MINITRUE finds goodhome new

Based on the findings of the BRAC commission, MINITRUE is being realigned. MINITRUE is moving to The Ministry of Truth - INGSOC circa 2006.

Story plusvisit on Big Brother of untrue words by Outer Party new unperson

This is purely an ironic satire on "W's" ILLEGAL wiretapping. This satire is presented in the form of an Orwellian newsflash in Newspeak. "IF HE SPEAKS, IMPEACH!"

I am authorized to plusvisit dayminus 1 report on untrue reports about Big Brother's First Four Year Thoughtcrime Reduction Plan.

First, I pluslike to thank Crooks and Liars for the videos and story on Outer Party new unperson (Boxer (CA-D)) collaborator (Dean).

MSNBC: "Coundtown with Keith Olbermann" (12/20/05)

Exhibit one: Evidence of Outer Party unperson allegations of ungood BB order issue for monitoring of Citizens of "Oceania" for evidence of collusion with Eurasian spies under the direction of Goldstein. Source references: Crooks and Liars (Barbara Boxer on King George) (Original Source: Countdown, MSNBC, 20 12 05)

MSNBC: "Coundtown with Keith Olbermann" (12/27/05)

Exhibit Two: Untrue speak with unperson for thoughtcrime think that BB's order issue was ungood. Source references: Crooks and Liars (John Dean on Olbermann) (Original Source: Countdown, MSNBC, 27 12 05)

Inner Party good thought per Leader of MINITRUE: BB order plusgood. Citizens of "Oceania" are safe from thoughtcrime and ungood influence of Goldstein by doubleplusgood thought of BB to issue good order. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.

IGNORANT WE ARE NOT!!!

Friday Catblogging, a morality tale

Take an ordinary cat
Let him lick some "frogs"
And he loses his legs!!

When bill collectors call credit card conservatives

Hello, Mr Snow? We noticed that you are approaching your debt limit next year. I know you say you are a fiscal conservative and that you favor lower taxes, balanced budgets, and small government. However, when your boss cut taxes with an ongoing two front war, your spending exceeded the incoming revenue. Ordinary people would call that living beyond your means. When ordinary people are caught in a situation like that they might do something about it like get a second job (increse revenue) and cut back on stuff like the Jimmy Choo shoes and Burberry coats(cut pork).
So what are you going to do Mr. Snow? Do you want us to raise your credit limit? We will look into it. In the meantime sir, may I suggest some Enron style accounting? That way, voters and the Bank of EastAsia won't get upset.

To quote the immortal bard...

Remember the mottoes of INGSOC:

WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
(George Orwell, 1984)

It's been almost 6o years since these words were penned, forecasting the future of "Oceania", dominated by a totalitarian/communist regime. The state of INGSOC is GOOD for at least 6 more months. Thanks to some members of the OUTER PARTY and DOUBLEPLUSUNGOOD rallies by the PROLETARIAT, the INNER PARTY had to make some UNGOOD incentives to keep INGSOC in the GOOD state. BB is UNGOOD pleased.

I am authorized to announce that BB himself spoke to the party members about the DOUBLEPLUSGOOD STATE OF THE FIRST FOUR YEAR THOUGHTCRIME REDUCTION PLAN.

In other news, I am authorized to announce that DOUBLEPLUSUNGOOD proclamations against BB were made by an UNPERSON from the OUTER PARTY, spreading DOUBLESPEAK of BB himself being an agent of GOLDSTEIN. It was said that BB, through MINITRUE, issued DOUBLEPLUSUNGOOD orders to monitor THOUGHTCRIME activity on the citizens of OCEANIA, and for sending our brave men into the Kabul and Baghdad fronts of EAST ASIA, with whom Oceania has always been at peace. (BB order to MINIREC: Washington Times, 10 1 05, Page 1, headline and lead story malquoted, all refs to EAST ASIA DOUBLEPLUSUNGOOD, all refs should read EURASIA, rectify.)

I am authorized to announce that BB has ordered the first Four Year Plan to PLUSGOOD increase medicine rations for ALL older OCEANIANS by 10%,thus increasing the life expectancy and decreasing cases of PLUS AGED conditions. I am authorized to announce that with the dramatic PLUSGOOD funds held by MINIPLENTY, BB himself has ordered that the Four Year Plan be extended to the proles. I am also authorized to announce that funding for this new plan by MINIPLENTY will make a DOUBLEPLUSGOOD reduction in medicine costs, increase medicine rations to our brave men on the EURASIAN front, and PLUSGOOD increase chocolate and coffee rations to the Brothers and Sisters of the OUTER PARTY by 20g per week.

I am authorized to announce that the current GOOD SPENDING PLAN'S savings forecast is PLUSGOOD, and will aid our men on the front lines with the DOUBLEPLUSGOOD equipment and munitions that MINIPEACE can provide; drastically decreasing the UNGOOD work for MINIPEACE, MINITRUE, and MINILOVE workers in VICTORY CITY just outside the MINIPEACE headquarters.

The INNER PARTY’S HIGH COMMITTEE has announced that the INNER PARTY’S top policy leader to BB’s successor has performed a DOUBLEPLUSGOOD act of patriotism for OCEANIA by publicly denouncing one of Goldstein’s spies, who had infiltrated MINITRUE and committed covert acts of sabotage. The HIGH COMMITTEE is debriefing this patriot in room 101 and reassigning him to an office in MINILOVE for his own protection from other unnamed agents of Goldstein.

BB and the leader of MINIPLENTY UNGOOD WEATHER Bureau have announced that PLUSGOOD progress from the several DOUBLEPLUSUNGOOD storms is continuing in coastal areas of South Central OCEANIA. The proles are shouting joyous praises in honor of BB and the PLUSGOOD work of MINIPLENTY.

In other news, a PLUSGOOD judiciary of the MINILOVE'S EAST CENTRAL sub-court has been quoted, saying that OCEANIA's children are to be taught science on the basis of the GOOD TRUTH program BB has requested for party indoctrination training.

BB IS PEACE, BB IS FREEDOM, BB IS STRENGTH, BB IS LOVE. Thank you PLUSDOUBLEPLUSGOOD to BB. VICTORY FOR OCEANIA.

