Imperial Presidency

NSA collected US email records in bulk for more than two years under Obama

"The Obama administration for more than two years permitted the National Security Agency to continue collecting vast amounts of records detailing the email and internet usage of Americans, according to secret documents obtained by the Guardian. The documents indicate that under the program, launched in 2001, a federal judge sitting on the secret surveillance panel called the Fisa court would approve a bulk collection order for internet metadata 'every 90 days'. The collection of these records began under the Bush administration's wide-ranging warrantless surveillance program, collectively known by the NSA codename Stellar Wind." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNSA collected US email records in bulk for more than two years under Obama

Obama promises he won’t ‘scramble jets’ to get Snowden

"US President Barack Obama said Thursday he would not 'scramble jets' to intercept any flights carrying fugitive leaker Edward Snowden and scoffed at spending political capital to win him back from Russia. His comments came as Snowden remained in Russia, where he fled from Hong Kong, stuck in the transit zone of a Moscow airport, apparently unable to travel on to possible asylum in Ecuador after Washington cancelled his passport. Obama, who has been embarrassed by the refusal of first China and then Russia to expel Snowden, insisted the real damage to the United States lay not in international humiliation, but in the exposure of key spying programs." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama promises he won’t ‘scramble jets’ to get Snowden

Man Indicted In Scheme To Blackmail Romney Over Tax Returns

"The court document says that Brown never compromised the accounting firm's computer systems, 'and falsely stated that he had stolen tax documents for Willard M. Romney and Ann D. Romney for tax years prior to 2010.' Brown then 'demanded US$1 million converted to 'Bitcoin' and instructed that this sum be deposited in a Bitcoin account for which he provide the account number,' according to the document, to prevent the release of the documents. The letters were printed not on Brown's computer but on a friend's, according to the indictment, as Brown had emailed the person to ask to use their printer, using the excuse that his own printer was out of ink." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMan Indicted In Scheme To Blackmail Romney Over Tax Returns

Russia: U.S. demands to hand over Edward Snowden are ‘ravings and rubbish’

"President Vladimir Putin confirmed on Tuesday a former U.S. spy agency contractor sought by the United States was in the transit area of a Moscow airport but ruled out handing him over to Washington, dismissing U.S. criticisms as 'ravings and rubbish'. In his first public comments since the fugitive flew in on Sunday, he appeared to make light of the affair around Edward Snowden, whose flight from U.S. authorities is becoming an increasing embarrassment for President Barack Obama." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRussia: U.S. demands to hand over Edward Snowden are ‘ravings and rubbish’

National Lawyers Guild Report Supports Further Marijuana Legalization Initiatives

"As the nation waits for a response from the White House, the NLG joins other organizations and individuals in calling for the end to marijuana prohibition. 'Marijuana legalization will create new jobs, generate millions of dollars in tax revenue, and allow law enforcement to focus on serious crimes,' said Brian Vicente, NLG member and one of the primary authors of Colorado’s legalization amendment. 'It would be a travesty if the Obama administration used its power to impose marijuana prohibition upon a state whose people have declared, through the democratic process, that they want it to end.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNational Lawyers Guild Report Supports Further Marijuana Legalization Initiatives

U.S. Conference of Mayors asks Obama for flexibility on marijuana

"The United States Conference of Mayors unanimously passed a historic, bipartisan resolution calling on the Obama administration to stop interfering with state and local efforts to deal with the problems caused by marijuana prohibition. 'This resolution will amplify the voices of local officials and voters who are sick and tired of President Obama’s administration doing the exact opposite of what candidate Obama said he was going to do, which was respect state marijuana laws,' a spokesperson for drug reform advocacy group Marijuana Majority said. The resolution, co-sponsored by mayors from 18 cities, lays out a long list of grievances against marijuana prohibition." Continue reading →

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Pardon Me? It isn’t Snowden Who Needs Clemency

"It isn’t Snowden who needs clemency. It’s Barack Obama, his co-conspirators and his accessories before and after the fact. Nor is it Snowden alone before whom the crooks should be made to grovel for mercy. The fate of the Obama Spy Ring rightfully belongs in the hands of ALL its victims. Will these telecom voyeurs, these data burglars — and their bosses — be made to truly pay for their crimes? It seems unlikely, as they are made members of the world’s most powerful organized crime syndicate, the government of the United States." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPardon Me? It isn’t Snowden Who Needs Clemency

The Trick is to Suspend the Constitution Without Admitting It

"The executive branch has routinely invoked the so-called PATRIOT act, and the Authorization for Use of Military Force to supposedly permit the President and his subordinates to wage war anywhere on the face of the earth, carry out all-encompassing electronic surveillance of the entire population, and even carry out summary executions of anyone – including U.S. citizens – deemed to be enemies of the state. Pakistan endured a similar period of executive rule under the reign of military dictator Pervez Musharraf between 1999 and 2008. The Pakistani government is preparing to put Musharraf on trial for treason for suspending that country’s constitution." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Trick is to Suspend the Constitution Without Admitting It

Edward Snowden versus Jay Carney

"There is no doubt that Edward Snowden has created a huge public relations crisis for the Obama administration. The government appears to be not only stupid, but utterly impotent. Here we have this gigantic spying system, and it looks like the Keystone Kops. It cannot locate him. It cannot stop him. It revoked his passport. Nobody cares. Obama has remained silent on all of this. In his place is Jay Carney. Who in the world is Jay Carney? The implications of what Snowden has revealed are monumental. We have moved formally and legally into a police state. The only thing protecting us is the utter incompetence of the police state to enforce its will on people." Continue reading →

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The Land of the Blind: The Illusion of Freedom in America

"Consider how quickly the government’s attack dogs went from defending the NSA’s warrantless mass surveillance of Americans’ phone calls to targeting and punishing any and all parties involved in the 'leak' of sensitive information, including labeling Snowden a traitor, charging him with espionage and warning foreign governments against giving him refuge. President Obama has begun preaching about the need for Americans to 'trust' their government, insisting that the NSA’s surveillance is perfectly legal with no acknowledgment of the fact that the leak shed much-needed light on government corruption, illicit programs and treachery." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Land of the Blind: The Illusion of Freedom in America