War & Peace

For NSA chief, terrorist threat drives passion to ‘collect it all,’ observers say

"'Rather than look for a single needle in the haystack, his approach was, ‘Let’s collect the whole haystack,'' said one former senior U.S. intelligence official who tracked the plan’s implementation. 'Collect it all, tag it, store it. . . . And whatever it is you want, you go searching for it.' Alexander, 61, has quietly presided over a revolution in the government’s ability to scoop up information in the name of national security. And, as he did in Iraq, Alexander has pushed hard for everything he can get: tools, resources and the legal authority to collect and store vast quantities of raw information on American and foreign communications." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFor NSA chief, terrorist threat drives passion to ‘collect it all,’ observers say

Judge, Jury, and Executioner: Questions on the Legality of Executive Assassination

"We’ve ruled out the AUMF. The Executive Order cited above hasn’t been rescinded. And no one can cite any changes in the laws governing assassination. But clearly, something has changed. And if the law hasn’t changed, then it must necessarily be that those laws have been reinterpreted to mean something they didn’t mean before. The question becomes – who reinterpreted them and by what authority did they do so? The answer to the first half of that question is easy – the unelected lawyers acting on behalf of the Bush and Obama administrations reinterpreted them. The second part is more difficult." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJudge, Jury, and Executioner: Questions on the Legality of Executive Assassination

The United States Should Quit Meddling in Egypt

"Liberal demonstrations have claimed that the Obama administration had supported the Brotherhood and its former President Mohamed Morsi. Yet the Brotherhood has claimed that despite the U.S. government’s neutral rhetoric during the latest crisis—calling on all sides to rein in violence from their supporters—American diplomats secretly pressured the Brotherhood to resign itself to Morsi’s ouster by the Egyptian military, re-enter the political process, and thus legitimate the coup. Both sides are correct. How can this be?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe United States Should Quit Meddling in Egypt

Britain is exporting arms to human rights violators: report

"Britain has issued export licences worth £12 billion ($18 billion, 14 billion euros) for the sale of military equipment to states deemed possible rights violators including Syria, Iran and China, lawmakers said Wednesday. The countries for which licences have been issued include Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Belarus and Zimbawe, the Committees on Arms Export Controls of parliament’s lower House of Commons said. The countries with the largest numbers of licences include China with 1,163 licences worth £1.4 billion, Saudi Arabia with 417 licences worth £1.8 billion, and Israel and the Palestinian Territories with 381 licences worth £7.8 billion." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBritain is exporting arms to human rights violators: report

Afghani accused of murdering and torturing civilian blames U.S. commanders

"He blamed the murders on three Americans, whom he named as Dave, Hagen and Chris, and whom he said were fluent in Afghanistan’s two main languages Dari and Pashto. 'I was simply a low-rank translator and did not have authorisation to roam around inside the base, or (go) to interrogation sections,' the report quoted Kandahari as saying. He did admit to 'slapping' and 'kicking' the detainee allegedly shown in the video reportedly obtained by Afghan intelligence agents, according to the report. US investigations have found 'no credible evidence' to substantiate any allegations of abuse by either NATO or US forces, a military spokesman told AFP on Tuesday." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAfghani accused of murdering and torturing civilian blames U.S. commanders

Ex-Military General Dynamics Contractor: ‘I Hereby Resign in Protest Effective Immediately’

"I have served the post-911 Military Industrial complex for 10 years, first as a soldier in Baghdad, and now as a defense contractor. At the time of my enlistment, I believed in the cause. I was ignorant, naïve, and misled. We have become what I thought we were fighting against. Recent revelations by fearless journalists of war crimes including counterinsurgency 'dirty' wars, drone terrorism, the suspension of due process, torture, mass surveillance, and widespread regulatory capture have shed light on the true nature of the current US Government. I have always believed that if every foot soldier threw down his rifle war would end. I hereby throw mine down." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEx-Military General Dynamics Contractor: ‘I Hereby Resign in Protest Effective Immediately’

Seven killed, 261 wounded in Cairo clashes over military coup

"The clashes in the heart of Cairo and in adjacent Giza were the first to rock the Egyptian capital since dozens of Morsi supporters were shot dead outside an elite army barracks early last week. They came just hours after Under Secretary of State Bill Burns — the most senior US official to visit since the army toppled the elected Islamist president on July 3 — appealed for an end to the violence rocking the Arab world’s most populous nation. Thousands of Morsi supporters had poured onto the streets after the iftar meal with which Muslims break their daytime fast during the holy month of Ramadan, to demand the reinstatement of the ousted president." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSeven killed, 261 wounded in Cairo clashes over military coup

Seven killed, 261 wounded in Cairo clashes over military coup

"The clashes in the heart of Cairo and in adjacent Giza were the first to rock the Egyptian capital since dozens of Morsi supporters were shot dead outside an elite army barracks early last week. They came just hours after Under Secretary of State Bill Burns — the most senior US official to visit since the army toppled the elected Islamist president on July 3 — appealed for an end to the violence rocking the Arab world’s most populous nation. Thousands of Morsi supporters had poured onto the streets after the iftar meal with which Muslims break their daytime fast during the holy month of Ramadan, to demand the reinstatement of the ousted president." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSeven killed, 261 wounded in Cairo clashes over military coup

Congress OKs General Atomics deal to sell Reaper drones to France

"The NATO-led air war in Libya in 2011 and the French military intervention in Mali this year have underscored France’s shortage of surveillance drones, which have transformed warfare in the past decade since being introduced on a large-scale in the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In justifying the sale, the agency said it is 'vital to the US national interest to assist France to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability' and that the drones would bolster the intelligence and surveillance capability of France while also ensuring American and French forces can operate jointly." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCongress OKs General Atomics deal to sell Reaper drones to France

Judge Napolitano: President Obama Puts Politics Above the Rule of Law

"What's going on? What we have is a runaway government, dismissive of the Constitution it has sworn to uphold, contemptuous of the law it is required to enforce and driven by its own values of maximum control and minimum personal freedom. And we have a Congress supine enough to let this happen, as well as a judiciary so tangled in its own arcane procedures that immeasurable human freedom will be destroyed and Obama out of office before any meaningful judicial review can be had. Is this the rule of law? What shall we do about it?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJudge Napolitano: President Obama Puts Politics Above the Rule of Law