Speaking of falling, the Dow fell over 260 points today. According to cnn.com:
Two economic reports released Friday kept investors on edge about inflation.
The University of Michigan's preliminary index of U.S. consumer sentiment for May fell to a seven-month low as high gas prices took a toll on consumers.
Consumer confidence and consumer spending are only loosely tied, according to Nariman Behravesh, chief economist for research firm Global Insight.
But the big drop in the Michigan reading, and Thursday's weaker-than-expected retail sales numbers, mean "consumers may finally be running out of steam," he wrote in a research report.
But.....no one cares about gas prices.....
Posted by ann at May 12, 2006 03:27 PMMy my, so many scandals, so few oversight comittees.
Death of a thousand cuts.
Posted by SnarkyShark at May 12, 2006 03:30 PMThis may be the l-o-n-g-e-s-t weekend of Mr. Tice's entire life. I hope he looks both ways before crossing the street this weekend, and stays out of elevators and dark alleyways.... (:>
Posted by Donald Cormac at May 12, 2006 03:30 PMOne very important detail missing from your mentioning Qwest's refusual to cooperate. The report I read mentionedthat Qwest said that they would go along with the NSA's request only if they provided FISA approval which, apparently, they refused to provide.
I'll dig up the link to the story in a bit.
Posted by simp at May 12, 2006 04:43 PMNot to mention FITZMAS next week, according to truthout.com! MERRY FITZMAS EVERYONE!
Posted by whenwego at May 12, 2006 04:51 PMsimp:
You're right; that was in the earlier post I did on Qwest.
Posted by Steve Soto at May 12, 2006 04:54 PMHayden's nomination may well be in jeopardy if the shoe drops, but I doubt that his recess appointment will be affected.
Bush knows the game's up, he's gonna try to insert these toadies into positions of power and control just to show the people that he's a Strong Leader.
Posted by susan at May 12, 2006 05:27 PMThe prior post and USAT story also said that Qwest asked as well for an authorization letter from Justice, which NSA refused to obtain as well.
Nero wouldn't even risk the Ashcroft, Yoo and Bybee clown show having a look at his dating mining!
Duelling lawyers on PBS NewsHour tonight with diametrically opposed opinions on legality of the mining, of course.
The point is Bushco never allows independent legal analysis of its operations no matter how many people's privacy they might involve. I don't know how we merited such "fierce protection" of our privacy!
Posted by euzoius at May 12, 2006 06:19 PMLooks like Shooter dropped out of the meeting.
Posted by red_neck_repub at May 12, 2006 06:36 PMtice is either an idiot, wanting his 15 minutes of fame, or he is so terrified that he wants to become noticed so that if he becomes a desapericido some of us might notice.
personally, i think he is an idiot. if he really wanted to save himself from the "accident" he would have told us what he is planning to tell the congress.
will mr tice be casolaroed? pitzered?
as to the nsa eavesdropping - why does anyone think this is something new? i have been shouting about it for years. ho-hum it seems.
initiated in the 1970's, the NSA has been monitoring domestic telephonic communications. by the mid-1980's this program had become internationalized. known as ECHELON. and the us congress has known about it for decades.
it surprised me when the nsa monitoring of domestic/international com was publicized earlier this year, that ECHELON went unmentioned.
it continues to surprise me that the long history of signint surveillance of the american populace is unmentioned. not only in the msm. but even on the "progressive" blogger boards[almost might make you wonder if those boards are trojan horses].
james bamford is often heralded as the "outer" of the nsa. i often wonder if he isn't just a disinformation agent.
the best book on echelon and sigint surveillance was written by a kiwi - nicky hager. if you can find his book, SECRET POWER, i think you will find that it tells you much more than bamford has ever cared to reveal.
slanz
Bush doesn't think the lethal goring of bulls in bullfights in illegal. What the hell do you expect from his mindset? And no, he has never been a matador...
Posted by tempus at May 12, 2006 07:33 PMIt's about time for Shooter to take that eternal dirt nap. And a better world it'll be when that despicable douchebag is 6 feet under.
