Presstitutes

Many 2011 federal budget cuts had little real-world effect

"In the real world, in fact, many of their 'cuts' cut nothing at all. The Transportation Department got credit for 'cutting' a $280 million tunnel that had been canceled six months earlier. It also 'cut' a $375,000 road project that had been created by a legislative typo, on a road that did not exist. At the Census Bureau, officials got credit for a whopping $6 billion cut, simply for obeying the calendar. They promised not to hold the expensive 2010 census again in 2011. Today, an examination of 12 of the largest cuts shows that, thanks in part to these gimmicks, federal agencies absorbed $23 billion in reductions without losing a single employee." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMany 2011 federal budget cuts had little real-world effect

Newspapers accused of ‘shameful’ complicity for hiding existence of secret U.S. drone base

"US news organisations are facing accusations of complicity after it emerged that they bowed to pressure from the Obama administration not to disclose the existence on a secret drone base in Saudi Arabia despite knowing about it for a year. On Tuesday, following Monday’s disclosure by NBC of a leaked Justice Department white paper on the case for its controversial targeted killing programme, the Washington Post revealed it had previously refrained from publishing the base’s location at the behest of the Obama administration over national security concerns. The New York Times followed with its own story." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNewspapers accused of ‘shameful’ complicity for hiding existence of secret U.S. drone base

Karl Rove: ‘God bless President Obama’ for killing U.S. citizen al-Awlaki

"Republican strategist Karl Rove ripped the media on Tuesday for attacking Bush administration officials who justified the use of torture. He also praised President Barack Obama for using drone strikes to kill suspected terrorists, including U.S. citizens. The former Bush adviser said that officials like Alberto Gonzales, John Yoo, Jay Bybee and others were 'excoriated' and 'hounded' by liberals and the media. Yet the Obama administration has faced little criticism for justifying the use of drone strikes against U.S. citizens. Though Rove believed the 'cowardly' media was 'hypocritical' and 'callow,' he said he supported the President’s use of drones." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingKarl Rove: ‘God bless President Obama’ for killing U.S. citizen al-Awlaki

Homeland Security Sec. Janet Napolitano Considering Run For President

"WaPo says she's thinking about it: 'So, what happens if Hillary Clinton doesn’t run in 2016? It is hard to imagine the presidential field without a woman contender, and here’s one to keep your eye on: Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. Napolitano is quietly making it known that she is considering the race, and there is reason to take her seriously.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHomeland Security Sec. Janet Napolitano Considering Run For President

The USS Liberty, Israel & President Johnson’s Order to Destroy the USS Liberty

"The USS Liberty encompasses far more than a murderous psychopathic American president resorting to hideously evil deeds to get re-elected. In addition to ordering the total destruction of the USS Liberty and sending 294 Americans to a watery grave in the Mediterranean Sea, LBJ also ordered the nuclear bombing of Cairo, an event specifically designed to create a nuclear war by blaming the entire USS Liberty affair on Russia or Egypt. US planes were on emergency standby orders as pilots waited on the runways in their planes armed with nuclear weapons. The nuclear bombing of Cairo was called off only 3 minutes before the nuclear bomb drops." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe USS Liberty, Israel & President Johnson’s Order to Destroy the USS Liberty

Chinese Hackers Could Face Aggressive Action From U.S. Over Cyber Attacks

"The Obama administration is considering more assertive action against Beijing to combat a persistent cyber-espionage campaign it believes Chinese hackers are waging against U.S. companies and government agencies. As The New York Times and Wall Street Journal reported that their computer systems had been infiltrated by China-based hackers, cybersecurity experts said the U.S. government is eyeing more pointed diplomatic and trade measures. The U.S. itself has been named in one of the most prominent cyberattacks — Stuxnet — the computer worm that infiltrated an Iranian nuclear facility, shutting down thousands of centrifuges there in 2010." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChinese Hackers Could Face Aggressive Action From U.S. Over Cyber Attacks

Journalists, Politicians Refuse to Post Lawn Sign saying “HOME IS PROUDLY GUN FREE”

"Since these reporters and editors did not consider it a violation of the privacy and safety of others to reveal which homes have guns and which homes don't, we went to see which of them would be willing to put a sign up publicly declaring their homes to be gun-free zones. While we didn't find any members of the media with the strength of their convictions, we did find quite a few guns, and some good explanations for why they might be necessary. Guns for Me, but not for Thee." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJournalists, Politicians Refuse to Post Lawn Sign saying “HOME IS PROUDLY GUN FREE”

Severe Disaffection: Seventy-five Percent of US Citizens Don’t Trust Government

"It is a manifestation of a larger disaffection that has been exacerbated by what we call the Internet Reformation. The Internet allows people to understand their world in ways they didn't before and tends to put discontent into a larger perspective. Whereas before, people might have been more apt to blame themselves or their circumstances for their troubles, now they may see their dilemmas as part of a larger systemic issue. But the nation's media gatekeepers like PBS continue to focus on such issues as they have in the past, mainly through the lens of the two-party political system. This in a sense trivializes the growing discontent and misinterprets it, as well." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSevere Disaffection: Seventy-five Percent of US Citizens Don’t Trust Government

U.S. GDP Shrinks. WSJ Says ‘No Reason to Panic.’

"According to the feds, the US GDP shrank 0.1% (annualized) in Q4. These are preliminary figures, of course, and recent revisions have been mostly down. This also comes on the heels of recent news from the UK where the economy shrank, and where, according to The Telegraph, the economy is headed for a 'triple dip.' Most alarmingly, all of this contraction comes as central banks continue to print money like there's no tomorrow, underlying the true weakness in the economy." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. GDP Shrinks. WSJ Says ‘No Reason to Panic.’

The New Fourth Estate: Anonymous, Wikileaks, and –archy

"The press has been captured by a handful of news corporations that are generally uncritical of government and fail to expose corporate injustice. The techno-libertarian culture has birthed the do-it-yourself fourth estate—usurping the illegitimate media and furnishing a viable alternative to the cartelized press. Two entities, Wikileaks and Anonymous, have emerged under this banner. This inquiry seeks to understand their history, methods, and to ascertain whether use of the discrete figurehead is efficacious." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe New Fourth Estate: Anonymous, Wikileaks, and –archy