Former CIA employee and torture whistleblower John Kiriakou has been freed after almost two years in prison. He is the only American who has served prison time in the (on-going) U.S. torture scandal. While Dick Cheney, George Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, John Yoo, Paul Wolfowitz, Doug Feith, John Rizzo, and other assorted psychopaths walk free -- and, in fact, are sought out and promoted by the so-called news media -- Kiriakou went to jail for exposing the U.S. torture program.
It's pretty common these days to have your resumé/curriculum vitae publicly available on a website. Most people use LinkedIn, which I can't abide (it plunders your private email account, sends invitations without your knowledge to everybody under the sun to "link" to you, pretends to get you jobs, and other things not worth going into), so I use a site called Brand Yourself instead.
My profile there contains my resumé, the briefest of biographical info, and a contact link. It's also more visually appealing than LinkedIn, which, if you appreciate aesthetics, is a plus.
A couple of updates to the case of the injustice carried out against Cecily McMillan, which I wrote about earlier today.
The updates are from the UK paper the Guardian, which has given this story comprehensive coverage throughout, unlike the American mainstream press, which, if it covers it at all, usually buries it -- in the case of the New York Times, in the NY Region section, even though it's a case with national implications.
(Oh, and I'm still looking for it at NPR, whose website shows nothing about the case. Surprise, surprise.)
In the continuing cavalcade of innocent people put in prison in this country -- the vast majority of whom are poor and/or people of color -- we now add Cecily McMillan, an Occupy activist who was assaulted by a New York City cop and who is now in jail for it.
You read that right. She was assaulted by him. Yet she is in jail. And he -- with a history of committing abuse -- is walking free.
This country is a fucking police state.
Suit Charges FBI Used No-Fly List as Retribution Against Muslim Men
Muslim-Americans say FBI used list to coerce them into informing on their communities
“I do not want to become an informant, but the government says I must in order to be taken off the no-fly list,” said Awais Sajjad, a plaintiff in the lawsuit. “How can the government tell me that the only way I can see my family again is if I turn my back on my community?”
The men say they believe that the FBI used the no-fly list in attempt to coerce and intimidate them into being spies for the bureau. Some were told that infiltration could get their names wiped from the list, while others were threatened with being placed on the list if they resisted recruitment.
Being placed on the no-fly list had severe repercussions in all of their lives, including loss of jobs, stigma, and being cut off from family members and loved ones.
The manner in which the US government manages the no-fly list remains secret. People who find themselves on this list do not receive explanations or due process. According to CCR, there were over 21,000 people on the list as of 2012.
We've out-Orwelled Orwell, out-Huxleyed Huxley, and out-Kafkaed Kafka.
In their continual quest to invade all aspects of our lives, our alphabet-soup security agencies will be on the prowl today at Met Life Stadium in New Jersey. For the gladiatorial combat known as the Super Bowl will be taking place there, and our overlords don't want the players on the field to be the only ones showing some muscle.
