from allgov.com:
Congressional Democrats, the media and civil libertarians are continuing their fight with President Barack Obama over his administration’s secret interpretations of the Patriot Act. Senators Ron Wyden of Oregon and Mark Udall of Colorado, who sit on the Senate Intelligence Committee, wrote to Attorney General Eric Holder last week claiming a classified intelligence operation based on the Patriot Act interpretation is not as critical to national security as the administration says.
Wyden and Udall also wrote that Americans would be “stunned” if they knew what the government was really doing based on the legal theory being employed through the Patriot Act. In October, Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Illinois) said that the government’s use of “Section 215 is unfortunately cloaked in secrecy. Some day that cloak will be lifted, and future generations will ask whether our actions today meet the test of a democratic society: transparency, accountability, and fidelity to the rule of law and our Constitution.”
The Department of Justice has insisted that revealing anything about the secret spy program could “cause exceptionally grave damage to the national security of the United States.” Federal lawyers are trying to dismiss two lawsuits, one by The New York Times and the other by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, that seek to force the administration into disclosing how the Patriot Act has been interpreted.
in third white house bid, paul's message the same
from ap:
Long before he discovered Friedrich Hayek and other free-market economists, Ron Paul got a lesson in sound money from his oldest brother, Bill. It was the height of World War II, and the Paul boys were laying aside quarters from their Pittsburgh Press routes and pooling pennies earned from pulling dirty milk bottles off the line at the family dairy to buy war bonds. One day, Ronnie suggested what was, in retrospect, a rather Keynesian solution: "Why doesn't the government just PRINT this money?"
"Well," Bill responded, "then the money wouldn't have any value." Bill was 10. Ron was about 7.
Washington bureaucrats, Paul says now, "would like it to be complicated, and that we have to accept this complex monetary system of the Federal Reserve. But it's no more complicated than two little kids talking ..."
It's not complicated, he insists. These are the themes he has been addressing, consistently, since he entered politics in 1974, over the course of 12 terms in Congress, through his third bid for the White House: Free markets are good. The Federal Reserve is evil. The gold standard should be restored. Government is the cause, not the cure, of the nation's troubles.
related updates:
ron paul won’t rule out third-party candidacy*
video: ron paul's responses at iowa debate*
abc's gop debate takes the ratings crown*
gop hopefuls hit the trail for critical campaign week*
obama says gop nominee "doesn't matter"*
gingrich calls palestinians an 'invented' people*
video: newt gingrich - selling access*
update2:
ron paul draws big crowds and many undecided voters in iowa*
will the 2012 election be a contest of whole foods vs. cracker barrel shoppers?*
newt gingrich, marianne and the arms dealer: a buried fbi investigation*
obama's popularity at all-time low*
deficit supercommittee officially admits failure
from forbes:
In a statement released after the bell, the so-called budget deficit Supercommittee officially announced it failed to produce $1.2 trillion in budget cuts over the next decade. Their failure, anticipated by many, led to a substantial market plunge on Monday and will supposedly trigger the automatic sequester proposition, which is designed to enact $1.2 trillion in cuts, evenly split between defense and domestic spending.
destined to fail super committee completely fails
from washington times:
For the uninitiated, America is drowning in debt. Barack Obama is piling on debt at an exponential rate while blaming everybody else for refusing to balance the books while he spends America into bankruptcy.
debt committee calls it quits without a deal
from cnn:
Well, it's official. The congressional debt committee is so over. To no one's surprise, the bipartisan panel called it quits on Monday without reaching any agreement on debt reduction, let alone the $4 trillion "grand bargain" that budget experts say is needed at a minimum to get a handle on the country's long-term fiscal problems... The hope, of course, was that the super committee -- given extraordinary and unprecedented powers -- would tackle the tough problems facing the country's budget, such as rising health costs and an unwieldy tax code no one likes.
epic failure: the supercommittee was a super joke*
related econocrash updates:
US economic conditions are 'terrifying',
recession chances are 50%*
postal chief seeks ability to cut costs to stem losses*
mf global revelations keep getting worse*
greenberg sues US over aig takeover*
foreclosure lawyers who dressed as homeless people are now jobless people*
foreclosure firm steven j. baum to close down*
meanwhile, apple inc. has more cash on hand than the govt...
from afp:
With barely two days to act, US President Barack Obama and top lawmakers closed in on Sunday in on an ambitious deal to avert a disastrous debt default sure to sow chaos in the fragile world economy.
