one nation, under surveillance
number 114 08.05.07
Capitol Capitulation Continues Congressional Vacation
The US Congress has agreed to give
expansive authority to the Bush
administration to wiretap with no judicial
oversight. Congress voted to give the
director of national intelligence and the
attorney general the power to authorize
surveillance of the communications of
any persons that they deem to be a
potential suspect, including American
citizens, without a warrant. The laws
also would allow surveillance of “groups”
of people instead of individual suspects
for the first time.
The American Civil Liberties Union said
that the law offers no protections for US
citizens “whose calls or emails are
vacuumed up, leaving it to the executive
expansive authority to the Bush
administration to wiretap with no judicial
oversight. Congress voted to give the
director of national intelligence and the
attorney general the power to authorize
surveillance of the communications of
any persons that they deem to be a
potential suspect, including American
citizens, without a warrant. The laws
also would allow surveillance of “groups”
of people instead of individual suspects
for the first time.
The American Civil Liberties Union said
that the law offers no protections for US
citizens “whose calls or emails are
vacuumed up, leaving it to the executive
branch to collect, sort and use this
information as it sees fit.”
President Bush pressed Congress hard
for more power to spy last week after a
Republican representative disclosed a
classified judicial order that found that an
element of the president’s Terrorist
Surveillance Program was illegal. Bush
told the nation that America faces
“sophisticated terrorists” who want to
“strike our country again.” The measure
passed through both houses of Congress
with Democratic support on the last day
of session. Democrats who voted for
the measure said that they felt bullied to
accept the administration’s proposal, but
some critics see the Democrats' vote as
information as it sees fit.”
President Bush pressed Congress hard
for more power to spy last week after a
Republican representative disclosed a
classified judicial order that found that an
element of the president’s Terrorist
Surveillance Program was illegal. Bush
told the nation that America faces
“sophisticated terrorists” who want to
“strike our country again.” The measure
passed through both houses of Congress
with Democratic support on the last day
of session. Democrats who voted for
the measure said that they felt bullied to
accept the administration’s proposal, but
some critics see the Democrats' vote as
political, cast out of fear that they
may appear weak on matters of
national security.
The vote came in the same week
that the administration admitted for
the first time that the Terrorist
Surveillance Program employed an
array of surreptitious information
collection operations when it was
instituted in 2001, referred to
obliquely in a letter written by
Director McConell as "various
intelligence activities." A White
House spokesperson said that the
president’s new powers would not
affect "the legitimate privacy
concerns” of US citizens. it's all true
may appear weak on matters of
national security.
The vote came in the same week
that the administration admitted for
the first time that the Terrorist
Surveillance Program employed an
array of surreptitious information
collection operations when it was
instituted in 2001, referred to
obliquely in a letter written by
Director McConell as "various
intelligence activities." A White
House spokesperson said that the
president’s new powers would not
affect "the legitimate privacy
concerns” of US citizens. it's all true
| interpreting the constitution crowd control spread of the red one nation, under surveillance fun d' mental in bed with the red red state rebate verbatim |
fun d' mental
News
Failure to Maintain Infrastructure Water Under Troubled Bridges
Bill Makes Womb
A Penile Colony
A Penile Colony
More than 77,000 bridges across the US
have been categorized as “structurally
deficient” in scheduled inspections
according to transportation analysts.
The I-35W bridge in Minnesota was
judged to be structurally deficient when
it collapsed last week. The US
Department of Transportation defines
structurally deficient as “major
deterioration, cracks, or other
deficiencies in (a bridge’s) deck, structure
or foundations.”
The USDOT has stressed that the
collapse was an anomaly, but does not
dispute that the nation’s infrastructure is
aged and deteriorating. There are 756
bridges in the US that are designed like
the I-35W bridge and the American
Society of Civil Engineers estimates that
27 percent of all the bridges in the US
are “obsolete.”
have been categorized as “structurally
deficient” in scheduled inspections
according to transportation analysts.
The I-35W bridge in Minnesota was
judged to be structurally deficient when
it collapsed last week. The US
Department of Transportation defines
structurally deficient as “major
deterioration, cracks, or other
deficiencies in (a bridge’s) deck, structure
or foundations.”
The USDOT has stressed that the
collapse was an anomaly, but does not
dispute that the nation’s infrastructure is
aged and deteriorating. There are 756
bridges in the US that are designed like
the I-35W bridge and the American
Society of Civil Engineers estimates that
27 percent of all the bridges in the US
are “obsolete.”
