Fundamentalists, Christianists, Israel and Palestine; Sharia, Gender Issues; Atheism; Religion

Fundamentalists

• Leading neuroscientist: Religious fundamentalism may be a 'mental illness' that can be 'cured'
• When Hassidic Jews attack
• Islamists attack Turkey 'kissing protest'
• My Optometrist Locked Me In An Exam Room And Forced Me To Pray To Jesus
• Freelance archivists raising funds to preserve precious manuscripts rescued from fundamentalists in Timbuktu

Christianists

• Virginia Lt. Gov. Nominee: Not Sorry for Hate Speech 'Because I'm a Christian'—"The Republican nominee for lieutenant governor in Virginia says that he is a Christian and has no reason to apologize for his history against of hate speech against LGBT people, liberals and abortion providers." Bwahahaha... oh, he's not joking.
• GOP congressman uses Bible to justify punishing the poor—"Rep. Stephen Fincher's recent snafu proves that when quoting from the Good Book, context matters." Salon
• Kansas Religion Bill Urges Military To Defend 'Judeo-Christian Tradition' Against Alleged Discrimination

Israel and Palestine

• Russian Jews call for Israel not to give in to western peace calls
• Israel to return land taken by IDF to Palestinian owners.
• New controversy over video of Gaza boy's death 13 years ago
• Jordan king says extremism 'grown fat' on Israel-Palestinian conflict
• Mass Palestinian grave found in Tel Aviv—"Skeletal remains of dozens of Palestinians killed by Israelis during 1948 have been found in a mass grave in Tel Aviv."

Sharia

• Many in Muslim world want sharia as law of land: survey—Why the separation Church and State should be enforced more than ever.
• Dutch anxiety over 'Sharia triangle' police no-go area in The Hague—"Area two kilometres from city centre has become 'orthodox Muslim territory' largely ignored by authorities."
• Muslims Demand Germany 'Make Islam Equal to Christianity'—"A gov. conference ended in failure when Muslims refused to acknowledge Germany's concerns about security threats posed by radical Islam."

Gender Issues

• Afghan university students protest against women's rights
• Women in Egypt suffer more sexual violence under Islamist rule
• Indonesia: Women Blamed for Islamic Politicians' Foolish Decisions
• Miss India vs. Hindu Fundamentalists WSJ
• Malaysian rape accused marries 13-year-old alleged victim—"Government 'questioning validity of marriage' after 40-year-old man took girl he allegedly assaulted as his second wife."

Atheism

• Pope Francis says atheists can be good—"Just do good, and we'll find a meeting point, says Francis in marked departure from Benedict's line on non-Catholics." The Vatican says not so fast.
• Photos: Famous atheists and their beliefs
• A surprising map of where the world's atheists live
• Secretary of State John Kerry: Freedom to 'Not Believe' is a 'Birthright of Every Human Being'
• Atheist State Lawmaker Quotes Carl Sagan Instead of Doing Prayer Before House Session—A Christian lawmaker "asked other members to join him in a second daily prayer in 'repentance.'"

Religion

• Former IT Specialist Claims To Be Jesus Reborn—"Alan John Miller, known as AJ, runs a religious movement in Kingaroy, Queensland, and claims to have memories of the crucifixion."
• Most Americans Say Religion Is Losing Influence in U.S.—"But 75% say American society would be better off if more Americans were religious."
• Exorcist team selected to battle Satan in Madrid
• Delay communions until adulthood, says priest
• eBay Kills 100K Bid for Jewish Spot in Heaven
• When the Catholic Church decided beavers were fish Salon
• Blast from the Past: Church's bedroom billboard defaced after 5 hours—Here's what was put up.

