-
-
Ron Paul comments on the Housing Bill or "The Mother Of All Bailouts"
In addition to throwing economic fundamentals out the window, Paul points out the peculiarities that mortgage brokers must now be fingerprinted and that credit card transactions will now be reported to the I.R.S. CONgress ≠ PROgress.
The following is excerpted from Congressman Paul's Statement on H.R. 3221:
"Madam Speaker, For several years, followers of the Austrian school of economics have warned that unless Congress moved to end the implicit government guarantee of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and took other steps to disengage the US Government from the housing market, America would face a crisis in housing. This crisis would force Congress to chose between authorizing a taxpayer bailout of Fannie and Freddie, and other measures increasing government’s involvement in housing, or restoring a free-market in housing by ending government support for Fannie and Freddie and repealing all laws that interfere in housing. The bursting of the housing bubble, and the recent near-collapse in investor support for Fannie and Freddie has proven my fellow Austrians correct. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, instead of ending the prior interventions in the housing market that are responsible for the current crisis, Congress is increasing the level of government intervention in the housing market. This is the equivalent of giving a drug addict another fix, which will only make the necessary withdrawal more painful.
The provision giving the Treasury Secretary a blank check to purchase Fannie and Freddie stock not only makes the implicit government guarantee of Fannie and Freddie explicit, it represents another unconstitutional delegation of Congress’ Constitutional authority to control the allocation of taxpayer dollars. While the Treasury Secretary has to file a report with Congress, the lack of any effective standards for the expenditure of funds makes it impossible for Congress to perform effective oversight on Treasury’s expenditures.
HR 3221 also takes another troubling step toward the creation of surveillance state by creating a Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry. This federal database will contain personal information about anyone wishing to work as a “loan originator.” “Loan originator" is defined broadly as anyone who "takes a residential loan application; and offers or negotiates terms of a residential mortgage loan for compensation or gain." According to some analysts, this definition is so broad as to cover part-time clerks and real estate agents who receive even minimal compensation from "originators." Additionally, this database forced on industry will be funded by fees paid to the federal banking agencies, yet another costly burden to the American taxpayers.
Among the information that will be collected from loan originators for inclusion in the federal database are fingerprints. Madam Speaker, giving the federal government the power to force Americans who wish to work in real estate to submit their fingerprints to a federal database opens the door to numerous abuses of privacy and civil liberties and establishes a dangerous precedent. Fingerprint databases and background checks have been no deterrent to espionage and fraud among governmental agencies, and will likewise fail to prevent fraud in the real estate market. I am amazed to see some members who are usually outspoken advocates of civil liberties and defenders of the Fourth Amendment support this new threat to privacy."
(End of excerpt)
Full transcript of Congressman Paul's Statement
http://www.house.gov/paul/congrec/congrec2008/cr072408h...
For more information on H.R. 3221 please visit THOMAS (The Library of Congress)
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.r.03221:
In addition to throwing economic fundamentals out the window, Paul points out the peculiarities that mortgage brokers must now be fing... more -
Sound waves, goo guns WON'T be used at Dem convention
Denver officials expect to spend more than $18 million on police equipment for the Democratic National Convention — but the purchases apparently won't include high-tech weapons that use sonic waves to incapacitate protesters or goo guns to immobilize them.
"This budget overview reaffirms to the public our goal to provide the most effective and comprehensive security possible while maintaining an event that is inclusive and enjoyable for all," Mayor John Hickenlooper said in a statement issued by his office.
Denver police officials have been extremely circumspect in answering questions about either their security plans for the convention or their equipment purchases.
Denver officials expect to spend more than $18 million on police equipment for the Democratic National Convention — but the purchases ... more -
Exposing Bush's historic abuse of power
Salon has uncovered new evidence of post-9/11 spying on Americans. Obtained documents point to a potential investigation of the White House that could rival Watergate.