"We are very close," Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told CNN amid frantic beat-the-clock talks among the White House, its Democratic allies, and its Republican foes.
Senior Obama adviser David Plouffe indicated on NBC television there was an emerging consensus but no solid agreement yet to raise the $14.3 trillion US debt ceiling ahead of a midnight Tuesday (0400 GMT Wednesday) deadline.
"We don't have a deal. The hours are ticking," Plouffe said on NBC, stressing: "We have to get this solved. Today is obviously a critical day."
The US economy hit its debt limit on May 16 and has used spending and accounting adjustments, as well as higher-than-expected tax receipts, to continue operating normally - but can only do so through midnight Tuesday.
Business and finance leaders have warned default would send crippling aftershocks through the fragile US economy, still wrestling with stubbornly high unemployment of 9.2 percent in the wake of the 2008 global meltdown.
Without a deal, the US government would have to cut an estimated 40 cents out of every dollar it spends, forcing grim choices between defaulting or cutting back programmes like those that help the poor, disabled and elderly.
Any compromise would still need to clear the divided Democratic-led Senate and Republican-held House of Representatives, where conservatives close to the "Tea Party" movement have called for draconian belt-tightening.
video satire: 'raise the debt ceiling rap' by remy*
related obamessiah updates:
obama at 50: hair is gray - like US political mood*
video: nader calls for primary challenge to obama*
homeless man held after jumping white house fence*
tangled john edwards cases prompt delay in trial*
video: huntsman plays 'charlie brown' theme song*
update1: washington reaches sweeping budget deal*
update2: obamessiah signs debt limit bill after 'nasty' fight*
from dpa:
Former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich was on Monday found guilty on 17 of 20 corruption charges in connection with trying to sell the Senate seat held by US President Barack Obama before he took office. Blagojevich was found guilty last year of making false statements to federal investigators, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict on the other counts, setting the stage for a second trial.
He was found guilty of racketeering, extortion, soliciting a bribe and conspiracy. Some of those charges included shakedowns of a children's hospital and a horse racing executive. He was acquitted on one count of shaking down a construction executive and a verdict was not reached on two other counts, the Chicago Tribune reported. The newspaper reported he faces a significant prison sentence.
Leaving the Chicago courtroom, Blagojevich said he was 'very disappointed' by the verdicts. 'I, frankly, am stunned,' said Blagojevich, who has professed his innocence.
Blagojevich, 54, had been accused of trying to sell Obama's seat after he was caught on wiretap by federal investigators during a previous investigation. As governor, he had the power to appoint Obama's successor in the Senate until an election could be held be held.
Blagojevich, a Democrat, was arrested in December 2008 - weeks after Obama won the presidential election - after being recorded in a profanity-laced conversation describing the Senate vacancy as a 'golden' asset for which he was seeking political or financial returns. The Illinois General Assembly impeached Blagojevich the following January and removed him from office.
related obamessiah updates:
audio: cynthia mckinney & the anti-war left steps up against obama*
video: maher says obama 'sucking up to the people he should be fighting'*
obama dismisses libya criticism as political 'fuss'*
video: msnbc suspends political analyst mark halperin for obama remark*
libya folly may cost barry the black vote in 2012*
video: the routine that got obama impersonator yanked off stage*
US seeks to reassure markets on debt after s&p warning
from dow jones:
The Obama administration on Monday sought to reassure U.S. Treasurys investors, saying Standard & Poor's threat to downgrade America's top-notch debt rating underestimates the country's ability to face fiscal challenges.
S&P affirmed the U.S. federal government's "AAA" rating but, for the first time, changed its long-term outlook to negative from stable, signaling there's at least a 33% chance that it will downgrade the country's debt rating within two years.
The outlook revision comes as the White House and Congress are mired in a debate about how to contain the country's rapidly rising public debt. The International Monetary Fund last week pointed the finger at the world's largest economy, warning that a delay in slashing the budget deficit might cause the bond market to lose faith in the U.S.'s ability to do so, with ripple effects across the U.S. and global economy.
"We believe there is a material risk that U.S. policymakers might not reach an agreement on how to address medium- and long-term budgetary challenges by 2013," S&P said. Because of the U.S. budget process, this would mean agreeing on a broad deficit-cutting plan before the 2012 presidential elections, which many analysts view as a challenge.
