If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The Washington state Republicans may be working hard – but the Washington State Secretary appears to be working harder. The goal here that’s hoped to be achieved: the former to rein in the use of “AI” tech to surveil and quite possibly censor social media users ahead of elections – the latter‚ to make sure that tech does indeed get used. Last spring‚ Washington State Secretary Steve Hobbs’ office struck a $273‚000 deal with UK’s private company Logically to‚ as reports put it at the time‚ “scour” the web‚ “refute” misinformation‚ and just in general‚ “respond‚” real-time‚ to what the authorities decide is misinformation and disinformation. Hobbs‚ a Democrat‚ naturally denied there was anything wrong with this‚ and the crux of the argument was that social media posts are “public” after all – apparently ignoring the point of the complaints‚ which is do you then use or abuse whatever these public posts are saying – to silence legitimate speech? It’s almost a year on and nothing has changed. If anything‚ things are heating up with the primaries in the US‚ leading up to the presidential election. Hobbs was not shy to share with the media how his office is now “an AI-armed force against disinformation.” The doubling down on censorship‚ at this stage of the “proceedings” in the US‚ regarding both the behavior of almost all major social media‚ and the political trends‚ could be a sign of two things: somebody’s inability to read the room‚ or just desperation. Hobbs has recently spoken for Crosscut to reveal that in his state‚ July or August is when national conventions take players for both political parties (in the US‚ there’s only two of any influence.) To Europeans‚ and many others around the world‚ this might sound positively crazy. But not for the people we’re talking about. But that’s what makes it so important for the rest of the world to understand what goes on in those US (two-party) primaries. In Washington state‚ for example‚ the primaries will be held in March. Here’s Hobbs’ take on the situation‚ as of late February – Biden is winning his constituency vote – but the apparent front-runner on the Republican side‚ is again‚ Donald Trump. And now – “what do we do?” “We (WA Democrats) also use a third-party vendor called Logically that scans social media and looks at the trends out there‚” Hoggs told the world just this week. And that’s in this (Hobbs) context: “So for example‚ we’ll get a report and it says these are the trends about elections‚ these are the messages that are being talked about. So far‚ nothing big‚ right? But I’m sure that could happen as we go into 2024. Because you have misinformation generated not just at the local level‚ but you also have misinformation generated from adversarial state actors‚ like Russia would be an example of a country that does that.” Alright then‚ Hobbs. The post WA Secretary of State Hobbs‚ Despite Ethics Complaints‚ Boasts Using AI To Surveil Social Media appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

Bill to Recriminalize Drug Use Moves Forward in Oregon

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Imagine walking into a Dollar General‚ only to find a stray dog wandering the aisles. This is the start of a heartwarming story of unexpected friendship that bloomed in the most ordinary of places. The dog‚ all smiles and tail wags‚ brought a unique kind of joy to everyone she met‚ proving she was anything... The post Man finds stray dog running loose in Dollar General and quickly jumps to help her appeared first on Animal Channel.

Pit bulls and their mixes often find themselves at the center of controversy‚ labeled as dangerous and aggressive by many. This stereotype stems from a minority of pit bulls raised in harsh environments for fighting or guarding‚ casting a shadow over the breed’s true nature. Contrary to popular belief‚ the majority of these dogs are... The post Scared pitties huddle together in shelter after owner leaves them with ‘no explanation’ appeared first on Animal Channel.

The post According to Science‚ Here Are the 20 Cutest Dog Breeds appeared first on Animal Channel.

