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Congress Welcomes Drones Into American Skies ASAP

WarOnYou — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:33:02 +0000

Congress Welcomes Drones Into American Skies ASAP

February 5, 2012

By Michael Edwards
Activist Post

The stage has already been set and played upon for divisions of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to patrol and strike undeclared war zones abroad.

Even though lip service has been paid to express minor outrage over villages bombed in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, or someplace “over there,” there has been relatively little true outrage by countries heretofore unaffected by computer bombing raids upon their own Homeland — countries like America.

Well, seeing is believing they say.

Americans are next in line to get their chance to see firsthand what has been happening overseas — a close-up view of what takes place on computer screens in Tel Aviv or Las Vegas.

The Boomerang Effect has taken flight.

The treason of American Congress seems to know no bounds, as it has submitted an urgent official request to the Secretary of Transportation to invite potential remote-controlled war upon American soil by integrating Unmanned Aerial Systems into civilian airspace to be overseen by the FAA. (Source)

The drone program inside the United States has advanced at warp speed since 2007 when tests were first captured by the media. Since that time, we have witnessed local police departments such as Miami-Dade County, FL outfit their force with micro-drones. However, it wasn’t until the first drone test-run for law enforcement was conducted in North Dakota, that even staunch naysayers to claims of militarization had to pay closer attention. Drones for cattle rustling? WTF?

Now, just a couple of months later, we can read the “Conference Report on FAA Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2012,” which does nothing less than give approval to turn American skies into a virtual battlefield that threatens to mirror the declaration of the NDAA that America (indeed the entire planet) should be outfitted with the tactics and technology of the War on Terror.An open fly zone for drones has been declared, with Department of Defense authorization to maximize capabilities.

The report’s opening paragraph ends with ominous foreshadowing after stating the normal bureaucratic political lingo about an effort to “streamline programs” and “create efficiencies.”

Mr. Mica submitted the following conference report and statement on the bill (H.R. 658) to amend title 49, United States Code, to authorize appropriations for the Federal Aviation Administration for fiscal years 2011 through 2014, to streamline programs, create efficiencies, reduce waste, and improve aviation safety and capacity, to provide stable funding for the national aviation system, and for other purposes:

“And for other purposes…”

Please read the proposal in full, as it is nothing less than the openly stated plan for a future of total full-time surveillance, an increased number of testing sites similar to the “secret” facilityrecently uncovered in Nevada, and most likely brings with it a threat of future bombing raids in America and surrounding territories.Read the full “Conference Report on HR 658 FAA Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2012″ HERE

Source: http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2012/02/faa_drones.html

Inattention to Civilian Deaths in America’s Wars

WarOnYou — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 06:55:26 +0000

Inattention to Civilian Deaths in America’s Wars

February 5, 2012

Print Version

Source: Washington Post

Source: Washington Post

Why do we ignore the civilians killed in American wars?

This inattention to civilian deaths in America’s wars isn’t unique to Iraq. There’s little evidence that the American public gives much thought to the people who live in the nations where our military interventions take place. Think about the memorials on the Mall honoring American sacrifices in Korea and Vietnam. These are powerful, sacred spots, but neither mentions the people of those countries who perished in the conflicts.

The base’s mortuary is under investigation for mishandling soldiers’ remains, including dumping their ashes in a landfill.

The major wars the United States has fought since the surrender of Japan in 1945 — in Korea, Indochina, Iraq and Afghanistan — have produced colossal carnage. For most of them, we do not have an accurate sense of how many people died, but a conservative estimate is at least 6 million civilians and soldiers.

Our lack of acknowledgment is less oversight than habit, a self-reflective reaction to the horrors of war and an American tradition that goes back decades. We consider ourselves a generous and compassionate nation, and often we are. From the Asian tsunami in 2004 toHurricane Katrina in 2005 and the Haiti earthquake in 2010, Americans have been quick to open their pocketbooks and their hearts.

