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nocal
It's insane, this guy's taint   SSHOLEPosts: 811 Registered: 8/25/2004 Offline
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2/2/2006 at 17:21 |
2) Torture, Rendition, Illegal Detention - I don't necessarily have a problem with all these. If torture of terrorists is what it takes to keep my family safe, so be it.
Torture doesn't get much reliable data. If I pull your fingernails off with pliers, will you admit things? Will you make shit up so I stop?
Plus, as terrorists don't have a particular nationality (we have had American and Saudi terrorists, while Syria harbors plenty), anyone could potentially be illegally detained.
Key point being, before 9/11 they had info aplenty on the terrorists. They had that (vague) memo about bin Laden, but they also had a ton of info on the actual Saudis that hit the towers. They had recorded phone calls, they had calls from the flight school, etc. If anything, that was a beauraucratic fuck up.
5 ) Hurricane Katrina? Hurricane Katrina? Wow. How about the next time California has and earthquake, or Oklahoma gets hit by a tornado you post some outrage about how the gubment is responsible for taking care of you when you choose to live in an area that is subject to dangerous variations of the natural world. I'm not saying they deserved it, but WTF? If you live in an area that gets hit by a bazillion hurricanes a year, and when you're told to get out and you ignore the warnings you are just plain ignorant (which, BTW, is probably the gubment's fault too, right?).
Or how about when a cold area gets hit with a particularly harsh winter? Or Arizona gets hit with a longer and hotter summer? Or Mt. St. Helens erupts again? Or a tsunami hits a coastal area? Or that overblown, ridiculous killer bee migration actually hits Texas? Or you live on the side of a hill and a mudslide happens?
Yeah! It's your own fault! |
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mundhra
dread pirate neckbeard  SSHOLEPosts: 1636 Registered: 3/25/2002 Offline
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2/2/2006 at 17:31 |
global warming? GLOBAL WARMING?!?
comon. everyone knows that burning fossil fuels has been a constant contributor to the earth's climate since its formation. mitigating our particulate donations to the atmosphere would be nothing short of madness.
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But the whole of modern so-called civilized existence is an attempt to deny reality insofar as it exists. When did Don last look at the stars, when did Norman last get soaked in a rainstorm? |
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vladtweano
DARTH MENSES  Posts: 517 Registered: 3/11/2002 Offline
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2/2/2006 at 20:15 |
tank: Hurricane Katrina? Hurricane Katrina? Wow. How about the next time California has and earthquake, or Oklahoma gets hit by a tornado you post some outrage about how the gubment is responsible for taking care of you when you choose to live in an area that is subject to dangerous variations of the natural world.
Taking care of me? Ha. Fuck no.
Sitting around with their thumbs up their asses for 3 days while their underlings do the same? Actively preventing other people from helping? Also fuck no.
Expecting the government, with whom I have a contract to abide by their rules in exchange for some measure of benefit, to at least fucking PRETEND to do something? Fuck yes.
If you live in an area that gets hit by a bazillion hurricanes a year, and when you're told to get out and you ignore the warnings you are just plain ignorant
Yeah. If you don't own a car, you're ignorant. If you have no money, you're ignorant. If you're stuck to a dialysis machine, you're ignorant. If your employer tells you that if you don't come to work you'll be shitcanned, you're ignorant. It's so simple! Why are these people so stupid?
(which, BTW, is probably the gubment's fault too, right?).
Yes tank, the hurricane was all the government's fault. The bloated life-giving teat should protect me from all harm. I wish it didn't have to be that way, so I could be all smart and cynical and cool.
On 2006-02-02 at 14:28:27, vladtweano enjoyed furrysex
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vladtweano
DARTH MENSES Posts: 517 Registered: 3/11/2002 Offline
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2/3/2006 at 16:06 |
Downing Street Memo II: Electric Boogyman. Cheg dis shiddout:
"Mr Bush told Mr Blair that the US was so worried about the failure to find hard evidence against Saddam that it thought of "flying U2 reconnaissance aircraft planes with fighter cover over Iraq, painted in UN colours". Mr Bush added: "If Saddam fired on them, he would be in breach [of UN resolutions]".
