Must read: Molly Ivins' "Undermining our Country to Save It"

[flpoljunkie]

How come no one else in M$M is covering this obvious story--that TIA (Total Information Awareness) changed it's name and has evidently been engaged in massive data mining of U.S. citizens, seemingly at the direction or "Our Dear Leader?"

___________

Undermining our country to save it

By Molly Ivins
Creators Syndicate

There is neither grandeur nor tragedy in watching this president, the Testy Kid, violate his oath to uphold the laws and Constitution. The Testy Kid wants to do what he wants to do when he wants to do it because he is the president, and he considers that sufficient justification for whatever he wants. He even finds lawyers like John Yoo who tell him that whatever he wants to do is legal.

<snip>You will be unsurprised to learn that, first, they lied. They didn't do it. Well, OK, they did it, but not very much at all. Well, OK, more than that. A lot more than that. OK, millions of private e-mail and telephone calls every hour, and all medical and financial records.

You may recall that in 2002 it was revealed that the Pentagon had started a giant data-mining program called Total Information Awareness (TIA), intended to search through vast databases "to increase information coverage by an order of magnitude." From credit cards to vet reports, Big Brother would be watching us. This dandy program was under the control of Adm. John Poindexter, convicted of five felonies during Iran-contra, all overturned on a technicality. This administration really knows where to go for good help -- it ought to bring back Brownie.

Everybody decided that TIA was a terrible idea, and the program was theoretically shut down. As often happens with this administration, it turned out that they just changed the name and made the program less visible. Data-mining was a popular buzzword at the time, and the administration was obviously hot to have it. Bush established a secret program under which the National Security Agency could bypass the FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) court and begin eavesdropping on Americans without warrants.

more...

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/columnists/molly_ivins/13506881.htm

[sabra]

1. read today in the ChicagoTrib editorial - it was great

loves how she calls *, the "Testy Kid"

[priller]

5. Funnier than "spoiled brat", I guess

Otherwise it's just pathetic.

[leftyladyfrommo]

6. I liked "the stink over Washington"

That pretty much says it all.

[Amonester]

7. *'s been this way even before he batted the ball through the...

neighbor's window... and poppy congratulated him for having done so, instead of grounding him for good (like most 'good' father do...).

Nobody ever got in 'his way' since he got diapers...

No wonder... So who's gonna be the first brave?

[Blue Velvet]

17. I believe Tom Daschle wrote something last week about standing up to him

Something about refusing to grant him power to declare war in/on the US, perhaps? I dunno... the details are unimportant.

What IS important, though, is that I recall Mr. Daschle getting some kind of "thank you" letter from the administration just a little after that. How courteous of them! It's makes you wonder why more people don't stand up to the Pouting Emperor these days?!

p.s. Molly Ivins rules!

[Amonester]

23. Welcome to DU, Blue! And yes, can't be here non-stop (work)

but a quick search with these keywords

Tom Daschle stand up

returned some 473,000 hits in 0.17 sec.

And the Home of the Brave.
(One more time: stop the little testy kid.)
(Soon, or before it's too late.)
(If it's not too late, already.)
(Hope.) :patriot:

[newyawker99]

24. Hi Blue Velvet!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Blue Velvet]

30. Thanks for the welcome(s), Amonester and newyawker!

Glad to be here!

And Amonester, I was going for some kind of "arch" tone (is there an emoticon for that?) with my post to you in that apparently Tom D. received that Anthrax letter soon after standing up to the Chimperor. Wasn't meaning to infer you weren't up on things! (Besides, I have an unfair "advantage" in that I'm home sick from work today - and even so I still can't keep up with all the latest ridiculous installments in the saga of Dubya and Our Deteriorating Demockracy!)

[Amonester]

43. You did a good thing.

Reading your words, I can feel great (and true) values.

To communicate on a message is not always easy. I was in a hurry when I replied and I just wanted to add my support to yours just hoping if doing so could benefit someone else here, and if it would turned out not to be helpful at all, then it's not that important (the fact that it had to helpful or not).

