Month: March 2016

It has been two years since the US government-commissioned Stimson Task Force on US Drone Policy issued its first report in 2014. I found the text of that document rather gentle on the drone warriors, but was not too surprised to find the group affirming the right of the US government to use remote-control killing technology in its counterterrorism initiatives. After all, some of the task force members were involved in the drone industry and so could not be expected to object to the very idea of targeted killing. Given that the authors of the report were selected by the government to assess the government’s own program, it was something of a relief to find that there was any significant criticism at all. There seemed to be hope that the Obama administration would take appropriate actions in response to the Stimson Report recommendations:

1. Conduct a strategic review and cost-benefit analysis of the role of lethal UAVs in targeted counterterrorism strikes
2. Improve transparency in targeted UAV strikes:
   1. Acknowledge use of lethal force in foreign countries, both to Congress and to the American Public
   2. Release information on:
      1. Approximate number of strikes carried out by the military
      2. Approximate number of strikes carried out by the CIA
      3. General location of strikes
      4. Number of those known to have been killed
      5. Number of civilians known to have been killed
      6. Identities of civilians known to have been killed
   3. Order preparation and public release of a detailed report explaining legal basis under domestic and international law of U.S. lethal drone program
3. Transfer general responsibility for lethal drone strikes from the CIA to the military
4. Develop more robust oversight and accountability mechanisms for targeted strikes outside of traditional battlefields
   1. Create a nonpartisan independent commission to review lethal UAV policy
5. Foster the development of appropriate international norms for use of lethal force outside of traditional battlefields
6. Assess UAV-related technological developments and likely future trends, and develop an interagency research and development strategy geared toward advancing U.S. national security interests in a manner consistent with U.S. values
7. Review and reform UAV-related export control rules and FAA rules
8. FAA should accelerate its efforts to meet the requirements of the 2012 FAA Reauthorization Bill

Continue reading “EPIC FAIL: The Stimson Center Report Card on US Lethal Drone Policy”

According to a recent New York Times series of articles, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was the key Obama Administration figure arguing for a US attack on Libya back in 2011. She promised it would be a triumph of “smart power,” but with billions wasted, tens of thousands killed, and a country in ruins, it looks more like “dumb power.” Now the US and its allies are readying a new military force to go back into Libya to fight an ISIS that was not present before the US “liberation.” Score another defeat for interventionism. The full story today in the Liberty Report:

Reprinted from The Ron Paul Institute for Peace & Prosperity.

Is there a better way to ensure no troublesome violations of John Kerry’s signature ceasefire in Syria get reported than by staffing the hotline where violations are to be reported by Syrians with non-Arabic speakers?

Gotta love those clever gals and guys over at the State Department. The Department is all a twitter, high-fiving each other and sending congratulatory emails to Secretary of State John Kerry over his negotiating a ceasefire in Syria. And, in order to monitor compliance with the terms of the ceasefire, State set up a hotline. Ordinary Syrians, out there on the ground, could call in to report violations.

Now remember, violations by anyone other than the naughty Russkies might make the State Department look bad, as if the ceasefire was only smoke, mirrors and a PR stunt, violated in part by forces to include the U.S.-supported militias.

Continue reading “State Dept Staffs Syria Ceasefire Violations Hotline – With Non-Arabic Speakers”

Will Hillary Clinton be indicted for storing classified materials on an unsecure server in her house while Secretary of State? Will President Obama call off the Justice Department and risk making it look like there is a different set of laws for the elites? Or will he allow the investigation to continue and risk the Democrat Party frontrunner in the presidential race facing jail time. The issue is more a political one at this point. But, as Ron Paul says in today’s Liberty Report, why isn’t Hillary facing prosecution for war crimes over her role in the Libya debacle?

Reprinted from The Ron Paul Institute for Peace & Prosperity.

Empires “disintegrate from within,” and the United States will be no exception, says Ron Paul in a newly released video of his speech at a January 30 Ludwig von Mises Institute conference in Houston, Texas. While the disintegration of the US empire will certainly bring troubles for Americans, it also, Paul says, is “very encouraging.” This is because, Paul predicts, Americans will be offered in the disintegration an opportunity to move the country away from large-scale violations of liberty at home and intervention overseas via a peaceful revolt instead of literally having “to go to war with” the government.

In his presentation, Paul, who is chairman and founder of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity, presents a sweeping analysis of history with references to the Assyrian Code, Ten Commandments, Magna Carta, and Declaration of Independence that can be understood as examples of an attempt to “develop a set of standards for tranquility and peace, and try to curtail power of government.” Paul also addresses a countertrend, which made great progress in the “downhill” twentieth century, involving governments increasing their power, disparaging individual rights, and pursuing war.

Continue reading “Ron Paul: Disintegration of US Empire Brings Hope for Peaceful Freedom Revolution”

You remember Bryan Pagliano, pictured above, the guy who ran Hillary’s IT during her 2008 presidential campaign. After Obama tossed Hillary the job of secretary of state, Hillary had Pagliano hired by the State Department. She also had him continue to administer her private server, supposedly paying him on the side for the help.

Taking the Fifth

In addition to everything else swirling in the cesspool of that email server, there are also questions about whether or not whether the State Department spent taxpayer money to manage Hillary’s email server. See, Pagliano was working for both State as a government employee and Hillary as a private employee at the same time. One wonders if he always kept the two tasks fully separate, and of course what a government employee was doing working privately for the Clintons at the same time.

Continue reading “Justice Dept Grants Immunity to Staffer Who Set Up Clinton’s Email Server”