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HEY - WHY didn't any reporters in Bush's press conference yesterday, bring up the fact that JACK ABRAMOFF was on Bush's transition team?
We must FILIBUSTER ALITO. Along with Donald Rumsfield, Alito is part of the "Princeton elite" or "Concerned Alumni of Princeton (CAP) which wanted to stifle women and minorities on campus back in the 70's. I have some very interesting news about Rumsfield, who always seems so "aw-shucks" nice and innocuous, doesn't he? Well we all know he owns a multi-million dollar stake in Tamiflu -- the only drug that can combat "bird-flu". So guess why bird flu keeps seeping into the news? There is something going on here that will blow your mind. Stay tuned.
Bush said, in 2002, "Wiretapping requires a court order." Now he says, "The FISA law was written in 1978.
We're having the discussion in 2006. It's a different world." How convenient. THE TEN COMMANDMENTS were made over 2000 years ago. It's a different world, aren't you going to change them? (paraphrased from Randi Rhodes on Air America yesterday.)
Have you noticed more boobs in America lately? And I’m not just talking about our political leaders, though the two seem to go hand-in-hand. What I mean is, the larger the boobs, the more narrow-minded the politicians. (See below for the rest of Boobgate article; I'm interrupting this to post a summary of our position on Iraq and what the NSA spy scandal means to us, US! By the way, I changed the title from BOOBGATE REDUX because it was pretentious, not because "libs" are dumb, as a certain right-winger mentioned in the comment section.
ALERT: JOHN McCAIN THINKS BUSH BROKE THE LAW. (So does Walter Cronkite)
Things to think about: If we had known we were invading Iraq to spread democracy, and for “nation-building”, I wonder how many of us would have voted for this? Also -- How many of you believe Bush never met Jack Abramoff?
I received this comment from a right-winger named “StevieWonder” on my blog "Blessed Are the Peacemakers" this Christmas:
“If we lived in a country that limited your right to dissent from our war efforts (I.E. GWB has not chopped off your head for dissenting) I would be grateful for the right to have my democratic voice, as you have the right to yours”.
Here is my answer:
Figuratively, many people have had their heads chopped off for dissenting. People who wore "PEACE" t-shirts were arrested in malls. The Dixie Chicks seem to have vanished (Maybe I'm wrong, but where did they go?) Michael Moore has been marginalized and ridiculed. There's a sinister form of blacklisting going on in America right now. If you research it, there are thousands of "swarthy" types (Ann Coulter's term) who are still being held at Guantanamo Bay, who are completely innocent and whose lives have been ruined. "There are also things about this war that no one is telling us; our trusted leader did not do everything in his power to avoid war -- on the contrary, he chose to ignore every spiritual leader, even the Pope, who came to him and beseeched him to stop and really think this through, or at least slow down. There was no imminent danger: we were ON TOP of Sadaam. The whole world was watching him --and there was no IMMINENT DANGER. Bush RUSHED us to war. You say he didn't create more terrorists? It's only natural: if our country were invaded, more and more people would rise up against the invaders in very violent ways. More and more people in Iraq have joined the "resistance" and are committed to hating us -- more than ever before -- across all Muslim territories. Believe me, we would do the same thing if we were invaded -- even with a despot in power. ("He may be an evil despot, but at least he's MY evil despot.") You have to remember that at the time of Sadaam's reign, there was at least a routine and normalcy to daily life that people had been accustomed to: at least they could get food & housing & electricity. Students, even women, attended universities, had parties, and celebrated birthdays in cafes without fear of suicide attacks. And Time Magazine had a report on Christians in Iraq: they were not bothered or interfered with by Sadaam -- and some even owned laundries and corner markets. I actually read that they owned their own liquor stores! And at the time we were hovering over Sadaam while the U.N. inspectors made their rounds -- no one was going to look away for one second. We had Sadaam on his best behavior, after all -- he knew the world was his stage, and at that point, just to look like a good guy -- he might have actually been malleable enough (given enough time) to be willing to work with us. I wrote a book on Stalin and he definitely had an Achilles heel: his ego. There were many ways to get to Saddam - it would have been interesting trying, in a focused way, while the world watched. Or if not him, maybe his cronies. We could have won people in the underground over to our form of democracy -- by attraction not force. Nothing is ever truly won by force (and I mean that figuratively as well -- until a person reaches his own bottom or sees the light, they resist. You never win them over until they come to the decision inside first. Yes you can chain them up, but to win their hearts they have to want to change and be attracted to the light; they have to want it for themselves.) You think what they have now in Iraq is better? Living in constant fear of walking outside, going to school, buying groceries? Religious extremists blowing up Iraqi children as they blow themselves up -- because they are so passionately against the invaders? The Mideast has always been a hotbed, why on earth did Bush have to invade Muslim Holy land -- when the extremists made it known this was their biggest beef with us? American footprints on their holy land bringing capitalism to the Muslim world. Just like we did with the Saudis.
I will not be smeared by propagandists like Ann Coulter. I have family in the military (Marine with purple heart) and the American flag flies high outside our house. I love my sons and love all children. We are the most patriotic family I know. This is a heinous, diabolical war, brought on by an unthinking elitist who couldn't even finish his Airforce training. I'd like to know why he doesn't send his own daughters to fight. Or why don't any of the other members of Congress who sold this war to the American people. American parents who have lost their only children in Iraq have a right to speak out against this evil war without being called unpatriotic.
By the way, I do not hate Ann Coulter. As a Christian, I am called to hate the sin, but not the sinner. I do not hate anyone. But I will continue to speak out against her tactics. I am praying for her -- and for all of us to have softer hearts. I thank you for your understanding.
Peace on Earth. Love, Lydia
(BOOBGATE....continued further down below)
BUSHGATE; OR HOW TO SPY ON EVERYONE AND NEVER LEAVE THE HOUSE Guest Blogged by MYSTERY BLOGGER
PART I
Friends, countrymen, lend me your earpieces……
The Bush administration announced a campaign to convince Americans that his warrant-less spying program is legal, and does not violate US laws, all this on the heels of several ongoing investigations into corruption involving high ranking members of both the Bush administration and other top ranking republican figures.
These efforts are designed to convince us that although the facts seem to point to the contrary, that the President has complied with all US laws and no improprieties exist.
But do the facts agree?
On Saturday the Washington Post indicated that Congressional research clearly demonstrated that Mr. Bush had broken US Law when he instituted his Warrantless domestic spying program.
A report by Congress's research arm concluded yesterday that the administration's justification for the warrantless eavesdropping authorized by President Bush conflicts with existing law…
Carol D. Leonnig
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, January 7, 2006; Page A01
Thursday, the New York Times published similar findings.
A legal analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service concludes that the Bush administration's limited briefings for Congress on the National Security Agency's domestic eavesdropping without warrants are "inconsistent with the law."
Scott Shane
WASHINGTON, Jan. 18
Yet the Bush administration and its supporters continue to defend illegal actions by the President, elevating Bush to almost kinglike status, ignoring the inherent balance of powers in our democracy and disregarding our own US law.
So why today would the Bush administration launch an all out effort, with an almost totalitarian disdain for oversight, and their typical our way or the highway mentality?
Yesterday the Department of Justice released in response to criticism of the Bush administrations spying program a 42 page document prepared under the direction of longtime Bush ally and appointee, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
The document, while filled with lengthy rhetoric, does little to demonstrate any legality for the program. On the one hand, the document argues Bush had the authority to launch his domestic spying program based on Congressional authority provided in 2001 following the 911 attacks.
On the other hand, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales argues that if they had asked Congress for approval, they may have rejected the requests; “that was not something we could likely get” Alberto Gonzales – and therefore opted to carry out the operations without Congressional oversight.
This week the debate heated up, however coincidentally after over a year in silence Osama Bin Laden decided to drop us all a note and remind us all what we’re fighting for, and subsequently took pressure off the White House and turned America’s attention back to the War on Terror.
As the week progressed however attentions shifted back towards the ongoing spy scandal and the ever
increasing possibility that the President has broken the law. Gore, Walter Cronkite and now John McCain believe Bush has broken the law.
Today, US Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D) MD, said with regards to the DOJ’s 42 page apology for the administrations actions;
Making their argument longer does not make it better
And ”Any first year law student can see this argument is specious “.
Later in the day, former Federal Prosecutor Richard Sauber said on Hardball;
”At best it's a weak argument. At worst it's a silly argument”
We are at a crossroads here. The President of the United States has broken US Law, openly and defiantly. The Department of Justice, headed by a long time Bush ally has chosen to defend this crime with legally unfounded official rhetoric.
And now, the Bush Administration is actively out trying to convince Americans that the President now makes the laws, and therefore he cannot break them.
A long time ago the Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith made a prediction that in the end of times, the US Constitution would literally ”dangle by a thread.
I cannot attest as to his prophetic capabilities however we can certainly see the relevance of this saying today, as we are faced with the ultimate threat to our democratic way of governing ourselves. Do we allow ourselves to be fostered under the wings of a benevolent monarch whose only concerns are purportedly to keep us all safe from terrorists? (forget natural disasters, crime, poverty, etc, terrorists are all we have to fear)
Or should we be more concerned as to letting Bin Laden win by turning America into exactly what he said he would force us to turn it into, a paranoid totalitarian, Orwellian like police state where the cure is far worse than the disease?
And while we make up our minds which poison will kill us first, our Constitution is precariously dangling by a thread.
BOOBGATE....continued:
... As the fixation with cartoon-porn blondes such as Anna Nicole Smith et al. has proliferated, so have the number of conservatives in Washington. Could it be a plot to distract us? In the case of Coulter, it’s her short skirt and "traditional values" that seem to give her that slutty attitude.
How do you speak to an enemy? Coulter writes: "You must outrage the enemy. If the liberal you’re arguing with doesn’t become speechless with sputtering, impotent rage, you’re not doing it right. … Start with the maximum assertion about liberals and then push the envelope, because, as we know, their evil is incalculable. … Nothing too extreme can be said about liberals, because it’s all true. – Talk, pg. 10
Ann Coulter ridicules Liberals for hurling insults and being unable to argue back intelligently with equal venom. She accuses them of stammering and calling her names. But I submit that this is a normal person’s reaction when confronted with her insanity. Reasonable people stammer! But I know a better way: turn the other cheek and let her slap that one. Before trying that technique, I want to muck around in the dirt a little first. Here is a fantasy conversation:
Ann: Liberals are traitors and the spawn of Satan.
Me: That’s a little hostile. Are those claws on your reptile or are you just happy to see me?
Ann: Oh how I hate them! They should be tortured publicly if they can't get on board.
Me: Well it's kinda hard to get on board once the train’s already wrecked.
Ann: Wrecked!? The war is going perfectly! And Sadaam had WMD hidden in his toilet, which you would know if you read my column, you war-hating chicken ass.
Me: Thank you, I was hoping my ass was as small as a chicken’s.
Ann: You just want to tax and spend, tax and spend…
Me: No, I just want you and Delay to pay for this war. By the way, what do you have against helping the poor?
