Bye Bye Belinda

Stick a fork in Belinda Stronach, she's done with politics as soon as the next election is called and has decided to go back to her daddy's company, Magna.

That was definitely one of the shorter political careers.
 

Another Bush moment...

There are just so many, aren't there?

The Detroit News

Credit Ford Motor Co. CEO Alan Mulally with saving the leader of the free world from self-immolation.

Mulally told journalists at the New York auto show that he intervened to prevent President Bush from plugging an electrical cord into the hydrogen tank of Ford's hydrogen-electric plug-in hybrid at the White House last week. Ford wanted to give the Commander-in-Chief an actual demonstration of the innovative vehicle, so the automaker arranged for an electrical outlet to be installed on the South Lawn and ran a charging cord to the hybrid. However, as Mulally followed Bush out to the car, he noticed someone had left the cord lying at the rear of the vehicle, near the fuel tank.

"I just thought, 'Oh my goodness!' So, I started walking faster, and the President walked faster and he got to the cord before I did. I violated all the protocols. I touched the President. I grabbed his arm and I moved him up to the front," Mulally said. "I wanted the president to make sure he plugged into the electricity, not into the hydrogen This is all off the record, right?"
link

h/t Cowboys for Social Responsibility

Yes Virginia, Spying Really is Good for You

National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell, who used to by quite gainfully employed by Booz Allen Hamilton,'a "huge" supplier of intelligence contracting' that had multi-million dollar Pentagon contracts, is thinking now would be a great time to expand the government's spying powers - because the Bush administration and its 14+ intel agencies obviously haven't quite yet been able to legally install cameras in your bathroom to find out what kind of toothpaste you use. That may just help them win the so-called "war on terrorism", you know.

National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell has circulated a draft bill that would expand the government's powers under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, liberalizing how that law can be used.

The word "liberalizing" used in that instance is not a Good Thing™.

The changes McConnell is seeking mostly affect a cloak-and-dagger category of warrants used to investigate suspected spies, terrorists and other national security threats. The court-approved surveillance could include planting listening devices and hidden cameras, searching luggage and breaking into homes to make copies of computer hard drives.

See? I told you they'd be checking out your toothpaste soon.

They can copy my hard drive if they want to. I have several to-die-for pics of Brad Pitt that would keep them entertained for a while.

And here are a few of the other things McConnell wants to do. (He really doesn't like foreigners much...)

_Give the NSA the power to monitor foreigners without seeking FISA court approval, even if the surveillance is conducted by tapping phones and e-mail accounts in the United States.

"Determinations about whether a court order is required should be based on considerations about the target of the surveillance, rather than the particular means of communication or the location from which the surveillance is being conducted," NSA Director Keith Alexander told the Senate last year.

_Clarify the standards the FBI and NSA must use to get court orders for basic information about calls and e-mails — such as the number dialed, e-mail address, or time and date of the communications. Civil liberties advocates contend the change will make it too easy for the government to access this information.

_Triple the life span of a FISA warrant for a non-U.S. citizen from 120 days to one year, allowing the government to monitor much longer without checking back in with a judge.

_Give telecommunications companies immunity from civil liability for their cooperation with Bush's terrorist surveillance program. Pending lawsuits against companies including Verizon and AT&T allege they violated privacy laws by giving phone records to the NSA for the program.

_Extend from 72 hours to one week the amount of time the government can conduct surveillance without a court order in emergencies.

Nothing to see here. Move along folks. Sure some "foreigners" might disappear, telecom companies might walk away scott-free and the US government will have way too much information about you but, hey, as long as Osama's still on the run I'm sure nobody will mind. Osama who, you ask? You know - that bearded guy who might just be hiding in that old suitcase of yours in the closet and who pops out when you're not home to use your computer to e-mail his al Qaeda buddies oversees. Yeah. That guy. So really, who cares if government agents break into your house? I'm sure they'll take their shoes off.

Related: Via PogoWasRight

Apr. 11th 2:30 pm: Senate Committee on Judiciary Constitution Subcommittee hearings to examine the Inspector General's findings of improper use of National Security Letters by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Apr. 12th 10:00 am: Senate Committee on Judiciary hearings to examine S. 236, to require reports to Congress on Federal agency use of data mining, H.R. 740, to amend title 18, United States Code, to prevent caller ID spoofing, and other bills and matters.

Republicans Behaving Badly

You know your country's in trouble when:

- The Attorney General has to be subpoenaed in order to force him to cooperate in an investigation.

- White House officials are using secret e-mail accounts to hide what, exactly?

- The Theater of the Imperially Absurd runs your country's affairs (badly) while Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are still considered your friends. (Forget the fact that they're literally letting terrorists get away with murder.)

