I already mentioned George Will. Here’s some more: Former Rep. Bob Barr (from paper edition of WaPo): The American people are going to have to say, ‘Enough of this business of justifying everything as necessary for the war on terror.’ David Keene, Executive Director of the American Conservative Union, on today’s Diane Rehm Show: Keene: […] Having said that as … Read More
Gay Kisses = Terrorist Threat
I recently reported that the Pentagon was spying on domestic anti-war protest groups — groups which the Pentagon believed posed a threat to national security. NBC broke the story last week when it obtained the Pentagon’s secret database of "suspicious groups" which it had spied upon. You may have heard about some of these groups. Like a group of elderly … Read More
Richard Nixon Speaks Up
From the veils of time, that is. See if you can notice any similarities between Nixon’s views on executive power and the view of the Bush Administration: FROST: So what in a sense, you’re saying is that there are certain situations, and the Huston Plan or that part of it was one of them, where the president can decide that … Read More
The “I” Word
Here’s a nice quote. I think if we’re going to be intellectually honest here, this really is the kind of thing that Alexander Hamilton was referring to when impeachment was discussed. That’s not from some hippy liberal. That’s from Norm Ornstein, a scholar at the conservative think tank known as the American Enterprise Institute, speaking about Bush’s foray into unconstitutional … Read More
The Intelligence Community Speaks Up
From Defensetech.org, a spook speaks: "It’s drilled into you from minute one that you should not ever, ever, ever, under any fucking circumstances turn this massive apparatus on an American citizen," one source says. "You do a lot of weird shit. But at least you don’t fuck with your own people."
Congress Speaks Out
Bush, and AG Alberto Gonzales, have argued that the NSA surveillance was tacitly sanctioned by Congress when it passed the Authorization Of Military Force act in the days following 9/11, an act which permitted Bush to use "all necessary force" to go after terrorists. Um, not so much. When the AOMF was being debated in Congress, here’s what some Congresspersons … Read More
Kristol On Meth
Well, he’s on something. In attempting to defend the President’s NSA actions, Bill Kristol offers up this moronic sentence: This is presumably one reason why President Bush decided that national security required that he not simply follow the strictures of the 1978 foreign intelligence act, and, indeed, it reveals why the issue of executive power and the law in our … Read More
About Echelon
There is speculation (here and here, for example) that the NSA surveillance is the kind that doesn’t fit in with existing laws. For example, Echelon. Wikipedia describes Echelon as follows: ECHELON is thought to be the largest signals intelligence and analysis network for intercepting electronic communications in history. Run by the UKUSA Community, ECHELON can capture radio and satellite communications, … Read More
Hindrocket On The NSA Surveillance
Powerline was named Time Magazine’s Blog Of The Year for 2004. Time Magazine is not having a "Blog Of The Year" this year. I’m sure there’s a reason why. Powerline’s John Hindrocket — who is a lawyer — wrote a moronic post on the NSA surveillance scandal, and threw in this piece of silliness today: Many people seem not to … Read More
Only Stupid People Go On Reality Shows
I’m convinced of this now more than ever: Three contestants have spoken of their disbelief after being fooled into thinking they went into space for the UK reality show Space Cadets. The three believed they had blasted off from a cosmonaut training camp in Russia, but were in fact in a fake spaceship in a warehouse in Suffolk. They cheered … Read More
Bin Laden Hates Those Windmill Things
It’s stories like this that don’t give me much faith in out Department of Homeland Security: San Jose officials are still wondering how a miniature golf course landed on a federal list of the most attractive terrorist targets. Local officials said Thursday they were shocked to learn that Emerald Hills Golfland, a three-acre theme park with two miniature golf courses, … Read More
Another Bush Lie Exposed
With the discovery of secret wiretaps without court order comes the discovery that Bush, again, lied. From a Bush speech given on April 20, 2004, (from Whitehouse.gov) [UPDATE: Screw the website — Think Progress has the video of Bush saying this]: Secondly, there are such things as roving wiretaps. Now, by the way, any time you hear the United States … Read More
George Will On The NSA Surveillance
Bush doesn’t have George Will on his side. Not that’s bad. Will makes the argument that the presidential power play exhibited here is — wait for it — unconservative. Particularly in time of war or the threat of it, government needs concentrated decisiveness — a capacity for swift and nimble action that legislatures normally cannot manage. But the inescapable corollary … Read More
Breaking News: From The War On Evolution Front Lines
CNN and MSNBC have "breaking news" that the federal judge in the Dover, PA "intelligent design" case has issued an opinion. Details are coming, but it appears to be a victory: "intelligent design" cannot be taught in Pennsylvania schools. Frankly, I’m not celebrating. I’m still too embarassed as an American that this is even an issue. UPDATE: MSNBC has the … Read More
Latest On Snoopgate
(1) First of all, it’s being called "Snoopgate". Ugh. Watergate left this country with many legacies, and I think the "-gate" suffix is one of the worst. (2) Jonathan Alter reveals that Bush summoned the New York Times editor and publisher to the Oval Office, urging the paper not to go public with the NSA wiretapping story. Alter suggests that … Read More