This and That

This and That What's happening? Discovered a Turkish controlled 'exclave' in Syria -- guessing it's this place. According to the Treaty of Ankara signed between France and Turkey in 1921, Turkey controls the tomb and no mention is made of the land beneath it. So it's not really a territory within a territory, like I imagined?   Checking elsewhere, it states it's 'smaller than a city block', so it's not just a few feet by a few feet like I first thought when I read about the tomb.  It's some kind of tiny 'territory' after all.  Looks like it's going to shape up as an excuse for Turkey to take 'action' against Syria if the IS group attack this territory. Encountered a creepy photo of what was allegedly the FSA group getting a child to behead what I suppose was a Syrian loyalist:  bound, hand and foot (I think), on his side, with his head resting, raised on some kind of block.  The child held something above his head, swinging.  Not sure what it was.  Imagined it was an axe.  But I'm now guessing it was a sword, seeing it's the Middle East.  Elicited a degree of revulsion. Stumbled on some information on the Trade in Services Agreement (TISA).   Trying to recall what it was, got it mixed up with the other agreements. This one relates to:   "liberalizing the worldwide trade of services such as banking and transport" [wikipedia] It's just another in agreement upon agreement that gives the US control right around the globe. "The EU and the US are the main proponents of the agreement, and the authors of most joint changes."  [wikipedia] But it doesn't end with the US and the EU.  A host of other countries are involved in this and end result is that something like two-thirds of 'trade of services' will be subject to the provisions of this agreement. Apparently, nobody finds the spread of US control at all frightening and they're happy to sign up.  Guess that goes back to being corporate controlled governments doing the bidding of big business, instead of primarily being engaged in representing the people of the nation they're supposedly serving as an elected government in a 'democracy'. Add to that unpleasant picture the fact that this is a 'secret' agreement that was supposed to stay quiet for 5 years after signature.  More information on that is available at the WikiLeaks.org site.  Not sure what I can and can't link to without being in breach of some law or other, so search away.  Easily found. The secrecy of the agreement and the two-thirds of 'world trade in services' being subject to the agreement were the really big red-flag aspects in my view.  But there's also a lack flexibility to respond to changes in world finance that binds governments who sign up for this, and probably other stuff I don't remember or care to know. How outrageous is it that 'democratic' governments are *hiding* what they're signing their entire countries up for! The WikiLeaks site pointed out that the US is pushing for cross-border exchange of data that includes personal and financial information.  So I take it this is yet more surveillance and foreign control.  The G20 ministers meeting resulted in either sign-ups or agreements to sign up for banking data exchange on what is probably a global scale once all the US puppets sign up, so the G20 erosion of liberties could be TISA related -- or just an added round of more of the same erosions. Highly doubt that this will ever affect me personally, in a direct way.   But this affects everybody in terms of the climate their government is creating:  one of secrecy, one of perhaps 'duty' and subordination to foreign interests, one of inability to put national interests first given constraints of such agreements, one of inability to freely act or legislate in future due to provisions of such an agreements, one of divulging citizens' data to foreign interests and therefore conducting what amounts to surveillance on behalf of a foreign power or powers, and so on.  And if you put all of that together, it's like coming under control of some foreign invader state that already controls much of the world.  A world that is shaping up to be one large prison controlled by the US through control of currency, global institutions, defence agreements, the EU, mass surveillance arrangements and various trade agreements. [Image source:  rachelcarsoncouncil.org] If you imagine US control as a vice; it's a vice that's constantly squeezing to erode national sovereignty and to erode civil liberties, right around the world.  It's literally suffocating.

HONG KONG - US PROJECT

Hong Kong "US involvement in Hong Kong’s political atmosphere is a decades long project" Full article:  http://revolution-news.com/occupy-central-us-state-dept-funding-of-hong-kong-pro-democracy-movement/ Too much information for me to take in, but interesting information for those that have a greater attention span than I do.   Great for those that are interested in this region and, more generally, in the role of the US funding and influence on the political climate of sovereign overseas territories. The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is a U.S. non-profit soft power organization that was founded in 1983 to ‘promote’ democracy around the world. It is funded primarily through an annual allocation from the U.S. Congress, within the budget of USAID, the U.S. agency for development assistance, which is part of the U.S. State Department. Although administered as a private organization, its funding mostly comes from a governmental appropriation by Congress but was created by The Democracy Program as a bipartisan, private, non-profit corporation. [revolution-news.com] Looks like NED is worth watching.

