The lawsuit won't work.

There will be some information that might come forward and some traction with disclosure to the extent the court needs to make decisions, but, it won't do anything to end the government program. We've been there before.

This is political hubris by the ACLU. I hope Mr. Snowdone is well. He did the right thing. He exposed the corrupt practice of Wall Street purchase of national security access. He may or may not have intended for that to be exposed, but, it is the most valuable aspect of his exposure of the NSA. I sincerely hope he is okay. He did it out of service to others and without importance of self. I wish him well. He exposure of the NSA is primarily benign.

by Shaun Nichols

11 Jun 2013

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) (click here) has filed suit over the controversial National Security Agency (NSA) domestic surveillance programme.

The group said that it had filed complaint over the agency's policies on monitoring phone calls and the collection of customer data from US carrier Verizon. According to the ACLU, the phone surveillance violates the civil rights of customers.

In particular, the ACLU cited a part of the Patriot Act, Section 215, which it believes allows for warrantless and illegal collection of phone records.

The ACLU argues that as a customer of Verizon Business Network Services (VBNS) it has had its own company data jeopardized by the NSA collection of records....

What? 

Google, Microsoft, Facebook and others don't already have government transparency? Joking. It would seem they aren't going about this the right way, they needed to compete for Petreaus when he was up for grabs. Ah, but, alas. Private equity was the highest bidder.

Reuters – 5 hrs ago

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp.  on Tuesday (click here) urged the U.S. government for greater transparency on requests for data from security agencies.

It follows a demand from Google, Inc earlier on Tuesday for permission to publish the total number of government requests for national security  information.

"Permitting greater transparency on the aggregate volume and scope of national security requests, including FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) orders, would help the community understand and debate these important issues," Microsoft said in an emailed statement.

"Our recent report went as far as we legally could and the government should take action to allow companies to provide additional transparency".

Both Microsoft and Google, along with other Internet companies, have come under scrutiny following disclosures in The Guardian and Washington Post newspapers of their roles in a National Security Agency data collection program named Prism.

Let me see if I get this right. Mr. Snowden exposed the NSA for collecting data from the telecommunications industry. Right? That is correct. The reason Mr. Snowden did that was to let Americans know what was going on with their personal information. The 'idea' was to have Americans demand greater privacy.

So.

Why would all these telecommunication giants look for more transparency from the USA government? To begin, they already have the data they released without asking their customers EXCEPT in those "I agree"ments everyone clicks on because they don't have any other choice.

I suppose Bill Gates, the man that stole technology from others to start his own business (Talk about leaking. Sorry, corporate espionage.), wants the government to tell the 'here is all the information you want' industry what they are doing with the information. Joking.

Gee, I suppose they might be worried about the lawsuits already filed today, huh? Wouldn't it be interesting to find out there is a detainee unknown to anyone at Gitmo with information obtained when Microsoft rolled over. Man you talk about liability.

At any rate, now that nearly the entire of the telecommunication industry has indulged their clients greatest fears by releasing information to the government, they want more transparency to know what every other company disclosed. I think that is a greater invasion of privacy than originally committed by the USA government in their to be known lawful programs.

More government transparency for a telecommunications industry with absolutely no morals? NO!

Private Equity and National Security Clearance. Why is this getting to be redundant?

Do I have to have a security clearance to become a Navy SEAL? (click here)

All SEAL candidates must be eligible for a Secret-level security clearance.

The Private Equity Company Gomez works for doesn't even trade in the USA.

..We (Advent International) were founded (click here) with the specific brief of investing internationally....

Investments aboard is very, very different than investment in the USA. It isn't just cultural or speaking a different language. Governments are different and the ability to invest is sometimes blocked by laws. His experience in business has nothing to do with American investment. Without looking closely, I have to wonder if it doesn't hurt American investment.

...Gomez pursued a transfer i(click here) nto the Navy SEALS, an elite unit where only 20
percent of applicants complete the arduous training.  Gabriel was warned that if he failed to make the cut, he would lose his status as a Navy pilot. He succeeded as a SEAL with distinction, becoming the class leader during training and a platoon commander upon completion

As a Principal with Boston-based investment firm Advent International, Gabriel helped pension funds, endowments, and retirement systems invest for their members’ retirement.  He also helped grow smaller, regional businesses into national, household names – like apparel company Lululemon....

