Obama is the New Bush

Rights Are Curtailed for Terror Suspects

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 21:07:10 -0400

Rights Are Curtailed for Terror Suspects:

New rules allow investigators to hold domestic-terror suspects longer than others without giving them a Miranda warning, significantly expanding exceptions to the instructions that have governed the handling of criminal suspects for more than four decades.

Drone Attacks Are Legit Self-Defense, Says State Dept. Lawyer

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 10:57:04 -0500

Drone Attacks Are Legit Self-Defense, Says State Dept. Lawyer:

America’s undeclared drone war has been controversial, for any number of reasons: Pakistani politicians have cried foul over “counterproductive” strikes. Critics worry they may create more popular support for militants. And civil liberties groups have asked whether, in effect, it amounts to a program of targeted killing.

Obama assertion: FBI can get phone records without oversight

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 10:41:30 -0500

Obama assertion: FBI can get phone records without oversight:

The Obama administration’s Justice Department has asserted that the FBI can obtain telephone records of international calls made from the U.S. without any formal legal process or court oversight, according to a document obtained by McClatchy.

Obama administration moves forward with unique internet ID for all Americans, Commerce Department to head system up

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 15:45:18 -0500

Obama administration moves forward with unique internet ID for all Americans, Commerce Department to head system up:

President Obama has signaled that he will give the United States Commerce Department the authority over a proposed national cybersecurity measure that would involve giving each American a unique online identity. Other candidates mentioned previously to head up the new system have included the NSA and the Department of Homeland Security, but the announcement that the Commerce Department will take the job should please groups that have raised concerns over security agencies doing double duty in police and intelligence work.

Obama administration readies indefinite detention order for Guantanamo detainees

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 11:03:52 -0500

Obama administration readies indefinite detention order for Guantanamo detainees:

The Obama administration is preparing an executive order that would formalize indefinite detention without trial for some detainees at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, but allow those detainees and their lawyers to challenge the basis for continued incarceration, U.S. officials said.

Obama Flip-Flop: FCC Vote Could End Net Neutrality

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 11:02:34 -0500

Obama Flip-Flop: FCC Vote Could End Net Neutrality :

When Obama was running for office three years ago, he pledged to support the principle of a free and open internet, saying, “I will take a backseat to no one with regards to net neutrality.” Fast-forward to today and the FCC chair that Obama appointed is leading a vote that could end net neutrality.

Even Without COICA, White House Asking Registrars To Voluntarily Censor 'Infringing' Sites

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 16:00:46 -0400

Even Without COICA, White House Asking Registrars To Voluntarily Censor 'Infringing' Sites :

While there’s been increasing attention paid to the “Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act” (COICA), the proposed law that would allow the government to require ISPs and registrars to block access to websites deemed to be “dedicated to infringing activities,” it looks like the White House (which we had thought was against censoring the internet) appears to be working on a backup plan in case COICA doesn’t pass.

Obama Administration Wants to Make It Easier to Wiretap the Internet

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 09:01:43 -0400

Obama Administration Wants to Make It Easier to Wiretap the Internet :

Federal law enforcement and national security officials are preparing to seek sweeping new regulations for the Internet, arguing that their ability to wiretap criminal and terrorism suspects is “going dark” as people increasingly communicate online instead of by telephone.

Secret Assault on Terrorism Widens on Two Continents

Sat, 14 Aug 2010 22:22:00 -0400

Secret Assault on Terrorism Widens on Two Continents:

The White House has intensified the Central Intelligence Agency’s drone missile campaign in Pakistan, approved raids against Qaeda operatives in Somalia and launched clandestine operations from Kenya. The administration has worked with European allies to dismantle terrorist groups in North Africa, efforts that include a recent French strike in Algeria. And the Pentagon tapped a network of private contractors to gather intelligence about things like militant hide-outs in Pakistan and the location of an American soldier currently in Taliban hands….

While the stealth war began in the Bush administration, it has expanded under President Obama, who rose to prominence in part for his early opposition to the invasion of Iraq….

