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grahamhgreen
grahamhgreen's Journal
grahamhgreen's Journal
July 5, 2013
Clapper's statement appears to be untrue; however, legal experts may able to parse it in a different way. If it wasn't a lie it appears to be clearly misleading.
Lying to Congress is an extremely serious offense, although few have been found guilty. Roger Clemens was indicted for lying to Congress (but ultimately found innocent of perjury). Many of the cases of individuals convicted of lying to Congress arose from Watergate, including President Nixon's Attorney General, John Mitchell, and Nixon's Chief of staff, H.R Haldeman.
Executive officials can be impeached for "treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors." As a non-criminal matter, there are serious grounds to argue that lying to Congress is among the most severe potential "high crimes and misdemeanors."
Lying to a Grand Jury was the grounds for President Clinton's impeachment; and that was lying to a grand jury, not lying to Congress when Congress is the relevant oversight branch.
http://politix.topix.com/homepage/6485-should-director-of-national-intelligence-james-clapper-be-impeached-for-lying-to-congress-about-prism
Should the Director of National Intelligence Be Impeached for Lying to Congress About PRISM?
Wyden: And this is for you, Director Clapper, again on the surveillance front. And I hope we can do this in just a yes or no answer because I know Senator Feinstein wants to move on. Last summer the NSA director was at a conference and he was asked a question about the NSA surveillance of Americans. He replied, and I quote here, '...the story that we have millions or hundreds of millions of dossiers on people is completely false.' The reason I'm asking the question is, having served on the committee now for a dozen years, I don't really know what a dossier is in this context. So what I wanted to see is if you could give me a yes or no answer to the question: Does the NSA collect any type of data at all on millions or hundreds of millions of Americans?"
Clapper: "No, sir."
Wyden: "It does not."
Clapper: "Not wittingly. There are cases where they could inadvertently perhaps collect, but not wittingly."
Wyden: "All right. Thank you. I'll have additional questions to give you in writing on that point, but I thank you for the answer."
Clapper's statement appears to be untrue; however, legal experts may able to parse it in a different way. If it wasn't a lie it appears to be clearly misleading.
Lying to Congress is an extremely serious offense, although few have been found guilty. Roger Clemens was indicted for lying to Congress (but ultimately found innocent of perjury). Many of the cases of individuals convicted of lying to Congress arose from Watergate, including President Nixon's Attorney General, John Mitchell, and Nixon's Chief of staff, H.R Haldeman.
Executive officials can be impeached for "treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors." As a non-criminal matter, there are serious grounds to argue that lying to Congress is among the most severe potential "high crimes and misdemeanors."
Lying to a Grand Jury was the grounds for President Clinton's impeachment; and that was lying to a grand jury, not lying to Congress when Congress is the relevant oversight branch.
http://politix.topix.com/homepage/6485-should-director-of-national-intelligence-james-clapper-be-impeached-for-lying-to-congress-about-prism
July 4, 2013
Well, I guess that's what they get for silencing their most liberal voices (Olbermann and Cenk).
What I wouldn't give for the old MSNBC and the promise of what they may have become - a truly progressive voice - instead of sycophantic ramblings for for the status quo of the ruling class.
Let's hope DU does not suffer from the flood of Think Tank personas posting here!
http://traffic.alexa.com/graph?w=340&h=150&o=flt&c=1&y=t&b=ffffff&n=666666&r=2y&f=999999&u=democraticunderground.com
http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/democraticunderground.com
MSNBC Just Had Its Most Dreadful Ratings Period in 6 Years
Despite a heavy period of news that included the Boston Marathon bombings and the Jodi Arias trial, MSNBC's second-quarter ratings plunged to their lowest level since 2007.
In primetime, MSNBC drew an average of 584,000 total viewers and 196,000 viewers in the key 25-54 age demographic. Those numbers were down 16% and 12%, respectively, from the second quarter of 2012. And they accounted for quarter lows not seen since the fourth and second quarters of 2007, respectively.
The network had seen signs of this coming in some dreadful monthly ratings, particularly in May. The same factors contributed to the network's ratings decline over the full quarter. "The Rachel Maddow Show" suffered its lowest-rated quarter in terms of total viewers since 2008. And June alone was the lowest rated month ever for Maddow in both total viewers and in the 25-54 group.
