Obama NOT to reduce spying

 

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/08/11/318206/obama-not-to-reduce-spying/

We’ve spent much of the afternoon detailing some of President Obama’s statements concerning his response to the NSA surveillance revelations, combined with some of the documents released by the administration. But a key point in all of this is highlighted in the Associated Press’s coverage of the press conference: President Obama flat out admitted that this was about appeasing a public that doesn’t trust the administration, not about reducing the surveillance.

President Barack Obama made it clear Friday he has no intention of stopping the daily collection of American phone records. And while he offered “appropriate reforms,” he blamed government leaks for creating distrust of his domestic spying program.

In an afternoon news conference, the president acknowledged the domestic spying has troubled Americans and hurt the country’s image abroad. But he called it a critical counterterrorism tool.

Even more to the point, his comments represent a fundamental misunderstanding of why the public doesn’t trust the government. That’s because he keeps insisting that the program isn’t being abused and that all of this collection is legal. But, really, that’s not what the concern is about. Even though we actually know that the NSA has a history of abuse (and other parts of the intelligence community before that), a major concern is that scooping up so much data is considered legal in the first place. So, when President Obama says that we should blindly trust the government not to abuse the data, that’s missing the point:

“Understandably, people would be concerned,” the president said. “I would be, too, if I weren’t inside the government.”

That’s not particularly comforting.

 

PRISM Whistleblower — Edward Snowden in his own words

Updated: June 11, 2013

 

Source Video: Free Press Foundation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3P_0iaCgKLk

By: Laura Poitras and Glenn Greenwald

For the past week, the Guardian and Washington Post have been reporting on some extraordinary revelations about previously secret massive NSA surveillance programs that invade the privacy of both Americans and those abroad. On Sunday, the whistleblower and source to the stories about the PRISM surveillance program revealed himself as 29-year-old Edward Snowden. This is his story, in his own words.

--------------------------------
Update: June 11, 2013

Former CIA Analyst: Snowden Did The Right Thing

Video Source: The Real News

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGvsXphJCFM

Ray McGovern: NSA whistleblower Snowden courageous defender of liberty

 

US slams PA efforts against Israel

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/161198.html


US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has criticized the Palestinian Authority (PA) for trying to condemn Israeli settlement projects at the UN Security Council.

"The only way that there will be a resolution of the conflict... is through a negotiated settlement," she told reporters at the State Department on Thursday.

"We don't see action at the UN or any other forum as being helpful in bringing about this desired outcome," AFP quoted the top US diplomat as saying.

On Tuesday, Palestinian resolution against illegal Israeli settlement buildings in the occupied Palestinian territories was formally put to the Security Council.

The resolution would condemn Israel's settlement activities and reiterate an existing UN demand for all building work in the occupied territories to stop.

Clinton did not comment on whether the United States will veto the resolution or not.

Meanwhile, a group of US cabinet officials, diplomats, journalists and pundits released an open letter, urging the US to ratify the resolution.

"If the proposed resolution is consistent with existing and established US policies, then deploying a veto would severely undermine US credibility and interests, placing us firmly outside of the international consensus, and further diminishing our ability to mediate this conflict," said the letter.

Direct talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority once again reached a deadlock in September after Tel Aviv refused to extend a partial moratorium on settlement constructions in the occupied West Bank.

Palestinians argue that the continuation of settlement activities reduces the chance of establishing an independent Palestinian state.

Ex-CIA agent detained over 'Iran leak'

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/159056.html


A former CIA intelligence officer has been arrested by US authorities for leaking classified information exposing Washington's schemes to sabotage Iran's nuclear program.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested Jeffrey Alexander Sterling in the city of St. Louis on Thursday for disclosing national defense information to a New York Times reporter.

Details in Sterling's indictment suggest that the case is connected to a 2006 book written by the daily's reporter James Risen. The book, Sate of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration, contains details about the spy agency's plans to sabotage Iran's nuclear research program.

According to Risen, in an operation codenamed “Merlin” the United States attempted to provide Iran with flawed blueprints for key nuclear components through a Russian nuclear scientist.

However, the scientist allegedly double-crossed, cooperating with the Iranian side in revealing the flaws in the designs. The Iranians were able to “extract valuable information from the blueprints while ignoring the flaws,” the book adds.

Iranian observers, however, scoff at the report, emphasizing that the Iranian scientist do not need others to point out design flaws and that they are competent enough to detect potential flaws on their own.

Sterling, who worked at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 1993 until he was fired in 2002, had served as the chief operations officer handling a “human asset” in a program related to the nuclear capabilities of a foreign country, said the indictment charges.

The United States, as the only country to have used a nuclear weapon on another state, adamantly opposes Iran's nuclear program, claiming without any evidence that it harbors a secret military aspect.

Tehran has refuted the accusations, arguing that as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), it has the right to benefit from the peaceful applications of the nuclear technology.

As a member of the NPT, Iran has long pushed efforts to establish a nuclear-weapons-free zone in the Middle East, insisting on a global elimination of nuclear weapons.

US House against Palestinian State

The US House of Representatives has approved a resolution opposing the declaration of a Palestinian state.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/155697.html


The US House of Representatives has declared its opposition to the recognition of an independent Palestinian state, urging Palestinians to stop their efforts to push for such a move.

The House unanimously approved a resolution opposing unilateral declaration of Palestinian state on Thursday, Ha'aretz reported.

Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Rep. Howard Berman, who introduced the resolution, criticized Palestinian efforts to push the international community to recognize a Palestinian state.

The remarks came after Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay recognized the Palestinian state to support the rights of Palestinian people, whose land has been occupied by Israel.