Both age and neglect have left not just
bridges, but roadways, water systems
and the electrical infrastructure decayed
and crumbling. The US interstate
highway system is over fifty years old, an
estimated 33 percent of roadways in the
US are in poor condition and 30 percent
of the nation’s dams are reported to be
unsafe. Funding to maintain the nation’s
electrical grid has declined one percent
every year since 1992.
The Urban Institute recently released a
study that reviewed the nation’s
infrastructure and reported that the
“United States is on the cusp of a crisis”
because “neglect, deterioration,
congestion and reduced reliability appear
across all sectors.” The Institute said
that the poor condition of the nation’s
infrastructure “results in lost productivity
and quality of life.”
bridges, but roadways, water systems
and the electrical infrastructure decayed
and crumbling. The US interstate
highway system is over fifty years old, an
estimated 33 percent of roadways in the
US are in poor condition and 30 percent
of the nation’s dams are reported to be
unsafe. Funding to maintain the nation’s
electrical grid has declined one percent
every year since 1992.
The Urban Institute recently released a
study that reviewed the nation’s
infrastructure and reported that the
“United States is on the cusp of a crisis”
because “neglect, deterioration,
congestion and reduced reliability appear
across all sectors.” The Institute said
that the poor condition of the nation’s
infrastructure “results in lost productivity
and quality of life.”
Although Democrats criticized the
Bush administration after the collapse
of the I-35W bridge for not funding
the repair of old and unsafe
infrastructure, politicians on both
sides of the isle have sacrificed
needed repairs to be able to keep
promises to reduce taxes leaving the
US with over $1 trillion dollars worth
of repairs, replacements and
modernizing needed to bring the
nation’s infrastructure up to date.
The Democratic controlled Congress
requested $631million to be
allocated to replace dilapidated
roadway bridges this year, but the
ASCE estimates that it would require
an investment of $9.4 billion dollars
every year over a 20 year period to
ensure that all existing bridges are
structurally sound. it's all true
Bush administration after the collapse
of the I-35W bridge for not funding
the repair of old and unsafe
infrastructure, politicians on both
sides of the isle have sacrificed
needed repairs to be able to keep
promises to reduce taxes leaving the
US with over $1 trillion dollars worth
of repairs, replacements and
modernizing needed to bring the
nation’s infrastructure up to date.
The Democratic controlled Congress
requested $631million to be
allocated to replace dilapidated
roadway bridges this year, but the
ASCE estimates that it would require
an investment of $9.4 billion dollars
every year over a 20 year period to
ensure that all existing bridges are
structurally sound. it's all true
The Ohio State Legislature is
currently considering enacting a
law that would require a pregnant
woman to solicit the “written
informed consent of the father of
the fetus” before she would be
able to get an abortion. If the
measure is approved, a woman
who has an abortion without the
written approval of the father will
be committing “abortion fraud.”
The proposal would make
abortion fraud a misdemeanor for
the first offense and a felony for a
second offense.
The proposal states, “It is not a
defense to a violation” of the law
“that the woman does not know
the father of the fetus.” The law
prescribes that women who are
unsure of who the father is must
inform the doctor who is to
perform the procedure of the
identities of possible fathers. The
doctor is required by the law to
give paternity tests to all possible
fathers before performing the
abortion. The law has exceptions
for rape, incest and if the mother’
s life is threatened. The law also
makes it a crime for a man who
knows he is not the father of a
child to state that he is so that a
woman can receive an abortion.
Rep. John Adams (R-Sidney) said
he proposed the law because
fathers “should have a say in the
birth or destruction of the child.”
The proposal has received
support from Christian groups.
A spokesperson for the Ohio
chapter of the National Abortion
and Reproductive Rights Activist
League said the proposal was “a
clear attack on a woman’s
freedom and privacy.” it's all true
currently considering enacting a
law that would require a pregnant
woman to solicit the “written
informed consent of the father of
the fetus” before she would be
able to get an abortion. If the
measure is approved, a woman
who has an abortion without the
written approval of the father will
be committing “abortion fraud.”
The proposal would make
abortion fraud a misdemeanor for
the first offense and a felony for a
second offense.
The proposal states, “It is not a
defense to a violation” of the law
“that the woman does not know
the father of the fetus.” The law
prescribes that women who are
unsure of who the father is must
inform the doctor who is to
perform the procedure of the
identities of possible fathers. The
doctor is required by the law to
give paternity tests to all possible
fathers before performing the
abortion. The law has exceptions
for rape, incest and if the mother’
s life is threatened. The law also
makes it a crime for a man who
knows he is not the father of a
child to state that he is so that a
woman can receive an abortion.
Rep. John Adams (R-Sidney) said
he proposed the law because
fathers “should have a say in the
birth or destruction of the child.”
