TiLTNews Network: Earth Watch - Freedom is defined by the ability of citizens to live without government interference, not by safety. It is easy to clamor for government security when terrible things happen; but liberty is given true meaning when we support it without exception, and we will be safer for it ~ Dr. Ron Paul
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Utah lawmaker moves to disarm BLM, IRS
(Washington Times) Rep. Chris Stewart of Utah, concerned about the armed agents that surrounded Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy’s property, is mulling a measure to cut funding for any “paramilitary units” that work for the Bureau of Land Management, the Internal Revenue Service and other federal regulatory agencies.
“There are lots of people who are really concerned when the BLM shows up with its own SWAT team,” he said, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. “They’re regulatory agencies. They’re not paramilitary units, and I think that concerns a lot of us.”
Utah lawmaker moves to disarm BLM, IRS
-NO AUTHOR-
Thu, 01 May 2014 04:12:58 GMT
Putin threatens retaliation against Western oil firms
(OilPrice) Russian President Vladimir Putin has responded to U.S. and EU sanctions by warning that further action against Russia could force him to reconsider the involvement of western oil companies in his country.
If the West issues another round of sanctions, “then of course we will have to consider who’s working and how in the Russian Federation, in the key sectors of the Russian economy, including energy,” Putin told reporters in Belarus on April 29. “We really don’t want to take these reciprocal steps.”
The not-so-veiled threat increased uncertainty for the billion dollar investments held by several major oil companies, including ExxonMobil, BP and Royal Dutch Shell.
Putin threatens retaliation against Western oil firms
-NO AUTHOR-
Thu, 01 May 2014 04:11:25 GMT
Government Web Bots To Scour Internet For Hate Speech
"Could Potentially Criminalize Thoughts and Expressions"
Senator Ed Markey
Mac Slavo
Activist Post
With the capability to intercept every digital communication sent over the internet or telephone it’s no surprise that Big Brother is pushing to further expand its role in the lives of Americans.
Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) is proposing a new bill that would send government web bots across the Internet looking for hate speech or material allegedly determined to be advocating or encouraging “violent acts.” Once identified, the Congressman wants reports to be disseminated to Congress so that they can monitor, control and potentially criminalize thoughts and expressions deemed by an unknown panel of government bureaucrats to be hateful.
You and I both operate in the arena of words and ideas… freedom of expression and thought… that is the coin of our realm.I really think it is the duty of journalists and people in the media to look at any potential instance of the government coming in and trying to monitor or potentially criminalize thoughts and words.[…]Senator Markey wants this obscure Federal Agency to scour these online sources… TV, radio and so on… for any speech they find threatening. He wants them to do it in connection with the Department of Justice, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and then file a report with Congress on what out there is potentially hateful and could lead to hate crimes.This is clearly Big Government sticking its nose into people’s speech and their thoughts.[… ]There’s no criteria in the bill… what’s the template? When you go through and check the boxes what counts as hate speech and who makes the determinations? It’s this abstruse group that no one’s ever heard of buried within the bureaucracy of the federal government.The definitions for what constitutes hate speech are broad or non-existent, making such a bill that much more dangerous. According to the Examiner, “The bill does not specify what, exactly, constitutes “hate,” but given the source of the proposal, it’s not too difficult to figure out.”
The proposed bill has prompted concerns that individuals or groups who speak out against the government or disagree with certain politicians will be identified as inciting hate.
Many questions about how the process of finding hateful people in the United States via the Internet would work have been left unanswered.
A few weeks ago Senator Harry Reid of Nevada referred to protesters at Bundy Ranch as “domestic terrorists.” Since these people defied official directives and hate the idea of government overreach, would they now also fall under new hate speech guidelines being proposed by Senator Markey? Will they be added to yet another red list and flagged as persons of interest for simply posting their thoughts in a forum on the Internet?
Psychiatrists are now identifying those who express their frustrations with the government as a mental illness called Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD) as per the official Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-V). Under the new proposal from Senator Markey defiant thoughts or ideas could potentially not only leave you diagnosed as mentally ill, but also a “hater.”
Will “hate” now be deemed a terrorist activity such as making a gun gesture with your hand, purchasing ammunition, or paying cash for items at the grocery store?
As we noted previously, there are already pre-crime systems actively monitoring the Internet looking for discussions and behaviors that can be used to identify potential criminals before any crime occurs. Combined with new Web Bot hate speech tools, could the government then preempt detentions and arrests under the Patriot Act or National Defense Authorization Act, both of which allow for action to be taken against those who threaten national security, yet another broadly define term?
The bill is full of loopholes and broad assumptions, as is generally the case with government mandates. And, with the Department of Justice included within the new ‘hate speech’ mandates it should be clear that the end goal is criminalization of thoughts and expressions that go against the prevailing agenda.
All that aside, perhaps we should just pass the bill first before we find out what’s in it.
You can read more from Mac Slavo at his site SHTFplan.com, where this first appeared.
Government Web Bots To Scour Internet For Hate Speech
Activist
Wed, 30 Apr 2014 19:18:00 GMT
Mother Fights For Son's Right to Medicate With Cannabis
We Are ChangeMother Fights For Son's Right to Medicate With Cannabis
In this powerful interview WeAreChange meets Renee Petro who has been quest "free the plant" so her son Branden can medicate with Cannabis without fear of prosecution. Since becoming an advocate of medicinal marijuana Renee has become a target of Child Protective Services who threatens her family well being with an ongoing investigation. WeAreChange gets a first hand look of the struggles of a mother who only wants the best for her son suffering with a severe form epilepsy but is threatened by a government who is in bed with Big Pharma.
Visit WeAreChange.org
Support #BrandentheBrave and visit TheCannaMoms.com
Activist Post
Wed, 30 Apr 2014 18:58:00 GMT
California Senate Committee Passes Bill to Pull Plug on NSA Spying
Activist Post
A bipartisan bill that would create a mechanism to turn off resources to the NSA passed out of an important California state Senate committee Tuesday by a 5-0 vote.
Dubbed the Fourth Amendment Protection Act, Senate Bill 828 (SB828) would ban the state from participating in, or providing material support or resources to any federal agency engaged in the “illegal and unconstitutional collection of electronic data or metadata, without consent, of any person not based on a warrant that particularly describes the person, place, and thing to be searched or seized.”
Sponsored by Sen. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) and Sen. Joel Anderson (R-San Diego), SB828 represents a growing opposition to NSA spying on a state and local level, and across the political spectrum.
“State-funded public resources should not be going toward aiding the NSA or any other federal agency from indiscriminate spying on its own citizens and gathering electronic or metadata that violates the Fourth Amendment,” Lieu said.
Anderson took a similar position in an op-ed at Breitbart news.
“It’s time to curb the National Security Agency’s systematic infringement of American citizens’ privacy,” he wrote. “In California, we’ve chosen to do just that.”
THREE AREAS
Practically speaking, SB828 addresses three major areas where the NSA and other federal agencies rely on local support to carry out their surveillance programs. These include resources such as water and electricity for physical facilities, university research partnerships, and sharing of warrantless data.
While the NSA does not currently operate a data or “threat operations” center in California, OffNow spokesman Shane Trejo said states around the country need to pass similar legislation to make NSA expansion more difficult.
“We know the NSA has aggressively worked to expand its physical locations because it maxed out the Baltimore area power grid in 2006. They’ve built new locations in Utah and Texas, and expanded in several other states,” he said. “Since the NSA is expanding so wildly, it’s not unlikely that they’re planning to build new data centers and ‘threat operations centers’ in other locations. California’s high-tech industry makes it a likely candidate. We can’t wait until the NSA opens up shop. This act yanks away the welcome mat and tells the NSA, ‘We don’t want you in California unless you follow the Constitution.’”
Six California state universities have partnerships with the NSA. These university partnerships provide critical research which helps the NSA expand. The California Fourth Amendment Protection Act also addresses the status of these schools as NSA “Centers of Academic Excellence.”
Continuance of such programs would be banned after passage of SB828 should NSA surveillance be determined as illegal and unconstitutional.Finally, the bill would address the use of warrantless data from the federal government in state or local criminal proceedings.
As reported by Reuters in Aug. 2013, the secretive Special Operations Division (SOD) is “funneling information from intelligence intercepts, wiretaps, informants and a massive database of telephone records to authorities across the nation to help them launch criminal investigations of Americans.” Documents obtained by Reuters show that these cases “rarely involve national security issues,” and that local law enforcement is directed by SOD to “conceal how such investigations truly begin.”
