Obama vs. Obama: Actor or President? - a story of continnuing flip-flopws by political acrobat (June 21, 2013)

US Justice Dept files criminal charges against Edward Snowden, leaker of secret NSA surveillance story

A story of continuing flip-flops by political acrobat; SaveTheFourthAmendment video documents latest reversal - re. NSA's secret spying on American citizens

HAIKU, Maui, June 21, 2013 - Promising one thing and doing the opposite is a game as old as American politics.

"Any time you hear a politician scream, you know someone has just told the truth," I wrote tongue-in-cheek in the early 19

90s regarding the "Keating Five" and the S&L crisis.

But I cannot think of many politicians who have done as many flip-flops on as many major issues as our reigning president - Barrack Obama. The man is a veritable political acrobat. Check this out...

A stunning video from which images came, produced by SaveTheFourthAmendment people on Youtube, was forwarded to me by my Thrive, the Movie friends. The short (2-min) film illustrates the latest of many Obama flip-flops.

This one has to do with secret NSA surveillance of American citizens, which has been leaked to the media recently by one brave young man by the name Edward Snowden. A former CIA agent and employee of Booz Allen, an NSA contractor, Snowden had firsthand view of how the White House subverted and circumvented the Constitution and abused our liberties in the name of "war on terror."

Obama the Candidate railed against just such tactics when George W. Bush was the White House occupant. Now that he is the man running the show there, Obama has done yet another complete turn-about-face.

It is more than a little ironic, and very synchronous, that I should receive this inform

ation the same day Obama's Justice Dept filed criminal and espionage charges against the man who revealed their illegal and unconstitutional activities to the media (see this Washington Post story, among others).

So now we know for sure that we live in a country in which the person who reports a crime becomes a criminal. And the perpetrators who broke the law in the first place with their illegal surveillance methods, become the prosecutors.

A country like that sort of brings back childhood memories of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Emperor's New Clothes" fairy tale (left image). Which is why on June 15, I invited all of my Facebook friends to join me in this protest.

w, want to know what the real tragedy in all this is? It is the American Voter. And not just the American. The ostrich image on the left was designed during the 2000 election campaigns in the U.S. and in Serbia, where the communist strongman Slobodan Milosevic was still in power. In America, people "elected" George W. Bush. In Serbia, they "chose" Milosevic. And we know what followed...

Yet the writing was on the Wall for all to see. In November 1996, the Washington Times published my column "American Demo-Farce." I pointed out that there is no difference between the Republican and Democratic candidates - that they both work for the same stable owners - the Wall Street financial elite. They are mere actors whose job is to dupe and stupefy the American public.

I even published the image on the right - depicting both Clinton and Dole as servants of Islamic interests. And so was George W. Bush despite his "war on terror."

Both were shown with the stamps of approval by the New World Order (left). Here's what I said in part:

"Bush, Clinton, Dole, Gore, Bush, Kerry… no matter who the White House incumbents or challengers are, or what color their uniforms, they take care of their sponsors at the expense of the American people."

As if to underscore the point of revolving doors in the American politics, John Kerry is now serv

ing in the Obama administration as Secretary of State. Continuing the job that George W. Bush had started.

And then, when Obama was first elected president in 2008, millions of Americans expected real change, true reforms, from the first black American president. When I said that was not to be expected and published the crudely designed image on the right, calling him "Bushama," I even drew the wrath of some of my closest friends and family. I said that Obama would merely carry on the policies of his predecessors, including those of his presumed "opponent," George W. Bush. Thus a scant difference between the two, especially when it comes to foreign policy.

Even within the first few months of his first presidency, Obama started to show his political acrobatic acumen as a flip-flop artist. Here's an excerpt from some of my comments written to a friend in May 2009:

So everything that Obama has done in the last five years has been eminently predictable. So the answer to the question "Obama vs. Obama: Actor or President?" is - BOTH.