B U L L F U C K I N G S H I T, B B !!!

phinky's Best and Worst of 2005

The Best
1. America finally saw what an incompentent fraud George W. Bush is.
2. The free enterprise system lives at the mall.
3. Tim Kaine is elected governor of Virginia. The blue bubbles of NoVA, Tidewater and Richmond grow bigger.
4. The Dover County School Board is voted out of office. Their plans to include "Intelligent Design" in high school biology class is thrown out of court. I'm waiting for the federal judge who was a Bush II apointee to be smeared as an activist judge.
5. Butterstick aka Tai Shan

The Bad News
1. George W. Bush was revealed to be an incompetent fraud a year too late.
2. Hurricane Katrina and the incompetent response to it.
3. The FBI dedicates 8 agents to crackdown on pornography. Apparently, the war on terror has been won.
4. Terrorists have their way in South Dakota, Mississippi, and 87 percent of the United States's counties in order to limit access to abortion and other family planning methods.
5.The Minutemen showed their ugly bigoted faces in Northern Virginia.

Poor Moi

Poor Moi slimchyck@yahoo.com, it must be difficult being a conservative who lives in blue Poughkeepsie, New York.

why do you care? are you a South Dakotan in need of an abortion? if the ppl of SD really wanted more abortionists, wouldn't they rise up against the "right" to get them? sound to me like South Dakotans could care less, so why do we?

and why not the outcry over Mississippi's void of abortionists? oh, i forgot, planned parenthood+liberal media want us coloreds to think they love us. coming out and fighting for more abortions for poor rural black women is not a good look. kinda rings of genocide.

So moi, if you live in New York, why do you care about Mississippi's lack of abortion providers. And I just love being accused of racism. I must have gotten slimchyck@yahoo.com's dander up. Maybe moi doesn't like being lumped in with a bunch of terrorists like the Army of God. Maybe moi should move his or her "black ass" to South Dakota or Mississippi. It sounds like moi would be so much happier in a red state. Of course they expect non-white people to know their "place" there.

feliz navidad.

did you know that the majority of americans celebrate xmas?

wouldn't you and your hug-the-world buddies be bending over backwards with the shaloms and assalaamaleikums and all that if you were in another country?

why not bend over backwards to respect and be a part of the traditions of this country?

would you like to secede? sounds like your america would be better than ours. you should try it out.
moi | 12.27.05 - 11:38 am

This is coming from someone who lives in NEW YORK!!!! Yes, I know the majority of Americans celebrate Christmas, I celebrate it myself. It's not that hard to not celebrate Christmas. I was trying to illustrate how stupid the war on Christmas was. So Merry Fucking Christmas to you moi.

why are white people in a tizzy about the feds spying on arabs and the like? get over it. in case you didn't know, the feds have been watching and listening to whomever they want when and wherever they want ever since they've been able to. black people know this. that is why we are sitting back and laughing at you. scaredy-cats one and all.

O.K. So I guess moi doesn't mind the government just taking a peek at his e-mail or wiretapping his phones just because they think you might be a suspect. I would think as a get the government off our backs conservative, that moi would be concerned about it. OH I get it, moi wants the government off his back. Government poking into individual medical records, phone calls, and e-mails is for everyone else.

Oh and he's definitely uneducated. It's called grammar, you might want to look into it.

The Terrorists have won in South Dakota

Abortion has become safe, legal and rare in South Dakota. But not because of better access to birth control, it's because of Christian terrorists issuing Fatwas of Death against doctors who perform abortions.

The last doctor in South Dakota to perform abortions stopped about eight years ago; the consensus in the medical community is that offering the procedure is not worth the stigma of being branded a baby killer.snip....many doctors in South Dakota who say they have no personal objection to performing abortions but cannot risk their careers and community standing by offering the procedure.

Avoiding stigma is a nice way of saying the doctors don't want the death threats, the wanted dead or alive posters, the picketing of their practices and homes, pipe bombs in their offices, getting shot at. All are techniques used by Operation Rescue and other anti-abortion terrorist groups.

These terrorist groups have also used a legislative approach including putting a "trigger" law into place that automatically outlaws abortion when Roe v. Wade is overturned. Because of terrorism, there is only one abortion clinic in South Dakota. And some women make a 700 mile round trip in one day in order to avoid paying for a hotel room. I guess that's not an undue burden on women who are in desperate circumstances. Of course not, as long as the terrorists have their way.

And which political party panders to these terrorists? It's the Republicans. HMMM, how's that hunt for Osama bin Ladin going?

An After Action Review of War on Christmas 2005

Some people get offended by telling them Happy Holidays or Seasons Greetings instead of Merry Christmas at this time of the year. I have a proposal, if you meet a person like that, tell them MERRY fucking CHRISTMAS!! in as loud a voice as possible. I mean they couldn't find mixing in the "F" word with Merry Christmas offensive wouldn't they? Merry Christmas is the only acceptable thing to say at this time of the year. After all it is politically correct to say Merry Christmas to everyone in between Thanksgiving and New Year's, why not give it some oompf with the "F" word? This is what we must do in order to keep Christmas sacred and we must protect it from Muslims in Senegal who want to share in the fun. And those Buddhists in Japan need to stop celebrating it as well.
I guess Bill O'Reilly and John Gibson need to recruit these guys who volunteered to protect Christians in Indonesia from terrorist attacks in next year's war on Christmas. Onward moderate Muslim diversity minded volunteers, fighting to save Christmas from whatever.

The Museums Fight Back

Science museums are training their docents to correct misinformation about evolution. Good, because

"This is not a defensive reaction or an attempt to change anyone's mind," Allmon said. "It's just that we find most people are uninformed about evolution or have been given misinformation."

Because conservatives like to keep people stupid. Science, schmience, as long as they keep voting for us. Hey a good well rounded education doesn't matter. A doctor doesn't need to understand why antibiotic resistant bacteria pop up or how new strains of viruses evolve.
The creationist and intelligent design advocates aren't letting this go without a fight. Cue the wingnut whining,

"only one side of the science is presented. No other possibilities are allowed to compete."

