United States of Spying

[JAVGOD]

Even if you think Snowden is a traitor and side with the US government, you have to admit it's pretty rich of them to expect China or Russia of all places to turn over someone accused of espionage.

There are far more traitors on Capitol Hill...Snowden is ok to me. the hyprocrisy coming out of pundits and DC over this is sickening.

[legion]

Around two dozen journalists settled in for the 12-hour journey to Havana – a flight on which no alcohol is served.

I wonder if this gentleman had a ticket.
(Given his penchant for deleting tweets, there is a wardog announcing his presence in Russia. Probably keen to get the lowdown on the Tokyo expat scene from Ed.)

Oh, Mother Russia. Good to be back in your arms, sipping the sweet northern air, gazing upon the crowded forest all the way to Siberia

Sounds like he's found one of them gooolagz for foreigners.

looking for missing gaijin?

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

Sounds like he's found one of them gooolagz for foreigners.

This broke me up....

[Coligny]

Sexy Russian spy Anna Chapman to NSA leaker: Marry me?!

RussiaFashionShow144231--525x400.jpg

Moar:

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/internatio ... eRJt9SdKyJ

In other news:

images.jpg

I have the weirdest boner right now...

[Samurai_Jerk]

This is little off topic but somewhat related and another example of just how bad the US is getting.

Teen in jail for months over 'sarcastic' Facebook threat

It was a sarcastic Facebook comment during an argument about a video game. And, according to the father of 19-year-old Justin Carter, it was enough to land his son behind bars for months, facing the possibility of years in prison.

Carter, who is currently on suicide watch in Comal County Jail near San Antonio, Texas, has been locked up since February. He faces a charge of making terroristic threats, a felony that could theoretically bring a sentence of up to eight years.

"He's very depressed. He's very scared and he's very concerned that he's not going to get out," Jack Carter, Justin's father, told CNN on Tuesday. "He's pretty much lost all hope."
In February, Justin, then 18, and a friend were arguing on Facebook with someone else over the online video game "League of Legends."

"Someone had said something to the effect of 'Oh you're insane. You're crazy. You're messed up in the head,'" Jack Carter told CNN affiliate KVUE in Austin. "To which he replied 'Oh yeah, I'm real messed up in the head. I'm going to go shoot up a school full of kids and eat their still-beating hearts.'"

According to court documents, Justin wrote "I'm f---ed in the head alright. I think I'ma (sic) shoot up a kindergarten and watch the blood of the innocent rain down and eat the beating heart of one of them."

Jack Carter said his son followed the claim with "LOL" and "J/K" -- indicating that the comment wasn't serious.

But someone else -- Carter says a woman in Canada -- noticed the comment and reported it to authorities. Coming two months after the deadly shootings at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, the report wasn't taken lightly. According to court documents, Carter lived less than a half-mile from an elementary school in New Braunfels, Texas.
A search warrant was issued on February 13 and, a week later, a judge issued a warrant for his arrest.

"I thought it was a joke," Jack Carter told CNN. "I couldn't believe the person that called me. I kept telling them they have to be kidding. When I realized he wasn't, I literally broke down crying."

A judge set bond for Justin Carter at $500,000, meaning that 10% of that, or $50,000, would have to be posted to get him out of jail while he awaits trial. His lawyer, Donald H. Flanary III, says that's far more than his family can afford.

"It's outrageous," Flanary, who is working the case for free, told CNN Tuesday. "I've represented murderers and their bond was $150,000."

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

This is little off topic but somewhat related and another example of just how bad the US is getting.

This is fucken sad, but it does continue a long history of Merkins reacting extremely to stupid speech. Thank God your Founding Fathers had the prescience to Constitutionally guarantee free speech and that there's still a few Merkins sensible enough to allow this right to be executed at times.