However, when it comes to our wars overseas, concern for the victims is limited to U.S. troops. When concern for the native populations is expressed, it tends to be more strategic than empathetic, as with Gen. David H. Petraeus’s acknowledgment in late 2006 that harsh U.S. tactics were alienating Iraqi civilians and undermining Operation Iraqi Freedom. The switch to counterinsurgency, which involves more restraint by the military, was billed as a change that would save the U.S. mission, not primarily as a strategy to reduce civilian deaths.

Read More…

FL Police roll out video surveillance truck called ‘The Peacemaker’…

WarOnYou — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:04:28 +0000

FL Police roll out video surveillance truck called ‘The Peacemaker’…

January 30, 2012

Print Version

Source: Sun Sentinel

Tania Ouaknine is convinced the police are watching her.

She’s not paranoid — it says as much on the red sign painted along the side on the hulking armored truck that’s been parked in front of her eight-room Parisian Motel for several days.

“Warning: You are under video surveillance,” reads the bold message on the side of the truck.

From the front bumper of the menacing vehicle, another sign taunts: “Whatcha gonna do when we come for you?”

The truck is a new weapon for the Fort Lauderdale Police Department in the fight against drugs and neighborhood nuisances, and it looks like a Winnebago on steroids. They call it “The Peacemaker,” and it may be a first in South Florida.

Mixing high tech with simplicity, the in-your-face strategy is straightforward: load an out-of-service armored truck with some of the latest surveillance equipment available and decorate it with police emblems. Then, simply leave it parked in front of trouble spots.

“Make no mistakes about it,” said Detective Travis Mandell. “We want people to know that we are watching the bad guys.”

Read More…

Illinois Semi Automatic Firearm Owners: Be Aware of HB1294

WarOnYou — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:41:31 +0000

Illinois Semi Automatic Firearm Owners: Be Aware of HB1294

January 27th, 2012

If you bother to read the full text of the legislation, you’ll find that the definition of “assault weapons” is very broad and covers a lot of rifles, handguns and shotguns.

Via: Illinois General Assembly:

Synopsis As Introduced
Amends the Criminal Code of 1961. Provides that 90 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act, it is unlawful for any person within this State to knowingly manufacture, deliver, sell, purchase, or possess or cause to be manufactured, delivered, sold, purchased, or possessed a semi-automatic assault weapon, an assault weapon attachment, any .50 caliber rifle, or .50 caliber cartridge. Provides that beginning 90 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act, it is unlawful for any person within this State to knowingly manufacture, deliver, sell, purchase, or possess or cause to be manufactured, delivered, sold, purchased, or possessed a large capacity ammunition feeding device. Provides that these provisions do not apply to a person who possessed a prohibited weapon, device, or attachment before the effective date of this amendatory Act if the person has provided proof of ownership to the Department of State Police within 90 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act. Provides that on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act, such person may transfer such device only to an heir, an individual residing in another state maintaining that device in another state, or a dealer licensed as a federal firearms dealer. Specifies penalties for violations. Provides exemptions. Provides that the provisions of the Act are severable. Effective immediately.

Is The NYPD Experimenting With Drones Over The City? Evidence Points To Yes

WarOnYou — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 04:57:28 +0000

Is The NYPD Experimenting With Drones Over The City? Evidence Points To Yes

January 24, 2012

Print Version

Source: CBS NewYork

They’re used in war zones for surveillance and military strikes.

But are there plans to deploy drones in the Big Apple to keep an eye on New Yorkers?

More and more people believe it’s inevitable, reports CBS 2’s Don Dahler.

Drones are unmanned aircraft that can fly at low altitudes and shoot live video — or shoot live missiles.

Surveillance cameras already dot the city’s streets, but is the NYPD exploring the use of even more eyes in the skies, in the form of drones? Some evidence points to yes.

A website named Gay City News posted an e-mail it says it acquired through the Freedom of Information Act. It’s purportedly from a detective in the NYPD counterterrorism division, asking the Federal Aviation Administration about the use of unmanned aerial vehicles as a law enforcement tool.

And the following is part of a recent interview with Commission Ray Kelly that raised more questions than it answered.