Reports in the Washington Post and USA Today last fall documented how “the FBI and most other investigative bodies in the federal government” are regularly using a mobile device known as a “stingray” to intercept and collect electronic data without a warrant. Local and state police “have access through sharing agreements.”
PRACTICAL EFFECT
Passage of the bill would be the first step in a process to ban resources to the NSA. If signed into law, once an official determination is made that a federal agency is engaging in illegal and unconstitutional collection of electronic data or metadata, the state ban on resources would immediately go into effect.
Behind the scenes, representatives from ACLU of Southern California have suggested an amendment that would greatly increase the likelihood of the constitutional determination needed to trigger the resource ban. It includes language requiring the Attorney General to open an official inquiry under certain circumstances. The AG will then request “full disclosure by that federal agency of the nature and details of the policy or claimed power in question to the Attorney General or the Attorney General’s designee within 90 days.” If the information provided reveals the federal agency is in violation, or if the agency fails to provide adequate information to make a determination, the AG will certify that agency in violation of state law, triggering a prohibition of any material assistance from the state to that agency.
Trejo said that while inclusion of this amendment on the senate floor would be a welcome addition to the bill, passage into law without it will still create a solid foundation to build on.
"California could set a serious precedent with this law," he said. "Violate the Constitution and we’ll turn off the water and power. This could be the mantra for privacy-advocates across the country."
SB828 is expect to move to the Senate floor for a vote in the near future. It will need to pass by a majority vote before being passed along to the Assembly for concurrence.
The OffNow coalition is group of grassroots organizations and individuals spanning the political spectrum committed to stopping unconstitutional NSA spying through state and local activism.
Source:
The Tenth Amendment Center
California Senate Committee Passes Bill to Pull Plug on NSA Spying
Activist
Wed, 30 Apr 2014 19:31:00 GMT
The White Buffalo w/ John Phillips
In 1975, I suffered a career ending knee injury that shattered my Olmypic hockey dream, and left me in contant chronic pain. As I prayed for a return to a pain free life, two teachers provided my path to healing: T. T. Liang, a 5th generation Master of Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan, and Harold Humes, a student of Norbert Weiner who introduced me to the use of massage therapy and breathing exercises. The foundation for the White Buffalo hour is built around what I learned from these two outstanding teachers.
Although my road to an undergraduate degree at Harvard was a long one, from 1975 until 1995, during this time I was able to take graduate level course work in neurobiology, psychology, religion, and history of science. My clinical work in the field proved that Tai Chi Chuan, massage therapy, and breathing exercises brought instant relief to many who suffered from a variety of psychiatric conditions. These techniques verified Norbert Weiner’s hypothsis in his 1951 book, “The Human Use of Human Being” that improving the signal to noise ratio in the Central Nervous System would promote healing of the mind, and was the key to understanding and treating psychiatric illness.
Ancient Chinese texts concerning the mind/body paradigm of medicine lost much of their meaning during the Han Dynasty who burned all the books and introduced “needles” in the form of acupuncture as a replacement for massage, “the laying on of hands”. Needles were used to stimulate the “chi”, the vital energy that sustained life to bring the body and mind back into harmony with nature. Before the Han Dynasty the concept of Chi was translated as “Spirit”. The original esssence of the Ancient Chinese mind/body paradigm was that “the laying on of hands would return the “spirit” to the body.
What happens to the nervous system when it returns to “homeostasis” and the signal to noise ratio approaches infinity? The ancient Taoists text state if one masters the techniques one becomes like a child again. Jesus states that “unless one becomes like a little child again, one can not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” Is the similarity in the text, simultaneous discovery by different cultures or the transmission of knowledge with roots in Chinese Philosophy?
Ultimately medicine and religion are about philosophy, and who has the authority to control the message to the masses. William James believed that for a philosophy to be valid it must first be simple enough for the common man to understand it, and secondly it must recognize that man’s ultimate purpose is unity and international brotherhood. Can a medical model of enlightment provide the intellectual framework for freeing medicine from the chains of the Biological/Behavioral paradigm of man? What are the implicaiton for medical theory and religion as we try to repair the bridge set a fire with Darwin’s theory of evolution? Tune in to the White Buffalo hour and let your opinion be heard on these and other issues.
The White Buffalo w/ John Phillips
whitebuffalo
Wed, 30 Apr 2014 23:00:00 GMT
The Rise of Digital Currency: “It Is Resistant to Government Force”
Ever wonder how digital crypto-currencies works to keep your transactions private and out of view from prying eyes?
Watch the following micro documentary from Crush The Street and learn how digital currencies can protect your assets from continued inflation of paper money and the possibility of a financial collapse.
Delivered by The Daily Sheeple
Contributed by Crush The Street of Crush The Street.
The Rise of Digital Currency: “It Is Resistant to Government Force”
Contributing Author
Tue, 29 Apr 2014 18:12:38 GMT
Missouri Senate Votes to Nullify Federal Gun Laws
Activist Post
By a vote of 23-8 today, the Missouri state Senate passed an “emergency” bill that seeks to nullify virtually every federal gun control measure on the books, “whether past, present or future.”
House Bill 1439 (HB1439), introduced by Rep. Doug Funderburk (R-St. Charles), previously passed the House by a vote of 110-36. The bill will now go back to the house for concurrence on some technical amendments made on the senate side. If passed, the bill will move on to the Governor’s desk.
With language inspired by Thomas Jefferson, HB1439 declares that the state rejects the idea of “unlimited submission” to federal power. It also declares that “whenever the federal government assumes powers that the people did not grant it in the Constitution, its acts are unauthoritative, void, and of no force.”
Jefferson wrote the following in the Kentucky Resolutions, which passed Nov. 10, 1798:the several States composing the United States of America, are not united on the principle of unlimited submission to their General Government [emphasis added]andwhensoever the General Government assumes undelegated powers, its acts are unauthoritative, void, and of no force [emphasis added]
The state capitol city’s namesake would have been proud, said Tenth Amendment Center communications director Mike Maharrey. “This is exactly what Thomas Jefferson himself said that states had a duty to do,” he said. “States aren’t supposed to stand by and do nothing while the federal government violates the Constitution. And they’re not supposed to be willing partners in the act either.”
Maharrey said that while the declarations have great impact, the strong practical effect of its passage come in other parts of the bill.
HB1439 would make it state law that all federal “acts, laws, executive orders, administrative orders, court orders, rules, and regulations, whether past, present, or future” which infringe on the people’s right to keep and bear arms “shall be invalid in this state, shall not be recognized by this state, shall be specifically rejected by this state, and shall be considered null and void and of no effect in this state.”
Those federal acts which are considered infringing are spelled out in HB1439, including, but not limited to:(1) Any tax, levy, fee, or stamp imposed on firearms, firearm accessories, or ammunition not common to all other goods and services which might reasonably be expected to create a chilling effect on the purchase or ownership of those items by law-abiding citizens;Missouri courts and law enforcement agencies would be required to actively protect the right to keep and bear arms from such infringements.
(2) Any registering or tracking of firearms, firearm accessories, or ammunition which might reasonably be expected to create a chilling effect on the purchase or ownership of those items by law-abiding citizens;(3) Any registering or tracking of the owners of firearms, firearm accessories, or ammunition which might reasonably be expected to create a chilling effect on the purchase or ownership of those items by law-abiding citizens;
(4) Any act forbidding the possession, ownership, or use or transfer of a firearm, firearm accessory, or ammunition by law-abiding citizens; and
(5) Any act ordering the confiscation of firearms, firearm accessories, or ammunition from law-abiding citizens.
The legislation also specifically bans all state employees from enforcing or attempting to enforce any federal acts running counter to the proposed law. These provisions banning state participation in the enforcement of federal gun control measures are based on the virtually-undisputed long-standing legal doctrine known as “anti-commandeering.” Court precedent from 1842 to 2012 holds the feds simply cannot require state to help them carry out their acts. In short, the state can simply stand down, leaving enforcement to a seriously undermanned federal government.
Such a tactic is an extremely effective way to stop a federal government busting at the seams. Even the National Governors Association admitted the same recently when they sent out a press release noting that “States are partners with the federal government in implementing most federal programs.”
