)
Israeli troops keep on shooting Palestinians even at a considerable distance inside the Gaza border.
15 May 2014 (Urgent: Prosecute Wells Fargo)
US citizens: call on Holder to prosecute Wells Fargo for its foreclosure fraud.
15 May 2014 (Palestinian journalists held a protest)
On Press Freedom Day, Palestinian journalists held a protest against Israeli attacks on Palestinian journalists. Israeli forces attacked the protest.
15 May 2014 (The Jewish National Fund)
The Jewish National Fund gives lots of money to Israeli colonization of the West Bank.
15 May 2014 (Palestinians making houses of earth and roofs of straw)
Palestinians are moving back to making houses of earth and roofs of straw. It's easier to rebuild if the Israeli army demolishes the house.
15 May 2014 (Urgent: Action against dirty fuels)
In the US: action against dirty fuels.
15 May 2014 (How FCC will make its rules)
How the FCC will handle the issue of rules for network neutrality.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
15 May 2014 (US rate of death in childbirth)
US women die in childbirth at three times the rate in Britain, due to lack of prenatal care, and government interference with abortion and birth control.
Abortion is considerably safer for the woman than childbirth. Forcing large numbers of poor women to go through childbirth when they wanted an abortion will kill a substantial number of them. But not most of them.
Most of them will begin raising a child they did not want and can't afford to take care of — which is going to cause lots of suffering.
15 May 2014 (Al-Jazeera journalist disappeared)
Egypt has disappeared Abdullah Elshamy, an al-Jazeera journalist who has been imprisoned most of a year without charge.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
The US also holds prisoners never charged with a crime who are on hunger strike, and tortures them every day.
15 May 2014 (Restoring peace in eastern Ukraine)
Ukraine is starting to consider a federal approach to restore peace in the eastern region.
15 May 2014 (US wolf populations)
Now that the Endangered Species Act has enabled the recovery of the wolf population in parts of the US, the US government has decided to let hunters wipe them out again.
The return of wolves to Yellowstone National Park was not enough to enable willows and beavers to return. The problem is, each one has trouble surviving if the other is not present.
15 May 2014 (Australian clean energy research)
The coal company government in Australia says it will cancel many research projects in clean energy and conservation.
Also it will stop concerning itself with how coal mines pollute water.
Anything at all for the coal companies.
15 May 2014 (Tobacco-pickers become nicotine addicts)
Teenage tobacco-pickers in the US become nicotine addicts by absorbing it through their skin. They often get sick — perhaps from pesticide exposure.
14 May 2014 (Urgent: Single-payer health care)
US citizens: Call on congresscritters to co-sponsor the bills for single-payer health care.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
14 May 2014 (US transportation infrastructure)
US transportation infrastructure is falling apart because Republicans reject increasing the gasoline tax to make drivers pay for fixing it.
Of course, the fossil fuel lobby is at work here. Increased tax on fossil fuels would lead to using less of them, so if you aim to keep consumption at a maximum, you would naturally oppose that tax.
14 May 2014 (Gmail)
A free software activist finds that around half the emails he sends go to Gmail addresses, and that gives Google too much data about him.
Some people will look at this and argue that we should give up. That's bad logic. Keeping half your email away from companies that do tracking is a good first step, in any case. The point is, we need to go further.
Before we start a campaign for people to move their email to a service other than Gmail, for the sake of their friends' privacy, we need to find a good replacement to recommend. Running your own email server is good but too difficult for most people. The Freedom Box project aims to make that easy, but it isn't entirely ready.
The easiest thing would be an email service like Lavabit in a country that won't cooperate with snooping by the US government or the government of the country where you live.
14 May 2014 (How thugs snoop on Americans)
Thugs are lobbying across the US to be able to conceal how they snoop on Americans.
Calling these thugs "law enforcement" gives them excessive respect, which is self-defeating for any attempt to restrain their power. It also misrepresent facts, such as that thugs frequently commit crimes, often gross bodily harm followed by perjury, and then enjoy impunity.
14 May 2014 (Renewable energy in the US)
A plan shows how the US could convert to nearly 100% renewable energy for electricity and heating, by 2050, if the Koch brothers don't stop it.
14 May 2014 (Arrest and torture of Americans)
1/3 of Americans fear they would be tortured if arrested — and they have reason for fear.
14 May 2014 (Thugs kill surrendering suspects)
Miami thugs shot and killed two criminal suspects, sitting in a car, who had their hands up and were trying to surrender.
Since one had perhaps committed robbery with a gun, it was legitimate to treat them as probably armed and dangerous. That doesn't excuse using them as shooting gallery targets.
14 May 2014 (Mobile phones and brain cancer)
A study finds that heavy users of mobile phones are 3 times as likely to get brain cancer as other people.
Whether this is important depends on how frequent these types of brain cancer normally are. If the phone changes a .01% chance into a .03% chance, neither one is really worth worrying about.
14 May 2014 (UK economic "recovery")
Tax data confirm UK economic growth benefits only the top 1%.
This is what the plutocrats' economists call a "recovery" which is why economics students rebel against that sort of economics.
14 May 2014 (China arresting dissidents)
China is arresting dissidents because the 25th anniversary of the massacre of students at Tiananmen Square is approaching.
14 May 2014 (Pain of Australia's new budget)
In Australia, everyone will feel the pain of the new budget, but it falls mostly on the poor.
That's what plutocratists do.
14 May 2014 (UK cuts subsidies for solar farms)
The UK government is trying to accelerate the inundation of London by cutting subsidies for solar farms.
14 May 2014 (Old personal information on Google)
The European Court of Justice ruled that Google Search must stop showing links to old personal information about people that demand it.
This is not going to amount to substantial censorship.
Indeed, it could point the way to limiting massive surveillance.
14 May 2014 (US coal mine kills two miners)
A US coal mine with a history of violating safety rules killed two miners.
This is part of the general US tendency not to inspect industrial facilities including mines, chemical plants and perhaps soon chicken processing plants.
14 May 2014 (Putin responds to US sanctions)
Putin threatens to retaliate for US sanctions by ending cooperation over the International Space Station.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
14 May 2014 (Search engines influence elections)
Search engines have substantial influence over elections — enough to control the outcome in races that are only fairly close.
14 May 2014 (Urgent: No portable anti-aircraft missiles)
US citizens: phone your congresscritter and say, "Don't give portable anti-aircraft missiles to Islamist fanatics in Syria".
The last US president who did this was Ronald Reagan, who encouraged terrorism against Americans by rewarding Islamist hostage-takers with similar missiles.
The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
13 May 2014 (State targets dissenters not just "bad guys")
Glenn Greenwald: from Martin Luther King to Anonymous, the state targets dissenters not just "bad guys".
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
It's not just in digital surveillance that the state attacks dissidents. Look at how the US repressed unions.
13 May 2014 (New York City thug union)
The New York City thug union is blocking measures to reduce the thugs' random street harassment of pedestrians there.
While the tendency to harass predominantly members of minority groups demonstrates the nastiness of the practice, random harassment would not be any more legitimate if it were done equally to people of all races. And it would still fall disproportionately on the non-rich.
13 May 2014 (Palestinian children in solitary confinement)
Israel regularly puts Palestinian children in solitary confinement.
It probably makes them confess — whether guilty or not.
13 May 2014 (US has returned a substantial fraction of blacks to slavery)
In effect, the US has returned a substantial fraction of blacks to slavery by putting them in prison. Privatized prisons in the US make $20,000 a year from each prisoner by using them as slaves.
13 May 2014 (US is failing to inspect thousands of oil and gas wells)
The US is failing to inspect thousands of oil and gas wells.
This is the result of the insufficient taxes on business, together with pressure for a "small state" which won't protect us from business.
13 May 2014 (Pesticide companies are using tobacco business tactics)
Pesticide companies are using tobacco business tactics to distort science and mislead the public.
13 May 2014 (Australia asked the US to spy on Australians)
Australia asked the US to spy on Australians.
13 May 2014 (The Free-Trade Regime)
The Free-Trade Regime: Oligarchy in Action.
If Obama were not the oligarchs' man, he would not be supporting the TPP.
13 May 2014 (FCC proposing cosmetic changes)
FCC Commissioner Wheeler was shocked by the opposition to his plans to attack network neutrality, so he is proposing cosmetic changes to confuse the matter.
The one who is really at fault here is Obama, for appointing someone who was a lobbyist for the telecom companies that this plan favors, and apparently still considers himself one. Obama should have known Wheeler would try to do the wrong thing. I expect Obama did know, and intended this outcome.
13 May 2014 (How NSA tampers with US-made internet routers)
Glenn Greenwald: how the NSA tampers with US-made internet routers.
13 May 2014 (Increased domestic violence against women)
The increase of poverty in the US has increased domestic violence against women.
13 May 2014 (Fined for Feeding Homeless People)
Florida Couple Fined $746 For Crime Of Feeding Homeless People.
By enforcing this unjust law, thug chief Chitwood makes himself personally responsible for the injustice he carries out. He ought to quit rather than enforce that law.
The heartless people that passed the law are probably Republicans and responsible for the cruel policies that make people homeless. Then they kick those people when they are down.
They deserve to be sentenced to a year of homelessness.
13 May 2014 (Low-wage work keeps workers busy)
Low-wage work keeps workers busy for so many hours that they have no time to study new skills. (Even supposing they can afford to.)
13 May 2014 (Microsoft services)
It is unethical for universities to entrust their computing and email to Microsoft services because this exposes them to surveillance.
In addition, letting someone else's server do your computing means you lose control over that computing. This is known as Service as a Software Substitute.
Microsoft services also involve running nonfree software.
By the way, the article falls into confusion when it calls services "products". A product is something physical that you buy, own, and take home.
13 May 2014 (Toxic chemicals that can cause breast cancer)
Toxic chemicals that can cause breast cancer are all around us.
13 May 2014 (The boat to carry exports from Gaza)
The boat to carry exports from Gaza will be repaired.
13 May 2014 (Global heating effects)
Global heating effects will hit three regions of Africa especially badly.
13 May 2014 (Estonia is using internet voting)
Estonia is using internet voting, and naturally its security is ludicrous.
You must not trust a computer for voting, not even a computer inside a voting machine.
13 May 2014 (Endocrine disruptors)
Endocrine disruptors in food packaging and toothpaste interfere with human sperm.
This is very useful since it could help curb human overpopulation. That will help avoid the collapse of technological civilization. We will then be able to replace these ingredients, once they have brought the human population down to a safe level such as 500 million.
13 May 2014 (Urgent: Support college finance bill)
US citizens: Support Senator Warren's college finance bill.
This would tax the rich a little to relieve student loan debt.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
13 May 2014 (Urgent: Reporter James Risen)
US citizens: call on Obama and Holder not to imprison reporter James Risen.
Risen is ready to go to prison to avoid putting a whistleblower in danger. The US government is wrong to try to make this necessary.
13 May 2014 (Urgent: Oppose neonicotinoid-like pesticide)
US citizens: call on the USDA not to approve another neonicotinoid-like pesticide.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
13 May 2014 (Global heating and winds)
Global heating is strengthening a specific southern wind pattern, reducing the heating of Antarctica but exposing Australia to drought.
13 May 2014 (Bans on wearing masks in public)
Some US states ban people from wearing masks in public.
In the age of massive surveillance, such laws are an intolerable injustice. Ban surveillance systems or legalize masks!
13 May 2014 (Zero-hours contracts)
Zero-hours contracts tend to intimidate workers so they abandon their rights.
13 May 2014 (Short-lived truce in South Sudan)
The truce in South Sudan did not last long.
13 May 2014 (McDonald's at nutritionist convention)
I Went to the Nutritionists' Annual Confab. It Was Catered by McDonald's.
Many professional organizations, and even organizations for worthy causes, have been corrupted by money from business.
13 May 2014 (Investing in energy efficiency)
Investing in energy efficiency is a way to reduce pollution while boosting the economy.
13 May 2014 (Iranian women protest)
Iranian women are protesting religious oppression by posting photos of their unveiled faces.
13 May 2014 (Gentrification of slums in Rio)
Gentrification of slums in Rio de Janeiro has forced thousands of poor people into squatting.
This requires a two-pronged solution: increased house construction and reduced birth rate.
13 May 2014 (Global heating)
Recent research dispels the last hope that the complexities of the Earth's system would reduce the heating caused by a given amount of greenhouse gas.
To avoid catastrophic heating we must emit less greenhouse gas. However, the heating-denial machine keeps rolling on to make sure the Earth does not escape the Koch brothers' intended doom.
13 May 2014 (Western Antarctic sheet melting)
The Western Antarctic ice sheet is melting, and it will eventually raise sea level up to 4 meters (13 feet).
It will take centuries, but many great cities will be drowned. I think Miami will be little loss, but New York, Washington DC and Boston will be a shame, not to mention London, Amsterdam, Shanghai and Tokyo.
The East Antarctic ice sheet may go too.
Way to go, Koch brothers. Can the landowners that will be flooded out sue you now for the decrease in their property values?
12 May 2014 (Urgent: Oppose US export of natural gas)
US citizens: oppose exporting natural gas from the US.
12 May 2014 (Urgent: Smarter Sentencing Act)
US citizens: call on your senators to support the Smarter Sentencing Act.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
12 May 2014 (Repression equipment from UK)
The UK has authorized export of repression equipment to several repressive regimes.
12 May 2014 (Obama's War on Journalism)
As part of Obama's War on Journalism, Barrett Brown pled guilty to being an "accessory to unauthorized access" to Stratfor's computers.
He was reporting on what was found.
China is following Obama's example: a journalist is being imprisoned for publishing leaks.
12 May 2014 (Amazon punishes publisher)
Amazon demonstrates its dangerous power by punishing one publisher.
This is one of many reasons you should not buy from Amazon.
12 May 2014 (Bullying by copyright industry)
We defeated SOPA/PIPA, but legislators that serve the copyright industry are trying to bully advertising networks into dropping clients accused of facilitating sharing.
While I oppose this intimidation campaign, those ad networks are evil because they track people.
12 May 2014 (ISP consigns FCC site to slow speed)
One ISP has consigned the FCC's web site to low speed access as a form of protest against the FCC's attack on network neutrality.
This demonstrates how any ISP will be able to slow down access to sites it does not like.
12 May 2014 (The background of Boko Haram)
On the background of Boko Haram.
The idea of Algeria's supporting that organization and other Islamists seems implausible on its face. Is there any other evidence to support the claim?
12 May 2014 (Israeli soldier disciplined)
One Israeli soldier was disciplined, apparently, for embarrassing the state by abusing a Palestinian while a camera was watching. Thousands of soldiers responded by expressing support for the soldier. They openly say nobody should be punished for abusing Palestinians.
12 May 2014 (Disney advertising as ABC News)
On ABC television, Disney advertising counts as news.
12 May 2014 (Koch brothers ready to buy election)
The Koch brothers are prepared to spend over a hundred million dollars to buy the next US election.
12 May 2014 (Obama's Orwellian order)
Obama's Orwellian order: US intelligence officials are forbidden even to acknowledge the fact that Snowden told us something.
12 May 2014 ('Organic' standards)
Food Defenders Protest Corporate Takeover of 'Organic' Standards.
12 May 2014 (Mistreatment of prostitutes by their employers)
Legalization of prostitution in Germany has not ended mistreatment of prostitutes by their employers, including forcing them to work too much, stealing their pay, and stopping them from quitting.
We should see this in the context of a general pattern of abuse of workers in fields ranging from fast food to manufacturing to construction to domestic service
It should not surprise us that this happens in prostitution also.
I don't think this is a reason for criminalization of prostitutes or their customers, any more than it is a reason to criminalize factories or their customers. Rather, governments must do more to prevent abuse of all kinds of workers. In some cases this requires additional regulation of employers designed specifically to prevent abuses.
12 May 2014 (Mozilla Foundation proposed a weak halfhearted network neutrality)
The Mozilla Foundation proposed a weak halfhearted network neutrality: to declare ISPs' connections to servers a common carrier but not the connections with users (the ISPs' customers).
The intended result of this is to block one specific abuse — discrimination by ISPs among web servers — without blocking other abuses directly against internet users. For instance, ISPs would still be allowed to punish their customers at the request of the copyright industry.
No thanks, Mozilla Foundation.
12 May 2014 (What the US is in for if global heating is not curbed)
A summary of what the US is in for if global heating is not curbed.
12 May 2014 (Alexander Aan released from prison)
Alexander Aan, imprisoned in Indonesia for saying he was an Atheist, has been released from prison. He still faces the threat of murder from Muslim fanatics.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
Punishing the victims of religious hostility for "instigating" it is like punishing women for "instigating" rape. Oh right, these religious fanatics would probably do that too.
Before his sentencing, Aan let down the cause of religious freedom in Indonesia by apologizing for his "crime" and officially converting to Islam. Like Chelsea Manning's apology, that gave the enemy a victory that it could never have got on its own.
12 May 2014 (Right-wing ideology)
Right-wing ideology calls for a "small state" in regard to help for the non-rich and regulating business, and a "big state" in regard to welfare for the rich and punishing the rest.
Justice is the opposite on each of the four points.
12 May 2014 (Israel's fanatical "settlers")
Israel's fanatical "settlers" are starting to clash with the state.
Usually they attack Palestinians, and the "security" forces support them.
12 May 2014 (The "referendum" in Donetsk)
The "referendum" in Donetsk seems to be neither free nor fair.
It is Putinesque bullshit.
12 May 2014 (We Need a Revolution in the Way We Teach Economics)
After the Crash, We Need a Revolution in the Way We Teach Economics.
The article doesn't mention that neoclassical economics tends to promote policies that harm the non-rich.
12 May 2014 (Plastic retrieved from the ocean)
Bottles are being made using plastic retrieved from the ocean, but this is a tiny fraction of the plastic waste that continues to enter the ocean.
12 May 2014 (Uganda's anti-gay law)
Uganda's anti-gay law has encouraged harassment and violence against gays, at a rate far exceeding the application of the law itself.
12 May 2014 (Urgent: Oppose legalization of natural gas exports from the US)
US citizens: oppose legalization of natural gas exports from the US.
12 May 2014 (The decision to reveal Snowden's name)
Glenn Greenwald writes about the decision to reveal Snowden's name, and what happened after he did.
With hindsight, I think it would have been advisable for them to wait for Snowden to reach a safer refuge before revealing his name.
12 May 2014 (Obama's New Solar Energy Commitments)
No Sense of Urgency: Obama's New Solar Energy Commitments Are Still Just Baby Steps.
12 May 2014 (Urgent: Repeal the Authorization for Use of Military Force)
US citizens: call on Congress to repeal the Authorization for Use of Military Force.
12 May 2014 (A worker at Walmart reports)
A worker in the Walmart that Obama visited reports what it's like to be unable to rent a place to live or pay for medical tests because Walmart is so bad to workers.
12 May 2014 (Urgent: Stop selling neonicotinoid pesticides)
In the US: call on Home Depot and Lowe's to stop selling neonicotinoid pesticides, since they endanger bees.
12 May 2014 (Urgent: Ellen Brown)
In California: vote for Ellen Brown for state treasurer.
12 May 2014 (Big pharma tax dodgers)
Big pharma companies free ride on public research funds while dodging their own taxes.
12 May 2014 (Global heating commitments)
Rating global heating commitments and actions of various countries.
12 May 2014 (Corporations "deferring" taxes)
To make giant "US" corporations pay their taxes instead of "deferring" them, we could impose a tax on deferring taxes.
12 May 2014 (Obama and the Banksters)
Jail the Bankers? Obama Has Been Their Staunchest Defender.
12 May 2014 (The European Patent Office)
Most of Europe has submitted stupidly to the power of the European Patent Office, which imposes software patents, but Denmark has a chance to escape.
12 May 2014 (Textbook rental)
A publisher tried to force law students to rent a textbook for a year and then surrender it.
For the moment, the publisher has backed down, but we need to organize to stop publishers from distributing ebooks this way. The right of first sale should be extended to ebooks.
12 May 2014 (The oppression of surveillance)
It's fatuous to ask whether massive surveillance "works" for some purpose (even preventing real terrorism), because it oppresses people's ability to think.
(As well as democracy.)
12 May 2014 (Unconscious prejudice)
Studying the underpinnings of unconscious prejudice.
12 May 2014 (Common carrier rules)
AT&T Claims Common Carrier Rules Would Ruin the Whole Internet.
12 May 2014 (Information about users on servers)
Some servers collect so much information about users that they can anticipate what users want.
If your own computer, running free software, made these suggestions, it would not be dangerous.
12 May 2014 (China imprisons book publisher)
A Hong Kong publisher of books banned in China has been imprisoned in China for "smuggling industrial chemicals".
I wonder what evidence they could possible have to prove that he has smuggled these chemicals on multiple occasions. Did they repeatedly inspect his baggage? Or are they making it up?
12 May 2014 (Albuquerque citizen's arrest)
Albuquerque residents tried to do a citizen's arrest of the city's chief thug.
12 May 2014 (Tax-evading Indonesian companies)
Giant Indonesian companies use shell companies in British colonies for tax evasion.
The full solution is for the victim countries to change their tax laws so that businesses can't send their profits out without paying tax.
11 May 2014 (Urgent: Stop dishonest ads on Yahoo)
In the US: call on Yahoo to stop dishonest ads for crisis pregnancy centers.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
11 May 2014 (More CO₂ in the air)
More CO₂ in the air promotes plant growth, but it also promotes microbes that convert soil carbon into CO₂, and they cancel out.
11 May 2014 (Nigeria did not try to stop kidnappings)
Nigeria had 4 hours' warning that Islamist fanatics were planning to kidnap schoolgirls, but did not try to stop them.
11 May 2014 (Truce in South Sudan)
Rebels in South Sudan and the government have signed a truce.
11 May 2014 (Boycott of ice hockey championship)
Calling for a boycott of the ice hockey championship that will legitimize the dictator of Belarus.
If Putin keeps attacking human rights in Russia, Belarus may cease to be special.
11 May 2014 (Death of bee colonies)
A controlled experiment ties the death of bee colonies directly to neonicotinoid pesticides.
11 May 2014 (Pope calls for wealth redistribution)
Pope Francis Calls for 'Legitimate Redistribution' of Wealth.
11 May 2014 (US gov't report on global heating)
The US government report on global heating and its effects, present and predicted.
A map of how US temperatures have been changed.
11 May 2014 (Reorganization of the oversight of intelligence agencies)
A committee of UK MPs calls for reorganization of the oversight of intelligence agencies, citing Snowden as the impetus.
11 May 2014 (Republican judge trying to shut down investigation)
A Republican federal judge is trying to shut down an investigation into corruption in Wisconsin Republican fund-raising.
11 May 2014 (UK's rate of evictions a 10-year record)
The UK government's opportunistic attacks on benefits have pushed the rate of evictions to a 10-year record.
11 May 2014 (Political prisoner in Egypt is a US citizen)
One of the 16,000 political prisoners in Egypt is a US citizen. Mohamed Soltan has been on hunger strike for 100 days.
11 May 2014 (California considers an additional tax)
California considers an additional tax to build up a reserve to spend in bad times. A public bank could do the same job.
11 May 2014 (Rescuing girls kidnapped in Nigeria)
Pressuring the US government to try to rescue the girls kidnapped in Nigeria can do harm rather than good.
11 May 2014 (Peoples that consume the most feel the least concern)
It appears that the peoples that consume the most feel the least concern about what they do to the natural world.
10 May 2014 (UK making intensive effort to end female genital mutilation)
The UK is making an intensive effort to end female genital mutilation; agents talk with families that seem to be leaving on a trip to carry this out.
I wonder if similar efforts might be effective against human trafficking. Often that relies on victims' ignorance of what is really likely to happen to them.
10 May 2014 (Urgent: Protect endangered Florida panthers)
US citizens: call on the EPA to protect endangered Florida panthers from oil extraction.
10 May 2014 (The petition for a referendum to ban drilling in the Yasuni)
The petition for a referendum to ban drilling in the Yasuni was rejected on the grounds that many signatures were invalid.
09 May 2014 (Urgent: Defeat "Regulatory Fairness Act")
US citizens: call on Congress to defeat the "Regulatory Fairness Act".
09 May 2014 (Urgent: Block judicial confirmation)
US citizens: phone your senators to block David Barron's confirmation as a judge until Obama complies with the court order to publish the gist of the assassination memo Barron wrote.
The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
It is useful to report the results of your calls to Just Foreign Policy, but their pages sometimes fail to run with Javascript turned off. Please turn off Javascript before you try to report your call, or use LibreJS, and complain to Just Foreign Policy if the page does not function that way.
09 May 2014 (Alberta hearings on oil extraction)
Alberta (Canada) is holding required hearings on a new oil extraction project but has barred environmental groups and indigenous peoples.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
It's equivalent to saying, "Favorable testimony only," but without admitting that's what it is.
The Alberta government has taken the side of the oil companies against the people. It is that simple.
09 May 2014 (Stanford to divest from coal)
Stanford University has pledged to divest from 100 companies whose business focuses on coal.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
09 May 2014 (The Cecily McMillan trial)
9 of the 12 jurors in the Cecily McMillan trial have written to the judge asking him not to sentence her to prison.
09 May 2014 (Why the USA Freedom Act falls short)
The EFF explains why the USA Freedom Act, just approved by the Judiciary Committee, falls way short of what is needed to protect privacy in the limited context of phone calls.
More about the "Section 702" excuse for surveillance.
09 May 2014 (Snapchat admits messages can be saved)
Snapchat has admitted its messages can in fact be saved.
The attempt to prevent them from being saved is a kind of DRM. In effect, the goal of Snapchat is to give the message's sender control over what the message's receiver's computer does with the message. As always, that requires nonfree software and a secret communications protocol.
09 May 2014 (Poll of eastern Ukrainians)
A poll finds half the people in eastern Ukraine dislike the EU and the US, and slightly more dislike Russia.
They should distrust all three.
09 May 2014 (US snatch-and-torture network)
US companies participated in the US snatch-and-torture network in Africa.
09 May 2014 (Pope Francis un-supportive)
Pope Francis has not given support to the US nuns that are being punished for focusing more on social justice rather than on attacking abortion.
08 May 2014 (Ex-MP lobbyists in Europe)
Business lobbyists have gained a lot of influence in the European Parliament, and a revolving door has started where ex-MPs become lobbyists.
We should demand our candidates pledge not to work for business lobbies after they leave office.
08 May 2014 (Investment in oil projects)
A trillion dollars is being invested in oil projects that will be worthless (because they won't be used) if global heating disaster is averted.
If the investors were in danger of losing their money, we would have no reason to care about that. But they won't give up so easily. They have a lot of money, and they are using it in many ways to make sure we remain on track towards global heating disaster.
08 May 2014 (Obama endorses charter school myth)
Obama joins Republicans in endorsing the myth that charter schools are good for students.
What they are good for is profit.
08 May 2014 (Freedom of speech for the wealthy)
Right-wing members of the US Supreme Court tend to uphold free speech preferentially for the wealthy and right-wing.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
08 May 2014 (Weakened USA Freedom Act approved)
The USA Freedom Act was approved by the House Judiciary Committee, somewhat weakened.
It is a significant step forward, but nowhere near enough to restore privacy rights on the Internet.
08 May 2014 (Seattle's $15/hr minimum wage)
Although Seattle has approved a $15/hr minimum wage, greedy bastards in business are still fighting to delay and undermine the policy.
Measures to help working people (more generally, regulation of business) can backfire, but often they are very helpful. However, each time a measure is proposed, the greedy bastards will always come up with an excuse to claim that it will backfire. Occasionally the claim is valid; usually it is bogus.
They construct a bogus claim by cherry-picking the evidence and the arguments, adding some lies when they think they can get away with it. When it becomes clear, later, that the claim was bogus, they pay no penalty.
Therefore, we must never believe claims by a business or its mouthpieces that regulating the business will hurt the public. They are inherently untrustworthy on the matter,
To find out which measures really might backfire, we must get advice from someone they have not corrupted.
08 May 2014 (Effect of CO₂ on food crops)
An increasing level of CO₂ makes many food crops less nutritious in iron, zinc and protein.
This won't affect the world's rich; we get plenty of iron and zinc and too much protein. But it will be a disaster for billions of poor.
08 May 2014 (Punishment for questioning religion)
Raif Badawi has been sentenced to 1000 lashes of the whip, and ten years in prison, for starting a web site to discuss (i.e., question) the role of religion in Saudi Arabia.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
I am not sure whether a sentence of 1000 lashes is fatal, or whether it is meant to be fatal. Does anyone know?
Saudi Arabia needs regime change.
Update: 1000 lashes are usually not fatal if they are done 50 per week. But you might wish you were dead.
08 May 2014 (Drug arrests in Australia)
After a marijuana legalization campaign meeting in Australia, the thugs arrested 86 people for driving under the influence of marijuana, on the pretense that doing so is dangerous.
There is no evidence for that claim, no indication that marijuana makes driving less safe.
08 May 2014 (Voter ID laws)
Getting a driver's license in the US takes a lot of time — and poor people often can't afford to do that just to vote. The point of voter ID laws is to take advantage of this.
08 May 2014 (US pot farmers)
US pot farmers are putting Mexican pot farmers out of business.
08 May 2014 (Fines demanded by copyright industry)
A study of unauthorized sharing computes by extrapolation that the fines demanded by the copyright industry total about 6 times the world's GDP.
It is not valid to extrapolate from Finland to the whole world. I expect that at least half the world's population has never received a copy of any song or movie over the internet. But even if we suppose that only 16% of the world's population behaves like Finns, the fines would still equal the world's GDP.
Please don't refer to unauthorized sharing as "piracy". That's a smear term promoted by the publishers that make these bogus claims about "losses". Every time you refer to sharing as "piracy", you give them very helpful support.
I reserve the term "pirate" to refer to someone that raids ships.
Using the word "steal" to refer to making a copy is likewise propaganda, as well as evidently false.
See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html.
08 May 2014 (Comcast billing)
Comcast is trying to destroy the practice of billing that makes competing ISPs possible. And the Comcast merger would give it more power to do this.
08 May 2014 (US gov't internet ID)
A new surveillance and security threat: the US government's one-size-fits-all internet ID.
08 May 2014 (Mass surveillance of students)
EFF: Join Students and Scholars In Speaking Out About the Effects of Mass Surveillance on Campus.
When universities cease to run their own email servers and force students onto gmail, that is part of massive surveillance on campus.
08 May 2014 (W3C)
The W3C is mostly ineffective at resisting the demands of businesses to pervert the World Wide Web.
08 May 2014 (Secession of Eastern Ukraine)
Putin said that the referendum pro-Russia separatists plan to hold about secession of Eastern Ukraine should be postponed.
I don't see anything wrong with adopting a federal structure in Ukraine, offering that and other regions more autonomy. It could result in more democracy, in addition to possibly satisfying the concerns of ethnic Russians in the eastern part.
I speculated some weeks ago that Putin was provoking this second crisis so that, by eventually giving in, he could get the world's attention off the Crimea.
08 May 2014 (Urgent: Pesticide exposure standards)
US citizens: call on the EPA to establish stricter standards for exposure to pesticides.
08 May 2014 (Thai PM ordered to step down)
The Thai constitutional court ordered Prime Minister Shinawatra to step down.
08 May 2014 (Defeating Boko Haram)
The US and UK are offering support to fight Boko Haram.
I doubt that rescuing these girls, as such, is possible. Defeating Boko Haram might be possible somehow. I am in favor of it in principle, but it is easier said than done.
08 May 2014 (Boat people towed by Australia)
Australia tows boat people into Indonesian waters after putting them into lifeboats from which some safety equipment has been removed.
08 May 2014 (Threat to the Great Barrier Reef)
The threat to the Great Barrier Reef from planned dredging is even greater than previously reported.
Is Ben and Jerry's still campaigning against this? Can anyone tell me?
08 May 2014 (Australian budget)
Australia's government is eager to cut support for the poor so it can maintain subsidies for fossil fuels.
08 May 2014 (Plans for dams in Amazon region)
If plans are carried out, there will be 400 dams in the Amazon region. Their ecological consequences have not been studied.
08 May 2014 (Global heating and agriculture)
Specific examples of how global heating is damaging agriculture around the US.
08 May 2014 (Video of an abortion)
Emily Letts posted a video of her abortion to show how safe it was.
In Afghanistan, abortion substitutes for birth control.
08 May 2014 (Merger would let Pfizer duck taxes)
Merger Would Let Pfizer Duck A Billion Dollars In U.S. Taxes Each Year.
The merger should be blocked, as all mergers of large companies should be blocked, for the sake of competition and to reduce lobbying power. The right fix for this reduction in taxes is to eliminate the tax deduction that this merger would take advantage of.
If companies were taxed at a progressive rate, it would give them an incentive not to merge.
[Reference updated on 2022-07-15 because the old link was broken.]
08 May 2014 (Restoring peace in Ukraine)
A proposal for restoring peace in Ukraine.
08 May 2014 (Facial recognition)
Is facial recognition arriving at the point of total tracking of people on the street?
08 May 2014 (Global heating is inundating land)
Global heating is inundating the land of some native peoples in Alaska, leaving them nowhere to go.
08 May 2014 (Global heating threatens electric power generation)
Global heating threatens electric power generation.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
08 May 2014 (Poaching in Africa)
Poaching in Africa is enabled by corruption of the officials who are supposed to prevent it.
Unfortunately, anything that is illegal and sells for a high price tends to encourage corruption. (As illegal drugs do.)
Since the drugs really work, and some are addictive, while neither is true for ivory and rhino horn, I hope it is easier to reduce demand for the latter two.
08 May 2014 (Selling opportunity to meet with Australia's treasurer)
An Australian organization that raises funds for the right-wing ruling party from business advertises it is selling the opportunity to meet with Australia's treasurer. But he says he's going to sue a newspaper that said he was for sale.
08 May 2014 (NATO countries are regularly bombing in Libya)
It appears that NATO countries are regularly bombing in Libya.
08 May 2014 (Global heating effects in the US)
Global heating effects in the US are causing harm in areas from agriculture to allergies.
The Top Ten Global Warming 'Skeptic' Arguments Answered.
08 May 2014 (Snubbing the Dalai Lama to suck up to China)
Norway has admitted snubbing the Dalai Lama to suck up to China.
08 May 2014 (The Drivers of Deficits in Education)
Poverty And Inequality, Not Teachers, Are the Drivers of Deficits in Education.
08 May 2014 (Uighurs in China turning to terrorism)
Uighurs in China, who were resisting Chinese domination, are turning to terrorism and might take up Islamist extremism too.
08 May 2014 (Mubarak's party's leaders banned from running for office)
Mubarak's party's leaders have been banned from running for office in Egypt.
They probably discredited themselves, but no more than al-Sisi's supporters have.
08 May 2014 (Ukraine's neo-Nazis continue to play a role)
Ukraine's neo-Nazis continue to play a role.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
08 May 2014 (How RIAA and its masters shaft older musicians)
How the RIAA and its masters, the record factories, shaft older musicians while using them as an excuse to attack.
8 May 2014 (Strange bedfellows?)
Republican and Democratic populists are converging on common political points.
8 May 2014 (LSE reports on the Drug War)
End the failed "war on drugs", say five winners of the Nobel Prize in Economics.

I'm glad they have had the daring to speak up.
8 May 2014 (Urgent: Stop Micheal Boggs)
US citizens: phone your senators to oppose the nomination of Michael Boggs as a federal judge.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]

He voted for a state bill to interfere with abortion.

The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
8 May 2014 (Indictments in Bobby Bennett shooting)
Two thugs in Dallas shot, separately, people who were no threat to them or anyone, then made false accusations against them.

This is not news; this is standard practice. What's news is, these thugs are being prosecuted.
8 May 2014 (Free speech is not for them)
Israeli Arabs face repression for criticizing the government on the internet.
8 May 2014 (Stay in the house please)
Israeli holidays are accompanied by total curfew on Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory.
8 May 2014 (Thuggery in Israel)
Arab-Israeli journalist Majd Kayyal remains under house arrest for visiting Lebanon.

Non-Arab Israelis that visit Lebanon don't get prosecuted.

Israeli soldiers arrested several Palestinian youths armed with video cameras who were suffering harassment from Israeli expansionists.

Israel's "security forces" regularly treat Palestinians with the sort of prejudice and dishonesty that the New York Thug Department applies to protesters and black males.
8 May 2014 (Meir Sheetrit supports reconciliation in Palestine)
One Israeli politician sees hope for peace in the reconciliation of Fatah and Hamas.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
8 May 2014 (More stuff for us again)
A village of Bedouin shepherds near Jericho faces expulsion by Israel, which has been squeezing them for 8 years.

Israeli demolition of Palestinian homes doesn't always ignore Israeli law. Sometimes it proceeds by stretching the law.

Of course, the law itself is unjust.
07 May 2014 (Cecily McMillan's trial)
A lot more detail about the trial and conviction of Cecily McMillan.
It appears that the jurors voted to convict her because the video did not seem to support her statements of what happened. Reportedly it might not be clear enough to show what happened.
07 May 2014 (Political power of agribusiness)
A arrogant Brazilian politician boasts of representing the political power of agribusiness, and says they will destroy anything and everything that gets in their way (indigenous people, rain forests, wildlife, probably human rights).
These are the sort of people that would tear Earth's ecosphere to shreds trying to get a bigger share for themselves.
07 May 2014 (Australia's offshore prison)
Australia's offshore prison for boat people is a hell-hole.
07 May 2014 (US TV political ads)
US TV stations are supposed to require political advertisers to post information, but many stations are ignoring the requirement.
07 May 2014 (Canadian telco gives gov't access)
It appears that some Canadian telco is giving the government access to each and every packet that is transmitted.
US telcos do the same.
07 May 2014 (Media perpetuation of War on Drugs)
How NBC and Our Reactionary Media Perpetuate the War on Drugs.
07 May 2014 ("Smart" phone work hours)
They say "smart" phones are addictive, but maybe it's just that businesses force their staff to use them all the time.
The article shows evidence that this practice makes employees less productive. If that convinces some companies to stop making their employees work an 80-hour week, that's good. But protecting workers from exploitation should not depend on convincing employers that exploiting them is counterproductive.
What we really need is a labor movement strong enough to force companies to stop exploiting workers, as we saw recently in France.
The problem of interruptions only occurs if you are notified immediately when a message arrives. I spend all day reading my emails and answering some of them, but I only get new mail when I connect and ask for it. Thus, it never interrupts me.
06 May 2014 (Urgent: Allow master limited partnerships for renewable energy)
US citizens: phone your senators and urge them to allow master limited partnerships for renewable energy.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
06 May 2014 (Urgent: Stop supporting inhumane executions)
US citizens, and anyone in medical fields: call on the American Pharmacists Association to stop its members from supporting inhumane executions.
06 May 2014 (Urgent: Stop working with Gazprom)
Everyone: call on Shell to stop working with Gazprom and stop undersea Arctic drilling.
06 May 2014 (Urgent: Protect the habitat of sage grouse)
US citizens: call on Obama to protect the habitat of sage grouse. This will also protect other species that live in the same habitat.
06 May 2014 (3-4 meters of sea level rise)
A little more global heating could unlock 3-4 meters of sea level rise. It will take millennia for all of this rise to happen, but it will be unstoppable even if we lower the CO₂ level back down.
06 May 2014 (Spinoff of the RIAA is illegally lobbying)
A spinoff of the RIAA is illegally lobbying for stricter copyright rules for radio stations.
06 May 2014 (Clinton's false statements about Snowden)
Ms Clinton's false statements about Edward Snowden and pertinent US laws.
The idea that she made these statements out of ignorance is unbelievable. She must have thought long and hard about what she would say, and these statements represent her allegiance to the security state.
Her support for unjust power extends to other issues too, so I will not support her or vote for her. If she is the Democratic nominee for President, I will vote Green.
06 May 2014 (Employee of WIPO accused a director of misconduct)
An employee of WIPO accused a director of misconduct, but WIPO has wiped the report off the net by threatening lawsuits.
06 May 2014 (Women who survive breast cancer have lost their jobs)
Almost 1/3 of US women who survive breast cancer have lost their jobs in 4 years.
06 May 2014 (Coal company in charge of environmental policy)
The right-wing party governing of Queensland (Australia) has put a coal company in charge of its environmental policy since 2012.
06 May 2014 (Piketty neglected detailed causes)
Piketty has neglected the detailed causes of the temporary 20th century setback for the power of the wealthy. Studying them suggests ideas for how to repeat that setback.
06 May 2014 (Faux News asked guest not to talk about climate change)
Faux News explicitly asked a guest on a show not to talk about climate change (global heating).
06 May 2014 (The impulse to help others)
Toddlers have an impulse to help others. Modern materialistic society can teach them to lose it.
06 May 2014 (Urgent: Renewable energy tax benefits)
US citizens: phone your senators to give renewable energy the same tax benefits that fossil fuels get.
I would go further and suggest taking these benefits away from fossil fuels.
06 May 2014 (Urgent: No subsidies for charter schools)
US citizens: call on Congress to reject subsidies for charter schools.
06 May 2014 (E-cigarettes)
E-cigarettes can make nicotine less dangerous, but they might also encourage people to continue or resume smoking.
Perhaps this can be changed by making e-cigarettes conspicuously different from cigarettes.
06 May 2014 (Protesters in Venezuela abused)
Human Rights Watch says that many protesters in Venezuela were abused after arrest. 150 were held incommunicado. Some had their bones broken.
Even if the US organized these protests as part of a destabilization campaign, that doesn't justify this.
06 May 2014 (Obama's judge nominee)
Obama nominated as a judge a lawyer whose secret legal memos purported to justify Obama's assassination drones.
06 May 2014 (Putin rewards "objective coverage")
Putin gave medals to 300 journalists that cover the situation in Ukraine in accord with his wishes.
06 May 2014 (Those who "follow Jesus for money")
The Pope is stepping up the campaign against those who "follow Jesus for money".
06 May 2014 (Snakes in Gran Canaria)
Introduced small snakes are destroying the wildlife of Gran Canaria, where they have no predators.
06 May 2014 (Rising sea level)
Global heating, pushing up sea level, has already drowned one atoll in the Pacific. The inhabitants of other atolls wonder, who's next?
06 May 2014 (Ukrainian army fighting rebels)
The Ukrainian army is fighting rebels around Slavyansk. The rebels have heavy weapons including mortars and armored vehicles.
Are these the armored vehicles that were taken away from the Ukrainian army a couple of weeks ago, or are they different ones?
Reporters interviewed one rebel militia unit and found only Ukrainians who favored Russia, no representatives of the Russian government. Also no mortars or armored vehicles.
Ukrainians, and not those living just near the Russian border, should be afraid of IMF shock treatment. But you'd have to be nuts to prefer Putin's dictatorship.
06 May 2014 (The way economics is taught)
Economics students around the world have condemned the way economics is taught, focusing on the easily falsified neoclassical approach to the subject.
06 May 2014 (License plate camera data base)
Thug departments and others around the US store license plate camera data in a private data base which aggregates all the data.
Furthermore, the clients of this company are forbidden to talk about their use of it. (It should be illegal in general for any public body to bind itself to secrecy about its use of a company's services.)
05 May 2014 (Urgent: Bring back education for prisoners)
US citizens: call on the Federal Bureau of Prisons to bring back education for prisoners.
05 May 2014 (Urgent: Call on Scalia to recuse himself)
US citizens: call on Scalia to recuse himself from the case about dishonest "crisis pregnancy centers".
05 May 2014 (Supply of shale gas and shale oil)
Shale gas (fracking) and shale oil can't keep the US supplied with fossil fuel for very long.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
But even if it could, we would destroy ourselves by burning that much.
05 May 2014 (Media flatter and fawn on the young plutocrats)
Obama and the mainstream media assiduously flatter and fawn on the young plutocrats that are going to inherit billions.
05 May 2014 (On the morality of video games which involve rape)
On the morality of video games which involve rape of a non-player character.
Video games raise another moral issue: if they contain nonfree software, that attack your freedom. I won't have a nonfree video game program on my computer. But that's an orthogonal issue, so let's assume the game software is free.
I think that there is something disturbing about enjoying these games, but it is not limited to them; it extends to games involving killing of non-player characters, too. But it does not include all ways of enjoying them.
I've played such games, and enjoyed them, because I dissociated myself from the killing aspect, considering those shapes on the screen as nothing more than shapes on the screen. Thus I saw the game only in terms of a tactical challenge. If I had imagined the shapes vividly as people dying, I would have neither wanted to play nor been able to focus my mind on winning.
Thus, the killing of fictional characters in a game can elicit (at least) two different reactions: the player can dehumanize shapes on the screen, or imagine them as humans and dehumanize both shapes and humans.
When a game displayed the "death" of the non-player character in a graphic way with a gory corpse, that made it more work to completely dehumanize the character. I did so anyway, but I considered the gore a drawback of that game. But maybe it means that players, competing to win, face the challenge of learning to disregard the gore. That could be a good lesson.
Our imagination can leap large gaps. The game of chess is an abstraction of battle; most of the pieces stand for people. A player could imagine the taking of a chess piece vividly as killing a fictional personage, and wallow in emotion about it. Such distraction from the moves would not help one win at chess.
05 May 2014 (US has a long history of torture)
The US has a long history of torture; it did not start in Abu Ghraib.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
05 May 2014 (The People's Assembly)
The People's Assembly vows to bring down UK's austerity government.
They are starting in the right direction, but could use a positive program as well as a negative one.
05 May 2014 (Australia's right-wing gov't)
Australia's right-wing government has broken so many campaign promises that it sets a record for lies.
05 May 2014 (Armed pro-Russia militia took over a building)
An armed pro-Russia militia took over a building in Odessa, and were defeated in battle by armed pro-Ukraine militia.
Ukrainian troops are attacking two cities.
I am not very impressed by the pleas of the unarmed separatists that try to block the army in support of the armed separatists. This is not a protest movement, this is a rebellion or an invasion, and one that has imitated Putin's dishonesty at every turn.
05 May 2014 (Obama compares opponents of the TPP to "conspiracy theorists")
Obama compares opponents of the TPP to "conspiracy theorists".
The criticism of "conspiracy theory" is applied to claims that certain parties have planned to cooperate, when there is no evidence that they have done so.
In the case of the TPP, the governments involved do not deny that they are secretly discussing planning joint action (i.e., a conspiracy). The only room for uncertainty is about what they will do.
05 May 2014 (The Biggest Fast Food Wage Thief)
Cheat Fresh: Subway Is The Biggest Fast Food Wage Thief.
05 May 2014 (Too Big to Jail Continues)
Too Big to Jail Continues: DOJ May Charge Two Banks with Criminal Acts, But Not Hold Them Criminally Accountable.
05 May 2014 (Homeless grandmother arrested 59 times)
Ann Moody, homeless grandmother, has been arrested 59 times in Los Angeles for sitting on sidewalks.
If 100 homeless people did that, the thugs would give up trying to stop them.
Many US cities persecute the homeless. Callous selfish people demand this. San Francisco has prohibited parking RVs on the streets because some people were living in RVs they own.
Many parts of the US prohibit giving food to homeless people; the idea is that they should starve to death rather than make the city look messy.
05 May 2014 (Vermont considering single-payer health care)
Vermont is considering adopting single-payer health care.
05 May 2014 (The Bangladeshi RAB)
The Bangladeshi RAB has assassinated 700 people since 2004. Who is selling it cell phone surveillance equipment?
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
5 May 2014 (Does the NYT have a pro-Kiev bias?)
The New York Times has been working hard on pro-Kiev spin in covering fighting in Ukraine.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]

There is, nonetheless, plenty of support for the conclusions that the rebel militias in Eastern Ukraine are organized by Russia, that they are armed (and with more than small arms), and that they are trying to drag their region by force under the power of a tyrant that lies without hesitation.
5 May 2014 (Urgent: Raise the minimum wage)
US citizens: tell Congress that raising the minimum wage will strengthen social security too.
5 May 2014 (Urgent: Stop predatory career colleges)
US citizens: Hold predatory career colleges accountable for abusing students and ripping off taxpayers.
5 May 2014 (Urgent: Support divestment at Harvard)
Everyone: state your solidarity with Harvard students calling for divestment from fossil fuel companies.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
5 May 2014 (Urgent: Oppose ALEC)
US citizens: call on your state legislators to oppose ALEC's agenda for outsourcing public services.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
5 May 2014 (Freedom of the press)
2013 was a bad year for freedom of the press, in "free" countries as well as others.

