An Unrecognized Resolve

Well, it appears that I have recognized something that I had not know existed until I was flooded with replies to my last post. First, I must say that much of the post it was not intentional, perhaps not "planned" would be a better way to put it. When you write as I do, sometimes things don't turn out the way you expect. Any writer knows, that to be effective, you must sometimes let the characters write for themselves. This is certainly true when writing fiction, and after yesterday's post, I guess I learned that it can happen while writing non-fiction as well. The Cyclone that you saw during the last post wrote for himself. The sentimental, sad Cyclone unleashed, if you will. After reviewing the year of 2005, that Cyclone saw nothing but misery both behind and ahead. It started off as having a little fun, but the longer the trip the darker it became. Before I knew it, my head was on an airplane headed for an as yet unknown destination. I came home, sat my daughter down to have a chat. I told her much of what I had written about, she listened intently. She then stated, "I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay with my grandmother." Incidentally, she is actually the only one who can put Cyclone in his place. So, I snapped back to reality in a real hurry. Leave without my daughter? Not a chance.

Oh yeah, what I learned. I saw a passion from all that visit this site, a "quit your whining and pick yourself up" passion. And a spirit. A spirit that says screw the neocons, we're not going to let them win. I received countless emails, in addition to the comments that you all can see. I learned about people who have no means to leave this country, others that have no idea where to turn next, but all with a consistent resolve. A resolve to fight these bastards. I am human, just like everyone else. I get down, as do all of you, but I have a great advantage. I have you all to write words of encouragement to me, to scold me when necessary, to tell me that I'm full of shit when it is appropriate. (sometimes when it's inappropriate also, but that's okay) And I need that, in fact, rely on that to keep me going. The pre 12/29 Cyclone is back in the building, thanks to you, the readers. Now, two items if I may.

Ohio, Yet Again
The first comes from the great state of Ohio, where sitting on Governor Bob Taft's desk, awaiting his signature, is a Bill that has passed both the Ohio House and Senate. It is called the Ohio Patriot Act. We all know, after the presidential election of 2004, that things aren't quite right with the electoral system in Ohio, nor are things quite right in political circles in that state. Corruption abounds.I don't live there, so these assumptions admittedly come from afar. This particular Bill is disturbing on a number of fronts, but mostly because it allows for the arrest of private citizens, who, while in public places, refuse to give their names, addresses and birth dates to authorities when asked. It is thought that it will be used mainly in transportation centers such as train stations, bus stations and airports. But not exclusively. It could, in fact, be used anywhere and under any circumstance.

Carrie Davis, a representative of the ACLU, said, "It brings us frighteningly close to a show me your papers society." Not unexpected talk considering the source. Clearly the ACLU is opposing this legislation. But it is not just the left that finds this a bad peice of law. Al McGinty, a local news terrorism expert from Cleveland, said, "The variety of people who opposed this is not just a group of the usual suspects. We have people far to the right and far to the left opposing the bill, who think it's a bad idea."

Governor Taft is expected to sign the Bill into law, and the court battles will begin. Folks who support Booshco will undoubtedly support this policy. Their attitude of "if you're not doing anything illegal you shouldn't be worried about it" is so short sighted that it is laughable. One can take the worries of their biggest supporters, the NRA, and use them in this argument. The NRA has always opposed all forms of gun control, the thinking being that "if they take away our automatic assault rifles it is the first step towards the elimination of the right to bear arms." Something similar to the gateway drug theory. You could make the same argument against the legislation that I am speaking of, and the NRA folks would undoubtedly say, "well, this is different." Well, it's not different, and in fact it's much more real than the NRA gun argument.

When anyone identifying themselves as an officer of the law is legally authorized to approach you and ask for your name, address and date of birth, and lock you up should you refuse to give that information to them, many problems exist. In the current day and age, with identity theft such a problem, criminals could essentially spend all of your money within hours of your identifying yourself. You could buy houses, cars and airplanes without ever being there, and not know for months that you had done so. You could also launder drug money without ever laying a hand on it, or even have the benefit of getting high off of the drugs that you allegedly bought. Your life could be ruined in a split second.

If you give me, a private citizen, a legitimate name and date of birth of someone who is not homeless, I will find that person 999 out of 1000 times. Usually the same day that I receive the information. That is without the benefit of police records, criminal background checks and so forth. That is just Cyclone, a private person, who happens to know how to do a few things in the investigative world. Imagine what someone working for a police department or government agency who had access to specific "once private" information could do. Then think of the people running our government, and ask yourself if you want them to have the power to obtain private information from you at any time, without any given reason. That's what happens only in some WWII German Nazi film, until now. I guess Ohio is about to join that world.

Denver, Colorado

The person who I admire most in my life, and in my view happens to be the smartest man on earth, lives in Denver. Yesterday we were emailing back and forth to one another, and I mentioned the pending Ohio legislation. He followed that by telling me about a recent event that took place in Denver.

