Speaking of a Police State

Are Americans are so afraid that they are willing to give up their privacy and freedom for the illusion of safety? According to ABC News today, 71% of us approve of the increased use of surveillance cameras. They didn't ask me.

Seniors are most apt to support the increased use of these cameras, with under-30s, least so; Republicans more than Democrats; women more than men; higher educated people more than the less educated; and whites more than African-Americans.

Through a political lens, support for increased use of surveillance systems is lowest, 62 percent, among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents who support Barack Obama for president — and highest of all, 86 percent, among Republicans who support Rudy Giuliani, who made his name as New York City's crime-fighting mayor.

It's happened in the UK.
--------------

From 1984, Book I, Chapter 5 by George Orwell
"It was terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander when you were in any public place or within range of a telescreen. The smallest thing could give you away. A nervous tic, an unconscious look of anxiety, a habit of muttering to yourself—anything that carried with it the suggestion of abnormality, of having something to hide. In any case, to wear an improper expression on your face… was itself a punishable offense. There was even a word for it in Newspeak: facecrime…"

"The only difference between Soviet propaganda and US propaganda is that the Soviet people knew it was propaganda."
-Me

"I have, like, no earthly idea what you're talking about"

Bush on Music Royalties:

Q Mr. President, music is one of our largest exports the country has. Currently, every country in the world -- except China, Iran, North Korea, Rwanda and the United States -- pay a statutory royalty to the performing artists for radio and television air play. Would your administration consider changing our laws to align it with the rest of the world?

THE PRESIDENT: Help. (Laughter.) Maybe you've never had a President say this -- I have, like, no earthly idea what you're talking about. (Laughter and applause.) Sounds like we're keeping interesting company, you know? (Laughter.) Look, I'll give you the old classic: contact my office, will you? (Laughter.) I really don't -- I'm totally out of my lane. I like listening to country music, if that helps. (Laughter.)**

**see comment #11 in above link (laughter laughter!!)


What's even MORE AMAZING is the White House Transcript of this ACTUAL, marvelous, fabulous gathering that took place in Nashville last week.

w visited the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center to discuss the budget and reach out to the "good, solid Tennessee citizens who are entrepreneurs, risk takers, dreamers. (Applause.)"

This actually took place. At first I thought it was a spoof or something. I felt like I was reading a SNL transcript. I must be losing it - it appears to be a true blue 'meeting of the minds'. A real ho-down - lots of laughter and applause!

He spoke of our soldiers:

".....there's no more amazing experience than to meet those who have served in harm's way and to realize the strength of spirit of American citizens who volunteer during a time of danger. And one of the young men I have met during my presidency -- I did so in my home state of Texas -- who is with us today, a man who is recovering from terrible injury, but has never lost the spirit of life: Kevin Downs. (Applause.) He's a good man. We're going to get him some new legs, and if he hurries up, he can outrun me on the South Lawn of the White House. Proud that Kevin's mom and dad are here with us, too."

The Economy:

"I want to spend a little time on the economy -- more particularly, the budget. You've got to worry about your budgets; we've got to worry about your budget, too, since you're paying for it. (Laughter.)"

Difficult times:

"We were confronted -- this administration has confronted some difficult economic times, particularly earlier in this administration. There was a recession. There were the terrorist attacks that affected the economy in a very direct way. There were corporate scandals which created some thousand -- uncertainty about our system that needed to be corrected. And we responded to those problems by cutting taxes."

and something about the Nashville Bun Co. and English Muffins:

"The Nashville Bun Company folks are organized so that they pay tax at the individual income tax level...
English muffin manufacturing company -- English muffin machine manufacturing company is more likely to have work. In other words, there's an effect, the tax code can affect commerce. And that's exactly what we did, and we cut the taxes and it's worked. This economy is strong. Unemployment has dropped........
--------


So.... there you go!

There you have it.

Where's Toby? - I need to borrow your fucking boot.....

I have, like, no earthly idea what to say.


Crossposted at BigBrassBlog

"FBI searches home of Alaska Sen. Stevens"

"The FBI and IRS have searched the home of Republican Sen. Ted Stevens in a ski resort in Alaska as part of an investigation into his links with an oil-services company, officials said on Monday."

Full article at Reuters.

How to transport a dime

Wear flip flops to avoid suspicion.

The 1884 S Barber dime is very rare because only a few were minted and were made as gifts by the minter. It's not a pretty dime. In fact Liberty looks pretty awful. One just sold for $1.9 million dollars. It traveled across the country to meet its new owner.

