Homeland Security Wants Unprecedented Access To Personal Data

Would you feel safer if the Government had unlimited access to all your personal information? Credit card info, banking, telephone, Internet, mail, library records and more? The typical response is, "well if I am not doing anything wrong why not?" Why not changes to why do you need that when the motives behind the snooping is questionable.

Remember that the Bush administration claimed that they had evidence of WMD in Iraq. That Iraq and Al Qaeda were linked. That Iraq was seeking yellow cake uranium from Niger. The list of lies by Bush and company grows longer every day, and that should make you a bit skeptical about them seeking more power and information about your private life.

Certhoff now wants an unprecedented amount of data about travelers. Will this make us safer? I doubt it. This is the same department that let New Orleans drown and still refuses to screen containers for possible bombs. Why do they need this info? Well, enough of the questions. Personally, I sincerely believe they will either not be able to process so much new information, or will use it to find political enemies rather than terrorists. Remember that these guys had no problem compromising our security and outing a CIA operative just to destroy a political career of a whistleblower.

Vermont Town Wants To Ban Nudity

Coming from Texas, this is a really weird story to me. You see, here in the Bible Belt, not wearing clothes is something akin to murder, maybe worse. I suspect there are Bible thumpers who take baths in bathing suits and have never seen another human being naked. The straight-laced zanies here would explode during Brattleboro Vermont’s "Breast Fest" where thousands of women paraded topless down main street.

Seems that there is no ordinance against public nudity in Vermont, and consequently sunny days bring a number of nude sunbathers to local parks and parking lots. It sounds very European to me. In many European countries the rare sunny day is a time to soak up any rays you can . Topless sunbathers are common, even in city parks.

Now someone got their panties in a wad and want nudity banned. What a pity. Before this nobody thought sun bathing nude was wrong. It was just natural. Now that we have moralists trying to impose their views on the public it’s become a "sin".

Republican Pundit Asks, "Is Bush An Idiot?" Naw, He's Probably Just Drunk.

Sounding at times delusional in the news conference, it seems that Bush is even having trouble with his Neocon stooges. Joe Scarborough, former Republican congressman and staunch supporter hosted a segment on MSNBC titles, "Is Bush an Idiot?"

Not exactly the kind of stuff you want to hear from the right when you are under fire from the left already. What’s more worrisome is the ad-lib remarks made earlier to the press where Bush could not even finish a sentence coherently.

If I were a betting man, I would say Bush needs a meeting really bad, and probably should consider treatment. On the good side, he admitted today that Iraq never had anything to do with Al-Queda or 9/11. Maybe this is part of his 4h step. There but for the grace of God go I.

CNN Features Really Scary Graphics! Are You Afraid Now?

Booga, booga, booga! There are you afraid now? No? How about this? Terror, terrorists, living in your neighborhood, on your street, NEXT DOOR!!!! Afraid now?

No? Then you are like most Americans. You aren't buying it anymore. Yes there are terrorists out there and they are probably in the country already, they were on 9/11 and the will be in the future. Should we cower in fear and let the Bush administration take away more rights? Hell no.

That is the opinion of most people in this country and it shows in the lack of gain in Bush’s approval ratings after the British terror plot was foiled. Even after the spate of non-news reports of planes stopping to unload delusional passengers, and mistaken bomb sniffing dogs in Italy. There will be terrorists until our policies change and most folks know that.

Now CNN joins Faux News in trying to scare people. Their new TERROR 2.0 banners are almost ludicrous in their obvious pandering to fear. You have to wonder who is feeding them this crap.

Cheney And Friends Cooking The Books On Iranian Uranium Claims

So if you were Vice President, who would you turn to for matters of intelligence. The CIA, NSA, FBI? Not if you are Dick Cheney, you ask your friend Abram Shulsky, former director of the Office of Special Plans in the Defense Department. Former, you ask? Yep, now he’s a consultant, and member of the Neocon Project for a New American Century.

I guess it’s not surprising, since this administration is guided by their ideals and beliefs rather than fact. If the facts don’t fit, make them up. And that is apparently what’s happening with the intelligence on the nuclear programs of Iran. According to a story printed today in "Raw Story":

"Several foreign policy experts, who wish to remain anonymous, have expressed
serious concern that much like the OSP, the ID is manipulating, cherry picking,
and perhaps even -- as some suspect -- cooking intelligence to lead the U.S.
into another conflict, this time with Iran."

The ID is the Iran Directorate, a spin off from the OSP and an organization that has Shulsky as a consultant.

If this all sounds familiar, it is. Remember the Niger Yellow Cake Uranium crap? Looks like this "special" intelligence division, which has earned the skepticism of real intelligence organizations like the CIA is feeding Cheney and Bush what they want to hear and more importantly, what they can use to keep our country afraid. Read a little Machiavelli, and you’ll find how useful fear is in controlling a population.

Yet Another Flaw In Diebold Voting Machines

Diebold electronic voting machines are back in the news. Seems a study released yesterday by Election Science Institute of San Francisco, Calif., shows the machines did not keep accurate matching records to a paper backup of the votes. Needless to say the fine folks at Diebold, heavy contributors to the Republican Party, claim the study is flawed.

