Deep Something

All the weird stuff from the weekend ending on Friday, July 4th, 2008. Read more »

Today is a day or ironies. George Bush is visiting Thomas Jefferson’s beloved Monticello on this the 232nd anniversary of our declaration of independence from a king named George. As Jefferson warned that Americans would have to be ever on their guard against those who might turn the presidency into the tool of their “elected despotism,” I doubt he would be greeting Bush. And Jesse Helms, father of the politics of division, died today. Read more »

The New York Times is reporting that military trainers who came to Guantanamo Bay in December 2002 based an interrogation class on a chart showing various “coercive” techniques for use on prisoners. What the trainers did not reveal, and may not have known, was that their chart had been copied an Air Force study of Chinese Communist techniques used during the Korean War to obtain false confessions from American prisoners. Whoohoo, we’re on a roll now. Read more »

Reuters has a report from The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and Economic Policy Institute showing that, “Since the late 1990’s average incomes have declined 2.5 percent for families on the bottom fifth of the country’s economic ladder, while incomes have increased 9.1 percent for families on the top fifth.” That got brought home to me tonight when I went to grab a bite to eat, and saw a couple have to forego eating so the kids could. More on that later in this story. One of the Deep Thoughts on this site is a quote from Charles Darwin, who said, “If the misery of the poor be caused not by the laws of nature, but by our institutions, great is our sin.” It doesn’t take much to help people, but the current crooks and liars running this government are hell bent and determined to not only forego providing that help, but in enriching their wealthy friends at the expense of those who can least afford it. One of the Deep Thoughts on this site is a quote from Charles Darwin, who said, “If the misery of the poor be caused not by the laws of nature, but by our institutions, great is our sin.” It doesn’t take much to help people, but the current crooks and liars running this government are hell bent and determined to not only forego providing that help, but in enriching their wealthy friends at the expense of those who can least afford it. Read more »

USA Today has a story about the whistleblowers turning up the heat on FAA Administrators concerning their coziness with the airlines. Read more »

Well, the House seems to be sticking to their guns, and not passing a FISA bill that will grant immunity to the telecom industry for illegal spying. This is critically important, because it’s the last best hope to have the illegal surveillance activities of the current Cheney Administration see the light of day. During a press conference on February 28, George Bush finally went rogue on Dick, and accidentally told the truth about the reason for telecom immunity. Read more »

Today marks two auspicious anniversaries. The ACLU is reminding everyone that the national nightmare that is Guantanamo Bay Prison Camp received it’s first detainees six years ago on the 11th, and on the Jan. 10 last year, Bush announced his Troop Surge in Iraq. Which has reduced violence some, but has not accomplished it’s actual stated goal. Read more »

In this video of Wolf Blitzer’s Situation Room, John Boehner, Republican Leader of the U.S House of Representatives says that the $2-3 Billion per week, and the blood of American soldiers is a small price to pay in Iraq. Read more »

The attacks of 9/11 were used to justify the invasion of Iraq, and ever since, Bu$h has been using the mantra to strike fear into the hearts of Americans and ensure continued support of his war. He and Dick have incessantly linked the words “al-Qaida” and “Iraq.” In a recent speech about Iraq, Bush mentioned al-Qaida 95 times. No matter that the insurgents in Iraq are not the same group that attacked the U.S. Read more »

This is a news round up of brief news items from the week ending on August 26, 2007. Read more »

In cruising around on-line, I came across an interesting article by Dave Lindorff at Information Clearing House. Dave’s take a very factual and intellectual look at the steps that have been taken over the past four years to strengthen the Executive Branch whilst weakening the other branches of government (and often simply outright disregarding them). Read more »

Well, S.1927, An Act To Amend The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 passed the Senate and House, with a bunch of weak kneed Democrats rushing to its support. Unfortunately I’m not surprised to find that Florida Senator Bill Nelson has voted in favor of the amendment. The Senator has consistently cast votes hostile to the Constitution and with the Bush Administration. I can only guess he’s been promised a bed in the bunker during the coming coup. Read more »