In practice, this means states can create impediments to enforcing and implementing “most federal programs.” On federal gun control measures, Judge Andrew Napolitano suggested that a single state standing down on enforcement would make federal gun laws “nearly impossible to enforce” within that state.
James Madison, the “Father of the Constitution,” advised this very tactic as well. Madison supplied the blueprint for resisting federal power inFederalist 46. He outlined several steps that states can take to effective stop “an unwarrantable measure,” or “even a warrantable measure” of the federal government. Madison called for “refusal to cooperate with officers of the Union” as a way to successfully thwart federal acts.
An emergency clause was added to the bill before final passage. This would make the bill effective sooner than the required 90 days after the session in which it is passed. It requires a two-thirds vote of each chamber.
ACTION ITEMS
1. Missouri - take action in support of HB1439. HERE
2. All Other states - visit our 2nd Amendment Preservation legislative tracking and action center, HERE.
Visit the TenthAmendmentCenter.com where this article first appeared.
Missouri Senate Votes to Nullify Federal Gun Laws
Activist Post
Thu, 01 May 2014 00:34:00 GMT
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Benghazi emails point to White House again
(FOX NEWS) Newly released emails on the Benghazi terror attack suggest a senior White House aide played a central role in preparing former U.N. ambassador Susan Rice for her controversial Sunday show appearances — where she wrongly blamed protests over an Internet video.
More than 100 pages of documents were released to the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch as part of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. Among them was a Sept. 14, 2012, email from Ben Rhodes, an assistant to the president and deputy national security adviser for strategic communications.
The Rhodes email, with the subject line: “RE: PREP Call with Susan: Saturday at 4:00 pm ET,” was sent to a dozen members of the administration’s inner circle, including key members of the White House communications team such as Press Secretary Jay Carney.
Benghazi emails point to White House again
-NO AUTHOR-
Tue, 29 Apr 2014 19:36:47 GMT
Politician arrested for quoting Churchill on Islam
(LONDON INDEPENDENT) A candidate in the European elections has been arrested after making a speech quoting from a book by Winston Churchill about Islam.
Paul Weston, chairman of the party Liberty GB, was making the speech on the steps of Winchester Guildhall, Hampshire, on Saturday, when a member of the public complained to police and he was arrested.
He had been reading from Churchill‘s book The River War, written in 1899 while he was a British army officer inSudan.
Politician arrested for quoting Churchill on Islam
-NO AUTHOR-
Tue, 29 Apr 2014 19:47:06 GMT
Stay connected when the world goes haywire
If doomsday actually happens and you have to bug out, you’ll want to know when it’s safe to go back home. Manny Edwards reviews the Kaito KA500 emergency radio.
Watch the video, then read the article at Survival News Online:
Get the radio Manny recommends, the KA500, from the WND SuperStore now!
Find the supplies you may need in an emergency at the one and only WND Survival store.
Stay connected when the world goes haywire
Manny Edwards
Tue, 29 Apr 2014 18:42:20 GMT
Michelle O's 2-day hotel bill: $222,000
(WEEKLY STANDARD) Michelle Obama wrapped up her March visit to China with a stop in Chengdu, arriving on March 25 and departing for the United States on the following day. But that one leg of the trip alone required about 900 room nights, ranging from 21 rooms beginning on March 13 for the advance team to a peak of 144 rooms when the first lady herself was at the hotel.
The documents prepared in support of the stay estimated the cost at around 1,393,500 yuan (RMB), or $222,000 at current exchange rates.
According to the documents, one of the factors in choosing the Shangri-La Hotel was a security consideration that “will allow party to occupy the entire top two floors for the visit.”
Michelle O's 2-day hotel bill: $222,000
-NO AUTHOR-
Tue, 29 Apr 2014 18:58:22 GMT
Monday, April 28, 2014
Indiana Becomes First State to Formally Abandon Common Core
Activist Post
The federal education standard known as Common Core has been essentially bribed into school districts with very little local debate.
Now as more parents and localities begin to take a deeper look at this curriculum, they're finding a multitude of inadequacies which appear to be agenda-driven and standard-lowering.
Until today resistance to Common Core has been small and relatively silent, but Indiana just became the first state to formally discard Common Core standards when their State Board of Education voted 10-1 to endorse a replacement standard.
The Associated Press reports:One of the first states to adopt Common Core standards became the first state to formally abandon the national benchmarks, as Indiana's State Board of Education voted overwhelmingly Monday for a replacement that will guide student learning for years.The board voted 10-1 to endorse the new benchmarks to guide what students in kindergarten through 12th grade should learn in math and English, which were created by a panel of faculty from Indiana universities and representatives from science and technology industries. The vote came ahead of the state's July deadline and could end months of heated debate.The new benchmarks, however, are also under scrutiny as the activist group Hoosiers Against Common Core warned that the replacement is just a "rebranded" version of Common Core.
"I hope that with this conversation behind us, we can stick with these standards and make sure we're not continually moving the goal posts on our students and educators," board member at-large Gordon Hendry said. "The reasons academic standards have been successful in places like Massachusetts is because legislators and policymakers picked a direction and stayed with it."
Indiana adopted Common Core in 2010 along with 44 other states. But states' rights advocates and tea party members later vocally opposed the Common Core standards, saying they were created without adequate local input.
Indeed, the South Bend Superintendent of Schools said the new standards are "very, very, much aligned" with Common Core:
Indiana Becomes First State to Formally Abandon Common Core
Activist Post
Mon, 28 Apr 2014 21:01:00 GMT
Do “Something” – If It’s the Right Something
Congress is back, but not for long, according to The Washington Post:
Fewer than 200 days remain until Nov. 4, when Republicans are expected to expand their majority in the House. Democrats are fighting to maintain their narrow majority in the Senate. Congress will convene for about 60 days in the next six months as all members of the House and 36 senators continue campaigning. In the next five weeks, the House will meet for just 15 days with a weeklong Mother’s Day break in between. The Senate plans to work four consecutive weeks before spending a week at home for Memorial Day.
Typically around this point in a congressional cycle, legislators are expected to tackle a few high-profile items while walking on eggshells to survive in November.
Check out the full article here.
Reading the piece, I couldn’t help but think of an image we’ve posted on Campaign for Liberty’s Facebook page:
Legislators are criticized for their frequent trips out of town, but history has shown liberty to be far safer during the breaks, when the House and Senate’s only purpose is to be viewed by tourists. A “do-something” Congress is desirable when that something is to defend liberty, uphold the Constitution, and roll back Big Government. So C4L is continuing to press for votes on liberty-advancing bills such as Audit the Fed. And with politicians’ eyes on job security, sustained and overwhelming grassroots pressure is critical to demonstrate the strength of support for key issues so that when Congress does act, freedom benefits.
The post Do “Something” – If It’s the Right Something appeared first on Campaign for Liberty.
Do “Something” – If It’s the Right Something
Matthew Hawes
Mon, 28 Apr 2014 23:36:59 GMT
US southeast states brace for more tornadoes
Warning comes a day after powerful storms in the southeast kill at least 16 people and leave a trail of destruction.
US southeast states brace for more tornadoes
Tue, 29 Apr 2014 00:17:18 GMT
U.S. oil stockpiles hit record high levels
(OILPRICE) — Crude oil stockpiles in the United States are at record levels and, with no place to go, oil inventories may continue to build because of the accelerating rate of production from shale operations.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration said April 23 that crude oil stockpiles along the Gulf Coast in an area known as Petroleum Administration for Defense District 3 (PADD 3) have reached more than 209 million barrels, the highest level since 1990.
Inventories at the storage hub in Cushing, Oklahoma, meanwhile, are at their lowest levels since 2009, at 26 million barrels.
More oil is flowing to PADD 3 because of expanding infrastructure in the region.
