here's mitt romney trying to figure out the me of that thing that the americans call i don't know. i'm sorry i'm just a guy who cares an awful lot about my country you sir are a fool you know what that is my terror cells. don't want to listen to feature stories on the on the liberal and the christian public. can really sort of the.

guys i'm out in martin and this is breaking the set so in recent news new zealand has granted a legal person who did to our river yep you heard me right the decision was made after a court bottle initiated with the wollongong we river an indigenous community with cultural ties to the waterway making it the first time in history to grant a river with a legal identity what this all means is that when it comes to the law the river will have the same rights and interests that a company does however this is not the first time a country has made a revolutionary move to protect mother nature last year bolivia passed the world's first laws granting all nature equal rights to humans it's called the law of mother earth and it authorizes eleven new rights for nature including the right to life to

exist the right to continue vital cycles and the right to not be polluted while this may seem bizarre to some the concept of protecting the commons goes back to beginning of human kind the commons are the resources that are shared in common within communities and it's really quite logical when you think about it why wouldn't we work to protect the very resources that every human being on this planet needs to survive in the age of privatisation pollution and the. these natural resources mother nature is left with no voice the environment and the voiceless critters of this planet can't speak out that's why we need to and the fact granting mother nature protection makes much more sense to me than granting personhood to corporations think about it join me break the set. many of you have probably heard of the case of trayvon martin seventeen year old boy who was shot dead in sanford florida on the february twenty sixth of this year

the story goes like this george zimmerman a neighborhood watch crime captain came across the young and armed african-american teen wearing a hoodie and holding a bag of skittles as he walked through the neighborhood zimmerman called the police to report him as a suspicious person the cops told him not to confront martin but zimmerman chose to anyway now he claims the killing was a measure of self-defense that trayvon slammed his head repeatedly against the concrete in the struggle ensued overs in the men's gun which he was able to get to first resulting in the unfortunate death of the teenager however recently it came out that there's no trace of trayvon his d.n.a. on the gun that killed him and the evidence of zimmerman's d.n.a. on trayvon fingernails shedding more light on the tragic incident that does not seem to coincide with zimmerman's account of acting purely in self-defense. and what should be a cut and dry case based on evidence unfortunately there's a cloak of impunity already set up legislatively that has protected zimmerman for

murder charges from the get go it's a series of rulings that justify unwarranted killings called stand your ground laws they state that a person may use deadly force in self-defense without the duty to retreat when faced with a perceived threat the laws expand on what's called the castle doctrine which says that a person is protected under the law to use deadly force when their property or home is being invaded and more than half the states in the country have some form of castle doctrine or stand your ground laws into effect now don't get me wrong i'm pro second amendment and i'm not against defending yourself or having a gun to do so in certain instances but i could set a plea these kind of laws could provide you with impunity for murdering a thirteen year old kid who might break in your car while it's parked in your driveway that is taking it to a whole other level here and a lot of the people that have gotten away with murder from the stand your ground laws have a propensity for violence. according to tampa bay times the one hundred in one

thousand people who can vote stand your ground in florida have been collectively arrested three hundred twenty seven times in incidents involving violence property crimes drugs weapons or probation violations so you might be wondering how laws like these get passed in such a trigger happy nation let's just say it isn't it the trigger happy tendency is because guns are so damn prevalent in this country i mean where else could you go to buy baby food clothes a bike semi-automatic weapon and rounds of ammunition yep only at wal-mart the nation's largest gun retailer and the stand your ground laws are the brainchild of none other than the an r.a. which is lobbying two point seven million dollars to congress in the last decade and millions more on pro-gun messages during election cycles they would never be able to push through this legislation without alec or the american legislative exchange council one of the most powerful think tanks in d.c. court of the website there are harmless nonprofit that provides

a quote constructive forum for state legislators and private sector leaders to discuss and exchange practical state level public policy issues alex serves as a resource for its members does not lobby state legislators well and reality what alec is is the legislative arm of the corporatocracy behind closed doors corporations hands state legislators changes to laws that directly benefit their bottom line along with legislators corporations have membership and alec corporations including wal-mart up until this year sit on nine alec task forces and vote with legislators to approve model bills on these task forces corporations and lawmakers have equal votes so for example one more doesn't want to get sued every time one of their guns kills people so they'll push for a new law that makes homicides more legal or justifiable like stand your ground laws do also. for a sions fund almost all of alex alex money and the koch brothers

