Orly Taitz loses birther case to an empty table.

My favorite headline of the day.

Birthers: When you absolutely, positively have to be the dumbest motherfucker in the room.

"Potential Indicators of Terrorist Activities" as per the FBI and Justice Dept's new flyers:

  • “Are overly concerned about privacy..”
  • “attempts to shield the screen from view of 
  • others”
  • “Always pay[s] cash…”
  • “Evidence of a residential based internet provider…”
  • “Use of anonymizers, portals, or other means to shield IP address”
  • “…using VOIP or communicating through a PC game.”
  • “obtain photos, maps or diagrams of transportation, sporting venues, or populated locations.”

Just in case you forgot to live in fear and suspicion, the FBI and Justice Department are here to help!

Now, to their credit, they do admit that “some of the activities, taken individually, could be innocent” but then immediately go back into bullshit mode with “and must be examined by law enforcement professionals…”

So even admittedly innocent activities “must” be examined now; because you should always default to fear and suspicion. Good citizen.

The kicker? Ending with this gem:

  • “It is important to remember that just because someone’s speech, actions, beliefs, appearance, or way of life is different; it does not mean that he or she is suspicious.”

Unless their “way of life” involves being “overly concerned about privacy” - then they’re a “potential terrorist” who “must be examined.”

I would be ashamed, if I wasn’t so sure that was a “potential indicator of terrorist activities.”

If we’re willing to spend $750 billion (so far) to make democracy in Iraq possible, we should be willing to spend one-twenty-fifth of that to make democracy in America work.
Lawrence Lessig in Republic, Lost (via think-progress)

After Apple’s Q4 numbers, I bet a number of politicians are going to ask why we’re expected to prioritize the entertainment industry over the tech/internet industries.

And if not, they damn well should.

Rumor has it this is the bill that SOPA will be merged with: The Protecting Children From Internet Pornographers Act of 2011

Yep, from the very same Lamar Smith, with 5 CA co-sponsors. When all else fails, lump the objectors together with pedophiles and/or terrorists.

So a racist, dimwitted, power-hungry hypocrite won a GOP primary?

 You don’t say…

Please Pray For Jessica Ahlquist

friendlyatheist:

jameschapteroneversetwelve:

http://unicornbooty.com/blog/2012/01/16/christian-classmates-threaten-girl-with-eternal-rape-in-hell-for-removing-prayer-from-school/

Just because she’s an atheist doesn’t make it right to make her feel unsafe or unwanted.

WWJD? Well, burn her in hell for eternity. For not believing in him. That IS what the bible says. Right? I don’t see how adding rape to eternal burning torture makes it any worse that what Jesus supposedly said if he actually existed.

-FA

If one of her classmates said “I’m going to rape and torture you” then it would obviously be punished as criminal behavior. If one of her classmates knew she was to be raped and tortured and did nothing to prevent it, they would also be prosecuted as an accomplice for failing to report the events.

So explain to me again why “My imaginary friend will rape and torture you” is protected and shouldn’t be prosecutable harassment? Whether you threaten someone or use a supernatural third party to do the threatening should be treated the same way. Your personal religious insanity isn’t a magical “get out of civilized obligations free” card that you can wave around whenever you see fit.

Let’s drop the act and stop pretending like threats of physical or emotional trauma are protected religious speech - it’s just a cowardly way of threatening someone because you’re admitting that you hope someone else does it for you.

Straight from Rick Santorum's Mouth: Nine Reasons Not To Vote For Rick Santorum.

Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.’
Isaac Asimov, apparently reacting to the Iowa Caucuses.

2011: The Year Intellectual Property Trumped Civil Liberties | Wired.com

Shameful bullshit.

2012 will be the year those who understand the internet fight back.

With this defense authorization act, Congress will, for the first time in 60 years, authorize the indefinite detention of U.S. citizens without charge or trial, according to its advocates. This would be the first time that Congress has deviated from President Nixon’s Non-Detention Act. And what we are talking about here is that Americans could be subjected to life imprisonment without ever being charged, tried, or convicted of a crime, without ever having an opportunity to prove their innocence to a judge or a jury of their peers. And without the government ever having to prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. I think that denigrates the very foundations of this country. It denigrates the Bill of Rights. It denigrates what our Founders intended when they created a civilian, non-military justice system for trying and punishing people for crimes committed on U.S. soil. Our Founders were fearful of the military—and they purposely created a system of checks and balances to ensure we did not become a country under military rule. This bill undermines that core principle, which is why I could not support it.

Al Franken (via azspot)(via asie)

What the fuck are they doing? What the fuck are WE doing?! What the fuck is wrong with our country right now?

(via peterwknox)

spytap:

spytap:

250 people have RTed this message so far today:

The number is now up to over 550 people.

Make that over 800 people.

But whether Manning is ultimately found guilty or not is beside the point: All one needs to know about American justice is that if he had murdered civilians and desecrated their corpses - if he had the moral capacity to commit war crimes, not the audacity to expose them - he’d be better off today.
No justice for Bradley Manning - Opinion - Al Jazeera

spytap:

250 people have RTed this message so far today:

The number is now up to over 550 people.

250 people have RTed this message so far today: