Yearly Archives: 2013

Justin Raimondo: The Prisoner

"All this subterfuge about America being the land of the free and an international exemplar of liberal democracy is thrown overboard very quickly, and suddenly it becomes a felony to reveal the decision of a duly constituted court. It becomes a felony to reveal that you’ve received a National Security Letter, or to discuss its contents. And the highest treason of all is trying to escape. I wondered whether I had stumbled on a heretofore unknown episode of The Prisoner, the cult classic 1960s television series written by and starring Patrick McGoohan, in which a former British intelligence agent who has committed some unknown treason finds himself imprisoned in The Village." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJustin Raimondo: The Prisoner

Justin Raimondo: The Prisoner

"All this subterfuge about America being the land of the free and an international exemplar of liberal democracy is thrown overboard very quickly, and suddenly it becomes a felony to reveal the decision of a duly constituted court. It becomes a felony to reveal that you’ve received a National Security Letter, or to discuss its contents. And the highest treason of all is trying to escape. I wondered whether I had stumbled on a heretofore unknown episode of The Prisoner, the cult classic 1960s television series written by and starring Patrick McGoohan, in which a former British intelligence agent who has committed some unknown treason finds himself imprisoned in The Village." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJustin Raimondo: The Prisoner

‘Heroic effort at great personal cost’: Edward Snowden nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

"A Swedish sociology professor has nominated Edward Snowden for the Nobel Peace Prize. He says the NSA whistleblower could help 'save the prize from the disrepute incurred by the hasty and ill-conceived decision' to give the 2009 award to Barack Obama. In his letter addressed to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Stefan Svallfors praised Snowden for his 'heroic effort at great personal cost.' He stated that by revealing the existence and the scale of the US surveillance programs, Snowden showed 'individuals can stand up for fundamental rights and freedoms.'" Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘Heroic effort at great personal cost’: Edward Snowden nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

Seven killed, 261 wounded in Cairo clashes over military coup

"The clashes in the heart of Cairo and in adjacent Giza were the first to rock the Egyptian capital since dozens of Morsi supporters were shot dead outside an elite army barracks early last week. They came just hours after Under Secretary of State Bill Burns — the most senior US official to visit since the army toppled the elected Islamist president on July 3 — appealed for an end to the violence rocking the Arab world’s most populous nation. Thousands of Morsi supporters had poured onto the streets after the iftar meal with which Muslims break their daytime fast during the holy month of Ramadan, to demand the reinstatement of the ousted president." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSeven killed, 261 wounded in Cairo clashes over military coup

Seven killed, 261 wounded in Cairo clashes over military coup

"The clashes in the heart of Cairo and in adjacent Giza were the first to rock the Egyptian capital since dozens of Morsi supporters were shot dead outside an elite army barracks early last week. They came just hours after Under Secretary of State Bill Burns — the most senior US official to visit since the army toppled the elected Islamist president on July 3 — appealed for an end to the violence rocking the Arab world’s most populous nation. Thousands of Morsi supporters had poured onto the streets after the iftar meal with which Muslims break their daytime fast during the holy month of Ramadan, to demand the reinstatement of the ousted president." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSeven killed, 261 wounded in Cairo clashes over military coup

Why are Brazilian coffee-growers striking and burning sacks of coffee?

"In Brazil, which produces a third of the world's coffee beans, farmers are striking over falling prices and burning sacks of coffee in protest. Why are coffee-growers feeling the strain? [..] Many Brazilian and Colombian farmers invested to boost production of arabica in response to the high prices of 2011, which has added to the oversupply and further depressed prices. And good weather in Brazil means that this year's crop has turned out to be unexpectedly large. That is why Brazil's farmers are striking, and are demanding more protection, in the form of fatter subsidies, from the state." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhy are Brazilian coffee-growers striking and burning sacks of coffee?

Why are Brazilian coffee-growers striking and burning sacks of coffee?

"In Brazil, which produces a third of the world's coffee beans, farmers are striking over falling prices and burning sacks of coffee in protest. Why are coffee-growers feeling the strain? [..] Many Brazilian and Colombian farmers invested to boost production of arabica in response to the high prices of 2011, which has added to the oversupply and further depressed prices. And good weather in Brazil means that this year's crop has turned out to be unexpectedly large. That is why Brazil's farmers are striking, and are demanding more protection, in the form of fatter subsidies, from the state." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhy are Brazilian coffee-growers striking and burning sacks of coffee?

Zimmerman protesters raid LA store, stop freeway

"More than 300 officers were called to the scene and were at first slow to directly engage protesters in an attempt to allow a peaceful end to the demonstration. A smaller group of between 100 and 150 people splintered off and began blocking traffic on nearby Crenshaw Boulevard, some of them jumping on cars and breaking windows at liquor stores and fast food outlets. Several protesters ran into a Wal-Mart store, where they knocked down displays before store security chased them out, and police began guarding the door. TV news helicopters showed some people kicking and punching others along the street, including two people sitting on a bus bench." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingZimmerman protesters raid LA store, stop freeway

Zimmerman protesters raid LA store, stop freeway

"More than 300 officers were called to the scene and were at first slow to directly engage protesters in an attempt to allow a peaceful end to the demonstration. A smaller group of between 100 and 150 people splintered off and began blocking traffic on nearby Crenshaw Boulevard, some of them jumping on cars and breaking windows at liquor stores and fast food outlets. Several protesters ran into a Wal-Mart store, where they knocked down displays before store security chased them out, and police began guarding the door. TV news helicopters showed some people kicking and punching others along the street, including two people sitting on a bus bench." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingZimmerman protesters raid LA store, stop freeway

Glenn Greenwald: The crux of the NSA story in one phrase: ‘collect it all’

"The Washington Post this morning has a long profile of Gen. Keith Alexander, director the NSA, and it highlights the crux of the NSA stories, the reason Edward Snowden sacrificed his liberty to come forward, and the obvious focal point for any responsible or half-way serious journalists covering this story. It helpfully includes that crux right in the headline, in a single phrase. What does 'collect it all' mean? Exactly what it says; the Post explains how Alexander took a 'collect it all' surveillance approach originally directed at Iraqis in the middle of a war, and thereafter transferred it so that it is now directed at the US domestic population as well as the global one." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlenn Greenwald: The crux of the NSA story in one phrase: ‘collect it all’