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My biggest fear in these Snowden events is that american intelligence will learn what flight Snowden is on, will shoot down that plane killing dozens, possibly hundreds, of innocent people, and NO ONE in the US administration or congress will be outraged by that act. It fits in with all the actions of the government over the last few years.
This seems pretty simple to me. Snowden should man up and come back to the US and go through the due process that is granted to every American and be set free or put in jail. If he did nothing wrong I am sure the courts will set him free.
As far as the spying, who cares if you are not doing anything wrong. If it saves even one life its good enough for me.
Touché!!! Of course, that only applies to the little people.
We The People are not the solutions to our problems. We The People are the problem.
R. Reagan - January 20, 1981
It would seem that most folks object to the types of things that people can buy using food stamps. Those things that don't qualify as a "meal" or a constituant thereof. Why not stop allowing people on food stamps to purchase such things rather than reducing the amount of money we spend on the program. Doesn't make sense to me.
For those who have read "Daemon" by Daniel Suarez, it is obvious that Snowden knows how to set up a computer program to dump his data into countries which would love (or hate) to have it released to them or their enemies. It's like the trusted friend who mails the letter if his friend disappears, only more certain. Certainly Snowden can expect to have an 'intense' encounter with the CIA wherever he lands. If he stays healthy the info. is sequestered and the only downside is a justifiable embarrassment to the US government and its corporate masters. This conjecture assumes that he possesses much info beyond that which he's already exposed which is still an open question.
My position is that these programs are legal and unconstitutional.
The Twain Report
All The News That Mark Twain Says He Would Report If He Was Alive Today
6-22-2013
Today, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders revealed that feeding a senior or disabled person for a year costs less than one day in a hospital.
A prominent republican policymaker responded by saying, “We can solve that problem by cutting funding for feeding seniors and disabled people. Cesar Chavez will return from the dead and feed American seniors and disabled people. Of course, as Christians, we cannot go on record as supporting zombies feeding American citizens, but it is one of the many options we have. Or who knows, maybe the Nigerian government will feed our seniors and disabled people. Another very likely scenario would be the Vatican selling some of its trillion-dollar art collection to feed our hungry- that could happen."
“Besides, none of this would have happened if Obama had not lowered taxes on the rich when he was president in the 1980's… Excuse me, I have to take this call, it’s about my purchase of stock in a hospital corporation.”
“Ok, I’m back. Listen, during a two week policymaking session at a private game reserve in Idaho, we republican leaders laid out a comprehensive seven-point plan for winning full control of the White House and both houses of congress:
1. Regain the support of people who want peace, by having at least two wars going all the time.
2. Regain the support of people who want an education, by raising student loan interest rates.
3. Regain the support of hispanics, by destabilizing their countries and then blaming them for coming here.
4. Regain the support of blacks, by continuing to profile and imprison them for unimportant crimes.
5. Regain the support of people who would like a little privacy, by spying on them.
6. Regain the support of people who would like government accountability, by classifying all information about government.
7. Regain the support of the very few people who do not respond favorably to the above tactics, by continuing to cheat our way into office by rigging election computers.
Well, I would just like to go on record as saying, "How Dare Edward Snowden illegally spy on the agency that is illegally spying on us?"
Just as an aside, I wonder how easy it would be for one of the corporations that handle America's spying, and that have full access to all of the phone calls and emails of everyone in congress and the white house, to blackmail people in congress and the white house. But of course they would never do that.
REVOLUTION IS EASIER THAN REFORM.
Response to your Thursdays post DANNIEMARC where you speak again about a class action lawsuit against our Government for failing to abide, protect, and preserve, the Law of the United States of America aka The U.S. Constitution...I agree with your sentiment regarding this matter. My question to you is; How do We the People go about fileing such a suit?
"We looked upon the year 1929 as the year too much food was produced for the people to consume."
"Why in the year 1929 did it appear we had too much? Because the people could not buy the things they wanted to eat, and needed to eat. That showed the need and duty of the government then and there, to have forced sharing of our wealth, and a redistribution, and Roosevelt was elected on the pledge to do that very thing." Huey P. Long...... United States Senator..... statement of the Share Our Wealth movement, May 23, 1935.
