Global
AUSTIN, Texas -- When in the midst of a Blame Typhoon, with
charges and counter-charges being hurled in all directions, I find it most
useful to consult those two polar stars of utter wrongheadedness, Tom DeLay
and The Wall Street Journal's editorial page.
Both good for a chuckle, and both perfect weathervanes for the wrong direction. When in doubt, Disagree with DeLay, And you'll be OK.
The Journal, in addition to meretricious arguments, vast leaps over relevant stretches of fact and history, and an awesome ability to bend any reality to its preconceived ideological ends, also offers that touch of (SET ITAL) je ne sais quoi, (END ITAL) that ludicrous dogmatism that never fails to charm.
Both good for a chuckle, and both perfect weathervanes for the wrong direction. When in doubt, Disagree with DeLay, And you'll be OK.
The Journal, in addition to meretricious arguments, vast leaps over relevant stretches of fact and history, and an awesome ability to bend any reality to its preconceived ideological ends, also offers that touch of (SET ITAL) je ne sais quoi, (END ITAL) that ludicrous dogmatism that never fails to charm.
I want to update you on our work to prevent identity theft, ensure credit report accuracy, and protect consumer privacy. In July, despite our best efforts and thousands of e-mails from supporters like you, the U.S. House Financial Services Committee overwhelmingly approved legislation (HR 2622) that would permanently bar states from enacting most state privacy laws that are stronger than federal law through a process known as preemption. Although this legislation includes modest improvements to federal identity theft protections, its permanent bar on state authority is unacceptable.
Now, however, the stakes are even higher. In August, after a hard-fought 4 year campaign, CALPIRG and other groups, including AARP and Consumers Union, successfully passed the nation's strongest financial privacy law through the California legislature, despite a multi-million dollar bank industry campaign against it.
But unless the Senate amends the House bill, most of California's new financial privacy law could be thrown out in court.
Now, however, the stakes are even higher. In August, after a hard-fought 4 year campaign, CALPIRG and other groups, including AARP and Consumers Union, successfully passed the nation's strongest financial privacy law through the California legislature, despite a multi-million dollar bank industry campaign against it.
But unless the Senate amends the House bill, most of California's new financial privacy law could be thrown out in court.
1) "The Cuckoo," a humanist, pacifist, feminist, indigenist film
about a Soviet soldier, his Finnish enemy, and a Lapp woman who takes
them both in, when they have each escaped sentences of execution by
their respective armies. None of them speaks a language either of the
others can
understand. There is no preaching by any of them about anything. But
when a Russian writer or director wants to be humanist, no one of any
other nationality can hold a candle to him.
2) "Camp," not a documentary but filmed in an actual summer camp for would-be theater and other performers in their teens and younger. As performers they are so extraordinary that I think the casting directors (plural) deserve Oscars. But the film is about adolescents. There isn't a single false touch.
2) "Camp," not a documentary but filmed in an actual summer camp for would-be theater and other performers in their teens and younger. As performers they are so extraordinary that I think the casting directors (plural) deserve Oscars. But the film is about adolescents. There isn't a single false touch.
Because he tried to kill Dubya's daddy
now we're planning on bombing Saddy.
Why should he sit on all that oil?
We'll suck it out from the desert soil.
Have no fear of collateral damage
when our military goes on a rampage.
Our bombs and missiles are so smart
it's really like a work of art.
So what if war kills people?
Ring the church bells in the steeple.
Third World people just don't matter.
When we strike they all will scatter.
Oh - let's watch it on TV.
Look how that one tried to flee.
But we nailed him fair and square,
precision bombs down from the air.
We're bombing Baghdad from above.
Think of it simply as tough love.
We really don't mean any harm.
We're so sincere we ooze with smarm
and always provide the justification
for our enemies' incineration.
He has weapons of mass destruction.
It's a simple matter of deduction.
Don't let on they came from us.
The American people might make a fuss.
To realize he was our man?
when he gassed the Kurds we were his fan.
Who cares if we provided the gas?
He kicked the Ayatollah's ass.
now we're planning on bombing Saddy.
Why should he sit on all that oil?
We'll suck it out from the desert soil.
Have no fear of collateral damage
when our military goes on a rampage.
Our bombs and missiles are so smart
it's really like a work of art.
So what if war kills people?
Ring the church bells in the steeple.
Third World people just don't matter.
When we strike they all will scatter.
Oh - let's watch it on TV.
Look how that one tried to flee.
But we nailed him fair and square,
precision bombs down from the air.
We're bombing Baghdad from above.
Think of it simply as tough love.
We really don't mean any harm.
We're so sincere we ooze with smarm
and always provide the justification
for our enemies' incineration.
He has weapons of mass destruction.
It's a simple matter of deduction.
Don't let on they came from us.
The American people might make a fuss.
To realize he was our man?
when he gassed the Kurds we were his fan.
Who cares if we provided the gas?
He kicked the Ayatollah's ass.
The California energy crisis should have been a warning to the White House. Opening up the electricity sector to competition may eventually provide consumers with cheaper power but it won't ensure a reliable flow of electricity unless the high-voltage transmission lines used by energy companies to send power to customers are upgraded.
But spending tens of billions of dollars to improve the country's electricity grid doesn't give publicly traded utilities that own the lines a return on the investment and will likely result in a lower rating from Wall Street analysts and even a lower valued stock. At least that's the story that's been told by energy company executives for nearly a decade.
But spending tens of billions of dollars to improve the country's electricity grid doesn't give publicly traded utilities that own the lines a return on the investment and will likely result in a lower rating from Wall Street analysts and even a lower valued stock. At least that's the story that's been told by energy company executives for nearly a decade.