- 61% of your countrymen believe their safety at home does not depend on the outcome of the Iraq war, 51% want the troops to come home gradually within one year (poll link) while your president is busy pushing the Democrats to get their war funding bill to him as quickly as possible so he can just veto it and keep whining while people keep dying.

- Hunger-strikers are being force-fed at Gitmo, again.

- Cheney's former gold mine, Halliburton, is finally pulling out of Iran. Yes, Iran.

- Fill-in WH press sockpuppet Dana Perino tries to invoke 9/11 (video), spars with Helen Thomas and loses, predictably.

- The Bush administration is interrogating so-called terrorism suspects in Ethiopia (including at least one Canadian) while no one is really paying attention. (Keep an eye on AFRICOM developments. The Middle East isn't the only region that the Bush administration is trying to manipulate and control.)

One American intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter, said that the interviews in Ethiopia had produced "valuable information." It would have been "irresponsible" for the United States to give up the opportunity to interrogate suspects who could have information about Al Qaeda in the Horn of Africa, the official added.

Paul Gimigliano, a CIA spokesman, declined to give details about the agency's activities in the region, but said that the "CIA acts boldly yet legally, alone and with partners, just as our government and people expect us to."

And people might actually believe that if congress hadn't given CIA agents immunity from prosecution for torture last year.

- This is indicative of "celebrating" the fall of Baghdad 4 years ago:



- The Republicans just can't admit they've completely run out of ideas.

Robert Fisk:

Faced with an ever-more ruthless insurgency in Baghdad - despite President George Bush's "surge" in troops - US forces in the city are now planning a massive and highly controversial counter-insurgency operation that will seal off vast areas of the city, enclosing whole neighbourhoods with barricades and allowing only Iraqis with newly issued ID cards to enter.

The campaign of "gated communities" - whose genesis was in the Vietnam War - will involve up to 30 of the city's 89 official districts and will be the most ambitious counter-insurgency programme yet mounted by the US in Iraq.

The system has been used - and has spectacularly failed - in the past, and its inauguration in Iraq is as much a sign of American desperation at the country's continued descent into civil conflict as it is of US determination to "win" the war against an Iraqi insurgency that has cost the lives of more than 3,200 American troops. The system of "gating" areas under foreign occupation failed during the French war against FLN insurgents in Algeria and again during the American war in Vietnam. Israel has employed similar practices during its occupation of Palestinian territory - again, with little success.

Any questions? Surge on.
 

Quote du Jour: Tory Secrets Sold on Ebay

Worse case scenario: "You can take the hard drive out and whack it with a hammer" until it's destroyed.

Dataloss is a huge problem. It's bad enough when computers are stolen or hacked into, but when a political party loses track of a laptop listing its membership and it ends up being sold on Ebay for $6.48, somebody deserves a proverbial smack upside the head.

And while some people don't seem to mind that details of their membership in the former Canadian Alliance party was potentially made available worldwide, I'm sure several of Diane Ablonczy's Calgary constituents will not be quite as forgiving.

The computer contains names, home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses for party members in Calgary-Nose Hill and it even contains the very agreement that outlines how the confidential data should be protected.

"The Parties agree that this system and the information contained in it are confidential and will only be used for the purposes of the Canadian Alliance, the Licensors or the Licensee," the agreement read.

Hmmm...I don't see "and anyone in the world who has $7" in that statement.

The documents list more than 4,200 people who in the spring of 2003 held party membership cards, or whose membership has lapsed. They also contain the riding association's budget documents and agendas for events such as the candidate selection meeting held in April 2003.

On top of that, the laptop contained three Canadian Alliance screening and protocol guides for potential candidates, and questions for the incumbent, Ablonczy.

Yes, Ablonczy is darn lucky that the guy (a Toronto Star employeee) who bought that laptop is honest and will be happy with his 15 minutes of fame. Ablonczy, her constituents and whoever sold that laptop should be counting their blessings and they should give the guy a reward, as far as I'm concerned.

Iran: The Truth is in the Details

When it comes to media reporting on what's supposedly going on in Iran, it's been proven time and time again that you have to read beyond the headlines to find out what's really going on.

Take this story in the Independent, for example, (which is disappointing, since that newspaper is usually a top notch source of information):

Iran defies UN to join nuclear club

Iran announced yesterday that it has taken a step forward in its nuclear programme by moving to industrial scale enrichment, thereby defying three United Nations resolutions and setting itself on a collision course with the United States.

Case closed, right?

Wrong.

The reporter relied on rantings by President Ahmadinejad on Sunday in which he announced, "With great honour, I declare that as of today our dear country has joined the nuclear club of nations and can produce nuclear fuel on an industrial scale."

