Leftists fine businesses $500 a day for NOT promoting Leftist causes

The End of Freedom

• Censoring Conservatives, Libertarians and Nationalists is not enough - - - now you will be fined $500 a day for NOT promoting Leftist ideas.

(WND)  -  Ann Arbor, Michigan, Mayor Chris Taylor is a Democrat. So are council members from Wards 1, 3, 4 and 5.

Ward 2 is the odd one, with Democrat Kathy Griswold and independent Jane Lumm as its representatives.

The Democrat-heavy council now has adopted a rule requiring that Republican-leaning and conservative companies promote progressive and liberal political views.

Or pay a $500 daily fine.

And their move has landed them in court.

The Alliance Defending Freedom on Tuesday announced a lawsuit has been filed against Ann Arbor over its apparent violations of First Amendment freedoms.

The complaint is “under the guise of stopping discrimination.”

“Ann Arbor passed a law that forces Democrats to create advocacy material supporting conservatives and Republicans and Republicans to create advocacy material supporting liberals under the threat of paying fines up to $500 per day,” the complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, states.

“This is a constitutional anathema. Citizens should be free to choose for themselves what they say and what they celebrate – not the government,” it explains. “This lawsuit challenges Ann Arbor’s unjust law for violating the First and Fourteenth Amendments because all Americans, whether conservative or liberal, should have the freedom to advocate for the political views they believe in.”

ADF lawyers are representing a political consulting firm, ThinkRight Strategies, and its owners against the city.

It is challenging the law that forces ThinkRight and its proprietors, Grant Strobl and Jacob Chludzinski, “to promote political messages and causes that contradict their conservative and religious principles.”

The law bans Strobl and Chludzinki from posting statements on their website that they promote conservative positions and even “requires the firm to seek work promoting progressive political positions if the firm takes certain steps to contact groups and individuals promoting conservative causes.”

Then there’s the $500 a day penalty for conservatives who won’t promote progressive causes.

“Americans should be free to advocate for the political ideals they cherish,” said ADF Legal Counsel Samuel Green. “Grant and Jacob created their business to advance their conservative political beliefs. But Ann Arbor’s law forces them to use their skills to promote political beliefs they oppose, like abortion and socialism. This coercion is not just un-American – it’s unconstitutional.

“While Grant and Jacob will work with anyone when it advances conservative political goals, they cannot use their talents to promote messages or causes that undermine their values.”

The two owners have been promoting their political views since they were children. As students, they worked for various political campaigns, ADF explained. They were part of Young Americans for Freedom, and after starting their own company, ran into the city’s constitutional violations, it said.

“The First Amendment protects people’s freedom to choose what to say and what to endorse, and Americans don’t have to wait to be punished to protect this freedom,” said ADF Senior Counsel Jonathan Scruggs, director of the ADF Center for Conscience Initiatives. “That’s why we are representing Grant and Jacob in this challenge to an unjust and unconstitutional law.

“We can all agree that a pacifist painter shouldn’t be forced to paint a pro-war mural, and a Democratic speechwriter shouldn’t be forced to write speeches for President Trump. But Ann Arbor’s law requires these absurd results.”

Scruggs pointed out such forced speech was struck down in a recent Supreme Court case, NIFLA v. Becerra.

ADF also asked for a preliminary order to halt the city’s demands while the lawsuit is addressed.

“Unless Ann Arbor is enjoined, plaintiffs will continue to suffer irreparable harm and economic injury,” the complaint alleges.

Read More . . . .

Gabbard - Fight against Big Tech Censorship

Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)

The Last Patriotic Democrat

I like Tulsi. That being said I ask where the fuck are the Republicans?

Answer: bought and paid for by Leftist Multi-National Corporations.  Republicans never met a corporation they would not drop their pants and spread their butt cheeks for.

The GOP motto:  "Fuck the voters".

Anti-establishment Democrat and presidential candidate Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), who is suing Google over alleged censorship, released a new video today calling for conservatives and liberals to unite against Big Tech’s assault on free expression.

“This concentration of power and influence is a direct threat to our democracy, which is why I’ve taken action against Google and will continue to advocate for breaking up these tech monopolies and ending their power to undermine our freedom of speech,” said Gabbard.

