Society's ChildS


USA

Best of the Web: 'Give me liberty or give me death': The loss of freedom and institution of a corporate police state in the 14 years since 9/11

Image
"Since mankind's dawn, a handful of oppressors have accepted the responsibility over our lives that we should have accepted for ourselves. By doing so, they took our power. By doing nothing, we gave it away. We've seen where their way leads, through camps and wars, towards the slaughterhouse." ― Alan Moore,V for Vendetta
What began with the passage of the USA Patriot Act in October 2001 has snowballed into the eradication of every vital safeguard against government overreach, corruption and abuse. Since then, we have been terrorized, traumatized, and acclimated to life in the American Surveillance State.

The bogeyman's names and faces change over time, but the end result remains the same: our unquestioning acquiescence to anything the government wants to do in exchange for the phantom promise of safety and security has transitioned us to life in a society where government agents routinely practice violence on the citizens while, in conjunction with the Corporate State, spying on the most intimate details of our personal lives.

Ironically, the 14th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks occurs just days before the 228th anniversary of the ratification of our Constitution. Yet while there is much to mourn about the loss of our freedoms in the years since 9/11, there is virtually nothing to celebrate.

Book 2

Iranian judge sentences criminals to reading rather than long prison terms

Books
© Sputnik/Vladimir Pesnya
An Iranian court judge has come up with a novel idea to get offenders back on the right path without lengthy jail terms: he issued an order that allows for the replacement of jail sentences for "light" crimes, with reading.

Qasem Naqizadeh, a judge in the provincial city of Gonbad-e Kavus, has set up a new ruling that stipulates individuals convicted of minor crimes should buy and read books instead of serving long terms in prison, IRNA agency reported.

Judge Naqizadeh pointed out that such "punishments" are a good alternative to imprisonment, which has "irreversible physical and psychological impact on convicts and their families."

The alternative sentence can be applied for teenagers and people who had committed infractions, misdemeanors and minor felonies. Recidivists are excluded from the list of those who are eligible.

Under the terms of the ruling, violators are obliged to buy five books from a list of approved texts, then read all of them and write reviews that later are read by judges. Offenders are obligated to add quotes from the Prophet Muhammad's from a collection of sayings called hadith to their book summaries. That makes punishments both educational and spiritual, BBC News noted.

Fire

Explosions reported in Phoenix, Arizona, as massive hazardous material fire engulfs tar plant

explosion fire phoenix
© azfamily.com
Explosions have been reported in Phoenix, Arizona, where a massive fire involving hazardous material has engulfed a structure and triggered evacuations in the area, according to local media.

The cause of the fire is not known at the moment, but the flames are burning at a local tar plant, according to CBS News.


Comment: Fires like these are becoming more common. Last month there was an explosion at a petrochemical factory, in east China's Shandong Province, triggering a massive fire. Other explosions occurred at a Shandong chemical plant and in the northeastern Chinese city of Tianjin.


Stock Down

UK oil industry set for more funding cuts and job losses

North sea oil platform
© Andy Buchanan / Reuters A section of the BP Eastern Trough Area Project (ETAP) oil platform is seen in the North Sea, around 100 miles east of Aberdeen in Scotland.
Britain's oil and gas industry is set for further funding cuts and job losses despite the sector having already slashed its workforce by over 65,000 since mid-2013.

Trade association Oil & Gas UK, which describes itself as the voice of the UK's offshore industry, published an annual economic report on Wednesday that predicted further job losses for the ailing sector.

The study said that staff employed in the industry had plummeted from 440,000 to 375,000 since January 2014, primarily as a result of the crash in global oil prices.

Britain's offshore oil and gas industry has seen a recent rise in production of 3 percent. However, Oil & Gas UK's chief executive Deirdrie Michie says more jobs will be lost and further funding cuts can be expected before the industry's crisis is over.

Comment: The world's economy is slowing down and the job losses in the oil and gas industry will soon be seen in other industries.


Heart

Russia is ready to accept Syrian refugees

syrian refugees
© Yannis Behrakis / Reuters Syrian refugees try to protect themselves from gusts of wind and dust as they cross Greece's border with Macedonia, near the Greek village of Idomeni, September 8, 2015.
The Russian Federation can host a great number of refugees from Syria, just as it has accepted a record number of people who fled the war in Ukraine, claims the presidential advocate for children's rights, Pavel Astakhov.

"Our territory, our culture and our history, even our social situation are actually capable of withstanding this," the ombudsman told the RSN radio when asked if Russia could open the doors for refugees from Syria.

"After the beginning of the Donbass conflict we were ready to accept all Ukrainian orphans and there were about 90,500 of them at that moment," Astakhov added. "We were ready to accept them all, we have resources and potential for this."

The official also emphasized that refugees in Russia must not forever remain dependent from social programs, but must become responsible members of the society.

Comment: Once again, it appears that Russia will be helping some of the millions of people displaced by U.S./NATO led wars, while the Emperors of Chaos continue creating more of the conditions that have caused the crises.


Pistol

Highway vehicle shootings in Phoenix jumps to nine

Shooting
© YouTubeThe reward for information on the vehicle shootings in Phoenix, Arizona has been raised to $20,000.
A 10-mile long stretch of Interstate 10 in Phoenix, Arizona is not the safest road to travel anymore. Since August 29, nine vehicles have been fired on by an unknown shooter. Officials say it's only a matter of time before someone is killed.

Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) is investigating two more vehicle shootings that took place on Tuesday this week along Interstate 10. It is unclear if the latest shootings are related to the seven other shootings of cars on the interstate. At a news conference on Tuesday, Colonel Frank Milstead, director of the Arizona Department of Public Safety, said none of the incidents have resulted in any deaths, but warned, "It's just a matter of time, if this continues, that we have tragedy on our roadways," reports Reuters.

Milstead used the word "projectiles" instead of "bullets" when describing the shootings, not confirming that all the incidents were shootings. He also would not confirm the shootings as being the work of one person, saying some of them may be the work of a copycat, according to Fox News.

The first shooting took place on Aug. 29, when gunfire shattered the window of an SUV. Later the same day, a tour bus was hit, and that night, another vehicle was hit, but the driver didn't notice the damage until the next morning. Other vehicles, including a truck and a Phoenix police officer's car have been hit by projectiles, assumed to be bullets.

The New York Post says that in just about all the incidents, people heard loud noises, but some didn't realize their vehicles had been hit until much later. Only one injury has been sustained in the shootings. A 13-year old girl was cut on the ear by broken glass. "Ten days, nine incidents," said Milstead. "This is a real and continuing threat to Arizona motorists."

Milstead said the police were using their gang task force, special weapon and tactical personnel as well as undercover officers for freeway surveillance. The reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for the shootings has been quadrupled, from $5,000 to $20,000.

Branding the incidents "domestic terrorism," Milstead said, "If you drive that stretch of roadway, be hypervigilant. "Do not be distracted while you're operating your car or truck."

Question

Cargo vessel with 14 crew members missing in South China Sea

south china sea
A cargo vessel with 14 crew members on board went missing in the South China Sea after living the the Malaysian port of Kuching.

A cargo ship carrying 500 tons of general items and its captain with 13 crew members has gone missing on Saturday in the South China Sea, the Malaysian newspaper New Strait Times reported.

Info

The 2015 list of the world's least friendly and friendliest cities

moscow
Moscow in Russia has been voted the unfriendliest city in the world in a survey conducted by Travel + Leisure. Interestingly, 9 cities of the United States of America find a mention in the TOP 15 list of the least friendly cities in the world.

"Travel + Leisure readers didn't find Muscovites to be particularly helpful," the magazine said. The magazine ranked the world's cities according to their readers' ratings of friendliness in the destinations, Atlantic City in New Jersey was ranked the 2nd least friendly city in the world.

Russia's St. Petersburg came third on the list, with rude residents leaving travellers less than impressed. The top 5 least friendly cities were Moscow in Russia, Atlantic City in New Jersey, St. Petersburg in Russia, Marseille in France, and Los Angeles in California.

Comment: This list was compiled by a magazine based in New York City and owned by Time, Inc., so it is unsurprising that two Russian cities are listed at the top of the list of 'unfriendly' cities, when one considers the extent to which the Western media will go to in order to demonize Russia. However, to appear to be fair, the magazine also included numerous U.S. cities on the 'unfriendly' list as well.


Eye 2

Judge lowers bond for man accused of raping woman - Man kidnaps and rapes same woman a second time

Image
Pennsylvania man is accused of brutally raping a woman a month after he was released on bond while awaiting trial for a similar attack on the same woman.A judge agreed Aug. 7 to lower bond for Richard Klingle, and he put up 10 percent of the $25,000 bail and was released on the condition that he stay away from the victim, reported Lehigh Valley Live.

However, investigators said the 26-year-old Klingle violated the court order and attacked the woman again.

Police said Klingle stole money and a car from his girlfriend and drove to Nazareth, where he broke into the woman's home about 4 a.m. on Monday, choked her until she lost consciousness and dragged her outside to the stolen car.Klingle held the woman hostage for three hours and took her to a secluded area near his Bangor home, where he forced her to perform a sex act and then raped her three times, police said.

Then Klingle took about 70 unspecified pills in a suicide attempt and released the woman, who fled to a nearby home and called for help, investigators said.

Comment: How is a $2,500 bail for such an evil crime even remotely enough? The judge should be removed from his position for his cluelessness. The poor woman is going to be traumatized for life, and the judge is more concerned about the rapist's well being?!?! This is another instance of the system failing the victims and protecting the rapists.


Cult

Pastor hired by church after he's charged with 29 counts of child sex abuse at another church

Image
© WHNTKyle Adcock is escorted to court by two deputies
Parents in North Texas want to know why a pastor with pending charges of child rape and sodomy in Alabama has been hired by the First Baptist Church of Bedford.

According to Alabama court documents obtained by KDFW, Kyle Adcock faces charges for 29 counts of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl while he was working at Woodward Avenue Baptist Church between 2010 and 2012.

Julie Brooks and Jennifer Fawks told KDFW that they were concerned after learning that Adcock had been hired as a music minister because their children take classes at First Baptist Church during the week.

"Kids trust ministers," Brooks explained. "And so if they are approached by someone that works in the church, you would trust them. You would have no reason not to."