July 23, 2008 | WASHINGTON -- The last several years have brought a parade of dark revelations about the George W. Bush administration, from the manipulation of intelligence to torture to extrajudicial spying inside the United States. But there are growing indications that these known abuses of power may only be the tip of the iceberg. Now, in the twilight of the Bush presidency, a movement is stirring in Washington for a sweeping new inquiry into White House malfeasance that would be modeled after the famous Church Committee congressional investigation of the 1970s.
While reporting on domestic surveillance under Bush, Salon obtained a detailed memo proposing such an inquiry, and spoke with several sources involved in recent discussions around it on Capitol Hill. The memo was written by a former senior member of the original Church Committee; the discussions have included aides to top House Democrats, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Judiciary Committee chairman John Conyers, and until now have not been disclosed publicly.
Salon has also uncovered further indications of far-reaching and possibly illegal surveillance conducted by the National Security Agency inside the United States under President Bush. That includes the alleged use of a top-secret, sophisticated database system for monitoring people considered to be a threat to national security. It also includes signs of the NSA's working closely with other U.S. government agencies to track financial transactions domestically as well as globally.
The proposal for a Church Committee-style investigation emerged from talks between civil liberties advocates and aides to Democratic leaders in Congress, according to sources involved. (Pelosi's and Conyers' offices both declined to comment.) Looking forward to 2009, when both Congress and the White House may well be controlled by Democrats, the idea is to have Congress appoint an investigative body to discover the full extent of what the Bush White House did in the war on terror to undermine the Constitution and U.S. and international laws. The goal would be to implement government reforms aimed at preventing future abuses -- and perhaps to bring accountability for wrongdoing by Bush officials.
"If we know this much about torture, rendition, secret prisons and warrantless wiretapping despite the administration's attempts to stonewall, then imagine what we don't know," says a senior Democratic congressional aide who is familiar with the proposal and has been involved in several high-profile congressional investigations.
"You have to go back to the McCarthy era to find this level of abuse," says Barry Steinhardt, the director of the Program on Technology and Liberty for the American Civil Liberties Union. "Because the Bush administration has been so opaque, we don't know [the extent of] what laws have been violated."
more@url Salon has uncovered new evidence of post-9/11 spying on Americans. Obtained documents point to a potential investigation of the White ... more -
Police surveillance of war protestors reveals: plans to distribute fliers; suspici...
What have we learned from the Maryland State Police's undercover spying program targeting peaceable groups opposed to the death penalty and the war in Iraq, other than that the police are prone to ludicrous misspellings? Well, here's a sampling of the "intelligence" gleaned during 288 hours of police surveillance in 2005-06, in reports unearthed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland:
· On Oct. 3, 2005, an undercover state police agent attending a meeting of activists ferreted out the fact that antiwar protesters were laying plans to distribute fliers at the Towson Town Center mall.
· On July 11, 2005, an officer attending an antiwar meeting held by "an activist named Bernie" and "five middle-aged women" discovered that in a protest held a week earlier at the National Security Agency, peaceniks shared cookies with NSA guards who issued them a citation for trespassing.
· On June 6, 2005, an agent who infiltrated an anti-death-penalty protest in Baltimore reported "no problems" at the event, attended by about 25 known and "currently unidentified recurrent death penalty protestors."
American governments have an inglorious history of spying on domestic dissidents; compared with FBI operations during the Red Scare, the Maryland State Police seem like Keystone Kops. But it's a mistake to dismiss Maryland's police espionage against its own residents as the work of hapless bunglers. In fact, it is pernicious and symptomatic of a post-Sept. 11 erosion of respect for fundamental civil liberties.
ad_icon
Justice Department regulations explicitly prohibit police from gathering information on groups and individuals unless "there is reasonable suspicion that the subject of the information is or may be involved in criminal conduct or activity." But with state and local law enforcement agencies awash in federal money meant to root out domestic terrorist plots, civil libertarians have warned that police will start seeing potential terrorists and plots everywhere, "reasonable suspicion" be damned. The Maryland episode and other recent cases in Colorado and Massachusetts suggest their concerns are justified.
If the authorities equate dissent with criminal intent, they undermine the impulse for free speech and political activity itself. The specter of police infiltration can sow suspicion and paranoia and prompt people to keep their mouths shut. Could anything be more anti-American than that?
