A subject of controversy, Snowden has been variously called a hero,[4][5][6] a whistleblower,[7][8][9][10] a dissident,[11] a traitor,[12][13] and a patriot.[14][15] According to Snowden, his "sole motive" for leaking the documents was "to inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them."[16] The disclosures have fueled debates over mass surveillance, government secrecy, and the balance between national security and information privacy.[17] Seven months after the NSA revelations began, Snowden declared his mission accomplished, citing the international debate sparked by his leaks. A federal judge in December 2013 ruled that the government had "almost certainly" violated the US Constitution by collecting metadata on nearly every phone call within or to the United States. Ten days later, a different federal judge ruled the surveillance program was legal, raising the likelihood that the constitutionality of the program would ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court.[18]
Snowden's passport was revoked by US officials during a layover in Moscow whilst en route to the Republic of Ecuador on June 23, 2013. He remained in a Moscow airport transit zone until the Russian government granted him a one-year temporary asylum on August 1. He is considered a fugitive by American authorities who have charged him with espionage and theft of government property.[19][20] Numerous media outlets and politicians issued calls for leniency in the form of amnesty, clemency or pardon in the beginning of 2014, while others called for him to be imprisoned or hanged.[21][22] He lives in an undisclosed location in Russia and continues to seek permanent asylum.
In the latest video from Anonymous, they have called for the most aggressive action yet. They’re asking the American people to join them in a “call to arms” for the destruction and overthrow of the US Government.
In the statement, Anonymous says the government is calling them “terrorists” because they truly fear a people’s uprising.
“The United States Government insists on labeling us as terrorists. The question is, “who do we terrorize?” Is it probable that the United States government is truly afraid of we, the people?”
They are not calling for denial of service attacks on government websites or protests as is their normal modus operandi, but for freedom activists to join them in full-blown war to overthrow the US Government and return it to the control of the people.
“We are not calling upon the collective to deface or use a distributed denial of service attack on a United States government agency website, or affiliate. We are not calling upon the people to once again occupy a city or protest in front of a local building, This has not brought on us any legislative change or alternate law. It has only brought us bloodshed and false criticism. For the last 12 years, voting has been useless. Corporations and lobbyists are the true leaders of this country and are the ones with the power to control our lives, To rebuild our government, we must first destroy it.Our time for democracy is here, Our time for resolution is here, This is America’s time for revolution, To restore our constitutional rights, to once again, be free therefore, Anonymous along with the American people have decided to openly declare war on the United States government. This is a call to arms.”
More than 30 top U.S. officials, including presidents G.W. Bush and Obama, are guilty of war crimes or crimes against peace and humanity “legally akin to those perpetrated by the former Nazi regime in Germany,” the distinguished American international law authority Francis Boyle charges.
According to the American website “If Americans Knew,” the number of Israeli homes demolished by Palestinians since 1967 is zero, whereas the number of Palestinian homes demolished by Israelis within the same period is 24,813. This is equivalent to 82% of the homes in Westerville, Ohio, where I live, being wiped out. http://rebel-institute.org/opinion/mena/260420-stop-israeli-home-demolishing-boycott-israel
Habeas corpus has been abandoned for the outcasts of the new order in both the US and the UK, secret courts have been created to hear secret evidence, guilt has been inferred by association, torture and rendition nakedly justified (in the UK our government's lawyers continue to argue positively for the right to use the product of both) and vital international conventions consolidated in the aftermath of the Second World War - the Geneva Convention, the Refugee Convention, the Torture Convention - have been deliberately avoided or ignored.