U.S. oil stockpiles hit record high levels
-NO AUTHOR-
Mon, 28 Apr 2014 01:04:16 GMT
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Judge Jeanine: Harry Reid Made Millions in “Suspicious” Land Deals [VIDEO]
Judge Jeanine is one of the most blunt, honest, and powerful hosts in news and current events commentary in America today. Almost every one of her “Opening Statements” go viral as she manages to capture what millions of libertarian and conservative Americans are thinking almost every week. This week, she focused on something that everyone should care about: the corruption and likely crimes of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who just had an ethics complaint filed against him. Reid has
Related posts:
Judge Jeanine: Harry Reid Made Millions in “Suspicious” Land Deals [VIDEO]
Shaun Connell
Sun, 27 Apr 2014 17:11:18 GMT
Political Movement to “Fire Harry Reid” Has Been Launched
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has been called the “most hated” leader in Congress. This is because he is a bully that uses his position and power to influence and intimidate other members of Congress, business people and regular citizens. Reid is also hated due to his appearance of being corrupt, making shady land deals and accepting bribes. He is also viewed unfavorably for his naked nepotism, getting cushy jobs and lobbying positions for his sons, and giving over $30k
Related posts:
Political Movement to “Fire Harry Reid” Has Been Launched
Ben Marquis
Sun, 27 Apr 2014 20:14:07 GMT
Bill Gates Criticised for Investment in G4S' Israel Torture Prisons
US taxpayer subsidized IRS tax-free foundation and the pain it brings. By Jack Moore April 17, 2014 16:33 GMTMicrosoft founder Bill Gates' stake in G4S has attracted criticism for the...
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Bill Gates Criticised for Investment in G4S' Israel Torture Prisons
noreply@blogger.com (Charleston Voice)
Sun, 27 Apr 2014 17:44:03 GMT
Explosive: What really happened to Sharyl Attkisson at CBS?
Jon Rappoport
Activist Post
Sharyl Attkisson, CBS’s top investigative reporter: gone, resigned, floating free, unchained, now viewed by the news establishment as an outsider, a defector, a weirdo with an axe to grind.
Among the controversial stories she covered at CBS: Benghazi. Just as she was digging below the surface of the Obama coverup, she was cut off and shut down by her network bosses.
Here’s the crux. The Rhodes brothers.
Ben Rhodes, David Rhodes.
Ben is a deputy national security advisor to Obama and writes speeches for him. In September 2012, Ben was “instrumental,” according to ABC News, in changing the White House talking points (the story) on what happened in Benghazi.
Ben’s brother, David, is president of CBS News. Attkisson was working for David. She was investigating all the changes (12) in the Benghazi talking points. She was shut down.
Nothing to see there, move along, eyes straight ahead, go back to sleep, zombie-zombie, it’s all good don’t worry, be happy, hope and change, the audacity of whatever.
Now, on top of this, Attkisson’s computers, at work and at home, were hacked while she was still at CBS. The network acknowledged this and said “they were investigating.” They’re still investigating. So are other unnamed entities.
Who hacked her computers? CBS? The White House? NSA?Attkisson covered other stories at CBS that were highly problematic for the White House. Fast&Furious, for example. And in the summer of 2009, Attkisson struck gold on Swine Flu. You know, the pandemic that wasn’t. She discovered that the CDC, which is tasked with tracking numbers of cases of outbreaks, had, get this, stopped counting Swine Flu cases in America. Stopped.
But the CDC was still trumpeting the extreme danger of Swine Flu, with no way to measure its true impact.
Dr. Peter Doshi, long after the whole Swine Flu dud was over, wrote a stunning report for the British Medical Journal Online. Seems that every year, hundreds of thousands of samples from suspected and diagnosed flu patients are sent to labs for analysis—and only about 16% of these samples turn out to be positive for the flu.
That’s a killer of a revelation. Among other things, it means that most people who are told they have the flu couldn’t possibly have been protected by any flu vaccine, even assuming the vaccines are useful and effective…because these people don’t have the flu.
I wrote Attkisson about Dr. Doshi’s finding, and she got back to me, in essence saying, well, yes, this is why the CDC stopped counting Swine Flu cases.
Huge numbers of people who were being diagnosed with Swine Flu didn’t have any kind of flu at all.
CBS shut down Attkisson on both the Fast&Furious story and the Swine Flu story.
Here’s an interesting bombshell. On April 1, 2011, Attkisson authored a piece for CBS News, “Vaccines and Autism: a new scientific review.” She dispelled the notion that the vaccine-autism connection was a dead issue. All sorts of red flags went up the flagpole. Mainstream media are supposed to treat vaccines, all vaccines, as holy sacraments of the medical cartel. Praise them, bow down to them, never accuse them of doing harm of any kind.
Sumner Redstone, the executive chairman of CBS, Attkisson’s employer, has a very significant stake in vaccines. His Foundation, on its site, states: “The Sumner M. Redstone Foundation’s contribution to the Global Poverty Project raising $118 million in pledges for vaccines…”Redstone’s Foundation has also donated $1 million to a charity called Autism Speaks, which supports genetic testing for the diagnosis of Autism. You can be sure this charity has zero interest in reviving the vaccine-Autism debate and exposing the fact that there is most definitely a connection.
So Attkisson was stepping on Sumner Redstone’s toes with heavy boots.
Attkisson is now writing a book about her career. When published, it’ll land in the mainstream news cycle for a week or two at the most. Doesn’t matter how explosive its revelations are. She’s an outsider now. She isn’t in the loop. She isn’t playing the game according to the rules.
Therefore, my advice to her: come out swinging. Blast the whole rotting news establishment.
However, if Attkisson is angling for a new job at, say, FOX, or even CNN, whose ratings have gone down the toilet, she’ll have to pull her punches. Every major news outlet sits on its own reporters and gags them when things get too hot.
The first casualty in mainstream news is the truth.
Jon Rappoport is the author of two explosive collections, The Matrix Revealed and Exit From the Matrix, Jon was a candidate for a US Congressional seat in the 29th District of California. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, he has worked as an investigative reporter for 30 years, writing articles on politics, medicine, and health for CBS Healthwatch, LA Weekly, Spin Magazine, Stern, and other newspapers and magazines in the US and Europe. Jon has delivered lectures and seminars on global politics, health, logic, and creative power to audiences around the world. You can sign up for his free emails at www.nomorefakenews.com
Explosive: What really happened to Sharyl Attkisson at CBS?
Activist
Fri, 25 Apr 2014 14:18:00 GMT
Goodbye, Net Neutrality: FCC’s New Internet Rules ‘create incentives for discrimination’
AFP | Internet fast lanes that seemingly run counter to the concept of “net neutrality” would be allowed under rules proposed by US regulators.
Goodbye, Net Neutrality: FCC’s New Internet Rules ‘create incentives for discrimination’
Adan
Fri, 25 Apr 2014 14:08:16 GMT
Trans-Pacific Partnership Talks Begin For Global Internet Censorship Plan
Daniel Taylor | TPP will create international “internet police” that will have the power to censor content and remove websites.
Trans-Pacific Partnership Talks Begin For Global Internet Censorship Plan
kurtnimmoadmin
Fri, 25 Apr 2014 13:28:25 GMT
Obamacare math: 2.7 million 'enrollees' missing
(INVESTOR’S BUSINESS DAILY) Affordable Care Act: President Obama has for a while been bragging that 8 million people have signed up for ObamaCare. But the administration still hasn’t released the state-by-state numbers to back up that number.
You’d think that with such good news, the administration would want to put out as many details as possible, as soon as possible. But judging by previous months, the latest Health and Human Services enrollment report is now nearly two weeks behind schedule.
As a result, we still don’t know where 2.7 million ObamaCare enrollees came from.
Obamacare math: 2.7 million 'enrollees' missing
-NO AUTHOR-
Fri, 25 Apr 2014 13:36:01 GMT
Friday, April 25, 2014
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Lawmakers Want to Mandate Epidemics!
Kenny Valenzuela
Activist Post
Research links posted below...
No immunizations required for Ohio college students
Why Governments are Mandating Vaccinations
Ohio mumps outbreak grows
FDA Approved Epidemic?
OSU Officials Issue Guidelines to Combat Mumps Outbreak
Mumps Outbreak Involved 97% Vaccinated Children
Mumps Outbreak: Ohio State MMR Initiative Tackles Rising Mumps
Ohio Mumps Outbreak 97% Vaccinated
Vaccine Exemption Forms
Related Activist Post Article:
Hands Off Our Vaccine Exemptions
You can find Kenny Valenzuela's other informative videos at his site Experimental Vaccines
Lawmakers Want to Mandate Epidemics!
Activist
Tue, 22 Apr 2014 20:28:00 GMT
Obamacare Success (????): Half of Georgia’s Insurance Enrollees Fail to Make Monthly Payment
Mac Slavo
Activist Post
The Obama administration has stated unequivocally that the debate concerning whether or not the Patient Affordable Care Act has been a success is over. They’ve won the argument and its evidenced by the tens of thousands of Americans who have signed up on exchanges across the country.