This should add yet another bullet to the ammunition targeted at these electronic machines. The previous flaw found that the machines could easily be tampered with and votes changes with the simple flick of a switch.

What’s wrong with a paper ballot? So what if we can’t get results instantaneously? At least you can have a fair recount with paper.

Need A Job? Send Gov. Rick Perry A Bushel Of Bucks.

Rick Perry must have gone to the Jack Abramoff School of Politics. He has given 10 of his top donors plum contracts or choice appointments with the state of Texas. Though Perry denies a pay-for-play scenario, it doesn’t take a genius to figure this scam out. Case in point, even the right-wing rag The Dallas Morning News calls this action questionable. And in an election year, the Dallas News running any negative stuff on a Republican is very unusual.

Though personally I find Kinky Friedman appealing, I am going to vote for Chris Bell this year. We need all the registered Democrats we can in Austin. The "ledge" has been out of control for long enough. Time to reign them in.

Free Market Works, Afghanistan Opium Production Hits Record High

Under the Taliban, opium production was eliminated, but now under the benevolent gaze of the free market, it's back and bigger than ever! The production is up over 40% since 2005 hitting a record high, accounting for over 90% of the world’s supply. And for Afghanistan? Well opium now makes up over 52% of the country's gross national product.

Congratulations to all the people in the Bush administration for creating another narco-state! Wonder how bad we can screw up Iraq?

And for those folks who think I am glorifying the Taliban, here’s my answer. They were a bunch of religious zealots and extremists. I have little sympathy for them and pity the Afghan people who had to live under such a repressive regime. Theocracies are always a bad thing; not one has ever worked out well, and most end up committing atrocities in the name of their God. Something to remember here in this country as well.

Homeland Security Chairman Calls For Ethnic & Religious Profiling

Well, yesterday it was a trial balloon on Faux News, today it’s for real. The chairman of the House Homeland Security Commission is calling for extra screening for people of Middle East or South Asian descent. Peter King (R-NY) made the suggestion even though most law enforcement agencies dismiss such and idea.

I suspect the Neocon think tanks have issued this new call in one of their talking point faxes and being a good Republican clone, King is just marching in goose-step with the party line. Coming up next, resettlement communities also known as concentration camps.

Fox News Pundit Calls For "Muslim Only" Line At Airports

The NeoCons have a test site for their wacky ideas to see if hey have any merit at least with possible voters and more importantly campaign contributors. It’s called FOX News. More than once I have seen wacky far right ideas floated by FOX pundits. Some eventually reach the mainstream, while others dies as quickly as they were born.

The latest trial balloon comes from right-wing radio host Mike Gallagher, a guest on "Dayside". He proposed "Muslim Only" lines at airports to assure the screening of Muslims while traveling. Furthermore he said, "most Americans want prejudice. Let’s be prejudiced against those who want to slaughter innocent American men, women and children. It’s time we start exercising some prejudice and stop these bloody terrorists."

To be fair, something FOX rarely does, the host seemed dismayed at his suggestion, but as most people who follow the media know, FOX News does almost nothing that is not carefully scripted or influenced by the Republican spin machine. Was his remark a fluke? Not a chance. This was the old tactic of running it up the flag pole and seeing who salutes. My hope is that America will not fall for this ploy. It’s ultimate extension would be internment and perhaps worse, and that would be about as un-American as things could get.

Bush Cuts Back Presence at World AIDS Conference - Affraid Of Dissent

With the biggest AIDS conference ever in Toronto, in typical Bush fashion, our government cut back out presence from 230 to 50 attendees from the HHS department. The reason? Well seems like Tommy Thompson, HHS director in 2002 was booed by critics because of the meager contributions of the US to the Global AIDS Fund. Guess they don’t like appearing in front of an audience that isn’t hand picked by the GOP to eliminate dissenters.

Lie Detector Tests To Sceen Passengers At US Airports

The Transportation Safety Administration is testing automatic lie-detector booths for possible use in airports. The booths designed in Israel are being tested in the Knoxville, TN airport. I am reminded of the movie "Minority Report" and have to wonder when the psychics will be put into play to detect intent of possible terrorists. Who hates freedom? Funny, looks like the US is behaving that way.

FBI Clears Men Michigan Says Are Terrorists.

So who is telling the truth? Well the FBI now says the 3 Texas men arrested in Michigan with 1000 cell phones have no ties to terrorism. Local prosecutors in Michigan have charged them with terror related activities. Gonna be a hard case to prove with the FBI ringing in like that. Of course they could be held as "enemy combatants" forever and then no one could say anything. Wonder if local folks in Michigan know about that little loophole?

Wonder how many free minutes they have?

Bigots Loose attempt To Get Anti-Gay Initiative On Illinois Ballot

It seems like a small thing, but maybe it’s the beginning of a change in the political wind. Illinois neocons failed to get an initiative banning gay marriage on the November ballot in that state. Of the signatures raised, only 91% proved to be valid and failed to meet requirements for the election.

Ultra right-wing activists with the so called Illinois Family Institute have filed suit against the state saying the process is burdensome and unconstitutional, however observers say getting this discriminatory initiative on the ballot will be impossible this time around.

