Imperial Presidency

Half of Affordable Care Act call center jobs will be part-time

"Earlier this year, Contra Costa County won the right to run a health care call center, where workers will answer questions to help implement the president's Affordable Care Act. Now, with two months to go before the Concord operation opens to serve the public, information has surfaced that about half the jobs are part-time, with no health benefits -- a stinging disappointment to workers and local politicians who believed the positions would be full-time. The Contra Costa County supervisor whose district includes the call center called the whole hiring process -- which attracted about 7,000 applicants -- a 'comedy of errors.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHalf of Affordable Care Act call center jobs will be part-time

Community organizers train to enroll the masses in Obamacare

"Their work is key to the success of the new law in its first year, when the Obama administration seeks to enroll as many as 7 million people, including 2.7 million young and healthy people who are cheaper to insure, for 2014. Oregon and Vermont have already begun training their enrollment advisers, while Connecticut and Washington are just starting up and other states, including Illinois and New York, will commence later this summer. The playbook for these ambassadors focuses on two main points: First, tell people how they will benefit from Obamacare; second, stay away from divisive political talk." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCommunity organizers train to enroll the masses in Obamacare

Even who we’re in a drone war with is classified

"Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., asked the Defense Department to provide him with a current list of Al Qaeda affiliates. The Pentagon responded - but Levin’s office told ProPublica they aren’t allowed to share it. Kathleen Long, a spokeswoman for Levin, would say only that the department’s 'answer included the information requested.' A Pentagon spokesman told ProPublica that revealing such a list could cause 'serious damage to national security.' 'Because elements that might be considered 'associated forces’ can build credibility by being listed as such by the United States, we have classified the list,' said the spokesman, Lt. Col. Jim Gregory." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEven who we’re in a drone war with is classified

Bush Presidential Library Misleads Visitors On WMDs In Iraq

"If you go to war based on what’s later shown to be a lie, how does a museum dedicated to your legacy address it? That’s the overarching question as you set foot into the George W. Bush Presidential Center, which opened last month on Southern Methodist University’s campus. The answer: uncomfortably. In at least eight separate instances, the library offers displays, audio, or video designed to give the impression that Saddam Hussein either possessed weapons of mass destruction, or was on the verge of getting them. It’s the Beetlejuice approach: say 'weapons of mass destruction' enough times and they will appear." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBush Presidential Library Misleads Visitors On WMDs In Iraq

Democrat seeks to defund Obama’s expansive war powers

"Rep. Adam Schiff’s (D-CA) amendment would prohibit the use of funds pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) effective on December 31, 2014. The Bush and Obama administrations have used the AUMF as a legal justification for vast electronic surveillance and targeted drone strikes against suspected terrorists. The AUMF has also been used to deploy troops to various countries — including Ethiopia, Djibouti, Georgia, Kenya, Somalia, and Yemen — and justify indefinite detentions at Guantanamo Bay." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDemocrat seeks to defund Obama’s expansive war powers

Congress moves towards arming Syrian rebels

"President Barack Obama’s plan to provide vetted Syrian rebels with weapons and strategic military aid has gained traction in Congress, US lawmakers said Tuesday. The United States is currently providing humanitarian and non-lethal military aid to rebel groups battling the regime of strongman Bashar al-Assad. Obama’s administration promised an expansion of military aid to Syria’s rebel forces in June after accusing the regime of using chemical weapons, but such aid has yet to be disbursed. Lawmakers have been split on the proposal, but on Monday House Intelligence Committee chairman Mike Rogers said a 'consensus' had been reached." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCongress moves towards arming Syrian rebels

Obama Co-Sponsored 2004 Bill Strengthening Self-Defense in Illinois

"President Barack Obama has questioned the wisdom of 'Stand Your Ground' laws, which in many states provide that a person using justified force in self-defense against an attacker has no duty to retreat before using that force. However, in 2004, then-State Senator Obama co-sponsored a bill that strengthened an Illinois law providing for the use of lethal force in self-defense, making the use of such force more likely. Though Obama had made gun control a signature issue early in his career in the state capitol representing the urban, liberal district of Hyde Park, the need to appeal to voters statewide may have prompted Obama's co-sponsorship of the self-defense legislation." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama Co-Sponsored 2004 Bill Strengthening Self-Defense in Illinois

Kafka’s America: Secret Courts, Secret Laws, and Total Surveillance

"A mechanism to protect the American people from unwarranted government surveillance became instead a bureaucratic mechanism to rubber stamp government applications for surveillance. The Court is structured such that applications for surveillance are rarely ever denied. If a judge were to reject an application, that judge would have to immediately write a report detailing every reason for the rejection, then transmit the report to a 3-person court of review. If that court finds that the application was properly denied, it must also write a report, which is then subject to a writ of certiorari by the Supreme Court. No reviews are necessary if an application is granted." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingKafka’s America: Secret Courts, Secret Laws, and Total Surveillance

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

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’