NEWS ARCHIVES [April - June 2013]

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July 18 2013 [Update]

Edward Snowden in Moscow - The NSA Classified Documents

Leaker & the Status of his Requests for Asylum

MOSCOW – AP

Wednesday, July 17, 2013, human rights lawyers for NSA leaker, Edward Snowden, announced that Snowden may soon be leaving the Russian International Airport that has been home to him for over three weeks by accepting temporary asylum from Russia. Snowden is the former national security agency contractor who leaked classified information to the U.K. newspaper, The Guardian and the Washington Post.

Attorney for Snowden, Anatoly Kucherena told the news agency Interfax that he believes that Moscow could decide within a week whether to grant Snowden asylum. He was also quoted as saying, “The question of giving him temporary asylum won’t take more than a week. I think that in the near future he will have the possibility to leave the Sheremetyevo transit zone.”

After traveling to Hong Kong where he leaked the highly classified documents to journalists in England and in the United State, Snowden flew to Russia on his way, many observers first believe, to Venezuela or Ecuador. But in transit at Moscow International Airport, Snowden became stranded after the United State cancelled his passport and rumors flew that the U.S. had plans to intercept any aircraft Snowden that would carry Snowden. President Obama denied those rumors in a press conference while on a trip to Africa, saying, “I am not going to deploy aircraft to intercept a 29 year old in a criminal case.” Before Snowden left Hong Kong for an unknown destination, the Justice Department obtained a warrant charging him with leaking classified information and espionage. He faces criminal prosecution in the United States, and it is believed that at two South American countries, Venezuela and Ecuador may have offered or promised asylum to the 29 year old America.

 personal data. Regardless of the consequences for Snowden, his hindubusinessline.com (Share)

action has sparked an important debate about government overreach,

secret warrants and wiretaps, secret court, and the right of privacy.

Most in the government, including Congress, national security officials, and the justice

Department maintain that Snowden has put American lives and american allies

in great danger. What is certain is that much damage has already resulted from Snowden's action, in terms of broken trust between the U.S. and its allies, as well as countries such as China and Russia.

Snowden announces he will seek asylum in Russia

Snowden announces he will seek asylum in RussiaSubscribe to the Guardian HERE: http://bitly.com/UvkFpDFormer US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden announces he will seek asylum in Russia b...

July 12, 2013

Persecution in the George Zimmerman Second Degree Murder Trial Rested their Case by the End of Court Day on Friday July 5, 2013 with Trayvon Martin Mother and Older Brother Testifying, as well as Zimmerman's Uncle. the defense will start putting on their witnesses, and most legal analysts express great doubt that Zimmerman will testify, given that the prosecution already entered into evidence all of Zimmerman's statements' to police after he shot 17 year old Trayvon Martin to death. Trayvon was visiting his father who lived in the Sanford gated community where Zimmerman volunteered as a neighborhood watch captain, and Martin was walking home from the store unarmed when he was shot. Zimmerman has arrests records for assault and battery on a police officer and a restraining order from a former girlfriend. Charges against Zimmerman in those cases were dropped after he agreed to completed an anger management program. Trayvon had no criminal record.

July 13, 2013

After 16 hours of deliberation, the 6 women in the George Zimmerman trial of teenager Trayvon Martin, returned a verdict of not guilty in a Sanford Florida Court in Seminole County. On the attorney's advice, the Martin's family was not in the courtroom when the verdict was read. Zimmerman's lawyers and family hugged and shook hands after the verdict was read. A crowd that had gathered in front of the courthouse during the jury deliberations reacted with protest and chants and signs of "justice for Trayvon." Demonstrators spontaneously took to the street and marched in protest around the country in Washington, DC., in Oakland, Chicago, and San Francisco, CA.