There is apparently a bus route (I think he said bus) that stops at the federal building in Denver, then continues on to other destinations. A couple of stops before the federal building, it seems that a few "men" have a habit of boarding the bus. They then ask people for identification. One day a lady, who has taken this same bus on this same route for years, told the men that she did not have any identification with her. She was told that she could get by this time, but next time she takes that particular bus she should be prepared to show ID. The very next day she again boarded the same bus and was again asked for identification a couple of stops before the Federal Building. Although she had her ID with her, she refused to hand it over. She said that no one had the right to obtain that information when she was on her way to work, breaking no laws. At the next stop the lady was removed from the bus and arrested.

What Next?

This is police state stuff, the Gestapo gone mad, and this is what our future holds. Our president thinks that he should be allowed to take this even further, monitoring phone calls and emails under the guise of "national security." Although it would still not be acceptable activity, if this President could be trusted, it might be easier to swallow. But, we all know that he cannot, be trusted that is. Providing national security is a great idea, but I'll be damned if I am going to have my rights reversed in the name of some unidentifiable, random, catch all phrase.

This is only the beginning of what is to come, and we have to find a way to put an end to it, if this country is to be saved. We, the average American Citizens, must band together and fight this mess. If we apply the proper amount of pressure to our Representatives, it may help. Many leaders of the Republican Party are becoming more and more wary of this President and this administration, and its clear abuses of power. So, maybe if enough people scream loud enough something will be done to bring a halt to the madness. I doubt that this can happen soon enough to save us, though. Our economy will crash. That is a given, in my view. We will have to come up with some answers in a hurry after that occurs. If it comes to a Civil War in the streets of America, to take our country back, so be it. It is what we will have to do. We need some ideas on how to deal with this rogue, banana republic regime that runs our country.

We will need food to eat, water to drink, and fuel for our vehicles. So, Cyclone readers, it's up to us. We have to start somewhere, and we may as well start here and now. We don't have much time, so please, please start thinking, talking to me and we'll fix this somehow. We have to. I am willing to fight this battle now that I know that enough of you are interested and passionate enough to do something. You have shown me that you care deeply about the things that I write, and I appreciate it. Now, we have work to do. So, Lets Get It On.

Cyclone

The BOOSH Year in Review

I think that it's time to review the year that Boosh had, and by proxy the year that we all had in 2005. I will mention both positives and negatives, although one side will highly outweigh the other. You undoubtedly can't guess which way the scales tip, so you'll have to read on, I guess. Each pick will be a positive for one side (Boosh and the Neocons) and a negative for the other, (the rest of us).

Year 2005, Boosh Positives

1) Well, he didn't get deposed, so I guess that is a positive for him.

2) Chief Justice Roberts-- He was overwhelmingly confirmed, so a definate Boosh positive.

3) He didn't fall off of a horse-- Of course, he doesn't like horses and he didn't get on one. Had he ridden, he no doubt would have been thrown.

4) His dog didn't die-- I'm really scraping for positives here, in case you hadn't noticed.

5) Iraqi elections-- Well, they had some. Of course they were really negatives, since the only reason that the Iraqi people risked their lives to vote was in order to get us to leave their country.

Unfortunately, I think that about covers the positives for the Boosh year.

Year 2005, Boosh Negatives

1) The Iraq War-- This little fiasco has succeeded in bankrupting our country, opening a haven for terrorists, creating a Civil War in Iraq, and killed a whole lot of people with no end in sight.

2) Hurricane Katrina-- "You're done a heckuva job, Brownie" may go down as the single dumbest and most offensive remark ever made by a sitting President of the United States. As we watched bodies floating down the streets of New Orleans, Boosh was on vacation, riding his bike in Crawford, Texas. This moment allowed the entire world to see a Third World Response, courtesy of the world's only superpower. Perhaps the most embarrassing moment in American history.

3) Social Security Reform-- Boosh spent precious fuel and several months traveling the country in an attempt to sell this package to the old folks. None bought. Another move that falls into the Disaster Category. Even the ones that want the new Medicare program don't understand it, in fact no one does. A total farce.

4) Statements from the Boosh Camp-- Narrowing this down was tough, but I have decided to go with two. A)One from Boosh, "I am going to end tyranny in the world." An admireable goal, unfortunately there are just too many tyrants out there for one man to deal with. This just shows how far "out there" that this man really is. He is insane, and he's taking us off the cliff with him. B) From the real President, Dick Cheney, "Clearly the insurgency is in its last throes." This comment was made some 6 months ago, and shows what a rosy picture that this administration wants/wanted to show regarding the Iraq fiasco. The "insurgency" is far from its last throes, in fact, it is just beginning. Fantasy island strikes again for this insane bunch.

5) Harriet Miers-- Shortly after Boosh escaped from the grasp of his handlers, he took the bait from Harry Reid and nominated Ms. Miers to the Supreme Court. This went a long way in showing just what we are dealing with. Our President's ability to use good judgement has been called into question, and nothing proves him more incapable and incompetent than this nomination. This shows what happens when the Boosh handlers turn their back's for one second. I sure hope the Nuke button is safely locked away, out of the dimwit's reach.

