Land Of The Flea

Russia Issues International Travel Advisory to Its Hackers

"The Russian government has some advice for its cyber criminal class, and any other citizens who might be wanted by U.S. law enforcement: Don’t leave home. Yesterday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry issued a public notice advising 'citizens to refrain from traveling abroad, especially to countries that have signed agreements with the U.S. on mutual extradition, if there is reasonable suspicion that U.S. law enforcement agencies' have a case pending against them. 'Practice shows that the trials of those who were actually kidnapped and taken to the United States are biased, based on shaky evidence' and are slanted against the Russians, the notice warns." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRussia Issues International Travel Advisory to Its Hackers

Bradley Manning: The Mighty Fist!

"We stand in solidarity with PFC Manning and the peace his actions stand for. The state has grown far too large. The centralized, federated nation-state is a great agent of repression. Its power lies in the hands of state servants who wish to extinguish what tiny flames of liberty are left among us. But for many, this sentence has inspired a howl so large that these flames may rage into a roaring fire. If such an injustice can come down on Manning then it can come down on any of us who wish to challenge the immoral actions of the state. May the mighty fist of solidarity vanquish this state!" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBradley Manning: The Mighty Fist!

Chelsea Manning files bid for Obama pardon

"A separate statement released by Amnesty International on Tuesday urged Obama to take a sympathetic stance towards Manning and grant clemency, saying the soldier’s sentence was a 'blight on the US human rights record.' 'President Obama should grant Manning clemency for time served, protect whistleblowers, and provide accountability for crimes like those Manning exposed,' Amnesty said. The rights group noted that Manning’s sentence 'contrasts with the leniency given those responsible for torture and other types of grave human rights violations' revealed by the soldier’s disclosures." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChelsea Manning files bid for Obama pardon

Protester crashes Syria hearing: ‘The American people do not want this’

"CODEPINK co-founder and anti-war activist Medea Benjamin interrupted a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the possibility of a U.S. military strike in Syria on Tuesday. Video posted by Talking Points Memo shows Benjamin 'We don’t want another war,' before being grabbed by security and led out of the hearing. In 2012, Benjamin protested a speech by another Obama administration official, counter-terrorism advisor John Brennan, saying the White House’s use of unmanned attack drones was 'making us less safe by killing so many innocent people around the world.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingProtester crashes Syria hearing: ‘The American people do not want this’

Angry anti-war protesters besiege John Kerry’s home, banging on doors, windows

"On Sunday, anti-war protestors protested the anti-war protestor, and with that, as Shakespeare once said, 'the wheel is come full circle.' In the aftermath of Secretary of State John Kerry making a forceful case on Friday for U.S. military intervention in Syria, protesters assembled outside his townhouse on Beacon Hill. Yes, the Vietnam veteran who became a leading anti-war activist after serving is now advocating for war. According to Twitter users, as Twitchy reported, protesters pounded on Kerry’s front door and windows, but he wasn’t home. Of course, past precedent tells us if there is a crisis at hand, Kerry’s likely to be found aboard his 76-foot yacht, the 'Isabel.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAngry anti-war protesters besiege John Kerry’s home, banging on doors, windows

Are American taxpayers financially responsible to defend Syrians?

"President Obama has broken new ground. He has argued that not only does the U.S. government have the authority to tax Americans to defend every human being on the planet, but that the president can order military intervention for that reason on his authority alone. Unfortunately, this has led many to believe that his decision to wait until Congress debates the intervention is some sort of victory for constitutional government. It’s not. Nowhere in the Constitution is it stated or implied that American taxpayers are financially responsible for the common defense of the whole world. Military operations are not funded by donations. Taxpayers are compelled to pay taxes by force." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAre American taxpayers financially responsible to defend Syrians?

Syria and the Perpetual War Economy

"The end of the Cold War did not bring a dismantling of the war apparatus. It found new enemies and new causes. Today, the unwinnable War on Terror virtually guarantees plenty of reasons for more military spending for years to come. The point of this discussion is not necessarily to rail against the military-industrial complex, as much as I hate it. Instead, I want you think about a more radical idea: That the military-industrial complex is now typical of how the American economy works across a breadth of industries." Continue reading →

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A Century of Lies: The Rationales for Engaging in Foreign Wars

"If President Barack Obama and his administration are not lying in the lead-up to a probable bombing campaign of Syria it will be a rare exception among US Presidents, particularly since their public duplicity concerning war dates to at least the early twentieth century. Indeed, being forthrightly dishonest to the American people concerning the rationales for engaging in foreign wars has become a century-old White House tradition. The historical record of past presidents’ prewar and wartime hucksterism is unambiguous, greatly contributing to the immense bloodshed and destruction that continues under the country’s reckless international leadership to this day." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA Century of Lies: The Rationales for Engaging in Foreign Wars

Journalist shield laws do not apply to blogger, judge says

"A reporter for a local news website has been ordered to give up his notes and name the sources of police investigation reports he used for a series of stories about two grisly Joliet slayings. Journalist shield laws do not allow patch.com reporter Joe Hosey to protect the source who gave him police reports about the January deaths of Eric Glover and Terrance Rankins in a home on Joliet's north side, Judge Gerald Kinney said in a ruling issued Friday. Hosey will have 21 days to turn over all the documents he received and to reveal their source." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJournalist shield laws do not apply to blogger, judge says

A New Yorker’s view of gun control

"'In New York,' he said, 'the gun laws are so strict, the majority of people who have them are the criminals. Maybe if you're a small-business owner or have some other valid reason for protecting yourself, you might get a permit to carry. But if you're a regular guy like me, forget about it. But I live on the Brooklyn-Queens border, and in that part of town there's only one way to protect yourself — you got to let the punks know you're packing heat. So I bought myself a street gun that I carry with me everywhere. Lots of the decent people in my neighborhood are carrying illegal guns. It's the only thing we can do.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA New Yorker’s view of gun control