source : Viroqua Institute
interpreting the constitution
| interpreting the constitution crowd control spread of the red one nation, under surveillance fun d' mental in bed with the red red state rebate verbatim |
News
Traffic
one nation, under surveillance
| redstat |
spread of the red
in bed with the red
redstateupdate.net
number 85 01.07.07
| Clarence Brown Tribute Page |
| redstat archive |
| verbatim archive |
verbatim number 16.5
“My thinking is taking shape.”
Washington DC 01.04.07
Washington DC 01.04.07
| Willingness to fight for country selected countries |
% 50 100
| Sweden |
| Finland |
| United States |
| Ireland |
| Japan |
A presidential signing statement issued
during the congressional recess last
month authorizes the interception and
inspection of US mail without a warrant.
In the statement, which was attached to
the Postal Accountability and
Enhancement Act, President Bush
asserts his right to ignore legal
restrictions on opening mail “in exigent
circumstances.” According to House and
Senate sponsors of the legislation, the
signing statement contradicts specific
provisions of the bill.
Last week, the White House denied that
the statement represented an expansion
of executive powers, saying that the
president was simply restating an existing
during the congressional recess last
month authorizes the interception and
inspection of US mail without a warrant.
In the statement, which was attached to
the Postal Accountability and
Enhancement Act, President Bush
asserts his right to ignore legal
restrictions on opening mail “in exigent
circumstances.” According to House and
Senate sponsors of the legislation, the
signing statement contradicts specific
provisions of the bill.
Last week, the White House denied that
the statement represented an expansion
of executive powers, saying that the
president was simply restating an existing
authority. But legislators and privacy
rights advocates warned that its wording
effectively nullified protections contained
in the Act. Center for National Security
Studies Director Kate Martin told the
New York Daily News, “The signing
statement claims authority to open
domestic mail without a warrant, and
that would be new and quite alarming.
The danger is they’re reading Americans’
mail.”
Members of Congress from both parties
called on the President to explain his
objective in issuing the signing statement,
with some Democrats challenging the
legitimacy of the procedure. Rep. Henry
Waxman of California, the incoming
rights advocates warned that its wording
effectively nullified protections contained
in the Act. Center for National Security
Studies Director Kate Martin told the
New York Daily News, “The signing
statement claims authority to open
domestic mail without a warrant, and
that would be new and quite alarming.
The danger is they’re reading Americans’
mail.”
Members of Congress from both parties
called on the President to explain his
objective in issuing the signing statement,
with some Democrats challenging the
legitimacy of the procedure. Rep. Henry
Waxman of California, the incoming
chairman of the House Government
Reform Committee and a co-sponsor
of the postal bill said,“Despite the
President’s statement that he may be
able to circumvent a basic privacy
protection, the new postal law
continues to prohibit the
government from snooping into
people’s mail without a warrant.”
According to the American Bar
Association, President Bush has
issued more signing statements than
all previous presidents combined,
routinely using them to quietly
challenge or reject more than 800
provisions of bills that he has signed
into law. it's all true
Reform Committee and a co-sponsor
of the postal bill said,“Despite the
President’s statement that he may be
able to circumvent a basic privacy
protection, the new postal law
continues to prohibit the
government from snooping into
people’s mail without a warrant.”
According to the American Bar
Association, President Bush has
issued more signing statements than
all previous presidents combined,
routinely using them to quietly
challenge or reject more than 800
provisions of bills that he has signed
into law. it's all true
Former US Interior Secretary Gale
Norton has joined Royal Dutch Shell
as general counsel for the petroleum
giant’s “unconventional resources”
division. According to a company
statement, Norton will provide and
coordinate legal services for the
division, which is developing
technology for the extraction of oil
from huge oil shale deposits in the
Rocky Mountain States. Norton is a
Colorado resident and former state
attorney general.
Norton resigned as Interior Secretary
last March after she was linked to the
corruption and influence peddling
scandals involving disgraced super-
lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Her
controversial tenure at Interior
frequently put her at odds with
environmental activists, agency staff,
and even her own Departmental
Inspector General. The Department’s
Minerals Management Service failed
to collect more than $10 billion in
royalties from oil companies,
according to a GAO report.
