Further updates at NigelTodman.com
Originally published at the NAAIJ on Feb 28th, 2015. Check the NAAIJ for most recent updates
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Concerned Canadians across the nation are planning for a National Day of Action on March 14th, 2015 against Bill C-51. I have previously reported on Bill C-51 as well as OpenMedia’s Stop Spying on Us campaign over at The Fifth Column News
We will add a link to the various protest locations as we discover them. E-mail your protest locations to media@naaij.org and they will be promptly added here. Please reference C-51 Day of Action in the subject.
List of locations in footer as well as some flyers.
The National Event Hub & Call to Action is here
An Open Letter signed by over 100 University Professors from across Canada is also available here. This was sent to all Members of Parliament on Feb 27th. This is in addition to yet another open letter signed by a chorus of Supreme Court Justices, Ministers of Justice, Solicitors General of Canada and a number of former Prime Ministers that was released on Feb. 19th
The full text of the call to action is as follows:
The government is about to ram through a “secret police” Bill C-51 that is:
1. Reckless: It turns CSIS into a ‘secret police’ force with little oversight or accountability.
2. Dangerous: It opens the door for violations of our Charter Rights including censorship of free expression online.
3. Ineffective: It will lead to dragnet surveillance and information sharing on innocent Canadians that even
Stephen Harper has admitted is ineffective.
On March 14, people will gather together in communities across Canada for an emergency day of action to stop the government’s “secret police” law.
For more information visit OpenMedia.ca’s platform at: http://stopc51.ca/
Sign up for a day of action event in your community now at: http://action.StopC51.ca/
Leadnow.ca – À l’Action campaign:
https://leadnow.netdonor.net/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1694&ea.campaign.id=35868
News release on impact of Bill C-51 by the BCCLA:
https://bccla.org/news/2015/02/release-canadian-rights-groups-decry-limited-parliamentary-committee-hearings-for-bill-c-51-proposed-major-national-security-reforms/
Media Inquiries:
BCGEU Communications
4911 Canada Way, Burnaby, B.C. V5G 3W3
Tel: (604) 291-9611
Email: communications@bcgeu.ca
LeadNow.ca has also set up a platform to help people set up events. Alternatively you can just Create an Event on Facebook
Alliston, Ontario Facebook Event Page
Antigonish, Nova Scotia Facebook Event Page
Bancroft, Ontario Facebook Event Page
Barrie, Ontario Facebook Event Page
Belleville, Ontario Facebook Event Page
Brampton, Ontario Facebook Event Page
Brantford, Ontario Facebook Event Page
Calgary, Alberta Facebook Event Page
Castlegar, British Columbia Facebook Event Page
Charlottetown, Price Edward Island Facebook Event Page
Collingwood, Ontario Facebook Event Page
Courtenay, British Columbia Facebook Event Page
Edmonton, Alberta Facebook Event Page
Fergus, Ontario LeadNow ‘Snap Action’ Page
Fredericton, New Brunswick LeadNow ‘Snap Action’ Page
Guelph, Ontario Facebook Event Page (Alt)
Halifax, Nova Scotia Facebook Event Page
Hamilton, Ontario Facebook Event Page
Kamloops, British Columbia Facebook Event Page (Alt)
Kitchener, Ontario LeadNow ‘Snap Action’ Page
Lindsay, Ontario LeadNow ‘Snap Action’ Page
London, Ontario Facebook Event Page
Mississauga, Ontario LeadNow ‘Snap Action’ Page
Moncton, New Brunswick Facebook Event Page
Montreal, Quebec Facebook Event Page
Nanaimo, British Columbia Facebook Event Page
Nelson, British Columbia Facebook Event Page
Newmarket, Ontario Facebook Event Page
North Bay, Ontario LeadNow ‘Snap Action’ Page (FB Event)
Orangeville, Ontario LeadNow ‘Snap Action’ Page
Orilla, Ontario Facebook Event Page
Ottawa, Ontario Facebook Event Page
Owen Sound, Ontario Facebook Event Page
Peterborough, Ontario LeadNow ‘Snap Action’ Page
Port Moody, British Columbia Facebook Event Page
Prince George, British Columbia LeadNow ‘Snap Action’ Page
Regina, Saskatchewan Facebook Event Page
Saint John, New Brunswick Facebook Event Page
Sarnia, Ontario Facebook Event Page
Salt Spring Island, British Columbia Facebook Event Page
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Facebook Event Page
Stratford, Ontario Facebook Event Page
St. Johns, Newfoundland Facebook Event Page
Sudbury, Ontario Facebook Event Page
Toronto, Ontario Facebook Event Page
Vancouver, British Columbia Facebook Event Page
