military industrial complex

Decorated, wounded Marine treated ‘shamefully’ by TSA screeners

"Kemnitz, severely injured in 2004 in a roadside bomb attack in Fallujah, has limited use of his right arm and cannot lift it above his head. So when security guards at the state capitol building in Sacramento, Calif., asked him to remove his dress blue blouse 'because he was wearing too much metal,' and TSA asked him to raise his arms above his head for the full-body scanner at Sacramento International Airport, he could not comply. At the state capitol, the Marine’s refusal to remove his uniform top grew into a heated exchange between Kemnitz, a friend who was accompanying him and security officers." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDecorated, wounded Marine treated ‘shamefully’ by TSA screeners

Edward Snowden’s journey from high school drop-out to focus of international intrigue

"Snowden joined the US army in 2003, saying he wanted to fight in Iraq. But he never made it there after breaking both legs in a training accident, leading to him being discharged from the military. He then got a job as a security guard for the National Security Agency (NSA), one of the largest and most secretive of the US intelligence agencies. But in 2006, the young computer geek somehow managed to win an information technology job with the CIA despite lacking formal credentials. From there he was sent to Geneva with a fat paycheck and a diplomatic cover." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEdward Snowden’s journey from high school drop-out to focus of international intrigue

Edward Snowden’s journey from high school drop-out to focus of international intrigue

"Snowden joined the US army in 2003, saying he wanted to fight in Iraq. But he never made it there after breaking both legs in a training accident, leading to him being discharged from the military. He then got a job as a security guard for the National Security Agency (NSA), one of the largest and most secretive of the US intelligence agencies. But in 2006, the young computer geek somehow managed to win an information technology job with the CIA despite lacking formal credentials. From there he was sent to Geneva with a fat paycheck and a diplomatic cover." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEdward Snowden’s journey from high school drop-out to focus of international intrigue

Glenn Beck calls for celebrating Ramadan by shooting all Guantanamo prisoners in the head

"Let's save some money... here's the thing... We can't let them starve themselves to death? Damn right we can. We can also shoot them in the head, which is the other option and the one I'm for. SHOOT THEM. But, the other is let them starve to death and I'm totally fine with that. I don't want to starve anybody myself; but I don't want to do that. I want to be the country that we all love and appreciate. You know the one that is feared by its enemies, but should not be a country that is feared by all. But is feared by its enemies." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlenn Beck calls for celebrating Ramadan by shooting all Guantanamo prisoners in the head

China, India and Pakistan beefing up nuclear arsenals

"China now has 250 nuclear warheads against 240 in 2012, while Pakistan has increased its warheads by about 10 to between 100 and 120 and India has also added roughly 10 for a total of 90 to 110, SIPRI said in its annual report. Only the two old superpowers have cut their warheads, Russia reducing its number from 10,000 to 8,500, and the United States scaling back from 8,000 to 7,700. The warheads controlled by France stayed at 300, while Britain’s remained at 225, and Israel’s at 80. The United States and Russia have not destroyed all their chemical weapons in 2012 as promised, and Syria has said it is prepared to use them in the case of foreign attack." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChina, India and Pakistan beefing up nuclear arsenals

DEF CON hacker conference tells Feds not to attend

"One of the world’s largest hacker conferences, Def Con, requested that government employees do not attend this year’s annual conference, citing discomfort with federal officials in the wake of National Security Administration revelations. Traditionally, there has been a general acknowledgement that not all federal government employees who attend the Def Con conference do so openly, and a jovial 'Spot the Fed' competition has become commonplace at the Def Con conference. General Keith Alexander, the head of the NSA, spoke at last year’s Def Con conference and denied that the government had vast files of information, calling it 'absolute nonsense.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDEF CON hacker conference tells Feds not to attend

Clapper On Clapper Off

"James Clapper from the National Security Agency (NSA) lied to Congress and the American people when he testified before Congress that the NSA doesn't spy on millions of American citizens. As a result of the actions of whistleblower Ed Snowden, we know now that the NSA does indeed illegally and unconstitutionally spy on millions of American citizens." Continue reading →

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Phone companies earn big profits as Uncle Sam’s wiretapping merchants

"AT&T and Verizon are the two carriers making the most off this scheme, CBS notes, but others are getting in on the action as well. Verizon is particularly pricey, charging the government $775 to connect a wiretap, and another $500 every month it stays connected. AT&T comes in second with a $325 activation fee, along with a $10-a-day running tab. Smaller carriers like Cricket are said to charge around $250 per connection. Smaller fees were associated with text messages, but emails were largely given away for free." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPhone companies earn big profits as Uncle Sam’s wiretapping merchants

The Shoes Keep on Dropping… What Next?

"All branches of the Federal Government have been complicit in the warrantless surveillance of U.S. residents since before World War II when FDR authorized wiretaps of individuals suspected of Nazi sympathies. With the passage of the National Security Act in 1952 and the establishment of the National Security Council, it became standard government practice. Only the rudimentary technology of the time limited its scope. Fear – now of terrorism and whatever other apprehension the government, particularly the executive, can stir up — continues as the principal determinant of 21st century government surveillance of its citizens." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Shoes Keep on Dropping… What Next?

Revealed: How Microsoft handed the NSA access to encrypted messages

"Microsoft helped the NSA to circumvent its encryption to address concerns that the agency would be unable to intercept web chats on the new Outlook.com portal; [...]; The company worked with the FBI this year to allow the NSA easier access via Prism to its cloud storage service SkyDrive, which now has more than 250 million users worldwide; [...] Skype, which was bought by Microsoft in October 2011, worked with intelligence agencies last year to allow Prism to collect video of conversations as well as audio; Material collected through Prism is routinely shared with the FBI and CIA, with one NSA document describing the program as a 'team sport'." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRevealed: How Microsoft handed the NSA access to encrypted messages