Merry Christmas!

Johnny Damon

BECOMING A YANKEE IS SO EASY...

.... EVEN A CAVEMAN CAN DO IT!

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(Don't) Read His lips

This is a good piece from Hardball yesterday show the numerous times President Bush told the American people that wiretapping required oversight. But, he was misleading us to fool the terrorists so it's OK. video

Another justification for spying questioned

Bin Laden Phone Leak an 'Urban Legend'?
By E&P Staff Published: December 22, 2005
In a Thursday article in The Washington Post, veteran reporter Glenn Kessler writes that the much-lamented press leak about Osama bin Laden's use of a satellite phone "appears to be an urban myth."Most recently, President Bush asserted once again this week that the news media, notably the Washington Times, published the leak in 1998, alerting al Qaeda to U.S. monitoring and causing bin Laden to abandon the device.But Kessler reports that bin Laden's use of sat phone "had already been reported in 1996 -- and the source of the information was another government, the Taliban, which ruled Afghanistan at the time.

Secret Surveillance focuses on Private moments

"If you have nothing to hide, you should not fear government intrusion" we are told. Well I guess they really do mean NOTHING to hide!

December 22, 2005
Police Video Caught a Couple's Intimate Moment on a Manhattan Rooftop
By JIM DWYER
A man and woman who shared an intimate moment on a secluded, dark rooftop one August night last year have learned that they were secretly watched, an intrusion made possible by increased police surveillance of protest rallies and other events and also by advanced technology intended to fight terrorists.
That night, police officers tracked bicycle riders moving through the streets of the Lower East Side from a custom-built, $9.8 million helicopter equipped with optical equipment able to display a license plate 1,000 feet away.
With the night vision of the helicopter's camera, and permission to make videotapes, an officer also recorded nearly four minutes of the couple on the terrace of a Second Avenue penthouse.
"When you watch the tape, it makes you feel kind of ill," said Jeffrey Rosner, 51, one of the two people. "I had no idea they were filming me - who would ever have an idea like that?"
The tape was made on Aug. 27, 2004, just before the Republican National Convention. That night, several thousand bicycle riders arrived for a group ride that did not have a permit.
The helicopter followed the riders but turned the camera on the couple. High above Second Avenue, they seemed to be shielded from view by a wall of shrubs and the nearly total darkness. The police camera, however, included special thermal-imaging equipment that yielded distinct, if ghostly, images.

An Important reminder

There is so much serious stuff going on I have had to change my plan to keep things lighthearted around the holidays. One such story is the universal unease the world is feeling about the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. By all accounts he is a religious fundamentalist that wants to go nuclear and fast! He has also made some strong anti-Israel statements. So how was this crazy man swept into office when the growing number of people in Iran have been moving in a more progressive direction?

This Classic MQAblog will remind you.

BREAKING: CONSERVATIVE COURT SLAMS WHITE HOUSE IN PADILLIA CASE

This is really something. The Judiciary is now in revolt against the Bush Administration. First a Federal Judge resigns in protest over the domestic spying, now this. A conservative court, one of the administrations closest allies in the nation, has slammed the Bush team in shockingly harsh tones. One of the critics was on the short list for Bush's Supreme Court picks.

A U.S. appeals court, acting in the case of alleged "enemy combatant" Jose Padilla, today rejected the administration's move to avoid another Supreme Court review of its powers of detention, blasting the government in unusually blunt terms for its behavior in the case.

Today, the panel rejected both requests in an opinion written by J. Michael Luttig, a conservative often mentioned on the administration's short list for the U.S. Supreme Court. The appeals court opinion reflected a tone of anger that is rare for a federal court addressing the United States government, particularly in a matter of presidential authority.

Luttig said the government's actions created the appearance "that the government may be attempting to avoid" Supreme Court review in a matter of "especial national importance." He also suggested that the government's actions in the Padilla case may possibly have had negative consequences for "the public perception of the war on terror" and "also for the government's credibility before the courts in litigation ancillary to that war.

full story

Preparing to shift the blame - again

I have gotten pretty good at reading Republicans and I want to point out something I have noticed in the past few days that you may have not. Dick Cheney and the gang are preparing for the next terrorists attack by getting ready to claim helplessness. That is to say that the Bush Administration will not take responsibility for our security. They will blame others when things go wrong.

Of course that is how they have won elections and how they have governed. It is only getting worse. If/when we are hit again, the Bush administration will duck responsibility and shamelessly blame "liberals" "Democrats" and of course the media for the attack.