Vernon, British Columbia Facebook Event Page
Victoria, British Columbia Facebook Event Page
Windsor, Ontario Facebook Event Page
Winnipeg, Manitoba Facebook Event Page
Use the Hashtags #C51DayOfAction, #StopC51 & #StrkDownC51. #cdnpoli would also be good to use (Throw a #StopHarper in there too if you feel like it)
Here is an informative video from University of Ottawa Law Professor, Craig Forcese (Source)
People are also encouraged to change their profile pictures, avatars and covers photos to the following image:
Here are some flyers:
Nigel Todman is an Independent Journalist, Technical Consultant, Social Activist, Web Developer and Computer Programmer from Ontario, Canada. Nigel is also the Assistant Webmaster for the NAAIJ. Add him to Facebook and/or Follow him on Twitter E-mail: nigel [at] naaij [dot] org [PGP]
Originally published at the NAAIJ on Oct 1st, 2014. Check the NAAIJ for most recent updates
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Every so often I see ‘Independent’ publications like The Huffington Post or established outlets like The Washington Post make entire articles about the very relevant stories that the likes of Jon Stewart and John Oliver bring to us. Unfortunately those outlets prefer to focus on the quite obviously less relevant stories. Like what the latest talking head on FOX News said, Or what the latest thing Justin Bieber did was or exactly how Canadian our drunken, crack smoking Toronto Mayor is.
This segment on John Olivers ‘Last Week Tonight‘ is much more relevant and even made me have a ‘Holy Sh*t’ moment, and I’ve been paying attention to these issues for some time.
At the time of writing that segment, On YouTube alone, has 2,228,059 views.
Perhaps you noticed what I noticed. What Oliver has done is scour the Internet and discovered some absolute gems of extreme negligence and legal culpability on the US Governments Drone program. Now anyone that has been following these issues knows that the US Government routinely kills innocent women and children and otherwise ‘definitely not a terrorist’ non-combatant civilians. (Not at all unlike what Israel does to Palestine) But what Oliver has unearthed is a tacit almost candid admission that the US Government has next to no bloody idea exactly who it is it is killing — but they ‘are definitely an appropriate target’ — even if they cannot prove in any manner, shape or form that the people they just damn well killed have any tangible connection to Terrorism whatsoever!
You’re probably here because like myself you chose to remain informed and dig deeper into the issues. The US Navy 3-Star Rear Admiral depicted in the video is none other than Deputy Director for Global Operations (J-3) Adm. Stufflebeem. The full transcript of that Pentagon Briefing is available from the Yale School of Law (They are probably just as shocked as we are that someone was able to deem this ‘legal’)
I’ll recite an extended excerpt of the transcript here, going beyond what Olivers clip entails, but containing it in full:
Question: When can we expect the Pentagon to release either the photographs or the videotape of this site and some of the evidence that was gathered?
Ms. Clarke: I don’t know.
Adm. Stufflebeem: I don’t know either. That —
Question: May we make that as a request?
Ms. Clarke: You can certainly make that as a request.
Question: Do you have strike imagery?
Question: Admiral —
Adm. Stufflebeem: Yeah.
Question: I’m curious. You said you don’t know who was killed in this attack, whether it was civilians, Taliban, or —
Adm. Stufflebeem: I’m sorry.
Ms. Clarke: We don’t know exactly who it was.
Adm. Stufflebeem: We don’t know the identities of the individuals involved.
Question: But you’re convinced they’re Taliban?
Adm. Stufflebeem: We’re convinced that —
Ms. Clarke: We’re convinced it was an appropriate target, based on the observation, based on the information that it was an appropriate target. We do not know yet exactly who it was.
Question: And I’m curious. In this uncertainty, why would you attack this with a missile, as opposed to going in with a Special Forces team, perhaps surrounding the area, and trying to find out who was who, rather sending the missile? Wouldn’t that be a more proper way to do this, perhaps?
Adm. Stufflebeem: Well, if you — in fact you have a quick reaction force that is on standby, in close proximity, and where vehicles have stopped and congregated, and people have gotten out and are having a meeting, if you have a team that’s ready to pounce, maybe so.
