Meet The New Boss

Obama DOJ Asks Court to Grant Immunity to George W. Bush For Iraq War

"In court papers filed today (PDF), the United States Department of Justice requested that George W. Bush, Richard Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice and Paul Wolfowitz be granted procedural immunity in a case alleging that they planned and waged the Iraq War in violation of international law. Plaintiff Sundus Shaker Saleh, an Iraqi single mother and refugee now living in Jordan, filed a complaint in March 2013 in San Francisco federal court alleging that the planning and waging of the war constituted a 'crime of aggression' against Iraq, a legal theory that was used by the Nuremberg Tribunal to convict Nazi war criminals after World War II." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama DOJ Asks Court to Grant Immunity to George W. Bush For Iraq War

White House: Obama has no plans to reschedule marijuana

"'The administration’s position on this has been clear and consistent for some time now that while the prosecution of drug traffickers remains an important priority, the president and the administration believe that targeting individual marijuana users, especially those with serious illnesses and their caregivers, is not the best allocation for federal law enforcement resources,' Earnest replied. At the press briefing, Earnest also indicated that the Obama administration has no intention of making it easier to research the medical benefits of marijuana." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhite House: Obama has no plans to reschedule marijuana

The price Gina Gray paid for whistleblowing through ‘proper internal channels’

"Gray is the Defense Department whistleblower whose case I have been following for five years. She was the Army civilian worker who, before and after her employment, exposed much of the wrongdoing at Arlington National Cemetery— misplaced graves, mishandled remains and financial mismanagement — and she attempted to do it through the proper internal channels. Pentagon sources have confirmed to me her crucial role in bringing the scandal to light. For her troubles, Gray was fired. Gray, who worked in Iraq as an Army contractor and Army public affairs specialist, is now unemployed and living in North Carolina." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe price Gina Gray paid for whistleblowing through ‘proper internal channels’

Obama administration asks Supreme Court to allow warrantless cellphone searches

"If the police arrest you, do they need a warrant to rifle through your cellphone? Courts have been split on the question. Last week the Obama administration asked the Supreme Court to resolve the issue and rule that the Fourth Amendment allows warrantless cellphone searches. But as the storage capacity of cellphones rises, that position could become harder to defend. Our smart phones increasingly contain everything about our digital lives: our e-mails, text messages, photographs, browser histories and more. It would be troubling if the police had the power to get all that information with no warrant merely by arresting a suspect." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama administration asks Supreme Court to allow warrantless cellphone searches

White House dodges question on Sanjay Gupta’s marijuana reversal

"The White House refused to comment Tuesday on Sanjay Gupta’s vocal support of medical marijuana, continuing a pattern of ignoring the issue. During a press briefing, CQ-Roll Call reporter Steve Dennis asked White House spokesman Josh Earnest if President Barack Obama had any reaction to Gupta’s recent advocacy in favor of medical marijuana. Dennis noted that Obama had once considered appointing Gupta as surgeon general of the United States. 'I have to confess, I did not see the Sanjay Gupta column that you’re referring to, so it is hard for me to comment on it at this point,' Earnest responded." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhite House dodges question on Sanjay Gupta’s marijuana reversal

Vote Harder: The Barack Obama Story

"He opposed the Iraq war, promised to shut down Gitmo and denounced warrantless domestic wiretapping by the NSA. But we see this 'progressive' superstar, who all but promised to usher in a 21st century Church Committee, presiding over the massive expansion of illegal drone warfare around the world and the largest expansion of the surveillance state in history. We see this man, who promised the 'most transparent administration in history,' pursuing vindictive reprisals — on a scale rivaling Woodrow Wilson or Richard Nixon — against whistleblowers who expose the surveillance state’s terrifying scope." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingVote Harder: The Barack Obama Story

Saudi Arabia ready to replace Western military and economic aid to Egypt

"Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries welcomed Egypt’s ouster of Morsi, which infuriated supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood’s president and sent them to the streets. King Abdullah was the first leader to send a message of congratulations to caretaker president Adly Mansour, who was appointed shortly after the army deposed Morsi following nationwide protests. Saudi Arabia later announced an aid package of $5 billion to Egypt. Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates followed suit, bringing the pledges made by the three oil-rich Arab states of the Gulf to $12 billion. The Saudi monarch pledged on Friday the kingdom’s support for Egypt’s fight against 'terrorism'." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSaudi Arabia ready to replace Western military and economic aid to Egypt

Summers vs. Yellen: Tweedledumb vs. Tweedledee

"The media are doing their best to create interest in who will be Bernanke’s replacement: Lawrence Summers or Janet Yellen. Summers is a dove. The media have re-defined 'exit.' Any reference to an exit these days means merely a reduction of the rate of increase in the present rate of $85 billion a month. The FED is buying over $500 billion of the Treasury’s estimated annual deficit of $650 billion. It is buying almost $500 billion in Fannie-Freddie bonds. What happens to interest rates if the FED stops buying? What happens to Wall Street? What happens to the housing recovery? No one asks Yellen what she thinks would happen. No one asks Summers." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSummers vs. Yellen: Tweedledumb vs. Tweedledee

Peru’s protesters shake up politics with challenge to President Humala

"The biggest political protests in Peru’s capital in more than a decade have pressured President Ollanta Humala to clean up government and share the benefits of the country’s decade-long economic boom. Many of the protesters were left-leaning and middle-class youth who voted for Humala two years ago, but now they say he and other political leaders are dangerously out of touch. The street protests peaked with a rally of around 8,000 at the end of July. They were small compared to other protest movements in Latin America, but the biggest in Lima since 2000, when demonstrators took to the streets against President Alberto Fujimori." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPeru’s protesters shake up politics with challenge to President Humala

Justin Raimondo: Data-gate Shows We’re On the Cusp

"The 'architecture of oppression,' as Snowden deemed it, has successfully built itself into our lives because it takes on the appearance of a defensive measure, a military tactic deployed against a foreign enemy. Yet this administration is rapidly dropping even that pretense, and their partisan hounds are baying 'What have you got to hide?' What we are faced with is the astonishing sight of an administration often hailed as among the most 'liberal' in our history making the case for government secrecy and surveillance on an unprecedented scale." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJustin Raimondo: Data-gate Shows We’re On the Cusp