Video: Obama’s Pledge to Boost Oversight of NSA Surveillance Draws Scrutiny

/2 Comments/in , /by

Photo Credit: Fox NewsBy Fox News.

President Obama’s pledge to work with Congress on “appropriate reforms” for parts of the National Security Agency’s surveillance programs came under scrutiny Friday from some Republicans and skeptical Democrats.

Surveillance programs that allow the government to collect basic information about phone calls and email communications have been under scrutiny since NSA leaker Edward Snowden revealed classified programs in June. The government has defended these programs as necessary to prevent terror attacks.

Obama on Friday acknowledged the domestic spying has troubled Americans and hurt the country’s image abroad. But he called it a critical counterterrorism tool.

“I am comfortable that the program currently is not being abused,” Obama said. “I am comfortable that if the American people examined exactly what was taking place, how it was being used, what the safeguards were, that they would say, ‘You know what? These folks are following the law.'”

His most significant proposal would create an independent attorney to argue against the government during secret hearings of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which reviews requests for surveillance inside the U.S. As it stands now, prosecutors alone can go to the court and make their case unopposed.

Read more from this story HERE.

__________________________________________________________________________

NSA Debate a ‘Privileged Discussion’

Sequester Jester: Obama Warns Disabled Veterans Their Benefits Could Be In Jeopardy

/8 Comments/in , /by

Photo Credit: APPresident Obama took his case for ending the sequester to hundreds of disabled veterans Saturday, saying he protected their benefits from the “reckless” cuts to the federal budget but suggesting next year might be different.

“It’s hurting our military. I made it clear that your veteran’s benefits are exempt from this year’s sequester,” the president said to the applause of hundreds at the Disabled American Veterans’ convention in Orlando, Fla. “But I want to tell you going forward the best way to protect the VA care you have earned is to get rid of this sequester altogether.”

The president put the blame squarely on Congress, which returns in about four weeks to work on a new federal budget and increasing the federal debt limit.

“We’ve got these reckless, across-the-board budget cuts called the sequester that are hitting a lot of folks hard,” Obama said. “Congress needs to come together and agree on a responsible plan that reduces our deficit and keeps our promises to our veterans and keeps our promises to future generations.”

The cuts went into effect in March after Congress and the White House failed to agree on a more balanced plan to cut government spending.

Read more from this story HERE.

Wisconsin State Official Fired After Comparing Immigrants To Satan

/2 Comments/in , /by

Photo Credit: Fox NewsA feisty online rant that compared undocumented immigrants to Satan cost a top Wisconsin state official his job after the virtual tirade went viral and caused an uproar among Latinos and state lawmakers.

Steven Krieser, assistant deputy secretary at the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, went on a rage during a Facebook discussion over the controversial “Illegal Immigrant Hunting Permit” bumper stickers that were being sold in local gas stations.

“You may see Jesus when you look at them,” Krieser said in response to one comment comparing undocumented immigrants to Jesus. “I see Satan.”

Krieser went on to say that American citizens “have seen their ranches completely overrun with violent criminals who routinely raid their homes and trash their land as the stream of wretched criminals continues to flow unabated to the north, day after day, night after night.”

Following Krieser’s online escapade, it took Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker only two hours to hand the No. 3 official at the state’s DOT his exit papers.

Read more from this story HERE.

Darwin Debunked at Hollywood High

/7 Comments/in , /by

Photo Credit: WNDDocumentaries, especially those quoting renowned scientists talking about their specialties, often are dull. So how is this “Evolution vs. God” project by Christian evangelist Ray Comfort raising so much ruckus?

Perhaps it’s because the evolutionary experts themselves are unable to provide scientific evidence to support the theory to which they have devoted their lives…

Other atheists joined the call, with Andrew Dougy Rutherford stating, “Yeah, getting to see the full unedited interviews would be great. If your case against them is as solid as you claim then you would have no problem doing this.”

Added Andy Ball, “Yes please do release the unedited interviews, let us judge for ourselves what they’re talking about.”

“They are worried, and they’ve got a right to be,” commented Comfort.