S&P noted the gap between Republicans and Democrats about how to cut the deficit "remains wide." Even if an agreement is made, "there is a reasonable chance that it would still take a number of years before the government reaches a fiscal position that stabilizes its debt burden," S&P said.
related econocrash updates:
workforce in US drops to 27yr low;
as big US corporations moving jobs out of US*
for richest 400, income quadruples while tax rate plunges*
morgan stanley fails $3.3b debt payment, hands central tokyo office to blackstone*
even ben stein is warning an economic collapse is coming*
$50 silver - the price point of liberty*
from reuters:
The United States will hit the legal limit on its ability to borrow no later than May 16, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Monday, ramping up pressure on Congress to act to avoid a debt default. "The longer Congress fails to act, the more we risk that investors here and around the world will lose confidence in our ability to meet our commitments and our obligations," Geithner said in a letter to congressional leaders. "Default by the United States is unthinkable."
Previously, the Treasury had forecast that the $14.3 trillion statutory debt limit would be reached between April 15 and May 31. As of Friday, Treasury borrowing stood just $95 billion from the ceiling. Some Republican lawmakers have sought to use the need to raise the debt limit as a lever to pressure the Obama administration into agreeing on large-scale budget cuts.
The debt-limit showdown comes as Congress struggles to complete a spending package that would keep the government operating beyond Friday. Republicans are seeking to use that bill to enact deep spending cuts and lawmakers are focusing on a proposal to trim this year's budget by $33 billion, a relatively small amount compared with a projected $1.4 trillion deficit.
Geithner said a failure to raise the debt ceiling in a timely way would push interest rates higher and spark "a financial crisis potentially more severe than the crisis from which we are only starting to recover." Both Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke have said a failure to raise the ceiling could have "catastrophic consequences."
government shutdown 2011? - 16 things you need to know*
shutdown: 800,000 federal workers in the dark*
US government bracing for shutdown*
related econocrash updates:
federal reserve finally reveals which banks took emergency loans at height of elite-engineered financial crisis*
feeling depressed? 27 statistics that will make you feel even worse*
25 hedge fund managers make as much money as 1,150,000 average americans*
feds seek $7m in privately made 'liberty dollars'*
wall street trader keith mastronardi, father of 3, falls to death from nyc apartment*
50,000 mcjobs to be handed out in 24 hours*
from washington post:
President Obama’s decision to launch his 2012 reelection campaign Monday is about much more than money. It is an acknowledgment by the president’s team that the grass-roots army that helped propel Obama to the White House needs repair and rejuvenation.
That corps of volunteers defined the character and personality of Obama’s first run for the White House. It was in many ways an organic movement, which sprang to life in 2007 and gathered momentum through the course of the campaign. Since then it has atrophied.
Obama advisers know his reelection will depend on many things, some of which are out of their control. What they also know is that a victory will rely in part on their ability to reenergize those volunteers, to stitch together the unusual coalition of African Americans, Latinos, young people, women and college-educated white voters who backed Obama in 2008. That is within their control.
Monday’s headlines focused on Obama’s “billion-dollar campaign” and the lengths to which campaign manager Jim Messina, among others, has begun the process of stroking big donors and setting big targets for fundraising.
The desire to start raising money early should not be underestimated. Obama was extraordinarily successful raising money in small donations in 2008. His haul from the Internet — hundreds of millions of dollars — underscored the bottom-up nature of his candidacy.
