From Pine View Farm

David Atkins fesses up the the freying of the truth:

Tonight marks the fifth installment in my memoir, “My State of the Union.” The response of my audience to this series has, frankly, been overwhelming. The powerful story of a noble country overcoming adversity to defeat terrorism and spread democracy without needlessly raising CAFE standards has clearly resonated with a wide audience. Unfortunately, it has also attracted an unprecedented level of scrutiny, scrutiny that has raised questions about some of the details contained in advance copies of tonight’s speech. While it is tempting to dismiss such questions as just more Washington “gotcha” politics, I value my reputation for “Texas straight talk.”

And he proceeds to footnote the State of the Union.

“Marley was dead.”

Whoops, wrong Marley.

John Grogan of the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote a book about his Labrador Retriever, Marley and Me. (Recently, it was optioned for a movie).

I haven’t read the book, but I have read a few of his Marley stories. Having had a black Lab, I could empathize.

Apparently, though, some of his stories have been called into question.

From today’s Inquirer:

In light of the scandal enveloping bestselling author James Frey, who now admits his purportedly nonfiction memoir “A Million Little Pieces” is riddled with fabrications and exaggerations, the online accuracy watchdog SmokingCanine.com has launched an investigation into another memoir currently topping best-seller lists. We now bring you this shocking expose:

PHILADELPHIA – Credible evidence has surfaced that Inquirer columnist John Grogan might have greatly exaggerated the badness of his now-infamous Labrador retriever Marley.

In his memoir, Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog, Grogan portrays his now-deceased pet as incorrigible, neurotic, ill-mannered, flatulent and slobbering. But a SmokingCanine investigation found scant evidence to support the unflattering depiction.

One former neighbor, Betty Barcalot, told SmokingCanine: “Marley was a great dog. I once witnessed him dart into traffic to pull a chihuahua to safety. But did that make the book?”

The entire story is well-worth a read.

The American entrepreneurial spirit is not dead:

At City Coffee, just across the street from Camden City Hall, they are offering a cup of joe, help with tax returns, and – if you really want to know – that pesky DNA paternity test.

Owner Ronald Ford Jr. has produced the region’s first known marriage of coffee and DNA. In just five workdays, you can find out who’s really your daddy.

The advertising flyers at his shop picture a cuddly toddler and the question: “Is this your child?… Maybe? Do you want to be sure?”

(30 mins. prep time after marinating is done)

1 lb. steak
1 cp. dry red wine (if you won’t drink it, don’t cook with it)
4 large or 6 medium mushrooms, sliced (if large, sliced and quartered)
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced, or 1 tsp. garlic chips
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tbs A-1 or comparable sauce
1/4 tsp. freshly ground salt
4 tbs. butter

Marinate steak in wine.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove steak from wine and sprinkle heavily on both sides with minced garlic and freshly ground black pepper; reserve wine.

Wrap steak in aluminum foil and place in oven for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile . . .

Melt butter in cast iron skillet (if you don’t have a cast iron skillet, a frying pan will do, but nothing beats cast iron).

Saute onions, mushrooms, and remaining garlic (or more garlic, if needed) in skillet.

When onions are translucent, add wine and salt; increase heat and reduce liquid. Add A-1 style sauce after liquid is partially reduced.

When 20 minutes has passed, remove steak from oven, unwrap from foil, and place under broiler for five minutes, then turn and broil other side for five minutes.

Place steak on serving dish and cover with sauce.

Place on table. Stand back.

Truly Never Land:

A stowaway aboard a ship that docked last week in the Port of Camden is now a virtual prisoner on the vessel, says its captain, because no country will claim him.

The Trubezh arrived Jan. 20 bearing unexpected cargo, said Joe Balzano, executive director of the South Jersey Port Corp. A young man had stolen in with the cocoa beans the ship picked up in Ivory Coast.

Now he is stuck on the vessel indefinitely as it navigates from port to port.

(snip)

The owners of vessels bear the responsibility, and the financial burden, to send stowaways home. Ship owners often also pay for armed guards while in U.S. ports with stowaways aboard. If the stowaway escapes, the owner is fined about $3,000.

Rather than bear the expense, some officers have ordered stowaways cast overboard.

“The law created incentives for stowaways never to make it ashore,” said Doug Stevenson, director of the Center for Seafarer Rights in New York.

The center defended the captain and first mate of the cargo ship MC Ruby, who were sentenced to life in prison for the 1992 murder of eight Ghanaian stowaways. The men were beaten with iron rods, shot, and dumped off the coast of Portugal.

I went back to Second Source today and spoke with Ken, the owner, and got permission to take pictures of some of the unusual computers I mentioned yesterday.

