War in Context

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• The paradigm shift: How Snowden succeeded in changing the mindset that got us into war
• Who are we at war with? That’s classified
• How Nancy Pelosi saved the NSA surveillance program
• New bill would require FISA to hear opposing views in spy cases
• How apartheid operates inside Israel’s ‘democracy’: Non-Jews can vote but their votes mustn’t count
• Scientists trace memories of things that never happened
• Music: Cibelle & Suba — ‘Sereia/Amor d’Agua’
• It’s time to debate NSA program
• Feds tell Web firms to turn over user account passwords
• The Supreme Court may be the best hope to stop the NSA
• General el-Sissi is willing to plunge Egypt into chaos

The paradigm shift: How Snowden succeeded in changing the mindset that got us into war Posted: 26 Jul 2013 08:30 AM PDT On January 31, 2008, in a Democratic primary presidential debate with Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama when speaking about the war in Iraq, made one of the most memorable and seemingly significant statements of the campaign: I don’t want to just end the war, but I want to end the mindset that got us into war [...]

Who are we at war with? That’s classified Posted: 26 Jul 2013 08:25 AM PDT By Cora Currier, ProPublica, July 26, 2013 In a major national security speech this spring, President Obama said again and again that the U.S. is at war with “Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and their associated forces.” So who exactly are those associated forces? It’s a secret. At a hearing in May, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., [...]

How Nancy Pelosi saved the NSA surveillance program Posted: 26 Jul 2013 08:20 AM PDT Foreign Policy: The obituary of Rep. Justin Amash’s amendment to claw back the sweeping powers of the National Security Agency has largely been written as a victory for the White House and NSA chief Keith Alexander, who lobbied the Hill aggressively in the days and hours ahead of Wednesday’s shockingly close vote. But Hill sources [...]

New bill would require FISA to hear opposing views in spy cases Posted: 26 Jul 2013 08:18 AM PDT The Associated Press reports: The secretive court that weighs whether to let the U.S. spy on terror and espionage suspects would have to hear from lawyers arguing against doing so under a new plan introduced Thursday on the heels of Congress’ rejection of sharp limits on government surveillance. The new plan by Rep. Adam Schiff, [...]

How apartheid operates inside Israel’s ‘democracy’: Non-Jews can vote but their votes mustn’t count Posted: 26 Jul 2013 08:16 AM PDT The Jerusalem Post reports: Minister Silvan Shalom said Friday that no Israeli prime minister would be able to implement a peace agreement with the Palestinians if a referendum on the issue showed that a majority of Israelis supported such a deal and that outcome had been decided by non-Jewish citizens of the state. Speaking to [...]

Scientists trace memories of things that never happened Posted: 26 Jul 2013 08:14 AM PDT The New York Times reports: The vagaries of human memory are notorious. A friend insists you were at your 15th class reunion when you know it was your 10th. You distinctly remember that another friend was at your wedding, until she reminds you that you didn’t invite her. Or, more seriously, an eyewitness misidentifies the [...]

Music: Cibelle & Suba — ‘Sereia/Amor d’Agua’ Posted: 26 Jul 2013 08:12 AM PDT

It’s time to debate NSA program Posted: 25 Jul 2013 07:02 PM PDT Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton, chairman and vice chairman of the 9/11 Commission, write: Every day, it seems, brings disturbing new revelations about the National Security Agency’s program to collect phone and email metadata, raising serious questions for our country. Reports indicate that the NSA is gathering metadata on millions of people in the United [...]

Feds tell Web firms to turn over user account passwords Posted: 25 Jul 2013 07:01 PM PDT CNet: The U.S. government has demanded that major Internet companies divulge users’ stored passwords, according to two industry sources familiar with these orders, which represent an escalation in surveillance techniques that has not previously been disclosed. If the government is able to determine a person’s password, which is typically stored in encrypted form, the credential [...]

The Supreme Court may be the best hope to stop the NSA Posted: 25 Jul 2013 07:00 PM PDT Shane Harris writes: Now that the House of Representatives has voted down an amendment that would have significantly restricted what information the National Security Agency can collect about Americans, the best hope of curtailing the spy agency’s powers lies with the courts. And while NSA critics have failed to rein in the eavesdropping agency through [...]

General el-Sissi is willing to plunge Egypt into chaos Posted: 25 Jul 2013 06:59 PM PDT William J. Dobson writes: Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi certainly knows how to dress the part. On Wednesday, wearing dark sunglasses, full military dress, and a chest full of medals—despite never having seen combat—Egypt’s defense minister looked every bit the junta leader that his critics say he is. “Come out to give me the mandate and order [...]