6) The Iraq War again-- Our casualty numbers crossed the 2000 mark, and with that, support for the war finally fell below acceptable norms. The Boosh poll numbers began reflecting what a "heckuva job" he is doing.

7) Cindy Sheehan, the Iraq War again-- Sheehan succeeded in doing what no one had done before, getting Boosh to run and hide from a woman. By camping out in Crawford, Boosh showed what a true coward he was by refusing to meet with a woman whose son had been sent to his death by our President. This also ignited the fire for anti-war protests across the nation

8) Jack Murtha, the Iraq War again-- Mr. Murtha, a highly decorated ex-Marine, called for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. By stating that "we have won militarily, there's nothing left to do," Congressman Murtha threw down the gauntlet and opened serious debate about the war in general. Booshco initially attacked, then thought better of it and wrote Murtha's comments off by saying, "we disagree."

9) Patrick Fitzgerald-- Mr. Fitzgerald surprised the Boosh administration by taking his job seriously, leaving them in a position they rarely find themselves in. Unable to attack. Since attacking is what Boosh does best, Fitzgerald essentially neutered Boosh in responding to Plamegate.

10) I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby-- Libby became the highest ranking sitting White House official to be indicted in over 100 years. Now the mission is to get Libby to roll, thus giving up Cheney and allowing for the take down of the entire cabal.

11) Tom DeLay-- DeLay is another Republican embarassment, being indicted by a Texas Grand Jury. Just what the Dr. ordered, another scandal for the Booshies to deal with and attempt to justify.

12) Bill Frist-- Under investigation for insider trading, Frist completed the trifecta of Republican scandal. This puts all Republican leadership on the hot seat, where they need to be.

13) The Red Cross and Katrina again-- It seems that botching the Katrina rescue mission was just not enough. Now we learn that at least 49 Red Cross workers were allegedly stealing Hurricane relief money designated for hurricane survivors. This comes after FEMA stated that the real victims were going to be tossed into the street right before Christmas, then moving the date to February. An overall fiasco, Katrina was, and we haven't heard the last of it yet.

14) Torture-- Our Vice President actively pursued giving the CIA authorization to torture prisoners, at the exact same time that Boosh and Condi were telling the world that we don't torture people. Another example of the insanity of this administration and its policies.

15) Spygate-- This is the cherry on top of the Sundae, I think. To have a sitting President openly admit that he had authorized clearly illegal activity, the monitoring of American citizen's phone calls and emails, defies all logic. But, no need to be shocked now.

I could have listed hundreds of things, but in reality none of this is very important. It is more of a fun thing to do, trying to think of all the blunders that Boosh is responsible for over the course of a year. To really do it right, it would take days of research, days that I don't have. And, again, it's not really that important. I do have a few things to add, though, so please take what you read below to heart, although it is simply my view.

Folks, we are in serious trouble in America. I try to point this out on a nearly daily basis in various ways, but it's difficult if not impossible to put it all together. I am going to attempt this in a cliff notes version of the State of the Union. That's it, we'll call this Cyclone's State of the Union address.

We are led by a group of people that are totally without morals, and who do not care in the least about you or I. Boosh is an absolute imbecile, and has surrounded himself by some very dangerous people. Dick Cheney being the most dangerous. If you take a pit bull and deprive him of food and water for a lengthy period of time, you end up with a very dangerous animal on your hands. This is what we have in Cheney. Angered that we did not "go all the way to Baghdad" during the first Gulf War, he has now been unleashed on this world that we live in. He is the pit bull that has been deprived of what he needs, and he is lashing out at the world and destroying America in the process. He is driving this train, make no mistake about that. And this train has jumped the tracks.

Our standing in the world is at its lowest point in our history, and we don't care about that. We are vulnerable to terrorist strikes, they are in fact inevitable. The Iraq war has made certain that we are all walking around with a bullseye on our backs. We have no idea who is in this country, nor who is headed this way. The corruption within our political system is almost unimagineable, including both Republicans and Democrats. Barring a total landslide, we may never have another honest election. We are on the verge of financial collapse, closer than anyone can imagine. We are rapidly becoming a police state, which is the only way we can survive an economic collapse. To survive a collapse, we must become a perpetual war machine that operates by stealing all of the worlds' oil. But that oil is a finite resource, and stealing it is like putting a bandaid on a 10 inch surgical scar. We will have a military draft, that is also inevitable. Something must drive the war machine that we have become. And this draft will include females. Life as we have always known it, the freedoms that we have always enjoyed, are fading rapidly. When it is deemed okay by our President for our government to spy on our citizens, we have crossed the threshold into tyranny. To expect us, as citizens, to rely upon the integrity of those in power to look out for our well being is laughable. Laughable because they don't give a damn about us. I wouldn't trust our current leadership any farther than I could throw them, and that's not very far. I suggest that you should not trust them either.