It was a flight filled with tension for the coin dealer charged with delivery.

He was too nervous to sleep, he said. He did not watch the in-flight movie, which was "Firehouse Dog.'' He turned down a Reuben sandwich and sensibly declined all offers of alcoholic beverages.

Shortly after boarding the plane, he transferred the dime from his pants pocket to his briefcase.

"I was worried that the dime might fall out of my pocket while I was sitting down,'' Feigenbaum said.

All across the country, Feigenbaum kept checking to make sure the dime was safe by reaching into his briefcase to feel for it. Feigenbaum did not actually take the dime out of his briefcase, as it is suspicious to stare at dimes.

He does recall fishing around -- somewhere over the Rockies, over the Midwest, and over the Alleghenies -- for the dime. For the rest of the flight, he kept his flip-flopped foot planted on the briefcase and his eyes wide open.

Read the story at SF Chronicle for a good chuckle: 'I didn't eat and I didn't sleep'

The WH Must Be Very Intimidated- sinks lower

This blog has been covering the plight of 9/11 rescue workers (and even the dogs) since the get go. It's been a bleak story and every positive baby step has been taken away by the powers that be.

In the movie, Sicko, Michael Moore takes sick 9/11 rescue workers to "Club Gitmo" in Cuba to get them 'free health care' like al Qaida gets. Through his loud speaker he told the guards there that he wanted, “The same kind Al Qaeda is getting!” Speaking truth to power is the hallmark of great journalism. It is what saved America from fascist takeovers in the past even when the Hearst Corporation was part of the problem.

It's no surprise that the bushistas have issued a subpoena to Michael Moore for traveling to Cuba. Power denying truth has been a hallmark with the bush administration. First he was issued a summons by the treasury department to furnish them with reasons that he went there. Obviously his travel there was for journalism, but no, the administration would rather harass him.

Think Progress notes that the WH has mocked Michael Moore. This sort of bullying is completely beneath the highest office in the country. Had any other administration acted in this way, heads would fly.

Noting that many celebrities visit Cuba with no repercussions, Moore noted, “I didn’t go there like Cameron Diaz to get a tan. … I was there to help them.” In a briefing yesterday, White House spokesman Dana Perino responded to Moore’s tan comment by mocking his appearance: “That’s probably a visual we don’t need.”

Excuse me, but this flippant attitude by the WH spokesperson is uncalled for and unprofessional. It's perfectly understandable that the WH fears journalists like Michael Moore, especially since all their denials of F911 have been proven to be futile as the truth won out. But this is not a playground and Dana Perino is as amateur as they come. Shame shame.

Walter Mondale Speaks Out

"Answering to No One"

By Walter F. Mondale
Sunday, July 29, 2007; B07

"The (Washington) Post's recent series on Dick Cheney's vice presidency certainly got my attention. Having held that office myself over a quarter-century ago, I have more than a passing interest in its evolution from the backwater of American politics to the second most powerful position in our government. Almost all of that evolution, under presidents and vice presidents of both parties, has been positive -- until now. Under George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, it has gone seriously off track."

Rest of article at WashingtonPost.com.

Some Good News

One of the less-known stories out of Iraq these days has been the Iraqi national football side (soccer team). Drawn from smaller clubs and leagues throuhgout the country, they represent a cross-section of all the various ethnic and religious groups in Iraq.

They took the name "Lions of the Two Rivers" and proved it today with their first-ever Asian Football Cup victory over four-time winner Saudi Arabia. They beat the Saudi side 1-0, leading to wild celebrations in the streets of Baghdad and throughout Iraq.

Congratulations to the Lions of the Two Rivers! You fought hard, and it paid off, and you provide an example of unity to your fellow citizens.

The continuing story of "Whose Side Are We On Anyway?"

In this week's episode, the bushistas will supply billions of dollars of fabulously advanced weapons to their old pals, the Saudis, not to mention other nations including Israel. I think this means that Israel and the Saudis are on the same side now. Oh wait, then that would mean that Iraq and Iran are on the same side as each other but on the other side... but Iraq is supposed to be on our side. Oh dear. Oh wait. Bush will increase military aid to Israel so that they won't feel bad about all the big guns that are also going to the Saudis.

The bigger question is: Who would Jesus bomb?