Ann: The poor are swarthy and they don’t wear Izod; they're not preppy! They can’t read and they take up too much space and they don’t bathe!
Me; Well they could if they had bathtubs.
Ann: But they’re swarthy.
Me: That’s just caked-on dirt, remember?
Ann: You and your liberal scum are against the war, which means that you long to see our troops blown up!
Me: No, I’m against the war because I want our troops alive. By the way, according to Websters “liberal” means ‘generous, open-hearted, bounteous.”
Ann: Swarthy types belong in coal mines. The poor have no work ethic; they should get jobs.
Me: They would if Bush starts actually creating some (for the people who already live here.)
Ann: How dare you! Job growth has been climbing steadily under this President.
Me: I wasn't talking about Haliburton. Hey, I have an idea -- let them work for you!
Ann: No they’ll steal my china. They just want to suck me dry.
Me: It looks like that’s already happened.
Ann: You’re obviously a moron with no education.
Me: I have a Bachelor of Science degree, but thank you. Guess I'm lucky to be a be a moron with no education as opposed to a moron with the best education money can buy. :D
Great article, puts it all in very clear language. Thank you whoever you are, Mystery Blogger.
ReplyDeleteLydia I heard on KABC talk radio tonight that Jack Abramoff is in 5 FIVE separate pictures with Bush. But the White House is denying Bush ever being in the same room with him, or meeting him. Unbelievable.
Where will this all end? We are being terrorized right now by our own government, just having these thoughts of being spied on.
ReplyDeleteWhy did they leave the "YELLOW ALERT" on after Bin Laden announced he was going to attack? And why not call his bluff and ask for a talk about a truce. The Palestinians and Israelis finally started talking. What's so terrible about dealing with the "truce" idea. you never know until you try.
ReplyDeleteWorfeus, which question, the Jack Abramoff or the truce question?
ReplyDelete"Or should we be more concerned as to letting Bin Laden win by turning America into exactly what he said he would force us to turn it into, a paranoid totalitarian, Orwellian like police state where the cure is far worse than the disease?"
ReplyDeleteI think this quote from the blog speaks volumes, Bush is leading us down a dangerous and scary road
Any idea what will happen with the Bush spying on Americans thing, do you think he will be ordered to stop. Also is there any possibility of him being impeached.(seems doubtful to me, more like wishful thinking)
ReplyDelete"One "plaintiff" in the nuisance lawsuits being filed against the Director of the NSA et al is none other than the granddaughter of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg — Rachel Meeropol.
ReplyDeleteLest we forget, the Rosenbergs were executed in 1953 — for spying. Under the direction of the KGB, the Rosenbergs helped pass US atom bomb secrets to the Soviet Union. (Most fittingly, Julius’s KGB nom de guerre was "Liberal.")
True to her roots, Rachel is a Vice President of the New York City chapter of the communist National Lawyers Guild. She is also a fixture in some of the most ultra left organizations out there, such as The Children Of Resistance."
The yellow alert was left alone because it's not election season yet.
ReplyDeleteGOOD POINT KIRK
Okay Voltaire, there are all types of people in America who have the right to free speech, and both sides have their extremists. But our government spying without warrants on citizens of a "free" nation is not to be tolerated.
ReplyDeleteTell me if you approve of Bill O'Reilly crying about traditional family values, while being a married man having phone sex with an unwilling employee? Is this not hypocrisy? Do you get the connection I am making?
your allright kirk, good post buddy, I agree if we would have devoted ALL of our resources to catching Bin Laden we would have captured him long ago. I think its pretty disgracefull that he got away.
ReplyDeleteI also think your right that the administration doesnt have a clue about terror, however I question if the spying thing is even about terror at all, to me it looks like a power grab, being able to spy on your political rivals and enemys makes it a lot easier to stay in power, couple that with the asaults on the Constitution and our personal freedoms you mention as well as the silencing and discrediting and punishing anyone who speaks out. people who speak out are labeled unpatriotic, one person who wrote a book about Bush was put on the do not fly list like terrorists now he can never fly on a plane and cant get removed from the list. The administration even has the power to throw people in jail indefinately with out due process, how far a stretch is it for them to do this to a political rival or someone who speaks out against them, all they have to do is claim they think the person might be a terrorist.the checks and balances were put into our government for a reason, and this Administration has repeatedly attempted to circumvent them .
Not much time to react at this moment. We are busy at work. But I wanted to point this out.
ReplyDeleteAs a registered Republican that hails from the great state of Arizona, the only reason McCain has stayed in office is because the Dems have not come up with a less Democratic candidate than McCain. I never did like him, but the left seems too. Should tell people something.
I do not like him as a politician. I say he is not a strong Republican, that is all. His service to our country is, of course, remarkable. That does not necessarily translate to a great senator.
ReplyDeleteMy past is what it is. I never said I punched that guy ad broke his jaw. After the "click" of his unloaded weapon I deprived him of it and pistol whipped him with it. I have never been proud of going off on him like I did, although I will not go so far as to say he did not deserve it. He was going to chamber the thing if I gave him the chance and use it.
The reason for the altercation? He lost a basketball game to me and my friends. He got upset about it and popped off. 20 people around and no one stopped either of us. I have never gone back to that park since.
Take from that what you will.
And no, Bush is not the “best thing since sliced bread.” He was the lesser of two evils when I voted for him the first time. I had some respect for him the second time, but less for his opponent. So, I exercised my right to vote and did it. If I could build a presidential candidate Weird Science style you can be assured I would make big changes.
ReplyDeleteHe would be taller at least. And a better public speaker. Among other things.
We were on school grounds. He carried illegally. Also, he carried concealed without a permit, and was underage. The rest of us obeyed the law and got hung out to dry.
ReplyDeleteA knife?
ReplyDeleteIn your studies you should have found that the FBI estimates it takes less than 5 minutes for a person to bleed out from a knife wound to a no vital area. 45 minutes from a gunshot. How long is the average ambulance response?
Not 5 minutes.
Knives are worse than guns.
John McCain is the only Republican in the news who seems to be a real human being.
ReplyDeleteI love how you always draw my comments out of context. Knife wounds are worse. Read the post. That is fact.
ReplyDeleteAgain, I do not consider McCain a bad guy over all. I do not like his politics. What is wrong with saying that? He is a politician, his politics should be important too. If the guy decided to get a rap contract would he have been obliged one because of his service? No, he would have to be able to rap. It is important to have on a resume for a prospective rapper, I would think.
I can consider the guy a military hero and respect his service just fine in light of my opinion of his personal politics.
Well, since we are on the topic of guns. He is quite pro gun control. He has been wishy washy on abortion and his bill to reform immigration reform I thought was a disaster, to name a few.
ReplyDeleteAlso, if you brought a gun to a knife fight, being 100 feet away would be good for you. But within 25, statistically that goes to the guy with a knife.
Worf,
ReplyDeleteThe tone of the post you question revolved around the wounds inflicted. There are obvious strengths and weaknesses to each, but the wounds inflicted by knives are worse. Hence the whole paragraph before the quote you pasted. Sorry, I did not spoon feed you “knife wounds are worse than gunshot wounds” after all that discussion about the statistics of them.
As for Bush’s qualifications, they are not stellar. Given. Neither was Kerry’s. Kerry got worse grades in school than Bush, if you can believe that. Kerry has not been terribly good as a senator, having a small percentage of his proposals become law. Bush, as president has been very prolific on the other hand. His first term he got 80% of his proposals into law. Reagan did not even do that. No one has in over 100 years. So, I have some respect for Bush.
When I mentioned the 25 feet thing, that was another FBI study where they took a trained cop, he had to perceive a threat, draw his weapon and shoot the perpetrator in less time than it took the bad guy to close the distance. The trained cop lost almost 100% of the time in less than 25 feet. After that, well the cop has the advantage, if he can shoot.
ReplyDeleteTaking that CCW class I saw how bad people are at that skill. They were all over the place at 20 feet. So, you have to know your stuff and how to use it.
Heh, Kirk12,
ReplyDeleteIt is funny you should say that. in a lot of states they have banned bayonets. If anyone has ever seen one, they are dull knives. Really really dull knives. The guns are legal, but the dull knife is not. Can anyone explain that one to me?
The point is, the knife wounds are worse. You can argue it all you want. I put up the numbers, national average for death after a knife wound in a non vital area, 5 minutes. Gunshot wound, 45 minutes. Ambulances rarely make it in time to save the knife wound victims. It does matter where you are hit. But either of these wounds to a vital area is almost instant death.
ReplyDeleteHollow point rounds are intended to stay in the body and distribute the force to the person getting shot. . If the bullet passes through it is not doing its job correctly. In a situation where there is an exit wound there is more blood loss, and a larger wound as the exit wound is about the size of a golf ball. Depending on the caliber, point of entry, distance from the shooter, clothing, and many other factors, of course.
A knife wound is rarely cleaner, however. Most of the time they are inflicted in a slashing motion. A half inch deep cut may not sound that bad, but when it runs the length of your chest you may have a problem. Guns kill by shock quite often. Knives blood loss.
Stabbed 3 times?!
ReplyDeleteWhat did you say earlier,
"the company you keep"
Yeah, that was it.
You did not ask how I got in that fight before your “company” comment. Fair is fair.
ReplyDeleteAs stated previously, the entire paragraph prior to the “knives are worse than guns” comment focused on wounds inflicted. Not numbers of gunshot vs knife victims. I admit, there is some subtlety there. Maybe it was confusing to you. But the wounds were my focus, not the 40-50 thousand deaths attributed to guns in this country per year. Knives are not used in as many crimes, but when they are, they are pretty messy.
And if you got stabbed playing a game that if I remember, involves wrapping the knife with a cloth so that only a small part of the tip is exposed, how can you equate that with a knife wound inflicted with the intent to kill?
And while we are on the subject of substantiation, where is your medical degree that shows a person would not die from an open wound to the arm or leg? If a tourniquet is not applied, the person can die, and quite easily.
The Republican party keeps claiming they stand for "hard work and "taking responsibility" and traditional values. But their representatives don't follow this. George Bush was handed everything, never had to work hard to get where he is, nepotism...
ReplyDeleteThank you for reposting my post.
ReplyDeleteAs stated, now a few times, the PARAGRAPH prior to that statement puts it in context. You do no what context means, right? There is no backpedaling going on here. I stand by that comment as long as it is taken in the correct context, including the prior paragraph.
Feel free to dispute my numbers, but do so with a bit more than they are crap. As compelling as that is it does not prove much.
“Only sissies wrap the blade.”
And you said I ran with a bad crowd.
Here you go Worf.
ReplyDeleteFBI statistics (actually taken from the UK, it was faster than searching the FBI website)
“edged weapon attackers are responsible for 3% of all armed attacks..
Firearm attacks account for 4%
Both of the above stats represent fatalities.
Subject shot, 10% die from their wounds.
Subject stabbed, 30% die from their wounds.”
