Not about Elliot Spitzer

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday March 11, 2008 · 4:31 AM PDT

2008/03/11 · 04:31

There are disturbing revelations this morning in Hullabaloo's blog on Elliot Spitzer and the New York Times article cited.

Disturbing revelations, not about Elliot Spitzer but about the scope of domestic surveillance and law in America.

Digby asks, "When did the FBI agents seek the AG's permission?". I ask "What were the agents seeking permission for?".

Poll

221 votes Show Results

Are we seeing evidence of routine domestic surveillance?

221 votes Vote Now!

Are we seeing evidence of routine domestic surveillance?

No, you are reading way to much into this.

7 votes

No, the capability is there though.

3 votes

Undecided.

7 votes

Yes, but not in this case.

10 votes

Yes, this is an example.

23 votes

Yes, this is one of many examples.

101 votes

Papers please.

70 votes

The other side of FISA

beerm

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday March 06, 2008 · 8:07 AM PST

2008/03/06 · 08:07

The arguments over FISA, electronic surveillance, and retroactive immunity have primarily focused on who information was acquired on and what type of information was acquired.

This is by design. The proponents of illegal electronic surveillance and retroactive immunity have worked hard to characterize themselves as motivated by national security and patriotism. They know that most americans do not see it as an invasion of privacy if their emails are scanned for a phrase like "I am planning to blow up XXXX."

Opponents have worked hard to point out the problems with the "I have nothing to hide" mentality and other factors like the Constitution and laws forbidding this sort of activity, social network analysis, etc.

A far larger issue exists, "Who received the information?".

More important than who was monitored and what information was acquired is who was the information given to absent the proper controls. I think this is a bigger problem for the administration and one they are desparate to avoid.

beerm

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday November 13, 2007 · 8:11 AM PST

2007/11/13 · 08:11

I am interested on how many of you caught "Band of Bloggers" on the History Channel last night and if you watched it what did you think of it?

I found it to be a compelling and worthwhile show.

The show presented about a half dozen Iraq milbloggers, bloggers who were on active duty in Iraq when they posted their blogs, interspersed with pictures and videos from Iraq and some of their postings.

I thought the show was well balanced.

beerm

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday November 01, 2007 · 6:54 AM PDT

2007/11/01 · 06:54

Warped sense of humor, totaly clueless, Crimestop?

Congress Forbids IT from Working with Repressive Regimes

Yes, the very same congress that voted for retroactive immunity for telcos doing the very same thing.

Just to make it perfectly clear how damaging providing personal information to the government can be:

Rep. Chris Smith, R.-N.J., said before the vote. " "Dictatorships need two pillars to survive—propaganda and secret police. The Internet—if misused—gives them both in spades."

"How about the NSA and FBI Representative Smith?"

beerm

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday September 19, 2007 · 8:57 AM PDT

2007/09/19 · 08:57

In an, at best, questionable ruling the Maryland High Court Upholds State Law Banning Gay Marriage

Okay, a high court ruling based upon thinly veiled homophobia couched as "family values" as opposed to actual sound reasoning is not news.

What I believe is news about this ruling is the distinction that the court drew between gender and sex and its unintended consequences.

But the high court said the state's Equal Rights Amendment was meant to prevent discrimination based on gender, not sexual orientation

beerm

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday September 06, 2007 · 7:06 AM PDT

2007/09/06 · 07:06

A must read article on "How to Leave Iraq".

There's been a lot of discussion on the need to leave Iraq, the politics of leaving Iraq, etc. Token imaginary troop withdrawals aside, there has been little talk of what it will actually take to leave Iraq.

Let's just imagine that Congress were to receive the required number of Cahones(just make something up, organ donations or mail order from China) to stand up to the very lamest of lame duck presidents and voted to bring the troops home immediately.

It would take 2 years and cost at least 104 billion dollars and 1200 troops lives.

beerm

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday August 10, 2007 · 8:52 AM PDT

2007/08/10 · 08:52

As I watched Cindy Sheehan anounce that she intends to run for Nancy Pelosi's seat it occured to me that this was a watershed moment.

Sheehan specifically announced her intention to run if Pelosi didn't move to impeach bush.

I had the sense that this marks a shift in the public perception and support for impeaching bush and cheney. Something about Sheehan's announcement caused me to see it as the 2 inch rise in the ocean that is a tsunami when it comes ashore.

