Purveyor
Purveyor's JournalComing Soon To U.S. Skies: The Military’s Spying Blimp
Washington’s corridors of power have been busy in recent months dealing with the National Security Agency’s collection of private phone records and metadata, but that’s not the only issue of national security on federal officials’ radar.
Envisioning scenarios of a 9/11-like terrorist attack on Washington, D.C., the U.S. Defense Department is upgrading its defense systems to include military spying blimps.
While the blimp is viewed by most of the world as a slow-moving, floating airship strewn with advertising messages, the Pentagon is making a few military modifications to create a house-sized flying fortress that can identify potential threats on the ground. Called the Raytheon JLENS system, these flying ships will be able to track incoming missiles, armed drones and other threats from hundreds of miles away with a 360-degree radius.
Perhaps its best selling point is that system can stay in the air for 30 days without refueling or stopping for supplies.
After successful trials in Utah, the Defense Department hopes to roll out the flying spy ship sometime in 2014. With over 100 soldiers trained on the system, the spy blimp has coped well with the spine-chilling terrorist war games that the Army used to test it. It is estimated that the Defense Department will spend up to 700 percent less on the spy-ship system than on spy planes, and it is believed to give better protection. But then again, the military does not have a great record on budgeting.
more...
http://www.mintpressnews.com/coming-soon-to-u-s-skies-the-militarys-spying-blimp/165990/
DEA Continue To Raid Marijuana Sites, Irrespective Of State Laws
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted several raids Wednesday on marijuana dispensaries throughout Washington state, continuing a trend of targeting businesses that are perfectly legal by state government standards but fly in the face of federal drug laws.
DEA spokeswoman Jodie Underwood confirmed the raids occurred, but did not provide any other information, such as the number of dispensaries targeted or the number of search warrants executed.
Seattle medical marijuana attorney Douglas Hiatt said dispensaries targeted by the DEA included Seattle Cross, Tacoma Cross and Bayside Collective in Olympia.
“A client of mine who was talking to a DEA agent was told that there were going to be 18 places raided today up and down the corridor,” Hiatt said to InfoWars.com.
Earlier this year, Underwood said that 41 marijuana dispensaries in Seattle had received warning letters because they were reportedly in violation of state and federal law. Underwood said the letters were part of the DEA’s “on-going comprehensive strategy to combat drug trafficking in coordination with five judicial districts in our area of responsibility.”
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http://www.mintpressnews.com/dea-continue-to-raid-marijuana-sites-irrespective-of-state-laws/165980/
It’s Been A Busy Week Of Protests In America: Teachers, Pensions, Minimum Wage…
Detroit is bankrupt, Chicago just layed off 2,100 teachers, and California Wal-Mart workers are on strike. Across the U.S., a growing number of Americans are fed up with low pay and spending cuts that are touted as a panacea for budget deficit and years of overspending by American cities.
The rollbacks occur as Congress appears unwilling to raise the minimum wage, a decision that living-wage advocates say would put more money in the pockets of low-wage workers and stimulate the economy. With little impetus to raise the minimum wage to $10.10, a proposal now supported by 80 percent of Americans, congressional ratings have plummeted to an abysmal 15.8 percent approval, according to an aggregation of national polling averages published by Real Clear Politics.
Bipartisan austerity marches on
It has been a busy week of protests across the U.S., as public-sector workers are reeling from cuts to pensions and mass firings in Midwestern cities.
In Detroit, Judge Steven Rhodes declared that the bankruptcy proceedings could continue in the Motor City, allowing Republican Gov. Rick Snyder’s appointed emergency managers to slash pensions and benefits for the city’s public workers.
It’s elicited a small but growing resistance from city workers who are now suddenly scrambling to plan for retirement with few options available to them.
“They are aiming to take our police and fire pensions,” said Darryl Brown, a 12-year veteran of the city’s fire department, adding that if he retired today he’d get $300 a month.
more...
http://www.mintpressnews.com/its-been-a-busy-week-of-protests-in-america-teachers-pensions-minimum-wage/165977/
29 Arrested For Singing Anti-Walker Lyrics In Wisconsin State Capitol
Dozens of protesters were arrested Thursday night for singing in Wisconsin capitol, in the second round of arrests triggered by a judge’s ruling that all groups over 20 people must obtain a permit before demonstrating.