Ummm, that's because they are science museums, get your own damn intelligent design/creationism (whatever you are calling it today) museums. Oh that's right you already have. And it appears that only 38,000 visited between 2001 to 2004, Disney gets that many in a day. So much for Hollywood being out of touch with America.
Even though these wingnuts are out of the mainstream. The director of the creationism theme park passes out anti-government literature linked to "patriot" movements. Yes, the same "patriot" movement that Tim McVeigh got involved in. They have mounted a propaganda campaign to de-educate America and keep us ignorant. That's right, the conservatives want you to be stupid and superstitious in order to pull the wool over your eyes. Don't you get it? Conservatism is a big con job.

Christmas Cat Blogging

Santa gave the cats their presents in person. They really liked the crinkly, catnip frog.
Hmm, for some reason this end tastes better.
Oh don't take my picture. You know catnip makes me do stuff I regret.

The American Dream Lives!

Have you seen those carts in the mall that sell unusual and exotic item? I have. The Washington Post has an article about the immigrants who set up the kiosks in the mall. They work 12 hour days, six days a week to get their businesses up and going. These are people who work hard and believe in the free enterprise system. They are the ones who stand up to the Wal-Marts and say "you will not crush us and exclude us from the system" (O.K. I made the last sentence up, it wasn't in the article, but it's my blog and my opinion.) It's a good thing the Minutemen aren't harassing them and blaming them for taking American jobs away from Americans. That's because these immigrants are creating American jobs, granted they hire family members but they are creating jobs. But the Minutemen are too busy blaming others for their shortcomings to open up a kiosk of their own. Even if the immigrant entrepreneurs are not Christians, they have no desire to see Christmas destroyed. Are you kidding? That's the bread and butter of their business.

I get mail

I received this in my e-mail on Monday. It was forwarded to me by a family member.

This year I will be making a conscious effort to wish everyone Merry CHRISTmas...my way of saying that I am celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. So I'm asking my friends, if you agree with me, to please do the same. And if you'll pass this on to your friends, and so on...make a stand and don't let anyone, any group, anything, prevent one more Christian right and freedom from being lost in the sea of "Political Correctness."

I replied to all and CC'd the original sender with this question.
"Who is this 'they' who is trying to take Christmas away from Christians?"

And these "Christians" wonder why they are "persecuted". Ummm, could it be they are totally obnoxious about their religion? They think every single thing in life must affirm their worldview. They are totally unreasonable about other points of view. They are easily offended yet have no idea how offensive they can be to others.

I haven't received an answer from anyone yet. I hope I made the person who sent the original e-mail actually engage in some critical thinking.
The fake war on Christmas is enough to make one say "Bah Humbug!"

More Neo-conman spin

This time it's from Charles Krauthammer in the Washington Post saying that using the NSA to snoop on Americans without a warrant is o.k. What a complete and utter-fucking moron. (Or should I say udder fucking moron. The vision of Dr. Krauthammer fucking an udder is enough to go for the brain bleach.) Hey, he called those calling for impeachment ignorant, I can call him a fucking moron. Here's why I think he's a fucking moron who thinks you are stupid.

Does the president have the constitutional authority to conduct warrantless searches against suspected foreign agents in the United States?......In 1972 the Supreme Court required the president to obtain warrants to eavesdrop on domestic groups but specifically declined to apply this requirement to snooping on foreign agents. Four appeals courts have since upheld presidential authority for such warrantless searches. Not surprisingly, the executive branch has agreed.

The US Code defines a foreign agent as follows:

Q. What constitutes an agent?

A. An agent of a Foreign principal is any individual or organization which acts at the order, request, or under the direction or control of a foreign principal, or whose activities are directed by a foreign principal who:
1. engages in political activities, or
2. acts in a public relations capacity for a foreign principal, or
3. solicits or dispenses any thing of value within the United States for a foreign principal, or
4. who represents the interests of a foreign principal before any agency or official of the U.S. government.
The term "agent" does not include an American owned and operated newspaper meeting certain requirements.

US citizens were removed from the Foreign Agents Registration Act in 1995 and placed under the Lobbying Disclosure Act in 1995. They are required by law to register with the Lobbying Disclosure Act in 1995 of 18 U.S.C. 219
So is Dr Krauthammer, winner of the 2002 Guardian of Zion award and one of Israel's biggest cheerleaders, an agent of a foreign power? (I blog and you can draw your own conclusions.) Does that mean he wouldn't have a problem with the NSA listening in to his conservations about dinner with his wife because he is an advocate for a foreign power?
He concludes with

Contrary to the administration, I also believe that as a matter of political prudence and comity with Congress, Bush should have tried to get the law changed rather than circumvent it. This was an error of political judgment. But that does not make it a crime. And only the most brazen and reckless partisan could pretend it is anything approaching a high crime and misdemeanor.

No, Dr Krauthammer, lying about a blow job under oath is an error of political judgment. Snooping on American citizens and permanent resident aliens without a warrant is an impeachable offense.

Per Jipzeecab's request

TRIP AROUND THE SUN - FEATURING MARTINA MCBRIDE (Jimmy Buffett)

Video Code provided by VideoCodeZone.Com

So the judges didn't know about the illegal wiretapping program

FISA court judges have requested a briefing on the NSA's wiretapping of Americans without a warrant. Evidently the judges were not aware of this program, one judge has already resigned in protest. The briefing is scheduled for next month. I wonder if the executive branch will try to mislead them in this briefing, considering the lies about the War on Terror and the fuck-uped response to Hurricane Katrina, I would say yes. But these judges won't be fooled so easily.

Here's what so scary:

One government official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the administration complained bitterly that the FISA process demanded too much: to name a target and give a reason to spy on it.

"For FISA, they had to put down a written justification for the wiretap," said the official. "They couldn't dream one up."

You mean a written justification like "This American telephone number that belongs to Jim Bob in Idaho has been talking to a known terrorist in Algeria and we would like to listen in order to see if they are planning a terrorist attack. How did we get this information? We were listening to the Algerian talking to a friend in Tunisia and the American phone number popped up"?

SO NOW THE N.S.A. IS SPYING ON AMERICANS BECAUSE SOMEONE DIDN'T WANT TO DO THE FUCKING PAPERWORK??!?!? Or they couldn't find the justification for spying on Americans??? Do you know what that sounds like? Oh we want to spy on someone who we don't like, so we'll have the NSA listen in on their phone calls. Fuck the law, fuck the constitution, fuck the rights of American citizens.