Posted by ran at May 12, 2006 07:56 PMIf Shooter's hands are are clasped together does he have a third one up sockpuppet Chimpy McFlightsuit's ass working his mouth? Why didn't Rumsfuck just poke Big Time on the shoulder to wake him up? I guess all those pig heart transplants are finally taking their toll.
Posted by red_neck_repub at May 12, 2006 08:12 PMsteve:
read gingrich's statement very, very carefully.
as usual,
the slimy pennsylvania/georgia salamander
does not actually say he is opposred to this governemnt activity.
lbrt, thnks fr yr pnts. Th S hs cmmttd mny crms n th nm f scrty, nd whtvr, snc WW. f y rcll, w brght th ‘gd Grmns’ bck t r sd. Tht tght s vrythng w knw. f crs, thy lrnd frm Stln.
s Wrld nd S Hstry tchr, ’v lwys bn mystfd wth th mgntd f th glzd ys f nfrmtn vrld whn stdnts r cnfrntd wth nn-vrydy-lf, (s NT sn f TV) hstrcl cncpts. Fr nstnc, prr t ‘Schndlr‘s Lst,’ lwys fnd t crs tht th kds strggld wth th ttndng cncpts. Hwvr, rnd th md-90’s, thy lrdy hd th cncpt, thnks t r md.
Nw, my pnt s tht nlss th prcvr wrks t dggng t th trth, nknwn cncpts fly t th thr sd f th brn fstr thn thy ntrd.
Ths, whn tch ll f th hstrcl dt tht shws svrl mtrxs f th dvsttng rrrs f cvrt nd vrt prtns f vlnc, t s frgttn nc th smstr nds. r, f prtlly rmmbrd, bcms fl fr sm frm f ntllctl mtnl rblln, (sclsm r cmmnsm, tc). Hwvr, ny cncpt tchd pn by mss md bcms sly trnsfrrd nt lng trm mmry, (bt stll sscptbl t th bv flty thnkng pth f rblln).
nd hr w nt th rl pwr f th crp lrds: thy rn th md, nd thy cntrl r lng trm mmry. nd th bty f trcng th crp prctcs f ntrdcng cncpts bsd pn cntrng pst trdtns (spclly f tr Bblcl ndrstndng) bcms pprnt whn w stdy flm thms frm th bgnnng nd wrkng t th prsnt. lthgh w nt ll frms f hmn prvrsn vn n th rly flms, t ws mtd, nd sly cvrd nd xplnd wy by th prcvng mnd tht lvs t wtch, yt snss mrl dngr nd dsrs t rn. Tdy, n n wll rn, dspt th lvl f dprvty.
Hw ds th crp lrds frst dstry nd rbld flty scl nstttns? Thy jxtpstn th ttck cncpt wth sm frm f mtnlsm, lgtmt r llct. Ths, w r tght t cry rl trs f grf whn w wtch th dltrs whr whr th lttr ’’ n hr chst, whl smltnsly ht th mtnlly cnvctd chrch ldr s ’ntlrnt.’
N n vts n wht s rght r wrng; th vt ws dn by th crp bys lrdy. Thy md p r mnds fr s; slly whn w r yng nd vlnrbl. r ths bys nt prdtrs f chldrn? nd dlts?
ch sccdng gnrtn lrns mr bt th pblc ccptnc f prvrsn nd dprvty, ntl bd bcms gd n tr rwlln fshn.
nyhw, y pntd t tht th msss f rhds rlly d hr wht thy wnt t hr, nd s wht thy wnt t s. Fr th crp bys hv rlly dn wht th ppl wnt: prvd ppl th mns t lbl thr cnstnt srch f dprvty s ‘gd;’ vl bcms ‘tlrnt,’ (tlrnt=gd, n nr ttl rwlln fshn). nc th crp bys pply thr wn dfntn f ‘gd,‘ thy’v wn th bttl fr th mnd. Th nw tlrnc/gd ttchs tslf t vry sngl sclzd thng, xcpt th trth f th Bbl. Hr, thy r ttlly ntlrnt. s ths nt rwlln prdx?