Like all of his recent predecessors, Obama is merely a puppet of the New World Order "elite." Like an actor, he does what he is told. But unlike a good actor, he sometimes does allow his personal feelings to show through. Such as during the June 7 press conference on the NSA surveillance when he became visible nervous and uncomfortable having to take a position opposite to that of Obama the Candidate.

Here's the license plate this writer used to have in the 1990s and early 2000s. It says it all. I thought.

Yet during a Sep 2001 road trip through the Yellowstone National Park, another motorist asked me, "are you a short save radio buff?"

"Me?" I repeated stunned by the question. I have never even seen a ham radio close up. "What made you think that?"

"You car license plate," the man said. "Looks like the calling letters of a ham radio operator." :-)

But the top prize for lack of awareness of what NWO is has to go to a limo driver who took me to the Phoenix airport in the early 2000s.

"I mean, I am looking at your license plate. And I figure it stands for "NO TO NATIONAL WRESTLING ORGANIZATION." :-)

Which is why I feel I still need to write these kinds of editorials even if I feel that I have nothing really new to say that I have not already said a number of times in the last two decades. To coax the ostrich into lifting his head out of the sand. And when he does... watch out. It will be Brazil Rocks times 10!

Back in the days when I used to give radio interviews about my geopolitical columns, I was asked who I would vote for.

"But what if those were the only two choices?" the stunned interviewer would press the point.

"And he always does what I tell him. Basset Hounds are very smart and obedient dogs."

Bob Altzar Djurdjevic is a writer, musician, video maker, thrice-ordained Inca-shaman and business consultant based in Maui, Hawaii (altzar.org, djurdjevic.com, gaiasteward.org, and yinyangbob.com). He is also a former war correspondent and geopolitical commentator whose columns have been published by major media in the U.S. and around the world.

Here's now also the original SaveTheFourthAmendment video with my captions added to it:

CANDIDATE OBAMA (8-01-07): Separation of powers works. Our Constitution works. We will again set an example for the world that the law is not subject to the whims of stubborn rulers, and that Justice is not arbitrary.

This administration acts as if violating the civil liberties is a way to enhance our security. It is not! There are no shortcuts to protecting America.

PRESIDENT OBAMA (6-07-13): But my assessment, and my team's assessment, uh… , was that they help us prevent terrorist attacks.

CANDIDATE OBAMA (8-01-07): This administration also puts forward a false choice between the liberties we cherish and the security we provide.

PRESIDENT OBAMA (6-07-13): You can't have 100% security, and also then have 100% privacy. And zero inconvenience uh… [mumbles, stutters] We're going to have to make some choices as a society.

CANDIDATE OBAMA (8-01-07): I will provide our intelligence and law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to take out the terrorists without undermining our Constitution and our freedom.

That means no more illegal wiretapping of American citizens. No more national security letters to spy on citizens who are not suspected of a crime. No more tracking citizens who do no more than protest a misguided war. No more ignoring the law when it is inconvenient. That is now who we are. That is not what is necessary to defeat the terrorists.

PRESIDENT OBAMA (6-07-13): And… uh… what I can say that in evaluating these programs, they make a difference in our capacity to anticipate and prevent possible terrorist activity.

In the abstract, you can complain about Big Brother and how this is …uh… a potential …uh… … you know… …us… you know… program run amok, but when you actually look at the details, then I think we've struck the right balance.

EU confronts US over German magazine reports America spies on European allies

HAIKU, Maui, June 30, 2013 - Remember Watergate? The Nixon-era debacle was supposed to have taught us a valuable lesson - that no one is above the law, not even the President.

Well, those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it, goes an old saw. Enter Bushama (Bush + Obama). America's last two presidents have brought new shame on this country's image - both internally and globally. Turns out Washington has been using the "terrorism" smokescreen to spy on its friends and allies.

With "friends" like that, who needs enemies, right? Check out the latest news reports out of Germany (below). Germans are particularly sensitive about government monitoring, having lived through the Stasi secret police in the former communist East Germany and with lingering memories of the Gestapo of

Hitler's Nazi regime.

