● 04.03.14

●● News Links: Aggression and Surveillance

Posted in News Roundup at 10:06 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

Drones

CSUN developing drones as part of mechanical engineering projectCollege campuses have been experimenting with the idea of using unmanned drones since early 2012. On a more larger level, drone usage has been a point of conversation since aerial warfare came to the forefront over 100 years ago. The first targeted attack from an unmanned aerial vehicle took place Feb. 4, 2002, in an attempt to kill someone the US thought was Osama Bin Laden.Victims of US Drones Launch Organization in Yemen to Investigate Strikes, Call Attention to Civilian ImpactBereaved Yemenis speak at launch of drone victims’ organisationA group of people who have lost loved ones to US drone strikes in Yemen yesterday (3 April) launched a national organisation, which will support affected communities and highlight the civilian impact of the “targeted killing” programme.Who are U.S. drones killing? lawmakers ask ObamaRep. Adam Schiff of California, a top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, and Republican Rep. Walter Jones of North Carolina, a frequent critic of “war on terrorism” policies, introduced the “Targeted Lethal Force Transparency Act.” The goal? Find out who is dying in drone strikes.Lawmakers Ask Obama for a Tally of People Killed by DronesHouse Bill Seeks Data on Who US Drone Strikes KillA new proposal to force transparency on dronesRalph Nader talks whistleblowers and national security at YaleFein noted that during the Watergate years of the 1970s, the Justice Department stood up to Richard Nixon; no such backbone exists today, Fein said. He despaired that there is no moral outrage when U.S. predator drones kill civilians, or when the government collects massive amounts of data on American citizens.International ‘Days of Action’ Campaign Aims at Permanent Halt to U.S. Drone Strikes, Drone Spying and Targeted KillingFormer US ambassador to Pakistan speaks on pastMunter recounted one incident in which two dozen Pakistani soldiers were killed by a U.S. drone strike in retaliation to a group of Afghan and American forces being fired upon by Pakistani border guards in November 2011. The clash, he said, strained ties between the two nations and marred the reputation of drone strikes. – See more at: http://dailytrojan.com/2014/04/02/former-us-ambassador-to-pakistan-speaks-on-past/#sthash.shc9jTHM.dpufWhy are we always at war? (Opinion)Even if we’re not at technically at war with a nation, we’re almost always still involved. We’re still creating enemies by involving ourselves wherever we see fit — sending weapons to the Syrian opposition (linked to Al Qaeda and known to kill members of the Christian minority in cold blood), flying drones over Pakistan to kill civilians, and even now drawing lines in the sand to combat Russian influence in the Ukraine. It all leads to a senseless sacrifice of lives and worsening of diplomatic relations.US Lifts Sanctions on Drone VictimThe Muslims Are Coming!: Islamophobia, Extremism, and the Domestic War on Terror – reviewVigil targets drones as 107th starts new missionPeace activist: Nation is war wiseU.S. Drone Kills 3 al-Qaida Members in YemenU.S. drone kills 3 al-Qaida members in southern YemenUS drone kills 3 Al-Qaeda members in southern Yemen

NDAA

Senators Are Quietly Meeting To Change The Sweeping Post-9/11 Military Authorization LawA bipartisan group of senators has quietly begun discussing a push to repeal or rewrite the broad law granting the president sweeping powers to wage war against individuals and groups across the globe.Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine told BuzzFeed that several lawmakers have held informal conversations on possible changes to the 9/11-era rules of war on terrorism, known as the Authorization for the Use of Military Force.Pushing PANDA PANDA is People Against the National Defense Authorization ActHouse Republicans’ secret immigration ployHouse Republicans are quietly working to insert immigration legislation into the text of the Department of Defense authorization bill that would allow so-called DREAMers to obtain permanent legal residency by joining the military, Breitbart News has learned.