The police, invoking the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, suggest that any operation undertaken for any reason is legitimate. "In a post-9/11 world," said Col. Terrence B. Sheridan, superintendent of the Maryland State Police, officers are duty-bound "to protect the citizens of Maryland from threats foreign and domestic." But if they cannot distinguish five middle-aged peaceniks from criminals, the police themselves become the real threat to American society. What have we learned from the Maryland State Police's undercover spying program targeting peaceable groups opposed to the death penalt... more -
Lynwood to Residents: Pull Up Your Damn Pants!
In a move aimed at cleaning up their image to attract development, Lynwood, Illinois has passed an ordinance against baggy pants. That's right, you had better buy a belt because if you want to walk around town with your underwear hanging out, you're going to get slapped with a $25 fine. In a move aimed at cleaning up their image to attract development, Lynwood, Illinois has passed an ordinance against baggy pants. That... more
-
Reason Magazine - Strip for the Principal
How could anyone think a strip search for Advil was reasonable? Zero Tolerance means Zero Common Sense.
-
Condoms for Catholics?
Activists have won the right to promote condoms to Catholics at World Youth Day, the Guardian reports.
Young Catholics attending World Youth Day celebrations in Sydney may find themselves swamped with offers of free condoms after legislation giving police the power to arrest anyone who "annoys" pilgrims was overturned by a court.
Activists opposed to the church's stance on contraception and abortion successfully appealed the laws, passed by the New South Wales government.
Members of the NoToPope coalition argued in a federal court challenge on Tuesday that the anti-annoyance regulations, which carry fines of $5,500, were invalid and contrary to civil liberties.
Three judges agreed, saying the measures designed to help police keep order during the six-day festivities "should not be interpreted as conferring powers that are repugnant to fundamental rights and freedoms".
University students Rachel Evans and Amber Pike, who challenged the legislation, said they and other protesters would now hand out condoms, stickers and leaflets to pilgrims. "Symbolic coat-hangers", designed to draw attention to the problem of backyard abortions, would also be distributed.
Evans said protestors wearing T-shirts with slogans such as "The Pope is Wrong – Put a Condom on" and "Pope go Homo" would picket a cross-city march due to be held on Saturday.
A victory for human rights and civil freedoms? Or another attack on an already-vulnerable Catholic church? Should young Catholics be left to practice their beliefs of contraception in peace? Surely it's an individual's choice to get either rubbered up, or up the duff?
Activists have won the right to promote condoms to Catholics at World Youth Day, the Guardian reports. ... more -
Auto confiscation for misdemeanor offense of cruising for prostitutes considered i...
"The Easton City Council is considering a law that would let the city permanently seize the car of anyone caught cruising for a prostitute."
(End of excerpt)
Full story at link by NBC10.com
Photo by flickr user telethon
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ryanjunell/382523918/
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en
"The Easton City Council is considering a law that would let the city permanently seize the car of anyone caught cruising for a prosti... more -
Blood clots caused death of 24-hour hospital wait woman
Blood clots from a long period of inactivity killed a woman who died last month on a waiting room floor at a New York hospital, the state's medical examiner said Friday, reports CNN.
Surveillance video shows Esmin Green on the hospital floor for more than an hour before anyone helps her.
The death of Esmin Green attracted media attention worldwide when a security camera captured hospital employees and other patients appearing to ignore her when she slumped out of a chair and began convulsing on the floor.
The Jamaican immigrant had been involuntarily admitted to Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, New York, on June 18 for what the hospital described as "agitation and psychosis."
The security video, released earlier this month by the New York Civil Liberties Union, showed that the mother of six waited in a chair for nearly 24 hours before she fell on the floor on June 19.
An hour went by before a hospital employee nudged Green, 49, with her foot and summoned help.
The NYCLU alleged that hospital records were falsified to show that Green had been "sitting quietly in the waiting room" a little more than 10 minutes after she had stopped moving and 48 minutes after she slid to the floor.