The proposal has received
support from Christian groups.
A spokesperson for the Ohio
chapter of the National Abortion
and Reproductive Rights Activist
League said the proposal was “a
clear attack on a woman’s
freedom and privacy.” it's all true
spread of the red
| redstat |
Verifiable Voting Not a Democratic Priority
Housing starts since June 2005
Legislative efforts to reform federal
election laws, requiring verifiable ballots
and banning secret proprietary source
codes in time for the 2008 presidential
elections, stalled last week in the US
Senate. Democrat Dianne Feinstein of
California, the chief sponsor of the
Senate bill, agreed to put
implementation of the legislation on
hold until the 2010 congressional
election cycle, citing requests from state
and local election authorities that they
be given more time to update their
equipment. Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ)
continued to push for House approval of
his reform package, with a view to
pressuring the Senate to act.
Both bills are aimed at modifying aspects
of the 2002 Help America Vote Act.
Adoption of HAVA prompted states,
counties, and municipalities to purchase
election laws, requiring verifiable ballots
and banning secret proprietary source
codes in time for the 2008 presidential
elections, stalled last week in the US
Senate. Democrat Dianne Feinstein of
California, the chief sponsor of the
Senate bill, agreed to put
implementation of the legislation on
hold until the 2010 congressional
election cycle, citing requests from state
and local election authorities that they
be given more time to update their
equipment. Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ)
continued to push for House approval of
his reform package, with a view to
pressuring the Senate to act.
Both bills are aimed at modifying aspects
of the 2002 Help America Vote Act.
Adoption of HAVA prompted states,
counties, and municipalities to purchase
increasingly suspect electronic voting
systems. Now, with primary elections
less than a year away, many local
authorities fear that compliance with the
proposed regulations will cause new
logistical problems.
Feinstein had called earlier this year for
the new requirements to be in place for
2008, but at a recent hearing of the
Senate Committee on Rules and
Administration she said that
postponement of the changes will allow
election officials to “enact a new law
that provides for increased accuracy and
accountability at the polls without raising
the specter of creating major new
errors.”
At least 30 states have enacted election
laws requiring a verifiable paper trail for
electronic voting systems. it's all true
systems. Now, with primary elections
less than a year away, many local
authorities fear that compliance with the
proposed regulations will cause new
logistical problems.
Feinstein had called earlier this year for
the new requirements to be in place for
2008, but at a recent hearing of the
Senate Committee on Rules and
Administration she said that
postponement of the changes will allow
election officials to “enact a new law
that provides for increased accuracy and
accountability at the polls without raising
the specter of creating major new
errors.”
At least 30 states have enacted election
laws requiring a verifiable paper trail for
electronic voting systems. it's all true
06/05 12/06 06/06 12/07 06/07
source: US Census
one nation, under surveillance
crowd control
FBI Proposals Will Raise the Mistakes
TSA Transferred
To City Bus Stops
To City Bus Stops
Despite numerous revelations of
widespread violations of civil liberties and
privacy laws by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation in its domestic surveillance
and data collection programs since 2002,
the bureau is proceeding with plans to
expand these operations under the
auspices of the revised PATRIOT Act
and a series of executive orders.
According to unclassified FBI documents
and recent reports by ABC News,
proposals include the development of a
network of covert informants to provide
tips on suspicious persons or groups,
contracting with private firms to retain
vast databases of phone and Internet
records, and the continued use of
national security letters to secretly
access business records without
obtaining warrants. An internal FBI audit
completed in June found hundreds of
errors and abuses in cases involving
national security letters, leading to the
establishment of a special Justice
Department oversight office for FBI
terror investigations.
The bureau is implementing
modifications to its own databases to
accommodate information from a
planned network of more than 15,000
informants, reportedly seeking guidance
from the CIA on the recruitment and
management of the “confidential human
widespread violations of civil liberties and
privacy laws by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation in its domestic surveillance
and data collection programs since 2002,
the bureau is proceeding with plans to
expand these operations under the
auspices of the revised PATRIOT Act
and a series of executive orders.
According to unclassified FBI documents
and recent reports by ABC News,
proposals include the development of a
network of covert informants to provide
tips on suspicious persons or groups,
contracting with private firms to retain
vast databases of phone and Internet
records, and the continued use of
national security letters to secretly
access business records without
obtaining warrants. An internal FBI audit
completed in June found hundreds of
errors and abuses in cases involving
national security letters, leading to the
establishment of a special Justice
Department oversight office for FBI
terror investigations.
