Nisour Square Witness: “Blackwater Had Power Like Saddam Hussein”

Photo: AP

Justin King

WASHINGTON, DC – The sentencing hearing for four Blackwater contractors produced one life sentence and three 30-year sentences, but the legal battles are probably far from over for the four men convicted of killing 14 unarmed Iraqis in 2007.

The defense brought in character witnesses and attempted to play on the military records of the former contractors. The prosecution paraded witnesses to the shooting and pointed out the complete lack of remorse or acceptance of responsibility on the part of the defendants. In the end, the judge sentenced the men to the mandatory minimum sentences.

While the chain of events leading up to the shooting is still unclear, due in part to a suspected cover up by the US State Department, what is known is that the four men opened fire in a crowded square in Baghdad and that some of the victims were shot while fleeing the scene. Prosecutors called it a wartime atrocity.

Chicago Police Use Local News Media to Downplay Secret Torture Site

Justin King

Amid controversy over the Chicago Police Department’s off-the-books interrogation site, the Chicago Sun-Times ran a piece fully exonerating the police department, by basing the article entirely off statements made by the police department.

Don’t worry good citizens, the police have investigated themselves in less than 24 hours and found they’ve done nothing wrong.

Miami Mayor Wants Bodycams On All Cops

Written by Justin King | The Anti-Media

The Mayor of Miami-Dade is calling for cameras to be worn by hundreds of officers while they are on duty. Mayor Carlos Giménez is calling for the cameras in the wake of the massive civil unrest caused by the shooting of an unarmed teen in Ferguson, Missouri.

Giménez included the funds to purchase 500 of the cameras in this year’s proposed budget. That would be enough to issue cameras to roughly half of the department’s patrol officers. It is expected that the program would be expanded next year to include all officers. Giménez sees the cameras as a common sense approach to combat police brutality and provide accountability. 

He said:

10 George Orwell Quotes that Predicted Life in 2014 America

Written by Justin King | The Anti-Media

George Orwell ranks among the most profound social critics of the modern era. Some of his quotations, more than a half a century old, show the depth of understanding an enlightened mind can have about the future.

1)  “In our age there is no such thing as ‘keeping out of politics.’ All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred and schizophrenia.”

Though many in the modern age have the will to bury their head in the sand when it comes to political matters, nobody can only concern themselves with the proverbial pebble in their shoe. If one is successful in avoiding politics, at some point the effects of the political decisions they abstained from participating in will reach their front door. More often than not, by that time the person has already lost whatever whisper of a voice the government has allowed them.

Ferguson Riots Move the US One Step Closer to Insurrection

Justin King | The Anti-Media

Many question the moral authority of the rioting in Ferguson that was triggered by yet another killing of an unarmed teen. The rioting is a symptom of a larger nationwide trend of resistance to the encroaching police state, and specifically the ability of law enforcement officials to kill, maim, and harass without consequence.

The riots began before all of the facts were gathered about the shooting. The timing of the riot is important. Preemptive rioting and the destruction of private property is the third step in a historical cycle that has played out since the foundation of governments. It is a five step cycle that ends in widespread rebellion and insurrection.

5 steps to insurgency

Pamphlets:

Prior to the digital age, pamphlets were the main method of spreading dissent around the world. The pamphlets examined and questioned the authority of the contemporary governments and control systems. In the modern world, pamphlets have been replaced by blogs, social media, and to a smaller degree, adversarial journalists.

Reactive Protests:

Once the seed of dissent is planted, people take to the streets to voice their opposition to the government. These protests occur after the control systems of the era attempt to diffuse an offending incident.

Preemptive Rioting:

Preemptive rioting follows a period of reactive protests that go unanswered by the government. The people begin taking to the streets and destroying private and public property as soon as an offending incident takes place, rather than waiting and hoping for the government to police itself.

Military or Law Enforcement backlash and crackdowns:

These riots and small incidents of resistance trigger a government reaction. The control systems of the country tighten their grip on the people and further curtail civil liberties and infringe on people’s rights. The government crackdown fuels the resistance movement as more people tire of government intrusion.