Can you even believe that this could happen? That a woman could be lying on the floor in a so-called caring environment and be ignored for an hour? Have you ever experienced or witnessed horrendous medical treatment? Or is this simply a very rare, and very sad, case?
Blood clots from a long period of inactivity killed a woman who died last month on a waiting room floor at a New York hospital, the st... more -
ACLU Sues Over Unconstitutional Dragnet Wiretapping Law
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a landmark lawsuit today to stop the government from conducting surveillance under a new wiretapping law that gives the Bush administration virtually unchecked power to intercept Americans' international e-mails and telephone calls. The case was filed on behalf of a broad coalition of attorneys and human rights, labor, legal and media organizations whose ability to perform their work - which relies on confidential communications - will be greatly compromised by the new law.
The FISA Amendments Act of 2008, passed by Congress on Wednesday and signed by President Bush today, not only legalizes the secret warrantless surveillance program the president approved in late 2001, it gives the government new spying powers, including the power to conduct dragnet surveillance of Americans' international communications.
"Spying on Americans without warrants or judicial approval is an abuse of government power - and that's exactly what this law allows. The ACLU will not sit by and let this evisceration of the Fourth Amendment go unchallenged," said ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero. "Electronic surveillance must be conducted in a constitutional manner that affords the greatest possible protection for individual privacy and free speech rights. The new wiretapping law fails to provide fundamental safeguards that the Constitution unambiguously requires."
In today's legal challenge, the ACLU argues that the new spying law violates Americans' rights to free speech and privacy under the First and Fourth Amendments to the Constitution. The new law permits the government to conduct intrusive surveillance without ever telling a court who it intends to spy on, what phone lines and email addresses it intends to monitor, where its surveillance targets are located, why it's conducting the surveillance or whether it suspects any party to the communication of wrongdoing.
(End of excerpt)
Full story at link by the American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union filed a landmark lawsuit today to stop the government from conducting surveillance under a new wire... more -
US blocking payment to Guantanamo Bay attorneys
The U.S. government is blocking the American Civil Liberties Union from paying attorneys representing suspected terrorists held here, insisting that the ACLU must first receive a license from the U.S. Treasury Department before making the payments.
ACLU director Anthony Romero on Tuesday accused the Bush administration of "obstruction of justice" by delaying approval of the license, which the government argues is required under U.S. law because the beneficiaries of the lawyers' services are foreign terrorists. The U.S. government is blocking the American Civil Liberties Union from paying attorneys representing suspected terrorists held here, ... more -
I think I'll give up flying.
This sounds ridiculous, but because of that, it just may be true.
-
Bush's secret army of snoops and snitches
By Matthew Rothschild, The Progressive. Posted July 9, 2008.
The full scale of Bush's assault on our civil liberties may not be known until years after he's left office.
At the moment, all we can do is get glimpses here or there of what's going on.
And the latest one to come to my attention is the dispatching of police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and utility workers as so-called "terrorism liaison officers," according to a report by Bruce Finley in the Denver Post.
They are entrusted with hunting for "suspicious activity," and then they report their findings, which end up in secret government databases.
What constitutes "suspicious activity," of course, is in the eye of the beholder. But a draft Justice Department memo on the subject says that such things as "taking photos of no apparent aesthetic value" or "making notes" could constitute suspicious activity, Finley wrote.
The states where this is going on include: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Washington, D.C.
Dozens more are planning to do so, Finley reports.
Colorado alone has 181 Terrorism Liaison Officers, and some of them are from the private sector, such as Xcel Energy.
Mark Silverstein of the Colorado ACLU told Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! that this reminds him of the old TIPS program, which "caused so much controversy that Congress eventually shut it down. But it is reemerging in other forms." Silverstein warns that there will be thousands and thousands of "completely innocent people going about completely innocent and legal activities" who are going to end up in a government database.
On the web, I found a description for a Terrorism Liaison Officer Position in the East Bay.
Reporting to the Alameda and Contra Costa Counties and the city of Oakland, these officers "would in effect function as ad hoc members" of the East Bay Terrorism Early Warning Group, which consists of local police officers and firefighters.
