Archive for the 'Dictatorship' Category
The U.S. Wins the Right to Abduct Innocent People with Impunity
June 15th, 2010Via: Salon: The Supreme Court today denied a petition of review from Maher Arar, the Canadian and Syrian citizen who was abducted by the U.S. Government at a stopover at JFK Airport when returning to Canada in 2002, held incommunicado for two weeks, and then rendered to Syria, where he spent the next 10 months […]
Fannie-Freddie Fix at $160 Billion With $1 Trillion Worst Case
June 14th, 2010Via: Bloomberg: The cost of fixing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the mortgage companies that last year bought or guaranteed three-quarters of all U.S. home loans, will be at least $160 billion and could grow to as much as $1 trillion after the biggest bailout in American history. Fannie and Freddie, now 80 percent owned […]
U.S. Identifies Vast Mineral Deposits Worth $1 Trillion in Afghanistan; “The Saudi Arabia of Lithium”; Eventually “One of The Most Important Mining Centers in The World”; Pentagon “Helping” Afghan Government to Prepare to Seek Bids on Mineral Rights
June 14th, 2010I am Jack’s complete lack of surprise. —Fight Club Update: Afghan Mineral Deposits Actually Worth $3 Trillion, Not $1 Trillion —End Update— The Soviets knew about it! They did geological surveys during their occupation of Afghanistan. Which makes you wonder… Did the U.S. actually know about it all this time? This piece says otherwise, but […]
Obama Pleads for $50 Billion in State, Local Aid
June 13th, 2010Via: Washington Post: President Obama urged reluctant lawmakers Saturday to quickly approve nearly $50 billion in emergency aid to state and local governments, saying the money is needed to avoid “massive layoffs of teachers, police and firefighters” and to support the still-fragile economic recovery. In a letter to congressional leaders, Obama defended last year’s huge […]
Obama More Aggressive Than Bush In Targeting Whistleblowers
June 13th, 2010Via: New York Times: In 17 months in office, President Obama has already outdone every previous president in pursuing leak prosecutions. His administration has taken actions that might have provoked sharp political criticism for his predecessor, George W. Bush, who was often in public fights with the press.
Daniel Ellsberg: WikiLeaks Founder’s Life Is In Danger
June 12th, 2010All states use their embassies and consulates to run intelligence operations. The U.S. Government is likely concerned that some of these activities, that are happening under official cover, could be compromised. Public exposure would represent a gigantic pain in the ass for the U.S. because of the Kabuki theater act that’s mandated to follow such […]
FAA Imposes Flight Restrictions Over Oil Spill Area
June 12th, 2010In other words, no media related aircraft below 3000 feet. Via: FAA: All aircraft operations are prohibited except those flights authorized by ATC, routine flights supporting offshore oil operations; federal, state, local and military flight operations supporting oil spill recovery and reconstitution efforts; and air medical and law enforcement operations.
CNN on Media Blackout on Oil Spill
June 12th, 2010Very poor audio quality. Via: CNN / YouTube:
Judge Limits DHS Laptop Border Searches
June 11th, 2010Via: Cnet: A federal judge has ruled that border agents cannot seize a traveler’s laptop, keep it locked up for months, and examine it for contraband files without a warrant half a year later. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White in the Northern District of California rejected the Obama administration’s argument that no warrant was necessary […]
Obama “Let the World’s Most Dangerous Oil Company Get Away with Murder”
June 11th, 2010Via: Rolling Stone: On May 27th, more than a month into the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history, Barack Obama strode to the podium in the East Room of the White House. For weeks, the administration had been insisting that BP alone was to blame for the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf – and […]
