Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Spook political clout in doubt
as curbs loom on media links
By Emily Miller
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
The U.S. Senate is expected to vote in the coming days on a controversial intelligence authorization bill, which was passed in a closed senate committee session last week. Journalists and advocates of government transparency are lobbying in opposition of the bill, which contains anti-leak provisions that could severely hinder the newsgathering process.
“They just released the bill text and report [Monday] and there are rumors of votes any day,” Sunshine in Government Initiative coordinator Rick Blum said. “The bill makes profound changes to how the public gets information about world affairs and what the U.S. government is doing. And the Senate Intelligence Committee is rushing these changes through without carefully considering the lasting impact these changes will have.”
Newz from Limbo comment: The other side of the coin is that the proposed restrictions could limit intelligence agency-media entanglement. Anonymous spook spin doctors would be curbed and spooks would have less to trade with reporters. So there is the possibility that news media will begin to regain some independence and not swallow silly things, like official tall tales about the events of 9/11.
The Senate Intelligence Committee approved the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 without holding an open hearing on the bill, which was finally released on Monday and is now ready for floor vote in the full Senate.
Sophia Cope, the director of Government Affairs and Legislative Counsel for the Newspaper Association of America, said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, wants to get the bill though with unanimous consent, meaning without needing a vote.
Sen. Feinstein's office said that "no decisions or actions about next steps have been taken."
The NAA and SGI, of which both the NAA and The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press are members, sent a memo to various staff in Senate voicing concern about the anti-leak provisions. The Washington Post published an editorial criticizing the bill and wrote in a July 30 article of its support of NAA's lobbying efforts.
According to the memo, the organizations are most concerned about a provision that prohibits background or off-the-record intelligence briefings to the media by career intelligence officials.
“We believe [the provision] would significantly constrain the flow of information from the government to the press -- and thus -- the public on important national security issues,” the memo stated. “Since the founding of our country, both government officials and journalists have used background or off-the-record communications to their mutual benefit. This provision would drastically change a practice that has been a part of our democracy since the very beginning.”
Under the bill, only the highest-level officials at an intelligence agency are permitted to provide background or off-the–record briefings “regarding intelligence activities” to the media. Furthermore, these officials cannot give lower-level government experts authorization to disclose classified or unclassified information.
“Such communications are critical because they help journalists understand the full context of a story, get key details right, and ensure that individuals or the United States as a whole will not be harmed by the publication of incorrect information,” the memo stated. “One could argue that government officials benefit from this back-and-forth with the press on background or off-the-record as responding to critical questions may help refine a program or give them a preliminary sense of what public opinion might be.”
Another provision troubling the news media requires the Attorney General to submit a report on possible changes to the U.S. Department of Justice’s regulations related to issuing subpoenas to reporters. According to the memo, the provision “opens the door to making it easier to compel testimony from reporters.”
"These regulations have been in effect for decades and were the result of much discussion between law enforcement and members of the press," the memo stated. "The regulations are critical to ensuring that the Department can investigate crimes without trampling on First Amendment rights."
According to the memo, there are aspects of the regulations that should remain unchanged.
"Two key components of the regulations are that the Attorney General must personally approve all subpoenas to journalists and alternative sources of information must be pursued before a subpoena can be issued," the memo stated. "Such limitations are important to buffer newsgathering from government overreach and to protect confidential sources that might provide information to the news media – and thus to the public – that is of vital public interest."
The bill would also ban certain current and former government employees from "entering into a contract or other binding agreement" with the news media to discuss "matters concerning the classified intelligence activities" of the country.
NAA and SGI maintain in their memo that the ban is" a prior restraint on former government officials' speech without any justification for this highest of restrictions on speech." The open government advocates also note that "concerning" is a vague term that could include discussions that have questionable connections to classified intelligence activities.
Although the bill has not yet been approved by the full Senate, the Post has reported that the new language is under review by the House Intelligence Committee. The House passed its version of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 in May.
