A lot’s happened over our holiday break, we’ll round up the critical revelations in the NSA spying programs, and the major legal challenges the NSA is facing.

Then: On January 1st 2014 recreational cannabis stores open their doors in Colorado, and sparked interest around the world. We’ll check in on the first few days of making history.

Now the national debate has started, and the pundits take to the air to weigh in, but their analysis misses the target.

Plus live calls, our follow up, and much much more.

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— Show Notes —

NSA is CRAZY

• Senator presses NSA to reveal whether it spies on members of Congress | World news | theguardian.com

Sanders, in a letter dated 3 January, defined “spying” as “gathering metadata on calls made from official or personal phones, content from websites visited or emails sent, or collecting any other data from a third party not made available to the general public in the regular course of business”.

• NSA exploring alternatives to holding database of domestic phone records

The NSA’s director, Gen. Keith Alexander, told the advisory panel, the Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies, that the “NSA itself has seriously considered moving to a model in which the data are held by the private sector.” But, according to a review group member, Alexander told the group that “no one else wanted it — especially not the phone companies.” Alexander, the member said, “described it as a ‘bit of a hot potato.’ ”

• ACLU will appeal ruling that NSA bulk phone record collection is legal

As expected, on Thursday the ACLU filed notice that it will appeal Pauley’s decision before the second circuit court of appeals. The civil liberties group said in a statement that it anticipates making its case before the appellate court in the spring.

“The government has a legitimate interest in tracking the associations of suspected terrorists, but tracking those associations does not require the government to subject every citizen to permanent surveillance,” deputy ACLU legal director Jameel Jaffer said in the statement.

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Devil Weed Takes Root in America

• Colorado Recreational Marijuana Sales Exceed $5 Million In First Week

Owners of the 37 new dispensaries around the state reported first week retail sales to The Huffington Post that, when added together, were roughly $5 million.

Prices also were boosted by the state’s 25 percent tax on retail purchases, including a 15 percent excise tax and a 10 percent sales tax. Voters approved the levy in November. Local taxes can add more to what customers pay.

• Colorado is running low on (legal) marijuana – The Margin – MarketWatch

Six days after sales became legal, stores are rationing how much they sell, and a company that makes cannabis-infused sparkling fruit drinks, chocolates, mints and more ran out of supplies in just three days, Denver’s local ABC affiliate reported. Among retailers, Lodo Wellness Center in downtown Denver, for example, is limiting customers to an eighth of an ounce, or one-eighth of what they can legally buy, it said.

The ArcView Group, which matches marijuana entrepreneurs and investors, has estimated the legalized pot market in the U.S. could reach $10.2 billion over the next five years, from $1.44 billion last year, as other states join Colorado and Washington in legalizing recreational marijuana use.

The Money Problem

• “People think we all became millionaires,” Ortega said. “But as a business owner, I can’t write anything off for the last three years.”

Still, the federal prohibition means banks won’t accept marijuana businesses for traditional bank accounts, and retailers said they can’t take advantage of traditional business tax writeoffs.

• “Absurd on every single level”: How the feds may be crippling the legal pot industry

Financial institutions don’t want to run afoul of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, which can charge fines of up to $500,000 per transaction for working with companies who sell illegal products. Though Colorado and Washington have been cleared for adult recreational use sales, and 21 states (plus the District of Columbia) have legalized pot for medicinal use, marijuana remains illegal under the federal Controlled Substances Act. Even a state-owned bank, which one Washington lawmaker has proposed, would have to abide by federal banking laws. The discrepancy between state and federal law puts financial institutions at risk of money laundering prosecution, and they want precise assurances before assuming that risk. “They want the safe harbor to be so abundantly clear,” said Rep. Heck.

