Bob Morris @ Dec 22nd 2005 21:59 - Category: Unfiled ;
The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee refused Thursday to accept a Senate decision to extend expiring provisions of the Patriot Act for six months, giving his approval only to a much shorter five-week extension.
The House tends to be more conservative than the Senate, so this is unusual.
Bob Morris @ Dec 22nd 2005 19:50 - Category: Unfiled ;
From BlairWatch
The wonderful FOIA Blog put in a request under the Freedom of Information Act to release the bomb memo. Within the 20 day limit, they got a reply.
"Thank you for your e-mail of 24 November in which you request a copy of any memos or notes that record President Bush’s discussions with the Prime Minister about the bombing of the al-Jazeera television station in Qatar…
I can confirm that the Cabinet Office holds information which is relevant to your request.
The information comes under section 27 (international relations). Section (27)(1)(a) applies where disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice relations between the United Kingdom and any other state."
Translation: Yes the bombing of al Jazeera was discussed - I can confirm that the Cabinet Office holds information which is relevant to your request - but we can’t release it as it would embarrass George and Tony.
The fact that bombing TV stations is against international law doesn’t mean a damn thing to them.
Bob Morris @ Dec 22nd 2005 13:50 - Category: Anti-war ;
U.S. lawsuit could dent global war-contractor boom
An unprecedented lawsuit stemming from the gruesome killing of four American civilians in Iraq is slowly making its way through the U.S. legal system, closely watched by companies estimated to field up to 100,000 contractors alongside the U.S. military.
According to Peter Singer of Washington’s Brookings Institution, private companies that sell warfare-linked services to governments represent "the corporate evolution of the age-old profession of mercenaries."
The firms involved bristle at the term "mercenary," which evokes images of white guns-for-hire working for African dictators and staging coups and countercoups on behalf of the highest bidder.
Oh goodness no, this time they just helped stage a coup against a Middle Eastern country and appear to amuse themselves by opening fire on civilian cars. Crooks and Liars has a video purporting to show just that, as well as more info. Not only are they pay-for-hire private guns - and that’s precisely what mercenaries are -they appear to be amateurs, not professionals, who at least only kill and maim when they need to.
They are "arms-bearing contractors" who work for firms including Blackwater, Triple Canopy, Aegis Defence Services and Military Professional Resources Incorporated (MPRI) - all run by retired military officers.
Hey blogdom, let’s follow the money trail and determine how much these companies (and their principal shareholders) have given in political contributions to BushCo and what they might be getting in return.
Bob Morris @ Dec 22nd 2005 10:38 - Category: Government spying ;
The presiding judge of a secret court that oversees government surveillance in espionage and terrorism cases is arranging a classified briefing for her fellow judges to address their concerns about the legality of President Bush’s domestic spying program, according to several intelligence and government sources.
Several members of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court said in interviews that they want to know why the administration believed secretly listening in on telephone calls and reading e-mails of U.S. citizens without court authorization was legal.
Bob Morris @ Dec 22nd 2005 10:38 - Category: Unfiled ;
I’m looking out one window at the Pacific and out the other window are the 5,000 ft. West Maui mountains. What a magnificent place. I plan to eat fish until I grow gills, along with lots of local fruit, then do some hiking, swimming, whale-watching, etc.
Bob Morris @ Dec 22nd 2005 10:34 - Category: Unfiled ;
Let’s hope the agreement means the workers get to keep their pensions
Bob Morris @ Dec 22nd 2005 10:08 - Category: Unfiled ;
Bob Morris @ Dec 22nd 2005 00:44 - Category: Imperialism ;
We’ve got to face the fact that the neoliberal economic model has been underwriting conflicts all over the planet.
"Unfortunately we live in a world today in which we seem to break things into little components, so we have people who are very much engaged in — and are in an uproar over — the invasion of Iraq and the continuing war," says Clarke. "Those things are very much related to the movements that exist now against corporate globalization or neoliberalism. We have to see these things together. The global economy — and the expansion of the global economy — are related to the expansion of militarization in the world."
In a word - Imperialism, which is made worse by the bizarre belief among neocons that the US is somehow exceptional and thus need not follow the rules it insists other nations follow.
A religious friend says says the worst aspect of Religious Right neocons is that not only do they believe the US is guided by God, but that they also believe the US and Dubya can do no wrong because God is telling them what to do.
So, I wonder, how does God contact them? Email? IM? Text messages on the cell phone? Do they hear the Word of God directly? "Yo, Dubya. This is God. I command you to invade Iraq." There are helpful medications for those who believe God speaks directly and only to them. Plus, it’s been the experience of mystics and saints through the ages that if you think God is speaking directly to you, you need to examine this in the cold light of dawn to make sure you aren’t deluding yourself.
Imperialism under guise of religious absolutism is what we have.
Bob Morris @ Dec 22nd 2005 00:43 - Category: Government spying ;
Undercover New York City police officers have conducted covert surveillance in the last 16 months of people protesting the Iraq war, bicycle riders taking part in mass rallies and even mourners at a street vigil for a cyclist killed in an accident, a series of videotapes show.
In glimpses and in glaring detail, the videotape images reveal the robust presence of disguised officers or others working with them at seven public gatherings since August 2004.
August 2004, eh? That’s was the RNC protests. I was there too. It appears police, feds, NSA, and who knows who else have been watching me and my activist friends peacefully and legally assemble in the streets in NYC, LA, and elsewhere. Truly, the US is a beacon of freedom.
The government in Britain is getting even more unhinged
Britain will be first country to monitor every car journey
From 2006 Britain will be the first country where every journey by every car will be monitored.
Sure, while such bizarre measures are attempts at intimidation, they also seem paranoid and clueless. Our authorities may have massive power, they also don’t appear to know what they’re doing.
Bob Morris @ Dec 22nd 2005 00:43 - Category: Anti-war ;
Iraq’s election result: a divided nation
Iraq is disintegrating. The first results from the parliamentary election last week show the country is dividing between Shia, Sunni and Kurdish regions.
Religious fundamentalists now have the upper hand. The secular and nationalist candidate backed by the US and Britain was humiliatingly defeated.
Chalk up another defeat for the neocons. They’ve been on a serious losing streak of late, haven’t they?
Bob Morris @ Dec 22nd 2005 00:43 - Category: Unfiled ;
From the ANSWER Coalition
Stop the union-busting attacks on the transit workers!
New information reveals:
Pataki, Bloomberg, and MTA President deliberately provoked strike
Did you know that New York state Governor Pataki, New York City Mayor Bloomberg and MTA President Kalikow provoked the strike by throwing a “stick of dynamite” into the negotiations in the last few hours on Monday? By adding a dramatic demand at the last minute and without warning—a demand they knew the union could not accept—Pataki, Bloomberg and Kalikow made a strike inevitable. They wanted the strike. They want to blame the union, bankrupt the union, and destroy the possibility of decent pensions for transit workers. The MTA board is dominated by the banks and big business. The bankers and corporate America are engaged in a nationwide strategy to destroy pension plans. If they can do this to the transit workers, they feel they can do it to every workforce in New York City and around the country, unionized and non-unionized alike.
Five myths, five facts and one question about the New York City Transit strike.
From Atrios
I’m aware of two things:
a) Majority of New Yorkers support the union/strike
b) That view is entirely lacking from the media coverage I’ve seen.
Corporate media as a rule, loathes unions. After all, more pay for workers means less pay for the bosses, right? So, they will attempt to smash unions if given the chance. Let’s stop them.
Bob Morris @ Dec 22nd 2005 00:42 - Category: Climate change ;
American global warming gas emissions accelerate to a record high
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