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Hey! Good Evening!
This evening's music features Chicago Bluesman Otis Rush. Enjoy!
Otis Rush - I`Cant Quit You Baby
“We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”
-- John F. Kennedy
Soapbox
News and Opinion
Digital Blackwater: How the NSA Gives Private Contractors Control of the Surveillance State
Meet the contractors analyzing your private data
Amid the torrent of stories about the shocking new revelations about the National Security Agency, few have bothered to ask a central question. Who’s actually doing the work of analyzing all the data, metadata and personal information pouring into the agency from Verizon and nine key Internet service providers for its ever-expanding surveillance of American citizens?
Well, on Sunday we got part of the answer: Booz Allen Hamilton. In a stunning development in the NSA saga, Guardian reporter Glenn Greenwald revealed that the source for his blockbuster stories on the NSA is Edward Snowden, “a 29-year-old former technical assistant for the CIA and current employee of the defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton.” Snowden, it turns out, has been working at NSA for the last four years as a contract employee, including stints for Booz and the computer-services firm Dell.
The revelation is not that surprising. With about 70 percent of our national intelligence budgets being spent on the private sector – a discovery I made in 2007 and first reported in Salon – contractors have become essential to the spying and surveillance operations of the NSA.
From Narus, the Israeli-born Boeing subsidiary that makes NSA’s high-speed interception software, to CSC, the “systems integrator” that runs NSA’s internal IT system, defense and intelligence, contractors are making millions of dollars selling technology and services that help the world’s largest surveillance system spy on you. If the 70 percent figure is applied to the NSA’s estimated budget of $8 billion a year (the largest in the intelligence community), NSA contracting could reach as high as $6 billion every year.
But it’s probably much more than that.
Big Brother is Watching — and so are Lowly Bureaucrats and Contractors
Many people are rightly focused on how the state as a whole could abuse the vast databases of massive amounts of information on regular Americans, but it should be noted that is not the only concern with such programs. Even if the “Government” acts in a mostly belligerent manner with this data there is still the real danger of what rogue segments of a government agency or even individual contractors/bureaucrats could do. ...
Even the cynical argument that “if you did nothing illegal you should have nothing to worry about from the government,” does not address this issue. It is not simply a question of whether you can trust the “Government” as whole not to abuse this awesome level secret power, but rather can you trust every single one of the thousands of government employees and private contractors that work on this program not to abuse it? Without even knowing about the program and what checks it may or may not contains the answer has to be no.
Glenn Greenwald Blasts MSNBC Host’s "Misleading White House Talking Points" About The NSA Leaks
NSA program part of a larger effort to target Internet
Most Internet data moves through fiber-optic cables in the United States, and the NSA physically intercepts much of it through equipment installed at telecommunications facilities, or from undersea cables.
But two trends have forced the NSA to adapt in recent years. Google and other major U.S.-based Internet providers have built computer server farms and data centers abroad. In addition, an increasing amount of digital traffic, including Google's Gmail service, is encrypted to ensure privacy and to thwart cyber-theft.
The 6-year-old PRISM program appears to be a response to those developments. The agency can access emails, video and other data directly from the companies, U.S. officials said. It's far simpler than tapping computer lines overseas or trying to decrypt emails.
It's "the easy way," a former senior NSA official said. "It's also the complete way. You don't have to worry about missing anything."
Susan Collins On NSA PRISM Briefings: No Access To 'Highly Compartmentalized Information'
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) told reporters in the Capitol Monday that as the top-ranking Republican on last year's Homeland Security Committee, she expected she would have been briefed on the National Security Agency's PRISM surveillance program, but was not. Even as a member of this session's intelligence committee, she said, she had not been briefed before the panoramic snooping program run by the NSA was revealed by The Guardian last week.
Collins said the Obama administration's argument that she could have requested a briefing falls short, because she had no knowledge on which to base a request. "How can you ask when you don't know the program exists?" Collins wondered, chuckling at the absurdity.
As Collins said she understands it, Senate leaders and the top intelligence committee members got briefings. "The rest of us did not. At the time, I was the ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee, so I'd think that I would've had more information about that since I had, along with Joe Lieberman, a monthly threat briefing. But I did not have access to this highly compartmentalized information," she said. "If they're talking about there being widespread knowledge [of PRISM in Congress], there was not."