Culture Clash, Politics, Sexism, Rape, Abortion and Birth Control

Culture Clash

• Lebanese Man Impregnates His Sister, Kills Her in 'Honor Crime'
• Man goes undercover as a woman to investigate sexual harassment in Egypt
• Gruesome Attacks on Egyptian Women Spawn Helmeted, Volunteer Protectors
• Tunisia topless Femen activist arrested for 'immoral gestures'
• Women's Prison in Gaza Swells With 'Moral' Criminals
• Saudi passenger demands air hostess be removed from flight
• Police take 16 year-old girl into custody for "dressing inappropriately"

Politics

• Women banned from Iranian election
• Conservative Afghan lawmakers block legislation protecting women's rights
• Pakistan politician Zahra Shahid Hussain killed in Karachi

Sexism

• Merida From 'Brave' Gets An Unnecessary Makeover, Sparks Change.org Petition—Successfully getting Disney to back down.
• Mother shuns Disney Princess ideal and dresses daughter up as five REAL heroines from history to commemorate fifth birthday
• Lego Apologizes for Cat-Calling Sticker

Rape

• UAE Rape Victim Jailed—"Gali was using her laptop in the hotel's staff bar when her drink was spiked. She awoke to a nightmare beyond belief: she had been savagely raped by three of her colleagues. Alone and frightened, she took herself to hospital. What Alicia didn't know is that under the UAE's strict sharia laws, if the perpetrator does not confess, a rape cannot be convicted without four adult Muslim male witnesses. She was charged with having illicit sex outside marriage, and thrown in a filthy jail cell for eight months."
• Japan WWII 'comfort women' were 'necessary' - Hashimoto
• Muslim Imam Claims Women Who Don't Wear Hijabs are "Asking to be Raped", Arrested for Trying to Rape Woman
• If women don't want to be raped they shouldn't drink too much, says Hong Kong official
• Focus On Women, Families Propels New York's Sen. Gillibrand—"Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand is introducing legislation with other lawmakers Thursday that would change the way the military prosecutes sexual assault cases."

Abortion and Birth Control

• Ireland: Pro-life activists threaten to slit throat of TD—"I have a number of people at the moment who are going to burn my house down with my children in it, they are going to spit at me when I walk inside my church grounds at Sunday morning at Mass."
• GOP attorney general candidate tried to force women to report miscarriages to police—"Virginia Sen. Mark Obenshain wanted to send women to jail who failed to report their miscarriages to the police." Salon
• Judge Mocks Obama Administration's Attempt To Restrict Morning After Pill As 'A Charade'
• OB-GYNs Are Confused By The Political Fight To Restrict Emergency Contraception
• No Exit: Life begins at erection

Pope Francis, Sex Abuse Scandal; Blasphemy, Islamists, Orthodox; Christianists, Creationists, In Bad Faith; Religion, Jesus

Pope Francis

• Pope makes first big decision naming advisory board—"Pope Francis, in his first major decision, ... set up an advisory board of cardinals from around the world to help him govern the Catholic Church and reform its troubled central administration."
• Pope Francis hits out at global 'cult of money'
• Church must help the poorest, not dissect theology, pope says

Sex Abuse Scandal

• Pope Francis calls for action on clerical sex abuse—Total opposite of his predecessor espoused.
• Cardinal who covered up pedophilia says he forgives those who are mad at him—Probably has also forgiven all the little boys and girls who seduced those poor oh-so-susceptible priests.
• $3 billion and counting: the sex-abuse scandal continues
• Outrage in Spain over video game that depicts Pope Benedict XVI as pimp for pedophile cardinals
• Australia: 'Catholic mafia' covered up Hunter abuse

Blasphemy

• Bangladesh protesters demand blasphemy law—"Hundreds of thousands of marchers call for law that would include death penalty for bloggers who insult Islam." The PM has so far rejected the notion.
• Russian MPs back harsher anti-blasphemy law—Church and State colluding to espouse censorship.
• Russian court denies punk band convict Tolokonnikova parole
• Qatar jails a Nepali teacher on charges of insulting Islam—Thankfully, he's been freed and back home in Nepal.
• Turkish pianist sentenced to jail for criticizing Islam on Twitter Salon

Islamists

• Egyptian Activists: Our Religion Is None Of Your Business
• Morocco's High Council of Ulemas's Death Sentence Fatwa on Apostates Sparks Controversy
• Gaza police shaving heads of long-haired youths—"Police in Hamas-ruled Gaza have started grabbing young men with long or gel-styled spiky hair off the streets, bundling them into jeeps, mocking them and shaving their heads."
• 'Modesty police' arrests ratchet fears of radicalized Islam in Gaza
• Indonesia teens accused of blasphemy over Maroon 5 dance
• No 'Happy Easter': The Muslim Brotherhood's Bizarre Religious Intolerance
• They're taking our children—'West Papua's youth are being removed to Islamic religious schools in Java for 're-education...'"