It's not just due to evil regimes: religious fanatics that believe they have a right not to be offended are also responsible. Until not that long ago, Christian fanatics censored through prosecution and violence, just as Muslim fanatics still do.
5 May 2014 (NCA report to be unveiled)
The US National Climate Assessment will recognize that global heating is already causing changes in the climate, some with very harmful effects.
5 May 2014 (The benefits of efficiency)
Energy efficiency could create 600,000 skilled jobs in the US while saving 17 billion dollars and burning a lot less fossil fuel.
5 May 2014 (Activists storm jail unopposed in Odessa)
The Odessa thugs allowed a pro-Russia mob to rescue pro-Russia prisoners arrested after the battle at the labor union building.
5 May 2014 (Poverty and guns)
The NRA builds up fear of gun violence to facilitate gun violence, but institutionalized racism and inequality contribute to the fear.
5 May 2014 (Hassan Rouhani faces opposition)
Iranian right-wingers are pressuring to reject a nuclear deal with the US, saying the deal would not offer Iran enough.
5 May 2014 (Industrial scale food fraud)
Complex supply chains for food products, together with governments that do little to inspect, mean that fraud is rife.

The root of this problem is that governments are subservient to the food companies, so have ceased to inspect them. Frequent inspections at the food processing company's expense would create an incentive to simplify the supply chains.
5 May 2014 (Manifesto for Europe)
Thomas Piketty and others propose a common Eurozone income tax and a joint Eurozone debt, to take over the debt of austerity-stricken countries such as Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece.

This seems like a step forward, but I think that an element of direct democracy is needed too. The European chamber could be unnecessary if the people vote directly as the second chamber.

If such a big change is done, it would be a good opportunity to allow governments to create money without borrowing it from private banks, which is greatly profitable to the owners of the banks at the public expense.
5 May 2014 (Domestic surveillance)
Intelligence agencies and workers rights: political surveillance at its worst.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
5 May 2014 (More immunity for compliant telecoms)
Obama is trying to increase the effective extent surveillance by giving companies immunity for caving and handing over data on people in response to invalid subpoenas.
5 May 2014 (American Legislative Exchange Council on the warpath)
ALEC is organizing owners of coal-fired power plants to fight against EPA limits on CO₂ emissions.

This is in addition to many state bills intended to keep the consumption of fossil fuel as high as possible. Their arguments are based on comparing the costs of avoiding global heating disaster with an impossible fantasy future.
5 May 2014 (Prepayment energy users overpay, face threats)
Poor people in the UK have to pay cash in advance to get electricity or gas, so when they can't afford both heat and food, their heat gets cut off immediately.
5 May 2014 (Deputy lies about accident)
A thug crashed his car into Tanya Weyker's car, gravely injuring her. To evade blame, he accused her of driving while drunk.

It was convenient for him that her injuries precluded testing her for alcohol at the time.

We need to put take these thugs off the streets and put them in prison.
5 May 2014 (Israeli-Palestinian peace)
Uri Avnery: the reconciliation of Hamas and the PLO is a crucial step towards peace between Israel and Palestine. No wonder Netanyahu is screaming.
5 May 2014 (Australians divest)
Australians are pressuring the big banks with a campaign to move their money if the banks continue supporting fossil fuel projects.
5 May 2014 (New antibiotics not profitable enough)
The twisted system of medical research mostly avoids searching for new antibiotics. It's merely life-saving, not lucrative enough.

For decades, most new drugs that save lives were not developed by Big Pharma. We should tax Big Pharma heavily, and use the money to fund medical research that aims at curing diseases.
04 May 2014 (Local al-Qa'ida leader killed)
A local leader of al-Qa'ida in Arabia was killed in a fight with the Yemeni army.
The world is better off without him, but we should not get our hopes up that this will do great damage to al-Qa'ida. Underground organizations depend most of all on their ability to recruit.
If US drones are providing air support, this is much better than the usual use of war-drones — assassination, far away from any battlefield. People will understand and forgive the use of arms on a battlefield, and civilians usually won't be threatened because usually they will have fled the area.
04 May 2014 (Corruption of the ANC)
The ANC, which nobly fought apartheid, has since become corrupt through and through.
04 May 2014 (British Rail)
The UK Labour party proposes to undo the privatization of British Rail.
I'm in favor, but what's crucial, in the economy, is to make the rich and businesses pay more taxes.
04 May 2014 (Condoleeza Rice cancels speech)
Protesters convinced Condoleezza Rice to cancel a highly paid speech at Rutgers.
04 May 2014 (Yahoo to disregard "Do not track")
Yahoo announced it will disregard "Do Not Track" settings and profile users anyway.
"Do Not Track" does not really mean users are not tracked. Sites that honor that system agree to limit how they use the tracking data, but they do not stop collecting it, so it does nothing to reduce the dossiers available for Big Brother to view at will. Thus, I have mostly not paid attention to Do Not Track.
However, this defiance by Yahoo might heat up the surveillance battle.
04 May 2014 (Paper books vs ebooks)
Reading on paper seems to be better than reading ebooks, even in a direct practical sense.
This point is interesting, but doesn't go beyond the shallowest of values: what it's like to read. Ebooks affect other values that people have considered important.
For instance, when technology and EULAs block and prohibit people from giving or lending books freely to others, they damage our social relationships. Most commercial ebooks are like that.
When ebooks are designed for products that snoop on users' reading, and permit a store to remotely erase their books, they damage our human rights. Most commercial ebook readers are like that.
See https://stallman.org/ebooks.pdf for more details.
Even acquiring a copy means being snooped on, if you have to identify yourself to the store. That's massive surveillance. See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/surveillance-vs-democracy.html.
I've read some ebooks on my computer's screen, and it's ok. But I'd never get an ebook under the limits that commercial ebooks impose today. I won't let the question of what it's like to read distract me from what it's like to lose freedom.
04 May 2014 (Apple's patent aggression)
Apple's patent aggression against Android resulted in a loss for free software, even though Apple did not get the big money or the injunction it sought.
Software should be exempted entirely from patent law.
04 May 2014 (The Heatland Institute)
The Heatland (*) Institute worked long and hard denying the harm that tobacco does to health, before it took its expertise to denying global heating.
* Officially the "Heartland" Institute.
03 May 2014 (Urgent: Demand real net neutrality)
US citizens: phone FCC Chairman Wheeler and demand real net neutrality.
03 May 2014 (The power of radical pressure)
Seattle's $15 Wage Plan Proves Power of Radical Pressure.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
03 May 2014 (Everyday institutional racism)
Flagrant racists such as Donald Sterling and Cliven Bundy should not distract us from pervasive everyday institutional racism.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
03 May 2014 (Ukraine's army encircles Slavyansk)
Ukraine's army attacked rebel checkpoints, and set up its own, encircling Slavyansk.
Rebels attacked helicopters with surface-to-air missiles, which confirms they are really soldiers armed by Russia.
03 May 2014 (Syrian rebels evacuating Homs)
The Syrian rebels are evacuating Homs under truce.
03 May 2014 (Expulsion of Palestinian civilians)
Educating Israelis about the expulsion of Palestinian civilians during and after the Israeli war of independence.
We should not forget the context in which these expulsions occurred: Arab armies had just failed in the attempt to conquer Israel and expel the Jews.
Both sides committed massacres, too.
The only thing to do about those massacres is for both sides to acknowledge them and apologize for them.
03 May 2014 (Eco-defenders)
Eco-defenders can be though of as an "indicator species" for the ecological health of a region.
03 May 2014 (Global heating denialists)
Global heating denialists claim that global heating is not happening, and (simultaneously) that humans are not responsible for it, and (simultaneously) that it is beneficial.
03 May 2014 (Ben & Jerry's Reef Scoop Tour)
A right-wing Australian politician says he will prosecute Ben and Jerry's for false advertising for saying that the dredging of a coal port threatens to damage the Great Barrier Reef.
What Ben and Jerry's says seems to agree with all authorities, except those working for the coal companies. In effect, these right-wingers are following the Putin path: lie, and accuse their enemies of lying, and threaten to punish them for bogus crimes.
I hope that Ben and Jerry's responds with an attack.
03 May 2014 (Urgent: Teach-in on police militarization)
In the Boston area: May 4 teach-in on police militarization.
02 May 2014 (Save the NYPL)
Save the NYPL
01 May 2014 (Urgent: Petition against ALEC agenda)
US citizens: sign this petition against the ALEC agenda.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
01 May 2014 (Urgent: Overturn Corporations United)
US citizens: sign in support of amending the constitution to overturn the Corporations United decision. It's usually referred to as the "Citizens United" decision, but I prefer to call that organization what it really is rather than what it pretended to be.
01 May 2014 (Harshness of No Child Left Alone)
The full harshness of No Child Left Alone has fallen on every school in Washington State.
01 May 2014 (FBI torture)
After Naji Mansour refused to work for the FBI, the FBI had him tortured in Sudan.
A transcript of his conversation with the FBI.
The US has had at least 8 US citizens imprisoned, even tortured, by other pliant governments, and one of them has been sentenced to life in prison based on a worthless confession probably tortured out of him.
01 May 2014 (Law to punish pregnant drug addicts)
Tennessee passed a law to punish drug addicts that get pregnant.
The ideal solution for such situations is an abortion, but the same Republicans who want to punish these women for getting pregnant are also trying to deny them the abortions that would enable them to become un-pregnant, and from the contraception that would enable them not to become pregnant. These religious fanatics want a chance to make someone suffer, and they have seized on the weakest possible victims: the babies they can force pregnant addicts to have.
01 May 2014 (Troops in southeast Ukraine)
Vladimir Putin calls for Ukraine to remove Ukrainian troops from southeast Ukraine.
How about withdrawing the Russian troops from southeast Ukraine, eh Putin?
Ukraine says it will impose conscription to build up its army.
It would take 6 months to a year for this to have any practical effect. I expect that the crisis will be over by then.
01 May 2014 (Parents protest in Nigeria)
Parents of girls kidnapped by Boko Haram protested for the Nigerian government to take action to rescue their daughters.
01 May 2014 (Amazon exploits tax loophole)
A large part of Amazon's success is due to exploiting a tax loophole.
01 May 2014 (Global heating and US corn yields)
A study reports that US corn yields are increasingly vulnerable to hot, dry weather — which is exactly what global heating is making more frequent in large parts of the US.
Meanwhile, global heating also makes intense storms and flooding more likely.
01 May 2014 (Global heating and the Rockies)
Global heating threatens to leave amphibians in the Rocky Mountains no refuge from introduced trout.
01 May 2014 (Google to stop profiling students)
Google has agreed to stop profiling students based on their scholastic accounts.
That does not make it ok for a school to give student data to Google. Doing so facilitates government surveillance of those students.
01 May 2014 (Urgent: Thank Google)
Everyone: thank Google for deleting the phony ads from "crisis pregnancy centers" whose purpose is trick or pressure women into not getting abortions.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
01 May 2014 (Urgent: 21st Century Glass-Steagall Act)
US citizens: call on Congress to pass Senator Warren's 21st Century Glass-Steagall Act.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
01 May 2014 (Urgent: Push against Sodastream)
Everyone: push against Sodastream for supporting the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
01 May 2014 (Plans to end chicken inspection)
US plans to end inspection of chickens means more chemicals that make workers sick.
01 May 2014 (Oil from the Arctic Ocean)
Greenpeace protesters tried to block the arrival of the Russian ship carrying oil from the Arctic Ocean.
If Europe wants to punish Russia for real, it should invest more in efforts to reduce its use of fossil fuels.
01 May 2014 (Australian dooH niboR)
Australia's right-wing government believes that most Australians are too well-off, and the rich need more. So it proposes a wide range of dooH niboR measures. Everyone in Australia will have to make do with less, except the wealthy.
Wages will be reduced.
College students will have to pay more. But it still won't be as bad as in the US: unemployed graduates won't owe lots of money that they will never get
01 May 2014 (The UK's "recovery" is a fraud)
The UK's "recovery" is a fraud: people's real incomes are expected to continue declining through 2018. And that's ignoring the danger of another crash.
01 May 2014 (Bigotry against homosexuals in Africa)
Bigotry against homosexuals in Africa was instilled by colonial powers.
That doesn't excuse Africans' bigotry today.
01 May 2014 (EU stopping Apple and Samsung from suing each other)
The European Union is stopping Apple and Samsung from suing each other for patent infringement.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
Unfortunately, its "solution" is a terrible mistake: imposing "reasonable and nondiscriminatory" terms. In practice, this means patent licenses that discriminate against free software by charging license fees per copy, which free software developers can't possibly pay. There is nothing "reasonable" about that.
01 May 2014 (4% of prisoners on death row in US are innocent)
A study estimates that 4% of the prisoners on death row in the US are innocent.
The point is that many prisoners on death row have their sentences commuted to life imprisonment, and once that happens, they get no aid in proving their innocence. Thus, they are not counted in figures for number of exonerations. However, if the same care were taken for those cases, they'd probably be exonerated at the same rate as those whose sentences were not commuted (if not more!).
01 May 2014 (Verizon to link desktop browsing with mobile browsing)
Verizon will plant cookies in its subscribers' computers so as to link their (non-Verizon) desktop browsing with their mobile browsing.
01 May 2014 (Kerry has retreated from using the word "apartheid")
Kerry has retreated from using the word "apartheid" in connection with Israel. But then, Kerry does not know as much about apartheid as Desmond Tutu.
01 May 2014 (Asylum in Cambodia instead of Australia)
People who fled to Australia seeking asylum will get asylum in Cambodia instead.
At an abstract level, the substitution may be acceptable: they will be allowed to settle in a place where whoever threatened them before can't reach. However, will they face destitution there?
01 May 2014 (An experiment in arbitrary punishment)
The US and UK are trying an experiment in arbitrary punishment, pressuring banks to close the bank accounts of people involved in work that the government disapproves of — for instance, pornography.
This highlights the danger of massive surveillance. If the government finds out what work you do, it can arbitrarily get your bank account shut.
01 May 2014 (Boat being built in Gaza was attacked)
A boat being built in Gaza, to carry exports for sale, was attacked with a bomb in an act of terrorism, presumably by Israel.
The Israeli excuses for attacking boats sailing to Gaza, while not really valid in that case, are totally nonsense for boats sailing out of Gaza. The only motive for this is to cause suffering.
01 May 2014 (Urgent: Outside campaign spending)
US citizens: call on candidates to take the "people's pledge" to resist outside campaign spending.
01 May 2014 (Urgent: Repealing two unjust surveillance laws)
US citizens: phone your congresscritter to call for a vote on repealing two unjust surveillance laws.
1 May 2014 (All's fair...)

It appears that the Lusitania, sunk in 1917 by a German submarine, really was carrying munitions for Britain.

1 May 2014 (Sweeping sexual assault under the military rug)
1/3 of the women in the US military get raped. And then they get denied veterans' benefits for treating the consequences.
1 May 2014 (Global terrorism on the rise)
Global terrorism increased 40% in 2013, perhaps partly because US assassination drones motivate people to join terror groups.
1 May 2014 (High level corruption down under)
The Australian ruling party is selling businessmen access to the prime minister.
1 May 2014 (Treasures of the deep)
Human trash in the ocean accumulates in the deepest marine trenches.

Most of it is plastic; the plastic can be toxic to marine organisms or get them tangled up.
1 May 2014 (Concern over future of antibiotics)
The World Health Organization warns we must take action to keep antibiotics effective before it is too late.

Others have warned about this for years. Will WHO be enough to motivation governments to act against the deadly lobby of agribusiness?
1 May 2014 (Transportation and pollution in UK)
Nanoparticles in diesel engine exhaust do considerable harm to human health.
1 May 2014 (Sharia Law in Brunei)
The Sultan of Brunei is imposing cruel Islamic law. This includes punishment for not participating in prayers.

Contempt for religious freedom is standard in Muslim countries. Christians also have a tendency to impose their religion through the state.
1 May 2014 (Government losing ground in eastern Ukraine)
Ukraine's Government Has Lost Control of East, Says Acting President.
1 May 2014 (Rex Sinquefield's not so secret life)
One man has personally bought control over a large part of Missouri's political system.
1 May 2014 (Japanese whalers head north)
Japan, ordered to cease hunting whales in southern waters, has started hunting whales in the North Pacific.
1 May 2014 (Drug war continues to fail)
Afghan poppy production is higher than ever.
1 May 2014 ("Evrythng" implements dystopia)
The "internet of things" means tracking every thing you possess (and reporting everything about them to a data broker and Big Brother).

Whatever inducements are offered, don't accept spy products into your life. Of course, the first spy product is the portable phone, which you might already be using, if you have not energetically defended your freedom.
1 May 2014 (New World Zion)
A most peculiar peace proposal: give Israel a mostly deserted piece of Texas in exchange for making peace with Palestine.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]

I wonder what the inhabitants of that area would think.
1 May 2014 (Italian police embrace murders in their midst)
Italian thugs vociferously support three thugs who were convicted of killing a young man.

Don't forget how Italian thugs attacked a school full of sleeping protesters and lied about them.
1 May 2014 (Harassing opposition in Ecuador)
The campaigners for a referendum on drilling in the Yasuni reserve say that Ecuadorian officials are sabotaging their signature drive.

Three Ecuadorian opposition politicians face imprisonment for making accusations against President Correa.

Regardless of the validity of those accusations, it is unjust to put people in jail for making accusations. Many countries have such unjust laws, including France and Italy.
1 May 2014 (CreepShield capitalizes on paranoia)
We need laws to restrict the use of face recognition.
30 April 2014 (Secret software vulnerabilities)
The US explains why it keeps software vulnerabilities secret.
Any time someone cites "intellectual property" as a justification for something, it is a sign he is up to no good.
The term "intellectual property" is pure confusion; it distorts the facts about various laws with spin, following the agenda of various companies that gain privileges from one or another of those laws.
30 April 2014 (Air pollution in the US)
Almost Half of Americans Live with Unhealthy Levels of Air Pollution.
30 April 2014 (Access to the internet)
To keep the internet healthy, cities must set up local access as a civic service.
It is not enough for cities to own these networks. They must also make sure people can use them without identifying themselves.
30 April 2014 (Execution in Oklahoma)
An execution in Oklahoma left the victim writhing in pain until he had a heart attack half an hour later.
I usually don't concern myself with the details of how executions are carried out, because I think the death penalty is wrong regardless of the details.
30 April 2014 (Pakistan's military intelligence)
Amnesty International relates evidence that Pakistan's military intelligence has threatened, attacked, even killed journalists.
30 April 2014 (Floods in the UK)
Modelling says that the UK's recent floods, which used to happen once every hundred years, are now substantially more frequent: with the current climate, they will happen once in eighty years.
Once in 80 years is still pretty rare, but global heating is going to get much worse.
30 April 2014 (Copyright law)
The Obama regime is trying a sneaky argument that its secretly negotiated understandings of the meanings of copyright law have the force of law.
30 April 2014 (Urgent: Classify ISPs as telecom services)
US citizens: phone your senators and ask them to tell the FCC to classify ISPs as telecommunications services, so as to implement real net neutrality.
The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
30 April 2014 (Urgent: Paid family medical leave)
US citizens: support paid family medical leave.
30 April 2014 (CISPA Take 3)
CISPA Take 3: Feinstein & Chambliss Draft Another Cybersecurity Bill, Designed To Wipe Out Your Privacy.
30 April 2014 (The Trade in Services Agreement)
Coming along behind the TPP: the Trade in Services Agreement threatens to ban governments from doing useful things for the public.
This represents the attitude of predatory companies for which people are not citizens but rather meant for them to exploit.
30 April 2014 (Verizon Knows You're a Sucker)
Verizon Knows You're A Sucker: Takes Taxpayer Subsidies For Broadband, Doesn't Deliver, Lobbies To Drop Requirements.
30 April 2014 (Imprisonment without trial)
The US lawsuit against threatened imprisonment without trial was quashed by the Supreme Court.
This leaves Americans with no basis not to be imprisoned except the hope that the government won't decide accuse them.
30 April 2014 (Ethiopia Jails Nine Journalists)
Ethiopia Jails Nine Journalists, Renews Press Crackdown.
30 April 2014 (Turkey gives spies immunity)
Turkey has made it a crime to publish leaks from spy agencies, and given the spies immunity for violating human rights.
30 April 2014 (Floods in NY City)
New York City can expect flooding around every 4 years nowadays, due to rising sea levels and higher storm surges.
It is not certain what effect global heating will have on storms near New York City, but accelerating global heating will mean accelerating rise in sea levels. Some parts of New York City, including lower Manhattan, may eventually have to be abandoned.
30 April 2014 (Urgent: Require clean water in all US waterways)
US citizens: call on the EPA to require clean water in all US waterways.
30 April 2014 (Real guns are made specially for children)
In the US, real guns are made specially for children, and at least one child has been killed with one.
I would not suggest legal restrictions specifically to prevent a danger of such small magnitude, but it is adds to the pile of evidence that having a gun in your home is more likely to kill you than protect you.
30 April 2014 (Combining prisons in the UK)
Combining prisons in the UK will make them cheaper, but it is a false economy.
False economy tends to result when governments fail to consider social investment as consumption rather than as investment.
30 April 2014 (Colombian farmers have blocked roads as a protest)
Colombian farmers have blocked roads as a protest against the president, and he sent soldiers as well as thugs against them.
30 April 2014 (Wisconsin's voter-ID law has been ruled unconstitutional)
Wisconsin's voter-ID law has been ruled unconstitutional. However, this is not a final ruling.
30 April 2014 (Senator Leahy will block funds for the Egyptian military)
Senator Leahy will block funds for the Egyptian military.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
30 April 2014 (Urgent: Thank former US President Carter)
Everyone: thank former US President Carter for taking a clear stand against Keystone XL and the Koch brothers.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
30 April 2014 (Urgent: Proceed with prosecution of US torturers)
Everyone: call on Spain to proceed with prosecution of US torturers.
30 April 2014 (Thugs in many cities in Eastern Ukraine are supporting Putin)
The thugs in many cities in Eastern Ukraine are supporting Putin, because Putin pays thugs better. Naturally, a tyrant would do that.
The thugs allowed Putin's supporters to club pro-Ukraine protesters.
30 April 2014 (Capitalism in North Korea)
Capitalism in North Korea uses military conscripts as coal miners.
The example of China has demonstrated since the 90s that capitalism will not bring freedom to a former Communist country. Now the example of North Korea shows that it does not even necessarily put a limit on the general level of oppression.
30 April 2014 (Past exposure to toxic pesticides)
Children near some French farms show past exposure to toxic pesticides, some of them banned.
30 April 2014 (US court ordered Microsoft to hand over personal data from server in Ireland)
A US court ordered Microsoft to hand over personal data from a server in Ireland.
If the appeal sustains this decision, the next question will be what Ireland or the EU will do to enforce their data protection laws.
I've warned people outside the US not to give any personal data to US companies.
30 April 2014 (US missed chance to make peace in Afghanistan)
In 2002, the US missed a chance to make peace in Afghanistan.
It missed a previous chance in 2001, when the Taliban offered to kick out al Qa'ida for the sake of peace with the US.
30 April 2014 (Pollinating almond trees in California)
Something about the way almond trees are now cultivated in California has started killing 20% of the bees brought there to pollinate them.
It's not clear what is causing it, but it might be mixes of chemicals uses in pesticides.
30 April 2014 (Extractivist government of Australia)
The extractivist government of Australia wants to ban environmental groups from calling for boycotts of companies, while calling for a boycott of Ben and Jerry's for trying to raise awareness of the danger.
Governments, following the example of corporations, are becoming shameless liars, hoping to drown out the truth. And it's not just tyrants like Putin that do this.
30 April 2014 (Urgent: Campaign spending disclosure)
US citizens: call on the SEC to require publicly traded companies to disclose political campaign spending.
29 April 2014 (Obama's drone assassinations)
The Senate has backed off from its plan to impose a tiny bit of transparency on Obama's drone assassination campaign.
29 April 2014 (Israeli and Palestinian teenagers)
Israeli teenagers and Palestinian teenagers, when accused of throwing stones, are treated very differently.
29 April 2014 (Business-funded "science" PR group)
The "Science Media Center" is a business-funded PR group, currently working for the GMO industry but pretending to be "independent".
29 April 2014 (Prosecution of Occupy activists)
Prosecution of Occupy activists is the last stage in the US clampdown on the right to protest. Many protesters are bullied into pleading guilty to escape a threatened many-year prison term; then they are given long probation terms which ban them from participating in a protest.
The thugs that attack and frame protesters are the scum of the Earth. Only some thugs will attack protesters violently, but nearly all of them will lie to help cover it up. Police lie in court so frequently (they call it "testilying") that they have become accustomed to it; they don't feel nervous, so you might think they are telling the truth. Don't be fooled. If you are ever on a jury, don't believe a thug's testimony about a protester.
29 April 2014 (Sanctions on Russia too weak)
The sanctions on Russia are too weak to bother Putin.
29 April 2014 (Humanitarian aid to Syrians)
The UN must be less cautious about delivering humanitarian aid to besieged Syrians.
29 April 2014 (UK prisons ban steel-string guitars)
UK prisons have banned steel-string guitars, as part of the same massive dose of irrational strictness that banned giving prisoners books.
As a result, 350 steel-string guitars donated to prisons to encourage rehabilitation can no longer do that.
29 April 2014 (Fictional economic "recovery")
In Greece and in the UK, politicians trumpet a "recovery" that is fictional.
The fiction is even deeper than what the article says. Even per-capita GDP is no measure of how well off the non-rich are in a country. It is skewed by the rising incomes of the rich.
29 April 2014 (FERA threatened with privatization)
The UK's Food and Environment Research Agency is threatened with privatization, which would mean a chance to corrupt it directly.
I can think of some companies that would like to invest in FERA's research into the effects of pesticides.
29 April 2014 (Cyberlibertarianism)
Resistance to business power in technical fields has been undermined by cyberlibertarianism, a blind faith that technology will correct injustices.
29 April 2014 (US "fast food" lobby)
Big US "fast food" companies have the biggest gap between CEO pay and workers' pay, and they fund the National Restaurant Association to lobby against raising the minimum wage.
29 April 2014 (The Bee Crisis)
Follow the Honey: 7 Ways Pesticide Companies Are Spinning the Bee Crisis.
29 April 2014 (US gov't endorses torture)
10 years after the public learned that the US government was committing torture, the government has shifted from denying it to endorsing it and protecting torturers.
The US has a legal obligation and a moral duty to prosecute those responsible for torture, from Dubya on down.
29 April 2014 (Protest at US Capitol building)
2000 Americans protested against plutocracy at the US Capitol building.
Alas, that is not very many people. If we could get 200,000 to protest, repeatedly, we might have more effect.
29 April 2014 (Anti-nuclear protesters in Taiwan)
Anti-nuclear protesters convinced the government of Taiwan to halt construction of two nuclear power plants.
29 April 2014 (Attack on Iraqi polling places)
Iraqi suicide bombers (al-Qa'ida, I presume) attacked polling places to try to disrupt the election.
29 April 2014 (Barrett Brown's lawyer speaks)
The gag order on Barrett Brown's lawyer has been dropped, so he has explained the dishonesty of the charges against Brown.
29 April 2014 (UK to punish the unemployed)
The UK plans to punish the unemployed by making them visit a job-center each day, pretending that this is help for them.
29 April 2014 (Ilham Tohti)
China Must Release Ilham Tohti Now.
29 April 2014 (Inequality reduces growth)
Inequality Hurts Everyone Apart From the Super-Rich.
It has been clear since the 80s that trickle-down is a sucker's tale: letting the rich get a bigger share may enable them to increase total production, but they keep the increase for themselves; in fact, nothing trickles down. But now it appears that the growing inequality reduces growth too.
29 April 2014 (Politician in Eastern Ukraine shot by sniper)
An anti-Russian politician in Eastern Ukraine was shot by a sniper and may die of it.
29 April 2014 (683 members of Muslim Brotherhood sentenced to death)
An Egyptian court has convicted 683 members of the Muslim Brotherhood and sentenced them to death after a one-sided trial (no defense possible).
29 April 2014 (Verbal pressure on Israel)
Kerry has started to put verbal pressure on Israel to make peace.
It is not much, but it is a start. Defying the Israeli hawks' lobby is the only way to achieve peace between Israel and Palestine.
29 April 2014 (Japanese army forced Korean women to be prostitutes)
China has published 1940s documents that prove the Japanese army forced Korean women to be prostitutes for Japanese soldiers in China.
Many nations have atrocities in their history — Japan is not uniquely bad. (The US has quite a few.) Nations that deny their atrocities get twisted up in a net of lies that prepares them to commit more atrocities.
29 April 2014 (The drought in California)
The drought in California is forcing ranchers to move lots of cattle out of that state.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
Global heating is expected to cause more and worse droughts there and in the US southwest.
29 April 2014 (Folly and impudence of the fossil fuel industry)
The folly and impudence of the fossil fuel industry knows no bounds. Some are looking for ways to extract and burn undersea methane hydrates.
Methane hydrates under the land or sea are tremendously dangerous, since global heating causes them to leak into the air, where the methane becomes a powerful greenhouse gas. This is one of the positive feedback cycles that could accelerate global heating,
It is pointless to consider using them, since the known fossil fuel reserves are five times what we dare burn. Meanwhile, messing with the deposits in any way could easily make more methane leak out (as fracking already does).
I suspect that fossil fuel industry funding or lobbying is behind these studies.
29 April 2014 (Forced closure of brothels in London)
A campaigner says that the forced closure of brothels in London was the last step in converting London into another Monaco.
Some of the rich absentee owners might spend more time and money in London if the brothels were still there.
29 April 2014 (How to Disappear a Mentally Ill Grandmother)
How to Disappear a Mentally Ill Grandmother: Throw Her in Solitary.
29 April 2014 (Urgent: Stop prosecuting whistleblowers)
US citizens: call on Obama to stop prosecuting whistleblowers.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
29 April 2014 (Injuries at work)
The workers in London's big subway project are afraid they will be fired if they report injuries at work.
29 April 2014 (UK's privatized public schools)
The UK's privatized public schools are deregulated in regard to students' nutrition.
28 April 2014 (License plate readers)
As Mark Molner was driving home, thugs stopped him and one approached him with a drawn pistol, because a license plate reader had misread his car's license plate.
I don't see a scandal in what the thugs did in this case. Once the system said the car was stolen, they had to try to stop it and arrest the putative thief. We can hardly demand that license plate readers have a 0% error rate either.
What does strike me as scandalous is the idea of a "felony car stop" that involves pointing guns at the driver by default (without reason to think he is armed and dangerous). Innocent people have been killed that way.
I don't object to using license plate readers to detect cars that appear to be stolen or in some other way deserving of being stopped. The scandal is when they save data about cars that do not deserve to be stopped.
28 April 2014 (Economics in Ukraine)
Economics of Disintegration in Ukraine.
28 April 2014 (Antisocial American policies)
Five Ways American Policies Make Us Lonely, Anxious, and Antisocial.
28 April 2014 ("Stand your ground" for fetuses)
South Carolina has proposed to extend "stand your ground" to include killing anyone you believe threatens your fetus's health.
This is just what pregnant prisoners need, to justify killing prison guards that deny them prenatal care.
28 April 2014 (Mass die-off of starfish)
A mass die-off of starfish off the US Pacific Coast threatens chaos for the the marine ecosystem, and it could happen in the Caribbean too.
28 April 2014 (Cell phone tracking by US thugs)
US thug departments have obtained equipment for tracking cell phones under a nondisclosure agreement in which they conceal from courts that they are using the equipment.
28 April 2014 (Iraqi planes attack in Syria)
Iraqi planes attacked people in Syria, accused of being Islamist extremists. Some of those are allied with al Qa'ida in Iraq.
28 April 2014 (Putin's aims in Ukraine)
A theory of what Putin aims to achieve in Ukraine.
I think the article's points are valid, except at the end where it asserts that this crisis is "primarily a domestic one" in Ukraine. The conquest of the Crimea is not a domestic issue, nor is the presence of Russia-organized militias in other parts of Ukraine, nor Putin's repeated threats to use those provocations as excuses to invade Ukraine again.
28 April 2014 (Secret prisons in Bagram)
Some Afghan officials say the US is running secret prisons in Bagram.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
27 April 2014 (Russian militia leader in Eastern Ukraine)
A Russian militia leader in Eastern Ukraine gave an interview, saying he is in the Russian Army and the invasion was organized from outside the region.
27 April 2014 (The "American dream" a pipedream)
Decades of right-wing policies have made the "American dream" a pipedream.
27 April 2014 (Boycott Morocco)
People in Western Sahara call for tourists to boycott Morocco.
27 April 2014 (Urgent: Don't allow oil drilling in Arctic waters)
US citizens: tell the US government, don't allow oil drilling in Arctic waters.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
27 April 2014 (Segregation in US public schools)
Once upon a time, the US desegregated public schools, but segregation and racial inequality have been allowed to come back.
27 April 2014 (Russia setting up total surveillance of Internet)
Russia is setting up US-style total surveillance of the Internet.
27 April 2014 (Obama regime trade negotiators)
Obama regime trade negotiators keep moving back and forth between government and the copyright industry.
I disagree with the author on one point. I think these officials, like their boss the US Trade Representative and his boss Obama, are constantly aware that their future careers depend on pleasing certain companies. I don't suppose that they feel any qualms of conscience; they probably think that boosting those companies is serving their country; they may identify those companies with their country.
The author helps them, perhaps unknowingly, by repeating their propaganda terms such as "intellectual property" and "protection".
27 April 2014 (Urgent: Selling UK tax data)
Britons: sign this petition against selling UK tax data.
"Anonymous" data is no protection; it is often possible to de-anonymize.
27 April 2014 (Constant aerial video surveillance)
Two towns in California are trying out constant aerial video surveillance.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
Supposedly this is ok because the towns already have cameras giving immediate view of their streets.
27 April 2014 (Rice in China)
Rice in China often comes with high levels of cadmium, arsenic and lead.
Cadmium is a persistent toxin, so even tiny doses can accumulate to kill you.
27 April 2014 (Obama regime launched campaign for press freedom)
The Obama regime launched its annual campaign for press freedom, while asking the Supreme Court to imprison US journalist James Risen.
27 April 2014 (NRA has launched a massive campaign)
The NRA has launched a massive campaign for traditional American values, the point being apparently that you're un-American if you're not ready to shoot people at any time and place.
How about traditional American values such as "If you're willing to work, you can get by", and "Support the underdog (not-rich person)"?
27 April 2014 (Urgent: Protect endangered manatees)
US citizens: call for stronger measures to protect endangered manatees.
27 April 2014 (All national security news will be authorized announcements)
From now on, if the US government gets its way, all national security news will be authorized announcements. Journalism is forbidden, only government PR is allowed.
27 April 2014 (Indigenous Peoples Day)
In One City, Columbus Day Now 'Indigenous Peoples Day'.
27 April 2014 (Electric shocks as punishment)
In the US, disabled children are "taught" with electric shocks as punishment.
27 April 2014 (Privatized prisons)
Privatized prisons are purchasing tough new laws to keep people in prison for longer.
27 April 2014 (Penguins' survival is threatened by human activities)
Penguins' survival is threatened by human activities such as CO2 emissions and overfishing.
While I loathe the error of using Tux the penguin as a symbol for the GNU operating system (which typically goes with the error of calling the system "Linux"), I don't hold this against real penguins.
27 April 2014 (Mexico is considering a bill to attack internet freedoms)
Mexico is considering a bill to attack internet freedoms.
27 April 2014 (Urgent: Nuclear security initiatives)
US citizens: call on Obama to maintain funding for nuclear security initiatives.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
27 April 2014 (Urgent: Tell FCC to uphold net neutrality)
US citizens: tell the FCC to uphold net neutrality and declare ISPs a telecommunications service.
27 April 2014 (Commercialization of society)
The "sharing economy" is an attempt to commercialize or marketize yet another part of society.
27 April 2014 (Security of medical equipment)
It's easy to break the security of digital medical equipment in hospitals.
The article uses the word "hack" to mean "break security". To avoid insulting us hackers, please call that "cracking".
The software in these devices is generally nonfree. In addition, some of it can be altered remotely, making it malware.
27 April 2014 (Pseudonyms)
Why We Need Online Alter Egos Now More Than Ever.
To protect freedom of speech from government repression, such as Putin is now setting up in Russia, we must be able to use pseudonyms without telling the site our official names.
27 April 2014 (Radiation leak)
The US investigation of the radiation leak at Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, that was supposed to never leak, says there were pervasive management problems as well as physical problems. But it fails to address some important questions.
27 April 2014 (School privatization)
Scathing Report Finds School Privatization Hurt Poor [US] Kids.
Modern privatization schemes are designed to label the public schools where lots of poor children go as "failing" as an excuse to privatize them.
It is interesting how the "Rocketship" privatized schools are a nonprofit front for a proprietary software company, whose software, in addition to being an injustice, does not even seem to do any good.
Despite Community Pleas, Three Chicago Schools Slated for Privatization.
27 April 2014 (EU observers captured)
The Russian-directed Ukrainian separatists captured a team of EU observers.
Simon Ostrovsky says they tortured him, and he saw several other civilian prisoners there.
27 April 2014 (Control over internet use)
Russia is systematically imposing control over all internet use.
27 April 2014 (US unprepared for Arctic oil spill)
The National Research Council concludes that the US is not prepared to cope with an oil spill from Arctic Ocean drilling.
27 April 2014 (Avoiding global heating disaster)
Humanity has only one chance to avoid global heating disaster. We can't afford to fail this test. Fortunately there is a straightforward solution if only the fossil fuel lobbyists don't stop us.
27 April 2014 (Clinton parrots Obama/NSA)
Another reason not to support Hillary Clinton for president (or anything): she parrots the Obama/NSA line about Snowden.
As we understand, that's a coded way of taking the spies' side against the public. According to them, the only legitimate response to government crimes is one that won't do any good. Clinton has made it clear that she will continue Obama's War on Whistleblowers.
27 April 2014 (Urgent: Ohio's voter suppression)
US citizens: call on Attorney General Holder to intervene against Ohio's voter suppression.
27 April 2014 (Verizon plans to link its tracking)
Verizon plans to link its tracking of customers' browsing with those same people's other Internet activities from other computers.
The description of how this will work is garbled; can anyone show me a technically clear explanation?
In any case, I think it is unacceptable for an ISP to track customers' browsing at all.
The article makes a bad surrender when it legitimizes the surveillance of Google and Yahoo on the grounds that they offer "cool [gratis] services". This is tantamount to accepting that we should all sell our privacy.
27 April 2014 (Israeli right wing rejects even the word "peace")
The Israeli right wing rejects even the word "peace" in regard to Palestine. Its substitute, "political settlement", suggests something more like a permanent? truce.
If you have wondered why I adamantly insist on talking about "free software" and reject the term "open source", it's the same sort of issue. If you want peace, you must say "peace". If you want freedom, you must say "freedom".
27 April 2014 (Abandoned uranium mines in US)
There are many abandoned uranium mines in the US, and some of them are leaking noticeable levels of fallout into water supplies.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
27 April 2014 (Ukraine, watch out for western frackers!)
Ukraine, watch out for western frackers!
26 April 2014 (Urgent: Don't let CIA censor report)
US citizens: tell Obama, don't let CIA censor the report on CIA torture.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
26 April 2014 (Urgent: Reveal campaign contributions)
Everyone: call on Duke Energy to reveal its contributions to the campaigns of its employee/state governor in North Carolina.
26 April 2014 (Urgent: Endangered Species Act)
US citizens: call on Congress to preserve the Endangered Species Act.
26 April 2014 (Remote storage disservice)
Microsoft's remote storage disservice, OneDrive, has been caught inserting modifications into code in some of the files users store there.
Although this has not been reported about any other remote storage disservice, any of them could start doing this, which means you would be a fool to trust them with anything other than checksummed files.
All of these disservices spy on their users, and that is plenty of reason to reject them, for anything other than encrypted (and checksummed) files. In order for the encryption to be trustworthy, you need to do it on your own computer with free software.
Services provided by network servers can raise several different ethical issues, including nonfree client-side JavaScript (http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html), surveillance (http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/surveillance-vs-democracy.html), and SaaSS (http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/who-does-that-server-really-serve.html). Whether any of these problems applies depends on the facts.
The purpose of the marketing buzzword "cloud" is to encourage you to disregard the facts and not judge. Don't let them "cloud" your mind: reject the term "cloud".
26 April 2014 (Oil field in Amazon occupied)
Indigenous people demanding a cleanup of pollution have occupied an oil field in the Peruvian Amazon.
26 April 2014 (Kenya to deploy 60 drones)
Kenya will deploy 60 drones to catch poachers of elephants and rhinos.
26 April 2014 (Tough measures against pollution)
China has decided to adopt tough measures against pollution. The tough part will be overcoming corruption in order to enforce the requirements.
26 April 2014 (System of slavery in Qatar)
The UN calls on Qatar to abolish its system that treats foreign workers almost as slaves.
26 April 2014 (US-Japan meeting about TPP)
A US-Japan negotiation meeting about the TPP failed to reach agreement, but the damned thing is not dead yet.
26 April 2014 (Tony B'liar still at it)
Tony B'liar continues to call for intervention in support of Arab tyrants.
26 April 2014 (ALEC's attacks on the environment)
ALEC is attacking the environment on many fronts.
For legal reasons ALEC says that it does not track where its proposed bills are introduced, but leaks prove that it really does so.
26 April 2014 (The overthrow of Assad)
This article, from 2011, claimed that the US and Saudi Arabia planned years ago to build up Syrian Sunni extremists as a way to overthrow Assad and defeat Hezbollah, and thus weaken Iran. And that they started implementing this plan once Mubarak was overthrown.
I don't know how we could prove this, but subsequent events seem to confirm it. In other words, the US is responsible for building up jihadists that are that now allied to al Qa'ida.
By stirring up a civil war as Syrians were protesting peacefully, the US made itself responsible for all the horrors of the Syrian civil war. Surely the US and Saudi Arabia expected the war to be over quickly and not lead to these horrors. But plans sometimes go wrong, and when you start a war, you're responsible for the consequences, even if it doesn't end the way you expected.
26 April 2014 (Minimum-wage retail job)
Whistleblower Peter Van Buren had to work as a temp in a "Bullseye" store (Target?) because government retaliation tried to deny him his pension.
Van Buren got out of this, but 30 million other Americans are still trapped in it, and fear being dropped into the even worse fate of unemployment and starvation.
Americans, should we allow companies to treat workers this way?
26 April 2014 (Putin calls internet a "CIA project")
Putin called the internet a "CIA Project".
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
Silly Putin, don't you know it was done by the US Department of Defense?
26 April 2014 (DDT is still available for fighting malaria)
DDT is still available for fighting malaria, notwithstanding inaccurate claims by Stuart Brand and James Lovelock that it was banned.
Several years ago Stuart Brand tried to convince me to support nuclear power. His arguments did not seem valid to me.
26 April 2014 (Journalist released in Ukraine)
Journalist Simon Ostrovsky, who had been made prisoner by a Russian irregular militia in Ukraine, has been released.
I guess Putin decided he was pushing a little too hard.
The article describes him as a "hostage", but I don't see that he was one. I have not seen anything suggesting a treat to kill him or hurt him, or any ransom demand. Capturing/kidnapping journalists is nasty enough in itself without exaggeration.
26 April 2014 (How US plutocracy operates)
How US plutocracy operates to give the rich control over laws.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
26 April 2014 (China refusing to accept any more complaints)
Since local officials in China often try to hush up complaints rather than address them, the central government is embarrassed by citizens bringing complaints that local officials ignored.
The central government is going to solve the problem by refusing to accept any more complaints.
26 April 2014 (Punishing prisoners for reporting rape)
US prison guards put prisoners in solitary and deny them medicine frivolously, even maliciously such as to punish a prisoner for reporting rape.
To deny a pregnant woman prenatal care — would that constitute criminal endangerment of a fetus? Could these thugs be put in prison for it?
26 April 2014 (Galapagos Islands)
Global cooling 20,000 years ago united the Galapagos Islands into a couple of large islands one could almost walk between. This had big effects on the evolution of species living there.
26 April 2014 (Marshall Islands are suing)
The Marshall Islands are suing the nine countries with nuclear weapons for failing to disarm.
The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty obliges the recognized nuclear powers including the US and Russia to negotiate for nuclear disarmament.
26 April 2014 (Kept in prison for 25 years)
Jonathan Fleming was convicted of a murder in New York, and kept in prison for 25 years, because the prosecutors concealed the receipt that proved he was in Disney World in Florida on that day.
I am glad he has been freed, but that's not enough. We must stop this from happening in the future. I suspect his defense lawyers were incompetent or irresponsible, and that the prosecutor was dishonest.
26 April 2014 (Amnesty International rebuked Spain)
Amnesty International rebuked Spain for repressing protests with fines and beatings.
I can't criticize Spaniards for responding to this violence with their own violence. Austerity is deadly; how many Spaniards has the right-wing government killed, through eviction or through cuts in medical care?
26 April 2014 (Vermont passed a law to require labeling of GMOs)
Vermont passed a law to require labeling of GMOs. Unlike the laws in Connecticut and Maine, this law will take effect regardless of what other states do.
26 April 2014 (Subsidies for windmills)
The UK Conservatives intend to eliminate subsidies for windmills on land and give local people the power to ban them. They do not intend to give local people the power to ban fracking or to abolish subsidies for nuclear power.
26 April 2014 (US economic growth)
As US economic growth goes exclusively to the rich, the lower and middle classes in the US are becoming poorer than in other countries.
26 April 2014 (Australia's energy planning)
Australia's energy planning is based on the assumption that they can ramp up combustion of fossil fuel ad infinitum and never encounter any problem that imposes limits or costs.
25 April 2014 (Destruction of native wildlife)
As humans abandon large regions of Australia, weeds and feral plants destroy the native wildlife.
25 April 2014 (911 calls)
The Supreme Court made it easy for thugs to use an anonymous 911 call as an all-purpose excuse to arrest people, search them, and charge them.
They can always make the call themselves — who would know?
25 April 2014 (FCC considers surrender)
Instead of trying again to defend network neutrality, the FCC is considering surrendering on a crucial issue: allowing ISPs to charge web sites for high speed access to them.
This contrasts with Brazil's adoption of network neutrality as a legal requirement on ISPs.
25 April 2014 (Clemency inadequate)
Obama talks of offering clemency to prisoners serving long sentences, but clemency is inadequate to remedy the harm done by the war on drugs.
25 April 2014 (Obama's lack of concern)
Obama has shown no concern for the workers of other countries whose factories may collapse. Why should anyone trust him to put anything good into a deregulation treaty such as the TPP?
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
25 April 2014 (Fast food wage disparity)
In some fast food companies, the CEO gets paid 1000 times as much as an ordinary worker.
This "food" is not made for eating, it is made for fasting.
25 April 2014 (US gives Egypt armed helicopters)
The US is giving Egypt armed helicopters.
The Islamists in the Sinai are violently opposed to human rights, but the violence they have committed is probably less than the Egyptian government's. What's more, the Egyptian government's killing of protesters has done a lot to boost violent Islamism in Egypt. Instead of giving that government the endorsement of military support, it would be more rational to caution the Egyptian government to cut down its provocative repression of dissidents.
24 April 2014 (Attacks by Israeli fanatics against Palestinians and their cities)
Palestinians protested the repeated attacks by Israeli fanatics against Palestinians and their cities. The Israeli government almost never tries to punish the perpetrators of these attacks.
24 April 2014 (What Netanyahu demands from Palestinian President Abbas)
The updated list of what Netanyahu demands from Palestinian President Abbas.
24 April 2014 (Urgent: Condemn the TPP and its secret negotiations)
US citizens: condemn the TPP and its secret negotiations.
24 April 2014 (Dangerous levels of pesticide)
GMO soy beans that are engineered to resist Roundup contain levels of pesticide that may be dangerous. In addition, the pesticide used in growing them gets into our water supply.
24 April 2014 (When it comes to killing birds, windmills are insignificant)
When it comes to killing birds, windmills are insignificant; buildings, power lines and cats kill thousands as times as many birds in the US.
24 April 2014 (Guards attacks refugees)
The guards at Australia's asylum seeker prison in Nauru attack the refugees, even children.
24 April 2014 (Gov't of Qatar accepts confiscation of foreign workers' passports)
The government of Qatar accepts the confiscation of foreign workers' passports (treated as slaves) by their employer/slavemasters.
Runaway slaves who are caught are imprisoned for months, effectively incommunicado.
24 April 2014 (Texas family won a 3 million dollar judgment against frackers)
A Texas family won a 3 million dollar judgment against frackers.
It is crucial to defeat their secrecy about their operations. The reason companies say they want secrecy is to keep secrets from other companies. That argument never justifies putting the public interest at risk.
24 April 2014 (Prominent Pakistani TV journalist was shot and survived)
A prominent Pakistani TV journalist was shot and survived. He and his TV station say the country's intelligence agency tried to assassinate him.
That agency has a history of kidnapping, torturing and killing reporters.
24 April 2014 (Turkish PM has apologized for killing of a million Armenians)
Turkish PM Erdogan has apologized, in a way, for the killing of a million Armenians.
He did not use the term "genocide" but at least recognizes that the killing was wrong. It is a step forward.
This is not a matter of personal blame. I expect that none of the people who decided how Turkey would treat the Armenians is still alive today. The point is that states need to acknowledge their wrongs in order to avoid repeating them.
24 April 2014 (Cruel and unusual punishment in Texas)
The heat in Texas prisons is deadly, and that makes it cruel and unusual punishment.
24 April 2014 (Forces in Ukraine have taken several journalists prisoner)
The Russian or pro-Russian forces in Slavyansk, eastern Ukraine, have taken several journalists prisoner. One is an American.
24 April 2014 (Fatah and Hamas have agreed to form unity gov't)
Fatah and Hamas have agreed to form a unity government and hold elections in Palestine.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
Uniting Fatah and Hamas is easier said than done, but it is a prerequisite for democracy in Palestine. It will not be easy to get Hamas to respect democracy, though.
Unification would remove an obstacle to a real peace deal, since it could result in a government with enough support and authority to agree to a deal and implement it. Alas, it is not the only prerequisite. We also need Israel to be ready to make a real peace deal.
24 April 2014 (Cheap chicken in the US)
Cheap chicken in the US comes at the costs of injuries for workers.
In the US, change in regulation supposedly justified by reducing costs of production are misguided in general (unless it is production of something to reduce greenhouse gas emissions). Our problem is not that goods are too expensive, it is that workers are not paid enough.
24 April 2014 (The US minimum wage)
The US minimum wage is too low, but many businesses have created excuses to pay even less.
24 April 2014 (Fracking is not safe)
Louis Allstadt, former VP of Mobil, says fracking is not safe and calls for banning it.
24 April 2014 (Urgent: Stop profiting off of student borrowers)
US citizens: call on the Department of Education to stop profiting off of student borrowers.
24 April 2014 (Urgent: Raise Seattle's minimum wage)
Everyone: support the campaign for Seattle to raise the minimum wage to $15.
24 April 2014 (Urgent: Cowboy Indian Alliance)
US citizens: call on Obama and Kerry to meet with the Cowboy Indian Alliance.
24 April 2014 (Urgent: End cruelty to John Kiriakou)
US citizens: on May 9, ask your congresscritter to contact the Bureau of Prisons to end the vindictive cruelty to prisoner John Kiriakou.
24 April 2014 (Urgent: Compensation for dead workers)
Everyone: call on Walmart and the Children's Place to give compensation for the dead Rana Plaza workers, and join in preventing a repetition.
24 April 2014 (Cultural memory of deer)
Deer in the Czech Republic still avoid the places where the electrified border fences used to be, 25 years ago, almost twice the lifespan of a deer.
That means the cultural memory has been passed on for at least two generations.
24 April 2014 (Polluted groundwater in China)
More than half the groundwater monitoring sites in China report polluted water.
24 April 2014 (Chinese labor organizer missing)
A Chinese labor organizer appears to have been arrested and disappeared.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
24 April 2014 (US working against internet freedom)
The US is working quietly to undermine an international agreement on internet freedom.
This article uses the weak word "open" to describe what this agreement is supposed to do. I think using that word is a mistake, since "open" leads one's thinking down paths that don't even try to defend freedom. Thus, especially when others use that word, we should not join them in that mistake.
24 April 2014 (Big errors occurring together)
Massive greenhouse gas emission coincides with harmful political and social developments that weaken democracy, such as corporocratic "free trade" politics and the idea of living to consume.
Disasters typically happen when several errors occur together. Here we have quite a few big errors.
24 April 2014 (Control of VKontakte)
The founder of Russian social network VKontakte says that Putin's men have kicked him out and taken over.
24 April 2014 (Greek austerity before election)
The Greek austerity government is handing out money to the poor, because an election is coming.
The government says it can afford this, based on arguments that are peculiar because if they are valid today they were valid all along. Indeed, they were valid all along — but the plutocratic parties did not like them before.
What's the conclusion? The government is right to help the poor, but you if you want a government to continue the policy after the election, you should vote for the leftist party.
24 April 2014 (Gender stereotypes in toys)
Companies that make toys seem to intentionally teach gender stereotypes to children.
24 April 2014 (Train transport of oil)
US cities are trying to stop train transport of oil, which causes sickening spills and deadly explosions.
24 April 2014 (The no-fly list)
The FBI put Naveed Shinwari on the no-fly list to bully him into becoming an informer on nobody in particular.
The no-fly list is punishment without trial, and must be abolished.
24 April 2014 (Pro-Kiev politician killed)
A pro-Kiev Ukrainian politician was captured by a pro-Russia mob, then tortured and killed.
24 April 2014 (Gmail and credit cards)
Three Reasons Why You Should Keep Gmail far Away from Your Credit Card Information.
It is regrettable that the article uses "hackers" to mean "security breakers".
23 April 2014 (Dismembering the NHS)
The UK's National Health Service has been ordered to use subcontractors, and naturally it causes things to go wrong.