I am laying the groundwork to leave the USA, and I think it's better than 50/50 that I will do so. My belief is that we have simply fallen too far too fast to recover, at least in my lifetime. I also will not allow my daughter to be drafted and fight some phony war in some far off land simply for oil, and to further enrich the rich in our society. The middle class of America, of which I have been a part of my whole life, has systematically been eliminated, in a carefully designed fashion. They have taxed us to death, energy prices have skyrocketed, health care is an unaffordable disaster, our schools simply suck, and college is now out of reach for the average American family. I think the time is near to pull up the stakes and get out. We will reach a point, probably within the next 2 years, that leaving will not be possible. First, there will be a mad rush to leave, and second, no one will have us. Some countries have already shut their doors.

Many of you have asked me where to go. I cannot answer that for you. Nor can I answer whether it is the right thing to do or not. We may pull out of this, although at this moment I cannot fathom how. But it could happen. If so, I will be happy for America, whether I am still here or not.

That's it for today. I've had enough. Hopefully today or tonight something will happen that will fire me up enough to jump somebody's ass. Looking back over 2005 has done nothing but depress me, and point out the bleak future that we face. I will probably have nightmares thinking about the possibility of a 2006 Boosh in review being required. See you tomorrow,

Cyclone

This Tree Bears Plenty of Poisonous Fruit

For those of you who do not have much of a legal background, I am going to take the space to explain something about the law to you. For those that are legally astute, feel free to skip this part and move further down in this post where the crux of the matter lies.

There is a legal concept that is going to come into play, courtesy of Boosh, who chose to admit to wiretapping and watching emails from private citizens without bothering to spend the time necessary to get approval from the FISA court. It is known simply as the "fruit of the poisonous tree" clause. An example is probably the best way to explain this. The following comes from an actual case, although I was not the subject.

Say I (Cyclone) am a serial bank robber who killed a security guard during one of the holdups. The FBI finally finds some snitch to rat me out, and they are coming to arrest me. They bang on my door, my friend opens the door and they immediately put a gun to his or her head and order him or her to the floor. I am in another room and they come and yank me out of my bed. They throw me in the floor, my friend and I are both handcuffed and they tell me that they know that I am the bank robber that they are after. They tell me that they are going to search my apartment, and I can either consent to the search or they will get a warrant, but either way they are going to search. They ask if I understand, and I say that although I have been drinking, I guess I understand, and sign a consent form that allows them to search. During the search they find no money, but in my closet they find the weapon that later turns out to be the one that killed the security guard. It seems that they have got me cold. They've got the weapon, it was under my full control at the time that they found it, so I am charged with Murder, along with a bunch of bank robberies.

Then my lawyer goes to work, and the "fruit of the poisonous tree" comes into play. This concept is very simple. Anything that is found during an illegal search is considered "the fruit of the poisonous tree" and a prosecutor cannot enter any of it into evidence against me. Case law states over and over that obtaining consent to search by threat of getting a warrant is actually not getting consent, because the consent is not "voluntary." Because the FBI did not bother to take the time necessary to get a proper warrant, the gun is out and so is the case against me. Without the gun, and without the money, the charges are dismissed. I'm free. End of story.

The Boosh Wiretap Order
The reason that I point this out is that you are going to be hearing a lot about this in the near future. In fact, you may have already heard a snippet of information about this subject. Now that Boosh has admitted to the world that he authorized spying on terror suspects and anyone that they may have come into contact with, (I'm being kind to Boosh here, it could well be any of us) you are going to see courts flooded with motions to suppress evidence in all terrorism cases that are currently pending, as well as demands for new trials from those who have already been convicted. One attoryne of a previoulsy convicted subject has already stated that he could never put together how his client's name ever came up to begin with. Well, now he can, courtesy of Boosh.

Because Boosh chose to circumvent the FISA court, the court that requires so little to grant a warrant that it is nearly a government "okay" rubber stamp, he has opened for review every "terrorism" case that has been prosecuted since 2001. And, it will be a mess. None of this wiretap information was passed on to defense attorneys or even to the judges in the trials, violating the rights of defendants to present a defense. And that's a real problem. We have a thing in American law called "discovery," put in place so that a defendant can know what evidence the prosecution has against him or her. Discovery to defense attorneys is much more limited in Federal Cases than State Cases, but the Federal Court Judges certainly expect to be informed of what evidence exists and where it came from. In these wiretap cases, it seems that the Federal Court Judges have been blindsided.

Why?

Why would Boosh decide on his own to circumvent the FISA court, the easiest court in the world to get a warrant from? So easy, in fact, that you can request the warrant after the wiretapping or spying occurs? I'm not sure that there is a perfect answer to that question, although we are getting closer. One reason is, without a doubt, sheer arrogance on the part of this administration, especially Boosh himself. You know, it's War Time and all of that broken record nonsense. Another, more troubling answer, is beginning to come out. It seems that Boosh has met some resistance from the FISA court in obtaining some warrants, moreso than any President or administration in power since the court was established. If someone has a problem getting the okay from the FISA court, you can rest assured that in a legal proceeding in any other forum, the evidence would be laughed out of court. This tells me that Boosh has gone way over the line with his wiretapping and general snooping on people, way beyond what anyone has imagined possible to this point. In attempting to use the twisted logic of Boosh, I'm sure that he thinks that courts are just another bureaucratic pain in the ass that he doesn't need approval from, because he has a war to fight. He has gone from "screw the American people" to "screw the Court." He is above the law, as long as he can place it under the umbrella of the "war on terror." Well, the courts may just decide to "just say no to Boosh." Judges, especially of the Federal variety, don't like to be told that they are insignificant.

