by Rick Osmon for The Hollow Earth Insider 2/2/2013
An acquaintance reminded me of this the other day. I read it years ago while looking into the history of the Civilian Marksmanship Program, which was a direct outgrowth of the Dick Act aka the Militia Act of 1903. By Acts of Congress established a three level defense for our nation and provided a legal boundary of national, state, and private citizen militia where the national command authority had control over the Army, Navy, and Marines. There was not yet an Air Force and the Coast Guard then was part of the Treasury Department. The President could call up the National Guard for self defense purposes, but could not order their deployment overseas. The governors could call up the National Guard for emergencies inside their state. The Governors could also call up the unorganized militia, but the President could not. That’s right, the Militia Act of 1903 established by law provisions for an “unorganized militia” in each of the various states. The act also provided for arms and armories for both the National Guard and the unorganized militias. The states had the choice Read more
I was recently drawn into an online discussion about the meaning of the 2nd Amendment, that it was intended to protect the people, the various States, and the United States from domestic tyrants as well as foreign invaders as well as personal, family, and property protection for the individual. The “discussion” morphed into a debate with rather stereotypical “for and against” and stereotypical name calling (for=me, Rhonda, and Max, and against=Sheeple, Maddag, and Charlie. Of course, those are not their full names). Read more
In the past few years, the use of drones both domestically and internationally has increased in astonishing numbers. The unmanned craft are used to bomb targets in war and secure America’s borders, but now they are getting much needed attention by the Pentagon.
Japan mulls US spy drones for marine surveillance: report
by Staff Writers
Tokyo (AFP) Dec 31, 2012
Japan is considering introducing US spy drones to boost surveillance of its territorial waters near islands in the East China Sea at the centre of a bitter dispute with Beijing, Kyodo News said Monday.
The Japanese defence ministry hopes to introduce the unmanned Global Hawk aircraft by 2015 “in a bid to counter China’s growing assertiveness at sea, especially when it comes to the Senkaku Islands”, the news agency said, citing unnamed government officials. . . . Read Complete Report
A Japanese security company plans to rent out a private drone that takes off when intruder alarms are tripped and records footage of break-ins as they happen, a spokeswoman said Thursday.
The helicopter-like device is equipped with a small surveillance camera that can transmit live pictures of a crime taking place. . . . Read Complete Report
by Staff Writers
Algiers, Algeria (UPI) Jan 2, 2012
U.S. intelligence, alarmed at the emergence of a jihadist sanctuary in northern Mali, is considering providing Algeria, the military heavyweight in North Africa, with a surveillance satellite to monitor al-Qaida operations in the Sahara region.
The plan, reported by the Intelligence Online website, appears to be part of a growing U.S. effort to bolster regional military forces arrayed against the jihadist fighters who have controlled northern Mali since spring 2012, without committing U.S. forces to yet another foreign conflict. . . . Read Complete Report
Pentagon to sell spy drones for $1.2bln to South Korea
by Staff Writers
Moscow (Voice of Russia) Dec 26, 2012
The Pentagon is going to sell four of the Block 30 versions of the Global Hawk high-altitude spy drones to South Korea, of which the US Department of Defense has informed Congress recently. . . . Read Complete Report
Seoul says has other drone options than Global Hawks
by Staff Writers
Seoul (AFP) Dec 26, 2012
South Korea is not necessarily committed to buying US Global Hawk surveillance drones, a spokesman said Wednesday, after the Pentagon requested congressional permission for such a sale.
Seoul’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said it would decide early next year whether to buy the high-altitude unmanned aerial vehicles made by Northrop Grumman that have come with a higher than expected price tag, at $1.2 billion for four of the drones. . . . Read Complete Report
Elbit Systems Israel Ministry of Defense Approximately $315 Million
by Staff Writers
Haifa, Israel (SPX) Jan 02, 2013
EXCERPTS
. . . “The new contracts relate to a variety of the Company’s fields of activity and include Unmanned Systems,” . . .
