The fire that rages through Fort McMurray is part of a world-wide trend towards bigger and longer wild fires, caused by global heating.

This article implores our sympathy for the people of Fort McMurray who have lost their homes to global heating effects.

It is a good clear example of distraction spin.

I don't strongly object to anything in the article. We can sympathize with the displaced people of Fort McMurray, along with the hundreds of millions of others who will be rendered homeless or killed by global heating effects. There is no point condemning people for taking jobs in fossil fuel extraction, since mostly they are not responsible for the decision to extract the fuel. (That changes if they campaign politically to keep the practice going — through that, they make themselves into planet roasters, co-responsible for attempted genocide.)

But Canadians should not let that distract them from the vital point: Canada must curb fossil fuel extraction as fast as possible, along with the rest of the world.

Canada should care for the displaced people of Fort McMurray elsewhere, and make sure there is no more tar sands extraction to draw any of them back. Since that wasn't the town's only reason for being, some will go back for other reasons, and that's fine.

Rep. Issa Calls Out Civil Asset Forfeiture As Letting 'Cops Go Treasure Hunting'.

I think the word "cops" is too nice for them, but otherwise I agree.

More Australian species are now on the endangered list, and the main reason is government's laxity in protecting their habitat from commercial destruction.

Social media monitoring doesn't pry into anyone's secrets, but it gives the state (or business) that uses it power that threatens democracy.

"TSA Precheck" functions as a system to pressure Americans to submit to background checks.

It can morph smoothly, just like a store discount card, from "You can save by using this" to "You will be penalized for not using this".

I am not going to enroll.