Search Results for “https:” – Page 853

Military Plans to Maintain Power in Egypt after Coup

“Behind the scenes, the military, led by General Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, plans to continue running the show. Since it took power in a coup in 1952, the military has remained the most important political player in Egypt. Neither Mubarak’s fall in 2011, nor the short rule by Morsi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, have changed this. At 58, el-Sissi is the country’s youngest general. He has never fought in a war, and only knows about conflicts with Israel from the stories of others. He belongs to a generation that was invited to receive military training in the West. In 1992 he was in Britain, and in 2006, the United States.” Continue reading →

Wall Street Journal says Egypt needs a Pinochet

“Presumably, the WSJ thinks the Egyptians now have 17 years in which to think themselves lucky when any who dissent are tortured with electricity, raped, thrown from planes or – if they’re really lucky – just shot. That’s what happened in Chile after 1973, causing the deaths of between 1,000 and 3,000 people. Around 30,000 were tortured. Presumably, the WSJ hopes a general in the mold of Pinochet (or generals, as they didn’t break the mold when they made him) will preside over all this with the assistance of Britain and America. Perhaps he (or they) will return the favour by helping one of them win a small war.” Continue reading →

Mexican police chief killed with rifle lost in ATF ‘Fast and Furious’ program

“A high-powered rifle lost in the ATF’s Fast and Furious controversy was used to kill a Mexican police chief in the state of Jalisco earlier this year, according to internal Department of Justice records, suggesting that weapons from the failed gun-tracking operation have now made it into the hands of violent drug cartels deep inside Mexico. Luis Lucio Rosales Astorga, the police chief in the city of Hostotipaquillo, was shot to death Jan. 29 when gunmen intercepted his patrol car and opened fire. Also killed was one of his bodyguards. His wife and a second bodyguard were wounded.” Continue reading →

Cops Booed, Pelted With Objects After Arresting Ice-Cream Bicycle Chef

“During last Friday night’s ride, Miami Police officers were booed and pelted with objects after arresting local chef Aleric ‘AJ’ Constantin for selling ice cream out of the back of his bicycle. ‘I basically spent a day and a half in jail for selling ice cream,’ Constantin says. Around 10 p.m., one of the officers approached Constantin just as he was selling some ice cream to a fellow cyclist. The cop asked the chef if he had a license to sell his dessert. Constantin handed over his driver’s license and said that all of his paperwork was in order. Moreover, he had permission from the Filling Station to be there. But that wasn’t good enough for the officer.” Continue reading →

The Whistleblower’s Guide to the Orwellian Galaxy: How to Leak to the Press

“It is, as one commenter noted, ‘a dangerous time to be right when the government is wrong.’ We now live in a world where public servants informing the public about government behavior or wrongdoing must practice the tradecraft of spies and drug dealers à la The Wire. Even the head of the CIA can’t email his mistress without being identified by the FBI. And privately collected data isn’t immune, either; highly sensitive metadata is particularly vulnerable thanks to the Third Party Doctrine. So how can one safely leak information to the press, let alone coordinate a Deep Throat-style meetup? Here’s a guide.” Continue reading →

Thank you for your service, Mr. Snowden

“Tellingly, the tools of Big Media and big government are not apprising you of these facts. Like a tortoise in its shell, they’ve retreated from the watersheds that are the AP, the IRS and the NSA scandals, informing you only of what New York and Northeast elites think is important: ‘Most of you still like Obama.’ Come every Memorial Day – more aptly called ‘Dying For Nothing Day’ – we direct a commonplace saying at members of a military that has not defended authentic American liberties for decades. It is, however, to a young man such as this that we should say ‘Thank you for your service, Mr. Snowden.'” Continue reading →

U.S. missile defense system test sputters out

“A test of the only U.S. defense against long-range ballistic missiles failed on Friday, the third consecutive failure involving the interceptor system managed by Boeing Co, the Defense Department said. The Pentagon said this week that the test would not affect its decision to bolster the U.S. missile defense system. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced the move in March following threats by North Korea. Under that plan, the Pentagon will add 14 new anti-missile interceptors at a total cost of nearly $1 billion.” Continue reading →

Snowden leaks now threaten U.S.-EU cooperation on travel, financial data

“The European Union is threatening to suspend two agreements granting the United States access to European financial and travel data unless Washington shows it is respecting EU rules on data privacy. Struck in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks and regarded by Washington as important tools in the fight against terrorism, the Terrorist Finance Tracking Program (TFTP) provides the U.S. Treasury with data stored in Europe on international financial transfers, and the Passenger Name Record agreement covers data provided by passengers when booking tickets and checking in for flights. All such information is passed to Homeland Security.” Continue reading →