Circling the Drain » politics

Bush Legalizes Martial Law

Klaus — Sun, 29 Oct 2006 21:42:39 +0000

Signed on October 17th, Public Law 109-364 (H.R.5122) allows the President to declare a “public emergency” and station troops anywhere in America, and to take control of state-based National Guard units without the consent of the governor or local authorities, in order to “suppress public disorder.”

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Allard (R-CO): “Disagreement Is Terrorism!”

William — Wed, 15 Mar 2006 20:43:30 +0000

Republican Senator Wayne Allard of Colorado announced on Fox News Radio that Senator Russ Feingold (D – WI) had “time and time again [sided] with the terrorists” by introducing a resolution to censure George Bush.

Senator Feingold’s censure resolution would hold the Bush regime accountable for its domestic spying program–which violates federal law–and for misleading the country about its existence and legality.

All of us in this body took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and bear true allegiance to the same. Fulfilling that oath requires us to speak clearly and forcefully when the President violates the law. This resolution allows us to send a clear message that the President’s conduct was wrong.

And we must do that. The President’s actions demand a formal judgment from Congress.
(via Senator Feingold’s site)

But this resolution–not to mention the 1st Amendment–runs afoul of Senator Allard, who feels strongly that holding President Bush accountable for violating federal law would be falling into the terrorists’ trap.

What does it say of Allard when he questions the patriotism of a Senator who would asks the Congress to live up to its responsibility? Does Allard even know what an American is?

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Total Information Awareness Still Aware

Klaus — Sun, 26 Feb 2006 20:26:10 +0000

Despite being decommissioned more than two years ago, the Defense Department’s Total Information Awareness program is still collecting data. According to a report in the National Journal, project names were changed to conceal their identities, but their funding remains intact, often under the same contracts.

The projects that moved, their new code names, and the agencies that took them over haven’t previously been disclosed. Sources aware of the transfers declined to speak on the record for this story because, they said, the identities of the specific programs are classified.

Knowledge of everything is too compelling a thing to give up. After all, total awareness corrupts totally.

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U.S. and Israel Plot Hamas Ouster

Klaus — Tue, 14 Feb 2006 08:24:30 +0000

By embracing a strategy of isolation and sanctions (foreign policy = starvation?), the far-right militants of the U.S. and Israel are once again building walls where words would be more appropriate.

Guess we learned a lesson from our stunning victory over Cuba. Meantime–and here’s the really interesting part–Khaled Meshal, head of the political bureau of Hamas, delivers a lucid address on his party’s stance on world affairs:

Our message to the Israelis is this: we do not fight you because you belong to a certain faith or culture. Jews have lived in the Muslim world for 13 centuries in peace and harmony; they are in our religion “the people of the book” who have a covenant from God and His Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him) to be respected and protected. Our conflict with you is not religious but political. We have no problem with Jews who have not attacked us – our problem is with those who came to our land, imposed themselves on us by force, destroyed our society and banished our people.
(via Electronic Intifada)

I never thought it would come to pass, but even Hamas makes the State Department sound like a band of petulant thugs.

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U.S. Wargame Targets Bloggers

Klaus — Tue, 14 Feb 2006 06:34:37 +0000

In an effort to contain deliberate misinformation campaigns perpetrated by diarists, the Homeland Security Department coordinated a week-long exercise to disrupt their would-be hacker adversaries. The test scenario, observed by more than 115 government agencies, companies and organizations, included such challenges as responding to “deliberate misinformation campaigns” by bloggers.

Foresman likened his agency’s role during any Internet attack to an orchestra conductor, coordinating responses from law enforcement, intelligence agencies, the military and private firms. The government’s goal is a “symphony of preparedness,” Foresman said.
(via Seattle Post Intelligencer)

(via Boing Boing)

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