Posts from — April 2006

In the military and most government jobs, if something happens that you think is wrong there are procedures in place to deal with the problem. First you go up your chain of command to fix the problem. If that doesn’t work, or the problem deals with your chain of command, you then go to your Inspector General.

Mary McCarthy was an analyst who was in a pre-retirement job; she wasn’t in CIA operations. The problem wasn’t hers; it was reported to her as a member of the Inspector General’s staff. She recognized what was happening as a problem, and, apparently, nothing was being done about it.

Mary McCarthy was the last resort for someone reporting illegal behavior, and she saw that it was being ignored. She did the only thing she knew that would fix the problem: she went public.

Porter Goss, the Republican Director of Central Intelligence, said that Ms. McCarthy damaged US relations with the intelligence services of other countries. Well I suspect the fact that the people who were part of this illegal operation in other countries were probably demoted, fired, and/or arrested, and the affected countries shut down the secret prisons, probably would impact it.

The problem is that while Abu Gonzales might ignore the applicable US laws, the European Union has its own laws, and they were violated. The countries involved are having to answer some very embarrassing questions, and are in no mood to deal with the US right now.

All of the things that these fools are doing haven’t even slowed the increase in the number of worldwide terrorist incidents. When do people figure out that the current group is on the wrong track? You can’t combat terrorists by using their tactics: kidnapping, torture, and murder.

Ms. McCarthy is a symptom of just how out-of-control things have gotten in the intelligence community.

In the CNN article on the response to the bin Laden tape:

Rep. Pete Hoekstra, a Michigan Republican who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, cast the tape as part of al Qaeda’s “ongoing and very sophisticated communications effort.”

“It recognizes that much of this war, this, the battle that we’re fighting, is about winning the hearts and the minds of moderate Islam, and they are focused on that. We need to be focused on it,” he told “Fox News Sunday.”

“I’ve seen what they’re doing on the Internet. It is very, very good. It would make a politician proud. They use the right words. They use instantaneous response,” he said.

Look you stupid little twit, it isn’t sophisticated when all you have to do is tell the truth. When the US provides the world with Abu Ghraib, “collateral damage” involving women and children, the total lack of WMDs, Guantanamo, billions of dollars missing during the CPA, and the failure to capture the leaders of al Qaeda and the Taliban, you don’t have to do any work.

With the incompetent cronies the Shrubbery has running things, most high school newspapers could put together a successful media campaign.

The Shrubbery’s numbers are in the toilet and Osama talks, just like he did before the 2004 election. It’s just amazing how these tapes appear.

Phinky of Ignorant Hussy wonders why Osama is still wandering around dropping into the recording studio when he’s bored?

She is joined in that question by John Kerry: Bin Laden Is Bush’s Failure:

In an exclusive interview, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., told ABC News’ “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” that the latest purported recording from Osama bin Laden “underscores the failure of [the Bush] administration to capture” the terror leader.

“Osama Bin Laden is loose today because we allowed him to escape at Tora Bora,” said Kerry, echoing a statement often heard during his failed 2004 presidential bid.

Kerry also cited the tape in echoing calls from several retired generals for change at the top of the Defense Department, saying, “This is another reason Donald Rumsfeld should resign.”

Corruption, cronyism, and incompetence – the characteristics of everything the Shrubbery does.

Saint George is the patron saint of England, Georgia [the country], Bulgaria, Portugal, Catalonia, and the city of Moscow. Orthodox countries tend to celebrate on November 23^rd.

PETA condemns George for his senseless slaughter of dragons.

Mustang Bobby reminds us that it is also the birth and death day of Billy the Bard, who was a great writer in desperate need of a spell checker.

Master Shakespeare gave all of the best lines to villains suppling low humor to those who have read the Bard, e.g. Arlen Specter quoting Iago, reputedly in support of Clarence Thomas.

If you have given up on the Sunday New York Times since your forklift died, you might try the Guantanamo Weekly Newsletter.

Florida has a problem – insurance companies want to take your money, but they don’t want to pay claims. After losing court cases, they are pulling out of the Florida homeowners insurance market. The insurance companies talk about their losses from hurricanes, while posting record profits because they aren’t paying policyholders.

The private companies are trying to shift all of the losses to the Federal flood insurance program.

The Pensacola Beach Blogger has an article, “Smoke and Mirrors” Insurance, with more depth for Floridians, but it’s all part of a trend of public money used to help corporations through “privatization”, except the corporations make the profits while the taxpayers have all of the risk.

