"He's the only candidate who talks about, let alone understands, the "true costs of war."

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Friday October 23, 2015 · 8:34 PM PDT

2015/10/23 · 20:34

Senator Bernie Sanders' career in Congress has been living testimony to the fact that opposing wars but supporting our soldiers are not mutually exclusive goals.

When Bernie Sanders entered the U.S. Congress back in 1991, he chose to continue his already decades-long tradition of addressing the "... true costs of war." It was a tradition he began in the very first campaign for office he ever ran -- for high school class president in 1958 in Brooklyn, New York. That campaign centered around awarding scholarships for kids orphaned by the devastating effects of the Korean war. Bernie lost that campaign. However, he demonstrated his innate ability to reach out to his opponents in order to get things accomplished for the People. Bernie reached out to the winner of that election, convincing him to join his cause, and together, they got those scholarships... for some very grateful kids.

So, it's really no surprise that the first piece of legislation he worked on and got passed with bipartisan help in Congress was H.R.695 - Guard and Reserve Family Protection Act of 1991. The bill effectively ensured that any pay reserve and National Guard soldiers deployed in the first Gulf War received overseas was added to the pay and benefit package they were entitled to back home.

Congressman Bernie Sanders understood the injustice.

markthshark

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Wednesday October 14, 2015 · 7:58 PM PDT

2015/10/14 · 19:58

Until the scientific national polls come out in a day or two, We the People are more or less resigned to relying on the analysis of the debate that pundits on cable news joyfully provide us.

Or are we?

FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting) published the following compilation of online polls today. You may find the results surprising.

Looks like we do have a choice in who to trust. I guess it all depends on who or what you think is more credible: the tv punditocracy who have more or less either ignored or marginalized Bernie Sander's iconoclastic campaign every way they could, since the day he announced -- OR -- an aggregate of unscientific online polls results gathered by a website whose self-appointed mission is to hold the media accountable.

I know which one I believe.

Although these polls only represent the views of these sites’ visitors who volunteered to participate, the consistently high share saying that Sanders prevailed in the debate, across a range of websites with wildly varying audiences, is striking.
Adam Johnson, associate editor at AlterNet and frequent FAIR.org contributor, pointed out (AlterNet, 10/14/15) that not only had Sanders won every online poll “by at least an 18-point margin,” he also was picked as the winner by various media-convened focus groups: “Sanders won the CNN focus group, the Fusion focus group and the Fox News focus group; in the latter, he even converted several Hillary supporters.”

Sourcing...

Last Night's DKos post-debate poll

KSWB-TV, Fox’s San Diego affiliate's Poll

The Street, a financial news website's Poll

Believe who or what you want to believe. But there's one thing for sure...

There's a significant disparity between what cable news is telling us -- and -- what poll participants on the internet are saying.

Bernie Sanders Ties Trump and Carson in GOP Poll in Vermont. FWIW, He Also Leads Clinton 65-14.

markthshark

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Friday September 18, 2015 · 6:30 PM PDT

2015/09/18 · 18:30

To me the latter poll is the surprising poll result. We'd expect him to lead Clinton in his home state. But the results also show he ties the two front-runners in the GOP race as well.

CASTLETON, Vt. -
Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders remains popular in Vermont, even among Republicans-- that's according to a new poll from the Castleton Polling Institute.

Hmm, perhaps he would indeed have overall crossover appeal in the general election.

Time will tell.

GO BERNIE!!

That's all.

Carry on!

Clinton Staffer Will Plead 5th Amendment at Congressional Hearing on Email Server

markthshark

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Wednesday September 02, 2015 · 7:45 PM PDT

2015/09/02 · 19:45

Presented without comment...

Think Progress...

Bryan Pagliano, Clinton’s Former Tech Staffer, Will Plead The Fifth In Email Investigation

Here's the WaPo link...

