The Storm that Brews

Polly,

Be careful sweetie--We know you are resourceful, and we stand ready to come to your aid at any moment.

Send postcards...

I would never be able to infiltrate the 'hubris.'

I have a funny type of tyrretts syndrome that comes about when totally annoyed. Completely involuntary.

Can't we just run them down with power lawn mowers instead..??

Maybe like a tricked out go-cart/dune buggy type of assault vehicle???.

I dont want to hurt them really, just drag them around for a while.

behavior modification via lawnmower...i like it ;)

While Polly is getting their suder duper secret papers from the inside we can cause a distraction on the mall.

I'll trade you my go cart with a Scooter Libby for your lawn tractor with a tom delay.

And OnCall.. If you are around anywhere...

You never told me..

If I believe God CREATED Evolution...

If I believe one explains the other..

What lable does that put me under..?

Polly,

It sounds like things are getting serious. Call if you need an operational support team. I have chewing gum, duct tape, aluminum cans and dental floss at the ready. Oh, and and a year's worth of cardboard boxes from Amazon's unnecessary individual shipments of books and cd's during the holidays.

I am willing to serve my country.

Oh X,

DO be careful.

Whilst you wade through the muck and slime of obstructionist and opportunists, they will surely attempt to smear you and perhaps even call you a limp-kneed liberal.

But saving our democracy, the freedoms and rights we hold dear to us, is important enough to risk the secret WARRENTLESS spying of this criminal regime.

On this New Year’s Day, I have decided to dwell less on my continuing outrage with Buscho , the craven mainstream media, and similar ilk. Instead, to celebrate what I see as signs of hope for 2006, I‘ve decided to recognize the people who give me political hope. Here are my favorites. I invite others to add to my list.

1. Everyone who is working to turn this country around. My thanks especially to the many, dedicated volunteers who do this work on their personal time, without regard to financial compensation or career advancement. These volunteers include all the people who worked so hard on the Kerry-Edwards campaign in 2004, and who continue to work for change, in both local and national politics; I include in this group the instigators of , and the contributors to the the Democracy Cell Project, including the DCP blog. Of the various, useful, activist venues in cyberspace, DCP gets my vote for the most thoughtful operation out there. My gratitude also to the brave minority of career civil servants, career military officers, and career journalists who have chosen to seek and to tell the truth, especially those who have taken financial and personal risks to do so. Truthout.org gets special points for its consistent work in connecting us to the few bright lights of real journalism out there.
2. My vote for People of the Year: JUDGE JONES of Pennsylvania , for his bracing, blisteringly sensible decision on the latest “Intelligent Design” absurdities . and independent prosecutor PATRICK FITZGERALD. In refreshing contrast to a social tenor where yelling is mistaken for thought and action , and media celebrities posing as “journalists” are paid millions to spew ignorant and/or shamelessly biased opinions (Exhibit A: any TV talk show), these men have chosen, instead, a different path. Despite daunting political pressures, both these men have transcended partisan-politics-as-usual (Fitzgerald really is an INDEPENDENT prosecutor, and Jones is even a Republican!) . They have done what everyone should be doing: taking their civic responsibilities, and the Constitution, seriously, they have simply DONE THEIR JOB.

3. All those Democrats who are running against far-right Republican senators and congressional representatives. Two favorite campaigns of mine are those of Bob Casey of Pennsylvania (brilliant strategic move there: mounting a “pro-life” Dem to unseat that Pox on the Universe Rick Santorum) and Jim Pederson (taking on the daunting task of awakening the moribund Arizona Democratic Party and rattling the Republican political machine in Arizona to wage an energetic campaign against the NonEntity of the Far Right, Jim Kyl). Go for it, Dems!

3. in the House of Representatives: John Conyers, Henry Waxman, Maxine Waters, William Murtha, for stating and seeking the facts. They are the Reality Checks of the House. And Barney Frank, for being, well, frank.
4. In the Senate: John Kerry, Teddy Kennedy, Robert Byrd, Harry Reid, Maria Cantwell, Barack Obama, and others.
--JOHN KERRY, Just the name of his PAC (“Keeping America’s Promise”, and the “Fight Back” fund of that PAC) reminds us what we should be about. So are the activities of the PAC, supporting (if I remember right) at least 80 Democratic candidates for state and national office in the 2006 elections. So are the grace, class, and the focus, determination, and feistiness of his recent speeches, essays, and initiatives. If you are angry, frustrated, enraged, just think about the rage that Kerry must feel, as he watches the breathtakingly incompetent, shameless corrupt, and near-treasonous W. administration lead our country further into darkness.

Like that of Jones and Fitzgerald, Kerry’s style is a model. Earlier this fall, Kerry was called to jury duty in Boston. Did he beg off (as did a long list of other politicians) because of his other duties ? No! He went! And he was elected jury foreman! Did he later trumpet the sacrifice in his precious time this jury duty entailed? No! He talked about how interesting the experience was, and how much he learned. And, along the way, he gained the respect of his jury members (they’re the ones who elected him foreman) for his leadership and for the way he treated everyone’s opinions with respect. Along the way, he also turned around the political perspective of several of the jury members who had voted for Bush (at least two said publicly that they now regretted their vote for W).

