Politics

I had breakfast with an old friend of mine this morning who is a decided liberal. He voted for BO twice and, as far as I know, even Albert Gore. He was incensed about what I call the plantation mentality of government. He said he personally knew of a FEDEX employee who quit work because, even though he was making more net money in hand by working, he was going to lose some or all of his food stamps. I said this is wide spread. He replied, I don't like the wide spread aspect of it and I have a real problem with this guy quitting his job because he might lose some benefits. It is immoral that a lot of folks are paid to be poor and remain that way. When and if they go to…

I think Matt Damon could play the role of Edward in a movie. It will be so thrilling to see Matt Damon in a spy role. http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-57600048-71/matt-damon-edward-snowden-did-a-great-thing/?part=rss&subj=crave&tag=title

David Cameron, UK Government Under Fire For Aggressive Intervention In The Guardian's Reporting The Huffington Post | By Jack Mirkinson The political row over the British government's aggressive intervention into the Guardian's national security reporting continued on Wednesday, as it was revealed that Prime Minister David Cameron dispatched his top civil servant to demand that the paper hand over the sensitive files it had acquired from NSA leaker Edward Snowden. Moreover, one of the people responsible for the anti-terrorism law used to detain Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald's partner said the government had abused the statute. Multiple outlets reported that…

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/22/bradley-manning-woman_n_3794324.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009 WASHINGTON, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Bradley Manning, sentenced to 35 years in military prison for the biggest breach of classified U.S. documents in U.S. history, said in a statement on Thursday she is female and wants to live as a woman named Chelsea. "As I transition into this next phase of my life, I want everyone to know the real me. I am Chelsea Manning, I am a female," Manning, 25, said in the statement read on NBC News' "Today" show. "Given the way that I feel and have felt since childhood, I want to begin hormone therapy as soon as possible," Manning said. "I also…

North Korea is running out of virgins for Kim Jong-un's dance troupe. It's every dictator's nightmare By Tim Stanley World Last updated: August 20th, 2013 Kim Jong-un may have to turn to other forms of entertainment A quick recap for those of you who aren't obsessed with North Korea. The Democratic Republic long ago realised that it couldn't do the basics like grow food or keep the lights on, so it decided to focus on the fields of military and light entertainment instead. Of course much of its military output is entertaining and much of its entertainment has a decidedly military feel – from mass games to girl bands singing about the birds, the bees and nuclear f…

Edward Snowden is a patriot By TREVOR TIMM | 8/10/13 9:45 PM EDT Updated: 8/11/13 11:33 AM EDT politico.com Does President Barack Obama think we’re stupid? That’s the only conclusion possible after watching Friday’s bravura performance in which the president announced a set of proposals meant to bring more transparency to the National Security Agency — and claimed he would have done it anyway, even if Edward Snowden had never decided to leak thousands of highly sensitive documents to The Guardian’s Glenn Greenwald. But even as he grudgingly admitted that the timing, at least, of his suggestions was a consequence of Snowden’s actions, the president declared, “I do…

Governor Chris Christie did the right thing and signed the bill banning reparative therapy for minors. “Government should tread carefully into this area, and I do so here reluctantly. However, I also believe that on the issues of medical treatment for children we must look to experts in the field to determine the relative risks and rewards. I believe that exposing children to these health risks without clear evidence of benefits that outweigh these serious risks is not appropriate.” So if he believes all that, why doesn't he sign the gay marriage bill? Something tells me that signing this bill was throwing a bone to the moderates of NJ but his advisors have probably sai…

Now there are two Portuguese-speakers living in the White House. E para voce, querida, uma vida incrivel, sem carapatos e pulgas.

