Kafkaesque

Arbitrary enforcement, secrecy, self-interest, and the loss of government legitimacy

"The drug war and the national security scandals have overlapped in so many ways, not the least of which is a growing sense of the erosion of the very foundation of legitimacy of government. There are laws you must follow, but we’re not going to tell you what they are, or our interpretation of what they mean, but you must follow them anyway, and we’re going to gag you so you can’t talk about these laws you must follow, and if you try to take it to court, we’re going to invoke national security and say that the courts can’t be allowed to discuss it, plus since it’s secret it doesn’t exist anyway." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingArbitrary enforcement, secrecy, self-interest, and the loss of government legitimacy

America’s Gulag

"America’s gulag is its prison system, filled up by the War on Drugs. This major domestic tyranny hits black and Hispanic males disproportionately. About 7 percent of black men between the ages of 25 and 39 are in prison. No matter what the causes of the higher imprisonment rates of black males are, they are now 5 times higher than in 1930, and the rate relative to the also higher white male number has also jumped. The War on Drugs has to be one major reason, no matter how complex are the causes, which remain very controversial, of the various other differences between the white and black populations." Continue reading →

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His Canadian citizenship is not in doubt. Is Senator Ted Cruz a US citizen?

"Senator Cruz’s position is: 'Because I was a U.S. citizen at birth, because I left Calgary when I was 4 and have lived my entire life since then in the U.S., and because I have never taken affirmative steps to claim Canadian citizenship, I assumed that was the end of the matter.' This contradicts the position of the U.S. government. Let me clarify by asking a question. Q. What if Mr. Cruz had been born in the United States and left at the age of four for Canada and never 'claimed' his U.S. citizenship? A. The U.S. would take the position that he was a U.S. citizen whether he 'claimed his citizenship' or not. It would then assert direct rights of ownership and abuse over him." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHis Canadian citizenship is not in doubt. Is Senator Ted Cruz a US citizen?

Like Ted Cruz, Canadians had nothing against the United States, until now

"If Canadians and others around the world want to renounce U.S. citizenship to protect their private financial information from U.S. snooping, IRS expects five years of income tax returns, destructive penalties and a possible exit tax. Senator Cruz, Canada respects your decision to renounce your Canadian citizenship. When it is granted, I assure you Canada will not stalk you for information about your private finances and will not demand taxes or penalties from you. Senator Cruz, will you and your Congressional colleagues do the same to protect Canadians and others around the world from outrageous demands of the IRS and U.S. Treasury?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLike Ted Cruz, Canadians had nothing against the United States, until now

Bradley Manning sentenced to 35 years in prison

"Army Private First Class Bradley Manning was sentenced on Wednesday morning to 35 years in prison for leaking classified documents via WikiLeaks, The Guardian reported. Military prosecutors asked Judge Colonel Denise Lind on Monday for a 60-year sentence for Manning, the second reduction from a maximum sentence of 136 years in prison, following Lind paring that to 90 years on August 6. Based on a 35-year sentence, Davis wrote, Manning will 'likely serve about 8 to 8.5 yrs more in confinement and be out by the time he’s 33 or 34.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBradley Manning sentenced to 35 years in prison

This Public Preschool Looks Like a Prison

"The front entrance is card key secured, and a thick metal door attached to a gated metal security tunnel with a metal walkway leads back to a hallway of numbered, metal buildings. Every single window, including the little ones on the thick metal doors inside, have metal gratings bolted on the outside of them. It felt like I was walking through a medium security prison facility. Four-year-olds attend this campus. That means these little ones are spending the majority of their weekdays all day long inside this place." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThis Public Preschool Looks Like a Prison

Judge: California can force-feed inmates on hunger strike

"U.S. District Court Judge Thelton E. Henderson, responding to a request by state authorities, ruled that California prison doctors may force-feed select inmates who are near death, even if they had signed orders asking not to be resuscitated. Some 136 inmates are currently taking part in a hunger strike that begun July 8 in prisons statewide to demand an end to a policy of housing inmates believed to be associated with gangs in near-isolation for years. Some 69 of the striking inmates have refused food continuously since the strike began." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJudge: California can force-feed inmates on hunger strike

Government asks for 60-year sentence for Bradley Manning

"The US government has urged a military judge to sentence Bradley Manning to 60 years in prison, arguing that the solider, who leaked a huge collection of classified documents to WikiLeaks, 'deserves to spend the majority of his remaining life' in custody. Manning was found guilty last month of 20 counts, seven under the Espionage Act, but acquitted of the most serious charge of aiding the enemy. Captain Joe Morrow, a military prosecution lawyer, told the court that there may not be a soldier in the history of the US who had shown such an 'extreme disregard' for US security interests." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGovernment asks for 60-year sentence for Bradley Manning

ACLU Coordinating Ed Snowden’s Defense

"While much in the press is focusing on the supposed squabble between Ed Snowden, his father and his father's lawyer, Glenn Greenwald points out the actual important news hidden as a random aside in some of the news reports: the ACLU is now coordinating Ed Snowden's legal defense in the US. The full WSJ article is behind a paywall, but it states: 'The elder Mr. Snowden participated in the chat from the Washington, D.C., office of his attorney, Bruce Fein, and was connected to his son with the help of Ben Wizner, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, who is involved in coordinating Mr. Snowden's legal defense in the U.S.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingACLU Coordinating Ed Snowden’s Defense

ACLU Coordinating Ed Snowden’s Defense

"While much in the press is focusing on the supposed squabble between Ed Snowden, his father and his father's lawyer, Glenn Greenwald points out the actual important news hidden as a random aside in some of the news reports: the ACLU is now coordinating Ed Snowden's legal defense in the US. The full WSJ article is behind a paywall, but it states: 'The elder Mr. Snowden participated in the chat from the Washington, D.C., office of his attorney, Bruce Fein, and was connected to his son with the help of Ben Wizner, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, who is involved in coordinating Mr. Snowden's legal defense in the U.S.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingACLU Coordinating Ed Snowden’s Defense