Letters to the Editor
Cocktailhag
Published Letters: 483
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Say it isn't so...
[Read the article: The Senate's FISA agreement]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Karrsic... It simply takes my breath away that those quotes from Kit Bond could have emanated from a sentient being. As often as I've wondered whether such wingnuts could really be either that stupid and delusional, or that serenely confident of the stupidity and delusion of their intended audience, I am now left at a loss, seeing it in black and white.
There simply isn't a syllable in that quote that isn't a flat out lie, and if anyone were ever to utter such a thing in my presence, I would be reduced to staring, mouth agape, wondering whether they belonged in jail or a rubber room.
Either would do. But the floor of the senate?
No wonder American style "democracy" has turned out to be a hard sell.
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Wrapping up...
[Read the article: Is Michael Mukasey prioritizing the harassment and imprisonment of journalists?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It seems to me that the Bush administration, as it twists and jerks on the way to richly deserved historical opprobrium, has gotten to the stage where it cannot, and does not, care what anybody thinks.
Like a drunk at closing time, racing through the bar, swilling half-finished drinks and staggering just ahead of the bouncers, they have abandoned whatever scant pretense they had of being anything but a criminal enterprise. Why not make the war permanent? Why not grant immunity to everybody? Why not throw journalists in jail? Once you've drained the treasury, lost two wars, devastated your country's reputation, and earned the undying loathing of three quarters of Americans and nine tenths of all humanity, is there really anything left you shouldn't do?
No, there isn't. That's abundantly clear. What we are witnessing is the final, repulsive flowering of Republician id. It's like watching monkeys at the zoo, each one doing something so disgusting that you don't know where not to look.
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Their Own Petard
[Read the article: Is Michael Mukasey prioritizing the harassment and imprisonment of journalists?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]OT but interesting. The Oregon legislature passed a domestic partnership law last year that was scheduled to go into effect Jan. 1. Now I hope y'all are sitting down, but some right-wing "christians" didn't much care for this development.
A Tennessee outfit swooped in, and using paid signature gatherers, blanketed the state, but still were unable to gather enough valid signatures to get a measure on the ballot overturning the law. I know this will come as a shock, but these God-fearing folk didn't accept defeat too gracefully. They sued, charging that the signature count was "unfair," apparently because they lost, and Bush appointee Michael Mosman postponed the enactment of the law, pending review of the righty's claims.
Yesterday, to the untold chagrin and fury of these upstanding defenders of family values, Mosman handed down his ruling yesterday, dismissing their suit and allowing domestic partnerships as of Monday.
The case he cited as precedent for his ruling? Bush v. Gore.
Thought y'all might like that.
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Bloody Saturday
[Read the article: Is Michael Mukasey prioritizing the harassment and imprisonment of journalists?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]WT... Haven't made a bloody mary yet, but that is an intriguing thought. This morning, coffee seems to be enough. No runs either, but one eyelash seems to have gone missing. Watch your mailbox for a lovely surprise, by the way. Maybe that's why I'm in such a good mood.
T
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Kooky Spooks...
[Read the article: Is Michael Mukasey prioritizing the harassment and imprisonment of journalists?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]DCLaw.... I've been in stitches reading your posts, today, by the way.
Personally, I've always felt that the CIA and the NSA are plainly in violation of the constitution. No "black budget" agency belongs in a free society.
This from David Wise's excellent and disturbing 1976 book, "The American Police State:"
"In 1964, just before Random House was scheduled to publish "The Invisible Government" by this author and Thomas B. Ross, CIA Director John A. McCone contacted the publisher in an unsuccessful effort to supress the book or bring about changes in its content. The CIA had, without authorization, obtained a copy of the bound galleys. The Agency's legal division actually ran a study to see if the CIA had power to buy up the first printing to keep the book out of the hands of the public. The CIA broached the idea to Bennett Cerf, president of Random House. Cerf responded that he would be delighted to sell the first printing to the CIA, but added that he would then immediately order another printing for the public, and another, and another. McCone and the CIA abandoned the plan."
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Secrecy, and its discontents
[Read the article: Is Michael Mukasey prioritizing the harassment and imprisonment of journalists?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]DCLaw... Every handle has its disadvantages....
As a practical matter, I agree that covert activity is probably a necessary evil, but it's the intrinsic potential for abuse, demonstrated so often, that makes it so problematic. Once something has been sheltered from the harsh light of public scrutiny and resides in the forgiving twilight of the secrecy and nobility accorded to the pursuit of "national security," consequences of failures and blunders melt away. Worse, this lack of accountability provides an irresistable temptation for those who would use this dangerous power for nefarious ends.
The burden, I think, must lie with those who must on some level accept that what they are doing borders on the edges of what a free country can tolerate, and therefore their behavior can only be exemplary and above reproach. Human nature makes such a standard difficult to meet. And obviously, some don't feel bound by such a standard at all. Therein lies the problem.
PS... I have whipped up a little creation to raise awareness of fourth amendment violations... Please email me at sig at gmail dot com, and I can send you one.
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My, what a coincidence
[Read the article: Is Michael Mukasey prioritizing the harassment and imprisonment of journalists?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]So, just as daily evidence of the inevitable failure or the "Surge" starts rolling in, the cables get cut. Makes you want to believe in miracles.