“In an extreme situation, you would have some means to take down a plane,” Kelly told “60 Minutes.”

Drones are already being used by law enforcement in other cities. CBS 2 has obtained footage of a huge protest in Poland a few months ago, shot by a small drone that could fly a few dozen feet right over the heads of the crowd and the police. High-resolution cameras can capture every detail, including faces and license plate numbers. In this country, Miami and several cities in Texas are experimenting with such aircraft.

Read More….

Protesting Internet Censorship

WarOnYou — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 09:34:07 +0000

Protesting Internet Censorship

by Stephen Lendman

January 19, 2012

On May 12, 2011, Senator Patrick Leahy (D. VT) introduced “S. 968: Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011 (PROTECT IP).” Referred to the Judiciary Committee, May 26 hearings were held. Debate’s scheduled for next week.

On October 26, 2011 Rep. Lamar Smith (R. TX) introduced “HR 3261: Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA): To promote prosperity, creativity, entrepreneurship, and innovation by combating the theft of US property, and for other purposes” Referred to the House Judiciary Committee, markup continues.

Leahy, Smith, and congressional supporters claim the measures protect corporate investments against online piracy. In fact, they’re about censorship and subverting Internet freedom.

If enacted, Internet service providers (ISPs), search engines, and other information location tools will have to block user access to sites accused (rightly or wrongly) of very loosely defined copyright infringement.

In other words, they’ll blacklist and shut them down arbitrarily to silence them. Media giants will have unprecedented powers. So will Congress and the administration. Internet freedom will be jeopardized. So will a free and open society.

Provisions empower the Attorney General to cut off access and funding for alleged “parasite” foreign and domestic sites. An Internet czar will decide if US interests are harmed. Courts will enforce police state rulings.

Both bills are so deeply flawed, they can’t be fixed. Killing them is the only option.

Global Protest

Sopastrike.com‘s web site headlines, “WEB GOES ON STRIKE! saying:

“January 18, 2012 is the largest online protest in history, to stop the Internet censorship bills, SOPA & PIPA. Join in by blacking out your site and urging everyone you can reach to contact Congress now.”

With many others, Wikipedia‘s “blacking out the English (site) for 24 hours, beginning at midnight January 18, Eastern Time.” During the blackout, information on SOPA and PROTECT IP will stay available.

Google‘s site headlined, “End Piracy, Not Liberty,” saying:

SOPA and PROTECT IP will “censor the Internet and slow economic growth in the US.”

“Tell Congress: Don’t censor the Web.”

It also urges readers to sign a petition, expressing opposition to Congress.

January 18′s just the beginning. On January 23, a day of action’s planned when the Senate reconvenes. Despite growing opposition, supporters want quick action to pass PROTECT IP, SOPA’s companion bill.

The Battle to Save Internet Freedom

On January 16, the Electronic Freedom Foundation (EFF) headlined, “How PIPA and SOPA Violate White House Principles Supporting Free Speech and Innovation,” saying:

Despite alleged White House opposition, “the fight is still far from over.” Senate debate begins next week. Expect House action to follow soon. In fact, chief SOPA sponsor, Rep. Lamar Smith (R. TX), said markup will proceed in February.

Internet freedom’s on the line. So aren’t First Amendment rights without which all others are at risk. EFF explained worrisome provisions, including:

(1) Alleged copyright infringement lets government suppress information it wants censored.

(2) ISPs, search engines, and other information tools will be forced to comply.

(3) Web sites will have to “block anything from a user post about browser add-ons like DeSopa, to a simple list of IP addresses of already-blocked sites.”

(4) Vague language gives authorities broad discretion.

(5) Investments in online startups will be affected.

(6) Open source software will be decimated.

(7) A “vigilante” provision grants immunity to ISPs for over-blocking “innocent users or block sites voluntarily with no judicial oversight at all.” As a result, abuse potential is incalculable. Moreover, intermediaries only need show “good faith” and act on what they deem “credible evidence.”

(8) Copyright holders will be able to get unopposed court orders to cut off foreign sites from payment processors and advertisers.

