Day: December 21, 2005
56 Senators Can Sleep Well Tonight
Thank you to all the brave senators who voted to defeat the so-called budget resolution that contained a provision for drilling in ANWR. By insisting that the ridiculous end-run tossed at them like spoiled produce by Sen. Ted Stevens at the last minute be removed from the spending bill, they showed remarkable integrity. In the case of Florida’s own Bill Nelson, the only Democrat to hold statewide office, it took true grit to risk being labeled anti-military in his re-election bid next year, when Republicans will be throwing all the wilted lettuce and squishy tomatoes they’ve got at him and will no doubt try to spin this into something it wasn’t. Thanks Bill, for always being counted on to do the right thing.
Retired Quakers Considered Credible Threat by Bush Spies
[Editor’s note: Two stories from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel were used in compiling this post]
A South Florida peace group is calling for a congressional investigation of domestic surveillance after finding itself a target.
The Truth Project, a group of largely Quaker retired folks, uses puppets, placards, and home-printed flyers to warn high school students about heavy-handed military recruiting efforts. Its targeting was uncovered this week in a Department of Defense document.
“I’m disabled, I’m 59 and if I’m a credible threat to the government of the United States, then either the government is terribly paranoid or terribly weak”
The 400-page document obtained by NBC described the group as both a “threat” and “credible…”
“I’m disabled, I’m 59 and if I’m a credible threat to the government of the United States, then either the government is terribly paranoid or terribly weak,” said Rich Hersh of Boca Raton…
[Michael] Foley, [associate professor of politics at Catholic University] said spying on groups like the Truth Project can be an inefficient use of government time and money. “There’s a lot of retirees, a lot of older people who are involved in protesting,” he said. “There’s not much alarming here. What do you expect Quakers to do?”
The government’s spy skills are almost as subtle as the activists are threatening.
[One member] said his group…has attracted government agents to meetings in private homes. Though the agents were disguised as anarchists, Del Papa said their footwear gave them away: Nike or Reebok running shoes, which to anarchists represent corporate greed.
“No anarchist is going to wear Nikes or Reeboks to a protest,” Del Papa said…
…several people reported hearing mysterious clicks and echoes during recent telephone conversations and noticing cars they considered suspicious pass by during meetings.
During one outdoor gathering by a Lake Worth canal, Marie Zwicker said she had seen men in a Boston Whaler cruise by, posing, unconvincingly, she added, as fishermen. “It was the wrong time of day,” she said.
Bush continues to lie, saying just yesterday that the only people being spied on were those on the giving or receiving end of international phone calls, with links to al Qaeda, or who represent a credible threat to America. He obviously can’t distinguish between someone disagreeing with him and the entire country being under attack. The man is mental and needs some serious – possibly residential – therapy.
Instead, his poll numbers shoot up with every lie, as Americans, eager for it all to go away, accept at face value both Bush lies and guys in suits fishing on a falling tide.
ACLU: FBI Using Counterterrorism Resources to Monitor Domestic Political Organizations
Spies among us: The American Civil Liberties Union yesterday released a slew of documents it acquired through the Freedom of Information Act that indicate the Federal Bureau of Investigation has been investigating such terrorist organizations as Greenpeace, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. In a press release the ACLU said the FBI has expanded “the definition of ‘domestic terrorism’ to include citizens and groups that participate in lawful protests or civil disobedience.”
Among the documents released [yesterday] were more than 100 pages of FBI files on PETA. Multiple documents indicate ongoing surveillance of PETA-related meetings and activities, including a “Vegan Community Project” event at the University of Indiana during which the group distributed vegetarian starter kits to students and faculty, an animal rights conference in Washington, DC that was open to the public, and a planned protest of Cindy Crawford’s decision to become a llama fur spokesperson.
The ACLU said that FBI surveillance of mainstream organizations involved in public education campaigns has allowed the bureau to maintain files with names and other information on law-abiding Americans who support or participate in events organized by the groups. One file released by the FBI in response to a request for ADC’s records included a contact list for students and peace activists who participated in a 2002 conference at Stanford University, which focused on ending U.S. sanctions against Iraq.
“The FBI should be investigating real terrorists, not monitoring controversial ideas,” said Ben Wizner, an ACLU staff attorney. “Americans shouldn’t have to fear that by protesting the treatment of animals or participating in non-violent civil disobedience, they will be branded as ‘eco-terrorists’ in FBI records.”
2005 P.U.-Litzers Announced
Media meatheads of 2005: For the 14th year in a row, Norman Solomon and Jeff Cohen have compiled their list of winners of P.U.-Litzers, which recognize the “stinkiest media performances of the year.” For full descriptions of the reasons behind the awards, go here.
- “FIRST DO SOME HARM” AWARD — Radio reporter Michael Linder
- SELF-PRAISE STEALTH PRIZE — William Kristol and Charles Krauthammer
- PUT THEM IN CHAINS AWARD — Bill O’Reilly
- MICKEY MOUSE JOURNALISM PRIZE — Correspondent Mike Barz and ABC
- OUTSOURCED TO THE PENTAGON AWARD — New York Times reporter Judith Miller
- ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MAN PRIZE — Bob Woodward
- PRIME SLIME NEWS AWARD — Nancy Grace and CNN Headline News
Bill — What Does It Take to MAKE THE LIST?
