Quotabull

Our purpose is, and has always been, to ensure a civil and safe environment where the many types of campus activities and open discourse can occur.
— University of Florida Police Chief Linda Stump. According to an Oct. 25 Associated Press story: “University of Florida police were justified in using a Taser against a student who [...]

Democrats’ spines turn to jelly on warrantless spying once again–but there’s still hope

It was largely expected, but no less disappointing to wake up this morning and find out that Senate Democrats on the Intelligence Commitee agreed to carry water for the Bush administration by granting retroactive immunity to the telecom companies involved in the NSA’s warrantless wiretapping scandal:
The draft Senate bill has the support of the [...]

Verizon to the government: “Our customer information…let us show you it.”

In response to an inquiry launched by House Democrats as to the role the major telecoms played in abetting the NSA surveillance program, Verizon came out yesterday and admitted that it had turned over customer data to federal authorities 720 times between 2005 and 2007–or once a day, every day, for the last two years:
The [...]

The NSA was spying on Americans before 9/11, and telecoms were in on it

That’s the accusation levied by disgraced former Qwest CEO Joe Nacchio, who claims that he was approached by officials from the Bush administration to bring his company into an NSA surveillance program in February 2001–as in, several months before the 9/11 attacks, and contradicting claims made by the White House that 9/11 was the reason [...]

Democrats battle Bush–and each other–over telecom immunity for spying

Although this Reuters article does a masterful job of burying the lead (as Denny would say), the fact remains–the House Judiciary Committee refused to grant immunity to telecom companies for illegal spying in their FISA law update
[T]he House Judiciary Committee voted 21-14 to reject an amendment sought by the White House that would shield telecommunications [...]

Lawsuit alleges mandatory Christianity in US military

Pentagon Sued Over Mandatory Christianity reads the Truth Out headline.
A military watchdog organization filed a lawsuit in federal court Tuesday against the Pentagon, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and a US Army major, on behalf of an Army soldier stationed in Iraq. The suit charges the Pentagon with widespread constitutional violations by allegedly trying [...]

CREW: keeping track of corrupt politicians without fear or favor

It’s one thing to call politicians corrupt. It’s another, and more credible, thing to name the worst and back up the charges. But that’s what Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has done.
If you find corruption in government abhorrent and appalling — let alone a sinful waste of your tax dollars — then you’ll [...]

Iraqi government pulls Blackwater’s license…for now, anyway…now, what to do with all that firepower…?

The Iraqi “government” (well, that’s what the Bush administration calls it, but then they call themselves a government, too, so there we are) has expelled Blackwater Security from its job to commit legalized mayhem provide security services in Iraq. Citing the killing of 8 civilians and the wounding of 13 others [...]

For sale: $3 billion worth of political bullshit

This is your only warning. Turn off your TV set, or your will to live — or vote — may be decimated.
The Television Bureau of Advertising forecasts that the politicians who want your vote will spend about $3 billion in 2008, a presidential election year. As noted earlier at S&R, the presidential candidates alone have [...]

Justice Department on net neutrality: “Trust us”

Yesterday the Justice Department filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission opposing the principle of “net neutrality” and urging the FCC not to sanction regulations to protect it. In a report and press statement that sound like they were written by executives from AT&T and Verizon, the DOJ regurgitates telecom talking points that falsely claim [...]

Endtime for Gonzo

The New York Times broke the story this morning: Alberto Gonzales is resigning.
The fact that this is happening bright and early on a Monday morning makes me think that it wasn’t done at Bush’s behest–if the White House had been in control of this, they’d have waited until the Friday of Labor Day weekend [...]

VerseDay: The imperative of political poetry

I’m not a political poet. Not for the most part, anyway. I certainly never wanted to be one, and I had been writing for a number of years before this finally happened:
I don’t want to say too much for fear of being misconstrued
or maybe
for fear of being understood all too clearly
so [...]

Unfriendly cellphone contracts shine light on dangers of arbitration

This week’s Business Week has a look at how the wireless industry is being challenged over its notoriously unfriendly contracts, which demand consumers give up their rights to resolution by jury trial or class action in court in favor of arbitration:
One class action involving early-termination charges, a leading gripe among cell users, should get a [...]

Quotabull

And Brian will be back in our next hour with a look at the life- and-death question that is now being asked in Utah. Is it possible for those trapped miners to still be alive?
Well, they are cute, colorful, and they may be dangerous to your kids. Mattel is recalling more than 20 million toys [...]

Wrath of the math: Why did Karl Rove quit?

That’s the question on everyone’s lips since the porcine political player announced he would be stepping down at the end of August. Of course, the excuse that he wants to spend more time with his family is horse puckey and we all know it–so what’s really going on? Is this yet another Machiavellian move by [...]