Christian Science Monitor releases a blistering report of high-ranking former U.S. political figures taking 5-figure speaking fees from a designated terrorist group. The purpose of the speeches? To get the group off of the list.

    Lee Hamilton, former co-chair of the 9/11 Commission, told the Monitor he received a “good fee” to speak in Washington. He “approved” of the MEK’s 10-point platform, which enshrines democracy, gender equality, and freedom, but added: “We all know it’s a piece of paper…. Now is that in fact their practice? I don’t think I am the one to judge that.” Hamilton told the audience he remains “really puzzled” about why the MEK remains on the terrorist list.

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell also spoke at an MEK-linked event and was paid $20,000 for a 10-minute speech….followed by Rendell’s call for removal from the terrorist list…

Andrew Card, former White House chief of staff under George W. Bush, told the crowd the gathering was a “great reflection of support for the people of the MEK. It is truly time … for the people all over the world who care about democracy to stand with the Iranian people and the MEK in the struggle for democracy.”

As a reminder:

NDAA says the military can detain “A person who was a part of or substantially supported al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners, including any person who has committed a belligerent act or has directly supported such hostilities in aid of such enemy forces.”

LA Times:

    Reporting from Washington and Chicago — The president has legal authority to target and kill American citizens working with Al Qaeda and its allies overseas, according to Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr., who declared that when such people pose a threat to the country and cannot be captured, “we must take steps to stop them.”

And there’s this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dOs-G9DEd8w

It should come as a surprise to no one that all of these weapons would ultimately be turned inwards.

NewAmerican:

    …in 2011, the CBP permitted a local law enforcement unit in North Dakota to use a drone in normal operations. And slowly, law enforcement agencies began to acquire drones for their normal operations, in Florida, South Carolina, Colorado, and New York. Experts are predicting that there may be somewhere near 300,000 new drones launched in the United States within the next decade.

Pressure is reportedly building for drones to be given the same access to the sky as manned aircraft.

Congress has given the FAA a deadline of September 2015 to allow civilian and military drones to fly in civilian airspace by passing the FAA Reauthorization Act.