--------------
While we're speaking about whose side we're on, the story that won't go away is still on the fire: How come the US evacuated al Qaida fighters and hard-core Taliban fighters to Pakistan in November 2001 when we were supposed to be "smoking them out" and killing them for the crimes of 9/11? And now the US talks about invading yet another sovereign nation- Pakistan, for harboring terrorists when Rumsfeld actually ordered them there?
----------------

I d0n't know about you, but connecting all the dots since 2000 is painting a godawful scary picture.The guys who drive the subways in NY undergo more rigorous mental scrutiny than our very own imperialist Chimperor.

Another chapter in the dystopian novel that is America

In an effort to pretend that they really give a shit about the security of the American people...

The Washington Post reports

The United States and the European Union have agreed to expand a security program that shares personal data about millions of U.S.-bound airline passengers a year, potentially including information about a person's race, ethnicity, religion and health.

Under the agreement, airlines flying from Europe to the United States are required to provide data related to these matters to U.S. authorities if it exists in their reservation systems. The deal allows Washington to retain and use it only "where the life of a data subject or of others could be imperiled or seriously impaired," such as in a counterterrorism investigation.

According to the deal, the information that can be used in such exceptional circumstances includes "racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership" and data about an individual's health, traveling partners and sexual orientation.

And of course this information will not be used against any innocent people who have nothing to worry about because they are 'good people'.

Hat tip Americablog

Was "The Right Stuff" Rye or Bourbon?

Because I don't like the taste of bourbon. Cooking with it's fine, but not drinking it (tastes awful).

Anyway.

As the investigation into the diaper-wearing astronaut incident widened, it became apparent that NASA had a problem about which it was in deep denial. Deep? You could have floated Cleopatra's barge on it.

Allegedly (everything's alleged until the New York Times best-seller comes out) the astronauts have been having difficulties since the earliest days of the space program. Not with the equipment, but with alcohol. To be blunt, astronauts have been getting lit before launch.

Wait until the sun's up over the yardarm, guys and gals.

Now, I have much respect for anyone who deliberately straps themselves into an experimental craft built by the lowest bidder and perched precariously upon several thousand tons of high explosives. It may be a bit too much to expect that they be sober as judges when they do it, but that's not the point (although it may be - the Russians have probably allowed their cosmonauts a nip or two of vodka before flight).

Just a little alcohol is enough, in some people, to impair their reflexes and judgement, and when you're dealing with an environment that is actively trying to kill you you can't make any mistakes.

NASA is trying to set things right by increasing the frequency with which it does psychological evaluations, establishing an explicit code of conduct, and other measures. But this latest news is another black eye that the manned space program didn't need.

What is your favorite make-out song?

It's been a sad week. The constitution is in threads and I don't know about y'all, but any hope I had that the Dems might turn this ship around is slowly sinking into the crapper.
I somehow managed to finish putting up all our hay and my plan was to rest up. No sooner was I all prepared to commence mouth breathing on the back porch and occasionally ambling out to fish a minute or two --- up and comes this important query. "What's your favorite make-out music?"

Well, at first I was going to answer "America the Beautiful," but the medley " Moonglow " and "Love Theme", from the one of my most beloved movies ever, Picnic, won out.. It is a masterpiece. Although depending on my mood and hormone level, anything by Sting or Luther Vandross can have the same effect.

So if you don't mind me asking, what is your favorite make-out music?

New details on Tillman's death

It's not nice to kill a famous soldier. Heads are flying. Army doctors have long suspected that Tillman's wounds were too close together and from a close range- perhaps an "M-16 fired from a mere 10 yards or so away."

From the AP

The medical examiners' suspicions were outlined in 2,300 pages of testimony released to the AP this week by the Defense Department in response to a Freedom of Information Act request.

Among other information contained in the documents:

• In his last words moments before he was killed, Tillman snapped at a panicky comrade under fire to shut up and stop "sniveling."

• Army attorneys sent each other congratulatory e-mails for keeping criminal investigators at bay as the Army conducted an internal friendly-fire investigation that resulted in administrative, or non-criminal, punishments.

• The three-star general who kept the truth about Tillman's death from his family and the public told investigators some 70 times that he had a bad memory and couldn't recall details of his actions.

• No evidence at all of enemy fire was found at the scene — no one was hit by enemy fire, nor was any government equipment struck.

It's obvious from all this conflicting information that something is being covered up.

Obligatory Friday Sex Post

The police described it as "passionate fornication" and did nothing to stop nature's call (unlike in the USA where it would be deemed immoral and liberal.)

Horny Hedgehogs Spark Police Callout

Two hedgehogs triggered a nocturnal police operation in Germany this week after the spiky little mammals awoke neighbors with their loud, shameless mating. They went on fornicating even as a crowd gathered to watch them. In fact the attention made them even more vigorous.

