The Dusty Dog

Court Flushes Whistleblower Rights

High court trims whistleblower rights

In a victory for the Bush administration, justices said the 20 million public employees do not have free-speech protections for what they say as part of their jobs.

Critics predicted the impact would be sweeping, from silencing police officers who fear retribution for reporting department corruption, to subduing federal employees who want to reveal problems with government hurricane preparedness or terrorist-related security.

Supporters said that it will protect governments from lawsuits filed by disgruntled workers pretending to be legitimate whistleblowers.

I'm disgusted. So totally disgusted, I cannot even tell you. Federal employees have just lost one of their rights of free speech.

Here's a hypothetical.... If a federal worker is surfing porn, and believe me, particular co-workers in the federal government do surf porn, a co-worker who becomes a whistleblower, as of today, can no longer be protected under the Whistleblower Protection Act for reporting this if a supervisor decides to protect the porn king over the whistleblower. How's that for total bullshit? But, the only thing that previously protected a whistleblower was the WPA. Till today. Now, that's gone. This is what the neocon-loving cockroaches voted for. I'm gonna be sick. Really sick. Thank Goddess that I blew the whistle before this ruling became law. I was protected from the retaliation my supervisor tried to lay on me.

This from the NYTimes.com:

"We hold that when public employees make statements pursuant to their official duties, the employees are not speaking as citizens for First Amendment purposes, and the Constitution does not insulate their communications from employer discipline," Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote for the court.

...skip....

In writing the decision that reversed the Ninth Circuit today, Justice Kennedy noted that the Supreme Court has made it clear in previous rulings "that public employees do not surrender all their First Amendment rights by reason of their employment." On the other hand, he wrote, "When a citizen enters government service, the citizen by necessity must accept certain limitations on his or her freedom."

What freakin' limitations? We're not stupid. We know that the only reason the neocons won this battle in the supremely neocon court is because they don't want to be outed for the repeated misdeads, cover-ups, blunders and outright lies. If you don't believe me, check out Wikipedia's listing of famous whistleblowers. They all reported misdeeds perpetrated by miscreants, and got retaliated against for doing so. This from the National Whistleblowers Center:

“Almost every major credible whistleblower exposed wrongdoing as part of their ‘professional duties,’” stated Stephen M. Kohn, Chairman of National Whistleblower Center. “That is the definition of whistleblowing. The ruling is a victory for every crooked politician in the United States,” Kohn Said. The Court struck at the heart of whistleblowing: When an employee learns of corruption as part of his or her ‘official duties,’ and exposes the wrongdoing, five Supreme Court judges have granted permission to fire the honest public employee,” Kohn added.

As a result of the five member majority decision, a person who burns the American flag is protected from retaliation, but an honest public employee who exposes waste, fraud and corruption can be fired. The decision defies common sense,” Kohn said. Justice Kennedy authored both the decision protecting flag burning, and today’s decision in Garcetti v. Ceballos.

I feel really sick.

posted by Dusty Dog at 5/30/2006 | 2 comment(s)

Memorial Day - Let Us Never Forget..... THE TRUTH

Today is Memorial Day. There are millions of flags waving. Parades happened or will be happening everywhere. The weather is warm and the skies are blue, so there will be billions of hot dogs and hamburgers getting grilled. Let's not forget the multitudes of kegs and micros that will be imbibed today. Today is a day to party.

But, it is also a day of remembrance for those soldiers who have fallen, sacrificed life and limb to fight for this country. However, when a statement is put out by the White Wash, it makes me cringe. Literally, I cringe. Today, the prez and his main squeeze will participate in a Wreath laying at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. The hypocrisy makes me wanna puke.

I am writing about Memorial Day today because I just read an article by a fellow blogger who has summed up the meaning of this day in a very significant way. Taylor Marsh points out the hypocrisy of the right wing scheme machine (Rachel Maddow's term) and the myth of Republican assertion that they are stronger and more capable to protect our homeland (the fascist's term) from terrorists and whatever machinations of their deranged brains they happen to put out to mainstream media for dissemination to a gullible American populace. As Taylor pointed out, there are 50+ vets who are "storming the hill", running to take back Congress and put it in democratic control again. All those 50 vets are running as democrats.

I am not going to re-write Taylor's article. Instead, I am exerpting two paragraphs, and I strongly urge my readers to navigate over to her site and read the entire article, MEMORIAL DAY: The Republican Military Myth Revealed. It's worth it. It's Memorial Day, and we must never forget.

