Tag: politics

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Facebook Quietly Hid Webpages Bragging of Ability to Influence Elections

[Sam Biddle for The Intercept][1]:

>When Mark Zuckerberg was asked if Facebook had influenced the outcome of the 2016 presidential election, the founder and CEO dismissed the notion that the site even had such power as “crazy.” It was a disingenuous remark. Facebook’s website had an entire section devoted to touting the “success stories” of political campaigns that used the social network to influence electoral outcomes. That page, however, is now gone, even as the 2018 congressional primaries get underway.

‘ol Zuck just can’t stop lying.

[1]: https://theintercept.com/2018/03/14/facebook-election-meddling/ “The Intercept: Facebook Election Meddling”

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Reddit, Tumblr will fight for net neutrality with protests this week

The Verge on the [internet-wide #OneMoreVote protest scheduled for tomorrow.][link] I will be participating, too.

Let’s give Ajit Pai the worst week of his shitheaded life.

[link]: https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/26/17053380/reddit-tumblr-net-neutrality-protests “The Verge: Reddit, Tumblr will fight for net neutrality with protests this week”

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PBS NewsHour: Do work requirements help lift people out of poverty?

[Turns out: No, because they’re already working][link].

>Calls to increase work requirements among those receiving government assistance should recognize that most poor adults are already working, looking for work, or are disabled or ill. Increasing work among the poor may require addressing barriers to work including work-limiting disability or illness.

[link]: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/making-sense/do-work-requirements-help-lift-people-out-of-poverty “Do work requirements help lift people out of poverty?”

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Bail Bloc

[A new project, using the blockchain to generate bail money for nonviolent offenders][link], who are often victims of racist policing and sentencing.

>Here’s how it works: When you download the app, a small part of your computer’s unused processing power is redirected toward mining a popular cryptocurrency called Monero, which is secure, private, and untraceable. At the end of every month, we exchange the Monero for US dollars and donate the earnings to the Bronx Freedom Fund and through them, a new nation-wide initiative, The Bail Project.

Can’t speak highly enough of The New Inquiry, Bronx Freedom, and The Bail Project for running this. _This_ is the kind of “technology changes lives” shit we need here in 2017. Save the “smart” shower curtain.

[link]: https://bailbloc.thenewinquiry.com/ “Bail Bloc”

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What Happens When You Run Away to Join ISIS, Then Want to Come Home

[What a story][link]. Somehow I feel like this isn’t the last time we’ll hear it, though:

>After fleeing to join ISIS in 2016, 16-year-old German Linda Wenzel has been found in Mosul with a baby boy. She says she wants to leave ISIS and come home. But what will happen to her now?

[link]:https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/evd9en/what-happens-when-you-run-away-to-join-isis-then-want-to-come-home “What Happens When You Run Away to Join ISIS, Then Want to Come Home – Broadly”

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Police Drag Wheelchair-bound Protestors From Mitch McConnell’s Office

Republicans: The party of cruelty.

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Stop TrumpCare in June: Action Plan

Indivisible has [a complete guide to letting your lawmakers know that they need to oppose Trumpcare][link]. Make use of it.

[link]: https://www.indivisibleguide.com/resource/stop-trumpcare-june-action-plan/ “Stop TrumpCare in June: Action Plan – Indivisible Guide”

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The Day We Fight Back – February 11th 2014

[February 11th is a unified day of internet action][link]. From the site:

>DEAR USERS OF THE INTERNET,
>
>In January 2012 we defeated the SOPA and PIPA censorship legislation with the largest Internet protest in history. Today we face another critical threat, one that again undermines the Internet and the notion that any of us live in a genuinely free society: mass surveillance.
>
>In celebration of the win against SOPA and PIPA two years ago, and in memory of one of it’s leaders, Aaron Swartz, we are planning a day of protest against mass surveillance, to take place this February 11th.
>
>Together we will push back against powers that seek to observe, collect, and analyze our every digital action. Together, we will make it clear that such behavior is not compatible with democratic governance. Together, if we persist, we will win this fight.

Fight on if you want an internet that is still, at least, a little bit “free.”

[link]: https://thedaywefightback.org/ “The Day We Fight Back – February 11th 2014”

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Cargo Collective’s 4th Amendment Wear

[The 4th Amendment printed in metallic ink on shirts, underwear, and socks, to make your TSA encounters more interesting.][link] Just to refresh your memory, the full text of the 4th Amendment to the US Constitution:

>The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Can you imagine a modern government writing down anything even remotely like this? THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE doesn’t seem to be a phrase modern politicians understand.

[link]: http://cargocollective.com/4thamendment “4thamendmentwear”

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Congress To Create Internet Blacklist THIS WEEK

[Demand Progress:][link]

>Just the other day, President Obama urged other countries to stop censoring the Internet. But now the United States Congress is trying to censor the Internet here at home. A new bill being debated this week would have the Attorney General create an Internet blacklist of sites that US Internet providers would be required to block.
>
>This is the kind of heavy-handed censorship you’d expect from a dictatorship, where one man can decide what web sites you’re not allowed to visit. But the Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to pass the bill this week — and Senators say they haven’t heard much in the way of objections! That’s why we need you to sign our urgent petition to Congress demanding they oppose the Internet blacklist.