CIA Torture and Deception/Lies

CIA Scandal: Leaks Reveal Brutal Torture Methods and Government LiesA still-classified Senate Intelligence Committee report contains damning information on both the extent of US torture methods and the lies of top CIA officials about these programs, according to information in a Washington Post article on Monday.What We Know About Who the CIA Tortured, How, and What Good It DidSenate aides and government officials continue to leak details from a classified report on the CIA’s Bush administration torture program, giving us a fuller picture of who was tortured, how it happened, and what limited information the government learned.Report: DOD not tracking ‘revolving door’ statisticsThe Defense Department isn’t properly keeping track of senior officials who leave the government to take jobs with defense contractors, the DOD Inspector General reported Tuesday.CIA torture report to remain largely secret despite declassification voteSenators Clear Path for Release of Detention Report on C.I.A.​Senators want CIA torture report declassifiedSenate Intelligence Committee report claims CIA ‘covered up use of torture and misled US government about its value’US violates UN Convention Against Torture by delaying report on CIA practicesThe Obama administration is violating the Convention Against Torture by delaying declassification of the report and by refusing to bring those responsible to accountMaine senators back interrogation report releaseDefense in 9/11 case at Guantanamo seek CIA reportCIA interrogation methods under fireRevenge: the CIA’s new doctrine of tortureDid CIA’s Mike Morell Lie Under Oath About Changing the Benghazi Talking Points?Former deputy CIA director defends editing Benghazi talking pointsMorell: CIA Deleted AQ References from Benghazi Talking Points Because Sources Were ClassifiedMike Morell said Wednesday that the U.S. intelligence committee knew al-Qaeda was involved in the Benghazi terror attack from the start, but said it wasn’t publicized because the sources through which they knew that were classified.New Leaks Show CIA’s Contempt for CongressFormer CIA analyst [Ray McGovern] to discuss NSA, civil liberties – April 4 in Joplin

Venezuela

CIA plans to overthrow Venezuela gov’t via students trained in Yugoslavia – MediaThe Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is planning to overthrow Venezuela’s government by using student organizations throughout a wide variety of educational institutions in the country, according to an ex-CIA collaborator Raúl Capote.Street Violence and the Political Destabilization of Venezuela. US Sponsored “Color Revolution”

Fascism

Fascism with a Feminist Face

Deception Over Expansion

Media Bias: Parroting a “New Cold War” which Threatens AmericaIf American media seem filled these days with bellicose, jingoistic, uniform perspectives on a new Cold War, that’s probably because so many news outlets can’t seem to help themselves when it comes to framing new events in the tired terms of the last generation’s ingrained propaganda. At a time that needs fresh contemplation, even people like Amy Goodman on Democracy NOW are talking about recent events in and around Ukraine as having “sparked the worst East-West crisis since the end of the Cold War” or words to more extreme effect.Imperialism’s game of empiresAs Western and Russian rulers rattle sabres, Simon Basketter says we must take on a system that drives the world to warRussians are coming!Ukraine just happened to be a conveniently available ideal to put Americans entrenched status and Western European odyssey into spotlight but with a revamped force of achieving the strategic goals and to enhance the Russian lost vision of invincible Empire. So far, nobody could dare to disturb the progressive dream turned into attainable reality in weeks and days to foresee Crimea annexed into the Russian Federation and Ukraine being put under watchful guidance and controlled maneuverability of the Russian foreign policy objectives. ‘Must be joking’On March 2, Secretary of State John Kerry described Russia’s action in Crimea as “an incredible act of aggression … You just don’t, in the 21st century, behave in 19th century fashion by invading another country on completely trumped up pretext,” he said. And on March 17, President Barack Obama declared, “Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected, and international law must be upheld.”Messrs. Kerry and Obama must be joking!The U.S. invaded Iraq and Afghanistan “on completely trumped up pretexts.” (If you still believe George Bush had legitimate reasons to attack Iraq, please read the transcript of his press conference of Aug. 21, 2006. There, he confessed that both his “reasons” were bogus.) Ukraine: the US’ hypocritical transference – Prof. Edward HermanUkraine is a perfect example of how the US uses the worst elements of a society to do their dirty work in other countries and how the US/NATO has a problem finding honest quislings. Since the US favors the nazi coup in Ukraine they talk about sovereignty and the right to self-determination of the Crimean people is made into some outrageous business for which Russia is demonized. John McCain, the chief chicken hawk and key “moral support” figure for the US’ insurrectionists and nazis in Ukraine, urged dissidents in Russia to rise and through that the effect of Ukrainian “freedom” would spread into Russia. McCain and the rest are engaged in subversive incitement, and once again their complete lack of intelligence and knowledge has left them looking like fools to the world. Professor Edward Herman spoke to the Voice of Russia regarding these issues and more.

Clapper’s Lies

NSA performed warrantless searches on Americans’ calls and emails – ClapperJames Clapper Finally Admitted the NSA Used PRISM to Spy on US CitizensSearched Americans’ E-Mail, Phone Calls, Clapper SaysNSA used ‘loophole’ in laws to carry out warrantless searchesConfirmed: NSA conducts warrantless searches on AmericansUnited States intelligence officials have been scouring the personal communications of innocent Americans, the nation’s top spy chief now acknowledges, using a procedure that’s allegedly lawful and constitutionally sound.