If because of the location of where it is and because of the type of a system that you’re using to monitor these areas, you don’t have that, and you have the information that would lead you to believe that this — the time to be able take advantage of this would be now, rather than lose it — I think this was probably the best weapon that was available at the time in the location.
Question: Were you afraid these people were going to get away? I mean, you had them under surveillance. Why wouldn’t you just instead go in and make sure you know who’s who? It could be scrap deals, it could be Taliban, it could be civilians.
Ms. Clarke: I’d say, again, based on the information they had and the observations, they believed it was an appropriate target. And again, we’re somewhat at a disadvantage here, since it was not DoD per se. But they thought it was an appropriate target, and they used what they had at the time.
Other instances of clearly very innocent people being executed en masse by the US Government is evidenced by this Dec. 2013 case as reported by DemocracyNow.
“Human Rights Watch has revealed as many as 12 civilians were killed in December when a U.S. drone targeted vehicles that were part of a wedding procession going toward the groom’s village outside the central Yemeni city of Rad’a. According to HRW, “some, if not all those killed and wounded were civilians” and not members of the armed group al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula as U.S. and Yemeni government officials initially claimed. The report concluded that the attack killed 12 men, between the ages of 20 and 65, and wounded 15 others. It cites accounts from survivors, relatives of the dead, local officials and news media reports.” Turning a Wedding into a Funeral.
Or this report from the UK Telegraph that details no less than 168 children and as many as 775 innocent civilians executed by the US Government for happening to live in the wrong Country.
“In an extensive analysis of open-source documents, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism found that 2,292 people had been killed by US missiles, including as many as 775 civilians.
The strikes, which began under President George W Bush but have since accelerated during the presidency of Barack Obama, are hated in Pakistan, where families live in fear of the bright specks that appear to hover in the sky overhead.
In just a single attack on a madrassah in 2006 up to 69 children lost their lives.
Chris Woods, who led the research, said the detailed database of deaths would send shockwaves through Pakistan, where political and military leaders repeatedly denounce the strikes in public, while privately allowing the US to continue.
“This is a military campaign run by a secret service which raised problems of accountability, transparency and you have a situation where neither the Pakistanis nor Americans are clear about any agreements in place and where the reporting is difficult,” he said.
“All of this means that when things go wrong there is simply no redress for the families of those who have been mistakenly killed.”
The research, culled from more than 2,000 news reports, leaked documents and witness statements, show how the drones gradually moved from a rarely used tool, beginning with a single strike in 2004, to a frontline weapon of war.” 168 children killed in drone strikes in Pakistan since start of campaign
If you would like to learn more about the potent illegality of America’s War on Terror. A documentary film by Jeremy Scahill entitled ‘Dirty Wars‘ is a great primer on the subject.
This is the trailer for ‘Dirty Wars’
Nigel Todman is an Independent Journalist, Technical Consultant, Social Activist, Web Developer and Computer Programmer from Ontario, Canada. Nigel is also the Assistant Webmaster for the NAAIJ. Add him to Facebook and/or Follow him on Twitter E-mail: nigel [at] naaij [dot] org [PGP]
Originally published at the NAAIJ on Sep 26th, 2014. Check the NAAIJ for most recent updates
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UPDATE: 09/26 Calandra has given an Oscar level apology in which he states he will almost certainly repeat his behavior .. But he is sorry. See bottom for full text of that apology as well as video. Noticeably absent from his apology … is Canadians! He apologizes to The House, The Opposition and his fellow Party Members.
Canadians have never been very enthusiastic about politics. But the Conservative Party has taken Canada to embarrassing new lows and the world is taking notice. Multiple publications from The CBC, Macleans, The Ottawa Citizen, The Huffington Post, Canada.com, and many more have stood up and pointed out this latest blatant disregard for Democracy and candid Contempt of Parliament at the hands of the Conservative Party. Specifically the Parliamentary Secretary for the Prime Minister, Paul Calandra. The last time the Conservatives were found in Contempt of Parliament was in 2011.
According to the House of Commons Procedure and Practice, 2nd Edition from the Parliament of Canada website. Contempt of parliament is defined as follows:
The House of Commons enjoys very wide latitude in maintaining its dignity and authority through the exercise of its contempt power. In other words, the House may consider any misconduct to be contempt and may deal with it accordingly. Instances of contempt in one Parliament may even be punished by another Parliament.[119] This area of parliamentary law is therefore extremely fluid and most valuable for the Commons to be able to meet novel situations.
