New Surveillance Program To Begin
It's now time for the next Democratic pseudo-scandal to start. A new surveillance program using satellites is ready to "go warm" according to the Director of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff.
Sophisticated overhead sensor data will be used for law enforcement
once privacy and civil rights concerns are resolved, he said. The
department has previously said the program will not intercept
communications.
Of course, that won't stop Democrats from lying about the administration infringing on civil liberties and breaking the law.
But Congress delayed launch of the new office last October. Critics
cited its potential to expand the role of military assets in domestic
law enforcement, to turn new or as-yet-undeveloped technologies against
Americans without adequate public debate, and to divert the existing
civilian and scientific focus of some satellite work to security uses.
Democrats
say Chertoff has not spelled out what federal laws govern the NAO,
whose funding and size are classified. Congress barred Homeland
Security from funding the office until its investigators could review
the office's operating procedures and safeguards. The department
submitted answers on Thursday, but some lawmakers promptly said the
response was inadequate.
"I have had a firsthand experience with
the trust-me theory of law from this administration," said Harman,
citing the 2005 disclosure of the National Security Agency's
domestic spying program, which included warrantless eavesdropping on
calls and e-mails between people in the United States and overseas. "I
won't make the same mistake. . . . I want to see the legal
underpinnings for the whole program."
You can expect all the details in the inevitable hearings and briefings to come. Anything not disclosed by the Democrats directly will surely be leaked by them to the NYT.
Thanks For The Endorsement, Now We'll Call You "Anti-Human Rights"
The Dalai Lama has gone out of his way to condemn the violent riots in Tibet, supported the Olympics being held in China, spoken against any interruption in the Olympic Torch Relay, and says that Tibet should always be considered a part of China. How does that play in the official Chinese media?
"It is indeed the anti-human rights nature of the Dalai clique that
impels the 'pro-Tibet independence' separatists to undermine China's
stability and unity, disgrace China worldwide, and even sabotage the
Olympic torch relay by all sorts of violent means," the
English-language commentary said.
You can't ever do enough to satisfy totalitarian governments. Ever. There is an amusing side however.
and branded top U.S. politician Nancy Pelosi as "the least popular person in China" for her stance on Tibet.
They must watch Olbermann for style, even if they choose different content.
Faces Of Meth
Two days in a row for EW1. I first ran into him over at Patterico's where he made some outstanding comments in a thread about addiction. Go over an see what happens when people use methamphetamine. The video has before and after pictures with the time taken between shots. I'll be showing my kids after church later.
Yarmuth Is Officially An Idiot
Congressman John Yarmuth of Kentucky says that the cost of the Iraq War, more than anything else, is to blame for the downturn in the economy.
The growing cost to the United States of fighting the war in Iraq "is
not only linked to our economic skid, but is a leading cause of it," a
Democratic congressman said Saturday.
Rep. John Yarmuth of Kentucky linked the costly, unpopular war with the growing economic troubles — some say recession — in this country.
Like how they slipped that mention of the word recession in there? I've mentioned how much I hate the MSM, right?
He said "the cost of one month in Iraq could extend the Children's Health Insurance Program, which the president vetoed, to 10 million children of working families for a full year."
1
History makes it clear that the best "stimulus" package is a tax cut but you won't see calls for that, which shows where their real agenda is.
Posted by: Machinist at 12 April 2008@14:01:13 (yFIK0)
2
It hit me tonight that when you say the MSM is biased, you're being too kind, too optimistic. You're implying that they have leftist principles. Now, while leftist principles are leftist, they at least are principles.
I think that's giving them too much credit. The MSM is not motivated by wanting to put out a consistent version of reality, much less an honest one. They just want to entertain--to get people's attention so people will buy their product and/or justify good rates charged to the advertisers. That the result usually backs the leftist version is caused by the fact that most people actually share the leftist vision, so they're inclined to grab it. But it's a characteristic of the audience which happens to be shared by the journalists. Were the audience to be much more heavily conservative, the stories we hear now would not get the attention, and the MSM would tailor their reporting accordingly. They don't care about the facts, nor the propaganda. They just care about holding our attention so they can get our money.