Reich on Why Right-to-Work Legislation is Anti-Labor: ‘As Labor Unions Have Declined, Wages Have Declined in Tandem’
This Is What Democracy Looks Like
Thousands of protestors braved the frigid temperatures and took to the streets today in Michigan over the Republican plan to -- yet again -- weaken unions, trample workers rights and further subjugate the middle class. Despite this significant public opposition, Michigan lawmakers passed the "right to work" law that will make their corporate masters happy. http://www.opednews.com/articles/This-Is-What-Democracy-Loo-by-Kathy-Malloy-121211-381.html
Mindless American Support For Israel May Be Cracking
The legacy of the Zionist revolutionaries who once enraptured the parlors of Europe and America with talk of a Jewish homeland as a moral beacon in a benighted region has instead bequeathed to the Jewish world and the West a highly militarized dependency -- a state that has achieved great feats of cultural and economic development but has failed to build strong enough institutions to balance its military zeitgeist with imaginative or engaging diplomacy. - Patrick Tyler, from Fortress Israel: The Inside Story of the Military Elite Who Run the Country -- and Why They Can't Make Peace
National Security Bosses Still Claiming It Would Violate National Security To Tell You If They Violate Your Privacy
Via Julian Sanchez we learn that Senator Ron Wyden has released some updated responsesfrom our national intelligence bosses concerning the questions that Wyden (and a few other Senators) have been asking for years. It's been pretty clear that a "secret" interpretation under the FISA Amendments Act (related to the Patriot Act) has meant that the NSA is scooping up tons of American communications, even as its mandate is that it only cover foreign intelligence—and Wyden has been pushing for more information.
Greetings! I wanted to let all of you know that there is a new Twitter handle. It is specifically for news, commentary and rights petitions: @DustcircleNews. Some changes were made toDustcircle.com: 1) I removed the Conferences page, as there were very few hits on that page.2) I updated the Links page. I know many people don't go to Links pages, but I assure you, this a good reference, sorted by topic. These are websites I frequent for our newsletter, or have mailing lists I'm on.3) I added our new email address: dissentingheretic@inbox.com - Send all questions, book submissions and concerns there. If there are website errors or broken links, let us know.4) I removed some graphics and images, so hopefully the page loads a little faster.5) I started mixing the videos with the text/link news, to have more of a colorful flow of reading and watching. If this format is good or bad, let us know.6) The Facebook page now has 5 moderators. We're growing, so Like us and stay in the know. There is a lot of exclusive articles posted there that aren't posted on the dot-com. Same with our Twitter page.7) And yes, Occupy 2.0 on Reddit is still active and going strong. Thanks for reading The Dissenting Heretic. - Steve, Editor
Bradley Manning: A Tale of Liberty Lost in America
The US does nothing to punish those guilty of war crimes or Wall Street fraud, yet demonises the whistleblower
Over the past two and a half years, all of which he has spent in a military prison, much has been said about Bradley Manning, but nothing has been heard from him. That changed on Thursday, when the 23-year-old US army private accused of leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks testified at his court martial proceeding about the conditions of his detention.
Five Facts About America's Pathological Wealth Distribution
Most people associate inequality with the income gap. As distorted as the distribution of income may be, our wealth distribution is even more extreme. Americans are beginning to realize that years of preferential tax treatment for the rich, under the guise of "supply-side job creation" nonsense, have bloated the fortunes of the super-rich to a level that would make Rockefeller and Carnegie envious.
US Military Facing Fresh Questions Over Targeting of Children in Afghanistan
Outrage grows after senior officer claimed troops in Afghanistan were on the lookout for 'children with potential hostile intent' The US military is facing fresh questions over its targeting policy in Afghanistan after a senior army officer suggested that troops were on the lookout for "children with potential hostile intent".
Republicans are Devolving and Trying to Drag Society Back With Them
There is a process of gradual, peaceful development that occurs in nearly all social or economic structures or institutions known as evolution, and as a motion it is incomplete in itself, but when combined with coordinated motions produces a single action over time. Unless a society is isolated from outside influence and new ideas, changing sensibilities eventually contribute to a culture’s evolution over time and has contributed to both good and bad results.
Amid an escalating drumbeat about a supposed threat that Syria's government is preparing to use chemical weapons against its own people, Washington has deployed a naval armada off the country's coast.
The Governor of Vermont and the Mayor of Burlington have decided to flaunt their corrupt behavior as they engage in a private, lobbyist-paid trip supported by a directly interested party in a charade of investigation designed to bring a nuclear weapons system to Vermont at the expense of the health, welfare, and homes of thousands of Vermonters.
Shir Hever: UN Vote and criticism over Gaza attack matter little to Netanyahu who unites with Minister who advocates ethnic cleansing of Palestinian citizens of Israel
December 2, 2012
Inequality And Poverty America style
Irrespective of ones circumstances or stage of life, illness is never welcome, in America if your poor it can prove to be a total catastrophe, ending often in personal bankruptcy. “According to a report published in The American Journal of Medicine, medical bills are a major factor in more than 60% of the personal bankruptcies in the United States“. Health care insurance an unaffordable luxury, for the 15% or 50 million people now living in ‘official’ poverty in America, anxiously relying on good luck and a poor diet to keep sickness at a bay. http://www.countercurrents.org/peebles081212.htm
Corporate Push For GMO Food Puts Independent Science In Jeopardy
Science is considered science when it is independent, when it has integrity and when it speaks the truth about its search. It was the integrity, independence and sovereignty of science that drew me and propelled me to study physics. Today, independent science is threatened with extinction. While this is true in every field, it is the field of food and agriculture that I am most concerned about. http://www.countercurrents.org/shiva081212.htm
Full text of the interview with Khalid Mashaal (2010):
"Our priority is to be free"
After escaping an assassination attempt in 1997 and being banned from Jordan in 1999, Khaled Mashal, Hamas leader, made his home in Damascus, where Manuela Paraipan interviewed him last week on Hamas’ approach to the current peace negotiations, his view of Hamas’ strengths, its ongoing commitment to resistance, and the importance of principle in politics.
What We Could Accomplish in the USA with Interest-Free, Government-Issued Currency
The federal government has been paying ever more interest on its ever growing indebtedness for more than 200 years. James Jackson, Congressman from Georgia, predicted in 1790 that this would happen in a speech he made to the First Congress. Jackson warned that passing Alexander Hamilton's plan to base the country's money supply on the existing federal debt of $75 million would "settle upon our posterity a burden which they can neither bear nor relieve themselves from." He further predicted that "in the course of a single century it would be multiplied to an extent we dare not think of."
New Twitter ACCOUNT! http://www.twitter.com/dustcirclenews || Don't forget to go to dustcircle.com and VOTE for which book we'll be giving away in December. There's also a Donation button, if you're inclined to give toward this site. Also, have you written a book? We'd like to read and review it.
Black Friday: A History of Violence
Last week, America observed a new and disturbing Thanksgiving tradition: In preparation for Black Friday, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued safety guidelines for stores in the hope that this year no one will be bruised or maimed while trying to get their hands on a slightly discounted Elmo doll. OSHA has been sending out its tips for crowd management since 2008
The team at dealnews wants to help you get the best possible price for what you want to buy, and to keep you from getting hoodwinked while you're shopping. While they can't tell you how to score a better parking space at your local mall, they canhelp you strengthen your shopping strategy this year by dispelling some common Black Friday myths. Don't fall victim to the 14 falsehoods below!
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Israel has just suffered a historic defeat. One only had to watch the international news coverage.
istory, it is said, arrives first as tragedy, then as farce. First as Karl Marx, then as the Marx Brothers. In the case of twenty-first century America, history arrived first as George W. Bush (and Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz and Douglas Feith and the Project for a New America -- a shadow government masquerading as a think tank -- and an assorted crew of ambitious neocons and neo-pundits); only later did David Petraeus make it onto the scene.
s the six members of the billionaire Walton Family -- heirs to the Walmart superchain -- prepare to sit down to a sumptuous Thanksgiving dinner with their families, the holiday will be very different for the 1.4 million Walmart associates who work for them. For the second year, Walmart is planning to put profits before its workers by beginning its Black Friday sales at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, and forcing its workers -- many of whom are part-time -- to abandon quality time with their own families during a cherished American holiday.
This Holiday, Give Thanks and Get Real (About Our Food!)
all is about food. Approaching Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday, copious food-rich words are written before we all sit down with loved ones to celebrate food abundance. But in this fall food season, what do we most need to know about food for all seasons?
Fox News prepares viewers for the terrifying war on Christmas
The war on the war on Christmas is starting early this year over at Fox News, where hosts across the network’s programs spent Thanksgiving week decrying the secularization of the holiday season.
