Politics. Géopolitique insondable ! Here's How Dangerous the Koch Brothers Really Are, By the Numbers. By now, you've probably heard about Charles G. and David H. Koch, the incredibly wealthy libertarians at the helm of Koch Industries. Their combined net worth recently soared beyond $100 billion. And using that wealth, they've built a massive network of political donors designed to push a libertarian agenda that has become a flashpoint in the buildup to the 2014 midterm elections, with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) even making the brothers a major Democratic talking point. But just how far does the Koch Brothers' web of spending go? This funding network is confusing by design. And grown this monster has. Image Credit: Think Progress It's hard to visualize the scope of the network they've built — it matches the $400 million or so unions poured into national, state, and local elections in 2012, and dwarfs the $100 million from wealthy liberal donors raised through a group called Democracy Alliance.
Image credit: Mother Jones As The Washington Post explains: ... Tom McKay. What is MoveOn™? MoveOn is a community of more than 8 million Americans from all walks of life who use innovative technology to lead, participate in, and win campaigns for progressive change. For over 14 years, the MoveOn family of organizations have used online tools to lower the barriers to participation in our democracy, so real Americans have a voice in a political process where big money and corporate lobbyists wield too much influence.
Increasingly, MoveOn members and progressives are stepping up as the leaders of their own campaigns for social change, using MoveOn’s cutting-edge technology, such as MoveOn Petitions, to tap into our collective people power by enlisting other MoveOn members’ support. The MoveOn family of organizations is not-for-profit and funded by small dollar donations from our more than 8 million members — no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. We are the 99 Percent - Home. The Way the NSA Uses Section 702 is Deeply Troubling. Here’s Why. The most recent disclosure of classified NSA documents revealed that the British spy agency GCHQ sought unfettered access to NSA data collected under Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act.
Not only does this reveal that the two agencies have a far closer relationship than GCHQ would like to publicly admit, it also serves as a reminder that surveillance under Section 702 is a real problem that has barely been discussed, much less addressed, by Congress or the President. In fact, the "manager’s amendment" to the USA FREEDOM Act, which passed unanimously out of the House Judiciary Committee, has weakened the minimal changes to Section 702 that USA FREEDOM originally offered. Although Representative Zoe Lofgren—who clearly understands the import of Section 702—offered several very good amendments that would have addressed these gaps, her amendments were all voted down. There’s still a chance though—as this bill moves through Congress it can be strengthened by amendments from the floor.
A Smoking Gun: Online DEA Manuals Show How Feds Use NSA Spy Data, Train Local Cops to Construct False Chains of Evidence. Whoever suggests the Snowden revelations mean nothing to the lives of ordinary black people either isn’t paying close attention, or is working for the police and prison state. The federal DEA, the Justice Department’s federal drug police, have passed tons illegal NSA spying data to local police agencies and cynically coached them to lie about the sources of their evidence. It’s not exaggeration or hype. You can view the manuals online for yourself. One of the least remarked upon chunks of Edward Snowden’s voluminous revelations about government spying on civilians has been the fact that the Drug Enforcement Administration, the federal police agency created to fight the war on drugs, has funneled illegal NSA surveillance to local police agencies around the country. This is not hype. This is not exaggeration. It’s the literal truth. There have been plenty of African American voices who have pooh-poohed the significance of Edward Snowden and his revelations.
Bruce A. Whoowns - World Government of World Citizen - Welcome.