Imperial Presidency

No-fly zone at Obama family Colorado ski outing

"First Lady Michelle Obama and her two daughters skied at a posh resort in Aspen, Colo., with the help of numerous instructors on private ski runs during Presidents Day weekend. We’re told some wealthy Aspen visitors were annoyed when 'air space was blocked because of [the Obamas’] plane, so others couldn’t get their private jets in. Many people nearly didn’t land or had to be diverted.' We’re told the Obama family stayed at the home of Aspen Ski Company owners Jim and Paula Crown, who are big Democratic donors. Their security team occupied another entire house next door." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNo-fly zone at Obama family Colorado ski outing

Federal Court Says Obama NLRB Appointments Violated Constitution

"President Barack Obama violated the Constitution when he bypassed the Senate last year to appoint three members of the National Labor Relations Board, a federal appeals court ruled Friday in a far-reaching decision that could severely limit a chief executive's powers to make recess appointments. The decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit marked a victory for Republicans and business groups critical of the labor board. If it stands, it could invalidate hundreds of board decisions over the past year, including some that make it easier for unions to organize." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFederal Court Says Obama NLRB Appointments Violated Constitution

10 Reasons The U.S. Is No Longer The Land Of The Free

"Even as we pass judgment on countries we consider unfree, Americans remain confident that any definition of a free nation must include their own — the land of free. Yet, the laws and practices of the land should shake that confidence. In the decade since Sept. 11, 2001, this country has comprehensively reduced civil liberties in the name of an expanded security state. While each new national security power Washington has embraced was controversial when enacted, they are often discussed in isolation. But they don’t operate in isolation. They form a mosaic of powers under which our country could be considered, at least in part, authoritarian." Continue reading →

Continue Reading10 Reasons The U.S. Is No Longer The Land Of The Free

Drones not just for foreign attacks, will fill up the U.S. skies

"Suddenly drones are everywhere -- not in the skies over the United States, as they will be by the thousands in a few years, and not just hovering over foreign battlefields to strike terror in the heart of al-Qaida -- but as the focus of debate in the U.S. Congress and elsewhere. Inevitably, the U.S. Supreme Court will be asked to determine whether the use of extrajudicial lethal force against those marked as terrorists posing an imminent threat, including U.S. citizens, is constitutional. The court also will be asked to determine how intrusive drones can be when flown over domestic air space by government, law enforcement and private companies." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDrones not just for foreign attacks, will fill up the U.S. skies

Pepe Escobar: The illusory state of the Empire

"Obama's legacy may be in the process of being forged. We might call it Shadow War Forever - coupled with the noxious permanence of Guantanamo. The Pentagon for its part will never abandon its 'full spectrum' dream of military hegemony, ideally controlling the future of the world in all those shades of grey zones between Russia and China, the lands of Islam and India, and Africa and Asia. Were lessons learned? Of course not. Obama can afford to be self-confident because the Drone Empire is safe. Most Americans seem to absent-mindedly endorse it - as long as 'the terrorists' are alien, not US citizens." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPepe Escobar: The illusory state of the Empire

Obama to receive Israel’s presidential medal of honor

"Barack Obama will become the first serving US president to receive Israel’s presidential medal, from his Israeli counterpart Shimon Peres on a visit to the Jewish state next month, Peres’s office said on Monday. 'President Obama has made a unique and meaningful contribution to strengthening the state of Israel and the security of its people,' it said in a statement. 'Barack Obama is a true friend of the state of Israel and has been since the beginning of his public life. As president of the United States he has stood beside Israel in times of crisis,' it added." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama to receive Israel’s presidential medal of honor

Obama’s Drones – Coming to a Window Near You

"The Constitution of the Unites States guarantees that we shall not be 'deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law,' that we have a right to trial and to be charged with a crime. But if the president of the United States, as a Columbia Law School professor described President Obama’s actions a few days ago, 'is acting as judge, jury and executioner,' how are we to defend ourselves? We can at least start by demanding that Capitol Hill outlaw the use of surveillance drones against the 315,279,355 presumed innocent Americans now living in the United States." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama’s Drones – Coming to a Window Near You

Housing Industry Hopes Obama Line Will Soften Mortgage Rule

"U.S. Realtors and mortgage bankers say they hope President Barack Obama’s call for streamlined mortgage rules in his State of the Union speech will help them persuade regulators not to set a strict minimum down payment for home loans. At issue is the so-called qualified residential mortgage rule, which six banking regulators including the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Federal Reserve are aiming to complete this year. The regulators drew protests in 2011 when they released a preliminary draft requiring lenders to keep a stake in mortgages with down payments of less than 20 percent and those issued to [debt-laden] borrowers." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHousing Industry Hopes Obama Line Will Soften Mortgage Rule

..And Then Government Came For The Toddlers

"Back in 2007, the future U.S. Queen said: 'As president, I will establish universal pre-kindergarten education through a federal-state partnership.' At the time, Hillary's cheerleaders at The New York Times were pitching the project with words like 'neuroscientific'. Obama is the latest in keeping the ball rolling: 'I propose working with states to make high-quality preschool available to every child in America,' he said in his latest State of the Union speech. Perhaps someday, the 'neuroscientific' and 'high quality' Platonist government will make its way into the hospital room, helping Mommies to bring 'new Americans' into the world." Continue reading →

Continue Reading..And Then Government Came For The Toddlers