Showing posts with label Edward Snowden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Edward Snowden. Show all posts
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Clinton is Either Ignorant or Lying...O'Malley Too
That's what Norman Solomon, documentary producer & long-time political activist, said on Democracy Now today. I agree. He was talking about her response regarding a question on Edward Snowden during the Democratic Debate Tuesday night. Hillary essentially said that Snowden "could have been" a whistleblower "if" he had gone through the proper channels and gotten the "protections" provided to whistleblowers.
That statement by Clinton is either a lie, ignorance on her part, or a really bad joke. Tom Drake, Jeffrey Stirling, and several others spent months going through the proper, internal channels with their whistleblowing. All that did was target them for persecution, and then selective prosecution. "Selective" because guys like David Petraeus only get a slap on the wrist. Guys like Brennan, Panetta, & Clapper get NOTHING.
As Solomon stated (paraphrased), Obama's war against whistleblowers and journalists is unprecedented in our history. Indeed. Barack Obama is perhaps the most Fascist President we've ever had in the Oval Office. Propaganda calling him "socialist" is just that---propaganda. As I've pointed out many times, both FDR and Mussolini defined Fascism as: the marriage of the Power of the State to the Power of Big Business. That fits Obama to a tee. Those who wept with joy at his election in 2008 must be the most disappointed voters in our political history. They elected a Corporatist posing as some sort of Populist and/or Leftist.
Then, too, we had O'Malley of Maryland in the Debate stating that "whistleblowers don't run to Russia". Again, ignorance, or a lie, or a bad joke. Snowden was on his way from Hong Kong to Ecuador. At the stop in Russia (or maybe in-flight from H.K.), the U.S. Gov't revoked his passport. He then wasn't allowed to board the plane to continue his journey. It always amazes me how politicians twist stories to suit their particular agendas.
Not only my opinion. Be Well
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
The Institutionalists vs. the Insurrectionists, RE: Edward Snowden
Both John Kerry and Hillary Clinton have suggested that Edward Snowden should return to the U.S. and face trial. That brings to mind the current, worldwide philosophical (and practical) clash between the Institutionalists and the Insurrectionists. Institutions, or the Establishment in general, ostensibly exist to serve the People in various ways; that's their purpose. The Oligarchs who run Institutions often sincerely believe in the goodness of that function... until the Institution is exposed in some wrongdoing or another... until the end supposedly justifies foul means. Then everything changes. The Oligarchs hunker down and do everything possible (legal or not) to protect the Institution; to hell with the People, or Justice, or due process.
I would think that most people know that if Snowden did return, he never would receive a fair and just trial. Here's why---
1. In all likelihood, he would be held incommunicado.
2. Evidence would be suppressed. The Gov't would claim "State Secrets", "National Security", "Executive Privilege", etc., ad nauseum.
3. The Judge, or perhaps Tribunal, would allow nothing to surface that didn't relate to the 1917 Espionage Act. In other words, the Govt's many, many, many wrongdoings and violations of the Constitution would be deemed "not pertinent to this case" or "not relevant".
4. Jury nullification would not be allowed.
The tragic irony in the Snowden affair is that Obama, when first running for President, publicly claimed that his Administration would protect whistleblowers... that they were good for government. As soon as he was elected, he continued the case against Tom Drake (an NSA whistleblower)... a case first brought to trial by Alberto Gonzales under Dubya Bush. As the Australian socialist, journalist, and documentarian John Pilger once stated, "Brand Obama...and it's all fake.".
I'm fairly sure that Oligarchies around the world are beginning to worry because nonviolent Insurrectionists courageously are exposing the gross wrongdoings of various Institutions. Just as importantly, the People no longer are buying the Propaganda put out against patriotic, peaceful whistleblowers. Notice, however, that those at the highest levels in any Oligarchy continue on no matter how illegal, unjust, and unethical their exposed actions are shown to be. They accuse the whistleblower or journalist of being a criminal, and then claim that the Institution will "reform" its wrongful ways. Distract, distract, distract. All of that means it will take a long, sustained effort to really reform any corrupt Establishment.
