geeze, why don't you jerks just crown the guy and get it all over with...

The Death of the Intelligence Panel - New York Times:

The Senate panel [Select Committee on Intelligence] has become so paralyzingly partisan that it could not even manage to do its basic job this week and look into President Bush's warrantless spying on Americans' international e-mail and phone calls. Senator Pat Roberts, the chairman, said Tuesday that there would be no investigation. Instead, the committee's Republicans voted to create a subcommittee that is supposed to get reports from the White House on any future warrantless surveillance.

It's breathtakingly cynical. Faced with a president who is almost certainly breaking the law, the Senate sets up a panel to watch him do it and calls that control.

Its nice and simple, just like you all said about Clinton: you pass a law, the President breaks a law, you impeach the President.  Or if you really don't want to declare war directly on your President, then at least pick his lawbreaking administration apart piece by piece, starting with Mr. "I *HEART* Torture" Gonzales.

It was so fucking black and white 7 years ago, where's that absolute justice sentiment now?

so lets look at the facts...

rsteachout :It's more complex than what the article makes it out to be (but then again, it's an editorial -- the writer has to make sure what he writes only reinforces the opinion he wants to convey). Even WTOP's relatively short news piece gave more information on what happened in the committee and the positions of the parties.


ok, fine, lets look at it (with my opinions thrown in)

G.O.P. Plan Would Allow Spying Without Warrants - New York Times:

The plan by Senate Republicans to step up oversight of the National Security Agency's domestic surveillance program would also give legislative sanction for the first time to long-term eavesdropping on Americans without a court warrant, legal experts said on Wednesday.

[...]  the Republican senators who drafted the proposal said it represented a hard-wrung compromise with the White House, which strongly opposed any Congressional interference in the eavesdropping program.

The Republican proposal appeared likely to win approval from the full Senate, despite Democratic opposition and some remaining questions from Senator Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania and chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

Senator Pat Roberts, Republican of Kansas and chairman of the Intelligence Committee, emphasized in an interview on Wednesday the White House's resistance to any limits on what President Bush considers his inherent power to order surveillance of potential terrorists on American soil.

sounds like a capitulation to ME.  If the President says X and congress truly believes X is illegal and unconstitutional, then the President doesn't get to do X.

Rob it is called CHECKS AND BALANCES and it doesn't work when congress says "ok, you can do X, but we'll be watching you..."

it still means this administration get away with a flagrantly illegal and unconstitutional act.  it still means that Congress is saying "yes, you broke the law, so we'll just change the law so you're not as illegal anymore...".  and not for the first time, either.

it is BLACK AND WHITE and i will not endure your "republicans mean the best for the country, really" apologetics on this issue.

As for

Senator John D. Rockefeller IV of West Virginia, issued a conciliatory statement, saying that while he favored a full investigation, a committee decision on Tuesday to appoint a seven-member subcommittee to oversee the N.S.A. eavesdropping was "a step in the right direction."

that statement is such a sign of defeatism its disgusting.  it is NOT step in the right direciton, it is a step towards absolute unhindered executive power.

the position of Congress should be that this president and his administration have broken the law and all such illegal activities should be stopped immediately.

Anything less and we might as well just say fuck it all. it was a nice experiment while it lasted...

The truth is that in an election year, republcans want to continue to present a fully unified partisan front, "the platform" rather than the people (the House and Dubae not withstanding, but some of that is actually intentionally playing off the inherent racism in this country in a way they can get away with).

AS for the nature of the proposal:

The Republican proposal would give Congressional approval to the eavesdropping program much as it was secretly authorized by Mr. Bush after the 2001 terrorist attacks, with limited notification to a handful of Congressional leaders. The N.S.A. would be permitted to intercept the international phone calls and e-mail messages of people in the United States if there was "probable cause to believe that one party to the communication is a member, affiliate, or working in support of a terrorist group or organization," according to a written summary of the proposal issued by its Republican sponsors. The finding of probable cause would not be reviewed by any court.

But after 45 days, the attorney general would be required to drop the eavesdropping on that target, seek a warrant from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court or explain under oath to two new Congressional oversight subcommittees why he could not seek a warrant.

The administration would be required to provide "full access" to information about the eavesdropping, including "operational details," to the new Senate and House subcommittees, the summary said.

Do you honestly, realistically think, that this means true oversight, that the administration will honestly and truthfully and with full disclosure, given its documentable history of never fully disclosing ANYTHING in the entire 5 years in place always citing "national security concerns", reveal who they are spying on and why?

Really?

If so, you are far beyond hope, because even the most basic review of this administration's history should view such a sentiment with extreme skepticism and cynicism.

I repeat: Congress, crown the asshole and get it over with.

*sigh* dealing with the past gets in the way of looking to the future...

Yesterday was, appearantly, supposed to be a "blog against sexism" day.

But in most of the blogs I read it got overshadowed by the bigotted cruelty behind an arson attack on the offices of the Holocaust History Museum in San Antonio...

The last of the red hot coelacanths has friendly competition

Just like the coelacanths, another animal family thought to be extinct (for 11 million years) may be alive after all!

In central Laos, they have found an animal that closely resembles the long since extinct "Rat-Squirrel".  Scientists haven't caught a living one yet for fuller analsys, but are still hopeful.

[note on the reporting: it would be unlikely that it could be the same "species" as the 11 million year old ancestors, merely the same family in the same way that we're in the same family as our 11 million year old pre-human ancestors.  That we changed more drastically from them than this specimen did in comparison to its fossil ancestor is mostly irrelevant.]

sodas not safe? shocking news. no really, it is. sheesh, everyone's a cynic...

Effect Measure: I'll have a soda, hold the benzene:

Both an FDA chemist and the US soft drinks association have admitted it was entirely possible that some soft drinks firms might not know of the potential for sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid to cause benzene formation in drinks.

Benzene is listed as a known carcinogen by the FDA itself.

Granted, its been likely a problem for a long time, which means its generally been a minor risk at best, but keep an eye out.

Meanwhile, I'll stick to tea...completely different diseases will lurk in there I'm sure!

The future of South Dakota Doctors...

( hidden cartoon )

more along the same lines.  I like this one the best, I think.