They are setting the foundation now. If you look closely you can already seem them doing it. You can see it in the arguments by Alberto Gonzales for the Patriot Act (that If it expires just one day we cannot guarantee safety) the Cheney boasts (that it is the secret actions that have prevented attacks ) and now with the spying revelation. Already Republicans -Peter Hoekstra to name just one- has said that terrorists are now instantly more dangerous since the wiretapping revelation (that the NY Times story has made us unsafe and we are at peril today where we were not last week before the story came out).

Of course we have to believe that Terrorists had no idea their calls could be tapped. Idiotic. And if the Patriot Act is so crucial why are the Red now opposing an extension while details of improvement are hammered out. I would suggest that it is because they WANT an excuse when things go wrong. (UPDATE11pm NYTimes: "The law known as the USA Patriot Act would be extended six months under an accord by Congressional leaders announced Wednesday night, a move that potentially resolves an impasse over the law that the Bush administration says is crucial to the fight against terrorism."

The Reds seems to be saying "If only Bush and Cheney could have a government without any opposition they could guarantee our safety but those dang lefties stopped us. Sorry, we tried but they wouldn't let us protect you". Listen closely to Administration officials right now and see that I'm right.

And mark my words- they will use this political strategy after another attack . Just as they tried to blame Clinton for 9-11 they will strongly blame those of us who dared to criticize them and insert some checks on their lust for power, for the next terrorist attack. The Administration will never take the blame for anything! They never feel they can do anything. That's why it is so important for critics to speak out now to prepare to defend ourselves from the blame game that inevitably will come our way when their mistakes come back to haunt us.

Fact: Spying was domestic

One of the series of weak arguments being given to defended the spying by Bush is that it was "only international" calls. Much like the argument that "everybody does it" it turns out to be, well, untrue. The spying was, in fact, used on domestic calls, those starting in America, ending in America and made by Americans. While our Red friends are going through denial right now, they will have to eventually acknowledge that the secret activity by the Bush administration is unique in it's intrusion into our rights. If some want to give those up, fine - just say so. But don't try to confuse the issue with false choices and untrue arguments. It is not a choice of "freedom" or "security". Those wiretaps could have been done legally, if only Bush had gotten permission either before or, in the case of extreme urgency, after the eavesdropping occurred. Instead, he decided to just do it without following the law. A President can't do that. Even a great Republican Christian President like George W. Bush.

It was only used on International Calls? Untrue.

A surveillance program approved by President Bush to conduct eavesdropping without warrants has captured what are purely domestic communications in some cases, despite a requirement by the White House that one end of the intercepted conversations take place on foreign soil, officials say.
The officials say the National Security Agency's interception of a small number of communications between people within the United States was apparently accidental, and was caused by technical glitches at the National Security Agency in determining
whether a communication was in fact "international." Telecommunications experts say the issue points up troubling logistical questions about the program.

Everybody did it? No.

Think Progress does a quick and painless job of eviscerating the myth. Take a closer look and put this lie to rest. Yes, both Clinton and Carter issued executive orders pertaining to foreign intelligence surveillance. But neither of these even remotely authorized warrantless searches of American citizens, as Bush's order does.

Wrong to say it?

The

"I"

Word

There has been some serious talk about the possibility of Impeachment if it is determined that George W. Bush broke the law by secretly instituting a domestic spying program. I have heard some on the right say that this is just payback for Clinton. Actually, I feel less enthusiastic about Impeaching Bush because of the Clinton fiasco. The bar was lowered so much that Impeachment lost it's seriousness. I feel that what Bush may have done is as serious as Watergate which was significantly worse than Monica-gate. If we get to a point where it is proven beyond a doubt that George W. Bush committed an impeachable offense, even those of us reluctant to use the 'I' word will have to demand that Congress do it's constitutional duty.

First day of the subway strike

I had a feeling the strike would happen. The staff seemed unhappy and angry. Over the past couple week trains have been slowing mysteriously, stopping and having to make extra stops. I think it was part of a work slowdown. One night, three big guys, MTA overnight tunnel staff, burst into a car. They had tools - bars, hammers and posts - oddly intimidating all. They had pro-strike buttons and seemed to be checking for attitude. Last Thursday, hours before the strike first was scheduled, drivers would honk their horns at each other - something they never do. They are angry and want to be heard. It's going to cost them dearly though, 1 million a day Hopefully it will be short because from what I hear from people in the city today, it's a mess. They seemed to have some public support for this strike yesterday, but tomorrow may be a different story.