Throughout the Commonwealth most procedural authorities hold that contempts, as opposed to “privileges”, cannot be enumerated or categorized. Speaker Sauvé explained in a 1980 ruling: “… while our privileges are defined, contempt of the House has no limits. When new ways are found to interfere with our proceedings, so too will the House, in appropriate cases, be able to find that a contempt of the House has occurred”.[120]
The United Kingdom Joint Committee on Parliamentary Privilege attempted to provide a list of some types of contempt in its 1999 report:
* interrupting or disturbing the proceedings of, or engaging in other misconduct in the presence of, the House or a committee;
* assaulting, threatening, obstructing or intimidating a Member or officer of the House in the discharge of their duties;
* deliberately attempting to mislead the House or a committee (by way of statement, evidence, or petition);
..
* without reasonable excuse, refusing to answer a question or provide information or produce papers formally required by the House or a committee;
..
* divulging or publishing the content of any report or evidence of a select committee before it has been reported to the House.[121]
In the case of Members, the Joint Committee also considered the following types of conduct to constitute contempt:
* accepting a bribe intended to influence a Member’s conduct in respect of proceedings of the House or a committee;
* acting in breach of any orders of the House; and
* failing to fulfil any requirement of the House, as declared in a code of conduct or otherwise, relating to the possession, declaration, or registration of financial interests or participation in debate or other proceedings.[122]
Just as it is not possible to categorize or to delineate every incident which may fall under the definition of contempt, it is also difficult to categorize the “severity” of contempt. Contempts may vary greatly in their gravity; matters ranging from minor breaches of decorum to grave attacks against the authority of Parliament may be considered as contempts.
You can watch the actual exchange here.
This CBC article covers the responsibilities of the Speaker of the House (Andrew Scheer, Also Conservative) and his response to the incident. In the conclusion of his response to these recent absurdities he states the following:
I also ask all Members to heed my request of last January 28 (Debates, p. 2204), when I asked Members:
“to consider how the House can improve things so that observers can at least agree that question period presents an exchange of views and provides at least some information.
The onus is on all Members to raise the quality of both questions and answers.”
Essentially .. the Conservatives could answer serious questions about their criminality or what exactly in the hell they are doing to Canada by reciting Harry Potter or invoking the Bible — And the democratic process in Canada is just utterly powerless to stop it? Really!?
Which has many Canadians wondering, If absurd exchanges like this are within the rules of the House of Commons. Then, Perhaps it is time to change those rules. Indeed the NDP has proposed a motion to do exactly that. How are Canadians supposed to participate in an informed democracy when you’ve got a party like the Conservatives in power that essentially provide you with nothing but talking points from attack ads on their opposition and no information whatsoever on what they are doing to Canada or why.
It would seem the NDP agrees with my assessment of the situation, And has put out a call for support for the motion at ndp.ca/fixQP. Full text of the request for support follows:
“Question Period needs answers too.
Add your name to back our plan to fix QP.
Day after day, Tom Mulcair puts serious questions to the Conservatives in Parliament, on the issues that matter to you.
But instead of serious answers, we keep hearing talking points, platitudes and partisan attacks.
On September 26, Stephen Harper’s lead spokesperson offered a tearful apology in the House—after his outrageous non-answers on Iraq sparked national outrage.
Tears are not enough.
We’ve put forward a plan to stop the political games. Our plan empowers the Speaker to ensure Canadians get real answers from their government.”
The full text of the motion itself:
That Standing Order 11(2) be replaced with the following: The Speaker or the Chair of Committees of the Whole, after having called the attention of the House, or of the Committee, to the conduct of a Member who persists in irrelevance, or repetition, including during responses to oral questions, may direct the Member to discontinue his or her intervention, and if then the Member still continues to speak, the Speaker shall name the Member or, if in Committee of the Whole, the Chair shall report the Member to the House.