Orthodox

• Ultra-Orthodox Jews protest over Israeli army enlistment
• Orthodox men hurl stinkbombs at women praying at Jerusalem's Western Wall
• No More Play Dates? Sex-Segregated Park Opens in New York
• Culture war erupts in Israel over attempts to end preferential budgets for ultra-Orthodox
• Them and Them—"Up in Ramapo, the immigrant community and the growing population of Hasidim had eyed each other with increasing wariness. Then the Orthodox took over the public schools and proceeded to gut them."
• In Israel, new modesty glasses for Orthodox Jewish men blur women out of their line of sight
• Orthodox Jewish Man Covers Himself In Plastic Bag On Plane

Christianists

• North Carolina Republican Equates Praying to Allah with Terrorism
• Detroit: Christian Extemists Force Cancellation Of Annual Dearborn Arab Fest
• Mississippi high school forces students to attend Christian lectures: lawsuit
• Some Don't Like BioShock's Forced Baptism. Enough To Ask For A Refund
• The Quiverfull: The evangelical Christians opposed to contraception

Creationists

• snopes.com: 4th Grade Science Quiz—The South Carolinian school administrator "was shocked at the level of hate that the atheists poured down upon her, the teacher, and the school in general."
• Senators again reject repeal of Louisiana Science Education Act
• Why Americans Love Creationism

In Bad Faith

• 2nd Child of Pa. Couple Dies After Only Praying—The other children have been getting court-ordered medical care.
• Opinion: Faith healing is criminal in modern society
• Doctors win right to save Jehovah's Witness boy's life

Religion

• Christianity declining 50pc faster than thought – as one in 10 under-25s is a Muslim
• Belief in Angry God Associated with Poor Mental Health
• Man Sues Bishop for Failing to Exorcise Flatulent Demons
• Papua New Guinea Considers Repealing Sorcery Law—"The prime minister has vowed to repeal a controversial sorcery act after the latest in a string of brutal public killings of people accused of practicing black magic." NYT
• 10 Faked Historical Miracles

Jesus

• A Feud Between Biblical Archaeologists Goes to Court—"Jacobovici has claimed to have some of the bones of Jesus and his family, their DNA from ossuaries. 'If the remains were reburied, then there could not have been any true resurrection.'"
• The Three Christs of Ypsilanti—A psychiatric case that "details the interactions of the three patients... who each believed himself to be Jesus Christ."
• Shape-Shifting Jesus Described in Ancient Egyptian Text

Corruption; Banks, Eurozone, Cyprus; Fascism, Racism, Israel and Gaza; Iraq'd, Military Disservice, Journalism

Corruption

• Spanish government to sue El Pais—"Spain's conservative ruling party has launched a lawsuit against top newspaper El Pais for allegations of corruption among the party's leaders."
• Pakistani activist for poor shot dead in Karachi
• Lima's first woman mayor Villaran 'survives recall vote'—"Ms Villaran's supporters have accused the country's business elite and powerful conservative politicians of trying to oust her because of her progressive social policies."
• Swaziland government sells maize donated by Japan and banks the cash—"Government sold 12,000 tonnes of maize and deposited money in central bank, even though Swaziland has not been able to feed itself since 1970s."
• Poor-quality Chinese concrete could lead to skyscrapers collapsing

Banks

• Britain fails in last-ditch bid to dilute bankers' bonus law—"Britain has failed in a last ditch effort to alter EU proposals to cap bankers' salaries from next year."
• Barclays announces £38.5m bonuses on budget day—"Bank awards its investment bank chief Rich Ricci £17.5m of shares – which he immediately cashes in - and chief executive Antony Jenkins £5.3m shares."
• This Is What Happens When A Journalist Forces A Banker To Actually Answer A Question

