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| | <big>'''"[[Wikipedia:SOPA|SOPA]] / [[Wikipedia:PROTECT IP Act|PIPA]] as Hollywood vs Silicon Valley?"'''</big><br> | | <big>'''"[[Wikipedia:SOPA|SOPA]] / [[Wikipedia:PROTECT IP Act|PIPA]] as Hollywood vs Silicon Valley?"'''</big><br> |
| | NEW YORK vs The World, rather. No disrespect to those who came up with the idea, but the characterization of this struggle as between HOLLYWOOD and Silicon Valley is mistaken. Media conglomerate behemoths like Time Warner are based in New York, for the prestige; they would not be seen dead in tawdry little Tinseltown. And it does not hurt media owners' case one bit that they can gain, by invoking the name Hollywood, the support of the religious red states, who seethe in rage at the mere thought of its humanist ethos (call it jealousy: "the devil has all the good songs"). And while there are interests in Silicon Valley who will be financially disadvantaged, their clients and customers are EVERYWHERE. | | NEW YORK vs The World, rather. No disrespect to those who came up with the idea, but the characterization of this struggle as between HOLLYWOOD and Silicon Valley is mistaken. Media conglomerate behemoths like Time Warner are based in New York, for the prestige; they would not be seen dead in tawdry little Tinseltown. And it does not hurt media owners' case one bit that they can gain, by invoking the name Hollywood, the support of the religious red states, who seethe in rage at the mere thought of its humanist ethos (call it jealousy: "the devil has all the good songs"). And while there are interests in Silicon Valley who will be financially disadvantaged, their clients and customers are EVERYWHERE. |
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| | + | [[Image:Anti-Xe.svg|thumb|150px|Logo of [[Xe Watch]], representing opposition to [[Wikipedia:Xe Services|Blackwater Worldwide]]. Blackwater became Xe Services in October 2007]] |
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| | + | [[File:CIA.svg|thumb|top|150px|left|Logo of the [[Central Intelligence Agency]]; a large bureaucracy with many branches; these divisions do not necessarily reflect an operational separation of [[CIA activities]] [[Wikipedia:CIA activities|(WP)]]]] |
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| | <big>'''[[Wikipedia:BTJunkie|BTJunkie]] [[BitTorrent]] Site Shuts Down'''</big><br> | | <big>'''[[Wikipedia:BTJunkie|BTJunkie]] [[BitTorrent]] Site Shuts Down'''</big><br> |
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| | General Wesley Clark, not the staunchest ally of human rights himself (authorizing the use of [[wikipedia:depleted uranium|depleted uranium]] rounds and attacks on civilians in Yugoslavia, for example), was nonetheless moved for whatever reason to deplore this policy publicly. However, it was six years before he did so, in [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXS3vW47mOE an interview] with [[Democracy Now!]], a [http://www.infowars.com/libya-and-syria-the-neocon-plan-to-attack-seven-countries-in-five-years/ conference at the Commonwealth Club of California], and elsewhere. | | General Wesley Clark, not the staunchest ally of human rights himself (authorizing the use of [[wikipedia:depleted uranium|depleted uranium]] rounds and attacks on civilians in Yugoslavia, for example), was nonetheless moved for whatever reason to deplore this policy publicly. However, it was six years before he did so, in [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXS3vW47mOE an interview] with [[Democracy Now!]], a [http://www.infowars.com/libya-and-syria-the-neocon-plan-to-attack-seven-countries-in-five-years/ conference at the Commonwealth Club of California], and elsewhere. |
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| − | <big>'''Other News'''</big><br> | + | <big>'''Blackwater is now Xe is now Academi'''</big><br> |
| − | [[Image:Anti-Xe.svg|thumb|left|150px|Logo of [[Xe Watch]], representing opposition to [[Wikipedia:Xe Services|Blackwater Worldwide]]. Blackwater became Xe Services in October 2007]]
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| − | [[File:CIA.svg|thumb|top|150px|Logo of the [[Central Intelligence Agency]]; a large bureaucracy with many branches; these divisions do not necessarily reflect an operational separation of [[CIA activities]] [[Wikipedia:CIA activities|(WP)]]]]
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| − | '''[[Raymond Allen Davis incident|Raymond Allen Davis]]'''<br>