Also,
“In reality, within their respective ranges, knives are superior to firearms as far as lethality is concerned.”
The report I cite did not mention the 5 minute 45 minute stats I gave earlier. I can keep looking for those if you like. But I think this proves my point sufficiently. If you disagree, I am sure you will let me know.
Here is the link.
http://www.isu.edu/stdorg/sports/tkd/knives.pdf
I am surprised you did not know about that though. The report is part of a now famous/infamous FBI wound study done a few years ago. I thought I would be preaching to the choir to you.
Worf,
ReplyDeleteI typed in my exact verbiage and found a number of cites that said the same thing as my stats, all of them claim to have cited the FBI. All I have to do is find the report they are citing and that is it.
And yes, I am at work. It does slow my responses. My employer frowns on me using the internet during business hours, but if we are slow they do not care. Today we have had more business than we have had in the last few months. I just wish they were buying stuff.
Your point of a bat vs the knife is well taken. That would be an interesting confrontation, but a bat is still considered a deadly weapon. I further doubt that you would end up in your front yard waiting for someone to attack you and you would have the bat at the ready. These guys do not call ahead and make reservations.
When I said people were bad shots, you had to see the people taking that test for their CCW. I was amazed at how bad most of them were. We had this nifty little device that uses a light gun to show where your hits are registered on a screen. They use a projector so that everything is life sized, and distances are approximately right. The guns are weighted and have realistic recoil effects. These guys were missing by feet. Whole feet. I really thought they would do better than that. I can only imagine their performance would be worse in a real encounter.
Alright Worf,
ReplyDeleteWhere is your link? I could not find one in your post. I would like to read it.
My link discussed crimes in the UK and North America and supported it with FBI statistics I have found at other cites. I told you I will look for the report they cite. I have read this stuff before, this is not the first time it has come up in my conversations.
Your questions
“WHY DID YOU POST A LINK TO A KARATE SCHOOL AND TELL US IT WAS FBI STATS?”
Um, it says FBI stats on the 18th line.
“WHY DID YOU SAY KNIFES ARE WORSE THAN GUNS”
21st line under that header.
“WHY DID YOU NOT IMMEDIATELY REPOST THE CORRECT LINK WHEN CALLED ON YOUR FAKE LINK?”
At work, and still looking for the original report. But it must exist since I have seen it before and so has everyone familiar with this topic. Type “Subject stabbed, 30% die from their wounds.” In your Google search line and you will find plenty of them from other sources.
“WHY NOT JUST QUOTE THE STATS FROM THE FBI WEBSITE IF YOUR TALKING ABOUT THE FBI?”
You have been to their site. It is not the most accessible site. If you are so good at finding this stuff. Find the report I am mentioning.
“WHY DID YOU IGNORE THE STATS I JUST POSTED FROM THE FBI WEBSITE?”
I did not renew the page before I posted my last response. I did not intend to ignore anything. I would like to review it with a link if you can provide one.
“Because at that point I will be left to assume you are no more than a cheap right wing hack, a troll, in here to cause trouble and take the talking points away from the actual thread.”
Now let us not get rude here. Can we not have an honest discussion for a day Worf without insults? I did not think my link was from Canada, but if it is and they have an FBI that conducts these reports and I totally missed that I am sorry. That will be some interesting news to our Canadian friends here that they apparently bleed at a different rate than Americans. Must be the Big Macs we eat.
Sorry, the 4% quote was the 21st line in the report I cited. Not the other one.
ReplyDeleteThe report says guns are worse than knives later in the report. Do not feel like counting as I am getting off work. Read the thing, or don’t. But it is in there.
Hey Worf,
ReplyDeleteEarlier in the day I said myself there were more deaths by guns. What are you arguing there? Have I ever said that guns were not the weapon of choice? I do not recall making that point. That is all your link said.
Interestingly, it does point out a mistake I made. I said 40-50 thousand deaths with guns in this country per year. This report is more like 11-15 thousand. Serves me right for reading leftist sites. Sorry guys.
No link Worf? It is just one line.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you never post links to your sources even when I ask for them? I do find that strange, as everyone else should. With that I will let you go.
As for not being able to rapid fire post, I do have responsibilities that do not include this. I enjoy the debate. I want to know more. That is why I honestly want your link, and I wanted your books before.
But I rarely have the time to sit all day. Between school, work, wife, house, and sleep this is all I got. When I graduate it might be better. That will not be for a while, though.
I have said it before, and I know others have as well. You have a lifestyle that allows you to sit for long periods of time looking at your screen. I do not, and would not if I could. I need sun, man. You are in a class all by yourself in this regard, and you can have it.
Actually Worf, I did find this sad report on the karate link you provided. Its called "Knife Article" and can be found on the bottom left hand side.
ReplyDeleteFor me, it seems some fathead ninja dude, is trying to convince people to take expensive karate lessons because there are so many knife attacks out there.
Of course this ninja dude is not going to hand out pamphlets indicating how karate can stop bullets.
Johnny moo moo
Well, your 4:21 PM post did almost make me spray, luke warm, raspberry/chocolate flavoured coffee all over my computer.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time I took a big gulp of coffee, I started to read this post; it took all my willpower to hold the coffee in while wanting to burst out laughing.
Johnny moo moo
MMMMMMMM........good :D
ReplyDeleteJohnny moo moo
NO! :O All for me...Im very greedy.
ReplyDeleteJohnny moo moo
Just kiddin Worf.....you are always welcome at my house for coffee.
ReplyDeleteJohnny moo moo
Funny. When Reagan was in office all the Libs I ever encountered were sure we were going to be in another world war.
ReplyDeleteDidn't happen.
Now Lydia says our Constitution is dangling by a thread?
That's a laugh.
Looks like the sky's gonna fall.
Yes, I have known this for years. The police can also come to your home when ever they feel like it and make sure its locked in a safe and the ammo is locked away in another seperate safe.
ReplyDeleteJohnny moo moo
Funny thing is , the good people are doing this, while the criminals are not.
ReplyDeleteJohnny moo moo
ABSOLUTELY Worf.
ReplyDeleteJohnny moo moo
But BIG K does seem to be a nice responsible family man.
ReplyDeleteJohnny moo moo
And Like I said before, even a reasonable decent citizen may be tempted to use it while under a little stress.
ReplyDeleteJohnny moo moo
Ive read all the posts and have been following this interesting debate.
ReplyDeleteJohnny moo moo
Big K said"Bush, as president has been very prolific on the other hand. His first term he got 80% of his proposals into law. Reagan did not even do that. No one has in over 100 years. So, I have some respect for Bush."
ReplyDeleteI think you need to take off the blinders or rose colored glasses, Bush deceived the American public to pass half of those laws, the rest were either passed using fear tactics or were carried out illegally and are clearly in conflict with the principles of our constitution as defined by our founding fathers.
What about Adolph Hitler, he was a dictator that made 100% of his proposals into law, his word was law, according to your theory should he be labeled prolific and be respected as well. Bush or should I say "Big Brother" is a criminal and a joke and our founding fathers would be turning over in their graves if they saw what he was doing to The Constitution and our civil liberties
Terrorist Surveilance Program, wouldnt surprise me a bit, his lame attempt at trying to justify it, every other word out of his mouth is terrorists or war or keeping us safe, I dont need or want his kind of safety.Now hes trying to sell his "Spying on Americans Agenda" I hope i'm wrong but I could see something bad actually happening so he can justify his corupt spying agenda. I too am kind of suspicious the threat level hasnt been raised, I just hope something bad doesnt happen and then that sleazy opportunist uses it to justify his Spying program to GAG GAG!!! "keep Us Safe"
ReplyDeleteOk dimwit,
ReplyDeleteI wanted the site you mentioned that discussed people killing their spouses. You know, the one you said I ignored. The link you posted I did read. And I told you that I did. It points out that criminals prefer guns. No!! Hold the presses!!
I think I found the site, you can prove me wrong.
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/homicide/intimates.htm
If that is the case, it does not show the number of people stabbed or shot vs the number of deaths. You know, what I was looking for discussing the lethality of the weapons. It does point out that, again, people who decide to kill someone use a gun most often.
As for my knives worse than guns comment, if you were dim enough not to get my original intent then I did explain it for you a few times. In words I thought you would understand. I know I can be a bit of a sesquipedalian on occasion, but I dumbed that one down for you pretty good. I will try harder. But if someone explains their context, why do you keep beating that dead horse?
And you lied, bastard. The link you put up that you said I did was to the main page of that school. It is truncated, missing that last part that brings you to the link I mentioned. The link brings you to something not written by anyone at that school. I said if you put in the exact words in google you would find the information posted on many sites. Like these
http://www.lwcbooks.com/articles/edgedweapons.html
http://www.realfighting.com/0102/edgedwea.htm
http://www.clearsilat.com/silat/Articles/Knives.htm
http://members.shaw.ca/tmanifold/laur.htm
It was written by Darren Laur, a cop and personal defense trainer. I emailed him to forward me a copy of the FBI report if he can. I can post his entire reply when I get it.
Good night.
PS. when I usually say I am leaving I do stay at work and finish a thought if I think it is relevant. If you do not like it, sue me.
Mike, well put! You said: "Bush deceived the American public to pass half of those laws, the rest were either passed using fear tactics or were carried out illegally and are clearly in conflict with the principles of our constitution as defined by our founding fathers."
ReplyDeleteBIG K, you said: "Bush, as president has been very prolific on the other hand. His first term he got 80% of his proposals into law. Reagan did not even do that. No one has in over 100 years. So, I have some respect for Bush."
Bush had a lot of help from the very organized religious right-wing, which has been planning this coup d'etat for 30 years. Even the Catholics were hoodwinked into believing they had to vote for this wicked group and their corrupt agenda based on their attachment to the abortion and gay issues. You see, Bush, Rove, Cheney, very cleverly married themselves to the religious right in order to gain the votes of those who think in absolutes, who "hate" anyone who has nuance in his perspective, who values life in every aspect, not just the unborn. But this has been systematic brainwashing. It's as if people are on drug, all they talk about is "the unborn" but never consider the massive killings and lust for death this administration is responsible for. And the hate-speak Have you ever been to CPAC? How about CPAC 2000! These conservatives sound like fringe lunatics in their hatred of Democrats, and this is not the Democratic nation founded by our forefathers. This is very similar to fascist Germany, I am not kidding. Please Big K and Freedom Fan do your research. Please try to put yourself in our shoes and see what we're seeing.
Did you know about the depleted uranium that has killed over 11,000 of our soldiers from the first Gulf War? Not to mention the contamination/radiation in the weapons right now. Our poor military will be feeling the effects of this depleted uranium for the rest of their lives. "By their fruits you shall know them." Bush has produced very little constructive "fruits". Look at Katrina, look at health care, look at the lives lost - A GREAT LEADER OF A DEMOCRATIC NATION DOES NOT INVADE, CONQUER OR GO OUT OF HIS WAY TO START WARS, ESPECIALLY IF HE'S A CHRISTIAN! What kind of Christianity are you espousing???? We have lost as many of our own as we did in 911, not to mention the 16,0000 permanently maimed. "By their fruits you shall know them."