Did Boosh Break the Law?

In my mind, it is clear that Boosh broke the law by authorizing the NSA to conduct wiretapping and intercepting or interrupting and reading emails. Most legal scholars agree with me. But, given the "fruit of the poisonous tree," I'm not sure that it even matters now. Once these cases begin to be reviewed, these defendants or people up on appeal will find out whether or not any information planned to be used against them, or that was used to convict them, came from these wiretaps. If so, all evidence that came from that search (phone conversation or email) will be tossed. And, should that evidence lead to another person, presumably the reason for doing it in the first place, that person will cease to exist in the eyes of the court. Boosh and his clan will scream from the rooftops that "National Security" requires that this information be kept from the view of the public, and that argument may well fly. But, when they argue that the accused or convicted have no right to know this information, Judges will step in and demand to at least review the information In Camera. (In Camera simply means that the Judge alone will review the material and determine it's value) They will likely be horrified at what they see.

Where Are We Now?

Boosh has finally managed to bite himself in the ass. Through his power hungry, holier than thou, insane idea that he is the Potentate and can do whatever he damn well pleases is about to be derailed by the legal system. You will soon see a whole bunch of people, both charged and uncharged, released from custody. Not only that, you will see convictions overturned on some people who have already been convicted of terrorist activities. It is inevitable. The ironic thing about all of this is that Boosh claims that all he does is done to "protect the American people from the terrorists." By breaking the law, or at a minimum failing to follow the rules of the easiest court in the land, he may well have given "Get out of Jail Free" cards to some people who actually are terrorists. Is that the type of "Protection" that you had in mind?

I told you all that this was going to be big. It now looks like it's going to be bigger than even I thought. Boosh is our worst nightmare, and may well, in the end, be aiding the terrorists rather than protecting us by choosing to ignore simple laws. Laws that were put in place to prevent a madman like him from having unfettered power. All while stripping us non-terrorist Americans of our own constitutional rights. Simply amazing.

The Gift That Keeps on Giving

It seems that with each passing day we learn more about just how much Big Brother has been snooping into our lives. It's the gift that just keeps on giving. Since George Boosh admitted last week to authorizing illegal wiretaps but not presenting them to the FISA court, the more information that comes out, the darker our world becomes. And, the less Boosh seems to give a damn about the law, Americans, or anything other than his bizarre agenda. Some examples, although I must admit this is a hodgepodge of disassociated thoughts. After taking four days off, it looks like it may take me a day or two to re-learn how to make things flow in an orderly fashion. Can't help it, I'm just not very smart.

Wiretaps Not Limited to Foreign Correspondence

On Saturday, the Boosh administration admitted that not all of the previously admitted wiretaps had been limited to overseas correspondence, as we had first been told. Now, they say, on occasion, calls and emails were monitored that were totally domestic in nature. They said that there weren't many, and most were done in error. But, what "not many" means, is up for conjecture. As is the "most were done in error" claim. The actual number (surprise) is classified. Is it 10? Or is it 10,000? We don't know, because Boosh won't tell. This administration continues to hide behind the claim that Congress authorized this activity when it gave Boosh the authority to go to war, no matter how loud Congress screams that it did no such thing. Will these guys ever get it? Doubtful, and, it gets worse.

The FBI and National Security Letters

The FBI has joined the NSA in the illegal spying game. They have been issuing what they call National Security Letters to various companies, retrieving various information without Grand Jury Indictments, FISA court approval, or oversight by any authority. While this is not exactly new, the troubling aspect is how frequently it seems to occur these days. The Feebs simply hand a letter to a company and the company turns over whatever records the FBI requests. The FBI has admitted to seeking information from Telephone Companies, Internet Service Providers, Banks, Credit Bureaus, and "other businesses." The exact number of these National Security Letters actually issued is classified, but estimates have been leaked. Prior to 9/11, the number was a few hundred per year. Since 9/11, the numbers have been upwards of 30,000 per year. That involves a lot of newly discovered "terrorists" in our country. I wonder how they all arrived here, and how the FBI suddenly found them? The information received by the FBI has been described as "highly personal" records about customers or subscribers. And, they have admitted to a lot of mistakes, stating that many monitored folks "may not be terrorists or spies or associated with terrorists or spies." Bothered by this yet? You should be.

Meth Labs Anyone?

While "other businesses" can cover a lot of territory, you can rest assured that it includes a laundry list, including medical records, credit card bills, debit card bills, restaurant receipts, and records of virtually any transaction you make.. The opportunity for abuse of power has never been greater, and yet these arrogant protectors admit their illegal behavior; In your face, Americans, what are you gonna do about it? Ever wonder why "meth lab busts" have been reported so high since the Boosh administration has been in power? Think that's a good thing? Think again.