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| − | On January 27, 2011 a US citizen claiming to be working as a consultant at the U.S. Consulate in [[Wikipedia:Lahore|Lahore]] and later said to be a [[CIA]] operative <ref name=guardian/> killed two armed men in the Pakistani city of Lahore.<ref name="dawn_28">{{cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/2011/01/28/us-official-guns-down-two-motorcyclists-in-lahore.html|title=US official guns down two motorcyclists in Lahore|last=Chaudhry|first=Asif|date=28 January 2012|work=[[Wikipedia:Dawn (newspaper)]]|accessdate=13 February 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=US official Raymond Davis on Lahore murder charges|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12305049|work=BBC News|accessdate=31 January 2011|date=28 January 2011}}</ref><ref name="NYT20120129">{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/30/world/asia/30pakistan.html|title=U.S. Seeks Release of Official in Pakistan|last=Perlez|first=Jane|date=29 January 2012|work=[[Wikipedia:The New York Times]]|accessdate=13 February 2011}}</ref> The identification papers he submitted to the Pakistani police are in the name of [[Raymond Allen Davis incident|Raymond Allen Davis]], although initially it was categorically stated by the US State Department that this name was not correct.<ref>Jan. 27, 2011 U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing by Assistant Secretary Philip J. Crowley at the State Department.{{cite web| title=US State Department Press Briefing | time=20:36 | date=27-Jan-2011 |url=http://www.state.gov/video/?videoid=764258353001}}</ref> He is now facing two separate [[Wikipedia:criminal charge|criminal charge]]s, one of double [[murder]] and the second of [[Wikipedia:Weapon possession (crime)|illegal possession of a firearm]]. Two petitions seeking prosecution against him on charges of forgery for obtaining a visa under a fake name have also been registered with the Lahore High Court.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=29956&Cat=5&dt=2/8/2011|title=Replies sought on pleas for Davis record|date=February 08, 2011|work=[[Wikipedia:The News International]]|accessdate=24 February 2011}}</ref>
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| − | '''CIA-Al-Qaeda Link'''<br>
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| − | On February 20th a Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) report has referred to Pakistan's ISI stating that top-secret CIA documents found in Davis's possession point to him and/or TF373 ([[Task Force 373]] [[Wikipedia:Task Force 373|(WP)]]) providing people linked to al Qaeda members with "nuclear fissile material" and "biological agents". <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britainnews.net/story/746756/ht/CIA-spy-Davis-was-giving-nuclear-bomb-material-to-Al-Qaeda-says-report |title="CIA spy" Davis was giving nuclear bomb material to Al-Qaeda, says report |publisher=Britain News.Net |date=20 February 2011 |accessdate=2011-02-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://in.news.yahoo.com/cia-spy-davis-giving-nuclear-bomb-material-al-20110219-224833-452.html |title=US 'diplomat' arrested in Pakistan linked to CIA |publisher=Yahoo News |date=2011-02-20 |accessdate=2011-02-21}} Quoting an [[Wikipedia:Asian News International]] story. ANI: http://www.aniin.com/</ref>
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| − | According to the report, the combat skills exhibited by Davis, along with documentation taken from him after his arrest, prove that he is a member of US TF373 black operations unit currently operating in the Afghan War Theatre and Pakistan's tribal areas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailyindia.com/show/425735.php |title=“CIA spy†Davis was giving nuclear bomb material to Al-Qaeda, says report |publisher=Daily India |date=2011-02-20 |accessdate=2011-02-21}}</ref>
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| − | '''Response and details'''<br>
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| − | The incident led to a diplomatic furor and deterioration in the ties between Pakistan and USA. The US government claimed that Davis is protected by [[Wikipedia:diplomatic immunity|diplomatic immunity]] under the [[Wikipedia:Vcdr|Vienna Conventions]] and has demanded that he be released from custody immediately.<ref name="NYT20120209">{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/09/world/asia/09pakistan.html|title=Mystery Over Detained American Angers Pakistan|last=Perlez|first=Jane|date=9 February 2011|work=[[Wikipedia:The New York Times]]|accessdate=13 February 2011}}</ref> The [[Wikipedia:Minister of Foreign Affairs (Pakistan)|Foreign Minister]] of [[Wikipedia:Pakistan|Pakistan]], [[Wikipedia:Shah Mahmood Qureshi|Shah Mahmood Qureshi]] said that according to official records and experts in the Foreign Office, Davis is "not a diplomat and cannot be given blanket diplomatic immunity". It has been suggested that Qureshi's stand on the issue led to his sacking by the government.