Staffer who worked on Clinton’s private e-mail server faces subpoena

From the DoJ: Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) Can Withhold WMD Information From Congress

markthshark

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Wednesday August 26, 2015 · 6:13 PM PDT

2015/08/26 · 18:13

... if the president determines that doing so could harm the national security of this country.

So much for the explicit federal statute that forces the executive branch to keep Congress “fully and currently informed” about the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

The opinion was written by then-OLC deputy John Yoo. It was released this week under a FOIA request. Here's how it was written: Presidential Authority to Protect National Security Information, January 27, 2003.

The OLC opinion takes an uncompromising view of presidential authority. It reviews multiple statutes that mandate disclosure of various types of information to Congress, including requirements to report on WMD proliferation and to keep the intelligence committees “fully and currently informed of all intelligence activities.” It then concludes that those statutes cannot override, modify or limit the President’s constitutional prerogatives.
“Despite Congress’s extensive powers under the Constitution, its authorities to legislative [sic] and appropriate cannot constitutionally be exercised in a manner that would usurp the President’s authority over foreign affairs and national security,” the OLC opinion said.

Even to a layman, the Yoo opinion seems muddled and poorly argued, in several respects.

Here's the link to FAS: Read More

That Old White Guy From Vermont

markthshark

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Wednesday July 22, 2015 · 2:04 PM PDT

2015/07/22 · 14:04

As an unabashed, diehard Bernie Sanders supporter, I'd be lying if I said last weekend's Netroots Nation fiasco didn't send a panicky chill through my body that I'll not soon forget. As soon as I watched the video, I immediately suffered a flashback to 2004 and the notorious 'Dean Scream'. And how the press crucified him for what amounted to a moment of unscheduled, unbridled campaign exuberance. And we all remember how that turned out.

Besides the highlighting of urgent BLM issues one other good thing happened as a result of the Netroots Nation. It made me curious as to Bernie's real record on racial and ethnic issues. And to be honest, upon further review, I came to only one conclusion: the evident disparity of what I knew about his record on racial issues... and what I didn't know, well, kinda, sorta surprised me. Now, I consider myself fairly well-versed in the records of the candidates I support. I've always made a point of researching them. But in this case, I admit my due diligence was lacking in both depth and detail. I knew generally about all the marches he participated in. I was well aware of the sit-ins. And the other acts of civil disobedience over the years as well. I already knew he was very active in socioeconomic politics in general for many years. But his advocacy has been even more substantive.

I suppose what surprised me was the diverse range of interests for which he's advocated since the '50s. Yes, you read that last part right. Bernie Sanders hasn't been active for just 50+ years. Bernie Sanders has magnanimously advocated for socioeconomic fairness and equality -- for a plethora of ethnic and racial cause and groups -- here and abroad, since high school... IOW, for nearly 60 years. (he graduated in 1959)

And, he's not about to stop advocating anytime soon. After all, he's a very spry septuagenarian. ;-)

Please indulge me below the weird-looking socialistic croissant.

markthshark

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Friday July 17, 2015 · 5:36 PM PDT

2015/07/17 · 17:36

Turns out, those of us who've long thought of Senator Bernie Sanders as a political superhero, stoically battling the forces of villainous oligarchs hellbent on holding our economy (and therefore our very livelihoods) hostage... aren't all that far off the mark. At least regarding the company he keeps. (and, yes, I'm wildly extrapolating here)

But, I digress...

His is an unconventional campaign, so it was only logical that in May he picked an unconventional operative to run it—the owner of a comic book shop. A longtime Sanders friend and advisor, Jeff Weaver had worked on Sanders' campaigns and in his Washington offices for more than two decades. But before he came on board Bernie 2016, Weaver had retired from politics to launch one of the DC-area's biggest gaming businesses.

UP,UP and AWAY!!!

