Charges Against the N.S.A. On June 13th, a fifty-four-year-old former government employee named Thomas Drake is scheduled to appear in a courtroom in Baltimore, where he will face some of the gravest charges that can be brought against an American citizen. A former senior executive at the National Security Agency, the government’s electronic-espionage service, he is accused, in essence, of being an enemy of the state. According to a ten-count indictment delivered against him in April, 2010, Drake violated the Espionage Act—the 1917 statute that was used to convict Aldrich Ames, the C.I.A. officer who, in the eighties and nineties, sold U.S. intelligence to the K.G.B., enabling the Kremlin to assassinate informants. In 2007, the indictment says, Drake willfully retained top-secret defense documents that he had sworn an oath to protect, sneaking them out of the intelligence agency’s headquarters, at Fort Meade, Maryland, and taking them home, for the purpose of “unauthorized disclosure.”
USAID AED suspension: Why did USAID suspend one of its biggest contractors without any explanation? - By Christopher Beam. In the fall of 2010, the Academy for Educational Development, then headed by president and CEO Stephen Moseley, sent a check for nearly $1 million to the United States Agency for International Development. Money usually flows the other way—AED was one of USAID's largest contractors—but AED had concluded it had overcharged the federal government by that amount for a project it was overseeing in Pakistan. Hence the check. If the payment was intended to settle the matter, it didn't work. In November 2010, Moseley stepped down. Four other top executives followed him out the door. The sudden collapse of AED startled the development community. According to USAID, the suspension of AED was evidence of the government's careful stewardship of taxpayer dollars. The fall of AED made waves in part because of its size and history. AED's woes first began in the summer of 2009, when someone blew the whistle on an AED project in Pakistan.
That turned out to be a mistake. USAID took the task to heart. Karl Rove's Audacious Transparency Hypocrisy. Karl Rove.Zuma/Tom Reel Karl Rove's dark-money political operation has uncovered a major piece of what it's calling "breaking news": Elizabeth Warren, the White House aide in charge of assembling the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, once "made time for dinner" with me. Alert the blogosphere! Send out the tweets! Launch an investigation! But there's a slight problem with this supposed scoop: there was no such dinner. Nor a lunch. Not even a breakfast, or a snack. Crossroads GPS, a non-profit co-founded by Rove that runs attack ads against Democratic candidates nationwide, has initiated an intriguing project called Wikicountability.org. The new initiative is designed to make federal departments and agencies more accountable to the public. This Crossroads GPS project, though, is built upon a profound incongruity.
Crossroads GPS promises that its new site will yield breaking news. But perhaps the most significant exposé Wikicountability.org claims is this: EDGE. Untitled. Senate Committees and House Committees - WhoRunsGov.com/The Washington Post. Sheriff: Three adopted children suffered horrific abuse. Parents charged in abused kids case Oklahoma couple accused of child neglect, abuseSheriff says "inhumane conditions" for children were horrificThree juveniles suffered burns and beatings, authorities sayWisconsin agency says it is withholding adoption assistance payments (CNN) -- Three adopted children who allegedly suffered burns and were forced to eat pet food lived in "inhumane conditions" and might never fully recover, an Oklahoma sheriff said Thursday. "They have been raised worse than dogs," Canadian County Sheriff Randall Edwards told CNN of the three malnourished juveniles, who are 9, 11 and 15.
John Kluth, 50, and Sonja Kluth, 57, of Yukon, Oklahoma, are accused by the district attorney's office of three counts of child abuse and three counts of child neglect, authorities said. The complaint alleges the Kluths confined the 15-year-old boy to a plastic dog carrier for two months and deprived him of food. The couple, who surrendered Tuesday, were released on a bond of $9,000 each. Magazine says Army ordered 'psychological operations' on lawmakers - The Oval: Tracking the Obama presidency. By David Jackson, USA TODAY Updated 2011-02-24 1:37 PM An Afghan youth looks on as U.S. Marines patrol Garmser, Helmand province, Afghanistan, on Thursday. There are around 140,000 international troops, two-thirds of them from the United States, in Afghanistan fighting the militant Islamist Taliban.