related obamessiah updates:
obama vs. dancing with the stars*
washington post & cbs receiving money from obamacare slush fund*
mystery scars on obama's head begs the question: has he had brain surgery?*
get ready for obama's second term*
video: cornel west says that as obama becomes 'puppet,'
america in the midst of a 'radical democratic awakening'*
video: fmr cia analyst to cnn anchor:
"you're just carrying the water for mr. obama"*
glenn beck to end daily show on fox news*
now it's official: beck will depart fox news*
glenn beck: reestablishing the false paradigm, one lie at a time*
2 soros events aim to remake financial order & media*
soros convenes 'bretton woods ii';
unreported soros event aims to remake entire global economy*
'
national conference for media reform':
the soros media power grab*
related update: central bank of libya is 100% state owned
from activist post:
It's perplexing to see a high level of support for the unprovoked bombing of Libya on so-called "progressive" websites. There has been an endless stream of humanitarian propaganda flowing from these sites trying to convince average liberals that the "human thing to do" is to rain down tomahawk missiles with depleted uranium to bring freedom and democracy to an oppressed people. Huffington Post ran a piece by Ed Schultz titled Why I Support President Obama's Decision to Invade Libya where he described his reasoning as follows:
"patriot act" extension lands on "president's" desk
from threat level:
The House voted Monday to extend to December three expiring provisions of the Patriot Act spy legislation. The measure’s passage, by a 275-144 vote, was expected. The three provisions are expiring at month’s end. Rather than seriously debate or alter them, the House punted — the third failure by Congress in more than a year to address the law’s controversial issues. The measure now goes before the Senate, which is likely to follow the House’s course on legislation that was hastily adopted following the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. Here are the expiring provisions the House adopted:
• The “roving wiretap” provision allows the FBI to obtain wiretaps from a secret intelligence court, known as the FISA court (for Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act), without identifying the target or what method of communication is to be tapped.
• The “lone wolf” measure allows FISA court warrants for the electronic monitoring of a person for whatever reason — even without showing that the suspect is an agent of a foreign power or a terrorist. The government has said it has never invoked that provision, but the Obama administration said it wanted to retain the authority to do so.
• The “business records” provision allows FISA court warrants for any type of record, from banking to library to medical, without the government having to declare that the information sought is connected to a terrorism or espionage investigation.
flashback: 'patriot act' extensions down, but not out
related police state updates:
obama doj claims fbi can obtain phone records without warrant or oversight*
US chamber of commerce thugs used 'terror tools' for disinfo scheme*
anti-terror message pitched to nba*
tsa criminals caught stealing cash, arrested for assault*
mice trained by israeli scientists for airport security*
doomsday terror attack simulation in lancashire*
video: mexican troops conduct vehicle search on US soil*
video: major false flag gone awry or just tiresome scarerrorism?*
'a weapon of mass destruction was found in the US': shock confession of customs officer*
no charges against seattle officer who killed woodcarver*
video: "i'm a suicide bomber!' - report of bomb on spokane-bound train was a hoax*
mlk day bomb update: in spokane, a mystery with no good solution*
jihadi who helped train 7/7 bomber freed by US after just 5yrs;
release prompts claim islamist was US informant while assisting london terrorist*
as tax revenues drop, US borrows 40¢ of every dollar spent
from voanews:
One key reason that U.S. President Barack Obama, his Democratic Party allies in the Congress and rival Republicans are squabbling over the budget is that the budget deficit is expected to hit its highest level in decades. Newly published budget documents say the deficit is forecast to hit 10.9 percent of the gross domestic product in 2011. Many economists say deficits above 3 percent are not sustainable. Mr. Obama's proposed budget is supposed to cut the deficit to a bit over 3 percent by 2015 with a combination of spending cuts and tax increases. Those proposed reductions would cut billions of dollars from 200 programs, including some that help poor people pay heating bills and others that help cities build water treatment facilities. The revenue increases would come from ending some tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans and oil companies.
related econocrash updates:
video: borders files bankruptcy, closing up to 275 stores*
a disillusioned 99'er shares his disappointment with the american dream, welcomes death*
south carolina may adopt own currency*
'quarantines, mass evacuations, warrantless searches, slaughter of infected animals':
a legal manual for an apocalyptic new york*
video: as wisconson shuts govt down, are americans finally reacting to economic rape?*
related obamessiah updates:
ron paul wins cpac presidential straw poll*
fox news passes off cpac 2010 footage of boos for ron paul as from cpac 2011*
sen. scott brown says he was abused by camp counselor as a child*
justice thomas silent on the bench for 5 years*
video: hillary heckled during speech*
veteran bloodied, bruised & arrested for standing silently*
ray mcgovern beaten as hillary smiles, talking about egyptian rights abuses*
from corbett report: If the last three years have taught us anything, it is that the so-called anti-war liberal left can be made to become cheerleaders for the same war agenda that they pretended to deride during the Bush Administration. How was this accomplished? A developing doctrine of international law called “Responsibility to Protect.” Join us this week as we expose the liberal “war is peace” agenda and ponder how best to disarm it.
