It’s been about 48 hours since Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee issued a sweeping indictment of the Bush administration’s casual approach to law-breaking in a report called, “The Constitution in Crisis.” How’s the media reaction been?

Using Lexis-Nexis and Google News, it appears that the only mainstream media outlet — literally, the only one — to even mention the release of the report was CNN, when Jack Cafferty devoted 200 words to the subject late last week.

To be fair, the timing of the release wasn’t ideal. A Friday afternoon in August was probably not the way to maximize exposure for the report.

Regardless, this is a well-documented, thoroughly-researched report from congressional Democrats about the Bush administration possibly violating over two dozen federal laws and regulations — some of them multiple times. And yet, nothing in the AP; nothing in any of the major dailies; nothing on ABC, CBS, or NBC. Not one word.

We’re being “Fair and Balanced” if we ignore Democrats. Way to go News Corp.

Rumsfeld on Iraq and Civil War: “Oh, I don’t know.”

Q: Is the country closer to a civil war?
SEC. RUMSFELD: Oh, I don’t know. You know, I thought about that last night, and just musing over the words, the phrase, and what constitutes it. If you think of our Civil War, this is really very different. If you think of civil wars in other countries, this is really quite different. There is - there is a good deal of violence in Baghdad and two or three other provinces, and yet in 14 other provinces there’s very little violence or numbers of incidents. So it’s a - it’s a highly concentrated thing. It clearly is being stimulated by people who would like to have what could be characterized as a civil war and win it, but I’m not going to be the one to decide if, when or at all.

I ran it through my sekrit decoder ring and this is what it came up with:

Q: Is the country closer to a civil war?
SEC. RUMSFELD: Oh, I don’t care. Why is Iraq relevant? We’re there to make money, kill off undesirables (low-income Americans and any Iraqi), and to usher in the Armageddon. Why are you bothering asking me such trivial questions as to whether or not Iraq is in the middle of a civil war? As long as the bullets keep flying, the money, oil, and power keep flowing. Fuck You* Jackass.”

(the only literal quote in that bit is the “Fuck You.”)

The Citizens Flag Alliance, a group pushing for the Senate this week to pass a flag-burning amendment to the Constitution, just reported an alarming, 33 percent increase in the number of flag-desecration incidents this year.

The number has increased to four, from three.

The naive among us may have trouble appreciating how four flag-burning episodes would constitute a constitutional crisis. But the men and women of the Senate, ever alert to emerging threats, are on the case.

From the Washington Post (emphasis added)

Four incidents per year is an incredibly overwhelming number of burnt flags, and is far more important an issue than reproductive rights, our troops being anywhere but home, or our civil liberties. I can’t believe unpatriotic “americans” would raise the number of flag-burning incidents an OVERWHELMING 33%. Total fucking armageddon, I’m telling you.

(The President of the United States, George W. Bush, writing on a flag. It’s not ok for anyone else to do this, but the Flag Code allows the President to desecrate the flag however he chooses. Honest, it’s ok if he does it because the President of the United States is put into power in accordance with God’s Will, therefore he’s infallible.)

Hopefully The Citizens Flag Alliance will focus on other types of flag desecration in the near future… like writing on the flag, or other extremely Un-American activities like using the flag in a logo and so on. Individuals who misuse the One True Flag of God’s Personal United States of America should be burned alive at the stake for there is no greater form of treason than to misuse God’s True Mark of Freedom.

Look at these filfthy, Godless bastards and their blatant disregart for God’s Chosen Country’s Symbol:

These terrorists don’t respect America, God, Jesus Christ, or the Sanctity of the American Flag.

Bank of America logo: Godless Flag Abusers and Flag Code violators.

The so-called United States Postal Office: Where blatant Flag-Abuse runs rampant

This cutesy bear promoting the homosexual agenda is violating the flag code (by holding it improperly and by being part of a commercial logo). How dare they promote homosexuality by using a cute bear and the American Flag!

Fortunately, the Senate will have plenty of time to discuss that matter. The chamber has scheduled up to four days of debate on the flag-burning amendment this week. If that formula — one day of Senate debate for each incident of flag burning this year — were to be applied to other matters, the Senate would need to schedule 12 days of debate to contemplate the number of years before Medicare goes broke, 335 days of debate for each service member killed in Iraq this year and 11 million days of debate on the estimated number of illegal immigrants in the country.

This issue is the single most important issue Congress will face this year. Stand Up, you congressional cowards, and pass legistration that requires mandatory public execution of Abusers of the Flag Code. This matter is of paramount importance to the Republic as a whole and nothing less than complete annihilation and the removal of life of those who desecrate and slander the American Flag is appropriate.

I love absurd Right-Wing Nutjobs like this, who can’t answer simple questions without short-circuiting and resorting to name-calling and threats of violence.

My absolutely favorite part is that the Wingnut calls Bernie Ward fat and makes a comment along the lines of “at least I don’t have more than one chin…” though the screen capture posted at Crooks and Liars clearly shows a quite-discernible double chin (he later whines about how he came to have a two-way dialog… I guess “dialog” means “name-calling sessions” to Republican Nutjobs).