Fortunately, I did not have to fight with the millions of other struggling to get to and from work today. When I was out in my neighborhoods I saw so many more cars on the road but few pedestrians. There was open hitchhiking and everyone a bit in a daze. I am just about 10 blocks from a big station where they were having MTA employee demonstrations. I sat next to one at breakfast who was on a break from picketing. He was selling it but I couldn't tell how many were buying. I was on the subway last night and the ticket person behind the glass was giving a speech to the groups of questioners. Most wished her luck but Harlem is polite - like the south, and people in the community stick together. So while we may not hate the neighbors for going on strike New Yorkers may end up turning against the Union and the leaders. They'll have plenty of time to think about as they walk to work.

GUEST BLOGGER: kos

Bush is a LIAR
by kos
Tue Dec 20, 2005 at 01:24:39 PM EST

Jesus, he lied straight to our faces.
George W. Bush, in Buffalo, NY, on April 20, 2004, at 9:49 a.m., talking about the USA Patriot Act:

"Now, by the way, any time you hear the United States government talking about
wiretap, it requires -- a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed,
by the way. When we're talking about chasing down terrorists, we're talking
about getting a court order before we do so. It's important for our fellow
citizens to understand, when you think Patriot Act, constitutional guarantees
are in place when it comes to doing what is necessary to protect our homeland,
because we value the Constitution".

Update: Lots more lies here.

Ironically, the Bush defense of the Patriot Act -- that the law was perfectly within the bounds of the Constitution because it required judicial approval for federal wiretaps -- undermines assertions that his judicially unsanctioned spying was legal.

Update: Howard Dean's statement:

"The Bush Administration's secret program to spy on the
American people reminds Americans of the abuse of power during the dark days of
President Nixon and Vice President Agnew. Why is it that President Bush went in
front of the American people and said that a wiretap 'requires a court order,'
after having approved a wiretap program without a court order two years earlier?
It's time for the President to tell the truth. Americans deserve real
answers."

Discuss (64 comments, 64 new)

The FBI also has secret domestic spying program revealed

WASHINGTON Counterterrorism agents at the FBI have conducted numerous surveillance and intelligence-gathering operations that involved, at least indirectly, groups active in causes as diverse as the environment, animal cruelty and poverty relief, newly disclosed agency records show.
FBI officials said Monday that their investigators had no interest in monitoring political or social activities and that any investigations that touched on advocacy groups were driven by evidence of criminal or violent activity.

New York City Subways and buses are quiet today as the city is hit by a transit strike

I am just waking up and learning for sure that the subways are not running. That means I will be working from home and even blogging today! So check back a few times. I hope to have more on the strike and all the other news going on.

Big? Maybe the biggest.

I haven't really blogged much about the domestic spying revelation but not because I think it is unimportant. Actually the magnitude of it all has me with too many words to say - not too few. This is a crucial point in American history. It's huge and I am just waiting to see if anything comes of it. The future of this country will be determined, in large part, to the nations answer to the following question:

Do you believe that a President has the right to secretly spy on Americans?

It's all out in the open now. It's happened and Bush says he will keep doing it. That means, of course, that every American President from now on can and will have the authority to spy on Americans as they see fit. They alone will decide. Is that's ok? Well I certainly don't think so, and if the majority of Americans don't end up feeling the same way, then we truly have entered a 'Red America'. No joke, we will just hand all our freedom over to whoever sits in the White House. That's not United States of America. It sounds the old Soviet Union who these guys railed against for a generation.

Were they afraid of the Reds? Or were they just jealous?

....much more to come

'72 Dolphins Remain the Greatest

San Diego ended the Indianapolis Colts' bid for perfection Sunday, winning 26-17. That left the Colts 13-1 with two weeks to go in the regular season.And that means the Miami Dolphins' 17-0 record in 1972 will remain unmatched for at least another year.Shula and '72 quarterback Bob Griese watched the Chargers-Colts game on TV from a suite at Dolphins Stadium, where they attended Miami's game against the New York Jets.

Griese and a couple of his '72 teammates have been known to pop champagne when the last unbeaten NFL team loses, feeding an image of an annual celebration that has become a sore point for the old Dolphins."We're depicted as being happy about somebody's misfortune," Shula said.So while Shula acknowledged cheering for the Chargers, several '72 Dolphins claimed mixed feelings about the Colts' loss.

"If they had been able to go undefeated, then we could have someone to talk to who would understand the experience," former running back Mercury Morris said. "It's like trying to describe to someone what it's like to walk on the moon. It's only a description -- they'll never know until they go."