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The "Pot" Lectures the "Kettle" on being a proper Whistle Blower

11/6/2015

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Well for crying out in the night!!! It's going on 2 months now since last I posted at the Orwell Report. This will never do. The occasion then was developments in the Congress as regards the passage of President Obama's nuclear accords with Iran, which agreements I happily supported not being  anxious to see our country take on yet another military adventure against a country that had not attacked us, (the highly toxic “Bush Doctrine” not withstanding.)

Since then all kinds of water has gone under the bridge as regards the Middle East which require more upkeep on more scorecards than I'm able to muster these days. Instead I've been studying up on the skills and techniques by which I hope to revive The Big Note Cafe as a podcast before too much longer.

But as the message on the homepage of The BigNoteCafe.Com makes plain, The Orwell Report began as a platform to keep listeners up on developments in these Post-Edward Snowden United SURVEILLANCE States of America regarding Internet privacy and the ongoing reports of the American Intelligence Community and the National Security State's misbehavior in relationship to the American public. So then therefore it's more than time to pick up again on this purpose by, at the very least providing you with a monthly overview of news stories on these topics. Included below are picks that date from October 16th to the present.

PS: After a brief survey, a theme steps out quite clearly apropos the latest developments in Hillary's email mess in which the press has gotten its hands on the job contract document she signed on the occasion of becoming the Secretary of State that quite clearly stipulate her responsibilities regarding the conventions designed to protect state secrets the parameters of which seem to be have been quite obviously neglected by Our Lady The Queen of Hearts.
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A point that begs to be made is how greatly this contrasts with the outrageous comments Our Hillary TQOH made last month in which she lectured Snowden about what a RESPONSIBLE person would have done to bring to the public's attention the NSA issues that concerned him by taking the proper whistleblowers course of action. She also re advanced the disingenuous trope that Snowden had stolen secrets and delivered them to our nations adversaries. It's almost painful to have to clarify these issues again especially regarding the TREACHERY the federal government has visited upon those who had the temerity to take the reputedly legally protected whistleblowers path!!. And this from Our Hillary TQOH, the political hack who seems to have been hell bent on becoming the national security violator of the century. So here are the basic stories and I'll be back next week with more important back stories of whistle blowers who have suffered greatly at the hands of “our” government for having taken the reputedly legally protected “high road.”


Snowden Say's Hillary's Bogus Statements Show "A Lack of Political Courage."

Edward Snowden: Clinton made 'false claim' about whistleblower protection
The Sad Fate of America's Whistleblowers
What Clinton Got Wrong About Snowden

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SHAZAM! 

9/11/2015

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As Gomer Pyle might have said, SHAZAM!

Well, as I'm sure you've noticed it was all great news this week with the failure of the neoconservative death cult to gin up the necessary votes to even get the “resolution of disapproval” on to the floor of the Senate for the final vote that would have sent it to the President.

That it was headed off before even getting out of the Congress, and so quickly and so decisively was really a tremendously pleasant surprise and a real cause for optimism for the future that we should all take some spiritual nourishment from. A nourishment much needed to keep the fires burning as the friends of peace work toward improving the prospects of real civilization on planet Earth. Yet this is only a beginning.

After having parsed out where things stood in the whole legislative process on this issue, I left off in my last post promising to come back with details about the Congressmen and women upon whose vote so much depended and for the benefit of those who might like to pick up the phone and give some of these guys and gals a ring. I had been assuming things would drag out until the 17th. Happily I was much mistaken and the neocons were stopped dead in their tracks by last Tuesday, making the update promised rather moot. Jason Ditz of AntiWar.Com does a nifty job of summing up who among the Dems ended being for and against the Pubs resolution which I link to here. So why not accentuate the positive and give the Senators who came through for civilization a phone call to say “Thank You and God Bless!.” Ditz also links to a Haaretz page that gives a full tally of the yea, nay and “unaccounted” votes you can find here.
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Update:
Having just taken a time out to scratch a little deeper I'm finding that the neocon militarists for middle eastern nihilism refuse to quit, and are redoubling there efforts to turn Dems in their direction in a last ditch attempt to recapture the issue. They can be expected to continue to do so straight through to the 17th. The attempt continues to look futile but, hey, who knows what opposition research might turn up at the last minute that might be used to turn this that or the other Dem. (You do watch Spaceys' House of Cards, yea?) So maybe those phone calls of gratitude and encouragement might be quite important to sustain the friends of peace to hold steadfast. Nonetheless even if by some devilish miracle they get the motion out of the Congress, the possibility of overcoming a Presidential veto remains extremely remote. The numbers are against it.

