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Glenn Greenwald: On Prism, partisanship and propaganda

"One of the most significant aspects of the Obama legacy has been the transformation of Democrats from pretend-opponents of the Bush War on Terror and National Security State into their biggest proponents: exactly what the CIA presciently and excitedly predicted in 2008 would happen with Obama's election. Some Democrats have tried to distinguish 2006 from 2013 by claiming that the former involved illegal spying while the latter does not. But the claim that current NSA spying is legal is dubious in the extreme. If Democrats are so sure these spying programs are legal, why has the Obama DOJ been so eager to block courts from adjudicating that question?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlenn Greenwald: On Prism, partisanship and propaganda

‘The worst case of scientific censorship since the church banned Copernicus’

"The outlawing of drugs such as cannabis, magic mushrooms and other psychoactive substances amounts to scientific censorship and is hampering research into potentially important medicinal uses, leading scientists argued on Wednesday. Laws and international conventions dating back to the 1960s have set back research in key areas such as consciousness by decades, they argued. 'The laws have never been updated despite scientific advances and growing evidence that many of these drugs are relatively safe. And there appears to be no way for the international community to make such changes,' said David Nutt, a neuropsychopharmacology professor." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘The worst case of scientific censorship since the church banned Copernicus’

FBI’s Patriot Act records requests skyrocket 1,000% under Obama

"The FBI’s use of a controversial Patriot Act provision to demand business records has skyrocketed more than 1,000 percent under President Barack Obama versus his Republican predecessor George W. Bush. The so-called business records provision of the Patriot Act, titled Section 215, is the justification used for the NSA’s massive PRISM intercept program. A single Section 215 order was behind last week’s revelation that Verizon is cooperating with the NSA and handing over millions of phone call records daily. Companies that receive demands for business records under Section 215 of the Patriot Act are also subject to a secret gag order." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFBI’s Patriot Act records requests skyrocket 1,000% under Obama

Candidate Obama Debates President Obama On Government Surveillance

"On August 1, 2007, candidate Barack Obama sharply criticized then-President George W. Bush's government surveillance programs. Recently, following the disclosures of Edward Snowden, President Barack Obama defended the NSA's top-secret PRISM program. If you don't agree with President Obama, exercise your 1st amendment rights so together we can save our 4th amendment rights before it's too late." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCandidate Obama Debates President Obama On Government Surveillance

Obama picks former Bush official James Comey as new FBI director

"Barack Obama is preparing to name a former Bush administration who was heavily involved in some of the most controversial issues of that era, including illegal wiretapping and torture, as the new director of the FBI. Since leaving the Justice Department, Comey has been working as a hedge fund manager and lecturer. Comey, 52, is set to replace Robert Mueller, who has headed the agency since the week before the 9/11 attack and is due to step down in September. The expected nomination comes at a time when the agency is under siege on a series of issues." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama picks former Bush official James Comey as new FBI director

Merkel, the Red footsoldier: Photos of German chancellor’s Communist uniform released

"She denies she was close to the Communist rulers in East Germany, where she grew up. So this 1972 photo of her in military-style uniform has left German Chancellor Angela Merkel ‘not amused’. Then called Angela Kasner and aged 17, she is shown happily involved in a civil defence exercise under the gaze of an East German officer. Drills included first aid and preparing for nuclear attack. Mrs Merkel is also alleged to have been a propaganda secretary for the youth movement, the FDJ. The photo was found by an old schoolfriend, Sonja Felssberg, 58, and handed to a German newspaper." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMerkel, the Red footsoldier: Photos of German chancellor’s Communist uniform released

Iraq executes 21 men in one day on ‘terror’ charges

"Iraq put 21 men to death on Tuesday, a senior justice ministry official told AFP, the latest in a series of mass executions that have drawn international condemnation. All of the men were Iraqis and had been convicted on anti-terror charges, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The latest executions brought to 50 the number of times Baghdad has carried out the death penalty so far this year, despite widespread calls for a moratorium on the country’s use of capital punishment. Justice Minister Hassan al-Shammari insisted last month that Baghdad would continue to implement the death penalty." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIraq executes 21 men in one day on ‘terror’ charges

Baghdad cafe bombing kills 27 ahead of elections

"The bombing comes ahead of provincial elections on Saturday in which an estimated 13.8 million Iraqis are eligible to vote for more than 8,000 candidates, with 378 seats being contested. Diplomats have raised questions over the credibility of the vote, however, as a spike in violence has left at least 14 candidates dead and a third of the country’s provinces are not even taking part, including two where authorities say security cannot be guaranteed. Thursday’s bombing struck at 10:00 pm (1900 GMT) in the mostly-Sunni Amriyah neighbourhood and also wounded more than 50 people, security and medical officials said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBaghdad cafe bombing kills 27 ahead of elections

Federal Government Rating Hits New Low Among Americans

"For the first time since Barack Obama became president, more Democrats say they have an unfavorable view of the federal government in Washington than a favorable view (51% unfavorable vs. 41% favorable). Favorable opinions of the federal government among Republicans, already quite low in 2012 (20% favorable), have fallen even further, to 13% currently. Notably, politically divided state governments get positive ratings from members of both parties. In the 13 states with divided governments – those in which the governor and a majority of state legislators are from different parties – majorities of both Republicans and Democrats express favorable opinions." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFederal Government Rating Hits New Low Among Americans