have a serious and vested interest in alec as well they've given over a million dollars and koch industries have been one of the select members of alex corporate board for almost twenty years and the participating legislators on alec overwhelmingly conservative republicans introduce these proposals as their own ideas without disclosing that corporations pretty much crafted and voted on the bills except for that one time that florida state representative rachel bergen forgot to remove the alec mission statement on a piece of legislation she introduced last year to lower corporate taxes hoops also alex boese that has over one thousand of these bills introduced by legislative members every year with a one in five and acted into law the relationship between these billionaire donors policy groups the n.r.a. wal-mart and local government officials is all undeniable and is all held together by millions of dollars and cold hard cash but the price we pay to keep the system

going is the lives of innocent people like seventeen year old trayvon martin who's parents will not see justice in his death because laws that exist to protect us from bad people are not formulated around our safety they're pushed through with front groups like alec designed to make sure that gun manufacturers meet their bottom line. with so much sensationalist garbage being fed to us from the corporate media can be hard to sort through it all and find out what's really important what's really going on with the news media that now picks a side when it comes to political issues instead of simply presenting the facts it seems that people are pretty much now just told what to think now to discuss this further i'm joined by conservative blogger and editor of red alert politics francesco chambers thanks so much for coming on a thanks for having me so when i see the media landscape today i mean there is a poll that came out that said overwhelming majority of americans really don't

trust the corporate press when they look at it it seems like the conservatives blame it on the liberal media and liberals can blame it on the conservative media where do you come in or what do you think about that you know actually the poll that you're talking about i believe is the most recent gallup poll and if you actually look down the cross tabs about poll what's really interesting about it is that it's actually republicans who are pretty much doing that poll and independents presumably the independents that lean republican so really it's republicans distrust in the media that has caused me to skew more in that direction in the last couple years do you when you look at the media landscape do you think that it's more biased toward a certain party line oh i absolutely think that you know before i got into media myself i didn't think that at all i used to be a mainstream media reporter i would have never thought that at all until i moved to washington d.c. and then i started attending some of the same exact events that i've been reading about in the press and then realizing oh my goodness this is not exactly at all how you know this reporter portrayed it to be after i started like reporting on the events myself and that sort of when i determined i wanted to be more in you know

center right media versus some of the mainstream media outlets but honestly as an average american i would have never thought that it was biased at all you know how what how would you know that someone isn't telling the truth about what happened at events if you're not there and the only thing you can do is see it on t.v. or read in the newspaper i mean when you're looking to the media to tell you the truth about what's hot. they kind of just feed you this line you're like well and that's what a lot of people tell me i didn't hear that from the media so how do i know that that's true you're like well they're supposed to watch dogs but they're kind of failing in that regard so a lot of people have also told me you know are journalists opposed to have biased opinions or such strong opinions i mean what do you think about just journalists in general and their kind of duty to take a line you know i think that there are a lot of journalists who are still have a lot of integrity and i know that there's not a lot of republicans and conservatives who think that but i think that there is a definitely a lot of mainstream media reporters who i saw a lot of respect for jake tapper of a.b.c. doing a very wonderful mary got republicans and progressives can agree on that and i think

that's an excellent example of how we all think that he's doing a good job that's probably because he's doing exactly what you think a journalist should do you know i think that candy crowley c.n.n. i don't have a problem with her i think that bob schieffer he's also doing a really good job so i personally don't think that you know every journalist is biased and everyone in the mainstream media is terrible and they're out to get republicans and some really do think that but i don't think that at all i think that you know in general there is a problem in the in the media anymore with republican or with the media just being way too biased you know to the left or to the right and yeah you know outlets like fox outlets like c.n.n. they try to take that kind of divisive is it a reflection on how divisive the country is or are they perpetuating a false two party narrative to try to continue that divide americans and i don't think that's it's either of those things i think that partisan news sells if they didn't do it i mean if it didn't work then they wouldn't do it as someone who runs a center right national publication for