Eurozone

• The next supermodel—"Politicians from both right and left could learn from the Nordic countries."
• Leaders wrestle with austerity as thousands protest
• What British 'austerity' would look like if we were in the eurozone

Cyprus

• Cypriots stunned by forced savings cuts
• The Botching of the Cyprus Bailout: Worse Than Lehman Brothers
• How German fears of underwriting Russian oligarchs pushed Cyprus to crisis
• Cyprus's wealth tax makes perfect sense – its rich won't escape unscathed—"Ignore the hysterical reaction to the tax on Cypriots' bank deposits. This is a practical, fair solution to a complex problem."
• Saving Cyprus: Tapping Bank Customers Is the Right Move
• Eurozone crisis live: Cyprus crisis deepens as MPs reject bailout terms
• Russia rebuffs Cyprus, EU awaits bailout "Plan B"

Fascism

• Texas tea party leader promotes Fascist Party as 'pro-Constitution, pro-America'
• Fascism mounts a comeback in Italy
• Over half of Austrians think the Nazis would be elected if the party was readmitted to politics
• Greek footballer Giorgos Katidis banned for Nazi salute
• Greek neo-Nazi MP can be prosecuted for attacking left-wing rivals on live TV

Racism

• 'It's not racism. The Muslim players just shouldn't be here': Beitar Jerusalem fans walk out over signing of two Muslim Chechen players
• Bus taunts that sparked Australian racism debate
• India-born football fan assaulted in UK racist attack before 200 onlookers
• BBC gets heat for censoring Elvis Costello's 1979 hit "Oliver's Army"—"The Mail reports that BBC censored the 'one more widow, one less white nigger' lyric, despite the fact that the song has generally played uncensored on the radio for more than thirty years." Salon
• Blast from the Past: Racism: The Arab world's dirty secret NYT

Israel and Gaza

• Obama: Settler Violence Against Palestinians Shouldn't Go Unpunished
• Gaza rockets fired at Israel during Obama visit
• Australia MPs: Gaza is world's largest outdoor jail

Iraq'd

• Dick Cheney Marks Tenth Anniversary of Pretending There Was Reason to Invade Iraq
• Former Halliburton Subsidiary Received $39.5 Billion In Iraq-Related Contracts Over The Past Decade
• Charts: Bush Lowballed Us on Iraq by $6 Trillion
• Punished for telling truth about Iraq war—"Army Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki dared to call out the Bush administration for inadequate preparation for the Iraq war and lost his job...."
• Canada's 'No' To Iraq War A Defining Moment For Prime Minister, Even 10 Years Later
• The Iraq War Ten Years After: Declassified Documents Show Failed Intelligence, Policy Ad Hockery, Propaganda-Driven Decisionmaking
• Iraq Anniversary: 10 Lessons from America's 'Dumb War'
• Iraqis' Pain Never Abates as Attacks Kill Dozens—"Nineteen bombs and an assassination on Tuesday served as a reminder of the violence that regularly afflicts Iraq a decade after the American-led invasion." NYT
• Bush promised Iraqi civilians a better future. What are their lives like now?
• Ten Years After the Iraq Invasion: Baghdad Then and Now

Military Disservice

• America's combat veterans: The waiting wounded—"The government is failing to keep faith with ex-soldiers."
• Returning from Iraq, the Damage Done—"It's easy to send soldiers off to war. It's harder to face them when they come home."
• AP: Costs of US wars linger for over 100 years—"If history is any judge, the U.S. government will be paying for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars for the next century as service members and their families grapple with the sacrifices of combat."

Journalism

• Bang the Drum Loudly: The Failed Journalism That Sent America to War in Iraq
• Why WPost's Hiatt Should Be Fired—"Toting up the Iraq War's cost is staggering, including nearly 4,500 U.S. soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis dead. But a decade later, few of its architects in government or apologists in the press have faced accountability."
• How to Write an Iraq War Apologia
• The Speechwriter: David Frum on the Rhetoric of Iraq
• Iraq War Anniversary New York Times - Pleased To Be Shutting The Piehole Now—"The 'public editor' of The New York Times tells us today that the paper's coverage of the 10th anniversary of the Iraq War is likely to be less of a hoot than back in the drum-banging days when Judy Miller was standing atop a great pile of stove-piped bullshit while Bill Keller threw roses at her feet."

