Big Lie

James Bovard: Obama, NSA, Gulf of Tonkin, & Governing as Lying

"This is the 49th anniversary of Congress’s passage of the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, by which the Lyndon Johnson administration lied the nation into the Vietnam War. Last night, President Obama appeared on the Jay Leno show and declared: 'We don’t have a domestic spying program.' He explained: 'What we do have are some mechanisms where we can track a phone number or an email address that we know is connected to some sort of terrorist threat.' Why would Obama continue to shovel such bilge? Does he assume that no one has read a newspaper for the past 2 months, or what?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJames Bovard: Obama, NSA, Gulf of Tonkin, & Governing as Lying

Obama’s Response To NSA Surveillance Still Lacking Justification

"It's a lot of rhetoric about transparency, with a few random claims about how important these programs are. Separately, he continued to insist that we're better than some other countries (setting the bar low) and that we don't spy on Americans -- despite the evidence from this morning that this isn't true. In answering questions, he insisted the two key programs being discussed, Section 215 of the Patriot Act and 702 of the FISA Amendments Act, were critical to finding important intelligence -- despite the fact that multiple Senators have insisted that there remains no evidence that Section 215 was necessary in any terrorist case." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama’s Response To NSA Surveillance Still Lacking Justification

Snowden revelations force Obama’s hand on surveillance program

"After his administration issued repeated defenses of a National Security Agency monitoring program that collects Americans' phone and Internet data, Obama announced during a press conference Friday afternoon that reforms to the system will make the collection activities more transparent and 'give the American people additional confidence that there are additional safeguards against abuse.' Officials will also launch a new website next week that will serve as 'a hub for further transparency' for interested members of the public." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSnowden revelations force Obama’s hand on surveillance program

Obama Thinks Americans Don’t Need to Know

"The day after his first inauguration, Obama proclaimed 'a new era of openness in our country.' Yet, in office, he’s driven state secrecy to new levels of absurdity. You may think that Americans have a right to know who we’re at war with, when the government thinks it can kill them, and whether the executive branch considers the personal data of all Americans “relevant” to terrorism investigations — but this administration begs to differ. As far as it’s concerned, you can’t handle the truth." Continue reading →

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The Magic of Monetary Figures

"Hitting our magic number was a fantastic milestone for us. All the 60-80 hour work weeks, tosses and turns in the middle of the night, and struggles to keep our financial house in order had finally paid off. We would never have to worry about money again. We were home free… or so we thought. Now, twenty years later, our account balance is many times higher than our original magic number. We have come to grips with the fact that our magic number was aptly named. We had forgotten what magic really is: an illusion. In reality, our magic number was nothing more than ink on a sheet of paper that made us believe something that was not true." Continue reading →

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Secret NSA loophole allows data gathering on U.S. citizens without a warrant

"The previously undisclosed rule change allows NSA operatives to hunt for individual Americans’ communications using their name or other identifying information. Senator Ron Wyden told the Guardian the NSA’s authorities provide loopholes that allow 'warrantless searches for the phone calls or emails of law-abiding Americans'. The authority, approved in 2011, appears to contrast with repeated assurances from Barack Obama and senior intelligence officials to both Congress and the American public that the privacy of US citizens is protected from the NSA’s dragnet surveillance programs." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSecret NSA loophole allows data gathering on U.S. citizens without a warrant

What It Means to Be An NSA “Target”: We Need Immediate FISA Amendments Act Reform

"In plain English: the NSA believes it not only can (1) intercept the communications of the target, but also (2) intercept communications about a target, even if the target isn’t a party to the communication. The most likely way to assess if a communication is “about” a target is to conduct a content analysis of communications, probably based on specific search terms or selectors. And that, folks, is what we call a content dragnet. Because the target remains a non-US person, the most robust protection for Americans’ communications under the FISA Amendments Act flies out the window." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhat It Means to Be An NSA “Target”: We Need Immediate FISA Amendments Act Reform

Carnegie Mellon research shows cellphone use may not cause more car crashes

"For almost 20 years, it has been a wide-held belief that talking on a cellphone while driving is dangerous and leads to more accidents. However, new research from Carnegie Mellon University and the London School of Economics and Political Science suggests that talking on a cellphone while driving does not increase crash risk. Additionally, the researchers analyzed the effects of legislation banning cellphone use, enacted in several states, and similarly found that the legislation had no effect on the crash rate." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCarnegie Mellon research shows cellphone use may not cause more car crashes

Van Jones rips Obama’s ‘ridiculous’ denial of domestic spying operations

"Van Jones, a former White House special advisor, blasted President Barack Obama on Wednesday for cracking down on whistleblowers. 'First of all, we do have a domestic spying program, and what we need to be able to do is figure out how to balance these things, not pretend like there’s no balancing to be done.' 'He said that if somebody like Snowden wanted to be a whistle-blower, they could have gone ahead. Well, hold on a second, sir. That is — you are right now prosecuting more whistleblowers – not only than any American president, that every American president combined!'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingVan Jones rips Obama’s ‘ridiculous’ denial of domestic spying operations

Mainstream Media Rule: Never Question the Warren Commission

"Does USA Today writer Jervis show any curiosity over the fact that Dr. Jones’ recollection of the condition of the back of JFK’s head was shattered contradicts the official U.S. military autopsy photograph that shows the back of JFK’s head to be intact? If he does, you certainly can’t tell it by reading the article. After citing Jones’ recollection that the back of Kennedy’s head had been shattered by a bullet, the article just blithely proceeds onward, with nary a mention of the problem. Unfortunately that’s pretty much standard procedure for reporters and commentators in the mainstream media who address the Kennedy assassination." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMainstream Media Rule: Never Question the Warren Commission