“The EU said Tuesday it will seek a strong commitment from the United States to respect the rights of European citizens, following revelations that Washington is running a worldwide Internet surveillance programme. Viviane Reding, the EU’s Justice Commissioner, ‘will raise … Continue reading →
"Edward Snowden is a 'hero' who has exposed 'one of the most serious events of the decade – the creeping formulation of a mass surveillance state', Julian Assange said on Monday. The WikiLeaks founder said the question of surveillance abuses by states and tech companies was 'something that I and many other journalists and civil libertarians have been campaigning about for a long time. It is very pleasing to see such clear and concrete proof presented to the public.' Assange told Sky News that Snowden was 'in a very, very serious position, because we can see the kind of rhetoric that occurred against me and Bradley Manning back in 2010, 2011, applied to Snowden'." Continue reading →
"Four drone strikes in total, a few minutes apart, violently tore Salem, Walid and the three visitors to shreds. Amidst the pandemonium, villagers cowering inside the mosque ran out for safety between strikes, believing they would die inside. 'You cannot imagine what we found,' said Faisal, drawing a slow, deep breath as he described the nighttime chaos that followed. 'We found body parts scattered everywhere. We tried to collect them all, and brought them to the mosque to wrap in white cloth.' The repercussions were devastating. The villagers marched the next day, chanting: 'Obama, why do you spill our blood?'" Continue reading →
"The classified drone camera footage drew public attention after the German defense ministry scrapped a drone program for its lack of anti-collision technology. After the encounter, the drone was caught in the plane’s wake turbulence, lost control, and crashed over the Afghan capital Kabul, Der Spiegel reported. The video was leaked a week after German Defense Minister Thomas de Maizière decided to scrap the $652 million EuroHawk program – meant to be a replacement for existing reconnaissance aircraft – including the Luna drones." Continue reading →
"Glenn Greenwald took time out of his busy day to do an interview with Luke Rudkowski, while he was on his way to Washington D.C. The two discussed possible solutions to the problems we're facing and his personal reasons for getting involved." Continue reading →
"U.S. military officials who engaged in ordering or carrying out the torture of individuals in custody can now rely upon an across-the-board legal defense that protects them from being sued for committing what amounts to an international crime, thanks to a Supreme Court ruling on Monday. The court affirmed an earlier ruling by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, which held in 2012 that former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld could not be sued for personally approving torture techniques used against prisoners held during the Bush administration’s terror war." Continue reading →
"A group of intelligence officials were overheard yesterday discussing how the National Security Agency worker who leaked sensitive documents to a reporter last week should be 'disappeared.' Foreign policy analyst and editor at large of The Atlantic, Steve Clemons, tweeted about the 'disturbing' conversation after listening in to four men who were sitting near him as he waited for a flight at Washington's Dulles airport. According to Clemons, the men had been attending an event hosted by the Intelligence and National Security Alliance." Continue reading →
"A former Air Force drone operator who says he participated in missions that killed more than 1,600 people remembers watching one of the first victims bleed to death. Brandon Bryant says he was sitting in a chair at a Nevada Air Force base operating the camera when his team fired two missiles from their drone at three men walking down a road halfway around the world in Afghanistan. The missiles hit all three targets, and Bryant says he could see the aftermath on his computer screen – including thermal images of a growing puddle of hot blood." Continue reading →
"The case gained national attention after the 'hacktivist' group Anonymous leaked significant social media evidence implicating the assailants — including tweets, Instagram photos, and a 12-minute video of Steubenville high schoolers joking about the rape. But it turns out that working to expose those rapists may land one Anonymous hacker more time in prison than the rapists themselves will serve. As Mother Jones reports, 26-year-old Deric Lostutter — who has been known as 'KYAnonymous' throughout his role in the Steubenville rape case — could face up to 10 years of jail time if he’s convicted of hacking-related crimes. The FBI raided Losuetter’s home in April." Continue reading →
"Adam Arroyo has lived in his Breckenridge apartment for three years but has never experienced a day like this past Monday; when police busted down his door in search of drugs, shooting and killing his dog in the process. When Arroyo returned home Monday evening he found his apartment torn apart, door busted down and several bullet holes in his kitchen wall. Arroyo is a combat veteran who served in Iraq and plans to join the National Guard. This incident, however has left him heart-broken and angry. Arroyo now has to pay to have Cindy cremated. He also had to repair his door at his own cost and has had to miss work." Continue reading →