“They have banned voices, who, while controversial and maybe even distasteful, have not incited violence or threatened others. Their sole offense was expressing a view that these corporations deemed unacceptable.”

“Whether we’re progressives or conservatives, left or right, if we do not stand united in this struggle to protect our freedoms, we all lose.”

Breitbart. . . .

Gabbard being promoted to major

Siri Listens While You Have Sex

Big Brother is Watching You Have Sex

• How many DECADES do we have to wait for the corrupt Republicrat Congress to do Jack about shit?

(Zero Hedge)  -  Should it come as any surprise? And yet the details are shocking and outrageous. A whistleblower working for Apple has revealed to The Guardian that its popular voice activated spying device helpful virtual assistant Siri, now in millions of households, "regularly" records people having sex, and captures other "countless" invasive moments which it promptly sends to Apple contractors for their listening pleasure "quality control":

Apple contractors regularly hear confidential medical information, drug deals, and recordings of couples having sex, as part of their job providing quality control, or “grading”, the company’s Siri voice assistant, the Guardian has learned.

We've long pointed out that according to Amazon's Alexa terms of use, the company collects and stores most of what you say to Alexa (or perhaps what you groan) - including the geolocation of the product along with your voice instructions. 

However, what's not disclosed or at least not well known up to this point is that a "small proportion" of all Siri recordings of what consumers thought were private settings are actually forwarded to Apple contractors around the world, according to the new report. Supposedly this is to ensure Siri is responding properly and can continue to distinguish dictation. Apple says, according to The Guardian, the data “is used to help Siri and dictation… understand you better and recognise what you say”.

But an anonymous current company insider and whistleblower told The Guardian: “There have been countless instances of recordings featuring private discussions between doctors and patients, business deals, seemingly criminal dealings, sexual encounters and so on. These recordings are accompanied by user data showing location, contact details, and app data.”

Contradicting Apple's defense that these sultry samples are "pseudonymised recordings," Apple employees can know precisely who is having sex and where, and what time the deed was done. 

Apple's formal response to the Guardian investigation was as follows:

A small portion of Siri requests are analysed to improve Siri and dictation. User requests are not associated with the user’s Apple ID. Siri responses are analysed in secure facilities and all reviewers are under the obligation to adhere to Apple’s strict confidentiality requirements.

Just trust us, Apple appears to be saying. Most of what can be deemed sensitive data is captured through so-called accidental activations by "trigger words," according to the report, with the highest rates of such occurrences via the Apple Watch and HomePod smart speakers. 

“The regularity of accidental triggers on the watch is incredibly high,” the company whistleblower explained. “The watch can record some snippets that will be 30 seconds – not that long but you can gather a good idea of what’s going on.”

The insider continued, “you can definitely hear a doctor and patient, talking about the medical history of the patient. Or you’d hear someone, maybe with car engine background noise – you can’t say definitely, but it’s a drug deal… you can definitely hear it happening. And you’d hear, like, people engaging in sexual acts that are accidentally recorded on the pod or the watch.”

Further less than comforting is just how many across the globe have access to these private moments: “There’s not much vetting of who works there, and the amount of data that we’re free to look through seems quite broad,” the contractor continued. “It wouldn’t be difficult to identify the person that you’re listening to, especially with accidental triggers – addresses, names and so on.”

“Apple is subcontracting out, there’s a high turnover. It’s not like people are being encouraged to have consideration for people’s privacy, or even consider it. If there were someone with nefarious intentions, it wouldn’t be hard to identify [people on the recordings].”

The evidence continues to mount: Siri is a blackmailer's dream come true... or spy agency, or voyeur, or political adversary, or just plain pervert. 

https://www.ZeroHedge.com

From St. Petersburg to Syria: Russia marks Navy Day

Beware The U.S. Chickenhawk Warmongers

• So many U.S. Chickenhawk loons on both the Left and the Right beat the war drums against Russia - - - - mostly to distract the Sheeple from real issues like internet censorship and corruption. 
• Russia is not one of those weak 3rd world nations we normally like to beat up. Trump wanting to get along with Russia is just common sense.