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"Those are my principles, and if you don't like them...well, I have others."
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jwalker
Token Discordian  SSHOLEPosts: 949 Registered: 8/6/2005 Offline
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2/3/2006 at 21:40 |
Keep the NSA off your back - sign up now for the no-spy list.
(it's actually a petition, so don't really sign up unless you're an activist or a masochist, or as is more often the case - both).
On 2006-02-04 at 13:22:25, dreymers enjoyed furrysex
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To the dog who has money, men say "My Lord Dog". |
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jwalker
Token Discordian SSHOLEPosts: 949 Registered: 8/6/2005 Offline
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2/4/2006 at 20:47 |
Well, it's almost showtime. The administration is wrapping up their PR tour, and little children everywhere are dreaming of a safer America.
Srsly - the administration has a lot at stake here. If they can't keep the public trust, it'll be more difficult to invade Iran and Syria. They're trying to play it cool, but you may have noticed something the pundits refuse to speak of - by the very nature of this topic's secrecy, everything the administration has been saying is a defensive argument. It just doesn't make them look good; like they're being accused of a crime or something. Indeed, the intelligence community's annual breifing turned into a debate on the spying issue.
A friend from work was over drinking beers and he is a rabid republican, so we enjoy sparring. He pointed out that the technology of today makes the FISA court dated (before the PC was even around). Indignant, I retorted that if the NSA was using their new found powers for a vast data mining effort, then there'd be a lot more to answer for than the charges currently being investigated (shades of Total Information Awareness).
And then this is only going to confuse matters: the infamous Brooklyn Bridge bomber is appealing on grounds of illegal spying.
This is amusing:
Hypothetical: Bush is impeached. Monitoring calls without warrants is thoroughly condemned and prohibited. Terrorists would, obviously, see this as a clever American plot to entice them to make phone calls to American cells from Sudan, to check and see how those infidels are dying, how the sister-in-law is doing, ect. Terrorists are far too smart for this. They will NOT realize their calls are completely secure from NSA eavesdropping so long as they use a new phone and keep it short, they will in fact revert in desperation to the last ditch plan of communication - they will tie instructions detailing what buildings they want to blow up and how, complete with mailing addresses of intended recipients, to the legs of pigeons and hope for the best.
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To the dog who has money, men say "My Lord Dog". |
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suncrafter
Tender vittles  Posts: 9 Registered: 2/5/2006 Offline
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2/5/2006 at 01:55 |
Congress will soon hold hearings on the National Security Agency's domestic spying program, secretly authorized by President Bush in 2002. But that program is just the tip of the iceberg.... check out this headline:
Bush Administration Suspected of Using Illegal Wire Tapping to Convict Computer Whiz of Tax Fraud
BINGHAMTON — Twenty years ago, John P. Dundon was a teenage whiz kid, so gifted with an entrepreneurial spirit that he had his own computer business before he graduated from high school.
But on January 23 of this year, all the early promise of Dundon's brilliant career was gone.
Clad in an orange jail jumpsuit Monday, Dundon, 37, of Binghamton, admitted in federal court to defrauding banks to get business loans and lines of credit, and not paying about $250,000 in taxes that prosecutors say he owes to the Internal Revenue Service related to the businesses secretly run by Dundon.
In all, Dundon's conduct cost $748,657, and his conviction was due in part by the unofficial assistance of secret service agents, prosecutors said privately to reporters the day following Dundon's arrest. When pressed for further details, prosecutors admitted that the audio tape transcripts sent to them by email were never admitted as evidence, "...but were of invaluable assistance in tracking down evidence that supports one of the two counts of tax fraud that Duncan is currently charged with..." the attorney said.
Dundon's attempts to acquire the inadmissible audio tape transcripts from the secret service under the freedom of information act reached a dead end due to the transcript's untraceable and "unofficial" status.
Dundon pleaded guilty Monday to one count of bank fraud, one count of identity theft, and two counts of tax fraud. Dundon could get up to 30 years in prison on the bank fraud conviction alone. A conviction on the bank fraud count also carries a fine of up to $1 million, federal law states.
