[Guardian] Justice Department's national security chief cites six-month transition period in the USA Freedom Act as a reason to turn the bulk surveillance spigot back on.
The Obama administration has asked a secret surveillance court to ignore a federal court that found bulk surveillance illegal and to once again grant the National Security Agency the power to collect the phone records of millions of Americans for six months.
The legal request, filed nearly four hours after Barack Obama vowed to sign a new law banning precisely the bulk collection he asks the secret court to approve, also suggests that the administration may not necessarily comply with any potential court order demanding that the collection stop.
Back from the dead: US officials to ask secret court to revive NSA surveillance.
US officials confirmed last week that they would ask the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance court -- better known as the Fisa court, a panel that meets in secret as a step in the surveillance process and thus far has only ever had the government argue before it -- to turn the domestic bulk collection spigot back on.
Justice Department national security chief John A Carlin cited a six-month transition period provided in the USA Freedom Act -- passed by the Senate last week to ban the bulk collection -- as a reason to permit an "orderly transition" of the NSA's domestic dragnet. Carlin did not address whether the transition clause of the Freedom Act still applies now that a congressional deadlock meant the program shut down on 31 May.
[THEGUARDIAN] Barack Obama If you like your coverage you can keep it... has used the close of the G7 summit in Germany to deliver his strongest criticism yet of Vladimir Putin ...Second and fourth President and sixth of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from polonium poisoning. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead... , lambasting the Russian president's isolationist approach as the seven leaders signalled their readiness to tighten sanctions against Russia if the conflict in Ukraine escalates.
"Does he continue to wreck his country's economy and continue Russia's isolation in pursuit of a wrong-headed desire to recreate the glories of the Soviet empire? Or does he recognise that Russia's greatness does not depend on violating the territorial integrity and illusory sovereignty of other countries?" the US president said at the close of the intensive discussions in Bavaria as world leaders, including the summit's host, Angela Merkel ...current chancellor of Germany. She was educated in East Germany when is was still run by commies, but in 1989 got involved with the growing democracy movement when the Berlin Wall fell. Merkel is sometimes referred to by Germans as Mom... , presented a united front against Putin. Why not? B.O.'s been working overtime to turn the U.S. into Lombardy...
The German chancellor stressed that while she hoped the situation in Ukraine would not worsen, the G7 leaders were prepared to implement tougher sanctions if it did. We are "ready, should the situation escalate -- which we don't want -- to strengthen sanctions if the situation makes that necessary but we believe we should do everything to move forward the political process of Minsk", Merkel said.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/10/2015 00:00 ||
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#2
Both are on different roads to the same Marxist objective. Tough guy Vlad enjoys immense domestic popularity and a virtual 'free hand' in political decision making. Limp wrist Champ... not so much.
#3
Actually, Besoeker, Putin tries to recreate Russian Empire. There is nothing, even remotely, Marxist about him. The main differences are two-fold. (a) Putin is smart, Obama is poster-boy for affirmative action---except in the narrow area of self-promotion, he's dumber than shit. (b) Putin loves Russia, Obama hates USA.
#4
When I think of "Russian Empire" I think of pre-1917. Although I could be wrong, I'm not sure Vlad's experience or true frame of reference encompasses Czarist Russia. I suspect he pines for the days of the old, totalitarian Soviet Union.
#6
Putin said, "The breakup of the Soviet Union was the greatest geopolitical tragedy of the 20th century." No mention of the Russian Empire or Czar Nicolas II.
#8
Putin is an egomaniac. His concept of Russia is one where he, as the "redeemer" restores Russia to a position of power. Therefore his definition of "empire" is not historical, but practical. As the focal for momentum, he seeks to best accomplish this through weakness, not strength. Ukraine is an example of strength by projection of raw power. Natural gas flow would be the simplest example of strength by exploiting weakness. He plays the Cold War games because the west has beauracracies built around these engaging resources and influence with predictable and exploitable outcomes. The bigger question is who will inherit the successes? Russians aren't exactly havin a ton of kids.
#9
#3 and @8 Yes indeed. I like this part especially "question is who will inherit the successes? Russians aren't exactly havin a ton of kids". Neither are we. Putin is promoting child birth while we rebuild with immigration and destroy or dis-incentivize our own of child bearing age.
#12
Grom, Putin did not lament the demise of the Russian Empire, period. The Soviet Empire that took over caused the deaths of 30 million (not counting an addition 30 million deaths in WW2 that, BTW, the Soviets stated with Nazi Germany). Putin didn't lament that either. In fact he is the primary beneficiary today of of all the millions killed by his KGB and prior secret polices. No, he lamented the demise of the Soviet system that caused all those deaths, not the Russian Empire that was, at least, gradually modernizing and turning into a western oriented civilization.
You would think, for a smart man (in your view), Putin would at least be able to separate the Soviet Communism from Russian nationalism. But he doesn't, because at heart and training, he is a KGB thug.
#13
Taxiconomy- The quibling over the semantics of labels in a Taxonomy turning debates toxic.
It doesn't matter what you want to call Putin. There are plenty of ways to classify him as fascist, socialist, authoritarian, totalitarian, etc. It doesn't matter what you label him but it can be a source of much confusion and illogic. If you label him a fascist you will expect certain behaviors and will try and force him into your box regardless of the evidence. Same if you label him a Communist.
I think that he is a mixture of all the various labels #8 has it right and it will be to our detriment to get hung up in labeling.
#14
Putin is the best the Russians can do. Take it easy on them. They've always been a little backward. They're just too far away from places like Berlin, Vienna, Rome, Paris and London where Western Civilization really got started.
And you must admit, he's not as bad as the likes of Stalin, Khrushchev or Brezhnev.
I just hate to think that Baraq is the best we can do.
#15
I just hate to think that Baraq is the best we can do.
It is still surprising how many voters fell for the con job back in 2008 and again in 2012. Vacuums, such as that created by the subprime loan debacle and the ensuing crash (mostly a Donk creation going back to Carter and Clinton) provided a fertile ground for someone like Obama to come into power--a weak and feckless president who had few qualifications for the job.
#18
The use of propaganda to manipulate useful idiots in the west was extraordinary, and the fact that it is still working long after the Soviet Union fell and the archives exposed is simply amazing.
#20
Putin love Russia? Putin love little boys:
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/photos/huge/2006_06/2006_06_30/kiss_4.jpg
And he make critics eat radioactive isotopes:
http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/54c7dcac6da8118252a703d8/ex-kgb-agent-poisoned-in-london-told-uk-police-that-putin-ordered-his-death.jpg
Posted by: Herman Snoque9573 ||
06/10/2015 20:53 Comments ||
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#21
Livitnenko revealed that Putin was a child rapist:
Posted by: Herman Snoque9573 ||
06/10/2015 20:58 Comments ||
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#22
It helps if one thinks of him as the winner of the 100-yard dash, in the Political Special Olympics.
and maybe in 20 or 30 years he too can get SRS, unless Michelle does it sooner, less delicately.
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[Guardian] Justice Department's national security chief cites six-month transition period in the USA Freedom Act as a reason to turn the bulk surveillance spigot back on.
[THEGUARDIAN] 
