DOMESTIC SURVEILLANCE: WE ARE THE ENEMY NOW

• The FBI confirmed last week that drones are carrying out surveillance within the United States. FBI Director Robert Mueller called the drone use "very seldom," while acknowledging regulations to address privacy concerns have yet to be completed. Meanwhile, in the latest leak of classified National Security Agency material, The Guardian reported Thursday that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court has signed off on rules that appear to grant wide latitude to the NSA in retaining and making use of Americans’ private data, rather than "minimizing" its usage. 

Democracy Now discusses the latest issues of domestic surveillance with Heidi Boghosian, executive director of the National Lawyers Guild and author of the forthcoming book, "Spying on Democracy: Government Surveillance, Corporate Power and Public Resistance." Boghosian examines the increasing monitoring of ordinary citizens, and the corporations that work with the government to mine data collected from a wide range of electronic sources.

• Just a reminder that on July 4 the Maine Campaign to Bring Our War $$ Home and PeaceWorks will do a drone/NSA surveillance bit in the Bath, Maine parade.  We will have puppets, bulging eye headbands, T-shirts, banners and signs to bring the domestic surveillance issue to the public.  Bring something creative on this theme if you can.  If you don't we'll have extras to share.  The parade beings at 11:30 am and we will gather just after 10:30 am by the cemetery (across from the pizza place) on Lincoln and Congress Ave.  (Or you can come to the Addams-Melman House at 212 Centre St and leave your car here.)  Following the parade we will have a pot luck picnic back at the Addams-Melman House in Bath.  All are invited.