What the wealthy want is not so much Freedom of the Press and Freedom from the Press. To wit: The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press is a useful organization to know about - for more resons than can nbe listed here. The website for The Interested is www.rcfp.org/index.php. Today's issue is an "eavesdropping" law being tossed around in Illinois. The legislation in play would seriously restrict reporters ability to gather news in unobstructed circumstances. It sounds good on paper: no one wants to be eavesdropped on. But we prefer hanging on to our freedom to 'comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable', and that's exactly why Illinois' 'Comfortable' classes want further protection.
www.aclu.org/national-security/aclu-supports-restrictions-portland-jttf-involvement
DAvid Fidanque is a day ahead of the rest of us. Throughout this interview he refers to the City Council hearing as taking place "tomorrow" . In actual fact the Big Day is Thursday and the time is 2 pm. You know what to do: Get the Facts. Know Your Rights. Take a Stand.
And here's a tidbit from the Washington Post just yesterday:
"In little more than a month, three of the 160 provisions of the notorious Patriot Act are set to expire. While federal officials have claimed that Congress must reauthorize those provisions to keep the nation safe, we should take their claims with a grain of proverbial salt. Last month, FBI Director Robert Mueller urged Congress to extend these provisions, set to expire May 27, and even to make them permanent. Section 215 authorizes secret court orders for business records. The “Lone Wolf” wiretapping provision allows the government to track non-U.S. citizens inside the country even if they have no affiliation to a foreign power or terrorist group. Finally, the “John Doe” roving wiretap provision allows open-ended wiretapping orders limited neither to a particular suspect nor particular phones or devices."
And Bradley Manning News: Logan Price confronts President Obama face to face and askes the Prez about the conditions under which Bradley Manning is being detained. Obama chides Price, 'We are a nation of laws'. Ho ho ho...that's right a nation of laws that permit torture. And not just at Gitmo; Right here in River City, Baby...
- KBOO