But remember! As the Shaman of Bethelehem said a long time ago, " Be ye wise as serpents, but harmless as doves." The death cultists will not rest even after the 17th. So lets keep ourselves educated about how best to shelter and husband this modest beginning along. If you're not familiar with the notion of a "false flag operation" I'm sure you'll find a Wikipedia article on the topic. This, and kindered topics next week. 'Till then "hasta la vista baby!"

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Coming this September to a Congress near you!!

9/4/2015

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OK then,.... this is the deal with the POTUS, Iran and the Congress....
The Congress returns from its summer vacation on the 8th of this month, a Tuesday.
If they wish to block the Iran agreement they must vote on a “resolution of disapproval” by the 17th, the second Thursday after their return. A simple 51% majority in each of the two chambers is required for it to pass.
In the House where the Republicans hold 246(7?) seats of the 435-seat House, approval of the resolution is a done deal.
In the Senate, where Republicans hold 54 seats, obviously enough for passage, a 60 vote yea-count is needed to move the resolution to the floor for a final vote. As of today, Friday the 4th, the Senate Pubs have 3 Dems who claim they will support the passage of “the resolution of disapproval”: Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, Sen. Charles Schumer of New York and Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey.
The death cultists then need to peel off 3 more Dems. Popular wisdom seems to be that they'll pick these up in the time available. No doubt the peace activists that support the President's Iran agreement and the neocon activists that oppose it, have each targeted certain Democratic senators who seem to be especially persuadable in one direction or another for phone calls and letters. I'll dig a little deeper about who they may be and update this post with what I find.
Beyond that, if it passes the Congress by the 17th and goes to the President's desk for signature, he'll be sure to veto it, whereupon it'll be returned to the Congress. At this point the Pubs will need 67 votes to over-ride the veto. Conversely, the President will need a minimum of 34 supporters in the Senate to stop the over-ride. As of this past Wednesday, the 2nd, thanks to the pledge of Sen. Barabara Mikulskie of Maryland, the Iran agreement has the commitment of those 34 Senators needed to block an over-ride of the President's veto. Certainly it would be most desirable to see that buffer increase.
After I get the “swing-Dem” info up to speed I'll post some resources and references that you might find valuable to support your arguments in favor of the agreement. The propaganda blitzkrieg that's gearing up right now is just extraordinary and does a very good job at positioning itself as definitive in its arguments. But once pull back the curtain on their shrill sanctinomy, the mendacity of it all can be seen to be truly breathtaking.
There does seem to be a lot of optimism going around for Obama's success in the wonkish press, some even calling it “a lock.” Lets all make sure it is by bringing our good spirits and world optimism to the fore and adding our voices of support and gratitude to the Senators that are gonna carry this through. Ideally it would be great if it never leaves the Congress. So check in with your own Senators n give 'em a ring to praise them if they have decided in favor of the President's efforts or to encourage them to do so if they are still on the fence. Be back at 'cha after the weekend. PEACE! (or some reasonable facsimile thereof!!)

