one nation, under surveillance
President Tells Congress His Actions Were Approved By President
President George Bush has spent the
week defending his administration against
a chorus of critics-including some
prominent Republicans- who have
questioned the legality of executive
orders to place American citizens under
surveillance without any warrant or
judicial review.
The president has admitted to personally
authorizing the controversial program by
the National Security Agency, under
which hundreds of Americans at any
given time have been monitored under
the auspices of terror investigations.
Although such spying on American
citizens is tightly controlled by a special
week defending his administration against
a chorus of critics-including some
prominent Republicans- who have
questioned the legality of executive
orders to place American citizens under
surveillance without any warrant or
judicial review.
The president has admitted to personally
authorizing the controversial program by
the National Security Agency, under
which hundreds of Americans at any
given time have been monitored under
the auspices of terror investigations.
Although such spying on American
citizens is tightly controlled by a special
judiciary body, the president's executive
order allowed investigators to bypass the
process for seeking warrants completely.
Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and
Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez have
all publicly claimed that the wiretapping
was legal, based in authorizations
provided by congress immediately after
September 11, 2001. But even members
of the president's own party are
questioning this rational. Senator Arlen
Spector (R-PA), Chairman of the Senate
Judiciary Committee, has already called
For Hearings as soon as possible.
Warrantless wiretapping of American
citizens is specifically prohibited said
order allowed investigators to bypass the
process for seeking warrants completely.
Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and
Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez have
all publicly claimed that the wiretapping
was legal, based in authorizations
provided by congress immediately after
September 11, 2001. But even members
of the president's own party are
questioning this rational. Senator Arlen
Spector (R-PA), Chairman of the Senate
Judiciary Committee, has already called
For Hearings as soon as possible.
Warrantless wiretapping of American
citizens is specifically prohibited said
Spector, "and can't be condoned
at all".
But the president has maintained a
defiant stance throughout the week,
saying that the surveillance he
authorized was a necessary part of his
"war on terror". In a special live
radio address Bush spoke of
successful operations against "terror
cells" in several states that had been
made possible by the NSA spying.
The president declined to go into
specifics, telling PBS "There's an
enemy that lurks, that would like to
know exactly what we're trying to do
to stop them." its all true
at all".
But the president has maintained a
defiant stance throughout the week,
saying that the surveillance he
authorized was a necessary part of his
"war on terror". In a special live
radio address Bush spoke of
successful operations against "terror
cells" in several states that had been
made possible by the NSA spying.
The president declined to go into
specifics, telling PBS "There's an
enemy that lurks, that would like to
know exactly what we're trying to do
to stop them." its 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 |
cowd control
spread of the red
Congress Intent on
Ending Birthright to
US Citizenship
Ending Birthright to
US Citizenship
Faceless Bureaucrats Shall Remain Nameless
A research group has sued the federal
government's Office of Personnel
Management (OPM) over its refusal to
release data on over 900,000 civilian
federal employees . The lawsuit was
filed by the Syracuse University-based
Transactional Records Access
Clearinghouse (TRAC), a data collection
organization that compiles and analyzes
governmental statistics. Since 1989,
TRAC had received the data from the
OPM and published it for use by
academics and journalists. The Federal
Register, a list of employees, their job
description and salary has been published
by the government since 1816. The
OPM decision to break with tradition
and withhold the information came
without explanation.
After the initial refusal of the OPM to
release the data as usual, the co-directors
government's Office of Personnel
Management (OPM) over its refusal to
release data on over 900,000 civilian
federal employees . The lawsuit was
filed by the Syracuse University-based
Transactional Records Access
Clearinghouse (TRAC), a data collection
organization that compiles and analyzes
governmental statistics. Since 1989,
TRAC had received the data from the
OPM and published it for use by
academics and journalists. The Federal
Register, a list of employees, their job
description and salary has been published
by the government since 1816. The
OPM decision to break with tradition
and withhold the information came
without explanation.
After the initial refusal of the OPM to
release the data as usual, the co-directors
of TRAC wrote to the agency to protest
the decision: "Secret governors are
incompatible with a free government.
Basic information about the employees
who carry out the day-to-day actions of
government is critical for meaningful
public oversight." TRAC asked for
details of the"newly implemented data
release policy" cited by the OPM as
grounds for withholding the information,
but was never provided with them.
Most of the names withheld were of
Defense Department workers, and the
OPM referred all questions relating to
these employees to the Pentagon. But
the office also withheld names of
workers in over 250 agencies such as the
Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA), The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), and Occupational Safety
the decision: "Secret governors are
incompatible with a free government.