In 2000, George W. Bush allowed former POW and war hero Senator John McCain to be impugned within an inch of his personal life (to McCain's disgrace, he not only let it pass, but supports the culprits). This was followed by Ralph Reed comparing a three-limb amputee and war hero Senator Max Cleland to Osama and Saddam, something he later stated he'd do again. Mind you, Reed never served. It's a disease in the Republican party that has infested the ranks, which has led to the trigger happy chickenhawk Republican that is costing this country Her very life. Dick Cheney is now a legend for his 5 deferments. John Ashcroft had 7 deferments. The list of non-serving neocons is long: Speaker Hastert, former Speaker Newt Gingrich, former majority leader Tom Delay, Missouri's Roy Blunt, Karl Rove, Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle, Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Dana Rohrabacher, Bill Frist, Mitch McConnell, Trent Lott, Rick Santorum all chose not to serve our country, but the list goes on and on.

Democrats, on the other hand, are military people by service: General Wesley Clark, Representative Dick Gephardt, Representative Bonoir, Senator Tom Daschle, Vice President Al Gore, Senator Bob Kerry, Senator Inouye, Senator John Kerry, Representative Charles Rangel, Senator Max Cleland, Senator Teddy Kennedy, Senator Tom Harkin, Senator Jack Reed, Senator Fritz Hollings, Boswell, Peterson, Thompson, McBridge, Pete Stark, Gray Davis... Senator George McGovern, Senator John Glenn, Vice President Walter Mondale, and, except for Ike, President Jimmy Carter, who served more years in the service than any other president. Of course, we all know that Bill Clinton dodged the draft during Vietnam, but he also didn't wage premptive war. Let's also remember that it's not Democrats vilifying soldiers who stand up and speak out.

Thank you, Taylor Marsh.

posted by Dusty Dog at 5/29/2006 | 0 comment(s)

Today's Walk along the Bay

Today, my dusty doggie and I took a wonderful walk along the bay. It was dead low tide, so the birds were feeding like crazy. I got some shots that completely made my day. When I'm out shooting, I really don't always know what I'm focusing on. I just try to get a good shot, and identify the species later. A favorite subject of mine are the egrets. They are always around, but shooting them can be a bit tough. Today however, were two species that I never saw before, and as luck would have it, they were more than happy to be photographed. In fact, so was this one particular egret. How unusual. I was hiding in the brush, and dusty doggie was unhappily complying with my command to sit still. I love this dog.

Click on the images to enlarge....

The egret strutted past these two shorebirds, obviously on its way to something yummy that it had eyed.


This same beautiful egret caught a fish moments later, and I caught it catching the fish. Color me happy.


Turns out these shorebirds, which I had no idea what they were when I was shooting, are Ruddy Turnstones. At least, I think they are Ruddy Turnstones. According to the The Sibley Guide to Birds, the very orange legs seem to be the most distinguishing characteristic among shorebirds. Fact is, these shorebirds, sandpipers, etc. are sometimes quite difficult to tell apart. Also, according to the Sibley guide, if these are indeed Ruddy Turnstones, they are merely migrating through, and are on their way to their summer habitat at the northern fringes of this continent. How cool is that?


As we were leaving the beach, I decided to take one last look along the water, and lo and behold was this fabulously billed something-or-other. I started shooting like crazy. This bird turns out to be an American Oystercatcher, which appears along the east and west coastlines of the United States.

The Sibley Guide to Birds is a great resource. It was a wonderful investment for me, given how much I love shooting birds. Today was a great day.

posted by Dusty Dog at 5/28/2006 | 2 comment(s)

Dumbya as Truman

Before I write about my observations from this morning's CSPAN open call-in show, I'd like to make a single comment regarding this latest (of many, lately) Constitutional crisis that is now facing Congress and the White Wash. In particular, the FBI raid of Rep. William J. Jefferson's (D-La.) office after finding out and indicting him on bribery charges. The burning question I have is did other indicted or accused members of Congress, and even those who have already pled guilty, be they from the House or Senate get their offices raided by the FBI? Was DeLay's office raided? Was Cunningham's? Were anyone's office raided and files and computers taken, other than Jefferson? I suspect not, because it's only Jefferson's indictment that has caused such a reaction. Think about it. The rest of the Congressional slimeballs were republican neocon cockroaches. Jefferson is a black democrat, who apparently is also a cockroach. I suppose if you're a member of Congress who happens to get caught with greased palms, it's bad enough. If you're a democrat, that's scores extra points. A black democrat, well hell's bells, that must be the jackpot.

Don't get me wrong. I, in no way, support any such bribery activities, grease palms, corruption, whatever. But, for god's sakes, people, where's the equity? Why is the press allowing this kind of hypocrisy to go unchallenged?


Now, to this morning's CSPAN..........

The initial question that the show's host, Steven Scully, asked of his audience was, "What do pople think about Bush's West Point commencement speech?" Of course, the item that rose to the top immediately was dubya's comparison of himself to former President Truman. As always, the phones start ringing off the hook, I'm sure, even though we cannot hear them. How do I know? I've tried to call in, but I never got past the busy signals. Never.