The "suggested duties" of these Terrorism Liaison Officers include: "source person for internal or external inquiry," and "collecting, reporting retrieving and sharing of materials related to terrorism. Such materials might include ... books journals, periodicals, and videotapes."
Terrorism Liaison Officers would be situated not only in agencies dealing with the harbor, the airports, and the railroads, but also "University/Campus."
And the private sector would be involved, too. "The program would eventually be expanded to include Health Care personnel and representatives from private, critical infrastructure entities, with communication systems specifically tailored to their needs."
In this regard, Terrorism Liaison Officers resemble InfraGard members. (See "The FBI Deputizes Business".) This FBI-private sector liaison group now consists of more than 26,000 members, who have their own secure channels of communication and are shielded, as much as possible, from scrutiny.
Terrorism Liaison Officers connect up with so-called "Fusion Centers": intelligence sharing among public safety agencies as well as the private sector. The Department of Justice has come up with "Fusion Center Guidelines" that discuss the role of private sector participants.
"The private sector can offer fusion centers a variety of resources," it says, including "suspicious incidents and activity information."
It also recommends shielding the private sector. "To aid in sharing this sensitive information, a Non-Disclosure Agreement may be used. The NDA provides private sector entities an additional layer of security, ensuring the security of private sector proprietary information and trade secrets," the document states.
As if that's not enough, the Justice Department document recommends that "fusion centers and their leadership encourage appropriate policymakers to legislate the protection of private sector data provided to fusion centers." By Matthew Rothschild, The Progressive. Posted July 9, 2008. ... more -
Who are these Libertarians, and why should we care?
[U]nderstanding libertarianism is vital if the United States is ever to reverse the current 100-year trend away from freedom. What most Americans don’t know is that libertarianism is simply the modern political label given to the philosophy that the United States was founded upon. It is the philosophy of individual liberty. Without rediscovering what that means, the United States may soon be a glorious experiment with self governance by a free people that ultimately devolved into just one more socialist mediocrity or authoritarian nightmare...
... While most Americans still consider the United States the “land of the free,” few probably understand that “free” means individual liberty. Most Americans in 2008 have either never heard of individual liberty, or haven’t heard about it in so long that they have forgotten what it means. After decades of immersion in collectivist ideology, most Americans have been led to believe that freedom is “democracy.” Most Americans are content to be told that they are free, so long as the evening news explains why the most recent decisions made about their lives are really in their best interests. They are content to derive their “freedom” from government.
Imagine the presidential campaign of 1796 with today’s political frontrunners and today’s American psyche. John McCain is promising a generous helping of warfare, without neglecting essential welfare. Barack Obama is promising a generous helping of welfare, without neglecting essential warfare (at least on behalf of Israel). As these two titans battle for the prize, Thomas Jefferson, the Libertarian candidate, and John Adams, the Constitution Party candidate, answer the occasional question from the debate moderator in those states where they are able to get onto the ballot and into the debates at all. What might our country have become if this had been reality in 1796? What is it becoming now?
Certainly there will not be a Libertarian Party candidate elected president in 2008, nor likely in 2012 or 2016. The most successful LP candidate for president was Ed Clark in the 1980 election, with a whopping 1% of the vote. While it would be wonderful to see the Libertarian political party gain prominence and power, this is not the essential priority. What is much more important is that the American people start rediscovering libertarianism, the philosophy of individual liberty, and once again start demanding to be free. Libertarianism must again dominate the platforms of all political parties, as it once did, if the present trends toward socialism and authoritarianism are to reverse. Only when a libertarian Republican runs against a libertarian Democrat, with perhaps even a libertarian third party candidate in contention, will we have a chance to restore the freedom that fueled America’s mercurial rise to greatness. Only by restoring individual liberty will America return to prosperity, and once again become the land of the free.
(End of excerpt)
Full article at link by theskeptic// BREAK THE MATRIX [U]nderstanding libertarianism is vital if the United States is ever to reverse the current 100-year trend away from freedom. What mos... more -
Swedes massively protest wiretap law
In June the Swedish parliament passed a controversial surveillance law that gives authorities a mandate to read all email and listen in on all phone calls without warrant or court order. In response to the law, The Pirate Party organized rallies, bloggers and journalists turned into activists, and even Google decided to relocate their servers.
