I am very dismayed and deeply troubled by this nation which today grudgingly and resignedly seems to accept so many things contrary to what I have always viewed as bedrock American values, including.
* Loss of personal freedoms;
* Unilateral attacks on our most basic civil rights
* A self-proclaimed “War President’ who abrogates draconian powers to himself;
* Secret and indefinite imprisonment of individuals-including American citizens born in our own country;
* De facto acceptance, facilitation and encouragement of the torture of other human beings;
* Ideological gerrymandering of our courts systems;
* Ideological gerrymandering of our electoral processes;
* Politicians who place themselves above the law - like the royalty of old;
* Wholesale character assassinations of individuals and groups who exercise their rights of free speech and association in peaceful protest of abuses of law and political power;
* Deliberate, dishonest and dishonorable strategies and 'justifications' for the violation of laws relating to civil rights, personal freedoms and basic human decency;
* Unilaterally arrogant disobedience of universally accepted international laws;
* The building of a Fascist type of ‘corporate welfare system’ favoring big business over people, the environment and all else.
A very real danger is that the public’s toleration of such growing improprieties and imbalances will ultimately reach a critical mass and throw our nation into actual revolution or civil war. Historically that has invariably happened in other cultures which degraded into egocentric and selfish aggrandizement of themselves at the expense of everyone else - the very place our country seems to be headed.
Only a courageous stand against the continuing ideological attacks will save the day. I wish to thank those Senators who courageously opposed the bulldozing ideological gerrymandering of the US Supreme Court.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Saturday, January 21, 2006
Who's On First? who's Kidding Who?
Who’s winning the so-called “War on Terror”? You be the judge:
January 20, 2006, the US stock market had it’s biggest loss since March 24, 2003 - when not so coincidentally that decline was sparked by the US invasion of Iraq.
One day after Osama Bin Ladin’s latest taped threat hit the streets, the total loss in value in the US stock market was over 2% - quite a few billions of dollars - with quite a bit blamed on the Bin Ladin tape. Was that an expensive tape or what? Adding in the war’s cost in money and not even counting the lives lost, it sure seems like the raghead is being lot’s more effective than our resident US Chickenhawk In Chief or “War President” as he likes to say. Just my observation you understand.
Osama’s hitting western capitalists where it really hurts - in the pocketbook. To add grievious insult to mortal injury, he’s doing it all on the cheap, actually the ne plus ultra-minicheap - for tiny fractions of pennies on the dollar compared to the US.
Anyway, how come Osama’s still around if we’re ‘winning the “War on Terror”’? And, that’s going on five years now since:
“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11” “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11” . . . ?
Personally, I figure Osama has decided to go ahead and enjoy his ‘Heaven on Earth’ and is now sitting camped out with his 72 (now former) virgins in someplace like Bermuda or somewhere, while he watches our War President squirm.
Do you feel like we’re winning the “War On Terror”? Do you feel everything’s more safe & secure these days? Lordamercy.
I know the truth is out there somewhere.
January 20, 2006, the US stock market had it’s biggest loss since March 24, 2003 - when not so coincidentally that decline was sparked by the US invasion of Iraq.
One day after Osama Bin Ladin’s latest taped threat hit the streets, the total loss in value in the US stock market was over 2% - quite a few billions of dollars - with quite a bit blamed on the Bin Ladin tape. Was that an expensive tape or what? Adding in the war’s cost in money and not even counting the lives lost, it sure seems like the raghead is being lot’s more effective than our resident US Chickenhawk In Chief or “War President” as he likes to say. Just my observation you understand.
Osama’s hitting western capitalists where it really hurts - in the pocketbook. To add grievious insult to mortal injury, he’s doing it all on the cheap, actually the ne plus ultra-minicheap - for tiny fractions of pennies on the dollar compared to the US.
Anyway, how come Osama’s still around if we’re ‘winning the “War on Terror”’? And, that’s going on five years now since:
“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11” “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”,“9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11”, “9/11” . . . ?
Personally, I figure Osama has decided to go ahead and enjoy his ‘Heaven on Earth’ and is now sitting camped out with his 72 (now former) virgins in someplace like Bermuda or somewhere, while he watches our War President squirm.