Newz from Limbo is a news site and, the hosting mechanism notwithstanding, should not be defined as a web log or as 'little more than a community forum'... Write News from Limbo at Krypto78=at=gmail=dot=com... The philosophical orientation of Newz from Limbo is best described as libertarian... For anti-censorship links: http://veilside78.blogspot.com/2010/12/anti-censorship-spectrum_23.html (If link fails, cut and paste it into the url bar)... You may reach some of Paul Conant's other pages through the sidebar link or at http://paulpages.blogspot.com/ See http://www.blacklistedjournalist.com/column104e.html for photo
as curbs loom on media links
By Emily Miller
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
The U.S. Senate is expected to vote in the coming days on a controversial intelligence authorization bill, which was passed in a closed senate committee session last week. Journalists and advocates of government transparency are lobbying in opposition of the bill, which contains anti-leak provisions that could severely hinder the newsgathering process.
“They just released the bill text and report [Monday] and there are rumors of votes any day,” Sunshine in Government Initiative coordinator Rick Blum said. “The bill makes profound changes to how the public gets information about world affairs and what the U.S. government is doing. And the Senate Intelligence Committee is rushing these changes through without carefully considering the lasting impact these changes will have.”
Newz from Limbo comment: The other side of the coin is that the proposed restrictions could limit intelligence agency-media entanglement. Anonymous spook spin doctors would be curbed and spooks would have less to trade with reporters. So there is the possibility that news media will begin to regain some independence and not swallow silly things, like official tall tales about the events of 9/11.
The Senate Intelligence Committee approved the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 without holding an open hearing on the bill, which was finally released on Monday and is now ready for floor vote in the full Senate.
Sophia Cope, the director of Government Affairs and Legislative Counsel for the Newspaper Association of America, said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, wants to get the bill though with unanimous consent, meaning without needing a vote.
Sen. Feinstein's office said that "no decisions or actions about next steps have been taken."
The NAA and SGI, of which both the NAA and The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press are members, sent a memo to various staff in Senate voicing concern about the anti-leak provisions. The Washington Post published an editorial criticizing the bill and wrote in a July 30 article of its support of NAA's lobbying efforts.
According to the memo, the organizations are most concerned about a provision that prohibits background or off-the-record intelligence briefings to the media by career intelligence officials.
“We believe [the provision] would significantly constrain the flow of information from the government to the press -- and thus -- the public on important national security issues,” the memo stated. “Since the founding of our country, both government officials and journalists have used background or off-the-record communications to their mutual benefit. This provision would drastically change a practice that has been a part of our democracy since the very beginning.”
Under the bill, only the highest-level officials at an intelligence agency are permitted to provide background or off-the–record briefings “regarding intelligence activities” to the media. Furthermore, these officials cannot give lower-level government experts authorization to disclose classified or unclassified information.
“Such communications are critical because they help journalists understand the full context of a story, get key details right, and ensure that individuals or the United States as a whole will not be harmed by the publication of incorrect information,” the memo stated. “One could argue that government officials benefit from this back-and-forth with the press on background or off-the-record as responding to critical questions may help refine a program or give them a preliminary sense of what public opinion might be.”
Another provision troubling the news media requires the Attorney General to submit a report on possible changes to the U.S. Department of Justice’s regulations related to issuing subpoenas to reporters. According to the memo, the provision “opens the door to making it easier to compel testimony from reporters.”
"These regulations have been in effect for decades and were the result of much discussion between law enforcement and members of the press," the memo stated. "The regulations are critical to ensuring that the Department can investigate crimes without trampling on First Amendment rights."
According to the memo, there are aspects of the regulations that should remain unchanged.
"Two key components of the regulations are that the Attorney General must personally approve all subpoenas to journalists and alternative sources of information must be pursued before a subpoena can be issued," the memo stated. "Such limitations are important to buffer newsgathering from government overreach and to protect confidential sources that might provide information to the news media – and thus to the public – that is of vital public interest."
The bill would also ban certain current and former government employees from "entering into a contract or other binding agreement" with the news media to discuss "matters concerning the classified intelligence activities" of the country.