Germany

U.S. ignores Germany’s requests for NSA explanationThe United States has not responded to repeated requests for information on the NSA’s surveillance activities, Germany’s government said Wednesday. In a reply to a written question from the opposition in the Federal Parliament, the government said both the Ministry of Interior and former Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger had sent letters to U.S. officials without recieving any reply. New Leak Reveals NSA Spying On Merkel Was In Response To Spying Initiative Against U.S

‘Reform’

Court Orders Government Not to Destroy Evidence in EFF Cases Against the NSAUtah State Records Committee Orders City Of Bluffdale To Reveal Data On NSA’s Water UsageUtah city ordered to provide water records for enormous NSA facilityAn NSA “Reform Bill” of the Intelligence Community, Written by the Intelligence Community, and for the Intelligence CommunityRepresentatives Mike Rogers and Dutch Ruppersberger, the leaders of the House Intelligence Committee, introduced HR 4291, the FISA Transparency and Modernization Act (.pdf), to end the collection of all Americans’ calling records using Section 215 of the Patriot Act. Both have vehemently defended the program since June, and it’s reassuring to see two of the strongest proponents of NSA’s actions agreeing with privacy advocates’ (and the larger public’s) demands to end the program. The bill only needs 17 lines to stop the calling records program, but it weighs in at more than 40 pages. Why? Because the “reform” bill tries to create an entirely new government “authority” to collect other electronic data.

Yahoo PR and encryption

‘Good job NSA. You turned Yahoo! into an encryption powerhouse’Crucial encryption tool enabled NSA reporting on shoestring budgetPhysicists Are Building An NSA-proof Internet

NSA

Growing number of states outlaw NSA-style police and government spyingWhile Warning Of Chinese Cyberthreat, U.S. Launches Its Own Attack10 Months After the NSA Revelations: What’s Changed?Results of a study, carried out by Chinese telecom giant NTT Communications, were released yesterday and revealed the effect that last year’s NSA revelations have had on the way corporate decision makers view cloud technology.Since The NSA Scandal, Where Do You Store Data?Former NSA Director Keith Alexander: The NSA Will Not Retreat Consumers are souring on Web, post-NSA, survey saysThe Drones of Facebook (and the NSA)“Connectivity,” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a CNN interview last year, “is a human right.”If it surprises you that one of the kings of the corporate Internet would repeat a slogan used by Internet activists to mobilize against companies like his, examine the context. Zuckerberg made his remark to support and explain a new set of Facebook strategies that will, if successful, put the world’s Internet connectivity under his company’s control.Dragnet Nation: Do Google, Facebook Know More Private Info Than NSA and Soviet-Era Secret Police?Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Julia Angwin joins us to discuss her new book, “Dragnet Nation: A Quest for Privacy, Security, and Freedom in a World of Relentless Surveillance.” Currently at ProPublica and previously with The Wall Street Journal, Angwin details her complex and fraught path toward increasing her own online privacy. According to Angwin, the private data collected by East Germany’s Soviet-era Stasi secret police could pale in comparison to the information revealed today by an individual’s Facebook profile or Google search. Conor Friedersdorf: NSA reforms should go beyond phone callsLatest (Official) Document Release Takes A Look At The NSA’s Bulk Collection Of Financial RecordsNSA snooping prompts consumer caution in online banking and shopping

Microsoft

NSA, price wars could rain on Microsoft’s cloudMicrosoft’s big investment in cloud computing—a large part of its reinvention strategy—could be derailed by concerns about U.S. government snooping and an emerging price war among the big players. How Boeing merges its data centers with the Amazon and Microsoft clouds

Dick Cheney

In secret recording, Dick Cheney blasts GOP isolationists, NSA critics, ObamaCheney Criticizes Obama on Middle East, NSACheney rips Obama over Middle East, NSACHAPMAN: NSA surveillance & dangers of power…Obama sounds faintly like that guy who ran to replace George W. Bush.[...]But it turns out Obama was not against indulging the whims of a stubborn ruler if that ruler happens to be him. Upon arriving in the White House, he left the Bush-Cheney surveillance programs largely alone. Why? “He has more information than he did then,” one former aide confided to The New York Times. “And he trusts himself to use these powers more than he did the Bush administration.”The fact that Obama trusted himself with these powers is ample reason the rest of us shouldn’t. But we already had sufficient cause for suspicion. Our Constitution does not show an abundance of trust in elected officials. It rests on the belief that those in power need to be curbed and checked at every turn.

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