Jeremy Scahill Nation 8/13/10
Four months before WikiLeaks rocketed to international notoriety, the Robin Hoods of the Internet quietly published a confidential CIA document labeled “NOFORN” (for “no foreign nationals”)–meaning that it should not be shared even with US allies. That’s because the March “Red Cell Special Memorandum” was a call to arms for a propaganda war to influence public opinion in allied nations. Â (more…)
For many charitable givers in the United States, a bigger problem looms; laws about providing “material support” for terrorism have placed a stranglehold on where donors can send their money. Â (more…)
Military commissions were one of those Bush/Cheney policies which provoked virtually universal outrage among progressives and Democrats back in the day when executive power abuses and rule of law transgressions were a concern. (more…)
A recent push by the White House to expand the ability of the FBI to obtain customer information from internet service providers has focused attention on the threat to privacy and free speech posed by so-called “national security letters” (NSL). (more…)
Omar Khadr was a badly wounded boy of 15 when, in 2002, US forces captured him in Afghanistan. As the dust settled on a suspected al-Qaeda compound after a firefight that July, troops discovered him slumped in the rubble among the dead, leaning against a wall. Â (more…)
Why Washington Hates Hugo Chavez
Mike Whitney Counterpunch 8/10/10
It’s no fun being on Washington’s enemies list. Just ask Hugo Chavez. Last week, the Venezuelan president had to cancel a trip to Cuba after he was told that a coup was underway and his life was in danger. The information came from an anonymous source who had delivered a similar warning prior to the failed coup in 2002. The letter said (more…)