Orwellian

Glenn Greenwald: U.S. should be ‘on its knees begging’ that nothing happens to Snowden

"'Snowden has enough information to cause harm to the U.S. government in a single minute than any other person has ever had,' said Greenwald. “The U.S. government should be on its knees every day begging that nothing happen to Snowden, because if something does happen to him, all the information will be revealed and it could be its worst nightmare.' Snowden is currently working with Russian authorities to secure temporary asylum in that country. He said Friday that U.S. officials are blocking every effort he makes to seek safe passage to any place that will not extradite him into U.S. custody." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlenn Greenwald: U.S. should be ‘on its knees begging’ that nothing happens to Snowden

Justice Department backs off on secret seizure of reporters’ records

"Under heavy criticism from media organizations and others, the Obama administration has pulled back on one important aspect of its crackdown on government leaks: the ability of prosecutors to secretly seize reporters' records while investigating leaks to the media. In an announcement Friday, the Justice Department said it is toughening the guidelines for subpoenaing reporters' phone records while also raising the standard the government needs to meet before it can issue search warrants to gather reporters' email." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJustice Department backs off on secret seizure of reporters’ records

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

How the Federal Reserve Just Hid Important Data

"One of the most important data points released by the Federal Reserve has been the amount of excess reserves sitting at the Federal Reserve. This is important data because these reserves are sitting at the Fed and not in the economy bidding up goods and service. If banks start pulling this money out of the Fed and making loans with the money, the money supply will explode, as well as price inflation. This must be watched closely. But notice something about this chart, the chart title says the series is discontinued. Got that? One of the most important data points is no longer reported by the Federal Reserve." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHow the Federal Reserve Just Hid Important Data

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

Snowden’s full statement from Moscow: ‘I did what I believed right’

"A little over one month ago, I had family, a home in paradise, and I lived in great comfort. I also had the capability without any warrant to search for, seize, and read your communications. Anyone’s communications at any time. That is the power to change people’s fates. It is also a serious violation of the law. The 4th and 5th Amendments to the Constitution of my country, Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and numerous statutes and treaties forbid such systems of massive, pervasive surveillance. My government argues that secret court rulings, which the world is not permitted to see, somehow legitimize an illegal affair." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSnowden’s full statement from Moscow: ‘I did what I believed right’

Documents reveal IRS put Occupy groups on ‘watch list’ too

"Documents to be released by Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) on Friday reveal that the IRS targeted progressive groups — including groups associated with Occupy Wall Street — on its so-called 'watch list' alongside conservative tea party groups, according to USA Today and the Washington Post. The new information released, however, does reveal that conservative groups, including those affiliated with the 9/12 protests in 2010, were kept on a separate list from other groups." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDocuments reveal IRS put Occupy groups on ‘watch list’ too

Microsoft Gave NSA Backdoor Access To Skype, Outlook, and SkyDrive (Default In Windows 8.1)

"The company has reportedly helped the NSA 'understand' certain alias and encryption features in its software, allowed it to intercept chats passing through the Outlook.com servers, and been so helpful that the NSA has described working with the company as a 'team sport.' Access to SkyDrive files is handled via PRISM and NSA documents praise Microsoft for simplifying this process over the past 12 months. This is particularly pertinent given that in Windows 8.1, SkyDrive is a default storage location for files and created documents. Now we know that the NSA has carte blanche to peer into Microsoft's servers virtually at will." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMicrosoft Gave NSA Backdoor Access To Skype, Outlook, and SkyDrive (Default In Windows 8.1)