By Adek Berry, AFP/Getty Images Some more trouble for President Obama's Afghanistan policy, courtesy of Rolling Stone magazine. It is reporting that "the U.S. Among the alleged targets: Sens. From the Rolling Stone story: The orders came from the command of Lt. When the unit resisted the order, arguing that it violated U.S. laws prohibiting the use of propaganda against American citizens, it was subjected to a campaign of retaliation. " Writer Michael Hastings writes that "the incident offers an indication of just how desperate the U.S. command in Afghanistan is to spin American civilian leaders into supporting an increasingly unpopular war. " See photos of: Barack Obama, John McCain, Al Franken. What Were They Thinking? Why People Make Sex Tapes - MedPage Today Blogs - 21861. Hardly a week goes by without yet another home video of some public figure's sexual behavior coming to light. Not only Hollywood personalities and other entertainers engage in the practice, but also sports figures and politicians.
Wikipedia has an extensive catalog of specific cases and Shine, Yahoo! 's site tailored for women between the ages of 25 and 54, has published advice and suggestions on creating one's own prurient productions. On other sites, you'll find speculations on why celebrities make sex tapes; these usually involve amateur "diagnoses" of narcissism, exhibitionism, voyeurism, or self-destructive behavior. We'll consider the clinical definitions of these terms and behaviors below. But before you start feeling embarrassed or guilty that you've read even this far, let us share with you something that we learned in medical school at Washington University in St.
Exhibitionistic Disorder (DSM-5, proposed) A. B. Voyeuristic Disorder (DSM-5, proposed) A. B. Michele R. False. Findings — The Threatening Scent of Fertile Women. Stars and Sewers. Why there should be a case against George W. Bush under torture law. Michael Ratner: Coalition sought investigation of George W. Bush in SwitzerlandHe says Bush's authorization of water boarding violates torture lawsRatner: Since U.S. wouldn't prosecute, another country should take the caseFailure to prosecute Bush in U.S. is a sign politics trumped law, he says Editor's note: Michael Ratner is president of the Center for Constitutional Rights, a nonprofit legal and educational organization based in New York.
New York (CNN) -- There was widespread support among scores of human rights groups and many others for recent efforts to have Switzerland open a preliminary investigation for torture against former President George W. Bush during his planned (and now canceled) visit to Geneva. Our belief is that Bush violated U.S. and international law when he authorized torture, including the water boarding of detainees. There have been some naysayers to the attempts to internationally prosecute Bush and other officials. There are to be no safe havens for torturers. Fix the Pentagon Part I: Create an Independent Audit Agency. Charles M. Smith Last fiscal year, the United States Government awarded over $535 billion in contracts with private corporations, nonprofits and other entities.
A significant percentage of these contracts are awarded not as safer fixed-price contracts or they were awarded without adequate price competition, meaning auditing is the only realistic defense American taxpayers have against contractor overbilling. There is only one agency with the authority and the ability to audit contractor proposals, assist negotiations and audit incurred costs under massive, fraud-prone and complicated cost-type contracts. That agency, despite conducting work across most of the federal government, is located within the Defense Department, underneath several layers of senior officials. The DCAA conducted 76 percent of contracts audits outside of the DoD, according to a recently published Senate fact sheet.
On February 1, Sen. The DCAA conducts all of these audits for the DoD. 30 Steps To Better Government. 4-star general, 5-star grace. General Peter Chiarelli attends 'A Salute To Our Troops' pre-show of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular in 2008. Bob Greene says a gracious gesture can rescue an embarrassing moment.A White House adviser mistook a general for a waiter, asked for glass of wineGreene says the general brought the wine, eased an uncomfortable situationOthers, including Karl Malone and Frank Sinatra, showed similar grace, he says Editor's note: CNN Contributor Bob Greene is a best-selling author whose books include "Late Edition: A Love Story" and "And You Know You Should Be Glad: A True Story of Lifelong Friendship.
" (CNN) -- Graciousness can pay priceless dividends. And it doesn't cost a thing. You may have heard the story about what happened between White House adviser Valerie Jarrett and Four-star Army Gen. Jarrett, apparently only seeing Chiarelli's striped uniform pants, thought that he was a waiter. She was said to be mortified as soon as she realized her mistake, and who wouldn't be? Talese continued: States must cut health care programs. Lisa Huff says the state-funded Disability Lifeline program in Washington state has lived up to its name, helping her get counseling for depression, treatment for diabetes and support for her ultimate goal: getting a job. Now the program for low-income, temporarily disabled residents is one of many on the chopping block in Washington, where lawmakers face stark choices in closing a projected shortfall of $4.6 billion in their next two-year budget, 2011-13.