And for all the whinging wingnuts out there I have one question.

Would you feel comfortable with President John Kerry or President Hilary Clinton or President Mark Warner with this power? I didn't think so.

So what exactly is a US Person??

With the controversy over the Domestic Spy Scandal, I have notice that there is much confusion over what a US person is. The Right and The Left are confused about who or what is a US person. Well the FISA defines a US person as

"“United States person” means a citizen of the United States, an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence (as defined in section 1101 (a)(20) of title 8), an unincorporated association a substantial number of members of which are citizens of the United States or aliens lawfully admitted for permanent residence, or a corporation which is incorporated in the United States, but does not include a corporation or an association which is a foreign power, as defined in subsection (a)(1), (2), or (3) of this section."

What is an "alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence" also known as a permanent resident alien? This attorney defines it as

"An alien admitted to the United States as a lawful permanent resident. Permanent residents are also commonly referred to as immigrants; however, the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) broadly defines an immigrant as any alien in the United States, except one legally admitted under specific nonimmigrant categories (INA section 101(a)(15)). An illegal alien who entered the United States without inspection, for example, would be strictly defined as an immigrant under the INA but is not a permanent resident alien. Lawful permanent residents are legally accorded the privilege of residing permanently in the United States. They may be issued immigrant visas by the Department of State overseas or adjusted to permanent resident status by the Immigration and Naturalization Service in the United States."

Looking at these definitions, it is pretty straightforward that a British tourist is not a US person. Nor is a college student from Saudi Arabia here on a student visa. A computer engineer from India here on an H1B visa is not a US person.

Now the second part of the definition deals with corporations.

"corporation which is incorporated in the United States, but does not include a corporation or an association which is a foreign power, as defined in subsection (a)(1), (2), or (3) of this section."

A foreign power is defined as

“Foreign power” means—
(1) a foreign government or any component thereof, whether or not recognized by the United States;
(2) a faction of a foreign nation or nations, not substantially composed of United States persons;
(3) an entity that is openly acknowledged by a foreign government or governments to be directed and controlled by such foreign government or governments;
(4) a group engaged in international terrorism or activities in preparation therefor;
(5) a foreign-based political organization, not substantially composed of United States persons; or
(6) an entity that is directed and controlled by a foreign government or governments.

This is were determining a US person vis-a-vis corporations are concerned gets complicated. Some examples:
The American Red Cross is a US person.
The International Committee of the Red Cross is not a US person.
Ford Motor Company is a US person. It's subsidiaries overseas like Ford UK are not.
Some companies fall into a gray area. Citgo is one. It is owned by Petróleos de Venezuela S.A.(PDVSA), a world energy corporation, owned by the Venezuelan State. It has an American subsidiary based in Houston, its employees are mostly Americans. Yet, at the direction of Venezuela's president Citgo sold discounted heating oil to low income residents of Boston and the Bronx. So does Citgo fall under the category of

"an entity that is openly acknowledged by a foreign government or governments to be directed and controlled by such foreign government or governments;"???

or

"an entity that is directed and controlled by a foreign government or governments."????

Determining who or what is a US person is easy right??? HAHAHhahaha.......

And that is why you need a FISA court. To not only issue warrants for eavesdropping, but to determine if a company like Citgo is a US person and if there is probable cause for eavesdropping.

I ask only one word, WHY?

WHY in the hell did W and Darth Cheney think that they could get away with this? W has committed THE HIGHEST CRIME POSSIBLE, TREASON AND VIOLATION OF ARTICLE IV OF THE CONSTITUTION, TO THE LETTER! Forget the impeachment hearings, just put W in one of his old electric chairs back in Texas and I'LL pull the fuckin' switch!

Isn't it bad enough that Scooter, if not also Darth himself, commited acts of TREASON for the public disclosure of an undercover CIA operative. Fitzgerald may as well just slap the cuffs on Carl Rove right now. NOW THIS IS FUCKIN' FITZMAS!! Can anyone come up with a good rendition of "White Christmas" that goes with "Republicans roasting over an open fire"? The fun is just starting :-)

CensureBush.org

The Bulldog Manifesto of Impeach Bush Coalition announced that they have a new site up and running called CensureBush.org. Atta boy! Thank you for your patriotism, and I'm adding it to our favorite links.

Gives a whole new meaning to 'urban cowboy'

From Oliver Willis, I find this video

Watch Video:

HONKY TONK BADONKADONK (Trace Adkins)

Video Code provided by VideoCodeZone.Com

This also a test to see if vlogging works.

Daily Kos Comment

I'd like to thank Mr. Bojangles for the questions he asked in his comments to yesterday's "Daily Kos" blog article that I linked to. These questions are pertinent and do you know why?...

If "W" would have gone to the FISA court to get the warrants like he was supposed to, then CONGRESS WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ASK THESE QUESTIONS WHEN THEY CONDUCT THEIR INVESTIGATIONS! He MUST ANSWER THEM! Congressmen on the high committees DO have the need to know.

Ok, time to have another cup of coffee and take my meds...

All Hail Judge John Jones... Darwin - 1, "Intelligent Design" - UNCONSTITUTIONAL

MSNBC: "The Abrams Report" (12/20/05)

Judge John Jones, a republican and "W" appointee, ruled that the Dover (PA) School Board's intentions for the teaching of "Intelligent Design" as an alternative explanation for "life on Earth" to 9th grade biology classes is UNCONSTITUTIONAL to be taught in public schools.

FINALLY A REPUBLICAN WHO DOESN'T HAVE HIS HEAD UP HIS ASS :) He's has the balls to call "Intelligent Design" for what it is, "CREATIONISM". Score another one for Darwin.

I.M.P.E.A.C.H.M.E.N.T. !!!

I'm not going to beat the dead horse, at this time. The Mrs. did that earlier today on the subject. However, I will add my input based upon the lead story from Tuesday's "Countdown w/Keith Oberman".