They are made by Ron Sanderson, of whom the Wilmington News-Journal wrote in 2004 (a link to the story is not available–it’s archived):

At 62, he’s a veteran of modifying all manner of machinery. In 1982, he completed a 15-year restoration of a 1953 Ford Crown Victoria. (It netted him first place in a national competition.) He’s renovated, cleaned and sold nearly 30 Harley-Davidsons, he says. In 1983, he disassembled all but the seat and frame of his Harley within two hours of its purchase and sent the parts out to be chromed. The bike, to which he attached a radar detector and a cigarette lighter, landed him a page in Easy Rider magazine.

His passion now is computer modifications, or “mods,” which are to PCs what hot rods are to cars. First intended to push the speeds of processor chips, mods often were the province of gamers. And as the companies that produce the powerful and expensive graphics cards essential to fluid play started designing cards with sharp colors, gamers intent on showing them off incorporated windows into their PC towers.

His work is also regulary featured at the Newegg.

All the computers shown below are for sale at Second Source:

This one greets you as you enter the store:

And this one’s over by the repair bench:

I’m not sure what the case of this one started as–it looks like something that might have been in a rack of a mainframe or a communications center:

Here’s another view of it:

This one came in with the morning milk:

Bringing new meaning to the term “micro-computer”:

And this one will always keep odors away:

And here’s a view inside the litter box:

Ken told me that Mr. Sanderson also will make computers to order, but that those cost more than the ones on the shelves (makes sense to me). Those that had price tags ran around approximately $499.99.

Disclaimer: My only relationship to Second Source is as an occasional–and satisfied–customer. It’s the place to which I refer any of my friends who need computer repairs, and it’s where we got my younger daughter her first system. Not to mention the motherboard I used for my first motherboardectomy, several keyboards, cables, and other digital miscellany.

Courtesy Blinq, CNN Money’s list of the 101 dumbest moments in business.

Number One (follow the link to see the rest):

1. Bubble Trouble
“If you grew up in Danvers, and you remember it as the spooky place on the hill, it might not be the right place to live.” — William McLaughlin, an executive with AvalonBay Communities, which is converting boarded-up Massachusetts mental institution Danvers State Hospital into a 497-unit complex of high-end apartments and condos. That sound you hear? Not the ghosts of mental patients, but loud hissing from the wildly inflated housing bubble, which tops our list this year with seven priceless moments of real estate insanity. First up: the nuthouse-to-yuppie-house trend currently sweeping North America, with such conversions also planned in Detroit, New York, Vancouver, and Columbia, S.C., where the centerpiece of the development is an original brick building with the word “asylum” chiseled into the facade.

Nearly five months after Hurricane Katrina swamped New Orleans, President Bush’s lofty promises to rebuild the Gulf Coast have been frustrated by bureaucratic failures and competing priorities, a review of events since the hurricane shows.

While the administration can claim some clear progress, Bush’s ringing call from New Orleans’s Jackson Square on Sept. 15 to “do what it takes” to make the city rise from the waters has not been matched by action, critics at multiple levels of government say, resulting in a record that is largely incomplete as Bush heads into next week’s State of the Union address.

And this is a surprise how?

The current Federal Administration has proven itself willing to promise anything, then renege on the promise.

They say whatever they think will sound good at the time, then do not follow through.

They promise fiscal responsibility, and blow the lid off the deficit. They promise to put Bin Laden out of business, but can’t find him. They promise honesty . . . oh, never mind.

By this time, one either sees through him or not.

I dropped by my local used computer store today, hoping to stumble on a used PCMCIA wireless network card, for when I’m on the road and in a hotel with only a wireless network.

No luck, but I saw some interesting handmade computers. I wish I had had my camera with me; I’d have taken pictures if they gave me permission. They all had CD drives, floppy drives, and everything else needed for a fully functional box.

One was built inside one of those plastic milk carton thingies.

One was in a cardboard carton.

But the ultimate one was in a Tidy-Cat cat litter bucket.

Maybe I’ll run by there tomorrow and see whether they’ll let me take some pictures.

Jesus’ General has the inside scoop; here’s the proposed new Fourth Amendment. Follow the link to see the complete draft:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures is a pre-9/11 concept that is inoperative for as long as the most patriotic citizens continue to wet their pants at the sight of a brown person. shall not be violated, and nNo warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause the whim of the executive or his deputy chief of staff, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the ideological leanings, degree of browness, or resale value of persons or things to be seized.

They’re back, accusing those who disagree with them of being treasonous:

Eugene Robinson in today’s Washington Post:
Democrats “have a pre-9/11 worldview” of national security that is “deeply and profoundly and consistently wrong,” Rove said. The clear subtext was that Americans would court mortal danger by electing Democrats. Go forth and scare the bejesus out of them, Rove was telling his party, because the more frightened they are, the better our chances.

To cultivate fear for partisan gain is never a political tactic to be proud of, but Rove’s prescription of naked fearmongering is just plain reprehensible when the nation faces a shifting array of genuine, serious threats. This is a moment for ethical politicians — and, yes, these days that seems like an oxymoron — to speak honestly about what dangers have receded, what new dangers have emerged, and how the imperatives of liberty and security can be balanced.