The working class then and now created this wealth, but sadly, due to a lack of capitalist regulation and union power, all fueled by Reaganomics, an elite few, have been allowed to hog the lion's share of the fruits of our labor.... and it's up to us to take it back......and if our government refuses to help..... why not try labor slow downs, wildcat strikes, civil disobedience, blockade imports, boycott the monopoly capitalists, whatever it takes? Fight for gods sakes! Redistribution of wealth, from the pockets of the hard working many, to the offshore bank accounts of the very few, needs to be reversed.
Everybody a king, but no one wears a crown!
The Republicans in Congress are all about making President Obama look bad. By halting all progress on every social matter, except stomping on our civil rights, the Republican are trying to pass the blame uphill; and, are succeeding. Whenever anyone suffers, the Republicans look better to their constituents. To them this is just a big game of chicken.
We've gone, in the space of 48 years, from the War on Poverty to the War on the Poor. That does not speak well of us.
The Republican Congress can act at will because they have "free rein" or "free reign" and they know it! The Corporate Media, all of our information news, is owned by a hand full of 5.
Most farmers in my state are hardcore Republicans, so I'm not sure the House is doing themselves any favors by voting out food stamps and other farm subsidies that buy surplus - basically farm welfare programs. A huge percentage of farming around here is corporate from sugar beets and potatoes to apples, owned or contracted for big processors, like Dole or Simplot. Certainly the ag corporations aren't going to give up a government handout. Maybe a few tea party types and others figured this out.
A note on your take about sugary drinks on food stamps/SNAP. They're just the tip of the iceberg. If you were to try to live on food stamps, despite Republican claims, you would not be eating crablegs. You would be down to highly processed but cheap foods, like mac n' cheese, ramen, high carb, high fat, low nutrition type foods. Like the congress members who have taken the challenge to try to live on $4.50 a day, try living on a diet from the local dollar store or Wal-Mart. Wallyworld, as we call it here, not only starves their employees, but expects to have them as customers with food stamps in hand.
I heard on the news tonight that the Speaker thought he had the votes and then at the last minute a bunch of the freshmen, Tear Party group voted against it catching them all by surprise. This was on Scott Pelley on CBS and the man in DC he interviewed said this has been an ongoing problem for the Speaker Boehner. Both Dems and Repubs were for it.
The Republican version helps only the big corp farmers and starves children. The Dem proposal helps big corp farmers and feeds children. Why do Republicans want to starve our children that are in need?
What words strike dread into the hearts of the American masses? "For the common good."
This isn't the first time that the plutocracy gained a dangerous degree of power. In the past, the poor and middle classes united to push back, to the benefit of both. But this time, the middle class was pitted against the poor, deeply dividing the "masses." Anything can happen, but I'd be surprised if, this time, the people can adequately push back. That's scary.
With the Clintion administration, WI decided to require all seriously ill/disabled people (SSI/SSDI) who happened to have minor children to "find jobs." As a result, the disabled became the fastest-growing group of homeless people -- and they did quite poorly on the streets. Who would have guessed it, there is no great demand among employers for disabled/seriously ill workers. Most were stuck into "sheltered workshops," too often with no choice but to do disability-inappropriate work, for a fraction of the minimum wage. Now, there's a formula in place that reduces disability benefits according to any wages. But in this situation, those paid as little as $1.00 per hour by these "workshops" had their benefits reduced as if they were being paid at least the minimum wage. What this amounted to was that the disabled got poorer by working. These policies were, in short, an utter failure, and caused significant suffering in the process. Unfortunately, it's also an issue that was largely ignored by media, mainstream and otherwise, so it continued until President Obama was elected. The bizarre thing is, one qualifies for disability benefits (contrary to ignorant rumors) only if it is medically determined that the person is unable to be gainfully employed, due to disability, so requiring them to work - regardless of what condition they are in -- defies all logic.