Here’s a small glimpse into just how successful Obamacare has been.
In Georgia, where some 650,000 people are eligible for subsidies only about 220,000 applications have thus far been received. So, to start, we’re about 70% short on the originally estimated sign up rate.
Even more successful than that, however, is that of those 220,000 received applications Georgia Health News reports that at least half of the applicants have failed to actually pay their monthly premiums even though most of those people are being subsidized by the government to some extent.Georgia insurers received more than 220,000 applications for health coverage in the Affordable Care Act’s exchange as of the official federal deadline of March 31, state officials said Wednesday.Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens, though, said premiums have been received for only 107,581 of those policies, which cover 149,465 people.“Many Georgians completed the application process by the deadline, but have yet to pay for the coverage,” Hudgens said in a statement Wednesday.
Obamacare is, apparently, so affordable that even people receiving massive discounts on their plans via government subsidization can’t make their payments.
Earlier this year it was noted that there would be a near instantaneous collapse of Obamacare services stemming from the fact that the system itself is predicated on the notion of having one group of people pay for the insurance of those in need. Well, when those people who have money fail to even sign up, let alone make payments, then those receiving full or partial subsidies will not be putting enough money back into the scheme to cover the overall costs. Karl Denninger explains how this arithmetic works:You’re "27", the average premium is $266.20/month or $3,194.40 per year. How many 27 year olds have an extra $3,200 to spend on this? Remember, this is the price that virtually every uninsured 27 year old must be willing — and able — to cough up in order to prevent the model this system is predicated on from collapsing.If those 27 year olds don’t show up, and they won’t, then the system collapses instantly. If they do show up because the government threatens them with fines the economy collapses as $3,200 a year exceeds the average 27 year old’s disposable personal income after mandatory expenses (e.g. food, shelter, etc.) Remember, there are always exceptions but these premiums are averages and over large pools of people the statistical averages are what matters — not the ends of the barbell.We realize that Common Core standards may have made it difficult for Obamacare proponents to work out the basic mathematics of it, but regardless of how you approach the problem, the answer always results in an unsustainable business model.This isn’t just theoretical. The data from Georgia shows this phenomenon taking place in the real world right here and now.
What it all boils down to is this: Obamacare is dead in the water in less than a year and will require a massive overhaul or outright repeal.
As democrat Congressman Stephen Lynch pointed out on Boston Herald Radio last week, it’s only going to get worse from here and we should fully expect it to hit the fan in short order:There are parts of Obamacare that have been postponed because they are unpalatable. As these provisions come into effect the administration thus far is saying ‘we really can’t handle this right now so we’re gonna delay it.’These obligations keep piling up… it’s going to hit the fan.
[…]That’s a huge tax. It’ll be the first time in this country’s history that we have actually taxed health care. We used to treat it like food … that people would die without it … don’t tax that. Well, we’re in a new day now.[…]I think it’ll be impossible for a repeal right now … You’ve taken on 31 million new people … you’re trying to provide health care for them.The problem has always been paying for it. You’ve got to rely on the other individuals who already have health care to pay for that.
This is what happens when you pass the bill without first reading the bill.
You can read more from Mac Slavo at his site SHTFplan.com, where this first appeared.
Obamacare Success: Half of Georgia’s Insurance Enrollees Fail to Make Monthly Payment
Activist
Tue, 22 Apr 2014 20:57:00 GMT
TOTAL CRAP! - Homeland Security Adviser Warns Parents That Their Mouthy Kids May Grow Up To Be Terrorists
Our nation's singular focus on terrorism has led to various branches of the government and counterterrorism pundits declaring all sorts of things to be warning signs of terrorist activity. Here's a short (but by no means all-inclusive) list of activities that are supposedly indicators of terrorism-in-progress.
Homeland Security Adviser Warns Parents That Their Mouthy Kids May Grow Up To Be Terrorists
Mon, 21 Apr 2014 05:00:00 GMT
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
[VIDEO] Megyn Kelly Refuses to Surrender to Angry Muslims
The truth hurts sometimes, especially when it comes to the truth about Islam and its violent and oppressive history. When Megyn Kelly did a segment on honor killings and the treatment of women in Muslim countries on The Kelly File, the Muslim group CAIR, or the Council on American-Islamic Relations, immediately came out to denounce the segment and demand a retraction. Kelly unequivocally refused to retract anything from the segment, saying, “Guess what, you’re not getting it.” Via Downtrend: Honor
Related posts:
[VIDEO] Megyn Kelly Refuses to Surrender to Angry Muslims
Shaun Connell
Sun, 20 Apr 2014 12:35:11 GMT
Rev. Graham on Sharia Law: “Go Back to Where You Came From”
We’re seeing some states across the country try to stand up and protect the US Constitution and the laws of the state from foreign legal codes and customs trumping the laws in our country. North Carolina and Florida are looking at banning foreign laws from being applied in courts, using legislation to prevent any state judge from using Islamic shariah law or the laws of any other cultures in their judicial decisions. Rev. Franklin Graham, son of renowned evangelist Billy
Related posts:
Rev. Graham on Sharia Law: “Go Back to Where You Came From”
Shaun Connell
Sun, 20 Apr 2014 12:44:40 GMT
Report: Obama Knows Where Benghazi Terrorists Are… But Does Nothing
Americans were shocked and saddened at the death of four Americans in a terrorist attack in Benghazi. That feeling has turned to outrage as they have discovered that the State Department knew an attack was imminent, yet cut security. The CIA had men involved in the attack and ensuing rescue and escape, yet they have not conducted their own investigation into who committed such an atrocity on their own personnel. The White House has done little to answer the questions
Related posts:
Report: Obama Knows Where Benghazi Terrorists Are… But Does Nothing
Ben Marquis
Mon, 21 Apr 2014 17:11:37 GMT
BREAKING: Florida House Demands “Convention of the States” to Stop Obama
Last year, around 100 lawmakers from various states got together at Mt. Vernon to discuss a Constitutional Article V Convention of States. The main purpose of the possible Convention would be a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, although there is discussion of other potential amendments that could be proposed, all with the intent of reining in and limiting the federal government. That small group of lawmakers returned to their respective states and began spreading the word, and now the
Related posts:
BREAKING: Florida House Demands “Convention of the States” to Stop Obama
Ben Marquis
Tue, 22 Apr 2014 16:03:58 GMT
Sarah Palin Calls for a “Convention of the States” to Stop Obama
Sarah Palin renewed her call for a “Convention of the States” today. She has joined conservatives like George Will and Mark Levin in supporting a constitutional, Article V “Convention of the States” in order to propose specific amendments designed to rein in and limit the federal government running wild under President Obama. More and more people, legislators and states continue to join the growing movement calling for a “Convention of the States”. Palin made a post to her Facebook page,
Related posts:
Sarah Palin Calls for a “Convention of the States” to Stop Obama
Ben Marquis
Tue, 22 Apr 2014 19:30:13 GMT
The IRS is a Private Collection Agency for the US Federal Reserve
This taxpayer should've had a V8The Internal Revenue Service is considered to be a Bureau of the Department of the Tresaury; however, like the Federal Reserve, it is not part of the Federal...
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The IRS is a Private Collection Agency for the US Federal Reserve
noreply@blogger.com (Charleston Voice)
Tue, 22 Apr 2014 21:35:29 GMT
NRA surprisingly credited with crafting new anti-gun laws
We never have trusted the NRA. Published time: April 22, 2014 The tides may be turning within the National Rifle Association: according to a new report, America's largest gun-lobbying group has...
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NRA surprisingly credited with crafting new anti-gun laws
noreply@blogger.com (Charleston Voice)
Wed, 23 Apr 2014 00:56:17 GMT
US Drone Obliterates Civilians in Yemen
A Yemen military official on Saturday says that at least fifteen people were either killed or wounded when a missile from a U.S. drone struck vehicles traveling on a road in the central province of al-Bayda.
![[field_image_caption-raw]](https://www.commondreams.org/sites/commondreams.org/files/imagecache/news_archive_thumbnail/article_images/drones_sm.jpg)
US Drone Obliterates Civilians in Yemen
jon
Sat, 19 Apr 2014 13:46:25 GMT
New Clinton-Era Docs Reveal Insider Push for Wall Street Deregulation
Writing in the Guardian newspaper on Saturday, journalist Dan Roberts details how newly released documents from inside the Clinton adminstration reveal how the president's economic advisors at the time downplayed the possible negative impacts of deregulating Wall Street as they pushed for measures that many critics say ultimately led to the financial crash of 2008.