The bureau is implementing
modifications to its own databases to
accommodate information from a
planned network of more than 15,000
informants, reportedly seeking guidance
from the CIA on the recruitment and
management of the “confidential human
sources.” Most of the informants will be
based in the US, although the FBI will
develop some overseas resources, as
indicated by department budget
proposals, which put the cost of the
program at $22 million. According to the
ABC reports, FBI agents will receive
“legal and policy” instruction because of
the “constitutionally sensitive” nature of
domestic surveillance operations.
In an apparent effort to circumvent
statutes prohibiting indiscriminate mass
data retention by law enforcement
agencies, the FBI will pay private firms to
gather and store millions of citizens’ and
businesses' phone and computer records,
making the databases available if they are
needed for terrorism investigations. The
bureau has unsuccessfully promoted
legislation that would mandate
companies to hold network data; the
failure of those efforts has apparently
prompted the new initiative, which
earmarks $5 million for the development
of “storage and retrieval systems.”
Although the current project reportedly
involves AT&T and Verizon, a general
unwillingness by phone companies to be
associated with data mining operations
has created a market niche for third-
party firms that purchase and resell the
records, as previously reported by
redstateupdate. it's all true
based in the US, although the FBI will
develop some overseas resources, as
indicated by department budget
proposals, which put the cost of the
program at $22 million. According to the
ABC reports, FBI agents will receive
“legal and policy” instruction because of
the “constitutionally sensitive” nature of
domestic surveillance operations.
In an apparent effort to circumvent
statutes prohibiting indiscriminate mass
data retention by law enforcement
agencies, the FBI will pay private firms to
gather and store millions of citizens’ and
businesses' phone and computer records,
making the databases available if they are
needed for terrorism investigations. The
bureau has unsuccessfully promoted
legislation that would mandate
companies to hold network data; the
failure of those efforts has apparently
prompted the new initiative, which
earmarks $5 million for the development
of “storage and retrieval systems.”
Although the current project reportedly
involves AT&T and Verizon, a general
unwillingness by phone companies to be
associated with data mining operations
has created a market niche for third-
party firms that purchase and resell the
records, as previously reported by
redstateupdate. it's all true
Agents of the federal Transportation
Security Administration set up ad-hoc
checkpoints in downtown
Indianapolis last week, screening
passengers as they boarded city
buses. The security operation
targeted two busy commuter bus
stops during the morning traffic rush.
Passengers were patted down and
had their bags searched by teams of
TSA inspectors that usually work at
the Indianapolis airport.
TSA federal security director David
Kane said the action was part of a
broader effort by the agency to
increase random security sweeps
across the country. “This is a national
initiative known as ‘Viper’,” Kane told
local NBC affiliate WTHR, “Visual
Intermodal Prevention Response.”
The TSA teams included plainclothes
inspectors, uniformed security
officers, federal air marshals and
"behavior detection specialists."
The jurisdiction of the TSA extends
to railroads, ports and waterways,
and municipal public transportation
systems. The passenger screenings in
Indianapolis resulted in the
confiscation of two knives. it's all true
Security Administration set up ad-hoc
checkpoints in downtown
Indianapolis last week, screening
passengers as they boarded city
buses. The security operation
targeted two busy commuter bus
stops during the morning traffic rush.
Passengers were patted down and
had their bags searched by teams of
TSA inspectors that usually work at
the Indianapolis airport.
TSA federal security director David
Kane said the action was part of a
broader effort by the agency to
increase random security sweeps
across the country. “This is a national
initiative known as ‘Viper’,” Kane told
local NBC affiliate WTHR, “Visual
Intermodal Prevention Response.”
The TSA teams included plainclothes
inspectors, uniformed security
officers, federal air marshals and
"behavior detection specialists."
The jurisdiction of the TSA extends
to railroads, ports and waterways,
and municipal public transportation
systems. The passenger screenings in
Indianapolis resulted in the
confiscation of two knives. it's all true
redstateupdate.net
| redstat archive |
| verbatim archive |
| D'Gary Tribute Page |
verbatim number 22.4
"It's important for the
American people to
understand there are
cold-blooded killers
who want to come
to our homeland and
wreak havoc through
death…
American people to
understand there are
cold-blooded killers
who want to come
to our homeland and
wreak havoc through
death…
…In other words, we've
got to do more than just
keep pace with these
people. We've got to
be ahead of the people
in order to protect the
American people, in
order to do our most
important duty…
got to do more than just
keep pace with these
people. We've got to
be ahead of the people
in order to protect the
American people, in
order to do our most
important duty…
…and that's what
we're talking about
today.”
Washington DC 08.03.07
we're talking about
today.”
Washington DC 08.03.07
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