Let’s Not Repeat the Barack F*ckup with Hillary, by William Blum

by William Blum
Writer, Dandelion Salad
November 8, 2013

National Security Agency – The only part of the government that really listens to what you have to say

The New York Times (November 2) ran a long article based on NSA documents released by Edward Snowden. One of the lines that most caught my attention concerned “Sigint” – Signals intelligence, the term used for electronic intercepts. The document stated:

“Sigint professionals must hold the moral high ground, even as terrorists or dictators seek to exploit our freedoms. Some of our adversaries will say or do anything to advance their cause; we will not.”

The US: An Empire or A Bunch of Criminal Lunatics by Daniel N. White

by Daniel N. White
Guest Writer, Dandelion Salad
November 8, 2013

Recently attended a guest lecture/seminar at UT, put out by Jeremy Suri, the rising star of UT’s History department. Topic was “The US—Empire or Umpire?”, and it was yet another rehashing of the question that mainstream poly-sci still kicks around—“Are We an Empire?”. Jeremy Suri, a most personable sort, brought in another mainstream historian, Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman, to promoter her latest mainstream history/poli-sci tome which argues that the US is not in fact an empire but instead acts abroad as an umpire throughout the world.

Andy Lopez’s Family and Others Speak Out + National Day of Protest by Shepherd Bliss + Cindy Sheehan: Jailhouse for Gelhaus

Image by dignidadrebelde via Flickr

by Shepherd Bliss
Writer, Dandelion Salad
Santa Rosa, California
November 8, 2013

The October 22 killing here of 13-year-old Andy Lopez by a hail of bullets from sheriff’s deputy Erick Gelhaus has resulted in daily peaceful marches, prayer vigils and speaking events honoring Lopez and calling for justice, as thousands in the northern California community continue to mourn and express outrage.

Chris Hedges: Detention of David Miranda on Terrorism Charges Amounts to the “Criminalization of Journalism”

Image by Stephen D. Melkisethian via Flickr

Dandelion Salad

with Chris Hedges

TheRealNews on Nov 8, 2013

Chris Hedges says David Miranda’s detention represents an assault on journalism by the US and its allies.

Torture on Tape: Disturbing Video Shows U.S. Special Forces Observing Brutal Afghan Interrogation

Warning

These videos may contain images depicting the reality and horror of war/violence and should only be viewed by a mature audience.

Dandelion Salad

democracynow on Nov 7, 2013

www.democracynow.org A video just posted online by Rolling Stone shows a hogtied prisoner being whipped by Afghan security forces, as what appears to be two unidentified American military officers look on. According to investigative reporter Matthieu Aikins, the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command confirmed an ongoing investigation into the incident. Aikins says the video fits with a general pattern of recurring abuse of detainees in U.S. and Afghan custody.