Anyway, the phone dialogue proceeded to deteriorate (for lack of a better word) into those who are for dubya and how this country is under attack by the liberals against good Christians who support the war on terror, and the liberals who bashed this administration's supposed support (again for lack of a better word) of the Christians who are fighting against the evil Muslems. In fact, the neocon supporters seem to use their hatred of Europe because the Europeans have allowed the terrorists to breed within their countries, according to one caller.

There was one caller who felt that this war is against Christianity itself. The Christian extremists (obvioulsly racists) use their Christianity as the basis for their mutual support of dumbya and the neocons. Conversely, the liberal callers did an excellent job of questioning the corporate backing for this war, stating that were it not for corporate interests, there would be no war. I tend to agree, obviously, as anyone who knows me already knows. The entire CSPAN segment was a weird clash between religious ideologues and apparently well-informed free thinkers.

One caller mentioned that when Truman took office, war profiteers were making crazy profits from WWII, but Truman effectively put a stop to that. I don't know if this is true or not, so I navigated over to Wikipedia and looked up Truman. What I found is rather interesting, though the question about war profiteers was not answered. The only reference that dubya made that appears to be even close to any similarity to Truman was the advent of the Cold War, wherein the Truman Doctrine was the beginning of it all. That's it. Period. Of course, the Cold War was a war against a nebulous enemy, the Communists, for which this country sank into severe Constitutional crises, most notibly stomping upon First Amendment rights to free speech. Interesting that dubya would make such a comparison.

In fact, there are other aspects of Truman's legacy, from what I read at Wikipedia, that are so diametrically opposed to dubya's philosophies, that the dubya comparison is tantamount to a joke. A stupid joke that obviously goes right over our stupid buffoon of a president's head. For instance:

Fair Deal

Following many years of Democratic majorities in Congress and Democratic presidents, voter fatigue led to a new Republican majority in the 1946 midterm elections, with the Republicans picking up 55 seats in the House of Representatives and several seats in the Senate. Although Truman cooperated closely with the Republican leaders on foreign policy he fought them on domestic issues. He failed to prevent tax cuts and removal of price controls. The power of the labor unions was significantly curtailed by the Taft-Hartley Act which was enacted by over-riding Truman's veto. The onset of the Korean conflict in 1950 once again required an increase in taxes.

As he readied for the approaching 1948 election, Truman made clear his identity as a Democrat in the New Deal tradition, advocating universal health insurance, the repeal of the anti-union Taft-Hartley Act and an aggressive civil rights program in a broad legislative program that he called the "Fair Deal."

Now, back to dubya's comparison of himself to Truman, of particular note is the Truman Doctrine, signed into law in 1947, which was foreign policy "that the U.S. government would support Greece and Turkey with military and economic aid to prevent their falling into the Soviet orbit. The Doctrine shifted American foreign policy towards the Soviet Union from détente to, as George F. Kennan phrased it, a policy of containment..."

Metaphor

The "Truman Doctrine" has become a metaphor for emergency aid to keep a nation independent. Truman used disease imagery not only to communicate a sense of impending disaster in the spread of communism but also to create a "rhetorical vision" of containing it by extending a protective shield around noncommunist countries throughout the world. It echoed the "quanrantine the aggressor" policy Franklin Roosevelt proposes in 1937. The medical metaphor extended beyond the immediate aims of the Truman Doctrine in that the imagery combined with fire and flood imagery evocative of disaster provided the United States with an easy transition to direct military confrontation in later years with communist forces in Korea and Vietnam. By presenting ideological differences in life or death terms, Truman's rhetoric increased the nation's feelings of insecurity and constrained future foreign policy decisions [Ivie 1999]

Sound familiar?

It's also amazing that dubya has to go back in history to compare himself to a former president. It's pretty obvious why he chooses to do so. He has nothing but a failing record, and he sure cannot talk about anything relevant to his own failed policies on every level of government. He's got the anti-Midas touch. Everything he touches turns to crap. His record is nothing but failed ventures and crap.

posted by Dusty Dog at 5/28/2006 | 1 comment(s)

From Last Weekend's Walk (click to enlarge)

posted by Dusty Dog at 5/27/2006 | 1 comment(s)

Yet Another "Live Vote"

The MSNBC website has an ongoing "live vote" right now asking if the reader believes that dubya should be impeached or not. First of all, I'd like to add that if abject stupidity qualifies for impeachment, then dubya sure does qualify for such dubious distinction. However, I really believe that dubya alone should not be impeached. Cheney MUST also be impeached. He is so completely culpable in everything that this poll asked about dubya. In fact, an awful lot of people, including me, do believe that dubya's dick is, in fact, the driving force behind all the actions and decisions coming from the White Wash, I mean House. Dubya himself is just way too stupid, too clueless, too incurious to be soley responsible.

