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Monday, Mar 10, 2003

secreting secrets

"An employee at the top-secret Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) has been arrested following revelations in The Observer last weekend about an American 'dirty tricks' surveillance operation to win votes at the United Nations in favour of a tough new resolution on Iraq."

hedging his bets

saw this bill moyers interview with author chris hedges the other day. very persuasive perspective from someone who has been covering wars for many years.

"HEDGES: Our whole civil society is being torn apart. Once again, as is true in every war, the media parrots back the clich�s and jingles of the state. Imbibes and promotes the myth. In wartime, a press is-- the press is always part of the problem.

And that we are about to engage in that ecstatic, exciting, narcotic that is war. And that if we don't get a grasp on the poison that war is, then that poison can ultimately kills us just as surely as the disease."

mother of perle

"Khashoggi professes to be amused by the activities of Perle and Hillman as members of the policy board. As Khashoggi saw it, Trireme�s business potential depended on a war in Iraq taking place. �If there is no war,� he told me, �why is there a need for security? If there is a war, of course, billions of dollars will have to be spent.� He commented, �You Americans blind yourself with your high integrity and your democratic morality against peddling influence, but they were peddling influence."

Friday, Mar 07, 2003

conjunction unction

just in case you missed shrubs lackadaisical perfomance last night, like i did, uggabugga breaks it down, way down. im sure you could find a stream on c-span but why would you want to subject yourself to it.

Thursday, Mar 06, 2003

cigars and viagra

"Bill Clinton and his opponent in the 1996 presidential election, Bob Dole, are teaming up to revive the commentary segment "Point-Counterpoint" on "60 Minutes."

laden ladens

"Still, we are left with the question of why both Bush Jr. and Clinton would hold back disclosure of Saudi funding of terror. I got the first glimpse of an answer from Michael Springmann, who headed up the U.S. State Department's visa bureau in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, during the Reagan-Bush Sr. years. "In Saudi Arabia I was repeatedly ordered by high-level State Department officials to issue visas to unqualified applicants. These were, essentially, people who had no ties either to Saudi Arabia or to their own country. I complained bitterly at the time there." That was Springmann's mistake. He was one of those conscientious midlevel bureaucrats who did not realize that when he filed reports about rules violations he was jeopardizing the cover for a huge multicontinental intelligence operation aimed at the Soviets. Springmann assumed petty thievery: someone was taking bribes, selling visas; so he couldn't understand why his complaints about rule-breakers were "met with silence" at the Bureau of Diplomatic Security."

Wednesday, Mar 05, 2003

mauling of america

"NEW YORK (Reuters) - A lawyer was arrested late Monday and charged with trespassing at a public mall in the state of New York after refusing to take off a T-shirt advocating peace that he had just purchased at the mall."

Tuesday, Mar 04, 2003

remark of distinction

"Bulgaria's ambassador, Stefan Tavrov, said that having the U.S. eavesdrop on their missions was almost a mark of prestige for smaller countries. "It's almost an offense if they don't listen," he said. "It's integrated in your thinking and your work."

A U.S. government official with experience at the world body confirmed that American administrations long have relied on spying at the U.N., and not just during times of crisis.

"We've always done it," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "It's routine."

too much information

malcolm gladwell enlightens as to the problems inherent in intelligence gathering mechanisms.

plunder plunder plundercrats, ho!

bush has hired a new cabal of campaign slogan writers but i dont think they have his best interest at heart. which one do you think best fits the man and his (di)vision?

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