Alison Stewart interviewed Senator Barbara Boxer (CA-D) on "Countdown" tonight. Senator Boxer sent letters for consultation with four presidential scholars on the President's "authorization" for domestic spying actities. Senator Boxer said that she had a discussion with former Watergate-era White House Counsel John Dean on Sunday, who is considered to be THE expert in impeachable offenses. In Mr. Dean's expert opinion "he ("W") is the first president to admit to committing an impeachable offense."

She also spoke about a letter from Sen. Rockefeller (WV-D), Vice-Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, to Darth Cheney in July 2003, noting his "concern" of the legality and oversight of "these activities." He wrote this letter after having a meeting with the heads of the U.S. intelligence community.

Here is what is being said on "Daily Kos":

It's time to start a letter writing campaign. Here is a copy of what I sent my Congressman today (before the Boxer interview was aired). Please cut and paste your respective congressman's info as needed. You can also find and write to your Representative and Senators at the congressional websites, www.house.gov and www.senate.gov.

Honorable [NAME HERE]
United States [House of Representatives][Senate]

Dear [TITLE HERE] [NAME HERE],

The recent revelations of the President's ABUSE of the Patriot Act and his "so called" authority under the provisions of Article II "giving him broad powers as Commander-in-Chief" are very disturbing. George Bush’s actions to authorize the warrantless surveillance of U.S. persons, in my opinion, are in VIOLATION of Title 18 USC, the FISA Act, EO 12333, and the Posse Comitatus Act. As an informed and concerned citizen, I view these actions as high crimes and impeachable offenses! The Patriot Act is not a cover or cure-all to subvert the law! It is not his job to write or interpret the law, but to execute the federal policies and administrative functions as prescribed by the laws written and approved by the Congress and the rulings of the Supreme Court and the federal district courts.

As the [Representative][Senator] for the Citizens of the [Nth Congressional District of the] Commonwealth / State of [STATE HERE], it is you solemn and highest duty to enforce the Constitution under the powers granted to Congress under Article I, and inform the President that he over-reached the bounds of his authority, which cannot be tolerated. The only action that's warranted under these circumstances is to move for a congressional investigation to determine if impeachment proceedings are in order!

For the security of the United States and the preservation and enforcement of the Supreme Law of the Land, I strongly urge you to act quickly to uphold the Law. This isn't a case of lying to Congress over a blow job; it is a repetitive abuse of power!

With honor and respect,



[YOUR NAME HERE]

Bill Kristol and Gary Schmidt are so full of shit.

Bill Kristol and Gary Schmidt believe in the divine right of presidents. Bill Kristol is a notorious neo-con whose policies are leading the country to hell in a handbasket. Gary Schmidt works for the alledgely libertarian American Enterprise Institute. Both show an ignorance of intelligence law, particularly the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and Executive Order 12333. EO 12333 is the EO that limits collections on US Persons. It defines a US Person as

"United States person means a United States citizen, an alien known by the intelligence agency concerned to be a permanent resident alien, an unincorporated association substantially composed of United States citizens or permanent resident aliens, or a corporation incorporated in the United States, except for a corporation directed and controlled by a foreign government or governments."

And the FISA says this about collection on US persons versus non-US persons,

"(1) 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 periods of up to one year if the Attorney General certifies in writing under oath that
(A) the electronic surveillance is solely directed at
(i) the acquisition of the contents of communications transmitted by means of communications used exclusively between or among foreign powers, as defined in section 1801 (a)(1), (2), or (3) of this title; or
(ii) the acquisition of technical intelligence, other than the spoken communications of individuals, from property or premises under the open and exclusive control of a foreign power, as defined in section 1801 (a)(1), (2), or (3) of this title;
(B) there is no substantial likelihood that the surveillance will acquire the contents of any communication to which a United States person is a party; and
(C) the proposed minimization procedures with respect to such surveillance meet the definition of minimization procedures under section 1801 (h) of this title; and
if the Attorney General reports such minimization procedures and any changes thereto to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence at least thirty days prior to their effective date, unless the Attorney General determines immediate action is required and notifies the committees immediately of such minimization procedures and the reason for their
becoming effective immediately. "

How do Kristol and Schmidt define a US person?

"'U.S. person' -- a U.S. citizen or a legal alien."

A legal alien can be someone who is in the United States on a visa. Not all legal aliens are US persons, only legal aliens who hold green cards are considered US persons. Who are they talking about being a legal alien? Zacharias Moussaoui? Technically, he is a legal alien but he is not a US Person. Nic bit of spin Kristol and Schmidt have going there. And the spinning continues:

Consider the case of Zacarias Moussaoui, the French Moroccan who came to the FBI's attention before Sept. 11 because he had asked a Minnesota flight school for lessons on how to steer an airliner, but not on how to take off or land. Even with this report, and with information from French intelligence that Moussaoui had been associating with Chechen rebels, the Justice Department decided there was not sufficient evidence to get a FISA warrant to allow the inspection of his computer files. Had they opened his laptop, investigators might have begun to unwrap the Sept. 11 plot. But strange behavior and merely associating with dubious characters don't rise to the level of probable cause under FISA."

BULLSHIT!!!!!
ZACHARIAS MOUSSAOUI AND THE SEPTEMBER 11 HIJACKERS WERE NOT US PERSONS!!!
How many times do I have to explain it?? They were here on tourist visas. (Actually, Moussaoui didn't need a visa since he was a French citizen. Europeans can visit the United States for 90 days without a visa. But still Zacharias Moussaoui was not and is not a US person.) The FBI didn't need a fucking warrant, but the FBI is an agency whose first priority is law enforcement, not intelligence. They thought it was a law enforcement and not an intelligence issue and collection of evidence for law enforcement purposes does have a higher standard for probable cause than intelligence collection. Since the Hijackers were not US Persons, the FBI, CIA, NSA. DIA and even the fucking Department of Energy could have collected and retained information on them until they buried themselves in an avalanche of paperwork because there is a lower standard for intelligence collection for non-US persons even when they are in the United States.
In fact, the NSA said so in its report to Congress in 2000.

It is sufficient in the case of a non-U.S. person to show that the information to be acquired is merely related to the national defense or security of the United States of the conduct of foreign affairs; where a U.S. person is involved, the contents of the application must include a showing that the acquisition of such information is necessary to national defense or security or the conduct of foreign affairs.