The privatization ideology says that having a private company do something will automatically make it better than if the state does it. It's only true in special cases.
23 April 2014 (Massacre at Bentiu)
The inter-ethnic conflict in South Sudan is extending into genocidal killings.
23 April 2014 (Torture of Iranian political prisoners)
Iranian political prisoner Emad Bahavar says that he was forced to run past lines of thugs that hit him with sticks, organized torture rather than spontaneous venting of sadism.
23 April 2014 (Robert Reich promotes SB 1372)
California is considering a bill to increase taxes on CEOs whose pay far exceeds that of the lowest paid workers in the company.

It is a step in the right direction, but I have a feeling that a 5% increase in taxes won't create much pressure for CEOs to reduce their incomes drastically. As for raising revenue, CEOs should pay higher taxes, but the other rich people should too.
23 April 2014 (Violence Prevention Research Program must find its own money)
Republicans have blocked federal funding for research into patterns of gun violence, but Professor Wintemute continues it with private funding. Some of his conclusions are surprising.

Republicans are frothing at the mouth at the idea that we might learn which forms of gun control are effective for reducing murders.
23 April 2014 (No love for the Trans-Pacific Partnership )
Protests against the TPP are following Obama through Asia.
23 April 2014 (Homeland panopticon)
The US Border patrol is converting whole regions miles away from US borders into total surveillance and oppression zones. All the roads out of the Tohono O'odham reservations have permanent checkpoints.
23 April 2014 (Panhandle may shrink)
Florida Is 'Ground Zero' for Sea Level Rise. And there's no use putting dikes around Miami, since the rock underneath the city is porous.
23 April 2014 (Reducing coal dust exposure)
White House Approves Coal Dust Rules Aimed At Dropping Rates Of Black Lung Disease.
23 April 2014 (Food insecurity rate)
The families of 1/5 of the children in the US had trouble getting food in 2012.
23 April 2014 (Too good for the job)
Obama told Elizabeth Warren she shouldn't head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau because she made banksters "very nervous".

In other words, they feared she would lead the agency to do a vigorous job of protecting the public from them, and Obama was uncomfortable with that.
23 April 2014 (Squandering helium)
After wasting most of our helium on party balloons, we don't have enough for scientific experiments.
23 April 2014 (Urgent: Universal single-payer health care)
US citizens: support universal single-payer health care in the US.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
23 April 2014 (Urgent: Tell Safeway to label GMOs)
In the US: tell Safeway to label GMOs in their products.
23 April 2014 (US attacking Yemeni Islamists)
The US is attacking Yemeni Islamists very intensely.
Killing members of a guerrilla group, even fairly many of them, does not defeat it if they can recruit more.
23 April 2014 (Militias in Eastern Ukraine)
In Eastern Ukraine, a chaotic scramble of militias that don't really aim to be more than an excuse for a Russian takeover.
23 April 2014 (UK right-wing cruelty)
The UK's right-wing government excuses cruelty to disabled people by claiming they are faking disability.
Plutocratist governments know better than to claim "all" poor people are to blame for their own poverty or that "all" disabled people are fakes. Such a simplistic claim would be recognized as false. So they arrange complex systems of rules, artificial hurdles for disabled people to jump, so that anyone who fails can be convicted of "faking" and punished.
The system is stacked against the disabled, which ensures that most of them will fail: this provides an excuse for cruelty, and if a few manage to jump the hurdles, most are still screwed.
The details of these systems are not important; what is important is their overall purpose and effect: dooH niboR. Poverty is spreading because the rich have arranged to take a bigger share of society's production, leaving too little for everyone else. To remedy that, governments must tax the rich more and support the non-rich enough.
23 April 2014 (The chemical attack on Syria)
Arguments against Seymour Hersh's claim that Syrian rebels launched a chemical weapons attack with Turkish backing.
I linked to that article previously.
23 April 2014 (Costs of global heating)
No one can reliably estimate the costs of global heating, but it is likely to be a lot more expensive than preventing global heating.
23 April 2014 (400 activists killed in Brazil)
400 environmental activists have been killed in Brazil, presumably by people involved in illegal deforestation.
23 April 2014 (Al-Jazeera journalists on trial)
Inaudible audio recordings were presented as evidence against the al-Jazeera journalists on trial in Egypt.
23 April 2014 (Valuing natural systems)
To value natural systems in monetary figures adopts a framing designed to justify getting rid of them. It also opens the door for governments to use dishonest figures to justify getting rid of them.
23 April 2014 (Poverty in South Korea)
Although life in North Korea is very hard, some defectors in South Korea want to return there.
This one was apparently in a privileged position in North Korea. He has experienced poverty in South Korea despite the country's overall wealth, but he may not have a clear picture of the poverty of most North Koreans.
23 April 2014 (Strike hits Chinese factories)
A large strike has hit Chinese factories; workers are concerned their wages will be stolen.
23 April 2014 (Afghan government needs aid)
The Afghan government has a 20% budget gap and will have trouble paying salaries if it doesn't get aid.
The amount at stake is tiny compared with what the US spent on the war. This seems to be penny wise and pound foolish.
22 April 2014 (Urgent: Stop deforestation)
Everyone: tell PepsiCo to stop buying palm oil made from deforestation.
22 April 2014 (Manus island prison riot)
Australia's immigration minister seems to have lied completely about a riot in the immigration prison on Manus island, to put the blame on the imprisoned boat people.
22 April 2014 (Stopping corporate surveillance)
A company meant to collect data on students in the US has shut down because states banned schools from sending student data to it.
This demonstrates that we can stop corporate surveillance on the Internet if we are willing to go to the necessary lengths.
22 April 2014 (Forbidden from emigrating)
10 years after Mordechai Vanunu's release from prison, Israel still forbids him from emigrating to join his family.
22 April 2014 (Crimes by spy agency officials)
The only crime for which US national security officials get prosecuted is leaking. Torture, assassination and perjury are considered ok.
Cracking down even more, the perjurer Clapper has just banned all spy agency staff from talking to the press without advance permission.
22 April 2014 (Damaged wildlife around Chernobyl)
Wildlife in the uninhabited area around Chernobyl shows serious harm from radiation.
Ominously, some animals show more damage than their parents had; the effect seems to be cumulative.
22 April 2014 (Assassination)
A US appeals court ordered Obama to release the supposed legal justifications for assassinating Anwar al-Awlaki.
22 April 2014 (The right to a speedy trial)
Jerry Hartfield has spent 33 years in prison for a conviction that was overturned on appeal.
22 April 2014 (Austerity and suicides)
Austerity in Greece caused 500 extra suicides in 2009/10.
Poverty has got deeper since then; I would expect that another 500 or 1000 have committed suicide since then.
22 April 2014 (The Meritocracy Myth)
The Meritocracy Myth: How the Super-Rich Really Make Their Money.
21 April 2014 (Cowboy Indian Alliance opposes Keystone XL pipeline)
The Cowboy Indian Alliance opposes the Keystone XL pipeline on the ground.
21 April 2014 (FBI's new database of face photos)
The FBI's new database of face photos is not just a new way to keep track of photos of criminals. It is a plan to collect photos of millions of people, some who were arrested and not tried, and some who were not accused of anything. And to share them with state thugs, and try recognizing people against these photos.
21 April 2014 (Streaming services and corporate remote storage)
The convenience and cheapness of streaming services and corporate remote storage may be impossible to resist, if you are spineless and don't mind being antisocial.
The spineless author made himself susceptible to bad judgment by adopting shallow economic values that show up in the concept of "consuming services".
21 April 2014 (Landlord companies going to vicious lengths to make tenants move out)
Landlord companies that bought housing in New York City are going to vicious lengths, even sabotage, to make tenants move out so they can raise rents.
Other tenants are shafted because the landlords are being foreclosed on.
21 April 2014 (NSA not the only threat to privacy in US)
The NSA is not the only threat to privacy in the US. Local thug departments are installing technology that can track all cars around the city.
21 April 2014 (Charging UK patients for crutches)
Charging UK patients for crutches is the wedge being used to abolish gratis medical care in the UK.
The UK government has been striving for years to destroy the National Health service by underfunding it, denying all the while that that is its goal. The result would be a lousy US-style medical system in which the poor can't afford medical care.
Meanwhile, if they want to save money on crutches, they could do various things to encourage patients to return them for reuse.
I tried to hand a wrist brace back to MIT medical after I no longer needed it, and MIT medical refused to take it, or even tell me where to find anyone that would take it. Apparently in the US all medical organizations are scared they will be sued if a medical appliance transfers some sort of pest from one patient to another. Someone there suggested I give it to Good Will, but Good Will doesn't accept wrist braces.
This makes no sense, except in terms of absurd litigation. A crutch or wrist brace is no more likely to transfer any sort of infection than a dress or shirt that Good Will would handle.
It would be easy enough to adopt a regulation saying that clinics will not be liable for infections supposedly transferred by crutches and wrist braces provided they follow certain specified sterilization procedures. But no one in the US cares about this.
21 April 2014 (UK's "emergency funds")
The UK government said its cuts won't starve the poor because "emergency funds" are available, but they are filtered through a system that makes it hard for poor people to get those funds, if they even think of asking.
They seem to be part of the UK right-wing government's policy of shafting the poor, pretending not to be shafting the poor, but demonizing the poor.
21 April 2014 (UK's internet censorship)
A bureaucrat's slip reveals that the UK's internet censorship agenda respects no limits.
The article distinguishes between censorship of illegal material and censorship of material that is not illegal, but that is a mere legal technicality. Mere laws cannot justify censorship; if they try, laws that try to do this only invalidate themselves.
21 April 2014 (Ban on online anonymity)
Armenia faces chilling censorship through a ban on online anonymity.
21 April 2014 (Malaysia's gov't has driven opposition leader into exile)
Malaysia's government has driven the main opposition leader into exile through politically-motivated charges of homosexuality.
21 April 2014 (Firefight with possibly imaginary Ukrainian right-wing fanatics)
Supporters of Russia in Eastern Ukraine have reported a firefight with possibly imaginary Ukrainian right-wing fanatics. They stopped reporters from visiting the location of the supposed fight.
It appears to be as phony as the Gulf of Tonkin incident.
21 April 2014 (Urgent: Collect what Cliven Bundy owes)
US citizens: call on the US government to collect what Cliven Bundy owes.
21 April 2014 (Urgent: Stop deportation of homosexuals)
Everyone: call on the UK to suspend deportation of homosexuals so as to avoid sending people back to countries which threaten to imprison or execute them.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
21 April 2014 (Spanish banks cheated)
Enric Duran cheated Spanish banks to fund anticapitalist activities.
In the past I would have said that cheating a bank was wrong. Then I learned how much banks cheat everyone else.
21 April 2014 (Fired for stating religious view)
A worker in the UK was fired for stating religious disapproval of homosexuality.
I think people should be free to state their disapproval of anything at all, and other people should be free to ignore those views.
21 April 2014 (The callous rich of Palo Alto)
The callous rich of Palo Alto want to ban homeless people from sleeping in cars.
Is there anyone reading this from Palo Alto who would like to launch a street campaign to shame those rich people? If there is a business that supports this law, it would be interesting to make signs condemning them and invite homeless people to picket that business during the day.
21 April 2014 (Preservation of bird species)
Malta may hold a referendum to end the licensed hunting of birds migrating north to breed.
When a bird species is being wiped out, typically many causes are at work. As in the case of global heating, if we want to preserve what is threatened, we must reject arguments of the form, "Let us keep endangering it — tackle some other threat instead."
21 April 2014 (US and UK surveillance)
The US and UK, by distorting the picture of their surveillance and claiming it is compatible with democracy and human rights, provide a precedent for governments even less democratic to make similar false claims.
21 April 2014 (Egyptian election)
General el-Sisi is running for president of Egypt, but TV stations are taking his critics off the air.
21 April 2014 (Nuclear waste dumped near shore)
The UK dumped a million cubic meters of low-level nuclear waste in a site near the shore which is going to be washed away due to global heating.
21 April 2014 (Christians blocked from Jerusalem)
Palestinian Christians find that Israel blocks them from Jerusalem.
21 April 2014 (Urgent: Community network access points)
Everyone: pressure AT&T to stop lobbying to ban community-owned network access points.
21 April 2014 (Urgent: Ban on neonicotinoid pesticides)
Everyone: call on Bayer and Syngenta to drop their lawsuits against the coming ban on neonicotinoid pesticides in Europe.
21 April 2014 (Patents in American aviation)
How patents stifled American aviation for a decade or more.
There is no good reason to have a patent system; it exists due to pressure from the businesses that hold patents.
[Reference updated on 2025-05-09 because the old link was broken.]
21 April 2014 (Sports events and surveillance)
Big sports events nowadays leave a permanent legacy of surveillance. Boston has installed cameras across the city that are monitored constantly by an AI system, set up to report anything "unusual" to human thugs.
We can have fun with this. How many unusual things can you do on the street each day? Why not back up to the entrance of 10 parking lots just for fun?
But that won't get rid of the surveillance.
It might be more useful to walk around in Boston with a sign saying, "Surveillance of all threatens all", and hand out printed copies of that page.
Live internet camera feeds pointing at public places, if they are good enough to identify people, should be banned to preserve privacy. Security cameras should be required to store their recordings locally, so that access to the recordings requires physically visiting the site.
21 April 2014 (Harassment of women by men)
The myth that rapists are monsters that could hardly pass for normal men paradoxically helps perpetuate the social toleration of various levels of harassment of women by men that don't appear subhuman.
21 April 2014 (Fires and drought in the US west)
Over 30 years, each decade has seen an increase in wildfires and drought in the US west.
The extreme drought this past winter was made possible by human greenhouse gas emissions; it could not have happened in the climate of 50 years ago.
21 April 2014 (Israeli gag order on NY Times)
The New York Times avoided coverage of a Palestinian journalist's arrest, complying with an Israeli gag order.
21 April 2014 (Kerry's peace negotiations)
Kerry's peace negotiations went "poof" all of a sudden when it was revealed that they were a balloon full of hot air all along.
21 April 2014 (Regulation of undersea drilling)
After the Big Spill, it was clear that the US needs stricter regulation of undersea oil drilling. Oil company lobbying blocked the necessary changes in laws.
As a result, we must expect it to happen again.
21 April 2014 (Work less, reduce global heating)
Advice: people in the advanced countries could reduce global heating substantially and be happier by working less.
In terms of sheer production, we would still have plenty of the things we want if the decrease in production is taken out of the income of the rich.
However, most people can't simply decide to work less. They may be working two or three jobs just to get by, or they may be professionals who won't be hired at all unless they agree to work 60 hours a week. If we want to reduce working hours, we will have to organize politically and take from the rich.
21 April 2014 (Russian surveillance methods)
On Russian methods for surveillance of communications.
21 April 2014 (Punishment for errors)
The captain of the Korean ferry that sank faces several criminal charges.
I don't know enough about ferry operations to judge how serious his alleged wrongs were. But it would be unjust to punish him more for these actions than they would punish another captain who did the same things without causing any loss of life.
Disasters happen when several errors and failures combine. Each of the individual errors happens often but usually does not cause a disaster. The error is equally culpable whether it leads to a disaster or not.
If we want crews to change practices and thus reduce the errors that could contribute to future disasters, we should take measures that are effective.
The small chance of a very heavy punishment does less to change people's behavior than a large chance of a small punishment. To convict this captain of many crimes and sentence him to years in prison will not do much to change other captain's practices, because each will figure that a disaster is unlikely to happen to him. (Some will reflect on their practices and change them out of a desire to be safe, but the disaster alone is enough to cause that.)
It would be more effective to pick some of these errors and punish all the captains or owners that commit them — even when no harm results, as is usually the case.
20 April 2014 (Armed right-wing tax rebels in Nevada)
Armed right-wing tax rebels in Nevada stood off US forces to preserve the right to graze cattle in a wildlife preserve and not pay fees.
Their readiness to resist the state power would be admirable if they were doing it in a good cause, but they are doing it for the sake of their own exploitation.
20 April 2014 (Assad's forces have besieged 18,000)
Assad's forces have besieged 18,000 in a part of Damascus, and they are running out of food.
If the US wants to do something in Syria, how about air-dropping food to them?
Meanwhile, Assad's planes are bombing Aleppo into rubble.
20 April 2014 (High pay for company executives)
High pay for company executives has become a status symbol.
I don't want to abolish business as such, but I believe we must put an end to business as we know it (the plutocratic system). We must not be scared to say this.
20 April 2014 (Venetian region has its own separatist movement)
The Venetian region has its own separatist movement.
It is the usual sad story: when a country hits an economic crisis, people in wealthier regions of the country start demanding independence so that they won't have to help the poorer regions. What foolish selfishness, for the not-quite-so-poor to fight against the poor, rather than joining forces against the rich.
20 April 2014 (Childhood stress)
Childhood stress seems to affect growth of the hippocampus and to make people more prone to depression when older.
20 April 2014 (Obama's economic advisors)
Obama's economic advisors had previously advised and pressured Bill Clinton to deregulate banks.
Look at the idiotic reasons that were given.
- "Other kind of companies are offering similar financial services." Perhaps we had better extend banking regulations to them.
- "Other countries have deregulated their banks, and US banks won't be able to compete unless deregulated too." Perhaps we shouldn't let inadequately regulated foreign banks offer services in the US.
Each "argument" can appear to be an argument for further deregulation if you close your eyes to the way it is an argument for further regulation.
20 April 2014 (Iran has offered to redesign its nuclear reactor)
Iran has offered to redesign its nuclear reactor in Arak so that it can't produce much plutonium.
Perhaps they will redesign it to make arak with heavy alcohol.
20 April 2014 (Working conditions for people that make our clothing)
Organizing collectively in wealthy countries to demand better working conditions for the people that make our clothing.
I support these efforts, but they are aiming at treating persistent symptoms of a known underlying problem: the "free trade" treaties. They destroyed unionization and labor rights around the world by enabling companies to shift their production anywhere. This exposes labor to many abuses (including low pay, insecurity, dangerous working conditions and theft of wages).
We must reject the idea of "free trade", whose supposed benefit is no more than increased total economic activity, while implanting a plutocratic system that ensures that increase goes to the rich.
20 April 2014 (The natural tendency in capitalism)
Thomas Piketty's research demonstrates that the natural tendency in capitalism is to make the rich richer and increase inequality; the period from 1940 to 1975 was an unusual exception.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
Thus, we need laws and taxes to spread the wealth around.
I don't think we should argue about whether this should be done through higher taxes for the rich or through regulations to stop exploitative practices. Either can help, and both are desirable. Plutocracy is a complex system, and very strong, so we need to weaken it at many points.
20 April 2014 (Investigation into Guantanamo torture)
A Spanish judge defies the right-wing government's attempts to shut down his investigation into Guantanamo torture.
20 April 2014 (Keeping BP suspended from new US gov't contracts)
A broad grass-roots campaign calls for keeping BP suspended from new US government contracts.
20 April 2014 (Bill to punish women that use drugs while pregnant)
Tennessee is considering a bill to punish women that use some illegal drugs while pregnant.
This law is not just nasty, it is also likely to lead pregnant addicts to avoid prenatal care, which will backfire against the babies. The law is therefore likely to harm rather than help those babies.
It is wrong to take drugs while pregnant that result in producing a damaged baby. However, when someone addicted to one of those drugs gets pregnant, what's a useful response? I think the right solution is an abortion. A useful response is to encourage and help that person to get an abortion.
20 April 2014 (Excuses to keep prisoners in Guantanamo)
Obama will scramble for excuses to keep prisoners in Guantanamo once the US ceases to be at war in Afghanistan.
20 April 2014 (Massive capture of migrating birds in Egypt)
The massive capture of migrating birds in Egypt has reached a level where it endangers some species.
20 April 2014 (FBI massive surveillance)
It's not just the NSA that's doing massive surveillance; the FBI does it too.
The NSA circumvents and neutralizes rules against spying on US citizens and people in the US, but the FBI has no such restrictions.
20 April 2014 (Draft computer crimes law)
Pakistan: Draft computer crimes law violates human rights.
20 April 2014 (Haiti's US-imposed government)
Haiti's US-imposed government has made a vague threat to punish radio stations that make statements that the government does not like.
The president was "elected" in a process which was rigged by the US and excluded the only party that has real popular support (Aristide's party).
20 April 2014 (Legalization would do a better job)
Officials begging for more ships to capture drug smugglers cite a list of reasons that demonstrate that legalization would do a better job.
20 April 2014 (Leaked recording)
A leaked recording purports to be a conversation between ministers in Turkey planning a false-flag attack as an excuse to attack Syria.
I would not put this past the Turkish government, but at the same time I think that if it wanted to intervene in Syria it would just do so, with no need for the false-flag attack.
20 April 2014 (Misrepresentation of science)
Here's an example of Pielke's misrepresentation of science.
20 April 2014 (Conversations in jail)
Irish thugs appear to have made a habit of recording prisoners' conversations in jail with their lawyers.
20 April 2014 (Orange)
Orange, a mobile phone network in France, gives all its customers' call data to France's NSA.
20 April 2014 (Urgent: Transparency about Keystone XL)
US citizens: demand transparency in the decision about the Keystone XL pipeline.
20 April 2014 (Urgent: Land and Water Conservation Fund)
US citizens: call on Congress to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
20 April 2014 (Putin plans to ban anonymity)
Putin is planning to require registration and strict censorship on bloggers and discussion sites.
Anonymity will be forbidden, naturally.
20 April 2014 (Removal of "malicious content")
Turkish Official Says Twitter Will Help Remove "Malicious Content".
This means recordings purporting to reveal corruption of officials.
20 April 2014 (Rules for safe use of Twitter)
Twitter is moving aggressively to extract personal information from its users, for profiling purposes.
It may be necessary to develop rules for safe use of Twitter. I am no expert, but I suggest these rules.
1. Use only tweets (no private messages).
2. Conceal your geolocation.
3. Don't mention what you personally are doing. Tweet only your views and comments on larger issues, or things that you witness.
I hope that people who know more will suggest additional rules.
20 April 2014 (Patented hepatitis C medicine)
A new medicine that reportedly cures hepatitis C costs $84,000, which means most of the people who need it can't afford it.
If you can hold out 20 years or so, till the patent expires, the price may come down.
20 April 2014 (Spread of mercury through air)
In remote US national parks, fish have high levels of mercury. That's because it spreads through the air.
I wonder if some of the mercury in Alaskan parks came from Chinese coal-fired electric plants.
20 April 2014 (Pipeline through wildlife reserve)
Chris Christie is making a second try to drive a natural gas pipeline through a protected wildlife reserve.
20 April 2014 (US right-wing terrorists)
The US government focuses on the threat of terrorism by Islamist fanatics, while mostly disregarding right-wing terrorists who in fact do more harm.
I am not saying that the US should treat right-wing extremists as it has treated Muslims, denying them freedom of expression and association on strained pretexts and fishing for crimes to accuse them of, or as it has treated animal rights activists, imprisoning them for running a web site and claiming that is "terrorism". That's unjust no matter who the target is. However, there is surely a middle ground between excess and nothing.
20 April 2014 (BP oil drilling explosions)
The US and UK overthrew the elected government of Azerbaijan in 1993 and installed a dictator, in order to help BP get a good deal over exporting oil from Azerbaijan.
This enabled BP to drill oil wells in the Caspian sea, and one of them exploded.
BP's men lied to Congress, saying said their operations were safe and had had no serious problems. So BP was allowed to drill in the Gulf of Mexico and promptly had another explosion.
An honest government, not corrupted by oil companies. would never trust BP in any way ever again.
20 April 2014 (UK taxpayers' tax return data)
The UK is considering selling taxpayers' tax return data, "anonymized" (though that may not do much good).
20 April 2014 (Keystone XL put off until November)
Obama has put off the decision on the Keystone XL planet-roaster pipeline until after the elections in November.
I think Obama intends to approve the pipeline and has intended this all along. He knows what harm it will do, and if he cared greatly about those problems, he would have canceled it long ago. I think he is maneuvering to reduce the condemnation he will receive for approving it.
But this does not mean campaigning against the pipeline is useless. If we can make the approval painful enough, and require evident enough lies, he may feel compelled to cancel it.
20 April 2014 (Legal fees of those acquitted)
A British MP who was tried and acquitted now believes he was wrong to vote to cut the reimbursement of the legal fees of those who are tried and acquitted.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
19 April 2014 (The effects of marijuana)
Discussing the effects of marijuana can rot your brain, if you're not careful.
19 April 2014 (Crowdfunded genetic engineering project)
A crowdfunded genetic engineering project aims to produce a glow-in-the-dark variety of arabidopsis, just for hack value.
I don't see any danger in glowing arabidopsis. What scares me is the possibility of making viruses this way. However, that can't be prevented by the sort of regulation that people are thinking of; a totally secret project could ignore the regulations.
19 April 2014 (Every stage of fracking spreads toxic substances)
A study finds that every stage of fracking spreads toxic substances.
19 April 2014 (Hillary Clinton would be another Obama)
Hillary Clinton would be another Obama, giving lip service to the progressive causes that most Americans support, but only until she gets their vote.
19 April 2014 (Children near dangerous chemical facility)
Over 4 million US children go to school within a mile of a dangerous chemical facility.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
19 April 2014 (Thugs rampaged through Evin prison)
Thugs rampaged through Evin prison, where some of Iran's political prisoners are held, breaking prisoners' bones.
19 April 2014 ("Anything but carbon" prejudice)
The media has an "anything but carbon" prejudice: any scientific paper claiming that global heating is caused by something other than carbon emissions gets tremendous media attention.
19 April 2014 (Fight against fracking continues)
Caroline Lucas: The fight against fracking continues — and I'm proud to rejoin it.
Russia has started extracting oil from the Arctic and shipping it to Europe. Greenpeace's efforts did not succeed in blocking this.
19 April 2014 (Fossil fuel subsidies)
Bloomberg New Energy Finance finds that fossil fuel subsidies are ten times the subsidies for renewable energy.
It is unconscionable to subsidize an industry as profitable as fossil fuels, even if it were not causing world-wide disaster.
19 April 2014 (The bombing in Boston and the bombings in Baghdad)
Comparing the bombing in Boston and the bombings in Baghdad.
Dubya is responsible, though indirectly, for all of these bombings even though the ones he directly ordered were back in 2003.
19 April 2014 (Antitrust in the New Gilded Age)
Antitrust in the New Gilded Age.
19 April 2014 (US plans to spend billions on new nuclear bombs)
The US plans to spend billions on new nuclear bombs.
19 April 2014 (US systematically violates human rights to imprison Muslims)
The US systematically violates human rights to imprison Muslims thought to be leaning towards terrorism.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
We're not talking, here, about people who have committed real acts of violence. These people have not done that, and most of them have not even planned to do that.
19 April 2014 (Iraq veterans in US commit a substantial number of killings)
Iraq veterans in the US commit a substantial number of killings, most of the time not noticed by the press.
This is the most extreme aspect of broader psychological damage caused by sending people to fight a war that only lies can justify.
19 April 2014 (Botswana banned Bushmen from living in the desert and hunting)
Botswana has banned Bushmen from living in the desert and hunting, supposedly for the sake of wildlife protection, but perhaps really to enhance the income of the president's family.
Recruiting them as a society to fight poaching seems likely to be more effective.
19 April 2014 (Farmland in China polluted)
1/5 of the farmland in China is polluted with toxic metals.
19 April 2014 (Snowden's question to Putin)
Snowden's question to Putin about massive surveillance in Russia was designed to give him a chance to make claims that could subsequently be studied and challenged.
Given Snowden's precarious position, I think it took courage to do this and courage to talk about it after.
19 April 2014 (The Original Patriots)
Tea Party, Taxes and Why the Original Patriots Would've Revolted Against the Surveillance State.
19 April 2014 (Urgent: Help the EFF develop free software)
Programmers: help the EFF develop free software to send emails to Congress.
19 April 2014 (Illegal logging is rife in the Peruvian Amazon)
Illegal logging is rife in the Peruvian Amazon. Many logging concessions are being canceled.
19 April 2014 (AI revenge on humans)
It may be quite difficult to design AIs with desires such that we can be sure they won't take horrible revenge on humans.
However, the problem may not arise if we stick to AIs that don't have desires.
18 April 2014 (Companies indirectly bypass nondiscrimination laws)
Technology and data mining enable companies to indirectly bypass nondiscrimination laws.
18 April 2014 (Who Are the Koch Brothers and What Do They Want)
Who Are the Koch Brothers and What Do They Want?
Their money has spread acceptance of their pro-exploitation ideas, which used to be considered shockingly extremist in the US.
18 April 2014 (Some companies wield power that compares with states)
Companies that amass personal data, such as Facebook, wield power that compares with states.
Since they are not democratically controlled by the people whose data they control, their power is illegitimate.
18 April 2014 (8 million Americans signed up for health care)
8 million Americans have signed up under Obama's health care program.
It is good, as far as it goes; it just doesn't go far enough.
18 April 2014 ("Lamb" dishes proved to have other kinds of meat)
In the UK, in a private test, 40% of prepared "lamb" dishes tested proved to have other kinds of meat. To address this problem, the UK will cut the budget for testing food.
18 April 2014 (Control of federal land)
ALEC is pushing state laws to pressure the US government to give states control of federal land, the idea being that the states will be pushovers for mining companies.
They refer to this with the romantic-sounding name of "sagebrush rebellion" to make it look like something other than exploitation.
The Australian government is giving states control over environmental planning precisely to make it easier for mining companies to despoil and pollute.
18 April 2014 (Urgent: Cancel contracts with privatized prison company)
Everyone: sign this petition asking the governor of Tennessee to cancel contracts with privatized prison company CCA.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
18 April 2014 (Oil extraction from Yasuní)
Ecuadorians have collected enough signatures for a referendum on whether to extract oil from Yasuní.
18 April 2014 (Big business lobbying in Seattle)
Big business in Seattle, trying to undermine implementation of a living wage law, have made a plan to disguise their lobbying as coming from mom-and-pop stores.
18 April 2014 (The fighting in Mariupol)
More information about the fighting in Mariupol.
18 April 2014 (UK anti-fracking protesters)
UK anti-fracking protesters including a Green member of Parliament were cleared of criminal charges over an anti-fracking protest.
Now who is going to make the thugs stop arresting anti-fracking protesters.
18 April 2014 (Microplastics in waterways)
Illinois is trying to get the microplastics out of its refuse, and thus out of its waterways, but it's going slow about it.
18 April 2014 (Egypt imprisoning gay men)
Egypt's government is imprisoning lots of gay men.
18 April 2014 (Rhino farms)
South Africa plans to farm rhinos to sell their horns.
I don't see anything wrong in principle with farming rhinos for their horns. If the farmed horn is cheap enough, no one will bother poaching. However, this article claims it will be expensive and the gangs will not slow down their poaching.
The fact that the horns are sold as phony cures suggests that educating people that the cure is a lie might help. Could phony rhino horn be made from cow hooves or human fingernails?
18 April 2014 (Genetically modified plant)
A genetically modified plant is being tested which produces oils that fish normally get from marine algae.
Since they are not used with a special pesticide regime, and would either be fed to fish or used as a dietary additive, I don't think these plants are likely to harm health of humans or wildlife. However, is there a danger that patented genes will contaminate farms trying to grow ordinary camelina?
Would it be possible to cultivate the algae instead?
17 April 2014 (Urgent: Call for a ban on fracking in US national parks)
US citizens: call for a ban on fracking in US national parks.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
17 April 2014 (Urgent: Don't prohibit states from requiring labeling of GMOs)
US citizens: tell Congress, don't prohibit states from requiring labeling of GMOs.
17 April 2014 (Urgent: Call on the US government pursue thug)
US citizens: call on the US government to pursue the thug that followed an unarmed Black teenager home then killed him there.
17 April 2014 (Urgent: Cancel contracts with privatized prisons)
Everyone: call on the Governor of Tennessee to cancel contracts with privatized prisons.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
17 April 2014 (Urgent: Do not renew two loopholes)
US citizens: call on Congress not to renew two loopholes that enable many companies to get out of paying taxes.
Please sign this one too.
$1,259: What Corporate Tax Dodgers Cost the Average Taxpayer.
(Eliminating these two loopholes would not necessarily save all of that.)
17 April 2014 (Placebos proved effective)
Placebos proved effective in treating irritable bowel syndrome even with patients who knew they were getting a placebo.
Strange, these humans.
17 April 2014 (High-pressure education in the UK)
High-pressure education in the UK can keep children in school up to 10 hours a day, denying them any time for personal life.
17 April 2014 (Leader in the Greek Golden Dawn party praised Hitler)
A leader in the Greek Golden Dawn party praised Hitler. Now there is no doubt that it is a neo-Nazi party.
One of the "great" things that Hitler did was conquer Greece. I wonder how Greeks feel about that.
17 April 2014 (In War, Truth Is the First Casualty)
In War, Truth Is the First Casualty
17 April 2014 (How millionaires pay lower income tax than middle-class)
How US millionaires pay lower income tax rates than middle-class Americans.
17 April 2014 (Rule against sending employees work emails after 6pm)
The French labor rule, against sending employees work emails after 6pm, says something about other countries where people let the boss impose their life priorities.
17 April 2014 (Land-Grab and resource-grab are speeding up)
Environmental activists are being killed in greater numbers because the land-grab and resource-grab are speeding up.
17 April 2014 (CEO Pay Soars As Worker Pay Stagnates)
(In the US) CEO Pay Soars As Worker Pay Stagnates.
17 April 2014 (Canada's tar sands oil extraction threatens to be imitated)
Canada's tar sands oil extraction threatens to be imitated in many other parts of the world including the US. The result would be global disaster for certain.
The "climate bomb" might turn out to be one sub-munition of a cluster climate bomb.
17 April 2014 (Murder charges for people running the Rana Plaza)
People involved in running the Rana Plaza factory face murder charges in Bangladesh.
I think this charge is unjust. Running a factory in a badly built building created a risk of a deadly collapse, but the chance was still small. It ought to be a crime, but not murder.
Contrast this with the fossil fuel industry's lobbying and disinformation campaign about global heating, which is sure to kill millions of people (perhaps even billions) unless some stroke of luck saves them. That is a real murder plot.
If the goal is to put an end to using substandard buildings as factories, it is more effective to impose heavy fines on a large fraction of the operators whose factories are not protected against collapse, than to imprison or even execute the few whose factories actually collapse.
17 April 2014 (Poisoning the poor)
A study finds poor people and minority group members in the US face 40% more exposure to toxic chemicals than wealthy Whites.

I think, however, that rather than calling for a more equal distribution of toxins, we should give priority to reducing toxic pollution for everyone — something that companies resist.
17 April 2014 (Because it's a secret...)
Obama has proposed to put the CIA in charge of deciding which parts of the Senate report on CIA torture should be published.

In effect, he has taken the CIA's side against the Senate, the American people, and human decency.
17 April 2014 (Top ten carbon emitters)
The IPCC has laid out clearly what the world needs to do to avoid global heating disaster. Since most of the emissions come from ten countries (including China and the US), these countries above all must reduce emissions.
17 April 2014 (Corporate welfare in action)
The Tax Breaks (for oil) That Are Killing the Planet
17 April 2014 (Global warming in California)
Bombshell: Study Ties Epic California Drought, Frigid East To Manmade Climate Change.
17 April 2014 (Hear no evil)
Pennsylvania Teen Convicted Of A Crime For Recording Bullies At School.

I think that schools should have a policy of authorizing students who are being bullied to make recordings of the bullies, so as to show the school what the bullies are doing, but these should not be distributed outside the school. (In particular, they should not be placed on servers outside the school.)
17 April 2014 (Fracking emissions much worse than predicted)
Fracking wells' methane emissions are up to 1000 times higher than claimed, and that's even before the fracking starts.

This means it is stupid and self-defeating to try to reduce global heating by switching from coal to fracked gas.

In any case, calling it "switching" is misleading because just as much coal continues to be extracted and burned. Fracking is in addition to coal.
17 April 2014 (Tennessee bans public rapid transit)
The Koch brothers lobbied for a Tennessee law to ban construction of structures to make for more efficient bus transit.
17 April 2014 (Corrections Corporation of America)
Americans, your taxes may be supporting a private prison that profits by keeping imprisonment rates high.
17 April 2014 (Cover your eyes please)
The people of Arivaca, Arizona, feel the heel of the US Border Patrol as an occupying army, which also represses those who photograph their activities.

The Border Patrol is planning to extend its permanent checkpoints to New England, repressing all Americans in the name of deportation.
17 April 2014 (Florida discourages democracy)
US citizens: call on the Department of Justice to investigate Florida's decision to ban toilets from being available at voting places.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
17 April 2014 (Stop CIA arms trafficking)
US citizens: call on Congress not to allow the CIA to facilitate delivery of portable anti-aircraft missiles to Syrian rebels.

The rebel groups sell arms between them, and also capture arms from each other. No matter what care the US might take, jihadis would get some of them.
17 April 2014 (Patenting of nature)
Everyone: tell Nestle to stop trying to patent the use of fennel flowers as a medicine.
17 April 2014 (No Fracking in National Parks)
US citizens: call for a ban on fracking in US national parks.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
17 April 2014 (GMO labeling)
US citizens: tell Congress, don't prohibit states from requiring labeling of GMOs.
17 April 2014 (Armed and Above the Law)
US citizens: call on the US government to pursue the thug that followed an unarmed Black teenager home then killed him there.
17 April 2014 (CCA's Dirty Business)
Everyone: call on the Governor of Tennessee to cancel contracts with privatized prisons.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
17 April 2014 (Help Stop Corporate Welfare)
US citizens: call on Congress not to renew two loopholes that enable many companies to get out of paying taxes.

Please sign this one too.

$1,259: What Corporate Tax Dodgers Cost the Average Taxpayer.

(Eliminating these two loopholes would not necessarily save all of that.)
16 April 2014 (Urgent: Oppose "fast track" for the TPP)
US citizens: oppose "fast track" for the TPP.
16 April 2014 (Urgent: Repeal the U SAP AT RIOT Act)
US citizens: call on Congress to repeal the U SAP AT RIOT Act and the FISA Amendments Act, which authorized the government's collection of much of the dossiers that companies accumulate.
16 April 2014 (Urgent: Increase Social Security)
US citizens: tell Democratic holdouts to endorse increasing Social Security.
16 April 2014 (Tar sands oil export pipeline)
The intended terminus of an alternate tar sands oil export pipeline from Alberta, running to the West Coast through Canada, has blocked the pipeline with a referendum.
16 April 2014 (US standardized tests)
The US obtusely fires teachers based on students' standardized tests, disregarding the fact that nearly all the difference in test outcomes results from other factors such as class size and students' background.
16 April 2014 (Protests in Russia)
10,000 people protested in Russia condemning Putin's lies about Ukraine.
16 April 2014 (Ban on vasectomies in Iran)
Iran's theocratic ruler has called for banning vasectomies, abortions and contraception, in an effort to force people to have more children.
With human population growth continuing to endanger civilization, such policies are very dangerous.
16 April 2014 (100 schoolgirls kidnapped)
Boko Haram Islamist fanatics kidnapped 100 schoolgirls as they were taking an exam.
16 April 2014 (Technological singularity)
Arguing that a real technological singularity, as Vernor Vinge envisioned it, is not likely to occur, especially not any time soon.
Please do not buy his books (or any books, or anything else) from Amazon!
16 April 2014 (Privatized UK prison)
A UN investigator was barred from the UK's privatized prison for people to be deported.
16 April 2014 (Control of eastern Ukraine)
Ukraine's government has started military action to recover control of some eastern cities.
The armed groups that have taken control of buildings and streets are either rebels or invaders, or a mix of the two. Referring to them as "terrorists" is a smear, however: they have shown no inclination towards violence against anyone but soldiers. This verges on war, but it is not terrorism.
That point might seem like quibbling, but it is very important. If we want "free" countries such as the US and the UK to stop making opportunistic accusations of "terrorism" against protesters and journalists' lovers, we should object whenever the term is stretched.
15 April 2014 (Intelligence agencies' budgets)
A bill to make US intelligence agencies publish their budgets might provide leverage to reduce those budgets.
15 April 2014 (US taxes on low-paid adults)
US taxes have pushed 7 million low-paid adults down into or further down below the poverty line.
The adults who are vulnerable to this are those who do not have custody of any children.
If anyone asks, "How could we pay for these tax cuts", it's simple: tax the rich more, and tax companies more.
[Reference updated on 2022-07-15 because the old link was broken.]
15 April 2014 (Spending on America's war machine)
America's war machine, far bigger than any other country, should be reduced so as to spend the money on things we really need.
Of course, we should increases taxes on rich people and companies too.
15 April 2014 (Prescription records)
A detective in Utah examined prescription records of hundreds of employees of the Salt Lake City area looking for something suspicious, to try to find who stole some morphine.
I hope that the Fourth Amendment blocks this warranties search, but I don't think that is enough. Putting everyone's prescription records in a central database is asking for trouble.
15 April 2014 (Jesus homeless on a bench)
A church in North Carolina has illustrated the contradiction between Christianity and persecuting the homeless, with a bronze statue of Jesus as a homeless person sleeping on a bench.
I reject Christianity as a whole, but there are a few aspects of it that are admirable, and this is one of them.
Here's an example of the sort of persecution that a sincere Christian can't do.
15 April 2014 (Illegal confiscation of passport)
The US government illegally confiscated Nader El-Dajani's passport without a hearing, and refuses to say why, or that it has any accusations against him.
15 April 2014 (Depriving Shuafat of water)
A court ruled that Israel can't keep Shuafat totally deprived of water. So now Israel provides water between 03:00 and 08:00, the time which is most harassing for the inhabitants.
15 April 2014 (Amazon's book recommendations)
Amazon's book recommendations are not an honest attempt to figure out what a customer might like. Publishers pay to have books promoted in this way.
15 April 2014 (The drone assassination program)
Obama officials have proposed "moving" the drone assassination program in Pakistan from the CIA to the military so that it would have to follow clear military rules. That proposal was pure pretense, since in fact the US military has been running these drone assassinations all along. The "CIA" label is just an excuse ignoring those rules.
15 April 2014 (Avoiding disaster)
The IPCC says that our carbon emissions will take us to the brink of disaster and that we must start vigorously cutting them now if we are to avoid the big disaster. However, we can still afford to do this; the cost will be bearable.
Australia's government's response is to insist on burning fossil fuels, saying that carbon capture will someday reduce their emissions.
Carbon capture for power plant emissions is purely theoretical, but even if it turns out to be possible, that will be too late to prevent the disaster.
Meanwhile, an Australian court ruled that coal mines are not responsible for the emissions, on the grounds that if one mine doesn't provide the desired coal, another will.
That ruling is based on the premise that the point is to decide who to blame, not to prevent disaster. Preventing the disaster entails making sure that no mine produces that coal, and that means first of all not this mine.
15 April 2014 (Koch brothers vs Jefferson)
How the Koch brothers stack up against Jefferson's political views.
15 April 2014 (Spanish workers' incomes)
Spanish banksters say it will take 10 years for Spanish workers' incomes to return to the level from before the financial crisis that was caused by the rules of the euro-zone, which impose policies that make any recession worse.
The "solutions" recommended are part of shock capitalism; they will do nothing to change the euro-zone rules, or to help workers against the rich.
15 April 2014 (Drug traffickers causing substantial deforestation)
Drug traffickers in Central America are causing substantial deforestation by building roads and runways through jungles.
This adds to all the other forms of harm caused by drug prohibition. The traffickers are directly responsible for the deforestation, and I do not mean to let them off the hook, but in practice the only way we can prevent the deforestation (and the other forms of harm) is by ending prohibition.
15 April 2014 (Shutting down abortion clinics)
Right-wing Christians are shutting down abortion clinics in many states by imposing pointless "safety requirements" that are impossible to satisfy.
15 April 2014 (Bitcoin ATMs)
There are now bitcoin ATMs, but since they require users to identify themselves, I don't see what good they are.
15 April 2014 (Looking at the IPCC's call)
Looking at the IPCC's call: what must humanity do, to avoid global heating disaster.
15 April 2014 (The option of "other" as a gender)
India now offers people the option of "other" as a gender.
I applaud this move, but raises a difficult question: what symbol will indicate the toilets for the "other" gender?
15 April 2014 (Chinese human rights lawyers tortured)
Chinese human rights lawyers were kept in a secret prison and tortured. They have fractures to prove it.
15 April 2014 (Air pollution in China)
Air pollution in China can make storms stronger in the western US.
15 April 2014 (Killing of environmentalists and land rights defenders)
The killing of environmentalists and land rights defenders has more than doubled in a decade.
15 April 2014 (Unrestrained capitalism)
Thomas Piketty's economics explain ow unrestrained capitalism entrenches wealth and knocks down the poor.
De Toqueville, in Democracy in America, explained what the solution was 200 years ago: large fortunes were split up among several heirs at each generation. To avoid an oligarchic state, we must always have some solution.
15 April 2014 (Right-Wing Israeli lobby dominates politicians)
An ex-minister in Australia has exposed how thoroughly the right-wing Israeli lobby dominates politicians there.
15 April 2014 (Rate of meat-eating is unsustainable)
The western world's rate of meat-eating is unsustainable; to avoid various kinds of disaster, including global heating, we must move to eating much less meat and dairy products.
15 April 2014 (Think of oneself as a "personal brand")
The idea that one should think of oneself as a "personal brand" directs people's thinking away from the collective action they really need.
I see two problems in that idea:
- It encourages artificiality and insincerity. No one is exactly like anyone else, but each aspect of a person probably resembles that aspect of many other persons. If you decide to change just so that you will stand out in a crowd, that is artificial and insincere.
- Workers are mostly interchangeable as regards working as a sales clerk, an assembly worker, a nurse, or a teacher. Two sales clerks may have different personalities, interests and appearances, so that as persons they are not very similar, but those differences are irrelevant to getting hired.
  Workers in the past realized that they were interchangeable for their employers. Rather than trying, each one, to stand out from the rest of the workforce, they built unions to require employers to respect the rights of all their workers.
  If you try to confront the work situation alone, treating other workers as your competition, you're aiming for a kind of success that at best a small fraction of workers can achieve.
I'm an unusual person — I wear, I say, I do things that are different from most people. If I were trying to have a "personal brand", you might say I have succeeded.
But I never did anything with that as a goal. I didn't choose any of these traits to be different from others. Each of my unusual traits, I have either because I found it fun, or because I found it useful, or because I resented and resisted a demand to change it, or because changing it would have involved an insupportable indignity, or because I have tried to change it but have not entirely succeeded (yet).
Be true to yourself, and be true to society as a whole.
15 April 2014 (Reductions in salt levels in foods)
Government-led reductions in salt levels in foods, in the UK, appears responsible for a 40% drop in deaths from strokes and likewise from heart attacks.
14 April 2014 (CIA torture cover-up exposed)
A leaked copy of part of the Senate's report on CIA torture says that the CIA tortured lots of people and went beyond what it had got approval for.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]

That the CIA lied to the rest of the US government about its torture practices does not seem implausible to me. However, we must not let this exonerate Bush, who has already admitted approving some kinds of torture.