A request for a separate investigation into the prosecution's acquisition of the Dundon transcripts was made to Judge Thomas J. McAvoy who is not expected to address the issue until Dundon's sentencing in May.
Dundon has been in financial and legal trouble before. The married father of two young children still owes $140,000 in restitution that he was required to pay beginning in 1996 when he pleaded guilty in federal court to five counts of bank fraud and one count of making false statements on a loan application in earlier business transactions, court documents indicate.
Prosecutors said Dundon committed bank fraud in the latest round of charges when he attempted to get loans and credit from Wells Fargo Bank and other banks under false pretenses, and by making false representations and promises. Dundon used another person's identity to qualify for the business loans, Lovric said.
/© 2006 U.S. WashingtonNews 202-374-2770/
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jwalker
Token Discordian SSHOLEPosts: 949 Registered: 8/6/2005 Offline
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2/5/2006 at 03:10 |
suncrafter: Congress will soon hold hearings on the National Security Agency's domestic spying program, secretly authorized by President Bush in 2002. But that program is just the tip of the iceberg.... check out this headline:
Bush Administration Suspected of Using Illegal Wire Tapping to Convict Computer Whiz of Tax Fraud
(story with no link)
/© 2006 U.S. WashingtonNews 202-374-2770/
Can you verify that story? I found a couple of links about it, but only one that mentions the secret recordings, and that one is asking whether the story is true.
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To the dog who has money, men say "My Lord Dog". |
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vladtweano
DARTH MENSES Posts: 517 Registered: 3/11/2002 Offline
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2/5/2006 at 05:17 |
NSA Spying Myths
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"Those are my principles, and if you don't like them...well, I have others."
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jwalker
Token Discordian SSHOLEPosts: 949 Registered: 8/6/2005 Offline
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2/5/2006 at 08:43 |
I like Cole; he's very down-to-earth. Myth #1 surprised me. And I thought this especially poignant:
So the answer to Bush's question is that he may have "informed Congress" precisely to provide cover in case his secret lawbreaking ever became public, but he did so in a manner that insured Congress could not take action against him.
Here's some more news clips:
According to this clearly biased report, The J. Edgar Hoover Memorial Vacuum Cleaner swept up an FBI double-agent - none other than the Brooklyn Bridge bomber.
Here's another report (biased to the other side), chastising Jay Rockefeller for possibly being the leak.
James Bamford, author of several books, and purported expert on and stark proponent of the NSA, has made news for denouncing the domestic spying and signing on with the ACLU lawsuit.
Snoopy Dogs: this link is less gossipy and is, I think, a pretty fair assessment of the situation.
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To the dog who has money, men say "My Lord Dog". |
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jwalker
Token Discordian SSHOLEPosts: 949 Registered: 8/6/2005 Offline
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2/6/2006 at 05:59 |
[werdz]
Ahem..after that brief repose, we can continue in the full knowledge that our communications infrustructure is in no way compromised.
Or can we? According to latest revelations USA Today, AT&T, MCI and Sprint have had their cooperation "secured" by the NSA. But is that okay? You decide.
The Free Internet Press is saying that Most Americans Spied On By NSA Were Cleared, but if that helped to catch one terrorist then doesn't that make it legal?
Here's some speculation about what witnesses will be called after Gonzoles is through fellating dubya tomorrow.
On 2006-02-21 at 00:30:57, jwalker enjoyed furrysex
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To the dog who has money, men say "My Lord Dog". |
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vladtweano
DARTH MENSES Posts: 517 Registered: 3/11/2002 Offline
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2/7/2006 at 15:47 |
Rove is twisting Republican arms on the Judiciary Committee, threatening withdrawl of White House support for reelection campaigns if senators vote against the preznit on this wiretap issue.
I'd think these senators would be all for it. Much better to be perceived as a foe of the white house among your voters at election time.
Oh, and why exactly does Rove still have a security clearance?
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"Those are my principles, and if you don't like them...well, I have others."
- Groucho Marx |
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jwalker
Token Discordian SSHOLEPosts: 949 Registered: 8/6/2005 Offline
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2/7/2006 at 20:19 |
Gonzoles sounds like Mr. Garrison - ever notice that?