Follow this story, views, and analysis of all the issues in our News and Blog

July 18, 2013

The Fallout from the George Zimmerman’s Not Guilty Verdict

Jurors Speak Out

Since a Seminole County Florida Jury delivered its verdict of not guilty after 10:00 pm, Saturday night July 13, 2013, in the shooting death 17 year old Trayvon Martin, reactions continue to pour in. Moments after the verdict was read in Judge Debra Nelson’s courtroom, crowds gathered and marched in dozens of cities Coast to Coast around the country.

FL Governor Rick Scott(Source)

After the Zimmerman’s verdict, President Barack Obama called on Americans to honor Martin’s memory by pushing for stronger gun control.

“We should ask ourselves if we’re doing all we can to stem the tide of gun violence that claims too many lives across this country on a daily basis. We should ask ourselves, as individuals and as a society, how we can prevent future tragedies like this. As citizens, that’s a job for all of us. That’s the way to honor Trayvon Martin,” the president said.

Last night, Rachel Jeantel gave an interview to the Reverend Al Sharpton on his show “Politics Nation” on MSNBC. She spoke intelligently and shed some light as to what she was thinking during the nearly 8 hours she spent on the witness stand during the trial, almost 6 of which was under cross-examination by Zimmerman’s defense attorney Don West. More marches and protests are planned around the country in coming days and weeks, while protesters have staged a sit in Florida Governor Rick Scott’s Office in the past 2 days. They are requesting a meeting with Governor Scott to discuss the repeal of the Stand your Ground Law. After the killing of the teenager, the governor of Florida did convene a task force, which many believe was composed of republican supporters of the law, to review the statute. The committee’s recommendation was that nothing be changed in the law. 

July 14, 2013

Adly Mansour Sworn In As Egypt's Interim President

AP – July 4, 2013[Updated]

CAIRO – Today in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, the Chief Justice of Egyptian Supreme Constitutional Court was sworn in as the nation's interim president. This event took place hours after the Egyptian military ousted President Mohamed Morsi, the Islamist leader of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood.

The White House and U.S. allies are monitoring developments in Egypt and observing what the Egyptian military does in the immediate future to define a path toward restoring order, and bringing about a democratic process into the country’s political system. The U.S. awards approximately 1.6 Billion in aid to the Egyptian military every year. In addition to its overall strategic interest in the Middle East, this level of military aid makes the United a major player in this developing story. Egypt is a key U.S. Ally, and the closest ally of the United in the Middle East.

Egyptians voted in the presidential runoff between Morsi and Shafiq. Morsi won with 51.7 percent of the vote. Morsi took his oath of office on June 30, 2011. On August 12, Morsi ordered the retirement of the top Mubarak-era leadership of the military. In November 2011, Members of liberal parties and representatives of Egypt's churches withdrew from the 100 member assembly writing the constitution, protesting attempts by Islamists to impose their will.

Morsi unilaterally decreed greater powers for himself, giving his decisions immunity from judicial review and barring the courts from dissolving the constituent assembly and the upper house of parliament. The move sparked days of protests. Islamists in the constituent assembly rushed to complete the draft of the constitution and Morsi set a December 15th date for a referendum.

Meanwhile, on December 29, 2012, The Egyptian Central Bank announced that foreign reserves (drained to $15 billion from $36 billion in 2010) had fallen to a "critical minimum" and tried to stop a sharp slide in the value of

the Egyptian pound. It stood at just over 7 to the dollar, compared to 5.5

Encyclopedia of the Nations to the dollar in 2010. And in January 2013 hundreds of thousands of

Egyptians protested against Morsi, exactly 2 years from the start of the uprising against Mubarak.

Egyptians’ discontent increased and more protests against Morsi followed. In May 2013, President Morsi reshuffled his Cabinet, some believed to finalize long-stalled negotiations with the International Monetary Fund for a crucial $4.8 billion loan. This required a reduction to fuel and food subsidies, while a deal on the loan was also stalled. And on June 30, millions of Egyptians took to the streets to demonstrate, calling for Morsi to step down. Large-scale demonstrations continued through July 1, 2013, when the Egyptian military gave the president and the opposition 48 hours to resolve their disputes or a military solution would be imposed.