Below is a screen shot of the poll right after I cast my vote this morning, May 27, 2006, which pretty much indicates that the majority of Americans are of like mind in their total disgust with this administration:

posted by Dusty Dog at 5/27/2006 | 1 comment(s)

Tricklin' On Down to Dubya's Bank

"Bush's recently passed 77 Billion tax cut for the rich will leave 68% of all households with no benefits at all," according to OpEdNews.com.

About 87 percent of the benefits of the reconciliation conference agreement would flow to the 14 percent of households with incomes above $100,000 with:

55 percent of the 87 percent of the benefits going to the 3 percent with incomes above $200,000.

22 percent of the 87 percent will go to those earning more than $1 million a year, which represent only 0.2 percent of all households.

5 percent of the benefits will go to those with incomes below $75,000, which is 75 percent of all American households.

2 percent of all benefits will go to households with incomes of less than $50,000, which is 60 percent of all households.
\In dollars terms, the average tax cut for:

The 20 percent of households in the middle of the income spectrum would be just $20.

The average tax cut for those in the top 1 percent of the income spectrum would be $14,100.

For those with incomes above $1 million, the average tax cut would be $43,000.

Now, given the state of this faltering economy, don't you just feel all tingly and warm and fuzzy knowing that dubya gave you a $20 tax break? Doesn't it just warm your heart? I bet it really warms the hearts of those who receive $43,500. That's about the entire annual salary of those who are getting the $20 bucks. The people who need the money the least will get the most, and for which this $87 billion tax break bill will have absolutely no impact on their lifestyles. Conversely, those who make the least will get the least, for which this sham of a tax break will have absolutely no impact on their lifestyles.

Trickledown economics at its finest. Its finest, of cousre, is that it's a sham and it doesn't get any better than this. Reagan invented voodoo economics and dubya is taking it to the bank. His bank.

Finally, we need to mention that 68 percent of all households would receive no benefits whatsoever from the tax-cut package.

This is Republican “trickle down” economics.

posted by Dusty Dog at 5/24/2006 | 2 comment(s)

Containment's just another word for nothing left but oil

The U.S. military is already gearing up for this outcome, but not for “victory” any longer. It is consolidating to several “superbases” in hopes that its continued presence will prevent Iraq from succumbing to full-flown civil war and turning into a failed state.

Huh??? What outcome is that, you ask?

Apparently, there's a new buzzword coming out of DC these days. It's called "containment" according to Newsweek Politics online. The US is no longer even considering any kind of victory. They are just trying to save face. They're trying to save face by stating that they are setting up these super military bases, wherein the Iraqis will accept that limited presence as one that will keep their civil war in check. They call it "containment." But, read that above statement again. They are hoping. Hoping?? HOPING?????????? Holy wishful thinking, Batman.

So today’s containment is a furtive policy being developed willy-nilly behind the scenes, as Bush’s pragmatic second-term officials seek to clean up the vast Mideast mess left by the ideologues who dominated in the first term. A series of cautious concepts similar to those that came to dominate the cold war are emerging as the least worst way of holding off powerful forces that are also going to be around for along time: disintegration in Iraq, expansion in Iran, Islamism all over.

If we follow some of the news backwards, we can find examples of the dubya lies, one of which is this one wherein they have no plans to stay in Iraq forever. We know that's a lie because while they were saying this, they were also in the process of building the largest US embassy complex in the world, complete with 21 buildings, theater, swimming pool, hotels, offices, etc. I wrote about that in a previous article, Mission Accomplished, which can be found in my April Archives.

Of course, I don't believe their crap for one second. Sure, containment would be nice. But, they are just figuring a way to stay out of the mess, behind their embassy walls, basically containing the bloodshed from reaching their own complex. But, you have to wonder why in hell they are building this complex amid this bloodbath, anyway. Fact is, the other big lie was the link of Iraq to 9/11. Invading Iraq had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11 or Osama bin Laden, or any such altruistic endeavors. It was all about the oil. It's still all about the oil. As Iraq sinks into this low-key civil war, the neocon concept of containment is merely saving their collective face, so they can continue their presence in Iraq, maintain the puppet government, and control the Iraq oil.