It’s time to stop the standard-Democrat-second-guessing and give this man the credit he deserves: first, for a valiant fight, against the odds, in 2004 (are you one of those in a blue-state bubble, and don’t believe me about the odds? Quite apart from the effects of the dirty tricks and voter fraud of Rove et al., check out the Dec 2005 NPR poll: http://www.npr.org/documents/2005/dec/poll/npr_poll.pdf. There are reasons for hope in that poll, but the fact that even in a poll meticulously balanced by party affiliation –42% republican-leaning, 44% democrat-leaning, 14% independent – 42% identify themselves as conservative (28% as VERY conservative), and only 17% [yes, despite the 44% democrat-composition of this poll, and yes, even now, just one month ago)]identify themselves as even “somewhat” liberal.). But , OK, even leave 2004 aside, and think about what Kerry has done since. The man takes his civic responsibilities with the utmost seriousness. He is clearly in this game for a cause larger than himself. He is a patriot.
And, despite what had to be grueling disappointment and seething frustration about the 2004 election, he continues to fight the fight. By just doing his duty (jury and otherwise), he’s changing people’s political minds , patiently, one at a time. And he continues to look forward (Among other things, he’s writing a book on the environment, due out sometime this spring. Watch for it.).

Also, his fascinating, thoughtful, and energetic wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, is continuing to speak out, and to work , in her own style, both within the scope of the Heinz Foundation, and without, to get our country back on track. Quite a couple, to say the least.

Civic responsibility. Patriotism measured by real work, focused on upholding and restoring America’s higher self. Working to move the country forward, steadily, against the odds. Keeping it up, no matter what. Changing the political conversation of the country, one person at a time. Sounds like a plan for all of us.

--TED KENNEDY. Rightly called the lion of the Senate. And a lion for whom people have real affection. He’s earned that affection by growing beyond his less-than-fully-matured beginnings, by three-plus decades of eloquently, consistently fighting for truth and social justice, of fighting for PEOPLE. Bravo. Ted Kennedy.

--ROBERT BYRD. Valiant defender of the Constitution, the conscience of the Senate, and the Nation. I wish him good health, godspeed, and re-election in 2006 . We need him now, more than ever. (--HARRY REID Wily strategist , great style (more effective than Daschle, in my opinion). There’s no way that the Repugs can dismiss him with their favorite Dem caricature of latte-sipping, out-of-touch, “liberal-elite” Volvo drivers. Reid is no latte-sipper. Don’t know what car he drives, or whether he even drinks coffee (he’s a Mormon), but he’s got a great grasp of reality, and jujitsu-strategy, and he makes Frist and others sputter in frustration. Thank you, Harry Reid!
--MARIA CANTWELL fought hard to block ANWR drilling. . .and, yay, we won! The Senate did block that initiative, not once, but twice! Thank you to Cantwell and all the Senators (including the two courageous Republican defectors) who stopped this folly! Again, against the odds.
--BARACK OBAMA ‘s first year in the Senate suggests that, as he gains experience, he will fulfill the hope that I, with others, have placed in him.
-- DEBBIE STABENOW just makes me smile. (As does her state's governor, Jennifer Granholm.)

Add to this list, with your favorites!. And, everyone, keep up the good work. We’re starting, finally, to win some battles. May those victories continue , and continue to increase, in 2006.

Sparrow

You've got mail

Posted by: Christy at January 1, 2006 12:38 PM

Christy,

In as direct an answer I can give: I don't know and have no idea. But I don't think so, and I will never be able to prove it.

OC..

HAHAHAHA

Yup thats quite similar to the answer I keep coming too.

Seriously... Go read THIS...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10663996/site/newsweek/page/3/

Here is a money shot...

CONGRESS LIES LOW AND GOES ALONG.

Should the White House continue ordering selected wiretaps without warrants? * 3035 responses


Yes
16%

No
82%

I don't know
2%

Same link as above to vote

Just some random thoughts I want to share with my DCP friends:

*I hope that 2006 is a happy and healthy year for you.

*I hope that as we see political change occur, it is to your liking

*I hope that we can continue as a forum of mutually respectful individiuals who can express their opinions without fear of being personally criticized for our opinons.

*I hope that we can convince others to take advantage of the value of this site and thereby help others to genuinally reflect upon their opinions and learn to take advantage of the resources this site has to offer.

*I hope that as 2006 evolves we will be able to help America learn to overcome the morass of indifference.

On another truly personal note, I have seen some participants leave DCP because of a variety of reasons, and I hope that they return to contribute and participate. I miss them.

Polly,

As I've said before... I only regret that I have but one asterisk for my country.

However, my asterisk is all yours to grab at any time in pursuit of this noble cause.

I have a hot glue gun and I know how to use it. I also have a full coil of baling wire, a swiss army knife, three rolls of genuine gaffers' (not duct) tape, several dozen 8' 2x4's, and a genuine Captain Midnight secret decoder ring standing at the ready and awaiting your call.

Whenever you want me, just pucker up your lips and blow.

[Special note to King Georgieboy and his meanie-weanie minions: please add the word "me" followed by an exclamation point to the sentence immediately above. Thank you.]

take back the House in 2006,
Otter

Polly:

I too stand ready, with a cell phone with unlimited minutes (and a backup prepaid phone card to boot) the address book of my email has both my Senators and my Representive, and others can be added on orders.

It keeps occuring to me that the theme of the day is possibiltites. If Dick Clark can countdown the ball on Times Square, think of the possibilties
a small group of people equally focused on a single goal can achieve!

Happy New Year !

I highly suspect that The Cretin would have a very difficult time talking us into yet another war over LIES concocted by his administration, but I do wonder what he will come up with to try to sway the opinion of even the exemplary sheeples who have seen the light who now see his Iraq war as a mistake and want the troops home. Anyway, if you were a resident of Turkey, would you believe files handed over by Porter Goss of the US CIA as having honest info, given the LIES we were all told (allegedly verified by paperwork, etc.) leading up to The Cretin's ordering the attack on Iraq...??? Hmmmm.....???