On July 3, the Egyptian military chief announced that Morsi had been deposed, to be replaced by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Constitutional Court until new presidential elections are held. As of today, there has been news out of Egypt that Muslim Brotherhood leaders have been arrested.

        greetings to the revolutionary people of

Egypt."

"I look forward to parliamentary and presidential elections held with the genuine and authentic will of the people," Mansour said. "The youth had the initiative and the noblest thing about this glorious event is that it was an expression of the nation's conscience and an embodiment of its hopes and ambitions. It was never a movement seeking to realize special demands or personal interests."

The revolution, he said, must continue, so "we stop producing tyrants." The military, in a statement read by army chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi on Wednesday evening suspended the Islamist-drafted constitution and called for new elections. Morsi has denounced the action as a "full coup" by the generals. The situation in Egypt remains fluid, placing the Obama administration in a precarious position. After the military forcibly removed the democratically elected Morsi from power, President Obama issued a carefully issued statement, avoiding any direct reference to the coup d’état or support for the deposed leader.

Protesters erupted in celebrations after the televised announcement by the army chief on Wednesday evening. Fireworks burst over crowds in Cairo's Tahrir Square, where men and women danced, shouting, "God is great" and "Long live Egypt.” As of this writing, the Egyptian military has issued an order preventing the deposed former president Mohamed Morsi and his entourage to leave the country.

Egypt’s population is the largest in the Arab world and is generally young. The population of Egypt is reported to be about 83 Million, with 35% being below the age of 14 and 4% over the age of 65. It has been reported that half of the Egyptian population is below the age of 20. 94% of Egyptians are Sunni Muslim with a small minority of Coptic Christians and other religious and ethnic groups. The Arab Republic of Egypt is located in North Africa, bordering on the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Libya to the west, the Gaza Strip to the east, and Sudan to the south. With an area of 386,659 square miles and a coastline of 1,522 miles, Egypt is slightly more than 3 times the size of New Mexico.

July 4, 2012 [Sanford Florida]

The George Zimmerman Trial

resume tomorrow. Prosecutors are winding down their case after presenting Pool Photo/Country Sheriff

evidence and testimony to refute Zimmerman's claim he was acting in self-defense when he fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Before they do, one or both of Martin's parents may be called to testify about whose voice is on 911 recordings of a fight between Zimmerman and Martin that preceded the shooting.

Six women sit on the jury and in the first two weeks of the trial the prosecutor called numerous witnesses. Among those who took the stand were several people who live near the vicinity where this death occurred. Photo by the NY/Pool photo  Many of those neighbors made emergency call to 911 and were audible witnesses to parts of the struggle, but none of them could were able identity the two people involved due to the weather condition and darkness.

Also on the witness stand were forensic technicians and specialists, police officers, and friends of Trayvon Martin and Zimmerman, including Rachel Jeantel who was on the phone with Trayvon from the time Zimmerman begun to follow the teenager. Zimmerman claimed that the teenager looked suspicious on the night of the tragedy.

Zimmerman could get life in prison if convicted of second-degree murder. The state argued during its opening statement that Zimmerman profiled and followed Martin in his truck and called a police dispatch number before he and the teen got into a fight.

Over the first five days of testimony, jurors heard 911 calls from neighbors that included cries for help and the fatal gunshot. Jurors also listened to more than six hours of testimony from Martin's friend Rachel Jeantel, who testified that she was talking on the phone with the teen as the fight started.

Defense attorneys aggressively cross-examined prosecution witnesses, including 19 year old Jeantel who maintained that she heard Trayvon say "Get off! Get off!" Other ear witnesses gave conflicting testimonies about who they saw on top or at the bottom during and after the struggle. Some said it appeared the larger Zimmerman was straddling Martin, but a neighbor, Jonathan Good , who claimed he walked out of his house and witnessed a few seconds of the struggle said it appeared Martin was on top.

