Two American Veterans Plan and Start Freedom Walk From California to Washington D.C.

Saturday, June 1, 2013 17:09

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(Before It's News)

In a remarkable display of patriotism, two American veterans are walking from San Diego, California to Washington D.C. in a fight for freedom and with a plan to bring Americans together beyond party lines.
Jerry C. Oliver, a veteran of Vietnam and Mark T. Lanham, a veteran of the Gulf War, have set off from San Diego, California and have crossed through Arizona on their trek to Washington D.C.
A Mission Statement posted on the their website outlines the reasons for this extraordinary walk across the country:

In the game of life you are either in the bleachers or you are on the playing field. It is not the critic who counts. No, the credit belongs to the American who takes a stand for a cause higher than themselves.
Some may see me as an old man, but I have a voice and I will be heard. At least I am doing something. There is the “Power of 1” and that power is in each of us. Freedom does not trickle down, it rises up, but Washington is just not listening to the People! If we want America to remain to be free then we must act now.
We walk for freedom because we have a voice and Washington is now going to hear our voices. There is a dismantling of the constitution and if we don’t walk then nothing happens. If we do walk then D.C. must take warning that Americans are tired of being ignored. As Thomas Jefferson said, “It is our duty to question our government and public officials”.
Our petitions to the government have been ridiculed and rejected. We have sent letters, made telephone calls, sent e-mails, performed marches and rallies and still the people are scorned by the distant government in D.C. regardless which political party is in power.
The American flag will be carried from San Diego, California to Washington, D.C. in remembrance of all Americans who gave some and some Americans who gave all.
We do not profess any ideology, political party or particular issue by reason we believe Americans should be shaking hands instead of shaking fists and that we need to stop our government from dividing us into small groups. While we may disagree on certain issues there is common ground that we can all unite under. FREEDOM. It’s Solidarity time.
I dare to be brave and I ask you to also to be brave by showing your support for the freedoms that our constitution defends. The time is now to rise to a higher cause than ourselves.
You are asked to join the walk to D.C. and defend your freedoms. We cannot all be a George Washington, but we can all be patriots. You are the Power of 1. We are the masters of our lives not the government. The government is here for our convenience…we are not here for the government’s convenience because we created the government…the government did not create us.
This is a freedom walk. These are historical times so become a part of history. Action speaks louder than words so join me, even for just a mile, in the Support of the U.S. Constitution. Walk with us.

A graphic also posted on their website shows where they have already been and encourages  others to meet them on their way. For list of all planned locations, Click Here.
Delivered by The Daily Sheeple

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Contributed by Daniel Jackson of The Daily Sheeple.

Daniel Jackson is a seasoned journalist with a passion for exposing corruption and the lies of the global elite. DJ has a passion for truth and liberty that is shown through his extensive reporting on numerous globally significant topics not normally covered by the corporate controlled media. He is is a writer, researcher and editor for The Daily Sheeple. Wake the flock up!

Source: http://www.thedailysheeple.com/two-american-veterans-plan-and-start-freedom-walk-from-california-to-washington-d-c_062013

Obama Busted Again Professor Henry Graff : I taught at Columbia for 46 years Obama Could Not Have Gone There

Monday, June 10, 2013 11:21

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(Before It's News)

Professor Henry Graff : “I taught at Columbia for 46 years” Obama Could Not Have Gone There UPDATED ANOTHER OBAMA PROFESSOR COMES OUT

UPDATED
ANOTHER PROFESSOR COMES OUT ABOUT OBAMA NOT GOING TO COLUMIA

June 9, 2013 |

By : Matt Winkeljohn – http://www.resistthetyranny.com

There is no shortage of evidence that Barrack H. Obama is quite possibly the most inept, deceptive and disgraceful president that America has ever seen.

With all that we do know about Barrack Obama, what don’t we know?

We know that congress refuses to investigate Obama’s birth certificate.  Why would they.  It would prove that either there are higher forces that choose presidents for us or that congress is just as inept and crooked as Obama himself.

We know that Obama’s records of school and much of his past have been either permanently sealed or investigators have been repeatedly denied access to them.

We also know that many people in Barrack Obama’s past have died.  Some of which has been in some very unusual and unexplainable ways.  These people, coincidentally, are also people that could have exposed truths about Obama.

Speaking of Barrack Hussein Obama… We also know that he lived a double life under the name “Barry Soetoro.”

As If all of that wasn’t enough, incredibly, there is more!

 

Let me introduce you to Wayne Allyn Root.

