USA = Police State

This is the way 0bama wants it.

Too bad our votes DON’T count, when it’s Republicans counting the votes.

0bama doesn’t care about civil rights in America; why would he care about civil rights in Bahrain?

0bamaCo’s only concerns about Bahrain are whether the ruling oligarchs will continue to buy our products, like tear gas, armored personnel carriers, etc. Panetta and Betrayus have some weaponized drones standing by to obliterate any of the locals who don’t clap loud enough for the oligarchs. Anything for a buck, and screw the little people.

The US government hates democracy and loves dictators who crush populist movements wherever they may arise. The global 99% are aware of this. They don’t “hate us for our freedoms”, they hate us for destroying THEIR freedoms by supporting their autocrats.

0bama doesn’t care, as long as he and his pals are getting paid.

The entire trial is nothing but kabuki. 0bama already declared Manning guilty. He will probably spend the rest of his life in prison as an example to all other potential whistle-blowers.

That’s the way it works now: if the Decider suspects you, your life is forfeit.

“…69 Democrats, including leadership figures James Clyburn and John Larson, voted for the bill…”

Pollutocrats own Congress. 0bama won’t veto anything; they own him, too. Democrats pretend to be concerned about working Americans, women’s rights, the environment, etc. That’s just their schtick. No amount of toxic sludge or carcinogenic filth in the air or water supply will prevent them from taking the lobbyist’s bribes, just like their Republican pals.

Our national motto shouldn’t be “In God We Trust”, it should be “Anything For A Buck”.

…A “criminal investigation” into the photos has been launched…

That means the military will be investigating the guy who provided the photos to the LA Times, NOT the people appearing in the photos. The “crime” which will be punished is the whistle-blowing, not the atrocities committed by the troops in the field.

The Republicans are clearly the enemy of working Americans, and yet it is always the Democrats who stab us in the back. American politicians and the fat-cats who own them are undoubtedly the most despicable scumbags ever to crawl the face of the Earth. I would declare that our country is doomed, but those same politicians and fat-cats have ensured that the entire planet will be uninhabitable within a few years, so of course the whole world is doomed. The collapse of civilization, catastrophic climate change and planet-wide mass extinctions are the price we will all pay for the greed and gluttony of the 1%.

If drugs were decriminalized, how would the CIA or the drug cartels it colludes with obtain their spending cash? And how would we be able to convince our client states to buy all that military hardware and “expert” consulting needed to conduct their local “war on drugs”? And what excuse would we use when we invade those client states or start attacking them with weaponized drones (a la Pakistan)? C’mon people, get real! You can’t just legalize drugs, there’s big money at stake!

“As expected, the US approved the implementation date for the recently-passed Colombia Free Trade Agreement, despite in enthusiastic response to continued violence against trade unionists in the country.”

Fixed it for ya!

Does this qualify as a “fascist militia”, “right-wing death squads”, or merely armed gangs of violent racists “patrolling” the streets?

Considering precedents like this coupled with the powers formalized by NDAA for indefinite detention without charges and extra-judicial killings, how long will it be before American citizens start being “disappeared”?

True. I retract my initial statement.

It is unfortunate that policy makers are very selective as to which facts they consider “facts”, and even more selective regarding which of those facts they consider relevant to their policy making.

“I will be cheering them”.

No doubt.

Excellent report. How very unfortunate that facts have no influence upon the policies implemented.

All the legal arguments are moot. The “justices” all had their minds made up months ago. The payoffs have already been delivered and are safe in their tax havens. The Teabagger Five will toss the ACA in its entirety thereby nullifying 0bama’s Big Deal, and guaranteeing that unimportant people will have no access to health care whatsoever. Then high-fives all around, followed by gin & tonics on the veranda.

Kevin:

You say “Forget how the United States’ use of drones could be construed as terrorism, as rescuers and funerals are targeted in attacks. Forget how people in Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen might experience a certain kind of terror that there is a covert drone war in their country that could result in their advertent or inadvertent death at any moment.”

I disagree strongly. We should NOT forget about that. It is the very fact that the US government routinely uses drones as terror weapons which we should be opposing. The problem, clearly, is not merely drones, but weaponized drones. The US military and the CIA have provided example after example of just how lethal weaponized drones can be. If someone were to have his family obliterated by such a device, would it not be logical to entertain notions of retaliation by similar means?

I think the likelihood of weaponized drones launched by terrorists attacking American targets is very real. But the solution is not to suppress/control domestic RPV use by civilians, but for the US government to STOP using drones as terror weapons elsewhere. We need to STOP giving people reasons to terrorize America. Ending US drone attacks on innocent civilians might be a good way to begin that process.

“Will the Unpopularity of the Affordable Care Act Affect the Supreme Court?”

Probably not. Perhaps more relevant is the question:

“Will the Bribes from the Fat-Cats Affect the Supreme Court?”

The answer to that, of course, is YES. Bribes to the SCOTUS can buy a Presidency! Or a “Citizens United” ruling!

Those of us who can’t afford to bribe the Supreme Court? We get nothin’.

NOTHING!!

It would seem to me that the GAO could or should perform regular inspection of regulatory agencies to ensure that they are performing their duties according to their charters and in the best interest of the citizens rather than catering to the industries they are supposed to regulate. But I don’t know if they have ever actually done that. Perhaps if the citizenry demanded such a thing in a conspicuous way, they could be persuaded to take on that task.

It may be the office with the best hope of something like non-partisan professional autonomy. Wikipedia says: “The GAO is headed by the Comptroller General of the United States, a professional and non-partisan position in the U.S. government. The Comptroller General is appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, for a 15-year, non-renewable term.” Not a lifetime appointment, but not subject to the vagaries of election cycles.

BTW, a “15-year, non-renewable term” sounds like a better formula for SCOTUS justices as well, IMHO.