Oh wait... Stay GROUNDED Bernie, stay grounded. (we need you here on earth)

markthshark

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Friday November 21, 2014 · 4:19 PM PST

2014/11/21 · 16:19

File - In this June 6, 2013, file photo, shows an aerial view of the cooling units at the NSA's Utah Data Center in Bluffdale, Utah. The massive National Security Agency data center about 25 miles south of Salt Lake City is using far less water than expected, utility records obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune show. Records from the city of Bluffdale, which sells water to the facility, show monthly water use at the $1.7 billion data center peaked last July at 6.2 million gallons. That's well below what the 1 million gallons a day that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers predicted the center would need to cool its computer processors. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

The last time I heard about this it was in still in the idea stage. Legislation didn't yet exist. However, this update indicates legislators in Utah are serious about leaving the NSA out in the desert without water. And hopefully, other state legislatures around the country adopt the same attitude. It would definitely send a powerful message to the federal government. Find a constitutional way to keep us safe, DAMMIT!

Lawmakers are considering a bill that would shut off the water spigot to the massive data center operated by the National Security Agency in Bluffdale, Utah.
The legislation, proposed by Utah lawmaker Marc Roberts, is due to go to the floor of the Utah House of Representatives early next year, but it was debated in a Public Utilities and Technology Interim Committee meeting on Wednesday. The bill, H.B. 161, directs municipalities like Bluffdale to “refuse support to any federal agency which collects electronic data within this state.”

The NSA brought its Bluffdale data center online about a year ago, taking advantage Utah’s cheap power and a cut-rate deal for millions of gallons of local water, used to cool the 1-million-square-foot building’s servers. Roberts’ bill, however, would prohibit the NSA from negotiating new water deals when its current Bluffdale agreement runs out in 2021.

It warms the cockles of my heart that they're showing such concern for saving taxpayer money. Too bad they didn't show such concern when they spent over $1.5 billion on the center itself. Read More

Judgment Day -- U.S. Officials to Appear Wednesday Before the U.N. Committee against Torture

markthshark

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Tuesday November 11, 2014 · 4:50 PM PST

2014/11/11 · 16:50

Well, this will be interesting... Perhaps James Clapper will come along to testify? He could just fidget around in his seat and wipe the sweat from his head as he's ~~testifying~~ lying through his teeth.

U.S. officials are in for a serious grilling on Wednesday as they get hauled before the U.N. Committee against Torture and questioned about about a multitude of ways in which the U.S. appears to be failing to comply with the anti-torture treaty it ratified 20 years ago.

Treaties are so quaint these days. Read More

GOP Candidates Forced to Undergo 'Training' by Fox News Media Consultant & CNN Commentator S.E. Cupp

markthshark

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Friday November 07, 2014 · 6:11 PM PST

2014/11/07 · 18:11

US Representative Greg Walden (L) of Oregon, Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), Luis Fortuno (2nd L), former Governor of Puerto Rico, Reince Priebus (2nd R), chairman of the Republican National Committee, and US Senator Jerry Moran (R) of Kansas, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), hold a press conference at RNC Headquarters in Washington, DC, November 5, 2014. Republicans captured a majority in the US Senate on Tuesday in a sweeping midterm election victory that delivered a rebuke to President Barack Obama's Democrats. AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB        (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

Gaffe training... seriously?

Apparently, CNN commentator S.E. Cupp and Fox media consultant Jon Kraushar took turns training most of the Republican senate candidates how not to commit gaffes during media events and speeches on the campaign trail leading up to Tuesday's midterm elections.

The "bootcamp" was arranged by the National Republican Senatorial Committee and intended to keep GOP candidates from making campaign-crippling media gaffes. Politico pointed to former congressman Todd Akin's "legitimate rape" remarks in 2012 as a prime example of such a blunder.
Cupp, who was a panelist on "Crossfire" before CNN canceled the show in October, remains a commentator at the network. She conducted mock interviews with candidates, simulating the kind of interrogation they might receive from the media in weeks prior to the elections. Kraushar, who has worked for Eric Cantor, Paul Ryan and Dick Cheney, handles most of the on-camera training at Fox News. He was also present to ensure that candidates were primed.