Anyway, for 99.9 percent of the time, we're in excellent company here on DU, and I feel you are one of us, so I want to welcome you to DU again.

I also admit that there are a lot of things I am not aware of, and that's alright because, in part, it's one of the big reasons why I connect to DU also.

I sincerely wish you will get well as soon as possible.

:web:

[Blue Velvet]

47. Thanks - that really means a lot!

And yes - I too find DU to be a great place of learning and, even though some of what I learn here can be somewhat grim and even dispiriting at times, most of the time I am filled with hope when I encounter the truth as written and sought out by so many of the great voices here.

So thanks again - not only for the excellent welcome, but for adding to that learning and hope that I come here for!

Peace, my friend.

[Trevelyan]

44. Tom Daschle also got the biggest hit of Anthrax and in the "election"

midterms Second of Three stolen by DIEBOLD Karl Rove went after Daschle with a meat cleaver.

[Blue Velvet]

48. True that. And as I understand it, that midterm you refer to was

the first appearance by a certain political operative - I mean "journalist" - oh, wait, no I mean "gay military escort/White House correspondent" named Jeff Gannon!

Things that make you go "hmmmm," hmmmm? I wonder what good ol' Jeffy's up to these days, anyway?

[maryallen]

34. Or the Pissy Punk ...

[flpoljunkie]

54. Here's a link to the article that does not require registration.

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1229-20.htm

[NMDemDist2]

2. K & N n/t

[Spazito]

3. Wow!

Excellent commentary, thanks for posting. It really is a MUST READ, imo.

[leftyladyfrommo]

4. She is always wonderful

And she is one of the few people that I really believe - all of the time. When she says it is time to get scared, then it is time to get scared.

And boy do the conservatives hate her.

[Ravenseye]

8. She says the program targeted Vegans?

Where does that come from? Vegans? PETA? I'm sure she has a source, but what is it, anyone know?

[leftyladyfrommo]

11. I read that somewhere, too

On the report on the groups the FBI was watching - one group was vegan.

[Lex]

12. A quick search on Google News for "vegans PETA" yields results.

Here is one:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2005/12/21/BL2005122100467.html

[Ravenseye]

16. Oh ok just that, not like actual evidence of evesdropping

I knew that the FBI and people tracked a number of these groups, which is dumb, but I thought there was some new revelation that one of these warrantless wiretaps was actually against PETA or a Vegan group, not just the normal big brother surveilance they do, but the highly illegal warrentless wiretapping kind.

Or is there?

[eppur_se_muova]

40. Did someone say Vegans?

Agent of Vega & Other Stories (Paperback)
by James H. Schmitz "It just happens," the Third Co-ordinator of the Vegan Confederacy explained patiently, that the local Agent-it's Zone Seventeen Eighty-two-isn't available at the moment..." (more)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0671318470/ref=sib_dp_pt/104-5233238-9236718#reader-link

[Dirty Hippie]

9. " The program has already targeted vegans ...

... and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals"

Anyone know where she got this info?

[Lex]

13. See Post #12.

It comes up on a Google News search.

[ecoalex]

10. Spying on Americans without a warrant is illegal

Nixon is at it again, with Pat Buccannan, chenny saying the prez is above the other two branches of Govmn't.

[nancyr]

15. Molly Ivins column

Excellent as usual! The only problem is: the people who should be reading this are apparently too clueless to move away from the Fox News Channel and understand what is really happening to our country. I am very afraid....at what point will the average idiot right-winger begin to realize that something very bad is going on here? People are so easy to brain-wash, aren't they?

[bookman]

19. You are so right

I just had a conversation with someone who seemed so brainwashed. Facts are just slanted, etc.
I just changed the subject.

Molly Ivins is one of our Texas treasures. She is a great example of how all Texans are right wing nut jobs.

Welcome to DU!

[Stevepol]

31. I disagree about the stereotype of TX as entirely right wing.

If the voting machines weren't counting the vote (and heavily funded by the high rollers in TX, of which there are many), I believe TX would be tilting Dem-ward.

