The man who trades freedom for security does not deserve nor will he ever receive either. – Benjamin Franklin
– Dianne Feinstein’s Justification For The NSA’s Domestic Espionage Programs (ZeroHedge, July 16, 2013):
From Dianne Feinstein
Dear XXXXXXX,
I received your communication indicating your concerns about the two National Security Agency programs that have been in the news recently. I appreciate that you took the time to write on this important issue and welcome the opportunity to respond.
Read moreDianne Feinstein’s Justification For The NSA’s Domestic Espionage Programs
– McDonald’s Math: You Can’t Survive Working for Us (Liberty Blitzkrieg, July 16, 2013)
– Secrets exposed: How the NSA rubber-stamps warrantless spying (PressTV, July 15, 2013):
If we are to regard ourselves as a grown-up nation-and anything else will henceforth be mortally dangerous-then we must, as the Biblical phrase goes, put away childish things; and among these… the first to go, in my opinion, should be… the search for absolute security…
-George Kennan, The Sources of Soviet Conduct, in Foreign Affairs (1947.)
Now we know what they so badly wanted to tell us but couldn’t and what a revelation it is. I refer to the exciting and long-awaited news reported in the Wall Street Journal as to what it was that Senators Mark Udall and Tom Wyden have been dying to tell the American public about the operations of the NSA but were unable to disclose because the information was of such a top-secret nature.
Read moreExposed: How The NSA Rubber-Stamps Warrantless Spying
– BBC paid for Jimmy Savile’s cash gifts to children (Daily Express, July 15, 2013):
THE BBC signed off Jimmy Savile’s “sweeteners” to children who appeared on his TV show.
BBC payroll records obtained through a Freedom of Information request show the corporation’s desperation to keep the paedophile employed for 50 years, through expense payments, appearance and programme fees.
In one instance, Savile was paid £4,000 for appearing on the Louis Theroux programme.
Tory MP Rob Wilson said the dossier was “deeply disturbing”.
Read moreBBC Paid For Pedophile Jimmy Savile’s Cash Gifts To Children
– ‘Obama has already convicted Snowden’ (PressTV, July 14, 2013):
American whistleblower Edward Snowden’s chances for a fair trial in the U.S. are “virtually zero” as he has “already been convicted in the media by President Obama”, says James Petras, a retired Bartle Professor of Sociology at Binghamton University in Binghamton, New York, and author of 65 books.
At a meeting in the transit area of Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow on Friday, Snowden told human rights advocates that the U.S. government has placed him on no-fly lists and threatened sanctions against countries that “would stand up for my human rights and the UN asylum system.”
– Solar Cycle 24 Freezes Out Al Gore (Veterans Today, July 15, 2013):
Al Gore promotes Global Warming because it is a money making scam, these past winters are freezing out Global Warming as a viable theory. Al Gore is now frozen in time as the village idiot who lectured us about carbon emissions and was stopped by the cold reality of a cooling earth. So what was Anthropocentric Global Warming (AGW) all about anyways?
Global Warming was a Marketing Ploy
The Global Warming theory was never really a theory, it was a marketing effort on part of the “globalists” to remake the world in their image of taxing ever more, you breath so therefore you are taxed. The church invented guilt for the same reason. Al Gore was their errand boy, CO2 was never a threat because it is a trace gas, and man made CO2 only a small 3% of the total. Water vapor is 95% of the global warming effect, and is hardly ever mentioned.
Global Warming by increasing anthropocentric Carbon Dioxide isn’t true in the real world, yet in DC tinsel town (a special kind of la la land) where an endless celebration of spending someone else’s money has created its own reality. Washington is a giddy simulacrum of make believe and laws because we can, and anything we say goes because we are the Gods on the Potomac. The AGW has-been theory is still going like the pink Energizer bunny even after full exposure as a boldfaced hoax.