The CIA also seems to have lied about how many prisoners it held.

When the CIA says it released a prisoner, I wonder what that means. Was that person freed? Released to some other prison? Released to a cemetery? Without a thorough investigation of the facts, we must not suppose that words used the CIA mean what we would normally expect.

Here's the text that was leaked.
14 April 2014 (Time's up for fossil fuel)
Greenpeace: tell the fossil fuel industry its time is up.

Fossil fuel interests corrupt our governments (including Canada, Australia, the UK and the US), and our media, to push the world into continued dependence on fossil fuels. This is a conspiracy to commit mass murder, and all those involved should be put behind bars.
14 April 2014 (Urgent: Sunshine in Litigation Act)
US citizens: ask your congresscritter to cosponsor the Sunshine in Litigation Act.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
14 April 2014 (Urgent: Decent treatment of employees)
Everyone: call on Kellogg's to treat its employees and farm workers decently.
14 April 2014 (Urgent: Oppose nomination of bankster)
US citizens: call on Obama to withdraw the nomination of a bankster as an official of the Commerce Department. The bankster just got a 9-million-dollar bonus for moving to a position where he will be in a position to help his former employer.
14 April 2014 (Reporting anything "suspicious")
The US asks the public to report anything "suspicious", and nearly anything someone feels strange about can be "suspicious", which makes for a big data base with lots of info about lots of people.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
14 April 2014 (Phones with retina trackers)
Another privacy threat: cell phones with always-on retina trackers.
The cute "3D" feature they are used to implement is of no real importance, but I wonder what other information the proprietary software in those phones can extract using those sensors and give to companies.
14 April 2014 (IPCC's renewable energy targets)
The IPCC has presented targets for renewable energy development to avoid the worst kind of global heating disaster.
Since we don't know how precisely how much greenhouse gas emissions it will take to cause disaster, we should try to exceed these targets by as much as possible.
14 April 2014 (UK thug system of lying)
The head officers of UK thug departments UK have imposed a system of lying about crime statistics, ordering other thugs to help lie.
Crime statistics are not all that UK thugs lie about.
14 April 2014 (Being a black male in a US city)
Being a black male in a US city is like being an American in East Berlin in 1980: continual harassment by thugs, due to who you are rather than what you do, creates a sense of constant oppression.
The US government is considering new rules about racial profiling, that would not change much.
14 April 2014 (Journalist Sarah Harrison)
British journalist Sarah Harrison explains why she must not return to the UK: her lawyers warn she could be interrogated about her sources, and imprisoned if she does not answer.
The only excuse they need is for some thug to say he had a "hunch" she might be a "terrorist." And if the thug does not really have such a hunch, would he refuse to lie when ordered to do so?
14 April 2014 (Teachers protest privatization)
A public school teacher calls on other teachers to fight against the billionaires' plan to privatize public schools and turn education into a standardized test.

They plan a protest at the Gates Foundation on June 26.
14 April 2014 (Modern slavery)
Chattel slavery in the US was officially abolished after the Civil War, but current US prison practices are quite similar to modern slavery.
14 April 2014 (AFRICOM thinking big)
The US government tells the public its military plans in Africa are small, but it tells construction companies something rather different.
14 April 2014 (Smart ALEC)
ALEC is about to publish another "Rich States, Poor States" report which grades states on how friendly they are to the rich.

It turns out this was funded by the Kochs.
14 April 2014 (FBI fiddling in Guantanamo trials)
The FBI turned a member of a Guantanamo prisoner's defense team into an informant.

The FBI did this trying to figure out how a prisoner's writings reached the press. The US government is keeping the prisoners incommunicado so that they can't tell us about how they were tortured. In effect, the whole system of "military tribunals" (which are corrupt by design) has been corrupted a second time by the US's torture coverup.
14 April 2014 (Some defendants missing from Gaddafi trial)
Human rights observers were barred from the "open" trial of Gaddafi's sons and supporters, and not all the defendants were present.
14 April 2014 (Fallout from LIBOR scandal)
The FDIC is suing big banks over a tricky form of derivative, interest rate swaps, which were rigged through the LIBOR lies.

Aside from the falsification of LIBOR, banks should not be allowed to invent complex financial derivatives because that's a recipe for suckering people. If the bank can make up a game with complicated rules, it is almost certain to win the game even if the game is not actually rigged.

Banks are regulated and licensed businesses; they cannot cite "Buyer beware, especially if you're buying form us" as an all-purpose excuse for inventing gambling games that endanger the public.
14 April 2014 (Data Retention Directive ruled invalid)
Four main phone companies in Sweden have ceased retaining customers' call records, based on the court ruling against the EU data retention directive.
14 April 2014 (Police suppress criticism)
UK thugs made three tries to gag the whistleblower who exposed falsification of crime statistics.
14 April 2014 (Please don't bother the fascists)
The UK is arresting anti-fascist protesters en masse and forbidding them from protesting any further.
14 April 2014 (Emboldened by chemistry)
CO2 makes many small fish behave dangerously, which endangers the entire marine ecosystem.

This is not to mention how it can wipe out mollusks and coral.
14 April 2014 (Roundup in our food chain)
A preliminary study of a small number of US mothers found high levels of glyphosate in the breast milk of several of them.

A larger study is called for, but what's clear already is that US safety standards have been corrupted by powerful businesses.
14 April 2014 (Scales of justice)
US banksters just about always bounce back from any disgrace, since they bounce on their piles of money.

Poor Americans convicted of comparatively minor crimes are locked out from many careers and educational opportunities. Practically speaking, all they are allowed to be is criminals. The banksters' crimes are far worse; the harshest consequences should be reserved for them.
14 April 2014 (Sadistic treatment)
Egyptian dissidents, imprisoned without trial, say that thugs raped them in prison.
14 April 2014 (New moms, new customers)
The UK national health service pays a data broker to hand out forms — and ask new mothers (still recuperating in hospital) for personal data while they're at it.

These are the sorts of things that teach children that "everyone and everything is for sale, all the time, and there's nothing that shouldn't be for sale".

I think it was a terrible mistake for US cities to sell the names of stadiums as a form of advertising, because that was a very loud statement that "everything is for sale". Any time you're thinking of letting companies buy something that is public, it means you're not taxing them enough.
14 April 2014 (More Russian shenanigans in Ukraine)
It appears that Russian army units, pretending not to be such, are capturing cities in eastern Ukraine.

They seem to have some support from the local civilians, but there is no way of telling how many civilians do not support them; those people are facing powerful intimidation now.
13 April 2014 (Denying raises to teachers unless they "volunteer")
UK school principals are denying raises to teachers unless they "volunteer" for unpaid extra work.
13 April 2014 (Australian gov't ordered employees to report on their colleagues)
The Australian government has ordered government employees to report their colleagues for posting anything on the internet that criticizes the government.
You'd expect as much from the mining industry's government of occupation.
13 April 2014 (Nonfree test-supervising software)
San Jose State University (and probably other universities too) requires some students to run nonfree test-supervising software used to impose a regime that must drive people nuts.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
I'd fail a test in algebra, if I had to spend an hour answering questions while never looking away from the camera. And if I were not allowed to look down at the keyboard, I would make typos too. A program that imposes requirements like this must be considered malware.
But even if it were not known to be malware, it would be unacceptable if it is non-free, which is surely the case.
13 April 2014 (Converting US economy into a system of financial parasitism)
Financial analyst Eric Garland says that Bain Capital (and similar leveraged-buyout companies) are converting the US economy into a system of financial parasitism, in which business decisions are no longer supposed to make sense for the company, and imposed company debt is put into complex schemes so it can be resold to a "bigger fool".
The "bigger fools" in this case are rich and greedy, so I offer no condolences to whichever one gets stuck with the hot potato. But the bursting of this bubble could hurt nearly everyone (except the parasites that did the leveraged buyouts).
13 April 2014 (US mainstream media and breakdown of the "peace negotiations")
US mainstream media ignored Israel's breach of the interim deal with Palestine, and blamed Palestine's response as the cause of the breakdown of the "peace negotiations".
Since Israel's government does not want peace, these "peace negotiations" were never more than a sham, a way for Israel's government to pretend it wants peace.
13 April 2014 (LA thugs sabotaged their full-time recording devices)
LA thugs have sabotaged their full-time recording devices by "losing" the antennas.
I guess they want to be free to beat people up unmonitored.
People in general should not be "followed all the time" by the state or by companies, but thugs are a special case because they have special power, and because the state gives them near total immunity for their violence.
13 April 2014 (Science teacher in LA was fired)
A science teacher in LA was fired for supervising the construction of devices that could conceivably launch projectiles. Someone else thought they "looked like weapons".
One might be tempted to say that the school administrators are rash idiots, but it's not that simple. The problem is that they think that their job is to act like rash idiots. That's what "zero tolerance" means.
13 April 2014 (General strike in Argentina)
A million workers participated in a general strike in Argentina.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
13 April 2014 (Subtle campaign of global heating sabotage)
A subtle campaign of global heating sabotage uses distorted facts to criticize climate scientists for not promoting certain dangerous or ineffective "solutions".
I wonder where this group gets its funds.
13 April 2014 (Urgent: Support bill to require labeling of GMOs)
Citizens of Massachusetts: support the bill to require labeling of GMOs.
13 April 2014 (UK caught helping CIA run secret prison)
The UK has been caught helping the CIA run a secret prison on Diego Garcia.
13 April 2014 (Urgent: Restore what Supreme Court weakened in the 5th Amendment)
US citizens: call on Congress to try to restore what the Supreme Court weakened in the 5th Amendment.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
13 April 2014 (Citizens of Albuquerque protested the street executions)
Citizens of Albuquerque protested the street executions carried out by thugs, to demand that corrective action be taken in a way that the thugs can't undermine.
13 April 2014 (Snowden summarized the broad reach of NSA)
Snowden, speaking to the European Parliament, summarized the broad reach of NSA massive surveillance.
13 April 2014 (Urgent: Reproductive health care access)
Everyone: support efforts in Colorado to pass a law protecting access to reproductive health care.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
13 April 2014 (Urgent: GMO labeling)
US citizens: call on your congresscritter to oppose the dishonest bill designed to block states from requiring labeling of GMOs.
13 April 2014 (Commercial use of medical records)
The EFF is campaigning against commercial misuse of people's medical records.
I support this campaign but I think it does not go far enough. Both companies and governments can misuse our medical records, so a real solution must make it hard for either of them to get our records, hard enough that they will only get them in individual cases, never in bulk.
13 April 2014 (Fossil fuel shock capitalism)
The fossil fuel industry is continuing its policy of shock capitalism to exploit every crisis, including Crimea.
13 April 2014 (The concept of "selling out")
Some teenagers in the US no longer understand the concept of "selling out", because they know no other approach to life.
The article relates that to the 30-year-long campaign to attack public education, which may be related to it. However, antisocial networks such as Facebook may be more responsible for it. Alone Together, by Sherry Turkle, says that Facebook encourages people to present phony, calculated images of themselves.
Parents can't stop their children from being used by Facebook. I wonder if they can teach their children to reject Facebook. Perhaps teaching them to distrust what anyone says in Facebook, and that friendships among people heavily influenced by Facebook tend to be superficial and empty. Would that be effective? I don't know.
In any case, this is an additional reason not to have children. Why go through so much effort to make yet another Facebook used who won't be able to envision any way of living except self-marketing.
13 April 2014 (War on Terror)
War on Terror's Trickle Down Effect: The FBI's Military Evolution Exposed.
13 April 2014 (FBI snooping)
The FBI did not bother to question Tamerlan Tsarnaev, but now says his example shows it needs more snooping authority.
The Boston Marathon bombers killed four people, not as many as a recent bus accident, but it has been sensationalized so much that people perceive it as signifying a far bigger danger. That makes it an ideal excuse for efforts to undermine our freedom.
13 April 2014 (SEC surveillance powers)
The SEC is blocking reform of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act by demanding additional surveillance powers.
Note that even if this reform goes through, you will still have less rights over your email when it is in a company than if it is in your home.
13 April 2014 (The FBI and Massachusetts)
The ACLU is suing to get information about FBI and Massachusetts involvement in investigations relating to the Boston marathon bombing, and whether massive increases in surveillance that threaten our freedom really provided any security at all.
13 April 2014 (Japan apologizes)
Japan has apologized for some atrocities in World War II. When will the US do likewise?
13 April 2014 (Andrew Auernheimer's conviction)
Andrew Auernheimer's conviction was overturned on appeal on the grounds he was prosecuted in the wrong state.
This is not the trivial issue it appears at first sight. The US prosecuted him in New Jersey, although his case had nothing to do with New Jersey, because that court tends to stretch the law to give convictions. Blocking that approach will protect other people.
Nonetheless, it means that the twisted logic behind the claim that Auernheimer's actions were a crime will not be reconsidered.
13 April 2014 (US deportation of "Mexicans")
The US has deported thousands of "Mexicans" who came to the US as children and don't know what it is like to live in Mexico. Many stay in Tijuana, trying to feel close to their families in the US.
13 April 2014 (McDonald's' toxic pesticides)
Campaigning to reduce the toxic pesticides used to make McDonald's' french fries.
If this succeeds, they will only be bad for the people that eat them ;-).
12 April 2014 (Thug department condemned for frequently using "deadly force")
The Albuquerque thug department has been condemned for frequently using "deadly force" with no justification.
12 April 2014 (Boycott on investing in fossil fuel companies)
Desmond Tutu calls for a boycott on investing in fossil fuel companies.
I agree, on this, and on the point that it is unconscionable that our governments continue to offer cooperation (such as the Keystone XL pipeline) and financial support to fossil fuels.
12 April 2014 (Urgent: Tell Comcast what you think)
In the US: tell Comcast what you think of its claim that there are no rational objections to its proposed merger with another large ISP.
12 April 2014 (Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras visited the US)
Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras visited the US, and were not harassed by government agents on arrival.
Poitras used to be harassed regularly each time she returned to the US.
12 April 2014 (Urgent: Call for ending a big tax loophole for businesses)
Citizens of Massachusetts: call for ending a big tax loophole for businesses.
12 April 2014 (Growth for Growth's Sake Will Kill Us All)
Growth for Growth's Sake Will Kill Us All.
In addition to being unsustainable, growth has also become nearly useless for the non-rich, in countries under plutocratic rule. The benefits of growth are seized by the plutocrats so little benefit trickles down to the rest.
You can't expect a rising tide to lift your boat if the plutocrats have taken planks from the hull and demand you lease them back.
Thus, taking wealth from the rich is a more appropriate policy nowadays than growth.
12 April 2014 (US Lacks Accurate Drone Civilian Casualty Data)
US Lacks Accurate Drone Civilian Casualty Data, says Military Analyst.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
Being more careful, with better data, would be a useful step. But really the US should cease using military force outside of war zones.
12 April 2014 (Labeling GMO salmon)
The company making the GMO salmon claims that the FDA has already decided not to require labeling of this salmon.
This is not officially true, but the FDA is doing nothing to rebut the claim.
My guess is that the FDA has in fact made that decision, just not officially.
12 April 2014 (PBS supporting privatization of US public schools)
PBS is firmly and persistently supporting the billionaires' movement for privatization of US public schools.
PBS's shows have been largely controlled by business since the 1990s, if not before. Often you can tell which companies exert the control over a show because their commercials appear in it.
Compare this with the campaign to pry loose the control of the fossil fuel industry over PBS.
12 April 2014 (Theories endure in the media long after they have been refuted)
A few scientists publish papers criticism some aspects of the accepted understanding of global heating. Their theories sometimes endure in the mainstream media long after they have been refuted by further data.
12 April 2014 (Newspapers printed black front pages)
Burmese newspapers printed black front pages to protest the imprisonment of a journalist.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
12 April 2014 (Celebrate Homeopathy Awareness Week)
A scientist says, let's celebrate Homeopathy Awareness Week by making the public aware of how absurd and ineffective homeopathy is.
12 April 2014 (Gov't refuses to say where Sharif Mobley is)
US citizen Sharif Mobley is accused of murder in Yemen, much like Obama. Unlike Obama, Mobley was supposed to be prosecuted there; but now that it is time for a hearing, the government now refuses to say where he is.
12 April 2014 (US Supreme Court narrowed right to remain silent)
The US Supreme Court has narrowed the right to remain silent and not have that used against you in court, by saying the right applies only if you have explicitly cited it.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
12 April 2014 (US gov't seizing money)
The US government is seizing money from people today to cancel "over-payments" in disability benefits allegedly made to their parents.
I don't think the US should seize money without a hearing about it. And it should not be able to seize money from children because of over-payments to their parents. Debts are not inherited.
12 April 2014 (US Army leaving behind lots of dangerous things)
The US Army is leaving behind, in Afghanistan, lots of dangerous things such as unexploded munitions.
12 April 2014 (Climate Change Is Not a Debate)
Climate Change Is Not a Debate: It Is a Struggle That Pits Survivors Against Fossil Fuel Profiteers.
12 April 2014 (Urgent: Divestment from fossil fuel)
US citizens: sign up in support of Harvard faculty calling for divestment from fossil fuel companies.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
12 April 2014 (Mutagenic nano-particles)
Two commonly used kinds of nano-particles, zinc oxide and silver, can damage DNA if they get into human cells.
This highlights the danger that a material which is safe when used in larger units may be dangerous in the form of small particles.
12 April 2014 (Guinea mining licenses canceled)
Guinea has canceled mining licenses obtained, it seems, through corruption.
12 April 2014 (Coal industry "education")
Illinois will continue passing along coal industry (Koch brothers?) "education" in public schools.
12 April 2014 (US border patrol thugs)
Clarisa Christiansen describes how US border patrol agents threatened to attack her as she was driving her children to school, refusing to say why, and eventually slashed her tire just to be nasty.
These thugs should be required to make video and audio recordings of their interactions with the public.
12 April 2014 (Airplane wifi systems)
Airplane wifi systems spy on users even more than US law requires, as a "favor" to the US government.
12 April 2014 (Comcast and Time Warner Cable)
Comcast called Time Warner Cable a competitor until they wanted to merge, at which point it started claiming that the two companies do not compete.
We should not permit large companies in the same field of business to merge under any circumstances.
12 April 2014 (Privacy violates trade treaty)
The US Trade Representative claims that the European Union can't set its own data centers to protect privacy and block surveillance because that would violate a trade treaty.
12 April 2014 (Singapore enacts SOPA)
Singapore rejected a "three strikes" law — and enacted SOPA instead.
12 April 2014 (New French Puns)
3 new puns in French
11 April 2014 (US in a "gilded age" again)
The US is in a "gilded age" again because concentration of income to a wealthy few has gone back up to what it was a century ago.
11 April 2014 (Urgent: Extend unemployment benefits)
US citizens: phone the Republican leaders in the House of Representatives to extend unemployment benefits.
11 April 2014 (The timidity of the SEC)
SEC lawyer James Kidney, in his retirement speech, rebuked the agency for timidity against the executives of the companies it is supposed to regulate.
11 April 2014 (Urgent: Cancel Corporations United)
US citizens: phone your senators and congresscritter, and say to co-sponsor S.J.Res.18 & H.J.Res.21, for constitutional amendments to cancel the Corporations United (*) decision.
The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
^* To call it what it really is.
11 April 2014 (Urgent: Protect rape victims)
Everyone: tell Mozambique, don't let rapists push their victims into marriage.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
11 April 2014 ("Open" is not strong enough)
In issues of human rights, not solely in the software field, the concept of "open" is not strong enough.
11 April 2014 (Food additives used in the US)
Around 1000 food additives are used in the US without need for regulatory approval (or proper investigation).
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
11 April 2014 (Why Obama did not attack Assad)
Seymour Hersh writes that Obama decided not to attack Assad in Syria because he found out that the gas attack was committed by the Islamists of al-Nusra. Before that, he was planning a massive attack.
Hersh's sources say that Turkey supported al-Nusra in making Sarin. They also say that the CIA was sending US weapons to jihadists in Syria through Turkey, but in 2013 Obama decided to stop it, and that Erdogan ordered the attack so as to bring the US into the war against Assad.
I still think it is important to find out who started the rebellion in Syria. Was that set up by Turkey and Saudi Arabia and the US?
11 April 2014 (Wisconsin election practices)
Wisconsin is one of the best US states in running elections, but the Republicans now in power are doing their best to change that.
11 April 2014 (Egypt prosecuting journalist)
Egypt is prosecuting yet another al-Jazeera journalist.
11 April 2014 (Heatland Institute on global heating)
The Heatland* Institute can't make up its mind whether to claim there is no global heating or claim global heating is beneficial.
What they say doesn't need to do any more than keep people too confused to interfere with what the Koch Brothers want.
^* Officially "Heartland", but the name "Heatland" fits its activities better.
11 April 2014 (BP still poisoning wildlife)
The Big Spill is still poisoning dolphins, turtles, oysters and fish in parts of the Gulf of Mexico.
11 April 2014 (UK making college expensive)
The UK is following the US in making college expensive; students will take 30 years to repay their loans.
11 April 2014 (Unions)
Without unions, workers won't be paid what their work is worth.
11 April 2014 (Swindled by Roche)
The Pharma company Roche swindled governments out of billions by suggesting that Tamiflu was effective against flu symptoms while concealing that experiments had shown the contrary.
We should not allow these companies to have anything to do with such experiments. The government should tax them and spend the money on the experiments.
11 April 2014 (Working people)
Working people should not be condemned to being "hard-working" in service of the rich. Especially not when there is no work available.
10 April 2014 (Women imprisoned in Sri Lanka)
Sri Lanka has imprisoned several women accused simply of having some sort of relationship with a suspected Tamil nationalist leader.
The Bush forces did similar things in Iraq.
10 April 2014 (Work hours in France)
France has prohibited employers in the digital sector from making employees respond to work emails after 6pm.
This means hackers in France now have more time to work on free software (logiciel libre).
10 April 2014 (Miami thug faces charges)
A senior Miami thug faces charges of working for drug gangs.
The war on drugs corrupts many officials; that's one of the reasons we need to put an end to it.
10 April 2014 (Protests for privilege)
Distinguishing the street protests of the middle classes wanting privilege from those of the poor demanding a decent life.
10 April 2014 (Greek workers strike)
Greek workers held a general strike against austerity as a protest also against Merkel's imperial visit.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
Distinguishing the street protests of the middle classes wanting privilege from those of the poor demanding a decent life.
10 April 2014 (Toxic coal ash regulation in NC)
Slavishly subservient mining regulators in North Carolina have appealed a court victory that affirmed their power to regulate toxic coal ash.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
10 April 2014 (Charter schools)
The mayor of Chicago is pushing to replace public schools with charter schools, claiming that the charter schools are superior. A study confirms previous results that charter schools are no better, in educational terms at least.
They must be better for someone. I wonder who, and how much that someone contributes to election campaigns.
10 April 2014 (Brave NYC teachers)
Some brave New York City teachers have declared they will refuse to help administer the Common Core tests.
10 April 2014 (The views of non-rich people)
A statistical study confirms that the views of non-rich people have negligible effects on US government policies. The rich, and special interest lobbying, have nearly total control.
And that was before the Supreme Court gave companies and rich people even more power to control elections.
Plutocracy has squeezed democracy almost completely out of the US political system. It follows that the US government is not a legitimate government; it is a government of occupation for a colonial system.
10 April 2014 (World's rate of oil extraction)
Jeremy Leggett, oil geologist, claims that the world's rate of oil extraction will fall short of demand, sometime before 2020, perhaps as soon as 2015. He also says that a transition to renewable energy is within our grasp.
Unfortunately, the Koch Brothers and their pet politicians are working so hard to prevent the transition. A carbon tax is the way to speed it up, so we can migrate as fast as possible, rather than as slow as possible.
10 April 2014 (Ayaan Hirsi Ali's honorary degree)
Brandeis University canceled its plan to give Ayaan Hirsi Ali an honorary degree because of her criticism of Islam's cruelty to women.
Anyone that this shoe fits deserves to feel unwelcome everywhere in the world.
10 April 2014 (Sexual advances)
A campaign against sexism appears to condemn all explicit sexual advances as "harassment".
10 April 2014 (Australian campaign donors)
Australia's policy towards Israel and Palestine under the previous (Labor) government was determined directly by campaign donors.
10 April 2014 ("Unlawful" breastfeeding)
Stephanie Greene was convicted of manslaughter because she breastfed her daughter while taking morphine, which was prescribed for her horribly painful and disabling injuries.
This article argues that there was a medical error in the prosecution's reasoning as well: that normally only a tiny amount of morphine would get into the milk, not enough to have an effect on the baby.
But even if that were not so, you can't blame someone for taking a prescribed painkiller because of harmful effects she was not warned of.
10 April 2014 (Harmless prank in San Francisco)
The latest harmless prank in San Francisco is to turn a Smart car on its side or its front.
This operation is basically harmless. It has some chance of causing scrapes or breaking a lamp, but minor property damage should not be a felony. Evidently California has made its laws too harsh.
10 April 2014 (Urgent: Tell McDonald's to stop stealing)
Everyone: Tell McDonald's to stop stealing workers' pay.
10 April 2014 (Inhumane treatment in Guantanamo)
Shaker Aamer suffers several forms of mental illness caused by the inhumane way he is treated in Guantanamo. The state covers this up with doublespeak.
He is even punished by denying him a blanket when his arthritis hurts.
09 April 2014 (79-year-old peace activist)
Released from UK Jail, 79-year-old Peace Activist Vows to Keep Protesting.
09 April 2014 (Hungarian electoral system)
Hungary's ruling party got a 2/3 majority in parliament with 44% of the vote.
I'd say that electoral system is unfair, even granted that no single opposition party got more votes.
09 April 2014 (Australian environment dept.)
The Australian government expresses its contempt for the environment by cutting the operations of the environment department.
09 April 2014 (Global heating violence)
Causing global heating is a form of violence.
09 April 2014 (Urgent: Government by the People Act)
US citizens: Tell Congress to support the Government by the People Act.
Here's more info about it.
09 April 2014 (Urgent: EPA comment against Keystone XL)
US citizens: call on the EPA to file a comment against building the Keystone XL planet-roaster pipeline.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
09 April 2014 (Urgent: No tar sands oil in Massachusetts)
Citizens if Massachusetts: tell Governor Patrick not to allow tar sands oil into Massachusetts.
09 April 2014 (Urgent: Oppose oil exports from US)
US citizens: oppose permitting oil exports from the US.
This would create an incentive to extract ever more oil using ever more dangerous and expensive methods.
09 April 2014 (Would-be killers without guns)
20 Stabbed, Nine Hospitalized, No Dead in School Stabbing Spree.
If would-be killers can't get guns, and have to resort to using knives, they do a lot less harm.
09 April 2014 (US cuts corners on stewardship)
The US is cutting corners on stewardship of many potentially dangerous facilities, including bridges, chemical plants, and nuclear plants and weapons.
09 April 2014 (World Bank's idea of "development")
How the World Bank's idea of "development" systematically promotes inequality and poverty.
09 April 2014 (Butter vs margarine)
Looking at all the studies, there is no evidence that butter is less healthful than margarine. But it is also not clear that butter isn't worse.
09 April 2014 (Human rights in Palestine)
The US ought to welcome Palestine's application to join UN treaties concerned with human rights.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
09 April 2014 (Elizabeth Warren)
Elizabeth Warren attacked Paul Ryan's cruel lies head on, teaching what it means to be a Democrat instead of a Republican in Democrat's clothing. If she runs for president, I will support her.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
I will not support Ms Clinton, who is a phony Democrat like her husband (and Obama). I voted Green in the last two presidential elections, and when people warned me that this might lead to a Republican victory, I told them Obama was not that different, overall, from a Republican. There are some exceptions, to be sure; mainly his medical care law, which is a big step forward even after the medical insurance companies half-ruined it. Nonetheless, he's more right-wing than Nixon in terms of human rights, war, and the economy.
09 April 2014 (TSA fines John Brennan)
The TSA (Theater of Security Agency) fined John Brennan for taking off his clothes to show he had no bomb, after a non-trial which is not allowed to consider whether the regulations in use are unconstitutional.
Brennan will be able to appeal the decision, but at no point will he be entitled to a proper trial.
09 April 2014 (Hostages held in Luhansk)
The pro-Russians that captured a government building in Luhansk are armed and trained soldiers, and apparently continue to hold some hostages.
These is not a protest, this is a rebellion — or perhaps an invasion. The occupiers may well be Russian soldiers.
09 April 2014 (Palm oil made by deforestation)
Proctor and Gamble has agreed to impose policies to reject palm oil made by deforestation, but they will take 6 years to become effective.
09 April 2014 (A lot of fossil fuel must not be extracted)
Large companies including BT and Shell have recognized that a lot of fossil fuel must not be extracted.
Without more figures, I don't know how "a trillion tons of carbon" relates to the 80% of the known fossil fuel reserves that need to be left in the ground. If you can work that out, or come across an article that does, please tell me.
09 April 2014 (Margaret Thatcher inspired resistance)
Margaret Thatcher was so open about trying to crush the non-rich that she inspired resistance.
Her successors today pretend that they are doing everything but trying to crush the non-rich, which is why it is useful to keep pointing out that that's what they stand for.
09 April 2014 (Urgent: Disclose political spending)
US citizens: call on the SEC to make public companies disclose their political spending.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
09 April 2014 (Urgent: Call for refinancing student loans)
US citizens: call for refinancing student loans.
09 April 2014 (Urgent: Stand up to ALEC)
US citizens: tell your state legislators to stand up to ALEC.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
09 April 2014 (Urgent: Don't pretend to aid Ukraine)
US citizens: tell Obama, don't pretend to aid Ukraine by increasing extraction of natural gas (which usually means fracking).
09 April 2014 (Urgent: Support the Better Off Budget)
US citizens: phone your congresscritter to support the Better Off Budget.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
09 April 2014 (Harvard University investment principles)
Harvard University has adopted investment principles based on human rights and greenhouse gas reduction.
Divest Harvard has this response:

We're glad that Harvard has recognized the need to align its investments with its values. However, there are still inconsistencies in Harvard's investments. Harvard's decision to invest in climate solutions is an important step forward, but the truth is that we still have $32.6 million directly invested - and millions more indirectly invested - in the fossil fuel industry's climate destruction, science denialism, and political obstruction. We need to divest from the problem as we invest in new solutions.
09 April 2014 (No evidence homeopathy has any more effect than placebo)
A review of available experimental data for 60 diseases found that there is no evidence homeopathy has any more effect than a placebo, and in many cases clear evidence that it does not.
"Treating the whole person" is one of medical quackery's favorite claims.
09 April 2014 (US is obliged to release Shaker Aamer)
Shaker Aamer's lawyers argue the US is obliged to release him from Guantanamo due to serious physical and mental illnesses, some of them probably caused by torture and cruelty.
09 April 2014 (China is imprisoning anti-corruption protesters)
China is imprisoning anti-corruption protesters.
09 April 2014 (Russian destabilization campaign)
A Russian destabilization campaign is under way in eastern Ukraine, threatening a military invasion as in the Crimea.
Russia claims that a similar US-led destabilization campaign helped kick out President Yanukovich. That might well be true.
There is a gray area between a destabilization campaign and aiding a real popular uprising: the subtler the campaign, the more it shades into rallying the public, and the more it is the public that really has control, which means the campaign is not so bad. The "protests" in Eastern Ukraine smell very fishy to me.
The occupiers of a building in Kharkiv were removed by Ukrainian thugs. I won't criticize that if it was not done in a brutal way. However, calling them "terrorists" is an example of a very dangerous practice. Occupying a building is not terrorism.
Protesters in the US have been accused of "terrorism" too. And don't forget the Greenpeace protesters accused of "piracy" in Russia.
On the other hand, taking hostages, as pro-Russian protesters did in one city, may qualify as terrorism.
09 April 2014 (EU data retention directive)
The court ruling against the EU data retention directive also cited the further violation of privacy from allowing the data to be stored outside the reach of EU personal data protection law.
09 April 2014 (Urgent: Label GMOs)
In the US: tell Safeway to label GMOs in its store brands.
09 April 2014 (New DA helping to exonerate prisoners)
A new DA in Brooklyn is helping to exonerate prisoners that were wrongly convicted in the teeth of the evidence.
This case illustrates prosecutors' power to threaten and bribe witnesses who are themselves facing charges.
09 April 2014 (Pakistan charging a baby with attempted murder)
Pakistan has carried the school-to-prison pipeline down to the preschool level, charging a baby with attempted murder.
09 April 2014 (Israel ethnic cleansing)
UN special rapporteur Richard Falk has accused Israel of ethnic cleansing.
09 April 2014 (Urgent: Raise Walmart wages)
Everyone: tell Walmart's CEO, if the Gap can raise wages, so can Walmart.
09 April 2014 (US debt collection companies)
Debt collection companies in the US engage in illegal harassment, lie to debtors, and frequently demand payment of debts that were never owed.
09 April 2014 (US "Common Core")
The US "Common Core" is a dangerous educational experiment on US schools, an excuse for firing lots of teachers and privatizing schools.
09 April 2014 (US blogger censored)
A blogger in the US has been subjected to prior censorship by a court, which jailed him until he agreed to take down blog posts accusing an official of having an affair.
I don't think it matters who officials have sex with, but this seems dangerous.
09 April 2014 (EU-imposed data retention)
The European Court of Justice ruled that EU-imposed data retention (by ISPs and phone companies) is contrary to human rights and invalid.
More information.
09 April 2014 (Evidence of Obama cover-up)
There is specific evidence that the Obama administration specifically aimed to bury intelligence that cast doubt on Assad's responsibility for the chemical attack.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
It seems there was a high-level push for war, then Obama decided to abort the war. Was there anyone else but Obama who could have been behind the high-level push? That seems unlikely. If the high-level push originated from Obama, did he really change his mind? That too seems unlikely.
09 April 2014 (US jailing mentally ill people)
The US increasingly keeps mentally ill people in jail rather than treating them in hospital.
I suppose this results from politicians' trying to look tough.
09 April 2014 (NSA spied on human rights leaders)
Snowden told the Council of Europe that the NSA intentionally spied on leaders of human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
09 April 2014 (Meat companies get more power)
The European Union has given meat companies more power to divert infected animals back into the food chain.
09 April 2014 (The "resource curse")
With Putin, Russia has fallen victim to the "resource curse".
Unfortunately, the US is also subject to the resource curse. (Look at those who think it is a good thing that US extraction of fossil fuels has risen.) "Autocratic government, systemic corruption and developmental stagnation affecting the general population, combined with extravagant wealth on the part of controlling elites" describes US politics today.
And it's even more so in Canada and Australia.
You could say that the world as a whole has fallen victim to the "resource curse".
09 April 2014 (Urgent: Stop CNN global heating denial)
Everyone: tell CNN to stop broadcasting global heating denialism.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
09 April 2014 (Urgent: Reports on US drone attacks)
US citizens: call on Congress to require regular reports on US drone attacks.
09 April 2014 (Elections for MEPs)
EU citizens: the coming elections for MEPs are very important for freedom on the internet.
09 April 2014 (Oppression in Bahrain)
Under the cover of automobile races that distract public attention, Bahrain's ruler is increasing the level of oppression.
09 April 2014 (Blaming everything but guns)
How Right-Wing Loons and Pro-Gun Nuts Blame Everything But Guns for Mass Shootings.
(I think the word "mass" is a too strong for shooting 10 or even 20 people. "Mass murder" means a lot more victims than that.)
09 April 2014 (IMF's "rescue" of Ukraine)
The IMF's "rescue" of Ukraine will impose crushing poverty.
Ukrainians may eventually choose to make a deal with Putin instead. A deal with Russia does not necessary mean a corrupt autocratic ruler in Ukraine.
09 April 2014 (Rahinah Ibrahim off no-fly list)
Rahinah Ibrahim won her case to get off the US no-fly list, where her name was entered by mistake; but then her student visa was canceled because being on the no-fly list had put her on another list.
09 April 2014 (Government destabilization)
The US has spent millions on organizations that aim at destabilization of governments the US does not like.
Bolivia has a free press, and even in Venezuela newspapers continue to criticize the government regularly; they don't need a Twitter imitation to state their views, since those countries don't interfere with doing so on Twitter.
09 April 2014 (Dragnet Nation)
Dragnet Nation: Do Google, Facebook Know More Private Info Than NSA and Soviet-Era Secret Police?
The interview demonstrates that the answer is yes. To protect democracy, we need to dismantle the surveillance system.
09 April 2014 (Israel harasses tours of colony)
Israel is harassing tours that go to observe the Israeli colony in the middle of the Palestinian city of Hebron.
09 April 2014 (World Bank "price for carbon")
The head of the World Bank talks about the need to help renewable energy.
However, when he talks of a "price for carbon" that presumes emissions trading, which is not a reliable system as a carbon tax would be.
Meanwhile, the World Bank is funding giant fossil fuel projects. The first thing it should do is stop that.
09 April 2014 (Union in Australia fined)
A union in Australia has been fined a million dollars for blockading construction sites for days.
Meanwhile, companies that break laws get away with slaps on the wrist, or get the law changed to please them. When officials say, "We must enforce the law" to punish the workers, they pretend they are being even-handed.
When the law degrades into a scheme to help the rich crush the non-rich, that justifies the non-rich to break the law to fight back.
09 April 2014 (Permian period global heating)
Global heating caused by methane generated by a runaway organism might have caused the mass extinction at the end of the Permian period.
Now another runaway organism is producing greenhouse gases and is on the way to causing another mass extinction.
08 April 2014 ("Peace talks" between Israel and Palestine)
The "peace talks" between Israel and Palestine "failed" because the US was unwilling to do anything that displeased the most anti-peace camp in Israel: the fanatical "settlers".
Peace can be made whenever the world puts enough pressure on Israel to convince the Israeli government to accept a fair deal.
Perhaps Palestine has been encouraged to defy the US pressure to go along with useless negotiations because of support from Russia.
08 April 2014 (Public-Private partnership building a hospital)
A public-private partnership building a hospital in Lesotho, with the backing of the World Bank, is sucking up more than half that country's health care budget, starving rural clinics for funds.
When you hear "public-private partnership", think "public expense, private profits".
08 April 2014 (Eight Headlines)
Eight Headlines the Mainstream Media Doesn't Have the Courage to Print.
I'd say it's honesty that they lack, not merely courage.
08 April 2014 (Urgent: Support effective regulation of toxic chemicals)
US citizens: Tell your congresscritter and senators, support effective regulation of toxic chemicals, not the phony alternative bill.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
08 April 2014 (Political censorship in Lebanon)
In Lebanon, political censorship is carried out through libel suits.
08 April 2014 (Driver's license as proof of age)
Using a driver's license as proof of age gives dishonest bars and bartenders an opportunity to extract personal information they should not get.
08 April 2014 (Using cocaine while pregnant)
A woman in Mississippi no longer faces murder charges for using cocaine while pregnant — only 20 years in prison for manslaughter.
When a fetus does not develop into a human being, no existent human being has been hurt, except perhaps the parents who may be disappointed. It is absurd to punish this woman for possibly disappointing herself.
When, however, the fetus does become a human being, anything that was done to the fetus that results in a damaged human being is a real wrong to a real person. Pregnant women should not take drugs that might have this effect. (I don't know whether that woman's cocaine use was really likely to cause any harm — it might depend on when in pregnancy she used it.)
However, imprisoning women for this, even if it is for less than 20 years, is not a good way to discourage such practices.
08 April 2014 (Prosecuting Donald Rumsfeld)
The case for prosecuting Donald Rumsfeld.
08 April 2014 (USAID subversion)
USAID subversion has targeted Venezuela and Bolivia, as well as Cuba.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
08 April 2014 (Shell and Rio Tinto human right violations)
Shell and Rio Tinto asked the UK government to help them defeat accusations of human rights violations.
08 April 2014 (Inequality pervades the US "justice" system)
Inequality pervades the US "justice" system — compare the rich man who avoided prison for molesting his children with the homeless woman who was jailed for leaving her kids in a car during a job interview.
08 April 2014 (Venezuelan opposition leader formally charged)
Venezuelan opposition leader Lopez has been formally charged with inciting violence.
"Inciting violence" must be interpreted in a narrow and strict sense or else human rights are in danger.
The opposition gets its strength from the shortages of certain goods. The US can't be responsible for that. Buying goods from subsidized stores and reselling them could cause the state to lose money, but would not cause a general shortage of those goods in the country. It is Maduro's economic policies that cause the shortages.
08 April 2014 (Urgent: Tell Gates Foundation to stop)
US citizens: tell the Gates Foundation to stop investing in private prisons.
08 April 2014 (Urgent: Paycheck Fairness Act)
US citizens: tell your senators to support the Paycheck Fairness Act.
08 April 2014 (Urgent: Reduce student loan interest)
US citizens: call for a reduction in student loan interest rates so the US stops making money from struggling graduates.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
08 April 2014 (Urgent: Ban pipelines for fracked gas)
Citizens of Massachusetts: call on the legislature to ban new pipelines for fracked gas in Massachusetts.
08 April 2014 (Obama's drone attacks)
A US court threw out the lawsuit by relatives of US citizens killed by Obama's drone attacks, saying that officials are immune from prosecution for whatever they do in war.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
Since the US is not officially at war in Yemen, this appears to give the president the legal authority to kill anyone, anywhere outside the US.
08 April 2014 (Prosecution of Egyptian activist)
Egyptian activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah, who helped the movement that brought down Mubarak, gives an interview while out on bail. He is being prosecuted for organizing a protest; also, absurdly, for armed robbery.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
He expects to be imprisoned, along with many other human rights defenders in Egypt. His trial is likely to be a sick joke.
It was sad how many Egyptians that wanted freedom supported the coup and got themselves Mubarak Heavy.
08 April 2014 (Cuban internet access)
The US-backed Twitter imitation for Cuba will undermine all other efforts aimed at offering uncensored internet access to Cubans.
Just as the US's use of a vaccination program as cover for finding Osama bin Laden has undermined the eradication of polio.
08 April 2014 (The election in Afghanistan)
The election in Afghanistan had troubles with unexpectedly high voter turnout. But it is too soon to tell whether it was honest.
08 April 2014 (Profiting from global heating)
Rich people are trying to buy profit from global heating by buying up the resources that will become scarce.
Those who do this will have a vested interest in pushing global heating to ensure those resources do become scarce, just as fossil fuel companies do.
08 April 2014 (The danger of peace has receded)
For Israel's ruling Likud party, the danger of peace has receded.
08 April 2014 (UAE thugs keep torturing people)
Thugs in the UAE keep on torturing people and pushing them into false confessions.
07 April 2014 (Urgent: End oppressive zero-tolerance)
US citizens: Desoto County School Board, end oppressive zero-tolerance and un-punish the child who held up three fingers.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
07 April 2014 (Urgent: Get banks out of commodity business)
US citizens: Tell the Federal Reserve to make banks get out of the commodity business.
07 April 2014 (Global privacy rights)
UN Must Reject Mass Surveillance to Protect Global Privacy Rights.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
07 April 2014 (Senate report on CIA)
The Senate plans to release only parts of its report on the CIA. We need the rest to be leaked.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
07 April 2014 (Propaganda efforts in Cuba)
The imitation Twitter for Cuba is just a tiny bit of governments' propaganda efforts.
07 April 2014 (Arrested for taking photos)
Two reporters for the Toledo Blade were arrested for taking photos from public places of the outside of a tank factory.
07 April 2014 (Solitary confinement)
A lawsuit by the ACLU got the US government to let some hunger striking immigration prisoners out of solitary confinement.
07 April 2014 (Desmond Tutu condemns US laws)
Desmond Tutu condemns US laws that aim to punish support for boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel or its occupation of Palestine.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
07 April 2014 (Breast-groping thug)
The thug that is prosecuting Cecily McMillan for supposedly elbowing him (as he groped her breast from behind) is also being sued for attacking another protester.
We should have a "stand your ground" law saying that if someone starts groping you from behind, you have a right to respond with hands, feet and elbows before you know who it is.
07 April 2014 (The edge of the climate cliff)
Uncertainty about how far we are from the edge of the climate cliff tends to mean more risk that things are worse than we expect.
07 April 2014 (Spread of Ebola virus)
Ebola virus is spreading around West Africa.
If fruit-eating bats are responsible, it may not spread beyond that region, but it could be disastrous there.
07 April 2014 (The financial-political complex)
Arguing we have better chances of reforming the financial-political complex all at once than piece by piece.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
07 April 2014 (London thugs' arrest quotas)
London thugs are pressured into thuggishness by quotas of arrests imposed on them by higher-up thugs.
7 April 2014 (Don't tell anyone)
Eight Headlines the Mainstream Media Doesn't Have the Courage to Print.

I'd say it's honesty that they lack, not merely courage.
7 April 2014 (Take action on toxic chemicals)
US citizens: Tell your congresscritter and senators, support effective regulation of toxic chemicals, not the phony alternative bill.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
7 April 2014 (More than they need to know)
Using a driver's license as proof of age gives dishonest bars and bartenders an opportunity to extract personal information they should not get.
7 April 2014 (Miscarriage = Murder?)
A woman in Mississippi no longer faces murder charges for using cocaine while pregnant — only 20 years in prison for manslaughter.

When a fetus does not develop into a human being, no existent human being has been hurt, except perhaps the parents who may be disappointed. It is absurd to punish this woman for possibly disappointing herself.

When, however, the fetus does become a human being, anything that was done to the fetus that results in a damaged human being is a real wrong to a real person. Pregnant women should not take drugs that might have this effect. (I don't know whether that woman's cocaine use was really likely to cause any harm — it might depend on when in pregnancy she used it.)