Would Polly Sigh believe anything in a file handed over to another country by Porter Goss?!?

Saying Iran has ties to al Qaida is the same LIE The Cretin told us all when he tried to link Iraq to al Qaida. Somehow.... I just do NOT believe Porter Goss is telling the truth, since he's so obviously a mouthpiece for The Cretin and his administration (a stooge, like Colin Powell was). He's like The Cretin imitating Peter who cried wolf too many times.... Or is he trying to make Iran a boogey man to make Turkey attack Iran and then ask the US for help to do so? (Didn't Turkey close - or threaten to close - US military bases there??? Military bases that US planes used to fly in and out of loaded with bombs for Iraq???)

I smell a LYING rat... well, several LYING rats, actually, and they are all connected to the resident at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. who is infamous for the number of LIES he tells....

And, once again, I have to wonder WHY we're finding out the info from a foreign press, and not Lamestream Media in THIS country?!? Shame on the US media!!!!! Shame, shame, shame on you for not telling us the truth about The Cretin and his administration and their latest nefarious deeds to try to get us into more wars!!! Now, go stand in a corner and think about your sins of omission and comission since 2000 and stay in your corner until you decide that telling the truth is better than participating in The Cretin's LIES to this nation!!!

Is Washington Planning a Military Strike on Iran?
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/010106Y.shtml
Recent reports in the German media suggest that the United States may be preparing its allies for an imminent military strike against facilities that are part of Iran's suspected clandestine nuclear weapons program.

Excerpt:
In a report published on Wednesday, the Berlin daily Der Tagesspiegel also cited NATO intelligence sources claiming that Washington's western allies had been informed that the United States is currently investigating all possibilities of bringing the mullah-led regime into line, including military options. Of course, Bush has publicly stated for months that he would not take the possibility of a military strike off the table. What's new here, however, is that Washington appears to be dispatching high-level officials to prepare its allies for a possible attack rather than merely implying the possibility as it has repeatedly done during the past year.

Links to al-Qaida?

According to DDP, during his trip to Turkey, CIA chief Goss reportedly handed over three dossiers to Turkish security officials that purportedly contained evidence that Tehran is cooperating with Islamic terror network al-Qaida. A further dossier is said to contain information about the current status of Iran's alleged nuclear weapons program. Sources in German security circles told the DDP reporter that Goss had ensured Ankara that the Turkish government would be informed of any possible air strikes against Iran a few hours before they happened. The Turkish government has also been given the "green light" to strike camps of the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Iran on the day in question.

I noticed that the writer of this article carefully avoided listing the yearly salaries of the judges.... (I do remember, however, that Roberts has a seven figure estimate on his personal worth listed in bios about him leading up to the approval of his nomination....)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060101/ap_on_go_su_co/roberts_judiciary
Roberts Wants Raises for Federal Judges
WASHINGTON - In his first year-end assessment of the federal judiciary, Chief Justice John Roberts urged Congress to increase judicial pay to help keep good judges on the bench and to recruit new ones.

http://news.yahoo.com/fc/World/Espionage_and_Intelligence
Bush Defends Domestic Spying Program
SAN ANTONIO - President Bush on Sunday strongly defended his domestic spying program, saying it's a limited program that tracks only incoming calls to the United States. Bush spoke to reporters at Brooke Army Medical Center where he was visiting wounded troops. He said the fact that someone leaked information about the secret order to eavesdrop on Americans with suspected ties to terrorists causes great harm to the nation.

The Nay votes have increased... :-)

Live Vote
Should the White House continue ordering selected wiretaps without warrants? * 5118 responses

Yes
14%

No
84%

I don't know
2%

Polly:

In answer to your call to action, I have unearthed a few of Mad Magazine's Spy versus Spy issues. Also, I found a bicycle tube repair kit and some clear nail polish just in case your raincoat springs a leak (nothing worse than soggy intelligence!).

May the shadows be your friend, dear Polly.

Music by Ted koehler / harold arlen

Don't know why there's no sun up in the sky
Stormy weather
Since my man and I ain't together,
Keeps rainin' all the time

Life is bare, gloom and mis'ry everywhere
Stormy weather
Just can't get my poorself together,
I'm weary all the time
So weary all the time
When he went away the blues walked in and met me.
If he stays away old rockin' chair will get me.

All I do is pray the lord above will let me walk in the sun once more.
Can't go on, ev'ry thing I had is gone
Stormy weather

Since my man and I ain't together,
Keeps rainin' all the time.

Polly, X -

I'm ready.

I'm already on the inside.

I'm already undercover.

Just say when.

~V

So, is this disaster preparedness thing going to be the next hot item reported in infotainment news as a diversionary "issue" (like the avian flu that does not spread from one human to another that they've wasted weeks talking about so far) so they don't have to talk about the LIES and HIGH CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS or the suggesions of IMPEACHMENT of The Cretin and his administration?!?!? (BTW, isn't Brownie still employed by the US government in a lesser position where he can't do as much damage to anyone? Why is he still drawing a salary from the US government?)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060101/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/the_next_katrina_11
Government Prepares for Next Big Disaster

Is it only me? Does this article talk about Alito as though he's already been confirmed? Did I miss something? Have deals been made by senators and his confirmation is a done deal and only the dog and pony show needs to take place before he's "officially" confirmed?!?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060101/ap_on_go_su_co/scotus_business
Experts: Roberts, Alito Side With Business
Business couldn't do any better than Chief Justice John Roberts and Samuel Alito on the Supreme Court. The prospect of the two on the Supreme Court signals to manufacturers and businesses that they will have allies in high places, say academics and business experts.

