"The
foulest damage to our political life comes not from the 'secrets'
which they hide from us, but from the little bits of half-truth and
disinformation which they do tell us. These are already pre-digested,
and then are sicked up as little gobbits of authorised spew. The
columns of defence correspondents in the establishment sheets serve as
the spittoons." - E. P. Thompson, British historian
"The
role of the U.S. in the new world corporate order is going to be to
export security. That means endless wars and weapons in space. The
Pentagon will send our kids off to foreign lands to suppress opposition
to corporate globalization. How will we ever end America's addiction
to war and violence as long as our communities are dependent on
military spending for jobs?" - Bruce Gagnon
"Let us be peace and joy"
............................................................................
ACLU Challenges Government’s "Fiction of Deniability" on Use of Drones for Targeted Killing
On Friday, the ACLU asked the federal district court in Washington, D.C. to reject the Central Intelligence Agency's argument that it cannot provide any information in response to our Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request about the use of drones for targeted killing. Last March, the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit called the CIA's refusal to confirm or deny whether it even possessed records responsive to the FOIA request "indefensible," and it rebuked the agency for constructing "a fiction of deniability that no reasonable person would regard as plausible."The D.C. Circuit returned the case to the district court and ordered the CIA to produce a list and description of documents in its possession. But five months later, in a filing in the district court, the CIA barely budged. While the agency finally conceded the obvious — that it holds records about drones and targeted killing — it contended that it could not provide any further information without endangering national security.
As the ACLU's brief argues, the CIA's unrelenting refusal to even list or describe any documents in its possession is "so plainly inadequate that it verges on the frivolous":
Indeed, the CIA's response is so obviously deficient that one can only assume that the CIA's goal is not to prevail on this motion but simply to delay as long as possible the day on which the agency will finally be required to explain what documents it is withholding and why.This is especially so because, while the agency gives the federal courts the silent treatment, it has continued what an appeals court judge in this case labeled a "pattern of strategic and selective leaks at very high levels of the Government." The ACLU's brief argues that the time has come for this double game to end, and it asks the district court to order the CIA to describe the documents it possesses and to justify withholding each document from the public, as it is required to do under the law.
The new filing is the latest in the ACLU's two ongoing FOIA cases challenging the government's claims to absolute secrecy regarding drones and targeted killing. In our second case, early next month, the ACLU will appear before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals to argue that a New York district court's January 2013 decision upholding the government's claim of secrecy about its legal and evidentiary basis for killing three U.S. citizens was erroneous. In that case, the district court refused to order the government to produce any documents, but did so only after acknowledging that the result felt like something out of Alice in Wonderland: "I can find no way around the thicket of laws and precedents that effectively allow the Executive Branch of our Government to proclaim as perfectly lawful certain actions that seem on their face incompatible with our Constitution and laws, while keeping the reasons for its conclusion a secret." This summer, the ACLU filed two briefs in the Second Circuit explaining why the district court got it wrong.
Both cases make clear that the government has taken the concept of official secrecy to new extremes. It is well past time for the public to decide for itself — based on documents, and not self-serving and selective leaks — whether, as the government publicly asserts, the targeted killing program is legal, wise, and effective.
..............................................................
Larry Summers in Beijing on
September 6, 2010. Summers has withdrawn from the race to succeed Ben
Bernanke at the Federal Reserve.
September 15, 2013
|
On Sunday, the former White House economic adviser and Treasury secretary officially withdrew his name as a candidate, according to the Washington Post.
For weeks, despite Obama's apparent enthusiasm for Summers, progressives have been actively voicing their strong objections for reasons ranging from his preference for Wall Street over Main Street to his blatant sexism (for the full list, see " 7 Reasons to Fight Obama on Picking Out-of-Touch Crony Capitalist Larry Summers as Fed Chair"). Most recently, his troubling conflict of interest problem has been highlighted with particular attention to his lucrative consulting gig with megabank Citigroup. In the Senate, Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) signaled strong opposition to Summers, and did senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Jeff Merkely (D-Ore). When Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), considered a moderate, joined the "no" group, things began to look very shaky for Summers and the press began to predict an ugly confirmation battle. read more
Julian Assange is a true high tech journalist-activist of our time, leaking information that organizations are spending work and economic effort into concealing from the public knowledge. He’s absolutely a postmodern hero in the whole sense of such an expression.....María Concepción López-Velázquez
Russia: Western Threats Could "Wreck" Syria Peace Talks
By AFP
Lavrov
said Russia opposed proposals by Western powers to swiftly pass a
resolution including the use of force under Chapter Seven of the UN
charter.
