Homeland Stupidity

Bruce Jessen: The Torturer in the Pulpit

"John Kiriakou's supposed offense – for which he was originally charged under the 1917 Espionage Act, which provides for the death penalty – was to speak critically of the torture program and identify one of the officials involved in it. Kiriakou, one of six officials being prosecuted by the Obama administration for 'leaking' information about the government’s crimes, accepted a plea bargain because he has five children. That fact, to use Jessen’s terminology, made him 'exploitable.' Accordingly, while the architect of the torture program, Bruce Jessen, will now hold forth from a Mormon pulpit, a whistleblower will spend at least 2 1/2 years in prison." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBruce Jessen: The Torturer in the Pulpit

Food Trucks Are Increasingly Serious Terrorism Threat, Says NYC’s Fire Department

"In an internal-use-only document, NYC's Fire Department outlines its concerns about the increasing number of food trucks around New York. Not only are they serious fire hazards, but also a genuine terrorist threat. They say that it will be easy for evildoers to pack large quantities of explosive material into a food truck and conceal it. There's also a growing black market for permits, which opens the door for potential terrorist groups to obtain a truck with ease. The document says that, according to the Department of Homeland Security, 'a food cart can be used as an excellent surveillance platform due to their access and long duration stays.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFood Trucks Are Increasingly Serious Terrorism Threat, Says NYC’s Fire Department

President Romney Can Thank Obama for His Permanent Robotic Death List

"It’s a good thing that Mitt Romney endorsed President Obama’s counterterrorism agenda. Should he win the election in two weeks, Romney will inherit an institutionalized, bureaucratic machine for using lethal robots to target and kill suspected terrorists and their allies. Killing Osama bin Laden was a one-time event; this 'Disposition Matrix' is Barack Obama’s real national-security legacy. Despite bin Laden’s death and the supposed disruption of al-Qaida’s old leadership, the Matrix keeps adding names, as fast or faster than the drones drop bodies." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPresident Romney Can Thank Obama for His Permanent Robotic Death List

Glenn Greenwald: Obama moves to make the War on Terror permanent

"What has been created here - permanently institutionalized - is a highly secretive executive branch agency that simultaneously engages in two functions: (1) it collects and analyzes massive amounts of surveillance data about all Americans without any judicial review let alone search warrants, and (2) creates and implements a 'matrix' that determines the 'disposition' of suspects, up to and including execution, without a whiff of due process or oversight. It is simultaneously a surveillance state and a secretive, unaccountable judicial body that analyzes who you are and then decrees what should be done with you, how you should be 'disposed' of." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlenn Greenwald: Obama moves to make the War on Terror permanent

NYPD paid marijuana arrestee to ‘bait’ Muslims and spy on mosques

"Shamiur Rahman told The Associated Press that he agreed to take on the role of informant in January because he believed that several misdemeanor arrests for marijuana would result in serious legal consequences. Over the course of the year, Rahman said he spied on mosques, Muslim businesses, and Muslim student groups. He took video and photos of worshippers, recorded license plate numbers and eavesdropped on imams. NYPD Assistant Chief Thomas Galati testified earlier this year that a program to infiltrate and monitor Muslim communities had not generated a single lead or terrorism investigation." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNYPD paid marijuana arrestee to ‘bait’ Muslims and spy on mosques

Ron Paul: The Internet Revolution is a Liberty Revolution

"Thanks to the Internet, it is easier than ever before for liberty activists to spread news and other information regarding the evils of government power and the benefits of freedom. For the first time in human history, supporters of liberty around the world can share information across borders quickly and cheaply. Without the filter of government censors, this information emboldens millions to question governments and promote liberty. This is why liberty-minded Americans must do everything possible to oppose − and stop − government attempts to censor or limit the free flow of information online." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRon Paul: The Internet Revolution is a Liberty Revolution

UN Shoe Drops on Internet Terror

"United Nations report calls for Internet surveillance, saying lack of 'internationally agreed framework for retention of data' is a problem, as are open Wi-Fi networks in airports, cafes, and libraries. The United Nations is calling for more surveillance of Internet users, saying it would help to investigate and prosecute terrorists. What are the organizations behind the suggestion of a 'global surveillance state?' The article writes that the UN report was 'produced in collaboration with the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force, which counts the World Bank, Interpol, the World Health Organization, and the International Monetary Fund as members.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUN Shoe Drops on Internet Terror

Obama Rep. Senator Chuck Schumer Says Questioning NDAA is “Biased”

"Senator Charles Schumor refuses to offer any explanation when questioned on his vote for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which gives the President the power to indefinitely detain American citizens without charge or trial. To learn more about the NDAA: http://www.stopndaa.org" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama Rep. Senator Chuck Schumer Says Questioning NDAA is “Biased”

NYPD informant who tracked militants quits, denounces police

"The informant, a 19-year-old American citizen of Bangladeshi descent, was recruited by the NYPD recently as part of an expansive intelligence-gathering program the department launched after the al Qaeda attacks of September 11, 2001. His assignment was to make contact with suspected Islamic extremists to try to determine if they had any inclinations to engage in violence. On October 2, however, the informant, whom the source did not name, posted a message on his personal Facebook page exposing himself as an informant to people he had been in contact with. He declared that he had quit as a police informant." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNYPD informant who tracked militants quits, denounces police

Crew Demonstrates Technology Aimed To Pinpoint Terrorists At Large Events

"This technology has been used in the military but is now available here at home. Tulsa police sniper Perry Lewis was perched on top of the Case Center at the south end of TU's Chapman Stadium. The sensors triangulate and almost immediately, a dot appears on the screen to show where Perry is and the information could pop up on every officer's smartphone and pad in the stadium, so they know where to go. If cameras are hooked up, they could get a picture of the sniper, beam it through satellite to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and if he's in the system, police have the guy's name and an address within minutes." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCrew Demonstrates Technology Aimed To Pinpoint Terrorists At Large Events