● NEWS ● #TheNation #NDAA ☞ Welcome to the New #ColdWar https://www.thenation.com/article/world/china-cold-war/

Welcome to the New Cold War

Whatever Washington might say about peaceful competition, the Biden administration has no intention of allowing China to achieve parity with the United States.

● NEWS ● #Techdirt ☞ Congress Tries To Ram The Ill-informed INFORM Bill Into The Must-pass #NDAA https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20211108/09354347900/congress-tries-to-ram-ill-informed-inform-bill-into-must-pass-ndaa.shtml

Congress Tries To Ram The Ill-informed INFORM Bill Into The Must-pass NDAA

Congress is at it again, trying to legislate without bothering to understand the problems they are ostensibly trying to fix. This time it's with the INFORM Consumers Act, S.B. 936, which, instead of debating further, some of its sponsors are...

Happy F---ing Bill of Right day

Both houses of Congress have passed the #NDAA codifying indefinite detention -- and Obama has dropped his veto threat, breaking his promise.

Meanwhile even as I write this, the House is debating #SOPA.

Remember back in 2006-8 when the Bush Administration rammed through PATRIOT Act reauthorization and FISA? Obama was on the right side for a while -- at least until July 2008, when he broke his promise to filibuster. Now, he's continuing and building on Bush policies. Senator Chris Dodd was heroic on FISA; now, he's working for the MPAA and using China's internet policies as a blueprint for the US. And how about Patrick Leahy, bulwark of civil liberties -- and co-sponsor of the Senate equivalent of SOPA?

It's not that I think the Republicans are any better on the whole. Both parties have a few standouts on civil liberties -- Wyden, Nadler, the Pauls. But on the whole, the political establishment continues to show itself remarkably unconcerned with Americans' rights.

Here's hoping that in 2012 we'll start to do something about it.

#politics #occupy