The Post editorial board:

THE BUSH administration’s distortion, for political purposes, of the Democratic position on warrantless surveillance is loathsome. Despite the best efforts of Karl Rove, the White House deputy chief of staff, and Ken Mehlman, the Republican National Committee chairman, to make it seem otherwise, Democrats are not opposed to vigorous, effective surveillance that could uncover terrorist activity. Nor are the concerns that they are expressing unique to their party. Republican Sens. John McCain (Ariz.), Arlen Specter (Pa.), Chuck Hagel (Neb.), Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.) and Sam Brownback (Kan.) have expressed legal doubts about the surveillance program. Do they, too, have a “pre-9/11 worldview,” as Mr. Rove said of the Democrats?

The Inky:

“President Bush believes if al-Qaeda is calling somebody in America, it is in our national security interest to know who they’re calling and why.”

Thus said chief presidential adviser Karl Rove last week. True to his partisan form, Rove then went on to claim that ’some important Democrats clearly disagree.

Rove clearly has that wrong. The objections are not to the idea of spying on al-Qaeda. It’s about the unaccountable, constitutionally dubious way the Bush administration put that idea into practice.

I cannot improve on their words.

There’s more:

The Rapid Reconstruction Response Program or “R3P” was supposed to allow Paul Bremer’s Coalition Provisional Authority, which ran postwar Iraq, to quickly get local construction projects under way, in an effort to juice up an economy mired down by violence, corruption and chaos.

But an audit by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction found that in the South Central Region, based in Hillah, officers “cannot properly account for or support $96.6 million in cash and receipts.”

Almost $100 mil down the drain. Thanks to Bush and his minions.

Not to mention the wasted money searching for the missing WMDs.

Which the inspectors were unable to find before Bush’s war.

Why? Because there weren’t any.

Maybe the money is here.

Lies, incompetence, and lies.

Apparently, it’s winning combination.

(Loosely based on a recipe from Craig Claiborne’s New York Times International Cookbook).

Serves two. If you want serve more, increase the meat but be careful about the spices.

1 lb. top round or flank steak, cut into 1/2 inch cubes, fat removed and given to the dogs.

2 tbs ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp dry mustard powder

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp tumeric

1 tbs red pepper flakes (or 1 dried habenero pepper) (or a combination thereof)

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

3 stalks celery, coarsely chopped

4 large mushrooms, coarsely chopped

1/2 medium bell (of course) pepper, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced, or 1 tsp dried minced garlic

1 tsp basil

1 tsp or more freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp dried mustard

pinch of salt

Rosemary is good, too, if you have it.

2 tbs vinegar or 1 cup very dry red wine

3 tbs extra virgin olive oil

2 cps water (less if you have the wine)

1 beef boullion cube, if available. Otherwise, more salt.

Heat oil in Dutch oven.

Sautee vegetables until onions are translucent

Add meat and brown on all sides.

Add spices and vinegar (or wine).

Bring to simmer.

Add water.

Bring to simmer.

Cover and simmer until you can’t stand it anymore or one hour, whichever comes second.

Serve over rice with cucumber and sour cream salad (see below).

Have available from your local Indian store: Garlic relish, lime pickle, and chutney. Lime pickle rocks.

Cucumber and sour cream salad (this is a variation on cucumber and yoghurt salad, but sweeter, because sour cream is sweeter than yoghurt):

One medium cucumber, chopped into quarter inch squares.

Two cups sour cream.

2 tbs lemon juice.

1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper or more, to taste.

Garlic powder or paste equivalent to one clove or more, to taste.

Freshly ground pepper to taste.

Mix ingredients. Taste.

Add spices as necessary until it’s perfect.

Chill and serve cold. It helps moderate the heat of the curry.

No, not the kind Bush gives me.

I was heading back to work after getting a hoagie at the local Heritage’s when I heard a Prilosec ad on the radio.

And, of course, Nexium ads are a dime a dozen.

I started to try to remember the last time I had heartburn (as opposed to a burning heart–that I can remember!). I couldn’t. It’s been years.

Now, I don’t have a particularly iron stomach and I eat lots of spicy food. I believe that the stomach, like any other muscle, should be exercised regularyly. Indeed, beef curry is my single favorite dish.

So what is it with this epidemic of heartburn that seems to be sweeping the nation?

Help me out here.

Up, slightly.

Observed Tuesday, January 24:

Gibbstown, NJ, Valero, $2.27.

Paulsboro, NJ, Lukoil, $2.25.

Paulsboro, NJ, Exxon, $2.25.

Paulsboro, NJ, BP, $2.29.

Observed Wednesday, January 25:

Claymont, Del., Exxon, $2.48 (a $.13 increase, largest observed).

Claymont, Del., Sunoco, $2.35.

Claymont, Del., Getty, $2.33.

Claymont, Del., BP, $2.35.

Claymont, Del., Gulf (Cumberland Farms), $2.31.