Former CIA Analyst: Snowden Did The Right Thing
NOOR: So government officials, congresspeople, pundits on TV, they've all defended this NSA program and have said no laws have been broken and that these measures are necessary to protect security, just like President Obama argued when he defended these programs last week. What's your response? Are these programs necessary to defend America's security and national interests?
MCGOVERN: Well, that's the right question. No, they are not necessary. The real question is why they sing the same song. It's because they're all complicit. Congress either doesn't want to be informed about this or is and keeps mum. The judges are out to lunch. When they're asked to decide something, they always go with the government.
And so what we have here is a situation that I've never seen before, where the president himself thinks that he can get away with--well, he can get away with murder with respect to the drone strikes on American citizens, and he can also do these kinds of incredibly intrusive surveillance techniques that we had been warned about, but now we have the documents.
The Biggest Fishing Expedition In History
"Maybe they can find some new conventional wars to fight just in case the one against terrorism loses its profitability."
So it’s true, as filmmaker Michael Moore once warned us, the Carlyle Group is Big Brother. That’s the $176 billion private equity firm that once employed former President George H.W. Bush, his Secretary of State James A. Baker III and a host of political luminaries that would put any other list of America’s ruling elite to shame. Plenty of Democrats too, including former President Bill Clinton’s Chief of Staff Mack McLarty and Arthur Levitt, the man Clinton appointed to head the SEC during the creation of the housing bust.
It is also the firm that owns Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., which, thanks to the revelations of one of its employees, whistle-blower Edward Snowden, we now know collects and stores much of the government’s immense PRISM database spying on the lives of this nation’s citizenry. This is systematic snooping through the telephone and Internet records of hundreds of millions of Americans conducted by Snowden and others in Booz Allen’s employ who had the highest access to our most private personal data while working at a for-profit company. ...
Of course, to those swinging through the revolving door between the government and its defense contractors, it must be difficult to draw a distinction between their changing roles. James R. Clapper, the chief intelligence official in the Obama administration, who is now investigating this security lapse, was himself a top Booz Allen executive. And it should be of little surprise that John M. McConnell, currently vice chairman of Booz Allen, was previously the chief intelligence official in the George W. Bush administration. It’s crony capitalism at its patriotic best. ...
In January, the Defense Department granted Booz Allen a five-year, $5.6 billion deal assigning its private sector employees in key positions to advise Pentagon personnel on crafting military policy. Maybe they can find some new conventional wars to fight just in case the one against terrorism loses its profitability.
Obama killing US with PRISM
Yes, NSA surveillance should worry the law-abiding
The books you read, the emails you send, the TV shows you watch – 'big data' could jump to conclusions about your life
Many internet users will be feeling slightly bemused by the worldwide reaction to the revelations about US surveillance technology. As President Obama, the UK foreign secretary, William Hague, and many other senior politicians have said, what do the innocent have to fear? Why would the National Security Agency (NSA), or anyone else, care about your search history, Facebook updates, Skype calls, emails, instant messages, and so on?
Data mining tools have developed quickly over the past decade, and a detailed picture can now be painted of people's lives with even small amounts of such information. This picture can ultimately have real-world consequences. Ever had problems getting an electronic visa to travel to countries such as the US and Australia, who pre-screen foreign visitors, or had to go through lengthy additional security at the airport? Thought about getting a job with a government agency or contractor that will do background checks first? Or perhaps you've had difficulty getting medical insurance or credit despite a healthy lifestyle and prompt payment of your bills?
So-called "big data" approaches are revolutionising the way these processes work, in government and the private sector. By crunching through large quantities of data, all sorts of interesting patterns can be found inside people's everyday activities. You might already realise that fatty and sugary foods showing up on your supermarket loyalty card could be interesting to insurers, financial service providers, and even employers concerned about sick days – but did you know significant time spent commuting and watching television are also good predictors of a shorter lifespan?
One phone call to a country such as Pakistan might not in itself say much, but what if three of your own phone and email contacts had made one in the past year, and you also browsed through some quite radical websites protesting at the "war on terror" last month? Or bought three philosophy and history books that have previously been found in the collections of terrorism suspects? Much more complex patterns are generally being sought out by data analysts, in the way that Google (for example) uses more than 200 different "signals" about the quality of a web page to generate its search rankings.
