barton gellman

‘I never said that’

  I hope you read yesterday's essay by Liam O'Mara, professor of the history of ideas and Riverside County congressional candidate about the intersection fascism and Trumpism. A few hours later, Politico Magazine published a similar essay by author (On Fascism: 12 Lessons from American History) Matthew MacWilliams, Trump Is an Authoritarian. So Are Millions of Americans.

Do America's intelligence agencies cast their shadow on the halls of Congress as well?by Thomas Neuburger"Collect it all." —NSA chief Keith Alexander in 2005This story is both very recent and old.

Dunbar’s number, the famous estimate of how many relationships you can meaningfully maintain in life, is just 150.
— Edward Snowden, Permanent Record (2019)

I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together
— The Beatles, “I Am The Walrus,” (1967)

The United States is in a major upheaval. Trump’s cabinet shake-up moves the country into an alarming direction.

Thursday evening we took a quick look at the venomous assault on whistle-blower Ed Snowden by the establishment stooges who make up the House Intelligence Committee. I reached out to over a dozen members of Congress for a countervailing opinion. No one was interested in going on the record. Barton Gellman, who was-- along with Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras and Ewen MacAskill-- one of the 4 journalists who Snowden trusted with the NSA classified archives.

When Trump says that Bush (and Cheney) ignored all the flashing red lights that they should have taken as warnings of what was to happen on 9/11, he raises the hackles of Bush-Cheney apologists and touches the rawest of raw nerves. Because, of course, he's 100% correct.

Look, I'm all for holding politicians accountable for their criminal behavior and abuse of power. After reading Barton Gellman's brilliant book on Cheney, Angler, I'm more convinced than ever that Cheney should be rotting in a prison for the rest of his short miserable life, along with David Addington, his chief hatchet man. During the first Bush-Cheney term, Cheney had his way on everything.

Had Adam Smith amendments to the NDAA passed in June, one year from today-- December 13, 2014, the gulag at Guantánamo would have closed. On June 13, Smith proposed ending indefinite detentions, which was voted down 200-226, 19 Republicans voting with the Democrats and 13 of the worst and most right-wing fake-dens crossing the aisle to oppose the amendment. Those 13 were:

Since taking over from Tim Sebastian in 2006, Stephen Sackur has been the anchor for the BBC's flagship news interview show, HARDtalk, which runs four times a week. I travel a lot, so I see it a lot. Sackur has a well-deserved reputation as the voice of Establishment Group Think propaganda and for asking questions and then aggressively interrupting his guests when they attempt to answer. He's one of television's most annoying little twits and I often wonder why credible figures ever agree to be interviewed by him. Last week, he interviewed Glenn Greenwald.