Let's assume that you have a bad cold or allergies, (I do) a car that doesn't start well in the cold weather, a lawnmower that needs a little boost to fire up (like mine), you enjoy an outdoor barbeque with friends,(me again) and like having some green grass in your yard. Guess what? You could be on the "meth lab list," illegally obtained by the FBI with a few of their little National Security Letters. Thank God my dogs tear up my yard and I gave up on the green grass, or the FBI could be kicking my door down. Yep, a little pseudoephedrine, Sudafed or a generic variety of the drug, (you are now forced to sign your name and show ID to purchase this allergy medication) propane, (gas grills) starter fluid, (that pesky lawnmower) and a little lawn fertilizer and you've got a meth lab. Virtually every farmer in America has everything one needs to start a meth lab, and now the FBI has admitted to monitoring your purchases, farmer or not. I'm starting to feel a little overprotected in this little "war on terror."

Roving Wiretaps

The FBI has struck once more, and again admitted failure in this area. The Patriot Act can be thanked for giving the FBI the unfettered ability to use this little jewel. Although always available, they now use these things whenever they feel like it, with no oversight. Their willingness to use the roving wire taps, allegedly against suspected terrorists, has gone terribly wrong somewhere along the line. The FBI admits to "mistakes" in the collection of materials, saying that it often came from wrong sources due to technical difficulties. Now these "technical difficulties," at least the ones they admit to, occur one of two ways. Either the Phone Company puts the illegal wiretap on the wrong phone number, or the FBI gives the wrong phone number to the phone company. Human error occurs, you know. Care to guess which way the mistake happens more often? If you guessed the FBI gives out the wrong number more often than the reverse, bingo, you win the grand prize.

Are these all innocent mistakes? I'm betting not, and I have quite a bit of experience in dealing with FBI agents. In the days that I was acquainted with them, they struck me as a group that had the attitude that they were "above the law" and could do anything they damn well pleased, and they clearly answered to no one. Apparently, since Boosh was elected and I changed professions, they don't attempt to even pretend to hide their indiscretions anymore. They merely follow the lead of the Boss, the Boosh, who gives the finger to American civil liberties on an hourly basis, and, is just arrogant enough to publicly admit it. Just blame it all on 9/11 and people will buy anything, simply make the American people afraid. It will work, and apparently works on Congress as well.

The Department of the Interior

A little over a year ago, The Department of the Interior thought it was time to see just how secure their computers were. So, they did what most companies would do, hired a consultant to check it out for them. Well, the results were less than flattering. The company reported back to the Department that it had "security flaws that led to serious weaknesses" in its systems. Since receiving the report, the Department has done nothing to strengthen the security situation, instead spending its time trying to shoot holes in the negative report. Boosh strikes again, never admit a mistake. Was this the purpose of spending taxpayers money? To argue with the results, should they not turn out the way you want? Why in the hell do you do the study if you are going to ignore the results? Why not just study your own security and say that all is well? Seems much simpler that way, and Boosh has not been shy about passing disinformation to the American people. The economy is just great, remember? The war in Iraq is going splendidly, too. Who's kidding who here?

Conclusion

While all of this pretty well speaks for itself, I guess I should try to wrap this up somehow. While we conduct our "war on terror," a war that I have never understood and likely never will, our rights have been stomped on by an out of control administration, led by a man who I believe to be mad. They lie, cheat and steal, all supposedly for our benefit, and above all to keep us safe. For all I know, they tap my phones, read my email, copy my medical records, keep track of what I purchase, and maybe read my snail mail. And they keep all that in a database somewhere deep in the bowels of the Department of the Interior.

Now, I learn, they can't even keep secure that which they have illegally taken from me. All one has to do is walk through one of the holes in their own security system and learn more than they need to about me, you, and everyone else. My next door neighbor could know how much I owe to VISA and what medications I take. All in the name of security in a post 9/11 world. I don't know about you, but I feel less safe by the minute. I'm almost afraid to open the newspaper for fear of finding out what new brainstorm this joke of a government will come up with next.

9/11 was a horrible event. I am in no way attempting to lessen the pain or the magnitude of what happened on that horrible day. But, it was one event. Nothing has happened since, as nothing had happened before. Our government tells us that the reason that nothing has happened since that time is due to the safeguards that were put in place because of that day. We have thwarted many attempts since then, they say. I, for one, simply don't believe that. The actions that we have taken since that day have made us less safe than before, from the Patriot Act to the war in Iraq. These actions have also stripped us of so many freedoms that made this a great country, and decisions made by Booshco have put a big Bullseye on our backs. There will be another terrorist strike in this country, that is inevitable. Made inevitable by our own government, made inevitable by their striking out in anger at others in the world. Others who had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11, Saddam Hussein included.

We, as a nation, have lost perspective when thinking about the world at large since that horrible day. Boosh has stated over and over, "our world changed after 9/11." Yes, it did. And by his actions and the actions of our leaders in Congress, pure impulse reactions to a terrible event, our world has changed for the worse. We are no longer the America that we once were, and it is not the fault of the terrorists. It is the fault of Boosh and our leaders.