Basic information about the employees
who carry out the day-to-day actions of
government is critical for meaningful
public oversight." TRAC asked for
details of the"newly implemented data
release policy" cited by the OPM as
grounds for withholding the information,
but was never provided with them.
Most of the names withheld were of
Defense Department workers, and the
OPM referred all questions relating to
these employees to the Pentagon. But
the office also withheld names of
workers in over 250 agencies such as the
Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA), The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), and Occupational Safety
and Health Administration. The
TRAC lawsuit alleges that
withholding these names is a violation
of the Freedom of Information Act.
The move by the OPM, in
conjunction with the Pentagon, is
seen by government watchdog
groups as further evidence of
increasing governmental secrecy
under the Bush administration.
Former Attorney General John
Ashcroft told law enforcement
officials in 2002 that he would support
them if they increased their denials
of FOIA requests. Statistics show
that more documents have been
classified by the federal government
in each successive year since 2001.
its all true
TRAC lawsuit alleges that
withholding these names is a violation
of the Freedom of Information Act.
The move by the OPM, in
conjunction with the Pentagon, is
seen by government watchdog
groups as further evidence of
increasing governmental secrecy
under the Bush administration.
Former Attorney General John
Ashcroft told law enforcement
officials in 2002 that he would support
them if they increased their denials
of FOIA requests. Statistics show
that more documents have been
classified by the federal government
in each successive year since 2001.
its all true
A group of 92 congress members
have joined together abolish a
right guaranteed in the
constitution; birthright citizenship.
The 14th amendment, which
emancipated states also gave
citizenship to "All persons born or
naturalized in the United States
and subject to the jurisdiction
thereof."
The group of congress members
seeking to abolish the
constitutional guarantee argue
that the phrase "subject to the
jurisdiction thereof" excludes
immigrants. They hope to pass
legislation that would define who
is entitled to citizenship and who
is not. The lawmakers are
pushing to attach an amendment
to an immigration bill that
congress will address this month
which would deny automatic
citizenship to children born of
non-citizens.
Representative Lamar Smith
(R-TX) told the Los Angeles
Times that he is concerned that
people are crossing the border
illegally for many reasons "some
are coming for jobs, some are
coming to give birth, some are
coming to commit crimes."
Critics of the measure see the
proposal as an attempt to pander
to anti-immigrant sentiments
among conservative voters in the
border states and beyond.
Experts point out that the
primary incentive for people who
cross America's borders illegally is
economic, to seek employment
rather than to gain birthright
citizenship for yet to be born
children. its all true
have joined together abolish a
right guaranteed in the
constitution; birthright citizenship.
The 14th amendment, which
emancipated states also gave
citizenship to "All persons born or
naturalized in the United States
and subject to the jurisdiction
thereof."
The group of congress members
seeking to abolish the
constitutional guarantee argue
that the phrase "subject to the
jurisdiction thereof" excludes
immigrants. They hope to pass
legislation that would define who
is entitled to citizenship and who
is not. The lawmakers are
pushing to attach an amendment
to an immigration bill that
congress will address this month
which would deny automatic
citizenship to children born of
non-citizens.
Representative Lamar Smith
(R-TX) told the Los Angeles
Times that he is concerned that
people are crossing the border
illegally for many reasons "some
are coming for jobs, some are
coming to give birth, some are
coming to commit crimes."
Critics of the measure see the
proposal as an attempt to pander
to anti-immigrant sentiments
among conservative voters in the
border states and beyond.
Experts point out that the
primary incentive for people who
cross America's borders illegally is
economic, to seek employment
rather than to gain birthright
citizenship for yet to be born
children. its all true
| redstat |
in bed with the red
Dem Pandering Has Legions of Critics
Democratic lawmakers in Washington
have agreed to support legislation
that would limit speech and
criminalize a form of political protest.
New York Senator Hillary Clinton
has agreed to co-sponsor a law with
Republican Senator Bob Bennett of
UT that would outlaw the burning of
any American flag, no matter how
small.
The "Flag Protection Act of 2005"
calls for a fine of up to $100,000 and
a year in jail. The new law is written
to make flag burning a criminal
offense only if the flag burner knows
that the act is "likely to produce
imminent violence or breach of the
peace" in an effort to withstand
constitutional attacks.
Last summer, Clinton signaled that
have agreed to support legislation
that would limit speech and
criminalize a form of political protest.
