White House Follows NewsMax’s Lead
White House Follows NewsMax’s Lead
The news media has correctly described the Bush administration’s use of a “domestic spying program,†a “warrantless spying program,†“domestic eavesdropping,†and “warrantless surveillance of some U.S. citizens.â€
But because the administration does not want the public to think President Bush authorized “an illegal and unnecessary intrusion into the privacy of all Americans,†they are pushing back with a new name for the program:
With congressional hearings set to begin on this issue Feb. 6, Bush kicked his administration’s new intensive public relations effort to win support for the program run by the National Security Agency. As part of that, he attempted to give it a new label – the Terrorist Surveillance Program.
The White House unveiled the name yesterday in a press release. Where would the administration get such an idea? It looks like credit goes to the right-wing internets. On New Year’s Day, the conservative news outlet Newsmax dubbed it a “terrorist surveillance program,†and a poster on RedState.org wrote last Friday, “I’m switching to ‘terrorist surveillance’ as a more appropriate moniker.â€
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What am I missing here? A program aimed, as this program was, at monitoring communications by known terrorists, including communications with U.S. residents, is fairly called a terrorist surveillance program, is it not?
January 23rd, 2006 at 5:14 pmExcept that there is a lot of terrorist surveillance all around the world. The distinguishing characteristic of this surveillance is that it was warrantless and domestic.
January 23rd, 2006 at 5:15 pmMissing? The words “alleged” or “potential”. Give it up, BSR. It’s more sloganeering from Mr. 36%.
“Stay the course isn’t a strategy. It’s a slogan”
-Levin
January 23rd, 2006 at 5:17 pmWarrantless domestic spying on known terrorists and terrorist supporters is a good thing. It smacks of the good old days of vigilante justice when the law was either too far away or impotent to dispense justice, safety and security to the townspeople.
I’m holding on to my stock in ACME Hemp & RazorWire Ltd. just in case we see more improvements to our national security like this domestic spying program.
January 23rd, 2006 at 5:21 pmRS.Org and others cal rename it but its still undermines everyone’s rights according to our Consitution.The next thing we’ll hear is the Consitution has been Retired and a new and better one is being written one that aims to protect every american for the mere cost of your personal liberties ,they don’t matter anyway. gIve the King Boy his dues ,Ante Up America or he’ll invade your homes…….
gwbush is our Osama Bin Laden and Americans can’t see that..
January 23rd, 2006 at 5:24 pmBut wait, aren’t all liberals, Democrats and people opposed to the Bushco regime terrorist sympathizers, enablers and aiders?
January 23rd, 2006 at 5:24 pmIf they are known spies, warrantless is both unnecessary and nothing more than irresponsible breaking of laws for no valid reason. It’s fear driven violations of federal laws, just like Nixon who wiretapped out of fear. Fear is the mindkiller – and the republicans are driven by fear :(
January 23rd, 2006 at 5:25 pmRedstate.org went totally wingnut about a year ago. They are a joke now.
January 23rd, 2006 at 5:25 pm#4 that’s right, IRI, the good old days, when you could string anyone up for anything and have your smiling face photographed laughing at the corpse. Funny how I never saw any white anglos dangling from those trees – strange fruit …all the same color…
January 23rd, 2006 at 5:29 pmWas that Newsmax or Newspeak?
January 23rd, 2006 at 5:32 pmIt’s getting where I can’t tell if they are
giving up the pretense and just admitting
their march toward totalitarianism or still
pretending they actually believe in freedom.
It’s the name game again. Started with Pro-Life (as if anyone was anti-life), continued through Reagan’s “Peacekeeper” multiple-warhead nukes, and Bush’s “Patriot Act” (I still can’t figure out which patriot they’re talking about), just to name a few.
January 23rd, 2006 at 5:33 pmI would like to introduce a little policy arithmatic: monitoring library and book store records + detaining people without due process + torture + wire tapping illegally = dictatorship. Which is right where thes clowns are taking us.
January 23rd, 2006 at 5:34 pm“No Child Left Behind,” was a classic, too.
January 23rd, 2006 at 5:34 pmVigilante justice feels good but it isn’t democratic. It does not fit into any sustainable system. Rational people know this. Our founding fathers were rational people.
January 23rd, 2006 at 5:37 pmI’m curious if anyone is tallying the death toll from the monumentally expensive bush health care plan. Remember they lied to us about that too. The fiduciary was told that if he released the true estimate of its cost he would be fired.
January 23rd, 2006 at 5:39 pmSpeaking of the warrantless spying program (hey, it is what it is), did anyone catch these quotes? From cnn.com…
George Bush, President:
“You know, it’s amazing that people say to me, ‘Well, he was just breaking the law.’ If I wanted to break the law, why was I briefing Congress?”
Gee, I guess that makes it OK. He briefed Congress, so he wasn’t breaking the law. So simple.
The fact that he briefed Congress is meaningless. If he was serious about doing the right thing, he would have lobbied the Congress to amend FISA, instead of assuming they wouldn’t go for any changes. Hell, he had the whole world behind us after 9/11, and he had both parties in Congress eating out of his hands when it came to the security of this country. Are you telling me he wouldn’t have had a shot at convincing them to change FISA?
As for the other quote:
Gen. Michael Hayden, former NSA chief:
“NSA cannot, under the FISA statute, put someone on coverage and go ahead and play for 72 hours while it gets a note saying it’s OK,” he said. “The attorney general approves the emergency FISA coverage, and the attorney general’s standard is a body of evidence equal to that which we would present to the court.”
Comments?
January 23rd, 2006 at 5:41 pmUnder our current system, illegal searches (or even unreasonable searches) can only exist in the absence of free speech.
January 23rd, 2006 at 5:41 pmDemocrats are clearly stronger than Bush on terrorism.
Every Democrat wants Osamas head on a platter. Bush, not so much.
“I don’t know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don’t care. It’s not that important. It’s not our priority.”
- G.W. Bush, 3/13/02
“I am truly not that concerned about him.”
January 23rd, 2006 at 5:43 pm- G.W. Bush, repsonding to a question about bin Laden’s whereabouts,
3/13/02 (The New American, 4/8/02)
I think we’ve known for a long time that these folks like to give a pretty name to their ugly pigs. Often it works, which is why they continue to do it.
It’s always amazed me that people will put so much effort into APPEARING to be something they’re not when they could just as easily put that effort in to BEING what they want people to think they are.
January 23rd, 2006 at 5:44 pmThe people that burned women because they feared witches didn’t have a warrant either
January 23rd, 2006 at 5:44 pmDon’t forget the “death tax”.
January 23rd, 2006 at 5:45 pm“It smacks of the good old days of vigilante justice when the law was either too far away or impotent to dispense justice, safety and security to the townspeople.”
Yeah, lynchin’ po’folk sho was fun back then!
I’m holding on to my stock in ACME Hemp & RazorWire Ltd. just in case we see more improvements to our national security like this domestic spying program.
Comment by I-RIGHT-I — January 23, 2006 @ 5:21
Noose humor! I love it! Go get’m Judge Roy!
January 23rd, 2006 at 5:47 pmAkaDad,
January 23rd, 2006 at 5:48 pmYou’re right on. It is truly amazing that any Bush supporter can rationalize Bush’s duplicity and mixed messages. I think perhaps the majority of Bush people just flat out don’t listen to the guy. It’s wierd. Off the charts wierd.
A rose (skunk) by any other name still smells. I don’t care what they call it as long as it is prefaced by ILLEGAL and followed by an all-expenses-paid sojourn in Leavenworth for about 15-20. IRI is welcome to join the crowd since he already knows the jargon.
January 23rd, 2006 at 5:52 pm… except that Bush didn’t use this “program” that circumvented the US Constitution to spy on “terrorists”.
It’s just the very tippity tip of the iceberg, but he spied on Peace Activists, a Quaker prayer group, and King George’s own personal political enemies (with John Bolton congratulating people on the information they “uncovered”).
Georgie Boy Shrub might call the people he spied on “terrorists”. But we might call them free thinking US citizens.
January 23rd, 2006 at 5:53 pmI guess Nixon was involved in a “Counter Insurgency Defense” operation when he spied on the Democrats, since they were obviously intent on regim change.
January 23rd, 2006 at 5:53 pmExperience shows that nearly everything these guys state is either flat out false or highly misleading. If past behavior is any guide they would use the pretense of investigating alquida as a front to snoop on anyone. Rember during boltons failed confirmation hearings it was revealed that he had accessed NSA wiretaps. Imagine what rove could have done with that access. They are confident, smug even, that they can look at whatever they want, and not reveal what it was, under the guise of national security.
January 23rd, 2006 at 5:53 pmBoy oh boy, Bush is becoming more like “Big Brother” daily!
January 23rd, 2006 at 5:56 pmGeorge Orwell’s “1984″ novel pertains to Dubya bigtime!
Spying becomes watching terrorists? > lol.
Newspeak and Doublethink has arrived!
LOL, how about Bush calling himself a “conservative?”
How’s that for a howler?
Oh, BTW, just as a reminder. . . Bush’s oath of office was to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United Staes.
Not the people of the United States.
Bush has it completely backward. BGut then again, he calles himself a. . . a. . .a conservative BWAH hahahahahahahahah
January 23rd, 2006 at 5:58 pmThe problem, Bowdler, is that most Bush supporters early on felt that if they agreed with all of the lying and illegal behavior that they would somehow be above being affected by it. History consistantly proves these folks wrong. Bush has really pulled off a remarkable benchmark in his sustained approval at or below 40%. It’s no accident. The middle is no longer in the middle.
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:01 pmAss Cheek-RIGHT-Ass Cheek is a gallactic moron, without a doubt, and its comment about the “good ol’ days” of vigilante justice and the law of the six gun displays an ignorance that is obviously boundless. On the bright side, though, he who lives by the sword will die by the sword. So in Ass Cheek’s case it is guaranteed that it will perish in an act of monumental stupidity.