All we want for Xmas: Bill O’Reilly has updated his media hate list of “defamers,” adding The New Yorker magazine, and once again, Pensito Review ain’t on it. Frankly, the entire editorial staff is damned frustrated.
“I’m puzzled,” said Editor Trish.
“I’m bumfuzzled,” said Editor Jon.
We just don’t get it — we’ve repeatedly slammed and insulted the Billster, run really unflattering and even doctored images of him, and encouraged people to flame his Web site with messages about why they (and by extension, we) should be included on his hate list. What more can we do?
Here’s the latest update direct from O’Reilly.com:
A Message from Bill: Media Operations that Traffic in Defamation
The following media operations have regularly helped distribute defamation and false information supplied by far left websites:
– New York Daily News
– The St. Petersburg Times
– MSNBC
– The New Yorker Magazine
These are the worst offenders. In the months to come, we expect to add more names to this list. We recommend that you do not patronize these operations and that advertisers do the same. They are dishonest and not worth your time and money.
Though it probably won’t happen before Xmas, be assured that the Pensito Review editorial staff is committed to MAKING THE LIST. If you, gentle reader, have any ideas about how we can MAKE THE LIST, please post them in the “comments” section. We’ll give you a hat tip when we MAKE THE LIST.
Abramoff Payola Pundit Resigns from Copley
Wages of spin: Columnist Doug Bandow resigned Tuesday from Copley News Service, according to Editor&Publisher. Bandow had been under fire for accepting payola from indicted Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff to write op-ed pieces favorable to some of Abramoff’s clients.
Bandow had previously resigned from the Cato Institute last Thursday after admitting he took bribes — a transgression first revealed by BusinessWeek.com. Bandow said he accepted money to write 12-24 pieces starting in the mid-1990s. He received $2,000 for some of the commentaries.
The now-former Copley columnist is one of several conservative commentators who, in a series of 2005 revelations, were found to have accepted money to promote programs and initiatives without disclosing the funding. They include Armstrong Williams of Tribune Media Services (which dropped Williams), Maggie Gallagher of Universal Press Syndicate, and the self-syndicated Michael McManus.
Defense Bills Will Undercut McCain Torture Measure
Bait and switch: Having just passed Sen. John McCain’s anti-torture measure, the Senate is poised to pass legislation that would undercut it. Two defense bills that have already passed the House could be approved by the Senate this week and would allow the United States’ shameful torture practices to continue.
The Financial Times reports that the proposed legislation would allow the use of evidence extracted through torture to indefinitely detain “enemy combatants” at the U.S. torture center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and prevent them from suing their torturers.
The measure, included in two defence bills already approved by the House and awaiting Senate approval, would also restrict the rights of prisoners at the detention centre to appeal against their detention to US courts.
Human rights groups and lawyers for some of the Guantánamo detainees argue the law would undermine some of the guarantees to detainees following an agreement between Senator John McCain and the White House last week on legislation banning US personnel from abusing prisoners anywhere in the world.
“The most dramatic story is that the same legislation that passes the McCain amendment – which is this historic bill on torture – has this other provision, which undercuts it in two ways,” said Jennifer Daskal, US advocacy director for Human Rights Watch.
Typical of the Bush admin and the Repug Congress to say one thing and do another — which apparently does not constitute lying. Meanwhile the U.S. loses face worldwide for torturing prisoners with Dr. Dre and Eminem music in so-called “dark forts” in Afghanistan.
Rumsfeld Chortles Over Lack of Intelligence, Utter Cluelessness about bin Laden
Absolutely astounding. Dumbfounding. Just too much for words.
The recent comments by Secretary of Defense Donald Dimwit Rumsfeld about Osama bin Forgotten defy credulity.
The war we’re in has so little to do with this guy that we can’t even be roused to find out if the so-called target has passed away from natural causes while waiting on us to get it together enough to find him
“I think it is interesting that we haven’t heard from him for close to a year,” Rumsfeld told reporters en route to Islamabad.
“I don’t know what it means, but I suspect in any event if he is alive and functioning that he is spending a major fraction of his time trying to avoid being caught,” Rumsfeld said.
So Donnie just finds it “interesting” that bin Laden hasn’t bombed us lately. And he doesn’t know if bin Laden is dead or alive. Doesn’t sound like he cares too much, either. Is it me, or is this guy just begging for something really bad to happen?
Wait, it gets worse.
Rumsfeld’s comments echoed earlier assessments by the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, Ryan Crocker, but contradicted the assertion of al Qaeda’s deputy leader, Ayman al-Zawahri in a video interview earlier this month that bin Laden’s battle against the West was only just beginning.
Said Rumsfeld, “We just don’t know.”
That’s a big “Duh!” there, good buddy. We don’t know squat and you’re making it sound like you have as much control over that as the weather; like you’re not the frickin’ defense secretary and the war we’re in has so little to do with this guy that we can’t even be roused to find out if the so-called target has passed away from natural causes while waiting on us to get it together enough to find him.
