You know these words, you just choose to ignore them. " that "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
Like it or not... The GOVERNMENT IS US! Well it's all of us but you, since you refuse to accept any involvement... then no one can blame you.
The government is not US. It's ridiculous to think you have a blind allegiance to a government, and that the actions of the government define you as an individual because of where you are born. The first 18 years of my life, I'm not even eligible to vote. But at the age of 18, MY government can use me as canon fodder to fight the wars started by a government run by people that I was legally forbiden to cast a vote for.
How do you blame the 18 year old drafted to fight in Vietnam when he could not even VOTE for the leaders that sent him to die? He was nothing but property of the State.
BTW, those words you quote above are from Lincoln the destroyer. It is another ad sequitur, he claims it's a government of, by, and for the people, that was shortly after slaughtering hundreds of thousands Americans and forcing them to pledge their allegiance to the Union and Federal Government.
Box, you can continue to base your identity on the actions of a government. That is your problem - not mine. When the war criminals get convicted at The Hague, you can wear that proudly around you neck like an albatross and be remembered by your grand kids and great grand kids as the guy that proudly supported and fought for the murderous government of the early 2000's. The history books will speak highly of you. The History Channel will have episodes showing footage of you flag wavers after showing the wiki leaks footage of the military enthusiastically killing Iraqi's and Afghani's. It'll make your family proud.
The government is not US. It's ridiculous to think you have a blind allegiance to a government, and that the actions of the government define you as an individual because of where you are born. The first 18 years of my life, I'm not even eligible to vote. But at the age of 18, MY government can use me as canon fodder to fight the wars started by a government run by people that I was legally forbiden to cast a vote for.
How do you blame the 18 year old drafted to fight in Vietnam when he could not even VOTE for the leaders that sent him to die? He was nothing but property of the State.
BTW, those words you quote above are from Lincoln the destroyer. It is another ad sequitur, he claims it's a government of, by, and for the people, that was shortly after slaughtering hundreds of thousands Americans and forcing them to pledge their allegiance to the Union and Federal Government.
Box, you can continue to base your identity on the actions of a government. That is your problem - not mine. When the war criminals get convicted at The Hague, you can wear that proudly around you neck like an albatross and be remembered by your grand kids and great grand kids as the guy that proudly supported and fought for the murderous government of the early 2000's. The history books will speak highly of you. The History Channel will have episodes showing footage of you flag wavers after showing the wiki leaks footage of the military enthusiastically killing Iraqi's and Afghani's. It'll make your family proud.
Funny that Cicero considers me a "flag waver"!
I guess much of life is perspective... If you are so far to the extreme... everyone is to your left or to your right!
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
I guess much of life is perspective... If you are so far to the extreme... everyone is to your left or to your right!
It's funny how box puts me on the left/right political spectrum and labels me "extreme". Extreme is never defined.
Talk about perspective.
Quoted Text
Albert Einstein and Jeffery Dahmer could be labeled as "extremists," by virtue of how far their thinking deviated from some norm, provides us no basis upon which to evaluate their thinking or conduct.
I'll place myself on the Albert Einstein side of "extremism". Thanks for the compliment box.
A top Russian official said Edward Snowden should find another country to seek refuge in, "signaling Moscow's growing impatience over the former U.S. spy agency contractor's stay at a Moscow airport." Reuters
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
A citizencriminal from the land of the free - isn't free at all.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
SNOWDEN: these are the same people who blew the whole “we could listen to osama’s cell phone” thing the same people who screwed us on wiretapping over and over and over again [sic] Thank god they’re going out of business.
User19: the NYT?
SNOWDEN: Hopefully they’ll finally go bankrupt this year.yeah.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
Pentagon bracing for public dissent over climate and energy shocks
NSA Prism is motivated in part by fears that environmentally-linked disasters could spur anti-government activism
Leo blog : A gas flare burns at a fracking site in rural Bradford County Pennsylvania US domestic surveillance has targeted anti-fracking activists across the country. Photograph: Les Stone/REUTERS
Top secret US National Security Agency (NSA) documents disclosed by the Guardian have shocked the world with revelations of a comprehensive US-based surveillance system with direct access to Facebook, Apple, Google, Microsoft and other tech giants. New Zealand court records suggest that data harvested by the NSA's Prism system has been fed into the Five Eyes intelligence alliance whose members also include the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
But why have Western security agencies developed such an unprecedented capacity to spy on their own domestic populations? Since the 2008 economic crash, security agencies have increasingly spied on political activists, especially environmental groups, on behalf of corporate interests. This activity is linked to the last decade of US defence planning, which has been increasingly concerned by the risk of civil unrest at home triggered by catastrophic events linked to climate change, energy shocks or economic crisis - or all three.