<ref name="DH20110213">{{cite web|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/137362/records-did-not-support-diplomatic.html|title=Records did not support diplomatic status for Davis: Qureshi|date=13 February 2011|work=[[Wikipedia:Deccan Herald]]|accessdate=14 February 2011}}</ref><ref name="ie20110215">{{cite web|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Qureshi-wants-to-know-why-he-was-sacked-as-FM/750078|title=Qureshi wants to know why he was sacked as FM|date=15 February 2011|work=[[Wikipedia:The Indian Express]]|accessdate=15 February 2011}}</ref><ref name="sify20110215">{{cite web|url=http://www.sify.com/news/davis-affair-cost-qureshi-his-job-pakistani-daily-news-international-lcpn4gejcff.html|title=Davis affair cost Qureshi his job: Pakistani daily|date=15 February 2011|work=[[Wikipedia:Sify]]|accessdate=15 February 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newkerala.com/news/world/fullnews-148742.html |title=Double murder-accused American has 'no complete immunity': Shah Mehmood Qureshi |publisher=Newkerala.com |date=2011-02-16 |accessdate=2011-02-20}}</ref>
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| − | The incident also led to widespread protests in Pakistan demanding action against Davis.<ref name="AJE20120211">{{cite web|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2011/02/2011211141615832767.html|title=Pakistan extends US man's detention|date=11 February 2011|work=[[Wikipedia:Al Jazeera English]]|accessdate=13 February 2011}}</ref>
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| − | US president [[Barack Obama]] [[Wikipedia:Barack Obama|(WP)]] asked Pakistan not to prosecute Davis and treat him like a diplomat and said “There’s a broader principle at stake that I think we have to uphold.â€<ref name="bw20110215">{{cite web|url=http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-02-15/obama-says-pakistan-must-not-prosecute-imprisoned-diplomat.html|title=Obama Says Pakistan Must Not Prosecute Imprisoned Diplomat|date=15 February 2011|work=[[Wikipedia:Bloomberg Businessweek]]|accessdate=15 February 2011}}</ref>
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| − | The Pakistani Foreign Office stated that “this matter is sub judice in a court of law and the legal process should be respected.â€<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/110999/us-embassy-demands-immediate-release-of-davis/ |title=Law must take its course in US diplomat case: FO spokesman |publisher=The Express Tribune |date=29 January 2011 |accessdate=2011-02-21}}</ref>
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| − | [[File:Republican Palace, Baghdad.jpg|thumb|left|150px|6 December 2007: Blackwater employees as US State Department security in the Republican Palace, American Embassy Annex, International (Green) Zone, central Baghdad, Iraq]]
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| − | The American focus has been on the claimed diplomatic status. Pakistani media and officials dispute the claim of immunity from a murder charge, allege that Davis was involved in clandestine operations and question the scope of Davis' activities in Pakistan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.southasiamonitor.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1417:pakistans-spring-of-discontent&catid=12&Itemid=108 |title=Raymond Davis affair - Pakistan’s spring of discontent |publisher=Southasiamonitor.org |date=2011-02-13 |accessdate=2011-02-21}}</ref><ref name="telegraph1">{{cite web|last=Crilly |first=Rob |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/8316286/Detained-US-official-in-telephone-contact-with-Islamic-terror-group.html |title=Detained US official 'in telephone contact with Islamic terror group' |publisher=The Daily Telegraph |date=2011-02-10 |accessdate=2011-02-21}}</ref>
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| − | Almost a month after the incident, U.S. officials admitted Davis was a contract employee of the [[CIA]] [[Wikipedia:CIA|(WP)]] after this was reported in [[Wikipedia:Guardian|The Guardian]].<ref name=guardian>{{cite web|author=Declan Walsh and Ewen MacAskill |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/20/us-raymond-davis-lahore-cia?CMP=twt_gu |title=American who sparked diplomatic crisis over Lahore shooting was CIA spy |publisher=The Guardian |date=20 February 2011 |accessdate=2011-02-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Miller|first=Greg|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/21/AR2011022102801.html| publisher=washingtonpost |title=U.S. officials: Raymond Davis, accused in Pakistan shootings, worked for CIA|date=22 February 2011|accessdate=2011-02-22}}</ref> Davis has also been shown to be an erstwhile employee of security outfit [[Wikipedia:Blackwater Worldwide|Blackwater Worldwide]] (called Xe Services since Oct '07) and was a member of CIA's Global Response Staff, who assist case officers when they meet with sources.
