National Security State

Tom Secker and Matthew Alford join me today to discuss their brand new book National Security Cinema: The Shocking New Evidence of Government Control in Hollywood. We begin by talking about the overall structure of the book and why Tom and Matt decided to write it. Matt and Tom talk about how this book is different from other scholarly books on the topic of government influence in Hollywood and entertainment at large. Tom and Matt talk about the wealth of new research that they discovered which shows that this influence has only increased over time.

Persistent Surveillance Systems, used for "pre-event forensics, tracking targets in real time, and post-event forensics." Pre-event forensics? This isn't just about parades and demonstrations. It means constantly taping large areas of a city just in case an unplanned event (explosion, a murder) should occur. by Gaius PubliusWe could make some grand statement about the nature of surveillance in 21st Century America — there's certainly a grand and frightening statement to be made — but that would obscure the detail.

Deep State to Trump: "You know what you have to hide. So do we.

The Stasi was the "secret police" of communist East Germany. In 1989, about 1% of the population was used as "informers" (source).by Gaius PubliusDid you know that Best Buy's central computer repair facility — their so-called "Geek Squad" — contains at least three employees who are also regular informers for the FBI?

Exclusive: Oliver Stone’s “Snowden” takes you inside the vast electronic expanse of U.S. intelligence gathering via the personal story of Edward Snowden’s decision to expose these secrets to the world, writes Lisa Pease. By Lisa Pease If you think you already know the…Read more →

Although people around the world are becoming increasingly aware of the United States’ global geography of surveillance, covert action, and other secret programs, much of this landscape is invisible in our everyday lives. The...

Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.—Martin Luther King Jr.

Most polls show that Jewish Americans are the Americans most enthusiastic about the diplomatic deal reached at Vienna between Iran and the UN Security Council over its civilian nuclear enrichment program.

 
by Juan Cole
(Informed Comment) -So the umbrella group of lobbyists supposedly dedicated to representing Jewish Americans, the American Israel Political Affairs Committee, is lobbying for the deal, right?
Wrong.

Ruled by an oligarchy disguised as a democracy on our way towards fascism
“You see them on the street. You watch them on TV. You might even vote for one this fall. You think they’re people just like you. You're wrong. Dead wrong.”—They Live
There’s the world we see (or are made to see) and then there’s the one we sense (and occasionally catch a glimpse of), the latter of which is a far cry from the propaganda-driven reality manufactured by the government and its corporate sponsors, including the media.

Just under a year ago, the House had a rare victory over a U.S. spying and surveillance establishment that has no effective oversight and that has long ago run completely amok.