a center right company you know i can personally say obviously you know it sells to be able to do that and that's why m.s.m. b.c. does it because you know they get a lot of viewership from progressives and that's why fox does it because you know when they get a lot of viewership from you know republicans the problem is when these media outlets try to claim that they're fair and balanced or claim that you know i mean they're not. they're not biased and they are and i think that's why a lot of americans have distrust the media not because the media is biased but because they claim to be unbiased right there are a profit making industry it's not about actually telling the truth i mean we already know that they can legally lie it's about making money but do you think this does the dialogue i mean what about marginalizing third party or other voices who don't necessarily fit into the mold that the media presents us as what exists well that's the great thing about having niche publications you know one third party i think really the only one in in america is the libertarian party with a capital l. you know reason magazine is very much you know

a magazine that pushes for the libertarian party they also you know do a lot of online activity and whatnot so it's not to say that there aren't you know publications there are news channels that don't play into their political beliefs and if you had a political belief say you were socialists you could start a magazine about socialism if you wanted to still be marginalized by the inundation with television where a lot of people do turn to to get as the sole source of information for their news but again i think it goes back to the fact that there are mainstream media outlets reporters and whatnot who are really unbiased and just tell the news like it is your mother or that hurts republicans democrats and whatnot research only needed more of all i can thank you so much for coming on and breaking it down i really appreciate it if you like what you see so far go to our you tube channel at youtube dot com slash breaking the set and subscribe to our facebook page at facebook dot com breaking the set give us a like if you're wondering about what i'm doing or bitching about when i'm not on air follow me on twitter at abby martin luther break my preaching for now but stay

tuned to hear how your every move is being gay to mind. more news today violence has once again flared up. these are the images provocative and seeing from the streets of canada after. china operations are offered a. courageous and creative. elegance and filmed both public speaking. facts regarding. a few european bodybuilders against millions we teach immigrants.

this may not seem so serious now. but this could be a real threat to more. european extremists. on targeted.

consumers of the. history was made today at the u.n. general assembly when mohamed morsi the first democratically elected egyptian president took the international stage in his forty minute speech he said what will be the foundation for us egypt relations but how complex is that relationship and how contingent is it upon the status of its neighboring arab countries here talk to us about egypt's coming now the question of palestine the prospects for actual peace in syria and joined by clovis maksoud former arab league ambassador to the u.s. and professor at american university thank you so much for coming on here share your time so the entire world watched as egypt you know how it's revolution came into a democracy we saw mohamed morsi give his first speech as a democratically elected leader of egypt what was your reaction to the speech but i think this is a speech which restores the historic of the road of egypt as the

centerpiece of the head of national rights and this respect. is the reference today about palestine. signals that is. will be just. if it's impunity about continuing settlements about defying international law and resolutions all that is going to be costly it is not on each of the camp david it is the each of the arab nation interests and in that says this constitutes a reversal of what was president since ninety seven tonight since the camp david to greet us this is a step forward. for the sake of the peace was justice and

peace forced on the palestinian people submission and predicated on their basic denial of their rights here a little bit from what he said about palestinian state had. the fruits of dignity and freedom. must not remain far from the palestinian people. it is shameful. that the free will would accept that a party in the international community may continue to deny the rights of a nation that looks. to independence over decades so this year palestine did not seek statehood how important is it for an independent palestine for peace in the middle east where it is. perfect this is the key to peace. sustainable peace you can't have interrupted peace peace is

a peace but this is a entry into areas addition of potential conflicts because going in there and i think that this is an investment and peace for provide the palestinians that right of self-determination and dependent state with jerusalem as its capital and the user patients of the territory of palestine by the continued expansion of settlements which obviously can have that international law to bring back and to the palestinians not only that unity their dignity their freedom as this independent state within their own nation if that is. continue to be i don't look good for. a vicious and. so be it and therefore what president bush has today. almost three months after

his elections is that this impunity for israel will not be sustainable or acceptable and it will be deterred and call from morsi also said that successive american administrations essentially purchased with american taxpayer money the dislike if not the hatred of the peoples of the region i mean meaning pretty much that our relationship with israel is toxic and is deterring he's going along kind of with what you're saying i don't think people any circumstances except the small modular group hate but sort of. authentically angry that's unfair that has been inflicted and continues to be inflicted and we i think people resent. the double standard that is a couple by the united states by the feature to exercises without even studying

