HELLUVA WAY TO WAKE UP

The conspiracy guys are predicting a bank holiday in August. I have absolutely no experience with those critters. Scares me and I ain't scared of anything. But Dubya is a real bully and we will see him in action some more, mark my words. And by the way, his phone tapping bill is about to pass congress. If you haven't read it already, Ferfal has a very dramatic blog up today at http://ferfal.blogspot.com/. Just a casual burglary of his next door neighbor. And it is raining for the third day in a row. I think I will go back to bed and get up again and see if the day is any different. This one is not starting out to be a kind day. By the way, the bank holiday declared by Roosevelt was a month before the gold confiscation. He had to stop the run on the banks before he could rob the gold. "Well somebody robbed the Glendale train this morning' at half past nine. Somebody robbed the Glendale train and I swear I ain't liein'. They made clean off with 16 G's and left two men lyin' cold. Well somebody robbed the Glendale train and they made off with the gold." One of my favorite songs. Hell, it could end up being the story of my life! Just imagine the thrill of getting your hands on that fucking gold and leaving those railroad dogs blown to shit and gone. Mercy.

I am thinking of going to fill up my truck and buying a few preps. I have that good stimulus money and I might as well spend it before Dubya has his holiday. The Handmaiden bought me a six-pack of beer yesterday and I have tobacco so I may as well prep! Yee Haaa. Things may get to cookin' here directly. Couldn't come at a better time. Got bullets and beans and band aids and I guess we are ready for take off! The deer are gonna get in shape early this year. Smack! Venison on the table! Nice corp of rabbits this year too. Plenty of birds and squirrels. Fish are begging to be caught. And it is all private ground and we can tell other folks, better known as interlopers, to get the hell away. Like I said, Yee Haaa! All you city people had better make your decision for God and Survival pretty quick cause I think time may be getting short. Hope so, anyhow. I be tired of waiting!

Here is the story on the wiretapping bill.

Bush poised for victory as US Congress nears approval of wiretapping bill
Elana Schor in Washington
guardian.co.uk,
Tuesday July 8, 2008
Article history

George Bush is poised for a major victory this week as Congress nears final approval of a plan to provide legal immunity to private companies that aided government wiretapping as well as expand those spying powers.

Debate on the wiretapping bill is slated to begin in the Senate today, with a vote expected by week's end. Although civil liberties groups and liberal activists have pressed Democrats to oppose the proposal, its approval is considered a near-certainty.

The bill's most controversial provision gives legal immunity to telecommunications companies that helped the Bush administration monitor phone calls and emails without a court warrant in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

The immunity debate has created particular headaches for Barack Obama, who last fall joined a group of liberal senators in blocking a separate wiretapping bill that contained a liability shield for telecoms.

But after securing the Democratic presidential nomination, Obama veered to the centre and indicated he would support the wiretapping plan even if the final version cancelled lawsuits against the companies. His staunchest supporters on the left protested the sudden shift, even forming a network on Obama's website to castigate him.

Obama attempted to smooth over the rift in a statement posted to that online network yesterday.

"Given the choice between voting for an improved yet imperfect bill, and losing important surveillance tools, I've chosen to support the current compromise," Obama wrote to the backers disenchanted with his move.

"Democracy cannot exist without strong differences. And going forward, some of you may decide that my [wiretapping] position is a deal breaker. That's okay. But I think it is worth pointing out that our agreement on the vast majority of issues that matter outweighs the differences we may have."

The wiretapping plan passed the House of Representatives on June 20 by a 293-129 vote, with several Democrats from conservative states joining Republicans to make up the margin of victory.

The bill seemed to face an uphill battle as recently as February, when Democrats in Congress allowed the previous, Republican-written statute on government wiretaps to expire rather than give in to White House demands on immunity.

But the tide turned in favour of compromise this summer, with existing wiretaps set for de-authorisation in August and Democrats fearing election-year attacks on national security issues.
A deal was eventually reached between House Democratic majority leader Steny Hoyer and Republican leaders. Democrats won some concessions from the White House: the new plan prohibits warrant-free spying on Americans travelling overseas and requires a court to evaluate the basis for wiretaps before they go into effect – not after.

Still, the American civil liberties union (ACLU) and other leading civil-rights groups have condemned the bill, calling it a capitulation to Bush and an unconstitutional violation of privacy rights.

"Not only will the [wiretapping bill] allow for the wholesale violation of Americans' fourth amendment rights, it will shut the door on investigations into the administration's warrant-less wiretapping program by closing active court cases," Colleen Connell, executive director of the Illinois ACLU, said in a statement.

"The Senate is the last opportunity for any real improvements to be made to this legislation - senators should fix the bill or vote it down."

Michael sez: Pretty slick. Go commit a crime and then hurry up and get a law passed to exempt you from prosecution. If American's had any balls they would ask their congress critter how they voted on this measure and if they voted for it they would "dismiss " them from office. But they ain't got the balls and so it won't happen. Flush the damn thing, I say.

Michael

mboone@rtccom.net