A lawmaker used an MRC Free Speech America bombshell to imply that an embattled Biden cabinet member is financially accountable for violations of the First Amendment. During a mark-up hearing of the Censorship Accountability Act‚ Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY) on Thursday invoked Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’s name — the first cabinet member to be impeached by the House of Representatives since 1876 — to explain how the bill would protect Americans whose First Amendment rights have been violated by his actions. Hageman said the bill seeks to “fundamentally change the mentality” of federal agencies‚ including DHS‚ that use their powers to block people from engaging in free speech. “It is a philosophical view of those who of us who drafted this that we do not believe that the federal government or agencies from top to bottom should be engaging in censorship‚” she continued. Among the number of examples of DHS’s tyrannical actions cited by Hageman included the agency’s deliberate targeting of Christians‚ conservatives and Republicans through the Biden administration’s Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention‚ which MRC first exposed in a bombshell report published May 25. You May Also Like! How Biden’s DHS Is Weaponizing an Anti-Terror Program Against Christians‚ Conservatives &; the GOP “Another example was when we had Mr. Mayorkas testify in front of us. I put up on the screen the pyramid that came out of the university that was receiving federal funds likening conservatives Republicans to Nazis‚” Hageman said‚ referring to a previous hearing where she went after Mayorkas over what MRC uncovered. During a July 26‚ 2023 hearing‚ Hageman pressed Mayorkas over MRC’s findings revealing that his federal agency granted $352‚109 in fiscal year 2022 to the University of Dayton‚ which in its grant application used an infamous seminar where self-proclaimed Antifa member Professor Michael Loadenthal presented the “Pyramid of Far-Right Radicalization.” In response‚ Mayorkas said: “I learned about the individual speakers’ comments‚ with which I profoundly disagree.” (Related: Rep. Hageman Corners DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Free Speech Using MRC Research) Despite Mayorkas’s concessions‚ Hageman warned that the people targeted in the pyramid “have no recourse” to challenge these programs. The Heritage Foundation‚ Fox News‚ the Republican National Committee‚ the Christian Broadcasting Network‚ Breitbart and PragerU were among the targeted groups. If passed‚ the Censorship Accountability Act would give a legal track to Americans to hold executive branch employees accountable for potential First Amendment violations.  “Under current law‚ the bureaucrats that have been empowered to silence us and restrict our rights are personally and entirely unaccountable‚” Hageman said in a July 26 press statement. “By providing for the right to file suit against federal employees who violate the First Amendment‚ this legislation will ensure that individuals within the executive branch are no longer able to censor with impunity.” Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency‚ clarity on hate speech and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored‚ contact us using CensorTrack’s contact form‚ and help us hold Big Tech accountable.

Last week on MSNBC’s All In‚ Politico investigative correspondent Heidi Przybyla publicly displayed her lack of knowledge of the American Founding by stating that Natural Law did not originate from a higher power. Clearly ignoring essentially every founding document of the U.S. Additionally‚ she falsely assumed that Christian Nationalists were the only subset of Christianity that derived their belief in Natural Rights from a Creator. This spectacular picture of ignorance prompted the presidents of the Family Research Center and the Catholic Vote to send a response letter to Politico demanding an apology from both Przybyla and the news outlet itself. NewsBusters' associate editor‚ Nicholas Fondacaro‚ covered this story last week‚ notably reporting how embarrassing it was that Politico’s “democracy investigator” couldn’t seem to recall that the most popular founding document declaring Natural Rights asserts in its second paragraph: “We hold these truths to be self-evident‚ that all men are created equal‚ that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights…” The letter from FRC’s Tony Perkins and the Catholic vote’s Brian Burch also referenced the Declaration of Independence in objection of Przybyla’s statements‚ writing: [Przybyla] not once acknowledging that our own Republic was founded on the belief that our rights come from God‚ not earthly kings or government. This understanding of the origin of human rights is clearly articulated in the Declaration of Independence. It is indeed bold of Przybyla to admit that she didn’t know anything about the connection between Christianity and America’s founding. Yet it was even bolder to claim that Christian Nationalists were the only Christians whose faith influences their perception of politics‚ and to also assume that other Christian groups who weren’t “extremists” would agree with her false reports.  Both Presidents of these Christian‚ conservative organizations were extremely concerned with the potential violence against Judeo-Christian groups as a result of Przybyla’s inaccuracy. “Comments like Ms. Przybyla’s can and often do have life and death consequences for faith communities‚” they wrote‚ citing the statistics of increasing attacks against places of worship: In 2023‚ American places of worship experienced more than double the amount of violence than the year prior‚ according to a recent report on hostility against U.S. churches. Last year‚ a shooter targeted a Christian day school in Nashville‚ killing three nine-year-old students and three staff. Since May 2020‚ Catholic churches have endured more than 400 attacks – from having rocks and bricks thrown through their windows to arson‚ firebombing‚ and a growing number of incidents involving property defacement and destruction resulting in tens of millions of dollars in damages. The violence against these churches was purported by such false and exaggerative language used by Przybyla. Specifically addressing Przybyla’s history of sparking anti-Christian ideas‚ the organizations wrote: Ms. Przybyla’s statements are representative of a consistent pattern of singling out Christian organizations and individuals‚ as evidenced by her recent articles targeting efforts to support a Catholic school and her selective interpretation of sources to advance an anti-Christian ideological agenda. To further highlight this point‚ the letter used the example of increasing anti-Semitism in the U.S. to explain how influential public platforms like social media and news organizations can be to spread propaganda.  The last paragraph of the letter called for an apology from Przybyla and Politico to the religious communities they have offended‚ reemphasizing that “Rhetoric like Ms. Przybyla’s‚ which demonizes religious groups‚ is profoundly dangerous. It can motivate disturbed individuals who may be predisposed to commit violence against faith communities.” To read the full letter‚ click here.