Now I admit, Illinois is already a pretty blue state, but the radical right insists on beating the God, gays and guns drum for every election. I suspect the nation is starting to march to a different beat, one that wants real issues, like health care, education and real homeland security. Let’s hope real American values win out. Values like tolerance, honesty and fair mindedness.

Bush Approval Back In The Low 30's

Looks like the president has failed to boost his numbers this summer. I hope he thinks about what he has done over his vacation in Crawford. According to a new AP poll he is back down to 33% approval rating, matching his low rating in May of this year. This and his continued poor judgement on almost every international issue has caused many even in his own party to shy away from him.

Guess Joe Lieberman must be feeling a little lonely right now as well.

30% Of Americans Are Brain Dead

OK, so our country is hopelessly stupid. I rarely like to generalize, but when a recent poll showed 30% of Americans can’t remember the year 9/11 happened, we are in big trouble. The attention span of Americans is apparently only a few minutes, so no wonder our leaders lie, cheat and commit war crimes and no one seems to hold them responsible. The awful truth is: THEY CAN’T REMEMBER!

I have to ask myself, is this the result of home schooling, or has the government been putting something in the water?

Justice Kennedy, "The Freedom Of The Next Generation Hangs In The Balance"

When a Supreme Court Justice makes statements like, "the freedom of the next generation hangs in the balance"; my ears automatically perk up. What’s more, when he is speaking to the American Bar Association he is not just using rhetoric.

Justice Kennedy further stated, "We are at another turning point in the history of the law," discussing the independence of the Judiciary branch of government. Sounds to me like we should be concerned.

You can view a video of the speech here.

A New Mexican Revolution?

During the early eighties, I lived in Mexico City. I worked for the a television network, the largest media conglomerate in Mexico at the time. I fell in love with the city and it’s people. Mexico City is like Hollywood, New York Paris and Washington, DC all rolled into one, with no parking and wall to wall pollution. It is like no other city on earth and even though it has monumental problems, it’s still an incredible place.

The reason I left was two-fold. One, my partner at the time lived in Texas and commuting was really putting a strain on our relationship. Two, I saw the incredible poverty and inequity in a frantic economy that left millions to live in cardboard shacks with no water, sewers or electricity. All this in the world’s biggest city in what was touted as a burgeoning first world country.

The truth of Mexico is less romantic than the images we see in tourist publications. If you are well off in Mexico, life is pretty good. You have access to cultural institutions, world class cusine, fabulous housing and all the luxuries life can offer. If you are poor in Mexico, it's a different story.

Every upper class house has a second family living there, they live out back and take care of the house and grounds. They are called housekeepers or gardeners, but they are almost indentured servants who owe the very roof over their head to the houses owner. We even had them at our offices, living in a small building behind the main office.

If you are rich, and there are those who are fabulously wealthy in Mexico, you live like royalty. You never get a traffic ticket, police bribe easily. You drive 8-cylinder gas guzzling cars that are illegal to import, but for the rich nothing is forbidden. And politics? Well, as long as you support the government, at that time the PRI, you could do no wrong.

I found myself on pins and needles waiting for the next revolution that I was sure to come any day. That was over 20 years ago and today it looks like that revolution might just happen. The recent highly disputer election is threatening to wake Mexico from it’s slumber and unleash the millions of ordinary folks who are being used by the corrupt system.

According to an article in Truthout, presidential candidate "Lopez Obrador vowed to defend Mexico's democracy by transforming the country's institutions, which he said have always been subjugated by "money and power." He urged supporters to keep the acts of civil disobedience he began on July 30 peaceful." They are starting to turn ugly, and that will bear watching.

I am torn by all this. On one had I want to cheer on the protests, but on the other hand I know they could tear the country apart. I only pray the Mexico can work through this rough patch and become a true democracy. They have the potential for real greatness, and I will always love the land and people living to my state’s south.

Bob Ney Says Nay To Reelection

I rarely quote scripture, but today seems like a good day for it. Romans 6:23 – "For the wages of sin is death…" Well, at least political death for Bob Ney. The man who got a standing ovation from fellow Republicans when he refused to resign even if indicted in the Abramoff scandal. Well today, 90 days later he has withdraw from the reelection race in Ohio.

Wonder if Conrad Burns of Montana is thinking the same way? He took over $150,000 from Abramoff, more than any other congressperson. "Vengeance is mine," sayeth the voters.

New Survey Shows 50% Of Americans Believe Anything They are Told

Let’s cut to the chase: THERE WERE NO WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION IN IRAQ. So for those 50% of Americans who just can’t seem to figure out the difference between the lies spouted by right-wing talk shows and the lies spouted by our President, the deceiver here it is again. The US, that would be you and me, Americans, funded a 16-month, $900-million-plus investigation. The U.S. weapons hunters known as the Iraq Survey Group declared that Iraq had dismantled its chemical, biological and nuclear arms programs in 1991 under U.N. oversight.

Get it? We searched for 16 months and found ZIP! So screw your head back on straight, (not a sexual reference) and repeat after me, "There were no WMDs".

I guess it’s true, that no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people.