Infopolitics
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Chris Hedges: Someone You Love: Coming to a Gulag Near You - Chris Hedges' Columns - Truthdig
“What do you think it means?” the judge asked. “Give me an example that distinguishes between direct and indirect support. Give me a single example.”? There are now 1,271 government agencies and 1,931 private companies that work on programs related to counterterrorism, homeland security and intelligence in about 10,000 locations across the United States, The Washington Post reported in a 2010 series by Dana Priest and William M.
10 "Occupy" Candidates Running for Congress | Mother Jones
An Occupy protest on Capitol Hill: SOBPhotography/Flickr Unlike the tea party, the Occupy movement hasn't involved itself much in elections. But that hasn't stopped a slew of progressives and political outsiders from capitalizing on the movement's energy. Here's a rundown of 10 electable House and Senate hopefuls who, one way or another, have made Occupy part of their campaigns:
Ok, let me get this straight… Barack Obama, was a professor of constitutional law , who spent significant time on civil rights projects galore and then once in office did the exact opposite in most cases of what he said he would do. I could live with most of it because I thought deep down inside you were ok, and just dealing with really stupid obstructionism. But with this odious, freedom eating bill the National Defense Authorization Act , truly comes the death of the Republic in America. We have now taken the final turn to fascism, the death of Habeas Corpus which is the very cornerstone of personal freedom, and my gloves are officially coming off.
The Death of Habeas Corpus, or How Obama forced Me Out of the Democratic Party Forever | qcmississippimud.com
Congressional Performance - Rasmussen Reports™
Just eight percent (8%) of Likely U.S. Voters think the national legislature is doing a good or excellent job, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.GOP Rep. Steve King of Iowa is one of the leading spokespeople for the Tea Party wing of the House GOP. With the national press continually asking King whether he’ll be making an endorsement in the Iowa caucuses, he has been built up into something of an important GOP figure. So it’s good to see that King is candidly admitting that the House Tea Party wing has been employing the threat of a government shutdown as nothing more than a deliberate hostage strategy designed to wring maximum concessions from Democrats. King made the concession in an interview with Laura Ingraham . Dems are highlighting the interview because King bashes House Speaker John Boehner for his weak leadership, but the bolded portion below is the real news here:
Top Tea Party Republican admits it: We’ve been employing hostage strategy - The Plum Line - The Washington Post
The title is wrong, of course. Dissent never really goes away. And the last twelve months are an arbitrary time period, the United States far from the only country affected and perhaps not even the site of the most significant changes wrought by protest. But it's hard to deny that 2011 should be known as the year that dissent came back with a vengeance to the USA. The Occupy movement has been the culmination of a year of protest in a country that has not often been comfortable with mass political action. The power of people taking to the streets has been so relentless and undeniable that even the most mainstream and willfully blind media outlets have been unable to ignore it.
The Year Dissent Came Back | Truthout
Va. GOP voters to sign loyalty pledge - UPI.com
A supporter of Republican 2012 presidential candidate and Texas Rep. Ron Paul sports a "Revolution" tattoo at a Salute to Veterans Rally in Des Moines, Iowa, December 28, 2011, in advance of Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses, January 3,2012. UPI/Mike Theiler RICHMOND, Va., Dec. 29 (UPI) -- The Republican Party of Virginia will require voters to sign a loyalty pledge to participate in the March 6 presidential primary, officials said. Anyone wanting to vote in the primary must sign the form pledging to support the eventual Republican presidential nominee; if they refuse, they will be barred from voting in the primary, the Richmond Times-Leader reported Thursday.
On Tuesday evening seven Occupy D.C. protesters were arrested outside the White House as they protested the law Congress passed last week permitting the indefinite detention of American citizens, the Washington Examiner reported.[1] -- "This was the latest of three consecutive protests against the NDAA outside the White House this week; 11 were arrested at a protest Monday night. Protester Marshall Scott said the group plans to continue the nightly protests until Obama vetoes the bill," Aubrey Whelan said. -- A Washington Post blog posted a clip of Jon Stewart denouncing NDAA 2012 on "The Daily Show."[2] -- In an editorial, the Salt Lake Tribune called NDAA 2012 "the most direct assault so far on the concept found in the Declaration of Independence that humans are endowed with certain inalienable rights" and called it a "disgusting turn of events
NEWS: Protesters against 'disgusting' NDAA 2012 arrested at White House
Gary Johnson launches third-party White House bid | The Raw Story
SANTA FE, New Mexico — Former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson launched a long-shot, third-party bid for the White House Wednesday that could hurt Republican efforts to oust President Barack Obama in 2012. Johnson announced his intention to become the nominee of the Libertarian Party, seeking to capitalize on massive voter frustration with both the White House and Congress at a time of intensely polarized American politics. “Never before has there been such an outcry over the two-party system in this country,” Johnson told supporters in New Mexico, where he served two terms as a popular Republican governor.
Montanans Launch Recall of Senators Who Approved NDAA Military Detention. Merry Christmas, US Senate - Salem-News.Com
Dec-25-2011 17:57 Ralph Lopez Special to Salem-News.com Montana would be the first recall drive to be launched as a result of the vote for the NDAA military detentions provisions. (HELENA) - Moving quickly on Christmas Day after the US Senate voted 86 - 14 to pass the National Defense Authorization Act of 2011 (NDAA) which allows for the indefinite military detention of American citizens without charge or trial, Montanans have announced the launch of recall campaigns against Senators Max Baucus and Jonathan Tester, who voted for the bill.
PolitiFact and the Traditional Journalism Trap - Forbes
Dave Weigel effectively demolishes PolitiFact.com editor Bill Adair’s response to critics of the “lie of the year.” And indeed, the post is defensive and obtuse. But it’s also revealing. The whole PolitiFact ruckus has the feel of traditional newspaper journalism (despite the new-ish fact-checking approach) whipsawed by forces it cannot grasp.The Occupy movement that began on Wall Street and swept across the country has presented a variety of challenges to law enforcement. A mixture of well-meaning citizens and radicals looking for a fight, the groups have confounded more than a few departments as civil liberties run up against legitimate public safety concerns. Social media has enabled protestors to organize large groups with little or no advance notice. Such online organization is here to stay, so if your agency isn’t actively engaged with social media, you’re working at a distinct disadvantage.