Editors’ Picks for Dec 8
Feds Freeze Bank Accounts of Drone Whistleblowers, The Bureaucracy of ISIS, The (Misleading) Poll Used for Trump’s Muslim Ban, And More Picks
PICKS are stories from many sources, selected by our editors or recommended by our readers because they are important, surprising, troubling, enlightening, inspiring, or amusing. They appear on our site and in our daily newsletter. Please send suggested articles, videos, podcasts, etc. to picks@whowhatwhy.org.
Did Former Drone Pilots turned Whistleblowers have Bank Accounts and Credit Cards Frozen by Feds? (Reader Pat)
Michael Haas, Brandon Bryant, Cian Westmoreland and Stephen Lewis, who served as drone operators in the US Air Force, have gone public with detailed accounts of the widespread corruption and institutionalized indifference to civilian casualties that characterize the program.
Now, strangely, their bank accounts and credit cards have been frozen. Wonder why…
The State Within the Islamic State (Reader Pat)
Ever wonder how bureaucracy works in a caliphate? The Guardian has obtained the ISIS manual, ‘Principles in the Administration of the Islamic State’, which highlights how ISIS “has managed to set itself apart as the richest and most destabilising jihadi group of the past 50 years.”
Islamophobic Organization’s Misleading Poll Used To Justify Trump’s Call To Ban Muslims From America (Trevin)
The poll was done by Washington Times columnist Frank Gaffney’s Center for Security Policy. Gaffney has been called a “notorious Islamaphobe” and the poll’s questionable methodology has been dismissed by experts.
Tamir Rice: Hands in Pockets (Trevin)
The 12-year old “did not have enough time to remove his hands from his pockets before being shot, and his hands weren’t visible to the officer.”
Family of Sandy Hook Victim Suffers Through Cyber Threats (Klaus)
The family of a teacher who was killed during the Sandy Hook shooting is being terrorized online by people who believe the massacre was a false flag operation.
British Panel Recommends Getting Christianity Out of Public Life (Klaus)
A British commission on the place of religion in public life has recommended to “de-Christianize” the country. The panel, which had been working for two years, noted, for example, that faith-based schools are “divisive.”
Distrust—But Verify (Gerry)
The International Atomic Energy Agency has green-lighted the Iran nuclear deal on the basis of that country’s compliance (albeit minimal) with disclosure requirements. The IAEA deemed Iran less than forthcoming about its past nuclear programs, but found no reason to halt the far-reaching agreement – under which Iran must severely restrict its nuclear-development activities in exchange for relief from Western-imposed economic sanctions.