Russian sailors and Navy officers celebrate their professional holiday on Sunday with dazzling warship parades, aircraft flybys, and simulated amphibious assault operations staged throughout the country and beyond.

Navy Day is one of Russia’s major national holidays and is celebrated on the last Sunday of July. While the navy has over three centuries of history under its belt, the holiday in honor of its achievements and strength was established in 1939.

St. Petersburg, the former imperial capital that cemented Russia’s claim for dominance in the Baltic Sea in the 18th century, traditionally holds the biggest naval parade. Forty-three ships from all four Russian fleets sailed in front of spectators. Dozens of aircraft operated by the navy, including advanced Su-30SM fighter jets and Be-12 amphibious anti-submarine warfare planes, took part.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends Navy Day parade

St. Petersburg: Best Moments

On land, around 4,000 sailors in white parade uniforms marched through the city’s Palace Square.

China and India sent two of their warships to take part in the big event in St. Petersburg – a testament to Russia’s growing defense cooperation with the two Asian powerhouses. Incidentally, the INS Tarkash, India’s visiting warship, was built by the Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad, Russia.

On the opposite side of the country, Russia’s Pacific Fleet was the first to start Navy Day celebrations thanks to the difference in time zones. Its show included a simulated amphibious assault by the marines, who used BTR-82A floating armored vehicles, speedboats, and landing craft to seize control of the shore.

Vietnam and the Philippines sent ships to take part in this year’s celebration in Vladivostok.

The festivities in Sevastopol, Crimea involved some overwhelming rocket fire from anti-submarine ships.

A relatively small naval parade in the Syrian port of Tartus, where Russia leases a base, was supported by aircraft provided by the air force. Su-35 fighter jets, Su-34 ground attack planes, and other planes flew over the nine ships and 500 troops taking part in the celebration.

Read More . . .

Russian Navy Day in Syria

Demonstration fire from RBU-6000 launchers. © Sputnik / Ilya Pitalev

Officers from the frigate "Quang Trung" of the Vietnam Navy greeted in Vladivotok. ©Sputnik

Why Is President Trump Committing Suicide?

Freedom of Speech is Gone

Alex Jones has a message for President Trump: take action against Big Tech before 2020, or say goodbye to the presidency and the American recovery.

GOP Senate Shuts Down Free Speech With $15,000 Fines

Fuck the Republican Party

• The GOP has done exactly Jack Shit to defend freedom of speech on the internet. 
• Now the GOP controlled Senate wants to impose $15,000 fines on us peasants for daring to share a meme.

A bi-partisan bill working its way through Congress could drastically change how copyright claims are processed, and would create a system to impose up to $30,000 in fines on anyone who shares protected material online.

In other words, the Congress wants to make it easier to sue people who send a meme or post images that they didn’t create themselves, essentially a giveaway to lawyers who sue unsuspecting suckers for a living.

The Senate Judiciary Committee last week approved the “Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act of 2019,” which “creates a voluntary small claims board within the Copyright Office that will provide copyright owners with an alternative to the expensive process of bringing copyright claims, including infringement and misrepresentation …. in federal court,” according to the Copyright Alliance.

“This new board, called the Copyright Claims Board (CCB), would allow recovery in each case of up to $30,000 in damages total, with a cap of $15,000 in statutory damages per work infringed,” according to the alliance, an advocacy group for the copyright industry.

Critics contend the CCB created would essentially provide a way for copyright trolls to target individuals or small businesses to secure five-figure default judgements for innocent mistakes. 

Put another way, someone who shares memes they didn’t make could be on the hook for $30,000 in fines from folks who make a living from copyright lawsuits.

A petition on ActionNetwork.org opposing the CASE Act explains:

Have you ever shared a meme that you didn’t make? Or downloaded a photo you saw on social media? If Congress has its way you could soon get slapped with a $15,000 fine by copyright trolls – with no chance of appeal – just for doing normal stuff on the internet.