BSR does not understand our Constitution and Bill of Rights. They also would argue with FDR that we have more to fear than fear itself. BSR’s position seems to be that we should be afraid of everything and anything and that all of their liberties should be given away and that the Constitution should be worn as a diaper so as to protect them when they urinate themselves.
It’s unfortunate and sad that the “land of the free and home of the brave” has, for many, become the “land of the surveiled and home of the terrified”.
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:02 pmSince this is a terrorist surveilance program, and the terrorist surveilance program can go around FISA, then doesn’t that mean that every instance that somebody was spied on who isn’t a terrorist, and had no association with terrorists is breaking the law.
I’ll be happy to stipualate that, since it means that the administration is admitting breaking the law thousands of times at least.
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:05 pmI think the name change is great. It will help clarify and differentiate vis-a-vis the spying against US persons who are not terrorists.
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:06 pmMr. Bush, instead of spying on Americans, why haven’t you kept your promise to get Osama “dead or alive”?
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:10 pmGiven that the Education secretary described the Teachers Union as Terrorists I think that “Terrorist Surveillance Program” is appropriate in their minds. I suspect that they’ve been using one of the less legal products from ACME Hemp and Razorwire Inc.
Z.
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:11 pmI remember commentators saying after 911 that if America sacrifices it freedom after the attack, that the terrorists will have won. Now that it is apparent that bush is discarding our freedoms faster than anybody can know, where are those wise commentators.
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:12 pmLt. Gen. Michael Hayden, former director of the National Security Agency, spoke to the National Press Club today. The entire speech can, and should, be read here: http://www.fas.org/irp/news/2006/01/hayden012306.pdf
Some excerpts from the speech clearly show that the NSA program was targeted at al Qaeda communications, and that sensational headline terms such as “domestic spying” are grossly inaccurate characterizations of this program:
[BEGIN EXCERPT]
“You know, the 9/11 commission criticized our ability to link things happening in the United States with things that were happening elsewhere. In that light, there are no communications more important to the safety of this country than those affiliated with al Qaeda with one end in the United States. The president’s authorization allows us to track this kind of call more comprehensively and more efficiently. The trigger is quicker and a bit softer than it is for a FISA warrant, but the intrusion into privacy is also limited: only international calls and only those we have a reasonable basis to believe involve al Qaeda or one of its affiliates.
The purpose of all this is not to collect reams of intelligence, but to detect and prevent attacks. The intelligence community has neither the time, the resources nor the legal authority to read communications that aren’t likely to protect us, and NSA has no interest in doing so. These are communications that we have reason to believe are al Qaeda communications, a judgment made by American intelligence professionals, not folks like me or political appointees, a judgment made by the American intelligence professionals most trained to understand al Qaeda tactics, al Qaeda communications and al Qaeda aims.”
- – - – - -
“Let me talk for a few minutes also about what this program is not. It is not a driftnet over Dearborn or Lackawanna or Freemont grabbing conversations that we then sort out by these alleged keyword searches or data-mining tools or other devices that so-called experts keep talking about.
This is targeted and focused. This is not about intercepting conversations between people in the United States. This is hot pursuit of communications entering or leaving America involving someone we believe is associated with al Qaeda. We bring to bear all the technology we can to ensure that this is so. And if there were ever an anomaly, and we discovered that there had been an inadvertent intercept of a domestic-to-domestic call, that intercept would be destroyed and not reported. But the incident, what we call inadvertent collection, would be recorded and reported. But that’s a normal NSA procedure. It’s been our procedure for the last quarter century. And as always, as we always do when dealing with U.S. person information, as I said earlier, U.S. identities are expunged when they’re not essential to understanding the intelligence value of any report. Again, that’s a normal NSA procedure.
Let me emphasize one more thing that this program is not — and, look, I know how hard it is to write a headline that’s accurate and short and grabbing. But we really should shoot for all three — accurate, short and grabbing. I don’t think domestic spying makes it. One end of any call targeted under this program is always outside the United States. I’ve flown a lot in this country, and I’ve taken literally hundreds of domestic flights. I have never boarded a domestic flight in the United States of America and landed in Waziristan. In the same way — and I’m speaking illustratively here now, this is just an example — if NSA had intercepted al Qaeda Ops Chief Khalid Shaikh Mohammed in Karachi talking to Mohamed Atta in Laurel, Maryland, in say, July of 2001 — if NSA had done that, and the results had been made public, I’m convinced that the crawler on all the 7 by 24 news networks would not have been “NSA domestic spying.”
Had this program been in effect prior to 9/11, it is my professional judgment that we would have detected some of the 9/11 al Qaeda operatives in the United States, and we would have identified them as such.”
[END EXCERPT]
So the NSA program was, in fact, terrorist surveillance from the very beginning. I can’t believe that anyone has a problem with that.
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:13 pmWell, the other possibility is that Rove slipped the new name to the conservative blogs to prime the pump, so to speak.
Or, maybe Rove slipped it to them to test market the phrase before Bush officially rolled it out.
I wouldn’t presume that the conservative blogs aren’t just dying for instructions from Bush & Co., who are more than willing to give them.
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:13 pmMuch better marketing, George.
Keep up the good work.
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:17 pmWe need to attack the Republicans on their strong suit, terrorism.
Terrorism around the world is up under Mr. Bush.
Osama mocks us, because Mr. Bush doesn’t think Osama is that important, well Democrats do.
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:17 pmI call BS.
Just because the ex-head of the NSA says “These were targetted wide scale monitoring efforts” doesn’t mean that they were.
These comments jibe significantly with the other comments I’ve heard from the FBI…
But virtually all of them, current and former officials say, led to dead ends or innocent Americans.
Z.
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:18 pmRepublican MURDER, will now be called, opps,man slaughter in the 22 degree…5 days of comunity service. WHO IN THE F*** DO THEY THINK THEY ARE FOOLING!…the sheep are waking up and it’s showing. Success is measured in inches, or miles in this case.
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:19 pmbsr, judging from past performance of the bush propaganda team Lt. Gen Hayden was rading from a carefully worded script. Probably prepared by master propagandist rove. I mean no disrespect to the Lt. Gen. he is probably following orders, as is his job. Who is truly at fault is the dishonest administration.
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:23 pmBSR,
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:24 pmAt the very least Bush should explain why his remarks concerning warrants juxtapose eachother. He has directly contradicted himself on this issue. He looks like a liar. And after today, he looks like a cornered dog.
Ain’t nobody buyin’ it.
Hurricanes will now be known as GOP urban renewal projects.
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:25 pmBush lied, fewer people died.
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:26 pmSince Payson and progressives enjoy the euphemisms of the left, it might be a “skull slap” to have things named concisely and correctly. I suggest we fine tune the name of the NSA program further – let’s just call it what it is, The Terrorist/Collaborator Surveillance Act. (When I see that term “collaborator” I realize why so many progs remind me of frogs. As my dearly departed father used to say, if as many of the French actually PARTICIPATED in the resistance as claim to, Paris would have never fallen.)
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:26 pmBSR,
The General’s argument does not hold water. However, if the General would like to provide real information about who ALL was eavesdropped upon and why SPECIFICALLY the FISA act could not be adhered to, then I would be willing to study and understand the reasoning.
A frilly excuse that only boils down to “trust us, we’re only listening to bad guys” is not only is insulting to all americans, but also reeks of deception and misdirection. If you are not offended or appalled by this baseless condescending approach, then you neither deserve nor will you retain your rights. It’s that simple.
Freedom cannot be taken, it can only be surrendered.
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:28 pm#48 I see you are never shy with a bit of racism, MA.
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:31 pmOh my, the squatting eunuchs are coming out of their protective caves.
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:31 pmComment by Optimist — January 23, 2006 @ 6:28 pm
I couldn’t have said it better.
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:31 pm#38 THEN WHY NOT GET A WARRANT? This is the issue! If this is all they are doing, they can get a warrant. The problem is that this is not all they are doing.
They tried to add such language to the Patriot Act, but it was shot down. They tried to get authorization from Congress, and that was shot down. Why would Congress shoot down requests and have language removed from the Patriot Act if it was not violating our Civil Liberties.
Go back and do some more research BSR. Stop taking what you are fed as fact and investigate the reasoning of why they can’t do things legally or get the law changed so that it is legal.
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:31 pmNew Zogby poll is out, and guess what?
53% are for impeachment over Domestic Wiretapping.
Better squat lower eunuchs.
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:33 pm#47 that should read.
BUSH LIED, SEVERAL HUNDERED THOUSAND DIED.
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:34 pm#48 oh, and respects to your father, but he does not have a strong grasp of WWI & WWII history, or he does not know what he was talking about – you take your pick.
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:35 pmThe Lt. Gen.s last line:
“Had this program been in effect prior to 9/11, it is my professional judgment that we would have detected some of the 9/11 al Qaeda operatives in the United States, and we would have identified them as such.â€
Begs the question: Wasn’t the administration warned enough? The problem seemed to be one of ignoring those not in the inner-circle, the bubble, and less a problem with a lack of widespread illegal wiretapping.
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:36 pm#55 — or how about: Bush lied, terrorists died.
#54 — awesome! Go for it and impeach Bush! Should really help your cause…
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:38 pmBush lied, fewer people died.
Comment by Concerned Conservative
Now you are just a moronic idiot parroting idiotology and deserve the appelation and adulation you might get from the three or four “sickophants” you hang out here with.
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:38 pmWar is Peace. Greed is good. More terrorist attacks means we are winning the war against terrorists. No saving and large consumer debt means a good economy.
-GSD
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:38 pmThe stone cold fact is that you are hemmoraging support and don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of staying in power. 36% and falling.
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:40 pm#57, agreed B. Let us count the ways. August 6th PDB ‘Osama determined to strike in US’, FBI catching Moussoui taking flying lessons oddly uninterested in landing the plane, FBI whistleblower in Arizona, documented threats of using aircraft as missiles, Clarke warning that terror will be the biggest threat faced by Bush, CIA spotting two hijackers entering US. You know, I don’t think tapping the phones of the Quakers would have made much difference either.
