tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231145.post113367348501533406..comments2023-12-30T23:02:57.931-08:00Comments on Deep Thought: A step in the direction of sanityEli Blakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792743206074537073noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231145.post-1134015948541761512005-12-07T20:25:00.000-08:002005-12-07T20:25:00.000-08:00Why should the state of Wyoming, presumably a low ...<I>Why should the state of Wyoming, presumably a low risk state, get more funding than other, more obvious targets? Why should the Port of Memphis get more funding than ports in new York City?</I><BR/><BR/>Maybe because Cheney's house is in Wyoming, and Bill Frist is from Tennessee, and New Yorkers are a bunch of liberals?Eli Blakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00792743206074537073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231145.post-1133897258991209022005-12-06T11:27:00.000-08:002005-12-06T11:27:00.000-08:00And worse yet, obtaining and storing prfiles and p...And worse yet, obtaining and storing prfiles and personal information on every American citizen, regardless as to guilt or innocence. And to trust such a measure to a known liar like John Poindexter. Thank God that particular measure wasn't approved, but you really have to wonder. How many times has this Administration floated a trial balloon, found negative results, and then turned around and done what it wanted anyhow behind the public's back? <BR/><BR/>Consider phony news stories.<BR/><BR/>Initially, when the Bush Administration announced that it would seed foreign (and, I would assume, local press) with fake news, the American people were outraged and the Administration backed off. But only in public. Here we are in December 2005, and what did we learn a few days ago? The Pentagon was paying to plant phony news stories in the Iraqi press. That's just fine and dandy with some people, but we should remember that those stories will almost invariably be quoted by American meda, meaning we will in effect be using propaganda on the American people. As one of my team members has pointed out, such a tactic could well be a violation of the Smith-Mundt Act which--you guessed it-- essentially prohibits the United States government from using domestic propaganda on the American people <BR/><BR/>We are royally screwed.BibleBeltedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00833861419528904916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231145.post-1133896726242318492005-12-06T11:18:00.000-08:002005-12-06T11:18:00.000-08:00Scissors under four inches of length can only do l...Scissors under four inches of length can only do limited damage. <BR/><BR/>I'm more worried about little things like our port security, and the possibility that someone could introduce a dirty bomb, bioloigical agents etc. <BR/><BR/>And then there's that other matter of radio frequencies. Our emergency response forces could definitely use a common frequency on which they could communicate in the event of an attack, but guess what? The Radio Executives and their lobbyists in Washington have pressured our wonderful, elected officials into denying this. Unless I'm wrong, this could actually be accomplished by an executive order from the president, but corporate America (read the broadcast industry) has so much power over "W Incorporated" that we can't even do something as simple as streamlining emergency communication for our emergency response teams. <BR/><BR/>At the same time I think we have a huge problem with the CIA. When it was created by Harry Truman it was intended to serve as an independent agency to which the President could turn for advice. Under Bush this has been turned on its head. The agency is being stacked with "yes men" who tell this President what he WANTS to hear, not what he NEEDS to hear. <BR/><BR/>At the same time, experienced, highly qualified agents leaving the agency at a time when they are needed the most, and the reason they give, almost to the individual,is that they don't like the way this CIA has been centralized and politicized under Bush into a proverbial rubber stamp for the Bush Administration. Wonder why we're still short of people who can speak Mid eastern languages? <BR/><BR/> <BR/>In the meantime, homeland security has a become a politicized mess in which pork rules after all. Why in God's name should the State of Wyoming, presumably a low risk state, get more funding than other, more obvious targets? Why should the Port of Memphis get more funding than ports in new York City? <BR/><BR/>Something has gone very wrong. We are self-interesting ourselves to death and we don't even realize it.BibleBeltedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00833861419528904916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231145.post-1133853041003689002005-12-05T23:10:00.000-08:002005-12-05T23:10:00.000-08:00But then heck, if you have the training, you could...<I>But then heck, if you have the training, you could kill someone with your bare hands </I><BR/><BR/>True - unfortunately.dorsanohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17360076073314764844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231145.post-1133823755530504982005-12-05T15:02:00.000-08:002005-12-05T15:02:00.000-08:00Dorsano:Sure you could, given enough training, kil...Dorsano:<BR/><BR/>Sure you could, given enough training, kill someone with a 4 inch pair of scissors. But then heck, if you have the training, you could kill someone with your bare hands (so are they going to handcuff everyone when they get on the flight and uncuff them when they get off? Let's not forget that right after 9/11 there were some serious proposals to put people in locking seatbelts that only the pilots or the flight attendants could unlock).<BR/><BR/>I just don't see them as that much of a threat. If someone has a four inch pair of scissors, but a plane full of people remembers 9/11 and knows they are up to no good, I doubt if they would be able to get very far.<BR/><BR/>I just feel that some of the lunacy has to stop. I have no problem with reasonable steps to deter another 9/11 from happening (although as I say, the best defense is that it happened already so people won't just sit by and let it unfold again), but it seems to me that there should be common sense prevailing. I mean, last month there was some deranged guy in Las Vegas who drove his car up on the side walk and killed a few people. Now, you can put up a few concrete barriers along sidewalks of you want, but some of what we have been doing about 9/11 would be like denying everyone in Las Vegas a driver's license to prevent this from happening again. Keep things in perspective. 9/11 was terrible, but I don't see how it justifies saying you can't take your nail clippers with you on the flight.Eli Blakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00792743206074537073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231145.post-1133677583396830722005-12-03T22:26:00.000-08:002005-12-03T22:26:00.000-08:00I agree that most of those should be rolled back ...I agree that most of those should be rolled back - I'm not sure about the scissors though (even 4 inches or less). Some of the flight attendants lost their lives early in the flights because their throats were slit. <BR/><BR/>Your point about Markey is right on though as far as I'm concerned - when elected officials do that sort of thing they either they sound like they're uninformed or like they're trying to score political points. <BR/><BR/>One of the more painful examples in my opinion (though it's not in the news) is how the work of Thomas Petri (R) from Wisconsin on direct lending is treated. <BR/><BR/>He's championed direct lending for most of his career in office. The current budget issues surrounding student loans would not exist if his plan were in effect. His plan pays it's own way much like the U.S. Postal Service, Social Security or Medicare does.dorsanohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17360076073314764844noreply@blogger.com