Claymont, Del., Gulf, $2.33.

Claymont, Del, Wawa, $2.31.

Holly Oak, Del, Mobil, $2.31.

Was Harold Meyerson reading my blog last night? From his column in today’s Washington Post:

Incompetence is not one of the seven deadly sins, and it’s hardly the worst attribute that can be ascribed to George W. Bush. But it is this president’s defining attribute. Historians, looking back at the hash that his administration has made of his war in Iraq, his response to Hurricane Katrina and his Medicare drug plan, will have to grapple with how one president could so cosmically botch so many big things — particularly when most of them were the president’s own initiatives.

. . . uttered by members of the current Federal Administration (think about what the words mean as you read them):

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Except for selling the assets of the nation to the highest bidder, endangering its citizens and their property through inaction and inattention, ignoring the Constitution, and trespassing on the rights of the citizenry.

Oh, yeah, that was in the signing statement, wasn’t it?

Janus had nothing on Bush:

Washington — President Bush defended both the legality and the necessity of the National Security Agency’s domestic eavesdropping program Sunday, and he denied that he had misled the public last year when he insisted that any government wiretap required a court order.

Behind closed doors:

House and Senate GOP negotiators, meeting behind closed doors last month to complete a major budget-cutting bill, agreed on a change to Senate-passed Medicare legislation that would save the health insurance industry $22 billion over the next decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

(snip)

That change was made in mid-December during private negotiations involving House Ways and Means Chairman Bill Thomas (R-Calif.), Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) and the staffs of those committees as well as the House Energy and Commerce Committee. House and Senate Democrats were excluded from the meeting. The Senate gave final approval to the budget-cutting measure on Dec. 21, but the House must give it final consideration early next month.

Meanwhile (from last February):

The White House released budget figures yesterday indicating that the new Medicare prescription drug benefit will cost more than $1.2 trillion in the coming decade, a much higher price tag than President Bush suggested when he narrowly won passage of the law in late 2003.

and

California, Arkansas and Illinois have joined about half a dozen other states taking emergency measures to help residents struggling to get prescriptions filled under the new Medicare drug program.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered an emergency plan Thursday allowing the state to pay for the drugs for the next two weeks.

and

The new Medicare drug benefit went into effect on January 1. During the initial days of this benefit, NAMI is hearing both positive and negative stories from across the country about the initial transition period to the new benefit — especially among low-income individuals with severe mental illness who are “dually eligible” for both Medicare and Medicaid. While some “dual eligibles are getting their prescriptions consistent with the new law — uninterrupted refills at only $1 for a generic medication and $3 for brand name medication, others have experienced severe problems at the pharmacy counter. These problems include:

No electronic record of enrollment in a Medicare drug plan;
Pharmacies charging cost sharing above $1 for a generic drug/$3 for a brand name drug;
Attempts to impose deductibles;
Prescriptions being denied because of exclusion from a plan’s formulary; and
Prescriptions being denied because of “prior authorization” and “step therapy” requirements.

Maybe this should have been tagged under incompetence also.

From today’s Washington Post:

An Aug. 28 report by the department’s National Infrastructure Simulation and Analysis Center concluded that a Category 4 or 5 hurricane would cause severe damage in the city (New Orleans–ed.), including power outages and a direct economic hit of up to $10 billion for the first week.

“Overall, the impacts described herein are conservative,” stated the report, which was sent to Homeland Security’s office for infrastructure protection.

“Any storm rated Category 4 or greater … will likely lead to severe flooding and/or levee breaching, leaving the New Orleans metro area submerged for weeks or months,” said the report.

The documents are the latest indication that the federal government knew beforehand of the catastrophic damage that a storm of Katrina’s magnitude could cause. The Bush administration has been lambasted for its lackluster response to Katrina and its aftermath, including criticism that the government should have known a hurricane of that strength posed a danger to the area’s levees and was unprepared to cope with it.

But the incompetence is not in preventing the effects of Katrina. With such short notice, or even with the notice provided by the Pam exercise, it is unlikely anyone could have done that.

Here is the incompetence:

Chertoff:

Defending the U.S. government’s response to Hurricane Katrina, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff argued Saturday that government planners did not predict such a disaster ever could occur.

And Bush, in his now almost legendary comment:

“. . . So there is frustration. But I want people to know there’s a lot of help coming. I don’t think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees.”

Now, let us look at this:

Chertoff is the head of the agency that produced this report two days before the hurricane hit.

And Bush is his boss.

They don’t even read their mail.

Would you trust either of these men to mail a letter for you?

The dispute over New Jersey’s attempt to intrude into Delaware waters is intensifying.

The Supreme Court, which has jurisdiction over disputes between states, today chose to appoint a fact-finder (headline heard on WILM-AM).

Meanwhile, Delaware prepares to defend itself against the invading hordes:

TRENTON, N.J. — It’s not quite a war between the states, but action this week by Delaware lawmakers on a bill that authorizes mobilizing their National Guard in a border dispute escalated what has become a battle of wits with their New Jersey counterparts.