However, imprisoning women for this, even if it is for less than 20 years, is not a good way to discourage such practices.
7 April 2014 (The Unknown Known)
The case for prosecuting Donald Rumsfeld.
7 April 2014 (US OTI initiatives in Latin America)
USAID subversion has targeted Venezuela and Bolivia, as well as Cuba.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
7 April 2014 (Shell and Rio Tinto lobby against accusations of human rights abuses)
Shell and Rio Tinto asked the UK government to help them defeat accusations of human rights violations.
06 April 2014 (Urgent: Solar Energy)
My friend Hong Feng is looking for people who can give advice about the market conditions for solar energy in various countries around the world. If you want to help him, please send email to hf at hongfeng dot c and then h.
06 April 2014 (Urgent: Condemn US gov't hypocrisy)
US citizens: support the movement against US government hypocrisy.
06 April 2014 (Urgent: State-legalized marijuana)
US citizens: ask your congresscritter to cosponsor bills to relax the Federal interference with state-legalized marijuana.
06 April 2014 (Protest against charter schools)
'Stand Up, Fight Back!': Newark Students Protest Charter Schools.
06 April 2014 (Third-party cookies)
How third-party cookies combine for substantial tracking, even if each one contains only a meaningless number.
06 April 2014 (Network neutrality)
The European Parliament voted for network neutrality.
06 April 2014 (IMF-imposed austerity)
Ukraine's leaders call the coming IMF-imposed austerity "the price of independence".
They have it backwards: the price of independence will be whatever it costs Ukraine to throw off the IMF's yoke.
One of the IMF's requirements is truly necessary: making fossil fuels more expensive. That must be done in every country so that less of them will be used.
06 April 2014 (Protests against austerity)
Protesters Against Austerity Fill the Streets of Montreal. The thugs attacked them, of course.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
There were mass protests against austerity in Brussels also.
06 April 2014 (Kerry's sham "peace process")
Kerry's sham "peace process" has visibly fallen apart.
The idea of a "fatal blow" to the "peace process" presumes it was serious and intended to succeed. However, Israel never had any intention of making nontrivial concessions, so the process was nothing but an attempt to pressure Palestine to legitimize what Israel has taken.
Its "demise" creates a small opening for peace, but only if more pressure is placed on Israel.
06 April 2014 (The idea of a war on drugs)
Most of the American public rejects the idea of a war on drugs.
06 April 2014 (Media coverage of missing plane)
Why did the missing airplane get so much media coverage?
06 April 2014 (Cuban pseudo-Twitter)
The US indirectly set up a pseudo-Twitter to give Cuban users a way to communicate with each other…intended secretly to start riots for a destabilization campaign.
Offering Cubans a way to communicate and evade state censorship is good. Using this for destabilization is not. Fortunately, that part of the plan failed.
05 April 2014 (GM pays people off for deaths)
The new CEO of reorganized General Motors informed the public that the company chose to pay off relatives of people killed by faults rather than fix them.
More information on the faults.
The idea that corporations must serve primarily their shareholders' interests above those of workers, customers and the public is a recent development. It started after 1980. Since that was a change for the worse, let's not legitimize it or give up on fighting it.
05 April 2014 (Urgent: Reverse Corporations United)
US citizens: call for amending the Constitution to reverse the Corporations United and McCutcheon decisions.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
05 April 2014 (Turkey lifts ban on Twitter)
Turkey's constitutional court has lifted the ban on Twitter.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
05 April 2014 (Protests in China)
More about the protests in China that seem to have blocked construction of a chemical plant.
05 April 2014 (Bigotry of Christian fanatics)
Christian fanatics from the US are spreading bigotry in many African countries.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
05 April 2014 (IMF conditions on "assistance")
The IMF is making the conditions on its "assistance" tougher in terms of crushing the poor in the countries that are "assisted".
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
05 April 2014 (Kerry condemns Palestine)
Kerry condemned Palestine for the temerity of proposing to adhere to international human rights conventions.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
I suppose this is because joining them means acting like a state. The US wants Palestine to accept an Israeli veto on being a state, along with Israeli colonization, land grabbing, and water grabbing, etc.
Palestine's human rights record is not very good but if it signs some human rights treaties, they might provide a lever to demand improvement.
05 April 2014 (Fossil-fuel addiction)
We Are Now in the Terminal Stage of Our Fossil-Fuel Addiction, manifesting itself as delusional thinking.
05 April 2014 (The high-CO₂ scenario)
In the high-CO₂ scenario, by 2100 the temperature will interfere in some places with outdoor work such as farming.
Heating will continue after 2100.
05 April 2014 (Fast food wage theft)
Hamburgled: Nine Out Of Ten Fast Food Workers Have Experienced Wage Theft.
05 April 2014 (Koch bros oppose mass transit)
The Koch brothers are lobbying to ban some mass transit projects.
Apparently they want to maximize the amount of fossil fuel that the world burns, no matter how outrageous the methods.
05 April 2014 (Republican party mentality)
The House Republicans passed a bill requiring NOAA not to study global heating.
The Senate won't pass it, but it shows the mentality of the Republican party in the US.
05 April 2014 (Exxon CO₂ caps)
Exxon tells stockholders not to worry that its CO₂ generation will ever be capped.
However, if it isn't capped, the system in which it is possible to own stock and later sell it could fall apart around 2070 or so.
05 April 2014 (NSA trying to destroy evidence)
The NSA lawyers are trying every sleazy trick to destroy evidence needed for the EFF's lawsuit against massive surveillance.
05 April 2014 (Neelie Kroes' letter)
Adding subtitles to Neelie Kroes' letter that pretends to support network neutrality.
05 April 2014 (Harassment by debt collectors)
15% of Americans are being harassed by debt collectors, which often try to cheat or swindle people, not infrequently for debts they never owed in the first place.
This system needs to be tightened up, but as for the Americans who really do have debts they can't pay, the main cause is the bank-state axis that has loaded Americans with debts and impoverished them.
05 April 2014 (Poisoning pigeons in Australia)
Dredging a harbor in Australia mobilized metals into the water, which appear to have poisoned many sea turtles in the area.
I suspect that only a fraction of the turtles that were killed have been counted.
04 April 2014 (Urgent: Boycott Koch companies)
Everyone: boycott the Koch brothers' companies.
04 April 2014 (Urgent: Campaign against the TPP)
Canadians: join the campaign against the TPP, which threatens to impose longer copyright term in Canada (as well as many other injustices).
04 April 2014 (Urgent: Oppose Pebble Mine project)
Everyone: call on Rio Tinto to pull out of the Pebble Mine project.
04 April 2014 (Healthy diet for poor people)
If we hope poor people will eat a healthy diet, we had better give them money.
04 April 2014 (Old forests and koalas)
Chopping down old forests and planting new forests will not save the koalas (and other animals) that live in the old ones.
04 April 2014 (Warming oceans damage coral)
Coral gives evidence of warming oceans, and warming oceans are damaging the coral.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
In a few decades, the anthropogenic CO₂ that is warming the oceans will kill the coral directly.
04 April 2014 (Asylum-seekers in Australia)
Australia will move some imprisoned asylum-seekers to a remote prison with so few phone lines that it will be hard for their lawyers to reach them.
04 April 2014 (Plutocracy and global heating)
We can't expect the unaided market to curb global heating, because if it were going to, it already would have.
Part of the problem is plutocracy: the fossil fuel companies have lobbied for and gained big subsidies, including support from the World Bank as well as national governments.
04 April 2014 (Racist "charities")
When the state becomes so cruel that a lot of people need to beg for help, it provides an opening for racist "charities" that offer aid only to certain racial groups.
Thus one cruel right-wing policy feeds into the next.
04 April 2014 (Political campaign donations)
The Supreme Court struck down a limit on total donations from a person to various political campaigns.
This will increase the US tendency to become a plutocracy, with only forms of democracy.
Our only hope is if people learn to vote for whoever the attack ads attack.
04 April 2014 (Assault on freedom of speech)
The Australian government is planning to ban environmental organizations from organizing boycotts.
This is a direct assault on freedom of speech for the non-rich.
04 April 2014 (Authorized discrimination)
A Mississippi bill, already approved by the legislature, would allow pharmacists to deny medication to people on religious grounds.
It would authorize discrimination by other businesses, too.
04 April 2014 ("Reform" of the NSA)
"Reform" of the NSA, by the NSA, for the NSA.
04 April 2014 ("Intention" to prostitute)
In Phoenix, talking to people you meet on the street is interpreted as an "intention" to commit prostitution.
This is unjust for several reasons: because talking to people is not really evidence of that, because it is an invitation to racial and gender profiling, and also because prostitution should not be a crime.
04 April 2014 (US torture and surveillance)
Since 2001 the US government has launched an Orwellian attack on the English language to justify both torture and total surveillance.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
04 April 2014 (Global heating impact on food)
A way to bring home the danger of global heating is by focusing on its impact on food production.
04 April 2014 (Afghan elections)
Candidates in the Afghan elections predict massive fraud.
04 April 2014 (NSA backdoor search loophole)
Clapper admits that the NSA uses a backdoor search loophole to search for Americans' communications data within its massive collections.
04 April 2014 (Arizona restricts use of RU-486)
Arizona has restricted the use of RU-486, using an obsolete high dose as an excuse.
04 April 2014 (Purchase-tracking cards)
Venezuela is introducing purchase-tracking cards for subsidized supermarkets.
I don't see anything wrong with rationing subsidized goods. (US food stamps are not provided in unlimited quantities.)
However, this is no substitute for correcting the cause of the shortages, which I believe is price control.
The biometric and tracking aspects seem very dangerous.
04 April 2014 (Irish thug-bugged phone calls)
The Irish national thug unit recorded phone conversations in jail. Here's an analysis of what happened, and perhaps why.
04 April 2014 (Urgent: Protest on April 15)
US citizens: sign up for the protest on April 15 against taxation without representation.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
The idea is that our congresscritters represent plutocrats, not us.
04 April 2014 (Urgent: Renew unemployment benefits)
US citizens: call on Boehner to pass the bill to renew unemployment benefits.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
04 April 2014 (Urgent: Political spending)
US citizens: add your name to the protest against the "justices" that ruled for unlimited political spending for the rich.
04 April 2014 (Urgent: Labeling of GMOs)
US citizens: tell Rep. Pompeo he will look like a fool if he sponsors Big Food's law to stop states from requiring labeling of GMOs.
04 April 2014 ("Safety" rules for children)
One school in New Zealand has thrown away the narrow "safety" rules that restrict children's play, and parents support the decision.
04 April 2014 (Prison)
A rich man in the US was convicted of raping his young children. The judge sentenced him to probation, saying prison would be very bad for him.
That is a valid point — from what I've heard, prison is very bad for a lot of convicts. But does this apply only for the rich?
04 April 2014 (Ocean temperatures)
Traces of coral growth, near Western Australia, give ocean temperature records starting from 1795. They show that the ocean temperature since 1980 has been .5C higher than in the previous period since 1795.
04 April 2014 (Illegal immigrants in Greece)
Illegal immigrants in Greece are imprisoned in horrible conditions.
I don't think Greece, or the EU, has an obligation to admit everyone that wants to go there. But if people are to be imprisoned, they should be imprisoned in humane conditions.
04 April 2014 (Tax-dodging US companies)
Tax-dodging US companies have nearly a trillion dollars stored outside the US.
04 April 2014 (Nationwide standardized tests)
Americans: reject the nationwide standardized tests for your children.
04 April 2014 (Billionaires' votes)
Plutocratist American politicians are now competing for the votes of a few billionaire oligarchs, who hope their money can buy US elections.
Right-wing billionaires applauded when Cheney talked about attacking Iran. (Cheney is a war criminal already.)
Bernie Sanders on the danger of oligarchy in the US.
04 April 2014 ("No deal" vs grossly unfair deal)
Why you must choose "no deal" rather than a grossly unfair deal that gives you a little more than zero.
04 April 2014 (Public protests in China)
Public protests may have halted a chemical plant project in China.
04 April 2014 (US submission to Israel)
The US seems to be considering the concession of releasing Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard. In exchange, Israel will do something it already agreed to do.
I would describe this as increasing US submission to Israel.
04 April 2014 (Girl Scouts submit to tyranny)
The Girl Scouts have a "merit badge" for submission to copyright tyranny, called (naturally) "intellectual property".
03 April 2014 (Arming Syrian rebels)
Obama has agreed to let Saudi Arabia send portable anti-aircraft missiles to Syrian rebels.
The danger is that the Islamist fanatics among these rebels will use them for terrorist purposes, perhaps in another country.
03 April 2014 (World Bank supports land-grabs)
The World Bank supports agribusiness land-grabs.
03 April 2014 (False arrest by thugs)
Thugs that arrested a Black art student in Pittsburgh based on nothing but his appearance lost a lawsuit for false arrest.
However, they have been left in impunity for the injuries they caused by beating him up. And they have not been sent to prison.
03 April 2014 (Russia withdrawing troops)
Russia is starting to withdraw troops from the region bordering on Ukraine.
This reinforces the idea that Putin made a bluff to take more than Crimea so as to get a "compromise" of keeping Crimea.
03 April 2014 (Gov'ts promoting fossil fuels)
Governments proceed with promoting fossil fuels despite the need to stop. Either they don't know about the devastation they are causing, or they don't care.
03 April 2014 (Australian thugs)
An Australian elected official says that the thugs are intimidating her meetings with the public.
Look at the amazing gall of the thug's response: the thugs are good guys by definition, regardless of what they do. This is the impunity that enables thugs to get away with so much violence.
03 April 2014 (Palm oil roundtable greenwash)
Greenpeace has shown that the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil is more greenwashing than real environmental protection.
Pretending to compensate the rainforest destruction with theoretical carbon emission reductions elsewhere is a typical swindle. This is why we need an emissions tax rather than "carbon trading".
03 April 2014 (Bill Ryan, 92, arrested)
Bill Ryan, 92 years old, explains why he got himself arrested blocking the construction of a large coal mine that will help destroy civilization.
Considering how many people that mine will kill, even violent activities to prevent it from operating are justified by the necessity doctrine: to prevent a greater crime.
03 April 2014 (Reaction to global heating)
The world's reaction to global heating parallels Ibsen's play, An Enemy of the People: if addressing the problem is bad for business, ignore it instead.
03 April 2014 (Senate report on CIA torture)
Maybe the Senate's report on CIA torture says that torture didn't even help intelligence goals and the CIA lied about it.
Congress should legislate that it is entitled to publish the report, override any veto, and publish it.
03 April 2014 (NSA activities)
The NSA claims that nothing about its activities must ever be revealed, because public knowledge of them would be dangerous, but it leaks such information itself for political purposes.
03 April 2014 (Cops that kill innocent people)
Citizens of Albuquerque protested against cop-killers. That is, against the cops that kill innocent people.
03 April 2014 (Republicans vs Science)
The Republican Plan To Invalidate Scientific Research.
03 April 2014 (Plant variety in Chile)
A social movement in Chile blocked the enactment of plant variety monopolies.
03 April 2014 (Erdogan's Islamist party)
Erdogan's Islamist party, the party of censorship and repression, has won an apparently democratic election.
The result endangers Turkey's human rights, without which there can't be real democracy either.
03 April 2014 (IPCC disaster warning)
The IPCC's reports have warned of the same disaster for 25 years. What has changed is that the disaster becomes more certain, and escape gets harder and harder as we dawdle.
Damage is already visible in natural system, and in human activities.
Many species are shifting their ranges toward the poles or higher altitude, but some can't move, and some will reach geographical barriers such as ocean. Meanwhile, if the species in an ecosystem don't move equally, the ecosystems will be scrambled and some species will go extinct, which could cause the extinction of other species in a domino effect.
The harm will affect all regions, but poor people will suffer most.
Food will become scarce and expensive. The effect is already occurring.
The fossil fuel magnates are trying to stop us from escaping, by telling us the problem does not exist and there's no use trying to avoid it.
They must figure their money will enable them and their descendants to avoid the consequences that they will have brought on everyone else. If those consequences get rid of most of the people they no longer need to employ, they will consider that a bonus, and the right-wing practice of demonizing the poor will be their excuse.
03 April 2014 (Apple: patent aggressor)
Apple is the world's principal patent aggressor against free software.
"Patent trolls" are a secondary issue: when people try to focus criticism primarily on trolls, we should bring up Apple.
03 April 2014 (Facing fresh water shortage)
With global heating, the world's large tropical and semitropical cities face a shortage of fresh water and inundation with sea water.
I might prefer inundation in sea water, even if it is fatal, to staying alive in the horrible heat.
03 April 2014 (Al-Jazeera journalists)
Egypt's persecution of al-Jazeera journalists follows the path of the United States, which tortured al-Jazeera journalists and accused them of "terrorism".
02 April 2014 (Urgent: Tobin Tax rally on April 4)
In the US: join rallies on April 4 for the Tobin Tax (aka Robin Hood Tax) on financial transactions.
01 April 2014 (Urgent: Reject Keystone XL carbon emissions)
US citizens: call on Obama to reject the Keystone XL planet-roaster pipeline because of the carbon emissions it will cause.
01 April 2014 (Urgent: Reject Keystone XL health problems)
US citizens: join nurses in calling on Obama to reject the Keystone XL pipeline because of the health problems it will cause.
This is not the worst problem the pipeline will cause, but we don't have to mention only the worst problem.
01 April 2014 (The "cloud")
What we have learned from Snowden has removed the "cloud" from the eyes of many businesses and even some governments.
01 April 2014 (The surveillance state)
Tech companies are bickering with the surveillance state, but behind the scenes they mostly continue to cooperate with it.
01 April 2014 (Barbie)
5 minutes of playing with a Barbie doll affect young girls (under 7) so that they think they have only a narrow range of career possibilities.
01 April 2014 (US imprisonment without trial)
Obama asked the Supreme Court not to consider the case of citizens suing to invalidate the law that authorize the US military to imprison Americans without trial.
The appeals court ruled in favor of that provision; unless the Supreme Court overturns it, no one in the US really has any human rights, since the state can take them all away at any time.
The US government refuses to say whether it has already imprisoned people in this way.
01 April 2014 (Japanese whaling)
The International Court of Justice ruled that Japan's "scientific" whaling is commerce, not research, and ordered Japan to stop.
01 April 2014 (Voter suppression laws)
Republicans are imposing new kinds of voter suppression laws in swing states, designed to hamper poor, minority and old people from voting.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
01 April 2014 (Ukraine's neo-Nazis)
Ukraine's Inconvenient Neo-Nazis.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
01 April 2014 (Refusal to spy for Israel)
Israel told Fadi Al-Qutshan, in Gaza, that to get the medical care he needed he would have to spy for Israel. He refused, and died instead.
This conduct is not a rare exception; it's common practice.
01 April 2014 (Iceland's new cryptocurrency)
Iceland has developed a new cryptocurrency to improve its economic situation.
There is one point in the article I must criticize: comparing a currency's value with gold is a form of spin; it says that inflation is bad, but a certain amount of inflation is useful. The US dollar has inflated by more than a factor of 10 since 1960, and if the Icelandic krone had done the same, that wouldn't be bad for Iceland.
01 April 2014 (Texas abortion providers)
The Texas law that eliminated abortion providers in large regions of the state was upheld by a US appeals court. Women are already being forced to have children they don't want.
01 April 2014 (Student protests in Madrid)
'No to Education Cuts!' Madrid Rocked by New Wave of Student Protests.
31 March 2014 (NSA collection of phone call data)
Another reason why limiting when the NSA can access phone call records is not good enough: the NSA already has a large collection of phone call data which it can keep and use almost without limit.
31 March 2014 (Albuquerque thugs shoot homeless man dead)
Albuquerque thugs attacked a homeless man with a fright grenade, and when that scared him and he ran away, they took that as an excuse to shoot him dead.
If anyone deserves to be in a mind-deadening US prison, it is those thugs.
31 March 2014 (Antibiotic resistance)
If antibiotics cease to be useful, many forms of surgery will become too dangerous, as will kidney dialysis and childbirth.
The article is misguided where it says that we would also lose the benefits of keeping animals in cramped conditions in factory farms. That practice is a principal cause of antibiotic resistance; if we want antibiotics to keep working for other uses, we have to put an end to it now.
31 March 2014 (Republican opposition to uncovering conflicts of interest)
Many Republicans oppose federal agency plans to find out about conflicts of interest in scientific research that agency decisions might rely on.
This opposition makes sense. Republicans, in general, stand for helping companies corrupt the government. Therefore, they don't want agencies to resist using scientific studies corrupted by those same companies.
31 March 2014 (Bad news: the movie industry's income increased again)
Bad news: the movie industry's income increased again, proving that there is no danger forbidden sharing will wipe out the movie companies any time soon.
That's unfortunate. These companies spend their money on propaganda campaigns saying that sharing is "piracy", and lobbying for unjust laws such as SOPA and ACTA. Much of Europe has effectively adopted the parts of SOPA.
I regard the movie companies as enemies of our freedom. I practice a not-quite-boycott of Hollywood: I never to pay to see a movie unless I have reason to think it is good. In principal, this is quite different from a total boycott of Hollywood. In practice, there is little difference. If you catch yourself and stop yourself when you are about to agree to "go see a movie" without knowing which one, you will join my not-quite-boycott.
31 March 2014 (After seven years, one person removed from US no-fly list)
After seven years, one person (Rahinah Ibrahim) has been removed from the US no-fly list by a court. But nothing has changed in the system, and the next victim could find it just as difficult as it was for her.
The no-fly list is punishment without trial and should be considered unconstitutional.
31 March 2014 (Readers Digest gives in to China's demand for censorship)
Readers Digest does printing in China, so when printers in China demanded censorship of a book in English, Readers Digest gave in rather than spend $30,000 more to print the book.
This is one of the many forms of harm done by globalization of business, driven by unjust treaties such as the WTO.
31 March 2014 (Privatized Enforcement: A Threat to Our Civil Liberties Online)
Privatized Enforcement: A Threat to Our Civil Liberties Online.
If you learn that PayPal made an agreement to "protect intellectual property", those propaganda words should be a clue that this agreement is bad. (In fact it entails cutting service to its own clients.) I believe it should be illegal for an important internet service to cut off a client without going to court.
31 March 2014 (Lawsuit against Baidu rejected on First Amendment grounds)
A lawsuit against Baidu, for imposing pro-China censorship for users in the US, has been rejected on First Amendment grounds.
This was a no-brainer. Baidu has no legal obligation to mention criticism of China, any more than stallman.org has an obligation to mention right-wing propaganda.
What's wrong with the internet in China is that netizens can't find criticism of China somewhere else.
31 March 2014 (Canonical talking about removing Amazon spying search from Ubuntu)
Canonical is talking about removing its Amazon spying search from Ubuntu.
I'd appreciate being informed if and when the main Ubuntu release ceases to do this spying.
31 March 2014 (Detroit to spend hundreds of millions on new sports arena)
Detroit, bankrupt, will spend hundreds of millions on a new sports arena as a handout for the owners of a sports team.
The teams claim that the cities should pay towards these projects because the cities' economy will grow, but it turns out that the growth goes mainly to the rich. Detroit can't afford to be swindled this way.
There are worse ways to spend money — they could be buying surveillance gear or SWAT teams. On the other hand, they are probably doing that also.
31 March 2014 (UK activists convicted of "conspiracy" for acts of harassment)
A UK animal rights activist was convicted of "conspiracy" for acts of harassment, though no evidence was presented in her trial to connect her with them.
This is indeed chilling for democratic activity. Even though I firmly support use of animals in medical experiments to advance science, I still defend human rights including protests against those experiments.
31 March 2014 (Big Pharma's money affects human lives, and journalism too)
Big Pharma's money affects human lives, and journalism too.
31 March 2014 (Washington Post writer complains about states restoring food stamps)
A writer in the Washington Post complains that states that restore food stamps are using a "loophole" and that the intended spending cuts, covering .02% of the Federal budget, might be wiped out.
31 March 2014 (Reliability of trials in the US)
Iwao Hakamada has been granted a new trial after 48 years in prison for murder and 30 on death row, because DNA evidence showed he was not the killer.
The many convicted murderers who have been proved innocent ought to make us think about how reliable trials are. Meanwhile, most Americans accused of crimes don't dare insist on a trial; they plead guilty to a lesser charge. Perhaps many of them really are guilty, but not all.
Trials in Egypt are a sick joke, but trials in the US are often not very good. When Americans do have a trial, it is a form of theater, and the judge's bias (for instance, in favor of the thug that attacked a protester, against the protester) often determines the outcome.
US prisons have become harsh — the goal of rehabilitation has been dropped — and some prisoners suffer painful isolation for years.
Most of the people convicted of "terrorism" in the US didn't really do any. Some said they wanted to, but they were incompetent to really do anything without help from infiltrators. Some, like Aref, didn't even do that much.
The government's manipulation to prevent the prisoners' lawsuit from being heard are in themselves despicable.
31 March 2014 (India still needs Ambedkar's message for eliminating castes)
India still needs Ambedkar's message for eliminating castes. Just equalizing them in some degrees is not enough.
31 March 2014 (UK's two main parties support domination of society by business)
The UK's two main parties support the domination of society by business, with slightly different emphasis.
31 March 2014 (UK cuts in legal aid)
UK cuts in legal aid have caused many trials to become unfair.
31 March 2014 (US school system pays damages for demanding student's social network password)
A US school system had to pay damages for demanding a student's password for a social network.
31 March 2014 (EU Parliament must protect network neutrality)
The EU Parliament must protect network neutrality, but it is likely to go astray.
31 March 2014 (Wikipedia resists pressure from advocates of "alternative medicine")
Wikipedia resists pressure from advocates of "alternative medicine", refusing to legitimize their claims when not supported by scientific studies.
Some forms of "alternative medicine" are so widespread that it is useful to tell readers what they are, but that does not entail asserting that they work.
If the proponents of alternative medicine want to present their arguments in a discussion, they can do so in the discussion page.
31 March 2014 (Woman killed by Florida Governor denying her medical care)
Florida Governor Scott has killed Charlene Dill by denying her medical care.
5 million other Americans are targeted by the same policies, which are simply a political game.
31 March 2014 (Mudslide forecast by geologist but not reported to people in the area)
A mudslide that has killed between 25 and 50 people was forecast by a geologist (though he couldn't guess when), but this wasn't reported to people who lived in the area or those who moved in later.
31 March 2014 (Urgent: Windows license)
Please sign this petition is against the practice of requiring people to buy a Windows license along with a machine.
30 March 2014 (BP was responsible for the oil disaster of the Exxon Valdez)
It was really BP that was responsible for the oil disaster of the Exxon Valdez. The Exxon ship spilled the oil, but it was BP that had promised to prepare cleanup facilities, then didn't prepare them.
30 March 2014 (Domino's Pizza outlets in NY admit to stealing wages from workers)
Domino's Pizza outlets in New York have admitted stealing wages from their workers.
30 March 2014 (BP has spilled tar sands oil into Chicago's water supply)
BP has spilled tar sands oil into Chicago's water supply, and nobody knows how much.
30 March 2014 (Homeless mother arrested for leaving kids in car to go to job interview)
A homeless unemployed mother in Arizona was arrested for leaving her kids in the car to go to a job interview — but what else should she have done?
Would the state rather she stay unemployed? Bring them to the job interview? Magically put them in another dimension while going to it? The charges are ridiculous anyway; there's nothing dangerous about being in a car for 45 minutes with a window open.
People in this situation should throw it back in the state's teeth by telling the judge, "I am being prosecuted for doing the best thing I could have done at the time. That I am prosecuted for this demonstrates the cruelty and viciousness of the state. I will not cooperate with these unjust proceedings. Put me in prison and you will be shamed by your actions for as long as I live. I will never apologize or ask forgiveness for what was not wrong, and I will never pay a cent of ransom to get out."
She should not allow anyone to pay bail for her, but rather say, "I refuse bail — drop the charges!"
30 March 2014 (NSA and partners increase capabilities to spy on hypothetical future target)
The NSA and its partners infiltrated several German companies' computers just to increase its capabilities to spy on a hypothetical future target.
30 March 2014 (Effects of global heating being felt around the world)
The effects of global heating are being felt around the world, and further heating will be caused inevitably by the greenhouse gases already emitted.
The forecast damage to coffee production won't bother me, and might do no more than frustrate you, but millions of people who make a living from producing coffee may become destitute.
30 March 2014 (UK thugs regard the public as an enemy)
The UK police force behave as thugs because they have come to regard the public as an enemy.
In effect, the thugs are the army of occupation for the rich that the state serves.
30 March 2014 (New Restrictions on NIH Grants Are Unscientific And Possibly Illegal)
There Are Lots of Legit Reasons to Look at Pornography: New Restrictions on NIH Grants Are Unscientific And Possibly Illegal.
30 March 2014 (US gov't reports on FBI's killing of Todashev)
US government reports on the FBI's killing of Todashev, a suspect under interrogation, look like a whitewash.
30 March 2014 (Obama's Proposal To End NSA Bulk Data Collection Won't Protect Privacy)
Obama's Proposal To End NSA Bulk Data Collection Won't Protect Privacy.
Phone companies should not be allowed to keep your phone call data for longer than it takes to deliver it to you, in the absence of a specific court order.
30 March 2014 (The harm of corporate tax cuts)
More Proof Corporate Tax Cuts Have Done More Harm Than Good.
30 March 2014 (Ukraine's IMF Deal Means Greece-Like Depression)
Ukraine's IMF Deal Means Greece-Like Depression. I suspected as much.
The adjustment of exchange rates, and the end of subsidies for petroleum products, are inevitable; they would happen, sooner or later, even without IMF intervention. The other demands of the IMF are not inevitable.
30 March 2014 (BP Is Recovering Faster Than Environment)
Four Years After Gulf Oil Spill, BP Is Recovering Faster Than Environment.
30 March 2014 (AFL-CIO condemns free exploitation treaties)
The AFL-CIO firmly condemns free exploitation treaties along the lines of NAFTA and says the US must stop proposing such treaties.
When will they start calling for canceling the existing antidemocratic treaties?
30 March 2014 (Obama uses distortions to present US conquest and occupation of Iraq)
Obama uses distortions to present the US conquest and occupation of Iraq as an example of good conduct.
30 March 2014 (Economic crisis getting worse in many European countries)
The economic crisis in many European countries is getting worse, as poverty and unemployment continue to increase.
Those who claim things are getting better are talking about economic totals, which include the wealth of the rich. Any time someone says "The economy is getting better — the GDP is rising," that's a snow job.
30 March 2014 (The natural sciences)
The natural sciences can't tell you the meaning of life, but they can tell you what life consists of, and that's a good start for the search for meaning in it.
30 March 2014 (Meager compensation offered to families of workers who died in factory fire)
Giant US companies such as Walmart have offered meager compensation to the families of the workers who died in a factory fire while making clothing for them to sell.
30 March 2014 (Urgent: Mandatory GMO labeling)
US citizens: tell the FDA we want mandatory GMO labeling, not a "voluntary" scheme designed to preeempt states.
30 March 2014 (Urgent: Renew the Production Tax Credit for wind-based electricity)
US citizens: call on Congress to renew the Production Tax Credit for wind-based electricity.
30 March 2014 (World writers call on Turkey to respect freedom of expression)
World writers call on Turkey to respect freedom of expression.
30 March 2014 (Australian gov't plans to streamline approval process for trashing things)
The Australian government plans to streamline the approval process for trashing things, including dumping waste on the Great Barrier Reef.
There is a sick rationality to this. The same government is going all out to promote CO₂ emissions, which will destroy the Great Barrier Reef entirely in a few decades. No wonder it doesn't care if some parts are destroyed a little sooner.
30 March 2014 (Benefits cut for poor UK families living in apartments with extra room)
The UK cut benefits for half a million poor families that live in apartments with an extra room. Only 6% of them have moved to a smaller apartment.
This is because there are hardly any smaller apartments available in the UK — few were built.
The rest of those half million families are simply suffering under pressure to do the impossible. This serves the government's cruel purpose, which is to paint them as lazy spongers while pushing them into worse poverty.
30 March 2014 (Cuban agent says CIA promoted right-wing student movements in Venezuela)
A Cuban who worked for the CIA (but was a double agent, really working for his own country) says that the CIA specifically promoted right-wing student movements in Venezuela.
He believes that this process started before Chavez was elected; that the goal was to shift Latin American universities from left-wing influences to right-wing influences.
30 March 2014 (The "charitable-industrial complex")
Peter Buffet describes the "charitable-industrial complex" as a system of conscience laundering for rich people that create suffering with one hand, while alleviating part of it with the other hand.
30 March 2014 (US gov't wants to allow any federal judge to authorize searching any computer)
The US government wants any federal judge to be allowed to authorize searching any computer.
This means the FBI could go forum-shopping, bringing all such requests in whichever district has the judges most likely to say yes and least concerned with upholding the fourth amendment.
30 March 2014 (Intimidation of countries by tobacco industry enabled by WTO)
The tobacco industry is using various countries as proxies to attack Australia's requirement for plain packaging of cigarettes.
The article speculates that they are trying to drag the cases out because they expect to lose in the end, but meanwhile the WTO enables them to intimidate other countries.
It will be good if they do lose, but the WTO will have done substantial harm in this case even so. Just one of the ways the WTO harms most people (while it helps businesses). The WTO should be abolished.
30 March 2014 (Google identifies journalist's source by looking at his email)
A journalist says Google identified (and then fired) one of his sources by looking at his email in gmail.
It is not a good idea to use an email account run by a big company.
30 March 2014 (Ukraine to be hit by IMF "bailout")
Ukraine will be hit by an IMF "bailout".
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
The article says nothing about how Ukraine will be required to change its laws, but in the past IMF "aid" has been devastating for other countries.
30 March 2014 (Global heating denialists)
A philosopher who argued that global heating denialists are doing something immoral received piles of hate mail.
Of course, funding global heating denialists is immoral. It may be illegal, too. Since global heating is likely to kill a large fraction of the human population, an activity that aims at making sure global heating continues is attempted murder. Since it is likely to wipe out many species, some of which are already endangered and legally protected, denialist activities may be a criminal conspiracy too.
We should not let the perpetrators get away with it. If we can't stop them in time to prevent their crime, which will dwarf all the genocides in history put together, we should make sure it is punished.
30 March 2014 (Turkey bans access to YouTube)
Turkey has banned access to YouTube.
30 March 2014 (How State Secrecy Protects Government Agencies from Embarrassment)
How State Secrecy Protects Government Agencies from Embarrassment, Then And Now.
30 March 2014 (Cell tower dumps)
Another form of massive surveillance of portable phone users: cell tower dumps indicate all phone users in a region at a certain time.
30 March 2014 (EU governments order ISPs to block access to file-sharing sites)
The EU has in effect adopted a key part of SOPA: governments order ISPs to block access to file-sharing sites.
30 March 2014 (How States Are Funding Surveillance Technologies)
Following the Money: How States Are Funding Surveillance Technologies.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
30 March 2014 (Barack Obama: The Least Transparent President in History)
Barack Obama: The Least Transparent President in History.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
29 March 2014 (Urgent: Sanctions against head of the CIA)
Everyone: Call on the UN to impose sanctions against John Brennan, head of the CIA.
29 March 2014 (US and UK support of dictators)
The US and UK condemn oppositionists for supporting dictators, while being even bigger supporters of dictators.
It's wrong for the US and UK to support dictators. It's also wrong for others to support dictators, even dictators that the US and UK oppose. That much is straightforward.
Where it becomes complicated is when some country's politics is a rivalry between one evil and another. For example, Morsi in Egypt was in the process of trampling the rights of women, but the coup introduced an even more cruel regime. Saddam Hussein was a murderous dictator but respected Iraqis' rights better, on the whole, than happens now.
29 March 2014 (Ethiopia's total surveillance state)
Ethiopia has constructed a total surveillance state based on ready-made products obtained from advanced countries, and uses it to impose total repression.
29 March 2014 (Verizon trying to force customers to move to fiber-based phone lines)
Verizon is trying to force customers to move to fiber-based phone lines, although they won't work when there is a power failure.
29 March 2014 (Billionaires taking control of politics in the US)
Billionaires are taking control of politics in the US.
I disagree with the first points in the article. "Obeying the rules" is no excuse for driving civilization towards the disaster of global heating. It is no excuse for kicking the poor when they are down.
Meanwhile, there is a simple rule for American voters to resist the billionaires. On TV, you can see who the billionaires support: the major candidates that the attack ads don't attack. Vote for whoever the attack ads are attacking.
29 March 2014 (The House's NSA Bill Could Allow More Spying Than Ever)
The House's NSA Bill Could Allow More Spying Than Ever.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
29 March 2014 (LA thug department says all cars in LA are under investigation)
The LA thug department says all cars in LA are under investigation.
It is common for thugs to make outrageous claims, thinking that they will get away with part of the claims and have nothing to lose. For the sake of our rights, we should make sure they have something to lose.
29 March 2014 (Conjecture about why working-class people accept austerity without rebelling)
A surprising conjecture: working-class people accept austerity without rebelling because they are habituated to caring about the comfort of rich people that they work for.
29 March 2014 (Mass surveillance of phone call records)
Obama has proposed to shift mass surveillance of phone call records from the NSA to the phone companies. The EFF has responded with superficial criticism which makes the basic mistake of treating this window dressing as a solution.
Where these data are kept is an insignificant detail. Hosting them differently won't protect whistleblowers like Stephen Kim from being identified through them.
Our democracy depends on these whistleblowers. To make whistleblowers and democracy safe, we must make sure that these records are not saved except about suspects specified by court orders.
The USA Freedom Act is not enough either; we should support it, but refuse to consider it as more than a small step.
29 March 2014 (Anger, Disbelief as Obama Defends US Invasion of Iraq)
Anger, Disbelief as Obama Defends US Invasion of Iraq.
29 March 2014 (Death of adjunct professor inspires campaign for unionization)
An 83-year-old adjunct professor, who got no retirement funds from her 25-year career, died after the university suddenly fired her and made her homeless. Her death has inspired a campaign for unionization.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
29 March 2014 (Ukraine used as excuse for long-term expansion of US export of natural gas)
Ukraine is definitely being used as an excuse for long-term expansion of US export of natural gas.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
The gas will be obtained by fracking. Thus, this means that companies will invest a lot of money in the assumption that there will be more fracking in the US and more CO2 emissions abroad. They will then fight against any attempt to slow down emissions, driving the US and the world to frack and fruin.
Environmentalists are trying to stop the construction of the Cove Point export terminal in Maryland.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
29 March 2014 (Fossil fuel companies using Ukraine crisis as excuse to expand exports)
Fossil fuel companies are using the Ukraine crisis as an excuse to expand exports from the US.
Global heating is more dangerous than Putin, and this policy is likely to speed it up.
29 March 2014 (Extreme weather)
The worst of the extreme weather would have been virtually impossible without the aid of global heating, says the World Meteorological Organization.
By 2040, normal summer in Europe will resemble the deadly European heatwave of 2003.
28 March 2014 (The UK ban on sending books to prisoners)
The UK ban on sending books to prisoners does not mean they are not allowed books to read, but does mean that access to books will be more difficult and the range of books they can read will be limited.
28 March 2014 (The NSA and CIA can blackmail the president)
The NSA and CIA can blackmail the president by threatening to expose when he said yes to illegal spying etc.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
28 March 2014 (Taiwan gov't rushing to sign free exploitation treaty with China)
Taiwan's government is rushing to sign a free exploitation treaty with China, which will surely do harm to Taiwanese workers just as the US's free exploitation treaties do.
28 March 2014 (UK government's cuts in legal aid)
The UK government's cuts in legal aid will deny justice in kinds of cases where it would require a lot of work.
28 March 2014 (NSA's phone call record surveillance)
All three branches of government approved the NSA's phone call record surveillance, not because it was valid, but because it had them all hornswoggled.
That would leave massive surveillance of Americans' phone calls. Phone companies keep these records, in some cases for years, and will hand them over retroactively when Big Brother asks for them in order to find a whistleblower.
Democracy requires a way for people to communicate without being identified to Big Brother.
28 March 2014 (Underground cultivation of marijuana causes environmental damage)
Underground cultivation of marijuana causes great environmental damage.
This problem is caused by prohibition; legalization would reduce the environmental damage from marijuana cultivation to be comparable to any other crop. That would still cause environmental problems but it would cease to artificially multiply them.
27 March 2014 (Urgent: Stop letting companies replace one toxic chemical with other toxic chemicals)
US citizens: tell the EPA to stop letting companies replace one toxic chemical with other toxic chemicals.
27 March 2014 (Urgent: Include the public in planning about oil and gas extraction)
US citizens: call on the BLM to include the public in planning about oil and gas extraction in Colorado.
27 March 2014 (Poor Americans' way of life)
Studying poor Americans' way of life by living next to them.
Poor women don't get married because they have high standards for marriage and can't find men that meet those standards. They have children anyway, because they want children. The fathers try to help support the babies, but can't offer much. All of them don't get legally recognized jobs because they can't afford the cost of child care together with the benefit cuts.
If we provided better support to poor people, some of these patterns would change.
Part of the goal must be convincing those who can't afford to raise children not to have children.
American children make an especially heavy addition to humanity's footprint because Americans live so wastefully. We need to change that, but in the mean time we need to reduce the births in the US.
27 March 2014 (Inequality gets worse when gov't outsources to private companies)
When the Government Outsources to Private Companies, Inequality Gets Worse.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
27 March 2014 (Virginia law allows genetic counselors to withhold information from patients)
Virginia passed a law allowing genetic counselors to withhold information from patients so they won't know they really ought to get an abortion.
27 March 2014 (Islamists kidnap, torture, and kill polio vaccinator)
Superstitious Islamists in Pakistan kidnapped a polio vaccinator from her home, tortured her, then killed her.
27 March 2014 (American Renters Still Cannot Afford Rent Nationwide)
New Report Finds American Renters Still Cannot Afford Rent Nationwide.
One obstacle to making enough housing for people to live in is zoning law.
27 March 2014 (The "Internet of Things")
The "Internet of Things" means that all "things" will help profile you for someone else.
27 March 2014 (Russian anti-Putin protester framed for attacking a thug)
A Russian anti-Putin protester was framed for attacking a thug, although the thug refuses to say it was him, and sentenced to a mental hospital.
The Soviet Union put dissidents in mental hospitals too, and Putin as a part of the repression apparatus was well aware of this.
Even if the people of the Crimea feel Russian, they might not want to be ruled by Putin if they get a chance to think about it.
27 March 2014 (The ridiculous trial in which 529 Egyptians were sentenced to death)
More about the ridiculous trial in which 529 Egyptians were sentenced to death.
27 March 2014 (Urgent: Protect monarch butterflies from Roundup)
US citizens: call on the EPA to protect monarch butterflies from Roundup.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
27 March 2014 (Urgent: Call on Unilever to stop supporting study organized by deforesters)
Everyone: call on Unilever to stop supporting a "study" being organized by deforesters to gain permission for further deforestation.
27 March 2014 (Refuting 10 myths about poverty in the US)
Refuting 10 myths about poverty in the US.
27 March 2014 (California's poor are losing millions a year to big banks)
California's poor are losing millions a year to the big banks which charge them fees to access their benefits.
27 March 2014 (Large oil spill in Texas)
A large oil spill in Texas has polluted areas where many migrating birds stop off.
27 March 2014 (The Monsanto Protection Act)
The Monsanto Protection Act was enacted through a Republican dirty trick, but Republicans say that now that it's a law, it should be forever.
27 March 2014 (Irish thugs "forgot" traffic violations of officials)
Irish thugs "forgot" traffic violations of officials including the national head of thugs. A journalist broke this scandal, and has been fired as a reward.
27 March 2014 (WHO study estimates air pollution kills 7 million people each year)
A WHO study estimates that air pollution kills 7 million people each year.
27 March 2014 (Commitments to Russia broken by the US)
The US has broken several commitments to Russia that it made to avoid provoking feelings of insecurity.
27 March 2014 (Fossil Fuel Industry 25 Years After the Exxon Valdez)
Fossil Fuel Industry 25 Years After the Exxon Valdez: Still Reckless After All These Years.
27 March 2014 (Allowing US employers to make decisions about health care for employees)
Allowing US employers to make decisions about health care for their employees is a relic of the historical development of medical coverage in the US. It could be changed.
The article proposes a change in the way this funding is nominally structured, and nothing more; but there's another bad side effect of making each company pay for the health care of its own employees: it's an incentive to buy robots and fire employees.
I think should tax businesses based on their income, and use the money for (among other things) health care for all, whether employed or not.
27 March 2014 (Democratizing the Global Food Crisis)
Democratizing the Global Food Crisis.
27 March 2014 (Why Charity Can't Replace the Safety Net)
Why Charity Can't Replace the Safety Net.
27 March 2014 (Almost 1/5 of US citizens have trouble getting money for food)
Almost 1/5 of United States citizens have trouble getting money for food.
27 March 2014 (Providing homeless people with homes saves the public money)
Providing homeless people with homes saves the public money.
27 March 2014 (Global heating to make mudslides more frequent)
After the deadly mudslide in Washington, remember that global heating is to make such mudslides more frequent.
That's because it will tend to increase the occurrence of make both droughts and heavy rain/floods.
27 March 2014 (Chevron "news site")
Chevron has started a "news site" in Richmond CA as a propaganda scheme for its own operations in that city.
27 March 2014 (Photo used by BSA without permission)
The BSA used a photo without permission in its latest campaign asking people to report unauthorized copies of nonfree software.
Please resist the temptation to apply the BSA's propaganda terms ("pirate", "theft", "stolen") to what the BSA did. Sure it is fun to point out their hypocrisy, but if you do it that way, you endorse what the BSA stands for.
27 March 2014 (Boycott and divestment against Israeli occupation of Palestine)
Boycott and divestment against the Israeli occupation of Palestine are spreading, and the UN report recommends some sanctions too.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
There are two different movements. Gush Shalom launched boycott of companies involved in the occupation or profiting from it. Palestinians called for aiming BSD at all Israeli institutions and companies except those that oppose the occupation.
I personally advocate boycott, divestment and sanctions against organizations that directly support or profit from the occupation (this includes all Israeli universities, and various companies).
26 March 2014 (Urgent: Call on Japanese gov't to stop underpaying Fukushima workers)
Everyone: Call on Japanese government to stop underpaying homeless people working at Fukushima, and to monitor workers' radiation exposure.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
26 March 2014 (Force-feeding similar to water-boarding)
Force-feeding (of hunger strikers) is pretty similar to water-boarding.
Even with no mistake, it still verges on torture.
26 March 2014 (FDA cites spoiled experiment as proof that Bisphenol A is safe)
The FDA cited a spoiled experiment as proof that Bisphenol A is safe.
26 March 2014 (The My Lai cover-up)
Does New Look at Documents Reveal Nixon's Hand in My Lai Cover-Up?
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
Now we know whose Lai it was.
26 March 2014 (North Dakota oil drilling involves burning lots of natural gas)
North Dakota oil drilling involves burning lots of natural gas, pouring CO₂ into the air for no use at all.
26 March 2014 (Whistleblower in London thug department driven out)
A whistleblower in the London thug department, who exposed official misrepresentations in crime statistics, has been driven out by management mistreatment as well as bogus accusations.
26 March 2014 (Surveillance power used by UK to catch whistleblower)
The UK used surveillance power to catch a whistleblower who exposed a scandalous tax deal with Goldman Sachs.
We must stop accepting the small danger of "terrorists" as an excuse for allowing government powers (such as surveillance) that present far bigger dangers.
26 March 2014 (Jimmy Carter says Snowden has probably benefited US in long term)
Jimmy Carter says he believes that Snowden has probably benefited the United States in the long term. And he is worried about monitoring of his own email.
26 March 2014 (Huawei communications equipment puts you at risk of espionage by the US)
The Huawei irony is even greater than I realized: buying Huawei communications equipment puts you at risk of espionage, not by China, but by the US.
Is Huawei a front for Chinese military espionage? Are Microsoft, Apple, Google and Facebook fronts for US military espionage? These questions raise philosophical issues as well as factual issues.
26 March 2014 (Argentinian thugs regularly jail young poor people for wearing hood or cap)
In Argentina, thugs regularly jail young poor people for wearing a hood or cap.
This denies them job opportunities and turns them into a permanent underclass.
26 March 2014 (Global heating)
Thawing of Arctic permafrost exacerbates climate change.
"There is 100 times more carbon stored below-ground than above-ground in the arctic, so observed changes in plant productivity are only a very small component of the story."