U.N. Report on Chemical Attack in Syria
Full Text UN Report
The
complete text of a report to the United Nations secretary general
confirming the use of chemical weapons in attacks outside Damascus on
Aug. 21, 2013.
Do Syrian Rebels Have Sarin?
By Robert Parry
The
likely explanation is that U.S. intelligence agencies have indications
that at least some rebel groups possess CW and may have used it in the
past.
Canada: Hypocrites 'R Us
By Yves Engler
To have any credibility a country preaching against the use of chemical weapons must be able to declare: "Do as I do."
Obama, Don't Play Chess With KGB
By Eric Margolis
Obama's Nobel Peace Prize should be rescinded and given, instead, to Vladimir Putin.
The CIA, the Press and Black Propaganda
The All-powerful Cult of Death That Rules America
By Doug Valentine
Despite
the popular portrayal of the CIA as patriotic guys and girls risking
everything to do a dirty job, the typical CIA officer is a sociopath.
Police Are More Dangerous To The Public Than Are Criminals
By Paul Craig Roberts
At the state and local level every American faces brutal, armed psychopaths known as the police.
The Origins of Our Police State
By Chris Hedges
The tyranny of law enforcement in poor communities is a window into our emerging police state.
Is the Housing Recovery Over?
By Mike Whitney
Payment on a $200,000 loan is 15 percent more than it would have been just two months ago.
Hard News
Iraq bombs kill 11, including 5 soldiers:
Violence
in Iraq killed 11 people on Monday including five soldiers while an
army official escaped an assassination attempt, the latest in a surge
of unrest that left more than 4,200 dead this year.
Bombings, attacks kill 58 in southern, central Iraq:
A wave of car bombings and other attacks in Iraq killed at least 58 people in mostly Shiite-majority cities on Sunday
Turkey says it shot down Syrian helicopter:
A
Turkish fighter jet shot down a Syrian military helicopter on Monday
after it entered Turkish airspace and ignored repeated warnings to
leave, an official said.
'Clear and convincing evidence' of chemical attack, UN report confirms:
The
inspectors were mandated to report on whether chemical weapons were
used and if so which ones - not on who was responsible.
Propaganda alert:
UN report 'abundantly clear' that Syria carried out gas attack: Britain:
Britain
welcomed Monday's UN report into last month's chemical weapons attack
in Syria and said it was "abundantly clear" from the findings that
Bashar al-Assad's regime was to blame.
Syria: nearly half rebel fighters are jihadists or hardline Islamists, says IHS Jane's report:
The
new study by IHS Jane's, a defence consultancy, estimates there are
around 10,000 jihadists - who would include foreign fighters - fighting
for powerful factions linked to al-Qaeda..
The end of the rebel alliance?:
Tensions escalate in Syria, as self-declared jihadists say Western-backed moderates may be used against them.
Al-Qaida-Linked Rebels Claim Syria Killings:
An
al-Qaida-linked rebel group says it killed at least 30 members of
President Bashar Assad's Alawite sect during an attack on three
villages in central Syria last week.
CIA delivering light weapons to Syria:
U.S.
officials say the CIA has been delivering light machine guns and other
small arms to Syrian rebels for several weeks, following President
Barack Obama's decision to arm the rebels.
Many Americans See Syria as Sign of Bible's End Times:
Almost
one in three Americans see Syria's recent conflict as part of the
Bible's plan for the end times. One in four think that a U.S. military
strike in Syria could lead to Armageddon. One in five believes the
world will end in their lifetime.
Remembering Sabra And Shatila Massacre:
Monday
marks the 31st anniversary of the Sabra and Shatila massacre that took
place starting on September 16 1982, after the Israeli occupation
army, led back then by Ariel Sharon, surrounded the refugee camp after
invading Beirut, and granted access to the Phalanges to enter the camp
to slaughter its refugees.
In case you missed it:
Details Emerge of US Role in Sabra-Shatila Massacre:
Israel
duped the United Stated into believing that "thousands of terrorists"
remained in west Beirut following the expulsion of Palestinian fighters
30 years ago, providing cover for the 1982 massacre in the Sabra and
Shatila refugee camps, according to recently declassified Israeli
documents.
