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Hear Cornel West on Obama: ‘A Drone Presidency’ (Video)
TIME Staff / Oct. 6, 2014
The activist on why he couldn't vote for Barack Obama in 2012
In an interview with Time for 10 Questions, Cornel West says he didn’t even vote in 2012. “I couldn’t vote for a war criminal,” he said, calling President Obama’s administration “a Wall Street presidency, a drone presidency, a national surveillance presidency, that violates rights and liberties.”
http://time.com/3475306/hear-cornel-wes ... residency/
San Francisco Drone Maker Unveils Smartphone-Controlled Drone That Folds Up Into Pocket Size
by Carlos E. Castaneda
October 13, 2014 1:49 PM
http://player.vimeo.com/video/107199427
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/1 ... le-rotors/
October 21, 2014 16:12
Combat robots to protect Russian oil and gas infrastructure in Arctic - Foundation
MOSCOW. Oct 21 (Interfax-AVN) - Undersea combat robots will be protecting Russian oilrigs and transportation networks in the Arctic region at some point, Deputy General Director of the Russian Foundation for Advanced Research Projects, Chairman of the Foundation's Scientific and Technological Board Vitaly Davydov told Interfax-AVN.
"The Foundation is not designing robotic sharks but it is working on undersea robots and autonomous gadgets capable of protecting infrastructure, controlling the waters and detecting, tracking and, if necessary, destroying a potential enemy. The prospective machinery may be deployed on the sea bottom and specialized submersibles," he said.
So far, the Foundation is focused not so much on defense issues as on mineral development projects, Davydov said.
"The rivalry in this region will be centered on its natural resources. A key task to be solved in the Arctic is access to mineral resources, first and foremost, hydrocarbons. This goal can be achieved through the completion of numerous tasks in the discovery, production and transportation of resources, sub-glacial operations and infrastructural security. This is the target of the Foundation's research programs," he said.
Te ap
(Our editorial staff can be reached at eng.editors@interfax.ru)
http://www.interfax.com/newsinf.asp?id=545385
Minister of Defence Ine Eriksen Søreide under fire about new autonomous missile technology. Photo: Torstein Bøe / NTB scanpix
Norway's 'killer robot' technology under fire
Published: 23 Oct 2014 11:28 GMT+02:00
Updated: 23 Oct 2014 11:28 GMT+02:00
The Norwegian government is set to develop a new controversial robot-controlled missile for its fighter jets, but faces opposition from MPs and peace organizations claiming the technology may break international law.
•Bergen Prize won by teenage anti-extremist (16 Oct 14)
•Norway commits military staff in fight against Isis (26 Sep 14)
•'Norway can stop drone war': UN advisor (25 Sep 14)
The partially autonomously controlled missiles, or so-called "killer robots", will be used for airborne strikes for its new fighter jets and have the ability to identify targets and make decisions to kill without human interference.
The Norwegian Peace League, for one, believe the technology may violate international law, wanting a parliamentary debate about the move.
Alexander Harang of the Norwegian Peace League (Norges Fredslag) demands discussion . He is also a member for the international “Campaign to stop killer robots”.
Norway is one of many countries developing weapons that can operate without human control or surveillance.
The technology raises moral questions, such as what happens when the human is removed from the battle field and machines are left to do the job? Or who will be responsible if the weapon makes mistakes or performs attacks violating international law?
Harang believes that a discussion is highly relevant before final development of Joint Strike Missiles (JSM) made by Norway's Kongsberg Gruppen. These missiles will be part of the weaponry of the Norwegian Armed Forces’ new fighter jet plane, the Joint Strike Fighter.
The peace activist also believes it is important to introduce guidelines for such weapons before their development goes too far.
Harang said he contacted all the political parties this spring in order to get a debate in Parliament on the potential consequences based on international law in developing more autonomously controlled weapons. This was after the government decided Kongsberg Gruppen would get 2.2 billion kroner ($330 million) more in order to develop the missile.
Such a debate never took place.
Christof Heyns, a UN special investigator, is also concerned about such weapons of the future.
Heyns said: “We have seen during the last decade that the distance between the soldier and the target increase. But what we see now is that the weapon becomes the warrior.”
“Norway is a large exporter of weapons. This makes us have to be extra attentive to ethical discussions,” he said.
Kongsberg Gruppen is developing the JSM on order from the Norwegian Armed Forces.
Ronny Lie, communications director at Kongsberg Gruppen, wrote in an email to NTB: “Remotely controlled solutions for demanding civilian and military tasks have become increasingly more important during the last years. The Norwegian high-tech industry needs to join this development.”
