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In reply to the discussion: This President is why America today is run by warmongers and traitors! [View all]Octafish
(55,745 posts)32. The Courts certainly play a role in Secret Government.
For instance, the nation's top judge gets to set up the FISA court with his hand-picked crew:
Did you know John Roberts is also chief justice of the NSAs surveillance state?
By Ezra Klein
Washington Post, July 5
Chief justice of the United States is a pretty big job. You lead the Supreme Court conferences where cases are discussed and voted on. You preside over oral arguments. When in the majority, you decide who writes the opinion. You get a cool robe that you can decorate with awesome gold stripes.
Oh, and one more thing: You have exclusive, unaccountable, lifetime power to shape the surveillance state.
To use its surveillance powers tapping phones or reading e-mails the federal government must ask permission of the court set up by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. A FISA judge can deny the request or force the government to limit the scope of its investigation. Its the only plausible check in the system. Whether it actually checks government surveillance power or acts as a rubber stamp is up to whichever FISA judge presides that day.
The 11 FISA judges, chosen from throughout the federal bench for seven-year terms, are all appointed by the chief justice. In fact, every FISA judge currently serving was appointed by Roberts, who will continue making such appointments until he retires or dies. FISA judges dont need confirmation by Congress or anyone else.
No other part of U.S. law works this way. The chief justice cant choose the judges who rule on health law, or preside over labor cases, or decide software patents. But when it comes to surveillance, the composition of the bench is entirely in his hands, and, as a result, so is the extent to which the National Security Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation can spy on citizens.
It really is up to these FISA judges to decide what the law means and what the NSA and FBI gets to do, said Julian Sanchez, a privacy scholar at the Cato Institute. So Roberts is single-handedly choosing the people who get to decide how much surveillance were subject to.
CONTINUED...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/07/05/did-you-know-john-roberts-is-also-chief-justice-of-the-nsas-surveillance-state/
And the Secret Government plays a central role in war and the profits generated thereby. WikiLeaks let us know just how insidious a role this Secret Government plays:
Wikileaks Release Suggests STRATFOR Inside Info Plan with Goldman Sachs Exec
By Ryan Villarreal: Subscribe to Ryan's RSS feed
IBTimes.com
February 27, 2012 6:26 PM EST
WikiLeaks released more than 5 million e-mails Monday hacked from U.S.-based global intelligence firm Strategy Forecasting Inc. (Stratfor), revealing an alleged plan between the firm's CEO and a Goldman Sachs executive to set up an investment fund that would rely on inside information gathered by the company.
A September 2011 company-wide e-mail composed by Stratfor CEO George Friedman indicates that Goldman Sachs financial adviser and former Managing Director Shea Morenz was directly involved in the establishment of the investment fund StratCap.
"Shea Morenz provided us with two opportunities," wrote Friedman.
"First, he made an investment in Stratfor designed to give us the capital needed to build our staff and our marketing. Second, he proposed a new venture, StratCap, which would allow us to utilize the intelligence we were gathering about the world in a new but related venue -- an investment fund. Where we had previously advised other hedge funds. We would now have our own, itself fully funded by Shea."
CONTINUED...
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/305532/20120227/wikileaks-stratfor-stratcap-goldman-sachs-fund-julian.htm
So, yes, the judges do play a big role in war and its profits. And, yes, while Reagan did not appoint Roberts to SCROTUS, Reagan did enjoy Robert's racist thinking. Of course, Roberts would go on to play a role in foisting George W Bush on us, 5-4, as an attorney working Florida.
Almost forgot:
Know your BFEE: Siegelman Judge is a big-time War Profiteer
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This President is why America today is run by warmongers and traitors! [View all]
Octafish
Sep 2013
OP
The next batch of 18 year old voters were born in Clinton's second term....
Spitfire of ATJ
Sep 2013
#21
He invented and fomented the Politics of Spite. It hit full on, domestically, and
ancianita
Sep 2013
#114
The 49 state Electoral College victory was why the Democratic Leadership Council,
Beer Swiller
Sep 2013
#96
HAH! Remember when Queen Nancy commented - "look at all those beautiful white faces"
calimary
Sep 2013
#63
And kill brown people and destabilize countries and steal and exploit AND FLAUNT IT ALL!
Catherina
Sep 2013
#10
i literally could feel the mood of the country change overnight when he was elected
noiretextatique
Sep 2013
#20
I never believed that either Ronald Reagan nor Nancy's astrologer were in charge.
Scuba
Sep 2013
#29
These words describe the ring of the speech that Obama gave this evening; that America controls the
DhhD
Sep 2013
#56
It's this thing called PROPAGANDA and its main organ of promulgation, Corporate McPravda...
Octafish
Sep 2013
#43
It's too bad he didn't remain an actor instead of pretending to be a President.
Uncle Joe
Sep 2013
#54
I look forward to the day we change the name of Reagan Airport to Martin Luther King Memorial
Zorra
Sep 2013
#34
Reagan, Hoover, Bush are the 3 best examples of why you shouldn't let your kids grow...
TeamPooka
Sep 2013
#37
Someone, please tell me how I can preserve this thread forever. I want to be able to use excerpts
kelliekat44
Sep 2013
#42
Excellent post. Thanks for pointing out he announced in Philadelphia, Mississippi.
SunSeeker
Sep 2013
#44
I do agree that reagan was a pos and responsible for a lot of shit wrong today but...
Ohio Joe
Sep 2013
#46
Don't think he meant obama. I think he means the trans-administration "government"
Scootaloo
Sep 2013
#58
So what? Like I wrote, not entirely. But here's more on why I feel that way...
Octafish
Sep 2013
#113
"no matter what your or some people say" - Thanks for putting words in my mouth
Ohio Joe
Sep 2013
#115
Pruneface wanted to ban the Department of Education and classify ketchup as a vegetable.
Octafish
Sep 2013
#145
Pruneface brought death to hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of innocents in Central America.
Octafish
Sep 2013
#146
Thank you. Until recently I didn't know about the significance of the location of his announcement.
Overseas
Sep 2013
#61
when his dad and brother worked for the wpa in dixon il he became a fdr democrat.
madrchsod
Sep 2013
#71
I'm curious about the connections between the Nazis who escaped after WWII and today's "Neo-Nazis"
LongTomH
Sep 2013
#112
Home interest rates set at 13.5%; underwater until the last few years of the home loan. Then came
DhhD
Sep 2013
#98
Only took a couple hundred years and they managed to turn us into what we escaped from.
raouldukelives
Sep 2013
#132
For many of US these are truly Death Valley Days, Sir. I'll add a few related links this Patriot's
bobthedrummer
Sep 2013
#134
If Obama had started a New Deal type program soon after he was first elected, like FDR did,
Zorra
Sep 2013
#154
This is one of the Best threads I've read in a long time! Much of it should be in history books. nt
adirondacker
Sep 2013
#153