This week's sex post was sent to us by reader "Who Else" a/k/a Dirruk the irrepressible limerick writer in our comments.

Unreal

Senior citizen Sara Weiss from Long Island is the reason for the TSA bulletin warning of terrorist suspects who travel with ice packs that are sealed with duct tape. She has a bad back and carries ice packs with her when she travels. They were really old she says and she taped the cracks with clear tape, not duct tape and there was no clay in them.

Read the story and about how she was questioned for hours.

The next time someone tells you that they don't do anything wrong so they don't care if the bushistas trample on civil rights.......

So that's how they did it

Disappointed Americans wondered how on earth King George ever won the 2004 election.
It will be on NOW tonight on PBS: "Voter Caging"

From Truthout:
"Previously undisclosed documents detail how Republican operatives, with the knowledge of several White House officials, engaged in an illegal, racially-motivated effort to suppress tens of thousands of votes during the 2004 presidential campaign in a state where George W. Bush was trailing his Democratic challenger, Senator John Kerry.

The documents also contain details describing how Bush-Cheney 2004 campaign officials, and at least one individual who worked for White House political adviser Karl Rove, planned to stop minorities residing in Cuyahoga County from voting on election day.

The efforts to purge voters from registration rolls was spearheaded by Tim Griffin, a former Republican National Committee opposition researcher. Griffin recently resigned from his post as interim US attorney for Little Rock Arkansas. His predecessor, Bud Cummins, was forced out to make way for Griffin.

Another set of documents, 43 pages of emails, provided to Truthout by the PBS news program "NOW," contains blueprints for a massive effort undertaken by RNC operatives in 2004, to challenge the eligibility of voters expected to support Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry in states such as Nevada, New Mexico, Florida and Pennsylvania.

One email, dated September 30, 2004, and sent to a dozen or so staffers on the Bush-Cheney campaign and the RNC, under the subject line "voter fraud strategy conference call," describes how campaign staffers planned to challenge the veracity of votes in a handful of battleground states in the event of a Democratic victory.

Furthermore, the emails show the Bush-Cheney campaign and RNC staffers compiled voter-challenge lists that targeted probable Democratic voters in at least five states: New Mexico, Ohio, Florida, Nevada and Pennsylvania. Voting rights lawyers have made allegations of so called "vote caging," against Republicans previously. These emails provide more evidence. One Republican operative involved in the planning wrote "we can do this in NV, FL, PA and NM because we have a list to run against the Absentee Ballot requests, and should."

Vote caging is an illegal tactic to suppress minorities from voting by having their names purged from voter rolls when they fail to respond to registered mail sent to their homes. The Republican National Committee signed a consent decree in 1986 stating they would not engage in the practice after they were caught suppressing votes in 1981 and 1986."

Lots more at Truthout with the emails that have been found which provide proof that the 2004 election in battleground states was undermined. Unbelievable. (well not really.)

Nuclear Terrorism - More Info

I received this email today. I thought someone might be interested in the information contained therein. It is much faster than reading the entire Allison book although I still recommend this.

Dear Candy,

I saw your recent post, “Nuclear terrorism.” While we agree with everything in the first half of Allison’s book, we don’t think the measures he outline to prevent this from happening go far enough—they are necessary but not sufficient to prevent nuclear terrorism. We just wrote a paper you might find interesting.

“Intelligence, Border Security, and Forensics Will Fail: Secure DC, NYC, and Other Cities from Nuclear Attacks with Highly Enriched Uranium”

http://www.devabhaktuni.us/research/onecity.pdf (Full report)

http://www.devabhaktuni.us/research/onecityop-ed.pdf (4-page essay)

Here’s a blog posting on the paper that gets to the punch-line http://armchairgeneralist.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/07/protecting-citi.html

Thanks,

-Sri

p.s. A previous paper we wrote on nuclear detection was published as Devabhaktuni Srikrishna, A. Narasimha Chari and Thomas Tisch, “DETERRENCE OF NUCLEAR TERRORISM WITH MOBILE RADIATION DETECTORS” (Nonproliferation Review, Vol. 12, No 3, November 2005, pages 573-614) http://cns.miis.edu/pubs/npr/vol12/123toc.htm

I have read the four page essay and the post by the armchair generalist. You may find them illuminating as well. The longer report will have to wait until I have more time.

And thank you very much Sri.

Only In America

An inmate serving 10 years for armed robbery got another 60 days in jail for masturbating in his jail cell.