(10) The Attorney General will be authorized to block domain name services and be able to de-list sites from search engines. According to Google chairman Eric Schmidt, it “criminalize(s) linking and the fundamental structure of the Internet itself.”

The same provision applies to payment processors and advertisers.

In addition, heavy litigation costs will deter falsely accused sites from contesting a guilty until proved innocent dilemma effectively. They could go broke trying.

As a result, SOPA and PROTECT IP will “drastically change the way we use the Internet (for the worse), and punish millions of innocent users” who never thought about copyright infringement. According to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian:

These bills are “the equivalent of being angry and trying to take action against Ford just because a Mustang was used in a bank robbery.”

“These bills must be stopped,” says EFF, “if we want to protect free speech and innovation on the web.”

“Please take action now and tell your Congressional representative you oppose the blacklist bills.”

Do it easily on EFF’s blacklist.eff.org.

EFF’s one-page guide about the blacklist bills also provides relevant information to review and share with others.

Heavyweights Face Off on Both Sides

Powerful interests represent both sides. Opponents include Google, Yahoo, Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Twitter, AOL, You Tube, Linkedin, Mozilla, Roblox, Reddit, the Wikimedia Foundation, EFF, the ACLU, Human Rights Watch, the libertarian CATO Institute, the Library Copyright Alliance (including the American Library Association), and dozens of others.

Virtually the entire tech industry united in opposition, including Adobe, Apple, Dell, Electronic Arts, Intel, Intuit, McAfee, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony (excluding Sony Music and Picture), Sybase, Symantec, and many others.

Some initially offered support, then softened positions. In a joint statement, they said:

“Valid and important questions have been raised about the(se) bill(s). As (they) now (stand, they) could sweep in more than just truly egregious actors.” Redefinitions of who can be prosecuted are needed. “Unintended consequences must be avoided.”

“Due process, free speech, and privacy are rights (too important to) be compromised.” The Business Software Alliance (BSA) “has long stood against filtering or monitoring the Internet. All of these concerns should be duly considered and addressed.”

Supporters include News Corp’s Rupert Murdoch, AFL-CIO, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Chamber of Commerce, Motion Picture Association of America, Recording Industry Association of America, National Association of Broadcasters, McGraw-Hill, Macmillan US, other book publishers, Viacom, other companies with cable, film and music interests, trademark dependent companies like Nike and L’Oreal. ASCAP, Caterpillar, Ford, Comcast, the NBA, NCAA, MLB, Netflix, Philip Morris, Pfizer, Time Warner, Wal-Mart, and many others.

In over 90,000 local groups, Meetup has more than 10 million people involved. Its web site headlines, “Meetups mobilize against PIPA and SOPA,” saying:

The 20,000-member strong New York Tech Meetup (NYTM) “declared an emergency (January 18) Meetup” outside the New York offices of Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.

NYTM’s “calling on every concerned resident to take to the streets. In solidarity, the Hackers and Founders Meetup of the Bay area scheduled their own Meetup to rally” support.

Other actions will follow.

On January 17, Save the Internet.com headlined “Momentum Builds Against SOPA and PIPA,” saying:

“Millions of Internet users have succeeded in slowing down the Hollywood-funded momentum of the bills.” After initially staying largely silent, the major media “finally w(oke) up.”

A Final Comment

A White House statement tried having it both ways, saying:

“We will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet.”

At the same time, it said “online piracy is a real problem that harms the American economy, threatens jobs for significant numbers of middle class workers and hurts some of our nation’s most creative and innovative companies and entrepreneurs.”

It also “call(ed) on all sides to work together to pass sound legislation this year that provides prosecutors and rights holders new legal tools to combat online piracy originating beyond US borders.”

It was typical Obama, feigning opposition while supporting the bills’ core provisions.