So Kristol's and Schmidt'argument doesn't fly because Moussaoui was not a US person. But they don't expect you to know that. They think you are stupid. Well, I am sick and tired of having my intelligence and the intelligence community insulted by neo-cons.

The issue is, why the president ordered the NSA to spy on US persons without a warrant. A warrant that can be obtained three days after the surveillance has begun. From a court that has approved every request for a warrant. except for two cases, since 1978. Who was being spied on that the administration was afraid that the requests for a warrant would be turned down?

Larry Johnson has a theory that it might involve information obtained by torture.

I really like the results of this quiz.

Your Monster Profile

Demon Terror You Feast On: Power Bars You Lurk Around In: Roller Rinks You Especially Like to Torment: Republicans Haha, Yes I do like to torment Republicans.

What's Your Monster Name?

Not that weird, I knew that.

You Are 40% Weird

Normal enough to know that you're weird... But too damn weird to do anything about it!

How Weird Are You?

So who is Bush spying on?

AmericaBLOG speculates that the NSA is spying on American journalists. Good article. In light of the Valerie Wilson leak, could the government be eavesdropping on personnel in the intelligence community? After all they do have contacts with the enemy, it's called collecting Human Intelligence.

Time to take off the tin foil hat. HAHAHAhahah.

Quiz time again.

You scored as Existentialist. Existentialism emphasizes human capability. There is no greater power interfering with life and thus it is up to us to make things happen. Sometimes considered a negative and depressing world view, your optimism towards human accomplishment is immense. Mankind is condemned to be free and must accept the responsibility. Existentialist 81% Cultural Creative 69% Idealist 69% Modernist 63% Postmodernist 56% Materialist 44% Romanticist 38% Fundamentalist 6% What is Your World View? (updated) created with QuizFarm.com

Confessions of a Secret Squirrel

It's time for me to come out of the closet. I work in the intelligence community. Until recently, I took pride in my profession. No I am not spying on US citizens. This blog is something I write on my own time to vent my frustrations about the decline of my country under the Bush administration.

That's why the recent revelations about the President authorizing the NSA to spy on Americans without a warrant are so disturbing. There was a system set up to collect information on US persons. This system is so complicated that many in the Community will err on the side of caution and not collect on people who are believed to be US persons. A US person is a US citizen or permanent resident of the United States (a green card holder.) Some corporations are also defined as US persons, but I am not going into that here. (More information about the definition of a US Person)

Hence the problem with Able Danger. For the record, the September 11 hijackers were not US persons. But even the acting assistant secretary of defense for intelligence oversight has problems determining who is a US person. More information about how the September 11 hijackers were not US persons is here.

The actions of the Bush administration do not represent the intelligence community. However, the whistle blowers at NSA are stuck between an ethical rock and hard place.
The intelligence community is not covered by the Whistleblower's Protection Act. They could go to jail for disclosing classified information, they could go to jail for violating intelligence oversight laws.

Yet, the New York Times sat on this story for a year. The White House leaned on the Times to not publish the story for "national security" reasons. NATIONAL SECURITY HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT!!! RE-ELECTING GEORGE W. BUSH HAD EVERYTHING THING TO DO WITH IT. I do have some issues with the NY Times story.

Mr. Bush's executive order allowing some warrantless eavesdropping on those inside the United States - including American citizens, permanent legal residents, tourists and other foreigners - is based on classified legal opinions that assert that the president has broad powers to order such searches, derived in part from the September 2001 Congressional resolution authorizing him to wage war on Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups, according to the officials familiar with the N.S.A. operation.

Tourists and others visiting the United States on a visa are not considered US Persons.

Some agency officials wanted nothing to do with the program, apparently fearful of participating in an illegal operation, a former senior Bush administration official said. Before the 2004 election, the official said, some N.S.A. personnel worried that the program might come under scrutiny by Congressional or criminal investigators if Senator John Kerry, the Democratic nominee, was elected president.

Then, why did they blow the whistle to the NY Times? I'm taking that with copious amounts of salt since it was an anonymous Bush administration official who said that.

Not everyone in the intelligence community is a big fan of George W. Bush. Just ask Valerie Wilson.

Goodbye to an "Army of One"?

The Army is changing its ad agency. The current agency is the one the came up with the slogan "An Army of One". I used to joke it meant "one person does the work of an army." I was true in the post draw down Army when I left in 2001, it is even more true today with the Iraq War. Bush did nothing to fix a broken army. I don't understand the servicemen and women who still drink the kool-aid. Maybe it's the 45 hours a week of conservative programming they get on AFN.

Do I think changing ad agencies fix the Army's recruiting problems? Well, I don't know about that. The Department of Defense says it met its recruiting goals for November 2005. Of course, the DoD has this annoying habit of lowering standards if it can't meet them. Now recruiters do have "new" carrots to induce people to enlist.

including a $20,000 signing bonus, $65,000 in student loan repayments, $70,000 in college grants, and a $400 monthly bonus to some who agree up front to serve in Iraq or Afghanistan. There are also plans for mortgage assistance and other incentives.

Ummm, these carrots aren't really new. Those incentives were in place when I joined in 1992. The $400 monthly bonus is from a combination of incentives like hazardous duty pay, family seperation pay and other deployment bonuses. What plans for mortage assistance are they talking about? The Army already has a housing allowance for married soldiers who live off post. Guess what? It's tax free and and they can still use the mortage interest deduction on their income taxes. Talk about a double tax break. Active duty soldiers also qualify for VA loans too. Imagine, buying a house with PMI covered by the government, with a tax free subsidy and a mortagage interest deduction from your income tax.
No wonder conservatives hate soldiers, they rip off the tax payers [/snark]. I guess they found out about the subsidized, high-quality, onsite childcare too. Don't tell conservatives how the military really does pay equal pay for equal work. A female soldier with the same rank and time in service as a male soldier gets paid the same. Then there's the groceries our servicemembers can buy at cost. I just think I figured out why College Republicans won't join the fight in Iraq. They won't join an organization that employs "socialist" principles.

If you want to help make a servicemember's family's Holidays better,
click here or here.

Funny

From Elmo and Shakespeare's Sister I see a story about a snowschlog. Unfortuately, the police knocked it down to protect the children. O.K. half the children in the world have a penis. Amazing the power of the penis, it must be feared.

