Category: Politics

Politics

Keys, Immunity, And Valuation

-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger

keysThe U.S. government has demanded that internet companies turn over their master encryption keys that are used to secure Web communication. Web encryption is active when an HTTPS appears on the URL. The technique is called SSL, or Secure Sockets Layer. For example, HTTPS encrypts communications only between the browser and Gmail’s servers. With the master keys, decryption of the contents of the intercepted communication is possible. “Strongly encrypted data are virtually unreadable,” according to NSA director Keith Alexander. The internet is fast becoming an encrypted model as more internet companies adopt SSL.

Continue reading “Keys, Immunity, And Valuation” →

Constitutional Law, Courts, Criminal law, Free Speech, International, Justice, Media, Politics, Religion, Society, Supreme Court, Uncategorized

Call Me Queer

Submitted By: Mike Spindell, Guest Blogger

391px-Stonewall_Inn_1969As you know part of my contribution as a guest blogger has been the fact that I write much from personal experience. This particular blog is one that I’ve thought about for awhile and have had some trepidation in writing because as you will see it touches on a very sensitive topic for most males. As a boy coming of age in the 1950’s one of the unvoiced, but omnipresent topics was male homosexuality. For a male growing up in that period, among the most upsetting epithets you could be called was queer. This was especially disturbing for those entering puberty, which in the 50’s context was coming into the macho essence of your own self worth. If you were queer you were deemed to be less of a male, a wimp, a fag and most essentially a loathsome pervert who did disgusting things with other males. People were bullied and beaten at school while being called degrading names. Even though I was always big for my age, I was a gentle and sensitive boy and while when attacked I would always fight back, I would be throwing punches through tears of frustration and rage at the injustice of it all. As I cried and fought, all those demeaning epithets would be hurled at me by the jeering bystanders. If I had the temerity to be winning, then other boys would attack me from behind. Finally, a teacher or Administrator would break it up, many times though my rescuer would sneer at the fact that my crying was “unmanly”. Continue reading “Call Me Queer” →

Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Free Speech, International, Politics, Religion, Society

Russian Gays Forced To Drink Urine And Beaten As Part Of “Cure” By Nationalist Thugs

screenshotvideo1We have been following the threats to arrest gay athletes in Russia under the new anti-homosexual laws of the Putin regime — a threat repeated recently by a minister despite assurances from the International Olympic Committee. One official however suggested it may be suspended for the games. Now there are reports The Putin governments alliance with the Russian Orthodox Church has expressed itself in the abusive prosecution of the band Pussy Riot as well as the crackdown on gays and lesbians. Now these reports detail videotapes of gay men being forced to drink urine and abused as a “cure” of their homosexuality.

Continue reading “Russian Gays Forced To Drink Urine And Beaten As Part Of “Cure” By Nationalist Thugs” →

Bizarre, Politics, Society

Seattle Workers Told Not To Use Offensive Terms Like “Citizen” Or “Brown Bag”

brown-bag-lunch2Seattle_sealWe have previously followed government officials who are ordering the removal of basic words that they deem offensive. Thus, we saw how “hold down the fort” have been declared unacceptable by Obama Administration officials as racist. In Seattle, the language police have added terms like “citizen” and “brown bag” as racist or offensive. They are to be banned from public documents and discussions by order of the Seattle officials in the city’s Office of Civil Rights. By the way, they might want to start with the city council, which routinely holds “brown bag” lunches.

Continue reading “Seattle Workers Told Not To Use Offensive Terms Like “Citizen” Or “Brown Bag”” →

Congress, Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Free Speech, International, Politics, Society

DOJ Memo Reveals Effort To Block Trotsky Speech

220px-Trotsky_Portrait225px-fdr_in_1933The Atlantic Magazine has an interesting article out this week on a little known effort by the Administration to stop Americans from listening to a speech in Mexico by Leon Trotsky that would be transmitted over a telephone line. Assistant Solicitor General Golden W. Bell wrote the memo below stating that the Administration had no such authority. That was before the Office of Legal Counsel and the rest of the Department became more ambitious and less principled. Today they can find interpretations to allow the circumvention of the separation of powers, the assassination of citizens, the establishment of a torture program, and the maintenance of an Imperial Presidency.