At risk are some of the very programs seen as national models: a state-subsidized Basic Health insurance plan for low-income residents who don't qualify for federal help — the first of its kind when it began 20 years ago — and services that help seniors and the disabled stay out of nursing homes, as well as insurance for 27,000 undocumented children.
Most states — including Washington — have cut services and budgets during the recession. Projected cuts include: •In California, Gov. Fact Checker - Rumsfeld's flight of fancy on Iraq. Posted at 6:00 AM ET, 02/ 9/2011 By Glenn Kessler Donald Rumsfeld, interviewed on Good Morning America. (abc.com) George Stephanopoulos: "But you had inspectors in the country [Iraq]. Former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld has been hawking his autobiography "Known and Unknown. " The Facts There are two key periods for weapons inspections in Iraq, from 1991 to 1998, after the Persian Gulf War, and then from 2002 to 2003, just before the Bush administration's invasion of Iraq. Hussein's government often was uncooperative, refused entry to certain facilities and sought to influence the makeup of the independent inspection teams. 1991-1998 inspections The first set of inspections began in 1991 after the passage of United Nations Security Council Resolution 687, which mandated that Iraq eliminate all of its biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons programs, as well as all of its ballistic missiles capable of traveling more than 90 miles.
The process was not easy but ultimately was effective. From stressed-out cop to Buddhist teacher. Cheri Maples became a Buddhist dharma teacher in 2008. Cheri Maples found a new way to serve and protect.In 2008, the former police chief became a Buddhist dharama teacher.To date, Maples has trained more than 1,000 criminal justice personnel. (Oprah.com) -- When a former police captain stumbled on spirituality, she discovered a different way to serve and protect. For Cheri Maples, enlightenment began in a chiropractor's office. It was 1991, and the Madison, Wisconsin, policewoman needed treatment for a back injury- -- she'd been hoisting a stolen moped out of a car trunk; in the waiting room, Maples flipped through a copy of Being Peace, by the Buddhist monk and activist Thich Nhat Hanh.
Oprah.com: Who are you meant to be? "It was so simple, so no-nonsense," she recalls. Seventeen years later, Maples had traded her crisp police blues for earth-toned robes when Nhat Hanh ordained her as a Buddhist dharma teacher. Oprah.com: The way to find your brilliant (next) career. Michael Gerson - Catholic Republicans' political beliefs, challenged by their faith. When Nancy Mitford asked novelist Evelyn Waugh how he could behave so atrociously while claiming to be a practicing Catholic, he responded, "You have no idea how much nastier I would be if I was not a Catholic. " In Congress, we are about to test the ameliorative effects of Catholicism in practical ways, particularly among Republicans.
Before the November election, there were 97 Catholic Democrats in the House and 36 Catholic Republicans. Now there are 68 Catholic Democrats in the House and 64 Republicans. The overall number in the House Catholic caucus remained steady, but its composition is decidedly more conservative. What influence is this shift likely to have? There is something vaguely disturbing about the precise symmetry of any religious group with other voters of their same class and background. Some of this challenge is tonal. But the tension is also substantive. The Catholic tradition asserts the necessity of limited government. Michaelgerson@washpost.com. Five myths about Ronald Reagan's legacy. On Sunday, America celebrates the 100th birthday of Ronald Reagan, whose presidency is a touchstone for the modern conservative movement. In 2011, it is virtually impossible for a major Republican politician to succeed without citing Reagan as a role model. But much of what today's voters think they know about the 40th president is more myth than reality, misconceptions resulting from the passage of time or from calculated attempts to rebuild or remake Reagan's legacy.