I remember sitting in 3rd grade class and listening to fellow students repeatedly interrupt the teacher with innocuous and ridiculous questions designed only to disrupt the progress of the lecture. I remember how infuriated I was at the disrespect and insolence my peers had toward their own education and betterment. I thought that this negative experience would end at puberty; and, for the most part I was right. However, it seems obvious that some of our red state representatives haven't matured past the 8th year of life. They have no sense of responsibility or public betterment.
I strongly hope and pray that our neighbors in these red states are taking notes and are ready to kick ass when the time comes to vote these imbeciles out of office. If they aren't--and they don't--I strongly hope that we, their neighbors, take the time to vote these red states out of the union. The only solution for treating cancer is to remove it from the body. These congressional sessions are proof that this nation suffers from a deadly disease and needs immediate treatment!
Tonight's Moyers program (PBS) is an hour on ALEC and the damage already done to our democracy by an organized plutocracy.
Another good question! Here's my answer. Yes, monitoring, "sifting", reading all violate the fourth amendment. Let's look at that amendment again:
Here we see the words "persons," "houses," "papers," and "effects" against "unreasonable searches and seizures." The amendment goes on to describe a reasonable search and seizure as one "upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
Microsoft described these searches as "Hoovering." An most meaningful word. As a verb it sounds like the indiscriminate vacuuming of information during the cleaning process. As a noun it refers to J. Edgar Hoover who collected volumes of information indiscriminately on American citizens as the first head of the FBI in order to intimidate, blackmail and control them. Microsoft insists the term refers to the later definition.
The unconstitutionality of the searches in this effort pales in comparison to the unconstitutionality of the seizures. Clearly, when you seize all the "papers" and "effects" of everyone, there is no "probable cause" for anything. Do you imply that you suspect every fellow American of being a terrorist; including, of course, yourself? Everyone is a probable suspect and we can just throw out the rest of the amendment as well concerning proper due process to invade our privacy? Perhaps the government should be able to compel us to write down our dreams every night, and provide stool samples and lists of the food we eat everyday as well? After all, if you're willing to surrender your privacy, why just stop at communications.
Some people out there seem to think that the words "papers" and "effects" should not apply to communications in the 'new' digital age. Lets see:
"Significant or important documents" could also easily define emails and text messages of any kind. Now lets look at the word, "effects"
Personal property that is portable. Intellectual property fits this definition perfectly and easily applies to all digital data sweeps being made. (Phone call records are a shady area. However, phone call content is not and in my opinion is strictly protected by the fourth amendment.)
It can be argued that companies already collect data from us for marketing purposes. This collection is agreed to by us before we use the software. Others may argue that we have already surrendered the fourth amendment to the DEA. This also is correct, however the draconian legislation passed in the "War on Drugs" is equally unconstitutional and also needs to be corrected. Remember, two wrongs don't make a right. Just because this type of crime has been committed by our government in the past doesn't make it alright.
Therefore, It is in my humble opinion that any personal property (digital information) created by any citizen that is seized without probable cause or due process, sifted, monitored or used in anyway, including only being stored violates the fourth amendment of the Constitution of the United States not only once, but three times. Belongings are being seized, and searched, without any probable cause or due process. Such data collection is unreasonable, unconstitutional, and a serious threat to the National Security of the United States, the citizens thereof, and our Constitution.
Coal is very dirty. towns near coal factories have polluted streams etc...
not to mention leveling off the tops of mountians... Nat Gas is no better with fracking, and 5% loss is worse than CO2
and OIL? i live in New Orleans and will never eat shrimp again after BP dumping chemicals and deforming half the wildlife in the Gulf Coast region.
We need solar, wind etc... NOW. - put solar on top of every roof of a government and utilities building and incentives/taxes for buisiness.
- Rooftop solar also lowers the stress on the GRID and amount of new high-power lines we need
I think it actually needs tobe wider.
taking into account the diffreence between the pay of the people at the top
and the pay ofpeople atthe bottom.
That difference directly impacts the country (or states) health and how people feel about it.
does it even account forinflation, or job creation ? Gas, food, childcare costs ?