New host Chris Hayes continues to pull in sluggish ratings for "All In With Chris Hayes," which in its first full quarter on air provided MSNBC with the lowest-rated 8 p.m. hour in the 25-54 demographic since 2006.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/msnbc-ratings-fall-fox-news-cnn-rachel-maddow-chris-hayes-2013-7#ixzz2Y6uGOfNJ
In primetime, MSNBC drew an average of 584,000 total viewers and 196,000 viewers in the key 25-54 age demographic. Those numbers were down 16% and 12%, respectively, from the second quarter of 2012. And they accounted for quarter lows not seen since the fourth and second quarters of 2007, respectively.
The network had seen signs of this coming in some dreadful monthly ratings, particularly in May. The same factors contributed to the network's ratings decline over the full quarter. "The Rachel Maddow Show" suffered its lowest-rated quarter in terms of total viewers since 2008. And June alone was the lowest rated month ever for Maddow in both total viewers and in the 25-54 group.
New host Chris Hayes continues to pull in sluggish ratings for "All In With Chris Hayes," which in its first full quarter on air provided MSNBC with the lowest-rated 8 p.m. hour in the 25-54 demographic since 2006.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/msnbc-ratings-fall-fox-news-cnn-rachel-maddow-chris-hayes-2013-7#ixzz2Y6uGOfNJ
Well, I guess that's what they get for silencing their most liberal voices (Olbermann and Cenk).
What I wouldn't give for the old MSNBC and the promise of what they may have become - a truly progressive voice - instead of sycophantic ramblings for for the status quo of the ruling class.
Let's hope DU does not suffer from the flood of Think Tank personas posting here!
http://traffic.alexa.com/graph?w=340&h=150&o=flt&c=1&y=t&b=ffffff&n=666666&r=2y&f=999999&u=democraticunderground.com
http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/democraticunderground.com
July 3, 2013
Edward Snowden: a whistleblower, not a spy
He has published US government information. And it is for this – not espionage – that he will have to answer to the law
It is now 10 days since the former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, source of the Guardian's NSA bugging revelations, flew out of Hong Kong, apparently en route to Ecuador. For 10 days he has been stalled at Moscow airport, while his passport has been annulled and repeated attempts to continue his journey to sympathetic jurisdictions have failed or been foiled. Over the weekend, Ecuador aborted the idea that he might find sanctuary in Quito. Mr Snowden submitted a request for political asylum in Russia, later withdrawn. Several other asylum bids also faltered at the start of this week. On Tuesday, Mr Snowden remained in Moscow, still dependent on the Russians while waiting on the apparently diminishing chance of being welcomed elsewhere around the world.
All this poses the complex and unavoidable question: what should now happen to Mr Snowden? The answer matters to Mr Snowden above all, as well as to the United States, whose data was published by the Guardian and the Washington Post. But it also matters to the world, because the internet is in every respect a global phenomenon, not an American one, and the data that the NSA is now routinely capturing does not belong to the agency or to the US. That is why the European Union and several member states, including France and Germany, have been so concerned about the allegations. It is also why so many people of all nations who regard themselves as admirers and allies of America are rightly concerned that the US should act appropriately towards the man who has triggered a debate which Barack Obama himself has acknowledged needs to take place.
Mr Snowden is clear that he leaked his information in order to alert the world to the unprecedented and industrial scale of NSA and GCHQ secret data trawling. He did not, he insists, leak in order to damage the US, its interests or its citizens, including those citizens in harm's way. Nothing of this sort has been published. Nor should it be. As long as he remains in Vladimir Putin's Russia, however, the real issue remains clouded. This damages Mr Snowden's cause, which this newspaper supports. He should therefore leave Russia as soon as he practically can.
The United States is deliberately not making this as easy as it could. Mr Snowden has always accepted that he will have to face the music for what he has done. This is likely to happen sooner or later. But it needs to happen in a way which respects Mr Snowden's rights, and civilian status, and which, above all, also recognises the high public seriousness of what he has decided to do. His welfare matters. It is wrong to acknowledge that there should be a proper debate about data trawling and secret internet surveillance – a debate that could not have started without Mr Snowden – and simultaneously to treat him as a spy in the old cold war sense. Too many US politicians and government officials are doing so.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jul/02/edward-snowden-whistleblower-not-spy
No wonder the govt has now censored the Guardian - they fear the truth. Fearing the truth is NON-sense, not pro-sense.
Edward Snowden: a whistleblower, not a spy
Edward Snowden: a whistleblower, not a spy
He has published US government information. And it is for this – not espionage – that he will have to answer to the law
It is now 10 days since the former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, source of the Guardian's NSA bugging revelations, flew out of Hong Kong, apparently en route to Ecuador. For 10 days he has been stalled at Moscow airport, while his passport has been annulled and repeated attempts to continue his journey to sympathetic jurisdictions have failed or been foiled. Over the weekend, Ecuador aborted the idea that he might find sanctuary in Quito. Mr Snowden submitted a request for political asylum in Russia, later withdrawn. Several other asylum bids also faltered at the start of this week. On Tuesday, Mr Snowden remained in Moscow, still dependent on the Russians while waiting on the apparently diminishing chance of being welcomed elsewhere around the world.