Kudos to Daniel Ellsberg, John Perkins, John Pilger, Matt Taibbi, Jeremy Scahill, Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras, Julian Assange, Sarah Harrison, Edward Snowden, Chelsea (formerly Bradley) Manning, Tom Drake, and many, many others for the great personal costs they have paid in order to help bring Outlaw Gov'ts into the light. Exposing rogue Institutions is a very risky business. Very little is more patriotic. We the People should support the peaceful Insurrectionists to the hilt.
Be Well
I would think that most people know that if Snowden did return, he never would receive a fair and just trial. Here's why---
1. In all likelihood, he would be held incommunicado.
2. Evidence would be suppressed. The Gov't would claim "State Secrets", "National Security", "Executive Privilege", etc., ad nauseum.
3. The Judge, or perhaps Tribunal, would allow nothing to surface that didn't relate to the 1917 Espionage Act. In other words, the Govt's many, many, many wrongdoings and violations of the Constitution would be deemed "not pertinent to this case" or "not relevant".
4. Jury nullification would not be allowed.
The tragic irony in the Snowden affair is that Obama, when first running for President, publicly claimed that his Administration would protect whistleblowers... that they were good for government. As soon as he was elected, he continued the case against Tom Drake (an NSA whistleblower)... a case first brought to trial by Alberto Gonzales under Dubya Bush. As the Australian socialist, journalist, and documentarian John Pilger once stated, "Brand Obama...and it's all fake.".
I'm fairly sure that Oligarchies around the world are beginning to worry because nonviolent Insurrectionists courageously are exposing the gross wrongdoings of various Institutions. Just as importantly, the People no longer are buying the Propaganda put out against patriotic, peaceful whistleblowers. Notice, however, that those at the highest levels in any Oligarchy continue on no matter how illegal, unjust, and unethical their exposed actions are shown to be. They accuse the whistleblower or journalist of being a criminal, and then claim that the Institution will "reform" its wrongful ways. Distract, distract, distract. All of that means it will take a long, sustained effort to really reform any corrupt Establishment.
Kudos to Daniel Ellsberg, John Perkins, John Pilger, Matt Taibbi, Jeremy Scahill, Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras, Julian Assange, Sarah Harrison, Edward Snowden, Chelsea (formerly Bradley) Manning, Tom Drake, and many, many others for the great personal costs they have paid in order to help bring Outlaw Gov'ts into the light. Exposing rogue Institutions is a very risky business. Very little is more patriotic. We the People should support the peaceful Insurrectionists to the hilt.
Be Well
Friday, May 30, 2014
John Kerry Should "Man Up"
Very recently, John Kerry stated publicly that Edward Snowden should "man up", come back to the U.S., and face the charges against him. I doubt it, but perhaps Secretary Kerry is unaware of the common knowledge that the U.S. Fed Gov't Justice System is almost completely broken. It's overwhelmed, often corrupt, often vicious and unfair, and just about totally political. It has very little to do with justice. Furthermore, Mr. Kerry, making such a statement as a representative of the highest levels of our Gov't, displays the height of hypocrisy.
I suggest that Secretary Kerry man up and admit the following.
1. The mass surveillance "Program" of the NSA not only violates the Constitution, but also any concept of common decency.
2. "The Program" of the NSA is used for non-terrorist related activities, such as monitoring economic meetings of our allies.
3. The so-called "FISA Court" is a travesty. It's nothing but a rubber stamp for an out-of-control Executive Branch...no matter who is in the Oval Office.
4. No law in this country supercedes the U.S. Constitution. Politicians, including Mr. Kerry, need to cease citing the War Powers Act, FISA, the so-called PATRIOT Act, the NDAA, etc. as justifications for blatantly unconstitutional actions by the Feds.
5. The political Game in the USA is completely rigged.
6. The Fed Gov't has little to no interest in helping to bring about Peace in the Middle East. [I covered the reasons why in a previous post.]
7. The invasion of Iraq was perhaps the greatest war crime in recent history. At the very least, it was utterly unconstitutional. Anyone who can read and has an I.Q. of at least 100 knows that.