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:41 pm#58
Our cause is to bring charges against the eunuch king. Squat lower.
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:42 pmBush a no go for Brokeback Mountain
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:44 pmVideo and Audio Here
The label “Terrorist” is so useful to THE ADMINISTRATION.
Jailing of anyone who is PROBLEMATIC to the BUSHITES they justify under their ‘SUSPECTED TERRORIST INCARCERATION PROGRAM’.
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:48 pmMy guess is that they used illegal wiretappingit was to tap the lines of those they couldn’t tap legally (wow when I type that it seems absurdly obvious). So who does that leave? Surely not terrorists, they could legally tap them. That would leave those that disagree with. These guys are an active and growing threat to our libery.
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:54 pmBowdler – and that is my point. If they are spying only on terrorists, then there is no problem and you get a warrant. A person only avoids doing the legal things when they are doing illegal things.
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:57 pmLiberty sorry I promise to proofread in the future.
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:57 pmQUESTION: But does [the 4th amendment] not say probable [cause]? –
GEN. HAYDEN: No.
January 23rd, 2006 at 7:00 pmLibery is what they call libraries in the red states. And while bush may be a threat to libraries I meant liberty.
January 23rd, 2006 at 7:01 pmThe measure in the 4th amendment is, in fact, “probable cause”.
January 23rd, 2006 at 7:01 pmMighty “clueless” Aphrodite’s hate speech is, wonderfully, protected by the inalienable rights and liberties that are memorialized in our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Fortunately, those rights also include us being able to ignore such mindless blather and being able to call M”c”A the blithering idiot that he/she/it is.
george w bush will surely go down as the most cowardly and inept presidents this nation has ever seen. However, I agree with chris matthews that his face will go on Mount Rushmore. Not on the front with the other noble americans, but on the backside (or ass end) where it belongs.
January 23rd, 2006 at 7:05 pmHiya,
I’m an American liberal & I’d like to confirm all of your suspicions.
Firstly, let me start with the fact that we really do hate our troops. To tell you the truth, we never really liked them to begin with. I remember, in high school, all the biggest jerks & bullies who wanted to join the military to “kick some ass!â€. So I guess, in that way, the war in Iraq has been a good thing for all of us.
Secondly, you should know that all liberal Americans love terrorists. We still call them on the phone regularly, send them an email here, a fax there & generally offer our unconditional support. We used to invite them over for lunch sometimes but not so much anymore. Tourist VISA’s are a bitch…..but we still send them the coordinates of all of the country’s top secret military outposts. You know, just to keep the relationship going.
Thirdly, I’d like to let all of you “Christian right†folks know about the abortion parties us folks on the left are having. That’s right! Once every few months, huge groups of liberals will get together to give each other abortions, just to keep the community spirit up (it’s either that or a bake sale).
Fourthly, please be advised that all the liberals are planning to take your guns away on Thursday, February 23rd. We weren’t sure which day we should do this, you know with holidays & all. But we’ve decided that the fourth Thursday in February works best with everyone’s schedules. So mark your calendars & don’t say you weren’t warned.
Fifthly, we’re all communists. Yep, that’s right. We’re all shooting (figuratively) for a 100% tax rate, at a minimum. Of course, this means the state will now own all of your worldly possessions. But hey, that’s what being an American liberal is all about, isn’t it?
Sixthly, we’d like thank all of the media outlets for fitting comfortably in our back pocket. Thanks to you (especially FOX NEWS) the conservative agenda has been successfully stomped out. Liberal America now controls the White House, both houses of congress & the supreme court (how else could we get away with all of those abortion parties).
Seventhly, all that liberals care about is sex & drugs. We generally like to have sex every 15 to 20 minutes. The only condition is that it be with a different partner each & every time. But when we’re not having unprotected sex, we like to do drugs. Lot’s & lot’s of drugs. Hard drugs, soft drugs. Big drugs, small drugs. Drugs, drugs, drugs… Just sex & drugs all the time. That’s all we do.
Eighthly, and lastly, let’s all firmly state that “liberals hate Americaâ€. That’s right! Even though we’ve grown up here & all our friends and family live here, we hate it. Just hate, hate, hate, hate, hate…. Don’t count on any love for the Red, White & Blue from the left side. All we do is hate. We wish it would go away. Hate, hate, hate….. Got it? Good!
So I’m glad that I could help you all out & put the nails in the American Conservative’s coffin (again, figuratively). Maybe someday the political right will organize themselves & level the playing field.
FREE MUMIA!!!
January 23rd, 2006 at 7:06 pmVoters have a choice in 2006.
Vote Republican to keep you safe from terrorism
Vote Democrat to keep you safe from terrorism, and protect your civil liberties at the same time.
January 23rd, 2006 at 7:07 pm36%
January 23rd, 2006 at 7:08 pm36%
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#48 and #56
The old “if as many had _____ as said they had ____.” has been applied to practically all major, and minor, events in the history of the United States from the sailing and landing of the Mayflower, to Joe Louis’s title fights, to Super Bowl 40 next month. The phrase really has little meaning except for two major events in recent history: the 2000 and 2004 Presidential Elections. The truth is that if as many people had voted for King George the Dumb as the vote counters said they did, Gore and Kerry would have been elected.
January 23rd, 2006 at 7:10 pmHere are the key graphs from the President’s speech today:
[BEGIN EXCERPT]
Let me talk about one other program — and then I promise to answer questions — something that you’ve been reading about in the news lately. It’s what I would call a terrorist surveillance program. After the enemy attacked us, and after I realized that we were not protected by oceans, I asked people that work for you — work for me, how best can we use information to protect the American people? You might remember there was hijackers here that had made calls outside the country to somebody else, prior to the September the 11th attacks. And I said, is there anything more we can do within the law, within the Constitution, to protect the American people. And they came back with a program, designed a program that I want to describe to you. And I want people here to clearly understand why I made the decision I made.
First, I made the decision to do the following things because there’s an enemy that still wants to harm the American people. What I’m talking about is the intercept of certain communications emanating between somebody inside the United States and outside the United States; and one of the numbers would be reasonably suspected to be an al Qaeda link or affiliate. In other words, we have ways to determine whether or not someone can be an al Qaeda affiliate or al Qaeda. And if they’re making a phone call in the United States, it seems like to me we want to know why.
This is a — I repeat to you, even though you hear words, “domestic spying,” these are not phone calls within the United States. It’s a phone call of an al Qaeda, known al Qaeda suspect, making a phone call into the United States. I’m mindful of your civil liberties, and so I had all kinds of lawyers review the process. We briefed members of the United States Congress, one of whom was Senator Pat Roberts, about this program. You know, it’s amazing, when people say to me, well, he was just breaking the law — if I wanted to break the law, why was I briefing Congress? (Laughter and applause.)
Federal courts have consistently ruled that a President has authority under the Constitution to conduct foreign intelligence surveillance against our enemies. Predecessors of mine have used that same constitutional authority. Recently there was a Supreme Court case called the Hamdi case. It ruled the authorization for the use of military force passed by the Congress in 2001 — in other words, Congress passed this piece of legislation. And the Court ruled, the Supreme Court ruled that it gave the President additional authority to use what it called “the fundamental incidents of waging war” against al Qaeda.
I’m not a lawyer, but I can tell you what it means. It means Congress gave me the authority to use necessary force to protect the American people, but it didn’t prescribe the tactics. It’s an — you’ve got the power to protect us, but we’re not going to tell you how. And one of the ways to protect the American people is to understand the intentions of the enemy. I told you it’s a different kind of war with a different kind of enemy. If they’re making phone calls into the United States, we need to know why — to protect you. (Applause.)
[END EXCERPT]
Read the whole speech at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/01/20060123-4.html
January 23rd, 2006 at 7:16 pmMumia,
January 23rd, 2006 at 7:16 pmI don’t know if you were trying to be funny or clever, but you achieved neither.
mumia, where to start? Rereading your post I think seventhly would be a great start. It seems to me the most vociforous complainers about others sex lives, are the ones that are either the most reperessed or most perverse amongst us. Do you remember the mayor of some town in Washington that was stridently anti-gay. He cruised homo web sites, and offered young men positions (no pun intended) in exchange for sex. If you are comfortable with yourself you don’t need to demonize others.
January 23rd, 2006 at 7:21 pmAlso lets not forget the god of all you delusional people rush. Can you imagine the hell that pill popper would raise if Hillary had 1/8 of his vicodent problem.
BSR – Sooooooo What! Just because he keeps saying it and you keep typing it does not make it legal. IT IS ILLEGAL TO SPY ON AMERICANS OR PEOPLE IN AMERICA. PERIOD.
There is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING THAT HAS BEEN GRANTED BY CONGRESS THAT GIVES HIM THE POWER TO BE ABOVE THE LAW.
This authorization to use military force has already been debunked by Congress. They have already stated that there was NO ONE in Congress that interpreted the authorization to mean that in any way.
Now, go back and try again.
January 23rd, 2006 at 7:22 pmMumia,
I don’t know if you were trying to be funny or clever, but you achieved neither.
Comment by Optimist
Optimist,
Take some pleasure in the fact that they can still stoop lower and it means they are actually sweating. It’s going to be fun to watch them go down whining.
January 23rd, 2006 at 7:23 pmThe laws are very clear, BSR. The additional powers that Bush wanted from congress were denied by congress. ALL of congress. Bush and the Republicans deliberately and knowingly broke the law.
January 23rd, 2006 at 7:24 pmYou of all people should know Bush is a liar. Either that or you have a personality disorder and don’t catch this kind of behavior.
BSR,
What’s your point? You just want to show what bush said so that we’ll all say “Oh, okay, if george says it then it must be true”? Are you serious? Here, let me give you some reference material upon which to guage bush’s credibility:
- WMD
- Iraq/Al Qaeda link
- Nigerian Uranium
- “Anyone who leaks information in this administration will be fired…uh, only if they committed a crime…and they are convicted, otherwise they get promoted”
- “Heckuva job brownie”
- “If we are talking wiretaps then we will get warrants”
- “Katrina won’t be a problem, now hand me that there geetar”
Shall I keep going?