![[field_image_caption-raw]](https://www.commondreams.org/sites/commondreams.org/files/imagecache/news_archive_thumbnail/article_images/clinton_4.jpg)
New Clinton-Era Docs Reveal Insider Push for Wall Street Deregulation
jon
Sat, 19 Apr 2014 14:55:00 GMT
![[field_image_caption-raw]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_s65ePjzfl7HmLssKRv54YA7asSvoQSNcf4ww44EO2h42YvcOR5afmGbj8I_va551r2UFEKEJFxGZ8rWh1KRFgpX4fgMDUBvfWgamv_Jn-52Fhj3-fKUK70hafYTx2VTY1Q8FBYzTfPDkgZU7TxXa0YqBNL_hf6hqocGeoWyQLjZ6-TGyLTUGFE56plReu9k9h-7NMN1v4iQaUhPqB6fj4MN-yY7w=s0-d){kind=small}
'Corporate Colonialism': Protesters Slam TPP, US Military 'One-Two Punch'
Protest against Malaysia's participation in Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations in Kuala Lumpur on July 19, 2013. (Photo: EPA/AZHAR RAHIM)As President Barack Obama prepares to embark on his fifth visit to the Asia-Pacific region, grassroots protests against U.S. efforts to ram through the Trans-Pacific trade deal and the U.S. military pivot to Asia are mounting on both sides of the Pacific.
![[field_image_caption-raw]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vJvHh2ozhyJ-RRo7ESgAbYLwTMEHNpfJj_ayxZ3Xi5ztwTja5Wfc8A8HKJRSFXExgSyE2O7cG3FlCwroemW3kpxO70BGZg_dyxIOXJdC5897DwzYSkmcIoBY76Pw9oj9nCE3AVl_jkUBUvdL0DdMLB1cMVPxXBuvm-65iDdei8p9-cVz6HqvVjscci-kRyYd-GjA0pTKAcS7eL7AriT4Os=s0-d)
'Corporate Colonialism': Protesters Slam TPP, US Military 'One-Two Punch'
Sarah Lazare
Tue, 22 Apr 2014 17:10:46 GMT
Four Years After BP's Deepwater Horizon Dumped 200 Million Gallons of Oil Into Gulf, 50-plus Citizen Groups Call on EPA to Extend Oil Giant's Suspension From Government Contracts
With the approach of the fourth anniversary of the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf, more than 50 conservation and public interest groups — the majority representing Gulf and Lake Michigan communities — today called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to reverse its premature decision to reinstate BP as a federal contractor for oil exploration, drilling and production.
Four Years After BP's Deepwater Horizon Dumped 200 Million Gallons of Oil Into Gulf, 50-plus Citizen Groups Call on EPA to Extend Oil Giant's Suspension From Government Contracts
Sarah Lazare
Fri, 18 Apr 2014 19:28:49 GMT
Reject & Protect: Farmers, Ranchers, and Tribes Protest Keystone XL with Week-Long DC Encampment
This April 22-27, the Cowboy and Indian Alliance (CIA), a group of ranchers, farmers and indigenous leaders, will host an encampment on the National Mall for a week’s worth of “Reject and Protect” actions against the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.
Reject & Protect: Farmers, Ranchers, and Tribes Protest Keystone XL with Week-Long DC Encampment
jacob
Mon, 21 Apr 2014 19:18:27 GMT
THIS IS THE MOST ABSURD DEVELOPMENT EVER!!! COME ON!!!! ARE YOU KIDDING?!? - Ikea Introduces Meatless Meatball, Highlights Need for More Corporate Action to Help Cut Meat Consumption
Following the latest United Nations report on climate change, retail giant Ikea says it will introduce “lower carbon alternatives” to its popular Swedish meatballs, including a vegetarian version. This is one of the first times a major retailer has introduced a meatless menu item explicitly to combat climate change.
Ikea Introduces Meatless Meatball, Highlights Need for More Corporate Action to Help Cut Meat Consumption
jacob
Tue, 22 Apr 2014 15:35:32 GMT
NJ Mumps Victims Were Vaccinated
In other news: Measles Outbreak Traced to Fully Vaccinated Patient for First Time. Via: ABC News: An outbreak of mumps among New Jersey college students has highlighted the “weak sister” in the MMR vaccine. At least eight students at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken have contracted the contagious virus despite having received two […]
NJ Mumps Victims Were Vaccinated
Kevin
Sat, 19 Apr 2014 13:40:44 GMT
Oklahoma House Passes Bill That Reaffirms Gold and Silver as Money
tenthamendmentcenter.com | Bill provides a state-level tax exemption to Oklahoma residents exchanging precious metals for another medium.
Oklahoma House Passes Bill That Reaffirms Gold and Silver as Money
kurtnimmoadmin
Tue, 22 Apr 2014 16:39:17 GMT
Defendant Killed in Courtroom for Wielding a Pen in a “Threatening Manner”
thefreethoughtproject.com | It is a good thing that no one else was killed by this aggressive show of force.
Defendant Killed in Courtroom for Wielding a Pen in a “Threatening Manner”
kurtnimmoadmin
Tue, 22 Apr 2014 21:43:59 GMT
Homeland Security to Purchase 25 Million Shotgun Rounds
Kit Daniels | DHS likely gearing up for mass panic in America with perpetual ammo purchases.
Homeland Security to Purchase 25 Million Shotgun Rounds
kit
Tue, 22 Apr 2014 23:15:23 GMT
The Next Shoe Just Dropped: Court Denies Attorney-Client Privilege
This article was written by Simon Black and originally published at Sovereign Man Blog In the Land of the Free, people grow up hearing a lot of things about their freedom. You’re told that you live in the freest country on the planet. You’re told that other nations ‘hate you’ for your freedom. And you’re told that you [...]
The Next Shoe Just Dropped: Court Denies Attorney-Client Privilege
Brandon
Sun, 20 Apr 2014 10:14:03 GMT
Obama wants to train Libyan pilots, again
WASHINGTON – Back in 1979 when a mob attacked and burned the U.S. embassy in Tripoli, Libya, while an unstable Moammar Gadhafi was in power, American officials decided to respond by banning Libyan nationals from entering the U.S. to train as pilots or nuclear scientists.
Now, following a 2012 attack by Islamists that killed America’s ambassador and three other Americans in Benghazi, Libya, and the Arab Spring that destabilized other North African and Middle Eastern nations, and which, according to one analysis, left “particularly severe” fragmentation of Libyan society so that the “chances of the country’s dissolution are high,” American officials want to drop that ban.
The request to lift the Reagan-era passport ban that restricts Libyan nationals from entering the U.S. to train for those two positions is coming from officials with the Department of Homeland Security and the 9/11 Commission – because, “It simply isn’t needed to keep America safe from harm.”
It was earlier this month at a joint congressional hearing that House Oversight and Government Reform Committee members pressed Border Security Subcommittee officials to give sound reasoning for the current administration’s request in light of late-March reports that indicate Libya is overrun by al-Qaida, Muslim Brotherhood and other terrorist-backed Islamist militias and is on the verge of a civil war.
A commentary at Gatestone Institute even noted there is a move to bring an Islamic monarchy back to Libya.
And according to a just-released report by Clare M. Lopez of the Citizens Commission on Benghazi, “Early 2011 was swarming with al-Qaida and Muslim Brotherhood militias and affiliates fighting to overthrow Moammar Gadhafi’s regime.”
But Democrats are calling the restriction “an anachronistic relic of a bygone era.”
“Why are we willing to risk, no matter the likelihood, chancing Libyan extremists or terrorists to come here to essentially learn the skills to commit acts of terror … why now specifically? What has changed? The burden of advocating for change, in my judgment, in the status quo lies with the administration,” Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., said in testimony.
Oversight committee members cited Obama’s “failed” promise to secure diplomatic posts worldwide immediately following the 2012 Benghazi attacks.
“I have also directed my administration to increase our security at diplomatic posts around the world,” Obama said then. “Make no mistake, we will work with the Libyan government to bring to justice the killers who attacked our people.”
But nothing has happened yet.