"The sole witness in the case, BSO Deputy Coryus Veal, testified that Alexander did not try to hide what he was doing as most prisoners do. Veal saw him perform the act while she was working in a glass-enclosed master control room, 100 feetfrom Alexander's cell. There was no video tape or other witnesses"

The Great Fascist Takeover that almost was

BBC Radio: A document was uncovered that details of White House coup in the USA in 1933 by right-wing American businessmen.

The coup was aimed at toppling President Franklin D Roosevelt with the help of half-a-million war veterans. The plotters, who were alleged to involve some of the most famous families in America, (owners of Heinz, Birds Eye, Goodtea, Maxwell Hse & George Bush’s Grandfather, Prescott) believed that their country should adopt the policies of Hitler and Mussolini to beat the great depression.

Prescott Bush was no enemy of fascism.
How Bush's grandfather helped Hitler's rise to power


UPDATE:
Video at Amazon.com In Search Of History - The Plot To Overthrow FDR
The Book at Amazon.com The Plot to Seize the White House: The Shocking True Story of the Conspiracy to Overthrow FDR
Related: Maverick Marine: General Smedley D. Butler and the Contradictions of American Military History

UPDATE UPDATE:
YouTube Video John Buchanan on the Bush Dynasty

Proud To Be Partisan

Here is an excellent post by Jane Hamsher on why it is incumbent on us to be partisan at this time in our history. It is not long. This is why I cannot support any Republican for anything and may never do so again. (h/t Digby)

If it was up to me, his title would be "Flunker's Helpy".

A lotta folks been saying for better than six years now that boygeorge is not the "real" president of the United States, that it's Darth that's really been calling all the shots. So what does that make boygeorge? Well, you better check out the Dark Wraith's latest, either at his Forums Site or at The Big Brass Blog.

Any of youse out there live in cities that have both a city manager and a mayor? That's one of the examples to which he equates our current administration. Or...well, the title of his blog is "Prime Minister of the United States of America". Prime? Not where I come from. Back in my steel mill days we had several classifications for finished steel: Prime, Excess, Reject, Secondary, and Waste-Waste. And that memory might give me an idea for a future blog which would begin, "The Waste-Waste Minister of the United States is a wasted waste".

You s'pose they'll get better treatment than the folks who took refuge in the Superdome after Katrina?

"EMERGENCY services evacuated hundreds of homes in the university city of Oxford yesterday as the River Thames broke its banks and Britain grappled with its worst floods in 60 years.
"Water levels rose steadily during the night and police said they had evacuated 250 homes and had given people shelter in Oxford's soccer stadium."

Story in the Sydney Morning Herald.

The Yes Men interview with Bill Moyers

Bill Moyers gets in on the joke with two impersonators who use satire to make serious points about media consolidation, journalism, business ethics, and separating fact from fiction in a world of spin.

Watch the interview here

via dailykos and crooksandliars

The Yes Men have a passion for media literacy and to bring to our attention who's telling the truth. They accomplish this through satire and parody. They are the masters of both.

You are so right Mr. Moyers -- "You can't get too absurd".

The Yes Men brilliantly show us how "we still do have pretty good free speech laws in this country --

YOU CAN SPEAK AT THE VOLUME OF HOW MUCH MONEY YOU HAVE"


I rarely get the wind knocked out of me, but after viewing this, I'm down for the count here folks - SOMEbody please wake me up......


Crossposted at BigBrassBlog

Hey. Whose side are we on anyway?

I would bet you that if Osama bin Laden had a colonoscopy, that's where they would find Bush's head (since the only head found up bush's ass was Gonzales'.)

The president seems almost pleased that al Qaida is in Iraq and used that to criticize his war critics yesterday. He assured Americans in a speech that the al Qaida in Iraq is allegiant to bin Laden who attacked us on 9/11... so our troops have to stay in Iraq and fight them over there so we don't have to fight them over here*.

Bush left out the part that his war on Iraq lured al Qaida into Iraq. Maybe that was part of his plan which he neglected to mention in public? He also left out the part that al Qaida in Iraq are not the principal killers of our troops in Iraq as John Kerry was quick to point out. In fact only 3-5% of insurgents in Iraq are al Qaida. He left out the part that bin Laden and the brains of al Qaida are in fucking Pakistan (if he ever bothered to read US intelligence reports.)


* It seems that we may have to "fight them over here" if all the latest scare tactics are true. And if they are not true and the bushistas made this up, then they are actually admitting that they absolutely suck as warriors because I get it.

