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Memoriam. Boston Marathon victims. April 15, 2013. Photo by joanneleon.
Memoriam. Boston Marathon victims. April 15, 2013. Photo by joanneleon.
Steely Dan - Boston Rag
News and Opinion
Via the intrepid Kevin Gosztola, one of the hardest working investigative journalists out there right now.
The Boston Marathon Explosions: Showing Empathy with the Victims of Bombings
The same day, in the cities of Baghdad, Fallujah and Kirkuk in Iraq, there were “serial blasts.” Fourteen car bombs and three roadside bombs went off. Thirty-three people were killed and over 160 were wounded.
The two boys understand far too well what it is like in the immediate aftermath of a terror attack. In their lives, there has been numerous acts of violence as a result of terrorism and US forces waging war and occupation.
Robert Greenwald's (Brave New Foundation) new documentary, "War on Whistleblowers" had its premiere at the Newseum in Washington, DC. On the web site for their studios, they say this: "Brave New Studios is building the progressive infrastructure for the future of Internet news" which is one of the answers to the question that many of us have. We are not alone. There are many people out there who know that new organizations and a new movement must be built, and they are working on it, as we are.
War on Whistleblowers: Free Press and The National Security State -- Official Trailer
In a Democracy, citizens are entitled to the freedom of information and the freedom of the press, but what happens when that democratic government turns its back on the truth and begins to punish those who stand up to falsehood, secrecy, and deception? In Robert Greenwald's latest film for Brave New Foundation, we reveal the war targeted at the people who put the US constitution before everything. We reveal the War on Whistleblowers.
Obama Whistleblower Prosecutions Lead To Chilling Effect On Press
NEW YORK -– On April 9, McClatchy’s Jonathan Landay reported that the Obama administration has “targeted and killed hundreds of suspected lower-level Afghan, Pakistani and unidentified ‘other’ militants” in drone strikes, a revelation that contradicts previous administration claims of pursuing only senior-level operatives who pose an imminent threat to the United States.
It was an investigative story clearly in the public interest, shedding new light on the government’s long-running targeted-killing program in Pakistan. But now Landay, a veteran national security reporter for the McClatchy newspaper chain, is concerned that the Obama administration could next investigate him in hopes of finding the sources for “top-secret U.S. intelligence reports” cited in the story. “Do I think that they could come after me?” Landay asked, in an interview with The Huffington Post. “Yes.”
It was an investigative story clearly in the public interest, shedding new light on the government’s long-running targeted-killing program in Pakistan. But now Landay, a veteran national security reporter for the McClatchy newspaper chain, is concerned that the Obama administration could next investigate him in hopes of finding the sources for “top-secret U.S. intelligence reports” cited in the story. “Do I think that they could come after me?” Landay asked, in an interview with The Huffington Post. “Yes.”
[Emphasis added.]
We'll be talking about this a lot. Marcy Wheeler has said that she is holding back for now but there are many public sources of information that were not used in this report and that she is considering writing a book which would include her extensive work on the topic, and would include many of the original source materials that have not been examined in this report. She was initially involved with this task force and they were going to contract with her to do some work for them but someone decided that she was too partisan, even though she is a Democrat who is not afraid to criticize the party or this administration. If they had allowed her to work on this task force, almost certainly there would have been more original source material would have been included. This is not to say that the report is not valuable. I ordered a free ebook version of it from their site. This report is a big deal. So is the Senate report, which John Brennan is apparently trying to prevent being released to the public, despite his platitudes during his confirmation hearing. Remember, he was a high level CIA official while this program was active and he also refused to say, during his hearing, that waterboarding is torture. He is also considering a woman for the chief of clandestine operations division position who was involved in destroying the evidence, the torture tapes.
US torture of prisoners is 'indisputable', independent report finds
Report on US rendition programme by non-partisan thinktank finds highest officials were responsible for torture
An independent examination of the US rendition programme after 9/11 has concluded that it is "indisputable" that America tortured prisoners, and that the country's highest officials were responsible.
A 580-page report published on Tuesday by the Constitution Project, a non-partisan Washington-based thinktank, concludes that the programme was unjustified and counterproductive, damaging to the country's reputation, and has placed US military personnel at risk of mistreatment if they are themselves taken prisoner.
In findings similar to those of a report published two months ago by the New York NGO Open Society Justice Initiative, the study concludes that the US rendition programme enjoyed widespread international co-operation, with the UK, Canada, Italy, Germany and Sweden identified as prominent supporters alongside Egypt, Syria, Morocco and Jordan.
Blog Posts and Tweets of Interest
The Evening Blues - 4-16-13
Lives will be saved
Breaking! Efforts Today To Rah Rah Dem Caucus For Chained CPI Fall Flat
Howard Dean Is Raising Key Questions About Obama and Democratic Party Leadership
RFK Speaks to Us About Violence Today
KXL will carry as much carbon as all the cars on the West Coast, plus Michigan, NY, and Florida.
From Brooklyn to Hilo, the Light Brigades Mourn
The buried story of the day: NYT-U.S. Practiced Torture After 9/11
Pres Obama Signs Bill Killing Anti-Corruption, Pro-Transparency STOCK Act Provisions
Monsanto Wins Patent Dispute Against DuPont, Could Become World’s Largest GMO Company
Obama Signs Law Gutting Insider Trading Regulations For Congress
Dave Loggins - Please Come To Boston