It's true that West TX and East TX are conservative, but South TX and Central TX are generally more democratic and overall (again if the votes were counted fairly or are ever again counted fairly) I think TX would be slightly Democratic. There are many strongly Democratic areas in TX. And the demographic changes favor the Dems, as they do everywhere else in the country.

[bookman]

56. oops

What I meant to say was she was an example of how all Texans are not right wing nut jobs.

I'm a liberal Texan myself. :)

[mwb970]

49. You can't talk to right wingers.

Their fundamental assumptions are so glaringly different from ours that we might as well be speaking different languages. These are the people that think that:

- Bush is an honest, competent president
- Bush is popular around the world
- Bush's Iraq War is going well and is making us safer
- Deficits don't matter
- Church and state should merge; schools should teach religion
- Evolution is totally false; humans and dinosaurs co-existed
- The president can violate the law and the Constitution whenever he wants
- The "War On Terror" gives the president permanent wartime powers
- Any limits on presidential power are inherently unpatriotic
- Liberals are waging a "War On Christmas"

Do you believe any of these things? If not, you will be unable to successfully talk to a right winger. They have been brainwashed into believing all of these things and a good many more besides.

I'm sorry. They're just hopeless.

[CAcyclist]

51. Great signature - where can I get the bumper sticker? nt

[EVDebs]

14. TIA was offshored and privatized in the Bahamas

Your information has already been 'outsourced' to the Bahamas and Total Information Awareness, oops, CAPPS II.

See Total Information Awareness Goes Offshore
http://www.zmetro.com/archives/000901.php

and Sourcewatch's
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Ben_H._Bell_...
and
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Total_Inform...

Big Government R's would never allow intel agencies to become politicized and try to harm citizens from political parties out of favor, like those nasty Greens or that arch-terrorist Ted Kennedy.

Also, Time Magazine Aug 4, 1997 'Kingdom Come' article by D. Van Biema p. 52 says "the FBI and CIA ...have instituted Mormon recruitment plans", this seems to me to show hiring preferences to conservatives thus stockpiling the ranks with that mindset. The CIA's early leadership was of similar bent, being mainly staunch Catholic Knights of Malta (Wm Donovan, Wm Casey, Wm Colby, James Jesus Angleton, Allen Dulles, Reinhard Gehlen of Op Paperclip, etc. etc.). Nowadays Opus Dei types such as Robert Hanssen are in the bureau.

With surreptitious access to 'secure' databanks, such individuals have power over YOU. And now they've taken it private and offshore. Feel safe ?

[EVDebs]

29. BTW, the offshored bank/med records aren't secure

as the Russian mafia already can attest !

""...Alan Paller, director of research at the Bethesda, Md.-based SANS Institute, said the California law is probably necessary because of the kinds of crime that are occurring. A group in Russia and Ukraine has been acquiring customer data, extorting money to prevent its release and then selling it anyway. Paller believes some companies are paying off the extortionists in an attempt to contain the damage""

http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/privacy/story/0,10801,76721,00.html

BTW, SFChronicle's David Lazarus has also written about the insecurity of our medical records (in addition to the sorry state of the financial records) overseas, with an incident involving the University of California and a Pakistani medical transcriber.

So, in addition to the insecurity of the data, you also have to look out for the reliability of it in the first place (!) and the political leanings of those insiders in whatever agency doing a snoop.

Molly is right on !

[robbedvoter]

18. You skipped the delicious beginning - not to be missed:

AUSTIN - The first time as tragedy, the second time as farce.

Thirty-five years ago, Richard Milhous Nixon, who was crazy as a bullbat, and J. Edgar Hoover, who wore women's underwear, decided that some Americans had unacceptable political opinions. So they set our government to spying on its own citizens, basically those who were deemed insufficiently like Crazy Richard Milhous.

For those of you who have forgotten just what a stonewall paranoid Nixon was, the poor man used to stalk around the White House demanding that his political enemies be killed. Many still believe there was a certain Richard III grandeur to Nixon's collapse because he was also a man of notable talents.

