California Leads the Way to Banning Grand Juries

Image by Elizabeth Brossa on Flickr

California is the first state to ban grand jury protocol in incidents of police killings. California’s new law, signed by Governor Jerry Brown on August 11, is in response to the distrust people have of the grand jury system, following the deaths of unarmed black men across the country. Even when it’s clear police officers may have committed murder, grand juries fail to indict.

Bernie Sanders, No Other Presidential Candidate, Is the Champion for Everyday Americans

Image from Bernie Sander’s FB page

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders trails Hillary Clinton by a close margin. In the polls, Sanders beats Donald Trump. He attracts huge crowds at each of his rallies. Clinton says, “Everyday Americans need a champion. And I want to be that champion.” But it’s not Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, or any other candidate who is the champion for everyday Americans, only Bernie Sanders.

It’s a significant accomplishment for a democratic socialist.

Stephen Hawking Et Al Call for an International Ban on Killer Robots

The sentry robot in action in Cheonan,
92 kms south of Seoul. Getty Images 

Along the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea, the South Korean military deployed SGR-A1 Sentry Guard Robots to replace human sentries. The SGR-A1 sentry needs a human operator to fire its weapon. But in time, weaponized autonomous ‘killer robots’ -- self-directed, no human operator -- will replace soldiers along the DMZ as well as soldiers, marines, and sailors in military units worldwide.