The irony here is rich. A year ago, British-based bank HSBC was fined $1.9 billion for actual money laundering for Mexican drug cartels, suspected of killing thousands of innocent civilians. HSBC had no problem doing very profitable business with the illegal drug trade, and they basically got away with it, with no criminal prosecution and a paltry fine. But in Washington and Colorado, you have legal businesses operating within state law, and no bank will touch them. “I guess they don’t think we’re big enough dollar-wise for them to risk it,” said Alex Cooley of Solstice. “But it’s crazy, in Washington, Bank of America is the state bank. They’ll take our tax revenue from the state but they won’t take our money.”

The Legalization Trend

• Bill Aims For Tennessee To Legalize Medical Marijuana
• Agencies prepare for new Illinois medical marijuana law
• The Future Of Legal Weed Is Bright. Here’s Where It’s Headed Next

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The post Sky “High” Sales | Unfilter 80 first appeared on Jupiter Broadcasting.

22 homes were evacuated in the state of Arkansas after a portion of an oil pipeline burst leaving tar sand crude oil oozing through the streets. This comes at a critical time for the decision to move ahead with the Keystone XL pipeline.

Then it was once steaming ahead by capitalizing on shocking tragedies, but now the gun debate has faltered in America. We’ll dig into the state of gun control.

Plus a look at the Great British class calculator, Pot bar crackdowns, your feedback, and much much more.

On this week’s episode of, Unfilter.

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-- Show Notes --

Report to Class

People in the UK now fit into seven social classes, a major survey conducted by the BBC suggests.

It says the traditional categories of working, middle and upper class are outdated, fitting 39% of people.

It found a new model of seven social classes ranging from the elite at the top to a \”precariat\” – the poor, precarious proletariat – at the bottom.

More than 161,000 people took part in the Great British Class Survey, the largest study of class in the UK.

• Huge survey reveals seven social classes in UK

• The Great British class calculator: What class are you?

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• Media Reacts: The Easter Bunny\’s Springless Steps – CONAN on TBS – YouTube

Local news anchors can\’t help wonder if economic indicators are to blame for that poor rabbit\’s lackluster step.

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Arkansas Oil Spill

• Exxon pipeline erupts and floods Arkansas town – YouTube

On Friday, 22 homes were evacuated in a community in the state of Arkansas after a portion of an ExxonMobil pipeline burst leaving nearly 10,000 barrels of tar sand crude oil oozing through the streets. Critics of the Keystone XL pipeline say that cases like this will only multiply once the controversial channel is built.

• Arkansas oil spill revives Keystone XL pipeline debate

Residents of Mayflower, Arkansas found pools of crude filling their lawns this weekend

• The Arkansas Oil Spill Photos the Keystone Cabal Doesn\’t Want You to See

• Ark. homes evacuated after oil pipeline spill – YouTube

People living in a small community near Little Rock, Ark., are being forced from their home and may not come back for weeks after an oil pipeline ruptured. Manuel Bojorquez reports.

• Arkansas Oil Spill Raises Scrutiny of Pipeline Network

Environmental groups said the rupture of the Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) pipe on March 29 in Mayflower, Arkansas, shows why Obama should reject Keystone, which would be a major new conduit between the U.S. and Canada for a type of fuel critics say is more corrosive than more conventional forms of oil.

• Pipelines Explained: How Safe are America’s 2.5 Million Miles of Pipelines? – ProPublica
  > The 2.5 million miles of America\’s pipelines suffer hundreds of leaks and ruptures every year, costing lives and money. As existing lines grow older, critics warn that the risk of accidents on those lines will only increase.

While states with the most pipeline mileage — like Texas,California, and Louisiana — also have the most incidents, breaks occur throughout the far-flung network of pipelines. Winding under city streets and countryside, these lines stay invisible most of the time. Until they fail.

Since 1986, pipeline accidents have killed more than 500 people, injured over 4,000, and cost nearly seven billion dollars in property damages. Using government data, ProPublica has mapped thousands of these
incidents in a new interactive news application [9], which provides
detailed information about the cause and costs of reported incidents going back
nearly three decades.