Global heating is turning a part of Brazil into a desert.
26 March 2014 (Exxon-Mobil pressured to recognize effect of global heating)
An investment fund's stockholder action pressured Exxon-Mobil to promise to recognize that its claimed assets' value might be lost by global heating.
This is because they are part of the carbon bubble.
Another necessary part of redirecting capital to low-carbon energy is abolishing the myriad forms of direct and indirect subsidy still given to fossil fuels. Consider how the UK has made it easier for local inhabitants to block wind power (which might annoy them with its sounds) but far harder for them to block fracking (which might poison their water, as well as ultimately cause global disaster).
26 March 2014 (Putin's persecution of journalists extends to Crimea)
Putin's persecution of journalists in Russia has been extended to the Crimea.
Tatars and dissidents and people with connections with the Ukrainian state are also being driven out.
26 March 2014 (UK prisons ban sending books to prisoners)
UK prisons have banned sending books to prisoners. Prisons are supposed to buy books, but only as a "privilege".
26 March 2014 (Some Muslim organizations saying it is religious duty to protect environment)
Some Muslim religious organizations are saying that it is a religious duty to protect the environment.
26 March 2014 (Protect Elephants and Gorillas to Sustain Our Forests)
Protect Elephants and Gorillas to Sustain Our Forests.
25 March 2014 (India's agriculture minister asked people to vote twice)
India's agriculture minister asked people to vote twice.
25 March 2014 (Egypt sentences over 500 Morsi supporters to death)
Egypt has sentenced over 500 Morsi supporters to death, after a trial that makes Dubya's "military tribunals" look like the perfection of justice.
25 March 2014 (Libya's gov't showing disrespect for human rights)
Libya's government is showing disrespect for human rights, even as the country disintegrates.
I agree that in principle we have a duty to help fix these problems. But what could we do?
25 March 2014 (13 of the 14 warmest years on record)
13 of the 14 warmest years on record have occurred in this century.
25 March 2014 (Chinese man sentenced to prison for filing application to hold protest)
A Chinese man has been sentenced to prison for filing an application to hold a protest about the Tiananmen Square massacre.
You could draw the conclusion that "In China, don't ask, just do it." On the other hand, by asking he proved an additional point about Chinese repression.
25 March 2014 (Guards at Guantanamo prison planning for operating into 2017)
The guards at Guantanamo prison are already planning for operating into 2017.
To clear the name of the United States of America, we must put an end to imprisonment without trial. Each prisoner is entitled to a fair trial or release. If that means a risk that a few of them will engage in terrorism, that does not change what justice means. But Americans need not worry about this, because it will not amount to much. It will be much less than the terrorism that the Guantanamo prison inspires in the millions of Muslims that the US has not yet imprisoned.
25 March 2014 (Promises Broken by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, 25 Years Later)
Promises Broken by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, 25 Years Later.
25 March 2014 (NSA focused specially on cracking Huawei systems)
The NSA focused specially on cracking Huawei systems, including Huawei's own systems.
Ironically, this is the same thing that the US government has criticized Huawei for doing to the US. (That criticism might be valid for all I know.)
25 March 2014 (Children's books aimed specifically at girls or specifically at boys)
A reviewer refuses to review books aimed specifically at girls or specifically at boys.
25 March 2014 (Rigid over-protection of kids)
Adrionna Harris took a razor blade away from another student and put it in the trash, so he would not hurt himself. For this she was suspended from school by the "humans" in charge of the school, who have taught themselves to imitate rigidly programmed robots.
Calling this an "over-reaction" is an injustice because it grants "zero tolerance" undeserved legitimacy.
Rigid over-protection is not limited to the US. A supermarket in the UK refused to sell spoons to a 16-year-old; he was "too young". What should three-year-olds eat with, their hands?
The timidity of the parent's complaint is shocking: is it reasonable to refuse a 16-year-old a fork? Or even a table knife? Are 16-year-olds not supposed to be allowed access to cutlery?
25 March 2014 (Phone call records)
An experiment with volunteers that allowed the investigators to collect their phone call records proves just how much it is possible to tell about people that way.
25 March 2014 (Poor Americans fall prey to payday loans)
Poor Americans fall prey to payday loans that charge 350% interest per year.
25 March 2014 (Americans jobs that could be automated)
About the study that found 47% of Americans are in jobs that could be automated in the next couple of decades.
25 March 2014 (Plans for possibly reducing nuclear weapons stocks)
The conquest of the Crimea has spiked plans for possibly reducing nuclear weapons stocks.
25 March 2014 (Editors, not Snowden, decide which leaks to publish)
Snowden handed all his files to a few journalists and did not keep them. Now it is Editors, not Snowden, that decide which leaks to publish.
25 March 2014 (Senators who have criticized the CIA)
Senators who have criticized the CIA are fighting only for advantage within the system that maintains the power for both sides.
It is up to Americans to take this opportunity to rip apart the CIA's power, and carry out the US's duty to end torture … and punish the torturers.
25 March 2014 (The spying-industrial complex)
The spying-industrial complex is a part of the military-industrial complex that President Eisenhower warned Americans about.
25 March 2014 (Greek judges prosecuting Golden Dawn)
Greek judges are prosecuting Golden Dawn in Greece as a criminal conspiracy to commit violence.
25 March 2014 (International law)
With International Law in the News, Could We Make the U.S. Comply?
25 March 2014 (2/3 of US doctors advocate "medicare for all")
2/3 of US doctors now advocate "medicare for all" to reduce the administrative load and focus on helping patients.
25 March 2014 (Wage levels in the UK expected to suffer until 2025)
Wage levels in many industries in the UK are expected to suffer from austerity until 2025.
But wages won't recover in 2025. By then, the effects of global heating will be cutting into general standards of living, and millions of jobs will have been lost to robots.
25 March 2014 (Turkish state's attempt to block access to Twitter)
The Turkish state's first attempt to block access to Twitter was easy to bypass, but it is learning to do better.
As examples such as China show, it is possible for a state to censor the Internet in ways that most people can't bypass. There must be a few Twitter users in China, but they can't reach many Chinese people that way. No technical limits stand between Turkey and tyranny.
25 March 2014 (Legislation to prevent death from overwork)
The Japanese government is considering legislation to prevent death from overwork.
24 March 2014 (US hawks make misleading comparison between Ukraine and Afghanistan)
US hawks make a misleading comparison between Ukraine and Afghanistan.
Judged against what was at stake in the Cold War — people today often forget what a tyranny the Soviet Union was, and how it kept other countries under a harsh empire — Brzezinski's clever plan was not obviously foolish. We can't blame people in 1979 for not envisioning that Islamic tyranny could return on a 12th-century model, or that Afghanistan would devolve into a state of permanent civil war lasting long after the Soviet Union ceased to exist.
24 March 2014 (Corporations' point of view on Fox News)
Fox News plans to offer corporations a chance to present their point of view on TV, as if they weren't doing that all the time already.
24 March 2014 (FISA court judge says gov't lawyers misled him in court)
A FISA court judge says, in effect, that the government lawyers misled him in court to get permission to delete data sought for activists' lawsuits.
24 March 2014 (Advances in surveillance technology)
As Surveillance Costs Fall, Could the NSA Gain Ability to Record & Replay Every Call, Everywhere?
It states the general principle that we were protected in the past from a high level of surveillance because it was so difficult, but advances in surveillance technology took away our protection.
This article also explains how use of Google services (or any other remote server services) by people in an organization enables the NSA to identify the individuals in the organization.
24 March 2014 (CIA and NSA Wrongdoing Requires Independent Investigation)
CIA and NSA Wrongdoing Requires Independent Investigation, Says Former Church Committee Staff.
24 March 2014 (President of Uruguay offers to receive prisoners from Guantanamo)
President Mojica of Uruguay has offered to receive some prisoners from Guantanamo in Uruguay. This may help make it possible to empty the camp, but to get all the way there depends on recognition by the US that it can't keep people prisoner without trial.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
24 March 2014 (Urgent: Senator Warren's plan for reducing student loan interest rates)
US citizens: support Senator Warren's plan for reducing student loan interest rates by taxing millionaires more.
24 March 2014 (People living from work hour to work hour)
Instead of living from paycheck to paycheck, now people live from work hour to work hour, insecure about whether they will get enough work hours to pay the bills, and on call all the time.
I suggest passing a law that stores must tell hourly wage workers their schedule for each week by the previous Friday. Work outside the previously stated schedule should be paid time and a half.
24 March 2014 (NSA does snoop on privileged attorney-client communications)
NSA says it does snoop on privileged attorney-client communications, but usually doesn't really look at them.
24 March 2014 (Thugs that treat sign language as "aggression")
Thugs' patterns of behavior regularly lead them to label a deaf person as "aggressive", whereupon they beat that person to within an inch of his life.
If you personally are not deaf, that doesn't mean you're safe. Thugs that treat sign language as "aggression" will treat lots of innocent activities as "aggression". If their response to this is to beat people unconscious, they will beat up (and occasionally kill) lots of people. Which, of course, they do.
24 March 2014 (Location tracking)
In location tracking, the past isn't dead; it's not even past.
I am reminded of the science fiction story (by Asimov?) about a device that could be used to look at the distant past, whose inventor wanted to use it to study history, but other people would have used it to look at more recent past such as 1 day or 1 minute ago.
24 March 2014 (Republicans hate hard-working Americans)
Republicans Reveal They Don't Just Hate the Poor and Jobless — They Hate Hard-working Americans!
If you're not a plutocrat, Republicans will find some excuse to mistreat you.
In Georgia they are working hard to make sure poor Americans get sick and die. That way they won't be able to vote.
24 March 2014 (Northern India rapidly using up ground water)
Northern India is rapidly using up its ground water, and global heating is expected to eliminate the Himalayan spring snow melt. The result is disaster.
500 million IUDs, plus social changes to encourage their use, are urgently needed.
24 March 2014 (Journalist imprisoned in Egypt denied medical care)
A journalist imprisoned in Egypt has been denied medical care and his arm no longer works.
23 March 2014 (US judge refuses over-broad digital search warrant)
One US judge has refused an over-broad digital search warrant. Will others follow his example?
23 March 2014 (Funny rejection of trickle-down can't-tax-the-rich)
The funniest rejection of trickle-down can't-tax-the-rich that I can recall ever seeing.
23 March 2014 (Facebook face recognition)
Facebook is doing research to advance the accuracy of face recognition.
Soon we will need to wear things on our faces that interfere with face recognition. People may enjoy reading The Moon Moth, by Jack Vance.
23 March 2014 (Taiwanese students protest trade treaty between Taiwan and China)
Taiwanese students protested a free trade treaty between Taiwan and China.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
I don't know the details of this treaty, but in general one must expect those treaties to do harm.
23 March 2014 (Increased and Secretive Cell Phone Surveillance by Local Police)
'Stingray': Increased and Secretive Cell Phone Surveillance by Local Police Raises Alarms.
23 March 2014 (Russia agrees to European monitoring mission)
Russia has agreed to a European monitoring mission.
I think that Putin is giving an appearance of planning to invade other parts of Ukraine as a threat so that the question will be not "Can Putin keep Crimea" but rather "How to stop Putin from taking more." Then the West and Ukraine will "meet him half way" by letting him keep the Crimea.
If so, this agreement suggests that Putin has decided he has pushed the act far enough, and it is time to make the deal.
23 March 2014 (Urgent: Make sure Iran sanctions don't block medicines)
US citizens: ask your congresscritter to sign Rep Moran's letter to make sure Iran sanctions don't block medicines.
23 March 2014 (Urgent: Vivek Murthy for Surgeon General)
US citizens: tell Democrats to stand behind Vivek Murthy for Surgeon General.
23 March 2014 (Urgent: Tell Michelle Obama to call for labeling GMOs)
US citizens: tell Michelle Obama that if she's interested in food labels, she should call for labeling GMOs.
23 March 2014 (Urgent: Save the New York Public Library)
In New York City, or able to help remotely: help save the New York Public Library from a "renovation" that would convert it to ebooks.
23 March 2014 ($4.5 million settlement for Occupy activist injured by Oakland thugs)
$4.5 Million Settlement for Anti-War Veteran, Occupy Activist Injured by Oakland Police.
23 March 2014 (14,000 aboriginal children taken away from parents)
The Australian government has taken 14,000 aboriginal children away from their parents, in many cases without giving any reason, and is planning to legislate an excuse to make the removals permanent.
This makes me think of the children that were taken away from dissidents in Argentina who were murdered by the US-supported military rulers. Grandparents continue to try to find them.
23 March 2014 (The UK's plan to "help" people find work)
The UK's plan to "help" people find work has placed just 48,000 people in three years. However, it might appear more effective if judged by the 300,000 poor unemployed people it provided an excuse to punish, providing opportunities to claim that they are unemployed because they are lazy, which is justification for the government's cruel austerity program.
The government hopes this will distract voters from the real cause of those people's unemployment: the government's cruel austerity program eliminated their jobs.
23 March 2014 (Yahoo, Google and Apple claim right to look at users' emails)
Yahoo, Google and Apple claim the right to look at users' emails "if necessary".
I don't think that this criterion of "protecting the property" of the company can be justified. However, there may be times when looking at users' files is necessary for the maintenance of the mail service itself.
In that sort of situation, I think the service operator must be allowed to do it. To prevent abuses, the sysadmins who do this should never be allowed to talk about what they have seen.
If the criteria are broader than that, we should oppose them.
23 March 2014 (The biggest stockholders in Canadian tar oil sands)
The biggest stockholders in the Canadian tar oil sands are the Koch brothers.
23 March 2014 (A step forward in understanding causes of Alzheimer's disease)
A step forward in understanding the causes of Alzheimer's disease highlights the need to send more research funds efforts in that direction, rather than for war or weapons.
Republicans oppose research into preventing senility because it might enable a bunch of embittered old people to stop being Republican.
23 March 2014 (Uri Avnery on Ukraine)
Uri Avnery comments on Ukraine, and compares the situation with the one that started World War I.
23 March 2014 (New FDA Food Label Rules Ignore the GMO Elephant in the Room)
New FDA Food Label Rules Ignore the GMO Elephant in the Room.
22 March 2014 (How UK thugs get protesters to inform on their movements)
UK thugs use both the carrot (money) and the stick (threats and intimidation) to get protesters to inform on their movements.
We also know that once the thugs have informers in political groups, they don't limit themselves to using the information to stop the occasional real criminal that might show up. Thugs work in cahoots with companies against protesters that criticize the companies' abusive or dangerous practices and even help companies blacklist people that might be "inconvenient".
22 March 2014 (How to respond if thugs ask you to be an informer)
Advice on how to respond if the thugs ask you to be an informer.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
22 March 2014 (Pig farms in Iowa poison the water)
Loopholes and cuts in inspection allow large pig farms in Iowa to dispose of tons of hog manure into fields, from which it poisons the water.
22 March 2014 (US plutocrats can profit by "giving" to charter schools)
US plutocrats can profit by "giving" to charter schools.
22 March 2014 (The Green Revolution)
Even as the Green Revolution increased food yields, it promoted centralization of agribusiness. Increased efficiency meant fewer workers, and more people who couldn't get food to eat.
22 March 2014 (Oil and gas extraction uses lots of fresh water)
Oil and gas extraction use lots of fresh water, just as humanity is starting not to have enough of it.
22 March 2014 (Rare earth mining in China)
Rare earth mining in China is deadly to people who live or work in the vicinity.
Through the World Trade Organization, the US has agreed to do nothing about the problem.
22 March 2014 (Urgent: Tell FERC to stop approving oil and gas infrastructure)
US citizens: tell the FERC, stop approving oil and gas infrastructure.
22 March 2014 (Rwanda deports journalist)
Rwanda has deported a journalist who linked Twitter bullying to the president's office.
Rwanda's President Kagame seems to have done a good job of managing the economy, but he tramples human and political rights.
22 March 2014 (Documents approved by Cheney show main motive for invading Iraq)
Documents approved by Cheney in 2001 show that the main motive for invading Iraq was the fear Saddam Hussein might manipulate oil markets by temporarily interrupting oil sales.
Surely this goal could have been achieved with some sort of a deal.
The article also cites proof that the US planned, before the invasion, to rule Iraq as a colony with oil extraction as the priority.
Every country needs to aim for independence from oil supply, by developing renewable energy supply as an urgent national priority. When fossil fuel companies and their pet politicians block this, they are effectively working against their own country.
22 March 2014 (Death of refugee in Manus Island)
Imprisoned asylum-seekers in Manus Island say that their fellow refugee, Reza Barati, was kicked down the stairs by the guards and beaten to death.
22 March 2014 (Avoiding a real solution to global heating problem)
The head of a big coal company says we should stop worrying about burning coal, because carbon capture and storage will make it safe. Meanwhile, his company has stopped contributing to research on carbon capture and storage.
This company is not really interested in implementing carbon capture and storage, just using the idea as an excuse to avoid real solution to the problem of global heating.
He says we can't get rid of fossil fuels because that he knows that we could (over time), and he wants to stop us from trying.
22 March 2014 (Copyright troll)
Getty Images is well-known as a copyright troll.
22 March 2014 (Microsoft searches blogger's email account)
Microsoft searched a blogger's email account — hosted by Microsoft — to see where he got some Microsoft secrets that he revealed.
22 March 2014 (Calling for a public register of company owners)
Calling for a public register of owners of companies, so that shell companies cannot disguise who is really doing something.
22 March 2014 (McDonald's makes settlement with workers)
McDonald's has made a settlement with workers who were made to work and incur expenses without paying them.
It looks like these workers are getting an average of $300 each, which might help them a lot, but I suspect it is not as much as they really ought to get.
21 March 2014 (Urgent: Give high priority to prosecuting mortgage fraud)
US citizens: call on Attorney General Holder to give high priority to prosecuting mortgage fraud (by banks).
21 March 2014 (Urgent: Oppose Dropbox's mandatory arbitration)
US citizens: call on Dropbox to stop making customers agree to mandatory arbitration.
21 March 2014 (Turks access Twitter despite ban)
Turks are finding ways to access Twitter despite Erdogan's ban.
21 March 2014 (Overt enemies of women's rights in Ukraine gov't)
The right-wingers in the Ukraine's government include overt enemies of women's rights.
21 March 2014 (NSA cracks into accounts of sysadmins)
The NSA cracks into accounts of sysadmins in order to attack the systems they administer.
If the NSA did this to the sysadmins working for hostile governments, I would not criticize it. I don't see anything wrong in spying on hostile governments. But the NSA does this to a tremendous extent.
21 March 2014 (Imperial Blowback from Iraq to Ukraine)
Crimea and Punishment: Imperial Blowback from Iraq to Ukraine.
21 March 2014 (Twitter banned in Turkey)
Erdogan has banned Twitter in Turkey. It offered too much freedom of speech, apparently.
21 March 2014 (It may be a mistake to focus our blame on sociopaths)
It may be a mistake to focus our blame on sociopaths, because the ways they find to exploit people are shaped by the social systems they are in.
21 March 2014 (Harvard president argues against divestment from fossil fuel companies)
Harvard's president resorts to absurd arguments against divestment from fossil fuel companies, including denying that their lobbying has any effect. This open letter from a student rips them to shreds.
In such situations, the person in authority usually has some very simple, powerful and embarrassing reason, and the absurd arguments are a smokescreen for it.
Perhaps the simple reason is that some rich donors whose money comes from fossil fuel companies said they would stop donating to Harvard if it divests. If that is the reason, she should come out with it and give the community a chance to choose to be heroes instead letting her impose cowardice.
21 March 2014 (Sarah Shourd campaigns against solitary confinement in the US)
Sarah Shourd developed PTSD as a result of a little over a year of solitary confinement in Iran. Now she campaigns for prisoners in the US who are subjected to the same brainwashing, some for many years.
21 March 2014 (Opposition mayors imprisoned in Venezuela)
Opposition mayors are being imprisoned in Venezuela for supporting protests.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
Protests in Caracas are limited to a few wealthy areas. Outside of them, life simply goes on.
The violence seems to be sporadic on both sides, not organized. There may be a plot to overthrow the government, but it is not valid to assume that most of the protesters — or specific leaders — are part of it without some specific proof.
21 March 2014 (Kent State massacre)
Despite new evidence that the Kent State massacre was intentionally ordered by officers, the US still rejects justice for the students who were killed.
21 March 2014 (Peat)
Using peat in gardens creates CO2 emissions, and it's not a renewable resource when considered on a human time scale.
21 March 2014 (Oil export)
US oil companies want to legalize oil export from the US.
This would tend to boost the rate of oil extraction and use, exactly the opposite of what the world needs.
21 March 2014 (Urgent: Walmart)
Everyone: tell Walmart to give workers a raise.
21 March 2014 (Republicans try to obstruct claims by people dying from asbestos)
Republicans in several states are trying to obstruct claims by people dying from asbestos.
The companies responsible for this disease should compensate the victims asbestos they can.
21 March 2014 (The most wasteful US fisheries)
Naming the most wasteful US fisheries. Some of them discard more fish than they bring in.
21 March 2014 (GMOs have not increased food yields)
GMOs, with all their bad side effects, have not increased food yields.
21 March 2014 (US a No-Show for UN Talks on Covert Drone Wars)
US a No-Show for UN Talks on Covert Drone Wars.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
21 March 2014 (Comparing how Putin and Obama threaten Americans)
Comparing how Putin and Obama threaten Americans.
'US Foreign Policy Blowback': How US Disregard for Int'l Law Set Stage for Crimean Crisis.
To be fair to Obama, I should point out that Putin has done some of the same bad things.
- Putin's FSB (formerly the KGB) is not snooping much on Americans, but it is surely snooping on Russian dissidents and journalists.
- The US intervened in Afghanistan in alliance with one group, against others. The Soviet Union, in which Putin worked for the KGB, did the same thing.
- I presume Russia's constitution has some equivalent of the Bill of Rights, and Putin is trashing it energetically by repressing Russian journalists and dissidents.
- Putin probably has a list of Chechen terrorist suspects to kill.
20 March 2014 (Google sued for scanning students' email and school data)
Google is being sued for scanning students' emails and school data.
School systems should be required to manage their own student data, not entrust it to a company. No matter which company.
More information.
20 March 2014 (Teenager faces life in prison for using cocaine while pregnant)
A teenager whose baby died at birth faces life in prison for having used cocaine while pregnant.
Even if it were probable that the cocaine had caused the baby's death, that would not make this prosecution just or sensible.
This is not the way to get pregnant teenagers to stop taking cocaine. Extreme punishment against a minute fraction of the people who do a certain thing is never an effective way to teach people in general not to do it. They rationally think that such a minute probability is not worth thinking about.
The rational way to reduce the number of pregnant teenagers that use cocaine is to provide all teenage females with IUDs. The cruel right-wing "Christians" that enacted this law don't want to do that, because they don't care about babies that die or have birth defects. What they want is an excuse to be cruel to a scapegoat.
20 March 2014 (US using economic threats to push El Salvador into privatization)
The US is using economic threats to push El Salvador into massive privatization.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
20 March 2014 (UK gov't plans to eliminate incentives for reducing use of fossil fuels)
The UK government is quietly planning to eliminate incentives for businesses to use less fossil fuels.
I am convinced that the UK government has made a long-term secret commitment to boost the fossil fuel companies' business as much as possible — the exact opposite of what Britain and the world need.
20 March 2014 (Arbitrary restrictions on which days each car may be used)
Arbitrary restrictions on which days each car may be used tend to increase air pollution in the long term.
20 March 2014 (UK private contractors face charges of manslaughter)
UK private contractors whose callousness killed a man being deported will face charges.
20 March 2014 (Iraq considering law to attack women's rights)
Iraq is considering a law to attack women's rights.
20 March 2014 (Haiti Is Not For Sale)
Haiti Is Not For Sale.
20 March 2014 (NRA blocking nominee for Surgeon General)
The NRA is not satisfied with opposing gun regulation; it is blocking the nominee for Surgeon General because he agrees with most Americans on gun control.
The Surgeon General plays no role in writing or enforcing gun regulations. I speculate that the NRA has taken the opportunity to pressure Democratic senators as a way to teach them obedience.
20 March 2014 (The Great American 'Toxic Chemical' Experiment)
The Great American 'Toxic Chemical' Experiment.
20 March 2014 (NSA lawyer says Internet companies knew about Prism)
An NSA lawyer said that Internet companies targeted by Prism knew about that, just not under the name "Prism".
This is a minor detail, and so is the question of whether a jury-rigged scheme of laws "authorizes" these surveillance schemes. All that really matters is that it's too much surveillance for democracy to coexist with.
20 March 2014 (Kansas adopting law to impede complaints about crimes by thugs)
Kansas is adopting a law to impede and punish complaints about crimes by thugs.
The article assumes that the two parts of the law would operate together; that making a complaint which is not allowed to be investigated would be a felony. It doesn't look that way to me. However, this law is dangerous even without exaggeration.
20 March 2014 (Toyota denied $1.2 billion tax write-off for criminal settlement)
The US showed a little firmness against Toyota by making a fine a real fine.
The law should be changed so that settlements made to resolve criminal claims are never tax-deductible.
19 March 2014 (Urgent: Tell the EPA that BP is not fit for rehabilitation)
US citizens: tell the EPA that BP is not fit for rehabilitation.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
19 March 2014 (Urgent: Ban discrimination on basis of sexual orientation)
US citizens: call on Obama to ban US contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation.
19 March 2014 (Urgent: Stop letting senators block judicial appointments)
US citizens: call on Senator Leahy to stop letting right-wing senators block judicial appointments.
19 March 2014 (UK's new energy policy)
The UK's new energy policy means more pain later instead of some pain now.
19 March 2014 (China rushing development of thorium-based nuclear power plants)
China is rushing the development of thorium-based nuclear power plants.
Thorium avoids some of the dangers of using uranium as nuclear fuel, but molten (very hot) fluoride salts leaking out of a reactor are going to be very hard to contain or clean up. I worry what will happen if this is developed in a hurry.
19 March 2014 (The "pointless red tape" that protects the natural world, or your health)
When businesses ask government to get rid of "pointless red tape", they are getting rid of the protections for the natural world, or your health.
Australia's plutocratist government is abolishing thousands of these regulations at once. This will allow businesses many new ways to mess up people's lives.
19 March 2014 (Thugs in Papua New Guinea set dogs on unarmed man)
Five thugs in Papua New Guinea surrounded an unarmed man and set dogs on him.
19 March 2014 (Motorcycle club members charged with crime of associating)
Motorcycle club members in Australia, charged with the crime of associating with each other, can't speak to the press together lest that be called a crime.
Arbitrary banning of organizations — or banning their members from meeting — is tyranny. Next they might do it to philosophy discussion groups and hacklabs — it's easy to claim those are subversive.
19 March 2014 (European Parliament votes against free and open internet)
European Parliament committee votes against free and open internet.
Net Neutrality: Dangerous Loopholes Remain After Key Vote by Lead EU Parliament Committee.
19 March 2014 (Congress, It's Time To Clean Up Your Iraq War Mess)
Congress, It s Time To Clean Up Your Iraq War Mess.
19 March 2014 (The relatives of flight 370 passengers)
Relatives of flight 370 passengers insanely demand to be told right away more about what happened to that plane.
Someone should tell them that you can't get blood out of a stone.
19 March 2014 (Use of GMOs designed to repel pests)
It is difficult to use a GMO designed to repel a pest without causing the pest to develop resistance. The commercial incentives of agribusiness, and the weakness of government regulation cowed by plutocrats, guarantees failure.
19 March 2014 (Abbott to do something right for once)
For once, Abbott is about to do something right. (Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.)
Freedom of speech includes the freedom to offend. It includes the freedom to say things that you or I despise. Censorship is very dangerous.
19 March 2014 (The US government's secrecy logic)
By the US government's secrecy logic, the Fourth Amendment ought to be retroactively made secret.
The danger of retroactive secrecy implies that we need to store any documents describing US government activities outside the US, in places that the US government cannot reach.
19 March 2014 (Louisiana suing MoveOn over billboard that criticizes governor)
The state of Louisiana is suing MoveOn over a billboard that criticizes the governor using a state publicity slogan.
This lawsuit is based on trademark law. The article unwisely calls it "IP law", which is confusing since it drags in other unrelated laws (copyright, patent, trade secret, publicity rights and more) that have nothing to do with the issue.
See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/not-ipr.html for more explanation.
Avoiding this confusion is as easy as pie: just remember not to use the term "IP" (except when you mean "internet protocol"). In fact, you have to go out of your way to cause the confusion. Too bad so many writers go out of their way.
19 March 2014 (Anti-Russian demonstrators attacked by Russian troops during "election")
During the Putinesque "election" in the Crimea, Russian troops patrolled the streets and attacked anti-Russian demonstrators.
The people of the Crimea should have the right to integrate with Russia, but they deserve to choose freely.
19 March 2014 (The US and UK are listed as enemies of internet freedom)
Reporters without Borders has listed the US and the UK as enemies of internet freedom.
I hope this will help our cause.
19 March 2014 (The embargo against Cuba)
55 Years Is Enough: Lift the Cuba Embargo.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
The embargo against Cuba remains in force to satisfy the Cuban exiles in Florida, who use their political influence to demand it.
19 March 2014 (Microsoft enlisting states Attorneys General)
Microsoft Enlisting Clueless States Attorneys General To Shake Down Foreign Companies For 'Piracy'.
19 March 2014 (Wildfires in California running at 3x normal rate)
It's not even spring yet, but wildfires in California are running at three times the normal rate.
In 40 years, a normal year will be like this, and a bad year will mean they will have to pump sea water to put the fires out.
19 March 2014 (Russian irregular forces seizing Ukraine military bases)
Russian irregular forces have started seizing Ukraine military bases in the Crimea.
Putin is completely right when he says that Western leaders are hypocrites, and that countries such as the US have acted in ways similar to what they are now criticizing.
But if that is meant to justify his actions, that's where his logic is invalid. It is wrong to stir up militias to seize territory, to censor the media, to run unfair (effectively rigged) elections. Those are wrong when done by others, and wrong when done by Putin.
19 March 2014 (Repression of protests at universities in the UK)
Repression of protests has become the norm for universities in the UK.
19 March 2014 (Private militias in Mexico)
Private militias have mostly cleared Michoacán of drug traffickers, but the Mexican government has no idea what to do with the militias.
19 March 2014 (1972 prediction about amount of global heating)
A prediction about the amount of global heating, made in 1972 based on very simple physics, corresponds to today's observations.
Nonetheless, the effect of adding further CO₂ to the atmosphere is not so easy to predict. The further we go, the more possible positive feedback effects there are that might trigger further releases of CO2, or methane from warming tundra or sea bed.
19 March 2014 (Venezuelan opposition MP threatened for leading protests)
A Venezuelan opposition MP is threatened with investigation for treason for leading protests.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
I can well believe that Machado cannot relate to the poor in Venezuela, and I presume they did not vote for her. She was probably elected from a fairly wealthy district, but those people are voters too.
Chavistas will say that Machado is conspiring with the US to overthrow the government, but protests are not rebellion. If it were not for the country's real problems — shortages and crime — the wealthy elite would not get mass support for protests. The government should focus on correcting those problems. The shortages are caused by price and currency controls.
19 March 2014 (Haiti's money being spend on facilities for foreign tourists)
Haiti's money is being spent to develop facilities for foreign tourists.
The scheme is designed such that most of the benefits will go to the wealthy elite. Special tax cuts will ensure that the people get essentially nothing.
The article does not mention that the development in Ile a Vache is based on evicting the inhabitants.
19 March 2014 (Austerity aimed at the poor continues to increase in the UK)
As the UK enters a "recovery" for the rich, austerity aimed at the poor continues to increase.
19 March 2014 (UK "oversight" for intelligence agencies)
UK "oversight" for intelligence agencies was designed to see nothing.
19 March 2014 (NSA records all phone calls in a country)
There is some country (not the US) where the NSA records all phone calls.
19 March 2014 (US college students face poverty)
As US college students are so poor that they need food handouts, they face poverty after graduation from their student loans.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
19 March 2014 (HP directly supports Israeli apartheid ID system)
HP directly supports the ID system on which Israeli apartheid is based.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
19 March 2014 (Religious freedom)
What the US founding fathers said about religious freedom.
19 March 2014 (FDR's Economic Bill of Rights)
FDR's Economic Bill of Rights is what the US needs today.
And every other country, too!
19 March 2014 (Life has gotten harder for US working poor)
Life has got harder for the US working poor over the past few years.
19 March 2014 (Israeli fanatic takes down Palestinian flag with help from soldiers)
An Israeli fanatic tried to climb on to Shadi Sidr's roof to take down Sidr's Palestinian flag. The fanatic couldn't get past the barbed wire. Israeli soldiers considered Sidr to blame, and ordered him to take the flag down.
Forcing people to stop doing something on the grounds that bullies object to it is the opposite of justice.
If you want to look at the video on YouTube, don't access the site in the normal way! That requires nonfree software, which tramples your freedom.
Instead, you can download it with the YouTube-dl script.
19 March 2014 (Israeli troops bar Palestinians arbitrarily from riding buses to work)
Israeli troops, harassing Palestinians trying to enter Israel to go to work, order them to walk over a mile and bar them arbitrarily from riding buses.
19 March 2014 (Urgent: Fix the Medicare SGR formula without charging people more)
US citizens: tell Congress to fix the Medicare SGR formula but not by charging people more for their Medicare.
19 March 2014 (Urgent: Tell MSNBC to correct anti-Social-Security rant)
Everyone: Tell MSNBC to correct Abby Huntsman's anti-Social-Security rant.
19 March 2014 (Urgent: Tell McDonald's to stop stealing from workers)
Everyone: tell McDonald's, stop stealing from your underpaid workers.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
19 March 2014 (Israel denies water to Palestinian neighborhoods)
Palestinian neighborhoods that Israel claims to have annexed have been denied water supply for two weeks.
It is strange that Israel calls these neighborhoods part of Jerusalem and then puts them on the other side of the annexation wall.
19 March 2014 (Prominent Israelis call for peace agreement with Palestine)
Many prominent Israelis call for a peace agreement with Palestine based on the recognized pre-1967 border.
19 March 2014 (Company requires employees to be monitored by their computers)
A company that makes monitoring software requires all its employees to be monitored all the time by their computers.
We had better make such requirements illegal or lots of companies will impose them.
19 March 2014 (People fleeing Africa try to cross Spanish border fence)
A thousand people tried to cross the Spanish border fence at Melilla, a part of Africa held by Spain.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
By 2030, there may be 50,000 each night, fleeing from starvation in Africa. By 2100, spreading aridity may cause starvation in Spain too.
19 March 2014 (Ben & Jerry's structure protects some of its ethical goals)
When Ben & Jerry's ice cream was compelled into merger with a conglomerate, the founders developed a structure that protects some of the company's ethical goals.
This structure might be useful in other situations.
Meanwhile, I think it would be good for someone to investigate why it was impossible for the company to continue succeeding on its own. What had changed — and what would be needed to change it back?
19 March 2014 (Over half of sampled meat in the UK contains DNA from wrong animals)
A survey of over 100 samples of meat in the UK found that over half of them contained DNA from the wrong animals.
Failure to clean processing equipment could easily lead to trace amounts of the wrong meat; but I don't see how that could introduce contamination amounting to 5% of the product.
The prevalence of fraud suggests that testing should be carried out frequently, with high fines.
19 March 2014 (Egyptian thug sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing 10 prisoners)
An Egyptian thug has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing 10 prisoners.
That's a long sentence when compared with the usual immunity of thugs, but not long compared with other murderers.
19 March 2014 (UK gov't wants to pressure web sites to delete material)
The UK government is not satisfied with censorship by banning some topics and viewpoints. Now it wants to pressure web sites to delete other sorts of material.
Censorship is evil.
19 March 2014 (Proposing a new model of free enterprise)
Proposing a new model of free enterprise not mainly owned by a few plutocrats.
To achieve it, we will need to defeat the plutocrats.
19 March 2014 (Egypt's military taking economic as well as political control)
Egypt's military is taking economic as well as political control of the country.
If you were thinking of tourism in Egypt, I recommend applying personal economic sanctions by going elsewhere.
19 March 2014 (Federal Reserve seeks to implement ineffective reforms)
The (inadequate) Dodd-Frank financial reform law tried to limit the Federal Reserve's power to bail out banks. The Federal Reserve seeks to implement it in regulations so weak that they won't change much.
It seems to me that emergency loans to banks should carry a variable interest rate computed so as to assure it is high enough that banks won't be eager to borrow this way.
19 March 2014 (Billionaires using money to direct scientific research)
Billionaires, having put the squeeze on US-funded science as well as everything else the state needs to do, are using their money to direct scientific research.
We have to take away from those billionaires the ill-gotten gains they achieved through corrupting our laws and regulatory agencies. Most of it should go to the Americans they have impoverished, but some should go to the public treasury to fund all the things that states ought to do.
Above all we should not let these billionaires buy legitimacy for their overlarge share of our national income by giving away a fraction of it, even if the causes they give it to are good ones.
19 March 2014 (Preserving the thousands of local Indian varieties of rice)
Preserving the thousands of local Indian varieties of rice has become vital for coping with the increasing aridity that global heating is likely to cause.
19 March 2014 (ACLU and others to challenge Idaho's ag-gag law)
The ACLU and others will challenge Idaho's ag-gag law, which attempts to rename the state to Idunno, Youdunno.
19 March 2014 (Obama's pledge to make his administration "open and transparent")
Obama pledged to make is administration the "most open and transparent in history". Instead he set a record in the opposite direction.
19 March 2014 (Putin's propaganda)
Putin's propaganda is very effective in influencing Western media.
I see parallels between this and fossil fuel companies' propaganda (denying global heating).
19 March 2014 (Better Off Budget)
The mainstream US media don't cover the progressive Better Off Budget, but here's some discussion of it.
19 March 2014 (Wisconsin Republicans push to legalize their illegal campaign activities)
Wisconsin Republicans are pushing a law to legalize their illegal campaign activities before they get prosecuted for them.
19 March 2014 (Problems with superfund pollution cleanups)
Superfund pollution cleanups have serious technical and supervisory problems.
19 March 2014 (Fish have gotten smaller since the 1950s)
Photos of people who posed with the fish they caught, since the 1950s, show how fish have got smaller. In the 1950s, people were proud to catch a 6-foot fish. Nowadays they are proud to catch a 1-foot fish.
19 March 2014 (Joseph Stiglitz trashes the TPP)
Joseph Stiglitz trashes the TPP.
19 March 2014 (Theft of McDonald's worker's wages)
It is not just bad luck that McDonald's workers in many stores have their meager wages stolen.
19 March 2014 (Many US universities repress groups critical of Israel's occupation)
Student groups that criticize Israel's occupation of Palestine, or support economic pressure on Israel or the occupation, face a campaign of repression in many US universities. Even professors are targeted.
19 March 2014 (UAE: Repression, torture and Twitter)
UAE: Repression, torture and Twitter.
19 March 2014 (Private surveillance companies buying information about system bugs)
Private surveillance companies increasingly buy information about system bugs so as to crack their target's computers.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
19 March 2014 (US has formal policy of privatization of services)
The US has a formal policy of privatization of services into the hands of monopolies.
It's a recipe for corruption and waste, as well as for union-busting and low wages.
19 March 2014 (Man Reports Something to the Police, Gets Put on a Watch List)
Man Reports Something to the Police, Gets Put on a Watch List.
Some watch lists are necessary. We need to make sure those who are put on them can find out, and can have a hearing for removal from the list.
19 March 2014 (Ice sheet in northern part of Greenland unstable)
Even in the northern part of Greenland, the ice sheet has become unstable.
If you own land in Florida, better sell it soon.
19 March 2014 (Urgent: Sign NARAL's banner)
US citizens: Sign NARAL's banner that companies should not be allowed to deny employees birth control coverage in their insurance.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
19 March 2014 (Urgent: Regulations to prevent chemical disasters)
US citizens: call on the EPA to make regulations to prevent chemical disasters.
19 March 2014 (Urgent: Remove marijuana from list of restricted drugs in the US)
US citizens: call on Obama to remove marijuana from the list of restricted drugs.
19 March 2014 (Urgent: Labeling of GMOs)
US citizens: call on the FDA to require labeling of GMOs.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
19 March 2014 (UK thugs systematically try to recruit progressive activists as informers)
UK thugs systematically try to recruit progressive activists as informers. They threaten to prosecute the activists if they report how they are being pressured.
The thugs focus on environmental groups and anti-fascists. Why not on banksters and conservatives? Those are the ones that really threaten the British people.
19 March 2014 (The economic policies of the US and the UK)
The economic policies of the US and the UK are designed to benefit mainly the rich. The UK is fortunate in that a major political party criticizes this.
19 March 2014 (National license-plate tracking database)
Reports of the Death of a National License-Plate Tracking Database Have Been Greatly Exaggerated.
19 March 2014 (The price of embedding Getty Images on a web site: the privacy of visitors)
Getty Images now allows web sites to embed images with no fee in money. The price is the privacy of the visitors to the web site.
I reach a stronger conclusion than the EFF does. I believe that you must not under any circumstances accept that offer. The FSF has a policy of never embedding anything from another site. Please join us.
Please also join us in rejecting the use of the word "monetize" to mean "use in order to extract money from someone".
19 March 2014 (Resistance to oppression is "terrorism" in the UK)
A student running for an office in the Oxford University Conservative Association called Mandela a "terrorist".
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
Even worse, the UK government says the same thing. Under current UK law, armed resistance to an oppressive regime such as apartheid is called "terrorism". Shame on the UK!
The same right-wing extremist then used the DMCA to suppress reporting about what he said.
19 March 2014 (Political censorship in Russia)
Russia has blocked access to some web sites that criticize the government.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
It can point to the UK as an example of political censorship.
19 March 2014 (UK funding military studies of how to influence public's views)
The UK is funding military studies of how to influence the public's views.
This is the subtle equivalent of what Putin just did in the Crimea.
19 March 2014 (Privatization of historic public buildings in Greece)
Privatization in Greece has reached historic public buildings, triggering protests.
Some country should nationalize its privatized assets with no compensation to make it hard for other countries to privatize.
19 March 2014 (Bizarre rumors about wind-powered generators)
Refuting bizarre rumors that wind-powered generators cause health problems.
If you're worried about health problems from electricity, the two big ones are coal and nuclear. Emissions from burning coal cause ill health day in and day out. Nuclear is quite safe, except when something goes catastrophically wrong.
As for oil and natural gas, they are perfectly safe except for the toxic spills, the train explosions, and the extreme weather and food shortages caused by the CO₂.
19 March 2014 (Boycott of Saint Patrick's Day parade)
New York Mayor de Blasio has boycotted the Saint Patrick's Day parade in protest at its rejection of gay Irish groups.
Boston's new mayor has done likewise.
19 March 2014 (Australians harsh towards refugees, lax towards fossil fuel companies)
Australians advocate the greatest possible harshness towards people fleeing from torture; towards fossil fuel companies, not so much.
19 March 2014 (The Price of Haggling for Your Personal Data)
The Price of Haggling for Your Personal Data: It's not just about money.
This is why the proposal that people should "own" their personal data is simply inadequate.
19 March 2014 (Robots that can eliminate jobs)
A new research campaign aims to develop robots that can eliminate jobs even in small companies.
19 March 2014 (Global heating will reduce crop yields as soon as 2030)
Global heating will reduce crop yields as soon as 2030, even if we limit emissions so as to result ultimately in only 2C of heating.
19 March 2014 (Wyoming legislature rejects new science education standards)
Wyoming's legislature rejected new science education standards because the material on global heating is embarrassing for the state's fossil fuel policies.
19 March 2014 (Commanders block investigation of accusations of torture by UK troops)
Commanders blocked a British military investigator from investigating accusations that UK troops in the Bush forces were killing and torturing prisoners.
The Bush forces were the troops that Dubya got from the US military and other armies and turned into his army of conquest for his private unjust war.
19 March 2014 (Niger adopts scheme to store more food)
Niger is adopting a scheme to store more food from good years to cope with periods of food shortage.
States have done this for thousands of years, and Niger should do it too. But it needs a companion policy to reduce the birth rate. Without that, the effect will be to turn food insufficiency into a full-time problem.
19 March 2014 ("Food deserts" in Atlanta and Chicago)
"Food deserts" in Atlanta and Chicago leave many without access to nutritious food. Typically these deserts cover places inhabited by the poor people and nonwhites that also can't afford easily to reach stores further away.
19 March 2014 (Greenpeace protesters sue Russia)
Greenpeace protesters have sued Russia for seizing their protest ship.
18 March 2014 (Venezuelan thugs use tear gas to kick protesters out)
Venezuelan thugs kicked protesters out of a square with tear gas.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
The shortages that the protesters resent are confirmed by a friend of mine. Chavistas say that they are caused by US economic warfare, but I am skeptical of that. There are plenty of Latin American countries friendly to Venezuela that would be happy to export food to Venezuela and do not particularly respect the US. The shortages must be due to price controls or some other state economic policy.
Despite that, it is the wealthier people that are complaining. The poor are still mostly content with Chavismo because its aid has reduced their poverty. They were much worse off when the wealthier people, those now protesting, controlled the state.
The punishment of over 20 thugs for brutality is exemplary. Plenty of countries have thugs that commit brutality against protesters, and protect those thugs. For instance, in New York City.
18 March 2014 (Inequality in the UK)
Inequality in the UK: 5 families own more than the poorest 20%.
18 March 2014 (US Navy seizes tanker from Libyan rebels)
The US Navy seized the tanker carrying oil from Libyan rebels and handed it to the Libyan government.
I was wondering if this would happen. It thwarts that particular ploy. However, the underlying mess is still a mess.
18 March 2014 (Jailed for inability to pay fine and fined for being in jail)
In much of the US, if you can't pay a fine, you get jailed and then fined for being in jail. It turns into a life of jail, or "work release" slavery.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
18 March 2014 (Urgent: Thorough investigation of US intelligence agencies)
US citizens: call on the Senate to thoroughly investigate the intelligence agencies.
18 March 2014 (Global heating effects interfere with agriculture in Uganda)
Global heating effects are interfering with agriculture in Uganda, and people cannot sleep with the increased nighttime heat.
The temperature normally falls during a clear night. Greenhouse gases block this, so that night becomes painfully hot.
18 March 2014 (Why the election in Crimea is bogus)
Why the election in Crimea is bogus, and some other good thoughts about it.
18 March 2014 (Two human rights campaigners arrested in Sri Lanka)
Two human rights campaigners have been arrested in Sri Lanka and accused of "inciting hatred".
Aside from the question of whether they really did this — people quoted in the article say they did the opposite — making that a crime is an infringement of freedom of speech.
18 March 2014 (Caribbean people have legitimate claim for slavery reparations)
The Caribbean People Have a Legitimate Claim for Slavery Reparations.
18 March 2014 (Financial transaction tax)
Refuting the banksters' arguments against a financial transaction tax.
18 March 2014 (Canadian gov't targets environmental NGOs)
The Canadian government is targeting environmental NGOs that report on the government's policies of environmental destruction.
This comes after crippling the government's own labs that used to study the environmental destruction.
18 March 2014 (Florida farmworkers take on industry)
In 'Fair Food' Fight, Florida Farmworkers Take On Industry.
18 March 2014 (The plebiscite in the Crimea)
The plebiscite in the Crimea, choosing between a partial or complete break with Ukraine, was won by the Russians. Non-Russians were scared to vote or saw no point in choosing between those two politically chosen alternatives.
This vote was manipulated and invalid, but the inhabitants of the Crimea are entitled to make this choice in a proper and thoughtful way. They should make the choice after a time for cooling down, with due awareness of the increasingly tyrannical nature of the Russian state that they would be joining.
18 March 2014 (Intel to build processors locked to particular operating systems)
Intel plans to build tyrant processors that will be locked to particular operating systems or particular versions.
18 March 2014 (Planned eviction of Ile a Vache turning bloody)
The planned eviction of Ile a Vache is turning into a bloody occupation.
18 March 2014 (Fukushima cleanup workers protest)
Fukushima cleanup workers protested at the TEPCO office, claiming they are working in dangerous conditions and paid little.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
Once again, they're trying to cut the price of cleanup, even though that means extra risk.
18 March 2014 (Living in a multicultural area makes people more tolerant)
Living in a multicultural area makes people more tolerant.
18 March 2014 (Egypt descending into disaster)
A supporter of Morsi reports that Egypt is descending into a disaster of privatization, strikes, shortages and confiscation, with 23,000 political prisoners.