Just last month, unilateral changes to US military laws formally granted the Pentagon extraordinary powers to intervene in a domestic "emergency" or "civil disturbance":
"Federal military commanders have the authority, in extraordinary emergency circumstances where prior authorization by the President is impossible and duly constituted local authorities are unable to control the situation, to engage temporarily in activities that are necessary to quell large-scale, unexpected civil disturbances."
Other documents show that the "extraordinary emergencies" the Pentagon is worried about include a range of environmental and related disasters.
In 2006, the US National Security Strategy warned that:
"Environmental destruction, whether caused by human behavior or cataclysmic mega-disasters such as floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, or tsunamis. Problems of this scope may overwhelm the capacity of local authorities to respond, and may even overtax national militaries, requiring a larger international response."
Two years later, the Department of Defense's (DoD) Army Modernisation Strategy described the arrival of a new "era of persistent conflict" due to competition for "depleting natural resources and overseas markets" fuelling "future resource wars over water, food and energy." The report predicted a resurgence of:
"... anti-government and radical ideologies that potentially threaten government stability."
In the same year, a report by the US Army's Strategic Studies Institute warned that a series of domestic crises could provoke large-scale civil unrest. The path to "disruptive domestic shock" could include traditional threats such as deployment of WMDs, alongside "catastrophic natural and human disasters" or "pervasive public health emergencies" coinciding with "unforeseen economic collapse." Such crises could lead to "loss of functioning political and legal order" leading to "purposeful domestic resistance or insurgency...
"DoD might be forced by circumstances to put its broad resources at the disposal of civil authorities to contain and reverse violent threats to domestic tranquility. Under the most extreme circumstances, this might include use of military force against hostile groups inside the United States. Further, DoD would be, by necessity, an essential enabling hub for the continuity of political authority in a multi-state or nationwide civil conflict or disturbance."
That year, the Pentagon had begun developing a 20,000 strong troop force who would be on-hand to respond to "domestic catastrophes" and civil unrest - the programme was reportedly based on a 2005 homeland security strategy which emphasised "preparing for multiple, simultaneous mass casualty incidents."
The following year, a US Army-funded RAND Corp study called for a US force presence specifically to deal with civil unrest.
Such fears were further solidified in a detailed 2010 study by the US Joint Forces Command - designed to inform "joint concept development and experimentation throughout the Department of Defense" - setting out the US military's definitive vision for future trends and potential global threats. Climate change, the study said, would lead to increased risk of:
"... tsunamis, typhoons, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and other natural catastrophes... Furthermore, if such a catastrophe occurs within the United States itself - particularly when the nation's economy is in a fragile state or where US military bases or key civilian infrastructure are broadly affected - the damage to US security could be considerable."
The study also warned of a possible shortfall in global oil output by 2015:
"A severe energy crunch is inevitable without a massive expansion of production and refining capacity. While it is difficult to predict precisely what economic, political, and strategic effects such a shortfall might produce, it surely would reduce the prospects for growth in both the developing and developed worlds. Such an economic slowdown would exacerbate other unresolved tensions."
That year the DoD's Quadrennial Defense Review seconded such concerns, while recognising that "climate change, energy security, and economic stability are inextricably linked."
Also in 2010, the Pentagon ran war games to explore the implications of "large scale economic breakdown" in the US impacting on food supplies and other essential services, as well as how to maintain "domestic order amid civil unrest."
Speaking about the group's conclusions at giant US defence contractor Booz Allen Hamilton's conference facility in Virginia, Lt Col. Mark Elfendahl - then chief of the Joint and Army Concepts Division - highlighted homeland operations as a way to legitimise the US military budget:
"An increased focus on domestic activities might be a way of justifying whatever Army force structure the country can still afford."
Two months earlier, Elfendahl explained in a DoD roundtable that future planning was needed:
"Because technology is changing so rapidly, because there's so much uncertainty in the world, both economically and politically, and because the threats are so adaptive and networked, because they live within the populations in many cases."
The 2010 exercises were part of the US Army's annual Unified Quest programme which more recently, based on expert input from across the Pentagon, has explored the prospect that "ecological disasters and a weak economy" (as the "recovery won't take root until 2020") will fuel migration to urban areas, ramping up social tensions in the US homeland as well as within and between "resource-starved nations."
NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden was a computer systems administrator for Booz Allen Hamilton, where he directly handled the NSA's IT systems, including the Prism surveillance system. According to Booz Allen's 2011 Annual Report, the corporation has overseen Unified Quest "for more than a decade" to help "military and civilian leaders envision the future."
The latest war games, the report reveals, focused on "detailed, realistic scenarios with hypothetical 'roads to crisis'", including "homeland operations" resulting from "a high-magnitude natural disaster" among other scenarios, in the context of:
"... converging global trends [which] may change the current security landscape and future operating environment... At the end of the two-day event, senior leaders were better prepared to understand new required capabilities and force design requirements to make homeland operations more effective."
