With a Whisper, Not a Bang
Much of Ashcroft's jack-booted despotic desires have already been put into place. This particular feat, which allows the feds to probe private citizens' financial records even if those citizens are not suspected of any crime or terrorism.
This was signed into law by duhbya on the day of Hussein's capture.
"The Bush Administration and its Congressional allies tucked away these new executive powers in the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004, a legislative behemoth that funds all the intelligence activities of the federal government. The Act included a simple, yet insidious, redefinition of "financial institution," which previously referred to banks, but now includes stockbrokers, car dealerships, casinos, credit card companies, insurance agencies, jewelers, airlines, the U.S. Post Office, and any other business "whose cash transactions have a high degree of usefulness in criminal, tax, or regulatory matters."
… none of which, of course, would have caught the 9/11 hijackers.
We must remove this illegitimate government from power before they can further erode our civil liberties.
19 bug bomb foggers blast a house apart
"A family living in a house infested with cockroaches and rats set off 19 'bug bomb' foggers in their 470-square-foot City Heights home yesterday, causing an explosion that virtually blew the building apart and sent Christmas decorations into the street, police said… Shards of glass and nails from torn walls were strewn about. The back door of the house was blown off its hinges. Gaping holes were left in the ceiling. Insulation was spread throughout like confetti… Investigators believe the bug bombs were ignited by a pilot light on a wall heater."
Now that is fun-nay.
Debris and devastation
Earthquake in Iran kills 5,000+ (assumed to be >10,000). Too bad we don't have any way to directly contribute to the relief effort since our government has no official relations with that country.
Also: flash floods in SoCal (a direct result of their environment-destroying ways, combined with the fires earlier this year and a rainfall).
Inquiry Suggests Pakistanis Sold Nuclear Secrets
Time to invade! Hey, did I mention that we have an election coming up?
Bush declares: “We must get rid of Arafat”
What? Another evildoer that we must assassinate?
FU, Bush.
The Death of Horatio Alger
An article about the lack of social mobility in our culture. It's Krugman, once again, who pierces the veil of "conventional wisdom" and myth. I wish it weren't so fuckin depressing, though.
I mean, you're locked in by your 30s?! Shit!
2nd Law of Thermodynamics Proven False
(the law that entropy in a closed system always increases)
… with interesting implications for nanotech.
Sun Linux a Good Rival to Windows
Why they named a Linux distro "Java Desktop," I don't know. The interface is cloneware, but whatever gets more people weaned from the teat is alright by me. Sun sucks too, though.
9/11 Chair: Attack Was Preventable
… and now you can see why the bushies have been fighting Kean (a GOPper) every step of the way.
up next: testimony in front of Congress.
Nader Wants to Know if You Want Him
Fill out this form and tell that fucker Nader to stay the hell out of the 2004 election. Or fill it out however you want, but he's the single largest reason why duhbya's in the white house right now, so I've got a bone or 3 million to pick with him.
Think Again: We Are No Safer
Eric Alterman, fighting the good fight.
Wal-Mart Sells Songs for 88 Cents
Guaranteed to be non-union and non-offensive. Also, undercuts iTunes.
FU Award for the century: Wal-Mart.
Friedman: Moment of Truth
First things first: Friedman is not a liberal. He's also infatuated with the invasion of Iraq as a Good Thing, no matter how it is accomplished.
Now, notice this piece of shit op-ed. Pay particular attention to how he gives equal weight to one item that the whole world knows to be true and can be proven with numerous sources of evidence ("in the run-up to the Iraq war, George Bush and Tony Blair stretched the truth about Saddam's weapons of mass destruction") with the second unverified and unverifiable supposition ("I believe the French president, Jacques Chirac, knows something in his heart… I don't believe Mr. Chirac ever intended to go to war against Saddam, under any circumstances.").
Amazing. And this from the SCL NY Times SCL Op-Ed guy Friedman.