Spain, France and Portugal acting as American patsies? (Which all three countries later denied)

HAIKU, Maui, July 3, 2013 - As you can see from these stories, the outrage over the arrogant and imperialistic US government conduct is growing, especially in Latin America.

This article also underscores how scared Washington has become of additional leaks about their transgressions - unless they get their hands on Snowden. The Obama administration seems willing even to break the age-old tradition of diplomatic immunity. Which shows just how paranoid and shortsighted they are. For, what if this were Air Force One, and the US president was detained and treated this way by another country?

HAIKU, Maui, July 8, 2013 - DO WE STILL REMEMBER WHO SPOKE THESE WORDS?

"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together."

See the quote at 1:38 min of this Jan 17, 1961 TV clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y06NSBBRtY

What the NSA is doing with its ubiquitous and unrestrained surveillance, and what our government is doing to shut down the man who spoke up about it, is precisely the kind of government-corporate collusion President Eisenhower warned against 52 years ago in his farewell speech to the nation.

And now, here's the full text of Eisenhower's speech: http://coursesa.matrix.msu.edu/~hst306/documents/indust.html.

EXCERPTS FROM SNOWDEN VIDEO INTERVIEW

"I don't want to live in a world where everything that I say, everything I do, everyone I talk to, every expression of creativity or love or friendship is recorded," he (Snowden) said. "And that's not something I'm willing to support, it's not something I'm willing to build and it's not something I'm willing to live under."

He also insisted he had continued with his job while waiting for political leaders to rein in what he described as "government excesses".

But, he said, "as I've watched I've seen that's not occuring, and in fact we're compounding the excesses of prior governments and making it worse and more invasive. And no one is really standing to stop it."

[snip]

Snowden explained why he thought that story and the other subsequent leaks about the NSA and its partnership with the corporate sector had to be made public.

"They are getting everyone's calls, everyone's call records and everyone's internet traffic as well."

In reference to one surveillance system – Boundless Informant – that he said allowed the NSA to track data it was accumulating, he said: "The NSA lied about the existence of this tool to Congress and to specific congressmen in response to previous inquiries about their surveillance activities."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/08/edward-snowden-surveillance-excess-interview

US ALSO SPYING ON ANOTHER FRIEND - BRAZIL

And now, check out this NEW YORK TIMES story out of Brazil which confirms what Snowden had said. Turns out Washington not only spied on its friends in Europe, but also on Brazil.

Brazil Voices ‘Deep Concern’ Over Gathering of Data by U.S.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/08/world/americas/brazil-voices-deep-concern-over-gathering-of-data-by-us.html?_r=1&

"CLOAK & DAGGER SUPREME COURT" CREATED TO OPERATE IN SECRET

As if that weren't enough, the day before (July 6), the NEW YORK TIMES also published this disturbing story about HOW all this spying and abuse of our constitutional rights has been made possible by the Bush and Obama administrations. They have created a new secret "Cloak and Dagger" Supreme Court in the United States, thus circumventing and undermining 237 years of the body of law that has been created in our country.

In Secret, Court Vastly Broadens Powers of N.S.A.

"The 11-member Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, known as the FISA court, was once mostly focused on approving case-by-case wiretapping orders. But since major changes in legislation and greater judicial oversight of intelligence operations were instituted six years ago, it has quietly become almost a parallel Supreme Court..."

But unlike the Supreme Court, which operates in full view of the public, this "Cloak and Dagger Supreme Court" seems to operate in secret and OUTSIDE the law. Check out this quote from the NYT story:

"Unlike the Supreme Court, the FISA court hears from only one side in the case — the government — and its findings are almost never made public. A Court of Review is empaneled to hear appeals, but that is known to have happened only a handful of times in the court’s history, and no case has ever been taken to the Supreme Court. In fact, it is not clear in all circumstances whether Internet and phone companies that are turning over the reams of data even have the right to appear before the FISA court."

"A single judge signs most surveillance orders, which totaled nearly 1,800 last year. None of the requests from the intelligence agencies was denied, according to the court."