Suggestion to New Jersey: Move the terminal upstream by two miles. Intrude into Pennsylvania waters.

Apparently, the movie Glory Road played faster and looser with the facts than is usual even in Hollywood.

NPR had a story on it yesterday that’s well worth a listen:

Weekend Edition – Saturday, January 21, 2006 · Hollywood sports films often ignore facts in favor of plot, and the new hit Glory Road is no exception. Chicago Sun-Times columnist Ron Rapoport and John Ydstie talk about basketball movies.

And today George Will takes aim at it:

A decade before the game that supposedly changed basketball, the undefeated 1955-56 University of San Francisco team won the NCAA championship with a team that played four blacks — Bill Russell, K.C. Jones, Hal Perry and Gene Brown. In 1958 the coaches’ All-American team was all-black — Wilt Chamberlain of Kansas, Oscar Robertson of Cincinnati, Bob Boozer of Kansas State, Guy Rodgers of Temple and Elgin Baylor of Seattle. In 1962 the University of Cincinnati started four black players when it won the NCAA championship, and Loyola University of Chicago started four when it won in 1963. Frank Deford, a distinguished writer, covered the Texas Western-Kentucky game for Sports Illustrated and did not mention the fact of five black starters. Neither did the New York Times or The Post. Already the ascendancy of blacks in basketball was such that the four best players in the NBA were Chamberlain, Russell, Baylor and Robertson.

And a personal observation: I was paying close attention to the news at that time. Race and Civil Rights were big stuff and they were changing lives; it was that year that the first black student was enrolled in my public school. I certainly remember no splash of publicity about the NCAA championship making social history.

This was before the NCAA playoffs became the carnival they are today. They were certainly important–after all, they were the championship–but they had not yet become March Madness. Indeed, the NIT, which then existed simply as a post-season tournament, was almost as important as the NCAA.

Then I noticed it’s a Disney movie. Disney has always been at its best with fantasy.

This isn’t about much of any particular thing, but I thought Tanya Barrientos’s column today was fun.

The pageant is tonight. I just realized that when I read the paper.

(Since the paper is the Philadelphia Inquirer, and since Delaware is 15 miles from Philadephia, no mention of Miss Delaware is made, of course, though Miss New Jersey gets a mention, even though Delaware is closer to Pennsylvania than New Jersey. And Wilmington is closer to Philadelphia than Allentown, Pa., or Trenton, New Jersey. But, for all that the Inquirer is one of the country’s three or four best papers, it doesn’t realize that Delaware exists. But that’s another story.)

Anyhoo, no, I’m not planning to watch the pageant. I’ve got more important things to do, like sleep. Even though it is a real snoozer, I prefer real snoozes.

This year it comes from Vegas and will appear on CMT. It got tired of Atlantic City, and, apparently, AC got tired of it.

Las Vegas would appear the right place.

Face it, it’s a beauty contest. All the posturing of the Miss America organization can’t change that. They can pretend it’s something else, and attempts to pretend it’s a scholarship competition have turned the pageant sponsors into pretzels.

Back when I was young (sometime between the invention of the Model T and the Chevy Camaro–real cars don’t wear bowties), the newspapers would actually publish the winners’ measurements the next day.

Now, you can argue that that is a crass and sexist act that dehumanizes women and turns them into objects. It may be–I’m not getting into that discussion one way or another.

But I will argue this: A beauty pageant that tries to pretend it’s about anything other than looks is an exercise in hypocrisy.

In attempting to survive as a commercial endeavor while also attempting to pretend it’s fundamentally about something other than looks, the Miss America pageant has pretzeled itself into hypocrisy. And by doing so, they have lost market share.

Now they are in Lost Wages, Nevada, which trades quite honestly in flesh.

Maybe they will take a lesson from their host city and be honest and stop pretending they are about anything other than pretty young ladies.

Then, again, maybe they will continue to act like Bushies hypocrites.

In my other life, I teach training classes and, when I’m not working on training stuff, do tech support for high-end Windows-based security software.

I have been wearing my support hat the last few weeks.

Holey Moley did we get shelled today!

Three people waiting take a call.

Now there are four people waiting, take a call.

Three people waiting.

Oh good! It’s down to two, take a call.

Four people waiting, take a call.

(Why the heck did he do that! That was really dumb! And I’ve read that manual, it says no such thing That was a less than desirable action to take in a Windows environment!)

Take a call: “We had to wait a long time. Could you stay on the line with us?”

“I know you had to wait a long time, it’s been a really busy day. But there are two people behind you. Could you please try what I suggested and call back if it doesn’t work?”

“Okay.”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

Oh, no, It’s XXXX again! I’m going to write my Congressman and demand that computers should require a driver’s license!

“We got it working. Thanks. But when we take the device out to the other end of the 1100 foot cat 5 cable, it doesn’t talk!”