Does man made CO2 drive warming? No. It does absolutely nothing. One chart is all you need, CO2 is a trace gas in the atmosphere and the human caused portion of total greenhouse gases is only 0.117% of the total, thus man made CO2 has negligible effect on earth climate. Pay no attention to the media whores and their carbon scare tactics, ANTHROPOCENTRIC CO2 DOES ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
Read moreSolar Cycle 24 Freezes Out Al Gore And His Global Warming Money Making Scam
– Putin Affirms Russia’s Focus on High-Precision Weaponry (RIA Novosti, July 13, 2013):
MOSCOW, July 13 (RIA Novosti) – Russia will prioritize the development of powerful high-accuracy weapons whose combat capabilities would be comparable to those of weapons of mass destruction, President Vladimir Putin said.
Dr. Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury during President Reagan’s first term. He was Associate Editor of the Wall Street Journal. He has held numerous academic appointments, including the William E. Simon Chair, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Georgetown University, and Senior Research Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University.
– Coup d’etat — Paul Craig Roberts (July 13, 2013):
The American people have suffered a coup d’etat, but they are hesitant to acknowledge it. The regime ruling in Washington today lacks constitutional and legal legitimacy. Americans are ruled by usurpers who claim that the executive branch is above the law and that the US Constitution is a mere “scrap of paper.”
An unconstitutional government is an illegitimate government. The oath of allegiance requires defense of the Constitution “against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” As the Founding Fathers made clear, the main enemy of the Constitution is the government itself. Power does not like to be bound and tied down and constantly works to free itself from constraints.
The basis of the regime in Washington is nothing but usurped power. The Obama Regime, like the Bush/Cheney Regime, has no legitimacy. Americans are oppressed by an illegitimate government ruling, not by law and the Constitution, but by lies and naked force. Those in government see the US Constitution as a “chain that binds our hands.”
The South African apartheid regime was more legitimate than the regime in Washington. The apartheid Israeli regime in Palestine is more legitimate. The Taliban are more legitimate. Muammar Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein were more legitimate.
The only constitutional protection that the Bush/Obama regime has left standing is the Second Amendment, a meaningless amendment considering the disparity in arms between Washington and what is permitted to the citizenry. No citizen standing with a rifle can protect himself and his family from one of the Department of Homeland Security’s 2,700 tanks, or from a drone, or from a heavily armed SWAT force in body armor.
Like serfs in the dark ages, American citizens can be picked up on the authority of some unknown person in the executive branch and thrown in a dungeon, subject to torture, without any evidence ever being presented to a court or any information to the person’s relatives of his/her whereabouts. Or they can be placed on a list without explanation that curtails their right to travel by air. Every communication of every American, except face-to-face conversation in non-bugged environments, is intercepted and recorded by the National Stasi Agency from which phrases can be strung together to produce a “domestic extremist.”
If throwing an American citizen in a dungeon is too much trouble, the citizen can simply be blown up with a hellfire missile launched from a drone. No explanation is necessary.
For the Obama tyrant, the exterminated human being was just a name on a list.Read moreDr. Paul Craig Roberts: The American People Have Suffered A Coup D’Etat
From the article:
“Gold is the absolute best and only bet against currency collapse—which is coming, courtesy of central bank irresponsibility.”
PHYSICAL gold and silver are the absolute best and only bet against the greatest financial/economic collapse in known world history that is well on its way.
Food, water, a (self-sufficient, fully equipped) remote farm and like-minded friends are still more important.
This is the Greatest Depression.
FYI.
– Gold is a Crap Investment—Unless… (Gonzalo Lira, July 15, 2013):
About gold as an investment, Barry Ritholz said it best:
This is not to say gold is not affected by Macro issues. But that is very different than saying Gold has a fundamental value, an intrinsic worth. It does not. [. . .] Gold is not, and can never be, an investment. It has no true intrinsic value, no cash flow, no earnings, no coupon[,] no yield. What people call fundamentals are nothing more than broad macro analysis (and how have your macro funds done lately?). Gold is the ultimate greater fool trade, with many of its owners part of a collective belief theory rife with cognitive errors and bias. [bold emphasis in the original]
– Russian military stages biggest war games since Soviet times (RT, July 14, 2013):
160,000 servicemen, 1000 tanks, 130 planes and 70 ships are taking part in Russia’s biggest military drill since Soviet times. The war games will continue in the country’s Far East until July 20.
