more of apolice state than already.A previous article discussed House passage ofthe draconian USIntelligence Authorization Act, calling it a huge leap backwards, Senatepassage and Obama signing it into law virtually certain.It aims to counter nonexistent measures byRussia to exert covert influence, including exposing falsehoods, agents ofinfluence, corruption, human rights abuses, terrorism and assassinationscarried out by the security services or political elites of the RussianFederation or their proxies.It calls truth-telling by writers like myselfand many others fake news. It threatens speech, independent media (especiallyonline) and academic freedoms the hallmark of a fascist dictatorship, wantinginformation and views contrary to official ones suppressed.Does supporting Russias good faith efforts toresolve conflicts in Syria and Ukraine equitably make me a Kremlin agent orpropagandist? Does praising Putin for wanting peace, not war, multi-worldpolarity, and mutual cooperation among all nations?Does opposing Washingtons imperial war machinemean Im unpatriotic? Does patriotism require supporting lawless governmentpolicies? Does opposing might makes right make me an enemy of the state? Doeswanting real democracy, not Americas fantasy version? Does believing in theinviolability of international and constitutional law principles?Does wanting peace and security, imperial warsended? Does believing in equity and justice for everyone, not just Americasprivileged few?Am I and many others like me endangered if wepursue truth-telling? In 1893, Finley Peter Dunne (1867 1936) said (t)he jobof the newspaper is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. Hesaid it before the electronic media age, including the Internet, lettingactivist writers express views freely.Will the US Intelligence Authorization Actchange things? Are First Amendment rights threatened with annulment? Willfascist tyranny replace remaining freedoms? Will truth-telling be criminalized?Are my days able to write and speak freelynumbered despite committing no wrongdoing now or earlier? Just truth-tellingon vital domestic and geopolitical issues, what journalism is supposed to beall about.Stephen LendmanDONi News AgencyAccording to: GlobalResearch-----4- Donetsk Defense: Situation Report, 4.12.2016Sunday, December 4, 2016 - 13:30, DONi Donbass International NewsAgency https://dninews.com (Donbass)The situation in the Donetsk Peoples Republic remains tense.Over the past day the Ukrainian fighters violatedceasefire 1084times. At that the enemy launched 66 artilleryprojectiles of 122mm calibre, 246 mortar shells of 120mm and 82mmcalibre, and made ten tank shots. Besides, the fire was launched from grenadelaunchers, infantry fighting vehicles and various types of small arms.The following Republics localities underwent shellings by theUkrainian terrorists Gruzevitch, Shaptala, Nikolyuk, Sokolov andDelyatitsky: Zaitsevo, Gorlovka, Yasinovataya, Staromikhailovka,Aleksandrovka, Belaya Kamenka, Leninskoye, Sakhanka,Zaichenko and Trudovskiye locality of the Petrovskydistrict of Donetsk.Our intelligence continues detecting strengthening of the AFUpositions near the contact line:- Near Konstantinovka (20 km away from the contact line)there was detected the arrival of ten tanks;- Near Novosyolovka Vtoraya (10 km away from the contactline) there were threetanks;- Near Krasnogorovka (3 km away from the contact line)there were detected four120mm mortars and one self-propelledhowitzer Akatsiya;- Near Kurakhovo (23 km away from the contact line) therewas detected the arrival of up to 100 personnel of the UkrainianInterior Ministry regiment Dnepr -1;- Near Troitskoye (8 km away from the contact line) therewas detected one 152mm self-propelled howitzer Akatsiyaand three tanks.The data on violations of the Minsk Agreements were passed to theJCCC and OSCE Missions representatives.Venal Ukrainian journalists continue sustaining