Editorial
The Drone Threat
Last week, senators threatened to put a "hold" on the nomination of John Brennan to be CIA director over his refusal to answer questions about the use of drones to kill Americans on US soil. That the president's nominee to head the agency that has used drones to kill perhaps thousands overseas could not deny their possible use at home should be shocking. How did we get to this point?
The Obama administration has rapidly expanded the use of drones overseas, as they appear a way to expand US military action without the political risk of American boots on the ground. In fact, they are one of the main reasons a recent Gallup survey of Pakistan, where most US drone strikes take place, found that 92% disapprove of US leadership. This is the lowest approval rate Pakistan citizens have ever given to the United States. And it is directly related to US drone strikes. The risk of blowback increases all the time. However, the false propaganda about the success of our drone program overseas leads officials to believe that drones should also be used over US soil, as well.
In an attempt to ease criticism of the use of drones against Americans, some in Congress propose more oversight, as if that should make us feel any better. In last week's hearings, CIA nominee Brennan suggested that he was open to a congressional proposal to set up a secret court to oversee the president's program to kill Americans by drone. Should we cheer that a court selected by government officials will meet in secret to oversee the president's secret decisions on killing Americans without charge or trial? Has the Constitution been so eroded that we accept such a horrific and terrifying prospect?
While touting the success of its overseas drone program, the US administration refuses to even admit publicly that the CIA has an overseas drone program. In response to a recent ACLU Freedom of Information request regarding the existence of the CIA's drone program, the Department of Justice responded, "The very fact of the existence or nonexistence of such documents is itself classified." How is that for government transparency?
Recently, Federal Aviation Administration official, Jim Williams, stated that no armed drones would presently be permitted in US airspace. But what good are the promises of government officials when the Constitution, and especially the Fourth Amendment, has been gutted? More than1,400 applications to use drones in US airspace have been approved, including for police, universities and at least seven federal agencies. Do we want to live in a society where the government is constantly watching us from above? The East Germans and Soviets could only dream of such technology in the days of their dictatorship. We might ask ourselves how long before "extraordinary" circumstances will lead to a decision to arm those drones over US territory.
The US government justified its attack on Saddam Hussein in Iraq and against Gaddafi in Libya, and elsewhere, with claims that these despots were killing their own citizens without trial or due process. It is true that extra-juridical killing is the opposite of justice in a free society.
As Judge Andrew Napolitano wrote last week about the president's assassination program, "When [the president] kills without due process, he disobeys the laws he has sworn to uphold, no matter who agrees with him. When we talk about killing as if it were golf, we debase ourselves. And when the government kills and we put our heads in the sand, woe to us when there is no place to hide."
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Posted by 1776 on 02/20/13 06:52 PM
VIDEO: RAPISTS LOVE GUN CONTROL FEBRUARY 20, 2013 BY DANIEL NOE
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Posted by 1776 on 02/20/13 03:25 PM
NSA is looking for a few good hackers By Tabassum Zakaria, Published: August 2, 2011
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Cyber Security anybody?
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Posted by terry on 02/20/13 06:46 AM
Sorry about spelling, but this really upsets me, this drone thing.
The CC.
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Posted by terry on 02/20/13 06:44 AM
Amen to that, Mr. President.
From "Pong" to "Super Mario" to, well, name any one popular game on X-Box or Playstation and what have you? Kids grown up to kill by joystick - and no! I am not saying that kids should stop playing these games that teach great hand/eye-coordination, as well as two or more track thinking. I am talking about the young who voluntarily go into the military thinking they are protecting their loved ones and home soil, but have done so because its (the military, that is) main marketing and point is: If you can't afford it, get a free education! With us. All you have to do is play Russion Roulette with your life - Dusgusting!
Pentagon Man who developed this monstrosity of a killing tool should be drawn and quartered live in the agora without choice of guillotine - the clean cut. If I hadn't have been brought up to belive in killing people is wrong - no matter what (other than in self-defense or protect those I love) - I would be head of the line at that horse-drawn event. Now that would be the kind of rodeo of a super bowl event I would attend - "Bowling for Pentagon" - good gawd. What will those that perverse think of next?
Go get 'em President Paul. Do not let them get away with this psychopathic military tool, in whatever form you can to halt it! Human decency demands it!
The Canadian Curator.
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Posted by steveg on 02/19/13 06:08 PM
I believe killing and assassination by drones is gangsterism and those who do it should be charged in court. Of course, that will not happen, after all we are the "good guys!" See Links below:
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Posted by 1776 on 02/19/13 04:57 PM
FOURTH AMENDMENT:
The Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution provides, "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized." Ultimately, these words endeavor to protect two fundamental liberty interests - the right to privacy and freedom from arbitrary invasions.
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Anybody voting against the Constitution, and Bill of Rights, will be removed and prosecuted for treason!
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Posted by Mark Y on 02/19/13 04:19 PM
Steve Pieczenik, ong time USA intelligence ultra-insider is writing very interesting and very revealing blog posts. He is coming from a certain "mind set" so reading between the lines is needed, but his posts are unique. Anyone not familiar with him start by reading his unique bio on his web site. Click to view link
Here is a snippet from his latest blog post...
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2013
The New 'American Terrorists': The United States Senate Holds Two American Senior Officials 'HOSTAGE'!!!!
