CLibertyC

Turkish court gives go-ahead to demolish Gezi Park

"Istanbul’s administrative court gave a green light to demolish city’s Gezi Park, which was at the center of heated nationwide protests sparked by the decision to get rid of the park and turn it into a monument to the Ottoman Empire. The protests against the construction spread nationally since late May, growing into a larger opposition by those unhappy with Erdogan’s 'authoritarian style of rule.' The park has turned into a cradle of anti-government unrest, where the protests quickly became violent as police used teargas and water canon to disperse protesters. The demonstrations resulted in the death of four people and around 7,500 injured." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTurkish court gives go-ahead to demolish Gezi Park

Death toll rises in Egypt following clashes

"At least six people were killed in overnight clashes in Cairo between supporters and opponents of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, the health ministry has confirmed to Al Jazeera. The clashes late that night saw the use of birdshot, gunfire and molotov cocktails, witnesses said. Police then intervened, firing tear gas to disperse the crowd. Earlier in the day, Adly Mansour, Egypt's interim president, renewed appeals for reconciliation. 'We want to turn a new page in the country’s book with no hatred, no malice, no division,' he said in a pre-recorded speech that also highlighted the importance of the army in Egypt's history." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDeath toll rises in Egypt following clashes

Leaked Pakistani report confirms high civilian death toll in CIA drone strikes

"A secret document obtained by the Bureau reveals for the first time the Pakistan government’s internal assessment of dozens of drone strikes, and shows scores of civilian casualties. At least 147 of the dead are clearly stated to be civilian victims, 94 of those are said to be children. The numbers recorded are much higher than those provided by the US administration, which continues to insist that no more than 50 to 60 ‘non-combatants’ have been killed by the CIA across the entire nine years of Pakistan bombings. New CIA director John Brennan has described claims to the contrary as ‘intentional misrepresentations‘." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLeaked Pakistani report confirms high civilian death toll in CIA drone strikes

‘Are We Rome?’ Was A Questioned Asked and Answered Long Ago

"The US hunts down and kills very many innocents abroad by drone. It’s a bit of a sport—so much so that decadent New Rome has even established a 'new medal that honors drone pilots and computer experts' for their long-distance killing prowess. War-time slaughter has just been industrialized, streamlined, made more efficient in our times. Compare the demographic and economic indices of countries the US has invaded—for their own good, of course, but without their consent—before and after the 'merciful' intervention. The latter-day Rome has mechanized the warfare-state’s killing and has refined its propaganda wing to an art." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘Are We Rome?’ Was A Questioned Asked and Answered Long Ago

Former CIA Officer Philip Giraldi: ‘Edward Snowden Is No Traitor’

"Even accepting the somewhat fast and loose standard for being at war, it is difficult to discern where Snowden has been supporting the al-Qaeda and 'associated groups' enemy. Snowden has had no contact with al-Qaeda and he has not provided them with any classified information. Nor has he ever spoken up on their behalf, given them advice, or supported in any way their activities directed against the United States. The fallback argument that Snowden has alerted terrorists to the fact that Washington is able to read their emails and listen in on their phone conversations—enabling them to change their methods of communication—is hardly worth considering." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFormer CIA Officer Philip Giraldi: ‘Edward Snowden Is No Traitor’

Which Countries Can The NSA Whistleblower Escape To?

"An extradition treaty is a legal mechanism that countries use to transfer people to another country for numerous reasons. The terms and conditions of extradition treaties vary due to the circumstances of each individual case and also from country to country. Some countries (like France and Brazil) will not extradite their own citizens no matter what. Generally speaking, in order for extradition to be successful, the suspected criminal act must not be political in nature, it must be recognized as a crime in both jurisdictions, and the suspect must not be in danger of receiving the death penalty or torture if transferred." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhich Countries Can The NSA Whistleblower Escape To?

US court renews permission to NSA to collect phone metadata

"The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court has renewed permission to the U.S. government for a controversial program to collect telephone metadata in bulk. The office of the Director of National Intelligence said the government filed an application with the FISC seeking renewal of the authority to collect telephony metadata in bulk, and the court renewed that authority, which expired on Friday. The information was being disclosed 'in light of the significant and continuing public interest in the telephony metadata collection program,' and an earlier decision by DNI James R. Clapper to declassify certain information relating to the program, it said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS court renews permission to NSA to collect phone metadata

How will Obama defend secret NSA program in court? Letter offers clue.

"The letter continues, 'the Government is prohibited ... from indiscriminately sifting through the data. The data-base may only be queried for intelligence purposes by NSA analysts where there is a reasonable, articulable suspicion (RAS), based on specific facts.' If the government wants to take a closer look, any data gleaned must be associated with people or phone numbers already identified and approved by the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. In 2012, the letter revealed, the court approved fewer than 300 'query terms' that would allow intelligence analysts to pursue a phone call further." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHow will Obama defend secret NSA program in court? Letter offers clue.

Paul Rosenberg on RT: Online Surveillance in the US

"You will probably be quite familiar with the idea that the government has a nasty habit of spying on Americans who haven't done anything wrong. Until recently, most of us have been called kooks, conspiracy nuts and worse... But, as the scandals keep coming, the general public is starting to wake up to the abuses. One leading voice in the effort to help people recognize and make sense of what's going on is 'outside the Matrix' author Paul Rosenberg. A few days ago, media network RT invited him into the studio to talk about these things. For more information, visit www.freemansperspective.com " Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPaul Rosenberg on RT: Online Surveillance in the US

Move over NSA, here comes the Obamacare Big Brother database

"The massive, centralized database will include information such as income and financial data, family size, citizenship and immigration status, incarceration status, social security numbers, and private health information. It will compile dossiers based on information obtained from the IRS, Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, the Veterans Administration, the Office of Personnel Management, the Social Security Administration, state Medicaid databases, and for some reason the Peace Corps. The hub will be used on a daily basis by so-called Navigators, but there are only sketchy guidelines on how they will be hired, trained and monitored." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMove over NSA, here comes the Obamacare Big Brother database