SAIC, Bohemoth Military Contractor, Wants to Be inside Every Voting Machine; Three Way Scam on Diebold Review? Would you want them counting all the votes?
The voting machine wars are heating up and the implications of vote fraud in America are even more ominous.
Computer scientist Avi Rubin, whose Johns Hopkins University team found serious flaws in Diebold Election Systems software abruptly resigned from VoteHere, another election software company.
In a related story, on August 6th Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) gave a contract to Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) to review the Diebold Election System's software in preparation for elections in Maryland. The report is due in four weeks.
Avi Rubin announced today his resignation from VoteHere, an elections systems company. (Avi Rubin's statement) His statement reads: "Effective immediately, I am resigning from the Technical Advisory Board of VoteHere, and I am returning all stock options, which have never been exercised, and which are not entirely vested." Unexercised stock options may be the least of Rubin's problems.
The voting machine wars are heating up and the implications of vote fraud in America are even more ominous.
Computer scientist Avi Rubin, whose Johns Hopkins University team found serious flaws in Diebold Election Systems software abruptly resigned from VoteHere, another election software company.
In a related story, on August 6th Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) gave a contract to Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) to review the Diebold Election System's software in preparation for elections in Maryland. The report is due in four weeks.
Avi Rubin announced today his resignation from VoteHere, an elections systems company. (Avi Rubin's statement) His statement reads: "Effective immediately, I am resigning from the Technical Advisory Board of VoteHere, and I am returning all stock options, which have never been exercised, and which are not entirely vested." Unexercised stock options may be the least of Rubin's problems.
Running an empire means having a crowded date book. So many
anniversaries to remember, or to remember to forget. Only a month ago we had
the 50th birthday of the Cuban revolution, and there was Fidel Castro still
hale enough at 77 to celebrate that day when he and his comrades attacked
the Moncada. A few years later, they rode in triumph into Havana. Chalk up a
bad day for Empire.
Another 50th came this week on August 19, which was the day, back in that same year of 1953, that the CIA supervised the overthrow of the popularly elected Mohammad Mossadegh government in Tehran and installed the Shah on his Peacock Throne, a day that was hailed in Washington, D.C., as a very good one indeed.
Iran had been dominated by U.S. or British oil companies and intelligence agencies. It was producing 600 tons of opium a year. Then in 1953, the nationalist Mossadegh won election and immediately moved to suppress the opium trade and push forward with land reform and nationalizing the oil industry.
Another 50th came this week on August 19, which was the day, back in that same year of 1953, that the CIA supervised the overthrow of the popularly elected Mohammad Mossadegh government in Tehran and installed the Shah on his Peacock Throne, a day that was hailed in Washington, D.C., as a very good one indeed.
Iran had been dominated by U.S. or British oil companies and intelligence agencies. It was producing 600 tons of opium a year. Then in 1953, the nationalist Mossadegh won election and immediately moved to suppress the opium trade and push forward with land reform and nationalizing the oil industry.
AUSTIN, Texas -- It's the All-American Blame Game! A
Finger-Pointing festival. A perfectly circular firing squad of, "Told you
so." Bureaucrats perfecting their CYA moves. Politicians jumping on the
opportunity to make points against the other guys. And so's your old man.
U.S. officials quickly blamed a Canadian plant for touching off the mess. Mel Lastman, the clearly sleepless and exhausted mayor of Toronto, replied bitterly: "Tell me, have you ever heard the United States take blame for anything? This is no different."
It would be a refreshing change, would it not, if somebody just stood up and said, "My fault."
The early book has the great power outage of '03 beginning with FirstEnergy of Akron, Ohio.
But there has been no shortage of warnings that the grid was elderly, frail, inadequate, could short out, would short out, should short out at any time.
U.S. officials quickly blamed a Canadian plant for touching off the mess. Mel Lastman, the clearly sleepless and exhausted mayor of Toronto, replied bitterly: "Tell me, have you ever heard the United States take blame for anything? This is no different."
It would be a refreshing change, would it not, if somebody just stood up and said, "My fault."
The early book has the great power outage of '03 beginning with FirstEnergy of Akron, Ohio.
But there has been no shortage of warnings that the grid was elderly, frail, inadequate, could short out, would short out, should short out at any time.
"I think this must be heaven," Peter McPherson told the State News on July 3rd, "I think life is good." On sabbatical from his Presidency at Michigan State University (MSU), McPherson is not on a summer vacation. He's overseeing the economic restructuring of Iraq.
Since May, at the behest of President Bush, McPherson has been the point man in charge of "making Iraq safe for capitalism," as Fortune put it on June 23rd. He's managing Iraq's oil revenue, administering its central bank, and working to privatize Iraq's state owned enterprises. "It's fun to put together a country's budget," he told the State News, MSU's student newspaper.
Rather than release him outright, the MSU Board of Trustees cheerfully granted McPherson, the former head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, a 130-day leave of absence. He's scheduled to return to the East Lansing campus in the fall.
Since May, at the behest of President Bush, McPherson has been the point man in charge of "making Iraq safe for capitalism," as Fortune put it on June 23rd. He's managing Iraq's oil revenue, administering its central bank, and working to privatize Iraq's state owned enterprises. "It's fun to put together a country's budget," he told the State News, MSU's student newspaper.
Rather than release him outright, the MSU Board of Trustees cheerfully granted McPherson, the former head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, a 130-day leave of absence. He's scheduled to return to the East Lansing campus in the fall.
Thank God for a web site where we can get the other side of the news. News where corporate media cannot interfere with the truth. Good Work !!!