Containment, my ass. These neocon cockroaches are dispiccable liars with only one interest - oil. Saving face is all about making thier mega-embassy appear to be an acceptable strategy now that they are no longer striving for victory. They've given up. Thousands upon thousands of people are dead and maimed. Families destroyed forever. A country in ruins. And, they have given up. But, I suppose there is nothing else that could be done, given that this Iraqi debaucle was a failed mission from Day One. It's just taken years for these dummies to recognize that. They are just trying to save face. Amazingly enough, they are working like dogs to convince voters that they deserve re-election. That sure is a whole other thing that makes me wonder who the remaining 29% of Americans are, and where their dumbass heads are at.

posted by Dusty Dog at 5/23/2006 | 1 comment(s)

Photoshop Contest

Of all the mock-ups and Photoshop inventions, this one really made me laugh. It's part of a Fark.com Photoshop contest in which the theme is "Police bust GW after finding his MySpace page." Check it out. There's more. Hehehehe.........

posted by Dusty Dog at 5/23/2006 | 0 comment(s)

No Time Like the Present

Now, here's a person who is more hated than dubya telling people that people really do like dubya. According to Knight Ridder Washington Bureau:

"The American people like this president," White House political guru Karl Rove said last week. "People like him. They respect him. He's somebody they feel a connection with. But they're just sour right now on the war. And that's the way it's going to be. And we will fight our way through."

Excuse me? When does Rove talk have any merit whatsoever outside of earshot of dubya himself? As far as I can tell, it doesn't. People hate the lying sack of excrement more than they hate his dubya puppet.

Rove says people are just "soured" on the Iraq War. Well, NO SHIT SHERLOCK! (Happy Birthday, Arthur Conan Doyle.) I, for one, was soured on the Iraq war before it was an Iraq war. I couldn't imagine how the hell this administration could venture into a foreign country, invade it with shock and awe force, and do so based on forgeries. We in blogosphere knew the Niger documents were forgeries well before the invasion. But, mainstream media refused to carry that news, and for that I lay most of the blame for this quagmire. But, for all the blame, I hate dubya and this neocon regime even more. But, I digress....

This Knight Ridder story expounds upon dubya's falling ratings, pointing out that much of the fall is because he isn't even liked as a human being anymore:

It's not just the way he's doing his job. Americans apparently don't like President Bush personally much anymore, either.

A drop in his personal popularity, as measured by several public polls, has shadowed the decline in Bush's job-approval ratings and weakened his political armor when he and his party need it most.

...snip...

"When he loses likeability, the president loses the benefit of the doubt," said Dennis Goldford, a political scientist at Drake University in Iowa. "That makes it much harder for him to steer."

Aides in the president's circle say Bush still has it. They suggest that his likeability will serve as a get-out-of-trouble card no matter how mad people get about the war in Iraq or other woes.

Aides in the president's circle have about as much credibility and likeability as the dubya cockroach himself, not to mention the rove cockroach. They all have their collective pea brains up where da sun don't shine. And, that's a fact. As far as I can tell, people are finally starting to see dubya for the lunatic buffoon that he is. How they got duped into believing his crap in the first place is another story, one for the shrink's couch. But sometimes, it takes a while, and for those who have finally seen the light, I am happy for them. Maybe now we can maybe, maybe move on to IMPEACHMENT proceedings against dubya and his heartless wonder.

posted by Dusty Dog at 5/22/2006 | 2 comment(s)

Thank You

Yesterday morning, I walked for a cure for arthritis. I raised a total of $330.00, which was pretty good. It's $330 more than the Arthritis Foundation would have if I didn't walk for the cure. This is my second year walking for the Arthritis Foundation, and I'll likely keep doing it for as long as I am able to do so, which hopefully, will be forever. There are over 170 different kinds of arthritis, and I am saddled with at least three kinds - psoriatic arthritis, osteoarthritis and Dupuytren's contracture. Each one is a nuisance, to say the least, and sometimes I need to eat painkillers just to make it through the day. Sometimes I don't. One day is always different than the next. It's always a surprise.

I want to very publicly and most sincerely thank everyone who contributed to my donation effort. I will keep the link up on my sidebar for a short time longer, just in case there are any stragglers who still wish to donate.

Your contributions kept me going. Your support keeps me going.

posted by Dusty Dog at 5/21/2006 | 1 comment(s)

I'm back......

.... and here are a few images from my trip....

posted by Dusty Dog at 5/19/2006 | 1 comment(s)

Off for other worldly things...............

I'm leaving town for a couple of days. Not a vacation, unfortunately, but rather a business trip. I like business trips. They help to invigorate my interest in my job, and this particular trip, though bound to be boring as all get out at times, is also necessary for me to learn more about one aspect of my job.

I'm a geographic informations systems coordinator for the place that I work, which shall continue to remain nameless. GIS is computerized mapping. It's about collecting spatial data in order to create databases of specific aspects of locations, like plants and animals, their habitats, or developments, or shoreline changes, or fault lines, or whatever. The data is used to learn, study, explore relationships, organize, and monitor natural systems, all of which is connected to my job. I absolutely love it.

That was a really brief description of GIS, for sure. An even more simplistic explanation is that I make pretty maps. I use everything from shorelines, elevation contours, vegetation mapping, species locations, developments, satellite imagery, etc., all to make these maps.

