Total Information Awareness
AUSTIN, Texas -- Readin' the newspapers anymore is eerily reminiscent of all those bad novels warning of the advent of fascism in America. "It Can't Happen Here" by Sinclair Lewis was a bad book, and the genre shades off into right-wing paranoia about black helicopters, including the memorably awful "Turner Diaries." I don't use the f-word myself -- in fact, for years, I've made fun of liberals who hear the approach of jackbooted fascism around every corner. But to quote a real authority on the subject, "Fascism should more properly be called corporatism, since it is the merger of state and corporate power." -- Benito Mussolini.
Paul Krugman recently quoted "the quite apolitical website Corporate Governance, which matter-of-factly remarks, ‘Given the power of corporate lobbyists, government control often equates to de facto corporate control anyway.'" It's gettin' downright creepy out there.
The most hair-raising news du jour is about Total Information Awareness, a giant government computer spy system being set up to spy on Americans and run by none other than John Poindexter of Iran-Contra fame.
Paul Krugman recently quoted "the quite apolitical website Corporate Governance, which matter-of-factly remarks, ‘Given the power of corporate lobbyists, government control often equates to de facto corporate control anyway.'" It's gettin' downright creepy out there.
The most hair-raising news du jour is about Total Information Awareness, a giant government computer spy system being set up to spy on Americans and run by none other than John Poindexter of Iran-Contra fame.
Blast from the past
AUSTIN, Texas -- Osama bin Laden is back, and no one gives a damn? What is this??!! The White House spokesman announced, "This is about more than one man." The president now says it "really doesn't matter much" if bin Laden is dead or alive. This is the same president who promised to bring him back "dead or alive," isn't it?
Howard Kurtz of The Washington Post dismissed bin Laden as "a blast from the past." Well, that was a helluva blast, Howard, and I for one haven't forgotten it. I want that son of a bitch dead or alive, and I want him getting him to be this country's top priority in terms of enemies.
Maybe they're downplaying bin Laden because he's so hard to get. I can understand that. It was always more of a complicated international police operation than a matter of bombing poor Afghanistan. But we knew going in that it was "a different kind of war" and that we were in it for the long haul. The one thing I never expected was that we'd just drop the whole thing.
Howard Kurtz of The Washington Post dismissed bin Laden as "a blast from the past." Well, that was a helluva blast, Howard, and I for one haven't forgotten it. I want that son of a bitch dead or alive, and I want him getting him to be this country's top priority in terms of enemies.
Maybe they're downplaying bin Laden because he's so hard to get. I can understand that. It was always more of a complicated international police operation than a matter of bombing poor Afghanistan. But we knew going in that it was "a different kind of war" and that we were in it for the long haul. The one thing I never expected was that we'd just drop the whole thing.
Bushland, Bushland Uber Alles
The United Nations Security Council (UN) in all its pompous and hypocritical glory passed Resolution 1441 on November 8, 2002. The resolution endorses unrestricted access by weapons inspectors to any sites in Iraq and “…warns Iraq that it will face serious consequences” for failure to comply. The next day 1200 anti-war activists rallied at the Ohio Statehouse, many pledging to refuse and resist, and some vowing to oppose this war by any means necessary.
And here’s the reason why: the one country in the world that Resolution 1441 is most applicable to is George Bush’s United States of America. Bush the Lesser, a victim of “dry-drunk syndrome,” told an invitation-only audience of Fourth Reich fanatics in Cincinnati, Ohio on October 7, 2002 that Iraq posed “clear evidence of peril.” That very same day, CIA Director George Tenet wrote a letter to Congress refuting everything that Bush had told his adoring Deutschlanders.
And here’s the reason why: the one country in the world that Resolution 1441 is most applicable to is George Bush’s United States of America. Bush the Lesser, a victim of “dry-drunk syndrome,” told an invitation-only audience of Fourth Reich fanatics in Cincinnati, Ohio on October 7, 2002 that Iraq posed “clear evidence of peril.” That very same day, CIA Director George Tenet wrote a letter to Congress refuting everything that Bush had told his adoring Deutschlanders.
Time Capsule: Looking Backward at 2002
Imagine that you're at the ceremonial opening of a time capsule, half
a century after some forward-looking Americans sealed it during a
multimedia festival just before Thanksgiving 2002.
It's now late autumn in the year 2052. Gathered around a canister, the onlookers stare at the rusty container while someone punctures the metal top. Inside, through the stale air, they watch as symbols of early 21st-century media emerge from the past.
There's a desktop PC, a palm computer and a cell phone -- evidently selected back in 2002 to symbolize the high-tech achievements of the era. Now, as might be expected, those once-cutting-edge products look crude, even a bit pathetic -- kind of like an old black-and-white TV would have seemed to people at the turn of the century.
Also pulled from the dust are samples of long-forgotten movies and music videos: best sellers in their day. Someone cranks up a pair of ancient machines capable of playing videotapes and DVDs. The crowd is attentive. The faces of senior citizens betray the flickering of nostalgia; the young people cringe.