Second page news, a full day of hearings and Bush is not behind bars!? Mainly though, I think most of the senators took a firm stand against the administration's sneaky end-run.
What's next? More hearings (closed) scheduled to discuss operational issues.
Here's some interesting arcticles:
CNET - NSA eavesdropping: How it might work
Narcosphere - The NSA's relationship with Reuters and AP
Pat Roberts - Things not going your way? Change its name. (not that interesting) <-- actually is interesting now (see 2-19)
Some insights into what's next
On 2006-02-21 at 00:42:36, jwalker enjoyed furrysex
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To the dog who has money, men say "My Lord Dog". |
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jwalker
Token Discordian SSHOLEPosts: 949 Registered: 8/6/2005 Offline
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2/11/2006 at 10:35 |
It's been an eventful week:
The Senate Judiciary Committee continued their inquiry into the NSA spying deal in closed sessions, after first making Gonzales squirm in public. But then on Wednesday Heather Wilson (R-NM), head of the House Intelligence Subcommittee on Technical and Tactical Intelligence, called for full disclosure - something the administration has been dodging with words like "We'll be happy to listen to your suggestions." (Gonzales) This is a big deal - she is the first House Republican to break ranks with the administration, and she chairs the intelligence committe. But what makes it really incredible is that the white house immediately bowed to her demands. Go figure (I think Bush likes her).
Interestingly, a new report says that both the presiding judge of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, and her predecessor Royce Lamberth, had warned against using evidence that had been obtained through the NSA program as evidence to get a warrant.
These are the first indications that the institutions of restraint on presidential power, while comatose, may not be dead.
Bush didn't do himself much good by telling all about the foiled terrorist plot they stopped a few years ago. (Wasn't he the one complaining about loose lips?) Although he was careful never to say that it was the result of the NSA spying, everyone knows it's just a cheap stunt.
The mayor of Los Angeles however had a different point of view. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa requested twice to meet with President Bush in 2005 to discuss terrorist threats, and he was twice refused. Mayor Villaraigosa appeared 'upset' learning of the news secondhand from the press rather than official government channels.
In other news:
Bush got a surprise roasting when he attended Coretta Scott King's funeral. Tasteless? Certainly. Funny? You bet!
"It was difficult for them personally with the civil liberties of both husband and wife violated as they became the target of secret government wiretaps," said Carter, referring to the FBI eavesdropping on the King family. [with Bush sitting behind him, in camera shot]
Michael Brown whined about how it was all the government's fault.
But the administration didn't like getting the finger pointed at them either.
"Unfortunately, he called me 'Brownie' at the wrong time. Thanks a lot, sir," Brown said yesterday.
Tom Delay was rewarded by the GOP for his money laundering with a seat on the House Appropriations Committee - you know, the ones who decide how to spend our tax dollars? As well as a seat on the committee to oversee the Justice Deparment, which is currently investigating the Abramoff scandal. Weird - I thought they were trying to distance themselves from him. With any luck, he'll be voted out before he can do any more damage.
"Why not just skip the middleman and give the seat directly to Jack Abramoff?" said Kate Bedingfield, a spokeswoman for the Democratic National Campaign Committee in Washington
And the latest breaking news in the PlameGate case: Scooter sqeals on Cheney.
No one who has followed the workings of this White House has ever doubted that Cheney -- the administration's most over-the-top proponent of the war -- would turn out to be the ripest target for impeachment. But the leap from Scooter Libby's charges, if they are confirmed, to actual articles of impeachment is not a long one.
22 US Reps Want Impeachment Probe
Do I hear 23?
On 2006-02-11 at 21:18:50, dreymers enjoyed furrysex
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To the dog who has money, men say "My Lord Dog". |
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jwalker
Token Discordian SSHOLEPosts: 949 Registered: 8/6/2005 Offline
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2/12/2006 at 18:01 |
Bob Burnett's blog on Bush Eavesdropping -
Part 1: How's It Done?
Part 2: Is It Legal?
Part 3: Why Do We Care?
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To the dog who has money, men say "My Lord Dog". |
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deliriumbks
Tender vittles  Posts: 11 Registered: 2/13/2006 Offline
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2/13/2006 at 22:02 |
middle_age_man: Stupid Canadian question:
Does anyone here think that Bush will be impeached and if so doesn’t that make Cheney president? Seems like a scary trade off to me.