… “Unmanned Systems: Hermes 900 Unmanned Aircraft Systems (“UAS”) to be supplied within three years, as well as maintenance services for UAS over a period of eight years, in a total value of approximately $90 million.” . . . Read Complete Report
Although experts say that the world will not end of Dec. 21, 2012, and the Mayan calendar does not predict such an event, many around the world are panicking as the date draws near.
According to The Telegraph, from the United States to Russia, people have begun preparing for the day they believe a catastrophic event will take place and destroy the earth. . . . Read Complete Report
BUENOS AIRES—As mountaintops go, this one is for meditating. And the odd UFO sighting. But now it is closing for a few days to avert a mass suicide by folks girding for the world’s end.
That doomsday is indeed upon us—with Christmas just around the corner, heaven forbid—is one gloomy interpretation of a Mayan India calendar.
To wit, Dec. 21 marks the end of a 5,200-year cycle on the Mayan “Long Count” calendar.
It’s a cause for celebration for many in Mexico and Central America, but spells doomsday for some believers. . . . Read Complete Report
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French ‘end of the world’ village plans quiet night in
Journalists from South Korea report from Bugarach, one of the few places on Earth some believe will be spared when the world ends on 21 December, according to an interpretation of the Mayan calendar. Photograph: Eric Cabanis/AFP/Getty Images
A Japanese inventor created a giant, Mech-like robot controlled from within. The machine, called Kuratas, stands thirteen feet tall and is capable of speeds of up to six miles per hour. (November 28, 2012) . . . Posted with video on youtube
The Korean Institute of Science and Technology had the very good (read “terrible”) idea of giving a very sharp kitchen knife to a robot and teaching it how to use it. . . . Read Complete Report
Here is a GREAT Report from Live Science that I somehow missed back in February. It definesperfectly what we are following in our “Robot becomes Human” research. Sorry it took so long guys, but at least it’s now in our research archive. Highly recommended. . . EDITOR
Real robot names such as Roomba and Asimo don’t evoke as much fear as the fictional “Terminator.” But consider that Roomba, the automated vacuum cleaner, is manufactured by iRobot, creator also of armed robot warriors for the U.S. military. And Asimo represents just the first wave of an incoming tsunami of robots that strive to look and act eerily human.
It goes beyond automated vacuums and mildly entertaining dance-bots. Japan and Korea plan to deploy humanoid robots to care for the elderly, while the United States already fields thousands of robot warriors on the modern battlefield. Meanwhile, plenty of people have enhanced their bodies technologically in ways that bring them closer to their robotic brethren.
So it’s OK to become a bit of a paranoid android, because many experts say that the robotic future is rapidly approaching . . . Read Complete Report
Photo: When scientists at the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology were looking for a face for their “HUBO” (Humanoid Robot), they chose to resurrect the most recognizable in the world: Albert Einstein. Source: “Mac” atWikimedia Commons(copyleft licensedCC Attribution 2.5).
July 1, 2008 — Engineers built humanoid robots that can recognize objects by color by processing information from a camera mounted on the robot’s head. The robots are programmed to play soccer, with the intention of creating a team of fully autonomous humanoid robots able to compete against a championship human team by 2050. They have also designed tiny robots to mimic the communicative “waggle dance” of bees. . . . Read Complete Report
ACTA is the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. A new intellectual property enforcement treaty being negotiated by the United States, the European Community, Switzerland, Japan, Australia, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Mexico, Jordan, Morocco, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and Canada.
Why should you care about ACTA?
Initial reports indicate that the treaty will have a very broad scope and will involve new tools targeting “Internet distribution and information technology.”
What is the goal of ACTA?
Reportedly the goal is to create new legal standards of intellectual property enforcement, as well as increased international cooperation, an example of which would be an increase in information sharing between signatory countries’ law enforcement agencies.