All this poses the complex and unavoidable question: what should now happen to Mr Snowden? The answer matters to Mr Snowden above all, as well as to the United States, whose data was published by the Guardian and the Washington Post. But it also matters to the world, because the internet is in every respect a global phenomenon, not an American one, and the data that the NSA is now routinely capturing does not belong to the agency or to the US. That is why the European Union and several member states, including France and Germany, have been so concerned about the allegations. It is also why so many people of all nations who regard themselves as admirers and allies of America are rightly concerned that the US should act appropriately towards the man who has triggered a debate which Barack Obama himself has acknowledged needs to take place.
Mr Snowden is clear that he leaked his information in order to alert the world to the unprecedented and industrial scale of NSA and GCHQ secret data trawling. He did not, he insists, leak in order to damage the US, its interests or its citizens, including those citizens in harm's way. Nothing of this sort has been published. Nor should it be. As long as he remains in Vladimir Putin's Russia, however, the real issue remains clouded. This damages Mr Snowden's cause, which this newspaper supports. He should therefore leave Russia as soon as he practically can.
The United States is deliberately not making this as easy as it could. Mr Snowden has always accepted that he will have to face the music for what he has done. This is likely to happen sooner or later. But it needs to happen in a way which respects Mr Snowden's rights, and civilian status, and which, above all, also recognises the high public seriousness of what he has decided to do. His welfare matters. It is wrong to acknowledge that there should be a proper debate about data trawling and secret internet surveillance – a debate that could not have started without Mr Snowden – and simultaneously to treat him as a spy in the old cold war sense. Too many US politicians and government officials are doing so.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jul/02/edward-snowden-whistleblower-not-spy
No wonder the govt has now censored the Guardian - they fear the truth. Fearing the truth is NON-sense, not pro-sense.
June 29, 2013
Made in China: The top five products allegedly manufactured in Chinese Gulags
Can we please stop the TPP and other costly trade agreements now? They are bad for America, even worse for these poor souls.
But while in the U.S. it’s generally hardened criminals who process meat, build dorm room furniture and sew lingerie, in China the situation is far different. Beginning in the 1950s, the Communist Party set up controversial reform-by-labor camps, or Laogai, as a way for the government to maintain order. Since then, the labor camps have imprisoned petty thieves, prostitutes and political agitators. (China’s Ministry of Justice says 160,000 people were imprisoned in 350 camps at the end of 2008.)
Those sentenced to the Laogai often never receive a trial and are often there for many years, work grueling hours, making everything from circuit boards to blue jeans. Ex-prisoners have complained of severe beatings, a paucity of food and infestation by disease carrying pests, according to Human Rights Watch. And while the Chinese government says that products made in these prisons aren’t exported, many Chinese labor camps manufacture their goods under different names. That’s led many analysts to believe that these these prison-made goods, which are illegal in the U.S., have flooded the global marketplace. Here’s a roundup of products that have allegedly been made in the Laogai:
http://www.vocativ.com/06-2013/made-in-prison-chinese-dissidents-u-s-criminals/
Those sentenced to the Laogai often never receive a trial and are often there for many years, work grueling hours, making everything from circuit boards to blue jeans. Ex-prisoners have complained of severe beatings, a paucity of food and infestation by disease carrying pests, according to Human Rights Watch. And while the Chinese government says that products made in these prisons aren’t exported, many Chinese labor camps manufacture their goods under different names. That’s led many analysts to believe that these these prison-made goods, which are illegal in the U.S., have flooded the global marketplace. Here’s a roundup of products that have allegedly been made in the Laogai:
http://www.vocativ.com/06-2013/made-in-prison-chinese-dissidents-u-s-criminals/
June 26, 2013
Legal, illegal... these terms don't apply
From the movie Se7en, cross post from Reddit:
June 25, 2013
Imagine Obama Looking in Your Mailbox Every Day, and Writing Down Every Letter You Send and Receive.
That is what he is doing with our phone calls.
It is a clear violation of the Fourth Amendment.
It is also rather perverse and twisted.
June 23, 2013
Russel Brand on MSNBC
June 23, 2013
https://docs.google.com/document/d/14Ce78JvHM8A2OvKqx7EZ2txTjQSVA2p7sBpdg6Pdte4/mobilebasic?pli=1
This is how they play the game
Read it and weep. I did.