Mr. Root is a Capitalist Evangelist, entrepreneur, and Libertarian-conservative Republican.  He is also A graduate of Columbia University.  He also graduated the same year as Obama and from the same classes as Obama, but Mr. Root doesn’t remember Barrack Obama.  In fact, neither does anyone else in those classes.
Root is not alone in coming out about Obama’s mysterious absence from Columbia.
There are a number of professors that taught at the prestigious university that say they have no recollection of having Obama in any of their classes either. 

Of those professors, there is one that agreed to a full interview.
Meet Professor Henry Graff

Mr. Graff is perhaps the most legendary and honored professor ever at Columbia University. He was THE American History and Diplomatic History professor at Columbia for 46 years.
Of everything that Mr. Graff said in his interview, he ended by saying this -

“I’m very upset by the whole story. I am angry when I hear Obama called ‘the first President of the United States from Columbia University.’ I don’t consider him a Columbia student. I have no idea what he did on the Columbia campus. No one knows him.”

You would think that at a largely liberal collage, such as Columbia, former students and professors would be clamoring to say they have studied with Obama, produce pictures of them together or even claim to have shared a beer or two with the now president, but no, nothing.

Does all of this not concern you?  Shouldn’t the main stream media be telling you about this?
More importantly…
Shouldn’t YOU be “up in arms” over this?

The Politics of Fear: “Our Founding Fathers gave their all to give us this Constitution & our freedoms, & generations of Americans have given their best & brightest to do battle to defend them. We can do nothing less.” – Michael Connelly – Constitutional Lawyer

Tuesday, June 11, 2013 20:47

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(Before It's News)

by Michael Connelly – Constitutional Lawyer 

It seems that the scandals just keep on coming. First, Americans are abandoned to die in a terrorist attack in Benghazi and the American people are lied to about the attack by the President and members of his cabinet. All of the facts are still unknown and the cover up continues.

Then we learn that one of the most powerful and feared government agencies, the IRS, used its power to deny tax exempt status to hundreds of conservative and religious groups in order to protect the  Democrats and influence the outcome of  the 2010 and 2012 election cycles. The IRS also abused its power by using illegal and unconstitutional tactics to intimidate the organizations, their members, and contributors and to target other individuals and companies that it perceived as enemies of Obama. Again, many of the facts are still unknown, but this is clearly a violation of the First Amendment right of free speech.

Right on the heels of the IRS scandal came the revelations that the Justice Department was illegally obtaining the phone records of reporters to find out who they might be talking to when investigating the administration. When questioned about this by a Congressional Committee Eric Holder did what the members of this administration do best, he lied. Obama feigned indignation over the whole matter and then took “decisive” action by telling Eric Holder to investigate himself. So much for the freedom of the press guaranteed by the First Amendment.

Of course that was just the beginning because the hits just keep on coming.  Americans are now learning that the National Security Agency (NSA) that has the task of protecting us from terrorists and other enemies is now spying on all of us simply because we are Americans. They are gathering our phone records, reading our emails, and gathering data about every aspect of our lives. All to be stored for future use.

While all of this was breaking, the VA has been depriving our military veterans of their Second and Fifth Amendment rights under the Constitution, and the Pentagon has been threatening active duty members of the military with punishment for practicing their religion, (unless it is Islam of course),  or exercising their right to freedom of speech.

 Not to be outdone, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has turned over the names, addresses, and other private information of over 80,000 American farm families to radical environmental groups that want to put these farms out of business.

If you think closely about all of these so called scandals, they have one common denominator; all of these actions by our government are designed to make us afraid of it. They are meant to induce a climate of fear that has been the major strategy for every dictatorship in history. Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin were masters at it and the people in Cuba, China, Iran and other countries still live in this climate.

The philosophy is simple, if people know they are being monitored and that everything they say or do is subject to government scrutiny and possible punishment for any transgressions they commit, they will alter their behavior to conform to the wishes of the dictatorship. In Obamaland that means that the news media will stop investigating his scandals because reporters and their sources are afraid of retaliation by the Justice Department.

People will stop speaking out against Obama, forming groups to influence elections, or contributing to conservative groups and candidates for fear of retaliation by the IRS. Veterans will stop seeking treatment from the VA because they don’t want to be declared incompetent and lose their rights to own a firearm. Americans will be afraid to say what they believe in emails or on the phone and even be fearful of calling their elected representatives.
Worst of all is that as a result of Benghazi members of the military and the diplomatic service will be aware that no one has got their back. They can be sacrificed at any time for the personal political aspirations of this President.