NAA and SGI maintain in their memo that the ban is" a prior restraint on former government officials' speech without any justification for this highest of restrictions on speech." The open government advocates also note that "concerning" is a vague term that could include discussions that have questionable connections to classified intelligence activities.
Although the bill has not yet been approved by the full Senate, the Post has reported that the new language is under review by the House Intelligence Committee. The House passed its version of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 in May.
Newz from Limbo is a news site and, the hosting mechanism notwithstanding, should not be defined as a web log or as 'little more than a community forum'... Write News from Limbo at Krypto78=at=gmail=dot=com... The philosophical orientation of Newz from Limbo is best described as libertarian... For anti-censorship links: http://veilside78.blogspot.com/2010/12/anti-censorship-spectrum_23.html (If link fails, cut and paste it into the url bar)... You may reach some of Paul Conant's other pages through the sidebar link or at http://paulpages.blogspot.com/ See http://www.blacklistedjournalist.com/column104e.html for photo
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Was Obama's dad a red?
birth record furor heats up
The controversy over President Obama's birth certificate may be getting brushed off by the media and Mitt Romney, but the story is a witch's brew of bedevilments that could affect the campaign.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio's investigators discovered that the birth certificate released by the Obama administration contained penciled code numbers used by Hawaii bureaucrats that contradict the assertions in the released certificate, implying tampering.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio's investigators discovered that the birth certificate released by the Obama administration contained penciled code numbers used by Hawaii bureaucrats that contradict the assertions in the released certificate, implying tampering.
The puzzle has been explained by some as meaning that Obama's true father was not Barack Obama but a communist named Frank Davis. Certainly it appears that Davis was at least a surrogate father to Obama.
http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/
http://www.aim.org/aim-column/
Newz from Limbo is reporting what others have put on the record, but does not vouch for every assertion by others.
However, it is relevant that, with the aid of compliant media, Obama went to court to bar release of his long form certificate during the first presidential race. However, his campaign posted a hard-to-read short form certificate on the campaign web site in order to persuade voters that he was being forthcoming on the matter.
Then, after a long-running battle with critics whom the White House and allied media tagged as "birthers," in April 2011 Obama suddenly switched course and released a long-form certificate.
The certificate, as released, is so innocuous that one wonders about the need to withhold it. However, if it was doctored in order to include a name in a space left blank for "father" -- as has been alleged -- one could understand the embarrassment.
Interestingly, such a possibility kills the hypothesis that Obama was born in Kenya or outside America, but then leaves open the matter of whether Obama assented to forgery in order to perpetrate fraud upon the American people.
Newz from Limbo is a news site and, the hosting mechanism notwithstanding, should not be defined as a web log or as 'little more than a community forum'... Write News from Limbo at Krypto78=at=gmail=dot=com... The philosophical orientation of Newz from Limbo is best described as libertarian... For anti-censorship links: http://veilside78.blogspot.com/2010/12/anti-censorship-spectrum_23.html (If link fails, cut and paste it into the url bar)... You may reach some of Paul Conant's other pages through the sidebar link or at http://paulpages.blogspot.com/ See http://www.blacklistedjournalist.com/column104e.html for photo
Newz from Limbo is reporting what others have put on the record, but does not vouch for every assertion by others.
However, it is relevant that, with the aid of compliant media, Obama went to court to bar release of his long form certificate during the first presidential race. However, his campaign posted a hard-to-read short form certificate on the campaign web site in order to persuade voters that he was being forthcoming on the matter.
Then, after a long-running battle with critics whom the White House and allied media tagged as "birthers," in April 2011 Obama suddenly switched course and released a long-form certificate.
The certificate, as released, is so innocuous that one wonders about the need to withhold it. However, if it was doctored in order to include a name in a space left blank for "father" -- as has been alleged -- one could understand the embarrassment.
Interestingly, such a possibility kills the hypothesis that Obama was born in Kenya or outside America, but then leaves open the matter of whether Obama assented to forgery in order to perpetrate fraud upon the American people.
