Secret Laws

John Gilmore is suing the government because he doesn't think he should be required to show ID before boarding a commercial flight. I think this is stupid and he deserves to be thrown out of court.

At least, that's what I'd think if it weren't for this:

The Bush administration...claims that the ID requirement is necessary for security but has refused to identify any actual regulation requiring it.

A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals seemed skeptical of the Bush administration's defense of secret laws and regulations but stopped short of suggesting that such a rule would be necessarily unconstitutional.

"How do we know there's an order?" Judge Thomas Nelson asked. "Because you said there was?"

....The Justice Department has said it could identify the secret law under seal, which would be available to the 9th Circuit but not necessarily Gilmore's lawyers. But any public description would not be permitted, the department said.

WTF? Call me naive, but I've never heard of a secret law. I've heard of secret courts and secret evidence — which are bad enough already — but not secret laws. When did this happen?

I've never heard of secret laws either, at least not in this country. But this isn't really America anymore, is it. What possible reason could there be not to show a law requiring IDs? None, but with secret laws, they don't really have to exist, do they. The umbrella of National Security, once again is being used to abuse authority.

I clipped the above quote from a page referencing a link to the source article: Airport ID checks legally enforced?

America Online: Made in Langley, VA

"Encyclopedia Britannica explains that the foundation of the Internet was "inspired by advances in science and technology that occurred as a result of World War II; the NSF was established by the U.S. Congress in the National Science Foundation Act of 1950." What the NSF is, in other words, is one of a blizzard of intelligence fronts that were set up in the immediate aftermath of the forming of the CIA itself in 1947."

"Of course, just because the beloved internet was begun as an intelligence entity and is still administered by a government agency doesn't mean that it still functions as an intelligence tool. It is worth noting, however, that the company that was primarily responsible for repackaging the internet into a civilian entity, America Online, is perhaps the most thinly veiled intelligence front ever conceived."

Interesting little tidbit I just found. I knew there was a reason for my distaste for this ISP, with it's paternalistic attitude towards it's customers. I signed up for a months' free trial some years ago when I first got connected and was searching for a permanent provider. I'd only tried two other trials before checking out AOL, but AOL put me off right away. They seemed all too eager to take complete control and lead me around the internet by the hand. If you've tried it, and didn't like it, you know what I mean. I stopped using it after only three days. They made me feel claustrophobic.

Anyway, this is the most likely reason the government was so adamant about keeping control away from other countries. But then again, this could all be just a silly coincidence that they're located in the same tiny little hole as the CIA. You believe in coincidences don't you?

Internet Censorship

"The agreement by the Congress to extend an enhanced Patriot Act for another four years will permit the political enforcers of the Bush administration, who use law enforcement as their proxies, to further clamp censorship controls on the web."

"The warning signs for the crackdown on the web have been with us for over a decade. The Clipper chip controversy of the 90s, John Poindexter’s Total Information Awareness (TIA) system pushed in the aftermath of 9-11, backroom deals between the Federal government and the Internet service industry, and the Patriot Act have ushered in a new era of Internet censorship, something just half a decade ago computer programmers averred was impossible given the nature of the web. They were wrong, dead wrong."

Yeah, it was just a matter of time. What was once supposed to be a freewheeling area of information exchange, is to be used as a political tool, to keep us all ignorant of the things we shouldn't know about. When we can't access information that runs counter to whatever political ideology allows, here in American, will you still be deluded in believing this is a free country?

No matter how bad things appear to be getting, we still have options. Let your legislators know of your dissatisfaction with this constant errosion of what liberties we have left, and demand that these assaults cease, or they'll get voted out.

But wait......I forgot about those damned Diebold machines. Well they sure have things covered, haven't they?

Bush on the Constitution: 'It's just a goddamned piece of paper'

GOP leaders told Bush that his hardcore push to renew the more onerous provisions of the [Patriot] act could further alienate conservatives still mad at the President from his botched attempt to nominate White House Counsel Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court.

“I don’t give a goddamn,” Bush retorted. “I’m the President and the Commander-in-Chief. Do it my way.”

“Mr. President,” one aide in the meeting said. “There is a valid case that the provisions in this law undermine the Constitution.”

“Stop throwing the Constitution in my face,” Bush screamed back. “It’s just a goddamned piece of paper!”

This, from a man who swore an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution. Not even his most loyal supporters can justify that statement, though I'm sure his most fanatical loyalists, like Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly will claim he was misquoted, and it's all nothing more than a Liberal conspiracy. But this little dictator-wannabe has never shown any respect for the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and the neo-cons he brought with him, certainly don't have any either.