These trolls buy up copyrights with the sole intent of sending out mass threats and lawsuits to harvest settlements. Now, a dangerous new bill called the Copyright Alternative in Small Claims Enforcement Act is sailing through Congress to make it easier for everyone from trolls to Hollywood producers to sue you. …

In recent years, federal courts have made it easier for regular people to defend themselves from frivolous lawsuits by trolls. But the CASE Act would create a separate, industry-friendly system for copyright claims to $30,000, with no option of appeal.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation reported when the legislation was first introduced in 2017 that those pushing for the bill mostly include photographers and other visual artists looking for a cheaper alternative to federal courts to pursue claims, which can be expensive.

But the reality is the CASE Act would significantly lower many of the legal hurdles that protect citizens from overzealous copyright lawyers in a variety of ways, from allowing claims for works that aren’t registered, to the ability to unmask alleged infringers without the same standards as federal courts, the power for the CCB to create its own rules, limited due process for claims below $5,000, and an “opt-out” approach that can be confusing for folks who can’t afford expensive lawyers.

The CASE Act also allows claimants to collect fines without showing actual harm from a copyright violation, and leaves those trapped in the system with little recourse.

“It’s true that federal litigation for small-dollar-value disputes generally isn’t practical. The federal courts impose costly, sometimes unnecessary burdens on nearly all who use them. But much of that expense comes from procedures that promote fairness, established and refined through years of use in all types of cases, not copyright infringement suits alone,” EFF reports.

“Creating a parallel track that allows copyright holders to dispense with those procedures as a privileged category of litigants just doesn’t make sense.”

“It lacks meaningful opt-in consent for all parties, structural safeguards against abuse, and legal accountability through a right of appeal. The bill would allow an unappealable tribunal to assign damages of up to $30,000, or nearly half the income of the average American household. A tribunal with that kind of punitive power must be accountable. The system envisioned by the CASE Act is not,” said Meredith Rose, counsel for Public Knowledge, a public interest nonprofit that promotes open internet.

“Moreover, we are deeply disturbed by the lack of process surrounding the consideration of this bill. The Senate Judiciary Committee passed the bill today without any hearings on its content, and without any opportunities for all stakeholders to voice their concerns. For any bill — let alone one that could drive the average American household into bankruptcy — this lack of transparency is inexcusable.”

The CASE Act is now awaiting a vote before the full Senate.

Read More . . . .

Sunday Comics

Unlikely Duo | Robot Chicken

Bags of cash to be given out to illegal aliens at the border

California Goes Full Communist

• Break our nation's laws and Gavin Marx Newsom will re-distribute your wealth directly to law breakers.
• And the dumb-ass Sheeple of California keep electing Leftists and giving away their wealth.

(KGTV) - Gov. Gavin Newsom’s budget proposal includes a plan to set aside funding for San Diego-based nonprofit groups and other community organizations that are helping migrant families as they arrive at California’s border.

According to the Los Angeles Times , the governor’s plan calls for $20 million to be allocated to migrant services and immigration rapid response programs. If approved, the funding would begin July 2019 and continue for the next three years.

Additionally, Newsom is asking that $5 million be available to address immigration-related emergencies that may occur during the 2018-19 fiscal year.

The LA Times reported a good percentage of the state funding would go to San Diego groups -- collectively known as the San Diego Rapid Response Network -- that provide aid and shelter for asylum-seeking migrants that are allowed legal entry into the U.S. but are then released into the community as they await asylum proceedings.

Many local groups have asked for more help in recent weeks, as thousands of migrants make their way to the border to seek asylum in the U.S.

Earlier this month, the groups’ leaders took the issue directly to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, and the board voted in favor of putting a plan in place to address the problem.

The governor’s budget proposal also includes a $260 million expansion of Medi-Cal that would provide health coverage for migrants who are young adults and lack legal status in the U.S.

Read More . . . .

Saturday Sultress - Jaclyn Swedberg

Jaclyn Swedberg is a model best known as the 2012 Playboy Playmate of the Year. She has also done a lot of screen work through the Playboy channel.

She grew up in Chino Hills, California and graduated Chino Hills High School in 2008.

She made her film debut in the 2015 horror film Muck and is set to star in the film's sequel in 2016.