Difficulties at the Department of the
Interior were previously reported by
redstateupdate. it's all true
Norton has joined Royal Dutch Shell
as general counsel for the petroleum
giant’s “unconventional resources”
division. According to a company
statement, Norton will provide and
coordinate legal services for the
division, which is developing
technology for the extraction of oil
from huge oil shale deposits in the
Rocky Mountain States. Norton is a
Colorado resident and former state
attorney general.
Norton resigned as Interior Secretary
last March after she was linked to the
corruption and influence peddling
scandals involving disgraced super-
lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Her
controversial tenure at Interior
frequently put her at odds with
environmental activists, agency staff,
and even her own Departmental
Inspector General. The Department’s
Minerals Management Service failed
to collect more than $10 billion in
royalties from oil companies,
according to a GAO report.
Difficulties at the Department of the
Interior were previously reported by
redstateupdate. it's all true
The Justice Department has announced
that it will accelerate granting local and
state police authorities access to its
database of case file information. The
OneDOJ database currently holds over 1
million case records including
information about suspects and targets
of investigation who have not been
convicted or even charged with a crime.
The database contains investigative
reports, interrogation summaries,
incidence reports and other raw
information. The information about
suspects and investigative targets who
have not been arrested or convicted that
will be shared with state and local police
authorities will be largely unverifiable,
and privacy advocates say,
unchallengeable and unremovable.
In a memo sent to 93 US Attorneys and
that it will accelerate granting local and
state police authorities access to its
database of case file information. The
OneDOJ database currently holds over 1
million case records including
information about suspects and targets
of investigation who have not been
convicted or even charged with a crime.
The database contains investigative
reports, interrogation summaries,
incidence reports and other raw
information. The information about
suspects and investigative targets who
have not been arrested or convicted that
will be shared with state and local police
authorities will be largely unverifiable,
and privacy advocates say,
unchallengeable and unremovable.
In a memo sent to 93 US Attorneys and
the directors of the FBI, US Marshals
Service the DEA and other law
enforcement agencies, Deputy Attorney
General Paul J. McNulty directed the
implementation of the OneDOJ database
in 15 regions throughout the US as part
of an “aggressive” program of data and
information sharing. McNulty said that
DOJ was “committed to sharing as much
information as possible,” and that the
agency is “obligated” to use the massive
database as it combats terrorism.
The Department of Justice wants
OneDOJ to be the main repository for
the investigative records of all of the
agencies under its control and the
central mechanism for sharing
information with law enforcement
agencies at every level. 750 state and
local agencies will eventually have access
to the database. it's all true
Service the DEA and other law
enforcement agencies, Deputy Attorney
General Paul J. McNulty directed the
implementation of the OneDOJ database
in 15 regions throughout the US as part
of an “aggressive” program of data and
information sharing. McNulty said that
DOJ was “committed to sharing as much
information as possible,” and that the
agency is “obligated” to use the massive
database as it combats terrorism.
The Department of Justice wants
OneDOJ to be the main repository for
the investigative records of all of the
agencies under its control and the
central mechanism for sharing
information with law enforcement
agencies at every level. 750 state and
local agencies will eventually have access
to the database. it's all true
The Paris-based journalist
advocacy group Reporters san
Frontieres released its yearly tally
of journalists killed in conflicts
across the globe that reported
that Iraq is the “world’s most
dangerous country for the
media.”
The group reported that 64
journalists were killed while
reporting on the occupation of
Iraq and the nascent civil war in
that country. RSF reported that
that figure amounts to 10 percent
of the reporters covering the war
in Iraq.
The vast majority of the killings
took place in Baghdad and in its
surrounding suburbs. The study
found that 6 media assistants
were also killed in Iraq in 2006.
Since the beginning of the
occupation, RSF reports that they
have calculated that 86 journalists
and 26 media assistants have been
killed while reporting in Iraq. The
report stated that “Hardly a
month has gone by without at
least one journalist being killed” in
the war torn country.
Another disturbing trend
reported by the group is the rise
in the kidnapping of journalists in
Iraq. RSF reported that 38
journalists have been kidnapped in
Iraq since 2003. Of these, 30
have been freed, 5 executed, and
3 remain in captivity. Although
RSF cautions that while it is
impossible to report with
absolute certainty, their records
reveal that more than 10
reporters have been captured by
the US military and are currently
held in detention. its all true
advocacy group Reporters san
Frontieres released its yearly tally
of journalists killed in conflicts
across the globe that reported
that Iraq is the “world’s most
dangerous country for the
media.”