Glenn Greenwald's partner detained at Heathrow airport for nine hoursDavid Miranda, partner of Guardian interviewer of whistleblower Edward Snowden, questioned under Terrorism Act Glenn Greenwald: a failed attempt at intimidation Guardian staff The Guardian, Sunday 18 August 2013 David Miranda, partner of Guardian interviewer of whistleblower Edward Snowden, questioned under Terrorism Act Glenn Greenwald: a failed attempt at intimidation Guardian staff The Guardian, Sunday 18 August 2013 Glenn Greenwald (right) and his partner David Miranda, who was held by UK authorities at Heathrow airport. Photograph: Janine Gibson The partner of the Guardian journalist…

The founding fathers, having participated in the struggle against arbitrary power, comprehended some eternal truths respecting men and government. They knew that those who are entrusted with power are susceptible to the disease of tyrants, which George Washington rightly described as "love of power and the proneness to abuse it." For that reason, they realized that the power of public officers should be defined by laws which they, as well as the people, are obligated to obey; a truth enunciated by Daniel Webster when he said that "whatever government is not a government of laws is a despotism, let it be called what it may." Sen. Sam Ervin

The President Photos and Webcam Tours and Events Our Government The Obama Store Contact Us White House Tunnel System: West Wing Underground Command Bunker Project White House Construction: The New West Wing Bunker In 2010, the West Wing underground command center project secretly got underway. The construction equipment arrived and tall fences went up around the West Wing of the White House. An initial ill-conceived scheme to deceive the public about the true nature of the construction led to the widespread reporting of a mere "utility upgrade" project. However, the massive scope of the construction led to many questions and outrageous conspiracy theories. While …

Don't let U.S. government read your e-mail By Neil M. Richards, Special to CNN updated 9:04 AM EDT, Sun August 18, 2013 Editor's note: Neil Richards is a professor of law at Washington University. He tweets about privacy at @neilmrichards and is the author of the recent Harvard Law Review article, "The Dangers of Surveillance." (CNN) -- You may have never heard of Lavabit and Silent Circle. That's because they offered encrypted (secure) e-mail services, something most Americans have probably never thought about needing, or wanting. In recent days, Lavabit closed shop reportedly in response to U.S. government pressure to hand over customer data, including those of…

The White House credibility deficitThe NSA leaks ended the power of Obama officials to ration access. No self-respecting journalist believes what they say Jeff Jarvis theguardian.com, Sunday 18 August 2013 07.30 EDT According to Britons, Americans are incapable of irony – and our president is certainly proving their point. In his address about Egypt's military coup – or whatever bowdlerizing euphemism is permitted this week in Washington – Obama condemned the notion that "security trumps individual freedom." Really? After his press conference announcing an oversight commission for the NSA, it emerged that the NSA's truth-challenged director of national intelligenc…

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/edward-snowdens-father-doesnt-trust-231329276.html "The thing we have been most concerned about is that the people who have influence over Ed will try to use him for their own means," Mattie Fein, the wife and spokeswoman of Lon Snowden's attorney, told WSJ . "These guys have their own agenda here and we aren't so sure that it has Ed's best interest in mind." "She is referring to Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald and Wikileaks founder Julian Assange." It will be ideal if Obama could give him a whistle blower status but that is not going to happen based on his recent interviews. It's unfortunate but I can understand because he made u…

Oliver Stone blasts my Obama and called him a snake. I think Obama should do more in terms of reforming the intelligence community but I don't think it is a fair assessment to call him a snake. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/director-oliver-stone-blasts-obama-snake-article-1.1427501

Bradley Manning is a trans hero – I fear for him in prisonIn my brief time in jail I found a way to express my femaleness, but Manning has a lifetime ahead of him locked in a cage Paris Lees theguardian.com, Saturday 17 August 2013 07.30 EDT Bradley Manning felt the pressure to meet other people's expectations. That’s why he entered the army, to 'man up', says Paris Lees. Photograph: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images Bradley Manning faces 90 years in prison and will probably die behind bars – and that's not the worst of it. He's been successfully brainwashed judging by his recent apology and appeal for leniency. I don't blame him. He must feel powerless, on so many l…

