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2/2/2006; 1:18:39
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| NYT Endorses Kerry for President: |
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"There is no denying that this race is mainly about Mr. Bush's disastrous tenure. Nearly four years ago, after the Supreme Court awarded him the presidency, Mr. Bush came into office amid popular expectation that he would acknowledge his lack of a mandate by sticking close to the center. Instead, he turned the government over to the radical right."
"We look back on the past four years with hearts nearly breaking, both for the lives unnecessarily lost and for the opportunities so casually wasted. Time and again, history invited George W. Bush to play a heroic role, and time and again he chose the wrong course. We believe that with John Kerry as president, the nation will do better." -- New York Times 17 Oct, 2004
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| Reckless Administration May Reap Disastrous Consequences: |
'This nation is about to embark upon the first test of a revolutionary doctrine applied in an extraordinary way at an unfortunate time. The doctrine of preemption -- the idea that the United States or any other nation can legitimately attack a nation that is not imminently threatening but may be threatening in the future -- is a radical new twist on the traditional idea of self defense. It appears to be in contravention of international law and the UN Charter. And it is being tested at a time of world-wide terrorism, making many countries around the globe wonder if they will soon be on our -- or some other nation's -- hit list.'
-U.S. Senator Robert Byrd, Feb. 12, 2003
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| On the road to losing the peace : |
'It was bad enough for the U.S. to have endured the intelligence failures that led to Sept. 11; it's another thing to know that 18 months, billions of dollars and untold numbers of bombs later that Osama bin Laden and most of his top advisers remain on the loose. This failure ought to be thrown daily in Mr. Bush's face, but he has diverted attention to Iraq, where the United States is about to make a mistake of historic proportions.'
-Jeffrey Simpson in The Globe and Mail, 18 Feb 2003
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 Monday, 11 March 2002
 < 11:44:25 PM>.
Spying: The American Way of Life?
If that happens, new surveillance powers that police receive today likely will become permanent.
That's why some members of the "In Defense of Freedom" alliance that sprang up after Sept. 11 -- and includes libertarian, conservative, and liberal groups -- are alarmed.
< 10:42:19 PM>.
The America-hating left turns up the volume. Six months after al-Qaida killed more than 3,000 civilians, they'd rather bash Bush and Ashcroft than our terrorist enemies. [Salon.com] I've asked in another column how Salon can praise Bush's handling of the war and still think he's stupid, and still haven't received an answer. I wanted to point to this article in the interests of seeing what the other side had to say. I can' read the whole article because I'm not a member of Salon. But this quote above may be enough for me. I won't pass judgment on Bush's war here, but is it not conceivable to the author that someone can be stupid (and how can he doubt that this guy is a dolt?) and still have handlers and advisors who keep him on track on certain issues?
And the pull-quote is purely a way to fire people up. It's a ridiculous statement. As simplistic as Bush's 'you're either with us, or against us.;
< 2:49:59 PM>.
Spying: The American Way of Life?. After Sept. 11's terrorist attacks, many Americans applauded new laws granting police more surveillance and eavesdropping powers. Now, six months later, is it time to rethink this plan? Declan McCullagh reports from Washington. [Wired News]
< 1:38:31 PM>.
Weary U.S. troops return from battle as Canadian soldiers prepare to fight. CBC Mar 11 2002 2:09AM ET [Moreover - moreover...]
< 11:52:34 AM>.
It could never happen here .... September 11: Six months on, the terrorist attacks remain unfathomable to New Yorkers, writes Liesl Schillinger. [Guardian Unlimited]It is hard to explain how frightened and subdued New Yorkers felt last September, October, November. On September 10, we were invincible. On September 12, we were infinitely vulnerable.
A fine article. Well worth the read.
< 2:09:27 AM>.
U.S. and Canada Unite to Secure Open PortalThe Federal Bureau of Investigation is giving the Royal Canadian Mounted Police direct access to its fingerprint database [~] the first time a foreign agency has had a direct link to the information. Both countries will send customs inspectors to each other's busiest seaports. The countries are sharing visa information. The Border Patrol has increased the number of joint enforcement and surveillance teams with its Canadian counterparts and has stationed a liaison officer at the Mounted Police headquarters in Ottawa.
My goodness. The Canucks do get something in return. I think.
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