So, I'm off for a few days. My readers should not worry about me. I'll be back and I'll be writing again in about one week. Maybe sooner. Fact is, I have become somewhat of a blogoholic. Not only about writing and designing my own blog, but also about reading others' blogs. I'll actually miss it all for the week. But, I'm sure I'll be keeping busy with other more worldy things.

posted by Dusty Dog at 5/16/2006 | 2 comment(s)

Greg Palast - Kudos To You, Mon....

This morning, I had the unexpected pleasure of turning on CSPAN and finding that Greg Palast, one of my favorite writers and journalists, was a guest. Unfortunately he was a guest with that dirtbag R. Emmett Tyrrell, the Editor-in-Chief of the American Spectator. If you're not familiar with the American Spectator, I can only sum it up as follows: I've been wondering who were the 29% of Americans who still support the dubya regime. Tyrrell is a prime example, a total blowhard who cannot think of anything else but to call everyone not of the neocon ilk a "socialist". Very reminiscent of Limbaugh and Santorum. Blechhhhhhhh... enough of him.

My real point of this article is to alert readers to one of the most amazing things I learned this morning from Mr. Palast. As they were discussing the illegal wiretapping and the huge database that the government is keeping of Americans' phone records, he mentioned a company called ChoicePoint. ChoicePoint, it seems, is that same company that was used by Jeb Bush, and his sidekick Katherine Harris, to develop a phony list of felons, predominantly African Americans and democrats of course, to toss off the voter roles in Florida in order to hand over the 2000 presidential election to his brother, the cockroach.

Holy mother of scandalous stories (this is Mothers Day, after all), is there really a pattern here? Realy an actual conspiracy to defraud on the part of this great American democracy? Apparently, there is. According to Palast, from his website:

This is: the snooping into your phone bill is just the snout of the pig of a strange, lucrative link-up between the Administration's Homeland Security spy network and private companies operating beyond the reach of the laws meant to protect us from our government. You can call it the privatization of the FBI -- though it is better described as the creation of a private KGB.

snip....

he leader in the field of what is called "data mining," is a company called, "ChoicePoint, Inc," which has sucked up over a billion dollars in national security contracts.

Worried about Dick Cheney listening in Sunday on your call to Mom? That ain't nothing. You should be more concerned that they are linking this info to your medical records, your bill purchases and your entire personal profile including, not incidentally, your voting registration. Five years ago, I discovered that ChoicePoint had already gathered 16 billion data files on Americans -- and I know they've expanded their ops at an explosive rate.

They are paid to keep an eye on you -- because the FBI can't. For the government to collect this stuff is against the law unless you're suspected of a crime. (The law in question is the Constitution.) But ChoicePoint can collect it for "commercial" purchases -- and under the Bush Administration's suspect reading of the Patriot Act -- our domestic spying apparatchiks can then BUY the info from ChoicePoint.

Who ARE these guys selling George Bush a piece of you?

snip....

And worse, they KNEW the racially-tainted list of felons was bogus. And when we caught them, they lied about it. While they've since apologized to the NAACP, ChoicePoint's ethnic cleansing of voter rolls has been amply rewarded by the man the company elected.

And now ChoicePoint and George Bush want your blood. Forget your phone bill. ChoicePoint, a sickened executive of the company told us in confidence, "hope[s] to build a database of DNA samples from every person in the United States ...linked to all the other information held by CP [ChoicePoint]" from medical to voting records.

This is exactly the kind of crap Tyrrell and his American Spectator buddies support. He even went on to say that in order to win the "war on terror", we have to lose a few civil liberties. At which point, Palast jumps in to say "THERE IS NO WAR ON TERROR!" The war on terror is, in fact, an undeclared war against not only the Iraqis, whom we invaded in order to liberate their oil for our cockroach coffers, but also against the American people, the chumps who continue to believe that there is some kind of "war". We were attacked by a few Saudi nutcases, which did not constitute an act of war. If it did, we should have attacked Saudi Arabia. But, that was never going to happen. After all, the Bush Crime Family is part of OPEC, that cartel that is now pushing up the price of oil and making them all richer than god.

And, speaking of this phony war, here's another little piece of neocon lunacy. Apparently, there is this leaked document (click on this image to the left) which indicates that:

"... there are over 30 pages of documentation obtained by the BBC and the National Security News Service (Washington) indicating that the FBI was pulled off the trail of [bin Laden] on September 11, 1996 - and reactivated exactly five years later. According to agents and higher level sources in the CIA who spoke with us, before the attack on the World Trade Center, these cases were shut down for political reasons. While President Clinton "constrained" investigations of alleged Saudi funding of terror networks and the making of the "Islamic" atomic bomb, Bush "Jr." effectively "killed" those investigations - until September 2001."