TELL ME, WHAT HAS GEORGE BUSH EVER PRODUCED THAT HAS BEEN GOOD?
Correction: CPAC 2002 is where Ann Coulter and many others spewed unbelievable hatred toward anyone from the other "party".
ReplyDeleteI just found this great post from WORFEUS:
" If you can't see the difference between intervening in a fist fight to help someone on our own soil, and travelling across the ocean against the will of the entire world, to wage all out war on a civilian population, contributing to what by our own standards equates to genocide, in a foreign land and in a soverign nation, then I am not sure if I can help you."
Oh thank god....we're finally rid of that pesky loquacious Worfeus! (But for his specter I fear...)
ReplyDeleteExcellent! Ghost of Worfeus, now that your a ghost, maybe you can answer that big question for me?
ReplyDeleteI do, however, admit I am a little unnerved by the thought of you floating to my house to check me out. LOL :D
Johnny moo moo
Johnny Moo Moo - I needed to lighten up, so I posted a little humor for you.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Lydia
BOOBGATE. LOL.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see you're lightening up on your new blog today.
Better watch out.
ReplyDeleteI love John McCain and would have liked to see him get the nomination but the Bush team managed to smear him horribly by maligning him. Does anyone remember what they said about him?
ReplyDeleteThat Ghost of Worfeus is awesome.
ReplyDeleteand Johnny as for restocking the liquor cabinet, make sure you have some Captain Morgan, and i'm there as well.
Mike
BOOBGATE is hilarious! Thanks for updating your blog. Would like to see more humor like this more often. Laughter can save the world. Also like the Stuart Smalley comment. Please post it again.
ReplyDeleteLydia said
ReplyDelete" Before trying that technique, I want to muck around in the dirt a little first".
RIGHT ON LYDIA!!! :O
That was pretty funny and its awfully nice to see you laugh - I dont think I ever seen you laugh before? Made me feel cheerful & bright.
Nothing wrong with a little muckin, after all, you are human.
Johnny moo moo
Thanx KIRK....I think?
ReplyDeleteYou mean we werent before? lol
Johnny moo moo
Worf I did in fact stock the bar for you and Mike.... two of my three psychiatrists told me that the answer can be found in the bottle.
ReplyDeleteSorry though, you are just going to have to watch us drink it all.
Thats sad about that little girl. If that was my kid I dont know what I would do.
Johnny moo moo
Ghost of Worf
ReplyDeleteI really dont want to bore people with Canadian politics, but, we still use little paper ballots.
At least in the area where I live anyway.
Johnny moo moo
And not most of us Ghost of Worf, the conservatives have a minority govrenment. Their powers are very limited :D
ReplyDeleteJohnny moo moo
I didnt...too lazy. I would vote for NDP or Liberal first though. Honestly, I cant stand the conservatives and have never voted for them in my life.
ReplyDeleteJohnny moo moo
Well, it aint that bad ,but I have heard some pretty creepy proposals and read funny things in the newspapers.
ReplyDeleteJohnny moo moo
January 23, 2006
ReplyDeleteWhat American Intelligence & Especially the NSA Have Been Doing to Defend the Nation
Remarks by General Michael V. Hayden to the National Press Club
"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.
So let me make this clear. When you're talking to your daughter at state college, this
program cannot intercept your conversations. And when she takes a semester abroad to
complete her Arabic studies, this program will not intercept your communications.
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." "
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/Commentary/com-1_24_06_Hayden_pf.html
Also,
No psychics on this board re:
"terrorist surveillance program"
It's been called that since at least last year....
Confusion Over Health Impact of Depleted Uranium Shells
ReplyDelete"Thousands of military personnel were "exposed to" radioactive DU during the Gulf War, while handling shells, riding in tanks, etc. Fortunately, the radioactivity is so faint that mere exposure to it poses little discernible health risk to humans. The material is still radioactive but, when manufactured into armor and anti-tank shells, not dangerously so."
http://www.stats.org/record.jsp?type=news&ID=172
ghost of worfeus is full of sheet...
ReplyDeleteActually, I checked out a website lately and was stunned to discover that Sean Penn hired Andrew Daulton Lee in 1998 as his personal assistant - wonder if he still works for him?
ReplyDeleteJohnny moo moo
“We've finally given liberals a war against fundamentalism, and they don't want to fight it. They would, except it would put them on the same side as the United States.”
ReplyDeleteAnn Coulter
Do you REALLY think they are afraid Worf, or do you just think they are blindly loyal to the Right Wing, personally I think its the latter, I'd be willing to bet If a Democrat was in the Whitehouse doing and saying the exact same things they would be crying bloody murder that "we dont need our government to protect us" to me the "protection" rhetoric is all a classic power grab.
ReplyDeleteMike
It's not about safety, it's about war profiteering. Take my word for this. Cheney, Rove, Ralph Reed and the guys who put Bush in power -- these guys are global profiteers who only care about padding their hidden bank accounts so they don't have to pay taxes or help pay for this war. The war was supposed to be covered by oil profits from Iraq's oil supply.
ReplyDeleteGhost of Worfeus
ReplyDeleteBefore I go to bed, I would like to point out that I think it would be very interesting if you could float over to Ann Coulters house and hover over her bed and tell us what you see?
Books on her nite table, pajama type, what she looks like without makeup, etc.....
Johnny moo moo
Mike said
ReplyDelete"Do you REALLY think they are afraid Worf, or do you just think they are blindly loyal to the Right Wing"
Worfeus Said "Well, I think its both.
I think the latter is true for the decision makers and the primary supporters, and the former in your question, is true for the sheep they are targeting, which is close to half the country strong."
I think youre right on the money Worfeus that the decision makers and primary supporters are just blindly loyal and dont buy the crap the administration is selling about "protecting us", but I would include the Right wing trolls who come to this site in the Primary supporter group, as I dont really think I buy the I'm afraid and want my government to protect me garbage, I think they are just blindly loyal to the Right Wing. (I also agree that they are out to deceive the masses with their fear tactics)
What I dont understand is that these Right Wing Trolls call Liberals flip flopers and hippocrites, but yet they talk out of both sides of their mouth. On one hand they piously claim they dont want or need Government to take care of them or protect them, then while talking out of the other side of their mouth they claim to be afraid and want George Bush and our Govenment to protect them. they also say Liberals are always sacrificing our civil liberties and trying to change the Constitution, When this is exactly what the Right Wing is trying to do in the name of fear, and to me its a transparent powrer grab
Worf as stated earlier, I agree that the sheep these guys are trying to deceive may actually really have bought this garbage and be afraid, but I dont believe the Right Wing guys posting here truly believe that, I think they are blindly loyal deluded fanatics.
Worfeus Said “I can assure you right now, that we are NOT talking about a few wiretaps for calls
ReplyDeletefrom Osama Bin Laden to US traitors.
They are now monitoring ALL US digitally switched calls, and warehousing the data for digital
signature and keyword searches. “
6:02 PM
I think your right Worfeus, that post about them only spying on Terrorists is Garbage. The Bush
Administration is saying we need this power to keep you safe but “TRUST US”, we wont abuse
our power or use it for purposes other than what we say honest. All this is a classic power grab.
The average citizen should be afraid, very afraid.
There are many clear signs that point to when a power grab is occuring and when an individual or
group of people are seizing power in a country. First there is usually a cause to rally around (ie
the war against terror), next the propaganda and rhetoric aimed at deceiving the masses starts
followed by the ethnocentrism (the us against them and the you’re either with me or against me),
next the people attempting to seize power attempt to discredit and silence their political
opponents, enemies and any influential people of power with a voice who can oppose them (ie
anyone who questions what is happening is labeled unpatriotic). Following this the people in
power attempt to seize more power by placing more of “THEIR” people who are loyal to the
cause in positions of power as well as passing laws to give them more power in the name of the
public good or keeping the country safe. Next they attempt to monitor and control the flow of
information they start spying on citizens, again all in the name of the cause and the public good,
however the spying is later used to weed out political opponents and people of power who have a
voice and are persuasive and influential enough to prove to be a threat, slowly these people start
getting arrested on trumped up charges or just disappearing altogether. Usually the Government
also seizes control of the media so they can completely control the flow of information and keep
the average citizen brainwashed and easily manipulated. When this occurs it is usually to late to
stop what is happening, that is why it is so critical for our politicians and influential people to
speak out and attempt to stop this in the early stages before it is too late.
Don’t laugh or think this could never happen in our country, I’m sure the Germans thought the
same thing during the early years of Hitler’s rise to power, all the classic signs are there. History
as well as the movies provide many clear and vivid examples of these sinister power grabs, From
Hitler and Stalin in Germany and Russia, to the Emperor in Star Wars and they all follow a similar
pattern.
I’ll end this post with another great quote from Worfeus “But cowards like these are critical for
the rise of any dictatorial regime.”
So your home free since they cant capture or kill a ghost right?
ReplyDeleteMe on the other hand????
Worfeus Said "However, the nation's No. 2 intelligence officer acknowledged thatnot every call monitored proved to have a terrorist link."
ReplyDelete12:53 AM
How dare that unpatriotic traitor say that, doesnt he know how hard George Bush is working to protect us, Bush has nothing but the publics safety and welfare in mind. That guy should be tarred and feathered then thrown in the stockades until we can discen weather he is a witch, we can bind his hands and feet and throw him in a lake like they did for the Salem Witch Trials, and if he lives he is a witch and should be executed and if he dies he was innocent (oops oh well)LOL just kidding but thats the mind set, anyone who questions them or speaks out is unpatriotic and a traitor.
Mike
Like I said in an earlier post, the witch hunts will be the next step, thats why its so critical that he not be allowed to spy on our citizens. Spying is really just the start of the true power grab
ReplyDeleteThe spying will be used to find out who the key threats and oppostion are, then the witch hunts start and these people start getting arrested on trumped up charges and disapearing altogether, and its not really as far fetched as it sounds, its a classic pattern that happened in Germany under Hitler and Russia under Stalin, and i'm pretty sure the average citizen in those countries never thought it could happen either until it was too late.
Mike
I'm in complete agreement with what you said about China and Russia, in fact I fired off a few responses to what you said either at the beginning of the current blog or the end of the last one. A Chinese/Russian alliance is an ominous threat indeed.
ReplyDeleteMike
you seen the articles about how over extended our milirary is right now, can you imagine if Cina and Russia did get involved?
ReplyDeleteMike
that was supposed to be China, my keyboard at work is terrible
ReplyDeleteMike
Whether it's the Middle East or China or North Korea or Iran or Russia...you name it, the current administration can't seem to keep from stepping all over its proverbial "Cheney" when it comes to dealing with issues in a diplomatic fashion. It's nothing but "our way or the highway" with them. Either do it our way or we'll force you to do it our way. Some choice, eh?