One represented corporate interests as a private attorney; the other often sided with employers in lawsuits filed by workers. Beyond their decisions in individual cases, the Roberts court also has the potential to craft a consistent philosophy on business issues, something that several academics argue has been lacking in recent years since the departure of Lewis Powell in 1987.

A former corporate lawyer, Powell built a reputation as business' friend during his 15 years on the Supreme Court.

The court's highly selective docket for the current term will give Roberts and Alito, assuming the latter is confirmed, ample opportunity to shape the court. Among the critical issues for companies are the Supreme Court's decisions in antitrust cases, government regulation of land development and the commerce clause.

Certain to catch any court watcher's attention is how the new justices decide on whether to limit punitive damages in lawsuits against corporations.

"Both of them come out of a tradition of reading statutes narrowly. Both of them come out of a tradition of confining congressional power to the proper sphere," said Nathaniel Persily, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. "In contrast to the more liberal members ... I see them more in favor of business."

Roberts spent more than a decade with the private law firm of Hogan & Hartson, arguing on behalf of Toyota and health maintenance organizations. He wrote friend-of-the-court briefs for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, participated in its moot court and earned its endorsement.

Alito compiled a record of backing businesses in employee claims of sex and racial discrimination during 15 years on the Philadelphia-based 3rd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. Corporate cases were prevalent in the appellate court, whose jurisdiction includes Delaware. More than half a million business entities call Delaware their legal home.

Abortion and social issues dominate the public debate over the Supreme Court, but business matters make up a significant portion of the justices' work.

Of the businesses cases, "while some are constitutional cases, many are statutory interpretations where Congress failed to decide or a written statute it is impossible or difficult to tell what they meant," said Quentin Riegel, vice president for litigation at the National Association of Manufacturers.

In December, the association endorsed Alito, saying, "With justices like Judge Roberts and Samuel Alito on the Supreme Court, we can begin to reduce the exorbitant cost of our legal system that consumes 2.3 percent of our GDP."

Lawyers and court watchers will be keeping close tabs on where Roberts and Alito stand on punitive damages against corporations. Victor E. Schwartz, a lawyer and general counsel to the American Tort Reform Association, wondered what side Roberts and Alito would favor, especially since the court's coalitions have bucked the liberal-conservative lineup on social issues.

"The Supreme Court of the United States, in recent years, has held that the due process clause puts limits on the punitive damages awarded," Schwartz said. He noted that Justice Sandra Day O'Connor has favored limits, but Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and John Paul Stevens have not.

While the opinions of Roberts and Alito have been thoroughly dissected, Schwartz said there is only a limited amount of information that could provide a clue on how they would decide on punitive damages.

Roberts, as the new boss on the court, has an opportunity to steer the court on business issues after what one academic described as years of inconsistency. The post-New Deal court favored regulation and the 1970s court feared too much regulation, said David Skeel, a professor of corporate law at the University of Pennsylvania.

"The general thinking about Roberts and Alito, to the extent they have an effect, is they would tend to reign in the SEC's strict interpretation of major regulatory statutes," Skeel said.

One hurdle, however, is business' varied interests.

"Business isn't necessarily committed to the same principles," said John Coffee, a professor at Columbia Law School. "Federalism cuts for or against them."

:-) A view of Andree's home town.... :-)

http://framboise781.free.fr/Paris.htm
Once the picture downloads (takes a while on dial-up) move the bottom scroll bar slowly from left to right for a wrap around view of Paris. I don't know the vantage point, but the Eiffel Tower is in the background on one section of this photo, so the 'wrap-around' photo was not taken from the Eiffel Tower. The music is pretty neat, too!

While we're talking about confirming cronies, I seem to recollect the ever-cheerful and fun-loving Bolton was a recess appointment and needs to be confirmed by the full Senate at it's new session (Jan. 2006)

Posted by: abqjohn at January 1, 2006 06:15 PM

So perhaps we'll be able to force disclosure on his involvement in the wiretaps.

Schumer released a letter he sent to Specter suggesting that current and former administration officials, including Comey and Ashcroft, be called to testify and that the administration waive executive privilege.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060102/ap_on_go_pr_wh/domestic_spying

Posted by: NonnyO at January 1, 2006 05:25 PM

Did I miss something while I was gone?

Polly...
And I've got the gin. Ya know we're gonna need it...

Posted by: NonnyO at January 1, 2006 05:25 PM

Posted by: sparrow at January 1, 2006 07:55 PM

No one missed anything. The second sentence of the opening paragraph is the key to the article...

"The prospect of the two on the Supreme Court signals to manufacturers and businesses that they will have allies in high places, say academics and business experts."

This person is pointing out what may be anticipated with both Roberts and Alito on the Supreme Court.

I'm sure you'll know about it when the nomination hearings actually start in the Senate. I doubt we'll be able to miss it.

Alito hearings begin January 9. Phone calling should also be considered on that day. See the front page--Five Minutes...

abq- I'm not sure that Bolton being a recess appointment means that he has to be reconfirmed by the Senate this year. My understanding was that he can serve until sometime in 2007 with a recess appointment. I think that's right anyway. If someone knows for sure, let me know.

Unfortunately, I was right. I just found this on wikipedia:

On August 1, 2005, President Bush used a recess appointment to install Bolton as Ambassador to the UN. This recess appointment will last until a new Congress convenes in January 2007.

The good news is that in 2007 we'll have a democratic congress, and they can boot his arse out.

