Due process would be replaced by guilt by accusation, with taxpayers and internet firms paying the bill

Near the end of the 15th century, the Catholic monarchy in Spain established a tribunal court, whose purpose was ostensibly to ferret out and prosecute Protestants, Muslims, and Jews. Townspeople were encouraged to turn in their neighbors in exchange for leniency. The operating presumption was that the accused were guilty, and had to prove their innocence.

That concept of guilty until proven innocent is exactly the sort of principle that America's polticians are looking to embrace with pending legislation. The U.S. House Judiciary Committee is currently in the process of debating the Stop Online Piracy Act [SOPA]. The full text is available here [PDF].

Israeli paper Israel-Ayom reports today about a new 'Congressional bill' that would require the "American administration to support Israel in a move deemed necessary to defend itself against the Iranian nuclear threat."

Five Republican congressmen who visited Israel last week disclosed the bill.

The bill states an "expression of support for Israel's right to defend its sovereignty and to protect the lives and safety of its citizens and use all necessary means to confront and eliminate the nuclear threat that emerges from the Islamic Republic of Iran, including use military force in the absence of other diplomatic means available in the near future. "

Dozens of Kuwaiti protesters stormed parliament late on Wednesday, as hundreds more demonstrated outside.

Eyewitnesses said they were demanding that Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah step down.

Hundreds of people, including opposition lawmakers, have been protesting weekly outside parliament over alleged corruption.

Some reports said riot police had beaten demonstrators using batons as they gathered outside parliament.

AFP news agency reports that at least five protesters were injured.

"Now, we have entered the house of the people," said Mussallam al-Barrak, who was among those who led the protest against Sheikh Nasser, a nephew of the emir.

A bipartisan group of senators is poised to force through dramatic changes to how the US government handles suspected terrorists - over the objections of the White House and Senate Democratic leadership.

Legislative language that emerged from the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday afternoon would mandate the automatic, indefinite military detention of noncitizens apprehended in the United States who are suspected members of Al Qaeda or associated groups. The wording, which is part of a must-pass bill to fund the military, also appears to allow the indefinite military detention of citizens and legal permanent residents. The bill would also extend restrictions on transfers of detainees from Guantánamo Bay, though only for one year.

Obama administration officials fear that the mandatory detention provisions could force the FBI to interrupt ongoing investigations in order to hand suspected terrorists over to the military. They also worry that the new rules could interfere with the prosecution of suspected terrorists in federal courts. At a homeland security and counterterrorism conference in September, White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan warned that "this approach would impose unprecedented restrictions on the ability of experienced professionals to combat terrorism." Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) held up the defense funding bill in mid-October on the basis of the those objections. The latest changes to the bill appear to address some of the administration's concerns by claiming that designating an individual a terrorist "does not require the interruption of ongoing surveillance or intelligence gathering activities." But civil liberties advocates are disappointed.

According to Oakland Mayor Jean said that 18 cities coordinated police crack downs on Occupy protests.

Wonkette reports that Homeland Security likely organized the crack downs:

Remember when people were freaking out over the Patriot Act and Homeland Security and all this other conveniently ready-to-go post-9/11 police state stuff, because it would obviously be just a matter of time before the whole apparatus was turned against non-Muslim Americans when they started getting complain-y about the social injustice and economic injustice and income inequality and endless recession and permanent unemployment? That day is now, and has been for some time. But it's also now confirmed that it's now, as some Justice Department official screwed up and admitted that the Department of Homeland Security coordinated the riot-cop raids on a dozen major #Occupy Wall Street demonstration camps nationwide yesterday and today. (Oh, and tonight, too: Seattle is being busted up by the riot cops right now, so be careful out there.)

During an appearance at Johns Hopkins University, Occupy Baltimore protesters interrupted a speech by Karl Rove. Protesters yelled "Mic check!" from among the audience and said, "Karl Rove is the architect of Occupy Iraq, the architect of Occupy Afghanistan!" That's when Rove flipped out and began yelling at the protesters.

Rove asked, "Who gave you the right to occupy America?" Chants of "We are the 99 percent!" broke out and Rove responded, "No you're not! You wanna keep jumping up and yelling that you're the 99 percent? How presumptuous and arrogant can you think you are!"

Here's the video:


Apparently Rove forgot about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights like he did during the Bush Administration. Americans have the right to protest and have freedom of speech. Those rights were given to us by the Founding generation. Rove is petulant child who has no business calling himself an American if he can't even remember that. He basically inferred that the protesters have no rights as Americans. You have to applaud the protesters. They certainly got under Rove's skin.

US Republican Presidential candidates have openly called for supporting Israel in sabotaging Iran's nuclear program through terrorism and assassinating Iranian scientists. Press TV has interviewed James Morris, editor of America-hijacked.com from Los Angeles to discuss the issue.


What follows is a rough transcription of the interview:

Press TV: Mr. Morris, the US has waged two wars in the name of fighting against terrorism and it has killed many people in the course of these wars, including thousands of American soldiers who have lost their lives, but at the same time it is promoting and engaging in terror activities. How do you explain this contradiction?

Morris: Well, first of all thank you for having me back on Press TV. To your question you are talking about the Neo- conservatives in the American government- actually in America that have a lot of influence not only on the Republicans in the US congress but also in the executive branch.

The Arab League confirmed the suspension of Syria from the organization on Wednesday and gave its government three days to halt the violence and accept an observer mission or face economic sanctions.

The suspension - first announced by the Arab League on Saturday and confirmed during the meeting - is a surprisingly harsh and highly unusual move for a member of Syria's standing.

Qatari Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassim told reporters following the daylong meeting in Rabat, Morocco, that Syria is being offered the chance to end the violence against civilians and implement a peace plan that the Arab League outlined on Nov. 2. The U.N. estimates that more than 3,500 people have been killed in Syria's 8-month-old uprising.

"The Syrian government has to sign the protocol sent by the Arab League and end all violence against demonstrators," he said, adding that it has three days. "Economic sanctions are certainly possible, if the Syrian government does not respond. But we are conscious that such sanctions would touch the Syrian people."

The head of the Transportation Security Administration has backed off a public commitment to conduct a new independent study of X-ray body scanners used at airport security lanes around the country.

Earlier this month, a ProPublica/PBS NewsHour investigation found that the TSA had glossed over research that the X-ray scanners could lead to a small number of cancer cases. The scanners emit low levels of ionizing radiation, which has been shown to damage DNA. In addition, several safety reviewers who initially advised the government on the scanners said they had concerns about the machines being used, as they are today, on millions of airline passengers.

At a Senate hearing after the story ran, TSA Administrator John Pistole agreed to a request by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, to conduct a new independent study of the health effects of the X-ray scanners, also known as backscatters.

But at a Senate hearing of a different committee last week, Pistole said he had since received a draft report on the machines by the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general, or IG, that might render the independent study unnecessary.

Australia has agreed to host a full US Marine task force in the coming years, Prime Minister Julia Gillard has announced at a news conference with US President Barack Obama in Canberra.


She said about 250 US Marines would arrive next year, eventually being built up to 2,500 personnel.

The deployment is being seen as a move to counter China's growing influence.

But Mr Obama said the US was "stepping up its commitment to the entire Asia-Pacific", not excluding China.

"The main message that I've said, not only publicly but also privately to China, is that with their rise comes increased responsibility," he said.

"It is important for them to play by the rules of the road."

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin questioned whether the move was in keeping with the region's peaceful development.