Rogue State

Brazil confirms investigation into reports of NSA spying

"Brazil is to investigate reports of US electronic spying on its citizens, with President Dilma Rousseff saying that, if proven, such action would constitute a violation of sovereignty. Her comments came after the daily O Globo reported Sunday that the US National Security Agency spied on Brazilian residents and companies as well as people traveling in the country. The newspaper cited documents leaked by the fugitive former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. Rousseff confirmed that the National Telecommunications Agency and federal police have been ordered to probe the reports." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBrazil confirms investigation into reports of NSA spying

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

Is the lawlessness of Obama’s drone policy coming home?

"Global powers have an antisocial habit of bringing their work back home. The British government imported some of the methods it used against its colonial subjects to suppress domestic protests and strikes. Once an administrative class becomes accustomed to treating foreigners as if they have no rights, and once the domestic population broadly accepts their justifications, it is almost inevitable that the habit migrates from one arena into another. If hundreds of people living abroad can be executed by American agents on no more than suspicion, should we be surprised if residents of the United States began to be treated the same way?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIs the lawlessness of Obama’s drone policy coming home?

CIA Whistleblower John Kiriakou’s Open Letter to Edward Snowden

"Former CIA officer John Kiriakou, who is serving a thirty-month sentence in prison in Loretto, Pennsylvania, has written another letter. It expresses support for former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, who has exposed secret US government surveillance programs and policies, and provided a glimpse of the ever-expanding massive surveillance apparatus the government has built. Kiriakou was the first member of the CIA to publicly acknowledge that torture was official US policy under the administration of President George W. Bush. He was convicted in October of last year of violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCIA Whistleblower John Kiriakou’s Open Letter to Edward Snowden

In WikiLeaks Probe, Feds Used a Secret Search Warrant to Get Volunteer’s Gmail

"The Justice Department used a secret search warrant to obtain the entire contents of a Gmail account used by a former WikiLeaks volunteer in Iceland, according to court records released to the volunteer this week. The warrant ordered Google to turn over 'the contents of all e-mails associated with the account, including stored or preserved copies of e-mails sent to and from the account, draft e-mails, deleted e-mails [...] the source and destination addresses associated with each e-mail, the date and time at which each e-mail was sent, and the size and length of each e-mail.' The warrant also ordered Google not to disclose the search to anyone." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIn WikiLeaks Probe, Feds Used a Secret Search Warrant to Get Volunteer’s Gmail

Wyden asks Obama’s terrorism chief for rules governing assassination of U.S. citizens

"'Senior intelligence officials have said publicly that they have the authority to knowingly use lethal force against Americans in the course of counterterrorism operations, and have indicated that there are secret legal opinions issued by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel that explain the basis for this authority,' Wyden wrote. 'I have asked repeatedly to see these opinions, and I have been provided with some relevant information on the topic, but I have yet to see the opinions themselves.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWyden asks Obama’s terrorism chief for rules governing assassination of U.S. citizens

Rand Paul Slaps Hold on ‘Defense’ Bill

"Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul is holding up consideration of the fiscal 2013 defense authorization bill over an amendment he plans to offer that would require a jury trial for Americans detained in terrorism investigations. Paul’s demand for a vote comes as Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Arizona Sen. John McCain, the top Republican on the panel, are working behind the scenes to limit debate on the sprawling policy measure (S 3254) to ensure it receives floor time during the lame-duck session." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRand Paul Slaps Hold on ‘Defense’ Bill

German tax officials raid UBS clients’ homes

"German authorities have launched nationwide raids on suspected tax evaders in connection with a probe into several hundred Germany-based clients of Switzerland’s biggest bank, UBS. The raids were ordered by state prosecutors in Bochum. They were acting on data purchased by the authorities in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where Bochum is situated. Opposition lawmakers in the German Bundesrat say the latest developments could further undermine the German government's attempt to secure a tax deal with Switzerland. The treaty is due to come into effect on January 1, but still needs to be ratified by both houses of parliament." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGerman tax officials raid UBS clients’ homes

Americans protest against US terror drone attacks

"A group of American activists have staged a protest outside the CIA headquarters to voice their anger against Washington’s ongoing use of terror drone attacks. The use of terror drones as a weapon of war is an isolated method, raising many ethical questions in addition to political and legal concerns. The UN has condemned the US assassination drone strikes, saying they pose a challenge to international law. Hundreds of people have been killed in drone attacks in northwestern Pakistan's tribal areas since the beginning of this year. In Yemen, over 300 people have been killed in the airstrikes in the southern regions of the country so far in 2012." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAmericans protest against US terror drone attacks

Obama urged to fulfill Guantanamo closure pledge

"Rights groups challenged President Barack Obama on Thursday to use his second term to close Guantanamo and end drone attacks, warrantless surveillance and extrajudicial killings. Shortly after he took office in January 2009, Obama declared that he would shutter the prison camp for 'war on terror' suspects within a year, saying it served as a recruiting tool for militant and hurt US national security. Rights groups have strongly criticized the president for his Guantanamo failures and for maintaining other stringent security tactics put into practice under his predecessor George W. Bush." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama urged to fulfill Guantanamo closure pledge