At issue is a free and open Internet, the last frontier of free expression. At this stage, it’s very much up for grabs.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

Rights Groups’ Report: NATO Committed War Crimes in Libya

WarOnYou — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 09:12:04 +0000

Rights Groups’ Report: NATO Committed War Crimes in Libya

January 20, 2012

Print Version

Source: Anti-War

A new report has been released by three Middle Eastern human rights groups to detail the results of a “fact-finding mission” to post-Gadhafi Libya. The report was unique in looking not only at human rights violations by the former regime, but also by the NATO forces that attacked the nation.

And as has been the case on those rare occasions when an NGO has cared to look, NATO’s behavior in Libya is far less rosy than the alliance claims it to be. The report points to major human rights violations and war crimes committed during the hostilities.

The deadliest single incident considered a war crime was in Gadhafi’s hometown of Sirte, where NATO warplanes killed “approximately 47 civilians” in an attack on September 15. They also faulted NATO for listing public schools and food distribution centers as “military targets” and then bombing them.

In addition to the killings by NATO, the report also faulted the National Transitional Council (NTC) on a number of fronts, particularly the destruction of the town of Tawergha, once 30,000 people, which is now a ghost town since its capture by Misrata rebels.

Read More…

TSA Admits Wrongdoing in Cases of Two Elderly Woman Who Claim They Were Strip-Searched

WarOnYou — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 07:26:13 +0000

TSA Admits Wrongdoing in Cases of Two Elderly Woman Who Claim They Were Strip-Searched

January 19th, 2012

Via: New York Daily News:

In an about-face, the feds have admitted wrongdoing in the cases of two elderly women who say they were strip-searched at Kennedy Airport by overzealous screeners.

Federal officials had initially insisted that all “screening procedures were followed” after Ruth Sherman, 89, and Lenore Zimmerman, 85, went public with separate accounts of humiliating strip searches.

But in a letter obtained by the Daily News, the Homeland Security Department acknowledges that screeners violated standard practice in their treatment of the ailing octogenarians last November.

Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Betsy Markey concedes to state Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Queens) that Sherman was forced to show security agents her colostomy bag — a violation of policy.

“It is not standard operating procedure for colostomy devices to be visually inspected, and [the Transportation Security Administration\] apologizes for this employee’s action,” Markey wrote.

NYPD developing portable body scanner for detecting concealed weapons

WarOnYou — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 06:57:50 +0000

NYPD developing portable body scanner for detecting concealed weapons

January 18, 2012

Print Version

Source: Gizmag

The NYPD is developing a new device that can detect whether a perp is carrying heat without frisking him, Commissioner Ray Kelly announced today.

The large mechanism uses infrared rays to scan a “form of radiation emitted from the body” of someone who is concealing a gun on the streets of the Big Apple, Kelly said at the Police Foundation’s State of the NYPD breakfast.

Since the infrared rays cannot pass through metal, the device provides officers with a digital outline of exactly where the firearm has been tucked away on the subject’s body, Kelly said.

NYPD

An image of how the scanner would help cops spot a gun.

Three years ago, the department started working with the United States Department of Defense and a manufacturer to develop the new technology.

Kelly said the device only works at a short range – 3 to 4 feet away – but that he’s hoping it will operate at a farther distance of 25 meters.

The gadget will be mounted on an NYPD van with the infrared rays shooting up the street at the person.

Obama czar proposed government should ‘infiltrate’ social network sites, chat rooms, message boards.

WarOnYou — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 08:00:12 +0000

Obama czar proposed government should ‘infiltrate’ social network sites, chat rooms, message boards.

January 13, 2012

Print Version

By Arron Klein

Just prior to his appointment as President Obama’s so-called regulatory czar, Cass Sunstein wrote a lengthy academic paper suggesting the government should “infiltrate” social network websites, chat rooms and message boards.

Such “cognitive infiltration,” Sunstein argued, should be used to enforce a U.S. government ban on “conspiracy theorizing.”

Among the beliefs Sunstein classified as a “conspiracy theory” is advocating that the theory of global warming is a deliberate fraud.

The find comes as a government document reportedly relates the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s command center routinely monitors dozens of popular websites, including Facebook, Twitter, Hulu, WikiLeaks and news sites including the Huffington Post and Drudge Report.