January 23rd, 2006 at 7:25 pmOptimist,
Think Jonathan Swift, it will make more sense.
January 23rd, 2006 at 7:26 pm#50 – “I see you are never shy with a bit of racism, MA.”
Comment by Terry
*****Racism???? I think the correct term would be “culturalism”. (I’m always a little suspicious of a culture that:
had a righteous Revolution and then threw the whole thing overboard by killing a specific class of people
invented the guillotine
installed a Vichy government
haven’t won a war since……
tried to “Frenchify” Viet Nam and Algeria
would rather dab perfume than bathe
But you should know I like frogs more than toads – but not as much as turtles.
January 23rd, 2006 at 7:40 pmMumia,
January 23rd, 2006 at 7:41 pmSatire is fine, but you only provided unclever sarcasm that achieved nothing. I respect your right to speech but I felt compelled to voice my opinion that you missed your target.
Bush clarifies TERRORIST SURRVeILlANCE PROGRAM,
After 9-11 I prepared a super secret memo which for National Security reasons proclaimed that EVERY AMERICAN was or could be a terrorist. Due to the overwhelming need to protect America from actual or potential terrorists, it was then essential that we begin a thorough campaign of oversight on these confirmed (in my mind) terrorists suspects. So, these has been no domestic spying, only an essential, and Attorney General APPROVED, protection program for America. Thank you very much.
January 23rd, 2006 at 7:41 pmquestions I don’t know the answer to….
of those members of Congress that were ‘briefed’ did any voice dissent or ask for the surveillance to stop?
what prevented Mr. Risen from revealing the information he obtained asap?
rich
January 23rd, 2006 at 7:43 pmThis is how Concerned Conservative and “Free Mumia” think uppity negroes, other minorities and liberated women should be dealt with.
The Murder of Fred Hampton.
At 4:00AM, the heavily armed police team arrived at the site, dividing into two teams, eight for the front of the building and six for the rear. At 4:45, they stormed in the apartment. Mark Clark, asleep in a front room with a shotgun in his lap, was killed instantly, despite firing off a single round — the only shot the Panthers fired — in a death spasm. The automatic gunfire converged at the head of the bedroom where Hampton slept. Two officers found him wounded in the shoulder, and the following exchange took place:
“That’s Fred Hampton.”
“Is he dead?… Bring him out.”
“He’s barely alive; he’ll make it.”
Two shots were heard, which it was later discovered were fired point blank in Hampton’s head. One officer then said:
“He’s good and dead now.”
Hampton’s body was dragged into the doorway of the bedroom and left in a pool of blood. The police officer who pulled the trigger was Sergeant James Davis, an African American officer who had developed a reputation as one of the most brutal and racist police officers towards the black community.
The raiders then directed their gunfire towards the remaining Panthers, who were hiding in another bedroom. They were wounded, then beaten and dragged into the street, where they were arrested on charges of aggravated assault and the attempted murder of their assailants. They were held on US$100,000 bail apiece. To some, the irony of this raid is that the most brutal and racist officer involved was an African American. To others, it is clear that in all cases, police culture easily crosses racial and ethnic lines.
Pretty cool, huh? Harry Belafonte is right. Just like the Gestapo, but it’s the GOPstapo, and Wolf Blitzer is a pansy.
January 23rd, 2006 at 7:46 pm#85,
Actually, Terry was correct MA. “Culturalism” would be if you were turning your ignorant bigotry towards the “South” or “Texans” or “Sicilians”, or a “culture” within a race or grouping of people.
Regardless, bigotry is a very ugly mask to wear in an attempt to hide one’s insecurities. It is beneath you and you should consider abandoning the practice.
January 23rd, 2006 at 7:49 pm“IT IS ILLEGAL TO SPY ON AMERICANS OR PEOPLE IN AMERICA. PERIOD.”
This is just flat wrong as a general proposition. There is no legal authority you can cite that prohibits any and all surveillance “on Americans or people in America.”
Surveillance “on Americans or people in America” is legal under a number of circumstances. One such circumstance is the wartime receipt of or initiation of a communication with an al Qaeda terrorist. At a time of war declared on us by terrorists, everything the terrorists do or say is subject to surveillance. There is no constitutionally protected right to surveillance free communications with terrorists.
The Constitution gives the President the power and duty to serve as commander in chief. When war has been declared on us by terrorists, the President can and must decide how best to fight that war – including the intelligence aspects of war. He is not required to go to Conress or the courts every time he makes a decision about wartime intelligence. To argue otherwise is to cripple the President’s power to protect our national security during wartime.
You can’t have it both ways. Either we fight the terrorists with everything we have, or we let them hit us again. In our constitutional system, it is the President who decides all such matters in a time of war.
January 23rd, 2006 at 7:50 pmMA is such an idiot. The French didn’t invent the first device to chop of heads. They merely refined it so it was less brutal. You are an ignorant twerp and a prime example of why other ignorant twerps get elected. Ironically, you can’t use the brain God gave you, so in your case, a guillotining would be irrelevant.
January 23rd, 2006 at 7:52 pm#56 – “oh, and respects to your father, but he does not have a strong grasp of WWI & WWII history, or he does not know what he was talking about – you take your pick.”
January 23rd, 2006 at 7:56 pmComment by TerrytheTurtle
*****Terry – you might be right – his perspective may have been a little clouded as he was ensconced in the cockpit of a bomber over Europe durinng WWII. (He and a brother were pilots in the Army/AirCorps, two more were in the Navy and one was in the Marines – the only brother who could not serve had been stricken with polio.) But my dislike of many (not all) things French is based on cultural differences – NOT racial.
P.S. I guess you abhor the Oreo throwing by libs at conservative blacks – unless you don’t think that’s not “racist”.
89 propaganda is not the sole property of the right. That sounds like a slanted version of events. A more even handed telling would be more believable.
January 23rd, 2006 at 7:57 pmBSR – WRONG! There is still OVERSIGHT. The persident, even in a time of war (even though we are not at war) MUST still keep CONGRESS advised and obtain permission. The Constitution allows for the president to make decissions about how many troops, where, and how to use those troops but that is it. He is COMMANDER IN CHIEF, NOT KING. He ONLY HAS AUTHORITY OVER THE MILITARY without oversight when it comes to how to use the troops. Notice that it does not speak of the 3 letter organizations. He is not COMMANDER IN CHIEF, AND CEO or KING. There is still oversight.
Everything else, REQUIRES CONGRESS APPROVAL or OVERSIGHT.
You might want to go back to school there BSR and learn some more about what your government can and cannot do.
January 23rd, 2006 at 7:59 pmbsr you make a great fascist.
January 23rd, 2006 at 8:04 pmOptimist,
Think Jonathan Swift, it will make more sense.
Comment by free mumia
He’s comparing himself to Swift? Jeebus! These people have no sense of proportion when it comes to lies and their own self-image. Are you a pedophile, too? Most conservative politicians are.
January 23rd, 2006 at 8:05 pmBSR – Oh and by the way!
Amendment IV – Search and seizure. Ratified 12/15/1791.
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Section 2 – Civilian Power over Military, Cabinet, Pardon Power, Appointments
The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to Grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.
He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.
The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session.
January 23rd, 2006 at 8:06 pmIt gets worse… Apparently, the NSA was so backed-up with data, they secretly hired Halliburton to review the voluminous intercepts. This isn’t the problem… Kellogg, Brown & Root “out sourced†the human review of the pings to their shops in India and Pakistan.
January 23rd, 2006 at 8:07 pmunitary president sounds like the english translation of el duce’
January 23rd, 2006 at 8:08 pm89 propaganda is not the sole property of the right. That sounds like a slanted version of events. A more even handed telling would be more believable.
Comment by Bowdler
I’m sure the police report would be more to your liking. You are a “useful idiot.” The right tells you to be a good boy, play fair, and be civil and you ask for another smack in the face. Loser. Piss off.
January 23rd, 2006 at 8:09 pm#90 – Optimistically Stupid – Actually the “South” and “Texans” are part of the American culture – I know many of you snobs wish this were not the case but – surprise – there is a disctinctly American culture. “Sicilians” are part of the Italian culture which I enjoy very much – their hospitality is warm, the food is terrific and they weren’t a very good Army and make no bones about it – unlike the “French”. Save your hyper-sensitivity for someone who would benefit – say… terrorist collaborators.
January 23rd, 2006 at 8:09 pm#90 – Optimistically Stupid – Actually the “South†and “Texans†are part of the American culture – I know many of you snobs wish this were not the case but – surprise – there is a disctinctly American culture. “Sicilians†are part of the Italian culture which I enjoy very much – their hospitality is warm, the food is terrific and they weren’t a very good Army and make no bones about it – unlike the “Frenchâ€. Save your hyper-sensitivity for someone who would benefit – say… terrorist collaborators.
Comment by mighty aphrodite — January 23,
When are you leaving… for good?
January 23rd, 2006 at 8:12 pmBowdler: “Policeman never lie!”
Stop! You are cracking me up!
January 23rd, 2006 at 8:15 pm#92 – My dear Mr. Giddy – you should be the poster boy for the “poorly educated”. Please show me where I said “The French invented the first device to chop of heads.” You’re ignorant musings – and moronic defense of the Black Panthers date you and aren’t worth another keystroke.
January 23rd, 2006 at 8:18 pmgiddy that was a little harsh. Years of reading have taught me how to recognize manipulative prose. That is why I’m so repulsed by the bush rove crowd. But, to assume I would turn my criticalism off for you (or anyone else) is too much to ask. And yes I’m pretty sure I made that word up.
January 23rd, 2006 at 8:19 pmYanno dude,
When the fascists have convinced you that “the truth” is propaganda you may just as well go over to their side because you don’t do any good over here and you don’t help yourself either, but who gives a shit about you anyway? Them? Fred Hampton was murdered by the Chicago PD. No one disputes that but you.
