Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens For Legitimate Government

22 Jan 2009

http://www.legitgov.org/

All items are here:

http://www.legitgov.org/#breaking_news

 

 

Washington Times:

Obama to Close CIA 'Black Sites' --President issues executive orders dismantling much of Bush's architecture for 'war on terror' 22 Jan 2009

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jan/22/obama-close-terrorist-black-sites/

President Obama on Thursday will order the closure of 'black sites,' where CIA and European security services have interrogated [tortured] terrorist suspects, under executive orders dismantling much of the Bush regime's architecture for the war on [of] terror, according to four individuals familiar with a draft executive order. Mr. Obama will shutter "all permanent detention facilities overseas," the draft said, according to the individuals who asked not to be named because the orders have not yet been signed. There are at least eight such prisons [not to mention, the floating 'black sites' ships at sea], according to published reports. The Bush dictatorship never revealed the number or location of the facilities, although several were said to be in Eastern Europe.

Dallas News:

Obama overturns Bush order on access to White House records 22 Jan 2009

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/national/stories/DN-prezdocs_22nat.ART.State.Edition2.4ee7f3d.html

President Barack Obama began dismantling the Bush legacy Wednesday, using his first full day to overturn an order that let ex-presidents seal their papers forever. It was one of a number of big and small steps by the new president that, taken together, amounted to a slashing denunciation of his predecessor.

UK Guardian:

Obama signs order to close Guantánamo Bay --Prison that symbolises George Bush's 'war on terror' will be shut down, accompanied by ban on torture and review of military trials 22 Jan 2009 Barack Obama has signed an executive order to shut down the US military prison at Guantánamo Bay – the most potent symbol of excess in George Bush's "war on terror". The new US president signed two other executive orders to review the use of military trials for terror suspects and ban the harshest interrogation techniques, such as waterboarding. The three executive orders – on the second day of the new administration – showed that Obama was determined to move swiftly to implement some of his key campaign pledges. Administration staff applauded at the signing ceremony in the Oval Office.

Wired  Blog Network:

Whistleblower: NSA Targeted Journalists, Snooped on All U.S. Communications --NSA analyzed metadata to determine which communications would be collected 22 Jan 2009 Just one day after George W. Bush left office, an NSA whistleblower has revealed that the National Security Agency's warrantless surveillance program targeted U.S. journalists, and vacuumed in all domestic communications of Americans, including, faxes, phone calls and network traffic. Russell Tice, a former NSA analyst, spoke on Wednesday to MSNBC host Keith Olbermann. "The National Security Agency had access to all Americans' communications," he said. "Faxes, phone calls and their computer communications. ...They monitored all communications."