“‘Evolution vs. God’ shows that there’s no evidence for Darwinian evolution – that it rests on nothing but blind faith,” he said. “So they are hoping to find some ‘silver bullet’ in what wasn’t used that will discredit the movie. They know that millions are going to end up seeing evolutionary scientists from USC and UCLA gasping like fish out of water, as they try to think of scientific evidence for Darwinian evolution.”

Read more from this story HERE.

Rapidly Growing Overpasses Movement Inspires Citizens to Stand for Impeachment

/3 Comments/in , /by

Photo Credit: Examiner By Dean Chambers

The Overpasses for Obama’s Impeachment movement is growing rapidly, it now has 30,000 members nationally and will soon grow to more than 100,000, says founder James Neighbors, who interviewed with Arlington Conservative Examiner today. Neighbors is National Coordinator and Founder of the Overpasses movement.

“Our growth rate has increased dramatically. We’re now approaching, or have just passed 35,000 members,” said Neighbors, “The media has been publishing articles all over the place, with a few negatives, but that’s to be expected. At our current rate of growth, we estimate that we’ll pass 100,000 members in a month. We had a few issues with law enforcement not understanding the Constitution, again to be expected.”

The 35,000 members have joined one of the 50 state Overpasses for Obama’s Impeachment Facebook groups, where the groups are used by the movement to organize and coordinate events and communicate with members online. Social networking sites have proven effective for the movement to communicate with members, recruit new members, and organize rallies and groups in all 50 states.

Neighbors expects the movement to continue growing and also take on additional goals for reforming government, including opposing members of the House and Senate who have failed to uphold their oath of office. Neighbors said, “By the current rate of growth, averaged out over the time since we came into existence, that is the projected number (100,00 members). We have a very long-term goal. Not only are we intent on having Obama removed from office, we’re also beginning to organize to speak out against DC politicians who have forgotten their oath of office and engaged in unconstitutional acts. Feinstein, Reid, Pelosi, McCain, to name a few.

Read more from this story HERE.

______________________________________________________________________

Photo Credit: AP41%: Obama’s Approval Drops to Lowest Level in Gallup Poll Since 2011

By CNSNews.com Staff.

The percentage of Americans saying that they approve of the job Barack Obama is doing as president dropped to 41% in the Gallup poll’s three-day tracking average, the lowest it has been since Dec. 28, 2011.

Obama’s approval rating plunged in polling done the evening after he go a rare afternoon press conference.

Read more from this story HERE.

HHS Looking for Hookah Smoking Machine

/0 Comments/in , /by

Photo Credit: CNS NewsThe National Institutes of Health (NIH) is interested in buying a “Shisa smoke machine.” The National Cancer Institute (NCI) will use it for studies that compare hookah and cigarette smoke.

“The purpose of this contract is Purchase of Shisha smoke machine and LX1 cigarette smoke machine,” the NIH, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, said in a notice on Aug. 2.

“With the purchase of a smoke machine, NCI will do the comparison of Hookah and cigarette smoke condensates (CSC) on DNA Methylation, the Histone Code, and Global Gene Expression, comparison of Hookah and CSC on microRNA Expression, and comparison of Hookah and Cigarette Smoke on Stem Cell Gene Expression and Malignant Phenotype of Lung Cancer Cells,” the notice said.

The machine “replicates water-pipe smoking” and can trap nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide to be analyzed to “to better understand exposure to individuals,” the NIH said.

The agency said the machine will allow them to monitor individuals with a “larger puff range” than traditional smoke machines, with exhales up to 8 seconds.

Read more from this story HERE.

Feds Upset Over Release of Mexican Drug Lord who Ordered DEA Agent’s Killing (+video)

/1 Comment/in , /by

Photo Credit: Fox NewsA Mexican court’s releasing of a drug lord who killed a Drug Enforcement Administration agent in the 1980s is sparking outrage this weekend among U.S. law enforcement officials.

Rafael Caro Quintero, who was sentenced to 40 years in prison for ordering the 1985 killing of DEA agent Enrique Camarena, was released earlier this week by a Mexican court that overturned the conviction, saying he had been improperly tried in a federal court for state crimes.