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/07/us/in-secret-court-vastly-broadens-powers-of-nsa.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20130707

Washington: "Do As I Say, Not As I Do"

US harboring fugitives from justice in other nations while demanding these countries' deny the NSA whistleblower asylum

"Washington’s push for extradition has poked at a sore spot for several countries that have sought the extradition of people wanted by their justice systems," the New York Times reported today (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/12/world/americas/us-is-pressing-latin-americans-to-reject-snowden.html).

“The first thing you need to do to have the moral standing to ask for the extradition of this youth (Edward) Snowden, whose only act is to reveal the crimes that you committed, is to turn over Luis Posada Carriles, who you are protecting,” Venezuela's president Nicolas Maduro said earlier this month addressing the US government.

Venezuela had demanded the extradition of Luis Posada Carriles, a former C.I.A. operative accused here of masterminding the bombing of a Cuban airliner that killed 73 people in the 1970s. He escaped from a Venezuelan prison in the 1980s and went to live in the United States.

In the case of Ecuador, another Latin American country in which Snowden is seeking asylum, two brothers, William and Roberto Isaias, ran a bank at the center of a huge Ecuadorean financial scandal in the 1990s. They were convicted in absentia of financial wrongdoing in an Ecuadorean court. They now live in the United States, but repeated requests for extradition have been unsuccessful.," the New York Times also said.

So our government is harboring convicted foreign criminals while trying to gag an American citizen from disclosing the truth about Washington's own violations of our rights and freedoms.

Perhaps the only good thing to come out of all this wrangling and arm-twisting Washington is engaging in with Latin American countries is the disclosure of Washington's own dirty laundry. And that's just two examples in two countries. Can you imagine how big a dirty laundry pile it would be if all such double-dealings were made public?

"Pussy Riot:" Russian president wants Snowden to "stop leaking US secrets"

Meanwhile, the Obama administration has acquired an unlikely ally in the Snowden affair - the Russian president Vladimir Putin. This former KGB agent is well versed in uses and abuses of state power over the people. As the US government is engaging in an unprecedented global full court press trying to contain the damage of the full truth about its activities from leaking out, Putin appears sympathetic.

Snowden had made an earlier application for Russian asylum. But Putin said asylum would be conditional on Snowden stopping leaking U.S. secrets; Snowden then withdrew his asylum bid, Russian officials said, according to today's Huffington Post report (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/12/edward-snowden-meeting_n_3585394.html
).

Imagine that - the Russian president wants Snowden to "stop leaking US secrets." What's the world coming to? Brezhnev and Khrushchev must be turning in their graves.

But Putin's stance is not so surprising. He is also a part of the New World Order. Except that his role is to wear a black hat occasionally and play the role of an adversary so as to create an appearance of global competition. But action speaks louder than words. And Putin's comments about Snowden in late June showed it.

"I'd prefer not to deal with this issue at all—it's like shearing a pig—too much squeaking, too little wool," Putin said during a news conference in Turku, Finland, on June 25, as quoted by the Wall Street Journal. Putin announced Snowden was free to transit out of Russia, adding "the sooner he chooses his final destination, the better it will be for us and for him."

You know what they say - "birds of a feather flock together." Maybe the Russian president is worried that helping Snowden may encourage more "Snowdenism" in his own country? Unlike the US, Russia is hardly a nation with long tradition of free speech. If whistle-blowing were to become a popular sport there, who knows how big a pile of Russky dirty laundry may emerge.

Lest we forget, Putin had several members of the Pussy Riot group imprisoned for speaking the truth, too (see below andhttp ://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pussy_Riot).

So Snowden has become a hot potato. Because he has told the truth. As did the Pussy Riot women. And they are both being persecuted for it. Putin and "Pussy Riot" are like "Bushama" and Snowden. Freedom of speech and individual rights are the victims in both countries.

Which reminds me of an old truism: "Whenever you hear a politician scream, you know somebody has just told the truth." :-)

---

FAMOUS QUOTES RE. TRUTH

Here's more on that topic from great thinkers in human history...

