Tag Archives: Dialectical Maneuvers

Victory Against Patriot Act; URGENT action still needed

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“The USA Freedom Act failed to achieve enough votes in the Senate on Friday night. This was okay with McConnell, because it meant he could push for a two-month extension of section 215, and then resume the effort for a better pro-spying bill after Congress returned from recess.  But Rand Paul filibustered and blocked McConnell’s attempts at an extension for 215!  McConnell is left with only one card left to play. Bring the Senate back into session on a SUNDAY, May 31 to try yet again for an extension before 215 expires that midnight. Or…  Observers wonder if he’ll flip-flop on the flawed USA Freedom Act, and endorse it as a replacement?  This is the tactic we must now work to block.”

https://downsizedc.org/blog/patriot-act-victory-urgent-action-still-needed

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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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Thousands of pro-govt protesters rally for Macedonian PM

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“Tens of thousands of demonstrators came together to show their support for Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski on Monday. The rally follows mass anti-government protests, whose opponents claim are being funded and instigated from abroad. If Gruevski does not resign, ‘Macedonia will face a war, just like Ukraine,’ Opposition Social Democrat leader Zoran Zaev threatened over the weekend, as quoted by RIA Novosti. Back in February, Zaev released illegally gathered wiretaps which allegedly exposed the government in breaking democratic rules. The prime minister refuted the allegations, saying the tapes had been doctored.”

http://rt.com/news/259849-macedonia-pro-government-rally/

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‘Fake’ Reform: Little to Celebrate as USA Freedom Act Passes House

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“Despite strong objections from critics, the bill reauthorized Section 215 for other uses and expanded other surveillance mechanisms and powers for government agencies.  Though some progressive groups found it possible to support the bill for its strong stance against the domestic phone records program, tougher critics said that though they welcome the end of that specific program, the USA Freedom Act’s re-authorization of broader Patriot Act powers could not be ignored.  Advocacy groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the ACLU had offered some initial support to earlier versions of the bill, but both groups ultimately withdrew their backing of the law once it reached its final form.”

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/05/14/fake-reform-little-celebrate-usa-freedom-act-passes-house

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GOP Senator: Phone Records Not Enough, Calls For NSA Expansion

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“The Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said on Wednesday that the NSA’s metadata collection program needs to be expanded, adding that he was ‘shocked’ to learn ‘how little data’ was actually being collected.  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has called for a full reauthorization of the Patriot Act, while Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) said he would lead the charge against reauthorization of the bill.  A new bill, the USA Freedom Act, would reportedly end the massive collection of telephone metadata in the U.S. But Corker said he opposes the legislation because the metadata collecting program ‘needs to be ramped up hugely.'”

http://www.ijreview.com/2015/05/320569-top-gop-senator-says-obamas-collection-phone-record-not-enough-calls-expansion-program/

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Fight the Fed from the Inside

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“The Community Advisory Council will meet semiannually with the Board in Washington to offer diverse perspectives on the economic circumstances and financial services needs of consumers and communities, with a particular focus on the concerns of low- and moderate-income populations. The Fed says it wants ‘diverse perspectives’ on our financial concerns. One such perspective, held by many citizens, is that fiat money harms everyone, especially the ‘low- and moderate-income Americans’ upon which it expects this Council to focus. Will the Fed’s new advisory council include that perspective?”

http://www.thedailybell.com/news-analysis/36285/Fight-the-Fed-from-the-Inside/

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Republicans: Abandon Benghazi, and Talk about Hillary’s Other Foibles

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“The Republicans could criticize Hillary for her much more important lapses in judgment in advocating the disastrous American use of force on Iraq and Libya in order to take out their respective leaders. Both interventions violated international law and common sense and have turned into chaotic messes that have bred more terrorism. She could also be disparaged for her support for the ineffectual escalation of the Afghan War, the expansion of Obama’s illegal drone wars, and the aborted plans to conduct air strikes against Syria. But all of these criticisms of Hillary’s policy stances and operational diplomatic security lack the sensational ‘gotcha’ that our current presidential campaigns require.”

http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=6376

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Congress Pushes Obama-backed National Biometric ID for Americans

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“The legislation, officially dubbed the ‘Legal Workforce Act‘ (H.R. 1147), is ostensibly aimed at preventing illegal immigrants from obtaining jobs. Among the most troubling elements, though, is that the bill would purport to mandate a national ID card for every American as a condition of working. It would also force every employer in America to purchase and use so-called ‘E-Verify technology’ to check with Washington, D.C., as to whether potential employees have government permission to work. Finally, it would create a massive federal database containing sensitive data on virtually every person in the country — a database that could easily be expanded to include even more information.”

http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/immigration/item/20531-congress-pushes-obama-backed-national-biometric-id-for-americans

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European Commission president calls for building an EU army

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“The European Union needs its own army to help address the problem that it is not ‘taken entirely seriously’ as an international force, the president of the European commission has said.  Jean-Claude Juncker said such a move would help the EU to persuade Russia that it was serious about defending its values in the face of the threat posed by Moscow. Juncker, a longstanding advocate of an EU army, said getting member states to combine militarily would make spending more efficient and would encourage further European integration.  A spokesman for Ukip said Juncker’s comments vindicated warnings that his party had been giving about the direction of EU policy for years.”

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/08/jean-claude-juncker-calls-for-eu-army-european-commission-miltary

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NSA wants ‘front door’ access to users’ encrypted data

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“NSA director Michael S. Rogers suggested tech companies could create a master multi-part encryption key capable of unlocking any device, The Washington Post reports. That way, if the key were broken into pieces, no single person would have the ability to use it. ‘I don’t want a back door,’ Rogers said. ‘I want a front door. And I want the front door to have multiple locks. Big locks.’ Government and law enforcement officials say total encryption could stand in the way of national security operations, while leaders in the tech industry and advocacy groups say the government shouldn’t have complete, unobstructed access to citizens’ private communications.”

http://www.theverge.com/2015/4/12/8392769/nsa-front-door-access-encryption-key

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