The Democracy Lie

The Democracy Lie The 'democracy' holy grail isn't all that it's hyped up to be. If you have government that is controlled by the wealthy, by corporations and by foreign interests, and is elected by a largely uninformed, apathetic and politically unorganised public, from a small pool of politicians who are all much the same as one another, what you've got is 'democracy' in name only. Take the legislation that was pushed through by the Australian government: #Auspol - very sad day for press freedom - http://alliance.org.au/meaa-condemns-passage-of-national-security-laws … / criminalizes legitimate reporting of matters in public interest. It penalises whistle-blowers, it gags the press, it further blocks transparency and accountability and therefore undermines any notion of 'democracy'.  And it infringes on civil rights. Meanwhile, the general public's probably more concerned about the release of the new Apple phone than they are about the laws that are passed. But even if large numbers of people were as outraged as they ought to be, as individuals versus government or the system, they're helpless until the next limited-choice corporate and US puppet government election.  That being the case, the public is completely at the mercy of the ruling classes on an ongoing basis, irrespective of the pretence of democratic representation and democratic government. 'Democracy' is the same deal the world over: #Obama #WallStreet #USA - attack on democracy - corruption of elections http://tinyurl.com/nxxbl5u  / $7 million bankroll / #NGO The Denial Machine principles in Greenpeace material can be applied WIDELY when it comes to political lobbying >> http://tinyurl.com/68lngwa [The above link was the initial link I looked at but the following notes are based on information from elsewhere on the Greenpeace site] #Politics - 'think tanks' + NGOs = 'echo chambers' strategy / co-ordinated propaganda attacks >> such groups are the CHORUS .. singing on behalf of agenda of benefactors >> business groups, women's groups, education groups, seniors groups, religious groups -- WHO funds them & WHY Here's a couple of interesting links that demonstrates how much corporate political control there is in the US (but it's applicable to anywhere that pretends to be a democracy): http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/campaigns/global-warming-and-energy/polluterwatch/koch-industries/case-study-the-koch-funded-c/ http://greenpeaceblogs.org/2012/04/02/koch-brothers-exposed-fueling-climate-denial-and-privatizing-democracy/ Driving me crazy not being able to find the link where I got the 'think tanks', 'echo chambers' and 'chorus' information from. Whoever used that terminology to describe lobbying organisations and those they influence has done a great job in conveying what they are in simple, descriptive and easy to remember terms.  ------------------------------------------ Postscript Moments after posting the above, I've had my point of view affirmed on social media: Whistle-blowers Activists & Citizens Alliance (WACA)  https://twitter.com/akaWACA Anti-war Protest at:  Swan Island, Australia "Members of SAS known as the assassins in Aust military - stripped naked, hooded & beat up peace activists for entering military base #auspol" "Welcome 2 #TeamAustralia where military assassins from SAS torture peaceful protestors. Imagine what they do in Iraq https://www.facebook.com/pages/Whistleblowers-Activists-and-Citizens-Alliance/166696300034817 … "Seriously get ur head around this. Aust Military just hooded and beat up christian peace activists on Swan Island for daring to protest war" "WTF!! Absolute DISGRACE. that doesnt border on torture that IS torture. if they do that to our own wtf do they do to others " "SAS officers handcuffed, dragged activists on the ground when didn’t respond to Q's stating “If you move we will kick you in the face”" "SAS officers placed Hessian bags over activists heads & asked “do you want to go for a swim” before being dragging them naked across ground" "SAS officers cut activists clothing off with knives. Hessian bags were placed over their heads and told “welcome to the bag motherfucker"" The above is some of the feed from the WACA account.   What's happening is unbelievable.  No representative of the government (which in turn is supposed to  represent the *people*) should have the right -- or inclination -- to do that. What does that tell you about 'democracy'?  Clearly, it's a farce. Further Info: #BREAKING >> Australian peace activists detained and assaulted by SAS on Swan Island >> http://tinyurl.com/m7f2kf9  >> #Auspol Further Info - Democracy Under Attack - Australia  #Auspol - building blocks of our democratic system under attack - #ASIO given law enforcement powers - https://archive.today/FHEiQ

