Just scanning the headlines and today seems to be shaping up as a pretty normal day.
Let's see, there was the normal roadside bombing that claimed the lives of three US soldiers near Fallujah, but who gives a tinker's damn about that, right?
Israel, or the US, or Israel AND the US, are making plans to "disrupt" Iran's nuclear ambitions. (Can you say, "Kaboom!"?) Nothing new there.
Syria may be the next Bush "democracy" to be created in the middle east. (Like the long term estimates of the cost of Iraq at $2 TRILLION is no big deal, right? But hey, with the Republicans "smaller government" which seems to come at exorbitant costs, who cares?)
Then there's that damn whistle blower, former employee inside the NSA, who gave the New York Times the story of Bush's eavesdropping on Americans is now telling us that, despite the administration's claims it's used sparingly, the true number of Americans who could be under surveillance could be in the millions if the full range of the NSA's secret programs are used. (The government is now telling us he failed a psych-test--he's obviously insane.)
As I mentioned previously, a local yokel name of Mario Escobedo, in a letter to the editor here, declared he didn't care of Bush listening in on what his girlfriend and he may say, or if Bush eavesdrop when he calls to wish his cousin "Happy Birthday." As Escobedo tells us, he leads a simple life with nothing to hide. A small price to pay for "security" Bush style.
This seems to back up the latest Washing Post poll wherein 65% of Americans saying the threat of terrorism trumps privacy rights, in effect revealing the war on terrorism is already over and we lost.
Meanwhile, the Alito hearings have wound down and with his confirmation another brick in the wall of Bush's despotism will be cemented in place.
The Bush administration's stratagem as described by Dave Lindorff in "How the US Press Squelches Bush Impeachment Drive" over at counterpunch is this new post-constitutional government tactic where "the president, it turns out, has been signing executive letters along with many of the bills Congress passes, essentially asserting that as commander-in-chief in his fake "war" on terror, he reserves the right to ignore those bills."
Lindorff continues, "The beauty of this presidential scam is that, since the 'war' on terror will never end, neither will his self-claimed draconian powers."
Things are progressing nicely. Little known is that "Last Thursday, President Bush signed into law a prohibition on posting annoying Web messages or sending annoying e-mail messages without disclosing your true identity." (Declan McCullagh, Wash., DC correspondent for CNET News.com)
Careful bloggers! "(a) Whoever--(1) in interstate or foreign communications--(C) makes a telephone call or utilizes a telecommunications device, whether or not conversation or communication ensues, without disclosing his identity and with the intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any person at the called number or who receives the communications: shall be fined under title 18 (but only $50,000 for each violation, a violation being defined as "each day of violation shall constitute a separate violation") United States Code, or imprisoned not more than two years, or both."
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Well damn, that's as far as I got with the blog earlier today before I becane distracted by something far more important--pruning backyard shubbery. Returning here this evening, my mind's spun off in a new direction.
It's not my purpose to reshape the world here, obviously. This is just a place I come to vent (sometimes rant) and connect occasionally with others of like mind. So, having said that, let me get on with the blog my new mood feels like expressing. (See next entry, above.)
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