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| − | His two victims are also reported to be operatives of Pakistani [[Wikipedia:Inter-Services Intelligence|Inter-Services Intelligence]] (ISI).<ref name=guardian>{{cite web|author=Declan Walsh and Ewen MacAskill |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/20/us-raymond-davis-lahore-cia?CMP=twt_gu |title=American who sparked diplomatic crisis over Lahore shooting was CIA spy |publisher=The Guardian |date=20 February 2011 |accessdate=2011-02-21}}</ref> An ISI official has made a statement saying that Davis had contacts in the [[Wikipedia:FATA|tribal regions]] along the Afghanistan border and already knew both the men he shot. He said the ISI is investigating the possibility that the encounter on the streets of Lahore stemmed from a meeting or from threats to Davis.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2011-02/24/content_12069786.htm|title=Pakistan's intelligence ready to split with CIA
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| − | |date=24 February 2011|work=[[Wikipedia:China Daily]]|accessdate=24 February 2011}}</ref>
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| − | It has been suggested that while Davis may be a contractor for the CIA, he could also be something else: a still active-duty member of US Special Forces. One of the items found on him by arresting police was an ID card identifying him as a DOD (Department of Defence) contractor. "It could be the US government has decided now to fall back to claiming he's CIA, which would probably at least spare him a hanging, even if it leaves him with a long jail sentence in a Lahore prison.<ref name=counterpunch>{{cite web|author=Dave Lindorff[http://counterpunch.org/lindorff02222011.html]|title=US Caught in Big Lie About Raymond Davis|date=22 February 2011 |accessdate=2011-02-23}}</ref>
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| − | Davis was working within areas of espionage covered by multiple departments of the CIA: wetworks ([[SAD]] [[Wikipedia:SAD|(WP)]]), black propaganda ([[SAD#|Political Action Group]] [[Wikipedia:Political Action Group|(WP)]]), and military reconnaissance, which is not even a department of the CIA, despite the fact that there has been a CIA operative on the ground before every single US invasion. It most closely resembles army Special Forces activity. Therefore it is apparent that the bureaucratic divisions of the CIA do not necessarily reflect a separation of [[CIA activities|operations carried out by the CIA]] [[Wikipedia:CIA activities|(WP)]] into operatives under each division's authorization carrying out operations specific to that division.
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| − | US-wide [[Wikipedia:Racial profiling|racial profiling]] commences; do you feel safer?<br>
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| − | [[King hearings]]
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| − | In December 2010, Congressman King announced that when he became chairman of the [[Wikipedia:House Homeland Security Committee|House Homeland Security Committee]] he would hold hearings on the radicalization of [[Wikipedia:American Muslims]]. "The overwhelming majority of Muslims are outstanding citizens," he said, overreaching a little in compensation; the overwhelming majority, surely, would be pretty close to average?
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| − | In 2011, at the opening of the "Radicalization" hearings, King warned Americans not to forget 9/11, and yet his own records apparently go back only two years, in which time frame no "Neonazis, environmental extremists, or other isolated madmen", as he puts it, have been charged with major acts of terrorism. Although the Homeland Security Committee chair cites [[Wikipedia:DOJ|Justice Department]] statistics claiming that over the past two years fifty U.S. citizens have been charged with major acts of terrorism, and all fifty individuals were motivated by radical Islamic ideologies,<ref>{{cite news|last=Wan|first=William|title=N.Y. Muslims fear congressman's hearings could inflame Islamophobia|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/23/AR2011012304448.html|accessdate=1 March 2011|newspaper=Washington Post|date=January 24, 2011}}</ref> one wonders, what happened just a little over two years ago that does not quite fit with the rest of his statistics?
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| − | Whenever the right is beaten, it reaches for the biggest weapon that is easiest to wield. Accusation of Political Correctness is a blunt instrument; it never works on anyone who knows they are in the right. The opposition to New York Republican Congressman Peter King, chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security. "Radicalization" committee, although they surely must have noticed the faint hint of their success in applying pressure to King prior to the proceedings, must have felt the phrase lacked its usual sting when he used it to explain why he was continuing his hearings: "to back down would be a craven surrender to Political Correctness".
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| − | Using the phrase in the middle of a battle which relies entirely on [[Patriotic Correctness]] for its very existence probably shows that the Right, never very good at seeing the relative values of things, is not aware of the danger of cognitive dissonance when the two PCs are placed in such close proximity.<ref>[http://www.democracynow.org/2011/3/11/headlines#13 Rep. King Opens Hearings on Muslim "Radicalization" in U.S.] Democracy Now!, 11th Mar 2011</ref>
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| − | King had earlier claimed that Islamic clerics are telling their congregations to ignore extremism.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/12/19/2010-12-19_rep_peter_king_to_hold_hearings_on_radicalization_of_american_muslims_critics_fe.html |title=Rep. Peter King to hold hearings on 'radicalization' of American Muslims, critics fear witchhunt |publisher=Nydailynews.com |date=2010-12-19 |accessdate=2011-03-10}}</ref>
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| − | The first hearing, held on March 10, 2011, was entitled “The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community's Response.†John Stewart of the Daily Show has a quick wit, but he is the first to point out that anyone who gets their news from a comedy show deserves what they get at the polls. So did anyone else notice that the, "...and that Community's response" part of the hearings was requiring of the "...American Muslim Community..." to have done a job that the combined forces of the entire Homeland Security network had already failed to do?<ref>[http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/tue-march-8-2011-brian-christian March 08, 2011 - Brian Christian] Peter King wants to investigate Muslim Americans, and Brian Christian discusses human-like computers. The Daily Show With Jon Stewart - Full Episode. Segment starts at 9:15 on the video. At 11:22: "Wow. It's not enough for US Muslims to be law abiding; to avoid Congressional investigation they have to be actively stopping terror plots."</ref>
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| − | Stewart also reported on the inconsistency between the Congressman's aim of "rooting out terrorists" in the 21st Century and his "rooting for terrorists" in the 20th.<ref>[http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/thu-march-10-2011-trey-parker---matt-stone </ref> But then, even Wikipedia knew that one. Well, they knew that he had supported the IRA. There was no comparison between the two periods of time.
