News – Secret Wiretaps

North America

Bush is going to keep wiretapping secretly. After all, he can cow the American people by portraying this secret power he made up as vital to national security, just as he simplified the Iraq invasion down to a choice of invasion or another 9/11, just as he dumbs down every issue to his way or cataclysm. Which is one reason I don’t trust his ass on this issue, when he says to simply trust that he’s doing things ‘right’. One wonders what aspect of FISA is so obstructing that he can’t follow that law. And if FISA had issues, why he didn’t seek to amend it to improve it legally.

Bush’s Sunday speech continues to forward his tendency toward vagueness and hype. He’s talking about number of voters in Iraq before the votes have been counted, the direction of Iraq when the real direction has yet to be solidified. Just as he has before, he’s getting too far ahead of himself before the reality has solidified, too eager to trumpet victory before that victory is secure.

New York is hit by a mass transit strike, which in a city like New York is bad news.

Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter quizzes Alito in a letter on Bush’s recent secret spying issue. I’m sure Alito would respond with a firm non-answer.

The successful Iraq election bumps up Bush’s approval rating. 47%, not too bad. Now we’ll see if that bump up lasts the months to come.

Tech is continuing to stretch to identify the remains of those 9/11 victims who still do not have faces.

Middle East

The colorfully nicknamed “Dr Germ and “Mrs. Anthrax”, two of Saddam Hussein’s leading biological warfare experts, are being released by the US. Apparently they are among eight high class detainees being released. Odd, these supposed dangerous, evil people getting off with.. nothing at all.

Troop levels in Afghanistan are set to dip a little.

Europe

Germany frees Mohammad Ali Hammadi, convicted of killing Navy diver Robert Dean Stethem during the 1985 hijacking of a TWA flight diverted to Beirut. This a few days before the release of German hostage Susanne Osthoff in Iraq.

General

The Blogs look at the Oval Office address and the secret spying.

Today’s Papers has Afghanistan’s first elected parliament convening, the FBI counterterrorism agents monitoring groups such as PETA and Greenpeace, early returns on the Iraq election and more in the one page news.

Amusements

If you’ve recently stolen the personal car of a policeman as well as an unmarked cruiser, you might not want to have those keys in your pocket when you’re busted for shoplifting. Just ask this guy

With no better ideas for things to piss away their money on, rich Russians dropping $100,000 on diamond-encrusted cell phones this Christmas. Or, this crap is just made up to fill space during the holiday slow news days

Cletus and Britney honeymoon photos on Ebay. Photos include beer-swilling, NASCAR and barefoot fun — just like their pictures taken at home

German art expert mistakes chimp’s painting for that of a Guggenheim-winning artist

Motorist runs down Nativity scene. Reportedly mistook it for a gathering of Triads, will now head to a spray shop and try again

Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell adds $20 million to defense bill for the “commemoration of the success of U.S. armed forces in [Iraq].” Apparently, we’re going to party like it’s 1991

Note to drug dealers: Don’t open the door to Victorian carol singers

Carmen Electra “relieved” the man who bid an insane amount of money for a date with her was disqualified because she would have felt obligated to sleep with him. The Sun is there to share her pain

British police consider arming themselves with more than just a funny hat and twirling baton

Fitness center surprised that people object to the Christmas tree decorated with little plastic fetuses

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Finals week is upon college farkers. Photoshop ways for them to ensure survival

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this foreign street scene

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop unusual ways to decorate a Christmas tree.