[Coligny]

Same stupidity as the zero tolerance policy where a twinky chewed to look like a gun get you expelled. Way too much idiots begging to find a law that will allow them to have a little more power on someone... Anyone...
To be put in the same category as the "i am offended" mouthbreathers who will cast anything they don't like as something that should be forbidden/illegal. (Hey, think of the children... Amyright)

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

Same stupidity as the zero tolerance policy where a twinky chewed to look like a gun get you expelled. Way too much idiots begging to find a law that will allow them to have a little more power on someone... Anyone...
To be put in the same category as the "i am offended" mouthbreathers who will cast anything they don't like as something that should be forbidden/illegal. (Hey, think of the children... Amyright)

Merkins fuck up a lot, but (perhaps because it's July 4) I am full of admiration for the prescience their Founding Fathers showed in terms of codifying the right to freedom of speech (and great defenders of it like Larry Flynt because he utterly pisses off so many Merkin fundamentalists who think their <interpretation of their> Imaginary Friend must be obeyed at any costs....I've still got mixed feelings about the support for child porn, but when you see shite like this, I am totally with the ACLU).

[Samurai_Jerk]

I've still got mixed feelings about the support for child porn, but when you see shite like this, I am totally with the ACLU).

What are you reading FOX News talking points?

[Coligny]

Prosecution for having child porn should follow the same standard as anything else.
Having picture of dead people don't make you a murderer, having picture of child porn don't make you a pedophyle.
The reason being all to simple.
When a law allow to criminally prosecute someone for simple possession of documents that could be delivered to him 1- in a totally accidental way or 2- by an hostile 3rd party typing "copy *.* c:/george_is_going_to_jail_for_this/". You just basically torpedoed your legal system into a complete farce. Anybody can send anyone to jail with the help of your run of the mill trojan... (Nota, in stupider countries, like dirkastan or... here, the same reasonning can be applied to pornography and any decency laws...). The principle of laws have always been "better let someone guilty going free than jailing an innocent person". Those laws and prism create the exact opposite and are the tell tale of governement who have hoarded way too much power than they should even be allowed to dream of. This is even more cringeworthy when you account for the fact that corporations don't seem to have to answer to the same legal system despite having been proven guilty of criminal behaviour.

[JAVGOD]

Nice article (sarcasm) last night on yahoo about the snail mail spying program. Fucking MASSIVE.

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

What are you reading FOX News talking points?

The ACLU is one of the planet's greatest -- if not the greatest -- defenders of the right to propagate child pornography.

[Coligny]

yea once again... it can be said that 2013 is the year the tinfoil hat people were proven right... So now just sit back, relax and prepare for the truth aboot Elvis, JFK and Roswell...

[Samurai_Jerk]

What are you reading FOX News talking points?

The ACLU is one of the planet's greatest -- if not the greatest -- defenders of the right to propagate child pornography.

Utter bullshit.

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

What are you reading FOX News talking points?

The ACLU is one of the planet's greatest -- if not the greatest -- defenders of the right to propagate child pornography.

Utter bullshit.

Don't get me wrong: I strongly support the ACLU and firmly believe with all my heart in the right to freedom of speech. But, I will stand by my assertion that the ACLU is one of the planet's greatest defenders of child pornography, but add the clarification that this stance is because of its vehement opposition to censorship. The ACLU does advocate prosecution of those who make child porn. Look up the case of New York vs Ferber.
My personal inclination is to oppose any form of kiddy porn, even simulated (which the ACLU has no issue with), but as I also strongly despise censorship, it creates a moral dilemma for me. I guess ultimately that my repugnance of child porn gives way to the overall loathing of censorship and I am very grateful to the ACLU. But it does defend kiddy porn.

[Samurai_Jerk]

What are you reading FOX News talking points?

The ACLU is one of the planet's greatest -- if not the greatest -- defenders of the right to propagate child pornography.

Utter bullshit.

Don't get me wrong: I strongly support the ACLU and firmly believe with all my heart in the right to freedom of speech. But, I will stand by my assertion that the ACLU is one of the planet's greatest defenders of child pornography, but add the clarification that this stance is because of its vehement opposition to censorship. The ACLU does advocate prosecution of those who make child porn. Look up the case of New York vs Ferber.

My issue was with the word "propagate". I understand I'm arguing semantics here but to me propagate implies making and selling not possession. As for simulated kiddie pr0n, that's like banning "Rambo" for being a simulated snuff film.

[Coligny]

BEFORE YOU SAY ANYTHING

Let me premptively say that:
FUCK YOU

Can we kill that motherfucking Snowden now ? He's a threat to nationnal security.
(understand better why Bolivian President plane was denied flight authorisation over France nao)
(seriously, who is surprised of this ? The two countries with the traditionnally most aggressive intelligence service...)

DGSE_logo.png

w00t w00t!!