That’s not all. Google and former public telecoms company Telia moved their servers out of Sweden. Belgium says it will sue Sweden since Belgian citizens may be wiretapped without any apparent reason. Anne Ramberg, secretary-general of the Swedish Bar Association, has called for challenges to the law in Swedish and European courts and similar demands have been heard from several other interest groups, like the Journalist’s Union. It’s FRA hunting season this summer in Sweden!
It is now obvious that the legislation was a deal made between the leaders of the four government parties without full support, even from within their own ranks. Active party members resigned in protest, like Fabian Norlin of the Moderate party who quit on June 24 and instead launched FRApedia, a Wiki covering everything about the law and the authorities.
Meanwhile, the people responsible have not uttered a word in defense of the legislation. They haven’t even tried to justify it. In fact, the few quotes that were made referred in smug terms to the nature of the debate and the debaters. Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said “It would be best for everyone if the debate would calm down.” Others have called your-rights-online-bloggers “spirited amateurs”, sparking even more fury.
During the time since the vote, the Members of Parliament have appeared everything from sad through to ridiculously stupid when trying to handle the turbulence. A representative of the “ridiculous” faction was Liberal Party member Gunnar Andrén who wrote a very upset internal email claiming he hadn’t been told by party colleague Camilla Lindberg that she was going to vote against the bill (she was the only member of any of the four government parties that voted against the bill and received much appreciation and media by it). His email was leaked to the press by another party colleague and Andrén was later heard on a recorded phone-call exclaiming that his secrecy of correspondence had been broken and that it was “Gestapo methods”. Dude, you just voted for a bill that allows all emails to be read and all phone calls to be recorded. Live with it!
The big shift in public opinion came at the time of the vote when the blogs, who had pushed on the issue for many weeks before the vote, finally found the mainstream media with them, and with that the power to reach the masses. Some 6.6 million emails were sent to the Members of Parliament through an online petition created by daily newspaper Expressen which allowed easy protests to the members. Göran Petterson of the Moderate Party (until 2006 an military officer and one of those in favor of the FRA legislation) wrote on his blog: “Email is a great way to communicate with my voters but then you can’t do like Expressen has done now. […] Now, normal emails from the citizens are drowning in these.” Clearly, he didn’t understand his voters were trying to communicate with him, sending him a clear message of what they thought of him and his party.
In Malmö, Peter Sunde of The Pirate Bay spoke at the rally saying “the FRA bill is unnecessary, ineffective, unwanted and last but not least, expensive. The government should listen to the people, as they cannot replace us. However, we have the power to change the government.” Meanwhile, in Stockholm, Maria Wetterstrand of the Green Party promised that an abolishment of the FRA bill would be one of their demands in order to form government with The Social Democrats after the elections 2010 while Alice Åström of the Left Party promised to motion this fall to give members of the government alliance parties the possibility to break up the legislation. ... more -
Judge to Google: Turn over Youtube records
A federal judge in New York has ordered Google to turn over to Viacom a database linking users of YouTube, the Web’s largest video site by far, with every clip they have watched there.
The order raised concerns among users and privacy advocates that the online video viewing habits of tens of millions of people could be exposed. But Google and Viacom said they were hoping to come up with a way to protect the anonymity of YouTube viewers.
A federal judge in New York has ordered Google to turn over to Viacom a database linking users of YouTube, the Web’s largest video sit... more -
David Davis to fight Miss G.B, Mad Cow-Girl, Militant Elvis and David Icke
A total of 26 candidates - half of them independents - will contest the by-election sparked by the resignation of senior Tory David Davis as an MP.
The ex-shadow home secretary quit to generate a debate on civil liberties, especially the government's 42-day detention limit for terror suspects. Neither Labour nor the Liberal Democrats will field a candidate in Haltemprice and Howden on 10 July.
