NY Times Admits: Al-Qaeda Terror Threat Used to “Divert Attention” from NSA Uproar

Some analysts and Congressional officials suggested Friday that emphasizing a terrorist threat now was a good way to divert attention from the uproar over the N.S.A.’s data-collection programs, and that if it showed the intercepts had uncovered a possible plot, even better.

- NY Times article from August 2, 2013: Qaeda Messages Prompt U.S. Terror Warning
By Michael Krieger: Nothing about the above quote should surprise any of my readers, we all know the sick, twisted mindset of those involved in the Military-Industrial-Wall Street complex. What’s more shocking is the fact that these folks so openly admit it to the New York Times, albeit in a typical anonymous and cowardly fashion. Let’s not forget what Robert Shapiro, former Clinton official and Obama supporter told the FT in July 2010:
The bottom line here is that Americans don’t believe in President Obama’s leadership. He has to find some way between now and November of demonstrating that he is a leader who can command confidence and, short of a 9/11 event or an Oklahoma City bombing, I can’t think of how he could do that.

Zionazis: Free Shaker Aamer Demo At Mi6 Building London

Morris: In Afghanistan setting up a girl's school and then sold to the Americans for a bounty - cleared of all charges and still wasting away in Guantanamo.

Glenn Greenwald slams ‘robust oversight,’ says Congress forced learn about NSA spying via media

By Madison Rouppert: Glenn Greenwald, the journalist responsible for publishing the information leaked by Edward Snowden, slammed Congress’s “robust oversight” today, adding that “they are forced to learn about what the NSA is doing from what they’re reading in our reporting.”
Some are now claiming that Greenwald isn’t even a journalist while others have insinuated that he could be charged with crimes for working with Snowden, who was granted temporary asylum in Russia.
In his comments made on “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” today, Greenwald made reference to the fact that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court has determined that the government’s surveillance has breached the Fourth Amendment at least once.
The Obama administration has gone above and beyond to make sure that opinion does not get released. Meanwhile, others are fighting to pass legislation that would bring more transparency to the FISA court, which currently enjoys an impenetrable veil of secrecy. Senators have been pushing for more transparency in the FISA court for quite some time now.
“That’s extraordinary, to have a court opinion ruling that our government violated the constitution and the law, and not only can’t we read it, but neither can our representatives in Congress,” Greenwald said.

Lindsey Graham Dumbstruck by Yemeni Man's Eye Opening Testimony on Drones

Conservative1001BG

Uncollected Greek Taxes Rise To Record €60 Billion, One Third Of Greek GDP

Submitted by Tyler Durden: While Europe, and especially Germany has been understandably "displeased" with having to provide billions in bailout upon bailout funding to Greece every year starting in 2010, all the more so following recent news that Greece has already spent some 75% of its bank bailout cash with no discernible improvement in its economy to show for it, Europes' taxpayers will unlikely be any more pleased to learn that as of the end of June, a whopping €60 billion in past due taxes (an all time record) was owed by Greek businesses and individuals to the state. This is an amount that is 20% greater than the entire external cash handed over by the Troika to keep Greek banks afloat, and represents nearly 30% of imploding Greek GDP.

Perhaps instead of spending money on trips by its premier and/or think-tanks on how to mutually assure itself another few billion in Troika cash to plug this budget hole or that, Greece should invest a few grand to buy the ink it needs to print tax forms, streamlining its tax collection department (on those days it is isn't on strike of course) and generate some real IRR.
Kathimerini has the full story:

State murder - BBC Sucks O Cocks News

The artist taxi driver

Julian Assange launches WikiLeaks political party via Skype in London.

drmenorps: Julian Assange launches WikiLeaks political party via Skype, From London, For a Senate Seat in Victoria, Australia.

Pirates Form Church to Battle Copyright Law That Insults Their Beliefs

Torrent Freak: With Russia’s new anti-piracy law just a few days old, further opposition will be voiced today in a particularly unconventional manner. Following Russia’s first Kopimi-inspired wedding yesterday, in which the happy couple exchanged vows and silicon chips, pirates in several areas of the country will today apply to form their own church. Official complaints will then be filed against the new law on the basis that it insults the beliefs that underpin the Kopimist religion.

Last week Russia introduced its brand new anti-piracy law that will see sites blocked at the ISP level if they fail to respond swiftly to copyright complaints.
The law, which critics say is overbroad and likely to cause collateral damage, is opposed by big companies such as Google, local search engine Yandex, Internet resources such as Wikipedia and thousands of website operators and users.
But just as protests including last week’s blackout by 1,700 sites subside, a more unconventional front is opening up.
Later today pirate activists in five regions – Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan and Khabarovsk – will submit documents to begin the process of having their church officially recognized by the authorities.
If that all goes to plan in a few years time Russia will have its own Church Kopimizma, but for the faithful there are important issues to be dealt with right now.

Kevin O'Leary vs Rachel Parent debate on GMOs

VideosbyMarc: 14 year old Rachel Parent debates Kevin O'Leary on the issue of Genetically Modified Food
Rachel's website: http://www.gmo-news.com

LAPD officer threatens illegal car search: "Doesn't mean I can use what I find but I can do it."

rambone5: After stopping a car "because we have a lot of problems with fraud rental cars here," a female officer threatened to illegally pull a man out of his car and illegally search it, when the citizen asked a simple question: "I being detained or I'm free to go?"

EU faces double whammy of political turmoil in Italy, Spain

Europe's southern eurozone faces the double whammy of political turmoil in Italy and Spain where both governments are at risk of being toppled by corruption scandals. UPI: EU officials were reported in urgent consultations with Italian and Spanish counterparts after a tax fraud verdict against former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi put the ruling coalition on the precipice.
Meanwhile, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy was in fighting mode after facing charges he accepted illegal payments. Opposition leader Alfredo Rubalcaba said Rajoy "cannot rule the country unless he explains his involvement" in a corruption case linking him to a ruling party slush fund case.
Moves for a vote of no confidence in Rajoy were afoot in the Spanish Parliament.
Of the two rolling scandals, Italy's crisis was closer to claiming the ruling coalition as its biggest casualty as speculation lingered on whether Berlusconi, 76, would go to prison. His advanced age and strong political connections suggest Berlusconi could emerge largely unscathed from the latest twist in his political career.

Kyle Bass Warns "There Is No Real Way Out"

Submitted by Tyler Durden: Quantitative easing is nothing but "competitive devaluation," Kyle Bass begins this brief but wide-ranging interview; and while no central bank can explicitly expose the 'beggar thy neighbor' policy, they are well aware (and 'banking on') the fact that secondary or tertiary effects will lead to devaluing their currency. The bottom line, Bass warns, is "when the globe is at 360% credit market debt-to-GDP, there is no real way out." Furthermore, the winds of austerity have already blown (simply put no nation engaged in austerity prospectively - for the nation's betterment - they were forced by the bond markets) and with central bankers now dominant - the Krugman-esque mentality of "let's just keep going," is very much in the driver's seat since politicians now see "no consequence for fiscal profligacy." The average investor, Bass adds, "is at the mercy of the central bank puppeteers," as the Fed's policies are forcing mom-and-pop to "put their money in the wrong place at the wrong time." There will be consequences for that... there is only one way this will end... "and investors should be really careful doing what the central bankers want them to do."