[wagyl]

BEFORE YOU SAY ANYTHING

Let me premptively say that:
FUCK YOU

Can we kill that motherfucking Snowden now ? He's a threat to nationnal security.
(understand better why Bolivian President plane was denied flight authorisation over France nao)
(seriously, who is surprised of this ? The two countries with the traditionnally most aggressive intelligence service...)

DGSE_logo.png

w00t w00t!!

Pffft. DGSE is no match for Maori forestry workers and other nosey Kiwis.
http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/ ... 288488.htm

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

My issue was with the word "propagate". I understand I'm arguing semantics here but to me propagate implies making and selling not possession.

Fair enough, my apologies. Your understanding is correct and my statement was wrong, which is a relief.

[Samurai_Jerk]

My issue was with the word "propagate". I understand I'm arguing semantics here but to me propagate implies making and selling not possession.

Fair enough, my apologies. Your understanding is correct and my statement was wrong, which is a relief.

By the way, I'm not being flippant with my comparison to snuff films. To me a parallel would be a video of a terrorist beheading a hostage. The people who made the video should be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. However, those who happen to have a copy of it on their hard drive shouldn't be. I understand that does take us into another grey are though as far as sale or distribution of said video goes. For example, someone doing a documentary on terrorism might have a legitimate reason for using that footage and most people in the free world would probably agree they should be allowed to even if they think it's exploitative.

This isn't exactly the same as child pr0n but one could also make the same argument if you had video footage of a Catholic priest raping a boy and were doing a documentary about the Church's cover up. In that case most people would say it shouldn't be allowed even if the victim said he wanted it to be shown so the world could understand just how heinous the crime was. To be honest my gut instinct is that there is a difference. However, I don't think the law should be based on gut instinct and I can't give any logical reason why watching a rape is somehow worse than watching a murder.

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

My issue was with the word "propagate". I understand I'm arguing semantics here but to me propagate implies making and selling not possession.

Fair enough, my apologies. Your understanding is correct and my statement was wrong, which is a relief.

By the way, I'm not being flippant with my comparison to snuff films. To me a parallel would be a video of a terrorist beheading a hostage. The people who made the video should be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. However, those who happen to have a copy of it on their hard drive shouldn't be. I understand that does take us into another grey are though as far as sale or distribution of said video goes. For example, someone doing a documentary on terrorism might have a legitimate reason for using that footage and most people in the free world would probably agree they should be allowed to even if they think it's exploitative.

This isn't exactly the same as child pr0n but one could also make the same argument if you had video footage of a Catholic priest raping a boy and were doing a documentary about the Church's cover up. In that case most people would say it shouldn't be allowed even if the victim said he wanted it to be shown so the world could understand just how heinous the crime was. To be honest my gut instinct is that there is a difference. However, I don't think the law should be based on gut instinct and I can't give any logical reason why watching a rape is somehow worse than watching a murder.

If I could think of a way to disagree or refute you, I'd be using the footage to extort Micks.
There has to be a certain degree of assumption in law, which is why you have judges, which is why the ACLU is important because it plays a crucial role in maintaining an occasionally independent judiciary in the world's most influential cuntry.
I don't think our respective beliefs are too divergent at all, though.

[Russell]

[Russell]

Snowden: US and Israel did create Stuxnet attack code

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has confirmed that the Stuxnet malware used to attack Iranian nuclear facilities was created as part of a joint operation between the Israelis and the NSA's Foreign Affairs Directorate (FAD).

"The NSA and Israel cowrote it," he told Der Spiegel in an email interview conducted before he publicly outed himself as the NSA mole. Snowden is currently in Russia and a "free man" according to Vladimir Putin – as long as there are no further NSA leaks.

The Stuxnet code, which has been deployed since 2005, is thought to be the first malware aimed specifically at damaging specific physical infrastructure*, and was inserted into the computer networks of the Iranian nuclear fuel factory in Natanz shortly after it opened.

Early variants attempted to contaminate uranium supplies by interfering with the flow of gas to the fuel being processed, potentially causing explosive results in the processing factory. Later a more advanced variant attacked the centrifuges themselves, burning out motors by rapidly starting and stopping the units and contaminating fuel production, although it may actually have encouraged the Iranians.