At the 2005 general election, Mr Davis won with a majority of 5,116. It is thought to be the highest number of candidates ever to stand at a by-election in recent times. A total of 26 candidates - half of them independents - will contest the by-election sparked by the resignation of senior Tory David Da... more -
Ron Paul invites you to join the Revolution March in Washington D.C. on July 12th!
The Revolution March will be a "peaceful, non-violent march on the streets of Washington D.C. followed by a rally in support of restoring constitutional government as the founding fathers set forth. A R3VOLUTION that calls upon all Americans who believe in Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. By involving as many volunteers and participants as we can, we intend to spread the know-how of mass mobilization and direct- action to the movement. As a peaceful law abiding movement, it is our responsibility to wisely and effectively use our constitutional right to assemble. By inviting ALL Americans, we hope to extend the R3VOLUTION to all people of all backgrounds in the hope of forming a more perfect union."
There are 16 confirmed speakers including:
- Naomi Wolf – advocate of progressive politics and author of "The End of America: A letter of warning to a young patriot". Ms. Wolfe will take a historical look at the rise of fascism, outlining the 10 steps necessary for a state to take control of individuals' lives.
- Michael Scheuer – 22 year veteran of the CIA and bestselling author of ‘Imperial Hubris’ to discuss American foreign policy and its implications on terrorism, security, and Iraq
- G. Edward Griffin – founder of Freedom Force International and author of The Creature from Jekyll Island, shares his in depth research and analysis concerning the Federal Reserve System and the forces behind its inception.
- Ron Paul - to speak about the future of the Revolution.
For more information on the Revolution March please visit
http://www.revolutionmarch.com/
* There have also been many Ronvoys arranged from all over the country. They include round trip travel by van and stop at campsites. Cheap lodging has also been arranged in DC. For details please visit
http://revolutionarytravel.eventbrite.com/
The Revolution March will be a "peaceful, non-violent march on the streets of Washington D.C. followed by a rally in support of restor... more -
Obama supports FISA legislation, angering Left
Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) today announced his support for a sweeping intelligence surveillance law that has been heavily denounced by the liberal activists who have fueled the financial engines of his presidential campaign.
In his most substantive break with the Democratic Party's base since becoming the presumptive nominee, Obama declared he will support the bill when it comes to a Senate vote, likely next week, despite misgivings about legal provisions for telecommunications corporations that cooperated with the Bush administration's warrantless surveillance program of suspected terrorists.
In so doing, Obama sought to walk the fine political line between GOP accusations that he is weak on foreign policy -- Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) called passing the legislation a "vital national security matter" -- and alienating his base.
(End of excerpt)
Full story at link by Paul Kane// The Washington Post
-----
Photo by flickr user Barack Obama
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/deed.e...
Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) today announced his support for a sweeping intelligence surveillance law that has been heavily denounced by... more -
House OKs update of bipartisan spy law
Bill would allow U.S. to eavesdrop without court warrant
The House put aside more than a year of partisan wrangling Friday and approved an update of the nation's foreign surveillance laws, despite calls from civil libertarians and some lawmakers it doesn't go far enough to protect privacy rights of Americans.
The bill, which the White House endorsed, now heads to the Senate, where it is expected to pass next week.
The bipartisan measure would modernize the 30-year-old Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), allowing U.S. intelligence agencies to eavesdrop, without court approval, on foreign targets thought to be outside the United States. It also provides certain retroactive immunity from lawsuits to telephone companies that participated in a post-Sept. 11 surveillance program that operated outside court review.
(End of excerpt)
Full story at link by Sean Lengell// The Washington Times
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Additional sources covering this story:
Associated Press: "House passes new surveillance law"
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hJKgeE0Z-SivATjok-ut...
The New York Times: "House Passes Bill on Federal Wiretapping Powers"
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/21/washington/21fisacnd....
Wall Street Journal: "FISA Amendments Act of 2008" [fact sheet]
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121391360949290049.html...
The Washington Post: "Obama Supports FISA Legislation, Angering Left"
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/06/20/oba...
Bill would allow U.S. to eavesdrop without court warrant ... more
-
related topics
Civil Liberties
Contributors (387)
Civil Liberties
