News – Domestic Defense, Patriot Act and Putin

Quite a few interesting bits. First is an interview with Viet Dinh, author of the Patriot Act. Then a look into Bush’s domestic defense budget.. and Putin dimissing Russia’s government! Quite a day for news.

US

An interview with Viet Dinh, professor of law at Georgetown University and author of the Patriot Act. If nothing else, he seems a coherent guy and earnest enough. Draw your own conclusions as to his responses.

Fred Kaplan has poked around in Bush’s budget for domestic security. Once the legalese is deciphered, seems smaller than advertised. And get a load of what we’re actually buying. Yes we, the taxpayers. For example the monies appropriated for Bush’s Biosheild program have amounted to little more than a handout to pharmaceuticals companies as an incentive to make the next generation of medications without any oversight timetables or guidelines to be seen. The OMB has left that out of the monies counted toward domestic defense. The reason why is obvious. Some programs are cut back or even possibly eliminated while some others get a boost. One has to wonder about priorities being set by this budget and the difficulty inherent in just finding out what is what.

When the government dumped TIA, it didn’t dissapear. They just transferred some of the prograns invovled to toher intelligence offices.

More evidence crops up that the ‘we haven’t decided to go to war yet’ mantra ni 2002 was yet another lie. Many of us already know that the determination by some officials in the Bush Administration to take Iraq down went back even farther.

California’s attorney general thinks that the courts will soon bar same sex marriage in San Francisco and that the thousands of marriage licenses given out will be invalidated. Which, of course, will likely shift the positive euphoria among the gay community there into an equally negative backlash. In my opinion, anyway. Seems it will be a spring of overreaction on all sides if things continue as they are this year. Seems there is some cause to worry for the city’s brazen actions against California State law. Regardless of how clever their argument is.

More 9/11 hindsight. Apparently the CIA had the first name and number of one of the hijackers years before the incident. Provided by German intelligence, with them asking our agency to watch him. They didn’t, obviously.

Nader is upbeat on his candidacy and denies that he’s a spoiler for the Democrats. “I urge the liberal establishment to relax and rejoice. This is a campaign that strives to displace the present corporate regime of the Bush administration,” Nader told a news conference.

Russia

Putin dismisses the entire Russian government! I’m sure many thought he was going for more and more power, but this is ballsier than even I would have expected. I’m not even sure how to process it yet in prospective.

Iraq

Three Iraqis working for the US military were killed when militants opened fire on their car. The dead were two translators and a technician. Two others in the car were wounded.

More Musings on if the Iraq War was worth it. But can anyone really guage the fullness of what will come yet? I don’t think so, though potentials aren’t too promising at the moment.

Israel/Palestine

Day two of the Security Barrier issue at the ICC. Cuba joins most of the Middle East nations in decrying the wall. Interesting, but dubious company for getting much sympathy from other nations. To add to the event, a bus that was blown apart in a suicide attack was, apparently, trucked over and set outside of the ICC building at The Hague. Over one hundred pro-Israeli protestors stood around it, some draped in Israeli flags, singing peace songs. Pro and con protestors raised a havoc contrasted by the orderly proceedings within the building.

Israeli forces wounded ten Palestinians who attempted to stop bulldozers from plowing down an olive grove to make way for more wall construction. I wonder how old that grove was. I wonder how many people lived off selling those olives, their source of income now destroyed. I wonder how many more Israelis will eventually be killed because of this act. I wonder a lot of things, but have no answers.

Libya

The Libya PM denies that his country had anything to do with the Lockerbie bombing. Why then, did they pay off that settlement? Apparently to ‘buy peace’. These words, of course, play opposite to more conciliatory moves. So who knows, could just be his opinion.

Haiti

Haitian rebels are looking to make moves on Port-au Prince, capital of the little nation. They seem set against allowing Jean-Bertrand Aristide to remain in power, even if he really does go through with sharing power as he’s said he will. Fifty marines have been sent in to reinforce the US embassy. Likely a just precaution short of pulling everyone out of there. Remarkably, the number of deaths have been few, even among combatants. Small things to be thankful for.

General

More mixed reviews on Mel’s movie. Soon to be, no doubt, a much discussed and debated flick and not for the normally shallow and vapid reasons most movies are talked about.

Today’s Papers has cancellation of the Comanche helicopter program, a $500 million children’s hospital being set up in Iraq by Laura Bush, various knocks on Bush’s economic moves and more in the one page news.

Amusements

Are you wondering about those freaky Quiznos ads? If so, click here to have your questions answered. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, consider yourself lucky. 😉

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop a heads-up display for everyday life.

PS: My computer is out for delivery. Should have stayed home today. :p