Over thirty years of counter-terrorism activity and hostage negotiations, I have witnessed and participated in all types of crises.
But this one is a completely new type of HOSTAGE TAKING that I could never imagined.
And believe me, that says something in a topsy turvy Terrorist Game where the bad guy is the so -called 'terrorist' one day, then the next day he [usually it's a 'he', except for the German Baader Meinhoff Gang-German women are really tougher than their male counterparts-ask CARLOS!!!] is 'a hero' and the leader of the nation.
But this past week completely took me aback as both a so-called 'counter terrorist expert' and more importantly as an AMERICAN CITIZEN.
I was SHOCKED.
And ashamed.
Never in my wild imaginations would I believe that two nominees, Brennan and Hagel, would have been literally held 'hostage' to LEGISLATIVE PROCEDURES which had nothing to do with the WELL BEING of OUR COUNTRY. These procedures drone on in order to extract the 'truth' from the Obama administration when in fact the truth had been revealed in the different media outlets that I had talked about in my previous blogs-The NY Times, The Wall Street Journal, The NY Post, The Huffington Post, FOX News, William Morrow Publishing, the great bloggers on the internet and countless others.
So what is this CRAP about Brennan?
He was in charge of Drone Attacks on innocent civilians?
Then if that is or was the case, then vote him out.
As much as I have not been his fan, I still feel that he should be the DCI because he is born, bred and embedded in a community that by nature will deceive, betray and run false flags.
So, if you have any guts Senator McCain, Rand Paul, Lindsey Graham stop playing games and deny his nomination.
But you and I know all too well, you cowardly senators, that you just want to hang him up there not because it serves our national security but because it serves your collective narcissistic needs and political ambition.
Brennan, reminds me a bit of Ambassador Joe Kennedy, father of JFK, who was one of the best heads of SEC because he was a very corrupt trader in the 1929 depression and had strong ties to the Irish/Italian/Jewish mob. It takes a crook to know how to manage one.
And so it is with Brennan. I predict that he will turn out to possibly be the best DCI we have ever had because he knows EVERY TRICK and DIRTY SKELETON in the CIA.
Furthermore, I am well acquainted with the fact for all of his past miscreant behavior which all of you have read about, Brennan has been an open PROPONENT of PUBLICLY demanding that the Obama administration should have ACKNOWLEDGED the DEADLY DRONE ATTACKS ON INNOCENT CIVILIANS IN PAKISTAN AND YEMEN.
Also, he like myself, have been STRONG PROPONENTS of the US MILITARY assuming the drone responsibilities and not out sourcing military/CIA operatives.
But let me get to my most serious concern, the hostage taking of ex-senator CHUCK HAGEL.
This FILIBUSTER ACTION by both Senator McCAIN, a former Hagel friend and military comrade [who needs a friend like that!] and Lindsay Graham [a military Reservist in the US Army] have literally blocked the nomination of this incredible war hero, Chuck Hagel.
Why?
On the surface, let us take the more vitriolic words and contentious behavior of Senator McCain regarding a former military colleague Vietnam veteran, fellow Republican Senator and Iraq conferee…
Ostensibly, the issue concerns the 'dark secrets' and 'lies' concerning the September 11, 2012 Benghazi fiasco. I think that most of you, my dear readers, and others around the country have by now, learned about the 'Palace Coup' of the Brennan's Civilian CIA against General Petraeus and his military minions and heroes.
But unfortunately that is not the issue at hand as far as I am concerned.
As I just previously mentioned above, the true story of Benghazi has already been reported by the aforementioned media outlets.
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Posted by 1776 on 02/19/13 03:09 PM
NSA Director Keith Alexander came to hacker gathering DefCon for the first time to recruit from the show's ranks.
LAS VEGAS (CNNMoney) -- Wearing a t-shirt and jeans, America's top spymaster -- National Security Agency Director Gen. Keith Alexander, also the head of the U.S. Cyber Command -- took the stage Friday at the nation's largest hacker convention to deliver a recruiting pitch.
"In this room, this room right here, is the talent our nation needs to secure cyberspace," Alexander told the standing-room-only audience at DefCon, a grassroots gathering in Las Vegas expected to draw a record 16,000 attendees this year. "We need great talent. We don't pay as high as everybody else, but we're fun to be around."
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Posted by Danny B on 02/19/13 10:03 AM
Ahhh, so you don't like big, expensive killer drones???
How about cheap killer drones?
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Posted by dave jr on 02/19/13 09:27 AM
The war on terror is not a legitimate declaration of war because it names no enemy for Congressional approval. Worse, it implies the President has a right to arbitrarily declare anyone unfit to life on this planet.
The ramification then, by default, by the President NOT decalaring me a terroist or enemy combatant, declares me fit to inhabit this planet, or grants me life.
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Posted by 1776 on 02/19/13 09:00 AM
Drones Over America Jun 17, 2012
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The girl killed by Barack Obama - she never saw it coming
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Posted by 1776 on 02/19/13 08:25 AM
John Brennan, CIA nominee, may have converted to Islam: report Tuesday, 12 February 2013
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Posted by jdwheeler42 on 02/19/13 07:56 AM
Didn't Obama categorically reject the use of drones to kill American citizens on American soil, because we had "other means" to get them (as we saw in the Dorner case)? After all, why risk a multimillion dollar piece of machinery when cops are so much cheaper and more expendable?