Th mdrn tcm s scl chs, fr ll r wtht th blty t lrn, nlss th crp bys hv mttd th prcss, lbt prvrtd. Th crp bys wll nt ls t th hnd f mn.
Is it just a coincidence that Qwest CEO Joseph Nacchio was approached by government in fall of 2001
wanting access to phone records, Nacchio refused. Then in January 2002 an investigation into Nacchio was triggered by a whistle-blower from a Qwest rival??
Whatever Tice has got it better be more than this latest non-scandal. All you have to do is search "pen register law."
Like it or not, you don't have a reasonble expectation of privacy in phone numbers you call, especially considering the NSA program works off numbers and not individuals. Law enforcement, far below presidential war powers - yes, kiddies, it's a declared war - only needs to ask for pen registers and it's a "shall issue." But that's not so much a warrant as a piece of paper to avoid hassles with the phone companies.
I'd try to explain the heirarchy of law from constitutions (war powers) down to statutes (FISA), but it's probably too much to digest in one sitting.
Maybe an example will help. The War Powers Act sits on the books. In 2000 when Congress tried to bring suit against Clinton for Serbia the case was dismissed for lack of standing. If Congress has no standing, nobody has standing. Without saying it, that means the War Powers Act is dead. FISA in the case of a war is in exactly the same position, a statute which conflicts with an enumerated power of the president.
If the president chooses to obey FISA, as he often has, that's great. Just like Congress can continue to pretend the War Powers Act has validity and phrase all declared wars in terms of the act. It's good when the two main branches of government keep their disputes out of the third branch.
Real abuses would include things like the NSA passing non-jihad related information to law enforcement, political information, or blackmail. No examples have been forthcoming. Again, I remind you, there is a declared war on the people who attacked us on 9/11. Those are jihadists. Perhaps you're familiar with the term?
Now call me a Nazi, racist, warmonger, neocon, goose-stepping, Bushitler, and tell me to suck your cocks.
Thanks.
Posted by Beagle at May 12, 2006 11:57 PMMaybe we should throw some business to Qwest and cancel our Verizon, AT&T and BellSouth services. Any company that has a Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer is a company I want to do business with. You may also want to send a note to David Heller or Richard Notebaert and thank them for refusing to participate in something they thought illegal. At least one large corporation stood up against this Administration.
Richard C. Notebaert
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Qwest Communications International Inc.
Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer
David J. Heller
email: Corporate.Compliance@qwest.com
http://www.qwest.com/about/index.html
Corporate Headquarters
1801 California St.
Denver, CO 80202
For general inquiries: (303) 992-1400
or (800) 899-7780
Fax: (303) 896-8515
Gb, th Ncch prsnc s typcl crp stlk, nd, n thr css, crp scpgtng. Nvrthlss, ths Qwst vnt s mst nsl n dcty, lk th crcmvntng f th prbbl cs rl. ls nsl n th sns f th sz f th plyr.
Rmmbr, th crp cmnt r thr mny hndlrs; nd th mny hndlrs hv trd t mk thr gdnc jb sr smply by rdcng th ctl nmbr f crps, vn whl ncrsng th sz ndvdl cmpns. Ths prcss, lk thr thr gnds f scl dstrctn nd r-cnstrctn, tks tm.
My pnt s tht th crp lrds gntly psh th psychlgcl lmts f prcvd bhvr f nly t crt th ncssry grss pn whch t bld n th ftr. Lk t th hstry f crprtns t ndrstnd th crprt cnstrctn f plcs f dmnnc nd pwr.
Hstrclly, pshng th prbbl cs dctrn nt blvn wld nt s ctlztn ntl sy, 2012, r whtvr. Hwvr, fr rsns tht dn’t knw hw mch thy ndrstnd, th crp bys r ndr tm prssr fr th frst tm n hstry; nd ths s prdtng th brthng f r mdrn crps f 150 yrs g. ’m rlly gng bck ll th wy t bt 500 BC, n trms f whn nd hw th mny hndlrs bgn n th rd t fnncl ndrstndng.
