And ANYBODY can do that?

Really?

In the military, if someone gets the death penalty for

an overdue library book, then that's OK. When you join the military, because there are no jobs for you in America because REPUBLICANS, you knowingly sign away all of your rights. So whatever happens, happens.

Regards,

Third-Way Manny

I just don't understand the strategy behind defending the Spy On Everyone program

Every few days there's a new release of information that proves that the last few days of defending it was cah-cah. Today we find out the FISA Court ripped the program a new orifice in 2011, proclaiming it unconstitutional and duplicitous.

Seems like it would be a lot smarter to say "yes, we have some problems and we're going to investigate 'em and fix 'em". Even if they don't actually do squat, it would stop the bleeding for a while. Instead it's deny and lie, never admit a problem other than the little people not being smart enough to see the awesome greatness.

My teenager seems better at dealing with damage control at this point - he usually apologizes and moves on within an hour. But what the Hell do I know, I'm a 99%er.

Warren asks DOJ to explain 'timid' FHA settlement

Source: The Hill

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is pressing the Justice Department to explain what she sees as an insufficient deal to settle housing problems caused by some of the nation's largest banks.

In a letter sent to Attorney General Eric Holder Wednesday, Warren wondered if a portion of a broad government settlement with mortgage servicers amounted to a drop in the bucket, and a sign of the government's "timid enforcement strategy" when it comes to chasing bad actors in the financial sector.

...

The federal government and 49 state attorneys general struck a $25 billion settlement against some of the nation's largest banks in March, following widespread abuses in the housing market and foreclosure process. A portion of that settlement was set aside to address potentially false insurance claims filed with the FHA. But in Warren's eyes, that $225 million payment does not seem to be sufficient, noting that banks submitted over 92,000 claims to the FHA over the covered period, totaling over $12 billion. The maximum liability banks would face under laws pertaining to false claims, if all those claims were fraudulent, would total $37 billion. The settlement amount is 0.6 percent of that figure, Warren said.

She asked the Justice Department to explain how it reached the $225 million figure.

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/1091-housing/318005-warren-asks-doj-to-explain-timid-fha-settlement

Warren asks DOJ to explain 'timid' FHA settlement

As awful, awful as Bush was, at least he *asked*

Back in 2006, the NY Times came into posession of leaked information which exposed Bush's warrantless wiretapping program. Bush called some folks from the Times to the White House to *ask* them to not publish the info, the Times said "tough nuggies" and printed it anyway. So far as I know, the Bush White House did not threaten the Times staff with arrest for stolen state secrets, threaten their relatives, or any of the other stuff. As awful as the Bush Admin was, they understood some of the basics of a free press.

Things have changed. This White House does not like, nor respect, freedom of the press and will do its best to intimidate the Fifth Estate into "behaving". I wouldn't take Bush back over Obama, but i think the contrast in this area between the two Presidents shows how truly appalling this all is.

Update: as pointed out in JaneyV's reply below, the Bush Admin did make some noises about the NY Times being being a bad actor. But, to my knowledge, there was never the same level of overt intimidation as we see today:

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2013/05/obama_s_justice_department_holder_s_leak_investigations_are_outrageous_and.html

"Spy On Everyone" won't change while Obama is President

Based on what I've observed, our President seems to categorize people into two groups:

1. Peers to be treated with great respect, such as bankers and other people of great wealth, and other US politicians save for non-authoritarian Democrats. These are people he can work with to solve problems, there is give and take.

2. The governed, whose opinions are of no consequence. This group includes the press, leaders of countries in the Southern Hemisphere, and the rest of us. Like sometimes-unruly children, we must be taught that he is the daddy, and he will have his way.

Witness Obama's struggle to cut Social Security, which he began a month before taking office, and continues to this day. No matter how hated this effort is by the 99%, no matter how obvious it's become that his proposals will cause some of our aged to go hungry, he continues to cook Social Security's books to claim that it needs "reforms".

Witness the freezing out, even the arrest, of those who wanted a workable solution for health insurance reform.

Witness the war of intimidation against the press.

Witness the widely-hated Trans-Pacific Partnership, a treaty so wretched and destructive that Elizabeth Warren tells us it has to be kept secret or else people would demand that negotiations cease.

Now witness Obama's pledge to "reform" Spy On Everyone, the program he's steadfastly defended. It is a program run for group 1, against group 2. The "reform", by his own admission, will only be around the program's PR, and Clapper will be in charge of it. Is this any different than putting Simpson and Bowles in charge of proposing "reforms" for Social Security? The outcome is decided, and it's not one that most Americans want.

In fact, I can't think of a single issue involving us little people that Obama's ever changed his mind on, ever stopped fighting to get his way on. If I'm wrong here, please let me know.

So I suppose that we can hoot and holler, but unless we pry the Presidents hands off of his security apparatus' levers with a crowbar, ain't nothing changing until 1/20/2017. And if, God help us, a Republican takes the oath of office that day, he or she will have some pretty awful precedents involving suppression of civil liberties and the press that will allow for some incredible mischief.

I was skeptical that Obama would succeed, but I was wrong.

Candidate Obama presented himself as a transformative-President-to-be who would unite the Left and the Right.

He did it.

We now have the Left and the Right united in our anger at the pervasive spying apparatus being operated by the White House, with a side order of lying like crazy and mooning international law to force down an elected leader's plane, intimidate reporters, and so forth. A broad bipartisan coalition, both in Washington and across America, want this @#$% to end.

What's weird is that at this moment of triumph, it's Obama's most fervent supporters who are trying to keep Left and Right far apart. Oh well.

No, it's not time to shack up with the crazy Right. Because they're crazy. And little good comes from partnering with people who can't grasp history, math or science. But at least we have a little bit of common ground we can agree on, a little sliver of hope. Who knows, perhaps in time we can build on it a little and get some things done. Or not.

Why is the White House shilling for Rand Paul?

By their full-throated endorsement of Spy On Everyone, the White House is showcasing one of the only issues where most Americans agree with Paul: that our government should follow the Fourth Amendment.

They'll turn Paul into a folk hero!

Why is the White House doing this? Who's behind it?

Fuck Rand Paul!

Seems like it's checkmate. We lost.

Looks like only a few of us *real* Democrats left who haven't become Rand Paul acolytes. Just 9 months ago we won big in the national elections. Today, there's only a few of us left who believe in the need to spy on everyone and lie like crazy about it. And some even speak of not starting wars. What, I ask, could be more Paulistic then not starting wars?

We've fallen so far, so fast.

Well, I for one will never, ever become a Paulite! Any other true Democrats out there who are with me?

Regards,

Third-Way Manny