National Security Agency – The only part of the government that really listens to what you have to say
The New York Times (November 2) ran a long article based on NSA documents released by Edward Snowden. One of the lines that most caught my attention concerned “Sigint” – Signals intelligence, the term used for electronic intercepts. The document stated:
“Sigint professionals must hold the moral high ground, even as terrorists or dictators seek to exploit our freedoms. Some of our adversaries will say or do anything to advance their cause; we will not.”
What, I wondered, might that mean? What would the National Security Agency – on moral principle – refuse to say or do?
I have on occasion asked people who reject or rationalize any and all criticism of US foreign policy: “What would the United States have to do in its foreign policy to lose your support? What, for you, would be too much?” I’ve yet to get a suitable answer to that question. I suspect it’s because the person is afraid that whatever they say I’ll point out that the United States has already done it.
The United Nations vote on the Cuba embargo – 22 years in a row
For years American political leaders and media were fond of labeling Cuba an “international pariah”. We haven’t heard that for a very long time. Perhaps one reason is the annual vote in the United Nations General Assembly on the resolution which reads: “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba”. This is how the vote has gone (not including abstentions):
|
ZNetwork is funded solely through the generosity of its readers. Donate
William Blum
William Blum was an American author and historian. He was a critic of United States foreign policy. William Blum left the State Department in 1967, abandoning his aspiration of becoming a Foreign Service Officer, because of his opposition to what the United States was doing in Vietnam. He then became one of the founders and editors of the Washington Free Press, the first “alternative” newspaper in the capital.  SubscribeAll the latest from Z, directly to your inbox. Institute for Social and Cultural Communications, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit. Our EIN# is #22-2959506. Your donation is tax-deductible to the extent allowable by law. We do not accept funding from advertising or corporate sponsors. We rely on donors like you to do our work.
ZNetwork: Left News, Analysis, Vision & Strategy
SubscribeAll the latest from Z, directly to your inbox. This is your article this month.We’re glad you keep coming back. If Z’s work has informed, challenged, or inspired you, that’s no accident: there are no paywalls, no ads, and no billionaire owners here, and there never will be. Independent media survives because readers choose to support it. Billionaires fund their own media. We fund ours. Help us reach 1,000 sustaining donors: Number of donors688 Our goal1,000 Sustainers at $9/month or more receive the digital Z Magazine. Already a sustainer? Click here and we won’t ask again. Thank you! Your reading count is stored only in your browser and is never sent to us.Sound is muted by default. Tap 🔊 for the full experience CRITICAL ACTIONCritical Action is a longtime friend of Z and a music and storytelling project grounded in liberation, solidarity, and resistance to authoritarian power. Through music, narrative, and multimedia, the project engages the same political realities and movement traditions that guide and motivate Z’s work. If this project resonates with you, you can learn more about it and find ways to support the work using the link below. Independent media is not disappearing because the ideas are weak.It is disappearing because platforms reward speed, outrage, and algorithmic visibility over thoughtful analysis. More than 100,000 people read Z every month, free of paywalls, ads, and billionaire owners. It takes fewer than 1 in 100 of them to fund all of it: 1,000 donors who keep Z independent, for everyone, and build what comes next. Number of donors688 Our goal1,000 Sustainers at $9/month or more receive the digital Z Magazine. SubscribeJoin the Z Community – receive event invites, announcements, a Weekly Digest, and opportunities to engage. |