“Truth never damages a cause that is just.”
― Mahatma Gandhi

“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
― Theodore Roosevelt

"It takes great courage to back truth unacceptable to our times. There's a punishment for it, and it's usually crucifixion.”
― John Steinbeck, East of Eden

“In a room where people unanimously maintain a conspiracy of silence, one word of truth sounds like a pistol shot.”
― Czesław Miłosz

“Protest beyond the law is not a departure from democracy; it is absolutely essential to it.”
― Howard Zinn

"One word of truth outweighs the world.”
― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

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PUSSY RIOT SYNOPSIS (from Wikipedia)

On February 21, 2012, five members of the group staged a performance on the soleas of Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Their actions were stopped by church security officials. By evening, they had turned it into a music video entitled "Punk Prayer - Mother of God, Chase Putin Away!". The women said their protest was directed at the Orthodox Church leader's support for Putin during his election campaign.

On March 3, 2012, two of the group members, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, were arrested and charged with hooliganism. A third member, Yekaterina Samutsevich, was arrested on March 16. Denied bail, they were held in custody until their trial began in late July. On August 17, 2012, the three members were convicted of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred, and each was sentenced to two years imprisonment. Two other members of the group, who escaped arrest after February's protest, reportedly left Russia fearing prosecution.[citation needed] On October 10, following an appeal, Samutsevich was freed on probation, her sentence suspended. The sentences of the other two women were upheld. In late October 2012, Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova were separated and sent to prison.

The trial and sentence attracted considerable criticism, particularly in the West. The case was adopted by human rights groups including Amnesty International, which designated the women prisoners of conscience, and by a wide range of musicians including Madonna, Sting, and Yoko Ono. Public opinion in Russia was generally less sympathetic towards the women. Putin stated that the band had "undermined the moral foundations" of the nation and "got what they asked for". Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said he did not think the three members of Pussy Riot should have been sent to jail, but stressed that the release of the remaining two imprisoned members was a matter for the courts.

US HOUSE VOTES FOR CONTINUED NSA SPYING

Narrow defeat (217 to 205) of "Amash Amendment"

HAIKU, July 24, 2013 - After heavy lobbying by the Obama White House and other "establishment" Washington figures, the US House of Representatives squashed this evening the Amash Amendment which sought to halt the government's (NSA) spying on American citizens. The vote was close 217-205 and cut right across the party lines as our Representatives voted their conscience or pocketbooks, take your pick.

Here's what the sponsor of the Bill, Justin Amash, said in his Tweet prior to the vote:

Justin Amash ✔ @repjustinamash - https://twitter.com/repjustinamash

When's the last time a president put out an emergency statement against an amendment? The Washington elites fear liberty. They fear you.
6:18 PM - 23 Jul 2013

Also see https://www.facebook.com/repjustinamash

You will find a complete list of the new congressional Hall of Shame inductees in the image below.

These are the 217 US Representatives who voted for continued NSA spying on American citizens. In other words, they voted against your and my right to freedom and privacy. Both are constitutionally guaranteed, yet have been trampled upon by successive White House and Capitol Hill occupants who serve New World Order and Big Money rather than their constituents.

Take a good look at this list and try to find YOUR representative(s). And then let them have a piece of your mind if you're so inclined. I have highlighted the Hawaii and Arizona representatives - my two home states.

I am also attaching a link to the FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 412
(Republicans in roman; Democrats in italic; Independents underlined)

H R 2397 RECORDED VOTE 24-Jul-2013 6:51 PM
AUTHOR(S): Amash of Michigan Amendment No. 100
QUESTION: On Agreeing to the Amendment

Political Pole Shift, Cold War Role Reversal: Now Freedom-loving Americans Must Seek Refuge in Russia

MOSCOW, Aug 1 - Defying the United States, Russia granted Edward Snowden a one-year asylum on Thursday. This allowed NSA spying whistleblower to walk free out of the Moscow airport where he has been holed up for five weeks.