Reuters reported that a “privacy compliance review” issued by DHS last November confirms that since at least June 2010, the department’s national operations center has been operating a “Social Networking/Media Capability” which involves regular monitoring of “publicly available online forums, blogs, public websites and message boards.”

US seeking to ‘close down’ Iran central bank

WarOnYou — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 07:54:33 +0000

US seeking to ‘close down’ Iran central bank

January 12, 2012

Print Version

Source: Breitbart

The latest round of American sanctions are aimed at shutting down Iran’s central bank,a senior US official said Thursday, spelling out that intention directly for the first time.

“We do need to close down the Central Bank of Iran (CBI),” the official told reporters on condition of anonymity, while adding that the United States is moving quickly to implement the sanctions, signed into law last month.

The sanctions, broadly aimed at forcing Tehran to shift course on its nuclear program, targeted Iran’s crucial oil sector and required foreign firms to make a choice between doing business with Iran or the United States.

Foreign central banks that deal with the Iranian central bank on oil transactions could also face similar restrictions under the new law, which has sparked fears of damage to US ties with nations like Russia and China.

“If a correspondent bank of a US bank wants to do business with us and they’re doing business with CBI or other designated Iranian banks… then they’re going to get in trouble with us,” the US official said.

Read More…

“Close Guantánamo” Campaign and Website Launches: Retired Military Personnel, Lawyers Call for the Closure of Guantánamo After 10 Years

WarOnYou — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 08:11:52 +0000

“Close Guantánamo” Campaign and Website Launches: Retired Military Personnel, Lawyers Call for the Closure of Guantánamo After 10 Years

Andy Worthington

January 11, 2012

Yesterday, at “Guantánamo Forever?” an event at the New America Foundation in Washington D.C., attorney Tom Wilner and journalist Andy Worthington launched “Close Guantánamo,” a new campaign and website designed to provide education about the ongoing injustice of Guantánamo, to provide a focus for those who believe that the prison must be closed, and to provide methods for people to show their support for the closure of Guantánamo. A sign-up page is here, where supporters can help to build up a body of opposition to the ongoing existence of Guantánamo, and to show the Obama administration, Congress and the media how many people are dissatisfied with the President’s inability to close the prison, and the actions of Congress to actively prevent its miserable 10-year history from coming to an end.

In addition, a petition calling for the closure of the prison is on the White House’s “We the People” website, and 25,000 signatures are required within 30 days to secure a response from the White House.

Below is the press release that was issued yesterday announcing the launch of the “Close Guantánamo” campaign and website. Please also join the campaign on Facebook and Twitter.

For the 10th anniversary of the opening of the “war on terror” prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba (on Jan. 11), a group of retired military personnel and lawyers are calling on President Obama to honor his promise to close the prison, which he made when he took office in January 2009.

Signatories to the mission statement for the “Close Guantánamo” campaign include: Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, Chief of Staff to former Secretary of State Colin Powell; the Hon. John J. Gibbons, former Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit; Gen. David M. Brahms (Ret.); Rear Adm. Donald J. Guter (Ret.); Rear Adm. John D. Hutson (Ret.); Col. Morris Davis, former chief prosecutor for the Military Commissions at Guantánamo; and several lawyers who have been involved in the litigation involving Guantánamo and the 171 prisoners still held there.

The mission statement also notes that over half of the remaining 171 prisoners — 89 men in total — have been cleared for release or transfer, and, as the signatories explain:

“It is unacceptable that the U.S. government continues to hold men that its own national security experts have recommended for release or transfer, and that Congress has intervened to maintain this deplorable state of affairs.”

The signatories also note:

“Guantánamo harms our nation every day it stays open, and it continues to serve as a potent symbol for terrorist recruitment.”

The “Close Guantánamo” campaign invites anyone opposed to the continued existence of Guantánamo to sign up to the campaign, to show the President and Congress that there is significant support for the prison’s closure, and also to sign a petition on the White House’s “We the People” website, calling for the prison’s closure. The White House commits to respond to any petition that receives 25,000 signatures within 30 days.