[Stepup2]

20. Fantastic!!

Molly makes the point succinctly and with her usual flair for humor; such an artful way to wrap up and present this HUGE issue.

I e-mailed this to everyone I know and I am waiting for the flame war which will ensue :evilgrin:

[mark11727]

21. Just thought about the line...

"Well, If you aren't doing anything wrong, you don't have anything to worry about, do you?"

Of course, the Powers That Be will make that determination, whenever, and however they chose.

What's legal one day may not be on the next.

Just sayin'.

[NewWaveChick1981]

22. Thank you once again, Molly, for standing up for

all of us. I especially appreciate the last couple of paragraphs:


Folks, we know this program is being and will be misused. We know it from the past record and current reporting. The program has already targeted vegans and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals -- and if those aren't outposts of al Qaeda, what is? Could this be more pathetic?

This could scarcely be clearer. Either the president of the United States is going to have to understand and admit that he has done something very wrong, or he will have to be impeached. The first time this happened, the institutional response was magnificent. The courts, the press, the Congress all functioned superbly.

Anyone think we're up to that again? Then whom do we blame when we lose the republic?

She's exactly right.

[bigbrother05]

25. Always enjoy Molly, but ....

not happy about giving Chimpy any outs.

"This could scarcely be clearer. Either the president of the United States is going to have to understand and admit that he has done something very wrong, or he will have to be impeached. The first time this happened, the institutional response was magnificent. The courts, the press, the Congress all functioned superbly."

Know she's being reasonable and that he'll never own up to it, but he has never earned/deserved any 2nd chances.

He has openly admitted to committing a federal felony and expressed his intent to continue. There is only one thing that is clear:

Impeach the Chimp! Now!

[Trevelyan]

45. Most Important Impeachment Petition/Letter by Rep. Conyers EVER!!

Congressman Conyers has used the Impeach-Word several times in his proposed Impeachment Inquiry and has several other members of the House of Representatives as co-sponsors but needs more and has asked for our help in signing his letter to Bush and in writing to our Congresscritters to request they support him in investigating the Bush Regime's massive illegal activities harming the American people. Please add your signature here:

http://www.johnconyers.com/ - Conyer's Action Items

"Join me, below, in sending the:

Letter Advising the President of Censure

and

Steps to Begin Special Committee Investigation

Dear Mr. President:

We are brave, proud, patriotic citizens of the United States. We love our country and are writing to express our profound disappointment with you and your administration for your conduct surrounding the Iraq War, the collection and use of intelligence, and your disrespect for the laws of this great nation..."

[PurpleChez]

26. As always, my unlimited love to Ms. Molly Ivins.

[leeroysphitz]

27. I've Had Enough "constitutional Crises" for one decade...

Could we PLEASE have an honest, accountable and transparent government for a little while, for a change?

Lets take a 4 to 8 year (AT LEAST!) break from illegal wiretaps and made up wars. A hiatus from shady elections and torturing people. Let's declare a moratorium on unethical and illegal campaign finance methods. While we're at it let's also chill out on budgetary "offsets" targeted at poor working families necessitated by flagrantly unfair and unnecessary tax cuts for people who are to rich to even NOTICE them. Just for a presidential term or two let's all try to believe what we ALL saw with our own eyes in the 90's under a dem admin: Prosperity. Peace. Security. A flawed but honest stab at FAIRNESS and EQUALITY. You know PROGRESS.

[Joe Chi Minh]

37. Well, a start could be made by insisting on two fundamental

requirements:

1) Every incoming President from now on should be wired up to a lie detector machine when they take the oath of office If they've nothing to hide... you know...

2) When a President's associates are jailed for just one serious crimes, instead of being routinely pardoned by their friend, the outgoing President, their remaining sentence should be divided into two, with the outgoing President serving one of the halves, immediately upon departure from office. He must be seen walking out of the White House dressed up to the nines in "Republican chic", that orange jump suit. There seems to be tremendous pressure in the party to change their party color from red to orange, doesn't there? Could it have been caused by an over-generous admixture of Chickenhawk yellow with the red, do you think? What do you call a a Republican Congressman these days? "The Accused".