Essentially, what Greg Palast points out in his article See No Evil: What Bush Didn't (Want To) Know About 9/11 is that even though Bill Clinton started this policy failure, dubya took it to the next level, and effectively killed off any further investigations into the Saudi family's ties to terrorism:

The Family Business

I still didn't have an answer to all my questions. We knew that Clinton and the Bushes were reluctant to discomfort the Saudis by unearthing their connections to terrorists -- but what made this new president take particular care to protect the Saudis, even to the point of stymying his own intelligence agencies?

The answers kept coming back: "Carlyle" and "Arbusto."

While some people have guardian angels, our president seems to have guardian sheiks....

This is such an ugly history, and there is so much to read, and all I want to do is stick my head in the sand, like so many Americans choose to do, and I have so much dog fur floating around my house (Dusty Dog is blowin' her coat), and my house is such a mess, that I just don't have the time to know it all. Therefore, I trust people like Greg Palast to do the hard investigative work that he does, and teach those of us who are inclined to listen. It seems that more and more Americans are becoming more inclined to listen. At least, I hope so. However, there are those 29% jingo blowhards who will support the neocons no matter what. They are hopeless, and I try not to dwell on their stupidity for too long. It just ruins my day.

posted by Dusty Dog at 5/14/2006 | 0 comment(s)

Thought for the Day..........

.... and every day:

"Of all the questions which can come before this nation, there is none which compares in importance to the great central task of leaving this land an even better land for our descendants than it is for us, and training them into a better race to inhabit the land and pass it on. Conservation is a great moral issue, for it involves the patriotic duty of insuring the safety and continuation of the nation."
----------- Theodore Roosevelt, 1908

posted by Dusty Dog at 5/14/2006 | 0 comment(s)

Big Lie of the Week

I lifted this entire article from SaveTheInternet.com. I didn't get pre-approval, but I did register with them, and I will be putting up a banner in my sidebar as soon as I finish posting this article. I find it appalling that the ISPs, who are merely providers to the internet are now attempting to gain control of it, for the sole purpose of making money. And, to be sure, these are the same scoundrels who have already bought into the neocon scheme machine. Mainstream media has already been bought out by them. The only really free press anymore is the internet. But, not for long if these bums and crooks get their way. Be afraid. Be very afraid.......

Don’t be fooled. Web sites like “Hands Off The Internet” are industry front groups — the products of high-priced consultants bought and paid for by the cable and phone industry. Companies like AT&T, Verizon, BellSouth and their trade associations are spending millions every week to mislead and misinform the American public.

Their latest attempt to hoodwink Internet users is a cutesy cartoon at www.dontregulate.org — a clever piece of industry propaganda that is riddled with half-truths and outright lies.

The animation is an example of Stephen Colbert’s “truthiness” in action. Telco giants cloak their real intentions behind a populist message that sounds plausible, while undermining the work of genuine public and consumer advocates.

Visit our “Big Lie” page for a quick guide to cutting through the industry spin.

For a hilarious take on the Bell’s “Astroturf” campaign, visit Jesus’ General.

posted by Dusty Dog at 5/14/2006 | 0 comment(s)

Birds in My Neigborhood

I took a walk today.........

posted by Dusty Dog at 5/13/2006 | 2 comment(s)

Ding Dong, the Witch is goin' down.........

Late breaking news -

KARL ROVE INDICTED

This image is an old one, and it's been circulating around the web for at least a couple of years. Finally, it isn't just a joke. Finally, it has some basis in reality. I just look forward now to the jerk going to prison. He's been getting away with his illegal crap for way too long. And, it finally caught up with him. The neocons just got too brazen, like they thought they were invincible. They are not. According to Truthout:

Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald spent more than half a day Friday at the offices of Patton Boggs, the law firm representing Karl Rove.

During the course of that meeting, Fitzgerald served attorneys for former Deputy White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove with an indictment charging the embattled White House official with perjury and lying to investigators related to his role in the CIA leak case, and instructed one of the attorneys to tell Rove that he has 24 hours to get his affairs in order, high level sources with direct knowledge of the meeting said Saturday morning.

Robert Luskin, Rove's attorney, did not return a call for comment. Sources said Fitzgerald was in Washington, DC, Friday and met with Luskin for about 15 hours to go over the charges against Rove, which include perjury and lying to investigators about how and when Rove discovered that Valerie Plame Wilson was a covert CIA operative and whether he shared that information with reporters, sources with direct knowledge of the meeting said.

I suppose they have to be really thorough, but why did it take so long? And, if this isn't the biggest of the big scandals to hit the White Wash, I mean House, and just in time for Sunday talk shows, then we'd be in for bigger treats. Maybe, just maybe they are working on the Cheney and Bush indictments. But, that would be impeachment, wouldn't it? And, only Congress can initiate impeachment proceedings, right? Which of course means we will have to wait until the Dems take over Congress in 2006.

posted by Dusty Dog at 5/13/2006 | 0 comment(s)

My New Look

UPDATE: I fixed the problem with IE and Opera
It was really simple and stupid. I forgot to close a tag, and Mozilla didn't recognize that the same way. Regardless, I look forward to comments, be they kudos types or constructive criticism.

Life is GOOD



As you can see, I have re-done my template. If you read the "About" paragraph in the sidebar, you'll see I'm having a few problems. It really infuriates me that each browser will make things look so different. But, it is what it is. Therefore, I recomment using any of the Mozilla products, which I highly recommend anyway. They are more stable than anything else, and have way more options than anything that Bill Gates feels so inclined to charge fortunes to provide to the computer consumer. Basically, IE sucks. Opera is trying, but Mozilla has it down, and they are constantly improving their products.



Mozilla

posted by Dusty Dog at 5/13/2006 | 4 comment(s)

Poll: 2004 Election Was Stolen

This graph is located at OpEdNews.com, and amazingly enough it points out that the only news viewers who believe that the election was not stolen are the Faux Fox News. Golly gee, what a surprise.

But let's look at the demographics on this question. Of the people who watch Fox news as their primary sourc of TV news, one half of one percent believe it was stolen and 99% believe it was legitimate. Among people who watched ANY other news source but FOX, more felt the election was stolen than legitimate. The numbers varied dramatically:

Here are the stats by network listed as first choice by respondent and whether the respondent thought the election was stolen or legitimate.
Network Stolen Legitimate
ABC 56% 32%
CBS 64% 31%
CNN 70% 24%
FOX .5% 99%
MSNBC 65% 24%
NBC 49% 43%
Other 56% 28%

posted by Dusty Dog at 5/12/2006 | 2 comment(s)

Update To Shedders

After I posted my Shedders article, I took a walk to the bay. Lo and behold, there in the water were two horseshoe crabs procreating rather swim-illy. I took the above photo as they saw me and started swimming away. Sometimes I feel quite fortunate to be living where I am living, and seeing what I'm seeing. I also love my camera, and I rarely go out without it. Hence, the above photo. Click on it to see the bigger version.

Life is good................

posted by Dusty Dog at 5/12/2006 | 2 comment(s)

Goin' Down

Bush Down 6% In One Month -

This was lifted from one of my favorite blogsites, Taylor Marsh. Read the rest there.

posted by Dusty Dog at 5/12/2006 | 0 comment(s)

Wiretapping on a Grand Scale

Here's an interesting question: What is the biggest database in the world?

Here's and interesting answer: The US Government's warrantless domestic wiretapping program.

Amazingly enough, in spite of previous reports, and carried today by USAToday, apparently a few nameless whistleblowers have come forward to report that the US has indeed been collecting a vast database of domestic phone calls.

"It's the largest database ever assembled in the world," said one person, who, like the others who agreed to talk about the NSA's activities, declined to be identified by name or affiliation. The agency's goal is "to create a database of every call ever made" within the nation's borders, this person added.

For the customers of these companies, it means that the government has detailed records of calls they made — across town or across the country — to family members, co-workers, business contacts and others.

The three telecommunications companies are working under contract with the NSA, which launched the program in 2001 shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the sources said. The program is aimed at identifying and tracking suspected terrorists, they said.

The sources would talk only under a guarantee of anonymity because the NSA program is secret. ........ (much more at USAToday)

This latest piece about the US wiretapping program points out two things: first, dubya is a lying sack of shit, along with the rest of the neocon cockroaches, and secondly, it's a fairly safe bet that your calls are included in this program. So, if you thought you may be exempt from the wiretapping scheme because of your rather benign activities, you are likely very wrong.

On top of this very dubious and legally troubling endeavor by the neocons to dismantle the Constitution, dubya nominates none other than "Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden to lead the embattled Central Intelligence Agency, re-igniting a debate over the domestic surveillance program that the onetime head of the National Security Agency once ran." according to the Huffington Post article called Bush Wants Domestic Wiretapping Tsar To Run CIA... And, at Yahoo News, "Talk of Hayden's nomination rekindled debate over the administration's domestic surveillance program, which Hayden used to oversee as the former head of the National Security Agency."

In an article by Deep Intelligence Index,

NEW YORK -- Former National Security Agency director Bobby Ray Inman lashed out at the Bush administration Monday night over its continued use of warrantless domestic wiretaps, making him one of the highest-ranking former intelligence officials to criticize the program in public, analysts say.

"This activity is not authorized," Inman said, as part of a panel discussion on eavesdropping that was sponsored by The New York Public Library. The Bush administration "need(s) to get away from the idea that they can continue doing it."

Goddamm, it's all coming together for the neocons. Make no mistake, these guys are fascists. The neocons running this country fit every one of the 14 Points of Fascism that are listed at Old American Century.

posted by Dusty Dog at 5/11/2006 | 0 comment(s)