Hmm, being careful of what you say and do is always prudent. But being "primed" to not ever say in public what is really on their minds makes the election a sham. Most people know inherently how not to appear stupid in public. Just goes to show Republicans are far from normal. They're essentially automatons. Read More

Second Circuit Court of Appeals Allows New York City to Legally END 'Stop and Frisk' Policy

markthshark

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Tuesday November 04, 2014 · 9:46 AM PST

2014/11/04 · 09:46

This ruling is six years in the making, stemming from a 2008 case (Floyd v New York) challenging the New York Police Department’s stop-and-frisk program enforced by then-Mayor Mike Bloomberg.

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals granted the city’s request to withdraw its appeal in Floyd v New York, a 2008 case challenging the New York Police Department’s stop-and-frisk program as implemented under then-Mayor Mike Bloomberg. The federal judge in the case ruled stop-and-frisk unconstitutional in August 2013, finding the NYPD liable for stopping innocent citizens — mainly young black and brown people — in the streets essentially because of their race. Bloomberg’s administration appealed the ruling, but new mayor Bill De Blasio and his staff agreed to drop the case in January while seeking reforms for NYPD behavior.

The Bloomberg administration had no interest in 'reforms' at all. Read More

Secret 'Arrangements' Between U.S. and U.K. Allow GCHQ to View and Store Data of American Citizens

markthshark

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Wednesday October 29, 2014 · 7:24 PM PDT

2014/10/29 · 19:24

James Ball over at the Guardian U.K. is reporting that British intelligence services can now access bulk raw materials collected by the NSA and other foreign surveillance agencies without a warrant. The U.K government has confirmed the report for the first time.

Privacy International, one of several advocacy groups mounting legal challenges against GCHQ and NSA surveillance, said the revelation should cast further doubts on legal safeguards in the UK.
“We now know that data from any call, internet search, or website you visited over the past two years could be stored in GCHQ’s database and analysed at will, all without a warrant to collect it in the first place,” said deputy director Eric King. “It is outrageous that the government thinks mass surveillance, justified by secret “arrangements” that allow for vast and unrestrained receipt and analysis of foreign intelligence material is lawful.”

In response to a joint legal challenge by Privacy International, Liberty and Amnesty International to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, (the UK surveillance watchdog) GCHQ has revealed secret “arrangements” for accessing bulk material coordinated through the NSA. The legal action was a response to documents revealed by Edward Snowden and published by the Guardian and other news organizations last year.

The government's submission admits that the U.K can obtain “unselected” – meaning unanalyzed, or raw intelligence, (or information from overseas partners) without a warrant if it was “not technically feasible” to obtain the communications under a warrant. It can also obtain the data if it is “necessary and proportionate” for the intelligence agencies to obtain that information.

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"He's the only candidate who talks about, let alone understands, the "true costs of war."

Bernie Lost the Debate: the Pundits Told us so

Bernie Sanders Ties Trump and Carson in GOP Poll in Vermont. FWIW, He Also Leads Clinton 65-14.

Clinton Staffer Will Plead 5th Amendment at Congressional Hearing on Email Server

From the DoJ: Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) Can Withhold WMD Information From Congress

That Old White Guy From Vermont

Bernie's Intimate Connection to Comic Book Superheroes

State of Utah Debating Whether to Cut Off Water at NSA's Bluffdale Data Center - But Not Until 2021

Judgment Day -- U.S. Officials to Appear Wednesday Before the U.N. Committee against Torture

GOP Candidates Forced to Undergo 'Training' by Fox News Media Consultant & CNN Commentator S.E. Cupp

Second Circuit Court of Appeals Allows New York City to Legally END 'Stop and Frisk' Policy

Secret 'Arrangements' Between U.S. and U.K. Allow GCHQ to View and Store Data of American Citizens