I admire you. Mississippi needs you.

Mississippi needs an infusion of 

vitality, a belief in the future. Mississippi needs to move out of poverty and demoralized lives. They need purpose, dreams and hope to recover their heart and soul to rise to a higher understanding of life.

They need hopelessness removed. They need to believe they are worthy of aspiration and achievement.

They are good people. I know this can happen, especially now.

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. June 11, 2013 (AP)

Myrlie Evers-Williams (click here) acknowledges it would be easy to remain mired in bitterness and anger, 50 years after a sniper's bullet made her a widow....

...Events including a black-tie gala are being held this week to remember Evers, the first Mississippi field secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. He was 37 when he was assassinated on June 12, 1963.

"We are cursed as human beings with this element that's called hatred, prejudice and racism," said Evers-Williams, now 80. "But it is my belief that, as it was Medgar's, that there is something good and decent in each and every one of us, and we have to call on that, and we have to find a way to work together."...

Shopping mall protest is hijacked by violence.

11 June 2013 Last updated at 15:08 ET

...Protesters stayed in nearby Gezi Park, (click here) returning to Taksim Square, as police operations continued into the evening.

The unrest began after a crackdown on an environmental protest over Gezi Park's redevelopment.

The protests then widened, with demonstrators accusing Mr Erdogan's government of becoming increasingly authoritarian and trying to impose conservative Islamic values on a secular state....

Prime Minister Erdogan needs to meet with those concerned for the park and seek alternatives. This is ridiculous. There is no reason to escalate this into confrontation and violence.

The Republicans, including Senator Grassley, are using and abusing OSC to oppose the President's nominations.

Our Mission

OSC’s primary mission (click here) is to safeguard the merit system by protecting federal employees and applicants from prohibited personnel practices, especially reprisal for whistleblowing. For a description of prohibited personnel practices (PPPs).

Republicans are submitting complaints on any whim to the OSC to obstruct the President's nominations. Currently, Mr. Jones, the nomination to the ATF is the most recent victim.

There is no reason Mr. Jones should be opposed as he was appointed to handle the egregious nature of the antics of the ATF. But, the Republicans are abusing power, AGAIN, to obstruct the operation of our government.

By Richard A. Serrano
June 11, 2013

WASHINGTON – B. Todd Jones, (click here) the acting director of the ATF who took over the agency in its meltdown with the Fast and Furious scandal, ran into immediate opposition Tuesday as he appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee for consideration as permanent director.

Republicans sought to block or delay the appointment until an internal investigation can be completed of Jones’ performance as the U.S. attorney in Minnesota.

Indeed, since Jones was nominated late last year to head the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, his chances of success have been difficult to gauge. No one has made it to the post since 2006, when the job was made subject to Senate confirmation and the National Rifle Assn. started vigorously opposing a series of nominees....

This abuse of power is a way to make President Obama feel the pain of his own initiative. The entire abuse of power by the Republicans to disable the function of our government is based in vindictiveness. There is no other reason.

by Dylan Blaylock on November 27, 2012 
After 13 Year Campaign, Federal Workers Get Long-Overdue Upgrades

GAP Legal Director Tom Devine commented: (click here)

"This reform took 13 years to pass because it can make so much difference against fraud, waste and abuse. Government managers at all levels made pleas and repeatedly blocked the bill through procedural sabotage. But once there were no more secret 'holds,' the WPEA passed unanimously, because no politician in a free society can openly oppose freedom of speech. Over the years, earlier versions of this law had been called the Taxpayer Protection Act. Nothing could set a better context for fiscal cliff negotiations than a unanimous, bipartisan consensus to protect those who risk their careers to protect the taxpayers. This victory reflects a consensus ranging from President Obama to Representative Darrell Issa. The mandate for this law is that the truth is the public's business."

The US Senate has started voting on the Immigration Bill.

June 11, 2013
By Kathleen Hunter

...The Senate measure, S.744, (click here) seeks to balance opening the door to U.S. citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants, sought by Democrats, with enough border-security improvements to satisfy Republicans. The measure includes an agreement reached last week between Democrats and Republican Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah on visas for high-skilled foreign workers.

“We would like to finish the farm bill next week so we can move on to immigration the week of the 10th,” Jentleson said in an e-mail. He said Reid, a Nevada Democrat, would “strongly prefer not to wait any longer” to begin working on the immigration bill.