In the months to come, the website will feature stories of the remaining prisoners, via their lawyers, and important background information about the prison, the men held there, and the reasons why the prison is still open, to help people understand why this remains an issue of great importance.

The Steering Committee members are: Gary A. Isaac and Tom Wilner, attorneys who were involved in litigation on behalf of the Guantánamo prisoners before the Supreme Court, and Andy Worthington, journalist and author.

For further information about the petition, Gary A. Isaac can be contacted here.

For further information about the website, and about the campaign in general, Andy Worthington can be contacted here.

Andy Worthington is the author of The Guantánamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America’s Illegal Prison (published by Pluto Press, distributed by Macmillan in the US, and available from Amazon — click on the following for the US and the UK) and of two other books: Stonehenge: Celebration and Subversion and The Battle of the Beanfield. To receive new articles in your inbox, please subscribe to my RSS feed (and I can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, Digg and YouTube). Also see my definitive Guantánamo prisoner list, updated in June 2011, “The Complete Guantánamo Files,” a 70-part, million-word series drawing on files released by WikiLeaks in April 2011, and details about the documentary film, “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo” (co-directed by Polly Nash and Andy Worthington, and available on DVD here — or here for the US). Also see my definitive Guantánamo habeas list and the chronological list of all my articles, and, if you appreciate my work, feel free to make a donation.

Homeland Security Watches Twitter, Social Media, Blogs

WarOnYou — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 08:07:03 +0000

Homeland Security Watches Twitter, Social Media, Blogs

January 12th, 2012

Cryptogon readers yawn even more deeply than usual…

Via: Reuters:

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s command center routinely monitors dozens of popular websites, including Facebook, Twitter, Hulu, WikiLeaks and news and gossip sites including the Huffington Post and Drudge Report, according to a government document.

A “privacy compliance review” issued by DHS last November says that since at least June 2010, its national operations center has been operating a “Social Networking/Media Capability” which involves regular monitoring of “publicly available online forums, blogs, public websites and message boards.”

The purpose of the monitoring, says the government document, is to “collect information used in providing situational awareness and establishing a common operating picture.”

The document adds, using more plain language, that such monitoring is designed to help DHS and its numerous agencies, which include the U.S. Secret Service and Federal Emergency Management Agency, to manage government responses to such events as the 2010 earthquake and aftermath in Haiti and security and border control related to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.

A DHS official familiar with the monitoring program said that it was intended purely to enable command center officials to keep in touch with various Internet-era media so that they were aware of major, developing events to which the Department or its agencies might have to respond.

The document outlining the monitoring program says that all the websites which the command center will be monitoring were “publicly available and… all use of data published via social media sites was solely to provide more accurate situational awareness, a more complete common operating pictures, and more timely information for decision makers…”

…

Among blogs and aggregators on the list are ABC News’ investigative blog “The Blotter;” blogs that cover bird flu; several blogs related to news and activity along U.S. borders (DHS runs border and immigration agencies); blogs that cover drug trafficking and cybercrime; and websites that follow wildfires in Los Angeles and hurricanes.

News and gossip sites on the monitoring list include popular destinations such as the Drudge Report, Huffington Post and “NY Times Lede Blog”, as well as more focused techie fare such as the Wired blogs “Threat Level” and “Danger Room.” Numerous blogs related to terrorism and security are also on the list.

Some of the sites on the list are potentially controversial. WikiLeaks is listed for monitoring, even though officials in some other government agencies were warned against using their official computers to access WikiLeaks material because much of it is still legally classified under U.S. government rules.

Another blog on the list, Cryptome, also periodically posts leaked documents and was one of the first websites to post information related to the Homeland Security monitoring program.

Also on the list are JihadWatch and Informed Comment, blogs that cover issues related to Islam through sharp political prisms, which have sometimes led critics to accuse the sites of political bias.

Also on the list are various video and photo-sharing sites, including Hulu, Youtube and Flickr.

