Orwellian

State Dept. whistleblower’s lawyers targeted by ‘Watergate-style’ break-ins

"Two burglars spent last weekend repeatedly breaking into a Dallas law firm and stealing three computers while leaving other valuables behind. The attorneys said Sunday that this was no ordinary break-in: it may have been politically motivated. The law firm targeted is Schulman & Mathias, which represents State Department whistleblower Aurelia Fedenisn, formerly with the department’s office of inspector general. Fedenisn revealed to CBS News earlier this year that she’d seen internal investigations called off or misdirected by higher ups, drawing a rapid and terrifying response from law enforcement, with a specific focus on her family and children." Continue reading →

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Tweet referencing Pink’s song ‘Timebomb’ gets teen arrested at concert

"A 16-year-old boy was arrested at a Pink concert in Australia over the weekend after he tweeted a reference to the singer’s 'Timebomb' song. According to The Age, the teen was attending the U.S. pop star’s concert at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on Sunday when he tried to express his excitement in a way that authorities did not find amusing. In an interview with 10 News, the boy said that that arena staff used the photo on his Twitter profile to track him down out of the crowd of 12,000 people. The boy now faces charges of being a public nuisance." Continue reading →

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The Ten Most Disturbing Things You Should Know About the FBI Since 9/11

"1. USA Patriot Act Abuse; 2. 2008 Amendments to the Attorney General's Guidelines; 3. Racial and Ethnic Mapping; 4. Unrestrained Data Collection and Data Mining 5. Suppressing Internal Dissent: The FBI War on Whistleblowers; 6. Targeting Journalists; 7. Thwarting Congressional Oversight; 8. Targeting First Amendment Activity; 9. Proxy Detentions; 10. Use of No Fly List to Pressure Americans Abroad to Become Informants." Continue reading →

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Daniel Ellsberg: Snowden made the right call when he fled the U.S.

"Many people compare Edward Snowden to me unfavorably for leaving the country and seeking asylum, rather than facing trial as I did. I don’t agree. The country I stayed in was a different America, a long time ago. I hope Snowden’s revelations will spark a movement to rescue our democracy, but he could not be part of that movement had he stayed here. There is zero chance that he would be allowed out on bail if he returned now and close to no chance that, had he not left the country, he would have been granted bail. Instead, he would be in a prison cell like Bradley Manning, incommunicado." Continue reading →

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Snowden reveals Australia’s links to US spy web

"United States intelligence leaker Edward Snowden has provided his first disclosure of Australian involvement in US global surveillance, identifying four facilities in the country that contribute to a key American intelligence collection program. Classified US National Security Agency maps leaked by Mr Snowden and published by US journalist Glenn Greenwald in the Brazilian O Globo newspaper reveal the locations of dozens of US and allied signals intelligence collection sites that contribute to interception of telecommunications and internet traffic worldwide." Continue reading →

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Snowden fate in balance as Cuba backs asylum bid

"US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden won support from Cuba for his bid to seek asylum in Latin America as he began his third week in limbo at a Moscow airport on Monday. Cuba, a key transit point from Russia on the way to Latin America, supported the leaders of Bolivia, Venezuela and Nicaragua, who have offered the 30-year-old fugitive a possible lifeline as he remains marooned without documents in the transit area of a Moscow airport. Even if Snowden receives a new passport or travel document and manages to board a flight to Latin America, there are no guarantees that his plane would not be grounded once it reaches European airspace, analysts say." Continue reading →

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Government Spying Has Always Focused On Crushing Dissent … Not On Keeping Us Safe

"High-level American government officials have warned for 40 years that mass surveillance would lead to tyranny. They’ve warned that the government is using information gained through mass surveillance in order to go after anyone they take a dislike to. And a lieutenant colonel for the Stasi East German’s – based upon his experience – agrees. You don’t have to obsess on the NSA’s high-tech spying to figure out what the government is doing. Instead of focusing on catching actual terrorists, police spy on Americans who criticize the government, or the big banks or the other power players." Continue reading →

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Obama: No warrantless wiretaps if you elect me [2008]

"For one thing, under an Obama presidency, Americans will be able to leave behind the era of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and 'wiretaps without warrants,' he said. (He was referring to the lingering legal fallout over reports that the National Security Agency scooped up Americans' phone and Internet activities without court orders, ostensibly to monitor terrorist plots, in the years after the September 11 attacks.) In our own Technology Voters' Guide, when asked whether he supports shielding telecommunications and Internet companies from lawsuits accusing them of illegal spying, Obama gave us a one-word response: 'No.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama: No warrantless wiretaps if you elect me [2008]

NY Senate passes bill making ‘annoying’ police a crime

"The New York State Senate passed a controversial bill on Wednesday that aims to classify ‘aggravated harassment of a police officer’ as a crime. 'Our system of laws is established to protect the foundations of our society,' Senator Griffo said. 'Police officers who risk their lives every day in our cities and on our highways deserve every possible protection, and those who treat them with disrespect, harass them and create situations that can lead to injuries deserve to pay a price for their actions.' Griffo said that New York police require extra safeguards because 'too many people in our society have lost the respect they need to have for a police officer….'." Continue reading →

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