I have come to the conclusion that none of this is an accident. Unfortunately for America, Obama is neither stupid nor incompetent. He is an elitist and a narcissist who knows exactly what he is doing, and it is only going to get worse. We now have Obamacare and the same people in the IRS, DOJ, etc. who have attacked our basic freedoms will now control our access to medical care.

The climate of fear is becoming a reality in the United States of America just as it did in the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. The difference is that if we recognize it for what it is and Obama for what he is we are still in a position to resist. If that means taking to the streets in massive protests or even forming neighborhood groups to protect ourselves and our homes then so be it.

Our founding fathers gave their all to give us this Constitution and our freedoms, and generations of Americans have given their best and brightest to do battle to defend them. We can do nothing less.
Michael Connelly
Constitutional Lawyer
Executive Director of the United States Justice Foundation. (www.usjf.net)
Personal website and blog:
CLA site:
Author of ” “
I also have written a booklet on the U.S. Constitution that highlights each section and amendment the way it was originally written. Then I add my comments about what they all truly mean. This a pocket size booklet that every patriotic American should own and distribute to friends and relatives. Find out more and how to order it at: 
Check out my radio talk show every week called “Our Constitution” at this link: http://www.americaswebradio.com/showpages/OurConstitution.php
New: I am now teaching a course online titled “Constitutional Law: Bill of Rights.” Find out about the course and sign up at http://libertyfirstclass.com/

mrobertc@hotmail.com

How the United States Actually Uses False Flags to Terrorize Its Own Citizens and the World!

Wednesday, June 12, 2013 9:17

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(Before It's News)

I love the smell of napalm in the morning. How the United States Uses False Flags to Terrorize Its Own Citizens and the World!
False flags operations are when somebody pretends to be somebody else in order to start wars. The purpose is to start trouble between other countries, and frighten the people into believing in the necessity for a war. Aside from the potential for monetary gain, the logic here is simple: a frightened people are easily to manipulate. And the purpose is likewise simple: a frightened people are an enslaved people.
An English sailing vessel enters a French harbor with the French flag flying. The English are flying French flag, so the French think the ship is friendly, so they don’t blow it out of the water. The English then raise the Flag of Norway, blow everything up, and sail out of the harbor. The French now go to war with Norway.

Is this a false flag intended to enslave the American people?

Do you understand how it works? You pretend to be somebody else, deliver a blindside attack, run away, and let your victim get in a fight with whoever you pretended to be. And, in a full on false flag operation, you would get various people all frightened and riled up so they would fight for you.
Pretty nasty.
And, it is pretty common throughout history.

In Germany in the early thirties a young fellow name of Hitler is the likely suspect in the burning of the Reichstag building. He blamed the communists, and while everybody was angry at the commies, he rose to power. Perfect false flag.

In the early 1950s the United States executed a false flag operation in Iran. In conjunction with the British, the United States Central Intelligence Agency used politics, propaganda, and agreements with tribal leaders to create a coupe that resulted in the United States replacing Iranian oil companies with United States oil companies. This is a matter of declassified record, should you wish to search the CIA archives.

In the 1960s the United States Department of Defense almost conducted a false flag operation called ‘Operation Northwoods.’ The plans were to hijack or shoot down passenger or military places, burn crops, sink ships (filled with Cuban refugees!), and thus create a war with Cuba. The attacks would involve Cuban infiltrators and airplanes disguised as Cuban MIGs, and acts of terror on American soil. The only reason this operation didn’t get off the ground was because a young fellow name of John F. Kennedy said no to it. The complete plans were uncovered during investigation into Kennedy’s assassination by the Assassination Records Review Board in the mid 90s.

Also in the sixties is the infamous Gulf of Tonkin incident. The United States claimed it was under attack in the Gulf of Tonkin. No proof was ever had, but the result was 10 years of war in Viet Nam with thousands of lives lost. And the real winners here were the people who made war materials, who lent money (can you spell Bankster?) and otherwise profited.
Coming into modern times, we have some downright startling revelations concerning False Flag Operations.

To pay a quick trip to Russia, that country actually bombed itself so as to go to war with Chechnya.

In 1993 the Federal Bureau of Investigation infiltrated a cell of terrorists who wanted to blow up the trade center. In an absolute stunner, the FBI apparently had the ability to replace the explosives with fake explosives, but didn’t do so!