If you weren’t paying attention to Microsoft updates, which you should be doing if you run their software, the last major patch to Internet Explorer didn’t play well with others. It sort of broke your computer if you used certain software from little companies like Hewlett Packard who seems to make the majority of printers attached to PCs.

Well, next week Microsoft to fix Windows patch. They are patching the patch to fix the problem they caused.

I’m concerned because Hewlett Packard just issued a patch today that may fix the problem Microsoft created, and the patch Microsoft is sending may break the new software. Too bad Microsoft doesn’t do any quality control or really coordinate anything with their vendors or customers.

The Attorney General, who managed to make it through law school without learning the plain meaning of the Bill of Rights, has another stupid idea to divert attention from the reality that Patrick Fitzgerald is the only one in the Department doing their job: Gonzales calls for mandatory Web labeling law.

I would suggest he read The Internet for Dummies, if I thought he could master the long words. He obviously is under the misconception that the US controls the World Wide Web. The “community standards” of the Internet would scandalize most demons [and not a few daemons…sorry, geek joke].

The Platform for Internet Content Selection [PICS] was started back in 1997 by the World Wide Web Consortium [W3C] to make it easier for people to filter “offensive material”, but it is totally voluntary, like most things on the Web.

Since ex post facto laws are prohibited by the Constitution, I would assume this proposed law only applies to new web pages and the Department of Justice will be tasked to create some colored stickers, if Homeland Security hasn’t eaten all of the crayons.

I know that they’ll want to treat web site owners exactly the same as the power companies that pump pollutants into the air: you only have to add the sticker if you change more than 20% of a web page, otherwise, this would be another unfunded Federal mandate on the private sector.

It seems to me that this labeling will just make it easier for low-IQ perverts to find porn, but maybe that’s the point.

She’s the only planet we have, if we blow it, we can’t pack up and move.

Wikipedia as a brief Earth Day entry, but links to other sites.

How could they? When you read: U.S. to Allow China Processed Poultry In, it should be apparent they just don’t give a damn about the American people.

We don’t need to import food, and we have plenty of processing plants in this country. The only people who would be interested in doing this are corporations that want to eliminate more American jobs, or want you to believe that they have “low prices” with a smilie to prove it.

It is actions like this that are going to keep American goods embargoed. If we don’t think more of our people than to permit this, why would another country believe we take food safety seriously?

CNN reports that: FEMA wants some Katrina aid back. Are they going after the absurdly expensive cruise ships, or the rip-off artists who were given the no-bid contracts? Surely you jest.

“The Federal Emergency Management Agency is seeking a total of $4.7 million from 2,044 people, giving them 30 days to repay or set up a payment plan.”

That’s right, they are going after an average of $2,300 from people who got hit with a hurricane. They aren’t claiming fraud, they say that FEMA messed up and over-paid these people.

Just in case you have forgotten: in 2004, Florida had 4 hurricanes strike it. That was a lot of training time for any emergency response system. Keep that in mind when you hear all of these lame excuses about the Katrina response. After 2004 any competent system would have been on the top of its game, but without an election they just didn’t care.

To be sure that there was no lessening of stupidity in the US-Iranian relations, President Ahmadinejad expressed his opinion that Oil Price Is Lower Than Value. We all know how talking about $100/barrel oil will make everyone act in a reasonable manner.

Like all FunDementals, Mr. Ahmadinejad felt that the approach of a possible war is the best time to launch an Islamic dress drive:

Some 200 extra police are to patrol the streets of Tehran confronting women who reveal ankles, sport thin headscarves or wear short or tight jackets.

Those found to be in breach of Iran’s Islamic dress code could face instant penalty fines.

The move is part of a blitz against anti-social behaviour, also targeting drugs and people who play loud music.

People walking pets or men sporting outlandish hairstyles could also face fines, of up to $55 (£31), said Tehran’s police chief, Mortaza Talai.

Iran’s clerical establishment says it wants to protect the values of the country’s Islamic revolution against a corrupting Western influence.

I’m surprised they didn’t offer the excuse that the traditional dress offers more protection from radioactive fallout.

Queen Elizabeth II hits 80 today.

The BBC has an in depth look at her reign and life.

The British government has their own site to celebrate the event.

The Zen of Sox

ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz.

[Editor: He flops down on wires and whatever Ringo has knocked off the desk and sleeps. I really doubt the necessity of the “Kitty Kouch” that was supposed to be ideal, but none of them go near.

Friday Ark