ReplyDeleteAt some level, you have to back down from your high horse and begin to treat others and deal with others as relative equals. Stand your ground when absolutely necessary, but be willing and able to negotiate. This administration doesn't seem to understand that negotiation doesn't mean we get our way and you don't get yours. Diplomacy is an art. Unfortunately, most in the Bush administration are not artists. They're hacks.
Interesting about the Pacific fleet issue. A friend of ours who is a Lt. Colonel in the Marine Corps moved from Virginia to Hawaii early last year to work on war planning for North Korea. He had been involved in Middle East war planning prior to that.
ReplyDeleteOf course, the military works on contingency plans all the time (or at least, that's their story and they're sticking to it!). But perhaps with Rummy's comments today, there's a bit more afoot than meets the eye?
Drewl I too agree with your posts, I've said several times we have to give China and Russia more respect and get rid of the arrogant "its my way or the highway might makesright garbage"
ReplyDeleteThe administration is leading us down a dangerous road that we dont want to be going down and the public doesnt see whats really going on, but hopefully they will before its too late.
Mike
Kirk, i'm not sure from your post if your saying what we are doing is ok or if your just trying to ellicit a response from others, but I feel that just because we have a strong military doesnt mean we have to squander it and constantly flex our muscles, I am of the Carry a big stick mentality and when messed with squash the person that messed with you. Getting involved in alot of petty entanglements and stretching the military too thin is what brought down ancient Rome and started the Dark Ages, now I see us going down that same road.We cant fight the whole world, If our country falls or becomes a dictatorship then what, Communism rules the world and we enter a new Dark Age?
ReplyDeleteMike
Its scary Worf, what we need is for the dems to take back congress and take out the trash and get rid of these guys because 2 1/2 more years with them is dangerous
ReplyDeleteMike
I figured that was the case (Ironic)
ReplyDeleteMike
May be i'm just more cynical than you Worf, but I dont believe he didnt know that, I think he was trying to justify it and deceive the public.
ReplyDeleteMike
nice post Kirk, I think it reeks of "Big Brother" also
ReplyDeleteMike
Hey Worfeus, do you believe in reincarnation?
ReplyDeleteMike
you think Orwell got the names wrong as well? LOL
ReplyDeleteMike
Again, although there is a possibility you could be right and he really is that stupid, I think the game plan is for him to deny that probable is ever mentioned in the 4th Amendment so that all the sheep listening will be deceived into believeing what he is saying is true. I think its another ploy to deceive the masses, kind of like the word association that Lydia mentioned in the previous blog where they mention Saddam's and Bin Laden's name together to imply a link even when there is none.
ReplyDeleteMike
I see "REDUX" had to be changed so as not to confuse the nuanced er...simple libs....LOL
ReplyDeleteVery interesting, Worfeus, about Hayden's comments about probable cause and the 4th amendment. He needs to be called on that one, big time. I mean, here's the guy who has or had authority for a huge spying operation and he has no idea what this nation's key tenet about illegal search and seizure is? That's incredible...absolutely incredible!
ReplyDeleteAnd the thing about Dye just up and leaving the hearing, basically thumbing his nose at members of Congress...Wow. If that doesn't underscore the contempt that the current executive branch has for the legislative branch, I don't know what does. The shift of power that Cheney has drooled over for so long is coming to pass. And all Americans should be seriously alarmed by that.
Jonathon Landay is the reporter who engaged General Hayden in the discussion about probable cause and the 4th amendment. It seems that he is onto something here.
ReplyDeleteSo, FISA was fine and didn't need loosening, at least publicly. They had the chance to ask for loosened requirements, and given the Republican Congress and the climate at the time, I find it hard to believe that Congress wouldn't have gone along with it. But, apparently, they had other things in mind. Hmmmmmm.
Drewl said "Very interesting, Worfeus, about Hayden's comments about probable cause and the 4th amendment. He needs to be called on that one, big time."
ReplyDeleteDrewl, great post, your absolutely right, someone does need to call the guy on this, because best case scenario the guy is really ignorant and doesnt know about probable cause or worst case he knew but was just attempting to deceive the masses and push the Neo Con agenda. i just hope the Dems or the media show some signs of life and call these guys on whats going on
Drewl said "Wow. If that doesn't underscore the contempt that the current executive branch has for the legislative branch, I don't know what does. The shift of power that Cheney has drooled over for so long is coming to pass. And all Americans should be seriously alarmed by that."
You also are right on the money with what you said about the contempt the executive branch feels for the legislative and judicial branches,its almost palpable, i've been saying this for a while now, the executive branch is trying to grab as much power as they can and they are using the war on terror to do it, and your right we should be very alarmed, if we play dead now, there may be no going back
Its obvious these guys have an agenda and have "other things" in mind, but I cant understand why the media and the democrats havent been calling them on this stuff all along, its such a transparent power grab and and the Dems and the media have been playing dead for years, kind of makes you wonder if the Right Wing allready has some control over the media. HMMMMMMMM!!
ReplyDeleteYes Worf - its too late for me now as Ive already taken the blue pill; ignorance is bliss.
ReplyDeleteI now only read Archie comic books, therby, my only concern is: Who is going to score with Betty? Archie or Reggie? Perhaps Dilton?
The carnivore program, battleships, and sneaky governments, are no longer a part of my thought makeup.
I do, however, have one red pill left on the little shelf above the microwave. Do you think I should take it?
BTW, since you seem to be floating around ladies locker rooms, I have to point out that there does seem to be a lack of the " kinder and gentler" of the species posting here. :|
Wonder what the other half thinks?
Johnny moo moo
A fishing expedition is exactly what it is Kirk, and there is no way to justify it and say its legal. I just think their intentions are not as pure as they claim and they may be fishing more more than just info about terrorist activities. I dont buy this "trust us we NEED this power to protect you, but we wont abuse it, HONEST!! I'm sure Big Brother would say the same thing. Once you go down that road theres no turning back, and its a dangerous road.
ReplyDeleteMike
Wow!!! Great Point Worf, someone needs to call these guys on all the garbage they are spewing, and like I said before, The media and the Democrats have just been playing dead the last few years, I just dont get it.
ReplyDeleteMike
Someone asked what has George Bush produced that has been good?
ReplyDelete10. He served his country during Vietnam through his National Guard service.
9. He defeated Kerry and Gore.
8. He was right when he labeled Iran, Iraq and Korea the axis of evil
7. He has Condi Rice on his side.
6. He freed the Iraqi people.
5. He freed the Afghani people.
4. He authorized spying on terrorists.
3. He has kept us safe from a terrorist attack in the US since 9/11.
2. He forced Libyan dictator Col. Moammar Ghadafi to shut down his country’s weapons of mass destruction development programs, destroy remaining weapons stocks, and allow UN inspectors full access to supervise disarmament.
1. He causes Worfeus and Lydia to resort to name calling of "right-wingers".
I ran out of fingers so I didn't count the new improved supreme court.
Lyd
ReplyDeleteI cant find any nomination anywhere at Wampum? One thing for sure, I would like to suggest Worfeus's 11:57 am post be nominated for " Best Post".
Johnny moo moo
What makes this blog good is its general civility. Despite powerful differences, extreme language has rarely been used in most debates. Teenage antics do not have to play a role while expressing ones views.
ReplyDeleteJohnny moo moo
I think he's striking while the irons still hot, Bin Laden just spoke a few days ago, so he's playing his tried and true fear/protection trump card.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I think theres several things in play here, first he wants to go on record and say he didnt break the law, but even more important I think he wants to say he has every right to do what he is doing, its really part of his plan to justify expanding the powers of the executive branch, if you heard any of his speech he mentioned this several times, I think he wanted to lay the ground work for the executive branch seizing more power and then look at the poles and see how the public reacts, and if there isnt much of an outcry he will keep pushing the envelope.
G.O.W. said: Americans would not give up their right to get drunk and discharge firearms to save half a Million American lives, but they’d gladly give up their Constitutional rights to privacy provided for in the 4th Ammendment if they thought it may one day some how in some way keep some Americans somewhere somehow safe from some sort of terrorist attack.
ReplyDeleteExcellent point, G.O.W. And it does bring up the point about terrorist attacks in this country. We haven't had one since 9/11/01. Almost 4.5 years. So what's up with that? And if another one were to hit next week, how would people react to that? Would they blame Bush for not protecting them? Or would they turn to him for protection as they did after 9/11, causing his approval ratings to skyrocket once again?
Of course, they play up the fact that there hasn't been one since 9/11, and of course they take full credit for that. It's partly why I have been quite suspicious for some time that something isn't quite "kosher" about 9/11. But the fact that there hasn't been another one here seems very odd.
Lydia said"The document, while filled with lengthy rhetoric, does little to demonstrate any legality for the program. On the one hand, the document argues Bush had the authority to launch his domestic spying program based on Congressional authority provided in 2001 following the 911 attacks.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales argues that if they had asked Congress for approval, they may have rejected the requests; “that was not something we could likely get” Alberto Gonzales – and therefore opted to carry out the operations without Congressional oversight."
Exactly, great point Lydia, the double talk coming out of these guys is unbelievable, these guys are talking out of both sides of their mouths and contradicting themselves and no one is calling them on it or even noticing. Bush is claiming to have authority to spy on our citizens because we are at war and he has the RIGHT to do what is necessary to keep our citizens safe, then Alberto Gonsalez claims Bush does not have congressional approval and is carrying out the spying on Americans WITHOUT congressional oversight. Then in Bush's Thursday speech Bush claims that he does have congressional approval and the spying on Americans IS being conducted WITH congressional oversight. I guess its hard to keep all the lies and double talk straight.
You also made a great point about the Dixie Chicks, despite what Eric and FF say, it sure appeared to me as if they were silenced or there was some form of retaliation, you never heard from them again, same with Howard Stern. any one who speaks out is silenced, discredited etc.. The Bush Administration is putting their people in place to seize power and retaliate against people who speak out, It sure looks like the administration has some kind of control over the FCC and media allready.
I hope youre right Worf and they really are in trouble its about time these guys were held accountable for what they are doing or saying.
ReplyDeleteAs for them being worried, I think these guys are too smug and arrogant too worry, I think they realized their opponents had some good sound arguments and they were forced to defend their position and justify what they are doing.
Did you here any of Bush's speech yesterday, he addressed the Abramoff issue, he adressed the executive branch becoming too powerful and checks and balances and he addressed his right to spy on Americans. Now I think he'll just sit back see what the polls say and if there is not an overwhelmingly negative reaction to what he said he'll continue to push the envelope. If there is an over whelmingly negative reaction then Drewl could very well be right and something bad could happen, I too find it a little strange that a Bin Laden tape is released right when he is under fire, now he goes on record saying he needs to do what he is doing to keep us safe, it would be a real tragedy if something terrible did happen although the timing would be just right for the agenda he is pushing down our throats.