We now have to fear our own government more than we do any foreign entity. By using our own fear as a weapon against us, Boosh is turning this country into a Police State. I don't know how else to describe it. This is no longer America, this is no longer something that can be ignored or denied. We are a Police State, run by a Power Hungry madman who thinks he is on a mission inspired by God. It's really that simple, and I for one find it increasingly uncomfortable to be an American. It is time for the citizens of this nation to take America back from the politicians and the crooks who appoint them, or get the hell out of here and let them do with it what they wish. At this moment, I'm not sure which is the better choice.

Cyclone

To All Readers; Thank You

My Christmas shopping is not done, so today is going to be a wasted day for the Real Deal. I want to thank all of the readers of this site for making it much more than I imagined it would ever be. You that come here consistently have helped to restore my faith that at least a few Americans do care about what is happening in our country today, and that some are willing to at least talk about saving it. I appreciate each and every one of you, including those that read but do not comment. I also appreciate those who do comment in less than favorable ways, it helps me keep things in perspective. Barring a significant event, I likely will not return until Monday. I will check my email, though, so feel free to write. For those who wish to: cyclone@cyclonesrealdeal.com is the place to do it. I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Please have a Merry Christmas, and a safe one. Enjoy time with your families and friends, who knows what things will be like next Christmas. Keep the faith, somehow, I think that when all is said and done, the proper shakeup will have occured.

Now, shopping I shall go.

Cyclone

Ranting About a Reader

I am going to apologize in advance for the posting today, but I simply can't help myself. Please understand that we will get back to business tomorrow, and there likely will never be a repeat of what you read today. I hope not, at least.

Yesterday, someone anonymously posted a comment to this blog. It was the usual Right Wing babble, calling me a conspiracy theorist, accusing me of being dishonest and confusing readers and distracting them from what the "real issues" were that face America. But, it went a bit farther. It also took a jab at readers of this blog. I permanently deleted the comment. I replied to the comment, but have deleted the reply as well. I did this mostly out of anger. Not anger at his ripping me, but anger at his implying that anyone who would take anything that I write seriously, simply could not be very smart. He wrote this in an arrogant, sarcastic and condescending fashion, as one would expect from a right wing neocon. To his credit, he did claim regret for voting for Boosh twice, but it's a little late for that apology in my view. (By now you have to be wondering, what is going on here? Stay with me, I promise I'll get to the point of all of this eventually.)

Anyone that chooses to comment here can feel free to tear me a new one if you so choose, I'm a big boy and can take it. However, do not blast people who read this blog, I simply won't tolerate it. I am responsible for what is written here, not the reader. I, unlike many other bloggers, accept anonymous comments. I do this with the knowledge that I may well get blasted on occasion, but I realize that it is a bit inconvenient to sign up simply to make a comment. Besides, a little blasting does me good every now and then. Nothing wrong with an occasional reality check.

I now wish that I had not acted so hastily and deleted this commentary. But, given that I did, you will just have to take my word for what he said. Essentially, he gave me a lesson in economics, telling me that the economy is in great shape, that there is no chance of economic failure in America, that no country or individual would dare call any notes that we owe them because they would fail as well, told me that my mortgage could be called at any moment, (duh), told me that there was no hidden power structure in this country, told me that I was a Y2K conspirator, told me to watch out for black helicopters hovering over my house, said that I was really North (Oliver, I'm assuming) and called me a dishonest conspiracy theorist who was taking advantage of the lack of knowledge of you, the reader. Quite a mouthful, actually.

My response was essentially that when he had the balls to put his name on something, I would likely give it a little more consideration, along with urging him to start his own damn blog talking about anything he wanted.

Well, this morning the anonymous one has struck again. Here is what he had to say today. I have removed the phony name that he said was his, although I'm not sure why I have. First, it is not his real name, and second, he posted it willingly. But, my conscience tells me that removing it is best.

Anonymous said...
You misinterpreted my comments about Y2K and Black Helicopters... they were purely meant as "tongue-in-cheek" jests (yes, at your expense)... you should read a bit more carefully in the future. As for logging in as anon, I just didn't feel like going through the rigamarole with the whole "register" bit. If I continue to visit these boards I may go through the excercise,.. no point in doing so now. My name is (name withheld), and I live in (city withheld)... Frankly that's all you need to know about me.

I find your comments about Cheney being gone and Bush perhaps "staying on",.. to be a low risk "prognostigation"... sort of like a projection that the stock market will have a really bad month sometime in 2006. After all, the guy's had more heart procedures than most men would have if they lived to be 180.... of course if Bush and Cheney both suddenly resign, I'll return here and sing your praises as loud as you like and eat as much crow as I can hold.

What is most amusing about your reply however, had nothing to do with your content, but rather your refusal to post it under the lame-ass excuse that I posted as anon.... Did my debunking unsettle you that much?

Go ahead and post it up there, and let your loyal readers decide.