Senate Democrats want to pass the immigration legislation before July 4....

Confirmed Tornadoes in Woodbine and Eldersburg

These smaller tornado events happen nearly daily now in the USA. It is not isolated to Oklahoma either. More and more the tornadoes are everywhere there is a 'heat sink.' It could be stated, the heat sinks are now generating their own tornadoes because there is no residual coolness in the troposphere anymore.

This is the Baltimore, Maryland area.

The national media could not care less about personal tragedy unless it is scandalous, provocative, sensational and producing profits. That is not an opinion, that is fact. One media service mimics the other because it pays to do so, not because there is anything worthwhile being stated. Literally, everyone follows the most extremely sensational story and seeks profits all along the way. The American national media isn't interested in providing service to the nation, they are interested in leveraging political power.

And by leveraging power, let me make myself clear. The national media is interested in leveraging power against the truth and in favor of Wall Street profits. Got that? 

In the case of the AP, it was leveraging power in favor of a Republican agenda. If compromising millions of people and the security of the Olympics could place a Republican in the White House, so what.

In the case of the NSA, it is to leverage power away from government authority and in favor of Wall Street control. Regardless, the citizen loses. If the programs end because of the media leveraging power, then citizens are victims. Ending the program does not benefit the citizen, it benefits Wall Street and it's ability to carry out it's own surveillance without government interference. In time equity companies can have their own priorities over that of the citizen because they have control and government lost it.

In the case of the IRS, it is all hubris. The IRS was struggling to find a method to do it's job after a wayward Supreme Court decision. Even Sandra Day O'Conner said, "Oops." What does anyone expect a government agency to do when the US legislature is dysfunctional and the US Supreme Court is lined with Right Wing Nuts?

It is all about leveraging power. The Republicans are attempting to turn the Senate majority into a minority right now, so the national media is more than happy to be a part of it. The Boston Herald is a right wing news agency and this is it's tilt. Part of their coverage is to develop the platform for more nut cases to turn out on election day in Massachusetts. Has nothing to do with fact or what is best, simply power.

“Independents (click here) seem to be further away from the Obama administration,” said Paleologos, adding that the scandals “are resonating, especially with independents.”

Rep. Markey needs to take the poll seriously and demand an interview in response to this report with The Boston Herald. Own it. The same paradigm was noted with Senator Warren, but, she had to hold the line every step of the way.

So, the national scandals are not about citizens, their rights, the facts or the truth, it is about INFLUENCE and election outcomes. Who cares if some poor sap had his garage destroyed because of a big weather event? The national media has to keep the Democrats from actually doing the right thing for the nation. That is far more important to Wall Street than any other coverage they can carry out.

Senator Markey needs to know what the proper role of government is and promise to carry it out. Any REASONABLE voter will respect that. He also has to ASK the state's electorate to turn out to vote. It is up to him to LEAD and not simply pander to attacks by media. He is fully capable of doing exactly that. DEMAND EQUAL TIME, SIR.

The media circus provides a distraction from the real issues of the day. It sidelines the election of leadership and assigns it to tabloid prophesy. Extremism.

June 11, 2013

...A fire official in Howard County (click here) reported high winds destroyed a building and detached garage were destroyed in the part of Woodbine that is in Howard County.

In the 3200-block of Starting Gate Court, homeowner Dennis Davison said he was just finished with dinner when he heard the wind and immediately ran to the front door of his Woodbine home.  

"Just in time to see pieces of garage go up in the air," he said. "There is no doubt in my mind that was a tornado."

He said it lifted car parts and other heavy equipment and tossed them like toys.

"This is what you see on TV," he said.  "I'm glad no one else got hit.  It took down a few trees, so hopefully the insurance company will cover it."

Near the Fork United Methodist Church near Harford Road, many people said they heard what sounded like a tornado.

"When I looked out my kitchen window, I saw everything just blowing like I've never seen before," said Laurie Herring. "I could hear this horrendous roar."...

This is due to The Climate Crisis caused by anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.

Stagnant air, is a clear and predicted outcome to the Anthropogenic Climate Crisis.

10 June 2013 Last updated at 10:40 ET

...Although water levels in Magdeburg (click here) were reported to be receding on Monday, the city and areas of the country further north remain on high alert.