UPDATE 09/26
The Parliamentary Secretary for the Prime Minister, Perhaps ordered to say so in light of the international media coverage , Has given the following apology. I have quoted it verbatim here:
“Thank you Mr. Speaker. I would like to unconditionally, unreservedly apologize to this House for my behavior the other day. I allowed the passion and the anger at something which I read to get in the way of appropriately answering the question of the leader of the Opposition. For that I apologize to you and this entire House and my constituents. I’m fairly certain there will be other opportunities in this House where I will be answering questions … that you don’t appreciate. I don’t think this will be the last time that I will get up an answer a question that doesn’t effectively respond Mr. Speaker. Despite what people think about ‘kids in short pants’ this was my response. And uh, I take full responsibility. And I apologize to the Opposition, To you, and to all my colleges”
Nigel Todman is an Independent Journalist, Technical Consultant, Social Activist, Web Developer and Computer Programmer from Ontario, Canada. Nigel is also the Assistant Webmaster for the NAAIJ. Add him to Facebook and/or Follow him on Twitter E-mail: nigel [at] naaij [dot] org [PGP]
BUILD: 9841.fbl_release.140912-1613
FILE: WindowsTechnicalPreview-x64-EN-US.iso
SIZE: 3.82 Gbyte
CRC32: 16e48205
MD4: 0c4a5f139b44a7af981bdb930a1b4e98
MD5: 9005DCE26734BCDE7F912C2C51AB1127
SHA1: eb75a3d3c0f621f175b75dc65db036d0e00eac43
Product Key: NKJFK-GPHP7-G8C3J-P6JXR-HQRJR
Timebomb release! April 15, 2015
Download Microsoft (x64)
Download NGOHQ (x64)
Download Kickass.to (Torrent) (x64)
Originally published at the NAAIJ on Sep 20th, 2014. Check the NAAIJ for most recent updates
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A very well organized campaign is underway to kick off what is said to be the largest climate protest in US History tomorrow. Based in New York City primarily, but spanning the whole world and indeed reaching as far as Africa, Brazil, UK and many other countries. With solidarity marches planned in thousands of cities. NYC Alone is reported to have over 100k due to attend.
The main website for this protest is PeoplesClimate.org
DemocracyNow! will apparently be broadcasting live from NYC from 10:30AM – 1:30PM EST
The following is a verbatim Press Release that has been put out:
The Biggest Climate March In History
2000+ events planned in 150 countries as citizens call for action
On September 21st, thousands of rallies, marches and protests will take place delivering the biggest ever global demonstration for climate action in history. The largest will be in New York where upwards of 100,000 people are expected to come together to demand leaders take action in advance of the Ban Ki Moon climate summit that takes place two days later.
“There’s a vast latent constituency of people out there who are alarmed about climate change. But for years, nobody has put up a banner that said ‘this is the time, this is the place, to show you care.’ The People’s Climate March is that banner, and we’re seeing a phenomenal response to it,” said Ricken Patel, Executive Director of the 38-million member civic organization, Avaaz.
More than 2,000 “People’s Climate” events are now planned worldwide in 150 countries [1].
Highlights include:
-
In rural Papua New Guinea, students from a primary school will march to a nearby lighthouse which has recently become semi-submerged due to rising sea levels.
-
The border between Vancouver and Seattle will be the location of a truly international rally where thousands of people will link hands across the boundary line to show that climate change knows no borders.
-
In Lagos, plans are underway for a historic climate march through the streets of Africa’s largest city. They will be joined by solidarity events in rural areas throughout Nigeria.
-
In Tanzania, the Maasai plan to march calling for action from their ancient homelands in the Serengeti.
-
In London environment organisations and faith groups are combining forces to create what will be a historic march through the city to the steps of Parliament.
-
In Rio, thousands are expected to march on the beaches of Ipanema, while images will be broadcast on the statue of Christ the Redeemer in the week building up to the march.
-
In Australia, an epic Climate March will convene in Melbourne afterwards a group will walk 700 km along the eastern seaboard to the nation’s capital Canberra arriving at the Parliament, to raise awareness about climate impacts.
-
In Bogota, Colombia, over 10,000 people are expected to join the march through the capital calling for action.
-
In New Delhi, thousands will take over the streets on September 20 to demand a renewable energy revolution.
-
In Berlin, a silent parade, a stream of cyclists and a march for children will converge on the Brandenburg gate.
-
In Paris, local groups will create the “Paris Marche pour le Climat,” with parades, marches, and bicycle rides planned across the bridges of the Seine.
Over 30 celebrities have also begun showing support for the march, including UN Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity and actor Edward Norton, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, as well Argentine footballer Lionel Messi [2].
The worldwide mobilization and march in New York City will take place just two days before world leaders are set to attend a Climate Summit at the United Nations hosted by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. The summit is designed to build momentum for national and international climate action, including a new global climate treaty that will be finalized in Paris next year. Mobilization organizers say they are looking for “Action, Not Words” at the summit.
