Here are my two posts at the BORDC this week.
The first one: Bush and co. tried to bury internal memo condemning torture
Number two: Leave your Fourth Amendment rights at the border
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Monday, April 2, 2012
On cell phone tracking and free speech suppression
I've been writing articles on the Bill of Rights Defense Committee web site for about two and a half years now. I thought I'd put up the links to the latest posts of mine, in case anyone was interested.
The first concerns local authorities playing fast and loose with cell phone tracking. I seems that law enforcement officials are disregarding any oversight into their methodology.
The second pertains to Arizona's passing an electronic free speech suppression law. Here is an example of what this law can potentially lead to:
As I say in my post, who are these people that thinks these things up?
The first concerns local authorities playing fast and loose with cell phone tracking. I seems that law enforcement officials are disregarding any oversight into their methodology.
The second pertains to Arizona's passing an electronic free speech suppression law. Here is an example of what this law can potentially lead to:
...it appears that the Arizona law could criminalize… any random atheist saying, ‘There is no god’ — provided some official was prepared to conclude it was done with the intention of annoying believers.
As I say in my post, who are these people that thinks these things up?
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Thursday, December 8, 2011
White collar Joe Scarborough & Co. display their elitism
Joe Scarborough this morning commented on Rod Blagojevich's sentence of fourteen years calling it "total BS." Of course, it's not unexpected since he and his group swim among the white collar elite. Perish the thought that they would accept such a sentence to one of their own.
White collar criminals get away with far too much. You know that what Blagojevich was convicted for was not the only time he had his hand in the cookie jar. Who knows how many people have been hurt by Blagojevich's chicanery? Who's in power due to Blagojevich's receiving bribes to get them in? What have the people in Illinois have been deprived of because Mr. Blagojevich peddled his influence? We'll never know, but people who get in due to bribes are NOT the type of persons who will work for the people. And those good candidates who actually would work for the people are deprived of the offices.
What really amazes me is that we have all these draconian laws and sentences for the 99% such as three strikes laws, severely harsh drug laws (I believe all drugs should be decriminalized and treated as a major health issue) or, as an excellent example, a woman getting three years in prison for lying on a federal application while no wall street executive even goes to trial for the fraud they perpetrated on the American populace.
As for the Morning Joe crew's comparison to child molesters averaging "only" 9.5 years. That's apples and oranges. I agree that 9.5 is way too short for those creeps, but that is an issue that needs to be addressed on its own terms. Blagojevich's judge should NOT be comparing sentences for other crimes (same with the crew's Conrad Murray's conviction re Michael Jackson's death argument) when considering Blagojevich's sentence.
Unfortunately, that's the problem with white collar crime. Nothing immediately tangible can be gleaned from their reprehensible actions. No blood, no body, etc. Yet, I would submit the damage the white collars cause is among the worse of the worst: violating the people's trust and literally destroying thousands of lives in one fell swoop. All in the name of bribery or profiteering from the power of the office.
We need to continually impose harsh sentences on all these charlatans to let future potentially corrupt politicians know that the book will be thrown at them HARD if they're caught. We need to hammer them and hammer them hard. Maybe that will make them think twice before violating the trust of the people and breaking the law.
White collar criminals get away with far too much. You know that what Blagojevich was convicted for was not the only time he had his hand in the cookie jar. Who knows how many people have been hurt by Blagojevich's chicanery? Who's in power due to Blagojevich's receiving bribes to get them in? What have the people in Illinois have been deprived of because Mr. Blagojevich peddled his influence? We'll never know, but people who get in due to bribes are NOT the type of persons who will work for the people. And those good candidates who actually would work for the people are deprived of the offices.
What really amazes me is that we have all these draconian laws and sentences for the 99% such as three strikes laws, severely harsh drug laws (I believe all drugs should be decriminalized and treated as a major health issue) or, as an excellent example, a woman getting three years in prison for lying on a federal application while no wall street executive even goes to trial for the fraud they perpetrated on the American populace.
As for the Morning Joe crew's comparison to child molesters averaging "only" 9.5 years. That's apples and oranges. I agree that 9.5 is way too short for those creeps, but that is an issue that needs to be addressed on its own terms. Blagojevich's judge should NOT be comparing sentences for other crimes (same with the crew's Conrad Murray's conviction re Michael Jackson's death argument) when considering Blagojevich's sentence.
Unfortunately, that's the problem with white collar crime. Nothing immediately tangible can be gleaned from their reprehensible actions. No blood, no body, etc. Yet, I would submit the damage the white collars cause is among the worse of the worst: violating the people's trust and literally destroying thousands of lives in one fell swoop. All in the name of bribery or profiteering from the power of the office.
We need to continually impose harsh sentences on all these charlatans to let future potentially corrupt politicians know that the book will be thrown at them HARD if they're caught. We need to hammer them and hammer them hard. Maybe that will make them think twice before violating the trust of the people and breaking the law.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Best news I've heard all day
George W. Bush cancels visit to Swiss charity gala over fears he could be arrested on torture charges
I'm one of those that believes what goes around comes around. I'm waiting for the "comes around" for Bush and his evil cronies...
