Barchfield writes: "Two American journalists...said Saturday they've teamed up to report on the National Security Agency's role in what one called a 'U.S. assassination program.'"
Reporters Glenn Greenwald and Jeremy Scahill. (photo: AP)
Greenwald-Scahill to Report on 'NSA and US Assassinations'
30 September 13
wo American journalists known for their investigations of the United States' government said Saturday they've teamed up to report on the National Security Agency's role in what one called a "U.S. assassination program."
The journalists provided no evidence of the purported U.S. program at the news conference, nor details of who it targeted.
Jeremy Scahill, a contributor to The Nation magazine and the New York Times best-selling author of "Dirty Wars," said he will be working with Glenn Greenwald, the Rio-based journalist who has written stories about U.S. surveillance programs based on documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.
"The connections between war and surveillance are clear. I don't want to give too much away but Glenn and I are working on a project right now that has at its center how the National Security Agency plays a significant, central role in the U.S. assassination program," said Scahill, speaking to moviegoers in Rio de Janeiro, where the documentary based on his book made its Latin American debut at the Rio Film Festival.
"There are so many stories that are yet to be published that we hope will produce 'actionable intelligence,' or information that ordinary citizens across the world can use to try to fight for change, to try to confront those in power," said Scahill.
"Dirty Wars" the film, directed by Richard Rowley, traces Scahill's investigations into the Joint Special Operations Command, or JSOC. The movie, which won a prize for cinematography at the Sundance Film Festival, follows Scahill as he hopscotches around the globe, from Afghanistan to Yemen to Somalia, talking to the families of people killed in the U.S. strikes.
Neither Scahill nor Greenwald, who also appeared at the film festival's question and answer panel, provided many details about their joint project.
Greenwald has been making waves since the first in a series of stories on the NSA spying program appeared in Britain's Guardian newspaper in June. Last week, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff postponed a scheduled state dinner with Obama after television reports to which Greenwald had contributed revealed that American spy programs had aggressively targeted the Brazilian government and private citizens.
Rousseff railed against the U.S. surveillance during her address to the United Nations General Assembly earlier this week.
Both Scahill and Greenwald applauded Rousseff's reactions to the revelations, but they warned that U.S. spying could be replaced espionage by another government if care isn't taken.
"The really important thing to realize is the desire for surveillance is not a uniquely American attribute," said Greenwald. "America has just devoted way more money and way more resources than anyone else to spying on the world.
|
THE NEW STREAMLINED RSN LOGIN PROCESS: Register once, then login and you are ready to comment. All you need is a Username and a Password of your choosing and you are free to comment whenever you like! Welcome to the Reader Supported News community. |
Comments
We are concerned about a recent drift towards vitriol in the RSN Reader comments section. There is a fine line between moderation and censorship. No one likes a harsh or confrontational forum atmosphere. At the same time everyone wants to be able to express themselves freely. We'll start by encouraging good judgment. If that doesn't work we'll have to ramp up the moderation.
General guidelines: Avoid personal attacks on other forum members; Avoid remarks that are ethnically derogatory; Do not advocate violence, or any illegal activity.
Remember that making the world better begins with responsible action.
- The RSN Team
The second problem is that so few Americans understand what an oligarchy is or how they operate. They only understand that they are "billionaires," which is sometimes true but there are also oligarchical families.
Oligarchies work through institutions they control. These are the media, the intelligence agencies, law enforcement agencies like the FBI, think tanks. They control social organizations and advocacy organizations like the Council on Foreign Relations or the Federalist Society or the Heritage Foundation. These groups are were people with social power meet and exchange ideas and take back plans of action to their own spheres.
The oligarchy is also deeply embedded into the military through weapons contractors and retired generals who retain a lot of influence over active generals.
Bezos' wealth is not particularly important. He's just a robber baron as capitalism has always hosted. His ownership of the Washonton Post is much more important.
Of all the politicians named above, probably Sanders is the only one who is not "wholly owned" by the oligarchs. The rest are probably just career climbers. They will do or say what is needed in order to get the next job.
Did you mean 'not "wholly owned"'? Otherwise this doesn't make sense.
In Russia, straight up bribery is still the most common way to influence government. In the US bribery is seldom needed. It is about networks and relations. It is about the people who belong to the right group. It is about institutions promoting their own.
How do you think the oligarchy works in the US? I'd be interested.
the Indonesian Trump golf course-amusemen t park China government ZTE scandal, involving the apparent of half a billion to a billion dollars; the Quatar blockade-Saudi- UAE-Michael Cohen-Kushner-6 66 5th Ave scandal involving a similar amount; the Russian oligarch-Michae l Cohen- oh I can't even remember. And the Trump Postmaster General attempted shakedown of Bezos. And of course Stormy Daniels. The point is that the M.O. is always the same: to Stormy, "cute little girl you got here, shame if anything happened to her mother". To Qatar: "nice little country you got here, shame if anything happened to it..." To China: "nice little economy you got here, shame if we had to put on tariffs or sanctions". That shakedown lasted throughout the election campaign, and ended in 3 days after the Chinese investment in Trump-Indonesia . The fact that Qatar is an important ally, that Palestinians deserve a homeland and that Kushner-Netanya hu-Adelson's policy is also terrible for Israel, that ZTE phones are a security risk, that ZTE violated Iran and North Korea sanctions, that the Iran deal was working and is infinitely better than anything Trump can hope to achieve with N Korea, that Putin kills journalists... carries no weight, when profits are involved. The tax cuts have almost sealed our fate, for that is a bribe to all the very wealthy to not let progressives threaten Trump's kleptocracy.
If Dems ignore this..
Yet--Bernie, a white kid who had been speaking out for human rights since high school, was arrested for civil rights activities in the early 70s when Hillary was primping as a Goldwater Girl to attend the 1964 Republican convention. (When I watched that on TV I was so nauseated I resigned membership in the Republican party!)
And Congressman Lewis had the gall to campaign for Hillary Clinton and say he didn't think much of Bernie. SHAME, Mr Lewis. SHAME. Until you apologize I will always wonder who got to you.
So when Republicans run blogs bearing his picture, it's to convince voters that the Sanders movement has taken over the Democratic Party, which Bernie supporters can only wish were true.
The center-right or neo-liberal/neo -conservative wing of the democratic party is dying. It is hated and distrusted. It will hang on with all its might, but it is not the future of the democratic party. What Sanders represents is the future. We should be grateful for his efforts in propelling the progressive/soc ialist/populist faction to the forefront.
You'd get your Hillary v. Trump rematch.
Me, please pass the oxycontin. I want to be comfortably numb for the whole election season.