ucrdem
ucrdem's JournalThe Mysterious Mr Snowden
“Somebody told me they thought he killed a man once.”
A thrill passed over all of us. . .
“Oh, no,” said the first girl, “it couldn’t be that, because he was in the American army during the war.” As our credulity switched back to her she leaned forward with enthusiasm. “You look at him sometimes when he thinks nobody’s looking at him. I’ll bet he killed a man.”
Ignore politics at your peril.
It's not sports, it's not show biz for ugly people, it's people's lives. Why do we keep forgetting that? 
CATO Institute, "How the NSA Spies on Americans":
Ain't it grand to know that "progressives" are making common cause with the Koch-funded CATO institute?
catoinstitutevideo, uploaded 4 days ago.
Webpage: http://www.youtube.com/user/catoinstitutevideo?feature=watch
Okay here's a little more elaboration, with links:
Pardon the recycling but I just typed this in another thread:
This type of manufactured "scandal" is pure GOP ratfuck, the transparent purposes of which are to a) handicap Obama in every way possible, in this case by undermining his position in last weekend's US-China summit, and b) discourage swing voters from supporting Democrats in 2014. And that's worth pointing out and making a stink about, IMHO.
And here are two links to show that Obama was, in fact, handicapped during the US-China summit:
by Ari Shapiro | NPR | June 08, 2013 5:25 AM
President Obama always intended to talk about spying this weekend. But not like this.
He's at a sprawling estate in the Southern California desert this weekend, getting to know China's new leader, but domestic controversies have followed him there.
The president veered off his talking points Friday to spend more than ten minutes defending a pair of massive surveillance operations that the media recently disclosed.
(snip)
Some members of Obama's own party are now attacking him for overreaching, and civil liberties groups are comparing him unfavorably to President George W. Bush. So Obama was feeling the heat before he took off for to Palm Springs.
(snip)
Xi and his entourage are not sleeping in the guest rooms, though. The Chinese delegation decided to stay at a hotel nearby out of fear that the U.S. might be spying on them. . .
http://www.npr.org/2013/06/08/189724905/nsa-scandal-looms-over-obama-xi-talks
The Guardian, Sunday 9 June 2013 04.48 EDT
Obama's meeting with Xi overshadowed by revelations of NSA's snooping – but deals are made on N Korea and HFCs emissions
The Chinese contrition over cyber-attacks that Washington had hoped for failed to materialise, but historic talks between presidents Obama and Xi Jinping lived up to their billing in other regards with agreement on issues ranging from climate change to North Korea.
Meeting in the baking heat of a Palm Springs country estate, the two leaders broke with protocol for two days of informal talks aimed at creating a new spirit of co-operation between the world's two economic superpowers.
The common ground they found, however, was not quite what the White House expected as talks on cyber-espionage were overshadowed by revelations of Washington's own cyberwarfare strategy.
Both leaders discussed the issue for several hours, according to aides, but the best that the US was able to boast afterwards was that Beijing was no longer unaware of the depth of feeling on the subject.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/09/us-china-summit-barack-obama-xi-jinping
Ratfucking is the term of art for GOP dirty tricks used to demoralize Democrats
coined by Nixon campaign operative Donald Segretti. Typically it involves false or grossly distorted accusations coming from a disguised source, like a Dem candidate's stolen letterhead, or SBVT. The idea is to sow confusion among voters and make the Dem candidate look bad by having to deal with a lot of ginned up dirt. Swiftboating in other words. Good discussion by DU member freshwest here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=2789308
Not at all. Just the opposite in fact:
Bush-Cheney acted recklessly and lawlessly and also managed to set up an entirely new security infrastructure that hadn't existed under Clinton. All Congressionally sanctioned and all in place when BO took office. Obama a) hasn't acted recklessly and lawlessly and b) hasn't expanded the security establishment. And hés instituted oversight and legality where it was lacking.