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| − | The hearing included testimony from Representative [[Wikipedia:John D. Dingell|John D. Dingell]] of Michigan, Representative [[Wikipedia:Keith Ellison|Keith Ellison]] of Minnesota, who is one of two Muslims in the U.S. Congress, Representative [[Wikipedia:Frank Wolf|Frank Wolf]] of Virginia, and Los Angeles County Sheriff [[Wikipedia:Leroy Baca|Leroy Baca]]. Others to provide testimony included Dr. M [[Wikipedia:Zuhdi Jasser|Zuhdi Jasser]], a devout Muslim and Founder of the [[Wikipedia:American Islamic Forum for Democracy|American Islamic Forum]]; [[Wikipedia:Melvin Bledsoe|Marvin Bledsoe]], whose son was arrested in Little Rock, Arkansas, and [[Wikipedia:Abdirizak Bihi|Abdirizak Bihri]], the Director of the [[Wikipedia:Somali Education and Social Advocacy Center|Somali Education and Social Advocacy Center]].<ref>{{cite web|last=U.S. Government House Committee on Homeland Security|title=Hearing on “The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community's Response.â€|url=http://homeland.house.gov/hearing/hearing-%E2%80%9C-extent-radicalization-american-muslim-community-and-communitys-response%E2%80%9D|publisher=U.S. Government House Committee on Homeland Security}}</ref>
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| − | '''Reactions'''<br>
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| − | [[Wikipedia:Bennie Thompson]], the ranking member of the committee which Congressman King heads, has responded by saying that "none of these law enforcement and intelligence officials have backed King’s assertions that the Muslim community has not been helpful in thwarting terrorist attacks."<ref>{{cite web|author=By REP. BENNIE THOMPSON | 1/27/11 4:00 AM EST |url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/48239.html |title=Homegrown terrorists are not just Muslims |publisher=Politico.com |date= |accessdate=2011-03-10}}</ref> In a letter written to King Rep. Thompson demanded that the scope of the hearings be widened to include all extremist groups in the United States, disregarding any ideological underpinnings.<ref>{{cite web|last=Thompson|first=Bennie|title=Letter to Chairman King on Radicalization Hearings|url=http://homeland.house.gov/press-release/king-stands-firm-upcoming-hearings-islamic-radicalization|publisher=U.S. Congress House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee|accessdate=9 March 2011}}</ref> [[Wikipedia:Los Angeles County|Los Angeles County]] [[Wikipedia:sheriff|sheriff]] Lee Baca said that there was nothing to support King's claims of non-cooperation by American Muslims. Baca invited King to Los Angeles to show the cooperation between Muslim-Americans and law enforcement; a King spokesperson declined to comment on the invitation.<ref>{{cite news|title=LA sheriff takes on King|url=http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0211/LA_sheriff_takes_on_King.html?showall|publisher=[[Wikipedia:Politico]]|date=2011-02-07}}</ref>
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| − | The [[Wikipedia:Muslim Public Affairs Council|Muslim Public Affairs Council]] (MPAC) in a letter to Congressman King claimed that his call was sweeping and misguided, calling for a meeting with King to discuss his initiatives, the proposed hearings, and the efforts of the Muslim American community in fighting radicalization.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mpac.org/programs/government-relations/dc-news-and-views/dear-rep.-king.php |title=MPAC's letter to Congressman King |publisher=Mpac.org |date= |accessdate=2011-03-10}}</ref>
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| − | The [[Wikipedia:Council on American Islamic Relations|Council on American Islamic Relations]] joined 50 other organizations, including [[Wikipedia:Amnesty International|Amnesty International]], the [[Wikipedia:Sikh Coalition|Sikh Coalition]], the [[Wikipedia:Japanese American Citizens League|Japanese American Citizens League]] and [[Wikipedia:Unitarian Universalist|Unitarian Universalist]] Service Committee, and put out a letter to [[Wikipedia:Speaker of the House|Speaker of the House]] [[Wikipedia:John Boehner|John Boehner]] and [[Wikipedia:Nancy Pelosi|Nancy Pelosi]] stating:<ref>{{cite news|author=Yager, Jordy|title=Rep. King won't let 'political correctness' derail probe of Muslims|url=http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/142713-king-not-going-to-bow-to-political-correctness|}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cair.com/Portals/0/pdf/Coalition-Ltr-re-King-hearings.pdf |title=CAIR's Letter |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2011-03-10}}</ref>
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| − | :''Singling out a group of Americans for government scrutiny based on their faith is divisive and wrong. These hearings will inevitably examine activities protected by the [[Wikipedia:First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]], an affront to fundamental freedoms upon which our country was founded. It harkens back to hearings held in the 1950s by then-U.S. Senator [[Wikipedia:Joe McCarthy|Joe McCarthy]]. That dark chapter in our history ([[Wikipedia:McCarthy era|McCarthy era]]) taught us that Congress has a solemn duty to wield its investigatory power responsibly ([[Wikipedia:McCarthyism|McCarthyism]]).''