New York Senator Hillary Clinton
has agreed to co-sponsor a law with
Republican Senator Bob Bennett of
UT that would outlaw the burning of
any American flag, no matter how
small.
The "Flag Protection Act of 2005"
calls for a fine of up to $100,000 and
a year in jail. The new law is written
to make flag burning a criminal
offense only if the flag burner knows
that the act is "likely to produce
imminent violence or breach of the
peace" in an effort to withstand
constitutional attacks.
Last summer, Clinton signaled that
she supported a federal law that
would outlaw flag burning. Clinton
said that the law would be "much like
laws that currently prohibit the
burning of crosses." She said at the
time that she does not support
amending the constitution to protect
the flag.
Clinton's sponsorship of the
legislation has received criticism from
both free speech advocates and the
American Legion. The Legion said in
a statement that Clinton's
sponsorship of the law was a "tired
political ploy".
According to a poll by the Freedom
Forum reported in USA Today, 53
percent of Americans believe that
the constitution should not be
amended to make flag burning illegal.
its all true
would outlaw flag burning. Clinton
said that the law would be "much like
laws that currently prohibit the
burning of crosses." She said at the
time that she does not support
amending the constitution to protect
the flag.
Clinton's sponsorship of the
legislation has received criticism from
both free speech advocates and the
American Legion. The Legion said in
a statement that Clinton's
sponsorship of the law was a "tired
political ploy".
According to a poll by the Freedom
Forum reported in USA Today, 53
percent of Americans believe that
the constitution should not be
amended to make flag burning illegal.
its all true
source: National Center for Education Statistics
fun d' mental
Health Club Puts the Fetus Back into Christmas
Members of a physical fitness center in
Lawrence Kansas have asked to have
their contracts canceled after being
confronted by a holiday display at the
gym that featured a Christmas tree with
plastic figures intended to represent
fetuses.
The Body Boutique, a fitness center that
caters to women clients, placed the
holiday tree in the lobby of the gym at
the request of a local 'pregnancy
counseling' group that opposes abortion.
The tree was adorned with pink and
Lawrence Kansas have asked to have
their contracts canceled after being
confronted by a holiday display at the
gym that featured a Christmas tree with
plastic figures intended to represent
fetuses.
The Body Boutique, a fitness center that
caters to women clients, placed the
holiday tree in the lobby of the gym at
the request of a local 'pregnancy
counseling' group that opposes abortion.
The tree was adorned with pink and
blue stockings containing small plastic
figures each labeled with a card
identifying the figure as being an
unborn fetus between "11 and 12
weeks old". The tree also held
coupons for videos that attack
abortion and women who seek the
legal procedure.
The management of the Body
Boutique has refused to refund any
monies paid to those patrons who
were offended by the fetus tree and
has not yet removed he offending
holiday display. its all true
figures each labeled with a card
identifying the figure as being an
unborn fetus between "11 and 12
weeks old". The tree also held
coupons for videos that attack
abortion and women who seek the
legal procedure.
The management of the Body
Boutique has refused to refund any
monies paid to those patrons who
were offended by the fetus tree and
has not yet removed he offending
holiday display. its all true
sports
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
49ers Flagged For Illegal Procedure
A longtime season ticket holder and
his family filed a lawsuit against the
San Francisco 49ers stating that their
privacy has been transgressed by the
football team's institution of bodily
searches of fans who enter the
team's stadium to watch football
games.
The ticket holders Dan Sheehan and
his family have sought the assistance
of the American Civil Liberties Union
in their lawsuit. Sheehan and his
family have been season ticket
holders since 1967. Sheehan, a
retired glazier, told reporters that he
his family filed a lawsuit against the
San Francisco 49ers stating that their
privacy has been transgressed by the
football team's institution of bodily
searches of fans who enter the
team's stadium to watch football
games.
The ticket holders Dan Sheehan and
his family have sought the assistance
of the American Civil Liberties Union
in their lawsuit. Sheehan and his
family have been season ticket
holders since 1967. Sheehan, a
retired glazier, told reporters that he
felt that the searches were intrusive
window dressing that don't enhance
security but do intrude on the
spectators' privacy. "You don't get a
pat-down for going to a public
event", Sheehan said, "That doesn't
happen in my country."
A similar action filed by the ACLU
representing Tampa Bay Buccaneer
fans caused that team to halt body
searches at its stadium when judges
ruled that the searches violated both
Florida state and federal protections
against unreasonable searches.
its all true
window dressing that don't enhance
security but do intrude on the
spectators' privacy. "You don't get a
pat-down for going to a public
event", Sheehan said, "That doesn't
happen in my country."