Then there is the False Flag of 9/11. There are videos showing–proving–that the buildings went down because of planned demolition. These videos include a rather stunning look at one of the minor buildings suddenly collapsing and going down exactly like a building would go down if a demolition company took it down.

And there are records of the CIA actually letting Osama Bin Laden escape from Afghanistan into Pakistan–when they could have caught him–after 9/11. Thus letting him be a living purpose for the war making somebody so much money.

And, an interesting tidbit this writer had not heard of before doing his research on this article: the only instances of anthrax attacks were against key politicians…right before the patriot act came up for a vote!

These events are all False Flag operations, or, at the very least, dire occurrence being taken advantage of as if they were false flag operations.
The point of this article is simple: to educate people as to what a false flag is, and how it is used to rile up the population, therefore making them prone to war, and eventual enslavement.
And, make no mistake, the purpose of a false flag is exactly as stated: to rile up the population, to make them go to war, to exhaust and confuse them, and to enslave them.
Consider: 9/11 happened, and laws were passed which abrogated the constitution…and the people were happy!
Darn! We’re fighting the enemy! And they come together in camaraderie, had common purpose, and cheerfully gave up their rights.

Consider the words of Adolf Hitler. “The art of leadership… consists in consolidating the attention of the people against a single adversary and taking care that nothing will split up that attention.”
These are the words of the man who likely burned the Reichstag, and then killed millions of people, and they describe a False Flag operation, and they describe events that if they are not outright false flag operations, are at least being taken advantage of as if they were false flags.
We are talking about the Boston Bomber as as excuse to exercise military might on the streets of America, which is blatantly in opposition to the Constitution.
We are talking about the media advertising illegal wars around the globe, that the banksters may get rich.

We are talking about hurricane Katrina, which has resulted in a whole city being uprooted and not being allowed back to their homes, and somebody in New Orleans is getting rich.
And, we are talking about the next staged event, the one that will put soldiers on the streets to enforce martial law, fill the FEMA camps, and put aside, once and for all, the Constitution for the United States.

In closing let me point out something. in the 1950s Israel attempted a false flag operation. They planted bombs in Egypt in US diplomatic facilities. But Israel was found out, and the scandal that resulted brought down the government.

Here is the thing…a government involved in false flag tactics doesn’t want to be found out. They want to go ahead and pat themselves on the back even as they shunt the constitution and enact slavery.

But finding the government out is the key…and it is the way to stop them…and it is the way to let the world know that the United States chooses freedom over tyranny!
So when the IRS is found cheating for political gain…when NSA is found to be spying on all of us…when politicians line up to attack somebody who reveals the existence of the NSA spying game…when events happen that rile you up and make you want to fight somebody, remember what a false flag is, and become the voice of reason.

It is the voice of reason that the bad guys fear most of all. For the voice of reason undoes their attempts to sow chaos and war, and illuminates evil people for what they are. It is the voice of reason that must hold sway in the coming days that we would survive these times, and that our children may run free.

This has been a page concerning false flag operations.
If you like this article, go to The Daily Neutron and subscribe!
Original source for this article was http://www.wanttoknow.info/falseflag


Source: http://thedailyneutron.com/united-states-false-flags-terrorize-citizens-world/

NSA Whistleblower Reveals More Secrets In Interview With South China Morning Post

Wednesday, June 12, 2013 7:22

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(Before It's News)

Whistleblower Edward Snowden has spoken with the South China Morning Post today and revealed more NSA crimes and spying secrets in an exclusive interview in which he announced loudly and clearly that he is not there to hide, but to expose the crimes of the United States government. As more and more US government crimes are revealed and the criminal element exposed, the criminal element within this government has quickly lost legitimacy around the world with most clear thinking and law abiding human beings disgusted with government war crimes being committed around the world in our names.

Surveillance whistleblower Edward Snowden has spoken for the first time since blowing his own cover in an exclusive interview with the South China Morning Post.

The ex-CIA analyst has been holed up in secret locations in Hong Kong since fleeing Hawaii ahead of highly sensitive leaks revealing details of US top-secret phone and internet surveillance of its citizens.

Today, he reveals:

• more explosive details on US surveillance targets

• his plans for the immediate future

• the steps he claims the US has taken since he broke cover in Hong Kong

• his fears for his family

The 29-year-old was working for defence contractor Booz Allen Hamilton at the National Security Agency (NSA), the biggest spy surveillance organisation in the world, when he leaked information claiming the US was systematically seizing vast amounts of phone and web data. Snowden fled to Hong Kong after using Britain’s Guardian newspaper to expose the agency’s PRISM program which gives officials easy access to data held by nine of the world’s top internet companies, including Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Skype.

