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Stephen Boyle

New Bill Known As Enemy Expatriation Act Would Allow Government To Strip Citizenship Wi... - 0 views

  • HR 3166 and S. 1698 also known as the Enemy Expatriation Act, sponsored by Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Charles Dent (R-PA)
  • give the US government the power to strip Americans of their citizenship without being convicted of being “hostile” against the United States. In other words, you can be stripped of your nationality for “engaging in, or purposefully and materially supporting, hostilities against the United States.” Legally, the term “hostilities” means any conflict subject to the laws of war but considering the fact that the War on Terror is a little ambiguous and encompassing, any action could be labeled as supporting terrorism. Since the Occupy movement began, conservatives have been trying to paint the protesters as terrorists.
  • US government merely has to strip Americans of their citizenship and the NDAA will apply. And they will be able to do so without convicting the accused in a court of law.
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    New bills to strip anyone hostile of citizenship then hold them subject to NDAA terrorist law of war. No judgement in court.
Stephen Boyle

Barack Obama: Statement on Signing the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Ye... - 0 views

  • The fact that I support this bill as a whole does not mean I agree with everything in it. In particular, I have signed this bill despite having serious reservations with certain provisions that regulate the detention, interrogation, and prosecution of suspected terrorists.
  • Section 1028 modifies but fundamentally maintains unwarranted restrictions on the executive branch's authority to transfer detainees to a foreign country.
  • I reject any approach that would mandate military custody where law enforcement provides the best method of incapacitating a terrorist threat
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  • signed this bill on the understanding that section 1022 provides the executive branch with broad authority to determine how best to implement it, and with the full and unencumbered ability to waive any military custody requirement, including the option of waiving appropriate categories of cases when doing so is in the national security interests of the United States
  • My Administration will interpret section 1021 in a manner that ensures that any detention it authorizes complies with the Constitution, the laws of war, and all other applicable law.
  • like section 1027, would, under certain circumstances, violate constitutional separation of powers principles.
  • provision represents an intrusion into the functions and prerogatives of the Department of Justice and offends the longstanding legal tradition that decisions regarding criminal prosecutions should be vested with the Attorney General free from outside interference.
  • Like section 1244, should any application of these provisions conflict with my constitutional authorities, I will treat the provisions as non-binding.
  • My Administration has worked tirelessly to reform or remove the provisions described above in order to facilitate the enactment of this vital legislation, but certain provisions remain concerning. My Administration will aggressively seek to mitigate those concerns through the design of implementation procedures and other authorities available to me as Chief Executive and Commander in Chief, will oppose any attempt to extend or expand them in the future, and will seek the repeal of any provisions that undermine the policies and values that have guided my Administration throughout my time in office.
Stephen Boyle

Backers of emergency manager law repeal vote win a round in Michigan Appeals Court | De... - 0 views

  • Bob LaBrant of Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility, the group opposing the ballot initiative, said an appeal will be filed with the Michigan Supreme Court in the next one to two weeks. LaBrant said today’s ruling was not unexpected.If the repeal question is certified for the ballot, the emergency manager law will be suspended until the Nov. 6 election. But for that to happen, the State Board of Canvassers would have to meet and act as the appeals court has ordered. LaBrant said an appeal will be filed and the order will be stayed before the question is certified.
  • it believed that earlier case was wrongly decided.
  • Last week, a three-judge panel of the appeals court reluctantly ruled the question should go on the ballot, saying it was compelled to reach such a decision by a precedent set in an earlier case. But the panel unanimously said it believed that earlier case was wrongly decided.
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  • Today, the full panel rejected that step without stating its reasons.“The court orders that a special panel shall not be convened,” it said in a terse order.
  • Pugh noted that the consent agreement wasn't solely based on that law, and large portions of the city's deal with the state may stay in place no matter the impact of the court's ruling. Gov. Rick Snyder's administration has said much the same.
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    A panel of seven judges from the State Board of Appeals will NOT be formed. This places the repeal of PA4 on the ballot for Nov 6. However Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility vows to have the order stayed and take the case to Michigan Supreme Court.
Stephen Boyle

Full-Blown Civil War Erupts On Wall Street - Financial Elite Start Turning On Each Othe... - 0 views

  • $196 billion lawsuit just filed against 17 major banks on behalf of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Bank of America is severely exposed in this lawsuit. As the parent company of Countrywide and Merrill Lynch they are on the hook for $57.4 billion. JP Morgan is next in the line of fire with $33 billion. And many death spiraling European banks are facing billions in losses as well. FHA Files a $196 Billion Lawsuit Against 17 Banks The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), as conservator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises), today filed lawsuits against 17 financial institutions, certain of their officers and various unaffiliated lead underwriters. The suits allege violations of federal securities laws and common law in the sale of residential private-label mortgage-backed securities (PLS) to the Enterprises
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    Sept 6, 2011 - Federal Housing Finance Agency filed lawsuits against 17 lending institutions totaling $196 billion. Many of these will be settled for nickels on the dollar.
Stephen Boyle

Supreme Court Blocks Ban on Corporate Political Spending - NYTimes.com - 0 views

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    Article from January 21, 2010 when CORPORATE PERSONHOOD became law and corporations were given the ability to spend as much as they would like on campaign funding for politicians,.
Stephen Boyle

Daily Operations of the Legislative Branch (Checks and Balances: Three Branches of Amer... - 0 views

