military industrial complex

Washington’s Vampire Economy Thrives on Bloodshed

"The Wall Street Journal observes a new 'Gilded Age' for Washington, which has been 'a time of lush business profits fueled by government outsourcing and war.' Well-connected recent college graduates secure entry-level bureaucratic jobs that pay enough to support rentals that charge $3,000 a month. Military contractors like Northrup Gumman, corporate lobbying groups, and Wall Street firms bring in hordes of first-time home buyers, driving real estate values upward. This does much to explain the invincible indifference of the ruling class to our nation’s unfolding economic catastrophe." Continue reading →

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Glenn Greenwald: The NSA’s mass and indiscriminate spying on Brazilians

"The NSA has, for years, systematically tapped into the Brazilian telecommunication network and indiscriminately intercepted, collected and stored the email and telephone records of millions of Brazilians. All of this bulk, indiscriminate surveillance aimed at populations of friendly foreign nations is part of the NSA's 'FAIRVIEW' program. Under that program, the NSA partners with a large US telecommunications company, and that US company then partners with telecoms in the foreign countries. Those partnerships allow the US company access to those countries' telecommunications systems, and that access is then exploited to direct traffic to the NSA's repositories." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlenn Greenwald: The NSA’s mass and indiscriminate spying on Brazilians

Edward Snowden: NSA ‘in bed together with’ other Western states

"Fugitive intelligence leaker Edward Snowden said the US National Security Agency operates broad secret spying partnerships with other Western governments now complaining about its programmes, in an interview published Sunday. In remarks published in German, Snowden said an NSA department known as the Foreign Affairs Directorate coordinated work with foreign secret services. The partnerships are organised so that authorities in other countries can 'insulate their political leaders from the backlash' if it becomes public 'how grievously they’re violating global privacy,' he said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEdward Snowden: NSA ‘in bed together with’ other Western states

NSA Rejecting Every FOIA Request Made by U.S. Citizens

"Seymour had decided to request his NSA file after coming across a recent post of mine instructing Americans on how to properly request such files from the FBI and NSA. A Navy vet and two-time Obama voter who supported the President’s platform of greater governmental transparency, Seymour was shocked by the letter he received. The letter, which first acknowledges the media coverage surrounding its surveillance systems, quickly moves to justify why none of that data can be obtained by an American citizen in a standard FOIA request. Dozens of citizens have emailed me to say they’ve received a similar, if not identical, letter." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNSA Rejecting Every FOIA Request Made by U.S. Citizens

Crashes of Convenience: Michael Hastings

"Michael Hastings was that rarest of breeds: a mainstream reporter who wasn't afraid to rail against the system, kick back against the establishment, and bite the hand that feeds him. On the morning of June 18, 2013, he died in a fiery car crash. But now details are emerging that he was on the verge of breaking an important new story about the CIA, and believed he was being investigated by the FBI. Now even a former counter-terrorism czar is admitting Hastings' car may have been cyber-hijacked. Join us this week on The Corbett Report as we explore the strange details surrounding the untimely death of Michael Hastings." Continue reading →

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It Is Now Common Knowledge That US Drones Bomb Civilian Rescuers

"That tactic is known as the 'double tap,' which bombs multiple targets in relatively quick succession — meaning that the second strike often hits first responders. In 2007 the FBI said the tactic as commonly used by terrorist organizations such as Hamas. Last year a study by NYU and Stanford detailed the U.S. use of the double tap, providing first-hand accounts of its devastating effect on rescuers and humanitarian workers. Last June the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings Christof Heyns said he considers secondary strikes to be 'war crimes.' The fact that it is now normalized as a common tactic of the U.S. drone war is stunning." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIt Is Now Common Knowledge That US Drones Bomb Civilian Rescuers

U.S. missile defense system test sputters out

"A test of the only U.S. defense against long-range ballistic missiles failed on Friday, the third consecutive failure involving the interceptor system managed by Boeing Co, the Defense Department said. The Pentagon said this week that the test would not affect its decision to bolster the U.S. missile defense system. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced the move in March following threats by North Korea. Under that plan, the Pentagon will add 14 new anti-missile interceptors at a total cost of nearly $1 billion." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. missile defense system test sputters out

Most Victims of Military Sex Assault: Men

"The sexual assault epidemic plaguing the military is getting quite a bit of attention—but what's not getting much attention is the fact that 53% of all sexual assault cases last year involved male victims, the New York Times reports. 'It’s easy for some people to single out women and say there’s a small percentage of the force having this problem,' says one soldier who was raped by a superior. 'No one wants to admit this problem affects everyone.' Most attacks involve hazing or bullying, and have more to do with 'humiliation or torture,' a prosecutor explains." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMost Victims of Military Sex Assault: Men

Canadian military still investigating Afghan sex assaults

"After five years, the Canadian military is still investigating claims that Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan were told by their superiors to ignore incidents where Afghan soldiers and interpreters sexually assaulted young boys. The probe continues, with no specified end date, long after most Canadian soldiers have left Afghanistan and nearly five years after a board of inquiry was convened on Nov. 21, 2008, by Lt. Gen. Andrew Leslie. During the summer of 2008, the Star reported that some Canadian soldiers who had returned from Afghanistan had sought counseling to cope with feelings of guilt because they had not stopped incidents of child abuse." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCanadian military still investigating Afghan sex assaults

The Brutality of “Border Security”

"This money will be used to create what John McCain calls 'the most militarized border since the fall of the Berlin Wall,' staffed by at least 38,405 Border Patrol agents. That’s a larger force than George W. Bush had stationed in Afghanistan when he left office. No wonder it’s been called the 'border surge.' Those agents will be armed with billions of dollars worth of equipment from America’s leading war profiteers. As usual, militarization means obscene corporate profits at taxpayer expense. Moreover, increasing 'border security' funding means expanding an agency whose members routinely violate civil liberties and have even committed murder." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Brutality of “Border Security”