Last year an unnamed US official said that Stuxnet was part of a program called Operation Olympic Games, started under President Bush and continued under the current administration, aimed at slowing down the Iranian nuclear effort without having to resort to risky airstrikes. General James Cartwright, a former vice-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is currently under investigation by the US government for allegedly leaking details of Operation Olympic Games.

More

[Russell]

[Russell]

Story appears to be developing in the right direction:

Americans, to a remarkable extent, seem able and willing to disregard these demonization campaigns. A new Quinnipiac poll released today show that Americans, by a large margin, have positive views of Snowden's actions despite all the demonization: "Fifty-five percent (55%) said Snowden was a whistle-blower in leaking details about top-secret US programs that collect telephone and Internet data . . . . thirty-four percent said he's a traitor." And: "the view of Snowden as a whistle-blower rather than traitor predominated among almost every group of respondents broken down by party, gender, income, education and age."

Moreover, "the poll also showed that by 45 percent to 40 percent, respondents said the government goes too far in restricting civil liberties as part of the war on terrorism. That was a reversal from January 2010, when in a similar survey 63 percent said anti-terrorism activities didn't go far enough to protect the US from attacks, compared with 25 percent who disagreed."

The polling firm's analyst, Peter Brown, provided some fascinating insight about these findings:

"The massive swing in public opinion about civil liberties and governmental anti-terrorism efforts, and the public view that Edward Snowden is more whistle-blower than traitor, are the public reaction and apparent shock at the extent to which the government has gone in trying to prevent future terrorist incidents . . . .The verdict that Snowden is not a traitor goes against almost the unified view of the nation's political establishment "

As usual, the US government, its establishment press, and both political parties have been almost completely united in its views and objectives in this episode. The American people, however, seem to have reached a much different conclusion than the one prepared for and fed to them.

[Russell]

Edward Snowden inflames US-Russian tensions with Moscow meeting

The White House openly criticised Russia for giving Edward Snowden a "propaganda platform" on Friday, after the whistleblower was permitted to meet human rights activists in the Moscow airport where he has been trapped for three weeks.

Despite Obama having claimed publicly that the US does not intend to expend much energy in securing the extradition of a "a 29-year-old hacker", the reality is that senior officials have been lobbying hard behind the scenes, particularly in Latin America, where three countries - Venezuela, Nicaragua and Bolivia - have offered to grant Snowden asylum.

The reason why US authorities want to get their hands on this guy as soon as possible is likely that he has info by which the POTUS and congress can be blackmailed. If that becomes public, their whole world will collapse. There must be a reason why they are so unusually aggressive. This case becomes more and more interesting...

[Samurai_Jerk]

The reason why US authorities want to get their hands on this guy as soon as possible is likely that he has info by which the POTUS and congress can be blackmailed. If that becomes public, their whole world will collapse. There must be a reason why they are so unusually aggressive.

Or it could be they just want to make an example out of him.

[Yokohammer]

The reason why US authorities want to get their hands on this guy as soon as possible is likely that he has info by which the POTUS and congress can be blackmailed. If that becomes public, their whole world will collapse. There must be a reason why they are so unusually aggressive.

Or it could be they just want to make an example out of him.

I think you're probably right.

They can't just say "Oh dear, he's blown the whistle on us and run away ... ah well, back to the daily chores," otherwise the hills would be alive with the sound of whistling (<- corny musical reference).

[Coligny]

The reason why US authorities want to get their hands on this guy as soon as possible is likely that he has info by which the POTUS and congress can be blackmailed. If that becomes public, their whole world will collapse. There must be a reason why they are so unusually aggressive. This case becomes more and more interesting...

Your analytical skills are stuff of legend... and really not in a good way... REALLY REALLY NOT IN A GOOD WAY...

Never heard of "dead man's switch" ? TIME TO FUCKING LEARN SHERLOCK...

[Russell]

The reason why US authorities want to get their hands on this guy as soon as possible is likely that he has info by which the POTUS and congress can be blackmailed. If that becomes public, their whole world will collapse. There must be a reason why they are so unusually aggressive. This case becomes more and more interesting...

Your analytical skills are stuff of legend... and really not in a good way... REALLY REALLY NOT IN A GOOD WAY...

Never heard of "dead man's switch" ? TIME TO FUCKING LEARN SHERLOCK...

You mean I should take you as an example?!?

Most you can do is shooting some canon balls in a general direction...