American Ruling Class

Prosecutors Move To Seize Jesse Jackson, Jr.’s Homes

"Federal prosecutors asked for permission Friday to seize the homes of former Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL) and his wife, former Chicago Ald. Sandi Jackson, in addition to an IRA of Jackson's with an almost $80,000 balance, the Chicago Tribune reported. According to the Tribune, prosecutors asked a judge in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to let them seize the Jacksons' homes in both Chicago and Washington, D.C.'s DuPont Circle. Jackson Jr. pleaded guilty in February to misuing hundreds of thousands of dollars from his campaign accounts, while his wife pleaded guilty to filing false tax returns." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingProsecutors Move To Seize Jesse Jackson, Jr.’s Homes

NSA has been blackmailing Supreme Court judges, members of Congress and more

"I know this because I had my hands literally on the paperwork for these sort of things -- they went after high-ranking military officers; they went after members of Congress, both Senate and the House, especially on the intelligence committees and on the armed services committees and some of the -- and judicial... They went after lawyers and law firms. They went after judges. One of the judges is now sitting on the Supreme Court that I had his wiretap information in my hand. Two are former FISA court judges. They went after State Department officials. They went after people in the executive service that were part of the White House -- their own people." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNSA has been blackmailing Supreme Court judges, members of Congress and more

Smearing Glenn Greenwald: The Gregorian Connection

"The campaign to demonize Edward Snowden, whose revelations about the National Security Agency’s ubiquitous and ongoing spying on the American public has the Obama regimein furious disrray, has taken on a new dimension – now they’re going after Glenn Greenwald, the Guardian reporter and columnist Snowden chose to tell his story. Glenn has alreadypreempted some of this in his Guardian column, but there is sure to be more. What’s interesting about this effort is that it tells us far more about the smear-merchants – and who they serve – than it does about Greenwald." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSmearing Glenn Greenwald: The Gregorian Connection

For those concerned about the Voting Rights Act

"It would be a mistake to assume that the Voting Rights Act in any way ensured that all African Americans were able to vote. The biggest factor in suppressing minority vote is not even addressed by the Voting Rights Act — felony disenfranchisement. 5.8 million Americans are unable to vote because of our obsession with over-incarceration and the drug war, and it hits minorities hardest by a long shot. 1 in 13 African-Americans nationally are unable to vote. Drug war incarceration has been referred to as the 'New Jim Crow,' and built right into our drug laws are enforcement incentives that make racist outcomes certain." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFor those concerned about the Voting Rights Act

Edward Snowden versus Jay Carney

"There is no doubt that Edward Snowden has created a huge public relations crisis for the Obama administration. The government appears to be not only stupid, but utterly impotent. Here we have this gigantic spying system, and it looks like the Keystone Kops. It cannot locate him. It cannot stop him. It revoked his passport. Nobody cares. Obama has remained silent on all of this. In his place is Jay Carney. Who in the world is Jay Carney? The implications of what Snowden has revealed are monumental. We have moved formally and legally into a police state. The only thing protecting us is the utter incompetence of the police state to enforce its will on people." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEdward Snowden versus Jay Carney

Juan Cole: Top Ten Ways US TV News are Screwing us Again on NSA Surveillance Story (Iraq Redux)

"US television news is a danger to the security of the United States. First, it is so oriented to ratings that it cannot afford to do unpopular reports. Second, it is so oriented toward the halls of power inside the Beltway that it is unable to examine government allegations critically. US television news was an unrelieved cheering section for the launching of the illegal and disastrous Iraq War. Now, corporate television news is repeating this shameful performance with regard to the revelations by Edward Snowden of massive, unconstitutional government surveillance of Americans’ electronic communications. The full failure to do proper journalism was on display on Sunday." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJuan Cole: Top Ten Ways US TV News are Screwing us Again on NSA Surveillance Story (Iraq Redux)

Is Central Banking Scientific?

"The portrayal of central banking in these sorts of articles is sterile and scientific. You wouldn't know, for instance, that the men who created the plan for the Federal Reserve dressed up in costumes so they wouldn't be found out when traveling down to Jekyll Island for the confab that led to the final proposal. And you certainly wouldn't know of the relationships between them and others in Europe that were backing this sort of plan. The idea that the framers of the Federal Reserve Act would be shocked at the way it turned out is specious. It didn't take but a decade and those empowered by the Act were conspiring with the British to devalue the dollar and prop up the pound." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIs Central Banking Scientific?

The Land of the Blind: The Illusion of Freedom in America

"Consider how quickly the government’s attack dogs went from defending the NSA’s warrantless mass surveillance of Americans’ phone calls to targeting and punishing any and all parties involved in the 'leak' of sensitive information, including labeling Snowden a traitor, charging him with espionage and warning foreign governments against giving him refuge. President Obama has begun preaching about the need for Americans to 'trust' their government, insisting that the NSA’s surveillance is perfectly legal with no acknowledgment of the fact that the leak shed much-needed light on government corruption, illicit programs and treachery." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Land of the Blind: The Illusion of Freedom in America

Pelosi booed at Netroots while defending espionage charges against Snowden

"A man identified by Politico as 57-year-old Marc Perkel can be heard shouting, 'It’s not a balance. It’s not constitutional! No more secret laws!' Perkel was ejected from the room by security, while other audience members shouted for him to be left alone. Shortly thereafter, loud boos can be heard coming from the audience after she said former NSA contractor Edward Snowden 'did violate the law' in releasing details about NSA programs like PRISM. Pelosi also defended President Barack Obama against charges that the surveillance of private residents’ phone and internet use constituted a 'fourth term' for his predecessor, George W. Bush." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPelosi booed at Netroots while defending espionage charges against Snowden

Bloomberg anti-gun group apologizes for calling alleged Boston bomber, shot by police, a ‘victim’

"A gun control group founded by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg apologized Wednesday for mistakenly including one of the alleged Boston marathon bombers in a list of people killed by gun violence since the massacre in Newtown, Connecticut. That list was delivered to Sen. Kelly Ayotte’s (R-NH) office amid a protest organized by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, which targeted the New Hampshire Republican for her vote against gun control regulations proposed by the White House. Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed in an April shootout with police." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBloomberg anti-gun group apologizes for calling alleged Boston bomber, shot by police, a ‘victim’