Ths, ntng tht ll th mjr cmmnctn cmpns qckly cmpld wth NS’s rqsts, nd ntng tht th Hll f ffts’ spprtd NS’s prcdr ndr clr f lw, (th Hll kks lrnd thrgh th crp grpvn f NS’s cmmnds wtht wrrnts; mst r thr crp lwyrs r sympthzrs) w ndrstnd th mdrn sngl mnddnss f r crps, thr gvt. srvnts, ll n th hnds f thr mny hndlrs.
Qwst wll frvr b th xmpl t wht hppns whn n f thr wn fls t cmply t th mjrty. Frthr, thy wll frvr b blcklstd frm gvt. cntrcts, whch s prbbly why Nc ws pntd twrd th dr by hs brd. ls, Ncch’s dcsn wll vntlly frc th cmpny nt n hstl tkvr, by sy, Vrzn, r n f th thr prdtrs. Ggl s wtchng dvlpmnts clsly nd srchng fr ptns.
Wht’s crs s Ncch; wht’s hs hstry? t’s mst nsl t hv smn f prncpl slctd fr tht pstn. Prhps h hs th ‘Wrrn Crt’ syndrm. dn’t knw. Bt th crp plc hv n vnt t pnt bck twrd. n thng fr crtn, scl frcs rnd th wrld r wrthng bth bv nd blw th rdr. vnts r hppnng qckly, nd mst fstr thn t nytm n hstry.
s
Beagle, you may, in your arrogant smugness, wish to take a look at AG Gonzales' testimony before the Judiciary Committe, where he directly states that the authorizations to use force are not considered by Justice to be declarations of war. Not that it matters one whit to your "analysis".
NSA is not law enforcement, and if your interpretation of the Pen Register statute is correct, then Qwest was clearly violating a mandatory law enforcement directive---I wonder how they were able not to comply?
Your comments make clear that you're a right wing authoritarian extremist who has taken the unsupportable Bushco legal positions hook, line and sinker and foolishly promulgates them. If you're a lawyer, you are an appalling disgrace to the profession and an intellectual embarrassment to boot.
And perhaps Tice will have something to say about "non-jihad related information", we'll see. Not that it will matter to a closed minded, intellectually dishonest, Kool-Aid drinking dictatorship enabling reactionary clown like you.
Posted by euzoius at May 13, 2006 07:12 AM"Qwest will forever be the example to what happens when one of their own fails to comply to the majority. Further, they will forever be blacklisted from govt. contracts, which is probably why Nac was pointed toward the door by his board."
Scout, in the atmosphere of today, you are probably right. I'm still amazed that Qwest stood up and said "no." I suspect that Qwest's profits will be going up this year. Yes, Qwest will pay a price for standing for principal and ethics, but it's up to us to see that they know the price was well worth it. Send a note to them, or better yet, use their services.
I know one thing, I will not do business with any company that I know has a secret agreement to do unlawful or wrongful act against Americans.
Posted by Judith at May 13, 2006 07:18 AMNow call me a Nazi, racist, warmonger, neocon, goose-stepping, Bushitler, and tell me to suck your cocks. Thanks. Posted by Beagle at May 12, 2006 11:57 PM
No, just go down to the room with the washer and dryer, pour a large bucket of water on the floor, stand in it, and then stick two wires in the BIG socket for the dryer, and hold on. Instant perm, and not just your hair.
Posted by tempus at May 13, 2006 07:25 AM"closed minded, intellectually dishonest, Kool-Aid drinking dictatorship enabling reactionary clown."
Euzoius, great line. Will be using in the future, with your permission of course.
Posted by Judith at May 13, 2006 07:27 AMJdth, smn hs t kp n y n Ncch; s mntnd n th bv, Qwst wll prbbly fll n vl n th lng trm, lvng thm wk fr hstl tk vr by n f th crp plyrs.