The sheriff of the Georgia county where 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley was murdered last week — allegedly by an illegal immigrant from Venezuela who had multiple interactions with law enforcement in the U.S. — once pledged not to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers if elected to office.In 2020‚ John Williams was a sergeant with the Athens-Clarke County Police Department running to become county sheriff. He sat down for an interview with Athens Politics Nerd to discuss his vision for law enforcement in the area. During the interview‚ Williams criticized ICE detainers‚ suggesting that they create an unnecessary "culture of fear.""A lot of law enforcement is based around community support‚" Williams said. "... Building relationships is key. And if we're antagonizing people because they are‚ what‚ undocumented or underdocumented‚ then they built that fear in them‚ and they're not likely to come to us‚ not only when we need their help‚ but when they need our help."For instance‚ he said‚ victims of domestic violence may hesitate to come forward and report abuse if they believe that an arrest might result in someone "being taken to jail and thus deported and breaking apart families." Williams insisted that he had no "intention" of cooperating "with those detainers" or of conducting "any types of roundups" or any other police tactics that "contribute to that culture of fear." "Are there situations that might call for someone to be deported? Yes‚ but that's not for the sheriff's department to decide‚" he stated.The full interview can be seen below. The discussion about ICE detainers begins around the 7:25 mark. Throughout the interview‚ Williams drops hints that he takes a softer approach to law enforcement. He mentions that he wants to train his deputies in "emotional intelligence" so that they don't engage in any form of policing based on their "biases." He also referenced President Barack Obama's Task Force on 21st Century Policing‚ indicating that the task force developed ideas that would foster better relationships between police and residents. The task force's final report‚ issued in May 2015‚ encourages police to take "a comprehensive and inclusive look at community-based initiatives that address core issues such as poverty‚ education‚ and health and safety."Despite Williams' concerns about potential police "biases‚" his bio on the sheriff's office website suggests he harbors personal biases as well and has a significant preoccupation with identity politics vis-a-vis law enforcement. In it‚ he claims that "the overwhelmingly white police force" in his hometown of Gary‚ Indiana‚ "was often apathetic towards the problems that faced the majority-minority population." This racial disparity then led him to strive "to be an officer that truly treats everyone equally regardless of traits like race‚ ethnicity‚ or citizenship‚" it said (emphasis added).Williams did not respond to Blaze News' request for comment.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!