Newz from Limbo is a news site and, the hosting mechanism notwithstanding, should not be defined as a web log or as 'little more than a community forum'... Write News from Limbo at Krypto78=at=gmail=dot=com... The philosophical orientation of Newz from Limbo is best described as libertarian... For anti-censorship links: http://veilside78.blogspot.com/2010/12/anti-censorship-spectrum_23.html (If link fails, cut and paste it into the url bar)... You may reach some of Paul Conant's other pages through the sidebar link or at http://paulpages.blogspot.com/ See http://www.blacklistedjournalist.com/column104e.html for photo
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Spooks turn tables on senator,
accuse him of hiding information
U.S. censors have granted a U.S. senator the right to make three critical statements but then reprimanded him for withholding information that would make spy agencies look better and told him he should include their comment.
In a letter to Sen. Ron Wyden, who has assailed what he sees as a misuse of surveillance powers granted to intelligence services, the office of the director of national intelligence lifted its censorship of the Senate slightly in order to permit the Oregon Democrat to make three statements, one of which said that there had been at least one abuse of constitutional authority.
http://www.wired.com/images_
"Because the three statements you asked us to review are fragmentary and incomplete, we believe this may convey an incomplete and potentially misleading understanding of what has transpired," wrote Kathleen Turner, chief of legislative affairs for the national intelligence director, in a letter dated July 20 and obtained by Danger Room.
The intelligence censors told Wyden he should amend his claims with their statement: "The government has remedied these concerns and the FISC" -- Foriegn Intelligence Surveillance Court -- "has continued to approve the collection as consistent with this statute and reasonable under the Fourth Amendment." The statute in question is a provision of the expanded Patriot Act.
Newz from Limbo is a news site and, the hosting mechanism notwithstanding, should not be defined as a web log or as 'little more than a community forum'... Write News from Limbo at Krypto78=at=gmail=dot=com... The philosophical orientation of Newz from Limbo is best described as libertarian... For anti-censorship links: http://veilside78.blogspot.com/2010/12/anti-censorship-spectrum_23.html (If link fails, cut and paste it into the url bar)... You may reach some of Paul Conant's other pages through the sidebar link or at http://paulpages.blogspot.com/ See http://www.blacklistedjournalist.com/column104e.html for photo
In a letter to Sen. Ron Wyden, who has assailed what he sees as a misuse of surveillance powers granted to intelligence services, the office of the director of national intelligence lifted its censorship of the Senate slightly in order to permit the Oregon Democrat to make three statements, one of which said that there had been at least one abuse of constitutional authority.
http://www.wired.com/images_
"Because the three statements you asked us to review are fragmentary and incomplete, we believe this may convey an incomplete and potentially misleading understanding of what has transpired," wrote Kathleen Turner, chief of legislative affairs for the national intelligence director, in a letter dated July 20 and obtained by Danger Room.
The intelligence censors told Wyden he should amend his claims with their statement: "The government has remedied these concerns and the FISC" -- Foriegn Intelligence Surveillance Court -- "has continued to approve the collection as consistent with this statute and reasonable under the Fourth Amendment." The statute in question is a provision of the expanded Patriot Act.