Posted by: kishnevi at 12 April 2008@19:54:42 (XlB4F)
3
I agree, Kishnevi, but they want our money on their terms. If they really wanted "only" money they would emulate Fox News or Rush Limbaugh.
As for Yarmuth, if we're going to start comparing apples and oranges, he should also consider how much it would have cost if the US had another couple of 9/11s in the past 6+ years. How many jobs and how much CHIP money would those events have cost?
Posted by: DRJ at 12 April 2008@23:16:20 (wE7Og)
4That the result usually backs the leftist version is caused by the fact
that most people actually share the leftist vision, so they're inclined
to grab it.
I don't think most people share the leftist vision, although most of the MSM does. When you put conservatives, moderates, and libertarians together you have a large majority of the American people. The MSM panders to the far left because they're sympathetic to that view, along with the far left being the loudest.
Look at the success of Fox News compared to the networks. Fox is not really that conservative unless you compare them to the rest of the national outlets. They try to be balanced and largely succeed, but they're still far more left than most people.
Posted by: Stashiu3 at 12 April 2008@23:20:38 (nz1aS)
5
Exactly right DRJ, the costs of not fighting terrorism would be far more than what we've spent on Iraq and Afghanistan. The problem is, Democrats contend that we haven't done anything to make the United States safer, despite no major attacks in over 6 years. Far from it, they contend that we've made it more dangerous because we've made the terrorists mad at us. Idiots.
Posted by: Stashiu3 at 12 April 2008@23:42:53 (nz1aS)
6
That's a pet peeve of mine, Stash. Fox isn't a righty station, it's just less left-of-center than the others. After all, they get their news feeds from AP, like everybody else.
I'd be delighted if our media were motivated solely by greed. Anybody seen Front Page? (The original; I can't vouch for any remakes. Actually, I think I saw it on-stage. Anyhow!)
No, our current crop of journo's are post-Watergate activists who want to Shape the Narrative and Make a Difference. Reporting the news is way beneath them.
The good news is, I doubt many kids are going into journalism these days. The jobs are too few and the brand is tarnished.
Posted by: S. Weasel at 13 April 2008@09:48:24 (Dy8+A)
7
I must agree with Gentle Weasel on this one. Only hardcore political bias would lead a major network to smear a president with forged documents before an election and make themselves a laughing stock with risible claims of fake but accurate when exposed. Major papers in New York, LA, and elsewhere have damaged themselves financially through there extreme partisan bias. The source, journalism schools, seem to be infecting those who pass through. This is what has led to the rise of talk radio and internet channels. Why would anyone interested in the truth look to MSM? It just carries predictable propaganda.
Posted by: Machinist at 13 April 2008@11:38:14 (yFIK0)
8
DRJ nailed the point earlier. If they were only interested in making money, at least some of them would be emulating Rush Limbaugh because of how successful he's been. It hasn't happened because it doesn't advance their own agenda (and too many of their liberal employees would be calling in sick, filing disability claims for Rush-traumatic Stress Disorder, etc...)
Posted by: Stashiu3 at 13 April 2008@23:24:39 (Q5ggV)
For Those People Who Oppose The Death Penalty
What would they recommend for this guy?
The
issue for the jury will be whether Joseph Edward Duncan III deserves to
die for kidnapping two young siblings in a bloodbath at their home and
whisking them away to the remote wilderness of western Montana, where
he tortured and raped them, and then killed the 9-year-old boy.
Put him down at the local animal shelter. As in, "put him down" permanently.
For the next several weeks, Duncan sexually abused and tortured the
children, in some cases videotaping the acts. He eventually shot Dylan
with a sawed-off shotgun, leaving the boy's body at a campsite in the
Lolo National Forest. Duncan brought Shasta back to Coeur d'Alene,
where they stopped to eat at a Denny's restaurant around 2 a.m. on July
2, 2005. A waitress recognized Shasta and called police.