IRAN

IRAN BBC Spies? #UK BBC allegedly tried to steal from #Iran govt archives / BBC a cover for spies & dissidents / http://tinyurl.com/l3rmu2h >BBC is BANNED in #Iran & broadcasts blocked / #UK has no diplomatic presence /since militants stormed #UK consulate in 2011. #Iran's state TV said intelligence officials foiled BBC's plan to steal items from govt archives / http://tinyurl.com/qfhoy52 / article IBT #Iran - 2012 - #hacker / attack to jam 2 satellite feeds of BBC Persia into Iran, 2 disrupt London ph lines / multiple automatic calls ..LOL #Iran / #UK BBC had no immediate comment re BBC hacking claim ... "but Iran has a history of accusing" BBC ... lol nice DEFLECTION BBC! #Iran accuses BBC of spies & dissidents cover/foiled attempt steal docs govt archives /Guardian runs AP article: http://tinyurl.com/q8k8clr >> 2012 Iran’s state TV claimed BBC hacked its website to change the results of a poll about Iran’s nuclear programme!!! #UK >> Is the BBC a hotbed for SPIES and engaged in CYBER-WARFARE with #Iran ?? Iran - Israel & US Press TV Iran tweeted that US rejected Bibi's UN speech re Iran ... Hmmm, think Bibi might be spitting the dummy right now? >> Bubble Head Jen Psaki said WA disagrees with Netanyahu's assertion. White House says Iran’s nukes program is peaceful !! >> article link: http://tinyurl.com/kqymkhg >> So why did they hack Iran & destroy centrifuges? Sneaky US is up to *something* >> US former Pres. Jimmy Carter has attested to the existence of the Israeli nuclear arsenal >> http://tinyurl.com/kqymkhg  --------------------------------------------------- COMMENT This amused me greatly at the time but now I'm over it. Although the 2012 satellite jam is rather cool. In other news, Israel was critical of Iran at UN General Assembly, while the US has sidled up to Iran and wants to be buddies -- which is very strange.  US is up to something. Note:  UK no diplomatic presence since 2011.

'Deep State' USA - Mike Lofgren Article

'DEEP STATE' - USA Essay: Anatomy of the Deep State February 21, 2014 by Mike Lofgren Link:  http://billmoyers.com/2014/02/21/anatomy-of-the-deep-state/ Below are key points /extracts / summary (as learning aid for blogger): Visible government & the Shadow government Without due processes, President can: liquidate American citizens  detain prisoners indefinitely without charge conduct dragnet surveillance on the American people (without judicial warrant) engage in witch hunts against federal employees (the so-called “Insider Threat Program”) In USA, power is typified by: displays of intimidating force by militarized  federal; state; &  local; law enforcement.  Overseas, US can: start wars at will; & engage in virtually any other activity whatsoever  without Congress approval. 2011 political warfare over the debt ceiling, WA allocated funds on: overthrow Muammar Ghaddafi’s regime in Libya overt & covert assistance to French intervention in spill-over Mali $115 million to keeping a civil war going in Syria £100 million (min) to UK's GCHQ (spy agency) $1.7 billion constructing mammoth structure in Utah -- for NSA to archive digital surveillance data Meanwhile, in USA:  bridges carrying interstate highways have collapsed due to inadequate maintenance of infrastructure. Shadow Government (the 'Deep State') is a "hybrid entity of public and private institutions ruling the country" and this shadow government is only intermittently controlled by, the visible state whose leaders we choose." The Deep State government has its failures: Iraq Afghanistan Libya and is therefore not invincible.   The Deep State protects inept higher-ranking personnel. Cultural assimilation  >  “Groupthink”  - adoption of views of superiors & peers. Executive Office of the President via National Security Council CO-ORDINATES the activities of the Deep State, which is a hybrid of the following: national security  law enforcement agencies Department of State Department of Homeland Security Central Intelligence Agency Justice Department Deep State key areas of Judiciary: Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court Vital federal trial courts (eg Eastern District of Virginia & Southern District of Manhattan) - where NSA cases conducted. Department of the Treasury (financial flows; international sanctions; SYMBIOSIS with WALL STREET) 'Rump' Congress - congressional leadership & some (but not all) members of the defence &  intelligence committees.  Rest of Congress "submits to a few well-chosen words from the State’s emissaries". Eg. Passage of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Amendments Act of 2008: retroactively legalised Bush’s illegal & unconstitutional surveillance and indemnified telecommunications companies for their cooperation in these acts. No problems: submission & passing of bill leveraged with trump card :  “terrorism” "What is euphemistically called “private enterprise” is an integral part of its operations." Now "854,000 contract personnel with top-secret clearances — a number greater than that of top-secret-cleared civilian employees of the government." The Corporate Arm of the Deep State Membrane between government and industry is highly permeable:  See National Security and Booz Allen Hamilton, (one of the government’s largest intelligence contractors, 99% dependent on govt business).  Contractors now set: political and social tone of Washington; and  increasingly setting the direction of the country and are "doing so quietly, unrecorded in the Congressional Record or the Federal Register, and are rarely subject to congressional hearings." Wall Street -- the cash -- keeps the political machine dormant & "operating as a diversionary marionette theatre." "The executives of the financial giants even have de facto criminal immunity": " ... institutions so mammoth that prosecutions would have "negative impact on the national economy, perhaps even the world economy". "Wall Street may be the ultimate owner of the Deep State and its strategies, if for no other reason than that it has the money to reward ..." Harvard: Ivy League is .. the preferred bleaching tub & charm school of the American oligarchy.  [LOL] White House advisers contractor-connected think tank experts economic gurus (pro-globalization and deregulation) preferred pose is that of the politically neutral technocrat offering .. profound expertise "deeply dyed in the hue of the official ideology of the governing class" Domestically:  invariably believe in the “Washington Consensus”: financialisation, outsourcing, privatization, deregulation and the commodifying of labour. Internationally, they espouse 21st-century “American Exceptionalism”: the right and duty of the US to meddle in every region of the world with coercive diplomacy and boots on the ground Silicon Valley is a vital node of the Deep State (Snowden exposure) Important engine of the nation’s economy Indulged by Washington: “jailbreak” smartphone (ie modify for use with other service provider)> receive a fine of up to $500,000 + several yrs prison "... libertarian pose of the Silicon Valley moguls, so carefully cultivated in their public relations, has always been a sham" Silicon Valley - commercial purposes - tracking activities of electronic device users. Deep State - emulate the Valley -- for own purposes.  Deep State conscripts the Silicon Valley’s assistance. 21st century:  drone strikes data mining secret prisons Panopticon-like (all-seeing) control Yet, visible parliamentary institutions of self-government declining to status of a banana republic amid gradual collapse of public infrastructure. [ summary incomplete ]

