Kafkaesque

A Nation of Rules: The US Justice System

"Edward Lamar Young knew he should not be committing crimes of burglary, especially after he already had served time in Tennessee prison more than 15 years earlier for the same thing. He had promised to 'go straight' after his 1996 release and had done so until 2011, when he 'fell off the wagon' and stole some items from cars and a business warehouse. However, he sits in federal prison for 15 years and never was prosecuted for burglary. Why? He had some shotgun shells in his possession (he did not have a shotgun in which to use them) and according to federal law, a person with any criminal conviction cannot own either firearms or ammunition." Continue reading →

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Snowden’s father criticizes Congress, Obama over spy programs

"Lonnie Snowden, in an interview with NBC's 'Today' show, said lawmakers were 'complicit or negligent' in allowing the National Security Agency's massive electronic surveillance program to continue. 'I am extremely disappointed and angry,' he said. 'The American people - at this point, they don't know the full truth, but the truth is coming.' Lonnie Snowden told NBC he was confident in his son's actions. 'I believe that my son, when he takes his final breath whether it's today or 100 years from now, he will be comfortable with what he did because he did what he knew was right.'" Continue reading →

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R.I.P. Garry Davis (1921-2013)

"The world has lost a true visionary. Davis renounced his US citizenship in 1948, proclaiming himself a citizen of the world. He went on to advocate for global, rather than national, governance, and founded organizations to that end. Since 1954, the World Passport that Davis devised and issued has facilitated crossings of some 180 national borders, and has has saved tens of thousands of lives. as bearers and their families used it to flee conflict zones and genocides. Garry’s legacy lives on, both in the ideals he articulated and in the lives and descendants of the people his 'fake' passports saved." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingR.I.P. Garry Davis (1921-2013)

A Death Before Dying: Solitary Confinement on Death Row

"We know that the death penalty system is broken. Racial bias, junk science, underfunded public defense, and other serious breakdowns in our legal system can mean that people – sometimes innocent people – will languish on death rows for years while pursuing appeals. Spending these years in extreme isolation can erode mental health to the point that some will 'volunteer' to die rather than continue to live under such conditions. Many prisoners die a slow and painful psychological death before the state ever executes them." Continue reading →

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Russia won’t extradite Snowden to US – Kremlin

"Moscow says security agency FSB is in talks with the FBI over Snowden. But the whistleblower will not be extradited to the US, a Kremlin spokesman said, adding he's sure the fugitive NSA contractor will stop harming Washington if granted asylum in Russia. 'Russia has never extradited anyone, and will not extradite,' said Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Meanwhile, the US Senate threatened Thursday that it might impose sanctions against any country that provides asylum to Snowden, including revocation or suspension of trade privileges and preferences." Continue reading →

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The Manning Show Trial: These Teachable Moments

"I’m shocked — shocked! — that Colonel Denise Lind, the military judge who ruled in February that Bradley Manning could be tried on various charges even after being held prior to arraignment for more than five times the absolute longest time specified in the US Armed Forces’ 'speedy trial' rules, has now also ruled that Manning can be convicted of aiding an enemy that does not exist. Yes, you read that right: There’s only an 'enemy' to aid, in any legal sense, if the United States is at war, a state created by a congressional declaration. There’s been no such declaration since World War II. Lind had only one legal duty as judge in this case: To dismiss all charges." Continue reading →

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Paul Craig Roberts: How the US Became the USSR

"The communists had a Julian Assange and an Edward Snowden of their own. His name was Cardinal Jozef Mindszenty, the leader of the Hungarian Catholic Church. Mindszenty opposed tyranny. For his efforts he was imprisoned by the Nazis. Communists also regarded him as an undesirable, and he was tortured and given a life sentence in 1949. Freed by the short-lived Hungarian Revolution in 1956, Mindszenty reached the American Embassy in Budapest and was granted political asylum by Washington. However, the communists would not give him the free passage that asylum presumes, and Mindszenty lived in the US Embassy for 15 years, 79% of his remaining life." Continue reading →

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Senate committee votes unanimously to sanction any country that takes Snowden

"The 30-member Senate Appropriations Committee adopted by consensus an amendment to a spending bill that would direct Secretary of State John Kerry to meet with congressional committees to come up with sanctions against any country that takes Snowden in. Bolivia, Nicaragua and Venezuela have said they could offer sanctuary to Snowden. Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham said he introduced the amendment to try to get the attention of any country that might take in Snowden, not Russia in particular, although he noted Moscow has lined up against the United States on other issues, including the civil war in Syria." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSenate committee votes unanimously to sanction any country that takes Snowden

Bradley Manning Trial: ‘Aiding the Enemy’ Charge is a Travesty of Justice

"The government’s charge that Manning 'aided and abetted the enemy,' which carries a possible life-sentence in prison, is based on the argument that the information Manning leaked was of interest to Osama bin Laden and other terrorist organizations. But as Glenn Greenwald points out in a recent Guardian column, the prosecution’s theory poses a serious threat to the freedom of the press and turns virtually all leaks and whisteblowing into a form of treason. Since bin Laden claimed to have read and recommended Bob Woodward’s journalism, should Woodward also be locked in solitary confinement and stripped of his clothing?" Continue reading →

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10 Things that Cause Tax Audits of US Expatriates

"1. Not Reporting All Of Your Taxable Income. 2. Filling Out Forms 2555 Incorrectly. 3. Form 1116 (foreign tax credit) not done correctly. 4. Taking Higher Than The Average Deductions. 5. IRS Finders Fee Program. 6. Business Meals, Travel And Entertainment. 7. Claiming 100% Use Of Your Car For Business. 8. Large Cash Transactions. 9. Math Errors. 10. Failure to Properly Abandon your State Tax Domicile." Continue reading →

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