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| − | [[Wikipedia:Jay Sekulow|Jay Sekulow]], Chief Counsel for the conservative religious organization, [[Wikipedia:ACLJ|American Center for Law and Justice]] (ACLJ), founded by [[Wikipedia:Pat Robertson|Pat Robertson]]<ref>[http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=11310598 NYC Panel Clears Way for Mosque Near Ground Zero] ABC News</ref> as a counter to the [[Wikipedia:ACLU|American Civil Liberties Union]] opposed the building of the [[Wikipedia:Park 51|Park 51]] mosque,<ref>[http://writ.news.findlaw.com/hamilton/20100805.html Findlaw</ref> which King had accused of receiving terrorist funding. Sekulow invoked the [[flag waving]] [[Wikipedia:flag waver|(WP)]] buzzwords 'our nation' and 'homeland', along with some more traditional loaded words like 'havoc', 'manipulating', in his declaration of support for Rep. King and the hearings.
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| − | :''“Without question, there’s a troubling factual pattern of American Muslims becoming radicalized and focusing on creating havoc here on U.S. soil. This hearing is designed to get to the bottom of what’s taking place in our nation — how al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations are recruiting and manipulating American Muslims to attack the U.S. This hearing isn’t about profiling — it’s about protecting our homeland.â€''<ref>{{cite news|last=McLaughlin|first=Seth|title=GOP leaders back hearings on Muslims|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/mar/8/gop-leaders-back-hearings-on-muslims/?page=1|accessdate=9 March 2011|newspaper=Washington Times|date=9 March 2011}}</ref></blockquote>
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| − | During the Park 51 mosque debate, King had said "There are too many mosques in America". It was clearly a turn of phrase, as opposed to a call to systematically remove mosques, but it was still a gaffe, and not one that he recognized making until others did, either.<ref>[http://www.alan.com/2011/03/10/peter-king-denies-he-ever-said-there-are-too-many-mosques-in-america-only-he-did/ Peter King Denies He Ever Said, “There Are Too Many Mosques In America.†Only, He Did.]</ref><ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUsVBj4YwPM CAIR Rep Discusses Rep. King's 'Too Many Mosques' Statement] YouTube vid of the same clip, cited here as a backup for the other, not the MSNBC commentary that follows</ref>
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| − | King’s district has very few Muslim residents, minimizing political backlash from his anti Muslim hearings.
