Drones are the new high-tech “toys” and will likely increasingly clutter the nation’s air space. One can count on local law-enforcement to increasingly deploy them particularly in light of the rising hysteria about domestic anti-Muslim “terrorism” as well to meet more mundane objectives like tracking speeding cars, drug smugglers and prostitutes. And for ordinary Americans, is there a drone in your future?

“It was a lie that I thought it was a gun,” he responded, when asked if he lied about the gun. “I made up hearing — I made up the gun. The detectives let me know that the situation was a situation in which they knew where they were going to go. My testimony was to say, to give, testimony…to that.”

It is common for people who have an alcoholic in the family to dread the holidays.

They try to imagine the joy and celebration, but in their heart they know what’s really coming is just the next episode of drunkenness.

The United States is like that alcoholic family member, for whom every circumstance is an excuse to hit the bottle. Except, with the US, the bottle is violence.

Barack Obama addresses the nation this evening. He will respond to the attack in San Bernardino that is now being characterized as an act of terror, and linked to ISIS.

Syrian rebels and members of the country’s political opposition gather on Tuesday in Riyadh aiming to establish a plan for talks with the Assad regime.(…)
“I think Saudi Arabia is the only big Arab country that is supporting the moderate Syrian opposition.

The U.S. military has provided a total of ¥226.46 million ($1.8 million) in research funds to at least 12 universities and research institutions in Japan since 2000.
The donations came to light as Japan and the United States continue to boost their already close security ties after the government passed contentious new security legislation in September. The new laws allow Japan to exercise the right to collective self-defense, or aiding an ally under armed assault, even if Japan itself is not attacked.

(9.8.2014) Meiner Einschätzung nach läuft zur Zeit eine um den 20. Juli begonnene konzertierte Aktion maßgeblich aus den mit Faschisten, Soziopathen und Verrückten vollgelaufenen deutschen Geheimdiensten / Geheimpolizeien heraus, unter Führung ihrer internationalen Vorgesetzten und „Leitwölfe“, Alliierte im 2001 begonnenen Terrorkrieg und der in hegelianischer Dialektik sich aufbauenden totalen Spionage gegen die Bevölkerung in den kriegführenden Ländern, zur Störung und Sabotage des deutschen Verfassungsgebots, des friedlichen Zusammenlebens der Völker, explizit in der Hauptstadt Berlin, als der von Imperialisten weltweit beneideten und gehassten Heimat aller Religionen und dem neuen Anziehungs- und Fluchtpunkt für Dissidenten, Verfolgte und Bedrohte weltweit.

Kurden, Jesiden, Türken, Israelis, Palästinenser, Muslime, Juden, Sunniten, Schiiten, sie brauchen in der Weltstadt Berlin, Hauptstadt unserer Republik, keine Angst vor Verfolgung, Unterdrückung oder Benachteiligung zu haben.

Police said they found no explosives on a German passenger plane after it diverted to Budapest on Monday following a bomb threat.

Turkey has pulled 350 troops back from the Turkish-Iraqi border after reaction from Baghdad over the deployment of more Turkish soldiers in Mosul.
The troops were waiting on the border and will be sent to Iraq if Ankara and Baghdad agreed on the issue, sources told Hürriyet Daily News.(…)
The United States has reiterated its opposition to the deployment of any military forces inside Iraq without consent from the Iraqi government.

As you probably know, last night President Obama gave a big address from the Oval Office about what he plans to do about ISIS, along with dealing with the threat of lone wolf and other attacks at home. Buried deep within (in fact, I missed it the first time through) was a nod towards the idea of pushing Silicon Valley to magically undermine encryption. Here‘s the entirety of what he said on the subject:

I will urge high tech and law enforcement leaders to make it harder to use technology to escape from justice.

Kareem Sinjari, the interior minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), met with Russian Consul General to Erbil Victor Simakov on Monday to hold talks regarding Kurdistan suspending flights at the Erbil and Sulaimani airports as Russian jets fly over the region on missions to Syria.
Sinjari reportedly asked Simakov to request Moscow find an alternate route for its aircraft and cruise missiles that avoids using the Kurdistan region’s airspace.