:-)


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Time to get in touch with your Congress-folk

9/2/2015

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The first round of voting for the Iran agreement is coming this September. So whereas everyone leaves DC and is back on their home turf for August its a good time to call the home offices of your Congressmen and women to let them know of your support for Obama's diplomacy, a point made by the lead link below. The ones that follow seem to recommend themselves for being the reports from credible voices that argue for the rationality of the Iran deal that otherwise are being drowned out by the hysteria-mongering of the Bomb Iran crowd. Hope you find them useful
.Don't Sit Tight: Congress Can Still Tank The Iran Deal
In Open Letter Retired Pentagon Brass Endorse Iran Deal
The Iran Deal Benefits National Security
Debunked: Why Five Criticisms of the Iran Deal Are Wrong
Former Iranian Political Prisoners Urge US Support for Iran Deal
Deconstructing Senator Chuck Schumers Pro-War Statement About The Iran Nuclear Deal
Reporting From Iran, Jewish Paper Sees No Plot To Destroy Israel
Gary Samore,  a leading skeptic of the Iran deal, explains why he changed his mind
A message to the US Congress from Swizterland: The Iran deal is done
Switzerland lifts sanctions against Iran















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One Citizens Homework on the Iran Deal

8/8/2015

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Well I've been trying to do a little bit of catch-up re the Iran deal, the Neocon-Likudnik propaganda blitz, and the shifting poll numbers of public support for the deal and I'm happy to report that my extempore remarks that introduced the recommended links of the 17th and 24th of July have fared pretty well. Especially so as regards the emphasis I put on the “usual suspects” assertion that the cheerleaders for the Iraq War II were identical to the current Bomb Iran crowd and how they've already so profoundly discredited themselves that it would be nothing less that the worst kind of political masochism to let ourselves be bamboozled again. In the immortal words of George Waldo “fool me once shame on you, fool me twice – we won't get fooled again!” :-)

One point in particular I made that I had some concern for the accuracy of was that the rallying cry for war upon Iran was part of the original 2003 play book for the Iraq War as a prelude to a complete invasion of the Middle East. I've since found that indirectly confirmed here.

For starters, Justin Raimondo's current column at AntiWar.Com that reviews Obama's August 5th speech at American University on the topic of the Iran deal is absolutely must reading. Those of us living without cable news would barely have known of the speech at all except through the neocon lens of AM talk radio. And if I might put another feather in my cap, in this piece, my July 17th estimation of the significance of the Iran deal as potentially HUGE, finds fairly ample confirmation.

You can find a video and transcript of the Obama speech provided by the Washington Post here.

Otherwise for now I'm still studying away and will share a larger selection of worthy links next week. For those of you who might want to get deeper into the issues regarding the Iran deal in order to defend it more competently against the anti-diplomacy propaganda blitz-krieg there seems to be a 2007 book by one Gareth Porter that many in the peace movement deem essential reading. I've been procrastinating about getting a copy, but I think it time. This just might be a cause worth (peacefully) fighting for. The first showdown in the Congress comes around this September.  



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Recent News from the Front Lines in Defense of Cyber-Freedom

7/30/2015

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After Two Years, White House Finally Responds To Snowden Pardon Petition
Pentagon, CIA instructed to re-investigate whistleblower cases
UK Police Confirm Ongoing Criminal Probe of Snowden Leak Journalists
Citizen Four director Laura Poitras sues US over “Kafkaesque harassment”
Activists: US overstates encryption threat, underreports wiretap figures
Why appeasing governments over encryption will never work
Obama Administration War Against Apple and Google Just Got Uglier


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Red Alert: Major Propaganda Push To Derail Iran Accords

7/24/2015

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  Well, while there IS no doubt plenty to tease out about doing any kind of business with the Iranian state without sounding like a wooly-headed kool-aid drinking retro-hippie peace-nik (ah the good old days) yet certain things stand out quite clearly. The anti-Iran crowd are precisely the same cast of characters who were so abysmally wrong about Iraq, Sadam, and the BLTs (er … I mean the WMDs ). Further not only are the hysteria-mongers the same neoconservative cultists, but Iran has been their end-game per the “Clean Break” action plan of The Project for a New American Century that was initiated in 2003 by the re-invasion of Iraq in the first place.
And as far as tge pro-agreement voices are concerned, they seems to come from a reasonably diverse group of commentators all of whom - by the way - stood opposed to the 2003 Iraqi invasion. So who has the street cred on this issue anyway? The question answers itself.

Raimondo on the content

Buchanan on American self-interest
Ron Paul on sanctions as an act of war and the ethics of non-interventionism
An independent progressives view from Eric Margolis
One more from Raimondo on how the neocons got it wrong once before.