Hwvr, w mst wtch wht hppns t Ncch, bth wth th crts, bt spclly whr hs nxt jb tks hm. My pnt s tht wld h b pckd p by prdtr cmpny ntrstd n Qwst? Rmmbr, nthng hppns tsd f hstry. nd w d nt knw th hstry r Qwst, t lst dn't. nywy, ny trth bt hstrcl Qwst s nt wthn th pblc dmn.
ls, whn t cms t stck vl, nd ll t's bggg, cmpny's wrth s bsd pn gvt. crp wlfr: hg cntrcts. vrydy ppl jst pys fr th lbr.
nywy, wldn't cnsdr swtchng t Qst f y hv tht ptn, fr tmrrw nthr crp wll by thm. sk, why r w lyl t cmpns bsltly wtht hmn chrctrstcs? Bcs bth thr md prsn nd thr wllngnss t xplt wht lttl gd s lft wthn ppl, (lylty s fmly vl/trt)b thy cstmrs r lbr.
[Editor: ignore=off]Real abuses would include things like the NSA passing non-jihad related information to law enforcement, political information, or blackmail.
Qwest wouldn't comply because the government wanted more than just phone numbers. By law, where you dial is largely an open record. Qwest had no real problem with that. But the law provides a minimum $1000.00 monetary fine per occurrence if Qwest releases any other information without a warrant. That's what Qwest balked at. It was the "other" information. The liabilty ATT et al exposed their corporate owners to is massive. They may have sold their souls to the devil with this, and have to pay for it with corporate dissolution in the future.
Now call me a Nazi, racist, warmonger, neocon, goose-stepping, Bushitler, and tell me to suck your cocks
Okay. Are you also a failure like Busch? Did your mom and dad give you everything and you screwed it all up? Have you run every business venture mom and dad gave you into the dirt? Couldn't get elected dog catcher until Rove came along and told you to act "born again"? Knock your girl friend up and force her to get an abortion? Have lots of clandestine gay affairs? Dumb as a rock and got gentleman's "Cs" to get you through school? Enjoy torture? Rape? Pillaging? Enjoy giving everything to corporate lords at the expense of the social structure of the United States? Ignore the erosion of the Bill of Rights? Willing to sell your children to a donkey act in Tijuana for profit? Well, then you too could be a neo-con.
But I do have pity for you. Here is something you'll love! Have a towel handy. I'm sure this will get you a little woody going.
Posted by phidipides at May 13, 2006 08:04 AMQwest refuses to turn over its phone call records. Great. But it has the records. Why? Are telcos required by law to retain the records? For that matter, why do lending libraries retain "patron records"?
Seems to me the citizenry would be better served by a simple Cntl-a Del every so often.
Posted by at May 13, 2006 10:34 AMQuestion for Day: With Bush only spying on suspected terrorists, according to his own words, how come 240 million terrorists have been able to stay so hidden?
Posted by Judith at May 13, 2006 10:40 AM"Now call me a nazi, racist, warmonger, goose-stepping.." Alright, but its gonna cost ya at least fifty. Worm. And, "restraints" are extra. Do I hear a "Yes Master"?
Posted by jondee at May 13, 2006 01:05 PMWasn't Qwest one of the companies that ran afoul of the the accounting standards bureau? I seem to recall at one time they were in bankruptcy or some scandal....perhaps only a few years back. Anyway, the irony is that their service area for local phone service is true red state country: Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, the Dakotas, etc.
Posted by ann at May 13, 2006 01:10 PMnn, y'r n th hstry trck; myb pss s wrkng n Qst stff t th mmnt.
Jdth, llw m t pnt t th SP f r mdrn Fd Lw nfrcrs f th chp mtl dsk lk. Lt's spps tht cpl cmptrs hv th blty t rcrd ll dmstc cnvrstns fr th pst fv yrs. S sm vnt brngs fcs pn m. Wll, th lzy FB gnt, r whtvr, rns thrgh vry phn cnvrstn, cmptr srch rqst, nd vrythng wrttn nywhr, ncldng ndr 'sct.'