Summary of "48 Laws of Power" by Robert Greene:
48 Laws of Power Cheat Sheet
Law 1: Never outshine the master
· Make those above you feel superior. Do not show your talents too much, it’ll make them insecure.
· Make the master appear more brilliant than they are.
Law 2: Never put too much trust in friends, learn to use enemies
· Friends will quickly betray you.
· Hire former enemies, they’ll be loyal.
Law 3: Conceal your intentions
· Keep people off-balance. They cannot prepare if they don’t know. Guide them down the wrong path.
Law 4: Always say less than necessary
· When trying to impress, the more you say the more common you look and less in control.
· Be vague.
· Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less.
Law 5: So much depends on reputation-guard it with your life
· Reputation is the cornerstone of power.
· Reputation alone will make you win.
· Destroy enemies by attacking their reputation. Then stand aside and let the public hang them.
Law 6: Court attention at all cost
· Everything is judge by appearance, what is unseen counts for nothing.
· Never get lost in a crowd.
· Be mysterious, appear colorful than the masses.
Law 7: Let others to do the work for you, but always take credit
· Use the skills of others to do the work for you, never do yourself what others can do for you.
· Your efficiency will appear god-like.
Law 8: Make other people come to you-use bait if necessary
· When you force others to act, you’re in control.
· Make opponents come to you.
· Lure with gains, then attack.
Law 9: Win through your actions, never through argument
· You never win through argument.
· The resentment last long.
· Its more powerful to agree with actions.
· Demonstrate, do not explain.
Law 10: Infection: Avoid the unhappy and the unlucky
· You’ll die from other’s misery-emotional states are as infectious as diseases.
· The unfortunate draw misfortune on themselves and will draw it on you.
· Associate with the happy and fortunate.
Law 11: Learn to keep people dependent on you
· To maintain independence you must be needed and wanted.
· The more you’re relied on, the more freedom you have.
· Make people depend on you for happiness.
· Never teach them enough so they can do without you.
Law 12: Use selective honesty and generosity to disarm your victim
· One sincere move will cover over a dozen dishonest ones.
· Honesty can bring down the guard of suspicious people.
· Open their shield with honesty, then deceive.
Law 13: When asking for help, appeal to people’s self-interest, never to their mercy
· Do not remind people of past deeds.
· Find something that will benefit them and emphasize it out of proportion.
Law 14: Pose as a friend, work as a spy
· Learn to probe and find valuable information.
· Ask indirect questions.
· Every occasion is a chance to spy.
Law 15: Crush your enemy totally.
· More is lost through stopping halfway.
· Crush your enemy in body and spirit
Law 16: Use absence to increase respect and honor
· Too much circulation makes the price go down.
· IF you’re already established in a group, temporary withdraw to make people talk
· Create value through scarcity
Law 17: Keep others in suspended terror: cultivate an air of unpredictability
· Being predictable gives control to others
· Behavior that isn’t consistent will wear people out and they’ll stop trying to explain things.
· When used to the extreme, you’ll intimidate and terrorize
Law 18: Do not build fortresses to protect yourself- isolation is dangerous
· Isolation cuts you off from valuable information
· Its better to mingle
· You are shielded from your enemy in a crowd
Law 19: Know who you’re dealing with- do not offend the wrong person
· Never assume everyone will react the same way
· Choose your victims carefully
· Never offend the wrong person
Law 20: Do not commit to anyone
· Fools rush to pick a side.