The Latin American states announced that they recognize a free and independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders.

On Monday, the European Union also said in a statement that it "reiterates its readiness, when appropriate, to recognize a Palestinian state."

The resolution also urged the White House to "deny recognition to any unilaterally declared Palestinian state and veto any resolution by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to establish or recognize a Palestinian state outside of an agreement negotiated by the two parties."

According to the resolution, Palestinian leaders should cease all efforts to gain recognition of a Palestinian state from other nations, within the United Nations. It also called upon foreign governments not to extend such recognitions.

Washington, which brought the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel to the negotiation table once again in September, failed to persuade Tel Aviv to extend its partial settlement slowdown, which expired late September.

The ongoing Israeli settlement projects stalled the US-sponsored direct talks.

The United States agreed to provide fighter jets to Israel and veto any anti-Israeli resolutions in the UNSC instead of an extended three-month freeze, but last week the Obama administration said it would not continue to ask Israel for the move.

Acting PA Chief Mahmoud Abbas has said he would not return to the negotiations as long as Tel Aviv continues its illegal settlement projects, adding that he would push for recognition of Palestine in the United Nations should Israel not cooperate over its settlement activities.

Palestinians say that the settlement activities are being carried out to prevent the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

The international community backs Palestinian demands for a state in most of the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East al-Quds (Jerusalem), all territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War.

US terrorist claims reach citizens

White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan
Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=132024&sectionid=3510203

A senior US official says dozens of Americans have joined what he called "terrorist groups" and said they are posing a threat to the United States and its interests abroad.

Deputy White House national security adviser for homeland security and counterterrorism John Brennan made the comment during an interview with the Washington Times newspaper on Thursday.

"There are, in my mind, dozens of US persons who are in different parts of the world, and they are very concerning to us," said the senior homeland security consultant to US President Barack Obama.

He did not, however, disclose further information about his "list of American terrorists."

"They are concerning to us, not just because of the passport they hold, but because they understand our operational environment here, they bring with them certain skills, whether it be language skills or familiarity with potential targets, and they are very worrisome, and we are determined to take away their ability to assist with terrorist attacks," added the US official.

Brennan also said US intelligence and law enforcement agencies have been tracking down US citizens who, he claimed, posed security threats.

He made the comments in response to how the US president could authorize the use of lethal force against Americans who have allegedly joined al-Qaeda or other hard-line groups.

Missile attacks using drones in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen have been part of procedures adopted by the US administration for that end.

The United Nations has condemned the practice, saying it may violate international humanitarian law.

The American Civil Liberties Union warned that the current program to kill suspected terrorists in foreign countries would create a precedent for other countries to follow.

The Attack on Your Freedom

By: Stewart Brennan

There is an all out attack on the freedom loving people of the United States by its Government. Your liberty as free people in the U.S. will fall victim to Security Corporations such as Blackwater if they are not challenged and put in prison.

I bet Blackwater would do a good job for the Bush family when it comes to security at the poles come election time in 2008. That is, IF there is an election, because now, all that needs to happen in the USA for there not to be an election is an economic depression. Bush could declare martial law and suspend all elections given his new executive powers!

That economic depression is well on its way.

The Bush Family and the Oligarchy that they serve are planning an economic collapse in the USA. George Bush could then declare martial law with his specially trained security forces and suspend elections when the economic depression unfolds. George Bush could then invoke Martial Law and his dictatorship would then be complete and no dictatorship is complete without its secret service (SS).

Blackwater and other security organizations are contracted to fill that spot. Blackwater did such a great job for the White House in Iraq (Sarcasm), I bet they could beat and suppress children speaking out in high schools just as effectively. Have they been hired as school security guards yet? How about social security, oh that’s right Bush says there is no more money for helping out Americans down on their luck. There will be no social security, because George Bush believes that Blackwater should be your social security…had enough yet my American friends? Are you tired of seeing your children beaten up for speaking out, or getting broken arms for dropping cake on the floor in a high school cafeteria?

Government Hijacked:

When Republican George Bush asked for an extra 190 billion dollars, Congress gave it to him. A congress with a Democratic majority I might add, who rode the anti war protest of the American people in 2006…votes overwhelmingly in favour of funding the illegal war in Iraq. Did you, “the American people” give your politicians the authority to wage a continuing war?! I thought you voted against it? Maybe your government is not listening to you anymore. Are they not supposed to be working for you?

The American politicians and their rich corporate sponsors have declared war on the American people. You no longer have a division of 2 political parties but one government that wants war, save two presidential hopefuls (Ron Paul, & Dennis Kucinich). The American Oligarchy has hijacked the American government and is pulling on the leash. The harder the American public cries foul, the harder and louder this group pushes their congressional employees to support the Bush directive. They are at War with YOU!

Internal Security Crackdown:

US Security is handled by groups like Blackwater…think about that one for a minute. These guys will be at your airports, train stations, Government buildings, in your schools, and at every poling station. They shoot first and don’t ask questions. These arrogant thugs, or hired guns don’t answer to anyone! They are the Bush Family’s secret security or SS for short. Similar to Hitler’s Patriotic SS, these sick murdering Blackwater individuals are so ruthless, they make Hitler seem like a Yosemite Sam cartoon character.

Higher Morals Must Prevail:

There MUST be a crackdown on ALL private security companies with regulations put in place to protect the American citizens from being brutalized victims from a rising totalitarian state! Don’t wait for Bush’s elected term to end, get him NOW…before its too late. If there is still something worth fighting for in the USA, it is your children! Protect your children and grandchildren from these ruthless thugs!

Stewart