Kafkaesque

FEMA Camp Bill Is Resurrected

"It looks as if Representative Alcee Hastings, a Democrat from Florida, has decided to reintroduce his FEMA Camp bill. The latest iteration of this bill has been introduced as House Resolution 390 otherwise known as the National Emergency Centers Establishment Act. This bill would authorize not fewer than 6 military installations as sites for the establishment of national emergency centers to be run by FEMA under the command of the Secretary of Homeland Security." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFEMA Camp Bill Is Resurrected

Judge Napolitano on Obama’s Drone Strike Policy: ‘This Is the Power Claimed by Kings and Tyrants’

"'It says 'any informed high-level U.S. government official can strip an American of his or her constitutional protections and order the killing of that American if the person is overseas, if it's difficult to arrest that person,' said Napolitano, explaining that the memo does not clearly define what 'imminent danger' to the United States means. 'This is the power claimed by kings and tyrants. This is about as un-American a power as one could imagine,' he said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJudge Napolitano on Obama’s Drone Strike Policy: ‘This Is the Power Claimed by Kings and Tyrants’

To Kill an American

"There were not too many surprises in the newly disclosed 'white paper' offering a legal reasoning behind the claim that President Obama has the power to order the killing of American citizens who are believed to be part of Al Qaeda. We knew Mr. Obama and his lawyers believed he has that power under the Constitution and federal law. We also knew that he utterly rejects the idea that Congress or the courts have any right to review such a decision in advance, or even after the fact. Still, it was disturbing to see the twisted logic laid out in black and white. It had the air of a legal justification written after the fact for a policy decision that had already been made." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTo Kill an American

Military judge orders government to stop censoring 9/11 hearings

"A military judge ordered the US government Thursday to stop censoring September 11 pre-trial hearings from outside his courtroom. Judge James Pohl said the government must 'disconnect the outside feed or ability to suspend the broadcast' from outside his court. Proceedings are heard in the press room, and in a room where human rights groups and victims families sit, with a 40 second delay. This is done so that a security officer sitting next to the judge can block anything deemed classified. The ruling means classified information could still be blocked, but only by order of the judge and not from outside the courtroom." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMilitary judge orders government to stop censoring 9/11 hearings

Are You a Sociopath? If So, You’d Be A Successful Prosecutor

"For several years, the federal government sought to confiscate the family-owned Motel Caswell in Tewksbury,Massachusetts. The owner, Russ Caswell, had cooperated with police investigations of suspected narcotics activity. He was never charged with a crime. Yet a DEA official filed paperwork to steal the property through asset forfeiture because of drug offenses that took place without the owner’s knowledge. Carmen Ortiz, the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts, is reportedly considering an appeal of the ruling that dismissed the forfeiture suit against Caswell. Ms. Ortiz was the same prosecutor who drove 26-year-old internet wiz Aaron Swartz to suicide." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAre You a Sociopath? If So, You’d Be A Successful Prosecutor

Talk of CIA prisons censored at Guantanamo hearing

"US authorities censored part of a preliminary hearing Monday at a Guantanamo military tribunal that touched on CIA secret prisons where suspected 9/11 plotters say they were tortured. Reporters watched the proceedings against the five 9/11 suspects at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba behind a thick, sound-proof glass wall and listened to piped-in audio with a 40-second delay. But when a defense lawyer mentioned the CIA secret sites at Monday’s hearing, a red light flashed on and the sound from the courtroom was cut off. The audio from the proceedings was replaced by white noise, preventing journalists from listening." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTalk of CIA prisons censored at Guantanamo hearing

Google unveils detailed North Korea map… with gulags

"Google has rolled out a detailed map of North Korea that even labels some of its remote and infamous gulags. Until now North Korea was pretty much a blank canvas to users of Google’s Map Maker, which creates maps from data that is provided by the public and fact-checked in a similar process to that used by Wikipedia. Mr Mysore said the North Korea section had been completed with the help of a 'community of citizen cartographers' working over a period of several years." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGoogle unveils detailed North Korea map… with gulags

Private Pilot Nearly Shot Down for Violating “Secret No-Fly Zone”

"Despite the fact that he had done nothing wrong, Fleming was handcuffed, charged with 'breach of peace,' and held for more than 24 hours before being interrogated by FBI and Homeland Security officials. The charges were dismissed after he showed the investigators that the zone wasn’t marked in aviation charts – but he was required to sign a document promising that he wouldn’t file a lawsuit against the officials who had illegally detained him. He later learned that local police officials had made preparations to shoot down his glider if he hadn’t landed as quickly as he did. Fleming did nothing illegal – yet he was brutalized by people prepared to kill him." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPrivate Pilot Nearly Shot Down for Violating “Secret No-Fly Zone”

Private Pilot Nearly Shot Down for Violating “Secret No-Fly Zone”

"Despite the fact that he had done nothing wrong, Fleming was handcuffed, charged with 'breach of peace,' and held for more than 24 hours before being interrogated by FBI and Homeland Security officials. The charges were dismissed after he showed the investigators that the zone wasn’t marked in aviation charts – but he was required to sign a document promising that he wouldn’t file a lawsuit against the officials who had illegally detained him. He later learned that local police officials had made preparations to shoot down his glider if he hadn’t landed as quickly as he did. Fleming did nothing illegal – yet he was brutalized by people prepared to kill him." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPrivate Pilot Nearly Shot Down for Violating “Secret No-Fly Zone”