“Ethernet standard for cat 5 is 100 meters.” (Not 330 meters, sheesh! Put more politely, not our problem. Oh, yeah, I told them that three hours ago. Somehow, the ethernet standards haven’t changed in the last three hours.) “Try Dalco or Black Box; if anyone has a signal booster, they will.”

“We’re having XYZ!” (Yeah, you had XYZ when you were in my class last year. You hacked into the database and fixed it on your own. Where have you been?) “Download this utility from out FTP site and go here and do this.”

(Who the hell invented the 800-number anyway?)

It’s back up to four. Take a call.

“You’re the man! It’s working!”

“Nice job, guy! Here’s some information your salesman might like to bring them into the 21st century.” (Link, link, link, link.)

“We will definitely sell them your stuff! I’ll see to that!” (Win some, lose some–we do make good stuff.)

In the meantime, I’m trying to hack into the support database to find out how many calls we took today. The departing manager called this morning with the password, but it didn’t work. More hacking next week.

Take a call.

“No, it can’t do that.” It never could do that, and it never will do that.

Take a call. Take a call. Take a call.

5:10 I was off 10 minutes ago.

Take a call.

And life goes on.

Learn more here.

Google is an outfit that doesn’t much respect its users’ privacy for its own purposes. If you use G-Mail, you can get ads based on the contents of your email; Google cookies will outlive your computer (follow the link below to see why).

But Google is standing up to the Miss Grundies in the current Federal Administration to ensure that only Google can mess with what you do on Google (and you do pretty much assume that risk by using Google, don’t you?):

The US Department of Justice has taken Google to court, demanding it hand over all searches made in a one week period. It’s a fishing expedition, unconnected with any ongoing criminal prosecution. The DOJ wants the information to back up its attempt to revive an anti-pornography law derailed by the Supreme Court two years ago.

The subpoena was issued last year, and Google refused the request – but we only learn of the case (this–sic) week, via a San Jose Mercury News report. The DoJ has now ordered a Federal Judge to force Google to comply.

(aside) If someone needs a search engine to find pr0n on the internet, he or she (yes, she) really doesn’t belong on the internet anyway.

Mr. Dionne’s remarks in todays Washington Post are quite worth a read. Now, Mr. Dionne is a columnist–his job is to share his opinions (unlike me, for whom it’s a hobby). This is not a fact piece; it’s an opinion piece.

But by heaven he’s dead on:

I underestimated the viciousness of the right wing.

Last November, Rep. John Murtha, a Democrat and a decorated Marine combat veteran, came out for a rapid American withdrawal from Iraq. At the time, I wrote: “It will be difficult for Bush’s acolytes to cast Murtha, who has regularly stood up for the military policies of Republican presidents during his 31 years in Congress, as some kind of extreme partisan or hippie protester.”

No, the conservative hit squad didn’t accuse Murtha of being a hippie. But a crowd that regularly defends President Bush for serving in the Texas Air National Guard instead of going to Vietnam has continued its war on actual Vietnam veterans. An outfit called the Cybercast News Service last week questioned the circumstances surrounding the awarding of two Purple Hearts to Murtha because of wounds he suffered in the Vietnam War.

They know their message is bankrupt, so their only choice is to shoot the messenger.

But there seems to be a difference this time. Unlike last August, when John Kerry hesitated to respond, the plain light of day is being shed on their lies immediately.

Mr. Gore has called for a special counsel to investigate Mr. Bush’s spying:

“A special counsel should be immediately appointed by the attorney general to remedy the obvious conflict of interest that prevents him from investigating what many believe are serious violations of law by the president,” Gore said in a speech to The American Constitution Society and The Liberty Coalition.

Yeah. Fat Chance.

Even given the “Fat Chance” factor, the Republican National Committee fell back on what they do best:

Character assassination:

To: National Desk

Contact: Republican National Committee Press Office, 202-863-8614

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 /U.S. Newswire/ — Following is the RNC response to today’s speech by Al Gore:

“Al Gore’s incessant need to insert himself in the headline of the day is almost as glaring as his lack of understanding of the threats facing America. While the President works to protect Americans from terrorists, Democrats deliver no solutions of their own, only diatribes laden with inaccuracies and anger.” –Tracey Schmitt, RNC Press Secretary

Mr. Gore has hardly demonstrated an incessant neet to insert himself in the headline of the day

And he is an ex-Senator and the person who out-polled Mr. Bush in the popular vote in 2000. When someone invites him to give a speech, there is nothing wrong with his giving a speech. Sheesh.

