Domestic Surveillance

Kara Brandeisky writes at ProPublica When the House of Representatives recently considered an amendment that would have dismantled the NSA’s bulk phone records collection program, the White House swiftly condemned the measure. But only five years ago, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. was part of a group of legislators that supported substantial changes to NSA surveillance […]

Obama’s Reassurances about Domestic Surveillance are not Reassuring

Juan Cole

President Obama gave a news conference on Friday in which he addressed the controversy over Edward Snowden’s revelations regarding NSA spying on the American people. This issue is a very difficult one for Mr. Obama, given that he came to it from civil libertarian position as a senator, but now is president. When you are […]

Domestic Surveillance

The Miranda Warning in 2013 is Worded a little Differently (Jamiol Cartoon)

Juan Cole

courtesy of Jamiol’s World

Domestic Surveillance

The Business of America is Spying on America (Engelhardt)

Juan Cole

Tom Engelhardt writes at Tomdispatch.com: Hey, let’s talk spying! In Surveillance America, this land of spookery we all now inhabit, what else is there to talk about? Was there anyone growing up like me in the 1950s who didn’t know Revolutionary War hero and spy Nathan Hale’s last words before the British hanged him: “I […]

Domestic Surveillance

Top Ten Things that don’t Make Sense about NSA Surveillance, Drones and al-Qaeda

Juan Cole

In a Reuters Exclusive, John Shiffman and Kristina Cooke reveal that the National Security Agency shares information it gleans from warrantless surveillance of Americans with the Special Operation Division of the Drug Enforcement Agency, which then uses the metadata to develop cases against US citizens. The DEA then routinely lies to the judge and defense […]

Afghanistan

How we lost our Constitution somewhere in Iraq and came back without it to Try Manning (van Buren)

Juan Cole

Peter Van Buren writes at Tomdispatch.com On July 30, 1778, the Continental Congress created the first whistleblower protection law, stating “that it is the duty of all persons in the service of the United States to give the earliest information to Congress or other proper authority of any misconduct, frauds, or misdemeanors committed by any […]

Domestic Surveillance

Putin as America’s Frenemy: The Snowden Paradox

Juan Cole

Russia’s decision on Thursday to grant NSA leaker Edward Snowden asylum for one year and allow him freely to live and work in the Russian Federation hit Washington like a hydrogen bomb. Angry politicians called on President Obama to cancel talks in Moscow with Putin scheduled in September. Russia Today covered the decision rather breathlessly: […]

Domestic Surveillance

‘Every Stroke you Type’: Greenwald Reveals Xkeyscore, Vindicating Snowden

Juan Cole

When Edward Snowden went public, he alleged that as a low-level analyst, he could see you type your emails in real time: “I, sitting at my desk . . .” could . . . “wiretap anyone, from you or your accountant, to a federal judge or even the president, if I had a personal email”.” […]

Domestic Surveillance

Lest we Forget that Manning was Tortured before being Found not Guilty of Aiding the Enemy (America’s Bouazizi)

Juan Cole

Breaking news: Firedog Lake reports that Bradley Manning has been found not guilty of aiding the enemy, a blow against the Obama administration’s repeated attempts to smear whistleblowers as traitors. The other charges against him could put him behind bars for 100 years. But just so it isn’t forgotten, Manning’s journey to sentencing has been […]