It's just been made public that the TSA is on the lookout for terrorist dry runs this summer.
"Security officers were urged to keep an eye out for "ordinary items that look like improvised explosive device components."
Airport bigwigs say not to be scared because these memos go out all the time. It still begs the question- if we are attacked over here, then our fighting over there isn't doing much good is it?

To add insult to injury, from the AP:
"A top U.S. military commander said Tuesday he believes there are al-Qaida cells in the United States — or people working to create them — and the military needs to triple its response teams to counter a growing threat of attack."

So what's the deal here? Al Qaida is stronger than ever? How scared should I be? They weren't in Iraq when we started the invasion and occupation of Iraq. We had a great big coalition looking for al Qaida in Afghanistan. What happened to that? Since the US focused attention on Iraq, did they move over to Iraq because they weren't getting enough attention from the US elsewhere? Did al Qaida not enjoy fighting the UN peacekeeping forces in Afghanistan?

Did Bush recently radio bin Laden from up his ass to send terrorists to Iraq in order to give Bush a reason to keep troops in Iraq since US oil companies haven't seized and privatized Iraqi oil just yet?

As far as I am concerned the US "won" the war in Iraq long ago and our troops should get some R&R.

• Saddam was captured and he is dead.
• There are no WMD's in Iraq, nor will they be making any in the near future.
• The US destroyed their infrastructure, military and any social programs that were beneficial to the Iraqi people.
• The US reduced Baghdad to near rubble and the country's most promising citizens are either dead or have fled the country.
• A puppet government has been installed and "democratic" elections have been held.
• There is a civil war going on and left to their own devices will cripple the country even more.
• The US is despised around the world.

If that isn't victory, then what is? We sure showed them

Nuclear Terrorism

This is in response to Walt's post below re nuclear weapons. He is right - you cannot put the genie back in the bottle. Nuclear power seems to be here to stay. It is not inevitable that nuclear weapons will lead to Armageddon, however, although it is likely.

I read Nuclear Terrorism by Graham Allison a couple of years ago and do not remember all the details. I suggest it be read by anyone concerned about this issue. Allison spends the first part of the book outlining who could be planning a nuclear terrorist attack, where they could get the material, and how they could deliver it. The second half explains exactly how to prevent this from happening. Along the way he is scathing about the Bush administration's handling of foreign policy and our reputation in the world, both vital components in preventing a catastrophe. I quote from the book, "As one disillusioned State Department official wrote in a letter of resignation in February 2003, the administration seemed to have adopted the Roman emperor Caligula's dictum Oderint dum metuant: 'Let them hate as long as they fear.' "

This is a quote from The Boston Globe on the back cover: "In this urgent call to action, Graham Allison, one of America's leading experts on nuclear weapons and national security, presents the evidence for two provocative, compelling conclusions. First, if policy makers in Washington keep doing what they are currently doing about the threat, a nuclear terrorist attack on America is inevitable. Second, the surprising and largely unrecognized good news is that nuclear terrorism is, in fact, preventable. Allison offers an ambitious but feasible blueprint for eliminating the possibility of nuclear terrorist attacks, if we are willing to face the issue squarely." Of course, that last sentence is a big 'if'.

Here is one of the more amusing observations by Allison, of which there are many, on Bush and company: "The most memorable foreign policy line from the the 2000 campaign came from candidate George W. Bush, who called for the United States to conduct a 'humble foreign policy.' He said, 'If we are an arrogant nation, they will resent us, but if we are a humble nation, but strong, they will welcome us.' Unfortunately, either the president forgot his advice or he did not mean it. Vice President Cheney and other members of the administration evidently never heard it, or never agreed."

This is what I consider a required book nowadays. It is available in paperback.

Dow tanks 226 -- Halliburton's profit doubles -- Drug Companies fare well also

Credit Worries Wallop Stocks:

Stocks slid hard Tuesday as new worries about the credit arena and a profit shortfall at DuPont

.....Weighing further on the market were renewed concerns about debt, which have popped up several times in recent months. After the previous close, American Express topped analysts' profit estimates, but the financial services giant said it had to increase its loan-loss reserve because of a higher rate of delinquencies.

.....lender Countrywide missed by a wide margin, citing increased credit-related costs, and lowered its 2007 guidance, saying the second half will be challenging.

"There's fear entering certain parts of the market, and we're seeing a risk adjustment taking place," said Paul Mendelsohn, chief investment strategist with Windham Financial. "This shift could be foreshadowing something bigger, as everyone could run for the door at the same time. Once markets start picking up momentum, they tend to keep moving because everyone's on the same side."

