Tobacco Speakeasy: Prohibition Lite Is Making RYO Cigarettes All the Rage
posted 06/19/2013, 12:58 PM (The Freeman)
[Category: Economy]
.JPG) A month ago, I was sitting with some college students for lunch. After we ate, two of them took out loose-leaf tobacco and rolling papers, with filters and all. They started rolling cigarettes at the table. In some way, it looked more like poverty than a charming anachronism. Puzzled, I asked why they were doing this.
The answer was what I feared: Thanks to taxes, no student can really afford pre-rolled cigarettes anymore. You can avoid those taxes by rolling your own for a fraction of the price.
And so it has come to be. Students are equipping dorm rooms with rolling machines. Kids carry pouches and filters. They are only occasional smokers but they are serious about the art and technique of rolling.
It strikes me as very strange, like a reversal of time. It’s one thing to do this as a hobby—people brew their own beer and even make their own cars—but as a necessity? Sadly, this is not just a fashion trend. It is a direct result of government policy that has effectively reversed the course of history.
An older man once told me that back in the 1930s, “ready roll” cigarettes brought a huge upgrade to his life—sort of like indoor heating, telephones in every home, and the electric icebox. Thanks to ready rolls, there was no more fussing with papers and spilling contents. How peculiar, then, that roll-your-own (RYO) has made such a roaring comeback today.
It’s a forced result, something that would not have happened but for intervention. Was this what it was like to live in Cuba in the 1970s or Russia in the 1950s, places and times where cars and heaters had to be hacked just to keep from slipping further back in time? Is this all we are destined to do, hold desperately onto memories of a good life we once knew and hack our way toward survival?
Maybe it seems like a small sign, but there are just so many signs. It's hard to get even legal medications and so more people are relying ... (more) |
Drones Are Used For Domestic Surveillance, FBI Director Admits
posted 06/19/2013, 12:58 PM (Zero Hedge)
[Category: Big Brother/Orwellian]
Not sure if this one fits with the "fairness doctrine" or the "inconvenience" paradigm (where the government is here to protect you in exchange for ceding all those pesky constitutional amendments), but moments ago yet another "conspiracy theory" become fact when the FBI director Robert Mueller admitted to the domestic use of drones for surveillance purposes.
From RT:
The FBI uses drones for domestic surveillance purposes, the head of the ... (more) |
Mistrial declared in case of cop accused of killing 7-yr-old girl
posted 06/19/2013, 12:56 PM (USA Today)
[Category: Tyranny/Police State]
 DETROIT — The trial of aDetroit police officer accused of involuntary manslaughterin the death of a 7-year-old girl during a raid has ended in a hung jury.
The jury reported back shortly before 3 p.m. Tuesday that it couldn't reach a verdict even though the judge earlier in the day had asked jurors to continue deliberating the case of Officer Joseph Weekley, who was charged with felony involuntary manslaughter and careless discharge of a firearm causing death.... (more) |
Is Encryption Effective Against Snooping? German Government Says No, Snowden Says Yes
posted 06/18/2013, 5:47 PM (Techdirt)
[Category: Science/Technology]
The revelations of Edward Snowden about the NSA's snooping of citizens both inside and outside the US are posing more questions than they answer at the moment. One key area is whether the use of encryption -- for example for email -- is effective against the techniques and raw power available to the NSA (and equivalents in other countries). That's something that has come up before in the context of the UK's Snooper's Charter. When a top official there was asked whether the proposed surveillanc... (more) |
No Rose Can Mask the Stench of Obama's Tyranny
posted 06/18/2013, 5:47 PM (William Grigg)
[Category: Commentary]
Like a skunk that has grown inured to its own smell, Barack Obama is oblivious to the dense musk of tyrannical arrogance that he customarily emits. As someone who is statist to down to his chromosomes, Mr. Obama considers government's power to be illimitable, and individual freedom to be a revocable gift conferred by those who presume to rule the rest of us. This was made abundantly -- and redundantly -- clear in a recent interview Obama gave to the repellently sycophantic PBS host Charlie R... (more) |
Tyranny is Infinitely More Obscene than Naughty Words
posted 06/18/2013, 5:47 PM (Will Grigg)
[Category: Commentary]
In May 2012, William Barboza, a Connecticut resident, was stopped for speeding while driving through the village of Liberty, New York. As an out-of-state resident, Barboza wasn’t aware that the portion of State Route 17 that runs through the tiny village is one of the most notorious speed traps in the state.
Not surprisingly, Barboza wasn’t happy about the ticket. When he mailed his payment to the Sullivan County Court, the 22-year-o... (more) |
Arrest Obama Under NDAA For Supporting Terrorists in Syria
posted 06/18/2013, 5:47 PM (Infowars)
[Category: Commentary]
 Under the terms of the National Defense Authorization Act that he personally signed into law, President Barack Obama should immediately be arrested and indefinitely detained for providing support to Al-Qaeda terrorists in Syria.
