Tag Archives: Bullshit Artists

Greek bank official dismisses ‘haircut’ report as “baseless”

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“Greek leaders have repeatedly dismissed the possibility they will have to ‘bail-in’ depositors to prevent the collapse of the banking system.  But citing bankers and businesspeople with knowledge of the measures, the Financial Times reported: ‘The plans, which call for a ‘haircut’ of at least 30 percent on deposits above 8,000 euros, sketch out an increasingly likely scenario for at least one bank.’  The report quoted a source as saying: ‘It (the haircut) would take place in the context of an overall restructuring of the bank sector once Greece is back in a bailout programme.’ The head of Greece’s Bank Association dismissed the report as ‘completely baseless’.”

http://www.cnbc.com/id/102809199

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FBI admits no major cases cracked with Patriot Act snooping powers

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“Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz said that between 2004 and 2009, theFBI tripled its use of bulk collection under Section 215 of the Patriot Act, which allows government agents to compel businesses to turn over records and documents, and increasingly scooped up records of Americans who had no ties to official terrorism investigations. Backers say the Patriot Act powers are critical and must be kept intact, particularly with the spread of the threat from terrorists. But opponents have doubted the efficacy of Section 215, particularly when it’s used to justify bulk data collection such as in the case of the National Security Agency’s phone metadata program.”

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/may/21/fbi-admits-patriot-act-snooping-powers-didnt-crack/?page=all

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For Terrorist Fearmongers, It’s Always the Scariest Time Ever

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“Here we are 14 years after 9/11, and it’s still always the worst threat ever in all of history, never been greater. If we always face the greatest threat ever, then one of two things is true: 1) fearmongers serially exaggerate the threat for self-interested reasons, or 2) they’re telling the truth — the threat is always getting more severe, year after year — which might mean we should evaluate the wisdom of ‘terrorism’ policies that constantly make the problem worse. Whatever else is true, the people who should have the least credibility on the planet are the Lindsey Grahams and Dianne Feinsteins who have spent the last 15 years exploiting the terror threat in order to terrorize the American population.”

https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/06/02/fear-mongers-always-scariest-time-ever/

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Don’t Worry, the Government Still Has Plenty of Surveillance Power

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“The story being spun by the defenders of Section 215 of the Patriot Act and the Obama Administration is that if the law sunsets entirely, the government will lose critical surveillance capabilities. The fearmongering includes President Obama, who said: ‘heaven forbid we’ve got a problem where we could’ve prevented a terrorist attack or could’ve apprehended someone who was engaged in dangerous activity but we didn’t do so.’  So how real is this concern? Not very. Section 215 is only one of a number of largely overlapping surveillance authorities, and the loss of the current version of the law will leave the government with a range of tools that is still incredibly powerful.”

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/05/dont-worry-government-still-has-plenty-surveillance-power-if-section-215-sunsets

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Zombie Patriot Act Will Keep U.S. Spying—Even if the Original Dies

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“For starters, there will be what’s left of the Patriot Act itself. One former U.S. intelligence official told The Daily Beast that Section 214 of the law, which allows ‘pen register/trap & trace,’ could be used to collect phone and even email records. That former official and another both noted that there are other tools, including under different laws than the Patriot Act, for obtaining ‘roving wiretaps,’ which allow the government to monitor one person’s multiple communications devices.  Then there’s another powerful tool that the FBI and intelligence agencies have long had in their arsenal and still will—national security letters.”

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/05/31/zombie-patriot-act-will-keep-u-s-spying-even-if-the-original-dies.html

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LA Unions Demand Exemption from $15 Minimum Wage They Created

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“Unions want to give workers and business the option — the freedom! — to prioritize what’s important to them and negotiate their own pay! Isn’t that nice. But only if those workers are paying union dues, and only if those businesses are using union labor.  The minimum wage hike was always meant to make independent workers more expensive and make unions look better by comparison. But it’s a bold move for the unions to simply say, in one breath, ‘Everyone deserves a living wage! It’ll be good for everyone! Except us, thank you. We’ll set our own pay — and also, give a break to any businesses who agree to go back to union labor.'”

http://fee.org/anythingpeaceful/detail/la-unions-demand-exemption-from-15-minimum-wage-they-created

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Bank Of England Outs Itself Lying About EU Referendum

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“The Bank blew its cover on Friday when it accidentally emailed details of the project – including how the bank intended to fend off any inquiries about its work – direct to the Guardian. According to the confidential email, the press and most staff in Threadneedle Street must be kept in the dark about the work underway, which has been dubbed Project Bookend. It spells out that if anyone asks about the project, the taskforce must say the investigation has nothing to do with the referendum, saying only that staff are involved in examining ‘a broad range of European economic issues’ that concern the Bank.”

http://www.thedailybell.com/news-analysis/36313/Central-Bank-Caught-Lying/

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Why the Current PATRIOT Act Debate Doesn’t Matter Much

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“There were 180 orders authorized last year by the FISA Court under Section 215 — 180 orders issued by this court. Only five of those orders relate to the telephony metadata program. There are 175 orders about completely separate things. In six weeks, Congress will either reauthorize this statute or let it expire, and we’re having a debate — to the extent we’re even having a debate — but the debate that’s taking place is focused on five of the 180, and there’s no debate at all about the other 175 orders.”

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2015/05/why_the_current.html

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Follow-the-Data Fed May Play Follow-the-Markets to Avoid Shock

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“The Federal Reserve may be about to discover that letting the data drive its decisions on raising interest rates is easier said than done.  Fed Chair Janet Yellen’s new strategy, a departure from six years of explicit guidance, calls for adjusting policy according to how the economy evolves. That will make it harder for investors to predict the Fed’s decisions, and risks hurting growth if a surprise triggers a surge in bond yields that stifles business investment and starves the housing recovery.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-11/follow-the-data-fed-may-play-follow-the-markets-to-avoid-shock

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Judge rules Portland teen not guilty after phone video contradicts police

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“Circuit Judge Diana Stuart ruled that Thai Gurule, a Roosevelt High School sophomore, didn’t resist arrest. He also didn’t strangle and assault police officers, she said.  In a strongly worded decision, which took more than 15 minutes to read aloud, the judge said the officers put Gurule at significant risk of injury in ‘a melee of fists and punches and bodies falling upon him.’  The judge said that although police at first might have intended to be gentle with Gurule as they took him into custody, their actions turned into ‘a senseless and aggressive’ show of excessive force.  The judge had previously ruled that police committed an unlawful stop of Gurule.”

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2015/03/judge_rules_portland_teen_xxxx.html

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