This just in from the Alliance for Aviation Across America: The Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security recently released a report that dispels many of the myths about the security of general aviation. In the report, DHS Inspector General Richard Skinner stated that “Although [TSA’s Office of Intelligence] has identified potential threats, it […]
NSA Illegally Collecting US Citizens’ Email
I am not surprised, but I am still dismayed, by the continued erosion of our personal privacy in the shadow of George W. Bush’s administration. The New York Times reports in E-Mail Surveillance Renews Concerns in Congress that the National Security Agency (NSA), as recently as early this year, is illegally collecting email from Americans: […]
US Government Not Accountable for Warrentless Wiretapping
Candidate Barack Obama promised change and more government transparency. President Barack Obama’s Department of Justice is delivering change for the worse: continuation of the Bush administration’s assertions that the US government can conduct warrantless wiretapping coupled with a new assertion that the government is completely immune from litigation for illegal spying under any federal statutes. […]
Good Government Decisions
I am extremely pleased with several of the actions our government has taken. Close the Guantanamo Bay prison Immediately stop the military tribunals at Guantanamo Bay. Obama issued memos and an executive order instructing federal agencies to make information public as much as possible, reversing a 2001 Bush memo instructing agencies to generally withhold information.
Complimenting George W. Bush
CNN.com reports, Bush touts accomplishments, admits mistakes President Bush admitted mistakes but defended his accomplishments in the final White House news conference of his presidency Monday. I recommend the rest of the article; it’s a good read. I do not like most of what Bush did while in office but I do have to say […]
Go Out and Vote!
It’s election day. Go out and vote! I am super special and deserve and sixteen gazillion votes, unlike regular people who only deserve a single vote. Unfortunately, no one else recognize my special-ness so I am depending on you to go vote. I trust that you’ll do the right thing since I have limited power […]
How to Spot a Child Predator
I know what I am going to dress up as tonight. A Halloween costume so scary that my wife will be upset that I am wearing it in public. I am going to wear a disguise so socially unacceptable that three entire school districts will close for a day to assure they their students do […]
Why McCain and the Republican Party Scare Me
I am down on most career politicians (are there any other kinds?) but the Republican party has become particularly scary during the Bush administration. The Grand Old Party has shifted farther and farther right. McCain and the current party leaders are grandly continuing this new tradition. It looks like McCain’s platform, like Bush’s, boils down […]
Airport Security: What a Waste
I love the inconvenience of airport security. The fact that I am paying for the privilege of being inconvenienced, in lieu of having my security enhanced, makes the whole experience all the more charming. Recently, Jeffrey Goldberg took all of these goodies through airport security at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Read Goldberg’s entire article on […]
Why the American Economy is in Trouble
With all the hoopla these days, it is very difficult to determine why our economy is tanking. Almost every news article, and certainly every political candidate, points the blame and tries to oversimplify the situation. FactCheck.org, a wonderful web site which debunks the spin in presidential candidate statements and advertisements, has a great summary in […]
Teenage Pregnancy, Politics, and Common Sense
Am I the only one baffled by the notion that a pregnant teenager is somehow a worthy part of a presidential political campaign? The last time I thought about teenage pregnancy (which is depressingly often, since I have two teenage sons), I considered a pregnancy to be an “Oh shit” moment which would have to […]
Humanity Survives While Killing
I don’t often find myself smiling while reading about the killing in Iraq and Afghanistan but I did today when I ran across a short article in Wired, Shrinks Help Drone Pilots Cope With Robo-Violence. Like many people, I was concerned that fighting a war via remote controlled vehicles would turn the killing into a […]
Privacy
Many, perhaps all, of us assume that our privacy is respected and protected in most aspects of our lives. This notion is so ingrained in our society that I never gave it a second thought until this week when a court ruled that Google must turn over data on YouTube users to Viacom. Within hours, […]
Surprising Truth in Bush Inauguration Speech Satire
In January 2001, The Onion satirized George W. Bush’s first inauguration speech in Bush: ‘Our Long National Nightmare Of Peace And Prosperity Is Finally Over’. The sad part is, most of the satire turned out to be true. For instance, Bush swore to do “everything in [his] power” to undo the damage wrought by Clinton’s […]
