‘We can do this without Congress’: Obama to unilaterally impose cell phone tax

"President Barack Obama is looking to unilaterally impose a $5-per-year tax on all cellphone users to avoid asking a recalcitrant Congress for funding. Obama hopes to rake in enough funds for a project called ConnectED that will cost taxpayers billions: expanding high-speed Internet access in classrooms across the country so that 99 percent of public school students can freely access the Internet. Obama administration officials promise that the tax would end in three years after the FCC filled its coffers with $6 billion, but gave no details on how the government would prevent potential cost overruns or measure the program’s progress." Continue reading

Continue Reading‘We can do this without Congress’: Obama to unilaterally impose cell phone tax

Huge majority wants Clapper prosecuted for perjury

"In the Democratic states of California and Hawaii, 54 percent and 58 percent of voters, respectively, want him prosecuted. In middle-of-the-road Iowa, it’s 65 percent. And in Republican Texas and Kentucky, it is 68 percent and 69 percent, respectively. These are particularly striking numbers because the 'not sure' numbers are relatively small. in this case, the polls show relatively few voters expressing such a sentiment. That suggests not only that the NSA story has seeped into the national consciousness, but also that people are specifically aware of — and disgusted by — the rampant lying by the Obama administration." Continue reading

Continue ReadingHuge majority wants Clapper prosecuted for perjury

Bill Bonner: Trust is falling

"Stocks are now as expensive as they were in 2007, says our old friend Mark Hulbert. As for bonds, they are at the top of a 30-year bull market. And gold? The metal bottomed out in 1998. It's gone up ever since, with a textbook correction over the last year or so. What's happening now? Slowly, gradually, like draining a huge lock on a canal, the bond market is dropping. Bonds rise on trust. They fall when trust ebbs away. Why should trust fall now? The simple answer is because it has run its course. Trust is cyclical. As it grows, people become more confident, more sure, and more reckless. Why hold back when there is nothing to fear?" Continue reading

Continue ReadingBill Bonner: Trust is falling

The Hugely Hypocritical Hillary

"Charlie Anderson, responding to the post about Pillary’s prattling tour and the article discussing her anguish at denying folks the 'right' to vote (ahem: for her), points out that neither she nor her fellow rulers have any problem whatsoever in depriving all citizens of the right to vote for third parties. Indeed, they work assiduously to do exactly that." Continue reading

Continue ReadingThe Hugely Hypocritical Hillary

The Hugely Hypocritical Hillary

"Charlie Anderson, responding to the post about Pillary’s prattling tour and the article discussing her anguish at denying folks the 'right' to vote (ahem: for her), points out that neither she nor her fellow rulers have any problem whatsoever in depriving all citizens of the right to vote for third parties. Indeed, they work assiduously to do exactly that." Continue reading

Continue ReadingThe Hugely Hypocritical Hillary

Egypt death toll soars as Obama leads muted international condemnation

"The US president interrupted his family vacation on Martha’s Vineyard to condemn the bloodshed, but stressed that any move toward peaceful democracy was a difficult process that could take decades. 'We appreciate the complexity of the situation,' he said. 'We recognise that change takes time. There are going to be false starts and difficult days. We know that democratic transitions are measured not in months or even years, but sometimes in generations.' His statement disappointed many who had hoped for a cancellation of $1.3bn in annual US military aid to Egypt, but the administration is anxious to retain this link for future leverage over the generals." Continue reading

Continue ReadingEgypt death toll soars as Obama leads muted international condemnation

Egypt death toll soars as Obama leads muted international condemnation

"The US president interrupted his family vacation on Martha’s Vineyard to condemn the bloodshed, but stressed that any move toward peaceful democracy was a difficult process that could take decades. 'We appreciate the complexity of the situation,' he said. 'We recognise that change takes time. There are going to be false starts and difficult days. We know that democratic transitions are measured not in months or even years, but sometimes in generations.' His statement disappointed many who had hoped for a cancellation of $1.3bn in annual US military aid to Egypt, but the administration is anxious to retain this link for future leverage over the generals." Continue reading

Continue ReadingEgypt death toll soars as Obama leads muted international condemnation

ACLU Coordinating Ed Snowden’s Defense

"While much in the press is focusing on the supposed squabble between Ed Snowden, his father and his father's lawyer, Glenn Greenwald points out the actual important news hidden as a random aside in some of the news reports: the ACLU is now coordinating Ed Snowden's legal defense in the US. The full WSJ article is behind a paywall, but it states: 'The elder Mr. Snowden participated in the chat from the Washington, D.C., office of his attorney, Bruce Fein, and was connected to his son with the help of Ben Wizner, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, who is involved in coordinating Mr. Snowden's legal defense in the U.S.'" Continue reading

Continue ReadingACLU Coordinating Ed Snowden’s Defense

ACLU Coordinating Ed Snowden’s Defense

"While much in the press is focusing on the supposed squabble between Ed Snowden, his father and his father's lawyer, Glenn Greenwald points out the actual important news hidden as a random aside in some of the news reports: the ACLU is now coordinating Ed Snowden's legal defense in the US. The full WSJ article is behind a paywall, but it states: 'The elder Mr. Snowden participated in the chat from the Washington, D.C., office of his attorney, Bruce Fein, and was connected to his son with the help of Ben Wizner, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, who is involved in coordinating Mr. Snowden's legal defense in the U.S.'" Continue reading

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Snowden downloaded NSA secrets while working for Dell, sources say

"Former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden began downloading documents describing the U.S. government's electronic spying programs while he was working for Dell Inc in April 2012, almost a year earlier than previously reported, according to U.S. officials and other sources familiar with the matter. David Frink, a spokesman for Round Rock, Texas-based Dell, declined to comment on any aspect of Snowden's employment with the company, saying Dell's 'customer' - presumably the NSA - had asked Dell not to talk publicly about him." Continue reading

Continue ReadingSnowden downloaded NSA secrets while working for Dell, sources say