Crp, ths dts r nbld t bld ny cs whtsvr. ll wld hv wld b sm rhd jry stndng btwn m nd th prsctr wntng 'wn,' t ny cst t trth.
Ths s why prvcy s mprtnt; vrythng thy fnd cn b sd gnst m, nd tht's ncldng vrythng tht thy nvnt, whch s th ctl gl. Th pnt: thy cn jl nyn fr nythng. Ths s th ntr pnt f th NS, bt fr th ftr. nd ths s why prbbl cs s mprtnt fr vryn: t slws th cllctn f bd plc vdnc.
[Editor: ignore=off]scout: what friggin' school do you teach at. I am going to report you to the board, assuming they are not as looney as you! I cannot believe you are teaching kids this garbage, instead of factual history.
Posted by tempus at May 13, 2006 04:17 PMtmp, 'm srprsd wth y; th mmdt bv s th typcl ntrprttn f th 4th mn. cls spkng bt why plc mst s 'prbbl cs' bfr rrst, srch nd szr nd rqstng rrst nd srch wrrnts v th jdg. Fd's gt rnd th bv by smply cllctng nf, nd nt prsctng. Fr th dfns wld b bl t hv th cs dsmssd d t vltn f prcdrl lw, nd whtvr ls s thght t b nrml by crt stndrds.
Hwvr, r Fd. Gvt. hs rtnly vltd mny cnstttnl rghts fr dcds, bsd th bv prbbl cs prcdrl lw. Ths nclds th trght mrdr f nt nly frgn pltcl hds f stt, bt S ctzns s wll. nyhw, th Fd’s r mstrs t crcmvntng th crts. Ths W dck vr hr n Brkly smply mngd t pt t dwn n ppr; t’s nthng rgnl. ’m sr W wld gr. Crtnly Snchz wld gr.
Dd y wnt th trth, r dd y wnt m t tll y wht y wntd t hr? ftr ll tht y'v wtnssd snc bg Bsh, why wld nythng srprs y?
scout: history is about the truth. My comment was not directed at your last post, but the dozens of others you have submitted which border on lunacy. Religion is not history, and is certainly not truth. It is a belief system, nothing more. Please do not share your warped ideas of the universe with the young, pliable minds you teach.
Secondly, religion is a very personal thing. Keep it in your heart, but keep it to yourself.
Posted by tempus at May 14, 2006 06:26 AMtmp, tr rlgn, nd thr s nly n tr rlgn, wll tch th sl f vry hmn, t sm pnt n tm. Fr sm, w fll pn th rck nd bgn t ndrstnd. Hwvr, fr mst, th rck flls n thm, gvng ndrstndng, bt t lt.
vry brth w tk, vry bt f th hrt, s pr Jhvh n ctn. vn ths H hts H wll kp lv, fr Hs wn prpss. Ths tht fr Gd ndrstnd nly bcs Jhvh pnd hs ys nd rs.
Fr bttr r wrs, Chrst wll msr ch f s; hp tht t gs wll fr y. ddtnlly, wht s mn's bstcl prvntng ndrstndng f Jhvh? r vry nnt dprvty f prd. t s r prd tht crts th myrd f fls rlgns nd th crs prcptn tht 'rlgn s prvt.' N, tr rlgn s pblc, vrt, mpssbl t rfs. Fr t s r dcptv prd tht clss r ys. r vry prd s prjctd pn r pltcl ldrs, yt thy lwys dsppnt s, f nly bcs r wn slf dcptns r jst tht: th bg l.
Ths, wtht th trth f th Bbl, w wrshp th l, rslvs, nd th fthr f ls, Stn. T hd frm Gd s t srch fr Stn. Ds ny f ths mk sns?
[Editor: ignore=off]Not much. Your tradition has more distressed baggage than a train wreck. Sorry to say my friend, but those that have suggested that you're setting yourself up for failure and "voice in the wilderness" martyrdom, are, I suspect, onto something.
Posted by jondee at May 14, 2006 12:57 PM