A similar action filed by the ACLU
representing Tampa Bay Buccaneer
fans caused that team to halt body
searches at its stadium when judges
ruled that the searches violated both
Florida state and federal protections
against unreasonable searches.
its all true
red state rebate
CIA Agents Render Themselves into the Lap of Luxury
After an Italian judge charged 22 CIA
operatives with kidnapping and other
crimes pertaining to alleged incidents
of rendition last month, Italian police
began investigating the incident to
find that the fugitive spies lived a life
of luxury during the kidnapping
operation.
Italian police have reported that the
American intelligence operatives who
kidnapped a Muslim cleric off the
streets of Milan in broad daylight in
2003 to be delivered to Egypt for
torture, treated themselves to the
high life at taxpayer's expense staying
at 5 star hotels and eating 28 dollar
sandwiches.
operatives with kidnapping and other
crimes pertaining to alleged incidents
of rendition last month, Italian police
began investigating the incident to
find that the fugitive spies lived a life
of luxury during the kidnapping
operation.
Italian police have reported that the
American intelligence operatives who
kidnapped a Muslim cleric off the
streets of Milan in broad daylight in
2003 to be delivered to Egypt for
torture, treated themselves to the
high life at taxpayer's expense staying
at 5 star hotels and eating 28 dollar
sandwiches.
The police uncovered hotel bills left
by the 22 CIA operatives totalling
over $158,000 including $40,098.81
at the Milan Westin Palace for less
than 40 days lodging. One operative
charged as much as $500 a day on his
CIA Diners Club credit account. The
22 kidnappers opened 59 cell phone
accounts and fled Italy after incurring
hundreds of dollars of traffic fines.
After the kidnapping operation the
hard working CIA agents repaired to
luxury resorts on the Italian coast
and in the Alps for some
post-rendition relaxation.
its all true
by the 22 CIA operatives totalling
over $158,000 including $40,098.81
at the Milan Westin Palace for less
than 40 days lodging. One operative
charged as much as $500 a day on his
CIA Diners Club credit account. The
22 kidnappers opened 59 cell phone
accounts and fled Italy after incurring
hundreds of dollars of traffic fines.
After the kidnapping operation the
hard working CIA agents repaired to
luxury resorts on the Italian coast
and in the Alps for some
post-rendition relaxation.
its all true
Traffic
Weather
NPR Cited For
Rightward Slant
Rightward Slant
US Endangered By Rising Tide of Pollution Lawsuits
The United States recently became party
to two separate actions regarding its
responsibility as a nation in the natural
destruction caused by global warming.
A coalition of three environmental
groups and an organization that
represents more than 150,000 native
Inuit people filed petitions alleging that
the US has jeopardized the environment
by not restricting emissions of
greenhouse gases.
The three environmental groups; The
Center for Biodiversity, The Natural
Resources Defense Fund and Green
Peace, filed a lawsuit in federal court in
San Francisco seeking a judicial order
requiring the US Department of Interior
act on a petition the groups filed earlier
this year. The group had petitioned the
department to classify polar bears as
threatened species. This would be a
step toward granting endangered species
status to the polar bear.
The bear is now threatened by rising
warmer arctic waters. The polar bear
hunts from ice flows that are melting
into an arctic Ocean warmed, the group
allege, by man made carbon dioxide
trapped in the earth's atmosphere. The
US is the world's largest emitter of CO2.
to two separate actions regarding its
responsibility as a nation in the natural
destruction caused by global warming.
A coalition of three environmental
groups and an organization that
represents more than 150,000 native
Inuit people filed petitions alleging that
the US has jeopardized the environment
by not restricting emissions of
greenhouse gases.
The three environmental groups; The
Center for Biodiversity, The Natural
Resources Defense Fund and Green
Peace, filed a lawsuit in federal court in
San Francisco seeking a judicial order
requiring the US Department of Interior
act on a petition the groups filed earlier
this year. The group had petitioned the
department to classify polar bears as
threatened species. This would be a
step toward granting endangered species
status to the polar bear.
The bear is now threatened by rising
warmer arctic waters. The polar bear
hunts from ice flows that are melting
into an arctic Ocean warmed, the group
allege, by man made carbon dioxide
trapped in the earth's atmosphere. The
US is the world's largest emitter of CO2.
