"The type of quandary that catches my attention is when the Obama Administration delays big parts of Obamacare (hooray!), but does so by cavalierly deciding to disregard the law (boo!). Unfortunately, this isn’t a joke. I wrote about this topic last month and asserted that one of 'the defining characteristics of a civilized government is adherence to the rule of law.' Why is this important?" Continue reading →
"The orders are meant to help prosecutors compel testimony from problematic witnesses in criminal cases. But the orders are supposed to be used only in extraordinary circumstances, often when prosecutors fear a potential witness might flee instead of testifying. Controversy arose around federal prosecutors’ deployment of material witness orders after 9/11, when it came to light that they had used the warrants to detain large numbers of people to provide information about terror cases. But the use of these orders at the state-level remains largely unexamined." Continue reading →
"Campus Reform Editor-in-Chief Josiah Ryan Interviews Julian Assange about Matt Drudge and Senator Rand Paul." Continue reading →
"The no-spying agreement talks were announced as part of a progress report on an eight-point program proposed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel in July with measures to better protect the privacy of German citizens. Despite the criticism of government surveillance programs, Merkel said people should not forget that intelligence agencies do important work to protect people in Germany as well as abroad. German information, for instance, can prevent attacks on U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, while American data in turn can be used to protect the lives of German soldiers, she said." Continue reading →
"Somalia’s embattled government, selected in November in a UN-backed process, was hailed at the time by the international community as offering the best chance for peace in Somalia since the collapse of central government in 1991. A 17,700-strong African Union force fighting alongside the national army has forced Shebab fighters from a string of towns in the past two years. But Somalia’s often rag-tag security forces, incorporating multiple militia forces into its ranks, has also been repeatedly accused by rights groups of a string of abuses." Continue reading →
"The Muslim Brotherhood defiantly called for a week of protests across Egypt starting on Saturday, a day after more than 100 people died in clashes between Islamists and the security forces. Undeterred by the bloodshed in which about 700 have been killed since Wednesday, the Brotherhood urged its supporters back onto the streets to denounce the overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi and a crackdown on his followers. Saudi Arabia threw its weight behind the army-backed government on Friday, accusing its old foe the Muslim Brotherhood of trying to destabilize Egypt. The Coptic Church authority 'strongly supports the Egyptian police and armed forces'." Continue reading →
"Although reports of Israeli drone use over Sinai have surfaced in the past, this is the first to come with official acknowledgement. In a statement on its website, the jihadist Ansar Beit al-Maqdis group confirmed that its militants had been the target of the Friday strike. It listed the name of four fighters who had been killed. Security officials said that the attack had taken place with the consent of the Egyptian authorities, Reuters and the Associated Press reported. If true, this level of cooperation would be a departure from that experienced under the rule of President Mohamed Morsi, ousted during a military takeover last month." Continue reading →
"What we are seeing in Egypt and across the Middle East is the consequence of decades of US hegemony. Supporters of US policy in the region will argue that military aid to Egypt, arming Syrian rebels, drone strikes in Yemen, occupied forces in Afghanistan, etc, serve a national interest and that the 'Great Peacekeeping Armadas' of western nation states are doing exactly what they are supposed to: Maintain peace through strength. Is this a terribly misguided philosophy or a bold-faced lie? Does Obama really 'deplore violence against civilians?' Do US special interests really 'support universal rights essential to human dignity?' Has any administration?" Continue reading →
"Federal authorities have launched investigations against instructors advertising training for people looking to beat lie detector tests. 'Nothing like this has been done before,' one Customs official, John Schwartz, said of 'Operation Lie Busters' at a polygraphers’ conference in June in Charlotte, North Carolina. 'Most certainly our nation’s security will be enhanced. There are a lot of bad people out there.' Schwartz did acknowledge in his speech that teaching someone how to beat a polygraph test is not illegal. 'When you identify insider threats and you eliminate insider threats, then that agency is more efficient and more effective,' Schwartz said in June." Continue reading →
"New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I) put forward an idea on Friday to install fingerprint scanners in the city’s Housing Authority projects. 'If you have a stranger walking in the halls of your apartment building, don’t you want somebody to stop and say, ‘Who are you? Why’re you here?’ Bloomberg asked host John Gambling. WLNY-TV also reported on Friday that Bloomberg followed through on his promise to appeal a federal judge’s ruling that the city’s heavily-panned 'stop and frisk' policy was unconstitutional. 'What does she know about policing? Absolutely zero,' Bloomberg told Gambling, referring to District Court Judge Shira Scheindlin." Continue reading →