Continue reading “DOJ Memo Reveals Effort To Block Trotsky Speech” →

Constitutional Law, Criminal law, International, Media, Politics, Society

Snowden Granted Temporary Asylum In Russia

228px-Picture_of_Edward_SnowdenIt is now confirmed that NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has been granted temporary asylum in Russia and has left Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International airport. The United States continues to threaten any country that grants Snowden asylum and has been successful in pressuring U.S. media never to refer to him as a whistleblower. While MSNBC hosts mock Snowden and express disbelief why he doesn’t just trust that Obama will give him a fair trial, there is little reason for Snowden to trust those assurances when a president is claiming the right to kill citizens without trial, send some people to military tribunals, and routinely uses classification laws to force the dismissal of public interest lawsuits. What’s not to trust?

Continue reading “Snowden Granted Temporary Asylum In Russia” →

Congress, Constitutional Law, Criminal law, International, Media, Politics

Meet XKeyscore: The Latest Massive Surveillance Program Of U.S. . . . As Reported In The Foreign Media

President_Barack_ObamaNational_Security_Agency.svgThis morning we have yet another article detailing a warrantless surveillance program by the National Security Agency that contradicts representations made by President Barack Obama and members of Congress. You may recall how Obama has tried to get citizens to embrace a new surveillance-friendly model of privacy after the disclosure of massive surveillance of citizens, including programs acquiring every call made by citizens. Various Democratic members came forward to admit that they knew of such programs and not to be afraid . . . they have our backs. Yet every story that has surfaced has contradicted claims that such programs are limited and do not involve the content of communications in emails and messages. The latest program being reported is called XKeyscore and is described as scouring emails, chat rooms, and browsing histories . . . all without a warrant. In the meantime, citizens in polls are saying that they are more concerned with the threat of their own government to their privacy than the threat of terrorism. Once again, citizens learned of this program not from their representative or their media but largely from the foreign press and the disclosures of Edward Snowden.

Continue reading “Meet XKeyscore: The Latest Massive Surveillance Program Of U.S. . . . As Reported In The Foreign Media” →

Constitutional Law, Politics, Society

Appellate Panel Votes Unanimously Against Bloomberg Soda Ban

220px-Michael_R_Bloomberg110px-Big_gulp6480Mayor Michael Bloomberg has continued his public persona as the Captain Ahab of great big sugary drinks. The state Supreme Court Appellate Division has issued a second opinion that Bloomberg’s ban on large soft drinks in New York City is unconstitutional. Yet, Bloomberg has pledged to fight on with more appeals to defend a law that is not only paternalistic but utterly unconstitutional.

Continue reading “Appellate Panel Votes Unanimously Against Bloomberg Soda Ban” →

Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Free Speech, International, Politics, Science, Society

Russian Legislator Promises To Arrest Gay Olympic Athletes Under New Anti-Gay Law

220px-From_Russia_with_Love_–_UK_cinema_posterRussian Lawmaker Vitaly Milonov is promising to arrest Olympic athletes found to be in violation of the country’s new abusive anti-gay law. The “gay propaganda” law has led many to call for the games to be shifted from Russia since the host country would arrest athletes who are openly gay. In the meantime, a boycott of Russian vodka has picked up steam around the world in protest of the crackdown on gays and lesbians.

Continue reading “Russian Legislator Promises To Arrest Gay Olympic Athletes Under New Anti-Gay Law” →

Congress, Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Lawyering, Media, Military, Politics, Society

Manning Acquitted Of Aiding The Enemy in Wikileaks Case

Bradley ManningAfter years of abuse in confinement from denying him a charge to denying him counsel, Pfc. Bradley Manning finally had a trial on the most serious charge against him: aiding the enemy. He was convicted on lesser charges. The verdict should again focus attention on the mistreatment of Manning by the Obama Administration for leaking classified reports and diplomatic cables. Many of these documents showed that the U.S. government was lying to the public and to its allies.

Continue reading “Manning Acquitted Of Aiding The Enemy in Wikileaks Case” →

International, Media, Politics

Putin’s Pike: Vlad’s Latest Fish Story Leaves Russians Laughing

225px-Vladimir_Putin_official_portrait250px-Esox_lucius1In his embarrassing quest to become something of a Russian action figure, Vladimir Putin has been featured a race car driver, great white hunter, jet pilot, oceanologist, martial artist and Hell’s Angel. During one such stunt Putin was shown as a scuba diver where he retrieved perfectly preserved ancient jars from the Ocean floor. His aides swore to a skeptical public that nothing was staged. Of course, it was shown later that the whole thing was staged. Now, aides are wondering why no one seems to believe them that Putin caught a record-setting pike. Professional fisherman cried foul at the latest Putin fish story.