It is therefore not surprising that the increasing privatisation of intelligence has coincided with the proliferation of domestic surveillance operations against political activists, particularly those linked to environmental and social justice protest groups.
Department of Homeland Security documents released in April prove a "systematic effort" by the agency "to surveil and disrupt peaceful demonstrations" linked to Occupy Wall Street, according to the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (PCJF).
Similarly, FBI documents confirmed "a strategic partnership between the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the private sector" designed to produce intelligence on behalf of "the corporate security community." A PCJF spokesperson remarked that the documents show "federal agencies functioning as a de facto intelligence arm of Wall Street and Corporate America."
In particular, domestic surveillance has systematically targeted peaceful environment activists including anti-fracking activists across the US, such as the Gas Drilling Awareness Coalition, Rising Tide North America, the People's Oil & Gas Collaborative, and Greenpeace. Similar trends are at play in the UK, where the case of undercover policeman Mark Kennedy revealed the extent of the state's involvement in monitoring the environmental direct action movement.
A University of Bath study citing the Kennedy case, and based on confidential sources, found that a whole range of corporations - such as McDonald's, Nestle and the oil major Shell, "use covert methods to gather intelligence on activist groups, counter criticism of their strategies and practices, and evade accountability."
Indeed, Kennedy's case was just the tip of the iceberg - internal police documents obtained by the Guardian in 2009 revealed that environment activists had been routinely categorised as "domestic extremists" targeting "national infrastructure" as part of a wider strategy tracking protest groups and protestors.
Superintendent Steve Pearl, then head of the National Extremism Tactical Coordination Unit (Nectu), confirmed at that time how his unit worked with thousands of companies in the private sector. Nectu, according to Pearl, was set up by the Home Office because it was "getting really pressured by big business - pharmaceuticals in particular, and the banks." He added that environmental protestors were being brought "more on the radar." The programme continues today, despite police acknowledgements that environmentalists have not been involved in "violent acts."
The Pentagon knows that environmental, economic and other crises could provoke widespread public anger toward government and corporations in coming years. The revelations on the NSA's global surveillance programmes are just the latest indication that as business as usual creates instability at home and abroad, and as disillusionment with the status quo escalates, Western publics are being increasingly viewed as potential enemies that must be policed by the state.
NSA targets kids with Crypto Cat; Decipher Dog and other cartoon characters June 6, 2013, 12:03 PM
The National Security Agency, which has reportedly been snooping on every Verizon customer, does have a softer side.
The agency’s website offers an extensive section aimed at younger citizens called America’s CryptoKids: Future Codemakers & Codebreakers.
The section features cartoon characters linked to a variety of NSA roles, including Crypto Cat; Decipher Dog; and Sgt. Sam of Central Security Services.
As the agency puts it: “NSA offers a variety of resources on its web site including a special section designed specifically for children. NSA invites you to view these pages and check out the games, puzzles, codes, ciphers and activities we have available (which are fun for adults too). Our goal was to provide a safe, educational, and fun place for kids to visit related to cryptology.”
In addition to online games and puzzles, the site features extensive biographies of the characters, as well as downloadable coloring pages. The one of Decipher Dog shows him relaxing with a copy of “Cryptobyte Monthly,” a paintball gun (with cosmetic similarities to an assault rifle) cradled above his bed, and a laptop computer with a screenshot of his pal Crypto Cat on display.
Before checking it all out, however, it’s worth remembering that the NSA “automatically logs visitor information concerning the pages read, photographs viewed, and information downloaded for statistical purposes.” The agency adds that “This information does not identify you personally.”
Bugged by US spying, EU may sever ties with American internet providers Get short URL Published time: July 05, 2013 11:30 Edited time: July 05, 2013 12:37
CIA, Europe, Intelligence, Internet, Law, Merkel, Obama, Politics, Robert Bridge, Scandal, Security, UK, USA EU businesses are threatening to terminate relations with American internet providers in response to the National Security Agency surveillance scandal, the European Commission has warned.
Neelie Kroes, Vice President of the European Commission, said that US providers of ‘cloud services,’ a technology that permits clients to store data on remote servers, could suffer steep losses if users fear the security of their material is at risk of being compromised.
"If businesses or governments think they might be spied on, they will have less reason to trust cloud, and it will be cloud providers who ultimately miss out,” Kroes said. “Why would you pay someone else to hold your commercial or other secrets if you suspect or know they are being shared against your wishes?"
The EC vice president then pointed to the “multi-billion euro consequences” facing US internet companies in the wake of the scandal.
"It is often American providers that will miss out, because they are often the leaders in cloud services. If European cloud customers cannot trust the United States government, then maybe they won't trust US cloud providers either. If I am right, there are multibillion-euro consequences for American companies. If I were an American cloud provider, I would be quite frustrated with my government right now." http://rt.com/news/us-eu-prism-snowden-trade-694/
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
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