Virtually every sector finished with losses. Among the worst decliners, the Amex Oil Index dropped 3.5%, the Philadelphia Utility Index slumped 3.5%, the Nasdaq Financial Index fell 3%, and the KBW Bank Index lost 3%.

Apple, which will post earnings late Wednesday, contributed to the tech sector's slide amid speculation the iPhone maker will miss sales targets for the new gadget. Shares tumbled 6.1% to $134.89.

Trading curbs were put into effect on the New York Stock Exchange for the first time since March 13, when subprime fears surrounding New Century and Accredited Home Lenders first became a force and sank the major averages"

(Lots more stock info on the link)




Halliburton's profit doubles


End of story......

(I'm outta gas)

Crossposted atBigBrassBlog

The "Perfect Asshole" warns of al-Qaida threat

Here's the AP story via ABC

President Bush on Tuesday lashed out at critics who say that al-Qaida's operation in Iraq is distinct from terrorists who attacked the United States on Sept. 11, 2001.

"The merger between al-Qaida and its Iraqi affiliate is an alliance of killers and that is why the finest military in the world is on their trail," Bush said.

Citing security details he declassified for his speech, Bush described al-Qaida's burgeoning operation in Iraq as a direct threat to the United States. Bush accused critics in Congress of misleading the American public by suggesting otherwise.

"That's like watching a man walk into a bank with a mask and a gun and saying, 'He's probably just there to cash a check,'" Bush told troops at Charleston Air Force Base.



And here are the comments from the ABC story:

Loved this one:

"Hell, it's gotten to the point where parents in America have begun telling their children " Don't bush me!" when they catch them in a lie!"



Question -- do you say al-qaida or do you say al-qaeda?

I googled al-qaida and got
did you mean al-qaeda

I'm confused.........

The Genie

August 6th is the 62nd anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, so while I was arranging for black party favors I saw this editorial from the Japan Times:U.S. owes A-bomb apology

Read the article; it is an interesting insight into the Japanese Government's reasoning behind its own nuclear non-proliferation stance (even though it conveniently turns a blind eye to allowing nuclear-armed US warships to use its ports). Here's the money quote:

"To end the vicious cycle of nuclear proliferation, the U.S., the first to use nuclear bombs as a weapon of war, should apologize to Japan for the bombings and pledge to abandon all nuclear arms."

Got that? The editorial writer's opinion is that the United States of America apologize to the Japanese for dropping the first uranium and plutonium devices on their cities, as a way to start the ball rolling on a worldwide disarmament strategy.

First, a bit of historical context: Wars that start with a undeclared, or 'sneak' attack will usually not end well, and usually require both combatants to sink into real depths of competitive barbarism. We were attacked by the Japanese, and spent a boatload of money in developing these bombs. Some thought that it would have been wasted money and effort if we hadn't used them, while others pointed to the projected casualty figures for Operations Coronet and Olympic.

Second, as to apologies:
Has Japan apologized for invading Korea and China?
Has Japan apologized for the Rape of Nanjing?
Has Japan apologized for its experiments in chemical and biological warfare on Chinese civilians?
Has Japan apologized for its use of Chinese and Korean "comfort women?"

We did not attack Japan at Pearl Harbor. We didn't start the war - but we finished it. It is up to the vanquished to apologize first. It's just good manners.

Third, let me say this about the "cycle of nuclear proliferation:"

You can't stop it.

There, I said it. And I'd say it again if I had to.

Whenever a new piece of technology comes along, people just fester to get their hands on it. For any number of purposes. Take gunpowder, for example. Gunpowder started the development of modern arms (or we'd still be carving road tunnels with chisels and shooting each other with crossbows). There was no way to stop it - as soon as some half-bright serf with a handcannon and his ammunition fell into enemy hands, the search was on to reverse-engineer the stuff and find out how to make more.

Okay, analogy over.

Various scientists in several countries (even Japan) were working on the idea of nuclear fission as a viable weapon way back in the 30s, showing just how hard it is to stop the spread of ideas. However, only one nation had the resources to actually bring the device to fruition - the United States.

So, let's wind the clock back and see what the Genie did after we let it out of the bottle, shall we? For starters, the secrets of the Bomb were leaked to the Soviet Union. Great Britain and France developed theirs mostly on their own (Britain had aided the US in the Manhattan Project, and France had the son of the great Madame Curie to do the heavy lifting - and France has natural supplies of uranium). And US President Eisenhower, in his "Atoms for Peace" project, freely gave out nuclear reactor technology to developing nations so they could modernize.

