Category: Police state
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A patriotic duty: repeal the Patriot Act
Originally published in The Guardian The first thing you need to understand about the Patriot Act is this: Osama Bin Laden’s destruction of the World Trade Centre wasn’t the reason the act was passed; it was merely the excuse. The real reason dates back to the 1980s, when President Ronald Reagan demonstrated his principled commitment…
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The TSA’s mission creep is making the US a police state
Originally published in The Guardian Ever since 2010, when the Transportation Security Administration started requiring that travelers in American airports submit to sexually intrusive gropings based on the apparent anti-terrorism principle that “If we can’t feel your nipples, they must be a bomb”, the agency’s craven apologists have shouted down all constitutional or human rights…
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Safe At Last From Teen Terrorists At Taco Bell
originally published in the New Britain Herald and Bristol Press People of America, rejoice! I passed my Homeland Security check with flying colors, which means you can safely read my articles without worrying that you’re endangering the security of the homeland or anything. I’m serious. When I started working for this paper full-time, I expected…
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Billing for the Billets
originally published in the Hartford Advocate Billing For The Billets In Connecticut, when you get out of jail, you may get a bill from the state for your room and board By Jennifer Abel A few years ago the Chinese government made a great humanitarian leap forward by outfitting “death vans” with lethal-injection tools and…
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Unleashing police gunmen on students: America’s hot new educational fad
Originally published in Anorak.co.uk IF you missed last week’s “mad gunman terrorizes American schoolchildren” news story, this time out of North Carolina, don’t feel bad; these days they’re common enough that it’s not reasonable to expect any one person can keep up with them all. Still, last week’s story was notable for two reasons: One,…