EU Demands More Say In Global Economy
This was amusing in several ways. Mostly, the headline about "demanding" more say in the global economy. European Union countries seem pretty good about demanding things from the United States when they should be thanking us for propping up their economies.
The euro is now second to the weak U.S. dollar as a reserve currency
held by foreign investors and has risen sharply against the dollar in
recent months, hitting a new all-time high of $1.5912 on Thursday.
Almunia
said the euro area is now "playing an increasingly important role in
supporting the stability of the world economy and the global financial
system."
So the "weak dollar" is still the primary currency held by foreign investors? Why would they want to hang onto reserves in a currency headed for recession/depression/global meltdown?
He again signaled worry about the U.S.' huge current account deficit,
saying a sudden "unwinding" could hit Europe hard, since its currency
is still appreciating against the dollar.
1
"the 15 euro nations" do not include the UK. At least, not yet. Last I checked--a couple of weeks ago--the British pound was up to almost $2USD. By contrast, ten years ago, it fetched in dollars roughly the same as the euro fetches now or a little more ($1.59-1.64 USD when I was on vacation there in the early 90s--last time I've been overseas).
Whether this is just a technical way of snubbing the UK, or whether the currency based view of the G7/IMF makes sense, I'm not enough of an economist to say.
Posted by: kishnevi at 12 April 2008@15:06:24 (FFHuv)
2
But it's the EU calling for this. Why just single out a sub-group (which I thought was against the whole point of having a union, btw)? The United Kingdom has refused to switch to the Euro for a reason. This is just a transparent attempt to inflate the importance of the Euro to the global economy and gain influence. I say they can go pound sand for all I care. They need us, not the other way around... it's pretty stupid for them to be demanding anything. We always have to "request" or "suggest" unless we are ready to be accused of arrogance. Why doesn't it work the other way?
Posted by: Stashiu3 at 12 April 2008@15:16:23 (tarqT)
Thundering Third
EW1 has the video. Click on over to watch. Glad to see he's getting back into the swing, his archives have some great stuff which is why he's on the blogroll. Go visit and leave a comment. Nothing is more motivating than some traffic and feedback. Thanks.
1
Actually, I think that's officially known as "guilt."
Posted by: EW1(SG) at 13 April 2008@22:07:47 (YcNsA)
2
My wife and kids watched the Faces of Meth vid today. They were very impressed. I know a link from me isn't going to generate a lot of traffic for you, but I hope it let you know you're appreciated. You really do have some good stuff and I look forward to seeing more.
With only 11 sites on my regular blogroll, that should tell you something. I wish aphrael would start posting again too. He's one of the very few level-headed liberals you'll see (and probably catches a lot of flack for it, but he's tough).
Anyway, I hope you have time to stay active, but I'll be checking in even if you can only find time for an occasional article. I won't miss it because I subscribed your site on bloglines, so it will let me know when you update. Take care Sir.
Posted by: Stashiu3 at 13 April 2008@23:20:14 (Q5ggV)
Advice For The International Olympic Committee
Ok, rightly or wrongly, the Olympics were awarded to China. The IOC has just been slapped down by the Chinese government and told to stay out of politics after requesting that China do something about their treatment of human rights like they promised.
So how is the IOC going to attract people to attend and watch the Games on television? A new swimsuit which amounts to "technological doping" and adds about 2% (a lot at that level) to an athlete's performance has just been approved for use at the Games.
Swimming's world governing body decided last weekend not to ban the
new high-tech suit, despite claims of buoyancy and "technological
doping" by some critics.
"I wouldn't be surprised to see every
world record broken at the games, and hopefully we'll get a big
percentage of those," said Schubert, one of the most outspoken
supporters of the new swimsuit.
Posted by: Machinist at 11 April 2008@21:00:38 (yFIK0)
3
It could change the nature of Fencing. Just sayin'.