Well if that is the case, why doesn't this building get knocked down by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement? What's scary is some committee thought that was the best design out of many.

It's award season

It's time to nominate the Koufax Awards. So head on over there and shamelessly nominate yourself and your blog buddies.

NPR is not liberal

I swear if I hear some wingnut whine about how liberal NPR is I will do something unspeakable to him or her. Media Matters has the goods on NPR. NPR relies on right wing think tanks for input into news stories 63% of the time. The other 37% are not liberal think tanks like The Center for American Progress. They are centrist think tanks like The Brookings Institution and The Center for Strategic and International Studies. I guess it is true about the United States, the only political parties we have is Far Right (the Republicans) and Center Right (the Democrats). Until NPR starts doing a 33% Right-wing, 33% Center, and 33% Left-wing think tank balance; I will withhold my donations until they shape up. And when the local NPR station calls for me to renew my membership, I will tell them why.

Those are some nice priorities you've got there Dr. Dobson

The religious right has done a lot to alienate me from Christianity. Their hypocrisy on social issues really torks me off. The Washington Post exposes their hypocrisy. So what are Focus on the Family's priorities?

their priorities are abortion, same-sex marriage and seating judges who will back their position against those practices.

"It's not a question of the poor not being important or that meeting their needs is not important," said Paul Hetrick, a spokesman for Focus on the Family, Dobson's influential, Colorado-based Christian organization. "But whether or not a baby is killed in the seventh or eighth month of pregnancy, that is less important than help for the poor? We would respectfully disagree with that."

Hey asshole do you know how many times Jesus addressed your "priorities" in the Gospels? ZERO TIMES. He never talked about abortion or homosexuals. In fact, Jesus only talked about sex when he was questioned about the adulteress/prostitute/all around bad girl. He said something about he without sin gets to throw the first rock. I'm sure Jesus knew gays, after all, he was a resident of the Roman Empire. We all know how decadent the Romans were. It appears the Romans were pretty o.k. with gays from what I remember from my history books.

But Jesus talked and preached about helping the poor. Remember the Sermon on the Mount? Remember the camel going through the eye of needle and the rich man not getting into heaven? And where does the Bible address abortion? It doesn't address it as murder, but as an offense against a man's property (that would be his wife).

BTW, I became an ordained minister today. I am now an ordained member of the Spiritual Humanist Clergy. Click here to become ordained too. I have to check with the state laws of Maryland and Virginia; but I am willing to marry people straight and gay!! The only condition is, both partners must be willing to treat each other as equals, no vows to obey in my wedding ceremonies.

And they say liberals don't believe in marriage.

Interesting quiz

The Resistance
Achtung! You are 23% brainwashworthy, 27% antitolerant, and 47% blindly patriotic
Welcome to the Resistance (Der Widerstand)! You believe in freedom, justice, equality, and your country, and you can't be converted to the the dark side.

Breakdown: your Blind Patriotism levels are borderline unhealthy, but you show such a love of people from everywhere and a natural resistance to brainwashing, you would probably focus your energy to fight the Fuehrer with furor, so to speak.

Conclusion: born and raised in Germany in the early 1930's, you would have taken up ARMS against the oppressors. Or even your friends' oppressors. Congratulations!

Less than 5% of all test takers earn a spot in the Resistance!


The Would You Have Been A Nazi? Test
- it rules -



Link: The Would You Have Been a Nazi Test written by jason_bateman on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

Bigotry rears its ugly head in Herndon, again.

The Washington Post covers that bunch losers called the Minutemen again. Yes, they have nothing better to do than to harrass people who are poorer than they are. How do I know the Minutemen are a bunch of losers?

Hillgreen, who works in telecommunications, said his son, 20, had lost two jobs in the past two years -- one at a sawmill and one in construction -- because his bosses hired day laborers.

Hillgreen's son can only get unskilled labor jobs? Dude, I think your complaint should be with the education system for not educating your son for the workplace. Or maybe Hillgreen's son just had a bad attitude at work, considering his father's sense of entitlement. Why isn't your 20 year old son in college? I know college is expensive, but if Daddy has the financial resources to take time off from work to harrass day laborers, couldn't he help pay for his son's college? If Daddy is willing to help the son keep a job, why not enable the son to get a better job? If the son really wants a job that an illegal immigrant cannot take away from him, why doesn't he join the military? I hear they're hiring and the Hillgreen's sound like a nice patriotic family. But then their values might clash with the inclusiveness of the military. But of course for these bigots, it's always someone else's fault.

How do I know the Minutemen are bigots? I'll let George Talpin explain it.

"I don't care about them," he said as the laborers stared across at him. "I don't mean I don't care about them on a human level, but on this issue. We are interested in the employers."

It's the "I'm not rascist, I have friends who are black, hispanic...." WHATEVER!

According to Lisa Turner, there's the issue of taxes,

"They're getting free services," she said of the day laborers. "The employers are breaking the law because they are not paying taxes on the wages."

Never mind that the day laborers don't make enough to pay income tax. Plus they use fake social security numbers in order to get jobs. I have yet to see someone protest at the cash register that he or she shouldn't pay sales tax because because they are not an US Citizen. Denying illegal aliens driver's licenses has cut off a source of revenue to states as well.

Don't the Minutemen have jobs? I'm not the only one wondering,

(Alex) Aleman wondered whether someone was paying the Minutemen. How else could they find the time to be snapping photos on a workday? Well, he added, unless they were rich and had no need to work.

Someone needs to get a life.

Virginia's state universities and colleges get a big boost

Governor Mark Warner will earmark money to boost science at Virginia's colleges. The $225 million will come from the Commonwealth's budget surplus. What a concept!! Using a budget surplus for a long term investment in the educational infrastructure. After all, universities like Virginia and William & Mary can't just rest their reputation on being part one of the oldest state university systems in the country. They have to contribute to the body of knowledge. It looks like Virginia, Virginia Tech, Virginia Commonwealth University, and George Mason University will get the lion's share of the money.

Why does this matter?

"It is absolutely essential, if we are going to continue the economic prosperity we have in Virginia, that we continue to drive and create intellectual capital," Warner said.

Mark Warner for President '08 anyone?