TIMES FRONT PAGE MONDAY: NEW STORY ON
IRAQ PROPAGANDA SCANDAL... DEVELOPING...
http://www.rawstory.com/

This could be a fun game. Name the restaurant.

"Signatures, a restaurant formerly owned by embattled lobbyist Jack Abramoff (according to the Boston Globe), wants a new name and is taking suggestions from the general public. Have fun!"

Here's the link to suggest new names for Jack Abramoff's restaurant. Any ideas?

http://www.signatures-dc.com/

Posted by: NonnyO at January 1, 2006 05:23 PM

Nonny, this is actually a very important issue. How DHS handles preparedness directly affects the ability of the government to respond to the next disaster, whether it is natural or man-made.

Christy, you'll be interested to see they are talking about dropping portable pod-type comms centers, kitchens, etc into the disaster zones.

The only unfortunate part of the article is I see a lot of complaining, a few good ideas & brainstorming, but not a lot of action.

And Nonny...Brown is no longer a federal government employee per se. He, like so many, many others, went through the revolving door and is now a civilian contractor working for the government. And, I'm sure, for much more money.

peeps in irc now, join us!

-----

ANSWERING BACK TO THE NEWS MEDIA, USING THE INTERNET

By Katharine Q. Seelye, New York Times, 1/1/06

Never pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel, or so goes the old saw. For decades, the famous and the infamous alike largely followed this advice. Even when subjects of news stories felt they had been misunderstood or badly treated, they were unlikely to take on reporters or publishers, believing that the power of the press gave the press the final word.

The Internet, and especially the amplifying power of blogs, is changing that. Unhappy subjects discovered a decade ago that they could use their Web sites to correct the record or deconstruct articles to expose what they perceived as a journalist's bias or wrongheaded narration.

But now they are going a step further. Subjects of newspaper articles and news broadcasts now fight back with the same methods reporters use to generate articles and broadcasts -- taping interviews, gathering e-mail exchanges, taking notes on phone conversations -- and publish them on their own Web sites. This new weapon in the media wars is shifting the center of gravity in the way that news is gathered and presented, and it carries implications for the future of journalism.

[snip]

Full story here: http://tinyurl.com/bjxne

-----

BEat the media,
Otter

Even the mainstream media is mad at the mainstream media... there's dissension in the ranks at the New York Times, with the paper's own obmudsman taking it to task for covering up the NSA spy story for so long:

-----

BEHIND THE EAVESDROPPING STORY, A LOUD SILENCE

By Byron Calame, NY Times Public Editor, 1/106

The New York Times's explanation of its decision to report, after what it said was a one-year delay, that the National Security Agency is eavesdropping domestically without court-approved warrants was woefully inadequate. And I have had unusual difficulty getting a better explanation for readers, despite the paper's repeated pledges of greater transparency.

For the first time since I became public editor, the executive editor and the publisher have declined to respond to my requests for information about news-related decision-making. My queries concerned the timing of the exclusive Dec. 16 article about President Bush's secret decision in the months after 9/11 to authorize the warrantless eavesdropping on Americans in the United States.

I e-mailed a list of 28 questions to Bill Keller, the executive editor, on Dec. 19, three days after the article appeared. He promptly declined to respond to them. I then sent the same questions to Arthur Sulzberger Jr., the publisher, who also declined to respond. They held out no hope for a fuller explanation in the future.

Despite this stonewalling, my objectives today are to assess the flawed handling of the original explanation of the article's path into print, and to offer a few thoughts on some factors that could have affected the timing of the article. My intention is to do so with special care, because my 40-plus years of newspapering leave me keenly aware that some of the toughest calls an editor can face are involved here -- those related to intelligence gathering, election-time investigative articles and protection of sources. On these matters, reasonable disagreements can abound inside the newsroom.

[snip]

Full story here: http://tinyurl.com/8kf2m

------

what did they know and when did they know it,
Otter

So much for the NSA's claims that it kept strict control of the data they gleaned from illegally invading the privacy of thousands of Americans. What? You mean they *lied* to us? Why, I *never!*

-----

NSA GAVE OTHER U.S. AGENCIES INFORMATION FROM SURVEILLANCE
Fruit of Eavesdropping Was Processed and Cross-Checked With Databases

By Walter Pincus, Washington Post, 1/1/06

Information captured by the National Security Agency's secret eavesdropping on communications between the United States and overseas has been passed on to other government agencies, which cross-check the information with tips and information collected in other databases, current and former administration officials said.

The NSA has turned such information over to the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and to other government entities, said three current and former senior administration officials, although it could not be determined which agencies received what types of information. Information from intercepts -- which typically includes records of telephone or e-mail communications -- would be made available by request to agencies that are allowed to have it, including the FBI, DIA, CIA and Department of Homeland Security, one former official said.

At least one of those organizations, the DIA, has used NSA information as the basis for carrying out surveillance of people in the country suspected of posing a threat, according to two sources. A DIA spokesman said the agency does not conduct such domestic surveillance but would not comment further. Spokesmen for the FBI, the CIA and the director of national intelligence, John D. Negroponte, declined to comment on the use of NSA data.

Since the revelation last month that President Bush had authorized the NSA to intercept communications inside the United States, public concern has focused primarily on the legality of the NSA eavesdropping. Less attention has been paid to, and little is known about, how the NSA's information may have been used by other government agencies to investigate American citizens or to cross-check with other databases. In the 1960s and 1970s, the military used NSA intercepts to maintain files on U.S. peace activists, revelations of which prompted Congress to restrict the NSA from intercepting communications of Americans.