    • Stephen Boyle
       
      Citizens United vs FEC changed this by allowing corporations to contribute money into campaign funding and not placing any limit on such funding.
  • Because it is illegal for corporations to donate money directly to a congressional campaign,
  • businesses create political action committees, called PACs
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  • Lobbyists help members of Congress analyze how their votes on particular bills will affect their chances to be reelected. They also analyze the chances that different bills, or proposed laws, have of passing Congress. Lobbyists supply members of Congress with information concerning the subject matter of congressional bills. When congressional committees hold hearings, lobbyists testify, or speak, before the committees in an effort to influence the passing of a law their clients want.
  • According to Parenti, "Lobbyists make themselves so helpful that members of Congress sometimes rely on them to perform tasks normally done by congressional staffs. Lobbyists will draft legislation, write speeches, and plant stories in the press on behalf of cooperative lawmakers."
Stephen Boyle

Remarks of the President in Welcoming Senior Staff and Cabinet Secretaries to the White... - 0 views

  • However long we are keepers of the public trust we should never forget that we are here as public servants and public service is a privilege. It's not about advantaging yourself. It's not about advancing your friends or your corporate clients. It's not about advancing an ideological agenda or the special interests of any organization. Public service is, simply and absolutely, about advancing the interests of Americans.
  • They also deserve to know that there are rules on the books to keep it that way. They deserve a government that is truly of, by, and for the people.
  • The executive order on ethics I will sign shortly represents a clean break from business as usual.
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  • The way to make government responsible is to hold it accountable. And the way to make government accountable is make it transparent so that the American people can know exactly what decisions are being made, how they're being made, and whether their interests are being well served.
  • the way to solve the problems of our time, as one nation, is by involving the American people in shaping the policies that affect their lives
  • It will be withheld because a separate authority believes my request is well grounded in the Constitution.
  • Starting today, every agency and department should know that this administration stands on the side not of those who seek to withhold information but those who seek to make it known.
  • I will also hold myself as President to a new standard of openness. Going forward, anytime the American people want to know something that I or a former President wants to withhold, we will have to consult with the Attorney General and the White House Counsel, whose business it is to ensure compliance with the rule of law. Information will not be withheld just because I say so
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    Transparency of government pledged through Executive Order
Stephen Boyle

The Avalon Organic Gardens, Farm, and Ranch Report » Blog Archive » CSA News ... - 0 views

  • OSGATA and company finally got their day in court on Jan. 31. Approximately 200 farmers and supporters showed up in front of the Federal District Court in Manhattan for opening arguments. Occupy Wall Street’s food justice working group helped organize the rally, though they are not plaintiffs in the suit. “We’re part of OWS, which is all about corporate consolidation, and you can’t discuss that without addressing agriculture,” says Corbin Laedlein, a member of the working group.
  • idea of a suit to the Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT), a group that wants to change how patent law works in the U.S., and PUBPAT took on the case pro bono
  • if Hantz comes in, it will be like the Walmart of urban farming, and will annihilate the small producers who are dependent on restaurants to buy the high-end produce so they can run these socially beneficial programs.
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    Hantz comes in, it will be like the Walmart of urban farming, and will annihilate the small producers who are dependent on restaurants to buy the high-end produce so they can run these socially beneficial programs.
Stephen Boyle

Obama Administration Seeks More Secrecy for Govt. Files - 0 views

  • Justice Department Director of the Office of Information Policy, Melanie Ann Pustay (pictured above), called on Congress to weaken the Freedom of Information of Act [FOIA] and strengthen the ability of the federal government to prevent the disclosure of documents deemed critical to the safety of the nation's cybersecurity and infrastructure.
  • In Fiscal Year 2011, agencies were faced with an increase in the number of incoming FOIA requests, which rose from 597,415 in Fiscal Year 2010 to 644,165 in Fiscal Year 2011. Notably, the Department of Homeland Security experienced a 35% increase in the number of incoming requests.
  • Under provisions of the FOIA, anyone may compel agencies of the government to surrender copies of federal records. According to applicable exceptions to the law, a petitioner is entitled to receive the requested documents unless the disclosure would demonstrably negatively impact national security, violate personal privacy, or unnecessarily reveal business secrets or other confidential decision-making considerations.
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    Justice Department Director asks Congress to weaken FOIA, and prevent disclosure.
Stephen Boyle

Transportation - 0 views

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    Title 49 of Code of Federal Regulations - Transportation
Stephen Boyle

PA 4 not dead yet; Bing ready to impose union contracts … it's a race to July... - 0 views

  • The consent agreement between the state and the city of Detroit grants Bing some powers that are normally granted only to an emergency manager. Specifically, a month after the agreement was signed, Bing gained the power to impose union contracts, but only on unions whose current contracts have expired. This is why July 1 is important: About 80 percent of the city’s union contracts expire that day.
  • State law says that if the petition is certified, PA 4 is suspended until the vote.
  • The full court declined to do that, and the appeals court told the board of canvassers to go back and certify the Stand Up For Democracy petition, with the effect of placing the question on the ballot.
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  • Citizens For Fiscal Responsibility plans to appeal to the Michigan Supreme Court. Now, the high court’s rules say that if there’s an appeal, the appellate court’s decision is stayed for 42 days, which carries us well past July 1.
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    Union contracts are at stake if the order to place the Repeal of PA4 on the ballot is not moved forward immediately.
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