Eliminating the Opposition

There may be a Flock camera watching you drive through your own neighborhood and you may not even know what it looks like. Flock Safety’s automated cameras photograph passing vehicles, record their license plates and locations, and place that information into a searchable network used by law-enforcement agencies. More than 100,000 cameras are now reportedly operating across over 6,000 American communities. This is mass surveillance hiding in plain sight and a direct threat to the Fourth Amendment. Americans have a right to move through their communities without the government quietly creating a searchable record of where they go, when they arrive and whom they may be visiting. The company says the technology helps police find stolen cars, locate missing people and catch violent criminals. Critics argue that it creates a nationwide system capable of tracking the movements of millions of people who are not suspected

The fuel problem is about to become a fuel crisis. On Monday, the Houthis in Yemen threatened to block Saudi oil shipments through the Red Sea. That could further reduce the world’s oil supply by 4-5 million barrels per day, which is already strained by the war with Iran. Saudi Arabia had been using its East-West Pipeline to bypass Hormuz, sending as much as 5 million barrels of crude per day to the Red Sea port of Yanbu for export. A successful Houthi blockade could now put much of that supply at risk. It may not stop the oil altogether, but it could force tankers to stop sailing, pay far higher insurance costs or attempt longer and more expensive routes. And will that extra cost be passed down to consumers? I’m going to go with yes on that hypothetical. This comes at a time when U.S. commercial and

About 10,000 people across nearly two dozen villages in southern Iran were left without access to drinking water after a U.S. strike destroyed a desalination plant in the village of Bonji near the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. just targeted a facility whose primary function is to provide drinking water to the civilian population. Wouldn’t this be considered a war crime? Under Article 54 of international humanitarian law, intentionally attacking civilian infrastructure, such as drinking water installations, is prohibited unless it’s being used for military purposes, which it wasn’t. As if taking out the region’s water supply were not enough, the attack came during an excessive heat warning, making the loss of water even more dangerous. How did Iran respond to the incident and the other clear breaches of the recent MOU? Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, stated, “The U.S. has violated and suspended all its commitments within the framework of

More than 180 Iranian lawmakers signed a joint statement Tuesday declaring the Iran-U.S. memorandum of understanding “dead” and calling for retaliation. The lawmakers say the June 17 agreement, signed by President Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, was meant to bring an end to hostilities and pave the way for peace negotiations. Instead, Washington resumed bombing Iran. Is that really any surprise, though? U.S. Central Command announced Monday: “At 3 p.m. ET today, U.S. Central Command forces began launching an additional round of strikes against Iran.” Trump also formally notified Congress that Washington had resumed the war with Iran and would continue to carrying out “limited defensive strikes.” Backing up that position, Trump posted on social media: _”The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran.” _ He also added, “The U.S.A. will be, from this point forward, known as ‘THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,’ but as such, and as

Who should appear on a nation’s currency? Its greatest historical figures, or whoever best reflects today’s diversity targets? That’s a ridiculous question, right? Not really. The UK Cabinet recently urged the Bank of England to rethink who appears on British banknotes. And their proposal wasn’t about security features or artistic design. It was about identity. According to correspondence sent to the Bank, Cabinet Office officials argued that Britain’s current historical figures reflect “limited dimensions of British identity.” They called for “greater representation of women, disabled people, ethnic minority communities and LGBT+ individuals.” The Bank of England appears to have its own agenda, moving away from historical figures on banknotes altogether in favor of British wildlife. That means Churchill, Jane Austen, J.M.W. Turner, and Alan Turing would eventually make way for animals such as the hedgehog, badger, fox, and puffin. It seems that one institution wants more diversity and the

Longtime Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who served South Carolina in the U.S. Senate since 2003, passed away Saturday evening after suffering an aortic dissection. He was 71. Many have publicly mourned the passing of Senator Graham. One tribute that stood out came from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said: “Israel has lost one of the great champions of the American-Israeli alliance, and frankly, I’ve lost a beloved friend. He was an incredible patriot for America.” If Graham was indeed a true “patriot of America” and put the United States first, would Netanyahu have such kind words for him? And then there’s Adam Schiff, who wrote, “What I’ll remember most about Senator Graham was his sense of humor and how he deployed it to move his policy positions forward.” Most would agree that there was nothing humorous when it came to Graham’s policy positions, and one man’s direct response to Schiff’s post brings this to