Especially with Cheney's aim. He might aim for Iran and accidentally hit Israel. 
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Visit Project Corrosion and read the latest installment of "Where's Bin Laden" |
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jwalker
Token Discordian SSHOLEPosts: 949 Registered: 8/6/2005 Offline
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2/19/2006 at 07:09 |
Hi - it's me :-) different name, same game.
The big news this week: Pat Roberts, who is chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committe and has been solidly on the President's side regarding the NSA spying scandal, has apparently had a change of heart.
For those of you who have gotten bored with this story, there was a big stink last week in both the House and Senate Intelligence committees over whether to investigate the program or just change the law to make it legal.
In the Senate, Roberts was saying on Thursday that there would be no investigation, but the next day he changed his tune, saying in conciliatory tones,
"I think it's the function and the oversight responsibility of the committee," he said, adding, "That might sound strange coming from me."
Meanwhile in the House, Peter Hoekstra, head of the House committee, is pushing for amending FISA to exempt the NSA(a stupid proposal, since FISA was put in place for that express purpose) and have limited oversight by some special committee. But he's under a lot of pressure too, as Reps and Dems alike are demanding the information they need in order to know how to deal with this.
I guess there's a lot of people who believe Bush had the right idea when he implented the NSA spying program. Well, according to former NSA director Bobby R. Inman, the NSA expanded operations on their own shortly after 9-11.
According to declassified documents, the NSA expanded domestic surveillance on its own authority after the Sept. 11 attacks. Former NSA director Bobby R. Inman said the Bush administration should have tried to legally authorize the surveillance.
On the torture issue, the Bush administration was given a red mark by the UN over torture at Gitmo. It's a sad day when the US is the one being accused of prisoner abuse, but maybe it's overdue. Of course, not everyone sees it that way. Our government has complained that the UN never even went there. But the reason they didn't is because they wouldn't have been allowed to interview the detainees in private. I suppose they are afraid someone in the UN is going to secretly pass information to Al Qaida?? The UN called for the US to immediately close down Gitmo and either charge detainees or release them. Seems to me that if they were charged with crimes and given due process, there would be no need to close it down. But no one is going to close anything - in fact they're putting up new buildings right now.
Donald Rumsfled's response:
"There's no torture there," he said. "There's no abuse. It's being handled honorably."
But nowadays that rings hollow - especially after the reminder of Abu Ghraib, with unreleased photos having been published last week. Don't bother looking, they kept the really dirty ones under wraps, but you can read testimonies of Abu Ghraib prisoners here. You're thinking Lord of the Flies? I usually try to avoid uruknet.com, but this one is just too freaky: Sex Rituals of Abu Ghraib.
Maybe Carl Sheeler has the right idea. He's running for the Senate in Rhode Island.
His platform? “Bush Lied. People Died. It’s Time to be Tried."
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To the dog who has money, men say "My Lord Dog". |
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jwalker
Token Discordian SSHOLEPosts: 949 Registered: 8/6/2005 Offline
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2/21/2006 at 04:41 |
With tax breaks given to big oil companies, thumbing his nose at Kyoto, and eroding the EPA with "Clear Skies" and "Healthy Forests", this is the nicest thing I've heard Bush say all day: Bush Backs High-Tech Energy Sources.
Oh, and here's another couple of pins in my Bush voodo doll:
Controversy Deepens Over Iraq Prewar Intelligence - Paul Pillar 28 years CIA (ret) has some things to say.
Oh. Now he’s a Free-Trader - Bush wants to let the Saudi's run our major shipping ports - gets snubbed by Frist and others.
On 2006-02-22 at 00:32:26, jwalker enjoyed furrysex
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To the dog who has money, men say "My Lord Dog". |
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jwalker
Token Discordian SSHOLEPosts: 949 Registered: 8/6/2005 Offline
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2/26/2006 at 09:27 |
Today's Baltimore News reports: Computer ills hinder NSA
Two technology programs at the heart of the National Security Agency's drive to combat 21st-century threats are stumbling badly, hampering the agency's ability to fight terrorism and other emerging threats, current and former government officials say.