“People who think I made a mistake in picking HK as a location misunderstand my intentions. I am not here to hide from justice; I am here to reveal criminality,” Snowden told the Post earlier today.

Betrayal in Benghazi – Colonel Phil Handley, Ret.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013 21:48

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(Before It's News)

Phil “Hands” Handley Colonel, USAF (Ret.) The combat code of the US Military is that we don’t abandon our dead or wounded on the battlefield. In US Air Force lingo, fighter pilots don’t run off and leave their wingmen. If one of our own is shot down, still alive and not yet in enemy captivity, we will either come to get him or die trying. Among America ‘s fighting forces, the calm, sure knowledge that such an irrevocable bond exists is priceless. Along with individual faith and personal grit, it is a sacred trust that has often sustained hope in the face of terribly long odds. The disgraceful abandonment of our Ambassador and those brave ex-SEALs who fought to their deaths to save others in that compound is nothing short of dereliction-of-duty. Additionally, the patently absurd cover-up scenario that was fabricated in the aftermath was an outright lie in an attempt to shield the President and the Secretary of State from responsibility. It has been over eight months since the attack on our compound in Benghazi . The White House strategy, with the aid of a “lap dog” press has been to run out the clock before the truth is forthcoming. The recent testimonies of the three “whistle blowers” have reopened the subject and hopefully will lead to exposure and disgrace of those responsible for this embarrassing debacle. It would appear that the most recent firewall which the Administration is counting on is the contention “that there were simply no military assets that could be brought to bear in time to make a difference” mainly due to the unavailability of tanker support for fighter aircraft. This is simply BS, regardless how many supposed “experts” the Administration trot out to make such an assertion. The bottom line is that even if the closest asset capable of response was half-way around the world, you don’t just sit on your penguin ass and do nothing. The fact is that the closest asset was not half-way around the world, but as near as Aviano Air Base, Italy where two squadrons of F-16Cs are based. Consider the following scenario (all times Benghazi local): When Hicks in Tripoli receives a call at 9:40 PM from Ambassador Stevens informing him “Greg, we are under attack!” (his last words), he immediately notifies all agencies and prepares for the immediate initiation of an existing “Emergency Response Plan.” At AFRICON, General Carter Ham attempts to mount a rescue effort, but is told to “stand down”. By 10:30 PM an unarmed drone is overhead the compound and streaming live feed to various “Command and Control Agencies” and everyone watching that feed knew damn well what was going on. At 11:30 PM Woods, Doherty and five others leave Tripoli, arriving in Benghazi at 1:30 AM on Wednesday morning, where they hold off the attacking mob from the roof of the compound until they are killed by a mortar direct hit at 4:00 AM. So nothing could have been done, eh? Nonsense. If one assumes that tanker support really “was not available” what about this: When at 10:00 PM AFRICON alerts the 31st TFW Command Post in Aviano Air Base, Italy of the attack, the Wing Commander orders preparation for the launch of two F-16s and advises the Command Post at NAS Sigonella to prepare for hot pit refueling and quick turn of the jets. By 11:30 PM, two F-16Cs with drop tanks and each armed with five hundred 20 MM rounds are airborne. Flying at 0.92 mach they will cover the 522 nautical miles directly to NAS Sigonella in 1.08 hours. While in-route, the flight lead is informed of the tactical situation, rules of engagement, and radio frequencies to use. The jets depart Sigonella at 1:10 AM with full fuel load and cover the 377 nautical miles directly to Benghazi in 0.8 hours, arriving at 1:50 AM which would be 20 minutes after the arrival of Woods, Doherty and their team. Providing that the two F-16s initial pass over the mob, in full afterburner at 200 feet and 550 knots did not stop the attack in its tracks, only a few well placed strafing runs on targets of opportunity would assuredly do the trick. Were the F-16s fuel state insufficient to recover at Sigonelli after jettisoning their external drop tanks, they could easily do so at Tripoli International Airport , only one-half hour away. As for those hand-wringing naysayers who would worry about IFR clearances, border crossing authority, collateral damage, landing rights, political correctness and dozens of other reasons not to act” screw them. It is high time that our “leadership” get their priorities straight and put America’s interests first. The end result would be that Woods and Doherty would be alive. Dozens in the attacking rabble would be rendezvousing with “72 virgins” and a clear message would have been sent to the next worthless POS terrorist contemplating an attack on Americans that it is not really a good idea to “tug” on Superman’s cape. Of course all this would depend upon a Commander In Chief that was more concerned with saving the lives of those he put in harm’s way than getting his crew rested for a campaign fund raising event in Las Vegas the next day. As well as a Secretary of State that actually understood “What difference did it make?”, or a Secretary of Defense whose immediate response was not to the effect that “One of the military tenants is that you don’t commit assets until you fully understand the tactical situation.” Was he not watching a live feed from the unarmed drone, and he didn’t understand the tactical situation? YGBSM! Ultimately it comes down to the question of who gave that order to stand down? Whoever that coward turns out to be should be exposed, removed from office, and face criminal charges for dereliction of duty. The combat forces of the Untied States of America deserve leadership that really does “have their back” when the chips are down.