Section 1021(b)(2) of the NDAA law allows for the indefinite detention of U.S. citizens on "suspicion of providing substantial support" to groups engaged in hostilities against the U.S. such as al-... (more) |
Public Enemy Number One: The Public
posted 06/17/2013, 5:21 PM (Kevin Carson)
[Category: Commentary]
 It’s important, when listening to the official shapers of opinion in the media, to ask ourselves what they really mean by the words they use. As Orwell pointed out in “Politics and the English Language,” those in power use language to obscure meaning more often than to convey it.
A good example is the recurrence of phrases like “endangered our national security” and “aided the enemy,” from people like Eric Holder, Peter King and Lindsey Graham, in reference to leaks by people like... (more) |
Jail Guards Turn Women's Prison Into Their Personal Sex Dungeon
posted 06/17/2013, 5:20 PM (LibertarianNews.org)
[Category: Tyranny/Police State]
This story will probably make you sick to your stomach. A complaint was recently filed against the Live Oak County jail system in Texas, naming the county and three guards as having turned the jail into their own personal sexual torture dungeon. The complaint alleges that three guards at the county jail ran a “rape camp” where they “repeatedly raped and humiliated female inmates,” and forced them to masturbate and sodomize male guards, and one another. The three guards named in the report are ... (more) |
14-Year-Old Faces Year In Jail Over Pro-Gun T-Shirt
posted 06/17/2013, 5:20 PM (Infowars)
[Category: Big Brother/Orwellian]
14-year-old Jared Marcum faces a year in jail after he was arrested by police in Logan County, West Virginia for refusing to remove a pro-Second Amendment t-shirt.
The incident began at Lincoln Middle School on April 18 when Marcum was asked by a teacher to remove the NRA shirt, which features the words “protect your right” above an image of a hunting rifle, or be suspended, despite the fact that the shirt did not violate the school’s dress code which bars images featuring "profa... (more) |
If You've Got Nothing To Hide, You've Actually Got Plenty To Hide
posted 06/17/2013, 5:20 PM (Techdirt)
[Category: Big Brother/Orwellian]
The line "if you've got nothing to hide, you have nothing to worry about" is used all too often in defending surveillance overreach. It's been debunked countless times in the past, but with the line being trotted out frequently in response to the NSA revelations, it's time for yet another debunking, and there are two good ones that were recently published. First up, we've got Moxie Marlinspike at Wired, who points out that, you're wrong if you think you've got nothing to hide, because our ... (more) |
Louisiana: Cops Used Red Light Cameras For Personal Profit
posted 06/17/2013, 5:19 PM (TheNewspaper)
[Category: Tyranny/Police State]
Police officers in New Orleans, Louisiana filled their own pockets with red light camera cash by setting up a private company to "review" photo citations off the official clock. The city's inspector general, E. R. Quatrevaux, on Friday released a report documenting how Edwin Hosli, the New Orleans Police Department's (NOPD) 8th District commander, formed his own limited liability company called Anytime Solutions to take advantage of the lucrative business opportunity.
Over a four-... (more) |
Judge's Handyman Cops Plea in Georgia Sex, Drugs, Frame-Up
posted 06/17/2013, 5:19 PM (StoptheDrugWar.org)
[Category: Tyranny/Police State]
 CJ helped his boss, the judge, by planting dope for him. Now he's looking at prison time. (photo courtesy Angela Garmley)
Earlier this week, investigative journalist Clarence Walker published a Chronicle feature article, "Sex, Lies, and a Georgia Drug Frame-up," about how now ex-Murray County Chief Magistrate Judge Bryant Cochran allegedly attempted to have local w... (more) |
Yahoo! Fought Back Against PRISM, Lost In Secret Ruling
posted 06/17/2013, 5:19 PM (Techdirt)
[Category: Big Brother/Orwellian]
As more and more details come out about PRISM, it appears that the attention and blame really belongs on the government, rather than the tech companies (for the most part). While it was known that an unnamed company had fought back against FISA Court orders back in 2008, the name of the company was not known. However, now the NY Times is reporting that Yahoo! fought back against being told to provide info on users, until the court ruled against them -- and the ruling (as an unnamed company... (more) |
Eyewitnesses describe the terror of DWI checkpoint shooting
posted 06/17/2013, 5:18 PM (WECT)
[Category: Tyranny/Police State]
BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WECT) – Jared and Rose Cleerdin found themselves right in the middle of a shootout at what should have been a routine DWI checkpoint. Days after the dramatic shootout in Brunswick County, they are still shaken by what they saw.
"Every cop turned around and started unloading like super trigger happy as if their training was coming into full effect and they were being able to utilize it," said Cleerdin. "Everybody was just blasting this car to pieces. It was a... (more) |
File-Sharers Are Well Educated and Earn More Money
posted 06/17/2013, 5:15 PM (TorrentFreak)
[Category: Science/Technology]
New research commissioned by the Australasian Performing Right Association reveals that Australian file-sharers are more affluent and better educated than their non-downloading counterparts. One in three Aussie Internet pirates earn more than $100,000 and one in four enjoyed a university education. The results further confirm that pirates tend to be relatively young, with 44% of file-sharers under 30 years of age.... (more) |
NSA Admits Listening to U.S. Phone Calls Without Warrants
posted 06/16/2013, 1:23 PM (CNET News)
[Category: Big Brother/Orwellian]
 The National Security Agency has acknowledged in a new classified briefing that it does not need court authorization to listen to domestic phone calls.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler, a New York Democrat, disclosed this week that during a secret briefing to members of Congress, he was told that the contents of a phone call could be accessed "simply based on an analyst deciding that."