Mr Bush was due to be the keynote speaker at a Jewish charity gala in Geneva on February 12.
But pressure has been building on the Swiss government to arrest him and open a criminal investigation if he enters the country.
Criminal complaints against Mr Bush alleging torture have been lodged in Geneva, court officials said.
I'm one of those that believes what goes around comes around. I'm waiting for the "comes around" for Bush and his evil cronies...
Sunday, November 27, 2011
World copes with upheaval, Americans get anxiety
This really frosts me. Time magazine has put out the Dec. 5 issue on its web showing the covers for different areas of the world. Europe, Asia and South Pacific get a cover with the shot of a man wearing a gas mask with his fist raised over his head. In big, bold letters in the center of the magazine are the words "Revolution Redux."
I can get into that. I mean we have the Arab spring, the Occupy cities and such. Nice to blast the masses with that kind of cover.
Now...what do you think the cover is here in the United States? A cartoon with the headline, "Why Anxiety is Good for You"! Say, what? Sort of reminds of the George Carlin bit on manly Football versus pansy Baseball ("In football, you have TOUCHDOWNS!" "In baseball, you run for home...")
Excuse me, but that's ridiculous! Revolution is certainly in the wind around the world, and the common folk are trying to put a stop to the "haves" stomping on the "have nots" throats... Yet the American people get an anxiety cover? ...And it's good for you!?!?
Does Time think that we're too ignorant or perhaps uncaring enough to warrant a revolution cover? Maybe the staff at Time just believe that we are all so wrapped up into ourselves and our anxiety that they will sell more magazines with that headline as the American lead. Who wouldn't want to be mollified from the fear mongering rhetoric coming from our leaders? I mean, maybe they think we don't give a rat about the uprisings around the world. Only in America!
But I must admit that cynical me thinks it's that they don't want to give we, the people, any blatant ideas that might possibly harm the power elite's status quo. Sort of like telling us that it's OK for the politicos to instill fear in us. Thus we must keep on abridging our civil rights in the name of fear because it's so good for us to be very anxious and afraid... Thank you, Time! I feel so much better now that I know my anxiety is so good for me!
I can get into that. I mean we have the Arab spring, the Occupy cities and such. Nice to blast the masses with that kind of cover.
Now...what do you think the cover is here in the United States? A cartoon with the headline, "Why Anxiety is Good for You"! Say, what? Sort of reminds of the George Carlin bit on manly Football versus pansy Baseball ("In football, you have TOUCHDOWNS!" "In baseball, you run for home...")
Excuse me, but that's ridiculous! Revolution is certainly in the wind around the world, and the common folk are trying to put a stop to the "haves" stomping on the "have nots" throats... Yet the American people get an anxiety cover? ...And it's good for you!?!?
Does Time think that we're too ignorant or perhaps uncaring enough to warrant a revolution cover? Maybe the staff at Time just believe that we are all so wrapped up into ourselves and our anxiety that they will sell more magazines with that headline as the American lead. Who wouldn't want to be mollified from the fear mongering rhetoric coming from our leaders? I mean, maybe they think we don't give a rat about the uprisings around the world. Only in America!
But I must admit that cynical me thinks it's that they don't want to give we, the people, any blatant ideas that might possibly harm the power elite's status quo. Sort of like telling us that it's OK for the politicos to instill fear in us. Thus we must keep on abridging our civil rights in the name of fear because it's so good for us to be very anxious and afraid... Thank you, Time! I feel so much better now that I know my anxiety is so good for me!
Monday, November 7, 2011
Gee...DOJ decides lying to the people is not a good idea
I would like to say this is great news, but why on earth did we have to go this far in the first place? So the Department of Justice is backing off on trying to be able to lie to the Ametrican people. How noble!
I would love to know the name(s) of the maroon(s) who thought up this crazy idea in the first place. He/she/they actually thought that the ability to lie to the American people was good for our democracy?
In probably one of the most understatements of the year the DOJ said this:
Really? I certainly hope that these creative DOJ officials who came up with the crazy idea in the first place will be named. Obviously, they are not working in our interest and should be removed.
The Department of Justice has canceled a controversial planned revision to Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) rules that opponents said would have allowed federal agencies to lie about the existence of records.
I would love to know the name(s) of the maroon(s) who thought up this crazy idea in the first place. He/she/they actually thought that the ability to lie to the American people was good for our democracy?
In probably one of the most understatements of the year the DOJ said this:
...the DOJ wrote that the proposed rule “falls short” of its commitment to transparency, and it “will not include that provision when the Department issues final regulations.”
Really? I certainly hope that these creative DOJ officials who came up with the crazy idea in the first place will be named. Obviously, they are not working in our interest and should be removed.
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