SYRIA / IRAQ - Is full-scale war looming?

SYRIA  /  IRAQ SYRIA  /  IRAQ Tartus city/ Mediterranean coast #Syria -- 2nd largest port city in Syria -- 29°C - Wed/ 4:54 pm / #Russia has permanent naval base there ISIS -- US-led coalition will have to resort to the engagement of ground forces -- http://tinyurl.com/nwme9j3  -- New Eastern Outlook >> ISIS is a multilateral non-uniform coalition .. serving as means to an end:  for establishing an indep/ Kurdish state in north Iraq" >>> "Israel expressed its willingness to recognize the Kurdish state" [neo] deeds of "militant organization so far is a serious blow to Islam and the Muslims" - legitimised West intervention in region. >> while appearance of enemy to West ... "group may, in fact, be supported by certain Western structures" / some blame US & Saudi Arabia "Syria’s air-defense arsenal can in no way be discounted, as was the case in Libya." - Gaddafi had the gear /not the expertise >  weakness of high-tech weapons / to maintain in operating condition, spare parts & trained technicians required >>BUT (if I understand NEO correctly) contractors, incl. those from  US & NATO, can be engaged by ISIS for pay -- & have been? COMMENT All the info regarding the above has come out of the linked article - New Eastern Outlook - here. Impossible for me to guess at out how accurate the information might be, when I don't know about the region. Not sure if I knew about the Russian military base at the port or not.  Often I'll read things and be intensely interested at the time, but then it's all forgotten ... and I'll come across the same information and be surprised all over again.   Embarrassing.  LOL Hopefully, I'm not repeating myself here. I didn't understand the last bit of the article where it looks as though the writer's saying members of US and NATO are engaged by ISIS. To be honest, I got kind of excited in the middle portion of the article thinking 'hey, I've got the hang of this', thinking I finally understand what's going on -- but by the end of the article, I was back to being confused! No clue what's going on over there.   Reading about the new organisation (in Motherjones) just spun me out, like the whole thing's a never-die monster out of a horror movie. Think the fear-mongering has got to me.