“The scale, pace, and power of the organizing happening right now is something that we haven’t seen before,” said May Boeve, executive director of the international climate campaign, 350.org. “People realize that we can’t leave the fate of the planet up to our politicians. We need to come together, raise our voices, and apply pressure where it counts.”
##
NOTES TO EDITORS
[1] Detailed information on global events available here: peoplesclimate.org/global
[2] Full list of celebrity endorsements available here: peoplesclimate.org/endorsements
###
Nigel Todman is an Independent Journalist, Technical Consultant, Social Activist, Web Developer and Computer Programmer from Ontario, Canada. Nigel is also the Assistant Webmaster for the NAAIJ. Add him to Facebook and/or Follow him on Twitter E-mail: nigel [at] naaij [dot] org [PGP]
Originally published at the NAAIJ on Aug 12th, 2014. Check the NAAIJ for most recent updates
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As of early Monday 08/18, the curfew has been lifted and the National Guard has been ordered into the area. The No Fly Zone was also lifted that day.
On 08/26 CNN released audio of an Internet chat that appears to capture the shots that killed Michael Brown. Mashable
http://www.cnn.com/video/api/embed.html#/video/us/2014/08/26/ctn-intv-brown-shoot-new-audio.cnn
On 09/04 the DoJ announced it will be investigating human and civil rights abuses across the entire Ferguson Police Force
This is a live view of Ferguson
See bottom of article for 3AM Press Conferences
The situation in Ferguson has escalated in recent days following the murder of another unarmed black teen in America. A cursory search for ‘unarmed black teen killed in America 2014’ yields about 6,000,000 results.
This teens name was Michael Brown. He was 18 years old, A Graduate of Normandy High School in St. Louis. He was scheduled to start classes at Vatterott Trade College yesterday.
Michael was shot by Officer Darren Wilson of the Ferguson police multiple times while unarmed from a distance of at least 30 feet on August 9th. Officer Wilson was identified by Ferguson police on Aug 15th. According to witnesses Brown was shot with his hands up and then shot at least once while on the ground. An autospy confirms he was shot at least 6 times, two of which were head shots.
Officer Darren Wilson
Immediately following the shooting protests began, As night fell protests turned into looting and rioting. Images circulated on social media of black youth riding around with shotguns, presumably keeping police from killing any more unarmed teenagers.
As a result of the unrest, Officially citing ‘imminent hazard’ for any aircraft. A No Fly Zone has been erected over the city and a standing city-wide ‘Law Enforcement Operation’ has been declared. While any danger to aircraft would be virtually non-existent (what has changed for objects traveling at such heights?) the true reason for the No Fly Zone is probably closer to ‘damage control’ and preventing any media with enough resources to have a helicopter from providing any coverage, assuming that media would even have enough sense to do so. After all, Robin Williams just died.
Some journalists of integrity were attempting to cover the unrest, And then this happened
According to the FAA the No Fly Zone restriction is in effect until August 18th.
This is the relevant legislation cited in the notice.
In addition to a no fly zone Gov Nixon has implemented the first stages of Martial Law, Declaring a State of Emergency and imposing a curfew on the population. From The Huffington Post:
“Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) has signed an order declaring a state of emergency and ordering a curfew in Ferguson, he announced in a press conference on Saturday.
The curfew will last from midnight to 5 a.m., according to Capt. Ronald Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, who also spoke at the press conference.
“What we’re doing now is not who we are,” Johnson said amid shouts from community members during the press conference.
Johnson noted there would be no trucks or tear gas used to enforce the curfew. He acknowledged that tear gas had been used against protesters early Saturday morning, but said he did not order officers to take that action.”
Wikipedia describes the implementation of martial law as follows:
“Typically, the imposition of martial law accompanies curfews, the suspension of civil law, civil rights, habeas corpus, and the application or extension of military law or military justice to civilians.”
What is not being mentioned in most of the coverage. Is the justifiable rage felt by the wide range of innocent victims. Statistics of the nature of how many murders are committed by Police Forces for any given period of time are exceptionally hard to come by. For just 2014 in America alone I attempted to discover the number of unarmed victims of police. By the time I got through August I had over half a dozen names
As a result of the international headlines and thousands taking to the streets, The FBI has taken an interest in this government sanctioned homicide.