[MN ChimpH8R]

28. Exceptional column, even for Molly

who is consistently enlightening and entertaining. She's one of the best we have.

[Maestro]

32. She's awesome!

But we all knew that!

[ColonelTom]

33. TIA = NSA wiretap program. Ivins nails it, as usual.

I think this is the first major op-ed piece to state clearly that the NSA's warrantless wiretaps ARE, in fact, the already-rejected-by-Congress TIA program - not another program designed to achieve the same objective. That absolutely destroys the argument that the Bushies are making, that Congress impliedly gave the go-ahead anywhere along the way. Congress rejected THIS program - not a broader program kind of like it, but THIS VERY PROGRAM!

Impeachment's too good for these bastards.

[PegDAC]

35. SAY IT LOUD!

Impeach, Indict, Convict, Imprison. And throw away the key!!
:hi:

[BamaBecky]

36. This was a great article!

[long_green]

38. Go get 'em, Molly

Maybe one day your country and your state will have the sort of government that deserves to have you as a citizen.

[ClintonTyree]

39. The Republicans absolute power in our government............

has absolutely corrupted them. They now care more about party than country. They will do anything to hold on to this power and I already fear for our nation. I put nothing past these power hungry cretins. There may be a handful within government that will resist this tyranny, they must stand up against bush and his minions along with each and every Democrat. If not then this country, as we know it, will cease to exist and a dictatorship will have been successfully formed by these traitors. There will be no more elections, for our own good of course. :eyes: All hail president for life, george w. bush! :puke:
We have come to a grave crossroads in the history of our country. The path we take within the next few months will decide the fate of our nation. bush, along with every trace of his administration, must go. Impeachment is the only way to save our country. Unlike Bill Clinton's minor transgressions that were amplified into a towering "Constitutional crisis" by the right-wing propaganda wurlitzer, we actually DO HAVE a dire Constitutional crisis at this moment in our government. And the lockstep republican traitors remain silent, not caring that bush has transformed our country into a dictatorship. Party before country, the republicans have chosen. Now it's time for the American people to choose. We cannot allow this to stand.

[lyonn]

52. ".....absolute power in government....

I'm real old and I don't recall a time when all 3 branches of govt. was in the hands of one party. We always knew this was bad and somehow we managed to keep a mix of R's and D's keeping check on each other. Little did we oldies ever think if one party totally ruled it would become a fiefdom. Scary how easy for a country to become a totalitarian state.

If we don't impeach this pres. we will for far too long be held by the rest of the free world as greedy, arrogant, warmongers.

[Pharaoh]

41. what would rush say?

as they are trying to get his records.............

[Wiley50]

42. Is Molly single?

I've even seen her on TV. I'd still almost kill to marry a girl like her.

[Trevelyan]

46. Sounds like Bush was spying on two of his "allies" then.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/12/27/24227/922

[flpoljunkie]

50. A good bet that Powell would find some way to excuse this, too.

It's what he does best--make excuses for and enable the Chimperor-in-Chief, i.e., Powell's United Nation' presentation of the "evidence" Saddam had WMD and was a threat to the United States.

[lyonn]

53. Stay tuned for an important msg., the U.S. has been taken over

This bush crowd must be chuckling and back slapping one another over how easy it is to fool, scare, bully and just plain do as they damn well please all with the simple phrases, 9-11, evil ones, terrorist out to destroy us any way they can, etc. Apparently the free world is wondering about this country and where it is headed. It keeps on working for this admin.!! When will people realise our voting system is screwed, our legal system for ordinary people is screwed, and getting worse women are to take a back seat and let these old limp dicks tell them that they must keep having those kids, haven't figured that one out yet?, civil rights and liberties are things of the "old" days. Kinda like "old Europe."

[ecoalex]

55. Much of this is in the PNAC manifesto

Too bad no Dem had the balls to bring it up. The next Dem for prez must not be a skull & bones dickhead.Kerry sucked W's teat, it was disgusting.