| + | :[[Wikipedia:Blackwater Worldwide|Blackwater Worldwide]] changed its name to Xe, and has most recently (better to not say now, as it could change again any day, it seems) changed it again to Academi. This was more than sufficient to get the [[Blackwater Watch]] article and its other two incarnations removed from Wikipedia entirely; see [[Xe Watch#Deletion from Wikipedia]] |
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| − | '''<big>[[Social programs cut by 112th USA Congress]]'''</big><br> | + | '''Archived'''</center> |
| − | The programs are small, the problems that cutting them are supposed to solve, huge. But counting on fooling enough Americans enough of the time is something the establishment (and its bastions it knows stands just within reach to the right) have grown accustomed to.<br>
| + | [[Anarchopedia:Current events archive]] |
| − | ''' As deficit reduction''' : Ran it up in the first place with wars<br>
| + | *[[Raymond Allen Davis incident]] : On January 27, 2011, Raymond Allen Davis, a US citizen claiming to be working as a consultant at the U.S. Consulate in [[Wikipedia:Lahore|Lahore]] and later said to be a [[CIA]] operative <ref name=guardian>{{cite web|author=Declan Walsh and Ewen MacAskill |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/20/us-raymond-davis-lahore-cia?CMP=twt_gu |title=American who sparked diplomatic crisis over Lahore shooting was CIA spy |publisher=The Guardian |date=20 February 2011 |accessdate=2011-02-21}}</ref> killed two armed men in the Pakistani city of Lahore.<ref name="dawn_28">{{cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/2011/01/28/us-official-guns-down-two-motorcyclists-in-lahore.html|title=US official guns down two motorcyclists in Lahore|last=Chaudhry|first=Asif|date=28 January 2012|work=[[Wikipedia:Dawn (newspaper)]]|accessdate=13 February 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=US official Raymond Davis on Lahore murder charges|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12305049|work=BBC News|accessdate=31 January 2011|date=28 January 2011}}</ref><ref name="NYT20120129">{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/30/world/asia/30pakistan.html|title=U.S. Seeks Release of Official in Pakistan|last=Perlez|first=Jane|date=29 January 2012|work=[[Wikipedia:The New York Times]]|accessdate=13 February 2011}}</ref> |
| − | * [[Democracy Now!]]: [http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2011/3/7/michael_moore "America is Not Broke!"]: Michael Moore addresses thousands in Madison, Wisconsin March 07, 2011 | + | * [[King hearings]] |
| − | * [http://www.democracynow.org/2011/3/7/as_public_broadcasting_and_community_media As Public Broadcasting and Community Media Face Potentially Massive Cuts at Home, Hillary Clinton Calls for Increased Funding for U.S. Propaganda Overseas]
| + | *[[Social programs cut by 112th USA Congress]]<ref>[[Democracy Now!]]: [http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2011/3/7/michael_moore "America is Not Broke!"]: Michael Moore addresses thousands in Madison, Wisconsin March 07, 2011</ref> |
| − | * [http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2011/2/25/union_voices_from_madison_we_will_be_out_here_marching_until_justice_is_served Union Voices from Madison]: "We Will Be Out Here Marching Until Justice is Served"
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| − | * [http://www.democracynow.org/2011/3/9/naomi_klein_on_anti_union_bills Naomi Klein on Anti-Union Bills and Shock Doctrine American-Style]: "This is a Frontal Assault on Democracy, It’s a Kind of a Corporate Coup D’Etat"
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| − | ''' As financial stimulus''' : The middlemen are the weak link<br>
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| − | * [http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=13873 US Fed Chairman demands plan to cut social programs] by Barry Grey "Maintaining the confidence of the financial markets" for the captains of industry
| + | |
| − | ''' Protection against job killers''' ...And the Republican cure for ad nauseum is...?<br>
| + | |
| − | * [http://www.cleveland.com/livingston/index.ssf/2010/12/partisan_112th_congress_will_m.html Partisan 112th Congress will mix cooperation, conflict starting Jan. 5]
| + | |
| − | '''As New World Order'''
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| − | * [http://www.aljazeerah.info/Opinion%20Editorials/2010/October/6%20o/Wrecking%20the%20American%20Dream%20By%20Stephen%20Lendman.htm Wrecking the American Dream] By Stephen Lendman | + | |
| − | '''As Pox Americana'''
| + | |
| − | * [http://gamingzion.com/gamblingnews/tax-starved-usa-to-introduce-online-gambling-laws-later-this-year-1924 Tax Starved USA to Introduce Online Gambling Laws Later This Year]
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| − | * The [[Wikipedia:Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|14th Amendment]] may be reinterpreted if a current bill passes. The Arizona House bill HR 140<ref>[http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h112-140 GovTrack text of HR 140]</ref><ref>[http://www.globalimmigrationcounsel.com/tags/rep-steve-king/ globalimmigrationcounsel.com]</ref> is the second such in a week; the first, introduced in Indiana.<ref>[http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/arizona-bill-targets-automatic-citizensh Arizona Bill Targets Automatic Citizenship for Children of Illegal Immigrants] cnsnews-Friday, January 28, 2011</ref><ref name=DN!28>[http://www.democracynow.org/2011/1/28/headlines Democracy Now! 28 Jan 11]</ref>
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| − | * The Obama administration has publicly confirmed it is continuing the Bush-era policy of opposing the return of Haiti’s ousted former president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
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| − | * Just after his return this week, Jean-Claude Duvalier was indicted on corruption charges stemming from his embezzlement of millions in state funds before a popular uprising forced him to flee Haiti in 1986. Alleged victims of human rights abuses under his regime have also filed criminal complaints. Duvalier says he returned to assist Haiti’s rebuilding effort, but critics say he’s making a last-ditch attempt to recoup some $6 million frozen in a Swiss bank account. A Swiss law passed in response to Duvalier’s longtime effort to obtain the money goes into effect on February 1. Before the new rules kick in, Duvalier would be able to receive the money if he could prove he is not under criminal investigation in his home country. His return is seen as a gamble that he would have been able to enter Haiti and then depart without being charged, which he would then cite as proof to the Swiss he’s not under legal scrutiny. - [[Democracy Now!]]