The maneuvers are the latest in series of surprise military checks which performed by Russia, in an effort to reveal and oust flaws in the country’s defense program.
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu received an order to test the battle readiness of the Eastern command, which unites military forces in the Far East and Trans-Baikal. The request was received from President Vladimir Putin at 01:00 local time (21:00 GMT) on Saturday, July 13.
Following the order, 160,000 servicemen were put on high alert and began advancing toward the training sites.
Read moreRussian Military Stages Biggest War Games Since Soviet Times
Related info:
– Israeli Subs Destroy Russian Missiles In Syria – Russia Holds Largest Post-Soviet Military Drill
– BREAKING NEWS: U.S. Officials: Israel Behind Recent Syria Airstrike
– Israel Loses Face And An F-16 In Syria
Flashback:
– Putin Again Warns Netanyahu Hands Off Syria
– Putin: Russia Will Not Tolerate Another Israeli Attack On Syria And Would Respond
– Russia Readies Strategic Bombers in Snap Far East Military Drills (RIA Novosti, July 14, 2013):
MOSCOW, July 14 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s air base of Tu-95MS Bear-H strategic bombers in the Amur Region is switching to full combat readiness as part of massive snap drills in the Eastern Military District, the Defense Ministry’s press office reported on Sunday.The exercise, which involves over 160,000 servicemen, some 1,000 armored vehicles, 130 aircraft and 70 warships from the Pacific Fleet , was ordered by President Vladimir Putin on Friday evening.
“Additionally, on order from the Russian president, the 6952nd air base of long-range aviation [at Ukrainka in the Amur Region] is switching to ‘Full’ combat readiness from 5:00 p.m. Moscow time, July 13. Tu-95MS strategic bombers are preparing for combat mission flights,” the press office said.
Read moreRussia Readies Strategic Bombers In Snap Far East Military Drills
– Contaminated Water has been Leaking into Ocean for Two Years at Fukushima (Oil Price, July 14, 2013):
Shunichi Tanaka, the head of the Nuclear Regulation Authority in Japan, and the country’s chief nuclear regulator announced on Wednesday, that the nuclear power plant at Fukushima, has been leaking contaminated water into the ocean for the two years since the accident that saw three of the plants six reactors suffer a meltdown.
The problem stems from the fact that ground water is leaking into the basement of the damaged reactors, and becoming contaminated, and whilst that water is being pumped out and stored in huge tanks on site, the inflow has not yet been stopped, meaning that ever more ground water enters the basement and becomes contaminated.
Tanaka explains that neither his staff, nor those working for the plant’s operator have discovered where the leaks are coming from, and therefore have not been able to stop them.
Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), the power plants operator, has constantly denied that any of that water heas been leaking into the Ocean, but in the last few days it has switched its position and finally admitted that it can’t actually say for sure that the water is not leaking into the sea.
Read moreFukushima: Deadly Radioactive Water Has Been Leaking Into Ocean For Two Years
– Goodbye Full-Time Jobs, Hello Part-Time Jobs, R.I.P. Middle Class (Economic Collapse, July 15, 2013):
A fundamental shift is taking place in the U.S. economy. In fact, this transition is rapidly picking up momentum and is in danger of becoming an avalanche. The percentage of full-time jobs in our economy is steadily declining and the percentage of part-time jobs is steadily increasing. This is not a recent phenomenon, but now there are several factors which are accelerating this trend. One of them is Obamacare. The truth is that Obamacare actually gives business owners incentive to cut hours and turn full-time workers into part-time workers, and according to the Wall Street Journal and other prominent publications this is already happening all over the United States. Perhaps this is part of the reasons why the U.S. economy actually lost 240,000 full-time jobs last month.
