Dear Members/Victims:..............See second story down: CIA TORTURE PROGRAM!! IS THIS WHAT WE ARE ALL VICTIMS OF?.........IT SHOULD READ "AND OVER 5000 AMERICAN AND OTHER VICTIM'S WORLD WIDE IN THEIR OWN TRAVELING PRISONS OF TORTURE WHERE EVER THEY GO...EVEN WHEN THEY "TRY" TO "GO" TO SLEEP!!.......STOP THESE MURDER ATTEMPTS NOW!!!!!!!!! EVERYONE DAILY FILE COMPLAINTS TO YOUR SENATOR...ESPECIALLY SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN WHO ADMITS OK'S ALL MILITARY ACTIONS SINCE 9/11 !!
http://www.democracynow.org/ With Amy Goodwin, a human saint for us!
Leaked Memo Shows Expansive Rationale for U.S. "Kill List"
The Obama administration’s legal rationale for assassinating U.S. citizens without charge has been revealed for the first time. A secret Justice Department document obtained by NBC News says the administration can target citizens who are "senior operational leaders" of al-Qaeda or "an associated force" — even if there is no intelligence indicating they’re engaged in an active plot to attack the United States. The document is described as a "white memo" provided to members of the Senate Intelligence and Judiciary Committees last year. Its release follows a series of failed efforts by civil liberties groups to obtain the government’s legal justification for the targeted killing of an American.
Report Tallies 54 Countries, 136 Prisoners in CIA Torture Program
A new report has revealed a detailed look at global involvement in the CIA’s secret program of prisons, rendition and torture in the years after 9/11. The Open Society Justice Initiative says 54 countries aided the CIA until President Obama halted the program in 2009. The report, called "Globalizing Torture," also discloses at least 136 people were held by the CIA during those years — the largest tally to date. The countries’ assistance ranged from allowing CIA planes to refuel to hosting the prisons where the detainees were tortured. The report’s author, Amrit Singh, said: "The moral cost of these programs was borne not just by the U.S. but by the 54 other countries it recruited to help."
Italian Court Reverses Acquittals of CIA Agents for ’03 Kidnapping
The report comes as an Italian appeals court has reversed a lower court decision acquitting three CIA agents involved in the 2003 kidnapping of a Muslim cleric. Abu Omar was seized from the streets of Milan in 2003. He was taken to U.S. bases in Italy and Germany before being sent to Egypt, where he suffered torture during a four-year imprisonment. The reversal of the agents’ acquittals means all 26 Americans tried in the case have been found guilty in Italy. None have been extradited, but are subject to arrest if they travel in Europe.
S&P to Face Civil Charges for Faulty Ratings
The Justice Department is filing civil charges against the credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s for improperly rating mortgage securities leading up to the nation’s financial crisis. The charges would mark the government’s first enforcement action against a major credit ratings agency to come out of the nation’s near-economic collapse. But they would only carry civil penalties of fines and new restrictions — not jail time for top executives. Prosecutors reportedly decided to file the civil case after S&P balked at paying fines of at least $1 billion.
Prisons Bureau to Review Solitary Confinement
The Federal Bureau of Prisons has announced plans to review the use of solitary confinement in prisons nationwide. The United States is among the world leaders in holding prisoners alone in small cells, in some cases up to 23 hours a day. In a statement, the American Civil Liberties Union welcomed the review, saying: "We hope and expect [it] will lead the Bureau [of Prisons] to significantly curtail its use of this draconian, inhumane and expensive practice."
Obama Promotes Gun Control Ahead of SOTU Address
President Obama took his public campaign for gun control on the road Monday with a speech in Minnesota. With his State of the Union address one week away, Obama emphasized his plan to ban assault weapons and increase background checks on gun buyers.
President Obama: "We don’t have to agree on everything to agree it’s time to do something. There won’t be perfect solutions. We’re not going to save every life. But we can make a difference. That’s our responsibility as Americans. That’s what I’ll do every single day, as long as I’ve got the honor of serving as your president."
McCain Among GOP Senators Who Won’t Block Hagel Bid
A number of Republican senators have announced they will not try to filibuster the confirmation of former Senator Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense. The pledge by Arizona Sen. John McCain and others likely means Hagel has enough votes should another Republican decide to filibuster his bid.
Monitors: Over 270 Killed in 2 Days of Syria Violence
Activists in Syria are claiming more than 270 people have been killed in nationwide violence since Sunday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says at least 90 people died across Syria on Monday after some 180 people lost their lives the day before. The toll includes dozens killed when a building was bombed in the northern city of Aleppo. At the United Nations, the head of refugee operations for the Middle East and North Africa warned Syria’s violence is causing "systematic destruction."
Yacoub El Hillo: "It is an appalling situation in Syria today, appalling. And all these figures probably are not capturing the true story of how Syria, the people, but also Syria, the country, are facing systematic destruction."
Foreign diplomats recently have claimed a small breakthrough in the impasse between Syrian rebels and President Bashar al-Assad after opposition leader Mouaz al-Khatib said he’s open to sitting down with Assad’s aides.
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