At least 29 people with “Solidarity Sing-Along” were cuffed and taken away on Thursday night, according to local media. The arrests came a day after police took 24 singers into custody, making good on their oft’ repeated threats to enforce the permit rule.
The group has maintained a daily presence in the capitol for over two years, singing well-known songs every afternoon featuring anti-Republican lyrics, according to The Associated Press.
A Wisconsin judge ruled on July 8 that the demonstrators must acquire a permit before bringing a group of more than 20 people into the capitol for a protest.
Police have delivered daily warnings to the Solidarity Sing-Along members since the 11th, but Wednesday was the first day they actually made good on their threats. However, Wednesday’s arrests appear to have only angered the group, and they returned Thursday over 100 strong.
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http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/07/26/29-arrested-for-singing-anti-walker-lyrics-in-wisconsin-state-capitol/
Libertarian-Hawkish Rift Emerges In GOP Debate Over National Security
By KEN THOMAS and STEVE PEOPLES | ASSOCIATED PRESS | 20 minutes ago in Politics
A rift over national security is developing in the early stages of the Republican Party's next presidential campaign, pitting libertarians who question government overreach against defenders of a more hawkish approach on national security formed after the 2001 terrorist attacks.
During a forum Thursday night in Aspen, Colo., New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie pointed to a "strain of libertarianism" coursing through both parties as a "very dangerous thought" more than a decade after the Sept. 11 attacks. Christie was asked whether he was referring to Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, a potential presidential candidate who has been at the forefront of the party's libertarian wing.
"You can name any number of people and he's one of them," said Christie, noting his state suffered the second-most casualties in the hijacked airliner attacks on New York and Washington, which killed nearly 3,000 people. "These esoteric, intellectual debates _ I want them to come to New Jersey and sit across from the widows and the orphans and have that conversation. And they won't, because that's a much tougher conversation to have."
Paul responded Friday on Twitter, saying Christie "worries about the dangers of freedom. I worry about the danger of losing that freedom. Spying without warrants is unconstitutional."
For Republicans, the national security debate offers a window into an evolving party that nearly a decade ago re-elected President George W. Bush, in part, on the basis of his administration's hard-line response to the terror attacks and use of tools provided by the USA Patriot Act, which gave the administration the powers to search records and conduct roving wiretaps in pursuit of terrorists. It also serves notice that whoever hopes to claim the GOP nomination in 2016 may need to fuse factions within the party on national security.
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http://www.newser.com/article/da7pdn2o3/libertarian-hawkish-rift-emerges-in-gop-debate-over-national-security.html
Women's Groups Go On Attack Against Weiner
National women's groups are stepping up their efforts in the New York City mayors race to support City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and denounce former Congressman Anthony Weiner for his lewd online behavior.
The women's poliitcal group EMILY's List is sending out an e-mail to supporters Friday saying "New Yorkers deserve better than the circus their mayoral race has turned into." The e-mail, written by communications director Jess McIntosh, was sent under the subject line "I don't want to talk about Carlos Danger" - a reference to the pseudonym Weiner allegedly used for some of his on-line trysts.
EMILY's List, which specializes in raising money for female candidates, extolled Quinn's qualifications and encouraged supporters to contribute to Quinn's campaign.
Thursday the National Organization for Women hosted a rally with Quinn in New York and NOW President Terry O'Neill said "Mr. Weiner does have a problem and his behavior is sexist. Let's be clear: It is not respectful of women," according to the New York Daily News.
EMILY's list and the New York chapter of NOW had previously endorsed Quinn for the race, saying she is the most qualified candidate and hailing the historic possibility of election the first woman mayor of New York City.
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http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/07/26/weiner-womens-groups-new-york/2589143/
U.S. Pens Letter To Russia Promising Protections For Snowden
Source: REUTERS
WASHINGTON | Fri Jul 26, 2013 10:35am EDT
(Reuters) - Former U.S. security contractor Edward Snowden would not face the death penalty or be tortured and would have all the protections of the U.S. civilian court system if he were sent home, the chief U.S. prosecutor wrote in a letter to his Russian counterpart this week.