Russia's decision infuriated the U.S. administration, which said it was "extremely disappointed" and warned that the decision could derail an upcoming summit between President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The asylum offer places a significant new strain on already-corroded relations with Washington amid differences over Syria, U.S. criticism of Russia's human rights record and other disputes. But Russia appears to have reckoned that ending Snowden's airport limbo was worth intensifying the political standoff. The decision gives Russia a chance to depict itself as a defender of hum

an rights, pointing a finger to deflect criticism of its own poor record and tough crackdown on dissent.

Putin's Russia No Haven of Freedom: Granting Snowden Asylum - Act of Political Opportunism

EDITORIAL COMMENT (Aug 1, 2013): Who would have thought... What happened today is tantamount to a political pole shift. It is a complete Cold War role reversal. Freedom-loving Americans now have to seek refuge in Russia or other foreign countries that are not under the US thumb.

Ronald Reagan would be probably turning in his grave if he had a chance to see what his Cold War victory has led to. Washington is now the capital of the new Evil Empire. And whistleblower Americans are being persecuted when they speak out against the government that violates our 230⁺-year old Constitution. Just like the Soviet citizens were during the communist era in Russia.

What's going to be next? American "Gulags?" Forced labor camps in Alaska? We already have Guantanamo. It's still in operation more than six years after Candidate Obama promised to dismantle it. Which is another indication what team he is playing for. Not for the American people evidently.

As a candidate, Obama vowed so many times that he would shutter the prison he called a recruitment tool for terrorists that he himself even noted how often he's promised to do so, in an interview with Steve Kroft shortly after he was elected. In that interview in November 2008, Kroft asked Obama if he planned to "take early action" to shut down Guantanamo. Obama replied, "Yes."

"I have said repeatedly that I intend to close Guantanamo, and I will follow through on that," he said.

He added that not closing Guantanamo would reduce the US credibility when dealing with human rights abuses elsewhere in the world.

Check out this short ABC News video clip:

Candidate Obama's Repeated Promises to Immediately Close Guantanamo

Of particular interest in this Washington Post video report is the segment in which the Obama Administration officials conceded in a Senate hearing that only one terrorist threat had been allegedly thwarted by NSA surveillance not dozens as the Administration had previously claimed.

In other words, they lied to the American people. Again. So how can a government like that still be in office if this is really a democratic society?

Putin's Russia No Haven of Freedom: Granting Snowden Asylum - Act of Political Opportunism

Not that Putin's Russia is any great shakes when it comes to freedom of speech (see our July 8 Pussy Riot editorial comment). They have granted Snowden the asylum because at this point this is politically advantageous for Putin on the domestic front. This is how today's Bloomberg News report put it:

"It gives Putin a chance to rally support at home and deflect attention from his own human-rights record, said Gleb Pavlovsky, a former Kremlin adviser who heads the Effective Policy Foundation in Moscow.

“Domestically, he got what he can,” Pavlovsky said by phone yesterday. “His main propaganda message domestically will be that things are similar everywhere: the CIA and the FBI violate human rights just like everybody else.”

Putin, who used Russia’s oil-powered wealth accumulation to build support for his 13-year rule, is facing an economy that threatens to slide into recession. Over the past two years, he also stared down the biggest opposition rallies since he came to power and has been the target of criticism for cracking down on protest leaders.

Opposition organizer Alexey Navalny last month received a five-year prison sentence, which he is appealing while he campaigns for Moscow’s mayoral elections next month. Economist Sergei Guriev and former chess champion Garry Kasparov, critics fearing prosecution, fled Russia this year.

Three members of all-female punk group Pussy Riot were convicted last August after a protest targeting Putin. One was later freed on appeal.

Barring of Bolivian Plane Infuriates Latin America as Snowden Case Widens (New York Times)

He added that not closing Guantanamo would reduce the US credibility when dealing with human rights abuses elsewhere in the world.

Check out this short ABC News video clip:

Candidate Obama's Repeated Promises to Immediately Close Guantanamo