the issues but its reach was i think you hit it right on the head when you said that it's the government not the people as a sara lee it's really and i think people look at the american government and say it's the government not the people that are perpetuating these policies are in there but i wanted to move on to syria really quickly you've spoken to. me brahimi on a number of occasions he's the current peace envoy to syria he was you know appointed by the u.n. to pursue peace in syria what happened there why did he fail in doing do it not he is that's only envoy of the united nations but also the king of the joint effort of the arab league and which gives it which reinforces its credibility but the. instead effect. yes and in that respect i think that he is depressed but he does give it up and i think that indicates

a the courage of his intellectual integrity his background of being a very strong arab nationalist and his successes in bringing about settlements not as violent as this one but he has been a professional to conciliate which is something that is the did at this juncture in view of what the stake in place in syria he. called the ongoing situation in syria is becoming a play over the nations and in that sense the russians who want to continue to exhibit that they are also is a superpower despite the fact that. the soviet union has a record and broken down. they think that their insistence on vittorio

whatever resolution where or not in syria and syria and is a projection of a superpower this is. not that correct in some sense it is. bad responsibility of the security council you advocate for u.n. intervention like the civilians in any country so you advocate a u.n. peacekeeping force in syria and when i say support. peacekeeping force of course right if that is if you have a cease fire. and i think peacekeeping and peacemaking and i think that the arab states and especially the ruler. who has a. ok to have another. force for. peacekeeping it is important that the arab league takes the initiative in rebuilding.

the country of syria. but this is a pretty good job so you know of the restore the caprices we. hope that it doesn't turn into another piece by force thank you so much for coming on and giving us your perspective. you guys may remember a video that circulated last summer of a woman who stood in her front yard and filmed officers making an arrest with her smartphone take a look at how it went down. going to be something i'm just this is my friend you are i'm just recording what you're doing it's my right there are.

i'm out. there doing what they're doing though i don't understand what's going. on yet that woman was arrested silence for doing something that's constitutionally protected by the law but all of this begs the question why are we constantly chastised by the police when for years they've been perfecting the technology to sit back watch and record us. florida intelligence officer admitted recently that undercover police were mingling with the public using their smartphones to take videos and photos to spy on suspicious citizens suspicious right they just love how they always use those vague definitions that allow for literally anyone to be deemed a suspicious character but i digress what this cop revealed is that undercover officers have the ability to determine a person's name by checking the image of their face against a facial recognition database and guess what folks it was put into practice during

the two thousand and twelve republican convention in tampa officers marched outside as undercover protesters and took a live video footage of the action all of which fed a right into the two thousand and twelve r. and c. surveillance system a system consisting of ninety four high def cameras yep so the next time you're out at a protest you better believe that undercover cops are not only recording are not only there but recording your face through smartphones equipped with this technology but here's the best part the national journal just reported that the surveillance network was a pilot tested as part of an effort to develop a similar seven billion dollar national public safety broadband network for everyday use across the entire country gee i can't wait for that so is that what these were all set up on top of unmarked police cars around occupy wall street sites earlier this month in new york and if these cops can't i.d.d. using facial recognition they can still find out everything about you through your cell phone i.d. . what if you don't even protest well don't worry your identity is probably already

up for grabs there's a recognition technology mass cell phone surveillance all of this information is stored in huge data centers via algorithms and it's all in the name of your security but is it really all about keeping us safe if intelligence agencies try to sort through index and catalog the data being collected it would take tens of thousands of analysts to do it and what if this information gets into the wrong hands recent high level hacks into the system reveal how read easy it is to get access to all of this personal data. most of what the surveillance state comes down to is consumer controlled were consumers in a capitalist system run by corporations where there's no line between public and private anymore and the government we have today does little more than serve its corporate puppet tears the online data and tracking is about tapping into our subconscious mind and selling us crap that we don't need knowing every little thing

about you is a pretty valuable asset for the corporate controlled government to have it's also about another thing it's about showing dissent this is not only tapping into your inner desires but it's about being accepted into society about conforming don't speak out don't dissent because in the back of your mind you know that you're being watched listened data mined but by stifling your voice to speak the truth you're allowing the surveillance state to win by letting the chilling effect to control this stablish mint takes control of us yes real horror and control grid that's undeniable but they can't control our voices so let's use them.

you know sometimes you see a story and it seems so you think you understand it and then you glimpse something else and you hear or see some other part of it and realize that everything is ok. i'm tom hartman welcome to the big picture. of the world into the future of science technology innovation all the news developments from around russia we've dumped those huge you're covered.