And that might just be believable if the IAEA had actually confirmed those claims, but it hasn't:

The UN watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, still has to verify the move. In the past, announcements of some advances have proved premature - and the programme is believed to be fraught with technical problems.

And then there's this faulty logic:

Later Iranian officials refused to specify to journalists the number of centrifuges they've begun operating, a key indicator of how far their nuclear weapons programme has progressed, leading some diplomats to query whether the claim might be at least partly a bluff.

That's not a key indicator of anything and if the author of that article had any journalistic principles, he would avoid such hasty conclusions while listening to those diplomats.

Even the White House bought Ahmadinejad's proclamations without any proof - not that they've ever been concerned about proof before.

"We are very concerned about Iran's announcement that they entered an industrial stage of nuclear fuel production," said Gordon Johndroe, spokesman for the White House National Security Council. "Iran continues to defy the international community and further isolate itself by expanding its nuclear program, rather than suspending uranium enrichment."

If Iran is indeed violating UN resolutions, there's a diplomatic way to deal with that which involves a process that begins with verification. People may have been fooled by Condi's warnings about Iraq's "mushroom cloud" and her so-called "smoking gun" before. They're not going to be fooled again.

Fool me once, shame on you Fool me--can't get fooled again ...
- The Decider

Related: According to Angus-Reid:

Many adults in the United States believe a military conflict with Iran could develop within the next year, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports. 55 per cent of respondents think it is likely that the U.S. will be at war with Iran.

And just how,exactly, are they going to make sure that doesn't happen, especially since the Democrats backed down from their demand last month that Bush seek congressional approval before he decides to attack Iran? No wonder congress's approval ratings are currently lower than Bush's.
 

Quote du Jour: 6 More Dead Canadians...

In Ottawa, Lewis MacKenzie, a retired major-general, said he was "naturally shocked, but not surprised" by the latest Canadian casualties, and added that there is an insurgency going on over there, "so things like this will happen."
link

Do you think you can muster up just a bit more sympathy, Major-General Mackenzie? Somehow, something akin to shit happens just doesn't cut it.

Six Canadian soldiers were killed and two others were injured Sunday when their armoured vehicle struck a roadside bomb west of Kandahar City, resulting in the worst single-day loss of life for Canadian Forces in Afghanistan, military officials said.
[...]
Since 2002, 51 Canadian soldiers and a diplomat have been killed in Afghanistan, where Canada has more than 2,000 troops, with the majority in Kandahar.

Related: We want the Taliban back, say ordinary Afghans

Last week, President Hamid Karzai acknowledged for the first time that he had held talks with the Taliban in an attempt to reach a peace deal and avert a bloody struggle for control in the south and east of the country, where the movement has enjoyed a resurgence in the past year.

The failure of Nato forces to deliver security and development and rising civilian casualties inflicted by Western forces in clashes with the Taliban have led to a loss of support in Kandahar. "How can we forgive the Americans?" asked Mr Karigar, who like most people here does not distinguish among the different elements in Nato. "I will fight them any way I can."

Not enough troops, not enough aid, not enough development, not enough goodwill, not enough rights, not enough security... where exactly are we 5 years later?
 

Specter Gives Lieberman A Lesson On Foreign Policy

Someone needs to throw Joe off the bus already. At least he's not wearing that "D" behind his name anymore.

And...via Think Progress (watch the video):

Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV), who traveled last week with Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) as part of her delegation to the Middle East, said this morning on C-Span that Pelosi told Bush of the trip to Syria a day before they left, and Bush did not object.

Rahall said, “The Speaker had met with President Bush in the halls of the U.S. Capitol just the day before we left and mentioned to him that we were going to Syria. No response at all from the President.”

Despite the White House’s public rhetoric that the trip was a “bad idea,” President Bush “did not tell her not to go, nor did the State Department tell us not to go,” Rahall said. “The State Department was certainly aware of our traveling to Syria and our full itinerary. And there were State Department officials in every meeting that we had on this codel. So that is all hogwash as far as I’m concerned.”

So, that was all much ado about nothing, obviously.
 

Sunday Food for Thought: Balance

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.
- Albert Einstein

There’s no secret to balance. You just have to feel the waves.
- Frank Herbert

Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.
- Thomas Merton

Order is not pressure which is imposed on society from without, but an equilibrium which is set up from within.
- Jose Ortega y Gasset

I do think the heart can balance out the mind, if your heart is in a good place it can give you the strength to do the right thing and behave the right way and overcome the mind.
- Alexis Arguello

Write Your Own Caption

Ummm...no, sir. That's a briefcase. The airplane is UP there. Say, weren't you in the Texas Air National Guard? Sir? (cough, cough)