Now, regardless of where you stand on any issues, you must realize what's at stake when your leader has no respect for neither the rule of law, nor the Constitution. He obviously has no respect for the American people as a whole, and only cares about those that blindly follow his dictates without question. And even those numbers are dwindling, as more and more, those that helped him are begining to realize that he's just plain unreasonable, and plans to take this country were it was never meant to go.

Song sites face legal crackdown

"The music industry is to extend its copyright war by taking legal action against websites offering unlicensed song scores and lyrics."

"MPA president Lauren Keiser said he wanted site owners to be jailed."

"He said unlicensed guitar tabs and song scores were widely available on the internet but were "completely illegal".

"Mr Keiser said he did not just want to shut websites and impose fines, saying if authorities can "throw in some jail time I think we'll be a little more effective".

Here's something else getting completely out of hand. First, they lie about the magnitude of their losses from "pirated" music, now they don't even want you to be able to look up the words to songs. This is just pure greed. If not for all the prostitute politicians, they wouldn't succeed in making the whole issue out to be so deadly to the industry. They succeed by pretending that every single person that receives a free copy of some song (and in this case lyrics too), would've bought their copy if they couldn't have gotten it for free, then using inflated estimates to make it seem the industry is about to collapse from piracy. It's all a lie. At often over $20 per CD, music is so over-priced that many can't afford to buy all the music they like. But they're counted as creating a loss anyway. They claim drops in sales are all due to piracy, when in many cases it's the overpricing, the economy, or just music nobody wants. Now it's the MPAs' turn pistol-whip everyone into submission.

This is the kind of unrestrained greed that results when we have lawmakers who cater only to big business. One hundred years ago, it took government intervention to begin putting a stop to big business putting the screws to everyone in sight, and now, at the beginning of another, the restraints have been taken off, and this is just one of the results.

I suspect that even if the MPA succeeds in geting people thrown in jail and paying heavy fines, that there will be little benefit for the sheet music companies. Remember that the recording artists that were supposedly becomming paupers because of piracy, never got a penny from any of the fines imposed as a result of the crusade against easy targets like children.

New technology requires new and innovative ways for businesses to interact with the public. They can't just go around using old methods designed to prevent real criminals from physically copying and selling someone elses product, on those that don't make any profit at all by making virtual copies. They aren't the same, and should not be treated as black marketeers.

Even if it is wrong, there are better ways to deal with the public, than using a sledgehammer. The movie industry went into a panic back when VCRs came on the market, but they learned to join in, working with the public to give it what it wanted, video prices dropped, and both benefitted. But that was back in more reasonable days.

The Other I.D. - "Incompetent Design"

"Don Wise, professor emeritus of geosciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, is the nation's foremost proponent of ID. No, Wise isn't getting ready to testify on behalf of the school board in Dover, PA. Rather, he advocates for a different version of the acronym: "incompetent design."

"Wise cites serious flaws in the systems of the human body as evidence that design in the universe exhibits not an obvious source of, but a sore lack of, intelligence. Seed asked him to chat about his theory, reactions he's received to it, and the anthem he penned to rally people to his cause."

Ah, this is a nice little article that counters the Intelligent Design proponants who claim we were made just as we are, and didn't evolve from anything. The implication is, if a God created us as we are, and no evolution was involved, then He did a very poor job of building us. I agree.

Subway Rider Busted for Selling a Token

"Transit police handcuffed and cited a man who sold a $1.75 subway token to another rider who was having trouble with a token vending machine. Transit authority spokeswoman Jocelyn Baker said Friday that the officer "acted within the law" after he spotted Donald Pirone, 42, selling the token Nov. 30 inside the West End subway station."

"Instead of giving Pirone a warning, the officer decided to handcuff him and give him the misdemeanor citation under a 1992 state law that bars passengers from selling Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority tokens, she said."

"What you've got to keep in mind is that fare abuse is a chronic problem," Baker said. "It costs MARTA millions of dollars every year."

Not much else to this story. It's just a little local news that won't get much attention, but it's the kind of event that really pisses me off. I don't live there, so I don't know what that chronic fare abuse problem is really about, but stories like this just demonstrate how those with authority love to abuse it. Whatever the underlying problem is with tokens in that city, I really doubt that the law was meant to prohibit the activity described here. And if the transit system is really losing millions every year, they should concentrate on whatever the real problem is instead harrassing people just trying to be helpful. Cops, and cop-wannabes, usually do have discretion on what is and isn't something that should be dealt with, but too many times the macho crap that led them into becoming an authority figure, takes over, and throwing their weight around takes precedence over using their brains. I know, this is a small matter, it's only a misdemeaner, and the guy will probably just pay a fine and forget about it, but these things happen all the time where the letter of the law is followed, instead of the intent of the law. And always following the letter of the law, usually does nothing to solve the problems the law was intended to solve. Of course, all those unnecessary fines do add up and make the state happy.

