Congress Passes Bill to Open US Skies to Unmanned Drone Flights

 The Qube fits in the trunk of a car and is controlled remotely by a tablet computer.[1]

(AP) A bill to speed the nation’s switch from radar to an air traffic control system based on GPS technology, and to open U.S. skies to unmanned drone flights within four years, received final congressional approval Monday.

The bill passed the Senate 75-20, despite labor opposition to a deal cut between the Democratic-controlled Senate and the Republican-controlled House on rules governing union organizing elections at airlines and railroads. The House had passed the bill last week, and it now goes to President Barack Obama for his signature.

The bill is “the best news that the airline industry ever had,” Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., said. “It will take us into a new era.”

The FAA is also required under the bill to provide military, commercial and privately-owned drones with expanded access to U.S. airspace currently reserved for manned aircraft by Sept. 30, 2015. That means permitting unmanned drones controlled by remote operators on the ground to fly in the same airspace as airliners, cargo planes, business jets and private aircraft.

Currently, the FAA restricts drone use primarily to segregated blocks of military airspace, border patrols and about 300 public agencies and their private partners. Those public agencies are mainly restricted to flying small unmanned aircraft at low altitudes away from airports and urban centers.

~Condensed version of the article. To read the full article, continue reading.

White House Outlines Plan Against 'Homegrown' Extremist Threats

(Voice of America) The Obama administration on Thursday released an implementation plan for intensified efforts to counter so-called "homegrown" violent extremism in the United States.

The 20-page report is called the Strategic Implementation Plan for Empowering Local Partners to Prevent Violent Extremism in the United States.  It describes specific steps to strengthen and expand cooperation with officials in communities across the country that might be targeted by violent extremists.

President Barack Obama signed off on the overall national strategy to fight violent extremism last August.  The implementation plan comes six months after a broader National Strategy for Counterterrorism that discussed threats from al-Qaida followers, who it noted sometimes are U.S. citizens, engaged in terrorism such as the 2009 shootings at the Fort Hood, Texas military base.

The implementation plan says countering violent extremism and terrorism inspired by al-Qaida, its affiliates and its adherents is a top priority.  It notes that other forms of violent extremism will not be ignored, and mentions as an example the attacks in Norway in July, saying, "free societies face threats from a range of violent extremists."

The plan lists steps to identify communities that might be targeted by violent extremists for recruitment and radicalization, and links them with federal, state and local anti-terrorism efforts.  A task force of senior officials from across government is to support the plan, along with more analysis to be shared by those needing it, and increased training for law enforcement officials.

The plan also emphasizes the importance of countering what it calls violent extremist "propaganda" and increasing the capacity of communities to "directly challenge violent extremist ideologies and narratives."

It commits the government to expand efforts to raise public awareness about radicalization, including regular briefings to Congress, research organizations and the media, and an Internet website as part of a comprehensive strategy to counter and prevent "violent extremist online radicalization." (Read more)

Public Surveillance: "Can you hear me now?"

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange speaks to journalists and students at a press conference at City University London on December 1, 2011. Mr Assange spoke about the ongoing investigation of surveillance software companies and their alleged use by governments around the world to intercept the population.


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The spy files are discussed by RT News claiming that there are 287 documents prepared for release, and they describe mass surveillance on a global scale in an industry that isn't regulated.

(YouTube link)

Could explain my my emails aren't being sent out!