Newz from Limbo is a news site and, the hosting mechanism notwithstanding, should not be defined as a web log or as 'little more than a community forum'... Write News from Limbo at Krypto78=at=gmail=dot=com... The philosophical orientation of Newz from Limbo is best described as libertarian... For anti-censorship links: http://veilside78.blogspot.com/2010/12/anti-censorship-spectrum_23.html (If link fails, cut and paste it into the url bar)... You may reach some of Paul Conant's other pages through the sidebar link or at http://paulpages.blogspot.com/ See http://www.blacklistedjournalist.com/column104e.html for photo
Sunday, July 8, 2012
U.S. viewers barred by Europeans
from seeing Diana conspiracy film
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/film/4410792/Princess-Diana-movie-dropped.html
Maine governor rips health care 'Gestapo'
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/07/lepage-rails-against-obamacare-calls-irs-new-gestapo.php
Newz from Limbo is a news site and, the hosting mechanism notwithstanding, should not be defined as a web log or as 'little more than a community forum'... Write News from Limbo at Krypto78=at=gmail=dot=com... The philosophical orientation of Newz from Limbo is best described as libertarian... For anti-censorship links: http://veilside78.blogspot.com/2010/12/anti-censorship-spectrum_23.html (If link fails, cut and paste it into the url bar)... You may reach some of Paul Conant's other pages through the sidebar link or at http://paulpages.blogspot.com/ See http://www.blacklistedjournalist.com/column104e.html for photo
Maine governor rips health care 'Gestapo'
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/07/lepage-rails-against-obamacare-calls-irs-new-gestapo.php
Newz from Limbo is a news site and, the hosting mechanism notwithstanding, should not be defined as a web log or as 'little more than a community forum'... Write News from Limbo at Krypto78=at=gmail=dot=com... The philosophical orientation of Newz from Limbo is best described as libertarian... For anti-censorship links: http://veilside78.blogspot.com/2010/12/anti-censorship-spectrum_23.html (If link fails, cut and paste it into the url bar)... You may reach some of Paul Conant's other pages through the sidebar link or at http://paulpages.blogspot.com/ See http://www.blacklistedjournalist.com/column104e.html for photo
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Civil disobedience looms
as huge campaign issue
9th Amendment: The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
10th Amendment: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
A wingding of a campaign is in the offing. Here's why:
# The GOP will thump President Obama on his refusal to urge Attorney General Eric Holder to name a special counsel in the Fast and Furious affair, despite the obvious conflict of interest in Holder deciding whether to enforce a contempt of Congress finding.
# A mass civil disobedience movement protesting the health care law's individual mandate is almost sure to be promoted. The more this gathering storm is talked about during the campaign, the more Obama will be hurt. A point of civil disobedience is that protesters accept the penalties for defiance of a bad law.
# Though a significant segment of the Bilderberg-kowtowing media will blow off Obama's birth certificate issue as a "birther conspiracy theory," Donald Trump and others will point to the inconsistencies in the Obama narrative. Sheriff Joe Arpaio's findings that the long-form certificate appears to be a computerized forgery will be dismissed by Democrats and applauded by Tea Partiers. It is certainly of interest that Obama, with the help of the Bilderberg-kowtowing media, has pulled some slippery maneuvers regarding his birth certificate.
# Will the Democrats in the Senate oppose Ron Paul's audit-the-Fed bill, or will Obama threaten a veto? This one would appear to be a no-brainer, but the Bilderberg-leashed banking system may make trouble.
# The GOP will thump President Obama on his refusal to urge Attorney General Eric Holder to name a special counsel in the Fast and Furious affair, despite the obvious conflict of interest in Holder deciding whether to enforce a contempt of Congress finding.
# A mass civil disobedience movement protesting the health care law's individual mandate is almost sure to be promoted. The more this gathering storm is talked about during the campaign, the more Obama will be hurt. A point of civil disobedience is that protesters accept the penalties for defiance of a bad law.
# Though a significant segment of the Bilderberg-kowtowing media will blow off Obama's birth certificate issue as a "birther conspiracy theory," Donald Trump and others will point to the inconsistencies in the Obama narrative. Sheriff Joe Arpaio's findings that the long-form certificate appears to be a computerized forgery will be dismissed by Democrats and applauded by Tea Partiers. It is certainly of interest that Obama, with the help of the Bilderberg-kowtowing media, has pulled some slippery maneuvers regarding his birth certificate.
# Will the Democrats in the Senate oppose Ron Paul's audit-the-Fed bill, or will Obama threaten a veto? This one would appear to be a no-brainer, but the Bilderberg-leashed banking system may make trouble.