Do you feel like we’re winning the “War On Terror”? Do you feel everything’s more safe & secure these days? Lordamercy.
I know the truth is out there somewhere.
Nose Under the Tent
How do you like your private, personal information served up? Would that be fried or poached? Boiled or scrambled?
Whichever way, the US Department of Justice is determined to have it. US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has demanded information on all search engine requests between June 1 and July 31, 2005. That’s in “ALL” - two months worth for the entire nation. That must be, let’s see - dozens at least? Actually it’s in the gazillions. Google refused citing concerns for user privacy. Now Gonzales is suing Google in Federal Court in California for one week's worth of the information.
By God, that oughta show those %#@*%& privacy extremists won’t it?
Gonzales says privacy concerns are ‘illusory’ and the US government doesn’t want ‘any additional information that would identify the person who entered the search’. The US government claims to doing a ‘research experiment’ to determine how much child pornography is available on the internet - nothing else. Right. Yeah, you can trust those boys all right, for surely there’s nothing doctrinal about them is there?
Yahoo and AOL have already rolled over and provided the requested information, and Microsoft is said to have done so. Only Google has refused (love those folks!) and is now being sued over the issue. Google, as do most search engines, retains information about what is searched for and which computers are used to visit its web site by setting up ‘cookies’ to store information about visitors.
To put this in perspective, the communist government recently demanded exactly the same thing in China. The information was provided by the search engines - including Google in China - and subsequently used to crackdown on and jail dissidents.
Couldn’t happen in the US though - after all, we’re a ‘democracy’ and don’t use dogma or polemics to distinguish who is ‘dissident’ now do we? Right - except perhaps for during the Civil War, we’ve never seen more ‘dissidents’ in the US than now under this administration.
In fact, because of this kind of assault on personal freedoms, I’m afraid I ARE ONE MYSELF and I can hardly spell the word!
NPR story
Overseas story
Whichever way, the US Department of Justice is determined to have it. US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has demanded information on all search engine requests between June 1 and July 31, 2005. That’s in “ALL” - two months worth for the entire nation. That must be, let’s see - dozens at least? Actually it’s in the gazillions. Google refused citing concerns for user privacy. Now Gonzales is suing Google in Federal Court in California for one week's worth of the information.
By God, that oughta show those %#@*%& privacy extremists won’t it?
Gonzales says privacy concerns are ‘illusory’ and the US government doesn’t want ‘any additional information that would identify the person who entered the search’. The US government claims to doing a ‘research experiment’ to determine how much child pornography is available on the internet - nothing else. Right. Yeah, you can trust those boys all right, for surely there’s nothing doctrinal about them is there?
Yahoo and AOL have already rolled over and provided the requested information, and Microsoft is said to have done so. Only Google has refused (love those folks!) and is now being sued over the issue. Google, as do most search engines, retains information about what is searched for and which computers are used to visit its web site by setting up ‘cookies’ to store information about visitors.
To put this in perspective, the communist government recently demanded exactly the same thing in China. The information was provided by the search engines - including Google in China - and subsequently used to crackdown on and jail dissidents.
Couldn’t happen in the US though - after all, we’re a ‘democracy’ and don’t use dogma or polemics to distinguish who is ‘dissident’ now do we? Right - except perhaps for during the Civil War, we’ve never seen more ‘dissidents’ in the US than now under this administration.
In fact, because of this kind of assault on personal freedoms, I’m afraid I ARE ONE MYSELF and I can hardly spell the word!
NPR story
Overseas story
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Hands In the Cookie Jar
This is the text of an email message I’ve just sent to Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski:
“Senator Murkowski: I’ve just found out that you made an OFFICIAL PLEDGE NOT TO TRACK visitors to your web site via cookies - YET YOU DO SO. This information is posted under the heading “Hands in the Cookie Jar” at the following site (CNET News):
http://news.com.com/Infographic+Caught+with+hands+hands+in+cookie+jar/2009-1028_3-6020368.html
Is there any wonder for the growing public distrust of politicians, especially under this current paranoid & duplicitous administration? I am sending a copy of this email to other Alaska friends who will be very interested in your perfidy.