[Head to the site, sign the petition, spread the message][link]. This is Very Bad.

[link]: http://demandprogress.org/blacklist/?source=bb “Stop the Internet Blacklist! | Demand Progress”

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Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight Relaunches as NYT Blog

[A great pickup for the NYT, and makes a lot of sense for Silver, too.][link] If you’re not familiar with FiveThirtyEight, it is the work of statistician Nate Silver doing his mathamagic on US Politics. He modeled the 2008 US election nearly perfectly. Do yourself a favor and read his [introduction post][intro].

[link]: http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/ “Election Forecasts – FiveThirtyEight Blog – NYTimes.com”
[intro]: http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/25/welcome-and-welcome-back/ “Welcome to FiveThirtyEight”

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Fighting Terror With Freedom

[Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg has given a second incredibly-well-written speech][link] in support of the so-called “Ground-Zero Moqsue,” which manages to have some lovely pull-quotes such as:

>But if we say that a mosque and community center should not be built near the perimeter of the World Trade Center site, we would compromise our commitment to fighting terror with freedom.

and:

>This is a test of our commitment to American values. We must have the courage of our convictions. We must do what is right, not what is easy. And we must put our faith in the freedoms that have sustained our great country for more than 200 years.

It is incredibly rare that I agree with anything a modern politician has to say, but *I agree with the hell out of this*.

[link]: http://gawker.com/5621205/ “Mayor Bloomberg Uncompromising on Ground Zero Mosque”

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Sequoia Voting Machine Hacked To Play Pac-Man

[Without breaking the tamper-evident seals:][link]

>We received the machine with the original tamper-evident seals intact. The software can be replaced without breaking any of these seals, simply by removing screws and opening the case.

I don’t know about you, but my votes sure don’t feel safe.

[link]: http://www.cse.umich.edu/~jhalderm/pacman/ “Pac-Man on the Sequoia AVC-Edge DRE Voting Machine”

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Confessions of a Tea Party Casualty

[A profile from Mother Jones about a right-wing member of the House][link] who lost his re-election bid for being too sane.

>”They were upset with me,” Inglis recalls. “They are all Glenn Beck watchers.” About 90 minutes into the meeting, as he remembers it, “They say, ‘Bob, what don’t you get? Barack Obama is a socialist, communist Marxist who wants to destroy the American economy so he can take over as dictator. Health care is part of that. And he wants to open up the Mexican border and turn [the US] into a Muslim nation.'” Inglis didn’t know how to respond.

This is your GOP, America.

[link]: http://motherjones.com/politics/2010/08/bob-inglis-tea-party-casualty “Confessions of a Tea Party Casualty | Mother Jones”

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Senator Chris Dodd Joins The Gay Marriage Movement

[Glad to see it][link]. One of the most important parts:

>I believe that, when my daughters grow up, barriers to marriage equality for same-sex couples will seem as archaic, and as unfair, as the laws we once had against inter-racial marriage.
>
>And I want them to know that, even if he was a little late, their dad came down on the right side of history.

[link]: http://forums.ctrecord.com/showthread.php?t=3739 “Letter of othe week, 6/22/09: Rights, responsibilities and love – MyRecordJournal.com Forums”

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US Justice Dept. Trying To Block Re-Burying Of Geronimo’s Bones

[Wonder why][link]? Definitely interesting fodder for the [Skull & Bones][bones] watchers out there.

[link]: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8112051.stm “BBC NEWS | Americas | US tries to stop Geronimo lawsuit”
[bones]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skull_and_Bones#Geronimo “Skull and Bones on Wikipedia”

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John Hodgman at Radio & TV Correspondents’ Dinner

[Hodg-man rose to the occasion][link]. Very funny.

[link]: http://quietube.com/v.php/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW7OPByRGDY “John Hodgman at Radio & TV Correspondents’ Dinner | quietube”

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The Guardian Using Crowdsourcing To Uncover MP Expenses

[With 700,000 documents to comb though][link] it is a totally rational approach. It can either take a team of experts 2 years or it can take “everyone” a few days.

Obviously the potential is there to game the system and make your guy look good or the other guy look bad, but review is a lot cheaper than the original work.

[link]: http://mps-expenses.guardian.co.uk/ “Investigate your MP’s expenses”

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“Don’t call what happened in Iran last week an election”

[Hitchens on the #iranelection][link]. From an Iranian compatriot:

>I went to the last major Ahmadinejad rally and got the whiff of what I imagine fascism to have been all about. Lots of splotchy boys who can’t get a date are given guns and told they’re special.

[link]: http://www.slate.com/id/2220520/ “Don’t call what happened in Iran last week an election. – By Christopher Hitchens – Slate Magazine”