Imperial Presidency

More Fast and Furious guns surface at crimes in Mexico

"Three more weapons from Fast and Furious have turned up at crime scenes in Mexico, CBS News has learned, as the toll from the controversial federal operation grows. According to Justice Department tracing documents obtained by CBS News, all three guns are WASR-10 762-caliber Romanian rifles. A steady stream of the guns have been recovered at crime scenes in Mexico and the U.S. But the Justice Department has refused repeated requests from Congress and CBS News to provide a full accounting. An estimated 1,400 guns are still on the street or unaccounted for." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMore Fast and Furious guns surface at crimes in Mexico

‘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

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

Egyptian military vows lethal response ahead of nationwide ‘March of Anger’

"Egyptian authorities cited the need to protect state property and ensure people’s security as the reason for authorizing the use of lethal force against protesters. Earlier, US President Barack Obama canceled joint military exercises with Egypt in a sign of displeasure with the Cairo government’s crackdown. However, he made no moves to end or suspend annual US military aid of $1.3 billion to the country. According to the latest figures from the Egyptian Health Ministry, at least 638 people were killed and 3,994 injured after authorities destroyed pro-Morsi protest camps on Wednesday. At least 43 of those killed were security personnel." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEgyptian military vows lethal response ahead of nationwide ‘March of Anger’

Obama’s surveillance revisions omit limits on warrantless email searches

"In pledging to make changes that could curtail the federal government’s ability to spy on Americans, President Barack Obama failed to address calls by lawmakers and experts to overhaul a law that allows the National Security Agency to search vast databases of individual Americans’ emails without court warrants. Instead, Obama called on Congress to change the USA Patriot Act, which increased the government’s ability to gather intelligence after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and the secret court that oversees NSA surveillance programs. Obama said he still backed the surveillance programs but was trying to strike a balance." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama’s surveillance revisions omit limits on warrantless email searches

How Nixon the Keynesian Destroyed the Monetary Regime of Keynes

"Richard Nixon made a lot of bad decisions, but this one was his worst. This one has had long-term consequences far beyond anything he ever imagined. We are now trapped by the Federal Reserve, which buys $1 trillion worth of government debt every year. If it stops, we will get into another major recession. So far, there are few signs the Federal Reserve is going to stop. From 1965 until 1971, foreign governments and central banks could put pressure on the Federal Reserve to stop its expansion of money. All the government or the central bank had to do was order gold at $35 an ounce. That leverage ceased 42 years ago." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHow Nixon the Keynesian Destroyed the Monetary Regime of Keynes

Lexicon Shift Alert: global warming gets another name change

"The White House has changed its vocabulary again — first 'global warming' was changed to 'climate change' — and now the correct name of the scam is 'carbon pollution.' It’s a way to paint carbon dioxide as if it were black soot billowing out of industrial smokestacks. Carbon dioxide is actually what humans exhale, and it’s food for plants." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLexicon Shift Alert: global warming gets another name change

5 Myths Used to Justify Death By Drone and America’s Assassination Policy

"America’s never-ending war on terrorism is almost always depicted in the mainstream media as a military and intelligence agency fight on a global battlefield. But it is also a propaganda war where the public is fed inaccuracies from Washington, especially when it comes to overseas killings by U.S. military drones. Here are five myths perpetuated by the military and its weapons makers that seek to make Americans feel good about drones and the White House’s policy of targeted assassinations." Continue reading →

Continue Reading5 Myths Used to Justify Death By Drone and America’s Assassination Policy

5 Myths Used to Justify Death By Drone and America’s Assassination Policy

"America’s never-ending war on terrorism is almost always depicted in the mainstream media as a military and intelligence agency fight on a global battlefield. But it is also a propaganda war where the public is fed inaccuracies from Washington, especially when it comes to overseas killings by U.S. military drones. Here are five myths perpetuated by the military and its weapons makers that seek to make Americans feel good about drones and the White House’s policy of targeted assassinations." Continue reading →

Continue Reading5 Myths Used to Justify Death By Drone and America’s Assassination Policy