Kirk your Stepford Wives analogy is great, your absolutely right these people are just blindly loyal to Bush NO MATTER WHAT he does. I also think you made a good point that he is trying to convince the people who are indifferent or only moderately against what he is doing, but at the same time I think he is attempting to justify an expansion of the scope of the Executive Branch's powers and lay the groundwork for future actions along these lines that push the envelope further.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with your point that 9/11 could not have been prevented by the spying program, as Worfeus stated earlier Bush received a briefing stating Bin Laden determined to attack US with planes, and he ignored it, you cant get much plainer than that.
Mike
Worfeus, I really hope i'm wrong and your right, I just dont see Bush and co. as worried and doing emergency dammage control, I think these guys are too smug and arrogant too worry, I think they realized their opponents had some good sound arguments and they were forced to defend their position and justify what they are doing.
ReplyDeleteI think this is the first time people opposed to what he is doing have publicly showed any signs of life by calling him on what is going on, its long overdue, and its a great start, its the first time he was really forced to defend what he is doing and justify his actions, however at this point I really think its a stretch to say he is on the ropes or in trouble, to use a movie analogy, I think Rocky just showed Apollo Creed that he can be hit.
That being said could you expand on excactly why you think he's in trouble Worf, I think you have more perspective and are definately more knowledgable about politics and history than I am and I respect and value your opinion and would really like to hear more on why you think he's in trouble. I really hope your right, as 2 1/2 more years with this guy is not a pleasant thought.
Mike
BTW anyone hear that Ford and GM are both laying off 30,000 people. Thats 60,000 well paying middle class jobs just disapearing, now i'm not saying this is completely Bush's fault as globalization is a major factor, wages are far lower in 3 world countries and its been a trend for a while now that production has been moving to these low wage countries. But Bush hasnt addressed the shrinking middle class and loss good paying jobs in either his policies or his speeches, he's too concerned with waging war and seizing power. Same with his handling of domestic disasters like the Hurricaine in New Orleans, he's more concerned with the War in Iraq and grabbing more power than helping our own citizens who are in need.Its obvious to me this guy is not looking out for our best interests as he so benevolently claims.
ReplyDeleteMike
Didn't Bush say something to the effect that he will obey and adhere to international law and wont allow prisoners or detainees to be mistreated. Guess he forgot to say "read my lips"
ReplyDeleteMike
For the record he said that in yesterdays speech.
ReplyDeleteMike
...And if you go chasing rabbits
ReplyDeleteAnd you know you're going to fall
Tell 'em a hookah, smokin caterpillar
Has given you the call
Call Alice
When she was just small
When the men on the chessboard
Get up and tell you where to go
And you've just had some kind of mushroom
And your mind is moving low
Go ask Alice
I think she'll know
When logic and proportion
Have fallen sloppy dead,
And the White Knight is talking backwards
And the Red Queen's "off with her head!"
Remember, what the doormouse said :
"Feed your head."
Grace Slick
Mmmoooo....
Johnny moo moo
Ghost of Worfeus said :
ReplyDelete".. but he's our stumbling bumpkin."
Thats a true American.
Cool
Johnny moo moo
Regarding the apparent kidnapping of insurgents' wives by the U.S....didn't we just finish saying a couple of days ago regarding Jill Carroll that we don't negotiate with terrorists? So what are we doing? We're kidnapping people in order to negotiate with terrorists. "You surrender and we'll release your wives." Doesn't sound a whole lot different than what we heard from Carroll's abductors: "Release the female prisoners or we'll kill Jill Carroll."
ReplyDeleteSo who's engaging in terrorist activity now?
And if the insurgents have their wives around to be kidnapped, are they terrorists or are they freedom fighters? As the saying goes, one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. No doubt, the colonial revolutionaries of the 1770s would have been referred to as "terrorists" in today's lingo by the British. Many were hung for treason. Yet we, rightfully, celebrate them as patriots and heroes battling an evil kingdom. Is it really much different today, but with the shoe on the other foot?
Ah, the irony!
Worfeu said :
ReplyDelete"Please elaborate."
Im saying the answer is inside the rabbit hole. Sounds crazy, but I stand by it.
You did say, "my head hurts" and you got me thinkin again.
Johnny moo moo
I hear ya Drewl.
ReplyDeleteJohnny moo moo
BAD NEWS KIDDIES.....
ReplyDelete"Sixty-four percent (64%) of Americans believe the National Security Agency (NSA) should be allowed to intercept telephone conversations between terrorism suspects in other countries and people living in the United States. A Rasmussen Reports survey found that just 23% disagree."
"Eighty-one percent (81%) of Republicans believe the NSA should be allowed to listen in on conversations between terror suspects and people living in the United States. That view is shared by 51% of Democrats and 57% of those not affiliated with either major political party."
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2005/NSA.htm
ONE MORE...
ReplyDelete"57% Americans support military action in Iran"
"The poll results suggest that the difficulties the United States has encountered in Iraq have not turned the public against the possibility of military actions elsewhere in the Middle East."
-Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/821b8e1c-8f47-11da-b430-0000779e2340.html
Drool said...
ReplyDelete"As the saying goes, one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. No doubt, the colonial revolutionaries of the 1770s would have been referred to as "terrorists" in today's lingo by the British. Many were hung for treason. Yet we, rightfully, celebrate them as patriots and heroes battling an evil kingdom. Is it really much different today, but with the shoe on the other foot?"
...actually Drool, WE came here to escape religeous persecution, we DIDN'T go back to England to kill the British because of THIER religeon....
Moo!!!
ReplyDeleteJohnny moo moo
While I do agree some form of surveillance is needed, I suggest there may be a bit of overkill concerning the safety of civilians.
ReplyDeleteJohnny moo moo
Ghost of Wussiest...
ReplyDeleteKeep on believing that brother...
heh heh heh...
It's quite comical, as Kirk correctly pointed out, that terrorists are going to do bomb plots over a live connection :D
ReplyDeleteJohnny moo moo
I personally would prefer living like Grizzly Adams than be monitored from a government my whole life that simply supplies its own scenario.
ReplyDeleteJohnny moo moo
What Im really saying Worf is: The present state of surveillance is extremely unbalanced for the real danger at hand and the number of deaths due to it.
ReplyDeleteThis corresponds with your 11:57 pm post.
Johnny moo moo
Voltaire seems to have forgotten his history lessons. The American colonies were just that, colonies of the British empire. Britain effectively owned and controlled them. "We" were under their rule (my ancestors were all Brits at the time, so I suppose I should support the other side! ;-)). And the revolutionary war wasn't about religion (note the spelling, by the way) as much as it was about taxation without representation. The King taxed the colonies, which had no say in the matter. The colonists - many of them, anyway - decided that they wanted self-determination rather than being forced to be part of the British Empire. So they fought to force the Brits out.
ReplyDeleteAnd it seems that you are confusing the war in Iraq with the terrorists who attacked on 9/11. I see you've been dipping your ladle into the trough of neo-con kool-aid again. Tsk, tsk. That stuff will mess you up! Time for a nice dose of reality.
GOW...hadn't heard or read about Cindy Sheehan's visit with Chavez. Seems kind of odd to me. I certainly support her anti-war sentiment, but I think going to visit Chavez is a bit off-topic for her. I think it also may undermine her message, which is a good one. I'd like to learn some more about her visit before I make any scathing judgments.
ReplyDeleteI didnt know you had a sense of homour Drewl. That is how you spell religion.
ReplyDeleteThanx, I forgot.
Johnny moo moo
Atheist
Nevertheless, all terrorists should have their turbans ripped big time. However, I really dont want a spy checking me out through my monitor while I'm picking my nose.
ReplyDeleteJohnny moo moo
Worfeus said "We need to not miss the point I have made earlier, that ALL calls are being screened, or monitored digitally.And this data is being Warehoused.
ReplyDeleteAnd laws need to be passed that this data, cannot be used against Americans for anything OTHER than in prosecuting actual terrorisim."
I think you are right that ALL calls are being monitored, and we do need to insure that it is not used for anything other than terrorism, but this brings me back to Bush's speech he assured everone that they are ONLY monitoring calls out of the country to known or suspected terrorists, then when someone asked for further info, Bush dismissed him and said something to the effect that he doesnt have to explain how the program works because then that will help the terrorists, he said his JOB is to do whatever it takes to keep the the American public safe.
I'm continually amazed that Bush can just smugly dismiss legitimate questions regarding his blatently invasive and illegal spy program and for the most part no one calls him on it.
Hope i'm not being obnoxious and beating a dead horse hear Worf, but i'm really curious to hear you say way you think he's in serious trouble this time, maybe your right and i'm overlooking or missing something, but as stated in an earlier post, this is the first real signs of life i've seen out of people opposed to his policies and its a great start, I think he was forced to defend his position finally, but from my perspective it doesnt really look like he's on the ropes or seriously worried
I dont know Worf - Why do I remind you of Bill Maher? I clearly remember him on the Howard Stern show attempting to have an intelligent debate with Beetle Juice, Crackhead Bob, etc...He was GREAT. Super cool if I remember correctly.
ReplyDeleteJohnny moo moo
BTW Drewl, that was a great 4:28PM post, we really do need to be open to others perspectives and points of view, I was planning on responding to that post also, but after your reply there was really no need.
ReplyDeleteI've got to drop by and check out your blog as well, because you really have a lot of interesting and insightful things to say, only problem is its difficult for me to find the time to post here and the few message boards I frequent
Mike
ReplyDeleteWhile your concerns may be very well founded, dont forget to - STAY FROSTY. :D
Johnny moo moo
Drewl, you raised another interesting point, in his speech yesterday Bush claimed we will not negotiate with terrorists, and yet our military is kidnapping people in order to negotiate with terrorists.
ReplyDeleteWe need our leaders and the media to stop playing dead and call this guy on this garbage and hold him accountable, if a bunch of nobodies like us can see how transparent this is then I expect our leaders and the Media to do the same.
I too am a Bill Maher fan, and I remember a quote from him to the effect that we at least expect our leaders who run our country to be as smart or smarter than we are and he was refering to Bush when he said that
btw johnny, what did you mean with that Whie Rabbit/alice in Woderland post, that and Worf's Chavez post kind of went right over my head
ReplyDeleteJohnny, do you think if we say "George Bush Sucks!!!!" once or twice everytime we make a phone call it might overload or short circuit all those super secret spy computers, or do you just think George's ears will be constantly ringing. :D
ReplyDeleteIm certainly am not a NOBODY Mike.
ReplyDeleteJohnny moo moo
of course your not a nobody Johnny, you are from Toronto after all, I was refering to us American nobodies.
ReplyDeleteBTW Johnny was your Alice in Wonderland Motif a veiled reference to Dick Cheney, because I know he really enjoys hiding in Rabbit holes :D
Mike
ReplyDeleteHave to pick up Lil Miss moo moo from work. Be right back. No dinner this time.
Johnny moo moo
Mike
ReplyDeleteI knew what you meant. I took what you said out of context on purpose. Still, nobody is a nobody.
My rabbit hole thing is something I suspect only Lydia and Worfeus may understand. They have both been there and know where Im coming from.