• At Oil Spill Cleanup in Arkansas, Exxon Running the Show, Not Federal Agencies

Tightly controlled by ExxonMobil, which was responsible for the spill, access to even the parking lot is not permitted. A security guard now stops anyone without a red lanyard and ID badge from passing into the gated compound.

• No Fly Zone Above the Spill in Effect

• Exxon\’s Duck-Killing Pipeline Won\’t Pay Taxes To Oil Spill Cleanup Fund | ThinkProgress

A 1980 law ensures that diluted bitumen is not classified as oil, and companies transporting it in pipelines do not have to pay into the federal Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund. Other conventional crude producers pay 8 cents a barrel to ensure the fund has resources to help clean up some of the 54,000 barrels of pipeline oil that spilled 364 times last year.

• Arkansas oil spill: Exxon reacts to tax \’loophole,\’ pledges ‘to cover all costs’ — RT USA

Answering RT\’s detailed questions, ExxonMobil stated they are
paying for all costs related to the spill. However, the company
didn\’t reveal how much it contributes to the OSLTF, or the value of
the company\’s crude which is not taxed by the law.

• Exxon Mobil promises to cover oil spill cleanup costs in Arkansas – CNN.com

Exxon Mobil will pay all of the costs related to last week\’s oil spill in an Arkansas neighborhood, a company spokesman said Wednesday.

Between 3,500 and 5,000 barrels of heavy crude leaked from a ruptured pipeline — not 12,000 barrels, as previously reported, according to Exxon Mobil spokesman Alan Jeffers.

Gun Debate DOA?

• Colorado prosecutors seek death penalty for accused cinema gunman | Reuters

Colorado prosecutors will seek the death penalty for the man charged with killing 12 moviegoers during a showing of the Batman film \”The Dark Knight Rises\” last year.

• James’ Creepy Eyes

• NRA-backed task force pushes to arm teachers, school staff – First Read

The 225-page National School Shield report isn\’t offering specific recommendations for how many armed staff each school should have or the types of guns those people should carry — though Hutchinson said the firearms could range from \”sidearms, to shotguns, to AR-15s.\”

• NRA\’s National School Shield Program: Gun lobby set to unveil findings from post-Newtown initiative.

The timing of the release is no coincidence. It comes as the gun control/safety debate continues to heat up in the Senate, where lawmakers are at work on a deal that would expand background checks. While the NRA plan is likely to garner a lot of attention given the lobby\’s position in the national gun conversation

• NRA: Education And Training Emergency Response Program

Border Drones

• Drone Privacy Concerns Have Some Associations on Defensive: Associations Now

EPIC recently launched a petition asking the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection to limit the use of unmanned aircraft for purposes of patrolling the border. Other groups speaking out against the use of drones include the American Civil Liberties Union [PDF] and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

• San Diego’s “Anti-Drone Days of Action” Kick Off Nation-Wide Protests April 4 – 7

\”National Anti-Drone Days of Action\” from April 4 through 7 in San Diego start a month of protests across the United States against the policy and practice of drone warfare and secret surveillance.

WA Pot Bars Cross the Line

• Washington will make rules to ban pot at bars, officials say | OregonLive.com

Washington officials say it\’s not OK for bars to allow marijuana use, and they\’ll take quick steps to address that.

The announcement from the state Liquor Control Board on Wednesday followed a recent Associated Press report about establishments in Olympia and Tacoma that allow people to consume marijuana on-site.

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The post Pipeline Problems | Unfilter 45 first appeared on Jupiter Broadcasting.

We react to Microsoft’s purchase of Skype, and share our thoughts, predictions, and a full round up of analyst chatter. Plus find out why Microsoft might be getting a bit of a deal on this massive $8.5B purchase!

Plus – Our quick thoughts on today’s Google I/O news and a few highlights from today’s announcements from Google!

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The post Skyprosoft | J@N | 5.10.11 first appeared on Jupiter Broadcasting.