January 23rd, 2006 at 8:19 pmYou and his murderers, that is.
January 23rd, 2006 at 8:20 pmMighty Aphrodite,
As I see now that you have no clue as to the difference between race and culture, I regret wasting the time to respond to you in the first place. Now, if you do not understand that the South is a different culture, than the North East, and the West, then how did you ever understand the Civil War?
But I’m not going to chase around semantics with you. Bigotry is a trait of the small minded. If that’s what you want to be, then fine. Just understand that the choice of others to elevate themselves above such petty and ignorant views does not make them better than you, it means that you are worse than them by your own choice.
And freedom of choice is what it’s all about, right babe?
January 23rd, 2006 at 8:23 pm“The Constitution allows for the president to make decissions about how many troops, where, and how to use those troops but that is it.”
This is the dumbest thing I’ve read in a long time. Think about it. You are suggesting that the President commands the troops by himself but he has to advise Congress and get permission to conduct the intelligence needed to decide how, when and where to deploy the troops. That’s crazy – and you can’t cite a case or statute that supports your crazy theory.
The Executive branch is subject to a lot of congressional oversight, especially in administrative areas relating to commerce, health, education and the like. But Congress’ power is at its absolute lowest in those military matters which the Constitution delegates solely to the President (see, for example, Justice Jackson’s analysis in the Steel Seizure cases).
Once Congress has auhtorized the use of military force (as by a war declaration or, in this case, the AUMF resolution), the President has the power to engage in any acts that are within the fundamental incidents of war fighting activies (see, for example, the Hamdi case). That is what he has done in this case, by targeting enemy communications with the NSA program.
BTW, the President DID advise the congressional intelligence committees and the congressional leadership about the NSA program, and no one objected at the time.
January 23rd, 2006 at 8:27 pmNobody in the Bush Administration has explained WHY George went to Kansas today to give his NSA defense speech? Nor has anyone explained WHY he had “Landon” plastered behind him in different size lettering?
Alfred Landon was a personal friend of Adolf Hitler, and received funding for his presidential campaign in 1936, against President Roosevelt, from the Nazi Party! Alf, his nickname, was also against Social Security program for common working Americans! So was Bush sending a message during his speech that he is a fascist like Landon and anti Social Security? Or did Karl Rove just tell Bush that Landon was a pal of his grandfather Prescott? Either way makes Dubya a dummy for plugging the dead Nazi lover Alf!
January 23rd, 2006 at 8:42 pmBSR wants to live in a dictatorship. Even modern monarchies don’t give absolute power to monarchs. Why don’t you all leave and go find someplace more to your liking. None of you like the mostly liberal/progressive U.S. anyway, and we are sick of your constant whining. If liberals were as bad as you say, you would have been rounded up and re-educated (shot) long ago. Not a bad idea, really.
January 23rd, 2006 at 8:43 pmAmendment IV – Search and seizure. Ratified 12/15/1791.
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Here’s the 4th Amendment – Bush – read it and weep. Clearly states that warrants will be issued only with probable cause.
January 23rd, 2006 at 8:50 pmOptiwhatever – ignorance is the trait of the no-minded. The South, etc. will be devastated to know they are not PART of the American culture. Please quit trying to show me how bright you are – you have failed miserably and I’m not seeing any improvement in the situation – Good night….
January 23rd, 2006 at 8:55 pmGiddy, bsr should be shot? Wander the earth in shame, maybe. But shot? Study your enemy, for that is what you will become.
January 23rd, 2006 at 8:56 pm“QUACK”
What was that?
“QUACK”
Did you hear that?
“QUACK”
It must be a duck!
January 23rd, 2006 at 8:57 pmThe “Terrorist Surveillance Program”, from the same people who brought you “Healthy Forests”, “Clear Skies”, and “School Choice.”
January 23rd, 2006 at 8:59 pmGo squat to bed Aphrodite,
but keep your head down, I’m there is a terrorist under the stairs in your duct tapped basement waiting to harm you.
January 23rd, 2006 at 9:02 pmBSR – You seem to be a bright individual until your lips move, or in this case you type. Regardless of what you think, the president MUST FOLLOW THE LAW.
Note the first line of this law. This means that he cannot break the law no matter what. No if’s, and’s, or but’s. GET IT – GOT IT – GOOD.
TITLE 50 > CHAPTER 36 > SUBCHAPTER I > § 1811 Prev | Next
§ 1811. Authorization during time of war
Release date: 2005-03-17
Notwithstanding any other law, the President, through the Attorney General, may authorize electronic surveillance without a court order under this subchapter to acquire foreign intelligence information for a period not to exceed fifteen calendar days following a declaration of war by the Congress.
January 23rd, 2006 at 9:05 pmDon’t forget they said tax cuts would increase tax revenues and when treasury secretary O’neil dissented shamey (you like that I just made it up shamey instead of cheney) said Reagan proved that a deficit doesn’t make any difference. So, they were publicly stating that tax cuts wouldn’t bust the budget, while privatly aknowledging that they would (and it wouldn’t make any difference). Just another example of this administrations fundamental, knee jerk dishonesty.
January 23rd, 2006 at 9:08 pmBSR – By the way, just telling someone what you are doing is not keeping Congress informed of what he is doing. Especially when Congress cannot tell anyone besides the “Gang of 4″ what is going on. This is not advising Congress, this is DICTATING TO CONGRESS.
January 23rd, 2006 at 9:09 pmGiddy, bsr should be shot? Wander the earth in shame, maybe. But shot? Study your enemy, for that is what you will become.
Comment by Bowdler
I’m not a peacenik or a pacifist. Neither are most liberals or left-leaning people. You can say and think what you want but it just isn’t so. If there is reason to go to war then that’s what it is. The difference between us and them is the reason we would go to war. And if there was a civil war again in this country, like there was before, and my own brother was on the other side, I would kill him as dead as any other enemy combatant, and I would expect no less from him. As it is I just haven’t spoken to any of them in 12 years and will probably go to my grave without having to undergo the displeasure.
January 23rd, 2006 at 9:14 pmI’ve been under 12 presidents. This is the first administration in my lifetime that the President answered to the VP.
January 23rd, 2006 at 9:22 pmThey think we are idiots. Does Lord Mush really believe changing the name of an illegal effort to spy on Americans to “Terrorist Surveillance Program” will appease those of us who feel that The US Constitution still serves us well enough?
January 23rd, 2006 at 9:23 pmTerrorist Surveillance Program.
A skunk by any other name still stinks.
January 23rd, 2006 at 9:24 pmAnd Bowdler,
We don’t all have to be aggressive, in-your-face-with-bat upside-the-head-and-a-boot-in-your-ass activists, but you had better believe the squeaky wheel gets the grease. The fringe far right fascists didn’t get this far by being shrinking violets. They even blew up a few abortion clinics, gay bars and brought down a federal building, among many other acts of violence, murder and terror. I just want to keep them honest. A full time difficult job that will never be accomplished. It isn’t in their DNA.
Gay-rights activists are blasting Don Imus and sidekick Bernard McGuirk as gay-bashers, Last week, when fellow MSNBC talker Chris Matthews asked Imus if he’d seen the cowboy love story “Brokeback Mountain,” Imus sneered, “Why would I want to see that?” He added that McGuirk had his own name for the movie — a crude candy reference we’ll skip. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation called the “slurs” a “juvenile display of homophobia.” MSNBC has apologized for the banter. …
January 23rd, 2006 at 9:27 pmWasn’t the 20th century enough of a lesson? By my rough estimate there were over 100 million people systematically killed. For an ideal, an ideology. No idea worth killing for is worth holding. At the fall off the soviet union I was hopeful that that ugly history was behind us. That man had evolved to being better than that. Unfortunatly some evil men got ahold of our country. How far will they go?
January 23rd, 2006 at 9:29 pm[...] One of the great skills of Lord Voldermort’s President Bushs supporters is that they know their Orwell, specifically 1984. They’ve got Goebbel’s skill at redefining language so that both Democrats and the media simply must refer to “up” as “down” just to get past the gatekeepers of publicity. Here we go again with the newspeak where President Bush’s spy program has morphed into a “Terrorist Surveillance Program”. [...]
January 23rd, 2006 at 9:29 pmI’ve been under 12 presidents. This is the first administration in my lifetime that the President answered to the VP.
Comment by WaltTheMan
Sheeite! Walt, You are the man! Wait, I done lived thru 12, too. Counting Truman for a few months, your secret is safe with me.
January 23rd, 2006 at 9:30 pmBowdler,
Ideology is the psychological engine of war, the motive for war has always remained the same… profit.
January 23rd, 2006 at 9:32 pmOr as we pirates like to say… booty!
January 23rd, 2006 at 9:33 pmI think WE should call it “Citizen Surveilance Program”
January 23rd, 2006 at 9:33 pm41 candidates for office this cycle, have fought in the Iraq war.
40 of them are Democrats.
Support the Troops vote Democrat
January 23rd, 2006 at 9:40 pmHow about Lunatic Superfluous Distraction?
January 23rd, 2006 at 9:42 pm41 candidates for office this cycle, have fought in the Iraq war.
40 of them are Democrats.
Support the Troops vote Democrat
Comment by AkaDad
How can that be? Are you saying that there are no GOP war heroes? I can’t understand it. How can this be? All these veterans must have worn peace symbols on their helmets like Private Joker.
January 23rd, 2006 at 9:44 pmSign the petition to keep Gus Hasford’s books in print, please. He was a Jarhead, support the troops.
Thank you.
January 23rd, 2006 at 9:46 pmComment by G.Gordon Giddy — January 23, 2006 @ 9:44 pm
Nice Full Metal Jacket reference…
January 23rd, 2006 at 9:47 pmBowdler,
Ideology is the psychological engine of war, the motive for war has always remained the same… profit.