One is Cryptologic Mission Management, a computer software program with an estimated cost of $300 million that was designed to help the NSA track the implementation of new projects but is so flawed that the agency is trying to pull the plug. The other, code-named Groundbreaker, is a multibillion-dollar computer systems upgrade that frequently gets its wires crossed.
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To the dog who has money, men say "My Lord Dog". |
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jwalker
Token Discordian SSHOLEPosts: 949 Registered: 8/6/2005 Offline
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3/8/2006 at 15:34 |
Bush has again single-handedly edged the world onto a more dangerous path by a bad deal with India. The US, in ignoring the agreements of the non-proliferation treaty and trading nuclear fueld with India, who refuses to sign the treaty, is setting another double-standard and reversing over twenty years of long standing policy. It doesn't help that Iran (now with nuclear ambitions) also has a crazy man for president.
"The United States has the power to cause harm and pain," said a statement delivered by the Iranian delegation. "But the United States is also susceptible to harm and pain. So if that is the path that the U.S. wishes to choose, let the ball roll."
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To the dog who has money, men say "My Lord Dog". |
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acheron
Cynical_Malcontent  SSHOLEPosts: 559 Registered: 4/29/2004 Offline
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3/8/2006 at 15:50 |
This one has gone by without a whole lot of comment outside the elite media. The deal undermines the NPT directly. Plus, it has little benefit outside the diplomatic effects. Everyone's talking about the fact that 2/3 of the reactors will now be subject to international standards and regulations, including those against nuclear weapons. How could it matter less? How? If you are keeping a third of your reactors outside of international regulation that basically ensures that they will continue to build nuclear weapons against international conventions.
This is very fucking dangerous. As commentators point out, it could very possibly start an arms race in Asia, and thats the last thing we want. Giving the green light to India to continue nuclear weapons means China, and more dangerously, Pakistan, are going to ramp up their nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and other regional powers are going to be looking at this with worry.
This completely ruins any NPT-related arguments we have against Iran. We break the treaty when this action is allowed, we are aiding a non-signatory nuclear power to proliferate nuclear weapons. So what can we say to Iran? Don't get nuclear weapons unless you become our buddy and then maybe we'll give you some F-16's too?
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jwalker
Token Discordian SSHOLEPosts: 949 Registered: 8/6/2005 Offline
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3/8/2006 at 19:53 |
Here's another good read, outlining some current events and what idiots are saying about them: The Top 10 Conservative Idiots
"I'm a lifelong Republican and I think the President's gone insane."
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To the dog who has money, men say "My Lord Dog". |
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acheron
Cynical_Malcontent SSHOLEPosts: 559 Registered: 4/29/2004 Offline
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3/8/2006 at 20:13 |
"Last week we learned that he wants to hand over our ports to a country with a (shall we say) less-than-perfect record in the war on terror. "
Whats the evidence for this? I think the UAE has probably the closest to perfect record in the entire region on the "war on terror". Whats wrong with their record? They kicked out the US from a military base, I seem to remember, but who cares? I think this Dubai Ports thing is pure rhetoric. We still maintain security, nothing has convinced me that it matters. So when the democrats make a big deal about this, I'm dissapointed. No one seems to have the ability to read 3 or 4 paragraphs into the complexity of the issue, and these are the people who are writing (supposedly) thousands of pages of legislation. This place is a wreck.
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I'm an INTJ. This explains why I'm alternating between silence and judging you. |
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jwalker
Token Discordian SSHOLEPosts: 949 Registered: 8/6/2005 Offline
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3/8/2006 at 22:22 |
AcheronDCS: "Last week we learned that he wants to hand over our ports to a country with a (shall we say) less-than-perfect record in the war on terror. "
Whats the evidence for this? I think the UAE has probably the closest to perfect record in the entire region on the "war on terror". Whats wrong with their record? They kicked out the US from a military base, I seem to remember, but who cares? I think this Dubai Ports thing is pure rhetoric. We still maintain security, nothing has convinced me that it matters. So when the democrats make a big deal about this, I'm dissapointed. No one seems to have the ability to read 3 or 4 paragraphs into the complexity of the issue, and these are the people who are writing (supposedly) thousands of pages of legislation. This place is a wreck.