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Has Obama done us right after all?

7/17/2015

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Please forgive me a schadenfreude moment, but seeing the Bibi-Likudnik-Neoconservative network having its collective foot-stamping hissy fit over Obama's seemingly successful Iran deal just warms my heart. Damn! The Prez has really pulled it off!! He's actually done something truly difficult, hell, nearly impossible, and actually earned his Nobel Peace Prize after all. While never having been an out n out Obama-hater, I've pretty much seen him as an empty suit from the get go. Well I happily take it all back. Actually what he's done may damn well be HUGE, namely to totally derail the maniacal neoconservative quest to destabilize the entire Middle East in the name of establishing universal US-Israeli hegemony, the “American Raj,” upon the region. So despite all the doom n gloom scare mongering by the Bibi-brigades, a door has been opened that with any luck will stay open long enough for a social and political evolution within Iran away from the medieval hysteria of “Islamism” toward a more contemporary cosmopolitanism the germ of which undoubtedly exists there, way before “having-THE- BOMB” becomes the apocalyptic issue they would make it out to be.

Reasons to be glad
Iran nuclear deal a clear success
Iranians View of the Nuclear Deal
Victory in Vienna
The Iran agreement marks a new era for the Middle East
Nuclear Deal Takes U.S.-Iran Ties Out of Deep Freeze
Joy, relief in Iran as nuclear deal promises to end sanctions
Two Cheers for the Iran Agreement
How a Weaker Iran Got The West To Lift Sanctions

And How the Grumpy Crowd Sees It
Netanyahy launches US media blitz against Iran deal
Netanyahu:Iran deal makes world much more dangerous
Pro-Israel groups in US line up to slam Iran deal
Republicans fume over Iran nuclear deal
Hawks hate the Iran nuclear deal
Bibi's Bombast Bamboozles Boehner




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This Weeks Orwellian News Picks

7/10/2015

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The Hacking Team and Surveillance Technology Industry
Black Hats? White Hats? Grey Hats? What do you think? In any case understand that “The Hacking Team” are corporate big boys on the payroll of the national security state.


Why Did The Firm That Sold Spyware To The UAE Win A Special Explort License From State Dept?
Hacking Team Breech Shows A Global Spying Firm Run Amok
Hacking Team Leaks Show Spyware Industries Growth, Negligence of Human Rights
The FBI Spent $755K On Hacking Team's Spy Tools Since 2011
Hacking Team Employee Jokes About Assassinating ACLU Technologist
Wikipedia: Mass Surveillance

The Latest on Whistleblowers, Freedom Defenders and Other Heroes

DOJ: No change on stance on Snowden despite Holder remarks
Blowing the whistle in a war zone
Amnesty calls for GCHQ spying inquiry
British Tribunal Flip Flops On Wrong Surveillance Of Amnesty International
WikiLeaks founder Assange denied asylum in France
Report: After Spying Operation In Germany, CIA Outed Suspected Leaker To Retaliate Against Journalists

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Latest Stories on The United Surveillance States of America

7/2/2015

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New WikiLeaks Documents Reveal NSA Spied On Top French Companies
Tactless Courtship – NSA's Espionage In France
France Mulls Offering Asylum To Julian Assange and Edward Snowden
WikiLeaks Claims NSA Targeted German Ministers Beyond Merkel
Lincoln Chaffe Adds A Proposal To The 2016 Debate: “Let's Brig Edward  Snowden Home.”
David Cameron Is Going To Try To Ban Encryption In Britian
Canadian Surveillance Agency Says Snowden Leaks Were Damaging Because We Say So
Think It's Cool That Facebook Can Auto-Tag You In Pics? So Does The Government.
XKEYSCORE: NSA's Google For The Worlds Private Communications
Bulk Phone Surveillance Lives Again To Die In A More Orderly Fashion In Five Months.
How The NSA Started Investigating The New York Times Warrantless Wiretapping Story





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    I'm Chris Lewis, host of the currently quiescent Big Note Cafe. The O Report is simply a place for me to sound off on what I like to call the Post Edward Snowden United Surveillance States of America.

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