Bradley Manning, War on Terror, Torture, Benghazi, Fake News, Gaza, Israel, Drones

Bradley Manning

• Manning plea statement: Americans had a right to know 'true cost of war'
• If Bradley Manning and WikiLeaks are guilty, then so is the New York Times
• Bradley Manning Nobel Peace Prize Nomination 2013

War on Terror

• DOJ Gives Blackwater a Whitewash On Felony Charges
• 'Homeland Security': The Trillion-Dollar Concept That No One Can Define
• 'It's the four suicide bombers driving around ready to take on England'—"Their ambition was to outdo the 7/7 attacks, but at times they seemed more akin to characters in the film Four Lions."

Torture

• Italy ex-spy chief sentenced to 10 years over CIA 'extraordinary rendition'
• Tortures, Lies and Hollywood NYT
• Zero Dark Thirty, the CIA and film critics have a very bad evening—"The stigma attached to the pro-torture CIA propaganda vehicle, beloved by film critics, results in Oscar humiliation."

Benghazi

• Jon Stewart destroys Sen. John McCain over hypocritical Benghazi outrage—"No, McCain, you don't get to pull the four dead Americans shit. You lost that privilege over a period of, oh, I don't know, the Iraq war — which I believe, American casaulty-wise, was literally Benghazi times 1000. Far from holding up all Senate business until that fiasco was resolved, I think you had a slightly different perspective."
• Graham: I Won't Vote On CIA Director Until I Get Answers On Benghazi
• House spending bill adds $2B for embassy security post-Benghazi

Fake News

• Senate Minority Leader Fooled by Report in Military Version of The Onion
• 'Friends of Hamas': My role in the birth of a rumor—"A Daily News reporter explains how he inadvertently created the myth that Chuck Hagel spoke to a non-existent group."
• False Beliefs Persist, Even After Instant Online Corrections

Gaza

• Egypt floods Gaza tunnels to cut Palestinian lifeline
• Image of two Gaza children killed in Israeli strike wins World Press Photo prize
• A textbook debate riddled with tired cliches

Israel

• Israel's 'Prisoner X' was Australian Mossad agent, documentary claims
• Gag orders silence Israeli press
• Unaired SNL Skit Mocks Masturbatory Love for Israel at Chuck Hagel's Senate Hearing—Pointing out issues with Israel is not anti-semitism.

Drones

• Obama DOJ again refuses to tell a court whether CIA drone program even exists
• Senator Lists the Death Toll From U.S. Drones at 4,700 People
• DHS Considers Eavesdropping Tech for Spy Drones on Border—"The government has argued that the border in fact extends 100 miles inland and is exempt from the search and seizure protections of the Fourth Amendment...."
• Don't Trust the Government on Drones
• The Drone War Doctrine We Still Know Nothing About
• Napolitano: Drone policy 'much narrower' than law permits
• Why Drones Should Make You Afraid. Very Afraid.
• Jon Stewart Eviscerates Obama For Withholding Drone Memos: What Happened To 'Promise Of Transparency'?
• British terror suspects quietly stripped of citizenship… then killed by drones
• Amazon.com: Maisto Fresh Metal Tailwinds 1:97 Scale Die Cast United States Military Aircraft

Middle East; Law and Disorder, Identity Crisis, War on Drugs, Legalization and Decriminalization, Jail Tales, Recording, Suits, Road Rage, Good Cops

Middle East

• Israeli soldiers open fire in 'buffer zone'--Leading up to the first Palestinian death since Wednesday's ceasefire.
• Egypt's President Mursi assumes sweeping powers--Declares himself answerable to no one.
• Libyan Leader Opposes Foreign Aid to Syrian Rebels