In a recent article entitled “Restaurant Shift: Sorry, Just Part-Time“, the Wall Street Journal explained the choices that employers are faced with thanks to Obamacare…
The Affordable Care Act requires employers with 50 or more full-time equivalent workers to offer affordable insurance to employees working 30 or more hours a week or face fines. Some companies have said the requirement could increase their costs significantly, although others have played down the potential hit.
The cost for small firms to comply with the health law will depend largely on the number of additional full-time employees that sign up for employer-sponsored coverage. Average annual premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance in 2012 were $5,615 for single coverage and $15,745 for family coverage, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. That is up from $3,083 and $8,003, respectively, in 2002.
Thankfully the implementation of this aspect of Obamacare was recently delayed, but a lot of employers are saying that it won’t make a difference. They know that it is coming at some point, and so they are already making the changes that they feel they will need to make in order to comply with the law…
Read moreGoodbye Full-Time Jobs, Hello Part-Time Jobs, R.I.P. Middle Class
– Germany’s Humiliating Takedown Of The Coopted, Corrupt, Complicit, Corporate US Media (ZeroHedge, July 15, 2013):
As the mainstream American press goes after NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald, Germany’s Spiegel note that the leakers’ revelations appear to becoming an afterthought.
Via Der Spiegel,
Walter Pincus, 80, knows his way around a scandal. The columnist and former reporter at the Washington Post has written about Watergate and the Iran-Contra scandal, numerous intelligence-related affairs and has won the Pulitzer Prize. But he has been criticized, even by his colleagues, for being too close to the US government — especially the CIA, for which he spied in his younger years.
But now, Pincus has truly embarrassed himself: Last week the Washington Post had to add a three-paragraph-long correction to a two-day-old Pincus column, invalidating its core claims. This was an unprecedented measure in the 136-year history of the American capital’s most lauded newspaper.
Pincus had speculated that whistleblower Edward Snowden, as well as the two people centrally responsible for publicizing the NSA revelations, Guardian reporter Glenn Greenwald and documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras, had a political agenda and were surreptitiously “directed” by Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. Pincus’ “evidence” turned out to be demonstrably false, rendering the “corrected” column — or what was left of it — little more than malicious gossip.
Greenwald, who has been caught in the US media crossfire for some time, immediately protested against the “baseless innuendo” in an open letter. The Washington Post waited over 48 hours before correcting their blunder without comment.
A Growing Anti-Snowden Chorus
Read moreGermany’s Humiliating Takedown Of The Coopted, Corrupt, Complicit, Corporate US Media
– Conspiracy theories becoming conventional wisdom: Barrett (PressTV, July 14, 2013):
Recent psychological and sociological studies in the US and UK indicate that the so-called “conspiracy theories” about contested events such as 9/11 are turning into the conventional wisdom, an analyst says.
According to a psychological study of online discussions of news articles comparing pro and anti-conspiracy comments, those who disbelieve government accounts of such events as the 9/11 and the JFK assassination outnumber believers by more than two to one, Kevin Barrett said in an article published by Press TV on Friday.
– There are Over 50,000 SWAT Team Raids Annually in America (Liberty Blitzkrieg, July 14, 2013):
Yesterday, Salon published a fantastic interview with Radley Balko, author of a new book, Rise of the Warrior Cop. The interview focused on the fact that the number of SWAT team raids has soared from a few hundred annually in the 1970?s to more than 50,000 per year by 2005. To make matters worse, most of these raids are focused on non-violent crimes. Radley identifies three main forces behind this disturbing trend. The “war on drugs,” the national overreaction to 9/11, and the creation and massive funding behind the Department of Homeland Security. Moreover, once these SWAT teams are in place, the individual police departments feel pressured to use them in order to justify their existence.