According to Oversight testimony, DHS Assistant Secretary of International Affairs and Chief Diplomatic Officer Alan Bersin, formerly an Obama recess appointee, wrote a memo last February to then-DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano recommending the secretary take regulatory action to rescind the rule. His rationale for rescinding the rule echoed the same reasons CBP officials gave during the testimony.
Bersin stated in the memo, “DHS has determined that maintaining this regulation would no longer reflect current U.S. government policy toward Libya” while failing to mention the Benghazi attacks.
“What’s most surprising is that the memo postdates the tragic day in Benghazi when our country lost four Americans during a terrorist attack,” Oversight Committee member Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, said in the hearing.
Chaffetz said Libya was so broken down at the time of the attacks that it was impossible to obtain ground intelligence.
“We couldn’t even send our FBI into eastern Libya for 18 days because it was so dangerous. We couldn’t get the intelligence that we needed. We couldn’t even get the FBI to go into that part of the country. And yet we want to give those same people a visa to come to the United States to learn about nuclear sciences. Wow,” Chaffetz said.
While failing to describe the state of chaos in Libya, Bersin in his memo cited the current administration’s plan to “encourage engagement and educational exchanges in coming years with the Libyan government.”
He said the Defense Department is involved in a $2 billion deal to purchase aircraft and conduct pilot training and ground crew training and that the money would go to other countries if the visa restrictions on Libyans were not lifted.
“The Departments of Defense and State have made it clear that absent its rescission the regulation will significantly hamper these efforts,” he said in the memo.
To support their argument, Democrats said recent Defense Department reports state the fleet is aging, needs repair, more flight crew members need to be trained, and the only thing standing in the way of procurement are the visa restrictions. Democrats cited partisan policy as the roadblock to Libya’s successful transition to a democratic government.
“Members on the other side of the aisle may raise the unfortunate attacks in Benghazi at this hearing today. But that event actually underscores why we should lift the visa restriction. On the night of the attack, it was one of those very same Lockheed C-130 transport planes that the Libyan government used to rescue and evacuate the surviving consular personnel at the U.S. compound in Benghazi. Rather than used against us, that plane helped Americans survive,” Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., said in testimony.
In a column recently published at Accuracy in Media, Clare M. Lopez, a senior fellow with the Center for Security Policy and a member of the Citizens’ Commission on Benghazi, said that on the heels of the attacks, a new presidential finding cemented policy to lend material support to terrorism.
“The next chapter in the U.S. jihad wars was under way … and the American people barely noticed,” she said.
Obama wants to train Libyan pilots, again
Alana Cook
Wed, 23 Apr 2014 01:26:59 GMT
Identity Dominance: The U.S. Military’s Biometric War in Afghanistan
For years the U.S. military has been waging a biometric war in Afghanistan, working to unravel the insurgent networks operating throughout the country by collecting the personal identifiers of large portions of the population. A restricted U.S. Army guide on the use of biometrics in Afghanistan obtained by Public Intelligence provides an inside look at this ongoing battle to identify the Afghan people.
Mohammad Zahid was not the target of a joint military operation that came through his village in Khost Province in late February 2012. However, that day the twenty-two year old man who claimed to be a student was arrested and eventually convicted in an Afghan court because his fingerprints reportedly matched those found on an improvised explosive device (IED) cache that had been discovered the previous year.
Zahid was one of more than a hundred military-age males that were scanned that day by the joint coalition forces and Afghan National Army operation. As part of its effort to combat insurgent forces interspersed within an indigenous population, the use of biometrics has become a central component of the U.S. war effort. Having expanded heavily since its introduction during the war in Iraq, biometric identification and tracking of individuals has become a core mission in Afghanistan with initiatives sponsored by the U.S. and Afghan governments seeking to obtain the biometric identifiers of nearly everyone in the country.
Though there is no formal doctrine or universally accepted tactics, techniques, and procedures for using biometrics throughout the U.S. military, a 2011 U.S. Army handbook and several other documents obtained by Public Intelligence provide insight into the practical use of biometrics in Afghanistan, showing both the level of collection and the functional use of the data for intelligence gathering, force protection and even obtaining criminal convictions. By collecting vast amounts of information on the population of Afghanistan, including both friend and foe alike, the U.S. military has sought to achieve identity dominance by undermining the fluid anonymity of terrorist and criminal networks and attaching permanent identities to malicious actors.
What is biometrics?
While the use of biometrics has become an increasingly important part of the war in Afghanistan, there is a fundamental lack of agreement about the doctrine surrounding the collection and use of biometric information. An introduction to the 2011 U.S. Army Commander’s Guide to Biometrics in Afghanistan states that there is “no formal doctrine; universally accepted tactics, techniques, and procedures; or institutionalized training programs across the Department of Defense” for biometric capabilities. Despite this lack of formal doctrine, the U.S. military is currently using more than 7,000 devices to collect biometric data from the Afghan population. Though biometrics can take the form of any “measurable biological (anatomical and physiological) and behavioral characteristic that can be used for automated recognition,” the biometric identifiers being collected in Afghanistan consist primarily of fingerprints, iris scans and facial photographs. Other biological characteristics, which are referred to as modalities, that can be used to identify a person include certain types of voice patterns, palm prints, DNA, as well as behavioral characteristics such as gait and even keystroke patterns on a keyboard.
The U.S. military currently uses three devices for collecting the bulk of the biometric data harvested in Aghanistan: the Biometrics Automated Toolset (BAT), Handheld Interagency Identity Detection Equipment (HIIDE) and Secure Electronic Enrollment Kit (SEEK). The BAT is used primarily by the Army and Marine Corps and consists of a laptop computer and separate peripherals for collecting fingerprints, scanning irises, and taking photographs. The HIIDE is more mobile, providing a handheld device capable of collecting fingerprints, scanning irises and taking photographs. Like the BAT, the HIIDE can connect to a network of approximately 150 servers throughout Afghanistan to upload and download current biometric information and watchlists. The SEEK is also a handheld device with many of the same capabilities of the HIIDE, though it also has a built-in keyboard for remotely entering biographical information on the subject. Used primarily by special operations forces, the SEEK will eventually replace the HIIDE as the standard collection device for the Army and Marine Corps.
Airman 1st Class Michael Vue, 455th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron entry controller, scans an Afghan woman’s iris in the waiting area of the Egyptian Hospital at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, on April 16. Medical teams use biometrics to identify and track the records for all incoming patients by scanning their iris and fingerprints and then inputting the information into a database. Photo via U.S. Air Force.
Data from these devices is stored in local and national databases which can be searched and compared with other intelligence information to help identify enemy combatants. All biometric data collected in Afghanistan is ultimately sent back to the DOD’s Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) located in West Virginia, where it is stored and also shared with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and FBI. Partnerships with other nations also allow the DOD to run data against biometrics collected by foreign governments and law enforcement.
Enroll Everyone
Though the use of biometrics is relatively new for U.S. forces, collection efforts in Afghanistan have become ubiquitous, taking in data on large swaths of the population from government officials to local villagers. In 2009, it was reported that even foreign journalists covering the war in Afghanistan would be required to provide their biometric data before being accredited and provided access to military facilities. The collection of biometric data is viewed as being so essential to the war effort that the Afghan Ministry of Interior was enlisted to help run a program called Afghan 1000, which provides a comprehensive framework for collecting biometric data on the citizens of Afghanistan. The program established a goal of enrolling eighty percent of the country’s population by 2012, covering nearly 25 million people. While the actual enrollment numbers are not public, the Afghan 1000 program has been in operation for several years, collecting data for every traveler passing through Kabul International Airport, border crossings and Afghan Population Registration Department offices throughout the country.
The stated goal of the Afghan effort is no less than the collection of biometric data for every living person in Afghanistan. At a conference with Afghan officials in 2010, the commander of the U.S. Army’s Task Force Biometrics Col. Craig Osborne told the attendees that the collection of biometric data is not simply about “identifying terrorists and criminals,” but that “it can be used to enable progress in society and has countless applications for the provision of services to the citizens of Afghanistan.” According to Osborne, biometrics provide the Afghan government with “identity dominance” enabling them to know who their citizens are and link actions with actors. “Your iris design belongs only to you and your left and right irises are different,” Osborne said at the conference. “A name can be changed or altered illegally or even legally, but once your iris is formed at the age of six months, it cannot be altered, duplicated or forged.”