[snip]

Agencies that get the information can use it to conduct "data mining," or looking for patterns or matches with other databases that they maintain, which may or may not be specifically geared toward detecting terrorism threats, he said. "They are seeking to separate the known from the unknown, relationships or associations," he added.

The NSA would sometimes monitor telephones, e-mails or fax communications in cases where individuals in the United States -- and sometimes people they contacted -- were linked to an alleged foreign terrorist group, officials have said. The NSA, officials said, limited its decisions to follow-up with more electronic surveillance on an individual to those cases where there was some apparent link to terrorist sources.

But other agencies, one former official said, have used phone numbers or other records obtained from NSA in combination with wide-ranging databases to look for links and associations. "What data sets are included is a policy decision [made by individual agencies] when they involve other than terrorist links," he said.

DIA personnel stationed inside the United States went further on occasion, conducting physical surveillance of people or vehicles identified as a result of NSA intercepts, said two sources familiar with the operations, although the DIA said it does not conduct such activities.

[snip]

Full story here: http://tinyurl.com/d2l8n

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oh, mommy, I ain't no commie,
Otter

Molly knows.

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BIG BROTHER BUSH

By Molly Ivins, AlterNet

The first time as tragedy, the second time as farce. Thirty-five years ago, Richard Milhous Nixon, who was crazy as a bullbat, and J. Edgar Hoover, who wore women's underwear, decided some Americans had unacceptable political opinions. So they set our government to spying on its own citizens, basically those who were deemed insufficiently like Crazy Richard Milhous.

For those of you who have forgotten just what a stonewall paranoid Nixon was, the poor man used to stalk around the White House demanding that his political enemies be killed. Many still believe there was a certain Richard III grandeur to Nixon's collapse because he was also a man of notable talents. There is neither grandeur nor tragedy in watching this president, the Testy Kid, violate his oath to uphold the laws and Constitution of our country.

The Testy Kid wants to do what he wants to do when he wants to do it because he is the president, and he considers that sufficient justification for whatever he wants. He even finds lawyers like John Yoo, who tell him that whatever he wants to do is legal.

The creepy part is the overlap. Damned if they aren't still here, after all these years, the old Nixon hands -- Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, the whole gang whose yearning for authoritarian government rose like a stink over the Nixon years. Imperial executive. Bring back those special White House guard uniforms. Cheney, like some malignancy that cannot be killed off, back at the same old stand, pushing the same old crap. Of course, they tell us we have to be spied on for our own safety, so they can catch the terrorists who threaten us all. Thirty-five years ago, they nabbed a film star named Jean Seberg and a bunch of people running a free breakfast program for poor kids in Chicago. This time, they're onto the Quakers. We are not safer.

[snip]

Full article here: http://tinyurl.com/ax9yf

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same old wine in a brand new bottle,
Otter

Hey, haven't we been talking about this very topic all weekend? Gee. Ain't synchronicity grand.

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FIVE STORIES MAKING THE BUZZ IN 2006

How Progressives Can Jump-start The National Conversation About Five Of The Most Important Issues Of 2006

By Rachel Neumann, AlterNet, 12/31/06

Despite Bush's dismal approval ratings, the war of the frames -- how we talk about the big news and big ideas in the culturesphere -- was won by the conservatives in 2005. Think of the catch phrases of the year: The "War on Terrorism," "Intelligent Design," the "War on Christmas," even "cut and run."

These phrases may have caught on because of the efficacy of grassroots right-wing groups, but they also stuck because they are active, concrete phrases with strong verbs and easily pronounceable names. But we can do that and one better, right people?

Below are five of the biggest stories I predict we'll be buzzing about in 2006, and some suggestions on how to start talking about them now.

[snip]

Full aticle here: http://tinyurl.com/dpjmk

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clarify; communicate; activate,
Otter

I just snipped this down to the key players' names -- read the full story to find out why they're up for MVP of the Year awards.

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MOST VALUABLE PROGRESSIVES OF 2005

By John Nichols, The Nation

The year is ending on a much better note than it began -- thanks to the courage and conviction of elected officials, activists and organizations.

It is hard to complain about a year that began with George Bush bragging about spending the "political capital" he felt he had earned with his dubious reelection and ended with the president drowning in the Nixonian depths of public disapproval.

But the circumstance didn't just get better. A handful of elected officials, activist groups and courageous citizens bent the arc of history toward justice. Here are this one columnist's picks for the Most Valuable Progressives of 2005:

MVP, U.S. Senate: Russ Feingold

MVP, U.S. House: John Conyers

MVP, Executive Branch: Lawrence B. Wilkerson

MVP, Law Enforcement Branch: Ronnie Earle

MVP, Citizen Branch: Cindy Sheehan

MVP, Watchdog Branch: After Downing Street

Full article here: http://tinyurl.com/7h9r7

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the news that gives them fits we print,
Otter

The NYTimes goes and does it..

They say BUSH and LYING in the same sentance.

FINALLY!!!

http://www.topplebush.com/oped2434.shtml

"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." - George Orwell

"Your failure to be informed does not make me a wacko." - John Loeffler

"It is the duty of the patriot to protect his country from it's government." - Thomas Paine

"There are none so enslaved as those who falsely believe they are free." - Goethe

"We are on the verge of a global transformation. All we need is the right major crisis and the nations will accept the New World Order." - David Rockefeller

"We cannot solve the problems of today with the same thinking that gave us the problems in the first place." - Albert Einstein

"The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it." - Albert Einstein

"Leaders never lead, unless the people lead them. Leaders, left to their own devices will follow the call of the folks writing the cheques." - William Rivers Pitt

"If you're not careful the media will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing." - Malcolm X

"All warfare is based on deception." - General Sun Tzu, 400BC

My Favorite;
"Come the millennium, month twelve, In the home of the greatest power, The village idiot will come forth To be acclaimed the leader." - Nostradamus 1561

I would rather vote for a republican that stands up to this administration than a democrat hiding under the Desk. Enough of the speeches, enough of the photo ops, Enough.
Our rights have been sold off, privacy rationalized, and heritage mortgaged. All with the help of office holders afraid to fullfill their obligation to the Nation.
We live under a regime, not a republic. Our Senators run like sheep over the cliff, bleating of patriotism and sacrifice, republicans and democrats alike. There is no longer a difference when both ignore the constitution.