8. Recently released Snowden documents reveal that the NSA trained operatives to "collect it all"--- all the digital data it could get on as many people as possible...terrorist suspect or not.
9. At the highest levels, representatives of our Fed Gov't work for the Oligarchy, and it's NOT a "conspiracy"...it's right out in plain sight.
10. No matter who is in office, the Executive Branch (as well as Congress) protects mega bankers from criminal prosecution.
11. Obama's recent pronouncement at West Point that the U.S. Gov't will now "act unilaterally" when it sees fit most likely will result in future violations of International Law. [This is somewhat akin to the Bush-Cheney-John Yoo-Wolfowitz concept of a "Unitary Presidency"...except that this is much worse.]
12. No matter who is in office, Edward Bernays style Propaganda is used by the highest levels of the Fed Gov't to mold the public mind.
And finally, the Oligarchy---including its wholly owned subsidiary, the Fed Gov't---is beginning to worry because We the People often no longer buy into their load of crap. People not corrupted by politics are beginning to organize around just causes and to peacefully resist the propaganda and soft despotism of the central government.
If anyone should man up, Mr. Kerry, it is you.
Partly just my opinion. Happy Trails
I suggest that Secretary Kerry man up and admit the following.
1. The mass surveillance "Program" of the NSA not only violates the Constitution, but also any concept of common decency.
2. "The Program" of the NSA is used for non-terrorist related activities, such as monitoring economic meetings of our allies.
3. The so-called "FISA Court" is a travesty. It's nothing but a rubber stamp for an out-of-control Executive Branch...no matter who is in the Oval Office.
4. No law in this country supercedes the U.S. Constitution. Politicians, including Mr. Kerry, need to cease citing the War Powers Act, FISA, the so-called PATRIOT Act, the NDAA, etc. as justifications for blatantly unconstitutional actions by the Feds.
5. The political Game in the USA is completely rigged.
6. The Fed Gov't has little to no interest in helping to bring about Peace in the Middle East. [I covered the reasons why in a previous post.]
7. The invasion of Iraq was perhaps the greatest war crime in recent history. At the very least, it was utterly unconstitutional. Anyone who can read and has an I.Q. of at least 100 knows that.
8. Recently released Snowden documents reveal that the NSA trained operatives to "collect it all"--- all the digital data it could get on as many people as possible...terrorist suspect or not.
9. At the highest levels, representatives of our Fed Gov't work for the Oligarchy, and it's NOT a "conspiracy"...it's right out in plain sight.
10. No matter who is in office, the Executive Branch (as well as Congress) protects mega bankers from criminal prosecution.
11. Obama's recent pronouncement at West Point that the U.S. Gov't will now "act unilaterally" when it sees fit most likely will result in future violations of International Law. [This is somewhat akin to the Bush-Cheney-John Yoo-Wolfowitz concept of a "Unitary Presidency"...except that this is much worse.]
12. No matter who is in office, Edward Bernays style Propaganda is used by the highest levels of the Fed Gov't to mold the public mind.
And finally, the Oligarchy---including its wholly owned subsidiary, the Fed Gov't---is beginning to worry because We the People often no longer buy into their load of crap. People not corrupted by politics are beginning to organize around just causes and to peacefully resist the propaganda and soft despotism of the central government.
If anyone should man up, Mr. Kerry, it is you.
Partly just my opinion. Happy Trails
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Whistleblowers Are Patriots
Patriots, if they can, expose government wrongdoing. The hypocrisy of those in the upper levels of our Outlaw Fed Gov't is beyond the pale. If China, or Israel, or Russia, or any other country spies on us, the Feds go bananas; but when our Gov't spies on our own allies, oh, there's nothing wrong with that. The National Security State trumps any concept of Right and Wrong...and the Natural Rights that all humans possess.