The U.S. Army Commander’s Guide to Biometrics in Afghanistan recommends that “all combat outposts and checkpoints throughout Afghanistan make it a priority to collect biometric data from as many local nationals as possible.” During cordoning operations, the guide advises soldiers to “enroll everyone” including the dead, from which DNA is often collected using buccal swabs to capture the cells that line the mouth. While Afghanistan offers “an extraordinarily complicated environment for the broad employment of biometrics,” the guide notes that the “payoff to U.S. and coalition forces is so great in terms of securing the population and identification of bad actors in the country, that commanders must be creative and persistent in their efforts to enroll as many Afghans as possible.”
U.S. Army Spc. Robert Irwin, serving with 2nd Platoon, D Company, 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, Task Force Gold Geronimo, uses his Handheld Interagency Identity Detection Equipment (HIIDE) to scan a local Afghan man’s fingerprints, Paktya Province, Afghanistan, Jan. 30, 2012. Photo via U.S. Army.
In a section titled “Population Management,” the U.S. Army’s guide recommends that “every person who lives within an operational area should be identified and fully biometrically enrolled with facial photos, iris scans, and all ten fingerprints (if present).” The soldiers must also record “good contextual data” about the individual such as “where they live, what they do, and to which tribe or clan they belong.” According to the guide, popuation management actions “can also have the effect of building good relationships and rapport” by sending the message that the “census” is intended to protect them from “the influence of outsiders and will give them a chance to more easily identify troublemakers in their midst.” A checklist included in the section includes the following instructions:
- Locate and identify every resident (visit and record every house and business). At a minimum, fully biometrically enroll all military-age males as follows:
- Full sets of fingerprints.
- Full face photo.
- Iris scans.
- Names and all variants of names.
- BAT associative elements:
- Address.
- Occupation.
- Tribal name.
- Military grid reference of enrollment.
- Create an enrollment event for future data mining.
- Listen to and understand residents’ problems.
- Put residents in a common database.
- Collect and assess civil-military operations data.
- Identify local leaders and use them to identify the populace.
- Use badging to identify local leaders, and key personnel.
- Cultivate human intelligence sources.
- Push indigenous forces into the lead at every possible opportunity.
- Track persons of interest; unusual travel patterns may indicate unusual activities.
Widespread enrollment of the population or the “census” as the guide refers to it, is seen in Afghanistan “as supportive of the local government, particularly if accompanied with a badging program that highlights the government’s presence in an area.” Tribal leaders and clan heads can use biometrics to control their local area which can lend “authority to tribal leadership by helping them keep unwanted individuals out of their areas.”
Biometric Watch Lists
One of the most essential products of the widespread collection of biometric data in Afghanistan is the Biometric Enabled Watch List (BEWL). Known as “the watch list,” the BEWL is a “collection of individuals whose biometrics have been collected and determined by [biometrics-enabled intelligence (BEI)] analysts to be threats, potential threats, or who simply merit tracking.” When loaded onto a biometrics collection device like the HIIDE, the BEWL “allows for instantaneous feedback on biometrics collections without the need for real-time communications to the authoritative biometrics database,” allowing the soldier to immediately identify persons of interest.
Once BEI analysts combine all of the data from biometric enrollments, forensic evidence, and other forms of intelligence they develop the BEWL in cooperation with numerous other intelligence agencies and organizations throughout the government. At least twenty-nine dedicated BEI analysts located throughout Afghanistan work to create the BEWL and individual units can request that specific individuals be added or removed from the list. When a person’s biometric data is collected in Afghanistan and they are not matched to an entity on the watch list, the data and “associated contextual information required for enrollment” are transmitted back to the ABIS in West Virgina for matching against all other collected biometrics, including the 90 million fingerprint entries collected by DHS and 55 million from criminal enrollments made by the FBI. If a match is found there, the information is sent to the National Ground Intelligence Center (NGIC) in Charlottesville, VA which generates a biometrics intelligence analysis report (BIAR) detailing the history and potential threat posed by the individual. NGIC then contacts Task Force Biometrics in Afghanistan which notifies the proper unit in the operational environment. Depending on the unit collecting the biometric data, this process can take anywhere from a few minutes to several days if the match is made against a latent fingerprint. Whether a match is ultimately found or not, all information is stored for further use in the BEI process.
A figure from the U.S. Army Commander’s Guide to Biometrics in Afghanistan explaining the linkage between exploitation of biometric information and enrollment on the battlefield.
Even when it is obvious that the people being enrolled have no connection to the insurgency, the Commander’s Guide to Biometrics in Afghanistan emphasizes that “all collections are important.” The guide states that identification of the “population in a particular area is essential to effective counterinsurgency operations” and essential to a unit’s capacity for “owning ground” in a combat zone. Units must know “who lives where, who does what, who belongs, and who does not.” Mapping the “human terrain” is described as key to security, allowing U.S. forces to know “who they are, what they do, to whom they are related” and to help “separate the locals from the insurgents.” To aid this effort, the guide recommends demonstrating the “value of biometrics” to subordinates and having a “belief in biometrics” so that the “support staff and leaders do not treat biometrics operations as a check-the-block activity.”
Obtaining Convictions
While biometrics are best known for helping U.S forces identify and locate suspected insurgents in Afghanistan, battlefield forensics has become an increasingly important part of the Afghan justice system, helping to convict individuals of aiding the Taliban by hiding weapons caches or constructing roadside bombs. The U.S. Army’s guide notes that forensics are “being used at an increasing rate by the Afghan criminal justice system, and convictions are now occurring in the Afghan courts based solely on biometric evidence.” The U.S. Army’s Afghanistan Theater of Operations Evidence Collection Guide advises soldiers on how to collect various forms of biometric evidence for forensic investigators to provide to Afghan prosecutors in the hopes of obtaining a conviction. This reliance on criminal convictions is part of a “transition from law of war-based detentions to evidence-based criminal detentions” where U.S. and coalition forces must “coordinate with the relevant local, provincial, or national prosecutors and judges to determine the specific type and amount of evidence deemed credible” by providing “evidence and witness statements for use in an Afghan court of law to enable the National Security Prosecutor’s Unit (NSPU) or a provincial criminal court to prosecute and convict criminal suspects.” The guide advises soldiers to “enroll all subjects on-site” following a criminal activity and “ensure that a full enrollment is collected, to include iris scans, ten digit fingerprints, a full facial photograph, and other biometric data.” Complex instructions are included on collecting latent fingerprints from pieces of evidence and collecting DNA samples from potential suspects. The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Guide to Evidence Collection also contains similar instructions including how to make plaster casts of footprint and tire tracks to provide to investigators.
A summary of the conviction of an Afghan man last year for building and emplacing improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that was based entirely upon biometric evidence.
A study in the January 2014 issue of National Defense University’s Joint Force Quarterly found that Afghan courts are increasingly looking for “biometrics as a component of the prosecution’s case.” Focusing particular attention on the Afghan National Security Court located at the Justice Center in Parwan (JCIP), which is described as a “model for successful use of biometric evidence in criminal prosecutions,” the study describes the “prominent role” that biometrics now play in obtaining convictions at the facility. In fact, the Afghan National Security Court has obtained convictions in “almost every case where a biometric match has been made between the defendant and the criminal instrument.” The study also found that sentences are consistently longer for individuals convicted using biometric evidence like fingerprints or DNA. “Collections and enrollments matter and increase the effectiveness of all other operations” the authors state at the conclusion of the study, instructing their readers to “treat every event as a means to collect additional biometrics.”
The number of convictions in Afghan courts based solely on biometric evidence is unknown, as is the accuracy of the systems used for determining a biometric match. However, we do know that the number of prosecutions is going up. One such example is the case of Mohammad Zahid, the twenty-two-year-old man arrested in Khost Province in February 2012. Zahid was arrested with nothing on his person. He claimed to be a student and said he had no connection with the Taliban, yet a latent fingerprint from an IED found in a cache the previous year along with cell phones, battery packs and other bomb-making supplies reportedly matched his own. Zahid was one of over a hundred military-age males enrolled in that village in Khost on February 23, 2012. Now, he will spend years in prison and, according to his testimony, does not know why his fingerprints were found on the bomb-making equipment discovered by coalition forces.
Identity Dominance: The U.S. Military’s Biometric War in Afghanistan
Public Intelligence
Mon, 21 Apr 2014 01:55:45 GMT
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