Daddy Bush vs. The Boogeyman!

It was revealed by in a New York Times article that the National Security Agency was employed by the CIA at the behest of the Bush Administration to spy on american citizens in the years following the twin towers attack. Presumably in the war on terror.

Unlike FBI wiretaps, which are authorized, and periodically reviewed by the judicial branch, the NSA's very existence is denied, and therefore little in way of constitutional checks and balances exist to prevent abuses by any executive employing this massive spy tool upon the american people.

Quoting Bush's radio speech (CNN):

"Yesterday the existence of this secret program was revealed in media reports, after being improperly provided to news organizations. As a result, our enemies have learned information they should not have, and the unauthorized disclosure of this effort damages our national security and puts our citizens at risk."

End Quote.

Despite the president's supposed indignation, no well trained, or even sane terrorist (or spy) would ever feel secure making an uncoded long distance phone call within the United States.

Any long distance phone call originating within the United States would be transmitted via trans-oceanic fiberoptic cable (tapped), or satellite transmission (monitored). Even cellular calls originating in the U.S., but placed to locations outside its borders would be fair game - which implies they too are widely monitored. The NSA operates several Internet packet sniffing, and data analysis nodes monitoring Internet traffic including Voice Over Internet Protocols, and automated key word text search.

It has been known for many decades that the United States intelligence community has employed the use of extra-national assets to collect intelligence information on american citizens. The CIA employs friendly foreign intelligence agencies to spy on americans living in the United States. Means include the use of foreign spy satellites which monitor, and record cellular communications, microwave relay transmissions, and high resolution satelite imaging. This practice has circumvented legal prohibitions of using the CIA to spy on americans.

Therefore no well trained terrorist, or spy would ever assume their electromagnetic telecommunications would be private. It's an absurd assumption, and the president's handlers must hope that now that this encroachment has been revealed that it will represent the first step toward the legalization of NSA, and CIA spying upon americans.

The New York Times hasn't revealed any state secrets. The only people who may not have known would be average citizens, and they don't care anyway.

Most people have to be asking, NSA, CIA, FBI - what's the big difference? And most are probably saying, "I want the government to use all assets available, and to hell with any law that would prevent our government from catching the terrorist!".

Why don't americans care about this issue? Because we all believe that this power would only be used against the bad guys, and we're just average folk - we have nothing to lose. We're powerless working stiffs living in an age in which the individual doesn't matter anymore.

The average joe's response seems to be, "Just let me alone. Let me keep my job, come home in the evenings, watch a little television, surf the web - and I won't say anything when you spy on the arab down the street, or round up the muslim cleric, and detain him without trail for years".

Most people are so politically, and historically illiterate that they don't get the bigger implications of this story. They don't fear that once established, having the NSA spying upon american citizens will allow this secret massively funded spying aparatus to be used on anyone, at anytime to further the aim of any chief executive for any reason.

Remember the KGB? How about the Gestapo?

Just imagine George Washington authorizing that all mail be read by continental postal employees. Do you get the picture now? I sure hope so, because it's not exactly what our founding fathers intended for this nation. Being patriotic means more than quietly letting others spy on you, and turn your nation into a police state.

Just remember this, when a little boy looks over into the shadows of his darkened room, and believes that the boogeyman has crawled into his bedroom it doesn't matter how abusive, or even sadistic that child's father has been to the child, that little child will still call out to the big strong daddy to save him. It's basic human nature. Hitler knew it. Bush does too.

So all any despot needs to usurp democratic freedoms is a boogeyman. Which is why Osama Bin Laden remains a free man to this very day.

Spooky Little Nerd Prose

Photo: JP Morgan Chase Bank - Downtown Springfield, Illinois

Spooky Little Nerd Prose
by JeromeProphet

You're a son of the one.
A daughter of imperfection.
You're a child of the dark.
You shine in my direction.

I'm bound within your rhyme.
Your patterns forms a lace.
I'm etched within your time.
A place within a space.

Speeding up is down.
Slowing down is up.
Spinning all around.
Someone get a cup.

All could be true.
All could be so sound.
All could be so lost.
All could be profound.

Transdimensionality.
Is our eventuality.
A new cosmic reality.
A thought upon to dwell.

A quantum mind bender.
A brain cell blender.
A true contender.
A tall tale to tell.

Aero Hostile

Sweat Shirt Religion

You can hear me.
But you do not care.

You can see me.
But you do not care.

You can touch me.
But you do not care.

You can love me.
But you do not care.

We are all one.
But you do not care.

That shirt was made by a child.
But you do not care.

She only makes fifteen cents a day.
But you do not care.

She came home after sixteen hours working.
But you do not care.

She'll never have an education.
But you do not care.

She'll never have a chance.
But you do not care.

Greed is your religion.
But you do not care.

It is your soul.
But you do not care.

You have but one life.
But you do not care.

Snow Coming - It's For the Birds!

Photo: Snow Upon Elephant Grass at Horace Mann Plaza

Transition complete!

It is now too cold to safely live outdoors. I say this knowing that there are homeless people living outdoors right in this community. Also there are native peoples who live in the extremes of the artic who would consider this recent touch of cold as a warm spell. But it is all relative, and relative to my expectations it is cold out.

Most people would agree that the walls are slowly shrinking in upon us. Not really cabin fever yet, it's just a slow but sure seduction of the cave life. Bring me another Sabertooth Skin!

It's not "officially" Winter yet, but make no mistake Winter is already here in Springfield, Illinois. The endless cloud cover, and the short days and long nights have brought us all back into the cave.

True, it's all very normal for this time of year, but just don't expect to see a big smile on my face until May!

Let's face it folks we are living in a vast refrigerated ping pong ball. Talk about depressing!

If I were a bear, or one of my lucky cats I'd stay home, and sleep all day for the next four months. I'd slowly awaken in the first week of April, noticing of course I had dropped about fifty pounds of winter blubber, stretch a big stretch, and greet 2006!

Forget about Winter folks, it's for the Penguins!

World Affairs Council Speech

El Presidente gave a speech on Iraq today in Philadelphia sponsored by the World Affairs Council. A long speech really - one which didn't amount to a damned thing.

El Presidente's speech touched so rarely upon any aspect of reality that whatever sounds leaving El Presidente's mouth were completely drowned out by a sound much louder though never heard today from the Hyatt. That would be the sound of truthful utterance, and an honorable word.

What a disgrace. Years into this debacle, and all we get is more of El Presidente's war spin. We can expect no reduction of american troops from Iraq during the coming years no matter what the american people believe about the war. The war is just too profitable for El Presidente's friends.