When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do? -- John Maynard Keynes

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Must reads from week ending August 3, 2013

Bradley Manning verdict
"The Obama administration's war on leaks and, by extension, the work of investigative reporters who dare to challenge the most secretive government in our lifetimes, has been unrelenting. The Manning verdict had plenty of bad news for the press. By finding Manning guilty of five counts of espionage, the judge endorsed the government's other radical theories, and left the journalism organization that initially passed along the leaks to the public, Wikileaks, no less vulnerable than it had been before the case started. Anyone who thinks Julian Assange isn't still a target of the US Government hasn't been paying attention; if the US can pry him loose from Ecuador's embassy in London and extradite him, you can be certain that he'll face charges, too, and the Manning verdict will be vital to that case." Dan Gillmor in The Guardian


"The prosecution of Manning was intended to send a signal. If nothing else, it has done that. It has shown that when faced with evidence of its own wrongdoing, the current US administration focuses on punishing the messenger. It shows the first amendment is easier to honour in the abstract than in reality. And it risks sending a message to nations that routinely imprison, assault or even kill journalists and activists, that when it comes to the crunch, the supposed leader of the free world is not much different."--James Ball in The Guardian 

 Abu Ghraib anyone?

Student locked in room at DEA facility for 5 days (without food or water) to get $4.1 million - latimes.com

Former NSA Lawyers Attack Senator Wyden For Hinting At NSA Surveillance Excesses That Are Now Confirmed | Techdirt


Surprise and Creativity | The Weekly Standard: by George Gilder is a founding fellow of the Discovery Institute. His latest book is Knowledge and Power: The Information Theory of Capitalism and How It Is Revolutionizing Our World (Regnery).

We are doomed! Or so says the author of the article at the following link--4 reasons capitalism is morally bankrupt, dying - Paul B. Farrell - MarketWatch

Latest Trademark Email Scams | Gray Plant Mooty - JDSupra

Robocalls and third-party violations: FCC rules on vicarious liability under the TCPA | DLA Piper - JDSupra

How to use the internet without being a total loser | Hadley Freeman| The Guardian

Official Blog: Starbucks’ WiFi goes Google

How Bank of England 'helped Nazis sell gold stolen from Czechs' | The Guardian

   

The Big Picture

Financial Crisis - The Telegraph

JohnTheCrowd.com | The Sailing Website

Craig Newmark - craigconnects

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