On Tuesday, a medical examiner testified that Zimmerman's injuries were "insignificant" and could have been the result of a single blow, supporting prosecutors’ theory that Zimmerman was not simply defending himself when he shot the 17-year-old Martin. The prosecution’s theory is that Zimmerman profiled, followed, and then confronted the teenager.

On Wednesday, day eight of testimony in the trial, Judge Debra Nelson ruled information about Zimmerman's studies and unsuccessful application for a police job in Virginia was admissible. Prosecutors called a military prosecutor who taught a criminal procedure class at Seminole State College in which Zimmerman earned an A. "He was probably one of the better students in the class,"said Alexis Francisco Carter, an officer in the U.S. military JAG corps.

Also on Wednesday, an expert witness testified that none of Zimmerman's DNA was found under the fingernails of Martin, despite defense attempts to portray Zimmerman as only firing his gun in self-defense. Crime lab analyst Anthony Gorgone testified that no DNA samples taken from Martin's fingernails matched that of Zimmerman. Gorgone also testified that two different DNA profiles were found on the pistol grip. One was Zimmerman's but the other could not be identified. However, Gorgone said he was able to determine that it did not match Martin's DNA sequence. Zimmerman's DNA was found on Martin's sweatshirt, beneath his hoodie. Martin's DNA was found on Zimmerman's jacket.

During cross-examination, defense attorney Don West raised potential problems with DNA evidence, pointing out that only one swab was used on Martin's fingernails while four were used on Zimmerman's pistol.West also asked Gorgone if the fact that Martin's sweatshirt was still wet when it was bagged for evidence could compromise any DNA samples.

"The clothing should have been air dried before it was packaged or at least packaged in paper bags?" West asked Gorgone, who replied, "Ideally you would like to air dry them before package. On top of that our agencies are encouraged not to place them in plastic bags."

Prosecutors painted Zimmerman as a police wannabe, using testimony from Skype, which created technological glitches, and a prosecution witness, Zimmerman’s former instructor, who greeted Zimmerman from the stand. Late-morning testimony was met by pranksters who broke into the trial Skype interview between the Prosecutor and another of Zimmerman’s school official. As Seminole State College Professor Dr. Gordon "Scott" Pleasants attempted to testify via the VoIP service, about four dozen people called into his line. The Skype connection had to be discontinued and the interview completed by telephone.

Pleasants confirmed that Zimmerman had taken an online course in Criminal Investigation in the summer of 2011 and opted to attend in-person lectures. Pleasants also confirmed that Zimmerman posted on the class online discussion board that he wanted to pursue a career in law. "He said his goal was to become an attorney and eventually a prosecutor," Pleasants said.

Prosecutors also introduced a job application Zimmerman made to the Prince William County, Va., police department in Virginia in 2009 and an application to ride around with Sanford police officers in 2010. They also called to the stand Sanford Police Administrative Service Manager Jim Krzenski, who verified that Zimmerman filed the application.

Firearms expert Any Siewert testified that Zimmerman's weapon had a full magazine plus an additional bullet in the chamber. During cross-examination defense attorney Mark O'Mara pointed out that the defendant's firearm was safer because it was a double action handgun which requires a stronger pull than a single action weapon which countered the prosecutions earlier suggestion that the gun was unsafe. Siewert also explained how gunpowder wound up on Martin's hooded sweatshirt as it was presented as evidence before the court.

Mark Osterman, Zimmerman’s best friend and the author of the book "Defending our Friend: The Most Hated Man in America," testified that when he drove Zimmerman home from the Sanford Police Station, Zimmerman told him that Martin grabbed a hold of his gun as the two struggle. He quoted Zimmerman, whom he also he described as "stunned" and "detached" as he drove Zimmerman and his wife home, as saying, "Somehow I broke his grip on the gun when the guy grabbed between the grip and hammer,"

When testimony resumes Friday after the 4 of July holiday, prosecutors are expected to rest their case.