The White House broke the Law, Period. The President Broke the Law, Period. If this is not enough to give Cause in the Senate, they are no longer Senators and do not deserve to hold office any longer.

Toolmaker,
Plenty of Cause in the Senate, but the House initiates impeachment, not the Senate.

It is also important--everyone here--to NOT make generalized statements such as ALL Dems, or ALL Repubs. We do our homework here. We know who is speaking truth to power, and who is not.

We celebrated the last night of Hannukah tonight with French students who are Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Aetheist. Now we are going to watch a video about evolution. We ate together, laughed alot, and now are going to have a video night. We are going to burn copies of the latest Snoop Dogg CD and watch some of the Beavis & Butthead Box set.

Sorry if a little incoherent. We drank this $1.99 wine we were given for Christmas and it is from a winery called Electric Reindeer Winery.

I would also like to announce that I am harboring a Bill Clinton intern.

DiAnne,

Just watch who you start dancing with. One of them might be made of cardboard!

It was Republican Senators that went to President Nixon and informed him he no longer has support of his own Party, and needed to resign or face impeachment.

The house may initiate impeachment, but it is the Senate that faciliates that action, each time in our History. The House will not act without senate backing.

Speaking truth to power is not enough any more, that is the point. When your president believes he is above the Law, speaking is meaningless.

Holding the Office of United States Senator meant something, Today it has taken on the air of a celebrity and not the leader of a Nation. You, me, all of us are obligated to hold their responsibilities square in front of them, and read the Constitution line by line if we need to and remind them WHY they hold that office.

That goes for ALL senators, republican and democrat alike. This administration has become dangerous to the world, to the Nation, to your children. it is no longer a partisan issue, your rights and protections have been removed by a President who believes he can do as he pleases in the name of national defense.

Posted by: dwahzon at January 1, 2006 08:14 PM

I didn't miss that sentence, but it was just rather strange to read an article that talked about Brown and Alito together, as though they are both already on the court... and only one has been confirmed, not the other one. (I suspect the author of that article really wants to see Alito confirmed....)

IMHO, it would be a tragedy to have yet another justice so obviously favorable to the corporations, let alone the other stuff that makes it seem (to me) like Alito would be unsuitable.

Posted by: Veritas at January 1, 2006 08:57 PM

I know disaster preparedness is important... but I don't want to hear about it for the next six months on infotainment news as a diversionary "issue" either (as the avian flu, which few, if any, will ever get, and infotainment news has yakked about avian flu weekly, if not daily - if news teasers are to be believed).

I want to hear about the CRIMES of The Cretin and his administration and their LIES, HIGH CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS above all else. Those things have been ignored too long in Lamestream Media.

I thought I had read about Brownie going off to some consultation thing to do with disasters, but wasn't sure if that was still the case or not.... Good riddance....

And, not to belabor the point (but I will anyway), I still want to have infotainment news actually talk about something important for a change, like the LIES, HIGH CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS of The Cretin and his administration, "real news" that could lead to serious talk about IMPEACHMENT. I seriously want to hear about all of that daily (as often as I heard about Clinton's lie about a blow job), and I want The Cretins LIES, HIGH CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS that could lead to IMPEACHMENT mentioned so often I get bored hearing about it. If I hear about all of that daily for the next three years, perhaps by then I'll be bored with it all...? Maybe.

Posted by: Christy at January 1, 2006 10:38 PM

Wow! Krugman did use "Bush" and "lying" in the same sentence... coulda knocked me down with a feather reading that.... BUT then it was followed with this paragraph, which also hit the nail square on the head (ironic, but apparently true since 2000):

A year ago, we didn't know for sure that almost all the politicians and pundits who thundered, during the Lewinsky affair, that even the president isn't above the law have changed their minds. But now we know when it comes to presidents who break the law, it's O.K. if you're a Republican.

More News As It Happens (...to cross our desk, here at Otterworld Central HQ -- now with New! Improved! Opinions included at no extra charge):

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BUSH DEFENDS DOMESTIC EAVESDROPPING
President Denies He Misled Public When He Said Wiretaps Required Court Orders
http://tinyurl.com/aglso

President Bush defended both the legality and the necessity of the National Security Agency's domestic eavesdropping program Sunday, and he denied that he had misled the public last year when he insisted that any government wiretap required a court order.

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RUSSIA CUTS GAS TO UKRAINE MARKET
Political Tiff With Former Soviet Republic Could Have Ripple Effect All The Way To U.S
http://tinyurl.com/clptc

Moscow -- Russia cut off the natural gas intended for Ukraine on Sunday as talks over pricing and transit terms unraveled into a bald political conflict that carried consequences for Ukraine's recovering economy and possibly for gas supplies to Western Europe.

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IMMIGRATION DEATH TRAP
http://tinyurl.com/8zrzs

If anti-immigrant forces in Congress have their way, illegal immigration would be a crime punishable by death. When the Senate returns from its holiday break, one of the first items on the agenda is dealing with immigration enforcement legislation (HR 4437) that was passed by the House just before Christmas.