 

FOR THOSE OF YOU HAVE ACTUALLY TAKEN THE TIME TO READ THIS, YOU NEED TO DO ONE THING FOR ME! FORWARD THIS OUT TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW!!WE CAN NEVER ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN AGAIN AND WHOEVER GAVE THE “STAND DOWN” ORDER NEEDS TO BE EXPOSED!!!!

Obama Speaks with Forked Tongue on Surveillance
By Sheldon Richman
Tuesday, June 11, 2013

It's bad enough the federal government spies on us. Must it insult our intelligence too? 

The government's response to Edward Snowden's leaks about the National Security Agency's secret monitoring of the Internet and collection of our telephone logs is a mass of contradictions. Officials have said the disclosures are (1) old news, (2) grossly inaccurate, and (3) a blow to national security. It's hard to see how any two of these can be true, much less all three.
 
 Can't they at least get their story straight? If they can't do better than that, why should we have confidence in anything else that they do? 

Snowden exposed the government's indiscriminate snooping because, among other things, it violates the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches and he had no other recourse.

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper says Snowden should have used established channels to raise his concerns, but there are no effective channels. Members of the congressional intelligence committees are prohibited from telling the public what they learn from their briefings. Two members of the Senate committee, Ron Wyden and Mark Udall, for years have warned — without disclosing secrets — that the Obama administration is interpreting the Patriot Act and related laws far more broadly than was ever intended by those who voted for those pieces of legislation. Their warnings have made no difference.

A court challenge wasn't open to Snowden either. Glenn Greenwald, who published Snowden's leaks in the Guardian, notes that for years the ACLU has tried to challenge the surveillance programs in court on Fourth Amendment grounds, but the Obama administration has blocked the effort by arguing that the ACLU has no standing to bring the suit. It's a classic Catch-22. Since the surveillance is secret, no one can know if he has been spied on. But if no one knows, no one can go into court claiming to be a victim, and the government will argue that therefore the plaintiff has no standing to challenge the surveillance. Well played, Obama administration.

The administration should not be allowed to get away with the specious claim that telling its secrets to a few privileged members of Congress is equivalent to informing the people. It is not. It's merely one branch of government telling some people in another branch. Calling those politicians "our representatives" is highly misleading. In what sense do they actually represent us?

Equally specious is the assertion that the NSA can't monitor particular people without court authorization. The secret FISA court is a rubber stamp.

When Obama ran for president in 2008, he said Americans shouldn't have to choose between privacy and security. Now he says that "one of the things that we're going to have to discuss and debate is how are we striking this balance between the need to keep the American people safe and our concerns about privacy? Because there are some tradeoffs involved." 

What do you take us for, Mr. President? Do you say whatever serves your momentary interest?

It's outrageous for Obama to say he welcomes this debate — when his regime is plotting to capture and prosecute the heroic whistleblower who made it possible.

The debate would be bogus anyway. No one has a right to make a security/privacy tradeoff for you. Our rights should not be subject to vote, particularly when a ruling elite ultimately will make the decision — out of public view!

Americans have learned nothing from the last 40 years if they have not learned that the executive branch — regardless of party — will interpret any power as broadly as it wishes. Congressional oversight is worse than useless; it's a myth, especially when one chamber is controlled by the president's party and the other chamber's majority embraces big government as long as it carries a "national security" label.

Obama says, "If people can't trust not only the executive branch but also don't trust Congress and don't trust federal judges to make sure that we're abiding by the Constitution, due process and rule of law, then we're going to have some problems here."

That's wrong. If the politicians' only response to revelations that they're violating our privacy is to ask for trust, then we already have problems.

Sheldon Richman is vice president and editor at The Future of Freedom Foundation in Fairfax, Va. (www.fff.org).