The Guardian's live blogger is appropriately salty. That we are even having to adjudicate this shit... ...Over the next two days, the court will hear arguments over state and federal constitutional rights for same-sex couples – and possibly overturn a terrible gay-bashing law that Bill Clinton signed in the 90s for modest, personal political gain. Today's first session concerns Proposition 8, a 2008 ballot initiative to ban same-sex marriage in the California state's constitution – overturning the state supreme court's recognition of same-sex marriage just a few months earlier. This left thousands of couples who'd already exchanged vows suddenly unmarried. A legal battl…

Sean Hannity Reportedly Set To Be Dropped From Cumulus NetworkRead all about it: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/16/sean-hannity-cumulus-dropped_n_3766767.html

Google: Gmail users shouldn't expect email privacyCritics call revelation 'a stunning admission' as Google makes claim in court filing in attempt to head off class action lawsuit Dominic Rushe in New York theguardian.com, Wednesday 14 August 2013 10.54 EDT Google said the plaintiffs were making 'an attempt to criminalize ordinary business practices' that have been part of Gmail since it began. Photo: Walter Bieri Gmail users have no "reasonable expectation" that their emails are confidential, Google has said in a court filing. Consumer Watchdog, the advocacy group that uncovered the filing, called the revelation a "stunning admission." It comes as Google and i…

Encouraging viewpoint. Systematic Surveillance Will Eat Itself Natasha Lomas TechCrunch As the digitally connected world grapples with the dystopic reality that our overreaching governments are using technology tools ostensibly designed to increase our convenience to up their own — by peeking into our business, apparently regardless of whether they have probable cause to lift the lid — it’s worth taking a step back from current snowballing concerns about technology eroding privacy. That’s not to say there are no reasons to be concerned; there absolutely are. But there is reason for positivity too. New technologies typically trigger moral panics. Whether it’s the …

'Nobody is listening to your calls': Obama's evolution on NSA surveillanceA brief history of the president's position on NSA reforms since first commenting on the surveillance revelations in June Adam Gabbatt in New York theguardian.com, Friday 9 August 2013 17.46 EDT Barack Obama insisted on Friday that the NSA reforms he has proposed would have happened all along and that his views on surveillance programs had "not evolved". But since the president first responded to Edward Snowden's revelations in June he has rejected any suggestion that more safeguards were required. Friday 7 JuneIn his first remarks since the Guardian and the Washington Post's revelations, Ob…

It is always so sad to see racism rearing its ugly head. I know Paula Deen can't help, stujpid is as stupid does and she does it so well with the smile. I think we all thought she was smarter than she was. Kind of like Marta admitting to scissor-sex and three-ways on WWHL. In North Carolina, voting procedure changes loom GOP leaders are looking to pass a voter ID law and to end provisions popular with black voters after a high court ruling, moves that could affect black voting. June 29, 2013, 10:20 p.m. DURHAM, N.C. — To Allison Riggs, a voting rights lawyer, North Carolina's 1st Congressional District looks like an octopus with its arms stretched menacingly in all dir…

What is wrong with this man? I hope he runs in 2016 because he will be such a buffoon that the Democrats will surely win. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/11/donald-trump-louie-gohmert-steve-king_n_3740081.html

As a gay parent I must flee Russia or lose my childrenDraconian new laws brand homosexuals second-class citizens in Putin's regime Masha Gessen The Observer, Saturday 10 August 2013 Unknown anti-gay demonstrator hits Russia's gay and LGBT rights activist Nikolai Alexeyev (centre) during a gay rights activists rally in cental Moscow on 25 May, 2013. Photograph: Andrey Svitailo/AFP/Getty Images The first time I heard about legislation banning "homosexual propaganda", I thought it was funny. Quaint. I thought the last time anyone had used those words in earnest I had been a kid and my girlfriend hadn't been born yet. Whatever they meant when they enacted laws agains…