The Politics of the Anti-war Movement

"The Sept. 24 anti-war protest in Washington DC was hailed as a revival of a movement which had become somewhat moribund even as the quagmire in Iraq deepens with horrifying rapidity. The march brought out 300,000, by organizers' estimates—making it the largest since the start of the US invasion in March 2003. After a summer in which Cindy Sheehan's campaign to demand personal accountability from the vacationing George Bush had riveted the nation, the march brought out record numbers of military veterans and grieving families—giving the movement an unassailable moral credibility."

"But it is significant that this credibility arose from the rank-and-file marchers—while that very credibility may have been actually undermined by elements of the organizational leadership."

This story goes into policy differences between two major anti-war movements in America, United for Peace and Justice and International ANSWER.

It must be noted that the author of that piece is a member of one group, criticizing the other. Also to be noted is that the criticism is justified. While it was mainly written to be a , "those guys are worse than us" piece, the real moral of the story as I see it, is to always check out a group you consider joining for a temporary cause. Look into the true motivations and historys of those who seemingly support whatever cause or actions you may wish to participate in. It's one thing to protest a war we're engaged in, and quite another to do so along side those who are hard-core anti-American Stalinists.

Ok, so that may seem like I'm siding with the author, but actually I don't think much of his group either.. I don't believe that anyone should join a group or coalition that runs counter to your ideals because they support your cause-of-the-moment. All you end up doing is giving legitimacy to the worst elements of the groups leadership. True, I grew up indoctrinated into the anti-communist camp, but that doesn't change the fact that all previous and current nations led by communists, have been some of the most brutal towards their own people. So, unless you're a communist supporter, don't cheapen your protestations by joining with them. If they were in power, they'd arrest you for protesting against the State, as they wouldn't allow such activities.

Does Anyone Believe Condoleezza Rice?

"US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice may have left Berlin, but her visit has left all sorts of bad tastes in the mouths of Germans. Nobody seems terribly convinced by her claim that America doesn't torture. And what is "torture" anyway?"

Well, like I said in the last post, The administration seems convinced that by repeating lies, they'll eventually be believed. I guess it just isn't working too good right now, but I doubt they'll give up trying. Lying has become pathological in Washington, to the point of embarrassment. A national disgrace. Lying has always been a part of politics since time began, but this getting out of hand. Nothing that comes out of the mouths of the President or other administration officials can be trusted, because it always seems to be contrary to the evidence. They go so far as to insist that agencies like the CIA must be exempt from any ban on torture, yet claim "We don't do torture". The problem is that they lie so much about everything, not just the wars of Iraq and terrorism. And they're bad liars too. Even our worst liars weren't this bad. They only lied about some things, not everything. The credibility gap is is so wide with this group, that it threatens to swallow up not only them, but the whole country. We're all going to pay a price for all this, for decades to come. No one in the world will trust us anymore, and the distinction between the actions of our government, and it's people, will disappear as the world blames us for putting these people in office. After all, we're supposed to be a democratic republic, so the people we elect to run the government, must be representing our true wishes, right? Not only will they hate our government, but us too. Maybe that's the plan after all. Keep us pumped up with fear of internal and external threats, get the rest of the world to hate everything we stand for, and then create a siege mentality in us, so we won't have a problem with "Today Iraq, Tomorrow the World".

I wonder what our Waterloo, or Stalingrad, will be like?

Top Al Qaeda Figures Held in Secret CIA Prisons

"Two CIA secret prisons were operating in Eastern Europe until last month when they were shut down following Human Rights Watch reports of their existence in Poland and Romania."

"Current and former CIA officers speaking to ABC News on the condition of confidentiality say the United States scrambled to get all the suspects off European soil before Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived there today. The officers say 11 top al Qaeda suspects have now been moved to a new CIA facility in the North African desert."

More ass-covering going on here. They hide the "evidence" just in time for our Secretary of States' arrival, so she can deny everything. In an earlier post I made a suggestion of the possibility that the CIA may have had secret permission from certain EU member states to run their prisons. Since then, reports have spread that it's a real probability. Now that the word is out, we have to spirit our "suspects" away so we can say, "What prisons?", "What suspects?", and "What torture?".

Do we still have any credibility left for anyone to believe anything we say? Does the clan in the White House really think that repeating the same slogans over and over again, will cause people to begin to think the lies they tell, are really the truth? I'm not a politician, nor journalist, so I don't have to use the polite word; 'mislead'. As far as I'm concerned, when you tell me one thing, and something else proves true, I just call you a liar and be done with it.

If you are in charge, but all you do is blame others when things under your control fall apart, you're an incompetent leader. If everyone in your inner circle have proven to be liars, and your political supporters are filling the air with scandals that could (should) bring prison terms, and you're allied with religious fanatics, some of whom are determind to drag scientific advancement back into the Dark Ages, then I think it time for the more rational segments of our society to stand up and do what's necessary; VOTE America back where it belongs.

All the marches that have taken place, have failed to impress those in power. All of the polls, showing disapproval, have failed to impress them. World leaders have also failed. But it really falls on us, We The People, to do what we're supposed to do, and vote out the incompetents, the liars, the fanatics, the criminals, and those with absolutely no respect for the Constitution and Bill of Rights. But don't just blindly vote for the other party or an independant, demand all sides stop trading recriminations and come up with a plan to reverse the trends begun by this administration. Don't be afraid to vote for decent Republicans that aren't incompetent criminal liars, they aren't the problem. As voters, we need to do a better job of finding, and weeding out all those (of any party) with hidden agendas that work against our best interests. There are elections coming next year, start researching politicians' backgrounds, and do your duty as an American citizen.

Creation Education | Project Pterosaur

Mission Statement

The goal of Project Pterosaur is to mount an expedition to locate and bring back to the United States living specimens of pterosaurs or their fertile eggs, which will be displayed in a Pterosaur Rookery that will be the center piece of the planned Fellowship Creation Science Museum and Research Institute (FCSMRI). Furthermore, the rookery facility will establish a breeding colony of pterosaurs in order to produce specimens that could then be put on display by other regional institutions or church groups.

By doing all this, we hope to accomplish three goals:

1. Support Creation Theory by showing the incorrectness of the philosophy of Evolutionism.
2. Educate the population about Creation Science.
3. Create excitement about Creation and the Bible in the public.

I (Dr. Paley) am the founder and Chief Officer of the project. I will also be leading the expedition and acting as Science Liaison to the public. Funding is being provided by Fellowship University, the Fairlight Institute, and donations from wealthy Christian businessmen who wish to remain anonymous at this time.

Umm, ah, yeah, well this is the kind of mentality that intends to subvert American public schools. Maybe I'm dense, but I just don't get why these types feel it so gravely important that they force their religious views on everyone else. With so many other outlets available to them for instructing their young in their faith, I don't understand why they need to add it to public schools. Of course, these types have always insisted on converting the world to their beliefs because they feel it their God-given duty. Throughout the ages they have attempted to convert by any means necessary. They've burned at the stake, tortured, enslaved, and persecuted those that didn't follow their dictates. Nobody really cares what these people believe, it's their faith, they can believe what they want, but there are limits, and those limits, in this country, are right where they begin to interfere with the religious, or non-religious, beliefs of others. If they want to teach their own, in a belief system that's incompatable with reality, that's their business, but this foolishness of forcing it on others has got to stop.

However you feel about this debate, take a look at this guys' website anyway. This guy actually intends to create his own Jurassic Park, and I did find it entertaining. I also found it a little pitiful, because it just seems like he and his kind are having such a crisis of faith, that they feel they have to resort to this. People who are at one with their God, don't feel the need to find scientic proof for justification. It's supposed to be, a matter of faith.

US backed Timor invasion of '75

"THE US knew well in advance of and explicitly approved Indonesia's invasion of East Timor in 1975, newly declassified documents say.
Released this week by the independent Washington-based National Security Archive (NSA), the documents showed US officials were aware of the invasion plans nearly a year in advance."

"They adopted a "policy of silence" and even sought to suppress news and discussions on East Timor, including credible reports of Indonesia's massacres of Timorese civilians, according to the documents."

Just a little more American history for those that just don't understand how we could possibly be looked upon by others in the world as "bad guys".

"We" in the American public may just be learning of this, but you can bet those Timorese have known all along who furnished the weapons, and who could've stopped the massacres.

It's incidents like these that create hostile attitudes towards us, and not because of "our freedoms". As the article shows, both Republican and Democratic administrations are guilty. While it's all well and good to heap all the ills of the world onto the back of the current tool we call a President, the real problem must be understood to be the government itself. It's so corrupt and self-important, that it doesn't matter who the figurehead is, it's the whole institution itself. What we need is another revolution. Not for a change in government, but for a re-establishment of the one we're supposed to already have. One not so hypocritical in it's international dealings, where our government speaks of Human Rights and the Dignity of Mankind, all the while aiding and abetting hostile actions throughout the world. One that doesn't speak of Democratic Principals, while subverting those of other nations.

We'd like to think that all the peoples of the world would see us as the kind, generous, helpful people we really are, but when our government consistantly acts against the very principals "We The People" stand for, it's time for a change.