Comment by G.Gordon Giddy
Unless your motive for being engaged in a a state of conflict or war is self-defense, then you are called an insurgent or a terrorist. This is the only kind of aggression that is justified in my book, that which one engages in for self-defense. As soon as we found no WMDs we should have didi mao’d outta there, but they knew we wasn’t gonna find anything, didn’t they.
January 23rd, 2006 at 9:53 pmComment by G.Gordon Giddy — January 23, 2006 @ 9:44 pm
Nice Full Metal Jacket reference…
Comment by AkaDad
Gustav Hasford was Private Joker and he was a real marine. One of the “Snuffies”.
January 23rd, 2006 at 9:55 pm#90 – MA, you still don’t give me a reason why you/your father think the German defeat of France in 1940 was simply one of will and use it to justify your bigoted views of France for some reason. You Americans showed up late for both WWI and WWII thanks to your Republican/capitalist classes support for German fascism (including Nazi collaborate Prescott Bush) and therefore late to the struggle against totalitarism everywhere. How come you/your father only think the French caved against the Germans – what about the Greeks, the Yugoslavs, Belgians, Dutch, Danes, Norwegians, Poles, Czechs… shall I go on? Do you harbor similar bigotry for them too because they too were occupied in WWII?
January 23rd, 2006 at 9:56 pmG.Gordon Giddy ,
January 23rd, 2006 at 9:59 pmAm I up to 13 – I can only remember FDR, HST, DDE, JFK, LBJ, RMN, GRF, JEC, R?R, GHWB, WJC and GWB. Or are you counting Al Gore or Dick Cheney?
Gus wrote:
“The South is a big Indian reservation populated by ex-Confederates who are bred like cattle to die in Yankee wars. In Alabama there is no circus to run off to, so we join the Marines.â€
They used to be a helluva lot smarter in Alabama. Now they just join the state senate. Red-staters.
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:00 pmMeanwhile in the reality-based community, another big win for Al-Qaeda in the ‘war on terra’ – your doing a heckuvajob, Chimpy:
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:01 pmMeanwhile in the reality-based community, another big win for Al-Qaeda in the ‘war on terra’ – you’re doing a heckuvajob, Chimpy:
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:02 pmGustav Hasford was Private Joker and he was a real marine. One of the “Snuffiesâ€.
I didn’t know that till I went to the site.
I learn something new everyday…
Republicans thought tax cuts for the rich, were more important, than armour for our troops
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:02 pmG.Gordon Giddy ,
Am I up to 13 – I can only remember FDR, HST, DDE, JFK, LBJ, RMN, GRF, JEC, R?R, GHWB, WJC and GWB. Or are you counting Al Gore or Dick Cheney?
Comment by WaltTheMan
LOL! you got them all.
You got me beat by one, Walt. FDR. You da man.
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:02 pmHey, here’s the link for #144: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060122/ap_on_re_as/pakistan_al_qaida_attack
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:03 pmSpeaking of war profiteers. I couldn’t figure out for the longest time why the bush crowd was so intent on invading Iraq. All the reasons they put forth were false, and they knew they were false. So if their rationale was false what was their real reason? No reason I could think of held up. Were they concerned about the plight of the Iraqis? No, there were and are far more repressed people. Was it to even the score for gw1s failure? that didn’t make any sense either. So why?
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:06 pmIt was then that I was reading a book called lennin in Switzerland by Solzhinetsin. Don’t get me wrong I hate commies, based on my American disdain for their lack of liberty. But, I figured Solzhinetsin was ok, he hates commies too. But this book was an uncomfortable read because he was treating lenin like some sort of hero.
Soldiering through this book even to my distaste evenually paid off though. A character was introduced named isreal parvus. He was a war profiteer, chauvinistically pro-isreali (before there was an isreal). Intent on taking down the czarist regime and replacing it with communism, because the czars didn’t treat the jews well.
Thats when the light went on parvus was the first neo-con the proto-neo-con if you will. A war profiteer who put the plight of his religous fellows above that of his countrymen. It was then that I understood why we invaded Iraq.
I would like to add that I am not anti-semitic. My favorite writer, David Goodis, favorite car Citroen, favorite fake newsman Jon Stewart are all jewish. Well the cars not jewish the founder of the car company was. But, that doesn’t mean I can’t honestly disagree with members of their religion. Especially when they are doing so much damge to my country.
Glad to turn you onto that AkaDad. My pleasure.
Terry,
Francophobia is part and parcel of being a wingnut. There is know rhyme and reason to it really. They view the French as the most socialist of the successful Industrial social democracies in the world. Therefore they are a threat and must be villified. There is no basis for it other than fascist idiotology. The Italians were much bigger pussies but they were on the same side as the wingnuts. The fascist axis.
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:07 pm#90 I forgot to add that an understanding of the reasons for German successes in the early part of WWII has its roots in WWI and the inter-war years. Flying a B17 over Germany while laudable in its own right, does not turn you into a geopolitical/military expert.
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:10 pm#143 – TTT,
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:10 pmWhat happened? My house seems to still be attached to the planet and the juice is still coming in.
Thx 3G, I was saving the Italian example for her comeback. I think she has gone to her Aryan Nation rally, though. IRI is at the Anrgy Sons of the Confederacy meeting tonight.
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:13 pm#151, sorry having trouble with the link there – its in the #147 post. I’m too stupid for my Treo I think.
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:15 pmTTT,
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:15 pmI understand – old news. But still pertinent.
Can you Check on Comment #24 STORY??
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:15 pmI Believe there is some strange things going on here.
Clear Sky Iniative anyone? No Child Left Behind? Mission Accomplished? Heckuva Job Brownie?
Does this surprise anyone that they are trying to change the rhetoric and switch the focus of the debate from “did the administration do something illegal” to the usual “how much do Democrats hate America?”
I hope no one refers to this by this new phony name. Stop letting them frame the debate. We need to keep the pressure up because they’ve formed a stategy and are pushing back. This is all about framing the debate and we cannot let this one slide.
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:16 pmSounds Like a Conspiracy going on.
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:16 pmI found 24 a little fishy too.
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:18 pm#154, I think the reaction to the bombing is relevant. Imagine what might happen if Musharraf loses control of Pakistan with the nuke arsenal?
After the 13th Jan attack, I was struck by a look in the eyes of a young boy at the funerals after the attack and saw the reason why the ‘collateral damage’ crew simply don’t understand what they are dealing with. You can try to explain to MA that kill two jihadis and 10 univolved souls as collateral damage and you create 10 more jihadis who hate your guts. This is not a game of capture the flag, or body counts which you get when you listen to the Charles Krauthammers of the world.
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:20 pmHow about when the news media report bushes fake town meetings like they are news. They show people asking pre-approved questions and bushed pseudo-extemperaneous responses as if they were not what they are: flat out propaganda.
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:23 pmJanuary 23rd, 2006 at 10:24 pm
My Dad has allways told me
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:25 pm
#24 is reported from rense.com. You can check it out at this link:
http://www.rense.com/general69/cwol.htm
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:26 pmI guess You Could reword #162. But I don,t know how. Any suggestions from the RIGHT?
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:27 pmThis is just flat wrong as a general proposition. There is no legal authority you can cite that prohibits any and all surveillance “on Americans or people in America.â€
Ah BSR there is a legal authority:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
This fourth amendment is sounding like those commie-liberals.
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:28 pmThanks R.B. I will.
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:28 pmHEY BULLSHIT IS BULLSHIT.
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:28 pmAs per #24… It’s from Wayne Madsen. Madsen is often coming up with some wild stuff, but some of what he comes up with does pan out. I am a skeptic, and conspiracy sites like whatreallyhappened.com and Tom Flocco and other purveyors of tin foil hattery and haberdashery mix just enough truth with fiction to get people like Plunger all excited about Jewish conspiracies and other wild shit. Sure, there is cause for concern about AIPAC and Israeli spying, but it’s all from the same place if you ask me. Here we have the U.S. government trying to manufacture an anti-semitic slur from Hugo Chavez. I have not trusted the federal government since… Jeebus, I think I was born that way.
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:32 pmCongress’ authorization for military action in Afghanistan did not explicitly nor implicitly say the Prez could do illegal wiretaps… if it ain’t in the contract, it just ain’t…
http://blogdebogs.blogspot.com/2006/01/if-it-aint-in-contract.html
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:33 pmWell men, G.Gordon and Walt, I’m in the same club and this is the worst president I have ever seen or read about……Blessings
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:35 pmRense is another one I’d be careful of. Sure some of the stuff is legit but…
Get Madsen from Madsen’s site…
But be careful … it’s highly speculative.
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:35 pmFace it bush is trying to install a dictatorship. He will probably try to justify it on the grounds of protecting us from terrorism. rove is his enabler. I read roves speech last week, and if I was a person that didn’t read the news, I would have thought w was the 2nd coming. As it turns out laura is still waiting for that.
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:38 pmThe main thing to remember with any and all information: Always do your own research to see what the facts are.
There are times when you cannot research it and you must accept the information, but usually there is another place that one can confirm the story.
I review all information and make a resonable conclusion from there. If the story does not hold scientific water or can be disproved then I ignore it.
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:40 pmBTW, the President DID advise the congressional intelligence committees and the congressional leadership about the NSA program, and no one objected at the time.
Actually they did object.
This is the dumbest thing I’ve read in a long time. Think about it. You are suggesting that the President commands the troops by himself but he has to advise Congress and get permission to conduct the intelligence needed to decide how, when and where to deploy the troops. That’s crazy – and you can’t cite a case or statute that supports your crazy theory.
Are you criticizing the constitution? That is certainly unAmerican to promote a government which is by your definition (since you find fault with the constitution) anti-America.
Once Congress has auhtorized the use of military force (as by a war declaration or, in this case, the AUMF resolution), the President has the power to engage in any acts that are within the fundamental incidents of war fighting activies (see, for example, the Hamdi case). That is what he has done in this case, by targeting enemy communications with the NSA program.
*Sigh* Just because we are at war there are still rules. You need a warrant to spy on Americans.
