We're Afraid of Us

The local police units of several states have been working with their local Homeland Security departments to spy on terrorist groups.

Sorry, my mistake: on violent protest and subversion organizations.

Sorry, screwed up again: on anti-death penalty and peace organizations.

Do any of us remember the sixties? When the FeeB and the local cops and probably the CIA would infiltrate groups like Students for a Democratic Society, or the Black Panthers (admittedly not the most peaceful of organizations), and make recordings of meetings, protests, and try to become effective moles within the organizations. In some cases, the police or the FeeB would attempt to persuade other folks in the organization to do something violent as a protest.

Not that that is happening now (that we're aware of). We don't know who the infiltrators are, but we do know they exist, thanks to the ACLU getting ahold of a variety of reports stating unequivocally that the pacifist Quaker group, the American Friends Service Committee, had been infiltrated, and were being monitored in case they were planning a terrorist attack on America. And that's just once instance. Quakers = Terrorists. Another sentence I've long looked forward to writing.

Pretty soon all of life's absurdities will have been written about, and I'll have nothing left to say.

In another case, an anti-death-penalty group in Maryland was the target of an investigation, and the Homeland Security folks can't decide whether the members are "socialists or anarchists." Gee, they might be both. That doesn't make them terrorists. Does the phrase "we think killing people is wrong" not give you a hint that they might not actually want to hurt anyone? Or are you thinking that's some sort of clever bluff?

Or are you just kinda stoopid?

(I'm voting for stoopid)

Dear Senator Obama,

When you become President, please abolish the Department of Homeland Security, or at least make an IQ test part of the hiring requirements. Anyone not smarter than the average housefly should automatically be rejected, rather than promoted to whatever position it was that thought these stupid schemes up. Write me for further requests (I have a very long list).

Sincerely,

Sten Ryason, OBL
(Odd Bald Liberal)

Frankly, I wish that someone would surveil me, so I could find out about it and gain some sort of notoriety. Advertising revenues would be SO neat.

Another Day, Another Republican Twit

Don't forget, 9/11 was Clinton's Fault. A moron wearing a Republican brain has put up several large billboards with a picture of the burning towers, a waving flag (of course!), and the slogan, "Please Don't Vote For A Democrat." Go to the article to get their web address, and then spam the crap out of them.

Oy.

CNN sort of gives Clinton the benefit of the doubt, but none of this article brings up the salient points that Richard Clark tried to get Condoleeza, George, Dick, etc. into a room to discuss terrorist activities, and to warn them that a "big one" was coming. They had their first meeting a week before the attacks occurred. Our Anointed One, Attorney General (now former) John Ashcroft said he didn't want to hear Osama bin Laden's name mentioned anymore. He de-funded terrorist investigations on September 10th. George W. Bush, the Current Occupant of the White House, received warnings in early August that a massive strike was imminent. To quote his response to the representative of the intelligence service that dropped off the PDB (Presidential Daily Brief), "You've covered your ass. You can go."

There are two possibilities here: George W Bush and his cronies knew an attack was coming, but discounted it's ferocity; or, they knew an attack was coming and let it happen, in order to shock the public into meekly going along with whatever screwy ideas they wanted to push onto us. The PATRIOT Act, anyone? Privatizing Social Security? Invading Iraq? I could go on...