"This video is for all those who imagine that there is some sort of magic that renders the United States immune to the tyranny that has plagued every other major empire in history. DVDs of this video--in normal resolution and high definition--will be available soon." Continue reading →
"Fugitive former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden slipped quietly out of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport on Thursday after Russia granted him temporary asylum, ending more than a month in limbo in the transit area.A Russian lawyer who has been assisting Snowden said the American, who is wanted in the United States for leaking details of secret government intelligence programmes, had gone to a secure location which would remain secret. After weeks staying out of sight from hordes of reporters desperate for a glimpse of him, Snowden managed to slip away in a taxi without being spotted." Continue reading →
"This video is for all those who imagine that there is some sort of magic that renders the United States immune to the tyranny that has plagued every other major empire in history. DVDs of this video--in normal resolution and high definition--will be available soon." Continue reading →
"Starting tomorrow, Aug. 1, Alabama’s new comprehensive gun law takes effect, which among other things will make the Heart of Dixie a ‘shall issue’ state as opposed to a ‘may issue’ state with respect to concealed carry and will allow law-abiding gun owners to store firearms in their vehicles while they’re at work. However, there’s way more to it than that and given the fact that there has been so much uncertainty about the new law and how it impacts gun owners, businesses, colleges, universities and the non-gun owning public, below is arguably the best explanation of the new law on the Web." Continue reading →
"If you have a gun and want to carry it without being bothered by local law enforcement, you will have to travel a bit outside of metro Chicago. But not too far. Even though Illinois’ new concealed carry law is on the books, the actual state permitting process is not ready to go and won’t be for months. Regardless, the I-Team has identified 14 counties where authorities say you may not be arrested for carrying a gun. With this week’s override action by the General Assembly, Illinois was the 50th state to allow concealed carry." Continue reading →
"Alexander, who is usually shy of publicity, attempted to win over the 7,000-strong gathering of industry professionals in Las Vegas as part of a charm offensive to contain the damage and deter Washington from curbing the programmes. Security guards confiscated eggs – presumably intended to be thrown – minutes before the NSA chief spoke. A few hecklers interrupted, accusing him of 'lying', 'bullshitting' and not reading the constitution. 'I have read it. So should you,' he shot back, earning laughs and applause. He praised the audience and invited them to help improve NSA. The performance won over the hackers, who applauded warmly at the end." Continue reading →
"The former high-ranking National Security Agency analyst now sells iPhones. The top intelligence officer at the CIA lives in a motor home outside Yellowstone National Park and spends his days fly-fishing for trout. The FBI translator fled Washington for the West Coast. This is what life looks like for some after revealing government secrets. Blowing the whistle on wrongdoing, according to those who did it. Jeopardizing national security, according to the government. A look at the lives of a handful of those who did just that shows that they often wind up far from the stable government jobs they held. They can even wind up in the aisles of a craft store." Continue reading →
"A divided federal appeals court ruled today that the government does not need a probable-cause warrant to access mobile-phone subscribers’ cell-site information, a decision reversing lower court decisions that said the location data was protected by the Fourth Amendment. The 2-1 decision by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is the third federal appeals court to decide the privacy issue. All the while, two federal appellate courts have now taken the government’s position that court warrants are not required for the location data. And a third federal appellate court said judges had the option to demand warrants." Continue reading →
"In a new interpretation of the Espionage Act, a federal judge made it easier for prosecutors in leak cases to meet their burden of proof, while reducing protections for accused leakers. Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ruled that the prosecution in the pending case of former State Department contractor Stephen Kim need not show that the information he allegedly leaked could damage U.S. national security or benefit a foreign power, even potentially. Her opinion was a departure from a 30-year-old ruling in the case of U.S. v. Morison, which held that the government must show that the leak was potentially damaging to the U.S. or beneficial to an adversary." Continue reading →
"Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald faced off against CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin over the sentencing of ex-Army private Bradley Manning and his acquittal on the charge of 'aiding the enemy.' Greenwald brought up Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg and people who exposed Bush administration scandals, telling Toobin that if he's going to make all these assertions about what whistleblowers shouldn't do, 'you're essentially calling for the end of investigative journalism.'" Continue reading →