The group reported that 64
journalists were killed while
reporting on the occupation of
Iraq and the nascent civil war in
that country. RSF reported that
that figure amounts to 10 percent
of the reporters covering the war
in Iraq.
The vast majority of the killings
took place in Baghdad and in its
surrounding suburbs. The study
found that 6 media assistants
were also killed in Iraq in 2006.
Since the beginning of the
occupation, RSF reports that they
have calculated that 86 journalists
and 26 media assistants have been
killed while reporting in Iraq. The
report stated that “Hardly a
month has gone by without at
least one journalist being killed” in
the war torn country.
Another disturbing trend
reported by the group is the rise
in the kidnapping of journalists in
Iraq. RSF reported that 38
journalists have been kidnapped in
Iraq since 2003. Of these, 30
have been freed, 5 executed, and
3 remain in captivity. Although
RSF cautions that while it is
impossible to report with
absolute certainty, their records
reveal that more than 10
reporters have been captured by
the US military and are currently
held in detention. its all true
The American Civil Liberties Union
released documents that it obtained
through the Freedom of Information Act
that detail FBI agent’s eyewitness
accounts of the abuse of detainees at
the detention center at Guantanamo Bay
Cuba. The agents reported that CIA,
civilian contractor and Department of
Defense interrogators employed a range
of unconventional techniques in their
attempts to get so-called terror suspects
to confess to crimes or give up
information.
Detainees at Guantanamo were seen
chained hand and foot in the fetal
position to the floor for 18 hours and
more, covered in urine and feces.
Agents reported that detainees were
often subjected to temperature
extremes. In some cases detainees were
drenched with water and subjected to
released documents that it obtained
through the Freedom of Information Act
that detail FBI agent’s eyewitness
accounts of the abuse of detainees at
the detention center at Guantanamo Bay
Cuba. The agents reported that CIA,
civilian contractor and Department of
Defense interrogators employed a range
of unconventional techniques in their
attempts to get so-called terror suspects
to confess to crimes or give up
information.
Detainees at Guantanamo were seen
chained hand and foot in the fetal
position to the floor for 18 hours and
more, covered in urine and feces.
Agents reported that detainees were
often subjected to temperature
extremes. In some cases detainees were
drenched with water and subjected to
to near freezing temperatures and in
other cases they were confined to small,
unventilated rooms where temperatures
were over 100 degrees. After an
instance of this type of mistreatment, a
detainee was seen by an FBI agent to
have apparently ripped the hair from his
own head due to the confinement.
One FBI agent reported that a civilian
contractor who was hired by the
Department of Defense to interrogate
detainees was seen to wrap a detainee’s
entire head in duct tape. When asked
why, the contractor told an FBI agent
that it was because the detainee “would
not stop quoting the Koran.”
Another FBI agent told investigators that
an interrogator exposed one captive to
hour after hour of what was referred to
in the report as “satanic black metal
other cases they were confined to small,
unventilated rooms where temperatures
were over 100 degrees. After an
instance of this type of mistreatment, a
detainee was seen by an FBI agent to
have apparently ripped the hair from his
own head due to the confinement.
One FBI agent reported that a civilian
contractor who was hired by the
Department of Defense to interrogate
detainees was seen to wrap a detainee’s
entire head in duct tape. When asked
why, the contractor told an FBI agent
that it was because the detainee “would
not stop quoting the Koran.”
Another FBI agent told investigators that
an interrogator exposed one captive to
hour after hour of what was referred to
in the report as “satanic black metal
music” and then later “dressed as a
Catholic priest and baptized the
detainee in order to save him.”
Agents reported 26 eyewitness
accounts of abuse and maltreatment,
the details of which reveal that
interrogators at the camp improvised
techniques that brutalized detainees
both physically and psychologically
and were, states the ACLU,
“expressly authorized by Defense
Department policy.”
The FBI agents provided the
descriptions as part of a “special
inquiry” that was performed by the
FBI Inspection Division shortly after
media reports revealed wide-spread
abuse by guards and interrogators at
the Abu Ghraib detention facility
in Iraq. it's all true
Catholic priest and baptized the
detainee in order to save him.”
Agents reported 26 eyewitness
accounts of abuse and maltreatment,
the details of which reveal that
interrogators at the camp improvised
techniques that brutalized detainees
both physically and psychologically
and were, states the ACLU,
“expressly authorized by Defense
Department policy.”