So, what are we getting wrong about the Gipper? 1. Reagan was one of our most popular presidents. It's true that Reagan is popular more than two decades after leaving office. During his presidency, Reagan's popularity had high peaks - after the attempt on his life in 1981, for example - and huge valleys. In the early 1990s, shortly after Reagan left office, several polls found even the much-maligned Jimmy Carter to be more popular. 2. 3. In 1987, Reagan aide Paul Bremer, later George W. The Explosion of Free Porn Online. For one brief moment here at the 2011 Adult Video Awards in Las Vegas, America’s porn performers can forget about the Golden Decade of the Teen Wanker and remember when they were stars. Tonight, all of them, the whole porn carnival, are vamping down the red carpet at the Palms Casino. There are actual midgets. There is self-styled fakir Murrugun the Mystic, who has been nominated for Most Outrageous Sex Scene: swallowing a sword “while she swallows my sword,” as he puts it.
There are the Oscar-ishly glammed-up ladies with titanic breasts and twitchy Restylane smiles. There is—yes, here he comes—Ron “The Hedgehog” Jeremy: The starriest living male porn star ambles along the carpet in a sad, grubby collar and with an air of existential depletion. And now, the announcer is introducing Joslyn James as “Tiger Woods’s ex-girlfriend,” fresh from her appearance in the scandal-milking The Eleventh Hole.
Maybe you’ve seen it. The audience erupts in cheers. Why Learning About Sex From the Web Comes With Drawbacks. How Porn Is Affecting the Libido of the American Male. Frank Wisner, the Envoy Sent to Prod Mubarak. Padma Lakshmi's custody battle: Adam Dell's lawsuit is unseemly. - By Casey Greenfield. 6 Political Talking Points that Need to Die - E. Magill. Kickstarter, the brilliant site that lets you fund strangers' brilliant ideas. - By Farhad Manjoo. Ex-Spy, Duane R. Clarridge, Runs His Own Private C.I.A. After Tucson Shooting, Scrutiny on Mental Health Cuts. Dr. Smith's Back Room. 50 years after the 'military-industrial complex,' what Eisenhower really meant.
In Arizona, anyone concerned can report odd behavior to mental-health experts. 10 Reasons Why Men Stay Single. Web sites seek to make breaking up a bit easier to do. Jared Loughner: Of course his actions were politically motivated. - By David Greenberg. Index. Sustainable Love - Tara Parker-Pope on Happy Marriages. 2010: The Year in Pictures. Book Review - Decision Points - By George W. Bush. T r u t h o u t | Ray McGovern | Are Presidents Afraid of the CIA? Divorce News and Opinion on The Huffington Post. Nora Ephron: The D Word. Police: Grandmother threw child to death at mall.
10 Top Companies With Cash to Burn. Sex ed in the age of Snooki. Estate Tax Will Dwindle Under Tax Cut Package. Marrow Donor Campaign Relied on Flirtation, Officials Say. Smoking marijuana as teen may have lasting brain effects, study suggests. The Wrong Stuff. T r u t h o u t | Ray McGovern | Are Presidents Afraid of the CIA? Why George W. Bush's record matters less than Democrats would like it to. - By David Weigel. Our Banana Republic. Warped Justice. War Logs Now and in the Future by Michael Schwartz. Have an incompetent boss? You're not alone. Divided We Fail. Leadership and Leitkultur. T r u t h o u t | Now We Know. WikiLeaks Founder on the Run, Chased by Turmoil. 14 Years on Death Row. $14 Million in Damages? Ohio Tea Partier Spent Weekends Playing Nazi Games (VIDEO) Promote Cognitive Distortion in Politics: Support Christine O'Donnell. Divorce News and Opinion on The Huffington Post. FBI busted tracking student, demands gear return - Technology & science - Security.
Judge to US: Yes, Really, Torture is Illegal. Why no one will miss Jim Jones, the departing national security adviser. - By Fred Kaplan. Duke Winces as a Private Joke Slips Out of Control. What marriage counseling can teach liberals and conservatives. - By Shankar Vedantam. Kathleen Parker - With Tyler Clementi's death, let's try friending decency.
Is Pure Altruism Possible? Did Nixon Try to Assassinate a Reporter? Lies of the Tea Party - T'out. Five Ways the Democrats Can Avoid a Catastrophe - T'out. White America Lost Mind. Malpractice Methodology. Holding the Catholic Church accountable for its crimes. - By Christopher Hitchens. Tragedy at the Virginia Quarterly Review. Hitler Exhibit Explores German Society That Empowered Nazis.