Law and Disorder

• Ohio Bar Association Pressured Judge To Keep Quiet About Justice For Sale
• How California's Three-Strikes Law Struck Out
• Matt Gurney: A victory for self-defence, but only a partial one
• Why British police don't have guns
• 'Guru' swindler of French aristocrats gets 8 years
• Piedmont officer is fired over public urination ticket--"Piedmont city officials have fired a police officer who wrote a public urination citation to the mother of a 3-year-old who dropped his pants in the family's front yard."
• Blast from the past: Death case defendant sues for lack of lawyers

Identity Crisis

• Hacker steals entire nation's identity--"A Greek hacker stole the personal data of about 9,000,000 Greek residents, which is approximately the same as the population of Greece itself."
• Thomas Quick: the Swedish serial killer who never was--"It reads like a real-life Scandinavian crime novel. In the 1990s, Thomas Quick confessed to more than 30 murders, making him Sweden's most notorious serial killer. Then, he changed his name and revealed his confessions were all faked."
• Google search reveals true identity of suspect in Navy charity scam
• Man loses job over mistaken identity
• Tunni Rai: A life without identity

War on Drugs

• The Fight Over Medical Marijuana--"While Jerry Sandusky got a 30-year minimum sentence for raping young boys, Mr. Williams is looking at a mandatory minimum of more than 80 years for marijuana . . ." NYT
• Time to end the war on drugs
• B.C. marijuana activist wins $25 million
• Afghan addicts help run daring new restaurant in Kabul
• Blast from the Past: Super Soldiers? Military Drug is Rage Among Students, Young Professionals

Legalization and Decriminalization

• The Feds Should Quietly Allow Colorado and Washington to Experiment with Marijuana Legalization
• The Secret Ingredients for Marijuana Legalization: Moms and Hispanics
• Former cop: Time for Obama to lead on marijuana legalization
• Legalized marijuana: Is Iowa next?
• Marijuana legalization or decriminalization backed by most Canadians: poll
• How marijuana legalization will affect Mexico's cartels, in charts
• Mexico lawmaker introduces bill to legalize marijuana

Jail Tales

• Nation's First Privately Owned State Prison Riddled With Violations Of State Law
• Solitary in Iran Nearly Broke Me. Then I Went Inside America's Prisons.
• Death row inmates choose comfort food for their last meals

Recording

• Glasses equipped with camera create transparency for SLCPD
• Jury says journalist arrested while videotaping police is not guilty
• LAPD officer used Taser on handcuffed woman--"Elements of the officer's version of events are contradicted by video footage."

Suits

• Paralysed woman's £6m damages claim against pool owner dismissed--"The defendant was not required to adopt a paternalistic approach to his visitors, all of whom were adults, all of whom were making choices about their behaviour that night."
• Woman breaks nose on Apple store, sues for $1M
• Tennessee Fraternity Denies Buttchugging Charge in Press Conference That Really Happened

Road Rage

• KFC ram-raided after staff refuse to serve bargain bucket meal
• TrainingPeaks founder's video nabs driver
• Stop coddling people who behave badly

Good Cops

• Canada
• Denmark
• Los Angeles, CA
• Bethlemem, PA
• Amarillo, TX

Gaza & Israel; War on Terror, Civil Liberties, Police States, Drones, Military Industrial Complex, Soldiers Under Siege, TSA

Gaza & Israel

• Israel-Hamas truce possible as int'l mediation continues
• Obama: Israel has "right to defend itself"
• Jimmy Carter: "Israelis' Policy Is to Confiscate Palestinian Territory"
• Israel must "flatten Gaza" like the US flattened Japan, says Sharon's son
• The story behind the photo: Journalist's 11-month-old son killed in Gaza strikes
• Anonymous declares 'cyberwar' on Israel
• Is Gideon Levy the most hated man in Israel or just the most heroic?--"For three decades, the writer and journalist Gideon Levy has been a lone voice, telling his readers the truth about what goes on in the Occupied Territories."