Afghanistan: 7 killed in Nangarhar:
Six
government armed oppositions and one border guard were killed in a
clash between security forces and armed Taliban in eastern province of
Nangarhar, an official said Monday.
Top Afghanistan female police officer killed: :
Lieutenant Negar was shot in the neck near police headquarters in the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah.
Philippines: Helicopters fire rockets on Muslim rebels:
Government
forces in the Philippines have begun firing rockets from helicopters
in an attempt to dislodge Muslim rebels who have been holding parts of
the city of Zamboanga for the past week.
Nigeria: Four Boko Haram Members Killed, Seven Others Arrested in Adamawa:
"Two of
the arrested insurgents died on Saturday and the remaining two died on
Sunday following their clash with the Civilian JTF when the suspects
attempted to escape but the last suspect is still alive and under
interroragation", he said.
Egyptian security forces storm town south of Cairo held by supporters of ousted president:
Security
forces backed by armored vehicles and helicopters on Monday stormed a
town south of Cairo that had been held for over two months by militants
loyal to the ousted Islamist president, swiftly taking control despite
some resistance from gunmen.
Islamist Nour party walks out of Egypt's constitution talks:
Egypt's
second biggest Islamist party on Monday walked out of a committee
amending the constitution, to protest against moves to curb the
influence of Islam in state affairs.
Turkey police fire tear gas at protesters in Ankara:
Clashes
broke out late on Sunday after hundreds of people took to the streets
of Istanbul's Kadikoy area to remember protesters killed in government
crackdown over the past few months.
3 police killed by suicide car bomber in Chechnya, wounded in Ingushetia blast:
Three
Russian policemen were killed and six others wounded Monday in a pair
of car bombings in the restive Caucasus region. Another attempted
attack on a police station was foiled, authorities said.
Dr Helen Caldicott: Endless Fukushima catastrophe: 2020 Olympics under contamination threat: Op-Ed:
As the
escape of radiation at Fukushima seems virtually unstoppable, there are
still steps that governments all over the world should take to prevent
worst case consequences. One of them would be canceling the 2020
Olympics in Tokyo.
NSA spying on Visa and SWIFT 'smells like economic espionage':
Reports
of penetration of Visa and SWIFT by the NSA means it can get details of
activities of foreign banks and pass it on to US competitors, giving
them advantages on financial markets, US attorney Gerald Horne told RT.
Secret Spy Court Demands Surveillance Transparency From Feds:
The
secret spy court at the center of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden's
leaks today ordered the government to begin declassifying its opinions
involving the Patriot Act.
Mexico City Police Violently Crackdown on Occupying Teachers :
Video report - In Mexico City police attack peaceful teachers protesting new Mexico education bill
At least 12 killed at DC Navy Yard:
Mayor
Vincent Gray said there were at least 12 fatalities after a shooting
inside a building at the Washington Naval Yard Monday.
Gunman ID'd in D.C. Navy Yard Shooting That Killed 13:
The
gunman, 34-year-old Aaron Alexis of Fort Worth, Texas, is among the 12
dead. Officials said he recently began working as a civilian
contractor.
Aaron Alexis' Fort Worth Arrest Report;
On
Saturday 09-04-10 at approximately 1849 hrs I, Officer M Medders 3835
working W237, was dispatched to an apt complex, Orion at Oak Hill Apts,
at 2450 Oak Hill Rd in reference to a shots fired call.
Police Fatally Shoot Unarmed Former Football Player :
Officer
Randall Kerrick, 27, of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department
(CMPD) in North Carolina is facing charges of voluntary manslaughter
after fatally shooting Jonathan Ferrell, 24, a former Florida A&M
football player who had apparently been seeking help after surviving a
major car crash early Saturday morning.
Another Police Brutality Video -
California raises minimum wage to $10 an hour:
Millions
of California workers can expect a little extra in their paychecks
next year, after the state legislature raised the minimum wage Friday
to $10 an hour, an increase to be phased in over three years.
1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three Rs: 1. Respect for self 2. Respect for others 3. Responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honourable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
Read The Art of Happiness by Dalai Lama
If the collective works toward these there would be no need for any weapons..
keep fighting the good fight, with your minds as weapons
................kosmicdebris..........................................
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