Controversies
Native American Tribe Sues Town for Disposing of Ancestral Bones as “Free Dirt”
The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community filed a federal class action case against Oak Harbor and three construction firms, Strider Construction Co., Perteet Inc. and KBA Inc., claiming the defendants refused to stop the roadwork after uncovering a burial ground on March 8, 2011. The Swinomish lived on the site until 1855, when they were moved to a reservation. read more
Most Americans View Snowden as Whistleblower rather than Traitor
In a new national poll conducted by Quinnipiac University, 55% of respondents said they consider Snowden a whistleblower for telling the media about secret National Security Agency programs involving phone records of Americans.
The survey also revealed what Quinnipiac called “a massive shift in attitudes” regarding the government’s anti-terrorism efforts. The new poll found 45% said those efforts have gone too far in restricting civil liberties.
read more
Armed, Masked Paramilitary Troops Called in to Protect Wisconsin Mining Site from 15 Protesters
In an unexpected turn of events, it was discovered on Wednesday that Bulletproof is not licensed to operate in the state of Wisconsin.
The mining site is reportedly highly controversial, in part because it is in violation of a treaty with Native Americans. read more
Court Throws out Obama Administration’s State Secrets Defense in NSA Surveillance Case
Congress passed legislation to give telecommunication companies retroactive immunity (pdf) from lawsuits resulting from their collusion with the NSA. The Supreme Court later rejected an EFF and ACLU petition arguing that the immunity law was an “unprecedented violation of the separation of powers.”
The new states secret ruling comes a month after The Guardian leaked documents that seem to support allegations made in the EFF’s lawsuit. read more
Watered-Down I.G. Report on Pentagon’s “Zero Dark Thirty” Assistance Wins Government Award
Tony Capaccio at Bloomberg wrote: “The skimpy 14-page final report recited DoD regulations governing media dealings and largely summarized e-mails, most released in May 2012 by Judicial Watch, a Washington-based legal organization that chronicled cooperation between the CIA, Pentagon and filmmakers.” read more
Hundreds in North Carolina File Complaints over Hog Waste
The citizens will first sit down with Smithfield lawyers and a mediator to try to resolve the complaints. If that fails to produce a resolution, the complainants will file lawsuits against the billion-dollar corporation.
Such litigation could become hampered if the North Carolina General Assembly approves hog-farming-friendly legislation that would require any plaintiff who loses a case against Smithfield and others like it to pay for their legal fees.
read more
Should National Intelligence Director Clapper be Charged with a Felony for Lying in Sworn Senate Testimony?
The National Security Agency (NSA) controversy as revealed by Edward Snowden has raised the question of whether the nation’s top intelligence official should face felony charges for lying before Congress.
Senator Ron Wyden (R-Oregon) asked Clapper: “Does the NSA collect any type of data at all on millions or hundreds of millions of Americans?”
Clapper’s response: “No, sir.”
read more
Big Oil Wins another One as Judge Bates Rules against SEC Rule Mandating Disclosure of Payments to Governments
In order to reach his ruling, Bates had to ignore the actual legislative history of the provision, including Congressional hearings and pro-disclosure statements on the floor of Congress by its sponsors. The oil companies were represented by Eugene Scalia, son of Justice Antonin Scalia. read more
In Rare Third Amendment Lawsuit, Nevada Police Accused of Forcibly Occupying a Private Residence
“Defendant Officer David Cawthorn outlined the defendants’ plan in his official report: ‘It was determined to…attempt to contact Mitchell. If Mitchell answered the door he would be asked to leave. If he refused to leave he would be arrested for Obstructing a Police Officer. If Mitchell refused to answer the door, force entry would be made and Mitchell would be arrested.’”
read more
Border Patrol Set to Weaponize Drones
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) obtained a report produced by CPB in 2010 that shows the agency has considered equipping its Predators with “non-lethal weapons designed to immobilize” targets of interest. Given the date of the report, it is possible that the weaponization has already taken place.
It is unclear at this time what kind of weaponization CPB has in mind for the drones.
read more
Another Missile Defense Test, Another Failure
Although the intended course of the ballistic missile was known, the interceptor missile missed its target and both had to be destroyed by remote control.
The military has conducted sixteen tests of this ground-based midcourse defense system, which has passed only eight times and suffered three straight failures since its last success in December 2008.
read more
Obama Administration Plans to Deport Roommate of Chechen Killed by FBI
The Obama administration seems to be in a rush to deport a Russian immigrant who may have witnessed the FBI shooting of her Chechen roommate who was interviewed in connection with the Boston Marathon bombings.
Tatiana Gruzdeva, 19, from Russia, was arrested on May 16 for overstaying her visa. She had been living with Ibragim Todashev, whom the FBI questioned about his connection with Boston bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev.
During the questioning, an FBI agent shot and killed Todashev.
read more
Violence in Georgia Prisons Exacerbated by Door Locks that Don’t Lock
The prison, which can house up to 1,700 inmates, saw four prisoners killed by other inmates in a seven-week period between December 19, 2012, and February 5, 2013. That prompted state officials to finally do something about the problem, by spending $1 million on an emergency contract to replace the locks. In September 2012 an audit determined that 184 out of 442 locks at Hays failed. read more
Whistleblower Laws Expanded: Retroactive Protection and Defense Subcontractor Coverage
More good news arrived on July 1, when a provision of the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (pdf) went into effect and provided employees of defense subcontractors with new protections against reprisals from supervisors for reporting waste or fraud.
Previously, subcontractors could go to a boss and complain, but not to a government office. read more
Congress Set to Break Record for Passing Fewest Laws…2 per Month
To date, the new Congress (113th) has approved only 15 pieces of legislation—that’s a little more than two bills a month.
During the first six months of the previous Congress (112th), only 23 measures were adopted. Keep in mind that the 112th set the all-time record for congressional futility, approving only 220 laws in two years.
read more
Pentagon Reverses Transparency on Size of U.S. Nuclear Stockpile
Three years ago, the Obama administration took the unprecedented step of officially revealing for the first time ever just how many nuclear warheads the U.S. possessed (5,113 as of September 30, 2009).
But anyone wishing to get an update on this figure can’t get an answer—because the Department of Defense (DoD) has, once again, classified the size of the nuclear warhead stockpile.
read more