Snowden Speaks at Length About Leaks

I just watched this interview with Edward Snowden and the German channel NDR where he goes into depth about his opinions, observations, and reaction to the his leaks. He also explains what the significance of his leaks are.

Video uploaded to LiveLeak December 27, 2013. You can view it here on LiveLink.

British Attack Anonymous... Using Anonymous' Tactics?

Yet another scandal has had the lid blown off by Edward Snowden with the revelation that the GCHQ used a DDoS attack on the hacktivist group Anonymous and LulzSec, originally reported on by NBC news. This time, the attack against Anonymous used the same tactics used by some Anonymous activist, that have since sent them to jail. But as a GCHQ spokesperson claimed, "all of GCHQ's work is carried out in accordance with a strict legal and policy framework." 

So, when Anonymous performs a DDoS, it's illegal. When GCHQ does it, it's completely legal.

Dirty Wars Nominated for Best Documentary Oscar

War is a dirty thing. It always has been and it will continue to be. The fact alone that all wars are fought because of greed or hate is inherently a terrible thing. So, to talk about covert warfare as if it were a shocking and wrong is almost silly, yet here we are.

ACLU v. Clapper Case Dismissed, NSA Continues Bulk Collection

IMAGE: Electronic Frontier Foundation

In June, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) brought a case against James Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence, questioning the legality of the NSA’s programs to spy on the American people and collect and store bulk information for future use. ACLU v. Clapper was made possible after Edward Snowden blew the whistle on the NSA.

The War on Reproductive Rights

Forty years ago Roe v. Wade gave women the right to choose when it came to their ability to have an abortion. While the moral debate went on, and indeed intensified, it remained law that women had control over their bodies. Unfortunately, current events in some states have proven that although Roe v. Wade is still law, it is possible to regulate clinics so harshly that they are forced to close their doors, leaving women around the country without the care they need and want.

The debate looks like a moral issue on the outside and anti-choice advocates claim abortion is murdering innocent lives and hurting women. While many anti-choice people may believe this is the goal of these strict laws, pro-choice women see the matter in a different light.

Los Angeles Green Festival - Hemp

Los Angeles just hosted its 3rd annual Green Festival in October at the LA Mart in downtown Los Angeles. This eco-friendly convention showcased many different companies, movements, and ideas surrounding the green/environmental movement in America and around the world.

While there are a multitude of topics I could cover, I decided on hemp, a prominent figure in the convention showing up in many different forms, and providing a wide variety of environmental benefits.

With the multitude of ways hemp can benefit American society, it is still illegal to grow in the United States, due to the stigma of association to it’s THC filled counterpart. The irony of this is that the US Constitution was written on hemp paper and was widely used and farmed for most of America’s history.

Amy Goodman on Independent News

I recently attended the Los Angeles Green Festival, an event showcasing eco-friendly concepts from sustainable food to hemp clothing to electric cars.

As a blogger/journalist, the highlight of the event for me was a talk by Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! about her new book, The Silenced Majority: Stories of Uprisings, Occupations, Resistance, and Hope, a collection of  weekly column pieces co-authored with Denis Moynihan. As you may know from my Ladybud article on Pacifica Radio, I believe independent reporting is a must, and once again Goodman backed up my belief with eloquence.

Goodman began her lecture with a bang, explaining her honest belief that people who care about social issues like climate change, wealth disparity, and a broken prison system “are not a fringed minority, not even a silent majority. But a silenced majority.” According to Goodman, this silencing is coming from the corporate media, and control over media must taken back by the public.