US Attorney General Eric Holder has ordered the Department of Justice to conduct an additional autopsy, to be performed by a federal medical examiner. This will show how many times Brown was shot with his hands up or while not facing the officer or while already deceased on the ground. According to witness reports shots were fired by Officer Darren Wilson that exactly match each of those descriptions.
Perhaps it’s about time for citizens to start considering firing their police force like the city of Hampton, Florida did. Albeit their issue was rampant corruption – not rampant psychopathy and racism and a tendency to commit murder.
The Reddit community has been compiling live updates here
A few videos recorded from a Livestream Broadcast are available on this Livestream: http://new.livestream.com/accounts/9035483
A witness account of what occurred has been posted here
A witness account is as follows:
“I have and know the full story…along with the dispatch release. Michael Brown and his friend were walking down the street, the cop pulled up and said “Get the fuck off the street and onto the sidewalk” Mikes friend told the cop “We’re only going right down the street”. Cop chilled for a few seconds and drove away, got mad and drove back. Boys still not on sidewalk. Opened his car door while vehicle was in motion and hit Michael, slamming the door of course. The cop then grabbed Michael by the throat while still in the car and tried to pull him in. Cop said “Stop resisting or I’m going to shoot you”. Michael Brown pushed off and away from the car. While still in the car, cop shot Michael Brown 1 time. The boys ran, cop got out and started to chase them, then shot Michael Brown in the back…Michael Brown turned around threw his hands up and went to kneel down. Cop then fired 4 more shots hitting Brown in the head and chest. The Police Department didn’t even know about it. They found out via the news calling and telling them. They shipped the shooter off immediately and people flipped out…”
The YouTube user StormCloudsGathering has posted video of the friend collaborating this, The narrator also points out many other relevant details.
A cell phone video of the immediate aftermath of the shooting and some more context from witnesses has been made available by CNN here.
(Many thanks and much respect to @TimCast of VICE News for Livestreaming this perspective. All images except for the one above are stills from his Livestream)
I noted the time each image was captured and have created the following timeline of events.
On the first night of the curfew 43 minutes passed before police gave the following warning several times over a megaphone:
“You’re violating a state imposed curfew. You must disperse peacefully or you will be subject to arrest and or other actions. You’re violating state imposed curfew. You must disperse.
Failure to comply may result in arrest and/or other actions”
This was the scene at 12:36AM
(Image stills from TimCast Livestream)
And at 12:52AM
The very first gas canister was fired at about 12:48AM, 5 minutes after the warning was given.
Rubber bullets were fired at 12:50AM
At 12:54AM there is what sounds like possible live ammunition fire. Shell casings from .40 Calibre rounds are observed later.
At moment later this is the scene (12:55AM)
At 1:03AM a LRAD Sound Cannon can be heard in use.
At 1:15AM two people were arrested, This is an image of them being handcuffed and placed into vans.
In total 7 people were arrested. During the police response one person was shot. The male victim is in critical condition.
Here are all the ‘3AM Press Conferences’ that have been released
08/21 Press Conference
08/20 Press Conference
08/19 Press Conference
08/18 Press Conference
08/17 Press Conference
08/16 Press Conference
This is a breaking story. More details may emerge and this article may be updated.
Nigel Todman is an Independent Journalist, Technical Consultant, Social Activist, Web Developer and Computer Programmer from Ontario, Canada. Nigel is also the Assistant Webmaster for the NAAIJ. Add him to Facebook and/or Follow him on Twitter E-mail: nigel [at] naaij [dot] org [PGP]
Originally published at the NAAIJ on July 28th, 2014
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I’ve just come across the story of a tiny dog named Turbo who was born without his front legs and was going to be put down. Thankfully since then Turbo has been adopted and is now seeking a small cart-like apparatus to allow him to stand and move in a normal posture. The story has gotten quite a lot of news coverage. I originally encountered it at the HuffingtonPost.
“My name is Turbo.Roo! I was born without my front legs but, that has not stopped me one bit! I’m small but mighty and I am going to take on the world!!!!
I was only 4 weeks old when I was brought into a vet clinic in Indianapolis, IN! The breeder expressed concern because I was born without my two front legs. The breeder knew that I would need more one on one attention and decided to surrender me!
I have now been adopted by my new foster parents! Soon I will be able to be fitted for a wheelchair that is suited just for just my size and needs once I get to 6 months old!”
A fundraiser has been setup that appears to have met its goal of $600, at time of writing has collected $1,302. This will go to the aforementioned canine wheelchair once the dog is 6 months old.