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DEMOCRATS KEEP THE SENATE IN SIGHT
http://tinyurl.com/7z37w

It has been a while since Democrats have held such high hopes for an election year -- confident of, at the least, making significant gains in the Republican-controlled House and Senate. In truth, Democratic hopes of winning back the House are somewhat remote. They have a better shot at capturing the Senate.

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DOWN ON THE RANCH, PRESIDENT WAGES WAR ON THE UNDERBRUSH
Bush Conscripts Aides in Tireless Pursuit of Clearing Ground
http://tinyurl.com/c69bt

CRAWFORD, Texas -- On most of the 365 days he has enjoyed at his secluded ranch here, President Bush's idea of paradise is to hop in his white Ford pickup truck in jeans and work boots, drive to a stand of cedars, and whack the trees to the ground.

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BUSH TEAM RETHINKS ITS PLAN FOR RECOVERY
New Approach Could Save Second Term
http://tinyurl.com/8umof

President Bush shifted his rhetoric on Iraq in recent weeks after an intense debate among advisers about how to pull out of his political free fall, with senior adviser Karl Rove urging a campaign-style attack on critics while younger aides pushed for more candor about setbacks in the war, according to Republican strategists.

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HILL GIFT LIMITS OFTEN EXCEEDED, LOBBYISTS' RECORDS SHOW
BellSouth Document Illustrates Gap Between the Rules and the Realities
http://tinyurl.com/ay5b8

More than 80 lawmakers and Capitol Hill aides are listed as having accepted entertainment from lobbyists for BellSouth Corp. at levels that appear to exceed congressional gift limits, according to a document produced by the company's Washington office.

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BOLTON PLANS TO RESTART STALLED EFFORTS TO RESTRUCTURE U.N.
http://tinyurl.com/7usgz

John R. Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said he will start the new year by reinvigorating stalled efforts to restructure management of the world body, beginning with a controversial push to seek assurances that the Security Council's five major powers will be guaranteed posts on a new Human Rights Council.

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OUR LATIN CONUNDRUM
http://tinyurl.com/a65rj

Here's a sad but safe new year's prediction: U.S. relations with Latin America, which plunged to their lowest point in decades in 2005, will get still worse in 2006.

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THE ARMY, FACED WITH ITS LIMITS
http://tinyurl.com/aodkw

One million men and women serve in the United States Army, so why is it proving nearly impossible to keep a mere 150,000 of them in Iraq?

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SPY CONTROVERSY, REDUX
http://tinyurl.com/db434

The lessons of the Church committee -- the need for legal checks, the importance of congressional oversight, the missteps that inevitably occur when the executive branch is accountable only to itself -- seem to have been ignored by all of the parties involved.

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AND FOR MY NEXT ACT...
Politicos Learn That There Can Be Life After Losing The Big One
http://tinyurl.com/d7fo8

"What happened in 2000 comes back inside me quite regularly. I think of what could have been."

-- Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT), quoted by the Hartford Courant, "in a moment of candor about the bitter memory of his vice presidential loss."

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AN EXTENSIVE WEB OF FINANCIAL TIES
Group Linked To Delay Largely Funded By Clients Of Embattled Lobbyist
http://tinyurl.com/apanv

The U.S. Family Network, a public advocacy group that operated in the 1990s with close ties to Rep. Tom DeLay and claimed to be a nationwide grass-roots organization, was funded almost entirely by corporations linked to embattled lobbyist Jack Abramoff, according to tax records and former associates of the group.

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POLL SHOWS DROP IN MILITARY SUPPORT FOR BUSH
http://tinyurl.com/ajjkv

A new poll by the Army Times Publishing Company, to be released Monday, shows a drop in support for President Bush and his conduct of the war in Iraq. The poll was sent to thousands of active duty military subscribers of the publisher's newsweeklies, including the Army Times.

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educate; motivate; activate,
Otter

Somebody *please* tell me that this is a tongue-in-cheek blogsite -- otherwise, we're all in deep kim chee:

http://samuelalito.blogspot.com/

on the internet nobody can tell you're a blog,
Otter

And from the Rumors, We Got Rumors Department:

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KERRY (APPARENTLY) STILL HOPING

Washington, Jan. 2, 2006 (AP) -- It's almost as if Sen. John Kerry never stopped running for president.

He still jets across the country, raising millions of dollars and rallying Democrats. He still stalks the TV news show circuit, scolding President Bush at every turn.

His campaign Web site boasts of an online army of 3 million supporters.

The Massachusetts Democrat, defeated by President Bush in 2004, insists it is far too early to talk about the 2008 race, but some analysts assume he has already positioning himself for another shot at the White House.

"Obviously, Kerry has all but said he wants another crack at the thing," said Neal Thigpen, a political science professor at South Carolina's Francis Marion University. "He's going to make a second try."

While most losing presidential nominees quickly fade into the political landscape, Kerry has worked hard at maintaining a high public profile.

"He's continuing the fight he began in 2004," said Kerry spokesman David Wade. "He wants to make it very clear he's a fighter who is going to continue to fight for his agenda."

Borrowing a page from Republican Sen. John McCain's 2000 post-election playbook, Kerry has kept much of his presidential political organization intact. He has also used his fundraising prowess to aid Democrats across the country, collecting chits that could be called if he seeks the party's White House nomination.

"He believes in his heart and soul that he came just a whisker away from being president," said Ronald Kaufman, a veteran GOP operative with Massachusetts roots.

[snip]

Full story here: http://tinyurl.com/8lbah

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never say never,
Otter