One of the bad things about nuclear reactors is its waste product, which includes plutonium. So it was only a matter of time before smaller nations started using reactors as seedbeds to produce oralloy (highly enriched uranium) and plutonium.

The first nation (that we know of) to start this process was Israel, who is doing it for defense reasons (we hope, as the United States has consistently blocked UN attempts to see what's going at the Israeli reactor site at Dimona - a site that the Israelis are so paranoid about that they shot down one of their own planes after it accidentally overflew the area).

Pakistan and India followed suit, as did North Korea (although I laughed when I found out the estimated yield - a measly 500 tons, or half a kiloton).

::waves at the NSA guys::

A couple years ago the United States put up on the Internet a whole bunch of documents relating to Saddam Hussein's WMD programs. After a while, someone noticed that the recipe for nerve gases were on those documents, handily in Arabic. When this was brought to the US's attention, the papers were removed from the site. Last year, a minor foofaraw resulted when another survey of the posted documents showed the actual blueprints for an implosion device, including the all-important equations that cover the amount of fissile material and the tampers. This material, too, was taken down rapidly. But who could have read it and printed it out BEFORE it was deleted? No one knows.

You can not put the Genie back into the bottle.

On the lighter side........

WOMAN'S PERFECT BREAKFAST
She's sitting at the table with her gourmet coffee.
Her son is on the cover of the Wheaties box.
Her daughter is on the cover of Vogue.
Her boyfriend is on the cover of Business Week.
And her husband is on the back of the milk carton.

WOMEN'S REVENGE
"Cash, check or charge?" I asked, after folding items the woman wished to purchase.
As she fumbled for her wallet, I noticed a remote control for a television set in her purse.
"So, do you always carry your TV remote?" I asked.
"No," she replied, "but my husband refused to come shopping with me,
and I figured this was the most evil thing I could do to him legally."

UNDERSTANDING WOMEN (A MAN'S PERSPECTIVE)
I know I'm not going to understand women.
I'll never understand how you can take boiling hot wax,
pour it onto your upper thigh, rip the hair out by the root,
and still be afraid of a spider.

MARRIAGE SEMINAR
While attending a Marriage Seminar dealing with communication,
Tom and his wife Grace listened to the instructor:
"It is essential that husbands and wives know each other's likes and dislikes."
He addressed the man,
"Can you name your wife's favorite flower?"
Tom leaned over, touched his wife's arm gently and whispered, "It's Pillsbury, isn't it?

CIGARETTES AND TAMPONS
A man walks into a pharmacy and wanders up & down the aisles.
The sales girl notices him and asks him if she can help him.
He answers that he is looking for a box of tampons for his wife.
She directs him down the correct aisle.
A few minutes later, he deposits a huge bag of cotton balls and a ball of string on the counter.
She says, confused, "Sir, I thought you were looking for some tampons for your wife?
He answers, "You see, it's like this. Yesterday, I sent my wife to the store
to get me a carton of cigarettes, and she came back with a tin of tobacco
and some rolling papers, cause it's sooo-ooo--oo-ooo much cheaper.
So, I figure if I have to roll my own......... so does she.
(I figure this guy is the one on the milk carton!)

WIFE VS. HUSBAND
A couple drove down a country road for several miles, not saying a word.
An earlier discussion had led to an argument and
neither of them wanted to concede their position.
As they passed a barnyard of mules, goats, and pigs,
the husband asked sarcastically, "Relatives of yours?"
"Yep," the wife replied, "in-laws."

WORDS
A husband read an article to his wife about how many words women use a day...
30,000 to a man's 15,000.
The wife replied, "The reason has to be because we have to repeat everything to men...
The husband then turned to his wife and asked, "What?"

CREATION
A man said to his wife one day, "I don't know how you can be
so stupid and so beautiful all at the same time.
"The wife responded, "Allow me to explain.
God made me beautiful so you would be attracted to me;
God made me stupid so I would be attracted to you!

WHO DOES WHAT
A man and his wife were having an argument about who
should brew the coffee each morning.
The wife said, "You should do it because you get up first,
and then we don't have to wait as long to get our coffee.
The husband said, "You are in charge of cooking around here and
you should do it, because that is your job, and I can just wait for my coffee."
Wife replies, "No, you should do it, and besides, it is in the Bible that the man should do the coffee."
Husband replies, "I can't believe that, show me."
So she fetched the Bible, and opened the New Testament and showed him at the top of several pages,