When I originally drafted this article I did not know he already had a wheelchair for when he reached 6 months, But for now and until he reaches 6 months, The question that immediately sprang to mind is “Why doesnt someone 3D print an adjustable harness/axel with legs/wheels” this seems like almost the perfect application for it, If not for this dog then for other dogs in similar situations. Why not make this a thing?
After contacting the new foster owner for Turbo, He tells me there is already a few 3D printed concepts in the works, but they have yet to decide on which concept they will go with.
Turbo also has a Instagram and Twitter account
We will update this story when Turbo gets a 3D printed cart.
UPDATE: 08/12
Here are some pics of the latest cart for Turbo. Photo Credit: Turbo.roo Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/Turbo.roo
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/25/chihuahua-wheelchair-toys_n_5619106.html
http://www.youcaring.com/pet-expenses/wheels-for-turboroo-/209928
http://instagram.com/turbo.roo
https://twitter.com/RooTurbo
Nigel Todman is an Independent Journalist, Technical Consultant, Social Activist, Web Developer and Computer Programmer from Ontario, Canada. Nigel is also the Assistant Webmaster for the NAAIJ. Add him to Facebook and/or Follow him on Twitter E-mail: nigel [at] naaij [dot] org [PGP]
Originally published at the NAAIJ on July 22nd, 2014
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Edward Snowden gave a surprise talk in New York City at the HOPE-X Conference (Hackers on Planet Earth) on Monday appearing via a VoIP internet video call from Russia. Watch the full talk here:
Nigel Todman is an Independent Journalist, Technical Consultant, Social Activist, Web Developer and Computer Programmer from Ontario, Canada. Nigel is also the Assistant Webmaster for the NAAIJ. Add him to Facebook and/or Follow him on Twitter E-mail: nigel [at] naaij [dot] org [PGP]
Originally published at the NAAIJ on July 18th, 2014
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The RCMP today laid 31 charges against Conservative Senator Mike Duffy, An appointee of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The charges laid are as follows, quoted from the RCMP Press Release[1]
“Expense claims in relation to his residency – Mr. Duffy has been charged with one (1) count each of fraud over $5,000 and breach of trust. The total amount of the fraud in this instance is $90,000.
Expense claims unrelated to Senate business – Mr. Duffy has been charged with five (5) counts of fraud under $5,000, four (4) counts of fraud over $5,000 and nine (9) counts of breach of trust. The total amount of the frauds exceeds $50,000.
Awarding of consulting contracts – Mr. Duffy has been charged with two (2) counts of fraud over $5,000, two (2) counts of fraud under $5,000, and four (4) counts of breach of trust. The total amount of the frauds exceeds $60,000.
Directly or indirectly corruptly accept, obtain, agree to accept, or attempt to obtain, for himself, money ($90,000 from Mr. Nigel Wright) – Mr. Duffy has been charged with one (1) count each of bribery of a judicial officer, frauds on the Government and breach of trust.
Mr. Duffy will appear in court in Ottawa on September 16, 2014.”[1]
According to The Star[2], There is a reasonable possibility to expect that Prime Minister Harper could be called upon to testify under oath, But it is likely he will abuse ‘Parliamentary privilege’ to avoid further incriminating himself.
Back in Oct. 2013 Duffy testified that ‘After the Prime Minster decided’ that Wright was to pay Duffy $90,000. Duffy requested Wright produce written documents assuring that no wrong doing was taking place, In response Wright contacted Conservative Lawyer Arthur Hamilton and got him to pay for $13,560 in legal fees for Duffy. [3]
Nigel Wright was Chief of Staff for Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the time of this conduct. The Prime Minister himself is also implicated in several documents obtained by the RCMP in communications between Wright and Duffy.
In a functioning democracy PM Harper would be the one facing charges right now, Instead of just the witness stand.
[1] http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/ottawa/ne-no/pr-cp/2014/0717-ms-cp-eng.htm
[2] http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/07/17/stephen_harper_in_the_witness_box_now_a_possibility_tim_harper.html
[3] http://bcove.me/ttjkzxrq
Nigel Todman is an Independent Journalist, Technical Consultant, Social Activist, Web Developer and Computer Programmer from Ontario, Canada. Nigel is also the Assistant Webmaster for the NAAIJ. Add him to Facebook and/or Follow him on Twitter E-mail: nigel [at] naaij [dot] org [PGP]