The department itself has reported
an increase of drowning deaths of
polar bears, significant because there
is a total estimated population slightly
more than 20,000 polar bears left
alive in the wild.
The second action was initiated by
the Inuit Circumpolar Conference
representing native people in the vast
arctic regions comprised of Canada,
Greenland, Russia, Scandinavia and
Alaska.
The group filed an action with the
Washington based Inter-American
Commission on Human Rights
seeking the body's declaration that
the US stands in violation of the 1948
American Declaration of the Rights
and Duties of Man. The groups is
asking that the us help peoples of the
arctic region adapt to the loss of
their centuries old way of life due to
the catastrophic effects of global
warming in the arctic. The groups
site rising sea levels and the
extinction of animals the Inuit hunt
such as polar bear and caribou and
argue that it is only a matter of time
before their traditional way of life
will be lost. its all true
an increase of drowning deaths of
polar bears, significant because there
is a total estimated population slightly
more than 20,000 polar bears left
alive in the wild.
The second action was initiated by
the Inuit Circumpolar Conference
representing native people in the vast
arctic regions comprised of Canada,
Greenland, Russia, Scandinavia and
Alaska.
The group filed an action with the
Washington based Inter-American
Commission on Human Rights
seeking the body's declaration that
the US stands in violation of the 1948
American Declaration of the Rights
and Duties of Man. The groups is
asking that the us help peoples of the
arctic region adapt to the loss of
their centuries old way of life due to
the catastrophic effects of global
warming in the arctic. The groups
site rising sea levels and the
extinction of animals the Inuit hunt
such as polar bear and caribou and
argue that it is only a matter of time
before their traditional way of life
will be lost. its all true
National Public Radio has responded to
critics who say that the network relies
to heavily on conservative leaning
sources in its news reporting. The
Ombudsman for the network, Jeffrey
Dvorkin, performed a review of
interviews done with 'experts' from think
tanks in th year 2005 on NPR news
programming that revealed that 63
percent of the experts represented right
leaning points of view.
The study analyzed 380 interviews
broadcast in the past year. 239 of the
NPR's experts were from conservative
think tanks and 141 were characterized
by Dvorkin as left leaning. From this
analysis Dvorkin concluded that "NPR
needs to be consistent about how thin
tanks are identified." Further, Dvorkin
stated in his report that the network has
to "make sure that it is presenting an
appropriate range of ideas and not just
one side of the debate."
Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting did a
review of NPR programming that was
released in the summer of 2005 which
found that the majority of the public
news network's sources were either
corporate, government or other
professional experts-64 percent of all
sources. its all true
critics who say that the network relies
to heavily on conservative leaning
sources in its news reporting. The
Ombudsman for the network, Jeffrey
Dvorkin, performed a review of
interviews done with 'experts' from think
tanks in th year 2005 on NPR news
programming that revealed that 63
percent of the experts represented right
leaning points of view.
The study analyzed 380 interviews
broadcast in the past year. 239 of the
NPR's experts were from conservative
think tanks and 141 were characterized
by Dvorkin as left leaning. From this
analysis Dvorkin concluded that "NPR
needs to be consistent about how thin
tanks are identified." Further, Dvorkin
stated in his report that the network has
to "make sure that it is presenting an
appropriate range of ideas and not just
one side of the debate."
Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting did a
review of NPR programming that was
released in the summer of 2005 which
found that the majority of the public
news network's sources were either
corporate, government or other
professional experts-64 percent of all
sources. its all true
redstateupdate.net
verbatim number 6.4
"Stop throwing the Constitution
in my face...Its just a goddamn
piece of paper."
Washington DC 11.05
in my face...Its just a goddamn
piece of paper."
Washington DC 11.05
"Hold on a second please, there
is a check of people being sworn
to uphold the law, for starters.
There is oversight. We're
talking to Congress all the
time...to suggest that there's
unchecked power is not listening
to what I'm saying."
Washington DC 12.20.05
is a check of people being sworn
to uphold the law, for starters.
There is oversight. We're
talking to Congress all the
time...to suggest that there's
unchecked power is not listening
to what I'm saying."
Washington DC 12.20.05
VERBATIM NUMBER 6.5
2005 Winter Solstice Edition
| Average mathematics scores 8th grade students, by country :2003 |
| 0 200 400 600 800 |
| average international score: 473 |
| Lithuania 502 |
| US 504 |
| Belgium 537 |
| Slovenia 493 |
| Singapore 605 |