UK - Gary McKinnon Case

UK - Gary McKinnon #Hacker -- Gary Mckinnon beat US extradition + 60 yrs>> http://goo.gl/DqHqDy  - humanitarian grounds - rest on hacking general, East Africa -- accused of hacking into 97 US military & NASA computers / deleted critical files / 24hr shut-down of 2,000 computer network - deleted weapons logs - rendered 200 PCs inoperable - paralysed munitions supply delivery US Atlantic Fleet! / Data + p/words -- "Your security is crap" message left for authorities ... LOL -- free for 3yrs ... then subject to bail ... involving daily sign-in @ police station >> 2012 Home Secretary Theresa May - extradition blocked HR ground - DPP, Keir Starmer no 2 pros in UK b/c evidence in USA UK govt easy on hacker that blocked weapons delivery ... but holding a publisher - #Assange - prisoner w/out charge 4yrs. Why? SRC: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_McKinnon COMMENT The McKinnon matter was mentioned generally in an article on hacking. Curious.  Checked it out. McKinnon was free for 3 years, until he became subject to bail conditions in 2005 (daily sign-on at local police station) and then got off on humanitarian grounds (which would probably cover every single accused on the planet, if you think about it) and the matter against him did not proceed in the UK because the evidence was in the US! Not that I want to see McKinnon in a US prison, but I'm curious how this works and why the vast discrepancy between the handling of a hacker case that involved tampering with weapons delivery, compared to the case against a publisher -- Assange -- who is undoubtedly a political prisoner and has been for 4 years at great cost to the UK. Something is wrong here -- and what a pack of slimy, corrupt hypocrites.

USA - Bombing of Syria

SYRIA #Syria bombing - US partners = Saudi Arabia, UAE, Jordan & Bahrain (+ x1 more??) -- al Arabiya (said x5) US-Libya Business Association, org funded primarily by US oil companies—including Chevron, Exxon Mobil & Marathon - #Libya's abundant supply > lawyer David Goldwyn, H/Clinton's envoy / lobbied Congress 4 pro-Libyan policies + battled [against] leg'n re Lockerbie suit of Libya govt >source http://goo.gl/EvS4An  - WikiLeaks H/Clinton cables: shale gas / re potential for fracking in their host countries [this off-topic article refers to US_Libya Business Assoc & parties relevant to Libya] >> I'm gonna take a guess: everyone's out to get al-Assad because of something to do with oil? #Syria "strikes focused on Isil positions in Raqa, a stronghold for the Sunni extremists, + targets along the Iraq-Syria border" /gulfnews >"Last wk US Congress endorsed Obama’s plan 2 train & arm moderate Syrian rebels 2 battle Isil group" - http://goo.gl/ob2cFE NOTE:  THERE HAVE BEEN DENIALS THAT SYRIA WAS ADVISED IN ADVANCE RT (AP) "Damascus says Washington informed Syria's UN envoy before striking Islamic State in #Syria." >> Doesn't qualify as CONSENT NBC >> "U.S. strikes will help Syria rebels defeat Assad, opposition says" ... er, why are they quoting the OPPOSITION of a govt ? COMMENT The big story of the day is the bombing of Syria.   Claims were made that the US notified Syria in advance.  Other stories indicate Syria wasn't advised.  Either way, notification doesn't amount to having obtained consent. It occurred to me that the weekend talks with Iran in NY may have been to obtain Iran's approval to go ahead with violating Syrian sovereignty. Bear in mind, I'm new to watching this stuff and this is just a guess on my part (which could be completely wrong). Others thought that the big US drive to draw allies into IS dispute was because of the Iran bogeyman.  It didn't occur to me that Iran would challenge the US, so I don't know if this is likely or not. By the time I got a hold of a couple of good articles on the subject, I was well over digesting information that involved reading pages on a subject:  all I wanted was the simple facts. Was quite shocked that the US went ahead and bombed when Syria was adamant that its consent would be required.  It struck me as immoral. Was also shocked to see photos (later in the day) of what looks like an urban region that's been bombed, as I imagined they'd be bombing somewhere in the desert and not civilians (some of whom were killed and injured). From what I've read, Congress consent was a mere formality -- it wasn't a requirement.  That's pretty shocking as well.  It shouldn't be (now that I've come across instances where congress as been left out of the loop etc), but it is nonetheless.  What happened to the democratic process -- or isn't there one? Was shocked to read that the IS group had issued an audio urging adherents to kill members of the public of countries that are involved in the alliance.  Also quite indignant about that, as members of the public are hardly to blame for things the public has no say in. Addendum:  The material relating to Goldwyn is COMPLETELY off-topic and, today, I'm wondering why I've linked it to Syria!!  Rookie error, I guess.  For some dumb reason, I keep confusing Libya and Syria.   Retract!  Retract! In an article that I was reading in relation to shale and fracking, there was indication that all was amicable between the US and Syria at one time -- but, obviously, something's soured and the West appears intent on unseating the al-Assad regime. It would have to have something to do with resources in the region, I'm guessing.  [Sticking with that conclusion] Very odd that the US media is reporting what the 'opposition' have to say on a matter concerning the government of a country.  Actually, it's also odd that those seeking to take down the government by military means would be referred to as the 'opposition', as if they were merely the opposing political party.