In case you haven't heard, and as reported in Der Spiegel, the NSA has an elite computer hacking unit that has been remotely installing spyware and malware on computers using the Windows Operating System. Not only that, it has been intercepting the delivery of new computers ordered online, installing spyware, and then sending the machines on their way. This illegal process also includes cell phones. The existence of the hacking unit, Tailored Access Operations (TAO), was revealed in documents sent by Edward Snowden to Der Spiegel.
Judge Pauley, who contradicted another Fed Judge who said the NSA's phone records collection was "almost Orwellian", in a very real sense claims that if the NSA does it to everyone, then that's constitutional. Please, is he serious?! Judges have been throwing out court cases because the individuals bringing suit don't know for certain if their records are being collected...they have no "standing". It's clear to me that the Judicial System, in a very large part, is not independent of the Political System. That's called corruption. Read the Fourth Amendment; what the NSA is doing is blatantly unconstitutional. Unfortunately, we can't even rely on the Supreme Court to be totally independent...remember the Kelo v. City of New London case? The City seized private property using Eminent Domain and sold it to PRIVATE developers, claiming that the taxes to be generated qualified as "public use" of the property. If that's true, then anyone's property can be seized under the guise of Eminent Domain, and the seizure doesn't have to be for a public road or public building, etc. Where is the common sense in that? The same is true for Judge Pauley's opinion that as long as the NSA does it to everyone, that's constitutional. Have mercy.
If you look at History, you'll see that the Govt's response to Whistleblowers is to smear and criminalize them. The U.K. is as bad as the U.S.A. in that regard. Ask Glenn Greenwald, who now lives in Brazil. He's wary of returning to England because he's being investigated for "terrorism". Terrorism is the great catch-all now for governments. Constitutions can be ignored, Natural Rights can be ignored, due process can be ignored...just label the person a potential terrorist. In this country, because of the NDAA, such a person can be executed without a trial (according to an article in Forbes, & many other sources). When he signed that bill into law, Obama said, "I would never do that.", or something to that effect. Well, guess what? I'm not reassured. History shows us that no politician, present or future, is to be trusted.
Just my opinion.
In case you haven't heard, and as reported in Der Spiegel, the NSA has an elite computer hacking unit that has been remotely installing spyware and malware on computers using the Windows Operating System. Not only that, it has been intercepting the delivery of new computers ordered online, installing spyware, and then sending the machines on their way. This illegal process also includes cell phones. The existence of the hacking unit, Tailored Access Operations (TAO), was revealed in documents sent by Edward Snowden to Der Spiegel.
Judge Pauley, who contradicted another Fed Judge who said the NSA's phone records collection was "almost Orwellian", in a very real sense claims that if the NSA does it to everyone, then that's constitutional. Please, is he serious?! Judges have been throwing out court cases because the individuals bringing suit don't know for certain if their records are being collected...they have no "standing". It's clear to me that the Judicial System, in a very large part, is not independent of the Political System. That's called corruption. Read the Fourth Amendment; what the NSA is doing is blatantly unconstitutional. Unfortunately, we can't even rely on the Supreme Court to be totally independent...remember the Kelo v. City of New London case? The City seized private property using Eminent Domain and sold it to PRIVATE developers, claiming that the taxes to be generated qualified as "public use" of the property. If that's true, then anyone's property can be seized under the guise of Eminent Domain, and the seizure doesn't have to be for a public road or public building, etc. Where is the common sense in that? The same is true for Judge Pauley's opinion that as long as the NSA does it to everyone, that's constitutional. Have mercy.
If you look at History, you'll see that the Govt's response to Whistleblowers is to smear and criminalize them. The U.K. is as bad as the U.S.A. in that regard. Ask Glenn Greenwald, who now lives in Brazil. He's wary of returning to England because he's being investigated for "terrorism". Terrorism is the great catch-all now for governments. Constitutions can be ignored, Natural Rights can be ignored, due process can be ignored...just label the person a potential terrorist. In this country, because of the NDAA, such a person can be executed without a trial (according to an article in Forbes, & many other sources). When he signed that bill into law, Obama said, "I would never do that.", or something to that effect. Well, guess what? I'm not reassured. History shows us that no politician, present or future, is to be trusted.
Just my opinion.
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