police state

BrockGate, Dubai AI and unplanned spacewalks + this day in history w/Eichmann captured and our song of the day by Shabazz Palaces on your Morning Monarchy for May 23, 2017.

(ANTIMEDIA) Since Wednesday, Twitter has been sending out emails and notifications to its over 300 million monthly users to inform them of changes to their privacy policy.
The new policy, which goes into effect on June 18, includes changes to data collection, data sharing, and digital advertising. The policy is being run on an ‘opt-out’ basis, meaning that if users do not actively change their settings, these policies will automatically be applied to their accounts.

(ANTIMEDIA) Generally speaking, conspiracy theories form where there is a vacuum of verifiable facts associated with a controversial, usually tragic event. The concept has evolved over the years and is a part of our popular culture. There are legions of conspiracy theorists and “truthers” who have devoted their lives to certain theories, and there are legions of skeptics who have devoted their lives to debunking those theories. All the while, conspiracy theories of every stripe and variety festoon the footnotes of history.

(ANTIMEDIA) Yet another police officer is speaking out against the drug war, this time in the United Kingdom. Former officer Neil Woods worked as an undercover drug cop for 14 years, infiltrating some of the most violent gangs in Britain only to learn his tactics were worsening the drug epidemic. Now, he advocates ending the drug war and decriminalizing drugs as he admits his own role in fueling violence and the proliferation of narcotics.

(ZHE) 24 hours after it first emerged, it has been called the first global, coordinated ransomware attack using hacking tools developed by the NSA, crippling over a dozen hospitals across the UK, mass transit around Europe, car factories in France and the UK, universities in China, corporations in the US, banks in Russia and countless other mission-critical businesses and infrastructure.

(ANTIMEDIA Op-Ed) James Comey, the former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) appointed by President Barack Obama, has never been a man independent of the law. This is not because his heart wasn’t in the right place or because his intentions may have been malicious. Instead, Comey has always been a man of the state — much like any other person to have occupied this position in history. What does that mean?

(ANTIMEDIA) Sonoma County, CA — On October 22, 2013, police officer Erick Gelhaus shot and killed 13-year-old Andy Lopez, who was walking to his friend’s house carrying a toy rifle. Ten months later, Gelhaus was back on patrol and subsequently promoted despite a clear history of misconduct.

(ANTIMEDIA) In first-of-their-kind actions, legislatures in two states, Vermont and New Hampshire, moved to decriminalize adult marijuana use this week. From a press release on Vermont by the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML):

(ANTIMEDIA) The ACLU issued a “travel alert” in the state of Texas Wednesday, warning “anyone planning to travel to Texas in the near future to anticipate the possible violation of their constitutional rights when stopped by law enforcement.”

(ANTIMEDIA) Fatal officer-involved shootings don’t usually cause a break in the thin blue line, but one former cop is suing to get his job back after he used de-escalation tactics with a suicidal man before another officer killed the man nearly instantly.