Stephen Lendman

Obama was unwelcome in Berlin. He wasn't wanted. Many Berliners aren't pleased he came. His rhetoric fell short. Doublespeak duplicity is hollow. It doesn't sell well.

On July 29, 2008, 200,000 Germans cheered him. They did so in central Berlin's Tiergarten. They hoped he'd change Bush/Cheney policies. He promised. He lied. He exceeds the worst of his predecessors.

On June 19, Obama chose the Brandenburg Gate. It was hermetically sealed off to protect him. He spoke behind thick bullet-proof glass. About 4,000 got to attend. They were handpicked to avoid embarrassment.

It wasn't an "Ich bin ein Berliner" moment. Kennedy's visit was eagerly awaited. Around 120,000 massed to hear him. They did so on June 26, 1963. They cheered him in front of Rathaus Schöneberg (City Hall).

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Thomas Gaist

This is a blueprint for universal accumulation and indefinite retention of all communications of everyone in the world.

Classified top secret documents submitted to the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court by US Attorney General Eric Holder, published by The Guardian on Thursday, show that US Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) judges have approved sweeping general orders authorizing the National Security Agency (NSA) to monitor US communications data without individual warrants.

According to the Guardian, the documents—presumably obtained from NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden—“show that even under authorities governing the collection of foreign intelligence from foreign targets, US communications can still be collected, retained and used.”

In their defense of the NSA surveillance programs, Obama administration officials—including Obama himself—have frequently and insistently declared that no communications of people in the US are monitored without a warrant. The documents released by The Guardian reveal these claims to be outright lies.

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Stephen Lendman

Spying on its citizenry reflects one of the most defining police state characteristics. Post-9/11, America crossed the line. Unconstitutional mass surveillance became official US policy.

Bush began it. Obama accelerated it. He did so straightaway as president. He promised otherwise. He pledged transparency and openness. He promised no more Bush/Cheney lawlessness. He lied. He exceeded the worst of his predecessors. Free societies don't tolerate these practices. Obama authorized them secretly. He subverted constitutional law. He violated the public trust. He broke a key campaign pledge. He declared war on freedom. It's more illusion than reality. It's fast disappearing. It may entirely vanish on Obama's watch.

Big Brother is real. It's no longer fiction. Privacy no longer exists. Web site visits are tracked. Cell phones log our movements. Emails and social network communications are monitored and stored. Sweeping warrantless spying is policy. Government is shrouded in secrecy. Constitutional protections don't matter. Police states operate this way. America's by far the worst. Everyone's suspect unless proved otherwise. Guilt by accusation is policy.

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