More on Total Information Awareness

"The Pentagon's proposed 'Total Information Awareness' (TIA) surveillance system is coming under increasing attack. In an open letter sent yesterday, a coalition of over 30 civil liberties groups urged Senators Thomas Daschle (D-SD) and Trent Lott (R-MS) to 'act immediately to stop the development of this unconstitutional system of public surveillance.' Newspapers across the country have written editorials castigating the program. The New York Times has said that 'Congress should shut down the program pending a thorough investigation.' The Washington Post wrote, 'The defense secretary should appoint an outside committee to oversee it before it proceeds.' William Safire's recent column, which played a major role in igniting the public outcry, called the surveillance system 'a supersnooper's dream.'"

The Electronic Privacy Information Center has set up an informative page about TIA, which you can find here

posted by Michael Curry at 10:11 PM

Caring about the Kurds

From the new blog Rantomatic:

"Turkey, with its latest plan to screw the Kurds in Iraq (halting them at the border in the case of a US invasion--more on this later), has at least done the world the favor of reconfirming two points. First, no one gives a damn about the Kurds. Second, every word coming out of George Bush’s mouth to justify the coming war should not only be taken with a mine full of salt, but also be shredded, deloused and promptly disregarded. The two points are related as Bush has repeatedly flogged dead Kurds as a pretext for the war on Iraq (unless it’s a day when the administration is using another pretext, such as fictional ties between Saddam and Al Queda).

I’m sure you’ve seen him do it. Dredging up what little emotional inflection he is capable of (beyond his all encompassing bemusement), twisting his face into some facsimile of horror and indignation, Bush again and again reminds us that Saddam Hussein has gassed his own people. Conclusion? He needs his ass whupped and his regime changed on him. Even from the lips of such a monkey child, the former statement is somewhat compelling, because it’s true. The Iraqi shelling of the Kurdish town of Halabja with chemical weapons in 1988 left 5,000 dead and 7,000 injured. But that does not mean there is a relationship between that and his conclusion, the taking out Saddam. Truth be told, the oppression of the Kurds has never been anything but a talking point for this or the last Bush, and the Kurds themselves only a tool of convenience to be dropped without a second thought."

Remember when Bush Sr. told the Kurds (and the Shiites) in Iraq to rise up, and then when they did rise up did nothing to help them? Well, the Kurds aren't likely to fall for that one again, but that doesn't mean Bush Jr. doesn't have a use for them.

Read the whole rant here.

posted by Michael Curry at 10:01 PM

Fun & Games

This week's This Modern World comic claims that it can provide minutes of amusement!

Check it out here.

posted by Michael Curry at 9:50 PM