In Hungary, 1,200 people had to leave their homes but flood defences in the capital Budapest appeared to have held.

At least 19 people have died in the floods in Central Europe.

Ten victims from the Czech Republic and five from Austria died after rivers rose to dangerous levels in both countries last week.

Analysts say the damage will cost billions of euros to clean up.

Meanwhile, parts of Poland's capital Warsaw were flooded on Sunday after hours of heavy rain.

One of the city's busiest motorways was inundated, and firefighters had to help stranded drivers to safety.... Sound familiar?

The New York Times is lying! One might ask why.

May 15, 2013 — A comprehensive analysis of peer-reviewed articles (click here) on the topic of global warming and climate change has revealed an overwhelming consensus among scientists that recent warming is human-caused.

The study is the most comprehensive yet and identified 4000 summaries, otherwise known as abstracts, from papers published in the past 21 years that stated a position on the cause of recent global warming -- 97 per cent of these endorsed the consensus that we are seeing human-made, or anthropogenic, global warming (AGW)

Led by John Cook at the University of Queensland, the study has been published 16 May, in IOP Publishing's journal Environmental Research Letters....

The Marine Biologist from New Zealand stated 'the international reputation' is one of a leader. She stated if New Zealand loses the Maui Dolphin it would be a defeat to that leadership. 

The USA has yet to lead to end the Climate Crisis.

The United States of America is FAILING.

With the loss of 150,000 people per year over the last 30 years due to the Climate Crisis, breakout events of the loss of 10's of thousands per event; the human being is IMPERILED. 

Fact, not fiction.

I might add the breakout events occurred in developed nations, not a Third World Country. They happened quickly and unpredictably. They happened when they could have been prevented.

The listing of the Polar Bear was the most iconic reality of the Climate Crisis caused by human activity.

...Polar bears live in one of the planet's coldest environments (click here) and depend on a thick coat of insulated fur, which covers a warming layer of fat. Fur even grows on the bottom of their paws, which protects against cold surfaces and provides a good grip on ice. The bear's stark white coat provides camouflage in surrounding snow and ice. But under their fur, polar bears have black skin—the better to soak in the sun's warming rays....

Lions and tigers and bears. They look like higher order species to me.

Trophy lions include this stuffed specimen at an international hunting exposition in Dortmund, Germany, in 2011.

By Miguel Llanos, NBC News

If wildlife activists have their way, (click here) U.S. hunters trekking to Africa soon won't be able to bring back any lion skins or skulls as trophies....

...African lion populations have seen "a substantial decline" over the past two decades and are estimated to be around 32,000, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which monitors species numbers globally. 

The threats include not only trophy hunters, but loss of habitat, humans eating lion meat, and commercial sale of their body parts, said Adam Roberts, executive vice president of Born Free USA...

Habitat loss by any species is extinction. Habitat loss is the most critical component to species survive. On a warming planet there are distinctive ways to end it. 

Encroachment is the word of choice, but, that sometimes implies permission to continue to destroy habitat or remove it. Encroachment is suppose to be a definitive term, now it is more or less a term of permission to continue to encroach and cause further loss. 

While most of the species facing extinction are viewed as a victim of human population growth, the fact there are droughts, extreme weather and floods destroying habitat means it is far more than human encroachment. It means there is something going on with Earth and not just human behavior. At least not just human behavior in destroying habitat, but, certainly human behavior in greenhouse gas emissions.

"The Sixth Extinction" published in 1995 (click here)

The Sixth Extinction

Niles Eldredge

An ActionBioscience.org original article

June 2001
There is little doubt left (click here) in the minds of professional biologists that Earth is currently faced with a mounting loss of species that threatens to rival the five great mass extinctions of the geological past. As long ago as 1993, Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson estimated that Earth is currently losing something on the order of 30,000 species per year — which breaks down to the even more daunting statistic of some three species per hour. Some biologists have begun to feel that this biodiversity crisis — this “Sixth Extinction” — is even more severe, and more imminent, than Wilson had supposed....

Can we stop the devastation of our planet and save our own species? We are in a biodiversity crisis — the fastest mass extinction in Earth’s history, largely due to:

• human destruction of ecosystems
• overexploitation of species and natural resources
• human overpopulation
• the spread of agriculture
• pollution

In an extinction environment, eventually, it will become the rule and not the exception.