· Do not commit to a cause but yourself
· Maintain independence
· Make people chase you and play people against one another
Law 21: Play a sucker to catch a sucker- seem dumber than your mark
· Don’t be stupid, but make your mark appear smarter than you
· Making them appear smarter hides your motives
Law 22: Use the surrender tactic: transformer weakness into power
· When you’re weaker, never fight just for honor but surrender
· Do not give them the satisfaction to win, surrender
· Turn the other cheek to infuriate them
Law 23: Concentrate your forces
· Intensity defeats extensity every time
· Find a fat cow that’ll give you milk for a long time
Law 24: Play the perfect courtier
· Master the art of indirection
· Assert power gracefully
Law 25: Re-create yourself
· Create an identity that commands attention and never bores
· Be the master of your own image
· Use large gestures and actions-your character will seem huge and you’ll gain power
Law 26: Keep your hands clean
· Never appear soiled by mistakes
· Use others as scapegoats to disguise your involvement
Law 27: Play on people’s need to believe to create a cultlike following
· People want to believe in something
· Become the focal point of this and offer them a cause, a new faith
· Keep your words vague but full of promise
· Emphasize enthusiasm over rationality
· Give your new disciples rituals to perform and ask them to make sacrifices
Law 28: Enter action with boldness
· If you’re unsure then don’t do it
· Timidity is dangerous
· Any mistakes your commit through audacity are easily corrected with more audacity
· Everyone admires boldness, no one honors the timid
Law 29: Plan all the way to the end
· The ending is everything
· Take into account of scenario
· If you plan, you won’t be overwhelmed
· Guide fortune by thinking far ahead
Law 30: Make your accomplishments seem effortless
· Conceal the clever tricks
· Make your success seem natural
· Do not reveal how hard you work
· Teach no one your tricks
Law 31: Control the opinions: get others to play with the cards you deal
· The best deceptions seem to give the other person a choice
· Give options so no matter their choice, you win
Law 32: Play to people’s fantasies
· The truth is unpleasant, avoid it
· People that manufacture romance are like oases in the desert
· There’s great power in tapping into people’s fantasies
Law 33: Discover each man’s thumbscrew
· Find other’s weaknesses
· Its usually insecurity, uncontrollable emotions, secret pressures
Law 34: Be royal in your own fashion: act like a king to be treated like one
· The way you carry yourself determines how you’re treated
· Appearing vulgar or common will make people disrespect you
· Kings respect themselves and inspire the same in others
· By acting confident you make yourself destined to wear a crown
Law 35: Master the art of timing
· Never seem in a hurry, always seem patient
· Sniff out the spirit of the times, find the trends that’ll give you power
· Learn to stand back when not ready, and then strike
Law 36: Disdain things you cannot have: ignoring them if the best revenge
· Acknowledging petty problems gives them existence
· When you acknowledge an enemy you make them stronger
· The more you a mistake visible, the worse it gets
· If you want something but can’t have it, disdain it
· The less interest you reveal, the more superior you seem
Law 37: Create compelling spectacles
· Striking imagery and symbolic gestures create the auro of power and people respond
· Stage spectacles for those around you and heighten your presence
· Dazzle by appearance
Law 38: Think as you like but behave like others
· By flaunting your unconventional ways people will only think you want attention
· They’ll punish you for making them feel inferior
· Blend in
Law 39: Stir up waters to catch fish
· Anger and emotion is counterproductive
· Stay calm and objective
· Make enemies emotional while you stay calm
· Rattle your enemies
Law 40: Despise the free lunch
· What’s offered for free in dangerous
· Pay your own way to avoid guilt and gratitude
· No cutting corners with excellence
· Be lavish with your money, keep it circulating
· Generosity is a sign and magnet for power
Law 41: Avoid stepping into a great man’s shoes
· What happens first always appears better and more original than what’s next
· Following great people means you must double their power
· Gain power by shining in your own way
Law 42: Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter
· Trouble can be traced to a single individual
· These people will influence others
· Do not negotiate but banish them
· Strike at the source of the trouble
Law 43: Work on the hearts and minds of others
· Coercion will work against you
· Seduce others into wanting to move in your direction
· Seduce others by operating on their individual psychologies and weaknesses
· Soften them by working their emotions and what they fear
· Ignore the hearts and minds and they will grow to hate you
Law 44: Disarm and infuriate with the mirror effect
· When you mirror exactly what your enemies do, they cannot figure out your strategy
· The mirror effect mocks and humiliates them, making them overreact
· Hold a mirror to their psyches and you’ll seduce them and they’ll think they share your values
· Mirror their actions and they learn lessons
Law 45: Preach the need for change, but never reform too much at once
· Everyone wants change but too much is traumatic
· When new to power show you respect old ways
· Make change feel like a gentle improvement on the past
Law 46: Never appear too perfect
· Its dangerous to appear like you have no thoughts
· Its ok to admit to small defects
Law 47: Do not go past the mark you aimed for; in victory know when to stop
· When going to far in victory, you make more enemies
· Set a goal, achieve it, then stop
Law 48: Assume formlessness
· By having a visible plan you open yourself to attack.
· Stay adaptable and on the move
· Accept that nothing is certain and now law fixed
https://docs.google.com/document/d/14Ce78JvHM8A2OvKqx7EZ2txTjQSVA2p7sBpdg6Pdte4/mobilebasic?pli=1
June 12, 2013
Do you Stand with Hitler and Stalin or with President Obama. Only two choices here.
this is a confidential poll, so please answer honestly.
No one is tracking anything.
I stand with the President.
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