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An Open Letter to Our Readers: The Case for Democracy
by Klaus Marre
Despite the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Voter Registration Act of 1993, there are still issues with voter registration. This, and a seemingly complacent electorate, mean that American elections are left up to a powerful (and wealthy) few. Here’s your chance to make a difference.
WHO
US Secretly Tracked Billions of Calls for Decades
9/11 changed everything, right? Not when it comes to warrant-less bulk collection of Americans’ international phone calls. An investigation by USA Today revealed a Justice Department and Drug Enforcement Agency program that began nearly two decades ago under the auspices of fighting “The Drug War.” And that bulk collection became the template for the NSA’s program when 9/11 spawned the “War on Terror.” Uncle Sam has been your Big Brother for a long, long time.
South Carolina Officer Is Charged With Murder in Black Man’s Death
The New York Times posted a video of an unarmed Black man being shot repeatedly in the back by a White police officer in North Charleston, South Carolina. Before the video was released, police said the shooting resulted from a “struggle” between Walter Scott and Officer Michael T. Slager. Then came the video. Now Slager has been arrested and charged with murder… and it is nearly impossible to ignore the endemic problem of trigger-happy, racist police.
Tom Cotton: Bombing Iran Would Take “Several Days,” Be Nothing Like Iraq War
The freshman Senator from Arkansas has a nifty idea… let’s set aside the diplomatic agreement that cuts off Iran’s path to a bomb and, instead, just go ahead and bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities. But don’t worry. According to Tom, it would only take a few days and wouldn’t really be a war. It’d be just like that time back in 1999 when Bill Clinton bombed Iraq. Hooray for bipartisanship!
WHAT
Colombian Report: U.S. Troops Raped 54 Kids
Two weeks ago we featured a story by Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) on the mainstream media’s blackout of a 800-page report detailing sexual abuse of Colombian children by US soldiers and contractors between 2003 and 2007. Finally, The Daily Beast weighed-in on the issue, and even called the U.S. Army for a response to the report. Of course, they denied the charges made by the government-sanctioned report … but it is a start. The Nation also finally caught on to FAIR’s effort to bring attention to the report.
WHY
Is Facebook’s “Faceprint Database” Illegal?
What’s in a name? When you’re talking about “Facebook” it’s everything! That’s because Facebook is compiling a gigantic, secret book filled with faces and the names that go with them. At issue is the biometric data collected by Facebook’s facial recognition software… acquired from an Israeli company called “Face.com.” Facebook faced similar complaints in Europe, where it agreed to forgo use of biometric collection system.
Illicit Snowden Statue put New York City Officials in Ironic Dilemma
Two anonymous “guerrilla artists” regaled park-goers in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene Park with a heroic-looking 4-foot bust of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. Pictures of the statue quickly went viral on social media and the bust was quickly covered-up… and then removed by park officials. Apparently, they decided against giving Snowden’s likeness a fair trial run in the park.
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