President Convicted of a Felony, Media Sleeps

U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, Southern Division, Case Number 06-CV-10204: Hon. Anna Diggs Taylor on August 17, 2006 found the NSA and the President, George W. Bush guilty of violating the FISA laws and the Constitution by wiretapping the phones of U.S. citizens without obtaining a warrant, and the Defendants were ordered to cease these activities.
Full text of the decision is available here: http://www.aclu.org/images/nsaspying/asset_upload_file689_26477.pdf

Alright, I admit I was excited when I first read about the Court decision against the Presidents NSA warrantless wiretapping. And I calculated that it would take the mainstream media a week or so for the interns to read the blogs and mention the importance of the case to their producers and editors. But I figured the story would eventually start to get some attention, some ink, some air time, something...

Okay, I realize that the NSA and the White House will appeal the decision and that nothing final will be decided immediately. But that never stops the media from talking about important allegations against a sitting president. Remember the blue dress?

But I’m still waiting. There has been a lot of stories about a delusional guy who confessed to killing a little girl ten years ago, despite the fact that he was nowhere near the crime scene at the time and is probably just setting up an insanity plea for the child pornography charges he fled from. There are a lot of stories about New Orleans and Katrina one year later. But why nothing about the President being convicted of a felony?

In a sane universe this would be a big story. But I have been increasingly convinced that we do not inhabit a sane universe.

I have noticed an important pattern in the tactics used by the Neo Cons at the White House. They tend to attack others for things that they are guilty of. They accuse Saddam of harboring WMDs when the U.S. holds the largest stockpiles of nuclear and chemical weapons on the planet. They accuse Osama bin Laden of hating our freedoms, while working feverously to curtail American freedoms.

So when I read that Donald Rumsfeld said that he was worried that terrorist groups “are actively manipulating the media in this country” I figured I knew what Neo Con Don really meant: “The Administration is actively manipulating the media in this country.”

When somebody breaks the FISA laws, they are subject to a fine of not more than $10,000 or imprisonment for not more than five years, or both. The law is pretty clear. You or I would go to jail if convicted of breaking these laws. But the current Administration is actively manipulating the media so that you don’t notice that the law has been broken. The current Administration is actively controlling the Congress so that no hearings or sanctions or impeachment are even possible.

So, in this insane universe, forget it. Get on with the important things, 10-year-old beauty queens, the new racially-tense season of Survivor, and the not much has changed one year after Hurricane Katrina specials, the latest celebrity to take a piss on YouTube. The President has admitted to spying on us illegally and has been convicted in court, but that’s not important. Go back to sleep...

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What’s So Funny ‘Bout Peace, Love & Understanding?

Hello Internet. I’ve been on vacation, so I’ve been out of touch. But I still love you.
I’ve been camping with the family and the family dogs. Roasting marshmallows, getting bit by mosquitoes, fishing for bluegill, hiking in the forest are the kinds of things I have been doing. So I haven’t been reading Blogs, or watching TV, or listening to talk radio, or reading newspapers. You could say I’ve been out of touch. Or you could say that I have been in touch. In touch with older, deeper, more primal things like sun sets and moon cycles and keeping my small tribe fed and sheltered.

I had kind of hoped that when I returned from my technological exile, that when I returned to the fast-paced world of email and news updates that there would be some progress, maybe a ceasefire in Lebanon at least. But no, I have returned to find that despite the speed of modern American life, not much has changed. But then again, maybe I have changed. And maybe that is the only change I can really expect to make in this world.

I cannot upholster the whole world, but I can make new sandals for my sensitive feet. I cannot make others stop hating, but I can fill my thoughts and heart with more love and compassion. You could say that changing my insides will not change the world. And you may be right. But from where I am sitting, changing my insides changes everything.

So, Hello Internet. I’ve been on vacation, but I feel more in touch. And I still love you.