LIST OF PEOPLE WHO SHOULD FUCK THEMSELVES

Here's a list of how "our representatives" voted on the Amash Amendment that would (hopefully) protect us from the NSA's unchecked spying. Anyone who voted "no" should seriously fuck off. If your "representative" voted "no", please give them a call and tell them to get fucked.

On Agreeing to the Amendment: Amendment 42 to H R 2397

Congress needs to fuck off. No one likes it.

IF YOU DRIVE, THEY'RE TRACKING YOU

Automated license plate readers that track every single license plate they see and often store the data indefinitely have become a hot topic lately. The databases of information, which includes every sighting of a particular plate (i.e. you) over long periods of time can be viewed much like Google maps. Hope you didn't park in front of a crack den when you went out for milk.

Your new fingerprint. Via Wikimedia Commons.

The ACLU has been blasting not only the surveillance of innocent (though assumed-guilty) citizens, but also the varying retention policies of law enforcement offices. A few discard the info after a few days, some hold onto it for years (you never know when a "good guy" could turn out to actually be a "bad guy"), and others don't see a reason to have a policy at all. They have a page on their site dedicated to ALPR systems and a report in PDF format.

But what else can we do to protect our privacy against a government who continues to expand its powers? (And on a side note, do you trust the government to keep all the data it has on you safe?) While we haven't used it, you may want to invest in the NoPhoto license plate frame.

Or maybe you should never drive ever again, at least not in America.

RUSSIA CONDUCTS MILITARY TESTS TO SHOW OFF TO "CHINA AND JAPAN"

A recent NPR article announced Russia has been conducting military tests the likes of which haven't been seen since the prime years of the U.S.S.R. Analysts say they're doing this to show off for "China and Japan".

Call me paranoid, but maybe they're prepping for World War III, and I doubt they're going to be on our side. Relations with our cold neighbor have been pretty strained in recent years.

Back in 2012 there was Obama's "Give us space" remark.

And more recently, Putin pulled a Bill Clinton, told Obama Snowden wasn't "technically" in Russia.

Putin verbally slaps Obama.

Putin then "toys" with Obama.

It's gotten to the point that Obama is considering cancelling a meeting with Putin because he's so sick of his shit.

It doesn't help that analysts are saying Putin thinks Russia will one day "eclipse" the US.

Or that some people think the conflict is going to end in a nuclear stalemate.

With all the reports of Putin and Obama's difficulties working together, their struting and sparring, and the low-blows that have come from both fields, it's curious the Mass Media hasn't stirred up some controversy and pandered red-scare news stories to the masses. The lack of connection between our failed relations with Russia and their current military displays actually makes me more nervous that something worse is afoot. It's obvious the government controls the media, so just how much are they hiding from us in regard to a coming showdown with Russia?

DRONES ARE GOING TO KILL US ALL

If you weren't scared of drones when it was revealed that the FBI has been using them over U.S. soil, or when the potential new head of the FBI made a case for using drone strikes to kill Americans in the U.S., perhaps some of the newly revealed capabilities of drones will get you worried. (And if not, you can always read this interview with top drone pilot Bill Tart.)

ARGUS can capture HD video of 15 square miles from 30,000 feet in the air. It's the “equivalent to having up to a hundred Predators look at an area the size of a medium-sized city at once.” It was discussed in Nova's "Rise of the Drones" program, from which the following clip is taken. The drone has a 1.8 gigapixel camera and constantly sends data back to the ground to be analyzed. People can be individually recognized, monitored, and followed throughout the day. This is some serious Enemy of the State business.

Interestingly enough, the US Military has stopped releasing drone information in regards to the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, etc. On top of that, it also deleted all data from previous reports. Why would they not want us to know that 25% of missile attacks are completed by drones?

Perhaps because drone strikes have been shown to kill ten times more civilians than "terrorists". A U.S. study based on drone strikes in Pakistan criticized their use. This comes after Pakistan was revealed to secretly be requesting more drone strikes on their people, while publicly condemning them.

The drone industry is booming. It shouldn't matter to you whether a drone is killing or spying on people in a foreign land or right here in America. Drones represent a chilling future for humanity. Aside from turning war into a real-life video game, they're ineffective and pushed on us by the Military Industrial Complex.

If anyone has images or video of a drone flying in the U.S., please send it to us.