And how is spying on the Quakers, Catholic Peace Ministries, and the ACLU targeting enemy communications? The FBI even says that we are wasting time and money. I mean look at what they do with information they already have.
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:40 pmthanks triple g. the rense actually posted the Madson site as the reference.
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:43 pmI found 24 a little fishy too.
Comment by Bowdler
You are a skeptic. That’s good. At some point though, you have to become a cynic and realize that our government lies to us as a matter of course and cops execute and frame people in the line of duty more than they should. This doesn’t mean you have to put on a tin foil hat, it just means the world is an ugly place and denying it only makes it go away in your own little head. Blacks in Chicago and Iraqis in Iraq have to live with it everyday.
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:48 pmI don’t read Madsen much, but it wouldn’t surprise me if some of what he digs up is true.
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:50 pmThis classic Republican branding approach – the “unopposable utterance” – enables the White House to dominate policy debates using terms that are, on their face, virtually unopposable. As a result of conservatives’ ironclad message discipline, the label is inevitably and widely adopted by the mainstream media.
The result is Republican control of the debate. Who could be for the “Death Tax” (ending estate taxes), the “Marriage Penalty” or “Partial Birth Abortion?” On the flip side, who could be against “School Choice” (school vouchers), “No Child Left Behind” or, in this case, “Terrorist Surveillance.”
For the full story, see:
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:52 pm“Branding the Domestic Spying Scandal.”
Let us not forget Tillman or that poor parlyzed private lady whose name I can’t remember.
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:52 pmAnd most disgusting of all: bush has never attended a funeral for a fallen soldier.
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:57 pmAdolf Hitler was a very stupid man, but he had smart friends who helped him gain power, and helped him to become a murdering dictator! George W. Bush is a very stupid man too, but he has smart friends like Karl Rove who got him into office, and are helping him to become a murdering dictator! History is repeating, unless the Congress wakes-up and impeaches Bush before he ignites WWIII!
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:57 pm#159 – TTT,
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:59 pmThe nukes in Israel, Pakistan and India are all uncontrolled trigger weapons. That translates to non -controlled. Anyone possessing one of these weapons could trigger them at will. Each of the other nuclear powers has agreed to safeguard these weapons by inserting controls into the triggering mechanisms.
On the other hand, the Irani’s could simply pack the Uranium Hexafluoride that they possess into missile canisters and let it drift across Jerusalem.
I’ve been calling it “Terrorist monitoring” for months.
It’s nice to know that the White House is going to hit the Democrats with the truth.
January 23rd, 2006 at 11:07 pmGary your a little late….. All of these talking points have been completely and utterly debunked. You don’t have a leg to stand on.
Might I suggest the following posts for reading:
#98 and #119 Happy Reading
January 23rd, 2006 at 11:10 pmJessica Lynch
January 23rd, 2006 at 11:13 pm#174, additionally, you might add that the attempt at the 11th hour to insert words that would allow the use of force on US soil as the Patriot Act was being ‘debated’ (term used loosely) suggests that the Busheviks KNEW that what they were planning to do was illegal. Also, that they had 72 hours to apply under FISA after the tap and THEY DID NOT. So is this government of the people, for the people, BY the people or is this a dictatorship. The script for 2006 is being written by Karl Rove already, it involves Iran, the 2006 mid-terms and the precedent of a President who considers himself above the law….
January 23rd, 2006 at 11:23 pm#183, what truth, which one are we going with today? That it is legal, it always has been legal to tap Americans without a warrant, that they were given those powers under the Patriot Act, under the Afghanistan Resolution, under Divine Right of Kings? What Gary? What the heck are you talking about?
January 23rd, 2006 at 11:26 pmIt’s nice to know that the White House is going to hit the Democrats with the truth.
Comment by Gary Ruppert — January 23, 2006 @ 11:07 pm
Do we need anymore seperation between truth and fact? I think when the right means to say rhetoric and want to confuse it with facts they call it truth.
January 23rd, 2006 at 11:37 pm*confuse facts with “truth”
January 23rd, 2006 at 11:38 pm“Terrorist Surveillance Program” = If you’re against us, you’re with the enemy…so, this is their way of saying those who are not in the 36% (i.e. most uf us “disapprovers”) are obviously the enemy! Typical sociopathic justification…again.
Abnormal in an abnormal world becomes normal.
This is all getting wierd scary.
January 23rd, 2006 at 11:42 pmLet us imagine that there is an Al Qaeda cell in Houston Texas. Would the US government send in planes and bomb the cell in a building full of non Al Qaeda? If so and they killed 12 to 18 women and children, would there be outrage?
How dare we tell people from Pakistan that their families are dying for the war on terror when we here would be unwilling to suffer the same fate.
The US has been doing this for 3 years now. The lunatics in charge are ramping up for more in Iran and Syria.
But, hey, as long as Al Jazeera doesn’t show the results of our policies, everything will be alright.
We are witnessing the devolution of a once great nation.
-GSD
January 24th, 2006 at 12:01 am#178-=George Lakoff wrote a book called DONT THINK OF AN ELEPHANT that elaborates on the “branding” strategy that Republican’s have become so proficient at using. Lakoff calls it “framing” or “re-framing” and its certainly something Democrats and Liberals need to master in order to take back control of the debate.
See Lakoff’s site: http://www.rockridgeinstitute.org/
January 24th, 2006 at 4:41 amThere is every indication that the administration believes the president has the right to use this monitoring for non-Al Qaeda “terrorist” monitoring.
How far will the “war on terror” go? Was it used for “Eco-terrorists” (sabatuers who don’t believe in harming people)? Is it legitimate to use on say Michael Moore or any Democrat Senator (Hey, they may be abeting terrorists)? Or anyone with dissention. If pushed to, I can call many things “terrorist monitoring.”
My issue with the claim of legality is that even if Congress granted this authority in a limited way, it does not have the legal right or power to thwart the Constitution and Bill of Rights with a simple act or vote. It requires a special process to amend the Constitution and this is not the only time that Congress’ “Laws” are an affront to the Constitution (i.e. War Powers Act). It doesn’t matter which and how many members of Congress are briefed on the activity. Congress had not the authority to grant warrantless invasion of privacy. The president’s oath is to defend the Constitution; not an unconstitutional law that Congress passed. The excuse that “Congress told me I could” doesn’t wash.
January 24th, 2006 at 7:03 amSend this to your senators and representatives.
Vote NO on confirmation of Alito or I boycott GOP contributor Dominos Pizza.
Increase the minimum wage to $10 an hour and extend unemployment insurance benefits to a year or I boycott GOP contributors Wendy’s, Outback Steakhouse.
Enact an 80 percent coverage prescription drug benefit under Medicare part B with no extra premiums, no extra deductibles,no means tests no coverage gaps or I boycott Eckerd,CVS,Walgreens Pharmacies.
Get Tom Delay to resign from congress or I stop shopping at JC Penney stores (of Texas).
End the war now. Replace US troops with UN troops, or I boycott GE Appliances, TVs, lightbulbs.
Enact U.S. vote by mail with paper ballots counted by civil servants or I boycott Wendy’s (of Ohio).
boycott – republicans . com
post this note at your library and supermarket too.
January 24th, 2006 at 7:20 amYes let’s monitor all those known CNN and Quaker terrorists. War is peace……..
Osama Bin Goldstein
January 24th, 2006 at 7:43 am#197 Don’t forget googgle users..
January 24th, 2006 at 7:54 amJohn Doe, if backing the Thomas More Law Center didn’t get you to stop buying Domino’s,then these issues won’t.
January 24th, 2006 at 8:07 amYour prescription for Medicare would only make a bad problem worse.
I think it’s in Aesop’s Fables,the one about the sun and the North Wind;
you should read it and then consider whether a note like yours to a congressperson would be read beyond the first sentence let alone all the way through.
I hate Bush, so I’m biased, but i still think it’s important for congress to stand up for itself. It’s charged by the constitution to write the laws. if it’s laws can be ignored at will, what’s the point of having separate branches of government?
Furthermore, i think Cheney knows this, and that’s why they got rid of the lawyers leading congress, and put patsies like Frist (a doctor), Delay (an exterminator) and Hastert (a wrestling coach) in charge. They wouldn’t have qualms about ignoring congresses’ constitutional DUTY like someone with a law degree would.
Also, recall that neither Cheney or Bush have law degrees. Their respect for the law is nil.
Kind of a motley crew, actually. Like the leaders of the Third Reich: von ribbontrop was a champaign salesman, goering a former flying ace turned playboy, himmler a chicken farmer, and Hitler a former corporal who moved into politics as a lifeline from a failed career as an artist.
But maybe that analogy goes too far for some.
January 24th, 2006 at 8:33 amBush kicked his administration’s new intensive public relations effort to win support for the program run by the National Security Agency
This is something that I haven’t been able to understand.
January 24th, 2006 at 8:51 amWhat does it matter what the public supposedly thinks about this ‘program’?
As if it’s okay with the public, then it doesn’t matter if it is illegal? WTF? Twilight zone insanity.
#4 that’s right, IRI, the good old days, when you could string anyone up for anything and have your smiling face photographed laughing at the corpse. Funny how I never saw any white anglos dangling from those trees – strange fruit …all the same color…
Comment by TerrytheTurtle
You are either a liar or woefully and pitifully ignorant of that issue. Or I guess it’s possible that the reason you never saw a white bad guy hanging around is that “they” never showed you one. I imagine “they” must have a reason because there were almost as many whites hung as blacks. I guess “they” didn’t want you to know that for some reason.
There were plenty of whites strung up in those days and the number of blacks that were strung up oddly enough follows the Black/White crime to population ratio of today so you might expect a group that comprises a small minority of the population that commits a majority of the violent crime might have a few members dangling from trees and lamp posts, no?
Old Terry the Turtle always ready to poke his head out and get it shot off.
January 24th, 2006 at 9:16 amI’ve decided that from this day forward, shit will be known as “predigested excretiatory material”. And it will no longer stink.
Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
January 24th, 2006 at 9:24 amW was handed a perfectly functioning fine-tuned sports car. Unless he stops insisting on enter it in demolition derbies, we will all suffer.
January 24th, 2006 at 9:40 amif you want to see what’s going to happen in US politics in ’06 and ’08, just look north…
http://blogdebogs.blogspot.com/2006/01/canada-in-reverse_24.html
January 24th, 2006 at 10:31 am#201 – Adolf, you are a little sensitive on the race issue, aren’t you? And why are you celebrating lynching at all? For a supposedly civilized race, your Southern ancestors were particularly foul and you seem not to have moved on from there have you? Maybe there’s a reason for your sensitivity on race:
“I hate the French, they pretty much invented the Filthy Left.
January 24th, 2006 at 10:51 amComment by I-RIGHT-I — October 1, 2005 @ 10:28 pm
Hey, what does a Mexcian know about ethics anyway?
Comment by I-RIGHT-I — September 25, 2005 @ 12:41 pm
I think the lesson here is that if you can’t say something nice about the Negro in New Orleans, don’t say anything at all.
Comment by I-RIGHT-I — September 7, 2005 @ 9:43 am
[Mexican corruption] is a problem but nothing a little Puritan Fundamentalist Christianity couldn’t cure. Ever notice that everything the Catholics touch turns to shit?
Comment by I-RIGHT-I — September 22, 2005 @ 2:17 pm
Left wing non religious Jews are the problem. Period. I wonder if the Germans had the same problem with y’all?
Comment by I-RIGHT-I — October 20, 2005 @ 4:04 pm “
Ther Are People that Touches Rust and Turns it to Gold, And People Who touches Gold and Turns it to Rust.
January 24th, 2006 at 11:21 amBush is #2
[...] The right-wing’s new framing of the program as merely another “Terrorist Surveillance Program†is meant to do one thing: confuse the American people. [...]
January 24th, 2006 at 12:30 pm“you might expect a group that comprises a small minority of the population that commits a majority of the violent crime might have a few members dangling from trees and lamp posts, no?”
Comment by I-RIGHT-I #201
Irrelevant-Repugnant-Insect,
…of course your delusions of granduer and racist inbred insecurities would allow you to delude yourself with the irrational notion that the “victims” of Jim Crow and unchecked racist WASP male psychosis were murdered because they “commit the majority of violent crime”…
..instead of understanding the true nature of your crimes against humanity and attempted genocide of the Black MALE…
…your FEAR of him…
…your feelings of inferiority in the presence of his virility and physically intimidating stature, your impotence and the secret longing for him of your White woman, your subliminal instinct which gnaws at you, warning you of his eventual domination of you if afforded a “level playing field”- no matter what the discipline drives you to your murderous hatred of him…
That’s right Ignorant-Repulsive-Inbred, in spite of all your big guns, White privilege and delusional superiority “You FEAR the Black man”…
…but YOU won’t live to see the good old days of Jim Crow’s comeback, because (like the Jewish Holocaust) “it’ll never happen again”…
…Actually, chances are excellent that a racist inbred like yourself is probably going to have some bi-racial grandchildren you can disinherit, (if the trailer isn’t destroyed by some act of nature), somewhere down the road…
January 24th, 2006 at 2:32 pm[...] White House Follows NewsMax’s Lead [T]he administration does not want the public to think President Bush authorized “an illegal and unnecessary intrusion into the privacy of all Americans,†they are pushing back with a new name for the program. [...]
January 24th, 2006 at 2:53 pmWhat am I missing here? A program aimed, as this program was, at monitoring communications by known terrorists, including communications with U.S. residents, is fairly called a terrorist surveillance program, is it not?
Ummmm, not so clear that it was “aimed … at monitoring communications by known terrorists”. If so, then there wouldn’t have even been a question as to whether “probable cause” was sufficient, instead of “reasonable basis to believe”…. If they’re “known terrorist”, it’s … pardon an expression mangled beyond recognition … “a slam dunk” for establishing “probable cause”.
HTH to clear up your attempted elision of terms, equivocation, and muddling the issues here in defence of the law-breaking of Commander Codpiece.
Cheers,
January 24th, 2006 at 4:03 pmIRI:
It smacks of the good old days of vigilante justice….
Glad to see you come clean about your “legal philosophy” here. Do the words “strange fruit” ring a bell? I doubt it.
Cheers,
January 24th, 2006 at 4:05 pmTo all right wing, conservative, Bushites,
Another Bushite LIE unfolds regarding Katrina…
Seems the White House was warned (a couple of days before Katrina hit) that the levees wouldn’t hold, the streets would be flooded and people drowned…
Post Katrina Bushiva in an interview on one of the news shows claims, “No one could have known that the levees would break…”
Shades of 9/11…
Time to run these co*ksuckers out of town and into the Hague…
…and their supporters too…
January 24th, 2006 at 4:19 pmHarry Belafonte is right. Just like the Gestapo, but it’s the GOPstapo, and Wolf Blitzer is a pansy.
Comment by G.Gordon Giddy #89
Thanks for that post Giddy, I sadly remember the incident…
…and so many more just like it…
January 24th, 2006 at 4:23 pmBSR:
The Executive branch is subject to a lot of congressional oversight, especially in administrative areas relating to commerce, health, education and the like. But Congress’ power is at its absolute lowest in those military matters which the Constitution delegates solely to the President (see, for example, Justice Jackson’s analysis in the Steel Seizure cases).
If you’re talking about the Steel Seizure case, I think you’re mighty confused. Matter of fact, I suspect you have some things completely bass-ackwards: Jackson was talking about the power of the executive there and discussing when it was at its “lowest ebb”. And FWIW, despite the nonsense that seems to be emanating from the RW “spin” machine, the Steel Seizure cases ruled against the president. Hardly a point in favour of what you’re trying to pawn off here.
Cheers,
January 24th, 2006 at 4:23 pmRemoveBush:
BSR – You seem to be a bright individual until your lips move, or in this case you type. Regardless of what you think, the president MUST FOLLOW THE LAW.
Ummm, here’s where you’re wrong. The RW sycophants and apologists are spinning themselves dizzy trying to convince themselves — and anyone else who will listen — that indeed the Preznit doesn’t have to follow the law.
As His Emanence Limbaugh said on his radio show yesterday, in reference to Democratic criticism of Dubya and his actions, and attempts to hold him to account, “you haven’t got rid of the king.”
See, that’s all well and fine for this myopic crowd, too blind to look at the big picture, and too stoopid to look into the future. They want a king … as long as it’s their king … and they’ve forgotten (if they ever knew) why the colonies had a real war, with the necks of the entire nascent country on the line, to throw off the king. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” And we’re not just talking the eighth graders here being held back a year.
Cheers,
January 24th, 2006 at 4:58 pmHave any Senators, the news media, or others who have the opportunity to ask Bush or his staff (such as McClellan) point-blank these questions:
1. President Bush and others in his administration have stated on several occasions that these warrantless wiretaps have been conducted on those having discussions with Al Qaeda members. President Bush has stated, “if someone from Al Qaeda is calling someone in the United States, I want to know about it.” (paraphrased). Can you provide evidence that the government has only been conducting warrantless wiretapping on Americans conversing with known Al Qaeda members?
2. We have heard a lot of talk about “data mining”, or the monitoring of large numbers of domestic and international phone calls for keywords such as “bomb”, “Al Qaeda”, “jihad”, “attack”, etcetera. Can the administration confirm that the telephone conversations of thousands (or more) of Americans are not being monitored – only those conversation with known Al Qaeda members are being monitored?
3. We have learned that many of the warrantless wiretaps were conducted prior to 9/11. How many inidviduals were being monitored? And why did these not prevent 9/11?
4. President Bush, Vice President Cheney, and members of the Bush administration have said that if they were able to conduct warrantless wiretaps prior to 9/11, they would have been able to prevent the terrorists from their attacks. Can you provide some evidence of why warrantless wiretaps – conducted without prior OR 72-hour retroactive FISA paperwork filed – would have prevented the attacks?
5. The FISA law allows the government to conduct surveillance (such as wiretaps) in emergency situations, as long as the paperwork requesting approval is submitted within 72 hours. How many wiretaps were conducted without FISA approval, and why was paperwork never submitted within the 72 hour window?
6. FISA requires ‘probable cause’ that a crime may be committed for wiretaps. Can you provide evidence that there was probable cause that crimes were being planned or committed on all wiretaps that have been placed without FISA approval?
7. On “Meet the Press” a few weeks ago, conservative writer William Safire explained how his home phone was wiretapped for over a year. He described how he had worked with Bush on a Medicare reform speech, and President Bush asked him to leak the story to the press so it would be well covered in the media. Safire said he was having a telephone conversation with a journalist whose phone was already being wiretapped, and after Safire said, “do you want a leak? I have a leak for you”, Safires phone was tapped. Can the administration explain why they are tapping the phones of journalists?
8. Can the administration confirm that they have not recorded and/or monitored any telephones, email or other conversations of Christiane Amanpour of CNN (who is married to a legal advisor to the Clark and Kerry presidential campaigns)?
If the American people could just get some of those questions answered (and some proof that the answers are accurate), it would be nice.
January 24th, 2006 at 8:33 pmMy apologies for coming to this thread so late, but…
January 25th, 2006 at 12:51 amI just pray that the PR campaign to sell the illegal wiretapping of the American people, is as “successful” as the PR campaign to destroy Social Security. There are people who will buy a snack of foil-wrapped dung if you tell them it’s smart pills.. but the smell gives it away. Looks like more Americans are using their noses these days. Now if we could just get that 36 percent to pull their heads out so they can get a big whiff…
[...] Another of the White House renaming ceremonies has taken place. Henceforth,”Terrorist Surveillance Program” is to to be used in any discussion of illegal warrantless and intrusive domestic eavesdropping, spying and surveillance of U.S. citizens. Question, will the thousands and perhaps millions of Americans that were (are) spied-upon accept this definition of themselves as terrorists? [...]
January 25th, 2006 at 11:08 am