In the letter dated July 23 and released on Friday, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder wrote that he sought to dispel claims about what would happen to Snowden if Russia handed him over to face charges of illegally disclosing government secrets about surveillance programs.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/26/us-usa-security-letter-idUSBRE96P0NV20130726
Putin's Spokesman Says No Change: Russia Won't Extradite Snowden To US
Source: Associated Press
MOSCOW - A spokesman for President Vladimir Putin says Russia has not budged from its refusal to extradite U.S. leaker Edward Snowden, who has applied for asylum.
Snowden, who is believed to have been staying at the Moscow airport transit zone since June 23, applied for temporary asylum in Russia last week. The United States wants him sent home to face prosecution for espionage.
Asked by a reporter whether the government's position had changed, Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies that "Russia has never extradited anyone and never will." There is no U.S.-Russia extradition treaty.
Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/news/Putins+spokesman+says+change+Russia+wont+extradite+Snowden/8711662/story.html
Public Has No Right to Know for 50 Years With Senate Redo: Taxes
By Marc Heller and Aaron E. Lorenzo - Jul 25, 2013
Leaders of the tax-code rewrite in Congress pledged to keep ideas submitted by lawmakers secret for 50 years, seeking to assuage concerns that leaks of comments may jeopardize relationships with fundraisers or constituents.
Senate Finance Committee staff promised that submissions on which tax breaks to keep or jettison -- which are due today -- will be marked as confidential and won’t be released until Dec. 31, 2064, according to a July 19 memo to Senate tax aides obtained by Bloomberg BNA.
Congress is working on the biggest rewrite of the tax code since 1986, and big breaks may be on the chopping block. Leaders say they want to start by throwing out all the deductions and making people argue to get them back in. Assuring lawmakers of anonymity will help attract more participation, said Dean Zerbe, a former tax counsel to the committee.
“The intent is to let members be candid,” said Zerbe, now national managing director at Alliantgroup. Keeping many discussions behind closed doors while crafting the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts helped then, he said.
The secrecy contrasts with most records. Senate Historian Don Ritchie said most files automatically open after 20 years, and some can be sealed for 50 years to protect personal privacy, national security, or the confidentiality of a congressional investigation. The records of Senator Joe McCarthy’s secret hearings were opened in 2003, 50 years after they were held, he said. A committee chairman can interpret “investigation” to cover the examination of legislation, he said.
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-26/public-has-no-right-to-know-for-50-years-with-senate-redo-taxes.html
Sandbags Show Egypt Islamists Digging in Amid Protest
By Maram Mazen - Jul 25, 2013
Men in orange vests wielding wooden sticks guard the Cairo sit-in which thousands of Islamists say will only end when deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi is reinstated.
Behind them, protesters have built brick barriers and stacked sandbags to repel any attacks, a prospect that became more likely after military chief Abdelfatah Al-Seesi called for rallies today in support of a crackdown on Islamists. Doctors in five field clinics tend to anything from gunshot wounds to infected tonsils. A communal kitchen goes through five calves a day to prepare free meals for those holed in.
Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood is using the sit-in site in Nasr City as a staging ground for protests that have thwarted efforts by the military-led coalition to bring the stability it pledged after toppling the Islamist leader on July 3. The Brotherhood is planning 35 marches today to defy the army amid warnings that mobilization by the two foes risks dragging Egypt deeper into conflict.
“Not only we are continuing our sit-in, our determination has grown stronger,” Wael Yehia, who heads a makeshift media center at the site, said yesterday.
The influx of Islamists to the sit-in has emboldened the Brotherhood to spurn offers to join the interim government even after dozens of supporters were killed in clashes over the past four weeks. Without a negotiated resolution to the standoff, the country is “likely to continue to be mired in one political crisis after another,” said Yasser el-Shimy, an analyst at the International Crisis Group in Cairo.
more...
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-25/sandbags-show-egypt-islamists-digging-in-amid-protests.html
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