I'd like to know what you think in the poll below.

Poll

357 votes Show Results

Where do you feel broad public support for the impeachement of Bush is

357 votes Vote Now!

Where do you feel broad public support for the impeachement of Bush is

The general public doesn't support impeachment and won't. Democrats should focus elsewhere

88 votes

The general public support for impeachment isn't there yet but it is moving that way.

79 votes

The general public supports impeachment but it isn't a priority.

51 votes

The general public supports impeachment and thinks the House is handling it right.

1 vote

The general public supports impeachment and thinks the House is moving to slow.

47 votes

The general public feels that not moving to impeach reflects poorly on the House

34 votes

Even republicans are quietly hoping somebody will impeach bush.

57 votes

FINAL: U.S.S.R wins Cold War

beerm

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday August 06, 2007 · 11:06 AM PDT

2007/08/06 · 11:06

In a stunning upset the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R) has been declared the winner of the cold war.

The surprise victory by an adversary some already considered defeated, came with the passage of S.1927, A bill to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 to provide additional procedures for authorizing certain acquisitions of foreign intelligence information and for other purposes.

Few expected the surprise move by the socialists which left the U.S, formerly the world champion of democracy and citizen's rights, staggering around the mat in a state of fear swinging wildly at anything even, supporters trying to help.

beerm

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday August 02, 2007 · 8:05 AM PDT

2007/08/02 · 08:05

U.S. e-voting has security, accuracy, and integrity issues according to the report issued by the California Secretary of State, Debra Bowen on July 30th.

From EWeek:

Three systems flunked in the hastily conducted examinations: Diebold's GEMS 1.18.24/AccuVote, Hart Intercivic System 6.2.1 and Sequoia's WinEDS version 3.1.012/Edge/Insight/400-C.

The sad state of e-voting technology in the U.S. was confirmed in seperate statements from Sequoia and Hart Intercivic.

More below on the statements confirming the reports findings and other voting systems

beerm

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday May 24, 2007 · 6:52 AM PDT

2007/05/24 · 06:52

I am, like the majority, disappointed in the Democratic failure to send bush a supplemental funding bill that sets a timeline for withdrawal.

I am not however, surprised, not surprised in the least.

The Democrat's strategy was a sure fire loser from the start, sorry there's no other way to put it.

I suppose, if I had a question for Harry Reid it would be, "What in the hell where you thinking"?

beerm

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday November 30, 2006 · 10:10 AM PST

2006/11/30 · 10:10

Consider the following outtake from "In the Loop" column by Al Kamen in todays Washington Post

Speaking of the State Department, it appears Rice will break the modern indoor record for being without a deputy secretary of state. Former deputy Robert Zoellick left in early July.

The previous record was 3 1/2 months -- from Clifton Wharton's departure to Strobe Talbot t's arrival during Secretary of State Warren M. Christopher's tenure. (This, of course, was considered breakneck speed in Clinton time.) Granted, there was a five-month gap when Secretary of State James A. Baker III left State and Lawrence Eagleburger moved up to replace him without getting a deputy to replace himself. (That really doesn't count, however, since they never tried to find a replacement during the final months of the first Bush administration.) But even if Rice named someone now, there wouldn't be confirmation until early next year, so the record will be hers.

I read that this morning and suddenly a new realization of how far the Washington Post had sunk struck me.

beerm

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday November 22, 2006 · 8:38 AM PST

2006/11/22 · 08:38

Documents from a recent ACLU Freedom of Information Act detail the monitoring of peaceful antiwar activities in the DOD TALON database. The documents paint a picture of these activities through paranoid eyes where any disagreement can be seen as subversion.

The New York Times article Military Documents Hold Tips on Antiwar Activities provides the following quotes from Daniel J. Baur, the acting director of the counterintelligence field activity unit which clearly illustrate that he does not understand the problem:

more...

Newer
Older

RSS

Not about Elliot Spitzer

The other side of FISA

Band of Bloggers

Irony: Congress bans internet co.s from working with repressive govs

Maryland High Court strikes down laws against sexual discrimination

What it will cost to get out of Iraq (Updated)

Cindy Sheehan's Announcement Poll. Update

FINAL: U.S.S.R wins Cold War

Diebold, Sequoia, and Hart admit e-voting systems unsecure

Sure to lose

Calling out the Washington Post

Talon: Missing the point.