The unconstrained privatization might be why the US supported the coup. Privatization is the plutocrats' opportunity to swindle the public and rob the treasury.
The writer doesn't mention that Morsi also attacked human rights, though in lesser ways.
18 March 2014 (Snowden comments on Senator Feinstein's hypocrisy)
Snowden comments on Senator Feinstein's epiphany that snooping is bad when she and her staff are the targets.
18 March 2014 (Failure to ban undercover thug seduction tactics in the UK)
The UK thugs intend to continue inviting infiltrators to form sexual relationships with dissidents.
18 March 2014 (The progressive Better Off Budget)
The progressive Better Off Budget is full of what America needs, including some tax increases on the rich and on speculators.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
The proponents say it will cut the deficit too, but I hope it won't do that in the short term. What we need now is increased deficit spending; later, having spent our way out of the problem, we should run a surplus to pay back that borrowing.
17 March 2014 (Urgent: Reject dooH niboR budget)
US citizens: Reject Rep. Ryan's dooH niboR budget.
17 March 2014 (Urgent: Make up for the cuts in food stamps)
US citizens: call on your governor to make up for the cuts in food stamps.
Five states have done it already.
17 March 2014 (Urgent: Cure the plague in Madagascar before it spreads)
Everyone: call on the World Health Organization to cure plague in Madagascar before it spreads.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
17 March 2014 (Missing Malaysian airplane's last radio message)
The missing Malaysian airplane, flight MH370, sent its last radio message implying everything was ok, after some of the communication equipment was turned off.
It is not plausible that whoever did this, either the pilot or some other person with special training, went to this much effort only to fly over the ocean until the plane crashed from lack of fuel. A hijacker would not have done that either. I think the plane landed somewhere.
17 March 2014 (Partition of Libya Looms)
Partition of Libya Looms As Fight for Oil Sparks Vicious New Divide.
17 March 2014 (US telcos want to skip wiring the US for broadband)
The big US telcos have received hundreds of billions of dollars so they could "afford" to wire the US for broadband, but nobody made them promise to actually do the job, so they want to skip it.
A similar thing happened in the Tokyo train system: the train companies were allowed to increase ticket prices so they could "afford" to replace two-track lines with four-track lines, but a decade later most of them had not even started.
The error here was to presume that businesses would act in good faith.
17 March 2014 (For-profit colleges)
Obama is doing a good thing: trying to limit loans to for-profit colleges.
Over 20% of their graduates default because they can't get jobs after graduating from the programs they attend because the colleges assure them they will get jobs.
I think the US would be better off if it did not allow for-profit colleges.
17 March 2014 (Pension funds and divestment from fossil fuel companies)
It is self-defeating for a pension fund, whose purpose is to provide for workers decades from now, not to divest from fossil fuel companies.
The article compares the slowly roasting biosphere with the quickly burning World Trade Center, but we need to keep a sense of proportion when comparing occurrences of such different scale. The September 2001 attacks in New York City were small when measured against the size of the United States; their main damage was secondary, via the evil it provided the excuse to unleash. Global heating will kill some of your neighbors if not you.
If the prediction of 100 million deaths from global heating by 2030 is realized, that will be the equivalent of around 33333 World Trade Centers. If we spread this over the 202 months from now through the end of 2030, that comes out to around 165 WTCs per month.
However, in reality this damage won't be spread evenly in time. It will be concentrated near the end. Global heating may be killing only a few WTCs a month in most months today, but by 2030 it may be killing a thousand WTCs a month.
17 March 2014 (Political bias of US mainstream media)
The political bias of the US mainstream media is measured by the amount of coverage it gives to budget proposals: lots to the right-wing, and almost none to the left-wing.
17 March 2014 (US media misrepresenting war between Russia and Georgia)
To criticize Putin, the US media are misrepresenting the war between Russia and Georgia, which in fact was started by Georgia.
17 March 2014 (What if NYT Fact-checked Netanyahu's Claims?)
What if NYT Fact-checked Netanyahu's Claims?
It is plausible that Iran is smuggling weapons to Gaza (even if it denies doing so), but since they generally do far less damage than the weapons that the US openly provides to Israel, I don't see them as a matter of great concern. Anyway, this says nothing about Iran's nuclear program.
17 March 2014 (British journalist threatened under pretext of suspicions of "terrorism")
British journalist Sarah Harrison says her lawyers have advised her not to return to the UK, lest she be interrogated under the pretext of suspicions of "terrorism".
I looked at the text of the UK law which defines "terrorism", which the article quotes, and I think the article gives the wrong impression of what the law says. You can compare the two. I don't see how Wikileaks, which publishes things on its own site, would qualify as "designed seriously to interfere with or seriously to disrupt an electronic system".
On the other hand, for the law to put her in danger, it is not necessary that her activities really be terrorism, only that the border thugs find an excuse to pretend they are terrorism.
The definition is blatantly unjust: it defines "terrorism" to include any armed rebellion against any state, and any riot that develops out of a political protest. By this definition, the protests in Kiev were "terrorism". So were the Boston Tea Party and the American Revolution. Were the rebels "terrorists"?
17 March 2014 (La Ruleta Española)
New image in humor section.
17 March 2014 (Australia invites Syrian refugees to go back to Syria)
Australia has invited Syrian refugees to go back to Syria to avoid the oppressive conditions of their imprisonment in Manus Island.
One of them thought that being shot to death in Syria might be preferable.
17 March 2014 (The stated purpose of 1993 hearings on health care proposals)
Hillary Clinton held hearings on health care proposals in 1993 for the stated purpose of giving the impression of listening to people's views.
On the other hand, the goal she was working for — single-payer health care — was better than what Obama managed to enact.
17 March 2014 (USTR publishes falsehoods about free exploitation treaty with Korea)
The USTR is publishing factual falsehoods and distortions to present the free exploitation treaty with Korea as beneficial to US economic activity.
However, the worst part of this free exploitation treaty is that it gives companies more power over governments and thus over citizens. This does not show up in export/import balance sheets because it harms the people of both countries. In the long term, it encourages concentration of wealth and increased inequality within each country, which is why these treaties must be torn up.
17 March 2014 (Historical impact report for high-speed train line in UK)
The UK government has had a company prepare a historical impact report for the planned high-speed train line, and it resembles the report a company prepared for the State Department about Keystone XL.
Historical preservation of landscapes and buildings of only moderate significance is not as important as protecting our biosphere from global heating, and high-speed trains can help do that job. Nonetheless, there is no excuse for making these reports disguise what they are supposed to reveal.
17 March 2014 (The economic costs of extreme inequality in the UK)
A study estimates the total economic costs of extreme inequality in the UK at around 60 billion dollars a year.
17 March 2014 (What A Destructive Wall Street Owes Young Americans)
What A Destructive Wall Street Owes Young Americans.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
17 March 2014 (Sex workers)
A sex worker says: enough debating about sex workers without listening to them.
Sex workers in Norway face increased danger now that their customers are criminalized.
17 March 2014 (Russian troops probe Ukraine outside of the Crimea)
Russian troops are probing Ukraine outside of the Crimea. Meanwhile, both Russians and fascists are trying to start violence in Kharkiv.
17 March 2014 (Urgent: Call on China to free imprisoned Tibetan singers)
Everyone: call on China to free imprisoned Tibetan singers.
17 March 2014 (Urgent: Call for news coverage of the TPP and opposition to it)
In the US: tell CBS, NBC, ABC that the TPP and opposition to it should be news.
17 March 2014 (Urgent: Support protesting UPS workers)
Everyone: tell UPS, don't fire protesting workers.
17 March 2014 (Urgent: Suspend Florida prosecutor Angela Corey)
Everyone: call on the governor of Florida to suspend the prosecutor who keeps trying to imprison the woman who fired a warning shot at her violent husband.
Why Marissa Alexander would face 60 years in prison if convicted is another bizarre issue. I don't know why, but I can guess. In the US, it is normal to label a single crime as many different crimes, potentially leading to decades or centuries in prison.
17 March 2014 (Physical stores track customers through cell phones and tablets)
Restaurants and other physical stores are tracking customers through cell phones and tablets, sometimes even getting information about where else those people go before and after.
Neither online stores or physical stores can track me, because I don't turn on my laptop's wifi except for the short periods when I connect it to the internet, and I won't use the online stores at all.
17 March 2014 (Mortgage fraud)
When The Government Compounds Crimes Rather Than Fights Them: Mortgage Fraud.
17 March 2014 (BP Green-Lighted to Drill in Gulf Waters 'Still Suffering From Its Damage')
BP Green-Lighted to Drill in Gulf Waters 'Still Suffering From Its Damage'.
17 March 2014 (DMCA takedown abusers)
Time to Punish DMCA Takedown Abusers, WordPress Owners Say.
17 March 2014 (CCA's latest profit scheme: special prison for old people)
CCA's latest profit scheme: a special prison for old people that are not well enough to live independently.
Supposing that these people committed real and bad crimes, and were imprisoned for good reason, do we need to keep them in prison once they are infirm? Very few of them will ever commit a crime again.
17 March 2014 (ACLU sues to end use of no-fly list as punishment without trial)
The ACLU is suing to eliminate the no-fly list as punishment without trial.
Here are the injustices of this system.
U.S. Government Watch-listing: Unfair Process and Devastating Consequences
17 March 2014 (Vaccine printers)
Craig Venter envisions using home fabricators to print vaccines.
This would bring problems similar to what we find in computers: malware in viruses that might infect humans as well as printers, and malware such as DRM and spyware in the software that runs the printers.
17 March 2014 (Killing dingoes with poison puts small mammals in danger)
Killing dingoes (wild dogs) in Australia put small mammals in danger.
17 March 2014 (Fire at Waste Isolation Pilot Plant was preventable)
The fire at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant was preventable.
Most nuclear accidents and chemical plant accidents are preventable. If the owner fixed every irregularity immediately, and kept the plant shut down whenever its equipment was not entirely working normally, that would prevent most accidents.
They don't do that because that would be expensive; therefore, the owner cuts corners. Nearly always, no accident results. But some accidents are so bad that even once in a rare while is too much. To avoid those accidents, one must not cut corners.
16 March 2014 (Neocon influence on US gov't policies)
Neocons are once again exercising great influence on US government policies.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
It appears that Ms Clinton has given them vital support. This is one more reason why if she is the Democratic nominee I will vote for the Green Party.
16 March 2014 (Secret collaboration between North Carolina and Duke Energy)
North Carolina collaborated secretly with Duke Energy by preempting serious environmental lawsuits against that company.
16 March 2014 (Use of drugs that improve intelligence and self control)
Do people have a moral obligation to use drugs that improve their intelligence and self control?
16 March 2014 (Islamist militants attack military checkpoint in Egypt)
Islamist militants attacked a military checkpoint in Egypt; the government accused the Muslim Brotherhood (i.e., the "usual suspects").
It probably isn't the Muslim Brotherhood as such. These militants may include some who formerly supported the Muslim Brotherhood's nonviolent approach, and are reacting to the government's bloody suppression of that party.
I oppose Islamists regardless of their methods, because Islamic law is inimical to human rights. Nonetheless, it is undeniable that denying people of any persuasion access to democracy is likely to push some of them into armed guerrilla opposition.
To call these guerrillas "terrorists" is stretching the latter term. They are not attacking civilians.
16 March 2014 (US rolls back increases in flood insurance rates)
The US has rolled back increases in flood insurance rates for houses in places where flooding is likely.
If this roll-back lasts a long time, it will do harm: encouraging people to get cut-rate flood insurance on houses that are begging to be flooded. However, if the effect of the roll-back is temporary, it makes little long-term difference.
Pertinent questions: if flood insurance rates increase at 18% per year, what fraction of these houses will incur the true cost of their flood insurance with five years? Within 10 years? Within 20 years?
16 March 2014 (Number of people in US federal prisons declining)
A relaxation in sentencing practices has led the number of people in US federal prisons to start declining.
This is a small step in the right direction. The US should pardon everyone who was imprisoned for possession of drugs.
16 March 2014 (Rwandan genocide leader sentenced to prison)
One of the leaders of the Rwandan genocide has been sentenced to prison.
16 March 2014 (Urgent: Pressure Iceland to stop killing whales)
US citizens: call on Obama to pressure Iceland to stop killing whales.
The US does not hunt whales, but it endangers them; however, that is no reason not to support this campaign.
16 March 2014 (Urgent: Close loophole for gifts from one political group to another)
US citizens: call on the IRS to close the loophole for gifts from one political group to another.
16 March 2014 (New law in Hungary effectively bans photographing thugs at work)
Hungary has adopted a law that effectively bans photos and videos of thugs at work. As a byproduct, it makes most outdoor photojournalism unfeasible.
16 March 2014 (Theoretical model suggests our complex society could collapse)
A theoretical model suggests that our complex society could collapse, and that it is doing exactly the things that might tend to lead to collapse.
16 March 2014 (UK thug gets reprimanded three years after attacking protesters)
After three years, a UK thug has been reprimanded for unjustifiably spraying gas on protesters.
Now will he be prosecuted?
16 March 2014 (Haitian community organizer imprisoned without charges)
Ile a Vache community organizer and radio operator Jean Lamy Matulnes was imprisoned without charges after a protest.
The US-imposed regime in Haiti is evicting all the inhabitants to make a tourist resort.
15 March 2014 (UN Human Rights Council gives US a stern lecture)
The UN Human Rights Council gave the US a stern lecture.
If enough of us repeat it, maybe we can make the US government stop committing so many crimes.
The US claims that human rights don't apply to what it does to people outside US borders.
15 March 2014 (Business sponsorship of arts activities)
The Australian government wants to require arts activities to accept sponsorship from any business whatsoever, effectively banning rejection of sponsorship for ethical reasons.
This is in line with the plutocratist program of crushing all effective avenues for criticism of the crimes of businesses.
I wonder what will happen if a festival accepts sponsorship from a toxic mining company but says it will print on its brochures, "We are very sorry that the government requires us to accept sponsorship from Killer Coal Corporation." Presumably Killer Coal Corporation will withdraw the sponsorship. So will the government order the festival not to criticize the company, as well as ordering it to accept the money?
15 March 2014 (Maternal exposure to pesticides and brain damage for children)
Studies find that maternal exposure to pesticides correlates with brain damage and reduced intelligence for children.
The US system of pesticide regulation allows agribusiness to run rings around the EPA in using toxic pesticides. If it changes practices every decade, it can always say, "The evidence is only about old our practices."
15 March 2014 (Extreme poverty across Latin America cut in half)
Most Latin American governments have applied policies to reduce inequality, and extreme poverty across the region has been cut in half.
Right-wing politicians claim that the state anti-poverty programs can't work — because they know these methods can work, and aim to convince us not to employ them.
15 March 2014 (Obama subtly takes CIA's side in its dispute with Senate)
As Obama said he would not take sides in the dispute between the CIA and the Senate, he actually took the CIA's side in a very subtle way.
14 March 2014 (Human rights activist died in prison after being denied needed medical care)
Chinese human rights activist Cao Shunli died in prison after being denied needed medical care.
The shameful thing, for Americans, is that US prisons also frequently deny prisoners needed medical care.
Torture of Tibetan prisoners is frequent; one Tibetan stabbed himself to death to avoid being imprisoned.
I wish the US did not torture prisoners.
14 March 2014 (Non-Waste food is being diverted into biogas)
Biogas made from anaerobic digestion of plant wastes is a great idea, but lack of proper regulation means that non-waste food is being diverted into biogas.
14 March 2014 (Iraq is about to pass a law making women second-class citizens)
Iraq is about to pass a law making women second-class citizens.
Americans may feel somewhat chastened to see this result of Dubya's invasion of Iraq.
14 March 2014 (BP to be allowed to resume drilling in the Gulf of Mexico)
BP has made a deal to be allowed to resume drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
For EPA monitoring to make BP act safely, it will have to be very strict. I am not confident the US government will be strict with a Big Polluter.
14 March 2014 (Palm oil plantations have set massive fires)
Palm oil plantations in Sumatra have set massive fires that are making people sick.
14 March 2014 (Most teachers in the UK think of quitting)
Making school focus on standardized tests, together with long hours for teachers, is making most teachers in the UK think of quitting.
This system is designed as an excuse for privatization.
14 March 2014 (Report claiming that GMOs are needed to keep up the food supply)
The UK government commissioned advisors connected with the GMO industry to make a report claiming that GMOs are needed to keep up the food supply.
This not only ignores the risks of GMOs, but presumes the dubious assumption that GMOs increase yields.
Many GMOs contain patented genes; when they spread to other farms, that causes patent pollution which is not a threat in the case of non-GMO crops.
Organic farmers report that contamination from GMOs is causing them substantial losses.
The widely used GMOs are designed to work with pesticides; they increase pesticide use, and this is dangerous to farm workers and to wildlife.
I do agree that each GMO raises different issues regarding safety, for those who eat it, for those who grow it, for wildlife, and for contamination of other farms.
14 March 2014 (Exposing Illegal Things)
Exposing Illegal Things.
14 March 2014 (Urgent: Release the names of the US tax dodgers)
Everyone: call on Credit Suisse to release the names of the US tax dodgers that have accounts there.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
14 March 2014 (Too Much Voting and Not Enough Cash)
Too Much Voting and Not Enough Cash, Say (Republican) Wisconsin Legislators.
14 March 2014 (Urgent: Electricity from solar power)
Massachusetts citizens: call for extension of the program that allows electricity customers to generate electricity from solar power and sell that to the grid.
14 March 2014 (Australian government has lied about pristine Tasmanian forests)
The Australian government has lied about pristine Tasmanian forests that it wants to cut down.
14 March 2014 (Urgent: Call on the Senate to declassify its torture report)
US citizens: call on the Senate to declassify its torture report.
14 March 2014 (The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau)
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is doing a lot to protect Americans who borrow.
Of course, to give all Americans a decent life requires changes outside of that area.
14 March 2014 (Ukraine protesters covered a broad spectrum of views)
The Ukraine protesters covered a broad spectrum of views.
The fascist party is dangerous, but the revolution overall is not fascist. It is worth paying attention to preventing it from becoming so.
14 March 2014 (Possible to learn a substantial amount about real people from their metadata)
A study found it is possible to learn a substantial amount about real people from their phone call records (metadata).
14 March 2014 (If Feinstein And the CIA Kiss And Make Up)
If Feinstein And the CIA Kiss And Make Up, Will America Up And Forget Torture?
The Obama regime covers up policy documents about assassination as well as torture.
14 March 2014 (Urgent: Call on the legislature to close a tax loophole)
Citizens of Massachusetts: call on the legislature to close a tax loophole that permits companies to offshore their profits to tax havens.
14 March 2014 (Guantanamo prisoner has been released)
One more Guantanamo prisoner has been released, but to what? The article does not say whether he will be freed in Algeria, or tried there, or imprisoned there without trial.
It appears the US and Algeria have been negotiating for a long time about this question. The Algerian government is not known as a champion of human rights.
14 March 2014 (Urgent: Call on Obama to ban fracking on US public lands)
US citizens: call on Obama to ban fracking on US public lands.
14 March 2014 (Former head of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission calls for the elimination of nuclear power)
The former head of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission calls for the elimination of nuclear power.
14 March 2014 (McDonald's Accused of Stealing Wages)
McDonald's Accused of Stealing Wages From Already Underpaid Workers.
I don't think the workers would make these things up.
You shouldn't eat fast food anyway — it's made for fasting, not for eating.
14 March 2014 (Major Loopholes Remain in European Parliament's Data Protection Regulation)
Major Loopholes Remain in European Parliament's Data Protection Regulation.
14 March 2014 (Japanese nuclear industry has sued a journalist)
The Japanese nuclear industry has sued a journalist for saying that inviting people to live in slightly irradiated areas is a "human experiment".
Regardless of the level of danger of those experiments, it can't be denied that they are experiments.
14 March 2014 (RSF: Enemies of the Internet 2014)
RSF: Enemies of the Internet 2014: Entities at the Heart of Censorship And Surveillance.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
14 March 2014 (European Parliament fails to react strongly to surveillance programs)
European Parliament Fails to React Strongly to US and EU Surveillance Programmes.
14 March 2014 (Ukraine's Neo-Fascist Threat from Within)
Ukraine's Neo-Fascist Threat from Within.
14 March 2014 (Obama denies access to documents about CIA torture)
Obama is denying the Senate Intelligence Committee access to documents about CIA torture.
14 March 2014 (Rutgers students and faculty vote against honoring Condoleeza Rice)
Rutgers students and faculty have voted against inviting Condoleezza Rice to be honored.
14 March 2014 (Gays attacked by mobs in Nigeria)
In Nigeria, gays are being attacked by mobs.
14 March 2014 (China Arrests Citizen Journalists for Reporting Tiananmen 'Self-Immolation')
China Arrests Citizen Journalists for Reporting Tiananmen 'Self-Immolation'.
14 March 2014 (Business schools)
Business schools are a motor for business practices that damage the world.
14 March 2014 (Chagos islands)
The UK has launched a study that will consider whether it is possible to allow Chagosians to return to the homes they were forcibly expelled from.
Whatever is done in the coming few years, I expect that Britain and the US, along with China and other industrialized countries, will have the last laugh — CO₂ emissions will kill the coral in a few decades, making most of the fish disappear, and later inundate the islands.
14 March 2014 (Whoever Wins Turkey's Power Struggle, Democracy Is Already a Casualty)
Whoever Wins Turkey's Power Struggle, Democracy Is Already a Casualty.
14 March 2014 (European spy agencies keep political leaders in dark about collusion with NSA)
European spy agencies have kept their political leaders in the dark about collusion with the NSA in spying on their own countries' citizens.
14 March 2014 (Right-wing politicians try to vilify the poor)
Right-wing politicians want to condemn poor Americans for having children and for eating badly, as an excuse to cut the programs meant to help them avoid those problems.
14 March 2014 (Investigation of CIA may have received help from whistleblower)
Senator Feinstein's investigation of the CIA may have received a secret CIA torture confession with the help of a CIA whistleblower.
I hope this will teach Feinstein something about the ethics of whistleblowing.
It should also teach us that the Intelligence Committee has allowed itself to be cut off from the facts that it needs to investigate. If we want that committee to have a ghost of a chance of stopping the CIA from committing crimes against humanity, it must be given unrestrained access to any facts it considers pertinent, and must be empowered to jail officials for contempt of Congress if they obstruct the investigation.
14 March 2014 (European Parliament excepts fracking from tighter limits)
The European Parliament voted for tighter limits on mining conventional oil and gas, but excepted fracking on perverse grounds.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
14 March 2014 (ALEC organizing domestic state legislators)
ALEC is organizing its domesticated state legislators to boost the Keystone XL pipeline.
13 March 2014 (Freed after 30 years on death row)
Prisoner Glen Ford was exonerated and freed after 30 years on death row.
The big scandal is the unfair trial that put him there, and the judges that subsequently chose to uphold the authority of the system even though they realized it it had not provided grounds for conviction.
13 March 2014 (Population of New York City's homeless shelters has hit a record)
The population of New York City's homeless shelters has hit a record of 53,000, including some 20,000 children.
Between 15% and 20% of the homeless adults have jobs but can't afford a place to live. This is the result of dooH niboR policies such as raising banksters' bonuses while letting the minimum wage decline with inflation, on one end, and shortage of housing on the other.
13 March 2014 (Deceptive ads attacking Obama's medical coverage plan)
Deceptive ads attacking Obama's medical coverage plan present a woman with close Republican political ties who pretends that it costs her money, when in fact it saves her money.
13 March 2014 (Putin taking tight control of the Russian press)
Putin is taking tight control of the Russian press at the corporate level.
13 March 2014 (Manager told a sick employee to "put a bullet through her head")
Workers protested after a McDonald's manager told a sick employee to "put a bullet through her head".
Workers should not have to ask for permission to leave when they get sick.
13 March 2014 (A compromise for boat people)
Proposing a compromise for boat people that have tried to flee to Australia.
They are coming from Indonesia, but they are not Indonesians. One possibility is to convince Indonesia to offer them asylum.
13 March 2014 (Heidegger's diaries display strong antisemitism)
Heidegger's diaries display strong antisemitism.
I don't think this needs to affect anyone's evaluation of Heidegger's other unrelated positions, which I don't know and have no opinion about.
13 March 2014 (UK's Universities and Colleges Admissions Service sells students' personal information)
The UK's Universities and Colleges Admissions Service sells students' personal information to companies.
Since those companies evidently have money to spare, they could pay higher taxes to fully fund this service.
13 March 2014 ("Predictive policing")
"Predictive policing" incorporates racial bias and skews in crime reporting.
13 March 2014 (Feinstein's alarm over CIA spying)
Feinstein's alarm over CIA spying on the Senate Intelligence Committee demonstrates that this committee can't check what the intelligence agencies tell them.
12 March 2014 (High voltage power cables emit UV light visible to many mammals)
Many species of mammals can see ultraviolet light, so high voltage power cables look like bright flashing lights to them. Sometimes they don't dare cross under one.
Parrots can also see UV light; I wonder what influence power lines have on parrots.
12 March 2014 (Journalist sentenced to 27 years in prison for "terrorism")
Ethiopia has sentenced an exiled Somali journalist to 27 years in prison on vague charges of "terrorism".
Perhaps the Ethiopian government has been inspired by bogus accusations of terrorism in the US or the UK.
12 March 2014 (Copyright trolls running wild in Germany)
Copyright trolls are running wild in Germany.
We must put an end completely to the war on sharing by legalizing sharing (noncommercial redistribution of exact copies) for any published work.
In the mean time, Germans should run WiFi networks without passwords to resist being conscripted as enforces in this oppressive scheme.
12 March 2014 (How the NSA Plans to Infect 'Millions' of Computers with Malware)
How the NSA Plans to Infect 'Millions' of Computers with Malware.
12 March 2014 (Pressure on World Bank not to lend money to palm oil company)
The World Bank is being pressured not to lend money to a palm oil company in Honduras.
Considering the problems that palm oil causes, and the profit it gets, any public support for palm oil is a ridiculous handout to business.
12 March 2014 (Urgent: Eliminate Pentagon's war slush fund)
US citizens: call on Congress to eliminate the Pentagon's war slush fund.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
12 March 2014 (Turks hold massive protest about death of teenager shot by thugs)
Turks held a massive protest about the death of a teenager who was hit in the head by a tear gas canister fired by thugs as he was passing by a previous protest.
In Turkey as in Israel, tear gas canisters don't hit people's heads by accident. The thugs are trained to shoot and hit a target, and they are supposed to fire these canisters at the ground. They hit people's heads when they aim at people's heads.
12 March 2014 (Guantanamo prisoner sues to demand end to force-feeding)
A prisoner on hunger strike in Guantanamo is suing to demand an end to gruesome force-feeding.
12 March 2014 (Computer and network security)
Computer and network security is like public health: we have to maintain it as a community, not individually.
The article doesn't say this, but we need to use free software if we're to do this.
12 March 2014 (Deforestation continues in Asian countries)
Asian countries have not ended deforestation.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
A large part of the impetus is production of palm oil. Although campaigns to pressure companies can help, what we really need is to tax palm oil to the point that there is no demand for increased production.
12 March 2014 (Feinstein has not learned much)
It appears that Feinstein has not learned much from having the CIA spy on her office.
12 March 2014 (Buying out the coal industry to shut it down)
Buying out the coal industry could be a cheap way to shut it down.
Rather than beg a few billionaires to carry out this important public function, we should tell our elected representatives to have the state do it. That would avoid the danger that other coal companies would start up and try to resume the mining that had been shut down.
12 March 2014 (CIA undermined constitution by searching senate computers)
Senator Feinstein says the CIA undermined the constitution by searching senate computers.
This is a big turnaround for her, since thus far she has firmly defended the intelligence agencies and their snooping on everyone else. Her denunciation goes against the spirit of her previous views.
Rather than condemning her for "self-contradiction" or "hypocrisy", we should invite her to change her previous views.
Congress should change the law so that it is clearly not a crime for congressional staff investigating the intelligence agencies to get and look at their documents.
12 March 2014 (Promoting girls' self-esteem vs banning words)
Promoting girls' self-esteem with substance rather than banning words.
There's one point I dispute: the idea that there is such a thing as "ban-worthy hate speech". That concept reflects disrespect for a right essential to women as well as men: freedom of speech.
12 March 2014 (Divesting from fossil fuels for the benefit of people's future)
If you are investing for the benefit of people's future, divesting from fossil fuels is absolutely necessary.
12 March 2014 (Number of deaths from car crashes vs plane crashes)
If the Malaysian Airlines flight crashed, and if 239 people on board were killed, that's less than 2 hours' death toll for cars crashes.
But the bigger danger of cars may be that they encourage people to get less exercise.
In September 2001, car crashes killed more Americans than terrorist attacks did. Terrorists have killed only a handful of Americans since then, but cars do it again every month. So why are Americans so scared of terrorists and not scared of cars?
Partly it is due to human psychological tendencies. Many victims from one event attract more attention than many separate events with the same total number of victims. Violence attracts attention too. Conversely, whether you have a car crash is partly under your own control, which reduces the fear caused by that danger.
This is exacerbated by the mainstream media's exploitation of fear of terrorists, and by the written and voice announcements in trains and buses reminding us to be very afraid of the (probably nonexistent) terrorists.
12 March 2014 (US broke 1990 commitment by pushing NATO to borders of Russia)
The US broke a 1990 commitment by pushing NATO to the borders of Russia. Putin's adventurism is partly a response to this.
12 March 2014 (California drought)
Cities and towns in California are trying desperate measures to conserve water.
12 March 2014 (Increase in Antarctic sea ice)
The increase in Antarctic sea ice is caused by other effects of global heating, including the slowly accelerating melting of the ice cap.
12 March 2014 (The underestimated heating effect of CO₂)
The discovery that volcanic emissions have cooled the Earth significantly during the past decade implies that the heating effect per ton of CO₂ is stronger than the estimate from a year ago.
In effect, our boat has been drifting slowly towards the waterfall, and we just discovered that one engine was on and trying to push us away for the past decade. That implies the current is faster than we thought.
The analogy is limited. The current in this case is the result of our greenhouse gas emissions, and we could reduce them greatly if we take bold measures.
12 March 2014 (Lack of action against food fraud in UK after fake beef scandal)
UK supermarkets' response to the fake beef scandal was talk but no lasting action.
The way to prevent food fraud is with simpler food chains and more inspection. Both of these require action by the state.
12 March 2014 (Maoist rebels in India are fighting the state)
Maoist rebels in India are fighting the state.
I don't think I'd want to live in the polity that the Naxalites would set up, but what these villagers experience today could well be worse. India's government is in general allowing big corporations to run roughshod over people that live in the lands they want to take or pollute.
11 March 2014 (UK has arrested people who went to Syria possibly to help rebels)
The UK has arrested people who went to Syria possibly to help rebels.
If they supported a group that fights to impose Islamist tyranny, that was evil, but the UK law equally punishes fighting for a good cause.
11 March 2014 (An excuse to permit developers to destroy wild areas)
The UK government is eager to use "environmental offsetting" as an excuse to permit developers to destroy wild areas.
Theoretically the "offsets" will replace what is destroyed, but the government seems to regard this more as an excuse than as a serious goal.
11 March 2014 (Farmed salmon are equally fertile)
Research shows that farmed salmon, which are genetically inferior to wild salmon, are equally fertile, which means escaping fish have the power to drag down the wild salmon gene pool.
11 March 2014 (Poor Americans can't afford doxycycline)
Poor Americans can't afford doxycycline, which used to be so cheap that it was easy for them to get.
What has changed? I think it is a reduction in the number of suppliers. If so, this is yet another result of allowing businesses to merge when it ought to be banned.
The market is a useful mechanism, but it is subject to instabilities. One of them is the tendency for all the producers of a certain good to merge. Without energetic government regulation, the market will go all wrong.
11 March 2014 (Mob of Israeli "settlers" stoned a Palestinian journalist's car)
A mob of Israeli "settlers" stoned a Palestinian journalist's car while soldiers looked on.
11 March 2014 (Many world academics have condemned Israel's plans to censor calls for boycott)
Many world academics have condemned Israel's plans to censor calls for boycott.
11 March 2014 (Koch brothers got 88 million dollars in corporate welfare)
A study has totaled up the handouts from US states and cities to businesses, and found that the Koch brothers got 88 million dollars in corporate welfare.
A lot of these handouts are part of schemes to draw businesses away from other states and cities, which pull back by offering their own handouts. All the states and cities lose from this, while the rich gain.
11 March 2014 (Palestinians denied municipal water for 3 days)
50,000 Palestinians in "Jerusalem" have been denied municipal water for 3 days.
They are probably not in the city of Jerusalem but rather in areas of the West Bank that Israel claims to have annexed and added to Jerusalem.
11 March 2014 (Boycott campaign against Sabra hummus)
A boycott campaign against Sabra hummus, since the company directly supports an army unit involved the occupation.
11 March 2014 (Drone attacks that kill civilians require investigations)
The UN Human Rights Council says that states have an obligation to investigate drone attacks that kill civilians.
11 March 2014 (Banksters' pay going up this year)
Banksters' pay is going up this year.
We are not doing enough to make banking boring again.
11 March 2014 (Chinese gov't reports on US human rights violations)
The Chinese government scathingly reports on US human rights violations.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
I reject a few of the items. The mass shootings in the US were not carried out by the state, and the number of people affected were not very many. The thousands of other violent crimes were not carried out by the state either, and if weak gun control paved the way for them, paving the way for crimes is not the same thing as committing them. Racist statements are nasty but banning them is censorship.
Nonetheless, the bulk of the report's rebukes are valid. US criticisms of China's human rights record are generally valid too.
The point is not which state is worse. The point is that Americans and Chinese deserve better.
11 March 2014 (US moving back to dark unregulated days of a century ago)
The US is moving back to the dark unregulated days of a century ago.
11 March 2014 (80% of Japanese want to reduce number of nuclear power plants)
80% of Japanese want to scrap some of the country's nuclear power plants.
I guess that's why the government, which is pro-nuclear, is provoking foreign conflict by denying the facts about women forced into prostitution during World War II: to manipulate people through their patriotism and distract them from the threat to them.
11 March 2014 (Free speech)
Free Speech, RIP: A Relic of the American Past.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
11 March 2014 (Agribusiness-based food system hopeless for the poor)
A UN report on the right to food says that the agribusiness-based food system is hopeless for the poor, and needs fundamental changes.
11 March 2014 (EU-US trade deal)
Give And Take in the EU-US Trade Deal? Sure. We Give, the Corporations Take.
11 March 2014 (Palestinian-Jordanian judge shot by Israeli soldiers)
A Palestinian-Jordanian who is a judge in Jordan was shot by Israeli soldiers who say he tried to take a soldier's gun.
This story strikes me as totally fishy. Only a thug could say it with a straight face.
11 March 2014 (Urgent: Contact your MEPs by Wednesday about privacy and civil liberties)
EU citizens: contact your MEPs by Wednesday about privacy and civil liberties.
10 March 2014 (Will go to jail rather than serve in the occupation army)
60 Israeli teenagers said they will go to jail rather than serve in the occupation army.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
10 March 2014 (A creative use for drones)
A creative use for drones: smuggling drugs into prison.
10 March 2014 (Patent trolls)
Apple and Microsoft are not patent trolls, but they own one.
10 March 2014 (Urgent: Call for maintaining the protection of wolves)
US citizens: call for maintaining the protection of wolves.
10 March 2014 (Thug raped a woman who had reported domestic violence)
A Detroit thug raped a woman who had reported domestic violence.
Shall we nominate him for US thug of the year?
10 March 2014 (How Comcast Plans to Rule American Cable and Internet)
Here's How Comcast Plans to Rule American Cable and Internet.
Although Netflix is being mistreated by non-neutral ISPs, it deserves no sympathy with its DRM and other mistreatment of the users.
10 March 2014 (Google says that forbidden sharing is an "availability and pricing problem")
Google says that forbidden sharing is an "availability and pricing problem."
I disagree. Authorized copies of music, books and movies on the internet have a freedom problem: they impose DRM, require signing contracts, and in most cases demand users identify themselves. (For books, for music.)
We should reject any distribution system that commits even one of those three injustices. For many works, the only copies that respect your freedom are the unauthorized copies of file sharing.
10 March 2014 (John Kiriakou points out CIA officials that committed the same "crime")
John Kiriakou points out CIA officials that committed the same "crime" he did, but were not prosecuted.
10 March 2014 (Copyright industry pressuring companies to accept SOPA voluntarily)
The copyright industry, after its defeat on SOPA, is pressuring companies to accept SOPA voluntarily.
10 March 2014 (Damage done by global heating)
Bangladesh needs more than a billion dollars a year to cope with the damage done by global heating.
Naturally, the cost increases each year. In a few decades it may cost 5 billion dollars a year to compensate for the damage to Bangladesh.
10 March 2014 (Pakistan will pay parents for getting their children vaccinated)
Pakistan will pay parents for getting their children vaccinated against polio.
10 March 2014 (The London thug force)
The London thug force, a "gang of 23000 people" as one of its capos put it, is a perverted organization with a systematic tendency to cover up its aggressions with false accusations.
It was the people who have forced a public inquiry into this gang. Courts provided little help, because they catered to the thugs' demands for secrecy.
10 March 2014 (Venezuelan agents being prosecuted for murdering protesters)
Several Venezuelan intelligence agents are being prosecuted for murdering Venezuelan protesters.
That thugs attack protesters, even kill them, occurs in many countries. That they get prosecuted for this is what's unusual.
10 March 2014 (The CIA Has Brought Darkness to America by Fighting in the Shadows)
The CIA Has Brought Darkness to America by Fighting in the Shadows.
10 March 2014 (Large protest in Tokyo demands end to nuclear power plants)
A large protest in Tokyo demanded an end to nuclear power plants.
10 March 2014 (CIA and Senate Committee leave public in dark about torture)
As CIA Fights w/ Senate Panel Over Torture, Public Left in Dark.
10 March 2014 (Libyan rebels' plan to export oil to North Korea)
Libya's central government and regional rebels are coming to blows about the latter's plan to export oil to North Korea.
10 March 2014 (Obama wants to increase spending on nuclear weapons)
Obama wants to increase spending on nuclear weapons.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
10 March 2014 (Drone attacks in Yemen stir up terror and hatred)
Drone attacks in Yemen stir up terror and hatred.
10 March 2014 (Urgent: Oppose Obama's nomination of a public school privatizer)
US citizens: oppose Obama's nomination of a public school privatizer as undersecretary of education.
10 March 2014 (Taking children out of imposed standardized tests)
A mother writes about the educational experience of taking her children out of an imposed standardized test.
One way to assuage teachers' anxiety about the school's scores is to encourage the worse students to opt out ;-). However, we must not let down our resistance to an oppressive system just because it has taken hostages.
10 March 2014 (Study finds that LSD helps terminally ill people cope)
A Swiss study found that LSD helped many terminally ill people cope better with their situations.
10 March 2014 (School forces wet student to stand outside in sub-zero temperatures)
When there was a fire in Como Park High School, one student who had been in the swimming pool got frostbite from waiting outside wet in the cold. It was against the rule for teachers to let students sit in their cars.
10 March 2014 (Recovery of sea otter population in Prince William Sound)
25 years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the sea otter population in Prince William Sound has recovered.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
Some genetic damage remains. It will take some more generations to clear out deleterious mutations caused by the oil, and perhaps the oil remaining on the beaches continues causing some damage.
10 March 2014 (Overwork shortens peoples lives)
Overwork shortens people's lives. People should work fewer hours.
Why, usually, do people work so many hours? Professionals might be happy to work fewer hours, but employers usually demand long hours, and those who refuse long hours may not get hired at all. Meanwhile, the increasing fraction of Americans that work for very low wages need to work a lot to get enough to live on. We should change our laws to help these people work at a healthier pace.
10 March 2014 (US Rep. Jared Polis mocks a call to ban bitcoin)
US Representative Jared Polis mocks a call to ban bitcoin with a call to ban dollar bills.
The horrible thing is that other governments are limiting use of cash.
10 March 2014 (Delhi thug department has ignored complaints since 2006)
The Delhi thug department has ignored complaints since 2006; nobody knew how to access the computer account where the complaints were delivered.
I get the impression that the thugs were not unhappy with this state of affairs and saw no urgency in gaining access to the complaints.
This is one of many reasons why the thug department should not handle complaints about the thug department.
10 March 2014 (Research confirms thesis of The Spirit Level)
Further research confirms the thesis of The Spirit Level: greater income inequality in society makes many kinds of social problems worse and more frequent.
10 March 2014 (Urgent: Ban keeping orcas in captivity in California)
California citizens: support the proposed ban on keeping orcas in captivity.
10 March 2014 (Urgent: Pass the extended Bottle Bill in Massachusetts)
Citizens of Massachusetts: call on your state legislators to pass the extended Bottle Bill.
10 March 2014 (Urgent: Limit greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants)
US citizens: call on the EPA to hurry to limit greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants.
10 March 2014 (Closure of abortion clinics in Texas)
Poor women in a part of Texas will now have to travel hundreds of miles for an abortion or many other services.
10 March 2014 (Documents proving Japanese gov't forced women into prostitution)
Japanese historians say they have documents proving the government's direct responsibility for forcing women from occupied countries into prostitution, and say the Japanese government is hiding more documents.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
10 March 2014 (US gov't wants to shield UN from liability for bringing cholera to Haiti)
The US government wants to shield the UN from liability for bringing cholera to Haiti. This makes sense since it was the US that overthrew Aristide because he opposed privatization and then brought the UN to Haiti as "peacekeepers" (although there was no fighting except the government against the poor).
10 March 2014 (The brown paper lunch bag story)
How Paul Ryan distorted a book about helping poor children into a falsified claim that a poor child did not want help.
10 March 2014 ("Nuclear weapons thinking")
Is "nuclear weapons thinking" partly responsible for other aspects of the imperial presidency?
10 March 2014 (Dropbox's sleazy forced arbitration clause)
Dropbox's sleazy forced arbitration clause has an "opt out" designed only as a legal excuse.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
10 March 2014 (Evidence that snipers tried to inflame tensions at protest in Kiev)
Evidence from wounds inflicted by snipers in Kiev suggests their goal was to inflame tensions between the protesters and Yanukovych's men.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
It would not be the first time. The killers in Tlaltelolco in 1968 shot at the "security forces" as well as at protesters. Those killers were sent by the President of Mexico, who did not hesitate to kill his own men.
09 March 2014 (CIA spied on the Senate committee investigating CIA torture)
The CIA spied on the Senate committee investigating CIA torture.
This is the reverse of the congressional oversight of the CIA which is supposed to happen.
If Congress has enough guts it can knock the spy agencies out. Congress can legislate for itself the power to demand any and all CIA documents and to declassify those it chooses. With a 2/3 majority, it can do this over Obama's opposition.
Does Congress have the guts?
09 March 2014 (Rugby involves injuries that can lead to major brain damage)
Rugby, like American Football, involves injuries that can lead to major brain damage.
09 March 2014 (Digital records and books are vulnerable to malicious erasure)
Digital records and books are vulnerable to malicious erasure.
09 March 2014 (Privacy Advocates Want To Halt Facebook Acquisition of WhatsApp)
Privacy Advocates Want To Halt Facebook Acquisition of WhatsApp.
Given the U SAP AT RIOT Act, no company can be trusted to keep any secrets about you from Big Brother. The only protection is not to give a company any data about you. Nonetheless, this merger could increase the total effect of surveillance, and blocking it could be a good thing to do.
09 March 2014 (Punishing juvenile bullying as a crime)
Punishing juvenile bullying as a crime can do more harm that good.
09 March 2014 (Bringing oligarchs (plutocrats) into the government)
Some Ukraine democracy advocates are unhappy with the idea of bringing oligarchs (plutocrats) into the government.
09 March 2014 (Spy Services of EU Member States Independently Hawk Domestic Access to NSA, GCHQ)
Snowden: Spy Services of EU Member States Independently Hawk Domestic Access to NSA, GCHQ.
09 March 2014 (Court ruled there are no FAA regulations about drones)
A court ruled there are no FAA regulations about drones, which means anyone can run drones in the US.
09 March 2014 (Offering gratis contraception and abortion)
A study in St Louis found that offering gratis contraception and abortion did not encourage women to have risky sex.
US women can't afford sterilization.
09 March 2014 (What Snowden said to the European Parliament)
What Snowden said to the European Parliament.
09 March 2014 (Some chefs are using the term "intellectual property")
Some chefs are using the term "intellectual property" to make it seem legitimate for them to claim it is an injustice to post photos of the food they prepare.
The bogus concept of "intellectual property", which confuses various unrelated existing laws and misrepresents them all, lends itself to attempts to stretch them. For the sake of clear understanding let's firmly refuse to use that propaganda term.
See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/not-ipr.html.
09 March 2014 (Staying at an "all-inclusive" resort hotel)
Staying at an "all-inclusive" resort hotel means less money for the local people in the place you are visiting.
09 March 2014 (Anonymity on the internet)
Anonymity on the internet makes possible a special kind of creativity.
09 March 2014 (Fined a mere $1500 for contaminating an aquifer with uranium)
A fossil fuel project in Australia was fined a mere $1500 for contaminating an aquifer with uranium.
09 March 2014 (The US 2014 trade agenda)
The US 2014 trade agenda aims to distract attention from the harm done by existing free exploitation treaties by pretending new ones will do some sort of good.
09 March 2014 (US media led public to believe Keystone XL would mean lots of jobs)
US media have led the public to believe the Keystone XL pipeline would mean lots of jobs.
Ignoring the protests against the pipeline has surely helped mislead.
Even a million jobs wouldn't justify the damage that the pipeline will do in the long term. We could create a million jobs installing renewable energy systems.
09 March 2014 (Ban GMO foods, or require labeling?)
Ban GMO foods, or require labeling? It turns out that the effect is almost the same.
I am not necessarily opposed to all GMOs foods, but each one requires careful testing and we can't trust a company to test its own product honestly. Meanwhile, for the sake of farmers' rights, we cannot allow the genes be patented.
We also cannot allow a GMO which is likely to contaminate other farms with the artificial genes. The likelihood of such contamination depends on the species of plant.
09 March 2014 (Urgent: Free Robert Ducan)
US Citizens: Sign this petition to free Robert Duncan.
09 March 2014 (Democracy Now covers Crimean intervention)
Democracy Now covers the Crimean intervention.
09 March 2014 (The Washington Post)
If Bezos does not impose editorial changes on the Washington Post, its past militarism and support for the security state will carry forward.
09 March 2014 (Mainstream media on GMOs)
Mainstream media have repeatedly touted GMOs for tremendous supposed benefits that were pure fiction.
09 March 2014 (Baptist churches in Kentucky giving away guns)
Baptist churches in Kentucky are recruiting by giving away guns.
09 March 2014 (US gov't condemns plans for plebiscite on secession of Crimea)
The US government condemned the plans for a plebiscite on secession of the Crimea.
I agree that the current plans deserve condemnation. I hope the US does not reject the idea of a future plebiscite under negotiated circumstances.
09 March 2014 (Comparing distortions on RT TV with distortions on CNN International)
Comparing distortions on RT TV with distortions on CNN International.
What this shows is that there is a difference between the station's main editorial slant and whether it censors anyone that disagrees. RT (from what I've heard) has a main editorial slant that includes falsehoods about the Crimea, but doesn't require all show hosts to go along with that slant.
08 March 2014 (Local parliament of Crimea to hold referendum on annexation by Russia)
The local parliament of Crimea says it will hold a referendum in 10 days on annexation by Russia.
It's legitimate to have a referendum on the question, but holding it under these circumstances is as ridiculous as the elections run by US puppets in Honduras, Haiti and Afghanistan.
08 March 2014 (US must stop throwing people away with avoidable imprisonment)
ACLU: the US must stop throwing people away with avoidable imprisonment.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
08 March 2014 (Before Reagan, capitalism as practiced in the US created a large middle class)
Before Reagan, capitalism as practiced in the US created a large middle class, and even workers could get by. We could make this happen again, if we defeat plutocracy.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
08 March 2014 (Cancerous Culture)
Cancerous Culture: Top Army Prosecutor For Sexual Assault Cases Suspended For…guess what?
08 March 2014 (DRM on coffee containers)
DRM on coffee containers illustrates one of the dangers of the "internet of things" — if it runs nonfree software.
This article does not recognize the danger of massive surveillance. Even if your coffee maker allows you to order whatever brand beverage you choose, your order will inevitably be reported to Big Brother. That's enough to convince me not to use the system.
