Politics – Page 4 – Mostly Harmless

August 2, 2008

No joke, take no laptops or ipods out of the country

Things sure are weird in this country. People will just accept the oddest things.

I wonder how long it will be before DHS can copy all photos and papers you take on a trip? They can seize and copy your entire laptop every time you cross the border. Next time you come back into the U.S. you lose all privacy regarding any electronic device you have. A misinformed TSA monkeys will decide if you are a criminal or not. Or they can take their time, since they can copy all your data to examine at a later date.

Remember kids: in the United States if you are not guilty and have nothing to hide, then you have nothing to be afraid of. No need to count on suspicion of actually breaking the law or protection of your rights against unreasonable search and seizures.

The 4th amendment does not apply because the government says it doesn’t. the important thing is not that we are developing a police state run by brown shirts, the important thing is Security Theater.

This is insane. This sort of thing is supposed to happen in other countries; we’re supposed to have a history of protecting our citizens rights. It makes me wonder if the conspiracy nuts are actually on to something. Papers please.

July 22, 2008

So they want us to leave or what?

From the UK Timesonline website:

The remarks appeared to boost Mr Obama but left the White House and the McCain campaign with a dilemma. The Republican candidate’s representatives found themselves in the extraordinary position of implying that the Iraqis did not really mean what they were saying.

Iraq: we want US troops out in two years – Times Online

So what’s the story here? Last week it looked like a German magazine caught the Iraqi Prime Minister endorsing a schedule. Then the Iraqis via the U.S. said “No, that was a mistranslation.”

Can’t they get their stories straight?

July 16, 2008

Now they try talking

The President of Iran is a nut. But apparently our government now realizes that sometimes we have to speak with nuts to move things along. It worked with North Korea, wonder what took them so long?

July 9, 2008

Good read re warrantless wiretapping

Salon has a good write up on Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation Inc. v. Bush from one of the lawyers involved. If you are a “Get them before they get us” type, don’t bother reading.

If you think everyone has to obey the law (meaning me, you, you, and especially YOU), then it’s a long read but covers the lawyers point of view nicely. This is the best part:

The situation grew darkly comic. They didn’t have a hammer, so they started debating how to smash the hard drive. I suggested they smack it against the corner of the table that was in the room. That didn’t do much.

I found myself thinking of the Samsonite Gorilla, the TV commercial from the 1970s in which a gorilla stomps on a piece of luggage that just won’t break. I thought: “These people are entrusted with our national security?”

Once again, since it is an election year, I am sure that our elected officials will get involved and mess this up.

June 12, 2008

U.S. Supreme Court surprise

No way. I’m posting the image from CNN’s website but I could swear it says

U.S. Supreme Court says detainees at Guantanamo Bay have constitutional right to challenge their detention in civilian courts.

I see this headline and I can’t help but wonder “Yes, but what’s the catch?”

March 27, 2008

She’s losing and behaving badly

The CNN page says it all: Pledged delegates up for grabs, Clinton says. Senator Clinton is losing and continues to behave badly.

March 15, 2008

This cartoon says it all

Sometime politicians make it too easy for the cartoonists.

Ben Sargent sums up the Spitzer mess nicely

Ben Sargent’s political cartoons can be found here.

Some people regard this as a referendum on prostitution and that Spitzer should not resign because of this. A friend of mine would call this “Darwin’s waiting room”. The soon-to-be ex-governor is just too stupid to work here.

The new governor Dave Paterson seems to be a real politician; I mean that in a nice way. Hopefully no more press grabbing bulldozer tactics. It would be nice to see the state government actually work for a change.

February 24, 2008

Hillary is cooked

I was hoping that Senator Clinton would somehow be able to out-hope Senator Obama but her getting angry like this is just another coffin nail in her campaign.

February 12, 2008

Crazy people on the Supreme Court

Normally, a nut as a judge is just odd. If he makes enough bad calls he gets pulled off the bench. Some really odd people have been on the bench for years.

The “debate” about water boarding is ridiculous. It’s torture, no arguement about it. The U.S. government tried and convicted other people for doing it. Until the Jack Bauer crowd came into power, it was reprehensible. Now these fear mongers have gotten the U.S. to use phrases like “water boarding, which some consider to be torture”. This is just unbelievable. Whatever happened to people just speaking plainly?

Antonin Scalia is a nut. His idea that “smacking someone in the face” could be justified is beneath that of a Supreme Court Justice. Forget the constitutionality of torturing people, or that it’s a crime under the law. In his Jack Bauer world anything can be justified and the hell with the law or the constitution.

I wish this nut job would just get his cameo on the new season of 24. Just get this stupidity out of his system and then maybe he can actually concentrate on his job instead of being Vice President Cheney’s towel boy.

January 29, 2008

Will Rudy drop out?

NBC 4 is saying that Rudy has not said he is dropping out but apparently in his Florida concession speech he kept referring to his campaign in the past tense. Here’s hoping he pulls the plug.

Tag: Politics (page 4 of 5)