Kudos Bernie Ward for sticking to your point and allowing the lunatic to self-implode. I optimistically hope that the trend of self-imploding wingnuts (been following any news about Ann “Intellectual” Coulter?) will continue and cause people to wake the fuck up.

“A lot of what needs to be done here will have to be done quietly, without any discussion, using sources and methods that are available to our intelligence agencies,” Cheney told Americans just after 9/11. He warned the public that the government would have to operate on the “dark side.”

In “The Dark Side,” FRONTLINE tells the story of the vice president’s role as the chief architect of the war on terror, and his battle with Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet for control of the “dark side.” Drawing on more than 40 interviews and thousands of documents, the film provides a step-by-step examination of what happened inside the councils of war.
….
Tenet chose to stay, but after the failure to find Iraqi WMD, the tension between the agency and Cheney’s allies grew to the point that some in the administration believed the CIA had launched a covert war to undermine the president. In response, Cheney’s office waged a campaign to distance itself from the prewar intelligence the vice president had helped to cultivate. Under pressure, Tenet resigned. Cheney’s chief of staff, Scooter Libby, would later admit to leaking key sections of the NIE — authorized, he says, by Cheney. Libby also stated that the vice president told him that President Bush had declassified the material. Insiders tell FRONTLINE that the leak was part of the battle between the vice president and the CIA — a battle that many believe has destroyed the CIA.

This entire episode of Frontline is available for viewing online.

Viral, “P2P,” and several other buzzwordy labels apply… but it’s more than a cool concept, it’s a chance to go see an important movie for free.

This post asks some great questions.

In today’s non-news, James Dobson Endorses Wingnuts.

Apparently “detaining” now means “kidnapping.” I don’t know about you, but I find it disgusting that the attitude of this country’s leadership seems to be “fuck the Geneva Convention.”

I guess 49% of us are still for human rights and the goal of living in a true democracy.

At first I’d thought this was a joke, but it’s actually available on Amazon:

I found a new job using CronyJobs. I’ll be the head of the new agency which manages the FDA, FDIC, FEMA, FBI, FAA, FCC, FEC, FASAB, FDLP, FTC, and FERC.

Pastor Martin Neimoller supported the Nazis until he realized, too late, what they were really about and was sent to Dachau concentration camp. He was one of the fortunate to be freed and live until 1984.

First they came for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Communist.
Then they came for the Social Democrats, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Social Democrat.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Jew,
Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me.

Sony is installing malware on your computer according to the article, and it’s a prime example of scumbaggery (or as my friend Adam puts it, “scumbuggery”).

Sony BMG is facing a cacophony of criticism this week following the revelation that some of its CDs are packed with special copy-protection software that conceals itself with an advanced hacker cloaking technique. We think the company is getting off easy.

The firestorm began when Mark Russinovich, a computer security expert with Sysinternals, discovered evidence of a “rootkit” on his Windows PC. Through heroic forensic work, he traced the code to First 4 Internet, a British provider of copy-restriction technology that has a deal with Sony to put digital rights management on its CDs. It turns out Russinovich was infected with the software when he played the Sony BMG CD Get Right With the Man by the Van Zant brothers.

Thanks to SuperDave Slusher for bringing this to my/our attention.

Exactly spot-on.

The FBI is joining the Bush administration’s War on Porn. And it’s looking for a few good agents.
Last month, the bureau’s Washington Field Office began recruiting for a new anti-obscenity squad. Attached to the job posting was a memo from FBI headquarters to all 56 field offices, describing the initiative as “one of the top priorities” of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and, by extension, of “the Director,” Robert Mueller.
From: SFGate

At first, I thought it was a joke, but then I realized it was actually in the San Francisco Chronicle. It’s apparently only a short matter of time until we’re all required to wear our American Flag/Fish Emblem armbands. 51% and counting…

I’m feeling very conflicted today, because I really can’t decide how July 4th, American Independence Day, should be celebrated. While July 4th is primarily about this country’s independence from England and the Queen, it’s really become a larger holiday, encompasing the celebration of Freedom: political, religious, and personal.

It’s the wider definition that brings the internal conflict. Are we free in America, and are we standing for the maintenance of that freedom? Aren’t our freedoms being gradually eroded by corporate interests and religious assholes who think that their view of morality should be legislated and enforced?

I can’t currently reconcile the theoretical concept of Freedom with the reality of contemporary America, but I actually am hopeful that sanity will be restored and that individual Americans will stand up and take the bridle of Personal Responsibility that True Freedom requires.

Perhaps, though, I’d be better off hoping to win the lottery, or waiting for Jesus to return.

This is the best video on Pryvacy that I’ve seen in a while.

Ding dong, the witch is gone.

It’s my hope that if she tries to find another job (instead of “retiring”) that she’s reminded that “Americans don’t have a God-given right to jobs” at every company she’s interested in working for.