War on Terror

• What High School Taught Millennials About the War on Terrorism
• Disturbing Video Shows U.S. Defense Contractors Allegedly Drunk and on Drugs in Afghanistan
• Taliban fails to BCC an e-mail, reveals its entire PR mailing list

Civil Liberties

• How an Innocent 26-Year-Old Got Sold Into Guantanamo Hell for a $5,000 Bounty
• US Citizen Says He's Stranded In Hawaii By No-Fly List Because Of His Controversial Views--"It's scary to know that something like this can happen in a free country. You're not accused of any crime. You haven't been contacted by anyone. No investigation has been done. No due process has taken place."
• "I went to the mall, and a little girl called me a terrorist."--"The mother hushed her child, glared at me, and then took her daughter by the hand and led her out of the store."

Police States

• President Obama Unilaterally Gives Cybersecurity Powers to the Military--After the Senate voted against the Cybersecurity bill... again.
• Spain Considers Banning Photos of Police on Duty NYT
• Dutch Propose Powers For Police To Break Into Computers, Install Spyware And Destroy Data -- Anywhere In The World
• FBI Accused of Dragging Feet on Release of Info About "Stingray" Surveillance Technology
• Feds Cite 'State Secrets' in Dragnet Surveillance Case — Again

Drones

• Ban 'Killer Robots' Before It's Too Late--"Governments should pre-emptively ban fully autonomous weapons because of the danger they pose to civilians in armed conflict...."
• Kucinich: Obama administration must account to Congress for targeted assassinations
• Apple blocks 'objectionable' app that reports deaths from US drone strikes--Kucinich cries foul.
• China unveils new drones aimed at buyers in developing countries
• Pakistan developing combat drones

Military Industrial Complex

• Petraeus scandal puts four-star general lifestyle under scrutiny
• Air Force scraps massive ERP project after racking up $1 billion in costs
• Another Day, Another $678 Million Stealth Jet Wrecked

Soldiers Under Siege

• Tell Republicans to Stop Dishonoring Veterans by Cutting Benefits and Blocking Jobs
• 'You should've served US better and died!' Debt collector berates disabled veteran
• "I was absolutely dumbfounded": Soldier sacked 72 HOURS before he gets his full pension--"Sergeant Lee Nolan will lose out on at least £100,000 after he became one of 20,000 soldiers who are being axed in savage military cuts."

TSA

• TSA removes X-ray body scanners from major airports--"Desire to speed up checkpoints, not safety, driving scanner switch."
• Security Flaws in the TSA Pre-Check System and the Boarding Pass Check System
• TSA plans to fire 25 employees, suspend 19 for improper screening of bags at Newark airport
• TSA arrested artist for wearing 'weird' watch
• San Diego TSA Director Retires Amid Rumors of Misconduct

Gaza, Libya, Religion in the Region

Gaza

• Why this young American Jew is sailing to Gaza
• Alice Walker: Why I'm Joining the Freedom Flotilla to Gaza
• Israel threatens to punish journalists for covering Gaza flotilla--And even US citizens. Salon
• Gaza activists say ship sabotaged in Greece
• Did Netanyahu's office distribute a fake video against Gaza flotilla?

Libya

• White House: Warrants show Gadhafi not legitimate
• Germany recognises Libya rebels as sole government
• House rejects move to cut funds from Libya mission--They denounce Obama's illegal actions, but their own actions speak otherwise.
• McConnell says GOP criticism of Obama action in Libya would have been muted if it were Bush
• The Real Reason for NATO Attacking Libya Exposed?

Religion in the Region

• Egypt activists threaten 'million-strong' protest to stop Islamists winning power
• Amid Growing Outrage, Lawmaker Wants Federal Probe into Delta-Saudi Agreement--"A U.S. lawmaker wants the Federal Aviation Administration to investigate allegations that Delta Airlines has entered into an agreement with Saudi Arabia that could prohibit American Jews from flying into the country - a charge the airline and the Saudi government vigorously dispute."
• Somali Man Sentenced to Prison in Murder Attempt of Danish Cartoonist
• Rwanda: Ex-women's minister guilty of genocide, rape
• Ex-soldier jailed for burning Koran in Carlisle--Andrew Ryan said he only did so, objecting to a Muslim extremist who burned a poppy during Remembrance Day which was a 'calculated and deliberate' insult to Britain's war dead.