On "PRISM" the Government Spying Program - National Security & Propaganda

"What we learned in there is significantly more than what is out in the media today. . . . I can't speak to what we learned in there, and I don't know if there are other leaks, if there's more information somewhere, if somebody else is going to step up, but I will tell you that I believe it's the tip of the iceberg . . . . I think it's just broader than most

people even realize, and I think that's, in one way, what Edward Snowden

astounded most of us, too." U.S. Today - Shared Photo

Last week, the Guardian and the Washington Post simultaneously broke the story of a top secret government data swooping program that claimed "direct access" to massive amount of data and telephone records on millions of Americans major telephone service providers, including Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint, as well as and the search engine giants and Internet servers, such as Google, Apple, Yahoo, Facebook, and others. This came in the wake of the disclosure by the Justice Department that Associated Press and Fox News reporters' telephone calls and emails had been secretly monitored by the Justice Department. Since then, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has acknowledged that the news organization's records were monitored, but insisted that no listening devices were used, and therefore conversations per se were not monitored. However, the mere fact that the government can follow an individual phone call pattern and track to whom and when telephone calls were made is considered a substantial bridge of civil liberty and a major infringement on the First Amendment. Many believe that this type of sweeping secret spying by the government will have a chilling effect on members of the press and serve to suppress the disclosure of potential illegal government activity by whistleblowers. While the government does have a legitimate need to keep classified information secret to protect national security, this massive clandestine surveillance operation on millions of Americans does not appear to have any plausible justification, if not illegal.

Edward Snowden, a 29 year old former technical assistant at the CIA, revealed himself in a video last week as the source of top-secret documents he released electronically to the English newspaper, The Guardian, and to the Washington Post, about the National Security Agency’s monitoring of phone and internet data. after he quit his job with the security contractor Booz Allen Hamilton.

Snowden's revelations came after he quit his job with the security contractor Booz allen Hamilton where he gained top security clearance as a high level technical analyst assistant at the CIA. Mr Snowden's relevention about the PRISM program reverberated worldwide and provoked uproar on both sides of the Atlantic. The 29 year old high school dropout who appeared bright and poised in subsequent television interviews is now staying in safe houses in Hong Kong awaiting his fate at the hand of the U.S. government.

June 6, 2013 

The Internal Revenue Service Tax Exemption Law & the So-Called Tea Party Scandal

Exemption from taxation

29 different types of organizations are exempt from paying taxes to the government under this Internal Revenue Service Tax Exemption Code. The recent disclosure that the iRS have given special scrutiny to the Tea Party arm of the Republican Party, using targeted keywords, has sparked outrage among some. However, it is critical that one understands the law in order to appreciate the IRS dilemma when face with thousands of applications for tax exemption under the 501 (c) (in 2010 in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling of Citizens United establishing that corporations can make unlimited amounts of contribution to political organizations as an exercise of free speech and exempted such political groups from the disclosure act.

An organization described in subsection (c) or (d) or section 401 (a) shall be exempt from taxation under this subtitle unless such exemption is denied under section 502 or 503. [Source]Legal Information Institute], and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) [Edit]

(a) Tax exemption

(b) Tax on unrelated business income and certain other activities An organization exempt from taxation under subsection (a) shall be subject to tax to the extent provided in parts II, III, and VI of this subchapter, but (notwithstanding parts II, III, and VI of this subchapter) shall be considered an organization exempt from income taxes for the purpose of any law which refers to organizations exempt from income taxes.