Cybersecurity, Techie & Other

CYBERSECURITY, TECHIE & Other US 'SECRET STATE' #US national security state w/in a state = 6 million classified persons (larger than Norway, NZ or Scotland pop)! >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=aMYqzGwwoF8 … -----------------------------------------------------  CYBERSECURITY #cybersecurity - Dropbox, Google & Open Technology World - lending support 2 Simply Secure 2 devel. easy-use sec. http://goo.gl/09sw4B -----------------------------------------------------  DIGITAL CURRENCY / BITCOIN Have notes & coins have had their day? Kenneth Rogoff, of Harvard University, reckons they have. http://goo.gl/4y6Ewo  / #Bitcoin ? -----------------------------------------------------  WHISTLEBLOWERS http://www.worldbulletin.net/news/144776/switzerland-prepares-to-tighten-screws-on-whistleblowers #Switzerland's parliament proposed bill Monday - weakening protection 4 whistleblowers - http://goo.gl/JcBXM9  Julius Baer / #WikiLeaks / The Swiss law is another bit of gagging legislation going around various govts. What's with that lately? It's 4 cover-ups #Switzerland clamping down on whistleblowers but offers #Snowden asylum. If I were Snowden, I'd politely decline ... LOL -----------------------------------------------------  COMMENT Loads of interesting information here.  The bit about the US 'state within a state' is rather spooky.   Might have to cross-reference that one with the other US info.

USA: It's On Us | VAWA (1994) + MVRA

U.S.A. USA - VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT – MANDATORY VICTIMS RESTITUTION ACT – FEDERAL SEXUAL VIOLENCE CAMPAIGN It's On Us So much comedic material in the US - Celebrities urge young men to protect female friends by making sure they get home safely. >> Now women in US are 'crippled' second-class citizens who are appointed a patriarchal figure to spirit them home? Advert: "It's on us to stop sexual assault" ... "To get in the way before it happens."/Joe Biden + ors feature in WH campaign The Coalface Clemson University #USA Clemson Uni suspended mandatory online course that asked students & faculty about their sex lives & drinking habits following backlash! >> US is INSANE: "Q. supposed to serve the purpose of educating students on gender equality to prevent sexual violence" !! >Q's such as: "How many times have you had sex?" & "With how many different people have you had sex?" raised privacy concerns. - schools across country R experimenting w/ new approaches 2 sexual harass/prevent/ & ed Federal law. VAWA (1994) + MVRA VAWA (1994) encouraged states to adopt mandatory arrest policies that allowed DV cases to move forward without the cooperation of victims. A lucrative DV industry in US - $1.6 billion>> "One of greatest successes of VAWA is emphasis on a coordinated comm/response" >Involves mandatory 'restitution' > this is fine? .. assume it is to State (?) - 2007 $50 billion outstanding Fed. crim debt! >> Nope. It's money to 'make victims whole' .. US is warped. >> Looks like fair few civil liberties issues assoc. w/ the Act. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violence_Against_Women_Act … > Reauthorisation of Act signed by Obama March 2013: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/s47/text … >> 2009 Review ... but info prob. still good >> http://scholarship.law.berkeley.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1112&context=californialawreview  Out of $50 bill uncollected restitution - $10 bill is govt $$ MVRA /Mand.Vict.Rest.Act - mandate that judges order FULL restitution irrespective of MEANS ...[blood out of stone?] COMMENT This struck me as some very interesting information.