It's now late autumn in the year 2052. Gathered around a canister, the onlookers stare at the rusty container while someone punctures the metal top. Inside, through the stale air, they watch as symbols of early 21st-century media emerge from the past.
There's a desktop PC, a palm computer and a cell phone -- evidently selected back in 2002 to symbolize the high-tech achievements of the era. Now, as might be expected, those once-cutting-edge products look crude, even a bit pathetic -- kind of like an old black-and-white TV would have seemed to people at the turn of the century.
Also pulled from the dust are samples of long-forgotten movies and music videos: best sellers in their day. Someone cranks up a pair of ancient machines capable of playing videotapes and DVDs. The crowd is attentive. The faces of senior citizens betray the flickering of nostalgia; the young people cringe.
An Open Letter to the United Nations
Recently, U.S. President George W. Bush addressed your august assembly. Despite obtaining his office by what appeared to be a fraudulent coup and stealing the electoral votes of the state of Florida where his brother Jeb is governor, he did make one impressive point: “Our principles and our security are challenged today by outlaw groups and regimes that accept no law of morality and have no limit to their violent ambitions.”
The UN needs to realize that Bush’s statement is a Freudian slip – a self-confession about the real terrorist network that surrounds him in Washington, D.C.
On December 20, 1983, once and future Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld traveled to Iraq to extend his hand of friendship to Saddam Hussein. Rumsfeld, then a private citizen was acting as a liaison for the Reagan-Bush administration. As we say in U.S. politics, they knew Saddam was a son-of-a-bitch, but we wanted him “as our son-of-a-bitch.” You know the history here – Somoza, Pappa Doc Duvalier, the Shah of Iran, Marcos, Franco. These are just a few of a long list of fascists and thugs employed by the U.S. to do its imperialist bidding.
The UN needs to realize that Bush’s statement is a Freudian slip – a self-confession about the real terrorist network that surrounds him in Washington, D.C.
On December 20, 1983, once and future Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld traveled to Iraq to extend his hand of friendship to Saddam Hussein. Rumsfeld, then a private citizen was acting as a liaison for the Reagan-Bush administration. As we say in U.S. politics, they knew Saddam was a son-of-a-bitch, but we wanted him “as our son-of-a-bitch.” You know the history here – Somoza, Pappa Doc Duvalier, the Shah of Iran, Marcos, Franco. These are just a few of a long list of fascists and thugs employed by the U.S. to do its imperialist bidding.
Remembering Rainbow Farm
Labor Day weekend marked the one year anniversary of the execution-style slayings of Rainbow Farm campground owner Grover “Tom” Crosslin and Roland “Rollie” Rohm. Both died during a 5-day standoff with the FBI and Michigan state and local law enforcement.
A 3-part series in the South Bend Tribune recounted the tragedy and raised new and troubling questions surrounding the deaths. The Tribune’s lead noted that the once vibrant campground – rated by High Times Magazine as among the nation’s Top Ten “stoner” spots – “…today resembles nothing so much as a graveyard.” In the mid-1990s, Crosslin opened his Vandalia, Michigan farm as a site for hemp festivals involving education, relaxation, music and politicians speaking out for legalization of hemp and decriminalization of industrial hemp and medical marijuana. Rainbow Farms was a Liberated Zone; a respite from the deranged policies of the Reagan-Bush drug war.
A 3-part series in the South Bend Tribune recounted the tragedy and raised new and troubling questions surrounding the deaths. The Tribune’s lead noted that the once vibrant campground – rated by High Times Magazine as among the nation’s Top Ten “stoner” spots – “…today resembles nothing so much as a graveyard.” In the mid-1990s, Crosslin opened his Vandalia, Michigan farm as a site for hemp festivals involving education, relaxation, music and politicians speaking out for legalization of hemp and decriminalization of industrial hemp and medical marijuana. Rainbow Farms was a Liberated Zone; a respite from the deranged policies of the Reagan-Bush drug war.
Rehnquist in hot water
AUSTIN -- Under the radar. Wheee, it is coming down fast and hard out here.
The Wall Street Journal devoted some coverage to the interesting case of Janet Rehnquist, inspector general at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Rehnquist, daughter of the chief justice, is in hot water for politicizing her nonpartisan office and forcing out longtime career civil servants: This is the kind of thing that draws attention in Washington, D.C., but buried in the story, we find some interesting nuggets concerning Inspector Rehnquist's efforts to create a kinder, gentler IG department.
"The HHS office is responsible for safeguarding $450 billion-plus in annual spending, including Medicare and Medicaid, giving it a big role in policing health-care fraud. It annually makes cost-saving recommendations totaling billions of dollars, participates in hundreds of criminal prosecutions and bars thousands of entities from government work," reports the Journal.