08 March 2014 (Supporters of the Venezuelan government held large rallies)
Supporters of the Venezuelan government held large rallies.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
08 March 2014 (The huge US military and "security" budget)
The huge US military and "security" budget, 73% of all discretionary spending, is disguised by putting large pieces into other categories.
08 March 2014 (Europe is taking an increasing risk of nuclear disaster)
Europe is taking an increasing risk of nuclear disaster by allowing aging nuclear power plants to keep running.
The environment inside a nuclear power plant degrades many materials. When things break the operators can't make them as good as new (or are unwilling to spend what that would cost), so the reactors get ever further from their designs and intended functioning.
08 March 2014 (Proposed deregulation of poultry processing factories)
Proposed deregulation of poultry processing factories would endanger workers' health as well as consumers'.
The main danger to consumers' health is from contamination, but if the measure makes chicken any cheaper, that could increase the tendency of Americans to eat too much meat, which is massively bad for their health.
It would also be bad for employment. That alone is enough reason to reject it.
08 March 2014 (Madrid's mayor wants to restrict the right to protest)
Madrid's mayor wants to restrict the right to protest for the sake of the poor little rich businesses that lose sales due to protesters.
08 March 2014 ("Evolved" decision algorithms)
"Evolved" decision algorithms that nobody understands can disguise discrimination that is despised and even illegal.
08 March 2014 (CIA spying on the US Senate)
CIA spying on the US Senate relates to the report of a Senate investigation into CIA torture and CIA lies.
The CIA is blocking the Senate from publishing this report. Congress should pass a law saying that it is allowed to release this report regardless of what the CIA or Obama say, and then do so. The torturers, arrogant enemies of our constitution, deserve to be knocked down.
08 March 2014 ("Experts" about Venezuela with a conflict of interest)
The mainstream press cites "experts" about Venezuela with a conflict of interest.
08 March 2014 (Bogus right-wing figure, published in the New York Times)
A bogus right-wing figure, published in the New York Times, exaggerates Venezuela's inflation by a factor of 6.
08 March 2014 (UK protesters say a thug set a fire in a store)
UK protesters say a thug set a fire in a store for which they were then convicted.
08 March 2014 (Urgent: Rehire Reza Abolhassani, who was fired for getting robbed)
Everyone: tell Papa Johns to rehire Reza Abolhassani, who was fired for getting robbed.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
08 March 2014 (Ukraine is in a standoff between two empires)
Ukraine is in a standoff between two empires each of which would be glad to drag it down.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
Resisting the pressure to understand the Crimea by "taking the side" of Russia or the US.
08 March 2014 (The need to eliminate cholera from Haiti)
The UN is talking about the need to eliminate cholera from Haiti.
08 March 2014 (Afghanistan is still one of the worst places to be a woman)
Afghanistan is still one of the worst places to be a woman.
08 March 2014 (Sentenced to prison for homosexuality)
A leading Malaysian opposition politician has been sentenced to prison for homosexuality.
If the accusation is a frame-up to keep him out of government, this sentence is an injustice. If the accusation is true, the sentence is still an injustice.
08 March 2014 (Regional heating causes malaria to spread)
A study shows that regional heating causes malaria to spread.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
08 March 2014 (Easier to hide political campaign spending)
Wisconsin Republicans plan to make it easier to hide political campaign spending.
08 March 2014 (Carbon tax has been very effective in cutting emissions)
Australia's carbon tax has been very effective in cutting emissions.
That must be why Abbott wants to repeal it.
08 March 2014 (Urgent: Confirm Debo Adebgile to head the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division)
US citizens: call on the Senate to confirm Debo Adebgile to head the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division.
08 March 2014 (Laws against "revenge porn")
Laws against "revenge porn" need to be written carefully to protect freedom of speech.
Fundamentally, the job should be doable.
08 March 2014 (Poor workers rent closets to sleep in)
Housing in Paris is so expensive that poor workers rent closets to sleep in.
High taxes on living space that isn't a residence might help, but if that proves insufficient, it will be necessary to build a lot more living space in Paris. Banning the rental of these tiny spaces will only make the problem worse.
08 March 2014 (Even NSA employees feel the chill when they are subject to surveillance)
Even NSA employees feel the chill when they are subject to surveillance.
08 March 2014 (Australian gov't should investigate the dangers of coal mines too)
The Australian government investigation into the dangers of wind turbines should investigate the dangers of coal mines too.
08 March 2014 (Urgent: Regulate toxic pollution from oil refineries)
US citizens: Call on the EPA to regulate toxic pollution from oil refineries.
08 March 2014 (Urgent: Criticizing Russia for "violating international law" appears hypocritical)
US citizens: tell Obama that criticizing Russia for "violating international law" appears hypocritical when the US does it so much.
08 March 2014 (New medicines for hepatitis C may be denied to millions by patents)
New medicines for hepatitis C may be denied to millions by patents.
08 March 2014 (Fired for reporting his coworkers for acting like thugs)
The Burbank Thug department fired Detective Angelo Dahlia because he reported his coworkers for acting like thugs.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
Most thugs may not attack suspects, protesters and bystanders, but nearly all of them cover up for those who do. The few exceptions deserve the title of "policeman".
08 March 2014 (Urgent: Oppose the Keystone XL pipeline)
US citizens: tell Kerry to oppose the Keystone XL pipeline.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
08 March 2014 (Urgent: Make it safe for exiled US journalists to return to US)
US citizens: call on Holder to make it safe for exiled US journalists to return to US.
08 March 2014 (Texas taxes the rich lightly and the rest heavily)
Because Texas uses sales and property taxes rather than an income tax, it taxes the rich lightly and the rest heavily.
08 March 2014 (Poison gas used in Syria came from the regime's weapons stocks)
Reportedly chemical analysis shows that the poison gas used in Syria came from the regime's weapons stocks.
08 March 2014 (Cutting down most of Tasmania's wild forests)
Abbott is using lies to justify cutting down most of Tasmania's wild forests.
08 March 2014 (Great Barrier Reef will cease to be a coral reef)
With 2C of global heating, the Great Barrier Reef will cease to be a coral reef.
08 March 2014 (Urgent: Call on McDonald's to rehire Heather Levia)
Everyone: call on McDonald's to rehire Heather Levia.
08 March 2014 (Urgent: Tax businesses' advertising spending)
US citizens: call for taxing businesses' advertising spending.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
08 March 2014 (Private prison defrauds Idaho)
My Private Idaho Prison: CCA appears to have systematically defrauded the state.
Will its employees and managers be prosecuted and sent to that prison? Or will the "security" establishment protect them on the grounds that enriching the company was the purpose of privatization all along?
08 March 2014 (Defenses against analysis of HTTPS traffic)
Traffic analysis can identify which page a user is visiting through HTTPS with up to 90% accuracy, but there are defenses that greatly reduce it.
I think these defenses should be implemented standardly in free HTTPS servers.
More info.
08 March 2014 (NSA has made computers vulnerable to all attackers)
The NSA has made computers vulnerable to all attackers. Government malware = criminal malware.
08 March 2014 (Population growth exacerbates environmental problems)
Population growth exacerbates a wide range of environmental problems, from food shortage to flooding.
The cruel right-wing response to population growth is, "Let them starve now so that the population goes down to what that region can support." The humane (progressive) response is, "Give them the food they need now, along with contraception and abortion so that the population goes down to what that region can support."
08 March 2014 (Louisiana's bogus trademark lawsuit against MoveOn)
Louisiana hopes to silence MoveOn with a bogus trademark lawsuit over the state's slogan, "Pick your passion".
Is Governor Jindal anti-gay? Anti-abortion? Anti-contraception? The slogan "Pick your passion" offers great possibilities.
08 March 2014 (Republican equates love to hungry kids carrying brown paper lunch bags)
Paul Ryan: stop giving poor schoolchildren lunch; make their parents scrounge a paper bag to be their "lunch".
08 March 2014 (Crisis in Ukraine takes heat off Netanyahu's colonization policy)
Uri Avnery comments on Ukraine, and (by the way) how opportune it was for Netanyahu to have another crisis take the heat off his colonization policy.
08 March 2014 (Alice-in-Wonderland trial of journalists in Egypt)
The Alice-in-Wonderland trial of the al-Jazeera journalists (and miscellaneous random unfortunates) in Egypt.
08 March 2014 (Would My Blood Test Still Cost $1,132 If the US Had a Public Health Option?)
Would My Blood Test Still Cost $1,132 If the US Had a Public Health Option?
08 March 2014 (Dam in Ethiopia could nearly wipe out lake in Kenya)
A dam in Ethiopia could nearly wipe out Lake Turkana in Kenya.
08 March 2014 (Islamic council issues fatwa against trafficking in endangered animals)
An Islamic council in Indonesia has issued a fatwa against trafficking in endangered animals.
08 March 2014 (China to start a "war on pollution")
China will start a "war on pollution".
China needs one, and so do the US, Canada, Australia and the UK.
08 March 2014 (Former slave-prostitutes of Japanese army rebuke plans to retract apology)
Former slave-prostitutes of the Japanese army rebuke the Abe's plans to retract Japan's apology for this.
08 March 2014 (Goldman Sachs trying to buy forgiveness)
Goldman Sachs is trying to buy forgiveness by using 1% of its ill-gotten gains for "philanthropy".
[Reference updated on 2018-03-14 because the old link was broken.]
08 March 2014 (Russia Today TV anchor condemns Russia's military intervention)
Abby Martin, an anchor on Russia Today TV, condemned Russia's military intervention in her show.
It appears she still has a show.
This means that RT compares favorably to the way US mainstream media treated the US intervention in Iraq.
Americans' hypocrisy: condemning Russia's intervention in Ukraine while advocating past and future US interventions.
08 March 2014 (More global heating would affect UNESCO world heritage sites)
3C more of global heating would affect 1/5 of the UNESCO world heritage sites.
These include Westminster Abbey, Bruges, Naples, the leaning tower of Pisa, the Statue of Liberty. As for Venice, we're already losing that.
08 March 2014 (Survey in EU reports high levels of sexual violence)
A survey in the European Union reports high levels of sexual violence against women.
07 March 2014 (Italy has ordered ISPs to block access to 46 domains)
Italy has ordered ISPs to block access to 46 domains accused of facilitating sharing of files.
07 March 2014 (Charges against Barrett Brown)
Charges against Barrett Brown based on his activity as a journalist have been dropped.
He still faces three other charges and could be imprisoned for 70 years.
07 March 2014 (Thug departments buy cell phone spy tools)
Thug departments buy cell phone spy tools and sign contracts of secrecy.
07 March 2014 (US has tried to gain political influence in Ukraine)
The US has tried for many years to gain political influence in Ukraine.
Oil surely enters into the issue, but I don't think it is the main motive for US initiatives there. For transporting Caspian oil to Europe, Ukraine is not essential: a pipeline from the Black Sea could run through Romania. The hard part would be getting that oil from the Caspian region to the Black Sea, and Ukraine has nothing to do with that.
07 March 2014 (Deceptive arguments from global heating denialists)
More deceptive arguments from global heating denialists.
They start from their chosen conclusion, and hunt for arguments that might appear valid in a sound bite. With media funded to present "balance" between science and denialism, that's sufficient to give the fossil-funded politicians the backup they need.
07 March 2014 (Pro-Russian militia in the Crimea captured camera team)
The Ukrainian TV channel 1+1 says that a pro-Russian militia in the Crimea captured its camera team and threatened to use them as human shields.
07 March 2014 (Alpha Natural Resources was fined a mere $27 million)
Alpha Natural Resources was fined a mere $27 million for over 6000 violations the Clean Water Act.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
I don't think that would do much to dissuade the company from future violations. The $200 million in spending to reduce future discharges might be more effective.
07 March 2014 (Obama's 2015 budget)
Obama's 2015 budget advances some good causes but in the context of overall surrender to some right-wing ideas.
07 March 2014 (Network neutrality should be permanent)
Network neutrality should be permanent — "through 2018" is not good enough.
07 March 2014 (Asylum seekers in Hong Kong)
Asylum seekers in Hong Kong get a run-around that convinces them they are better off in jail.
07 March 2014 (Removing Russian insignia from uniforms)
Disguising soldiers as civilians is a serious violation of international law, but there is a dispute about whether removing Russian insignia from uniforms is a violation.
However, it is clearly a lie.
07 March 2014 (Urgent: Support privacy bills for license plate scanners and drones)
Citizens of Massachusetts: call on your state legislators to support privacy bills for license plate scanners and drones.
07 March 2014 (Urgent: Reject palm oil made by destroying rainforests and peatlands)
US residents: Tell major US companies to reject palm oil made by destroying rainforests and peatlands.
07 March 2014 (Urgent: Investigation of World Trade Center building 7 collapse)
New York City residents: sign the initiative petition for an investigation of why World Trade Center building 7 collapsed.
07 March 2014 (Urgent: Protect Book Cliffs region from coal mining)
US citizens: call for protection of the Book Cliffs region form coal mining.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
07 March 2014 (Immigrants to UK don't take jobs from Britons when economy is doing well)
A study finds that immigrants to the UK take jobs from Britons during recession, but not when the economy is doing well.
07 March 2014 (Little gov't scrutiny of local approval for fracking in UK)
The UK government pays strict attention to local approval for wind farms, which can spoil the view, while disregarding local approval for fracking which can poison the water.
Parliament is starting to face the issue of the carbon bubble in fossil companies' stock valuation.
What can governments do about such a bubble? Here's one idea: require the prospectus of a company involved in extraction, transport, sale or combustion of fossil fuel to mention the bubble, and its probable future effects on the company's stock price.
07 March 2014 (EU to retreat again on CO₂ emissions tax for intercontinental flights)
The EU is about to retreat again on taxing intercontinental flights for their CO₂ emissions.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
07 March 2014 (State legislators pretend not to know source of money for ALEC events)
When state legislators get money via ALEC to go to ALEC events, they are informed which company really gave that money, but they pretend not to know. Some state legislators take on secret responsibilities within ALEC.
07 March 2014 (Special UK court has no independence)
The special UK court that is supposed to police the use of interception has no independence. It is controlled by the ministry that controls the thugs.
07 March 2014 (UK gov't cuts off funds for helping disabled old people)
The UK's cruel government has cut off the funds for helping disabled old people with daily tasks such as getting dressed.
This is necessary to keep bankster's bonuses high.
07 March 2014 (Arizona Abortion Providers Sue Over Drug Limits)
Arizona Abortion Providers Sue State Over Limits On Drugs.
07 March 2014 (Australian refugee prison camp records falsified to cut corners)
A whistleblower says that personnel guarding the Australian refugee prison camp in Nauru falsified records to cut corners.
Even though the Salvation Army is not (unless I'm very misled) a for-profit business, this situation is still a form of perverse privatization since organizations compete to be chosen by the state to handle a state function. This is a recipe for fraud and should never be allowed.
07 March 2014 (GoDaddy takes down site for criticizing Mexican gov't)
GoDaddy took down a site criticizing the Mexican government, refusing to say why, but apparently at the government's request.
GoDaddy is famous for taking sites down for questionable reasons.
07 March 2014 (US judge rules for Chevron against Ecuadorian court decision)
A US judge ruled for Chevron, saying that the Ecuadorian court's decision that Chevron was liable for pollution there was corrupt.
I have no way of gauging the validity of that assertion.
07 March 2014 (Two states protecting citizens from food-stamp cuts)
Two states are protecting their citizens from the food-stamp cuts aimed at Democratic states.
07 March 2014 (Obama's Ukraine Critics)
Don't Listen to Obama's Ukraine Critics: He's Not 'Losing' — And It's Not His Fight.
06 March 2014 (Washington DC council Voted to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana)
The Washington DC council voted to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. However, this cannot take effect unless approved by Congress.
06 March 2014 (Idaho's War on Wolves Escalates)
Idaho's War on Wolves Escalates.
06 March 2014 (NSA seems to be trying to push a censorship bill)
The NSA seems to be trying to push a censorship bill to punish journalists that cover surveillance.
06 March 2014 (Venezuela's opposition has not offered much to the poor majority)
Venezuela's opposition has not offered much to the poor majority that supports Chavismo.
Venezuela is not Ukraine.
06 March 2014 (Why does Israel feel threatened by humanitarian workers)
Why does Israel feel threatened by humanitarian workers?
Anne Irfan says her treatment, as she was interrogated and eventually blocked from entering the West Bank, shows that Israeli border guards understood that she did not threaten any violence. It can only be that Israel fears exposure of its conduct.
Israeli soldiers raided a Palestinian kindergarten and a high school.
06 March 2014 (3/4 of Israelis could support a peace agreement)
A poll says that 3/4 of Israelis could support a peace agreement based on the Arab peace plan.
The US should appeal to them over the Israeli government's head, because the government's policy is to try to silence international and domestic criticism through intimidation.
06 March 2014 (When Shooting a 14-Year-Old Boy in the Neck Is a Minor Infraction)
When Shooting a 14-Year-Old Boy in the Neck Is a Minor Infraction.
This sort of impunity is par for the course in occupying armies.
06 March 2014 (A massacre of Palestinians by an Israeli soldier, or perhaps several)
A massacre of Palestinians by an Israeli soldier, or perhaps several who have gone unpunished, was the excuse for a permanent reprisal against the Palestinian inhabitants of Hebron.
06 March 2014 (Israel doubled its rate of constructing new colonies in Palestine)
In 2013, Israel doubled its rate of constructing new colonies in Palestine and increased its rate of demolition of Palestinian homes.
That expresses Netanyahu's contempt for Kerry, the US, and the idea of peace.
Colonists are taking Palestinians' farmland to extend their "illegal" colonies.
This means the colonies that the Israeli government winks at, as distinguished from the ones it officially authorizes. All the colonies violate international treaties governing the behavior of occupying forces.
06 March 2014 (Several bitcoin banks and exchanges have been forced to close)
Several bitcoin banks and exchanges have been forced to close by robberies recently.
(Please don't use the word "hack" to mean "attack" or "break security" — that hurts us hackers.)
I wonder whether some government is trying to make bitcoin hard to use.
06 March 2014 (Obama has proposed some spending and tax proposals)
Obama has proposed some spending and tax proposals that are good, though far too small.
Republicans will block them, but proposing them is crucial so that the Republicans will suffer damage for blocking them. I don't demand that any president work wonders, only that he try his best. Obama generally has failed to do that, and even has supported right-wing plans such as cutting the deficit and the TPP Now at least he's doing some of the right thing.
06 March 2014 (Arizona's Project ROSE)
Arizona's Project ROSE imprisons women for doing something that raises a suspicion of prostitution.
All forms of legal repression of prostitution reflect bigotry. Usually they pretend to be intended to help the prostitutes, but that is nonsense.
05 March 2014 (Imprisoned for being an employee of state-legal medical marijuana dispensaries)
The US government said it would not harass state-legal medical marijuana dispensaries, then imprisoned Robert Duncan for being an employee of one.
05 March 2014 (Suspicion-less Searches at US Border)
Suspicion-less Searches at US Border: the Next Battleground for Press Freedom.
05 March 2014 (Medical records uploaded to a Google server)
A company that was given the medical records of the UK's National Health Services uploaded them to a Google server, effectively making the whole data base available to the US.
05 March 2014 (Obama regime fired Robert MacLean)
The Obama regime fired Robert MacLean for leaking information on the grounds that it was classified — later, retroactively.
05 March 2014 (Paul Ryan's assessment of US government anti-poverty programs)
Paul Ryan's assessment of US government anti-poverty programs found that several of them are very effective.
05 March 2014 (Universities following Walmart model of job insecurity)
Chomsky: US universities are following the Walmart model of job insecurity.
05 March 2014 (Chomsky: "security", for the US government)
Chomsky: "security", for the US government, means security for state power against the public.
05 March 2014 (Idaho has adopted an ag-gag law)
Idaho has adopted an ag-gag law: the legislature and the governor have surrendered to factory farm interests.
05 March 2014 (Indigenous people's rights a threat to mining)
The right-wing Canadian government regards indigenous people's rights as a threat to mining.
05 March 2014 (Medea Benjamin was arrested, injured and deported from Egypt)
Medea Benjamin was arrested, injured and deported from Egypt as she was trying to go to Gaza.
05 March 2014 (Urgent: Call on Costco not to sell GM salmon)
Everyone: call on Costco to commit not to sell GM salmon.
05 March 2014 (Five lies by Putin about Ukraine)
Five lies by Putin about Ukraine.
05 March 2014 (Redistribution of income from richer to poorer regions in Spain)
Criticizing some details of how Spain redistributes income from richer regions to poorer regions.
The point may be valid, but it's a secondary issue. The primary issue is that of redistributing from richer regions to poorer ones — which is good and necessary.
I have little sympathy with the Catalan selfish objections, which are being used by regional politicians who want to become the heads of a new small state. The real sources of poverty in Spain are austerity and corruption. If the people of various regions work together against these, they can all be better off.
05 March 2014 (India's population growth still dangerous)
India's population growth is still dangerous.
While efforts to treat sewage deserve support, reducing the birth rate is most important.
05 March 2014 (Egyptian army general declares intention to become president)
General al-Sisi has declared his intention to run for president of Egypt in an election that clearly won't be fair.
05 March 2014 (Current Ukrainian gov't is hard to trust)
How Ukraine's new government has menaced and provoked citizens of Russian ancestry, while threatening democracy too.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
Reportedly the Russian-installed government of the Crimea has demanded a referendum on the Crimea's future.
If that is true, this demand should be granted — on condition of withdrawal of Russian troops, and with UN monitoring of the vote, and with a reasonable waiting period.
It would be hard to have a free and fair vote under Russian control, but the current Ukrainian government is hard to trust either.
05 March 2014 (Contamination from GMOs causing organic farmers substantial losses)
Organic farmers report that contamination from GMOs is causing them substantial losses.
05 March 2014 (Students suspended for not ratting on those who cheered for Pakistan's cricket team)
A university in India suspended all its Kashmiri students for not ratting on some of them who cheered for Pakistan's team in a cricket game.
05 March 2014 (App designed to help people pretend to pay attention to other people)
Broapp is designed to help people pretend to pay attention to other people while not really doing so.
I don't think there would be anything wrong with using something comparable to Broapp if you admitted that's what you were doing. The nasty aspect is that it's intended for pretending.
This is, however, disregarding all the things that are unjust about the technology it depends on. For instance, if it is obtained from an app store, then it is obtained with nonfree software. It probably is nonfree software.
05 March 2014 (Recent pipeline spills raise concern for the Great Lakes)
Recent pipeline spills have made people aware that underwater oil pipelines carrying corrosive tar sands oil could pollute the Great Lakes.
Can we believe the claim that these pipelines have never leaked? How would they know? If the pipelines ran across the bridge, leaks would be visible. Putting the pipelines underwater allows leaks to go unnoticed. They are now planning to use robots to inspect the pipelines 4 times a year. That means 90 days between inspections. I suppose that until now inspections have been even more infrequent.
05 March 2014 (Threat to the Great Barrier Reef)
The Australian government uses falsehoods to defend its decision to damage the Great Barrier Reef for a new coal terminal.
The big threat to the Great Barrier Reef is the CO₂ that the coal will release into the atmosphere. CO₂ dissolves in the ocean and makes it more acidic. This and the higher temperature both kill coral. In a twisted way, this is rational. If you assume that coal is going to be burned, the Great Barrier Reef is toast and there's no use protecting it. (This is the same assumption that the US State Department used to disregard the harm that the Keystone XL pipeline is going to do.)
This is tantamount to assuming that billions of humans and millions of species are going to be wiped out. The temperature will keep rising (from CO₂ already in the atmosphere, methane released from melting permafrost, etc.) long after civilization is no longer functioning sufficiently to transport coal from Australia to China.
Here are some other ways that global heating threatens extinction.
If the heating took place across a period of millennia, organisms might adapt to it. If so much land were not occupied by humans and their farms, organisms might move to new places to find the conditions they need. But this can't happen now.
05 March 2014 (Dangerous diseases)
In some states, so many parents reject vaccinations for their children that it puts them at risk of dangerous disease.
05 March 2014 (Tim Cook dismisses pressure from global heating denialists)
Tim Cook dismissed with a sneer the pressure from global heating denialists.
The article should not confuse denialists with "skeptics".
Cook's resolve to protect the environmental is admirable. If Apple's computers (including the software in them) treated their users ethically, the company would be admirable.
05 March 2014 (Medical advance to enable detection of devastating genetic defects in fetuses)
A medical advance will enable pregnant women to determine safely and reliably whether their fetuses would have certain common and devastating genetic defects. Anti-abortion forces will try to prevent the use of these tests.
They are already trying to legalize malpractice and medical dishonesty. They will stop at nothing to oppress women, and don't care what else they crush in the process.
05 March 2014 (What plutocratists want)
What plutocratists want.
The article says "Republicans", and Republican officials indeed generally support this goal, but some Democrats support it more or less too.
05 March 2014 (Last-ditch campaign to prevent action against global heating)
A new last-ditch campaign to prevent action against global heating pretends to be "prudent" and "rational".
05 March 2014 (Undercover thugs pressure high school students to buy and sell drugs)
Undercover thugs in US high schools pressure vulnerable students to buy drugs to sell to them, in order to prosecute them.
Undercover infiltration is legitimate as a way to catch people who regularly commit crimes of their own volition. Selling marijuana to minors should perhaps be a crime even when it is legalized in general, but teenagers who do this occasionally when pressured by other teenagers are the wrong targets.
Juvenile punishment could perhaps be useful for teaching them to change course in life, if they had a second chance. However, expelling these students from school is a punishment for life, denying them that second chance.
05 March 2014 (IMF demands more poverty in Spain)
The IMF demands more poverty in Spain.
"Reform" is the plutocratists' bland-sounding code word for making workers weaker and poorer, to the benefit of business owners.
04 March 2014 (The Welfare Dependents the UK Government Loves)
The Welfare Dependents the UK Government Loves? Rich Landowners.
04 March 2014 (Freedom of speech is threatened in South Korea)
Freedom of speech is threatened in South Korea as citizens and even elected officials are imprisoned for "supporting North Korea".
It seems that some of these charges stretch the truth, which is clearly wrong. But even if some people really did make statements in support of North Korea, that is part of their freedom of speech. It's utterly crazy, but it should not be illegal.
04 March 2014 (Difference between skepticism and denialism)
On the difference between skepticism and denialism.
04 March 2014 (The Pinocchio test)
Instead of the Turing test, the right test for human-level AI might be the Pinocchio test.
04 March 2014 (Private probation companies)
Many poor Americans face jail for long periods because they can't pay private probation companies.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
Privatization of state functions usually means the public gets shafted somehow.
04 March 2014 (Prudish Spanish bigots are flipping out)
Prudish Spanish bigots are flipping out because a training course in how to succeed at prostitution is attracting plenty of customers.
04 March 2014 (Growing Reliance on Fewer Crops)
Growing Reliance on Fewer Crops Will Increase Risk of Drought And Disease.
04 March 2014 (Sentenced to 7 years in prison for a peaceful protest)
Maryam Shafipour has been sentenced to 7 years in prison for a peaceful protest.
Sad to say, Iran is not the only country that does things like this.
In Italy, protesters are being sentenced to shorter terms.
04 March 2014 (Subsidizing flood repair and global heating)
On subsidizing flood repair and global heating (flood production) in parallel.
04 March 2014 (Exterminating wolves in the US)
Exterminating wolves in the US damaged rivers and caused more erosion. Reintroducing them controlled the erosion.
Too bad that people are set on exterminating them again.
04 March 2014 (Governments in southern Africa ignore sanitation and water supply)
Governments in southern Africa ignore sanitation and water supply for the majority of the population.
04 March 2014 (When You Give Bush/Cheney a Pass, You Can't Lecture Putin)
When You Give Bush/Cheney a Pass, You Can't Lecture Putin.
Heard the One About Obama Denouncing a Breach of International Law?
04 March 2014 (Cult of the invisible hand)
Comparing the cult of the invisible hand with the way free societies handled times of shortage in the past.
The cult of the invisible hand defines ethics in terms of the market and the business world; if you are poor, you deserve poverty by definition.
04 March 2014 ("Afghans Died in a War That s Not Ours")
Karzai: "Afghans Died in a War That s Not Ours".
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
It's not literally true — this war between Afghan factions and ethnic groups was going on in Afghanistan for many years before Bush intervened. But there is some truth in it.
04 March 2014 (Urgent: Amazon's relationship with the CIA)
Everyone: call on the Washington Post to disclose about Amazon's relationship with the CIA when it covers the CIA.
03 March 2014 (UK academics condemn the attempt to turn them into visa police)
UK academics condemn the attempt to turn them into visa police.
03 March 2014 (Farming elephants for ivory)
It is impossible to remove elephants' tusks and let them return to a normal life. That puts a crimp in the idea of farming elephants for ivory.
03 March 2014 (Global heating is projected to increase annual flood damage)
Global heating is projected to increase annual flood damage costs in Europe to around 30 billion dollars a year by 2050.
After that it will get much worse.
03 March 2014 (Protests in Venezuela)
Protests in Venezuela fit a long pattern of US destabilization campaigns.
The shortages and the general violence that plague Venezuela are real. They don't justify US destabilization, but they provoke real opposition.
03 March 2014 (Food packaging contaminants)
Some possible food packaging contaminants are probably not dangerous because they occur also in traditional foods.
As I recall, the claim that was made is not that "each of these chemicals is poisoning you," but rather, "some of them might be poisoning you, and this ought to be studied."
03 March 2014 (Urgent: Stop dishonest and illegal threats against John Kiriakou)
US citizens: tell the Bureau of Prisons to stop its dishonest and illegal threats against John Kiriakou.
John Kiriakou told us about the CIA's torture.
03 March 2014 (Arrested for crossing the street while listening to music)
Austin thugs arrested a jogger for crossing the street while listening to music.
That can make you vulnerable to many sorts of dangers, which makes it a bad idea, but it is no reason to arrest someone.
03 March 2014 (Dredging for a new coal port would cause unacceptable damage)
The Great Barrier Reef Authority said that dredging for a new coal port would cause unacceptable damage. They it turned 180 degrees and approved the dredging.
03 March 2014 (A safe replacement for alcohol)
David Nutt is working on a safe replacement for alcohol which has similar effects but only up to a certain point, and is not addictive.
One drawback is that it spoils the taste of wine. I loathe all stronger drinks because they taste like alcohol. I wonder what they would taste like with this substitute instead. But I still probably wouldn't want to use it.
03 March 2014 (A campaign to pressure universities to disinvest from fossil fuels)
A campaign to pressure universities to disinvest from fossil fuels.
03 March 2014 (BBC promoting global heating denialism)
The BBC promoting global heating denialism in the name of "balance".
Only a fool wants balance between science and pseudoscience.
03 March 2014 (Urgent: Dragnet is unconstitutional and it must be dismantled)
US citizens: Tell President Obama: The NSA telephone data dragnet is unconstitutional and it must be dismantled.
03 March 2014 (Bikini Atoll still too radioactive)
Bikini Atoll, 60 years after nuclear weapon testing, is still too radioactive for the exiles to return safely.
03 March 2014 (What the rules will be for shooting students)
As the Idaho legislature considers legalizing carrying guns on campus, a professor asks what the rules will be for shooting students.
03 March 2014 (I Lost My Dad to Fox News)
I Lost My Dad to Fox News: How a Generation Was Captured by Thrashing Hysteria.
The Faux News fictional universe seems plausible to the people who get information from nowhere else.
03 March 2014 (US government railroads young men into prison)
The US government railroads young men into prison for mere alleged association with terrorists, then subjects them to conditions tantamount to brainwashing.
03 March 2014 (30 Drone Strikes That Require Public Explanation)
UN Report Identifies 30 Drone Strikes That Require Public Explanation.
03 March 2014 (Urgent: Oppose sale of bee-killing pesticides at Lowe's stores)
Everyone: call on the CEO of Lowe's stores to stop selling bee-killing pesticides.
03 March 2014 (Mass murder in Indonesia receives support of the US)
Mass murder in Indonesia received the enthusiastic support of the US.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
The US also supported the Indonesian takeover of East Timor and the repeated massacres there.
03 March 2014 (Mysterious burglars raid organizations involved with whistleblowers)
Shades of Watergate: mysterious burglars have raided several organizations involved with whistleblowers, including the lawyers for some whistleblowers.
03 March 2014 (Thugs in Maryland attack man videotaping them)
Two thugs in Maryland attacked and threatened a man who was videotaping them.
03 March 2014 (Woman elected head of Egyptian secularist party)
A woman was elected head of an Egyptian secularist party.
This would be heartening news if I could believe the military would allow such parties any room for action.
03 March 2014 (Mining nodules from the ocean floor)
Mining nodules from the ocean floor is fine in principle, but the details can destroy ecosystems.
If precautions made mining twice as expensive, it would still be profitable (if not now, then in 10 years) and could extract all the metal we need while avoiding the damage.
Speaking of ships and transponders, while it would be easy for a ship to switch off its transponder, this would be easily detectable. Unless the ship hid forever, it would be found later. With a suitable legal regime, captains would not dare do that.
03 March 2014 (US "public" television deeply corrupted)
Plutocrats and businesses have deeply corrupted US "public" television; they buy coverage with the spin they want.
03 March 2014 (Vulnerabilities of US nuclear plants)
Many US nuclear plants have known vulnerabilities that could cause disaster.
The underlying problem is the attitude, "Just ignore possible accidents that are rather unlikely." When the unlikely happens, as at Fukushima, you get screwed.
03 March 2014 ("Trigger-happy" Israeli Army and Police)
Amnesty: "Trigger-happy" Israeli Army And Police Use Reckless Force in the West Bank.
03 March 2014 (Olympic games leave non-rich people worse off)
Thanks to Olympics construction, it now takes 2 hours to get from the village of Akhshtyr to a bus.
They can't get water either.
This case is egregious, but it's standard practice for Olympic games to leave non-rich people in their vicinity worse off.
03 March 2014 ('Oddball Science' Has Proven Worth)
'Oddball Science' Has Proven Worth, Say UMass Amherst Biologists.
03 March 2014 (Pentagon hands out cash to contractors but pays soldiers little)
While the Pentagon hands out cash to contractors, it pays soldiers so little that their families need food stamps. But Congress is cutting their food stamps.
03 March 2014 (Republicans give up talking about replacing Obama's health care plan)
Republicans are desperate to repeal Obama's health care plan but have given up talking about what to replace it with.
03 March 2014 (Questionable reporting from Venezuela)
Protesters and government supporters have been killed in Venezuela, but not many of either side.
03 March 2014 (US force-feeding prisoners on hunger strike)
The US is force-feeding prisoners on hunger strike in a prison that is "a cleaner version of hell".
Some of these prisoners have been in solitary confinement for many years. No one deserves such treatment, not even a mass-murderer like Dubya. Everyone, even a prisoner, is entitled to the right to refuse food and die.
03 March 2014 (Tennessee State University to track all staff and students)
Tennessee State University has ordered all staff and students to wear visible ID tags at all times, and plans to equip them with pox chips to track them in all their activities.
[Reference updated on 2018-03-15 because the old link was broken.]
I urge everyone to quit or transfer in protest.
03 March 2014 (Russia's declaration of war on Ukraine)
Russia has effectively declared war on Ukraine.
02 March 2014 (Venezuelan TV channels give plenty of coverage to the opposition)
Venezuelan TV channels give plenty of coverage to the opposition and to the opposition's protests.
02 March 2014 (Koch brothers pretend to be defenders of Americans with cancer)
The Koch brothers pretend to be defenders of Americans with cancer, except when it comes to releasing carcinogens from their factories.
02 March 2014 (State subsidies to movie companies)
State subsidies to movie companies screw the public to the tune of almost 2 billion dollars a year.
The general practice of giving business tax cuts to win business away from other cities, states or countries makes different regions compete to kowtow to business. It is nothing but dooH niboR, and every company that asks for this should be told to jump in the lake.
02 March 2014 (US government's sleazy dealings with John Kiriakou)
The US government's sleazy dealings with John Kiriakou about his treatment in prison have convinced him he is a political prisoner.
Even a hero can be slow to catch on to some things ;-).
02 March 2014 (Permission to unlock a portable phone)
The US Congress seems likely to legislate permission to unlock a portable phone from a phone company — but only until 2015.
The ban on unlocking portable phones is one specific case of a broad injustice: the DMCA's prohibition on breaking digital handcuffs of any kind, and on distributing software or hardware that can do so. The obsession with this tiny part of the injustice has distracted people from the rest. Instead of banning people from breaking digital restrictions management (DRM), we should ban DRM.
Join our campaign against DRM!
DefectiveByDesign.org
02 March 2014 (Exploring for oil in the US Atlantic coast)
Exploring for oil in the US Atlantic coast would injure and kill marine mammals including endangered whales.
Burning the oil would endanger most species on Earth.
02 March 2014 (Background to the Dan River ash spill)
Background to the Dan River ash spill: business-subservient Republicans ordered the water pollution inspectors to think of businesses as their "customers".
Plutocratist politicians (mostly Republicans, but Democrats do it too) aim to abolish "job-killing" regulations so as to open the door to people-killing pollution.
02 March 2014 (Heat waves that kill lots of bats)
Global heating in Australia has brought heat waves that kill lots of bats.
This is a sign of the massive extinction that we are bringing on the world. I've seen estimates that 2/3 of all species will be wiped out, but nobody can really predict this; it might be as few as half, or it could be a lot closer to 100%.
02 March 2014 (EPA says it will oppose the Pebble Mine)
The EPA says it will oppose the Pebble Mine.
I have signed and posted several petitions against that mine.
02 March 2014 (Starvation wages of tea pickers in Assam)
The starvation wages of tea pickers in Assam makes their children vulnerable to slave traffickers.
02 March 2014 (Russian stooge in the Crimea is asking Putin for military assistance)
A Russian stooge in the Crimea is asking Putin for military assistance, which of course Russia says it will grant.
It also appears someone in the Crimea is fighting back.
A few days ago I suggested that the Crimea should hold a plebiscite in two years to choose whether to be part of Ukraine. I still think that would be the proper course. If the Crimea's inhabitants are determined to rejoin Russia, it would be wrong to stop them by force. However, if Ukraine gets its democratic act together, a couple of years' reflection may convince the Crimeans that being ruled by Putin is undesirable.
Putin does not want them to have a chance to reflect.
02 March 2014 (Pakistani Taliban attacked the guards of a polio vaccination team)
Pakistani Taliban attacked the guards of a polio vaccination team.
02 March 2014 (Urgent: Allow Shuhada Street in Hebron to reopen)
Everyone: call on Israel to allow Shuhada Street in Hebron to reopen.
02 March 2014 (The Service Employees International Union will picket the Oscar ceremony)
The Service Employees International Union will picket the Oscar ceremony to protest the company that was hired for security.
02 March 2014 (Ocean acidification has wiped out three years of production at a scallop farm)
Ocean acidification has wiped out three years of production at a scallop farm in British Columbia.
Since ocean acidification will get progressively worse with each year's emission of CO2, you can see that there won't be a lot of scallops growing in 30 years. In 80 years they may be extinct, along with clams and lots of species of fish.
There will be plenty of jellyfish instead.
02 March 2014 (The proposed Nicaragua canal)
The proposed Nicaragua canal, whose environmental impact study seems to be being written in a corrupt way, threatens lots of ecosystem damage.
02 March 2014 (US Navy knew the USS Reagan was contaminated with radiation from Fukushima)
The US Navy knew the USS Reagan was contaminated with radiation from Fukushima.
Lying to the public is the Reagan tradition.
02 March 2014 ("Scientific" arguments for pesticide-resistant GMOs)
Poking holes in Monsanto's "scientific" arguments for pesticide-resistant GMOs.
02 March 2014 (US-imposed government of Haiti arbitrarily seized an island)
The US-imposed government of Haiti arbitrarily seized an island, Ilavach, inhabited by 16000 people, to turn it into a resort that will provide income for business owners and a few employees.
The inhabitants were not asked their opinion. Colonial regimes see no need to ask the colonized people what they want.
02 March 2014 (US courts absurdly grant corporations the rights of human beings)
US courts exempt corporations from the legal and moral responsibilities of human beings even while absurdly granting them the rights of human beings.
This is plutocracy at work: the rich demand society find an excuse to place them legally above you and me.
02 March 2014 (Developments in Lidar threaten our privacy)
Developments in Lidar threaten our privacy.
I wonder if we could regularly jam lidar.
02 March 2014 (Australia must cut carbon emissions 15% by 2020)
Australia must cut carbon emissions 15% by 2020 to do its share to avoid global heating disaster.
That is three times what the Australian government says it plans to achieve.
02 March 2014 (Girl scouts commit to making cookies from ethically produced palm oil)
Two girl scouts launched a campaign that eventually resulted in a commitment to make girl scouts cookies from ethically produced palm oil.
While commitments of this sort, from the girl scouts and from Kellogg, are steps forward, I am skeptical that this sort of commitment can be enough to end deforestation for palm oil production. The problem is that many companies buy palm oil, and if we convince the well-known companies to reject palm oil made by deforestation, the other companies will buy it instead.
For real victory we need stiff punishment for everyone that cuts down rainforest and grows palm oil, together with a tax on palm oil to pay for helping the forest reclaim land from seized plantations.
Steps like these can contribute by building a movement strong enough to eventually succeed in enacting such laws.
02 March 2014 (Wettest recorded winter for England and Wales)
This winter is the wettest ever recorded for England and Wales.
02 March 2014 (Israel lobby presents massive collection of falsehoods)
Israel's lobby in the US has gone off the deep end, presenting a massive collection of falsehoods instead of history.
02 March 2014 (Florida wants to send lone firemen to wildfires)
Florida's save-all-the-money-for-the-rich government wants to send just a single fireman when a wildfire is reported.
02 March 2014 (UK accuses human rights defender Moazzam Begg of "terrorism")
Moazzam Begg was inspired by his torture in Guantanamo to become a human rights defender; now the UK has accused him of "terrorism", apparently twisting that word in the usual way.
02 March 2014 (Honoring the persecuted dissidents who opposed fighting WWI)
Honoring the persecuted dissidents who opposed fighting World War I.
I won't say that the UK (or France, or the US) should have stayed out of World War I, but even without totally agreeing with these dissidents, I can condemn the way they were oppressed by the state.
01 March 2014 (Fossil fuels are becoming more expensive, and this is causing rioting )
Fossil fuels are becoming more expensive, and this is causing rioting around the world.
01 March 2014 (What Does a Soviet Submarine Have to Do With US Government Secrecy?)
What Does a Soviet Submarine Have to Do With US Government Secrecy?
01 March 2014 (Dissident banned from communicating with the press or the public)
Russian dissident Alexei Navalny has been banned from communicating with the press or the public.
01 March 2014 (Obama's Failure to Live Up to His Own Five Commandments)
From Guantanamo to Limitless War, Obama's Failure to Live Up to His Own Five Commandments.
01 March 2014 (Wang Yam was convicted of murder after a secret trial)
Wang Yam was convicted of murder after a secret trial (obviously unjust), and there is evidence that the UK government is covering up some sort of skulduggery. Not the least of this evidence is the decision to prohibit him from telling the European Court what happened.
I hope he told someone else who is in a position to tell the public these secrets.
01 March 2014 (Urgent: Oppose all kinds of fast track for business empowerment treaties)
US citizens: tell Senator Wyden to oppose all kinds of fast track for business empowerment treaties.
01 March 2014 (The Express Tribune has given up covering Taliban terrorism)
The Express Tribune has given up covering Taliban terrorism after the murder of several of its employees.
01 March 2014 (Pro-Russia forces have taken over two airports in the Crimea)
Pro-Russia forces (probably Russian soldiers out of uniform) have taken over two airports in the Crimea.
It seems to be a full-scale Russian invasion in disguise.
01 March 2014 (EU will require large companies to report on environmental and social impacts of their operations)
The EU will require large companies to report on the environmental and social impacts of their operations.
This could be the basis for actions to protect the environment and reduce abuse of workers, but results are not guaranteed; they depend on followup to these reports.
01 March 2014 (Americans need a lot more information about what their food contains)
Proposed FDA labeling standards could be a small step forward, but Americans need a lot more information about what their food contains.
01 March 2014 (Starved to death after welfare benefits were cut off)
A British man starved to death after his welfare benefits were cut off because he was declared "fit to work".
In the US, where such benefits are essentially not available to single adults, I'm sure thousands of unemployed homeless people die from their situations every year.
01 March 2014 (Burma has ordered Medecins sans Frontieres out of Rakhine state)
Burma has ordered Medecins sans Frontieres out of Rakhine state, site of ethnic/sectarian violence, apparently to prevent information on the extent of the violence from getting out.
01 March 2014 (Google will challenge decision that gave an actress a copyright claim)
Google will challenge the decision that gave an actress a copyright claim over the controversial movie she participated in.
01 March 2014 (Urgent: Investigate the possible murder of Alfred Wright and the possible cover-up)
Everyone: call on Texas to investigate the possible murder of Alfred Wright and the possible cover-up.
01 March 2014 (Obama says $47k a year makes you "wealthy")
Obama says $47k a year makes you "wealthy" so Medicare should charge you more.
01 March 2014 (How Ohio Pulled 4 Billion from Communities and Redistributed It Upwards)
How Ohio Pulled 4 Billion from Communities and Redistributed It Upwards (to the rich).
It started with a trickle-down tax cut that was supposed to make more jobs (but naturally didn't).
01 March 2014 (Urgent: Stop approving pesticide-resistant genetically engineered crops)
US citizens: call on the EPA to stop approving pesticide-resistant genetically engineered crops, and instead focus on non-toxic integrated pest management.
01 March 2014 (Urgent: Support limiting massive general surveillance)
US citizens: phone Senator Reid to support limiting massive general surveillance.
The US Freedom Act is just the beginning of what we need, but we need to start somewhere.
01 March 2014 (Urgent: Tell Ohio officials to cancel their plans to hinder urban blacks from voting)
Everyone: tell Ohio officials to cancel their plans to hinder urban blacks from voting.
Although these measures were chosen to disproportionately hit blacks, the motive for them is not racial hatred as such. Rather, it's a plan to rig the election by Republicans who know that blacks won't vote for them.
01 March 2014 (Tony B'liar endorses right-wing views)
Tony B'liar has thrown off his Labour pretensions and endorses right-wing views while he hangs around with plutocrats.
For Britain's honor it must prosecute him, just as the US needs to prosecute Dubya.
01 March 2014 (UK gov't ordered a disabled woman to look for work even though she is in a coma)
The UK government ordered a disabled woman to look for work even though she is in a coma.
Deciding whether someone is disabled or capable of working calls for care and thought, if it is to be done right. However, the right-wing government would rather treat it as a no-brainer. Indeed, the job could be done exactly to the government's liking by a woman in a coma. Just tell her to "push this button if the person really is disabled."
Since the state wants to reexamine disabled people frequently, this could provide work for every comatose person in the UK.
01 March 2014 (Court twisted copyright law to justify banning video)
A US appeals court twisted copyright law to justify banning the video, "The Innocence of Muslims".
The video is full of bigotry and intolerance, and is of no value in my opinion. However, the pressure to censor it reflects bigotry and intolerance too, and courts should not cater to this.
Above all, we must never surrender freedoms to rescue hostages taken by the enemies of freedom, and that's in effect what the plaintiff's situation was.
01 March 2014 (Tricky plan to outfox MEPs that support network neutrality)
The European Commission, which opposes network neutrality, is using a tricky plan to outfox the MEPs that support it.
01 March 2014 (US gov't will keep companies suggestions for reforming NSA surveillance secret)
The US government says it will keep companies suggestions for reforming NSA surveillance secret — for privacy's sake!
These suggestions are probably worthless, because they are about details of implementing a minor change that would not really restore our privacy rights. (That's why Obama proposed it.)
Nonetheless, the hypocrisy of citing privacy as a reason when the whole point is wholesale trampling of Americans' privacy stinks.
01 March 2014 (Conflicts of interest in environmental evaluation of the Keystone XL)
The State Department is squinting very hard not to see the conflicts of interest in its environmental evaluation of the Keystone XL pipeline. A very narrow investigation saw nothing wrong.
The sophisticated way to rig an investigation is to decide precisely what to investigate, how, and who will do it, so as to assure the desired result. I think this result reflects a decision to approve the pipeline no matter what level of obtuseness and dishonesty it may require.
01 March 2014 ("Stand your ground" laws have shielded over 130 killers)
"Stand your ground" laws have shielded over 130 killers, in a racially biased fashion, and more states are adopting them.
Paradoxically, "stand your ground" gives everyone the same privilege that thugs enjoy.
The privilege is dangerous in the hands of a thug, and dangerous in anyone else's hands too.
01 March 2014 (Around 1/3 of the thugs of King City, California, were arrested)
Around 1/3 of the thugs of King City, California, were arrested for impounding the cars of poor residents in order to make off with them.
01 March 2014 (Urgent: Answer the copyright consultation by the March 5 deadline)
EU citizens: Please answer the copyright consultation by the March 5 deadline.
01 March 2014 (Urgent: Delay cutting off food stamps)
US citizens: call on Agriculture Secretary Vilsack to delay cutting off food stamps for some families.
01 March 2014 (Urgent: Submit on Copyright in the EU)
EU citizens: Please answer the copyright consultation by the March 5 deadline.
01 March 2014 (Urgent: Insist on GMO Company Responsibility)
US citizens: by March 4, submit a comment to the USDA to insist that companies that make or grow GMOs must be responsible for genetic contamination of other farms.
01 March 2014 (Urgent: Call for Shuhada Street Reopening)
Everyone: call on Israel to allow Shuhada Street in Hebron to reopen.

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2014: March - June Political Notes - Richard Stallman