Tag Archives: Winning Hearts & Minds

US demands immunity, right to enter Afghan homes — forever

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“Days before the so-called bi-lateral security agreement heads to an Afghan council of elders and political leaders for a final decision, the U.S. is attempting to force through a stipulation that would allow U.S. troops to continue raiding Afghan homes, in addition to measures giving U.S. troops and contractors immunity from Afghan law and extending U.S. military presence far beyond Obama’s 2014 pullout date.  The issue of immunity for U.S. troops has long been a point of contention for Afghans, who have faced a staggering civilian death toll, as well as high-profile massacres, including the 2012 Panjwai massacre, in which 16 Afghan civilians were gunned down and killed, and 6 wounded.”

https://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/11/19-6

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City passes new ordinance, uproots FL couple’s 17-year-old garden

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“For the past 17 years they’ve grown a garden in the front yard of their modest South Florida home. The backyard, they say, doesn’t get enough sunlight.  But in May, the city put the couple’s garden, and any others like it, in their legal crosshairs.  A new zoning ordinance designed to ‘protect the distinctive character of the Miami Shores Village,’ was enacted and specifically prohibited vegetables – not fruit, trees or even plastic flamingos – from appearing in front yards.  Shortly after, the couple received a visit from their local code enforcement officer. They were given two choices: Uproot the garden or pay a $50 per day fine to keep it.“

http://watchdog.org/116807/pure-manure-city-uproots-fl-couples-17-year-old-garden/

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The bionic bunch: Gathering of exoskeleton-wearers walk for charity

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“Among the participants was the inventor of the suit, Dr. Amit Goffer. Goffer is himself a quadriplegic who became frustrated by the outdated wheelchair and wanted to create something that would allow people with spinal cord injuries to walk again.  ‘What’s unique about ReWalk is that behind the left elbow of the user is a motion sensor that picks up a user’s movement when they walk,’ Jasinski said. ‘That is attached to a computer that can replicate human gait to create a non-robotic walking step.’ Most other types of technologies cause an unnatural, stiff walk closer to a robot than to the way humans stride. ReWalk helps to create a more natural and human-like step.”

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/11/18/exoskeleton-technology-helping-paralyzed-to-walk-again/

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Meet The ‘Assassination Market’ Creator Who’s Crowdfunding Murder

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“According to Assassination Market’s rules, if someone on its hit list is killed–and yes, Sanjuro hopes that many targets will be–any hitman who can prove he or she was responsible receives the collected funds.  For now, the site’s rewards are small but not insignificant. In the four months that Assassination Market has been online, six targets have been submitted by users, and bounties have been collected ranging from ten bitcoins for the murder of NSA director Keith Alexander and 40 bitcoins for the assassination of President Barack Obama to 124.14 bitcoins–the largest current bounty on the site–targeting Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve.”

http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2013/11/18/meet-the-assassination-market-creator-whos-crowdfunding-murder-with-bitcoins/

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More Taxpayers Are Abandoning the U.S.

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“This year will set a record for expatriations by U.S. taxpayers, with at least a 33% increase from the previous high in 2011.  The Treasury Department published the names of 560 people who either were U.S. citizens renouncing their citizenship or long-term residents who turned in their green cards during the third quarter.  That brings the total so far this year to 2,369, according to Andrew Mitchel, a tax lawyer in Centerbrook, Conn., who tracks the data. For all of 2011, the number of published expatriates was 1,781, he said.  Taxpayers who expatriate aren’t required to give a reason, but experts said the overall increase was likely because of tougher enforcement of U.S. tax laws.”

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304243904579195923107439130

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Afghan probe into civilian killings stymied by US refusal to cooperate

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“Afghanistan’s intelligence service has chosen to abandon its investigation into a number of civilian deaths in Wardak province, following US refusal to look into claims of Special Forces complicity in the killings, according to a document seen by Reuters.  US forces carried out a series of raids between October 2012 and February 2013, in which seventeen Afghan civilians were detained. The bodies of ten of them were later found in shallow graves, just hundreds of meters from the Nerk Special Forces base, in May. The US Army’s Operational Detachment-Alpha is based there. They are also known as the Green Berets.”

http://rt.com/news/killing-us-investigation-afghanistan-582/

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Virtual Virtue: Bitcoin crypto currency makes name in charities

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“The controversial digital currency Bitcoin has scored a new high – its trading price has almost doubled since October. This despite what some users and many analysts believe to be considerable cyber safety concerns. Its use is still relatively small – compared to other currencies – but it can pay for a range of products and services. And boosting its popularity – Bitcoins are held in online wallets and traded without control by any central authority. And the cyber currency’s been gaining new horizons – as RT’s Peter Oliver reports.”

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US Pushes for Free Trade Pact with EU Despite NSA Scandal

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“In the coming meetings this week in Brussels and in those scheduled in Washington in December, the technical and regulatory details should be settled, and sticking points such as how to handle genetically modified foods and standards for medication are to be worked out.  When it comes to the discussions over technical trade details, contentious political issues such as the NSA spying scandal will be left out, because the bureaucrats negotiating are not responsible for them. public approval for any such agreement has dropped since the NSA revelations were made.”

http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/us-pushes-for-free-trade-pact-with-eu-despite-nsa-scandal-a-932913.html

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Germany Warns of Possible Threat to US Facilities in Spying Scandal

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“Germany’s domestic intelligence agency has warned American sites in the country could be at risk of attack from people angry about the NSA spying scandal. The message has worried officials in Rhineland-Palatinate, where the Rammstein air base is located.  The domestic intelligence agency warned in an Oct. 30 letter that ‘an emotional response from certain segments of the population cannot be ruled out’ and recommended that ‘security measures aimed at protecting US facilities in Germany should be increased.’ The agency said the background behind the ‘potential threat’ was ongoing discussions about the ‘collection of Germans’ data by the United States.'”

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/german-warns-of-possible-threat-to-us-facilities-in-spying-scandal-a-932928.html

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The CIA Retains Control of Drone Assassinations

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“President Obama said earlier this year that he was ordering the CIA to transfer drone operations to the Department of Defense.  He also thought www.Healthcare.gov would work. He was out of the loop in both cases.  The CIA is not going to give up its drones. From the point of view of politicians inside the USA and outside, it makes sense to let the CIA run the lion’s share of the drone program. It’s a matter of experience, cost savings, blame, and immunity from Congressional snooping — of snooping by the Commander in Chief. Look, do we want efficiency or not? If the goal is to kill attendees at wedding parties, don’t we want this done by skilled experts who have done this many times?”

http://teapartyeconomist.com/2013/11/06/cia-retains-control-drone-assassinations/

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