More from Salon:
Radley Balko’s new book, “Rise of the Warrior Cop,” details how America’s police forces have grown to look and behave more like soldiers than neighborly Officer Krupkes walking the beat. This new breed of police, frequently equipped with military weapons and decked out in enough armor to satisfy a storm trooper, are redefining law enforcement.
Since 9/11, the newly formed Department of Homeland Security has distributed billions in grants, enabling even some small town police departments to buy armored personnel carriers and field their own SWAT teams.
Once you have a SWAT team the only thing to do is kick some ass. There are more than 100 SWAT team raids every day in this country. They’re not chasing murderers or terrorists. For the most part they go after nonviolent offenders like drug dealers and even small time gamblers. As you’d expect when there is too much adrenaline and too much weaponry, there have been some tragedies.
Read moreThere Are Over 50,000 SWAT Team Raids Annually In America
FYI.
– German Artist Faces Criminal Charges for Projecting Kim Dotcom Image on U.S. Embassy (Liberty Blitzkrieg, July 13, 2013):
In case you missed it, last Sunday German artist Oliver Bienkowski projected a giant image of Kim Dotcom on the U.S. embassy in Berlin coupled with the phrase “United Stasi of America.” The entire thing lasted about 30 seconds and was extremely good natured and humorous. However, it seems German “authorities” don’t appreciate being out-Stasied by the USSA, and in an attempt to demonstrate their authoritarianism are looking to criminally charge Mr. Bienkowski. After all, in the Western “civilized” world these days, freedom of speech leads to criminal charges, while the theft of trillions leads to bonuses and promotions. From ArsTechnica:
A German artist may now potentially face criminal charges in Germany after he projected a huge image onto the walls of the United States Embassy in Berlin last Sunday.
The image was of fellow German Kim Dotcom, the embattled founder of Megaupload, along with the phrase “United Stasi of America,” referring to the secret police of former East Germany. Oliver Bienkowski videoed the event and set the video to a song that Dotcom had previously recorded, entitled “Mr. President,” which includes lines like: “What about free speech, Mr. President?”
His possible crime? Violation of Paragraph 103 of the German Penal Code (Google Translate), which forbids insulting foreign heads of state, members of foreign governments, or other foreign diplomatic staff in Germany—and is punishable by “up to three years in prison.” If combined with libel charges, that sentence can increase to up to five years.
Watch the video yourself to witness this heinous crime of human expression.
– 10 Reasons Why The Global Economy Is About To Experience Its Own Version Of “Sharknado” (Economic Collapse, July 13, 2013):
Have you ever seen a disaster movie that is so bad that it is actually good? Well, that is exactly what Syfy’s new television movie entitled “Sharknado” is. In the movie, wild weather patterns actually cause man-eating sharks to come flying out of the sky. It sounds absolutely ridiculous, and it is. You can view the trailer for the movie right here. Unfortunately, we are witnessing something just as ridiculous in the real world right now. In the United States, the mainstream media is breathlessly proclaiming that the U.S. economy is in great shape because job growth is “accelerating” (even though we actually lost 240,000 full-time jobs last month) and because the U.S. stock market set new all-time highs this week. The mainstream media seems to be absolutely oblivious to all of the financial storm clouds that are gathering on the horizon. The conditions for a “perfect storm” are rapidly developing, and by the time this is all over we may be wishing that flying sharks were all that we had to deal with.
The following are 10 reasons why the global economy is about to experience its own version of “Sharknado”…
Read more10 Reasons Why The Global Economy Is About To Experience Its Own Version Of “Sharknado”
– Assad Army Discovers Syrian Rebels’ Chemical Weapons Cache (ZeroHedge, July 14, 2013):
While it has become difficult to distinguish fact from fiction from mere propaganda when it comes to events in Syria, the general plot line is a simple one: “X/Y has chemical weapons so the [“free and democratic world”|Russia] has the moral authority to provide military assistance to Y/X.”