Listen to what he had to say about electronic surveillance on Friday, starting at the reporter's question at 11:45, and you'll see what I'm talking about:
Even if you disagree with the policy there's no way Obama's handling of it aligns with Bush's. And executing US policy is his constitutional responsibility.
Kerry and Obama in sunny Palm Springs
. . . sunny as in 110 degrees. Two-day US-China summit, Friday and today:
President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry sit across the table from Chinese President Xi Jinping as they meet for talks at the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands Friday, June 7, 2013, in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Seeking a fresh start to a complex relationship, the two leaders are retreating to the sprawling desert estate for two days of talks on high-stakes issues, including cybersecurity and North Korea's nuclear threats. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
http://news.yahoo.com/photos/president-barack-obama-secretary-state-john-kerry-sit-photo-073755651.html
Snapshots from a local paper:
PBO and China's President Xi
JK grabs a bite
Jerry Brown already ate!
PBO hops out of AF1 after dodging bullets in Santa Monica
Presidents Obama, Xi wrap day 1 of Sunnylands summit
Jun. 7, 2013
RANCHO MIRAGE President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up the first day of their historic meeting about 8 p.m. Friday.
They moved onto a brief conference with the media before beginning dinner shortly before 9 p.m., according to an update from the White House Press Office.
The presidents will meet again Saturday morning.
Earlier in the evening, Obama welcomed Xi to the U.S., saying the Chinese president is remembered fondly in Iowa, where he visited previously, and noting that Xi attended an L.A. Lakers game last year.
Xi’s decision to meet Obama so early in his presidency — he took office in March — reflected on the importance of their relationship, Obama said in media notes forwarded by the White House.
The conversation at Sunnylands could be critical to shaping their future relationship, Obama said.
“The United States welcomes the continuing peaceful rise of China as a world power,” Obama said. “In fact, it’s in the United States’ interest that China continues on the path to success.”
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130607/NEWS01/306070004/Locals-gather-catch-glimpse-Air-Force-One
Video in LBN thread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014502822
Obama-Xi Palm Springs summit: Cyber security, North Korea, and Syria on US-China agenda
Source: UK Telegraph
the venue, a 200-acre "ranch" known as Sunnyland
By Tom Phillips, Shanghai and Peter Foster in Washington, 1:13PM BST 07 Jun 2013
Barack Obama and the new Chinese president Xi Jinping will meet at a Californian ranch on Friday and Saturday for an unprecedented "informal" summit designed to reset relations at a critical juncture in the modern US-China relationship. The following are the key issues that are expected to top the agenda:
CYBER SECURITY - On the American side, this is fast becoming a top-tier issue after an avalanche of US allegations accusing China of involvement in a wave of attacks on US businesses, media organisations and government institutions. Last week the Washington Post obtained a report claiming Chinese hackers had even compromised designs for some of the most important US weapons systems and Chuck Hagel, the US defense secretary, warned that continued attacks threatened "dangerous outcomes".
(snip)
SYRIA - Mr Obama will touch on US frustrations over China's refusal to back UN resolutions on Syria. China has called on the international community to play an "active and constructive role" in resolving the Syrian crisis and has condemned EU moves to end an arms embargo restriction on the supply of weapons to opposition groups. Washington seems unlikely to make much headway on Syria. In an interview with Foreign Policy last week, China's new US ambassador suggested Beijing was unlikely to change its position.
(snip)
CLIMATE CHANGE - Climate change is perhaps one of the most daunting issues on the Obama-Xi agenda but analysts suggest it also offers one of the best opportunities for a public show of unity between the world's top two carbon emitters. In his 2013 State of the Union speech Barack Obama praised China for "going all-in on clean energy" and urged his country to act against climate change "before it's too late".
Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/10106009/Obama-Xi-summit-cyber-security-North-Korea-and-Syria-on-US-China-agenda.html
Why Palm Springs, I don't know, but it's probably going to top 110 degrees before the day's out.
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