We would all appreciate learning the reasons for your sneakiness in violating your pledge. Since I’ve gone to your web site in order to submit this email, I must assume I am now being tracked. Sincerely, (signature)”
While it may not be strictly illegal to break a pledge, it is certainly most dishonorable. After all, what is a pledge except a guarantee of one’s honor?
The argument will be made that the politicians who broke their pledges concerning internet tracking have little understanding of the technology used in their names on their web sites. But, that is no excuse. Besides the too obvious honor and ethics of “the buck stops here”, our national politicians have virtually unlimited budgets to both create and maintain their public persona - especially including their web sites.
Perhaps they are too busy groveling for handouts from their financial benefactors - like Jack Abramoff, et al. Perhaps they are too busy consolidating their grip on the power entrusted to them by their constituents. Perhaps they thought no one would notice and it’s a fluke we did. Perhaps, they just aren’t honorable at all and never intended to be. Whatever the reason, these folks have certainly failed the public trust.
Let them know now! If your politician is on this list , tell him or her your feelings about it. If they don’t like it, well tough. We hired them and we the people are ultimately in charge - and the buck ultimately does stop with us. It is our right and duty to tell them. They must be told - and often be reminded who’s really boss.
This is only a small part of today’s general smarminess of ‘politics as usual’ - in both parties. It’s most obvious we need to institute some meaningful changes, such as campaign finance reform, and term limits for heaven’s sakes. Let’s stop allowing our all-too-well-paid and benefitted public servants get away with assuming the mantles of royalty.
"Reason and ignorance influence the bulk of mankind. If either of these can be rendered sufficiently extensive, the machinery of government goes easily on. Reason obeys itself and Ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it." - Thomas Paine, 1797 in "Rights of Man"
“Senator Murkowski: I’ve just found out that you made an OFFICIAL PLEDGE NOT TO TRACK visitors to your web site via cookies - YET YOU DO SO. This information is posted under the heading “Hands in the Cookie Jar” at the following site (CNET News):
http://news.com.com/Infographic+Caught+with+hands+hands+in+cookie+jar/2009-1028_3-6020368.html
Is there any wonder for the growing public distrust of politicians, especially under this current paranoid & duplicitous administration? I am sending a copy of this email to other Alaska friends who will be very interested in your perfidy.
We would all appreciate learning the reasons for your sneakiness in violating your pledge. Since I’ve gone to your web site in order to submit this email, I must assume I am now being tracked. Sincerely, (signature)”
While it may not be strictly illegal to break a pledge, it is certainly most dishonorable. After all, what is a pledge except a guarantee of one’s honor?
The argument will be made that the politicians who broke their pledges concerning internet tracking have little understanding of the technology used in their names on their web sites. But, that is no excuse. Besides the too obvious honor and ethics of “the buck stops here”, our national politicians have virtually unlimited budgets to both create and maintain their public persona - especially including their web sites.
Perhaps they are too busy groveling for handouts from their financial benefactors - like Jack Abramoff, et al. Perhaps they are too busy consolidating their grip on the power entrusted to them by their constituents. Perhaps they thought no one would notice and it’s a fluke we did. Perhaps, they just aren’t honorable at all and never intended to be. Whatever the reason, these folks have certainly failed the public trust.
Let them know now! If your politician is on this list , tell him or her your feelings about it. If they don’t like it, well tough. We hired them and we the people are ultimately in charge - and the buck ultimately does stop with us. It is our right and duty to tell them. They must be told - and often be reminded who’s really boss.
This is only a small part of today’s general smarminess of ‘politics as usual’ - in both parties. It’s most obvious we need to institute some meaningful changes, such as campaign finance reform, and term limits for heaven’s sakes. Let’s stop allowing our all-too-well-paid and benefitted public servants get away with assuming the mantles of royalty.
"Reason and ignorance influence the bulk of mankind. If either of these can be rendered sufficiently extensive, the machinery of government goes easily on. Reason obeys itself and Ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it." - Thomas Paine, 1797 in "Rights of Man"
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