Backpack used to squelch
a protest against Holder
http://dailycaller.com/2012/07/02/secret-service-shuts-down-fire-holder-protest-outside-white-house/
The problem in this scenario is that it is now so easy to use a ruse to shut down a protest. Who knows where the woman was from? She could easily have been a covert operative of some sort.
a protest against Holder
http://dailycaller.com/2012/07/02/secret-service-shuts-down-fire-holder-protest-outside-white-house/
The problem in this scenario is that it is now so easy to use a ruse to shut down a protest. Who knows where the woman was from? She could easily have been a covert operative of some sort.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Holder shuns special counsel
despite his 'contempt' conflict
GOP senators are putting the pressure on Attorney General Eric Holder to appoint a special counsel to investigate whether the White House is responsible for national security leaks.
Previously, Republicans have called for appointment of a special counsel in the Fast and Furious case. And now that Attorney General Eric Holder has been held in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over certain documents, a special counsel would seem to be the only proper course of action.
President Obama has pooh-poohed the contempt finding as mere politics. Perhaps he is right. But, the point of appointing special, outside counsel is to handle matters where self-dealing is highly plausible. Can Holder seriously be expected to investigate whether he or Congress was correct?
"This administration cannot be trusted to investigate itself," Sen John Cornyn, R-Texas, said during a Capitol Hill press conference Tuesday. "You cannot investigate yourself and not have a conflict of interest."
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2011/10/is-there-a-special-prosecutor-in-eric-holders-future.php
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/issa-says-he-wants-special-prosecutor-probe-fast-and-furious
Big Nanny hiring 16,000 IRS agents, no doctors
http://www.prisonplanet.com/12-incredible-obamacare-quotes-that-show-that-our-wretched-healthcare-system-is-headed-directly-into-the-toilet.html
Newz from Limbo is a news site and, the hosting mechanism notwithstanding, should not be defined as a web log or as 'little more than a community forum'... Write News from Limbo at Krypto78=at=gmail=dot=com... The philosophical orientation of Newz from Limbo is best described as libertarian... For anti-censorship links: http://veilside78.blogspot.com/2010/12/anti-censorship-spectrum_23.html (If link fails, cut and paste it into the url bar)... You may reach some of Paul Conant's other pages through the sidebar link or at http://paulpages.blogspot.com/ See http://www.blacklistedjournalist.com/column104e.html for photo
despite his 'contempt' conflict
GOP senators are putting the pressure on Attorney General Eric Holder to appoint a special counsel to investigate whether the White House is responsible for national security leaks.
Previously, Republicans have called for appointment of a special counsel in the Fast and Furious case. And now that Attorney General Eric Holder has been held in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over certain documents, a special counsel would seem to be the only proper course of action.
President Obama has pooh-poohed the contempt finding as mere politics. Perhaps he is right. But, the point of appointing special, outside counsel is to handle matters where self-dealing is highly plausible. Can Holder seriously be expected to investigate whether he or Congress was correct?
"This administration cannot be trusted to investigate itself," Sen John Cornyn, R-Texas, said during a Capitol Hill press conference Tuesday. "You cannot investigate yourself and not have a conflict of interest."
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2011/10/is-there-a-special-prosecutor-in-eric-holders-future.php
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/issa-says-he-wants-special-prosecutor-probe-fast-and-furious
Big Nanny hiring 16,000 IRS agents, no doctors
http://www.prisonplanet.com/12-incredible-obamacare-quotes-that-show-that-our-wretched-healthcare-system-is-headed-directly-into-the-toilet.html
Newz from Limbo is a news site and, the hosting mechanism notwithstanding, should not be defined as a web log or as 'little more than a community forum'... Write News from Limbo at Krypto78=at=gmail=dot=com... The philosophical orientation of Newz from Limbo is best described as libertarian... For anti-censorship links: http://veilside78.blogspot.com/2010/12/anti-censorship-spectrum_23.html (If link fails, cut and paste it into the url bar)... You may reach some of Paul Conant's other pages through the sidebar link or at http://paulpages.blogspot.com/ See http://www.blacklistedjournalist.com/column104e.html for photo
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