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Volume 191

The National Security Agency is authorized to spy on the citizens of America's closest allies, including Britain, even though those English-speaking countries have long had an official non-spying pact, according to a newly disclosed memorandum.

The classified N.S.A. document, which appears to be a draft and is dated January 2005, states that under specific circumstances, the American intelligence agency may spy on citizens of Britain without that country's consent or knowledge. The memo, provided by the former N.S.A. contractor Edward J. Snowden, is labeled secret and "NOFORN," indicating that it may not be shared with any foreign country.

[snip]

The N.S.A. declined to respond to questions on whether the draft became official policy and whether spying on Britain without its consent had ever taken place.

Oh, but, wait...

But portions of the document appear to indicate that, whether by formal agreement or simply longstanding practice, both Britain and the United States believed that in extraordinary circumstances, one country might feel compelled to spy on citizens of the other.

In a reference to an intelligence-sharing compact struck in March 1946, the memo said the two nations had agreed "that both governments will not target each other's citizens/persons."

That agreement, however, came with a caveat that "when it is in the best interest of each nation," unilateral spying by one nation on the other could take place, the memo says. It goes on to expand that mandate to allow spying by the United States on any of the Five Eyes countries (the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand).

New York Rep. Louise Slaughter, the senior Democrat on the House Rules Committee, introduced legislation Wednesday that would prevent Congress from skipping town for the holidays if the House fails to pass a budget agreement by mid-December.

Democrats are hopeful, however, that the vote will be tricky for Republicans amid reports that House GOP leaders are done legislating for the remainder of the year and have distributed a blank agenda for 2014 to their members. In a press release, Slaughter cites such articles and points out that House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) reportedly joked in a private meeting with Republicans that the House shouldn't even remain in session in December.

As The Huffington Post reported earlier this year, the 113th Congress is on track to be the least productive in modern history, a tough record to beat given the 112th Congress was already the least productive since the 1940s. Boehner has called such reports "total nonsense," and said the American public would like to see Congress repeal laws rather than simply pass them.

A Kalispell Police officer and a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officer were able to remove a five-pound sack of potatoes reported hanging from a tree on Seventh Street East that looked like it might fall into the street. Apparently, the potatoes were subdued without causing any mayhem.

"In the name of the Great Teacher, we will stop at nothing to unleash a firestorm of empathy, compassion, and true selflessness upon the West," said Rinpoche, adding that all enemies of a freely flowing, unfettered state of mind will be "besieged with pure, everlasting happiness." "No city will be spared from spiritual harmony. We will bring about the end to all Western pain and anxiety, to all destructive cravings, to all greed, delusion, and misplaced desire. Indeed, we will bring the entire United States to its knees in deep meditation."
[...snip...]
"And if you think even for a moment that we will ever relent, remember this: Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened," Rinpoche added. "You have been warned."
[...snip...]
"I want to assure all Americans that we are fully aware of these threats from Kammaṭṭhāna, and they will not be taken lightly," acting Secretary of Homeland Security Rand Beers said at a press conference shortly after Rinpoche's video surfaced...
[...snip...]
"The danger of total enlightenment is very real," Beers added. "And we must be prepared."

At press time, sources confirmed that President Obama has authorized a preemptive strike on Kammaṭṭhāna and deployed a fleet of predator drones to bomb Tibet.

My sister works at a large federal agency as a librarian.  Over the last couple of weeks, they have been preparing to move the entire library into a new space, and she somehow managed to find herself of being in charge of move coordination.  Last Friday, they moved.

Flash forward to this week.  She was moving boxes and trying to arrange them in places near where people could empty them.  She moved a box out of the aisle, and when she came back, there was a piece of mail on the floor. She picked it up to look at it and....it was addressed to ME at my parents' home - it was an insurance bill from 2002. I have never been to her place of employment, so it's not like I could have dropped it on a visit.

Now, obviously, this got stuck to something in one of her work files - something she was probably supposed to deliver to me way back when, and probably ended up stuck to the back of something and moved time and again as she changed jobs.  But the funny thing is, she said it was near a box of office supplies, and not in a box with her files.

Before todays vote the Republicans said if Reid's no more super majority passed the first thing the Republicans would do if they are the majority in the Senate in 2014 (a real possibility given the way red state Democrats are running away from Obamacare) is eliminate all super majority requirements.

Maybe we should start calling it the Unaffordable Care Act since dems are eager to get rid of the "Obamacare" name now that it's toxic and millions are finding out that the ACA is so affordable.

CNN

It depicts a group of lawyers sending their investigator to remove evidence that would prove damaging to their client before the police get there and declare it a crime scene.

They are doing it in the name of protecting their client.

Volume 194
Volume 193