Congressman: Did You Think This Program Could be Indefinitely Kept Secret from the American People? Government Attorney: “Well we Tried”

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Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), the chairman of the committee, said he was surprised that the programs had been kept secret for so long.

“Do you think a program of this magnitude gathering information involving a large number of people involved with telephone companies could be indefinitely kept secret from the American people?” Goodlatte asked.

“Well,” ODNI general counsel Robert S. Litt said with a slight smile, “we tried.”

– From a Washington Post article yesterday

The backlash in Congress against the government’s monstrous spy program and the ridiculous notion that a secret court (the FISA court) grants any sort of oversight is growing, and it is a bipartisan effort. More from the Washington Post:

Lawmakers of both parties expressed deep skepticism Wednesday about the government’s bulk collection of Americans’ telephone records and threatened not to renew the legislative authority that has been used to sanction a program described as “off the tracks legally.”

“This is unsustainable, it’s outrageous and must be stopped immediately,” said Rep. John Con­yers Jr. (Mich.), the highest-ranking Democrat on the panel.

Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.) — who sponsored the USA Patriot Act, which ostensibly authorized the collection — warned that the House might not renew Section 215 of the act, a key provision that gives the government its authority.

“You’ve got to change how you operate 215. . . or you’re not going to have it anymore,” Sensenbrenner said.

When the sponsor of the Patriot Act says it’s gone too far, you know you are in totalitarian territory.

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Department of Homeland Security Warns Employees: They Face “Legal Action” for Clicking on a Link

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You know a government has lost all credibility and is nothing more than a rotting carcass of corruption and criminality when it starts taking draconian steps to prevent its own employees from knowing the truth about what it is doing. Incredibly, an internal memo from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) last Friday to employees … Read more

Richard Stallman: “Facebook is a Monstrous Surveillance Engine”

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If you want to have the possibility of some privacy someday, you’d better join the fight now, because now a bunch of other people are joining the fight. Now is the moment when you can make a difference. If you wait until the day you wish you had some privacy and only then try to do … Read more

Mega Banks Go After Credit Unions

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The rampant hypocrisy in the position of the mega banks on the issue of credit unions is so glaring it’s almost hard to believe. Then again, there is nothing we shouldn’t assume when it comes to mega bank criminality and culturally destructive behavior after these last fews years of unlimited nerve, gall and theft. Why? They are above the law and they know it. From the LA Times:

WASHINGTON — Credit unions have been snatching customers from banks amid consumer frustration over rising fees and outrage over Wall Street’s role in the financial crisis.

Now banks are fighting back by trying to take away something vital to credit unions — their federal tax exemption.

Bankers long have complained the tax break is an unfair advantage for large credit unions. Now they see an opportunity to get rid of it as lawmakers begin work on a major overhaul of the tax code that is aimed at eliminating many corporate exemptions and lowering the overall tax rate.

Bankers complaining about an unfair advantage. Well isn’t that special.

Credit unions said the effort to take away their tax exemption was simply an attempt to stifle competition and remove one of the only checks on bank fees for consumers.

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McDonald’s Math: You Can’t Survive Working for Us

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This ridiculously condescending budget put out by McDonald’s in partnership with Visa has been making the rounds today. I’ll allow excerpts from the Gothamist article on it and their corresponding video do most of the explaining, but the key point I want to hammer into people is that food stamps are corporate welfare. They actually … Read more

Watch a 12 Year Old Egyptian Prodigy Break Down Political Manipulation on Video

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This is apparently from late last year, but it is simply a stunning video. This young kid somehow grasps concepts that the vast majority of people can’t seem to comprehend, at least certainly not in these United States. With young kids like this there is great hope for the future. I wish Egyptians all the … Read more

If Flying into the UK, Your Phone Can Be Seized and Data Downloaded Without Suspicion

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The next time you fly into Heathrow, you may want to guard your phone with your life. That, or erase all the personal data you don’t want to fall into the hands of some nosey bureaucrat. Incredibly, officers can seize your phone and retain its data for “as long as necessary” without reasonable suspicion. From The Telegraph:

Officers use counter-terrorism laws to remove a mobile phone from any passenger they wish coming through UK air, sea and international rail ports and then scour their data.

The blanket power is so broad they do not even have to show reasonable suspicion for seizing the device and can retain the information for “as long as is necessary”.

Data can include call history, contact books, photos and who the person is texting or emailing, although not the contents of messages.

Mr Anderson said: “Information downloaded from mobile phones seized at ports has been very useful in disrupting terrorists and bringing them to justice.

Here we go again, the state claims it can do anything as long as they swear they are protecting you from some phantom enemy.

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The Inside Bitcoins Conference is Almost Here – July 30th in NYC

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It’s only two weeks away and I am getting excited about attending my first ever Bitcoin conference in NYC on July 30th. Bitcoin has held a spot in my psyche ever since I first heard of the crypto-currency a couple of years ago and learned of the motivation behind its creator. It’s been amazing to … Read more

Interview with Dr. Dave Janda – July 2013: Why Aren’t There More Wall Street Whistleblowers?

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This past Sunday, I sat down with the always excellent Dr. Dave Janda for the first time since April. As usual, we had a lively, intellectually stimulating conversation on a wide variety of topics. From why there aren’t more Wall Street whistleblowers, to Bradley Manning, Edward Snowden as a “second generation whistleblower,” whether or not Chief … Read more

The Most Ridiculous 30 Seconds of News You’ve Ever Seen

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This is so crazy I almost can’t believe it happened. In its reporting of Asiana Airlines flight 214’s frightening crash landing at San Francisco airport, bay area television station KTVU identified the pilots of the plane as: Captain Sum Ting Wong, Wi Tu Lo, Ho Li Fuk, and Bang Ding Ow. This happened on air. … Read more