Johnny moo moo
ABSOLUTELY! Always ask Alice first. I think she knows. :D
ReplyDeleteJohnny moo moo
Mike
ReplyDeleteThe super spy computers are very real. Worfeus is not kidding when discussing the seriousness of this.
Im ready to befriend a grizzly bear.
Johnny moo moo
What your saying makes sense Worf, but let me just summarize to make sure I have it right, your basically saying every call is being recorded, but only the calls where one party is outside the USA and certain keywords are mentioned are montored further by humans? is that right?
ReplyDeleteI agree on the seriousness of this issue Johnny, i am STRONLY OPPOSED to the spying as I feel no good can come out of it, while there is a vast potential for misuse and outright evil.
ReplyDeleteCare to elaborate on the White Rabbit thing (or not) but you got my curiosity peaked now.
Mike
ReplyDeleteYears of study, including war, philosophy, psychology, and religion. It is almost impossible for me to go further.
I would love a debate with Victor Frankl.
Johnny moo moo
Ok heres another question, Lydia recently updated the blog and mentioned that Donald Rumsfeld has a large stake in the company that makes the vacine for the Avian Flu, and that is why we have been hearing about it to the point of nausea for the last couple of months, what is funny to me is I was speaking with my family about this around a month ago and I remember saying I am so sick of hearing about this all the time, its almost like someone in the government or media owns stock in the company that makes the antidote and is trying to pump and dump the stock, and lo and behold I was right thanks to good old RUMSY.
ReplyDeleteNow heres my question is it illegal or merely unethical for government officials to knowingly hold large stakes in companies like this, I was always under the impression government officials had to put their holdings in blind trusts to avoid conflicts of interest like this. So again is it mandatory for people like Bush and Rumsfeld to put all their holdings in blind trusts or is it merely the RIGHT thjing to do?
Mike
ReplyDeletePolitics and religion seem very frivolous to me. I believe there is a much bigger picture.
Johnny moo moo
Who is Victor frankl I had 3 people ask for his book around Christmas,
ReplyDeleteBtw Johnny, I was a psychology major in college and a poker fanatic so I think i'm pretty intuitive and can read people pretty well and get inide their heads.
you are on the other are pretty philosophical, as for religion i'd say blank for both of us
I couldnt agree more that politics and relgion are frivolous Johnny, the only reason I am speaking out about our political leaders now is that I am strongly opposed to their policies and the path they are leading us down and I seriously doubt their integrity and the purity of their intentions.
ReplyDeleteWorfeus do you have a background in Telecom or with the FCC, just curious because you seem really knowledgable on the subject.
ReplyDeleteAlso If the government installed all the infrastructure to record calls you would think that people at the telecom companies would be aware of this and word would have got out about this a while ago. I mean I think this is a serious issue, very Orwellian and unnerving as Kirk would say
Mike
ReplyDeleteI am very unimpressed with pompous psychologists and would prefer to discuss Victor Frankl with Lydia someday.
Victor Frankl was a concentration camp victim who had luck on his side. I do, however, believe in his love thesis. Something a psychologist, with all his/her wisdom, could never supply to a world that desperately needs love, without paying 200.00$ hr for it.
Johnny moo moo
What Im really trying to say is: The best Psychologist/psychiatrist on the planet cannot supply what the world really needs... and that is Ummm..gulp...LOVE.
ReplyDeleteJohnny moo moo
wow, thats kind of scary, do you think he will be allowed to continue with the spying or do you think reasonable minds will be prevail and it will be stopped.
ReplyDeleteI mean I have nothing to hide, but I am worried about how the information can be used down the road.
LOL Worf
ReplyDeleteI dont know - Should I care?
Johnny moo moo
people have said that for years, who do you think is the power if that is the case, Chenney or Rove or both?
ReplyDeleteFor me thats part of why its so cool debating and talking with you guys because your a little older and have seen much more and have more perspective, I was a little kid during the Nixon impeachment, but I can remember thinking what a bunch of cronies I cant stand these guys and I feel the same about the current administration and the funny thing is a lot of the same guys were in both administrations.
all right Worf this ones for you isnt there a quote in the bible something like "and the mighty shall be brought low" again i'm not religious and I know nothing of the bible but I always liked that quote (just hope I was close and didnt butcher it too much) hopefully it will be applicable to this situation
ReplyDeleteI dont want to sound like a fairy or anything, and maybe Lydia has gotten to me a little bit, BUT !
ReplyDeleteAre you you really willing to tell me Worf you wouldnt appreciate a little bit more love in your life?
Johnny moo moo
Atheist
Man Bush did look kind of haggard, he looked like he aged 10 years, he's looking more like his father.
ReplyDeleteHey Johnny just curious have you ever gone to Western Canada, the Canadian Rockies in particular?
ReplyDeleteThe word love is very scary to me, and I am only considering it because Lydia says its cool or something.
ReplyDeleteIs it cool Worf, or should I not care?
Johnny moo moo
Well Worf, I love ya as a friend.
ReplyDeleteJohnny moo moo
Atheist
I did like that Worf
ReplyDeleteMake love not war works for me as well
Johnny heres my 2 cents as well i'd keep an open mind, but ultimately you have to believe or do whats right for you, not what someone else thinks is right or cool
What do you guys think of my 7:36PM post, do you think it is mandatory to put your holdings in a blind trust if you are a government official or is it just the ethical thing to do
ReplyDeleteAlso who would you consider the power in our government Chenney or Rove or both
Friendships counted for a great deal during the war, their value perhaps increased by the generalized hate, consolidatig men on the same side in friendships which never would have broken through the ordinary barriers of peacetime life.
ReplyDeleteGuy Sajer
Forgotten Soldier
Johnny moo moo
Nite everyone.... Im toast.
ReplyDeleteJohnny moo moo
My goodness,you liberals sure do have quite a bit of anger.Here's a hint,why dont you go out and win a national election?
ReplyDeleteWE DID WIN THE NATIONAL ELECTION - TWICE.
ReplyDeleteWE ARE THE ONLY NATION IN THE WORLD THAT INSTALLED PAPERLESS, TRACELESS ELECTRONIC VOTING MACHINES.....just in time for this last election. Find out who owns Diebold and how the machines were hacked in Florida -- in an experiment, with no evidence of tampering. The votes were actually flip-switched and Diebold had to admit the truth. State by state we have to get back PAPER BALLOTS.
That were hacked -- read the Dieb-throat story.
Sorry Mike for not answering your Western Canada question. Ghost of Worfeus and I were just tickling each others brains.
ReplyDeleteI have been to British Columbia many times and its beautiful. Actually, my dream is to build a nice, little log cabin style home there; up in the mountains overlooking a clear blue lake :)
Sounds like a plan to me Johnny, make sure you invite me to this Mountain retreat, actually i've always wanted to see the Canadian Rockies, that or driving up the California and West Coast will probably be my next big vacation 1n 2007 or 2008, I travel to South Florida a bunch of times a year and Buffalo once or twice a year but havent gone any where else in about 6 years. I too would love a second home in the mountains on a lake but that will have to wait till I retire if i'm lucky enough.
ReplyDeleteMike
Johnny did say his "Dream", if i'm dreaming its going to be 2 houses with one in the mountains on a lake and with a 10-15 car garage for all my toys, may as well dream big right :D
ReplyDeleteMike
For Christ sake anonmymous "Diebold"? You twits will be on the grassy knoll next.No wonder you people cant lead anything.Idiots.
ReplyDeleteANONYMOUS: What does this mean? YOur comment about the grassy knoll and twits? Do you not know about the hack test at Diebold in Florida? I wonder why.
ReplyDeleteLets all guess just when the next liberal will be president.Let me see...never.
ReplyDeleteHey worfeus,your pocket protector is leaking ink.
ReplyDeleteDiebold in Florida
ReplyDeleteBy SUSAN PYNCHON
I was one of ten people present at the "hack" of the Leon County, Florida voting system, which took place on Tuesday, December 13, 2005 around 4:30 in the afternoon at the county elections warehouse. Leon County's voting system is the Diebold Accu-Vote OS 1.94w (optical scan).
The Leon County Supervisor of Elections, Ion Sancho, authorized a "test" of his Diebold voting system to see if election results could be altered using only a memory card. Harri Hursti, a computer programmer from Finland facilitated the test and it has come to be known as the "Harri Hursti Hack."
What follows is my description of that hack and its significance for our nation, which I hope will correct much of the misinformation circulating regarding this event.
To select which voting machine to use for the test, Ion drew a serial number of one voting machine from a container holding all the serial numbers of all the Leon County machines...
......And there, on the central tabulator screen, appeared the altered results: Seven "Yes" votes and one "No" vote, with absolutely no evidence that anything had been altered. It was a powerful moment and, I will admit, it had the unexpected result for me personally of causing me to break down and cry. Why did I cry? It was the last thing I thought I would do, but it happened for so many reasons. I cried because it was so clear that Diebold had been lying. I cried because there was proof, before my very eyes, that these machines were every bit as bad as we all had feared. I cried because we have been so unjustly attacked as "conspiracy theorists" and "technophobes" when Diebold knew full well that its voting system could alter election results. More than that, that Diebold planned to have a voting system that could alter results. And I cried because it suddenly hit me, like a Mack truck, that this was proof positive that our democracy is and has been, as we have all feared, truly at the mercy of unscrupulous vendors who are producing electronic voting machines that can change election results without detection.
Beyond this, however, what is the real significance of the "Harri Hursti hack?" There are several answers to that question.
First of all, the Hursti hack reveals only one vulnerability in an almost unlimited number of potential flaws or vulnerabilities in electronic voting systems (both op-scans and DREs). However, the Hursti hack is individually significant because the flaw it exposed is a planned vulnerability in the system, not something that is accidentally there. It had to be PUT there (programmed) on purpose. For Diebold to claim innocence about this would be absurd. It would be like saying you didn't know your garage had a door while you were standing there holding the garage door opener. Or, because this security vulnerability is so huge, it would more accurately be like saying you didn't know your house had a garage at all!!
Since something like 95% of computer scientists agree that electronic voting machines (op-scans and DREs) have an almost infinite number of potential flaws or vulnerabilities, the Hursti hack shows, above all, THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING PAPER BALLOTS for an independent confirmation of machine results.
"To be fair to Diebold, the Hursti Hack requires a moderate level of inside access, however it does not require a password and it is the same level of access given thousands of poll workers across the USA"
ReplyDelete-So not just anybody could walk in and do it....
And poll workers are taken from BOTH parties and I'm sure they watch each other like a hawk. Especially in Floriduh...
I also see Cindy Al-Sheehani is considering running for DiFi's seat...
ReplyDeleteOf course her manager/organizer Medea Benjamin (Code Pinko/communist) tried it herself once or twice and lost even in Berzerkely....
Lydia said: Bush said, in 2002, "Wiretapping requires a court order." Now he says, "The FISA law was written in 1978.
ReplyDeleteWe're having the discussion in 2006. It's a different world." How convenient. THE TEN COMMANDMENTS were made over 2000 years ago. It's a different world, aren't you going to change them? (paraphrased from Randi Rhodes on Air America yesterday.)