Posted by: Paddy O'Furnijur at 11 April 2008@23:02:00 (DyUi6)
4
This could really start a trend, heh. We could initiate a campaign against the corruption of Olympic and professional sports. "No clothes, no cheating!!!". Let them wear safety equipment and a determined look (maybe some belly-button rings for the women volleyballers too, I'd go for that
)
After all, our athletes are supposed to be role-models and be setting the example, right? So "IT'S FOR THE CHILDREN!!"
(hmmm..... maybe we could start a petition or something. Must think on this.)
Posted by: Stashiu3 at 12 April 2008@10:50:58 (tarqT)
5
And of couse the no clothing rule would take us back to the usages of the original Olympics...
Posted by: kishnevi at 12 April 2008@13:08:18 (Mcbdi)
Marine Captured In Mexico
The Marine suspected of murdering Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach was finally captured in Mexico after being on the run.
Authorities are awaiting extradition to bring Laurean, who has been on
the run since January, back to North Carolina. He has been indicted on
charges of murder, ATM card theft, attempted card theft, fraud and
robbery with a dangerous weapon.
Now Laurean apparently has family in Mexico, but is there another reason he may have fled there?
"I'm very happy he was caught today in Mexico, but I'm disappointed we
didn't catch him in America," said Dewey Hudson, district attorney for
Onslow County, North Carolina. Mexico's extradition policy prohibits
U.S. authorities from seeking the death penalty against fugitives who
are turned over by Mexican authorities.
I knew that and Laurean probably did too. What should happen now?
1
I'd love to see them do it. I don't care who takes out the trash but there is a certain nice balance to having Marines do it. I'd leave it open enrollment, though...she was A Marine first, woman second - imho.
Posted by: sillyblindharper at 11 April 2008@01:33:41 (5+XEL)
2
Can the USMC claim jurisdiction for the capital crime? If so, there is a much greater chance that a capital sentence will actually be carried out.
Posted by: Paddy O'Furnijur at 11 April 2008@23:06:11 (DyUi6)
3
They should be able to later if they wish. Civilian jurisdictions generally have priority, but there is generally no double-jeopardy if tried by the State, the Feds, or under UCMJ (or any combination of the three). They make that very clear in all the Basic Military Law classes everyone in the military gets from their Initial Training and refresher training later.
Posted by: Stashiu3 at 12 April 2008@10:46:26 (tarqT)
Terrorist Final Exam = FAIL!!
I wrote about the mid-term exams for terrorists-in-training earlier. Here are the results from the final exam.
Twenty Hizbullah terrorists were killed recently during military training in Iran, according to the Kuwaiti paper Al-Watan.
The paper based its report on statements from senior Lebanese Islamist
Mohammed Ali Hosseini. Hosseini did not say how the 20 were killed.
Must have slept through all the Risk Assessment classes, eh?
1
With that many, we're probably looking at the whole class. Maybe the instructor gave a demo and forgot the saftey precautions. You know: wear goggles, close the gas valves before igniting, explode bombs only in the presence of innocent civilians...
Posted by: kishnevi at 10 April 2008@22:34:53 (xtp2U)
2
LOL!! Read some of the comments over at Rantberg, they're hilarious. I really liked the one about bayonet training.
Posted by: Stashiu3 at 10 April 2008@22:42:51 (tarqT)
Sites are added to the Moronosphere and Gerbil Nation blogrolls by request. I got everyone on there who was there when they were made, so email me if you know of a new addition. Some of these are on the main blogroll as well and will remain duplicated.
The main blogroll is at my own discretion. I gratefully accept suggestions by email, but I don't do blogroll exchanges. If a site is there, it's because I personally recommend it. If it's one that is not updated often, check out the archives and you'll probably see why it's there. I will rarely remove a site from the main blogroll once it's there.
Recent Comments
sillyblindharper
*rustle, rustle* **looks around empty thread** SQUEaK! entry
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Stash
About Me
I am a Psychiatric Nurse who retired from the Army after 24 years total service. I started out as a Private E-1, made Sergeant E-5 in 23 months, then went to nursing school and ROTC to get commissioned. I am interested in politics where I lean heavily conservative, movies, music, and books. Hopefully you will enjoy what you see and come back often.
Contact me
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