military industrial complex

A Nation Unhinged: The Grim Realities of “The Real American War”

"Turse’s book reminds us that the primary 'tragedy of Vietnam' was not that America somehow 'lost its way' in fighting an ill-advised war but rather that the war itself was a series of criminal acts perpetrated by the US government on the Vietnamese people. My characterization may sound strident to many today. Most Americans at the time certainly would have disagreed with it. Yet as the war dragged on, the number who recognized the war’s criminality grew inexorably. If you don’t already know the reason, Kill Anything That Moves will show you. And if you already do, this book will remind you why we must never forget what our country did to Vietnam." Continue reading →

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US and Germany to enter no-spying agreement, German government says

"The no-spying agreement talks were announced as part of a progress report on an eight-point program proposed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel in July with measures to better protect the privacy of German citizens. Despite the criticism of government surveillance programs, Merkel said people should not forget that intelligence agencies do important work to protect people in Germany as well as abroad. German information, for instance, can prevent attacks on U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, while American data in turn can be used to protect the lives of German soldiers, she said." Continue reading →

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Four suspected Egyptian militants killed in first confirmed Israeli drone strike

"Although reports of Israeli drone use over Sinai have surfaced in the past, this is the first to come with official acknowledgement. In a statement on its website, the jihadist Ansar Beit al-Maqdis group confirmed that its militants had been the target of the Friday strike. It listed the name of four fighters who had been killed. Security officials said that the attack had taken place with the consent of the Egyptian authorities, Reuters and the Associated Press reported. If true, this level of cooperation would be a departure from that experienced under the rule of President Mohamed Morsi, ousted during a military takeover last month." Continue reading →

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Consequences of Power

"What we are seeing in Egypt and across the Middle East is the consequence of decades of US hegemony. Supporters of US policy in the region will argue that military aid to Egypt, arming Syrian rebels, drone strikes in Yemen, occupied forces in Afghanistan, etc, serve a national interest and that the 'Great Peacekeeping Armadas' of western nation states are doing exactly what they are supposed to: Maintain peace through strength. Is this a terribly misguided philosophy or a bold-faced lie? Does Obama really 'deplore violence against civilians?' Do US special interests really 'support universal rights essential to human dignity?' Has any administration?" Continue reading →

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Federal authorities now targeting lie detector coaches

"Federal authorities have launched investigations against instructors advertising training for people looking to beat lie detector tests. 'Nothing like this has been done before,' one Customs official, John Schwartz, said of 'Operation Lie Busters' at a polygraphers’ conference in June in Charlotte, North Carolina. 'Most certainly our nation’s security will be enhanced. There are a lot of bad people out there.' Schwartz did acknowledge in his speech that teaching someone how to beat a polygraph test is not illegal. 'When you identify insider threats and you eliminate insider threats, then that agency is more efficient and more effective,' Schwartz said in June." Continue reading →

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PGP inventor and Silent Circle co-founder Phil Zimmermann on the surveillance society

"Right now Moore’s Law is being accelerated in a specific direction by policy pressures. The policy pressure of creating more surveillance as response to the 9/11 attacks. We have to work harder to push back on policies that 9/11 brought us. It is time to re-examine the Patriot Act and re-examine everything. We need engineers and technologists to guide technology in the right direction and not optimize for surveillance. I would like to see a pushback, both on the technology and policy fronts. The engineers tend to be more aware of these problems and they need to be politically aware of the dangers of developing tools of surveillance." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPGP inventor and Silent Circle co-founder Phil Zimmermann on the surveillance society

Drawing Down: How To Roll Back Police Militarization In America

"The damage inflicted by the country’s 40-year drug fight goes well beyond prisons. It’s also been the driving force behind America’s mass police militarization since at least the early 1980s, and the best way to rein in the trend would be to simply end prohibition altogether. Complete legalization is, of course, never going to happen. But even something short of legalization, like decriminalization, would take away many of the incentives to fight the drug war as if it were an actual war. The federal government could also leave it to the states to determine drug policy, and with what priority and level of force it should be enforced." Continue reading →

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The Surveillance Speech: A Low Point in Barack Obama’s Presidency

"Why, he used to think just like us when he was younger, and promises to consider our arguments. But some decisions just have to be made by the grownups. Do we know how much he loves us? Can we even imagine how awful he would feel if anything bad ever happened while it was still his job to ensure our safety? By observing Obama's condescension, I don't mean to suggest tone was the most objectionable part of the speech. The disinformation should bother the American people most. The weasel words. The impossible-to-believe protestations. The factually inaccurate assertions. They're all there." Continue reading →

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Huge majority wants Clapper prosecuted for perjury

"In the Democratic states of California and Hawaii, 54 percent and 58 percent of voters, respectively, want him prosecuted. In middle-of-the-road Iowa, it’s 65 percent. And in Republican Texas and Kentucky, it is 68 percent and 69 percent, respectively. These are particularly striking numbers because the 'not sure' numbers are relatively small. in this case, the polls show relatively few voters expressing such a sentiment. That suggests not only that the NSA story has seeped into the national consciousness, but also that people are specifically aware of — and disgusted by — the rampant lying by the Obama administration." Continue reading →

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Snowden downloaded NSA secrets while working for Dell, sources say

"Former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden began downloading documents describing the U.S. government's electronic spying programs while he was working for Dell Inc in April 2012, almost a year earlier than previously reported, according to U.S. officials and other sources familiar with the matter. David Frink, a spokesman for Round Rock, Texas-based Dell, declined to comment on any aspect of Snowden's employment with the company, saying Dell's 'customer' - presumably the NSA - had asked Dell not to talk publicly about him." Continue reading →

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