Israel’s War On Gaza: 161 Killed, 1222 Wounded
The Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has claimed the lives of 161 citizens and wounded 1222 others, medical sources said on November 21, 2012, revealed the Palestinian Information Center. http://www.countercurrents.org/cc221112.htm
The International Responsibility For Justice In Occupied Palestine
The conflict in Gaza may have come to an inauspicious end last night following a ceasefire agreement, but there is little reason to rejoice for the Palestinian people. Although a ground assault of the Gaza Strip was narrowly avoided, still well over 1,500 air strikes by F-16 fighter jets, Apache helicopters and drones have further devastated the impoverished territory, leaving more than 140 Palestinians dead - mostly civilians, including at least 34 children - while five Israelis also died. http://www.countercurrents.org/parsons221112.htm
Thanksgiving at Walmart: Strikers Plan a Nationwide Celebration for Black Friday
As usual, Walmart, the world's largest and most profitable retailer, has big plans for Black Friday. In an effort to attract the lion's share of Black Friday shoppers Walmart is planning to roll out even more low, Low, LOW! prices than usual. The secret to Walmart's staggering success is volume . Walmart can afford to sell its merchandise at a steeper discount than any other store because Walmart deals in much greater volume than any other retailer. Droves of shoppers pack Walmart stores in every corner of the globe because shoppers know that they are going to find more and bigger bargains at Walmart than at any other store.
Sales goals and a company's bottom line go hand in hand. In a down economy making sales can be more challenging than in an up economy, but it is still possible to meet and even exceed your goals without having to throw the company under the bus. Expertise, equipment, and time are valuable commodities in any economy and in any geographical location. When you waive or discount ancillary or other fees you might think you're doing the customer and yourself a favor, but the reality is you are doing both of you and the company a disservice.
Wall Street Finds a "Third Way" to Plunder Our Wealth
Gotta hand it to 'em: Those Wall Street guys are smart. They've already found two ways to plunder the nation's wealth for their own enrichment, and now they're working on a third.
Black Friday Creep Costs Retail Workers Their Thanksgiving
About one-quarter of all Black Friday shoppers were in the stores at or before midnight last year, compared with just 3 percent in 2009, according to Ellen Davis, vice president at the National Retail Federation, an industry trade group. Echoing retailers themselves, Davis said many companies are opening earlier out of fear of losing ground to competitors.
'Tis the Season to Be Stressed: A Survival Guide The holiday season is upon us -- a time to lovingly connect with family, to relax, recharge and emerge happy, content and revitalized. Just kidding. In fact, of course, it's usually the complete opposite. But why is that? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/holiday-stress_b_2171473.html Why You Shouldn't Shop at Walmart on Friday
Today, America's largest employer is Walmart, whose average employee earns $8.81 an hour. A third of Walmart's employees work less than 28 hours per week and don't qualify for benefits.
Retailers this year are upping the ante in the game they started in 2011 and plan to open even earlier on Thursday night -- some as early as 8 p.m. -- to get a jump on their competitors.
It's typical to preface a Techdirt article, for me at least, by backtracking to a bunch of articles on related subject matter. I'm not going to do that with another piece on the TSA. Not because there isn't enough material to choose from. Oh no, there's simply too much of it, so if you want to see insanity in its most naked form (this statement assumes you don't live next to Gary Busey), just click here and you won't be disappointed. That said, even those outraged by the pure idiocy of the TSA's post 9/11 production of security theater will normally decry it as a massive waste of money or a gross encroachment on civil liberty. And they're right on both counts. Still, the more striking fact should be that the TSA, an agency with the mission of keeping us alive, is causing death.
This Black Friday Fight ‘Always Low Wages’ At Walmart And Other Big Box Stores These big box stores work on the straightforward business model of destroying their competition by doing everything they can to keep prices as low as possible. Characteristics like providing good customer service, selling quality products that last, and treating one’s workers well are all sacrificed at these big box stores in the name of trying to drive prices down. And while the proliferation of this strategy may have helped increase access to basic products for people living in or near poverty, the impact of the spread of big box stores on wages, economic inequality, local economies, the environment, and society as a whole has been disastrous. http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/11/21/this-black-friday-fight-always-low-wages-at-walmart-and-other-big-box-stores-video/ Feds Won’t Stop Walmart Black Friday Strike, Walmart Threatens Firings
Walmart workers are gearing up for what could be a historic Thanksgiving/Black Friday strike. Nationwide Walmart protests over the last month have worried the retail giant enough to prompt its first complaint to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in a decade. However, the NLRB indicated Tuesday that it won’t move on Walmart’s complaints in time enough to stop the Black Friday Strike.
The “Black Friday” protests at WalMart A series of pickets and other protests are scheduled throughout the US against the giant retailer WalMart for “Black Friday”—the day after Thanksgiving and traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year. OUR WalMart (Organization United for Respect at WalMart), launched by the United Food and Commercial Workers last year, is behind the protests, along with a coalition of unions, liberal organizations and church groups.
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