The Justice Department said it found the court’s decision “deeply troubling.”

“The Department of Justice, and especially the Drug Enforcement Administration, is extremely disappointed with this result,” the agency said in a statement.

The Justice Department also said it “has continued to make clear to Mexican authorities the continued interest of the United States in securing Caro Quintero’s extradition so that he might face justice in the United States.”

Read more from this story HERE.

Conoco-Phillips Plans New Well in Alaska National Petroleum Reserve

/1 Comment/in , /by

(Reuters) -ConocoPhillips has applied for permits to develop a new field in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, a vast unit of federal land that has yet to yield commercially produced oil, according to the federal agency managing the reserve.

ConocoPhillips applied to drill a production well at a site it calls GMT1, part of the Greater Mooses Tooth unit established in an area where its exploration wells struck oil, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) spokeswoman Erin Curtis said on Friday.

The company has also applied for a permit to build roads and other infrastructure needed to access the site, Curtis said.

A decision by senior corporate leaders on whether to sanction the project is expected in the second half of 2014, said Amy Burnett, a spokeswoman for ConocoPhillips in Alaska.

The Indiana-sized reserve, on the western side of the North Slope, was established in 1923 by President Warren Harding to provide fuel to the military.

Read more from this story HERE.

Encrypted Email Service Refuses ‘to Become Complicit in Crimes Against the American People’; Can Never Be Safe From NSA Snooping (+video)

/4 Comments/in , /by

By Mathew J. Schwartz

Encrypted email service provider Lavabit is shutting down, but a gag order prevents the company from detailing exactly what triggered that business decision.

Ladar Levison, the owner and operator of Texas-based Lavabit, said in a statement that his hand was forced after six weeks of legal wrangling and two attempts by him to squash the gag order, both of which were rejected by a judge. As a result, he’s not at liberty to publicly reveal exactly what’s going on.

“I have been forced to make a difficult decision: to become complicit in crimes against the American people or walk away from nearly 10 years of hard work by shutting down Lavabit,” he said. “After significant soul searching, I have decided to suspend operations. I wish that I could legally share with you the events that led to my decision. I cannot.”

Lavabit had promised that it would be an “e-mail service that never sacrifices privacy for profits” and “only release private information if legally compelled by the courts in accordance with the U.S. Constitution.” The service backed up those claims by storing only encrypted versions of emails on its servers, which could only then be decrypted using a user’s passphrase, which the service didn’t store.

Lavabit’s closure led startup company Silent Circle to announce Thursday that it would shutter Silent Mail, which is its encrypted email service. “We see the writing [on] the wall, and we have decided that it is best for us to shut down Silent Mail now. We have not received subpoenas, warrants, security letters, or anything else by any government, and this is why we are acting now,” said Silent Circle CTO Jon Callas in a blog post.

Read more from this story HERE.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
By Julie Bort

Silent Circle, a company founded by Internet Hall of famer Phil Zimmermann, famous privacy expert Jon Callas, and a couple of Navy Seals, has shut down its secure email service.

They shuttered it because email can’t be secured in a way that would prevent a government agency like the NSA from snooping, the founders said.

All email messages “leak metadata” they say. That information includes data about who you are talking to and where you are. That info is visible even if the message itself is encrypted.

“E-mail as we know it today is fundamentally broken from a privacy perspective,” Callas says.

Read more from this story HERE.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Food-Stamp Use Rises; Some 15% Get Benefits; Many Game System (+video)

/3 Comments/in , /by

By Phil Izzo

Food-stamp use rose 2.4% in the U.S. in May from a year earlier, with more than 15% of the U.S. population receiving benefits.

One of the federal government’s biggest social welfare programs, which expanded when the economy convulsed, isn’t shrinking back alongside the recovery.

Food stamp rolls were up 0.2% from the prior month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported in data that aren’t adjusted for seasonal variations. Though annual growth continues, the pace has slowed since the depths of the recession.

Read more from this story HERE.

If you’re wondering why we’re not seeing food-stamp use decline with economic recovery, you’ve gotta see this Fox News Special Report: