Our Police State - Well, Yes It Could Get Worse

Declaring Forever War

Giuliani has surrounded himself with advisors who think the Bush Doctrine didn’t go nearly far enough.

by Michael C. Desch

Like most Americans, I knew little about Rudolph Giuliani, save that he had been the very successful mayor of New York City catapulted to iconic status for his cool-headed demeanor after the Sept. 11 attacks. I was curious about where he stood as a presidential candidate, so in April 2007, I joined nearly 3,000 other Texas A&M faculty and students to hear him speak.

After saying some nice things about his host, President George H.W. Bush, Rudy launched into a stemwinder about the “war on Islamic fundamentalist terrorism” that basically repudiated everything the former president stood for in his foreign policy. Moreover, in the space of 40 minutes, Giuliani never once mentioned Osama bin Laden, the man who masterminded the attack on his city.

I was so appalled by the mayor’s simplistic message that terrorists were attacking us because they “oppose our freedom and ... want to impose their ideology on us” that I ignored protocol and challenged him during the Q&A. To the accompaniment of hisses from the rabidly pro-Rudy students, I reminded the mayor that Islamic fundamentalists in Saudi Arabia, Iran, and elsewhere in the Middle East have taken our side against al-Qaeda at various times. Like the students, Hizzonor was not amused, and I got five minutes of unvarnished Rudy chiding me for just not getting it.

Boy did you see that cover, just think if the traditional “law and order” conservatives view Rudy this way, imagine what the reality would be if he ever wins the presidency.

Our Police State - Not All That Different Now

Report: Ex-FBI head Hoover plotted mass arrest

Failed plan involved detaining 12,000 Americans suspected of disloyalty

Former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover had a plan to suspend the rules against illegal detention and arrest up to 12,000 Americans he suspected of being disloyal, according to a newly declassified document.

Hoover sent his plan to the White House on July 7, 1950, less than two weeks after the Korean War began. But there is no evidence to suggest that President Harry S. Truman or any subsequent president approved any part of Hoover's proposal to house suspect Americans in military and federal prisons.

Hoover had wanted Truman to declare the mass arrests necessary to "protect the country against treason, espionage and sabotage," The New York Times reported Saturday in a story posted on its Web site.

The plan called for the FBI to apprehend all potentially dangerous individuals whose names were on a list Hoover had been compiling for years.

"The index now contains approximately twelve thousand individuals, of which approximately ninety-seven percent are citizens of the United States," Hoover wrote in the now-declassified document. "In order to make effective these apprehensions, the proclamation suspends the writ of habeas corpus."

Habeas corpus is the right to seek relief from illegal detention, and is a bedrock legal principle.

Folks if you don't think this could happen here in the good ol' US of A, think again. I guarantee that 50 years from now, if any records still exist, we will see these same types of plans from this group of fascists.

While it is unclear whether Sinclair Lewis really said it as Ron Paul attributed, the fact still remains "When fascism comes to this country, it will be wrapped in the flag, carrying a cross." And folks it's here.

Our Police State - Shut Up Or Get Tased

Use of Taser on disruptive store customer questioned

In a report police are required to prepare after deploying their Tasers, Officer Claudia Wright said she used her weapon on Beeland because the woman was "verbally profane, abusive, loud and irate." Beeland pointed her finger "towards my face" and was waving her arms, the officer wrote.

But is that against the law? And is yelling at a cop considered enough resistance to merit the use of a Taser?

According to an American Civil Liberties Union representative in Orlando, yelling at a police officer and even cussing one out is constitutionally protected speech. And both the ACLU and Amnesty International USA say this incident likely could have been handled differently, adding that Taser use has become too casual and too common among police officers.

Police Chief Mike Chitwood said if a Taser had not been available, his officer likely would have used other weapons to subdue Beeland.

"I was never raised on Tasers," the chief said. "I used nightsticks and slapjacks."

The chief said Wright initially approached Beeland under the assumption a credit card had been stolen. In the end, it was determined Beeland was using her own card and had committed no crime.

Why does it seem that so many of these situation result in charges against the “tasee” that relate only to their interaction with the police, this woman was guilty of nothing, yet because she vocally defends herself within a minute she is tased, great police work, it’s all about “protect and serve”.

No wonder the officer was quick to tase based on the leadership she must be getting from the Neanderthal that is Police Chief Mike Chitwood.

**Update - I just watched the video from Best Buy.....if ever an officer should be fired this is the case, what the hell was that about, the woman was clearly not threating the officer but backing away the entire time.

And the tasee faces the charges related to the incident, including disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. There clearly should be assault charges filed against the officer.

Romney - I'll Say Anything To Win

ROMNEY DEFENDS MLK MARCH REMARK

Romney says that it depends on what the definition of "saw" is.

A defensive Romney was peppered with questions today on exactly what he meant when he said -- most recently on Meet the Press -- that he "saw" his father march with Martin Luther King Jr. Recent articles have indicated that his father, the late Michigan Gov. George Romney, didn't march with the civil-rights leader.

Admitting that he didn't see the march with his own eyes, he said, "I 'saw' him in the figurative sense."

"The reference of seeing my father lead in civil rights," he said, "and seeing my father march with Martin Luther King is in the sense of this figurative awareness of and recognition of his leadership."

"I've tried to be as accurate as I can be," he continued, smiling firmly. "If you look at the literature or look at the dictionary, the term 'saw' includes being aware of -- in the sense I've described."

The questioning did not relent. "I'm an English literature major," he insisted at one point. "When we say I saw the Patriots win the World Series, it doesn't necessarily mean you were there."

Mitt’s so flustered by being caught with his pants down he’s got the Pats winning the World Series. Boy that’s the calm, cool and collected response to a stressful situation that I expect from a President, not. Boy only two weeks ago the Romney faithful were talking about the “I am a Mormon” speech as the greatest speech since Kennedy, I somehow don’t think it is going to go down in the history books quite that way.

OK Neo-Cons, Step up and support the troops!

Effort Builds to Help 'Forgotten' Troops with PTSD

…veterans advocates say that even if the military and the Department of Veterans Affairs became models for helping troops with mental health problems, it wouldn't help a large category of vets who are already wounded and forgotten. These soldiers and Marines came back from combat, couldn't get adequate help, "flipped out" and misbehaved in some way — and as a result, were kicked out of the military without all the financial and medical benefits that veterans usually receive.

"I think it's an outrage that we have not taken proper care of them," said Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond (R-MO), one of the most influential voices on veterans' affairs. "Too many of these people have been kicked out because of the results of the stress they've been under."

This Must Read(listen) report from NPR’s  Daniel Zwerdling is outstanding, it will move you. It’s time for the war supporters to step up and truly support the troops!! Congrats and thank you to Kit Bond for leading the charge on the republican side of the isle.

College Hockey Keeps Playing Minor League For The NHL

Okposo to leave U hockey program

Gophers star and former first-round pick Kyle Okposo is expected to sign with the New York Islanders.

Sophomore forward Kyle Okposo is leaving the Minnesota men's hockey team, a University athletics department spokesman confirmed this afternoon.

Coach Don Lucia is expected to release a statement around 4 p.m. today. He will offer no further comment, the spokesman said.

Okposo is expected to sign with the New York Islanders, who drafted him in the first-round, seventh overall, in the 2006 NHL entry draft.

A WCHA all-rookie team member last year tallying 30 points in 27 league games, Okposo this season had 11 points through Minnesota's first 18 games. That total was good for third on the team behind Blake Wheeler (15 points) and Ben Gordon (14).

In an exhibition tune-up for the U-20 World Junior Championships on Tuesday night against Western Michigan, Okposo scored a power-play goal helping the United States to a 4-2 victory. Calls to Okposo were not immediately returned.

This blows, when will the NCAA get it right, they need to force the NHL to use the same rules that the NFL uses, if a kid accepts a scholarship he should commit to the program for 3 years, not bail mid-season.

Evil is as Evil does, my Mama always said.

Bush Lawyers Discussed Fate of C.I.A.Tapes

At least four top White House lawyers took part in discussions with the Central Intelligence Agency between 2003 and 2005 about whether to destroy videotapes showing the secret interrogations of two operatives from Al Qaeda, according to current and former administration and intelligence officials.

The accounts indicate that the involvement of White House officials in the discussions before the destruction of the tapes in November 2005 was more extensive than Bush administration officials have acknowledged.

Those who took part, the officials said, included Alberto R. Gonzales, who served as White House counsel until early 2005; David S. Addington, who was the counsel to Vice President Dick Cheney and is now his chief of staff; John B. Bellinger III, who until January 2005 was the senior lawyer at the National Security Council; and Harriet E. Miers, who succeeded Mr. Gonzales as White House counsel.

It was previously reported that some administration officials had advised against destroying the tapes, but the emerging picture of White House involvement is more complex. In interviews, several administration and intelligence officials provided conflicting accounts as to whether anyone at the White House expressed support for the idea that the tapes should be destroyed.

So just how does Gonzo sleep at night, so or is his head still so far up W’s ass that he has yet to see what damage he has caused this country.

Fascism - Alive and Well at a Wal=Mart Near You

Employers grab accident victims' cash

A collision with a tractor-trailer seven years ago left 52-year-old Deborah Shank permanently brain-damaged and in a wheelchair. Her husband, Jim, and three sons found a small source of solace: a $700,000 accident settlement from the trucking company involved.

After legal fees and other expenses, the remaining $417,000 was put in a special trust. It was to be used for Deborah Shank's care.

Instead, all of it is now slated to go to Deborah's former employer, Wal-Mart Stores.

Two years ago, the retail giant's health plan sued the Shanks for the $470,000 it had spent on her medical care. A federal judge ruled last year in Wal-Mart's favor, backed by an appeals-court decision in August. Now, Deborah's family has to rely on Medicaid and her Social Security payments to keep up her round-the-clock care.

 

I must admit I shop at Wal-Mart do to its location, selection and yes price, but damn, things like this make it harder to justify.

Fight Hunger And Learn Something At The Same Time

Net Game Boosts Vocabulary, Fights Hunger

A computer programmer in Indiana develops FreeRice.com, a game that teaches vocabulary and helps fight hunger. The word game offers four definitions for a word, and clicking on the right definition leads to a donation of 20 grains of rice to the U.N. World Food Programme.

WWW.FREERICE.COM

This is really cool, a great way to improve your vocabulary skills at any level and "do some good" at the same time.