While a DHS official involved in the monitoring program confirmed the authenticity of the list, officials authorized to speak for the Department did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.

The US-Iran economic war

WarOnYou — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 08:04:31 +0000

The US-Iran economic war

January 7, 2012

Print Version

By Pepe Escobar
Asia Times

NEW YORK – Here’s a crash course on how to further wreck the global economy.

A key amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act signed by United States President Barack Obama on the last day of 2011 – when no one was paying attention – imposes sanctions on any countries or companies that buy Iranian oil and pay for it through Iran’s central bank. Starting this summer, anybody who does it is prevented from doing business with the US.

This amendment – for all practical purposes a declaration of economic war – was brought to you by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), on direct orders of the Israeli government under Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu.

Torrents of spin have tried to rationalize it as the Obama administration’s plan B as opposed to letting the Israeli dogs of war conduct an unilateral attack on Iran over its supposed nuclear weapons program.

Yet the original Israeli strategy was in fact even more hysterical – as in effectively preventing any country or company from paying for imported Iranian oil, with the possible exceptions of China and India. On top of it, American Israel-firsters were trying to convince anyone this would not result in relentless oil price hikes.

Once again displaying a matchless capacity to shoot themselves in their Ferragamo-clad feet, governments in the European Union (EU) are debating whether or not to buy oil from Iran anymore. The existential doubt is should we start now or wait for a few months. Inevitably, like death and taxes, the result has been – what else – oil prices soaring. Brent crude is now hovering around $114, and the only way is up.

Full article here

Rick Santorum’s anti-gun history

WarOnYou — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:56:14 +0000

Rick Santorum’s anti-gun history

Dudley Brown -National Gun Rights Association

He is refusing to tell gun owners in Iowa where he stands on important Second Amendment issues.

Despite repeated attempts for Rick Santorum to return his National Association for Gun Rights Presidential Survey 100% in favor of our gun rights, he has time and time again remained silent.

Please call Rick Santorum right now and demand he return his National Association for Gun Rights Presidential Survey — at once.

His South Carolina office: 855-206-7425
His New Hampshire office: 603-518-5199

Would Rick Santorum repeal the Brady Gun Owner Registration Scheme? Oppose the UN “Small Arms Treaty”? Call for a repeal of the Lautenberg Gun Ban and the Criminal Safezones Act?

My experience shows me that candidates who refuse to return gun rights surveys and answer important Second Amendment questions are almost always hiding something. Hiding anti-gun political views.

The fact is, Rick Santorum does have a long history of supporting gun control.

In the 90s, he voted to support the Lautenberg Gun Ban, which stripped law-abiding gun owners of their Second Amendment rights for life, simply because they spanked their children or did nothing more than grab a spouses wrist.

He voted for a bill in 1999 disguised as an attempt to increase penalties on drug traffickers with guns… but it also included a provision to require federal background checks at gun shows.

And then he voted with gun-controlling Democrats Dianne Fienstein and Frank Lautenberg to mandate locks on handguns in 2005.

But worst of all, Rick Santorum has a storied history of bailing out anti-gun Republicans facing reelection.

Rick Santorum came to anti-gun Arlen Specter’s defense in 2004 when he was down in the polls against pro-gun Republican Pat Toomey. Specter won and continued to push for gun control during his years in the Senate.

He also supported and openly campaigned for anti-gun New Jersey governor, Christine Todd Whitman.

The evidence is clear. Not only is Rick Santorum refusing to reveal where he stands on important Second Amendment issues, he has a long record of supporting anti-gun legislation and politicians.

Please call Rick Santorum and demand he apologize for his past support of gun control.

His South Carolina office: 855-206-7425
His New Hampshire office: 603-518-5199

Gun owners have serious unanswered questions from many of the Republican Presidential candidates in Iowa — Santorum, Romney, Gingrich and Perry.

Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich have anti-gun records that rival Santorum’s record.

All four have refused to return their National Association for Gun Rights Presidential Surveys.

My experience tells me that they are hiding anti-gun positions.

For Freedom,
Dudley Brown
Executive Director”

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