Gore Joins MoveOn.Org In Attacking Administration On Wiretapping:

Former Vice President Al Gore: “(T)he President Of The United States Has Been Breaking The Law Repeatedly And Insistently. A President Who Breaks The Law Is A Threat To The Very Structure Of Our Government.” (Fmr. Vice President Al Gore, Address To American Constitution Society And The Liberty Coalition, Washington D.C., 1/16/06)

– Gore: “(T)he American Values We Hold Most Dear Have Been Placed At Serious Risk By The Unprecedented Claims Of The Administration To A Truly Breathtaking Expansion Of Executive Power.” (Fmr. Vice President Al Gore, Address To American Constitution Society And The Liberty Coalition, Washington D.C., 1/16/06)

And this has just what to do with Mr. Bush’s arrogating imperial power to himself and his minions?

Once Upon A Time, Gore Talked Tough About Cracking Down On Terrorists:

In 1999, Vice President Gore Declared: “Hear Me Well – We Will Fight The Reckless Violence Of Terrorism And We Will Never Yield To Terrorism, Ever.” (Joe Carroll, “Clinton Exhorts Parties to Surmount Last Hurdle,” The Irish Times, 3/18/99)

At A 1996 Counter-Terrorism Event Gore Said: “The Bottom Line Is That President Clinton And I And The Members Of This Commission Have Pledged To The Families Of The Victims Of Terrorism That We’re Going To Take The Strongest Measures Possible To Reduce The Risk Of Another Tragedy In The Future.” (Al Gore, White House Briefing, 9/5/96)

And data-mining the communications of Americans without warrants has what to do with fighting terrorism which originates off-shore?

Clinton/Gore Administration Used Warrantless Searches:

Clinton Administration Deputy Attorney General Jamie S. Gorelick: “(T)he Department Of Justice Believes, And The Case Law Supports, That The President Has Inherent Authority To Conduct Warrantless Physical Searches For Foreign Intelligence Purposes And That The President May, As Has Been Done, Delegate This Authority To The Attorney General.” (Deputy Attorney General Jamie S. Gorelick, Permanent Select Committee On Intelligence, U.S. House Of Representatives, Testimony, 7/14/94)

In 1994, President Clinton Expanded The Use Of Warrantless Searches To Entirely Domestic Situations With No Foreign Intelligence Value Whatsoever. In A Radio Address Promoting A Crime- Fighting Bill, Mr. Clinton Discussed A New Policy To Conduct Warrantless Searches In Highly Violent Public Housing Projects.” (Charles Hurt, “‘Warrantless’ Searches Not Unprecedented,” The Washington Times, 12/22/05)

“One Of The Most Famous Examples Of Warrantless Searches In Recent Years Was The Investigation Of CIA Official Aldrich H. Ames, Who Ultimately Pleaded Guilty To Spying For The Former Soviet Union. That Case Was Largely Built Upon Secret Searches Of Ames’ Home And Office In 1993, Conducted Without Federal Warrants.” (Charles Hurt, “‘Warrantless’ Searches Not Unprecedented,” The Washington Times, 12/22/05)

President Bill Clinton: “(T)he Attorney General Is Authorized To Approve Physical Searches, Without A Court Order, To Acquire Foreign Intelligence Information For Periods Of Up To One Year …” (President Bill Clinton, Executive Order 12949, “Foreign Intelligence Physical Searches,” 2/9/95)

Lie. But what else can one expect from these folks?

Meanwhile, Polling Shows Americans Support President Bush’s Decision On Wire Tapping:

“(A Rasmussen Reports Survey Found) Sixty-Four Percent (64 percent) Of Americans Believe The National Security Agency (NSA) Should Be Allowed To Intercept Telephone Conversations Between Terrorism Suspects In Other Countries And People Living In The United States … Just 23 percent Disagree.” (Rasmussen Reports’ Web site, http://www.rasmussenreports.com, Accessed 1/6/06)

– Eighty-One Percent (81 percent) Of Republicans Believe The NSA Should Be Allowed To Listen In On Conversations Between Terror Suspects And People Living In The United States. That View Is Shared By 51 percent Of Democrats …” (Rasmussen Reports’ Web site, http://www.rasmussenreports.com, Accessed 1/6/06)

Spin:

Thirty-three percent (33%) of Americans believe that President Bush broke the law by authorizing the National Security Agency (NSA) program that burst onto the news last month. That’s very similar to the number who believe the President should be impeached and removed from office.

This result is also consistent with earlier data showing that just 26% believe that President Bush is the first to authorize a program allowing the NSA to intercept phone calls between suspected terrorists and U.S. citizens.