...“Around 80 mammal species (click here) are used by international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to raise funds for conservation,” Professor Possingham said. 

“These flagship species, such as panda bears, tigers, lions and rhinos, are charismatic and have high marketing appeal, leading to the success of sponsorship programs. 

“However, if money is being raised for 80 charismatic species, what happens to the other 1000 threatened mammal species and the 19,000 threatened plants, birds, reptiles, frogs, insects and obscure species?” 

Most conservation dollars are spent within 100 kilometres of where they are raised, with the choice of which species to save is often based on ‘donor appeal' and the animal's closeness to extinction. 

“So if you're an obscure animal or plant in a remote place, you have next to no hope of getting conservation resources,” Professor Possingham said....

The 'Specialists' go extinct first in any mass extinction.

Biology and adaptation by species is a fascinating science. Individuals of a species over time will find 'niches' to live. The individuals adapt to the niche and survive. Reproduction and genetic adaptation take over and a subspecies or a variety will result.

This ability by nature is most frequently found in insects and plants. Plant species and insects frequently find each other and support an ecosystem. So, it can get very specialized to the extent that survival is LIMITED to a specific ecosystem. While hardy and thriving, if there are changes supporting that ecosystem either one or both die off.

These extinctions are nearly unnoticeable except for scientists involved with the study of the ecosystem. It isn't as though one day everything everywhere changes. That is not the case, but, it is like an epidemic that grows and grows when no one notices and then finally each species of larger order faces there extinction as well.

Zestos

June 10, 2013
Wildlife officials say 2 butterfly species extinct (click here)
By Kelli Kennedy

MIAMI -- Two butterfly species historically found in South Florida are likely now extinct, U.S. wildlife officials said Monday.

After several years of studying imperiled butterflies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service believes the Zestos (Epargyreus zestos oberon) and rockland grass (Hesperia meskei pinocayo) skippers are likely extinct.

The Zestos skipper was last observed at the Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden on Stock Island in 2004. That butterfly had not been observed on mainland Florida for decades. The rockland grass skipper was last observed at Everglades National Park in 2000, wildlife officials said in a statement.

Rockland Grass Skipper from Big Pine Key Island, Florida

The Zestos skipper wasn't considered imperiled globally because it is found throughout the Bahamas and eastern Antilles. It was only recently discovered that the Zestos skipper in Florida was a distinct subspecies, but it was gone before conservationists could protect it.

The rockland grass skipper was also believed extinct in the 1980s until it was briefly rediscovered on Big Pine Key in 1999. But it disappeared again before it could be saved, according to wildlife officials.

Butterfly scientists and activists have done extensive surveys in recent years in public conservation lands throughout South Florida and the Keys to determine the status of imperiled butterflies. Several wildlife groups have united to monitor the federally endangered Schaus swallowtail and Miami blue butterflies in the Florida Keys....

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/06/10/3443646/wildlife-officials-say-2-butterfly.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/06/10/3443646/wildlife-officials-say-2-butterfly.html#storylink=cpy

New Zealand's Maui's Dolphin Faces Extinction (click here)

10:40 AM Tuesday Jun 11, 2013

New Zealand is facing pressure to save the world's rarest dolphin at an international scientific meeting in what conservationists say is a test of the nation's "clean, green" credentials.

Fifty of any species is nearly guaranteed extinction by genetic selection alone.

Today NASA's Landsat Satellite is celebrating over 40 years of studying Earth.

After 40 years of study anyone would realize scientists would have learned something about Earth. 40 years of dedicated study isn't enough, huh?

For more than forty years, (click here) Landsat satellites have collected images of our planet...millions of them. As Landsat 8 begins its new mission—collecting more than 400 images per day—scientists are anticipating what that trove of observations will reveal about Earth’s surface.

“These are scientific data, as much as they’re beautiful images,” said Doug Morton, a scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center who uses Landsat data to study changes in forest ecosystems. “We can see that ecosystems are changing all the time, and Landsat data captures these changes like no other program in the world.”

In one patch of desert, where the Rio Grande makes a border between the United States and Mexico, the Landsats have captured hundreds of images for NASA and its partners at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Those photo-like, natural-color images show fields turning green and brown with the season; new urban and suburban developments expanding around El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico; changing angles of sunlight; and clouds moving over the neighboring mountains. They also reveal subtle changes in the sensors as technology improves with each generation of satellite....