If the NSA wants "to listen to the phone," an analyst's decision is sufficient, without any ot... (more) |
Janet Napolitano Denies Existence of "Orwellian State"
posted 06/16/2013, 1:23 PM (Politicker)
[Category: Big Brother/Orwellian]
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano weighed in on the NSA intelligence leaks on Friday, telling NY1 that fears over government surveillance were overblown.
“I think people have gotten the idea that there’s an Orwellian state out there that somehow we’re operating in. That’s far from the case,” she told Errol Louis during an appearance on Road to City Hall.... (more) |
KickassTorrents Domain Seized After Music Industry Complaint
posted 06/16/2013, 1:23 PM (TorrentFreak)
[Category: Big Brother/Orwellian]
After a mystery disappearance yesterday it has now been confirmed that KickassTorrents’ domain name has been seized by the Philippine authorities. The action was taken following a complaint from local record labels who argued that the second largest torrent site on the Internet was causing “irreparable damages” to the music industry. KickassTorrents, however, appears undeterred by the intervention and is continuing business as usual under a new domain name.... (more) |
Why No Perjury Indictment for Clapper?
posted 06/13/2013, 12:17 PM (Jacob G. Hornberger)
[Category: Commentary]
 The feds indicted and prosecuted Martha Stewart for lying to federal investigators about a stock trade. They also indicted baseball star Roger Clemens for supposedly lying to Congress about drug abuse.
So, the obvious question arises: Why no perjury indictment against Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper, Jr.
Consider the following testimony that Clapper gave to Congress last March:
Senator Ron Wyden: Does the N.S.A. collect any type of ... (more) |
Slaton Police Arrest Woman After Request to See Warrant; Say They'll Apologize If She Doesn't File Suit
posted 06/13/2013, 12:17 PM (FOX 34 News)
[Category: Tyranny/Police State]
Slaton police came to this woman's house, who wishes to remain anonymous, to arrest her son. But by asking one simple question, she found herself behind bars instead.
"I told him, 'I will release my son to you upon viewing those orders.' Those were exactly my words," The complainant said. "He said, 'This is how you want to play?' He took two steps back, turned around to the officer and said, 'Take her.' They turned me around, handcuffed me, and took me in."
The com... (more) |
SPCA Wants Humane Officer Who Shot Kittens Fired
posted 06/13/2013, 12:17 PM (WKYC)
[Category: Tyranny/Police State]
NORTH RIDGEVILLE -- The Ohio Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals wants Humane Officer Barry Accorti fired for allegedly shooting five kittens in a home's back yard on Monday.
OSPCA Executive Director Teresa Landon says Accorti should be fired and charged with five counts of animal cruelty.
Accorti retired as a sergeant with the North Ridgeville Police Department a few years ago and was hired as a part-time humane officer with the department.
... (more) |
Does the Fourth Amendment Exist Any More?
posted 06/13/2013, 12:17 PM (Will Grigg)
[Category: Tyranny/Police State]
When Boulder, Colorado resident Chrissy Smiley returned to her condo after walking her dog, she was stunned to find a card from a police officer on her dining room table. When she called the department she was informed that the fact she had left a sliding door unlocked and partially open constituted “probable cause” to conduct a welfare check, Smiley recalled to the Boulder Camera newspaper. The Boulder Police Department insists that entering what they call “unsecured residences” is “standar... (more) |
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The Century of the Self: The Untold History of Controlling the Masses Through the Manipulation of Unconscious Desires
Operation Gladio: The Hidden History of U.S. Sponsored False Flag Terrorism in Europe
The New American Century: The Untold History of The Project for the New American Century
There’s a reason George Orwell’s 1984 is a predominant theme in my new book 
Cop Who Karate Chopped NY Judge In Throat Gets Off Scot-Free
Florida Cop Smashes Compliant Woman's Face Into Car -- "Maybe Now You Can Understand Simple Instructions"
VIDEO: Lapel Cam Reveals A Day In The Life Of A U.S. Police Officer (Tasing, Beating, Breaking & Entering, Stomping On Heads... and Laughing About It)
Caught On Tape: Officer Sucker Punches Inmate In Face, Files Report Claiming 'Self Defense'
Insult Person On Twitter, Go To Jail
SWAT Team Brings TV Crew To Film Raid Against Threatening Internet Critic -- Raids Innocent Grandma Instead
Cop Karate Chops NY Judge In The Throat
When the Right to Resist Becomes the "Duty to Submit"
The Missing Lesson From Norway: Never Trust a Man in Uniform
"They're Only Out To Make Cold Hard American Cash"; Park Police Crack Down on Bicycle Cabs in DC