It could be you're right, but what bothers me most about the whole thing is that Bush swore blind that everything was cool, then came out and admitted he only just learned about the deal. Sounds like he's talking out of both sides of his mouth (as usual). If the administration is that inept at handling a simple inter-communications issue, how can they be trusted to properly analyze the security risk? Indeed, they were forced to go back and implement the 45-day security review they were supposed to have done in the first place.
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To the dog who has money, men say "My Lord Dog". |
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mundhra
dread pirate neckbeard SSHOLEPosts: 1636 Registered: 3/25/2002 Offline
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3/14/2006 at 14:59 |
take a lookee
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But the whole of modern so-called civilized existence is an attempt to deny reality insofar as it exists. When did Don last look at the stars, when did Norman last get soaked in a rainstorm? |
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jwalker
Token Discordian SSHOLEPosts: 949 Registered: 8/6/2005 Offline
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3/15/2006 at 03:50 |
That's the real poop, isn't it? The Carlyle Group features prominently in Palast's "Bush Family Fortunes", which has a similar theme of "follow the money". That's some scary criminal stuff that the mainstream media is too chicken/greedy to report on. You'd think they would be a little bolder, what tiwth Bush's lowest approval rating yet. The user discussion that follows is insteresting too.
Meanwhile, the NSA spying scandal (yes, scandal) has been relegated to the back pages. By now, people see it as just another political debate that wil just work itself out. Well, most people anyhow. Here's some very articulate and insightful editorials from The Jurist:
Presidential Secrecy and the NSA Spying Controversy
NSA Eavesdropping and the Fourth Amendment
The political minuet being performed in recent weeks between angry members of Congress and the Bush Administration over the domestic spying program has done little if anything to assuage those of us concerned about the ongoing illegality of the program.
But there's still hope that the silent minority is listening to things like this: American Bar Association-accuses President Bush, of violating both the Constitution and federal law.
So what's the latest? According to the press, there are two proposals being put forth:
1. Arlen Specter's "magic bullet" is for FISA to handle issuing warrants to the NSA
2. Mike Dewine wants to make the NSA program legal, with congressional oversight
Neither one calls for an investigation of the program.
But the leak investigation is in full swing. Pardon me Mr. Rockefeller - mind taking a polygraph?
What I find most disturbing (besides the weak-kneed approach by congress in this matter) is the probablility that the government is secretly setting up the infrustructure for a huge database on everyone, while publicly setting the stage to make it legal. Paranoid you say? Perhaps - but before you get too cozy, read these:
NSA Uses Private Firms for Massive Unchecked Domestic Surveillance (video included)
Total Information Awareness is alive and well at NSA
TIA Lives On
One of those whistleblowers, Russell Tice, recently testified before congress that NSA domestic surveillance programs may be much more widespread than the "limited" program that the Bush Adminstration has admitted. Tice has said that some programs could be monitoring "millions of Americans".
In other news, Tom Delay easliy won his party's vote for renomination.
He is still under indictment in Texas on a money-laundering charge. His name is still linked to the ongoing investigation of convicted D.C. lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Democrats still see him as the poster boy in their "culture of corruption" campaign to win back control of Congress. (Sandra Day O'Conner doesn't like him either.)
And lately, Russ Feingold is calling for a censure of the pres. For those of you who don't know (and who would? last time it was used was in 1834), a "censure" is basically a scolding, and has no legal weight: From Impeachment to … Censure?
On 2006-03-15 at 01:22:01, jwalker enjoyed furrysex
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jwalker
Token Discordian SSHOLEPosts: 949 Registered: 8/6/2005 Offline
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3/15/2006 at 16:42 |
This just in: The Dewine proposal includes legislation to make it a crime for the press to report about FISA surveillance programs.
WTF!!
