Friday, January 14, 2011

11-01-15 US Civil Rights under Siege // EE.UU. Derechos Civiles bajo sitio // 美国民权围困


Congress quietly prepares to renew Patriot Act

By David Edwards and Stephen Webster

December 14, 2011 "
Raw Story" -- Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) has introduced a little-noticed bill that intends to once again renew controversial provisions of the Bush administration's USA Patriot Act that are due to expire this year.
When the act was first signed into law, Congress put in some "sunset" provisions to quiet the concerns of civil libertarians, but they were ignored by successive extensions. Unfortunately, those concerns proved to be well founded, and a 2008 Justice Department report confirmed that the FBI regularly abused their ability to obtain personal records of Americans without a warrant.
The only real sign of strong opposition to the act was in 2005, when a Democratic threat to filibuster its first renewal was overcome by Senate Republicans.
Since the bill introduced by Rogers on Jan. 5 was virtually identical to the extension passed last year, its passage was seen as likely.
"Given the very limited number of days Congress has in session before the current deadline, and the fact that the bill’s Republican sponsor is only seeking another year, I think it’s safe to read this as signaling an agreement across the aisle to put the issue off yet again," the libertarian Cato Institute's Julian Sanchez wrote.
"In the absence of a major scandal, though, it’s hard to see why we should expect the incentives facing legislators to be vastly different a year from now," he added. "I’d love to be proven wrong, but I suspect this is how reining in the growth of the surveillance state becomes an item perpetually on next year’s agenda."
As senator, Obama promised to support reforming the Patriot Act, but voted in favor of extending it in 2005 and 2008. Similarly, he signed last year's extension into law with little fanfare. FBI and Department of Justice officials had consistently argued that restricting their blanket authority to conduct warrantless searches would harm national security.
Candidate Obama said in 2007 that if he were elected president there would be "no more National Security Letters [NSL's] to spy on citizens who are not suspected of a crime" because "that is not who we are, and it is not what is necessary to defeat the terrorists."
Much like Obama's vow to close the Guantanamo Bay military prison, the use of NSL's has also continued. Most recently, Obama's Department of Justice sent an NSL to micro-blogging site Twitter, seeking information on all 635,561 users who followed secrets outlet WikiLeaks -- a list that included Raw Story.
Obama's campaign website insisted that he has consistently said he would support a Patriot Act extension that strengthens civil liberties.
Action on his campaign pledge had yet to emerge by the start of 2011, and no significant reforms were reflected in Rep. Rogers' proposed extension.
Former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), perhaps the Senate's strongest opponent of the Patriot Act, was defeated by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) in the 2010 mid-term elections.
A prior version of this article identified the Cato Institute as "conservative-leaning." In an email to Raw Story, they asked to instead be described instead as "libertarian.

11-01-14 Decimating the US Home-owning Middle-Class // Diezmando los EE.UU. en el hogar propietario de clase media // 抽取的美国家庭拥有中产阶级

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Information Clearing House Newsletter
News You Won't Find On CNN
January 14, 2011
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Foreclosure Filings in U.S. May Jump 20% From Record 2010 as Crisis Peaks:

The number of U.S. homes receiving a foreclosure filing will climb about 20 percent in 2011, reaching a peak for the housing crisis, as unemployment remains high and banks resume seizures after a slowdown, RealtyTrac Inc. said.
http://bit.ly/ehCjge
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Jobless claims hit a 10-week high:

The number of Americans filing for first-time unemployment benefits rose unexpectedly to 445,000 from 410,000 in the prior week, a Labor Department report showed. It was the biggest one-week jump in about six months and confounded analyst forecasts for a small drop to 405,000.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE70A41H20110113
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Why does health care in Cuba cost 96% less than in the US?:

Life expectancy of about 78 years of age in Cuba is equivalent to the US. Yet, in 2005, Cuba was spending US$193 per person on health care, only 4% of the $4540 being spent in the US. Where could the other 96% of US health care dollars be going?
http://links.org.au/node/2082

11-01-14 Burlesque in the US Courts - Hijacking of the US Government //Burlesque en los EE.UU. Tribunales - Secuestro de Gobierno de los EE.UU. // 滑稽戏在美国法院-劫持美国政府


 


  More on Commonwealth of Virginia v Sebelius, Log Cabin Republicans  USA, SEC v BAC - collapse of the frameworks of democratic government

Careful review of the litigation records in the three cases would lead one to conclude that senior US officers are actively undermining the stated goals of the US government.
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The press release [linked below] focuses on three specific, high-visibility cases in the US courts:

  • Commonwealth of Virginia v Sebelius,
  • Log Cabin Republicans  USA,
  • SEC v BAC
The press release describes the "burlesque" in the US courts.  However, if one reviews the records carefully, one must conclude that senior US officers are ready, willing, able participants in the "burlesque" in each of the cases.  In two of the cases, US agencies were the Defendants, and in the third a US agency was the Plaintiff.

The three cases pertain to President Obama's central stated policies:

  • Prevail in wars that the Armed Services are engaged in,
  • Restore honest and effective banking regulation, and
  • Implement health-care reform,
Therefore, one must conclude that senior US officers are actively undermining his presidency...

Not that one could conclude that similar officers were loyal to the Bush Presidency; this is not partisan, it is collapse of the frameworks of democratic government.

In that respect, one should recall that Senator Leahy, Chair of the US Senate Judiciary Committee, called already two years ago for a "Truth and Reconciliation Commission". 

However, Truth and Reconciliation Commissions are instituted after tyrannies of various kinds are deposed.  Here, Leahy called for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, while such forces are still in power...  In fact, if one agrees that Senator Leahy is no dummy, one must conclude that Senator Leahy declared that the US government was hijacked...
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At 04:08 AM 1/14/2011, John Doe wrote:
Joe -

Hope all is well with you. Thanks for taking the time to e-mail me. Keep up the good work. You are helping make a difference.

John Doe

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 03:42:56 Joseph Zernik wrote




Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2011 03:42:56
To: jz12345@earthlink.net
From: jz12345@earthlink.net
Subject: Press Release: Commonwealth of Virginia v Sebelius in the US District Court - Constitutional Challenge to the Obama Health Care Law - Appears as Deliberately Invalid Litigation

Press Release: Commonwealth of Virginia v Sebelius in the US District Court - Constitutional Challenge to the Obama Health Care Law - Appears as Deliberately Invalid Litigation

The docket of the case reveals records that are inconsistent with litigation conducted in compliance with the US law.  The clerk of the court and US Department of Justice Freedom of Information Office were requested to provide copies of the electronic certificates of authentication/attestation by the clerk of the records in the case.

See the complete Press release at:
[1] 11-01-13 Press Release: Commonwealth of Virginia v Sebelius in the US District Court - Constitutional Challenge to the Obama Health Care Law - Appears as Deliberately Invalid Litigation
http://www.scribd.com/doc/46836277/