Cluck U wrote:"The Obama administration pushed back on an Associated Press report Thursday that the United States sought to set up a secret communications network in Cuba -- "Cuban Twitter" -- to undermine the communist government there.
"Suggestions that this was a covert program are wrong," said White House spokesman Jay Carney. "Congress funds democracy programming for Cuba to help empower Cubans to access more information and to strengthen civil society."
Carney said the program was completed in 2012, that "USAID is a development agency, not an intelligence agency," the appropriations were public, and "it was conducted in accordance with U.S. law and under appropriate oversight controls."
He added: "In implementing programs in non-permissive environments, of course, the government has taken steps to be discreet. That's how you protect the practitioners and the public."
Obama and his aides support "efforts to help Cuban citizens communicate more easily with one another and with the outside world," Carney said, though he added that "I'm not aware of individuals here who knew about" this particular program."
http://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2 ... s/7260313/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
We were not hiding anything...but we could not let anyone know we were doing it.
Can't wait for Bahrain Twitter to start...you know, for Democracy.
Hey Cluck, I read this one and thought of you.
DISPATCHES
US Takes a Break From Condemning Tyranny to Celebrate Obama’s Visit to Saudi Arabia
By Glenn Greenwald28 Mar 2014, 10:45 AM EDT
The Obama administration for which Vietor was a spokesman repeatedly supplied arms to the regime in Bahrain as they brutally crushed democratic protesters. They vigorously supported the repellent Mubarak regime, the long-time US ally, until his downfall became inevitable; Hillary Clinton, upon being named Secretary of State, gushed: “I really consider President and Mrs. Mubarak to be friends of my family.” Obama has continually embraced the anti-democratic Gulf monarchs ruling Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait. And all of that is independent of the unparalleled political, financial, diplomatic and military support which the US lavishes on Israel as it engaged in all sorts of decades-long occupation, repression and aggression.
And then there’s the closest US ally of them all, which also just happens to be one of the world’s most brutally repressive regimes: the House of Saud. During Vietor’s tenure, the administration revealed “plans to offer advanced aircraft to Saudi Arabia worth up to $60 billion, the largest US arms deal ever, and is in talks with the kingdom about potential naval and missile-defense upgrades that could be worth tens of billions of dollars more.” Five months ago, the Pentagon announced “plans to sell Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates $10.8 billion in advanced weaponry, including air-launched cruise missiles and precision munitions,” a package that “includes the first US sales to Middle East allies of new Raytheon and Boeing weapons that can be launched at a distance from Saudi F-15 and UAE F-16 fighters.” The Obama White House has repeatedly affirmed its “strong partnership” with the Saudi tyranny.
Today, Obama arrives in Riyadh to assure the Saudi monarchs that the US is as committed as ever to its close partnership in the wake of Saudi anxiety. He’ll meet with King Abdullah, “the president’s third official meeting with the king in six years.” The purpose of this trip: “trying to smooth relations with Saudi Arabia without making the longtime US ally seem like an afterthought.” Indeed, “top presidential advisors say the visit is an ‘investment’ in one of the most important US relationships in the Middle East.”
Change!