The law will make it a crime for reporters and newspapers to publish stories that Bush violated the law or to simply report on the existence of the various FISA surveillance programs to the public. This handy provision protects Bush from any future leaks that he is violating the law governing surveillance of Americans. Criminal penalties would be applied to anyone who "intentionally discloses information identifying or describing" Bush’s NSA program or any other surveillance of Americans under FISA. In addition, the scope of activities covered by criminal penalties is expanded by not including a requirement that the "information has to be harmful to national security or classified." Increased penalties of $1 million fines and/or 15 years in jail should be plenty deterrence for the media to not report on such surveillance in the future.
And to add insult to injury: Bush NSA bars homos from security clearance
Homos, no, xenophobes YES...
On 2006-03-15 at 10:47:58, jwalker enjoyed furrysex
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vasudeva
Bad Taste in your Mouth  SSHOLEPosts: 4469 Registered: 3/8/2002 Offline
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3/15/2006 at 17:12 |
jwalker: The law will make it a crime for reporters and newspapers to publish stories that Bush violated the law
Whaaaa?
Obviously this thing is just smoke and noise and has no chance of actually receiving backing, right?
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jwalker
Token Discordian SSHOLEPosts: 949 Registered: 8/6/2005 Offline
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3/15/2006 at 18:52 |
vasudeva: jwalker: The law will make it a crime for reporters and newspapers to publish stories that Bush violated the law
Whaaaa?
Obviously this thing is just smoke and noise and has no chance of actually receiving backing, right?
DeWine, Snowe, Graham and Hagel put this proposal together (Graham has now been moved to my shit list). The administration is still sticking to the story that they've done nothing wrong and no legislation is necessary - that's the real smoke/noise.
The congress and the american public have been so ambivalent about this whole deal that it wouldn't surprise me if the only ones to complain were the ACLU. But I can't imagine something like that actually standing up in court - it would be a huge 1st amendment issue.
But these fuckers are pushing for whatever they can get, and if another terrorist attack occurs then who knows? If they let me out, I may be living in France by then.
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jwalker
Token Discordian SSHOLEPosts: 949 Registered: 8/6/2005 Offline
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3/20/2006 at 09:27 |
If you think that was scary, this (swarmed by blubby) is positively frightening: Bush's Mysterious 'New Programs'
A third proposal was submitted a couple days ago by two members of the House Judiciary Committee, Adam Schiff and Jeff Flake.
The bill, the NSA OVERSIGHT ACT, would:
Reiterate Exclusivity of Current FISA and Wiretap Laws - states that FISA and the federal criminal wiretap statutes shall continue to be the exclusive means by which domestic electronic surveillance may be conducted.
Clarify Military Force Statute - makes clear that the Authorization to Use Military Force (AUMF), passed days after the September 11th attacks, does not provide an exception to that rule.
Require Congressional Action - makes clear that current laws apply unless Congress amends the laws or passes additional laws regarding electronic surveillance.
Require Report on the Extent of the Wiretapping Program - requires classified disclosure to Congress of information about U.S. persons who have been the subject of any such electronic surveillance.
That's the sanest thing I've heard yet, and they've actually accomplished something recently:
Reps. Schiff and Flake previously teamed up to protect the civil liberties of Americans while ensuring that our national security needs are met. Last year, the two secured passage of an amendment to the Patriot Act to provide additional safeguards for library and bookstore records.
...but I am still in favor of an investigation.
An unusually lucid analysis recently appeared in Mother Jones News.
Let's review. Members of the Bush administration have admitted that they routinely ignore FISA. That does not mean, however, that they believe there's anything wrong with the law. On the contrary, the Bush administration does not think the law needs to be changed; nor does it even want the law to be changed. So every time you hear a Bush team member mention problems with FISA, all you need to do is think like a lawyer and the terms "objection.. irrelevant" will come to mind. Under the circumstances, why should Congress waste one more minute trying to amend a law the administration has no desire to see amended?
Unfortunately, disposing of the issue of changing the FISA law just brings us back to the point where the administration confessed to conducting electronic intercepts in the first place without following the procedures set forth in that law -- in, to be exact, FISA's criminal penalty provision (Title 18, United States Code, Section 1809). In other words, it brings us back to the matter of a crime having been committed. On this, as we loop upwards again, the administration claims two defenses -- one based on its reading of the FISA statute; the other on its interpretation of the Constitution.
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