Look at those black button eyes

Isn't he cute!!
Courtesy of the Washington Post.

DHW: Gabby 1 - Sister Mary Hotpants 1 - Carlos 102

Is this it for Sister Mary "Hotpants", or will Carlos recover from his yellow fever shot reaction and go to Bothswanna anyway?

Is Brie off of her son's shit list after she told him that she just sat there and watch that fucking piece of shit, George, die from OD'ng on sleeping pills? The previews are indicating that he's casting his cards with the one thing he's been waiting for, something to put on his mom for sending him to "kid jail". And what of his boyfriend??? What all did George have in his bedroom? I'd like to find out after watching the police carry out the love doll dressed up like Brie.

And what's next for the guy kept in the basement? Will the bounty hunter find them and rat them out?

It sucks that the Sopranos aren't going to be back until the spring, finally. No more SITC. Why do I even have HBO anymore? Showtime's got all the good shows now. DHW is the best thing on Sunday nights, L&O-CI sucks compared to the others, and phinky doesn't like Jordan. I'm happy that West Wing is back. I kept thinking I was missing it.

I'm looking forward to the day when channel programming goes a la carte. Theres about 100 stations that we don't really need. Hopefully our satellite bill will go down to about 1/4 or 1/3 of what it is now. I'm getting reamed for having three satellite boxes, the premium channels, and HDTV channel service. The Jesus channels are the first to go...

Defeated GOP Damage Assessment

Virginia Republicans gathered in Hot Springs, VA yesterday to do a damage assessment of what happened in the 2005 governor's race. They also looked ahead to 2006. Some of the problems they had?

Allen, who is widely thought to be considering a presidential bid in 2008, also told the state party activists gathered for an annual conference that they must stand behind "common-sense Jeffersonian conservative principles" that have helped propel the GOP in national and state elections.

I think they missed this Jeffersonian ideal

Believing that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their Legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church and State (Letter to the Danbury Baptists, 1802).

Or this Jeffersonian ideal

I do not believe it is for the interest of religion to invite the civil magistrate to direct its exercises, its discipline, or its doctrines; nor of the religious societies that the general government should be invested with the power of effecting any uniformity of time or matter among them. Fasting and prayer are religious exercises. The enjoining them, an act of discipline. Every religious society has a right to determine for itself the times for these exercises and the objects proper for them according to their own particular tenets; and this right can never be safer than in their own hands where the Constitution has deposited it... Every one must act according to the dictates of his own reason, and mine tells me that civil powers alone have been given to the President of the United States, and no authority to direct the religious exercises of his constituents (letter to Samuel Miller, Jan. 23, 1808).(More quotes from Thomas Jefferson on Church and State here)

Maybe it means the GOP is going to distance itself from the fundagelical crowd? I doubt it.

So the damage assessment over Jerry Kilgore's loss?

On Friday night, former governor James S. Gilmore III said that division over taxes was the chief reason for Kilgore's poor showing Nov. 8.

Gilmore, who campaigned for governor in 1997 by promising to eliminate the car tax, said the party needs to get back to unabashed support for lower taxes.

"We stand for promises made and promises kept," Gilmore said at a reception hosted by Sen. Bill Bolling (R-Hanover), who will be inaugurated lieutenant governor in January. "We will be doomed to minority status if we do not."

Ah yes, the fact that Mark Warner raised taxes and made prudent budget cuts had nothing to do with Virginia's budget surpluses and his popularity. Voters want fiscal RESPONSIBILITY rather than borrow and spend (credit card) conservatism. And what's up with the minority part? Last time I checked, the GOP controlled all three branches of the Federal Government, both houses of the Commonwealth of Virginia's state legislature and the majority of governor's mansions in the United States. Republicans have a long way to go before they have minority status. But here is the main crux of the problem according to the Republicans:

Many Republicans believe that Kilgore ran a campaign too close to the political center and didn't criticize Gov. Mark R. Warner (D) enough for raising taxes last year.

The reason why Jerry Kilgore lost was because he wasn't conservative enough, he didn't attack hard enough, he didn't promise tax cuts, he didn't pander to the fundagelicals.
Well, that's fine because the Democrats would love to pick up that huge center in the electorate. And I would love to see a Democrat use the fundagelicals as a wedge issue like Creigh Deeds did in the Attorney General's race. If Creigh had enough money to saturate the airwaves with his ads, he probably could have won. So the solution to the Republicans' problems is to move further to the right.
OH PLEASE, MOVE FURTHER TO THE RIGHT!!! I mean, please throw me into the Briar Patch, Briar Fox.
More oxymoronic statements from George Allen.

"Less taxation, less litigation, greater energy independence in this country. These are the foundational ideals that [Americans and Virginians] believe in."

Less taxation, because living beyond your means is always a good financial plan to have, isn't it? George, you realize you are a trial lawyer?? Why do you want to put yourself out of business. Oh that's right, personal responsibility is for the little guy. Personal responsibility is not for the corporations and the rich. I guess greater energy independence means opening up ANWR for oil drilling and not weaning us away from the energy resources that contribute to global warming. But hey, I'm sure the good people who live in areas that will get hit by stronger hurricanes don't mind. After all, it's their fault they live there. Right? I guess those aren't the foundational ideal this American who lives in Virginia believes in. But what do I know? I just live in the blue bubble of Alexandria.

And where was Virginia's senior Senator yesterday? He'd rather walk through Old Town Alexandria in a kilt in the freezing cold at Alexandria's Scottish Christmas Walk. He was the grand marshall of the parade. Guess who made less of a fool of himself?

Oh by the way, did you know Alexandria is a very dog friendly city?

South Park NoPT4Lent

Attire: Sunglasses, Rx. Can't ride without them.
Doo Rag: No helmet hair
Goatee: It's not a pretty sight when I shave it off
Jacket: Sorry, no racing jacket. Don't have a hog, so leather isn't me.
Coffee: No pre- (or post-) sunrise synaptic activity without it.
Smoke: Cutting back, but what the hell, it's me.
Eyes: Dazed by either lack of caffene or to much studying. Finals are coming up starting next week.

Overall: Two of the five basic Army food groups are taken care of: caffene and nicotine. Sugar grease, and alcohol are another day.