(c) List of exempt organizations. The following organizations are referred to in subsection (a):

(1) Any corporation organized under Act of Congress which is an instrumentality of the United States but only if such corporation—(A) is exempt from Federal income taxes—(i) under such Act as amended and supplemented before July 18, 1984, or(ii) under this title without regard to any provision of law which is not contained in this title and which is not contained in a revenue Act, or(B) is described in subsection (l).

(2) Corporations organized for the exclusive purpose of holding title to property, collecting income therefrom, and turning over the entire amount thereof, less expenses, to an organization which itself is exempt under this section. Rules similar to the rules of subparagraph (G) of paragraph (25) shall apply for purposes of this paragraph.

(3) Corporations, and any community chest, fund, or foundation, organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary, or educational purposes, or to foster national or international amateur sports competition (but only if no part of its activities involve the provision of athletic facilities or equipment), or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals, no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual, no substantial part of the activities of which is carrying on propaganda, or otherwise attempting, to influence legislation (except as otherwise provided in subsection (h)), and which does not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.

April 17, 2013 - 11:00 AM

Did you Miss the Tax filing Deadline?

For tax filling information visit the Internal Revenue Service

(Please note that NBC News has reported that the IRS has granted an extraordinary last minute extension to Massachusetts residents to file their income taxes for 2012)

First, let's consider this question: How does the IRS know if you didn't file your taxes? The answer is simple: When you work, your employer or contractor has an obligation to report their payroll information to the IRS for tax purposes. this is true whether or not you get paid based on wages or you work as an independent contractor. This system of tax reporting and collection allows the IRS to receive and obtain records about the tax paying public. This is really not a secret, nor is it any kind of government conspiracy. As a constitutional requirement (See article below.) the money collected on taxes is intended (whether or not it really goes to such in practice) to be used for general public welfare (again, one can agree or disagree on the meaning and practicality of the concept of 'general public welfare'), clean water, public safety, health safety, etc.

This brings us to the issue of what to do if you missed the tax filing deadline. Whether you missed the filing deadline of midnight on April 15th, or you simply did not file your taxes in past years (for one reason or another), the best action is to get in front of the situation by taking steps to request an extension to file late or to simply file now. The IRS is most likely to forgive taxpayers' mistakes or negligence. What they may not forgive is intentional acts designed to deprive the treasury of much needed revenue, especially in these times of budget constraints. If you are in arrears on filing your taxes, you can in fact file multiple tax years at one time, and the IRS will not penalize you for doing so. What will happen, however, is that you will most likely have incurred interests and additional penalty costs for filing late. But, once you have straightened out you delinquent filings, the IRS will be amiable to working with you to set up a payment arrangement, if you are unable to pay off your tax bill. And the best part of catching up on your taxes is that once your tax filing is up-to-date the interests and penalties will stop to accumulate. In other words, you cannot go wrong by filing or just working to clear your tax records with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Finally, you should never not file your taxes for fear that you may have mistakes or inconsistencies on your filing, because the IRS is very good at picking up errors on filings. And if the agency happens to fail to pick up your errors, and then finds them later, they will notify you of their findings and inform you of how they would like to see the problem resolved. By following up with the IRS, you are already more than halfway to getting peace of mind when it comes to your income tax filing.

April 16, 2013

Extraordinary IRS Tax Filing Deadline Extension

Due to the Boston Marathon finish line bombing at 2:50PM on April 15, 2013, NBC has reported that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has granted an income tax filing deadline extension to Massachusetts residents. Find tips and important information below

April 15, 2013

Tax filing Deadline

Today is April 15, 2013; It is tax day in America. This day is as important to the well-being and the future of the American government treasury as it is to the American people. Although taxes and the Internal Revenue Service, better know as the IRS, have come to represent something of a dark day in the mind of many, the system of paying and collecting taxes was actually put in place by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution. The idea was that citizens would contribute a reasonable percentage of their income to government by sending it to the treasurer, and in turns the government would use that money judiciously to take care of the greater good, for example building roads and bridges, and by investing in education, research and development, health care, just to name a few.