The Wall Street Journal devoted some coverage to the interesting case of Janet Rehnquist, inspector general at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Rehnquist, daughter of the chief justice, is in hot water for politicizing her nonpartisan office and forcing out longtime career civil servants: This is the kind of thing that draws attention in Washington, D.C., but buried in the story, we find some interesting nuggets concerning Inspector Rehnquist's efforts to create a kinder, gentler IG department.
"The HHS office is responsible for safeguarding $450 billion-plus in annual spending, including Medicare and Medicaid, giving it a big role in policing health-care fraud. It annually makes cost-saving recommendations totaling billions of dollars, participates in hundreds of criminal prosecutions and bars thousands of entities from government work," reports the Journal.
Electoral defeat
AUSTIN -- Never say this is not a great nation. A campaign in which Jesse Ventura took offense at someone else's behavior: Mr. Etiquette, the sensitive male. Poor Charlton Heston, suffering from Alzheimer's disease, no shame to him, shipped about the country, urging us all to buy more guns while being held up by supporters on each arm. Both candidates for governor in California capable of inducing brain damage in anyone luckless enough to listen to them speak. Another great year!
As a veteran of many an electoral defeat at the polls, may I remind you of the proper Texan attitude toward slaughter at the polls. A few years before Billie Carr died this September at age 74, a friend called to ask how she was doing. "Well," she said, "They just impeached my boy up in Washington, there's not a Democrat left in statewide office in Texas, the Republicans have taken every judgeship in Harris County, and yesterday, I found out I have cancer." Pause. "I think I'll go out and get a pregnancy test because with my luck, it'll come back positive."
As a veteran of many an electoral defeat at the polls, may I remind you of the proper Texan attitude toward slaughter at the polls. A few years before Billie Carr died this September at age 74, a friend called to ask how she was doing. "Well," she said, "They just impeached my boy up in Washington, there's not a Democrat left in statewide office in Texas, the Republicans have taken every judgeship in Harris County, and yesterday, I found out I have cancer." Pause. "I think I'll go out and get a pregnancy test because with my luck, it'll come back positive."
Reforming the accounting industry
AUSTIN, Texas -- So the new guy in charge of reforming the
accounting industry himself sat on the board of a company now being
investigated for fraud, and when that company's outside auditors
complained
about accounting irregularities, he voted to fire them. This is just
peachy.
Why don't we add Ken Lay and Bernie Ebbers to the new accounting oversight board, as well?
It's not as though it weren't already painfully clear the Bush administration is both opposing and undermining all efforts to clean up corporate corruption, but do they really have to make a mockery of them, as well?
The headline in The Wall Street Journal read, "Criticism Mounts as Pitt Launches Probe of Himself." SEC chairman Harvey Pitt has just made himself immortal: Pitt, inventor of the self-probe. It sounds painfully rectal.
This is obscene. Where are the big fish on this one? We used to say of Bush in Texas, "He doesn't care about the topwaters." The topwaters are the bitty fish that swim on the top of the pond; Bush always worked for the big fish that swim underneath.
Why don't we add Ken Lay and Bernie Ebbers to the new accounting oversight board, as well?
It's not as though it weren't already painfully clear the Bush administration is both opposing and undermining all efforts to clean up corporate corruption, but do they really have to make a mockery of them, as well?
The headline in The Wall Street Journal read, "Criticism Mounts as Pitt Launches Probe of Himself." SEC chairman Harvey Pitt has just made himself immortal: Pitt, inventor of the self-probe. It sounds painfully rectal.
This is obscene. Where are the big fish on this one? We used to say of Bush in Texas, "He doesn't care about the topwaters." The topwaters are the bitty fish that swim on the top of the pond; Bush always worked for the big fish that swim underneath.
New records for chutzpah daily
PORTLAND, Ore. -- My, what fun we are having this festive fall campaign season. Ads running coast to coast informing us that if the other guy wins the election, pestilence will fall upon the land, weevils will eat the corn, our children will be sacrificed to Baal, and we'll all be afflicted with piles. It makes me miss the warm, positive, upbeat, people-loving candidates of yesteryear. Like Richard Nixon.
Tough times for those of us who are just little rays of sunshine all the damn time. I was trying to think of a single area where the country appears to be headed in the right direction.
The economy? Flop. Health care? Disaster. Homeland security? The director of the CIA says we're about to be attacked again. Foreign policy? Even our allies are starting to hate us. The environment? Please.
Meanwhile, our only president continues to insist that we need to go bomb Iraq, as he so lucidly explained the other day, "for the sake of peace." We once had a war to end war, but we've never actually tried a war for peace before.
Tough times for those of us who are just little rays of sunshine all the damn time. I was trying to think of a single area where the country appears to be headed in the right direction.
The economy? Flop. Health care? Disaster. Homeland security? The director of the CIA says we're about to be attacked again. Foreign policy? Even our allies are starting to hate us. The environment? Please.
Meanwhile, our only president continues to insist that we need to go bomb Iraq, as he so lucidly explained the other day, "for the sake of peace." We once had a war to end war, but we've never actually tried a war for peace before.