The FBI agents provided the
descriptions as part of a “special
inquiry” that was performed by the
FBI Inspection Division shortly after
media reports revealed wide-spread
abuse by guards and interrogators at
the Abu Ghraib detention facility
in Iraq. it's all true
A private company that performs
software testing for electronic voting
machines has had its certification
withdrawn after federal authorities
discovered inadequacies in its evaluation
and documentation procedures. Ciber
Inc., a Colorado-based information
technology firm, has tested software for
most of the electronic voting systems
currently in use in the United States.
The action by the US Election Assistance
Commission temporarily bars the
company from analyzing and approving
new equipment.
Ciber was ordered to suspend testing
operations in August, but the
de-certification was not made public
until last week, when it was revealed in a
New York Times report. In July, a
team of federal assessors found that the
company had failed to adhere to its own
quality-control procedures and could not
document that it had performed a range
of required tests. Computer experts
warn that the problems discovered at
Ciber may indicate that critical tabulation
and security software was not properly
tested on thousands of machines already
in use nationwide.
Spokesmen for the company claim that
the deficiencies exposed by the EAC
have been addressed and corrected, and
software testing for electronic voting
machines has had its certification
withdrawn after federal authorities
discovered inadequacies in its evaluation
and documentation procedures. Ciber
Inc., a Colorado-based information
technology firm, has tested software for
most of the electronic voting systems
currently in use in the United States.
The action by the US Election Assistance
Commission temporarily bars the
company from analyzing and approving
new equipment.
Ciber was ordered to suspend testing
operations in August, but the
de-certification was not made public
until last week, when it was revealed in a
New York Times report. In July, a
team of federal assessors found that the
company had failed to adhere to its own
quality-control procedures and could not
document that it had performed a range
of required tests. Computer experts
warn that the problems discovered at
Ciber may indicate that critical tabulation
and security software was not properly
tested on thousands of machines already
in use nationwide.
Spokesmen for the company claim that
the deficiencies exposed by the EAC
have been addressed and corrected, and
that Ciber expects to receive provisional
accreditation in the next few weeks.
The 2002 Help America Vote Act
mandated Federal certification of testing
laboratories, but implementation of the
procedure did not begin until last year.
Private corporations that manufacture
electronic voting systems currently
underwrite the testing of their own
products, leading many to question the
reliability and transparency of the
process.
EAC chair Donetta Davidson sought to
allay increasing public concern about the
technology, telling the Associated
Press, “There are a number of layers of
testing. I think it’s very important voters
do realize how secure the process is.”
But Professor Aviel Rubin of Johns
Hopkins University, a prominent critic of
electronic voting systems, noted that
Ciber has been engaged in testing the
machines for several national election
cycles. “What’s scary is that we’ve been
using systems in elections that Ciber had
certified, and this calls into question
those systems that they tested,” Rubin
told the Times. Ciber is one of only
three US firms that test voting machines.
The others, Denver-based SysTest Labs,
and Wyle Laboratories of El Segundo,
California, both received certification
from the EAC. it's all true
accreditation in the next few weeks.
The 2002 Help America Vote Act
mandated Federal certification of testing
laboratories, but implementation of the
procedure did not begin until last year.
Private corporations that manufacture
electronic voting systems currently
underwrite the testing of their own
products, leading many to question the
reliability and transparency of the
process.
EAC chair Donetta Davidson sought to
allay increasing public concern about the
technology, telling the Associated
Press, “There are a number of layers of
testing. I think it’s very important voters
do realize how secure the process is.”
But Professor Aviel Rubin of Johns
Hopkins University, a prominent critic of
electronic voting systems, noted that
Ciber has been engaged in testing the
machines for several national election
cycles. “What’s scary is that we’ve been
using systems in elections that Ciber had
certified, and this calls into question
those systems that they tested,” Rubin
told the Times. Ciber is one of only
three US firms that test voting machines.
The others, Denver-based SysTest Labs,
and Wyle Laboratories of El Segundo,
California, both received certification
from the EAC. it's all true
Bush Administration Opposed to Letters of the Law
FBI Witnesses Baptism and Other Abuses at Detention Facility
Reporters Become
Story In Iraq War
Story In Iraq War
Agencies Collaborate Before They Corroborate
Firm Cheated on Tests, Receives Failing Grade
Shell Hires Norton
To Lubricate Machinery
To Lubricate Machinery