Excellent point, Lyd (and Randi)! And while they're at it, they might as well change the Constitution since it's over 200 years old.
Oh, wait. That's right. They ARE trying to change the Constitution. Silly me. General Hayden has already removed probable cause from the Fourth Amendment. Can't wait to find out what gets erased next.
It's pretty silly to think that a law passed in 1978 is out of date. That's just ridiculous. And even if it needed some updating, they could have done that. But they chose not to. And we need to know why. We DESERVE to know why. And we all need to demand that they come clean on it. NOW!
drool said...
ReplyDelete"It's pretty silly to think that a law passed in 1978 is out of date. That's just ridiculous."
Yeah, silly to think a 30 year old law made before disposable cell phones, satellite phones and the internet is outdated....
Communist Goals (1963) Congressional Record--Appendix, pp. A34-A35
ReplyDeleteJanuary 10, 1963
Current Communist Goals EXTENSION OF REMARKS OF HON. A. S. HERLONG,
JR. OF FLORIDA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Thursday, January 10,
1963 .
Mr. HERLONG. Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Patricia Nordman of De Land, Fla., is
an ardent and articulate opponent of communism, and until recently
published the De Land Courier, which she dedicated to the purpose of
alerting the public to the dangers of communism in America.
At Mrs. Nordman's request, I include in the RECORD, under unanimous
consent, the following "Current Communist Goals," which she
identifies as an excerpt from "The Naked Communist," by Cleon
Skousen:
1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic
war.
2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in
atomic war.
3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament [by] the United
States would be a demonstration of moral strength.
4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist
affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for
war.
5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.
6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist
domination.
7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.
8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of
Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free
elections under supervision of the U.N.
9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United
States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in
progress.
10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.
11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is
rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with
its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe
the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow.
Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now
doing in the Congo.)
12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.
13. Do away with all loyalty oaths.
14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.
15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United
States.
-guess which one got captured?
16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American
institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.
17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for
socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum.
Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in
textbooks.
18. Gain control of all student newspapers.
19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or
organizations which are under Communist attack.
20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments,
editorial writing, policy-making positions.
21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.
22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of
artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told
to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings,
substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms."
23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is
to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art."
24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling
them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.
25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting
pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures,
radio, and TV.
26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal,
natural, healthy."
27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion
with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need
for intellectual maturity, which does not need a "religious crutch."
28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the
schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation
of church and state."
29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate,
old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to
cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.
30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish
aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."
31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the
teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor
part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history
since the Communists took over.
32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over
any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare
programs, mental health clinics, etc.
33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the
operation of the Communist apparatus.
34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.
35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.
36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.
37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.
38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social
agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders
which no one but psychiatrists can understand [or treat].
39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws
as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose
Communist goals.
40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity
and easy divorce.
41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative
influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and
retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.
42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are
legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and
special-interest groups should rise up and use ["]united force["] to
solve economic, political or social problems.
43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are
ready for self-government.
44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.
45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot
prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction [over domestic
problems. Give the World Court jurisdiction] over nations and
individuals alike.
Voltaire said:
ReplyDeleteYeah, silly to think a 30 year old law made before disposable cell phones, satellite phones and the internet is outdated....
You Voltaire, have fallen into the trap of putting style over substance. What do the externals (cell phones, etc.) have to do with it? Principle never changes. The law is based on basic principles which protect the basic foundation of our democracy.
"The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, known as FISA, was passed by Congress after revelations of domestic surveillance abuses (Watergate/Nixon.) It created a secret court to review surveillance requests and issue warrants, specifically allowing for retroactive approval in emergency situations.
Voltaire and other right-wingers: You see, we probably wouldn't be so upset by this if we trusted out president on all the other things he has done. But he has tipped the scale toward fascism to concentrate power in the executive branch -- the very thing our forefathers warned against, no matter what the circumstances. Check and balances are vital for this very reason.
Bush lying about the war, his insane rush to war, his inability to reflect deeply or ponder his own intransigence, his slow reaction to Katrina, his arrogance with the environment, his inability to make wise appointments that don't involve nepotism, his choice of Alito -- a man who shows none of the qualities of a compassionate "judge" who cares about people, as Solomon was; his bizarre Social Security agenda, his LYING ABOUT JACK ABRAMOFF BEING ON HIS TRANSITION TEAM, his team itself with Scooter Libby and Rove outing Valerie Plame -- and of course his FLIPPANT ATTITUDE ABOUT BREAKING THE LAW in this 4th amendment issue -- all these things have really set off red flags.
Who in his right mind would trust this man? And you wonder why we don't trust him when he says he's just spying on international calls to Al Queda? If he were a good person whom we trusted, we'd be on his side.
I have a feeling they want this information to formulate a strategy -- to find out where their base is, to ostracize certain people and find out their reading/buying/voting habits. To maybe prevent whole communities from voting -- or even worse.
Do you feel that you can still say anything if you're on the opposite side of Ann Coulter? Why does she get to yell fire in a crowded theater -- and no one stops her? Why are any opposing views relegated to alternative media?
"But the law has been modified several times since 1978, including in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, when the length of an emergency surveillance before seeking a retroactive warrant was tripled from 24 hours to 72 hours."
``The idea that this law is some kind of dinosaur is a misunderstanding,'' said Steven Aftergood, director of the Project on Government Secrecy at the Federation of American Scientists, who has studied FISA.
"FISA was instituted at a time when a wiretap consisted of rerouting the phone calls of a specific suspect who was part of an ongoing investigation and then listening to or recording them. Wiretaps were a tool for figuring out what a known bad guy was doing and gathering evidence to use against him in a court case. When you went to get a warrant for a wire tap you knew who you were spying on, who he was likely to be calling and were working with a limited and identifiable number of people and phones he could be calling from and to.
ReplyDeleteWith modern phone technology traditional wiretaps have become increasingly ineffective. Cell phones, satellite phones, internet VOIP technology, and common availability of high-quality encryption have made it much more difficult to listen in on a phonecall assuming you can even figure out what phone a suspect is likely to be using. When a terrorist can just stop in at 7-11 and get a new cell phone for $50 and then throw it away after his phonecall, how are you supposed to know what line he is likely to be calling from or even know when he's making a phonecall at all?"
"Digital data mining doesn't work well at all with FISA, which was designed on the assumptions of an analog era. Under FISA the NSA would have to request a warrant for every single phonecall which was automatically picked up and recorded by their data mining software within 3 days. Let's say they were monitoring calls in a largely Arab neighborhood in Detroit. That might mean going through thousands of phonecalls, translating them from Arabic to English and sorting them to find the relevant ones all within that three day limit set by FISA. Even though they're hiring every Arabic speaking person who can pass a background check, they just don't have the resources to do this in the time frame required. Even if they did, it would put them in a position where they have to process thousands of irrelevant warrants just to meet the requirements of FISA - a huge paperwork burden to further reduce their efficiency.
Another problem was introduced by the passage of an amendment to FISA in 2003. This amendment limited monitoring to non-US citizens or people outside of the US, but data mining has no way of determining where participants in a phonecall are or what their nationality is before it automatically initiates monitoring of a phonecall, so since the passage of this amendment data mining operations have almost automatically been in violation of the FISA law. As a result, starting in 2003 the FISA court began rejecting or modifying a great many warrants which would have been been more or less automatically approved prior to that time."
http://www.fontcraft.com/csa/politicscomments.php?id=483_0_7_0_C
Lydia said,
ReplyDelete"Principle never changes"
"He’s proud of himself for never changing his mind..."
"I don’t want a Supreme Court justice that doesn’t change his or her mind in 20 years..."
Principle never changes:
ReplyDeleteGoing to war is not "a principle"
Being stubborn is not a "principle", does not connote good (Godly) principes.
When making such an ominous decision as whether to commit young lives to war, great men question the validity of their thoughts, do not arrogantly claim they are talking to God (as Bush did.) They do not refuse to deeply weigh the consequences, the "exit strategy", the repurcussions, the enemy's wrath, the clergy's advice, the Pandora's box. Wise men do not skew the evidence, lie to the people, rush to war and claim victory before the pullout.
Principle: A basic truth, law, or assumption: the principles of democracy. A rule or standard, especially of good behavior.
Read Covey's book, The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People". Principles of good business are: fairness, truth, honesty, justice, democracy, unselfishness, compassion..
All great men ponder, reflect, consult spiritual advisers and ask questions, doubt their own minds and weigh consequences.
‘To have doubted one’s own first principles, is the mark of a civilized man.’ — Ralph Waldo Emerson
‘Let every student of nature take this as his rule that whatever the mind seizes upon with particular satisfaction is to be held in suspicion.’ — Francis Bacon
‘If a Man will begin with certainties, he will end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts he will end in certainties.’ — Francis Bacon
‘If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things.’ — René Descartes
‘I can live with doubt and uncertainty and not knowing. I think it is much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers that might be wrong.’ — Richard P. Feynman
‘The way to be safe is never to be secure.’ — Benjamin Franklin
‘Doubt is the father of invention.’
— Galileo Galilei
‘Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it.’
— André Gide
‘We know accurately only when we know little; with knowledge doubt enters.’ — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
‘In all affairs it’s a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted.’
— Bertrand Russell
‘Modest doubt is call’d the beacon of the wise.’
— William Shakespeare
‘Doubt is the beginning, not the end, of wisdom.’ — George Iles
Voltaire said...
ReplyDeleteLydia said, "Principle never changes"
"(Bush) is proud of himself for never changing his mind..."
WHO SAID HIS MIND IS PRINCIPLED?
Communism makes my blood boil; it just plain sucks! While not infallible: Long live DEMOCRACY and all its cool freedoms. May it be preserved until the sun explodes.
ReplyDeleteI believe in "Freedom of Religion" 100%. I, in no way, desire a state similiar to that of Marx's writings on religion.
Freedom is indescribably sacred, and must be preserved despite my belief that religion does more harm than good.
Mike:
Good vs Evil
I dont want to freak you out or anything, however, I suggest mankind itself, and its search for utopia is a never-ending evolution....in other words ...the rabbit hole is bottomless.
Johnny moo moo
Is it my imagination or is Ted Kennedy's head getting bigger?
ReplyDeleteHas anyone noticed that in most still photo's of Nancy Pelosi she has this wide eyed surprised look on her face like someone has snuck up behind her and rammed a broom handle up her kiester. It might be that rascal Harry Reid at work.
ReplyDeleteI recently read an article that said John Kennedy never really wanted to run for office,in fact he wanted to be a boxer,but (rim shot here) he could'nt take a shot to the head. I'm here all week,try the veal.
ReplyDeleteMadam Hillary ... said the Bush administration "will go down in history as one of the worst that has ever governed our country." While Hillary is certainly qualified to comment on what the all-time worst presidential administrations were, having had firsthand experience in one of them, I think she might want to avoid the phrase "go down in history."
ReplyDelete-Ann Coulter