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| − | :One of the crowd 'celebrating' Duvalier's return told a reporter from The Telegraph that he had been paid $10 Haitian dollars to cheer. Duvalier "declared himself 'impressed by the welcome I have received, especially from the crowd of young people who don't know me.'"- The Telegraph
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| − | * (In January 2011), "a group of U.S.-based human rights groups and legal organizations filed an emergency petition with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to halt the roundups, detention and deportations of Haitian nationals by the U.S. government." - [[Democracy Now!]] On the 20th of January, the U.S. government resumed deportations to Haiti. Haitian refugees face a completely different standard than Cuban refugees for entry into the US, according to Human Rights Watch. Other human rights groups criticized deporting people into a triad of disasters: a cholera outbreak, violence surrounding the election and earthquake devastation.
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| | === Citations === | | === Citations === |
| | <ref>Contains content from Wikipedia</ref> | | <ref>Contains content from Wikipedia</ref> |
| | {{reflist|3}} | | {{reflist|3}} |
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Anarchopedia:Current events archive
Communpedia and its 'Communpedia news'
Labor Day protests
International Workers' Day (WP) also known as May Day (also, outside of the US and UK, known as Labor Day) rallies and protests were a mix of the traditional yearly events and a resurgence of Occupy Movement (WP) events
Guardian full day listing of events , and in pictures
SFGate: 15 minutes, 30 people, 30 businesses trashed, no arrests
The Sacred Temple of the All-Seeing Eye, Bluffdale, Utah
During the Cold War, the National Security Agency intercepted the communications of Russia and China and a handful of communist states, while the US busied itself with taking over the world secretly. Now that other countries are fighting back, and the US does its regime changes largely in the open, the NSA has given itself the task of intercepting, decoding, and assessing ALL communications, EVERYWHERE, ALL THE TIME.
In order to do this, the NSA is building the largest intelligence complex ever; more than five times the size of the US Capitol, in Bluffdale, Utah, in the heart of Mormon country.
The NSA Is Building the Country’s Biggest Spy Center (Watch What You Say), by James Bamford. James Bamford interview on Democracy Now!
"SOPA / PIPA as Hollywood vs Silicon Valley?"
NEW YORK vs The World, rather. No disrespect to those who came up with the idea, but the characterization of this struggle as between HOLLYWOOD and Silicon Valley is mistaken. Media conglomerate behemoths like Time Warner are based in New York, for the prestige; they would not be seen dead in tawdry little Tinseltown. And it does not hurt media owners' case one bit that they can gain, by invoking the name Hollywood, the support of the religious red states, who seethe in rage at the mere thought of its humanist ethos (call it jealousy: "the devil has all the good songs"). And while there are interests in Silicon Valley who will be financially disadvantaged, their clients and customers are EVERYWHERE.
BTJunkie BitTorrent Site Shuts Down
On 5th February 2012, BTJunkie, established in 2005 and the 5th most popular BitTorrent (WP) site as of 2011,[1] voluntarily shut down.[2] Attempts to shut down the site occurred in 2007[3] and 2011.[1]
"Seven countries in five years"
Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Iran
See:Seven countries in five years
Seven government and countries, all of which have already been the targets of extra-diplomatic actions and military US action in past years, were overtly targeted for invasion and overthrow by the Bush administration in late 2000. This objective has been achieved in two, although resistance to foreign occupation of Iraq and Libya will continue for the foreseeable future.
General Wesley Clark, not the staunchest ally of human rights himself (authorizing the use of depleted uranium rounds and attacks on civilians in Yugoslavia, for example), was nonetheless moved for whatever reason to deplore this policy publicly. However, it was six years before he did so, in an interview with Democracy Now!, a conference at the Commonwealth Club of California, and elsewhere.
Blackwater is now Xe is now Academi
- Blackwater Worldwide changed its name to Xe, and has most recently (better to not say now, as it could change again any day, it seems) changed it again to Academi. This was more than sufficient to get the Blackwater Watch article and its other two incarnations removed from Wikipedia entirely; see Xe Watch#Deletion from Wikipedia
Archived
