Saturday, December 21, 2013

While you were quarreling about Duck Dynasty, the Senate passed NDAA

It still includes the indefinite-detention-for-Americans provision, and omits Sen. Gillibrand's clause on prosecutions of military sexual assaults.

Yesterday the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act was fast-tracked through the Senate, with no time for discussion or amendments. And you know, it's Christmastime, so they just passed it so that they could recess for the holidays. The new version of the NDAA has already been quietly passed by the House of Representatives.

It authorizes massive spending, including $527 billion in base defense spending for the current fiscal year, funding for the war in Afghanistan, and funding for nuclear weapons programs.

The indefinite detention allowed by the original NDAA is still there, and it’s actually worse now, because there are provisions that will make it easier for the government to target those who disagree. Section 1071 outlines the creation of the “Conflict Records Research Center”, where the unconstitutionally obtained information that the NSA has collected is compiled and shared with the Department of Defense. The information, called in the wording “captured records,” can be anything from your phone records, emails, browsing history or posts on social media sites.

I see on my Facebook wall this morning that people are still staking claims to righteousness, for and against the Duck Commander and his God-fearing brood.

Personally, I have had my fill of that "controversy".  If Americans left and right cannot pull their heads out of their asses and start talking -- and doing something -- about the things that will make an actual difference in their lives, then there's no hope for this nation.

None.  It's only Idiocracy that lies ahead.