Lie stated his company follows the rules and regulations set by the relevant authorities and that it is not in their mandate to consider any challenges related to international law.
Minister of Defence for Norway, Ine Eriksen Søreide, believes it will serve no purpose to introduce a temporary ban on developing deadly robots.
MP Kåre Simensen challenged Søreide as to what Norway should do when new weapon technology challenges international law.
Søreide replied: “No technology has currently been developed that would fall in under such a situation.”
Søreide agreed that a greater degree of military robotization would raise complex questions. However she rejected suggestion from Christof Heyns to introduce a temporary prohibition against the development of deadly robots until new rules had been established.
The Minister of Defence assured her critics Norway adheres to the rules in place from UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW).
http://www.thelocal.no/20141023/norways ... under-fire
Primary Sources: New Documents on US Citizen Killed in CIA Drone Strike
By Jason Leopold
November 4, 2014 | 3:00 pm
The FBI has released another set of documents on Samir Khan, the Charlotte, North Carolina man who blogged about jihad, went on to edit Al-Qaeda's official magazine Inspire, and was killed in a 2011 CIA drone strike in Yemen along with the radical preacher Anwar Al-Awlaki.
In September, VICE News reported on the first set of documents on Khan the FBI turned over in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. Those documents indicated that the FBI began its probe of Khan in 2006 based entirely on what the bureau referred to as "jihadist" blog posts to Inshallahshaheed, an Arabic phrase that means "Martyr, God willing." It is extremely rare for files on accused terrorists to be released by the government; historically, they have remained classified.
An exclusive look inside the FBI's files on the US citizen who edited al Qaeda's official magazine. Read more here.
The latest batch of heavily redacted investigative files reveal that the bureau had grown increasingly concerned over Khan's anti-American screeds posted to his blog and determined he was a serious threat.
"Charlotte Division [redacted] to determine Samir Khan's threat potential based on his online and anti-US and jihad rhetoric," says a December 11, 2007 FBI file. "Samir Khan continues to post blogs on the internet which advocate and encourage violence. Given the totality of these indicators, Charlotte consider Samir Zafar Khan a threat."
The bureau also singled out an interview Khan gave to the New York Times in October 2007 as evidence of his Islamic radicalism. In November 2007, according to one file, a special agent at the FBI's Charlotte field office requested permission to monitor Khan via closed-circuit television (CCTV).
"Authority is requested to utilize CCTV coverage of an exterior public area or an interior common area where no reasonable expectation of privacy exists," the agent wrote. "No SOUND authority is being requested. There will be remote monitoring in that the camera will not be physically held by an Agent or consenting party. No consenting party is required to be in the area to be viewed for this CCTV-NO SOUND authority."
The agent added that because Khan was the subject of a criminal investigation "the provisions of the Attorney General's Guidelines for Foreign Intelligence and Foreign Counterintelligence investigations do not apply." In other words, the agent argued, because there would not be a reasonable expectation of privacy in the area of surveillance, the bureau did not need to secure a warrant from a special surveillance court.
Inside 'Black Dart,' the US military's war on drones. Read more here.
Although the 250 pages of documents reveal that Khan was under heavy surveillance and the FBI had cultivated confidential sources who provided information to FBI agents about Khan, he somehow managed to flee the US in 2009 and travel to Yemen undetected.
The FBI withheld more than 700 pages of documents on Khan on national security grounds and other exemptions. The files were maintained in an investigative file in the FBI's Charlotte field office.
Join Code Pink and Col Ann Wright Drone Protest at Creech AFB, Nov. 9-15, Where the U.S. military does the dirty targeted killing for the CIA
please contact:
Toby Blome ratherbenyckeling@comcast.net
elfismiles » 25 Sep 2014 20:56 wrote:
Flying LampshadeBots Come Alive in Cirque du Soleil Performance
By Evan Ackerman
Posted 23 Sep 2014 | 14:50 GMT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C8OJsHfmpI
http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robo ... -du-soleil
Iamwhomiam » 08 Nov 2014 03:41 wrote:A local Peace blog published this on November 3rd:Join Code Pink and Col Ann Wright Drone Protest at Creech AFB, Nov. 9-15, Where the U.S. military does the dirty targeted killing for the CIA
please contact:
Toby Blome ratherbenyckeling@comcast.netMahai’a and her father Mauro Oliveira singing Lakota songs right before their arrest at Beale Air Force Base on October 28, 2014
By Mauro Oliveira
10/28/2014
<snip>
http://blog.timesunion.com/wagingpeace/father-and-daughter-arrested-protesting-worlds-most-hated-weapon-guest-post-by-mauro-olivera/6373/
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