Continue reading “Putin’s Pike: Vlad’s Latest Fish Story Leaves Russians Laughing” →

Politics, Religion, Society

Fox Anchor Interviews Scholar Over Book On Jesus By Repeatedly Referencing His Islamic Faith

Reza_AslanIn the interview below, Fox News Lauren Green is interviewing the author of a new book on Jesus Christ. However, Green appears to be incapable of getting over that academic/author Reza Aslan is a Muslim. While Fox and the other networks routinely interview Christian and Jewish experts on Islam (including highly biased authors), it appears inconceivable that a Muslim would ever write a book on Christianity.

Continue reading “Fox Anchor Interviews Scholar Over Book On Jesus By Repeatedly Referencing His Islamic Faith” →

Constitutional Law, Free Speech, International, Justice, Politics

Mr. President, We Must Not Allow a Data-mine Credibility Gap.

Submitted by Darren Smith, Guest Blogger

220px-Drstrangelove1sheet-Most are aware of the situation Edward Snowden faces: stranded essentially in a legal and diplomatic limbo the result of a protracted effort by the US government to arrest him by pulling nearly all diplomatic stops out. To encourage the Russians to deny him asylum and convey him to the United States for trial, is a letter promising to provide Mr. Snowden due process of law from an administration widely criticized to respect those rights to be believed? Or is it that they can have credibility given the allegations of abuse of the rights to privacy of the American citizenry by data mining their private information, the activities of which Mr. Snowden is alleged to have revealed?
Continue reading “Mr. President, We Must Not Allow a Data-mine Credibility Gap.” →

Politics, Society

From the ABC’s of Privatizing Public Education: A Is for ALEC, I is for iPad…and P Is for Profits

SchoolClassroomSubmitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger

According to Cashing in on Kids: 139 ALEC Bills in 2013 Promote a Private, For-Profit Education Model, a special report published by the Center for Media and Democracy, in the first half of this year, “at least 139 bills or state budget provisions reflecting American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) education bills have been introduced in 43 states and the District of Columbia.” The report states that thirty-one of those bills and provisions have already become law.

In September 2012, In the Public Interest published a report titled Profiting from Public Dollars: How ALEC and Its Members Promote Privatization of Government Services and Assets which also addresses the subject of ALEC and its agenda that promotes the privatization of public services.

Excerpt from this report:

The American Legislative Exchange Council has been a major force in pushing for the privatization of public services and assets. This organization, which boasts of having more than 2,000 members, brings together state lawmakers, corporations, and conservative think tanks in an effort to push an agenda of “free markets, limited government, federalism, and individual liberty.”1 As ALEC succinctly laid out in its 2011 publication, State Budget Reform Toolkit, “policymakers should embrace privatization and the competitive contracting of government services…”2

This agenda directly benefits many of its corporate members, who hope to increase their revenues and profits by dismantling public services and taking over the work through lucrative government contracts.

Continue reading “From the ABC’s of Privatizing Public Education: A Is for ALEC, I is for iPad…and P Is for Profits” →

Constitutional Law, Courts, Free Speech, Justice, Lawyering, Military, Politics, Supreme Court

An Oil Company Just Spilled the First Amendment

190px-Bill_of_Rights_Pg1of1_AC

Respectfully submitted by Lawrence E. Rafferty (rafflaw)-Guest Blogger

What does a large Oil Company do when it is ordered to pay a $19 Billion dollar judgment to a country and its indigenous communities that were ravaged by the drilling and leaks caused by the Oil Company?  If that Oil Company is Chevron,  it cries foul and does everything possible to avoid having to pay for its corporate sins.

“Advocates for the plaintiffs in the Chevron case say that subpoenaing the email records is the company’s latest nuclear tactic to win a lawsuit it keeps losing. Chevron was ordered to pay $9 billion in damages in 2011 and to issue a public apology. After the company refused, a judge ordered the damages to double. The Supreme Court has declined to hear Chevron’s appeal.” Mother Jones Continue reading “An Oil Company Just Spilled the First Amendment” →