'Istanbul like war zone': Turkey clashes raging with gas, bullets & cannons
Tear Gas and Water Cannons: Turkish Police Storm 'Liberated' Park
Attack follows Prime Minister's threats that demonstrators "will pay"
Following threats made by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that protesters will "pay a price" if they continue their mass demonstrations, Turkish police stormed Taksim Square Tuesday brandishing tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets, destroying the camp and dispersing the protesters who have occupied the square for over two weeks.
Class of 2013: All Dressed Up and No Place to Work
As members of the class of 2013 stepped on stage to receive their diplomas, the unemployment rate in America stood at 7.6 percent — a bit better than the past four years, but that ain't saying much. Before the financial crisis, students graduating in 2007 faced a much rosier jobless rate of only 4.7 percent. The fact of the matter is that the past four years of high unemployment numbers represent the worst economy the country has suffered in 70 years, and young adults are shouldering a hefty part of the burden.
When you look at the specific numbers for Millennials, things look even bleaker. As of April, the jobless rate for workers under age 25 was an alarming 16.2 percent. A study by the think tank Demos found that 18- to 34-year-olds make up 45 percent of those who can’t find work. That's a lot of stifled human potential.
In a paper , The Class of 2013, researchers at the Economic Policy Institute showed that young people are not searching in vain for jobs because they lack the appropriate skills or the right education, as many pundits would have it. Rather, they can’t find work because of the weak demand for goods and services. It's actually very simple: when a company can’t sell its goods and services because customers don’t have enough money to spend, it can’t hire more workers. You can be Super-Skilled Super Student, and if the economy isn't humming, you'll have trouble landing a job.
Major Loss to Organic Farmers as Court Rules in Favor of Monsanto
In a major blow to organic farmers and food sovereignty advocates, the US Court of Appeals Monday has thrown out a lawsuit against Ag Giant Monsanto meant to protect organic growers against accusations of patent infringement by the "world's most famous patent bully." ...
The coalition who filed the suit—which includes the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association (OSGATA) and Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association among over 20 others—had hoped the action would serve as a "pre-emptive strike" on behalf of organic farmers to protect against accusations of patent infringement in the case that their organic crops become contaminated by genetically modified (GM) seeds.
Reuters reports that Monsanto officials specifically refused to sign a covenant stating it would not sue the growers, though the court felt the website statement "was sufficient and would be binding."
The ruling comes as scientists grapple with the recent discovery of Monsanto's unapproved GMO wheat in an Oregon field, spurring concerns over potential contamination by the controversial GM seeds which can easily be spread by wind or pollinators.
Top 100 Greenhouse Gas Polluters Uncovered
Blog Posts of Interest
Here are diaries and selected blog posts of interest on DailyKos and other blogs.
What's Happenin'
Video: A Timeline Of Obama’s Decade-Long Transformation On Civil Liberties
The NSA Black Hole: 5 Basic Things We Still Don’t Know About the Agency’s Snooping
America's Most Anti-Democratic Institution: How the Imperial Presidency Threatens U.S. National Security
"A Message From Your Friendly ECHELON/Total Awareness/Boundless Informant Surveillance System"
Short stories: District of Columbia, Maine, and Delaware
Wolves: "Mission Accomplished"
A Little Night Music
Otis Rush and Eric Clapton - Double Trouble
Otis Rush - Three Times a Fool
Otis Rush - Homework
Otis Rush - Hold That Train
Otis Rush - As The Years Go Passing By
Otis Rush - All Your Love I Miss Loving
Otis Rush feat. Eric Clapton & Luther Allison - Every Day I Have The Blues
Otis Rush - My Love Will Never Die
Otis Rush - It Takes Time
Otis Rush - Whole Lotta Lovin'
Otis Rush - Tore Up
Otis Rush - So Many Roads
Otis Rush + Luther Allison- Let Me Love You
Otis Rush - Natural Ball
It's National Pie Day!
The election is over, it's a new year and it's time to work on real change in new ways... and it's National Pie Day. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to tell you a little more about our new site and to start getting people signed up.
Come on over and sign up so that we can send you announcements about the site, the launch, and information about participating in our public beta testing.
Why is National Pie Day the perfect opportunity to tell you more about us? Well you'll see why very soon. So what are you waiting for?! Head on over now and be one of the first!
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