Recently, it was the “free and democratic world” that decided that the general public has forgotten the epic Iraq WMD disinformation campaign, and ploughed into a decision to arm the Syrian rebels who are really nothing more than Qatar-funded mercenaries led by Al Qaeda, as it was finally ascertained (by someone, unclear who) that it was the Assad regime that had used chemical weapons.
Well, the “free and democratic world” may have some serious ‘splaining to do if the latest news out of Syria is confirmed, namely that the the Syrian army has discovered rebels’ storehouse in the Damascus area, where toxic chemical substances, including chlorine, have been produced and kept, State TV reported.
Read moreAssad Army Discovers Syrian Rebels’ Chemical Weapons Cache
Flashback:
– Putin Again Warns Netanyahu Hands Off Syria
– Putin: Russia Will Not Tolerate Another Israeli Attack On Syria And Would Respond
War with Russia, anyone?
– Israeli Subs Destroy Russian Missiles In Syria; Russia Holds Largest Post-Soviet Military Drill (ZeroHedge, June 14, 2013):
While the (chemical) dust over Syria has yet to settle, one country is not waiting around before in tried and true fashion it kicks the proverbial hornets nest. Only this time the recipient of Israeli aggression is not some small country that can hardly afford to defend itself against made in the US, state-of-the-art weapons: it is Russia, if only indirectly. Last Friday, July 5, in the fog of the Egyptian coup, a contingent of 50 Russian-made Yakhont P-800 anti-ship missiles at the Syrian port-city of Latakia was destroyed. It has since become clear that the attack was launched by none other than an Israeli Dolphin-class (German-made) submarine according to a report in the British Sunday Times, which in turn contradicts a previous report that the attack had been the work of the Israeli air force.
Furthermore, the alleged Israeli naval strike was closely coordinated with the United States. While this open aggression on Russian interests in Syria for now remains unchallenged, one wonder what happens when the news hits that US-made weapons supporting Syrian “rebels” have been mysteriously blown up by Russian rockets and how furious the public outcry would be against such an open Russian provocation.
From Jerusalem Post:
According to the report, the Israeli fleet of German-built submarines launched a cruise missile at the weapons cache after which Syrian rebels reportedly attested to hearing early-morning explosions at a Syrian port-side naval barracks.
– Gangs Ruled Prison as For-Profit Model Put Blood on Floor (Bloomberg, July 12, 2013):
In the four privately run prisons holding Mississippi (BEESMS) inmates last year, the assault rate was three times higher on average than in state-run lockups. None was as violent as the Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility.
The for-profit detention center, surrounded by razor wire and near the forests and farms of central Mississippi, had 27 assaults per 100 offenders last year, more than any other prison in the state, according to an April court filing. Staff shortages, mismanagement and lax oversight had long turned it into a cauldron of violence, where female employees had sex with inmates, pitted them against each other, gave them weapons and joined their gangs, according to court records, interviews and a U.S. Justice Department report.
“It was like a jungle,” said Craig Kincaid, 24, a former inmate. “It was an awful place to go when you’re trying to get your life together.”
Read moreGangs Ruled Prison As For-Profit Model Put Blood on Floor
– President Obama’s Executive Order to Control the Internet (Activist Post, July 12, 2013):
Have you heard about the Presidential Executive Order (PEO) that will shut down all communications, including the Internet? What could not be done by valid legislation passed by Congress, in effect has been done by executive privilege fiat. However, nowhere does the U.S. Constitution give one-man rule powers to any president. But, what is the U.S. Constitution anymore? Isn’t it an old junk piece of paper that’s to be treated as if it were some ‘pie-in-the-sky’ dream from centuries back? Haven’t you heard talk about revamping it; bringing it up to date; or even scuttling it? My, what will they think of next?
Read morePresident Obama’s Executive Order To Control The Internet