The FISA Court Does Not Provide Flexibility Needed To Fight The War On Terrorism:

President Bush: “(T)he (9/11) Commission Criticized Our Nation’s Inability To Uncover Links Between Terrorists Here At Home And Terrorists Abroad. Two Of The Terrorist Hijackers Who Flew A Jet Into The Pentagon, Nawaf Al Hamzi And Khalid Al Mihdhar, Communicated While They Were In The United States To Other Members Of Al Qaeda Who Were Overseas.” (President Bush, Radio Address, Washington, D.C., 12/17/05)

– 9/11 Commission Report: “On January 15, (2000) Hazmi And Mihdhar Arrived In Los Angeles. … After The Pair Cleared Immigration And Customs At Los Angeles International Airport, We Do Not Know Where They Went. … We Do Not Pick Up Their Trail Until February 1, 2000 …” (”Final Report Of The National Commission On Terrorist Attacks Upon The United States,” The 9/11 Commission Report, 7/22/04)

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales: “The Operators Out At NSA Tell Me That We Don’t Have The Speed And The Agility That We Need, In All Circumstances, To Deal With This New Kind Of Enemy. You Have To Remember That FISA Was Passed By The Congress In 1978. There Have Been Tremendous Advances In Technology … Since Then.” (Attorney General Gonzales, Press Conference, 12/19/05)

The Weekly Standard’s Bill Kristol: “Remember Moussaoui? Remember August 2001? The FBI Wanted To Go To The FISA Court To Get Surveillance Capabilities Based On What They Found On His Computer, And The Justice Department Decided No. Now, The Patriot Act Did Not Change That Standard Of FISA …” (Fox News’ “Fox News Sunday,” 12/18/05)

– Kristol: “I Wish Bill Clinton Had Done This. I Wish We Had Tapped The Phones Of The People Of Mohammed Atta Here Into The United States If We Discovered Phone Calls From Afghanistan To Him. That Was Why 9/11 Happened. That’s What Connecting The Dots Is.” (Fox News’ “Fox News Sunday,” 12/18/05)

– 9/11 Commission Report: “The Agents In Minnesota Were Concerned That The U.S. Attorney’s Office In Minneapolis Would Find Insufficient Probable Cause Of A Crime To Obtain A Criminal Warrant To Search Moussaoui’s Laptop Computer. Agents At FBI Headquarters Believed There Was Insufficient Probable Cause. Minneapolis Therefore Sought A Special Warrant Under The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act To Conduct The Search … FBI Headquarters Did Not Believe This Was Good Enough, And Its National Security Law Unit Declined To Submit A FISA Application.” (”Final Report Of The National Commission On Terrorist Attacks Upon The United States,” The 9/11 Commission Report, 7/22/04)

Note that all that is quoted above are opinions. Not once are the provisions of the FISA law cited. Under those provisions, eavesdropping can be initiated without a warrant and the government has 72 hours in which to seek a warrant–and those applications for warrants are almost never turned down.

Bush Administration’s Wiretapping Authorization Has Been Successful:

“Officials Have Privately Credited The Eavesdropping With The Apprehension Of Lyman Faris, A Truck Driver Who Pleaded Guilty In 2003 To Planning To Blow Up The Brooklyn Bridge.” (Peter Baker, “President Says He Ordered NSA Domestic Spying,” The Washington Post, 12/18/05)

Is that the truth, or is this the truth?

With Bush, you can never tell, now, can you?

—-

Paid for by the Republican National Committee. http://www.gop.com.

—

http://www.usnewswire.com/

Lie, spin, lie, spin, lie, lie, spin. The Bush Frug.

Ralph Reed, of the Christian Coalition, seems to be running into some trouble with his campaign for the Republican nomination for Lt. Governor of Georgia:

DAWSONVILLE, Ga. — Ralph Reed, candidate for lieutenant governor, had just finished his opening statement to the Dawson County Republican Party when retired pulp paper executive Gary Pichon sprang from his seat with a question that cut to the chase:

“Did you accept any gifts, commissions or other payments of any kind from Mr. Abramoff, and are you likely to be a party in the unfolding investigation?”

Ralph Reed’s ties to former lobbyist Jack Abramoff have hurt what has been a promising political career for the former head of the Christian Coalition.

Abramoff, the once-powerful lobbyist at the center of a wide-ranging public corruption investigation, pleaded guilty Jan. 3 to fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy to bribe public officials in a deal that requires him to provide evidence about members of Congress.

Silence enveloped the 60 or so Republicans in the auditorium, and Reed’s cheerful manner turned tense. “No,” he replied. “No to all these.”

Mr. Reed’s website’s lead story as of today is that

Reed Campaign Makes History, Shatters Fundraising Records

$1.8 Million Raised Gives Reed Largest Cash Advantage for any Lt. Governor Candidate, Republican or Democrat, Entering Election Year in Georgia History

They leave out the part that, as details of the Abramoff affair have spread, Mr. Reed’s fundraising has started to tail off (follow the link to the Washington Post story for details).

Later on in the story, a citizen who was interviewed on the street said this (emphasis added):

“Ralph Reed? He’s a politician,” said David Loudenflager, a Republican who retired after working 32 years for the Arrow Shirt Company. “He was involved with Jack Abramoff and the Indians and all those.”

Loudenflager does not like the Democratic Party — “they give away everything” — but he puts no stock in the Christian Coalition: “All these people running around telling you how good they are, and how right they are. You better be careful and hold on to your wallet.”

Mr. Louodenflager’s is good advice.

I have always found it wise to be careful of those who break their arms patting themselves on the back.