The administration’s demands have accelerated a transformation of the C.I.A. into a paramilitary organization as much as a spying agency, which some critics worry could lower the threshold for future quasi-military operations

1 Soldier or 20 Schools?

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:28:02 -0400

1 Soldier or 20 Schools?:

Under Mr. Obama, we are now spending more money on the military, after adjusting for inflation, than in the peak of the cold war, Vietnam War or Korean War. Our battle fleet is larger than the next 13 navies combined, according to Defense Secretary Robert Gates. The intelligence apparatus is so bloated that, according to The Washington Post, the number of people with “top secret” clearance is 1.5 times the population of the District of Columbia.

DoJ Torture Report Says Don’t Prosecute the Lawyers

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 10:30:16 -0400

DoJ Torture Report Says Don’t Prosecute the Lawyers:

An internal Justice Department inquiry has concluded that Bush administration lawyers committed serious lapses of judgment in writing secret memorandums authorizing brutal interrogations but that they should not be prosecuted, according to government officials briefed on its findings.

White House proposal would ease FBI access to records of Internet activity

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 10:25:10 -0400

White House proposal would ease FBI access to records of Internet activity:

The Obama administration is seeking to make it easier for the FBI to compel companies to turn over records of an individual’s Internet activity without a court order if agents deem the information relevant to a terrorism or intelligence investigation. The administration wants to add just four words — “electronic communication transactional records” — to a list of items that the law says the FBI may demand without a judge’s approval. Government lawyers say this category of information includes the addresses to which an Internet user sends e-mail; the times and dates e-mail was sent and received; and possibly a user’s browser history. It does not include, the lawyers hasten to point out, the “content” of e-mail or other Internet communication.

Deportation of illegal immigrants increases under Obama administration

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:52:03 -0400

Deportation of illegal immigrants increases under Obama administration:

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency expects to deport about 400,000 people this fiscal year, nearly 10 percent above the Bush administration’s 2008 total and 25 percent more than were deported in 2007. The pace of company audits has roughly quadrupled since President George W. Bush’s final year in office.

Scientists expected Obama administration to be friendlier

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:14:38 -0400

Scientists expected Obama administration to be friendlier:

When he ran for president, Barack Obama attacked the George W. Bush administration for putting political concerns ahead of science on such issues as climate change and public health. And during his first weeks in the White House, President Obama ordered his advisors to develop rules to “guarantee scientific integrity throughout the executive branch.” Many government scientists hailed the president’s pronouncement. But a year and a half later, no such rules have been issued. Now scientists charge that the Obama administration is not doing enough to reverse a culture that they contend allowed officials to interfere with their work and limit their ability to speak out.

Watchdog wants investigation of White House e-mails

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:47:18 -0400

Watchdog wants investigation of White House e-mails:

A liberal watchdog has called for an investigation into whether White House employees are using personal e-mail accounts to contact lobbyists in violation of federal law.

Closing Guantánamo Fades as a Priority

Sat, 26 Jun 2010 12:39:18 -0400

Closing Guantánamo Fades as a Priority:

The Obama administration has sidelined efforts to close the Guantánamo prison, making it unlikely that President Obama will fulfill his promise to close it before his term ends in 2013.

Obama: Hostage To Petraeus

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 19:49:46 -0400

Obama: Hostage To Petraeus:

This much we also know: Obama will run for re-election with far more troops in Afghanistan than Bush ever had - and a war and occupation stretching for ever into the future, with no realistic chance of success.

U.S. Is Still Using Private Spy Ring, Despite Doubts

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 19:42:46 -0400

U.S. Is Still Using Private Spy Ring, Despite Doubts:

Top military officials have continued to rely on a secret network of private spies who have produced hundreds of reports from deep inside Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to American officials and businessmen, despite concerns among some in the military about the legality of the operation.

Administration Takes a Hard Line Against Leaks to Press

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 13:26:02 -0400

Administration Takes a Hard Line Against Leaks to Press:

The indictment of Mr. Drake was the latest evidence that the Obama administration is proving more aggressive than the Bush administration in seeking to punish unauthorized leaks to the press.

ACLU chief 'disgusted' with Obama

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 16:32:00 -0400

ACLU chief 'disgusted' with Obama :

“It’s 18 months and, if not now, when? … Guantanamo is still not closed. Military commissions are still a mess. The administration still uses state secrets to shield themselves from litigation. There’s no prosecution for criminal acts of the Bush administration. Surveillance powers put in place under the Patriot Act have been renewed. If there has been change in the civil liberties context, I frankly don’t see it.”