Monthly Archives: June 2013

Responding to Scandals and Corruption, the IRS Rewards Itself with Giant Bonuses

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“What do you do if you’re part of a government bureaucracy that has been caught red-handed engaged in sleazy, corrupt, and (almost surely) illegal targeting of Americans for their political beliefs? But before you answer, keep in mind that your bureaucracy also has been exposed for wasting huge amounts of money at lavish conferences. What’s the ideal way of dealing with the fallout from that scandal as well? The answer is simple. Even though you and your pals already are paid more than the peasants in the private sector, give yourself and your cronies giant bonuses!”

http://danieljmitchell.wordpress.com/2013/06/19/responding-to-scandals-and-corruption-the-irs-rewards-itself-with-giant-bonuses/

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Ron Paul: NSA head ‘fudged the figures’

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“The Texas Republican was referencing the House Intelligence Committee hearing Tuesday where National Security Agency Director Keith Alexander said communication surveillance programs have thwarted more than 50 ‘potential terrorist events’. Paul also wasn’t amused by the NSA trying to pass the intrusions off as an attempt to save Americans and the American way of life. ‘It’s sort of like the old story about you have to burn the village to save the village. They want to burn the Constitution to save the Constitution,’ he said. ‘And even today, [James] Cole, the Deputy Attorney General says, the Fourth Amendment doesn’t apply to this.'”

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/06/ron-paul-nsa-head-fudged-the-figures-93000.html

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Ex-NSA official Thomas Drake on Snowden and the U.S. spy leviathan

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Ex-NSA official Thomas Drake on Snowden and the U.S. spy leviathan

“Thomas Drake, who was prosecuted for allegedly disclosing National Security Agency secrets years before Edward Snowden surfaced, says the U.S. government has an ‘industrial-scale’ surveillance system that ‘the Stasi in East Germany would have drooled over.’ Drake speaks with Reuters defense correspondent Andrea Shalal-Esa.”

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Swiss parliament throws out ‘Lex USA’ tax proposal

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“Rejecting US threats, the National Council tossed ‘Lex USA’.  The big question now is if the US will follow through with its threats of destroying 18 banks, and how many innocent people will be harmed in the process.  My best guess is that the US needs to use Switzerland as a scapegoat to scare the world into joining FATCA, since FATCA would otherwise fail.  The general view in Switzerland seems to be that if some banks did wrong, then they should be held responsible for their actions without the government being involved, while those in favor of Lex USA generally feared the American blackmail.”

http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/2013/06/19/switzerland-voted-against-joining-ovdi-lex-usa/

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Bitcoin In IRS Crosshairs, Says Government Report

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“There is confusion whether transactions in Bitcoin should be treated as property, barter, foreign currency, or a financial instrument. How you see it can determine the tax treatment. Barter transactions may be the most logical treatment, but not everyone agrees. Besides, even without Bitcoins or other exotica, bartering transactions are inherently under-reported. And then there is tax basis. If you sell something for less than you paid, you shouldn’t have gain. That’s true in U.S. dollars or in Bitcoin. If you sell something at a garage sale, you may or may not have income. Brave new world? GAO and IRS don’t think so.”

http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertwood/2013/06/18/bitcoin-in-irs-crosshairs-says-government-report/

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Onion Pi turns Raspberry Pi into Tor proxy and wireless access point

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“A good project for users looking to anonymize their Internet traffic, ‘Onion Pi’ requires just a Raspberry Pi, a few standard peripherals, and some work in the command line. ‘Using it is easy-as-pie,’ Adafruit wrote. ‘First, plug the Ethernet cable into any Internet provider [sic] in your home, work, hotel or conference/event. Next, power up the Pi with the Micro USB cable to your laptop or to the wall adapter. The Pi will boot up and create a new secure wireless access point called Onion Pi. Connecting to that access point will automatically route any web browsing from your computer through the anonymizing Tor network.'”

http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/06/onion-pi-turns-raspberry-pi-into-tor-proxy-and-wireless-access-point/

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Google reveals top-secret plan to beam Internet to developing world from balloons at the edge of space

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“Google revealed top-secret plans Saturday to send balloons to the edge of space with the lofty aim of bringing Internet to the two-thirds of the global population currently without web access. Scientists from the technology giant released up to 30 helium-filled test balloons flying 20 kilometres (12.4 miles) above Christchurch in New Zealand Saturday, carrying antennae linked to ground base stations. While still in the early stages, Project Loon hopes eventually to launch thousands of balloons to provide Internet to remote parts of the world, allowing the more than four billion people with no access to get online. It could also be used to help after natural disasters.”

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/06/15/google-reveals-top-secret-plan-to-beam-internet-to-developing-world-from-ballons-at-the-edge-of-space/

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Google Challenges FISA Gag Orders on Free Speech Grounds

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“Google filed a legal challenge today against gag orders that come with the FISA court orders it receives from the FBI and NSA, on grounds that the silence orders impinge on the company’s First Amendment rights to speak freely about the data requests it receives for user data. Google is seeking permission to publish the number of requests for data (.pdf) that it receives from the government, as well as the number of user accounts affect by the requests, according to the motion it filed in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court in Washington, D.C.”

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2013/06/google-fisa-gag-orders/

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Attempted Land Grab Ends With Voters Booting Entire City Council

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“Government officials like to use eminent domain for the convenience of their preferred policies and/or the enrichment of themselves and their buddies. Usually, they get away with it, because the folks on the receiving end are too few and powerless to hold their tormentors to account. In Hackensack, New Jersey, however, the officials who targeted Michael Monaghan’s property for seizure as part of an ‘area in need of redevelopment,’  even while denying him the right to develop it himself, pushed too many people around, too often. Last month, voters booted out the entire city council.”

http://reason.com/blog/2013/06/13/attempted-land-grab-ends-with-voters-boo

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Teens Start Rental Car Company, Get Sued By City Of San Francisco For ‘Unfair Business Practices’

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Teens Start Rental Car Company, Get Sued By City Of San Francisco For ‘Unfair Business Practices’

“Said three teenagers to themselves last year: ‘Yeah, sure, we could go to college. But wouldn’t it be more fun to up-end the airport rental car business?’ The idea was this: At every major airport, acres of cars sit idle, left parked by owners who have jetted off. Why couldn’t these same cars be rented to arriving travelers? Rates could be dramatically cheaper than those charged by traditional car rental companies, since, under this model, the rental company wouldn’t have to pay for or maintain the fleet.  It’s easy to see how traditional rental companies might not be amused to have their prices undercut. But San Francisco International is crying foul, as well.”

http://libertycrier.com/business/teens-start-rental-car-company-that-undercuts-avis-and-hertz-get-sued-by-city-of-san-francisco-for-unfair-business-practices/

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