I will briefly respond to the above comment, although yesterday's deleted comment would have actually been more fun. No, I didn't misinterpret anything, and I don't need advice on how to read. If going through the "exercise" is simply too much for you, please don't. I frankly hope that you don't come back to this site several times per day as you currently do. In fact, I wouldn't mind if you never came back. I will decide on my own how much I need to know about you, thank you very much. As for singing my praises should something occur that proves me correct, don't bother. I don't do this so I can jump up and down and say, "see, I told you so." In fact, I wish to God we had never gotten here in the first place. I was perfectly happy prior to Booshco. Debunking unsettle me? Laughable. First, there was no debunking, and second, you have no ability to unsettle me whatsoever. Yes, I think I will let my loyal readers decide. Thanks for your permission.

That's it. Now, to the point of all of this. This person, (I'll call him Bill simply for convenience sake) should have realized that I am an investigator, and that I don't hide that fact. Bill should have known that by posting anonymously, it might not be quite as anonymous to someone like me as he thinks. Bill should have realized that I would find out that the name he gave me was false. And, finally Bill should have known that I would discover the hidden agenda behind his writings. And I have.

You see, Bill doesn't like what I have written because Bill works for the Federal Reserve Bank. I know exactly what branch Bill works for, and I know Bill's real name. I won't divulge this information in order to protect him, although I'm not sure why. The less Bill's around the better off we probably are. Bill hopes that I am wrong about the economy, because if I'm right, Bill will be searching for a job in another field, along with a couple hundred million other people. Once the economy implodes, we won't need low ranking Federal Reserve employees around any more than we'll need accountants. Bill has bought into the "bill of goods" sold to him by his employer and boss, the Federal Government and George Boosh. Bill has bought into the theory that "it will be okay because it's always been okay." Bill doesn't see any problem with us racking up Trillions of dollars of debt because it assures Bill of having a job. Bill has bought into the "let's spread democracy around the world and we'll all live happily everafter" bullshit. Bill has bought it all, the whole neocon package. And Bill runs from the truth and reality like a gold medal sprinter. Yet Bill visits this site every day, usually multiple times. Bill even does it on company time, times when we the taxpayer are paying Bill's bills.

So, that's my story for today. Bill, go play somewhere else. Your neocon spew does not intimidate me in the least, it only shows that you are ignorant enough to buy what Booshco offers to sell you. I do my best to tell the truth, as I see it, and I don't mind being corrected when I'm wrong. I do mind being spoken to like a 3 year old, and I am highly offended when you claim that the readers of the Real Deal are simpletons. I imagine that they are offended as well. As they should be. The real simpletons are the ones like you, who absolutely refuse to look at reality, and who believe every word that the Boosh administration, the most corrupt administration in the history of the United States, tells you.

Only Stoney, Rockpicker and a few others will get this last line; Thanks for stopping by, Johnny-boy.

Cyclone

How Many Gates Can America Stand?

It began with Watergate. Following that, we had Iranian Hostagegate, Iran/Contragate, Lewinskygate, Plamegate, and finally Spygate. I am not sure that America can survive too many more "gates." What it does show, however, is how willing our leaders in the White House are to stretch, bend and break the law in the search for further reaching power. The latest scandal, Spygate, may prove to be the biggest of them all. Once again I am going to dig into this story and try to impress upon you the magnitude of it all. This is big, folks. Probably the biggest scandal and abuse of power that I have witnessed during my 50 years on this earth. How our leaders, both Democrats and Republicans respond to this will answer the two big questions that I have had from the moment that George Boosh was appointed president. Is this country worth saving? And, if so, is it salvageable?

More Than Just Spying

Since this story has hit the mainstream media, Boosh and Cheney have been arguing the legalities and necessities of this behavior. They have also sent Attorney General Albert Gonzales to the Hill to try to convince elected officials that everything's okay, no laws have been broken. However, given the mood of Congress at the moment, I doubt that he will be well received. After all, just yesterday Boosh and his minions tried to claim that members of Congress had essentially authorized this activity after 9/11. The problem with that is, that outside of eight members of the intelligence committee, no one even knew of the activity until recently. Most also have doubts about its legality. It has also become obvious that two other issues may well become casualities while this new Boosh travesty is hashed out.

For starters, it puts the confirmation of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court in jeopardy. Republican Senator Arlen Specter has already said that one of the first questions he will ask Judge Alito during the confirmation hearings is whether or not NSA's spying on American people, without benefit of a warrant, is legal. Of course we all know Alito's answer to that question, naturally he will think it's just peachy for Boosh to do whatever the hell he wants to, as long as he gets confirmed. But, how agressively can he back this Idiot president, given that every Democrat and a good number of Republican lawmakers, plus the vast majority of Constitutional Scholars and Judges think that Boosh has broken the law? He is going to be required to walk a fine line when answering questions about this issue. Boosh will expect nothing but total "toe the line" loyalty, while Senators from both sides will want real answers to their questions. If the first question about this subject indeed comes from Specter or another Republican, Alito may become the first casualty of this madness. One can only hope so, anyway.

Secondly, the Patriot Act stands a good chance of falling as well. Many in Congress have realized over the last few years that they may have made a mistake by instantly agreeing to virtually everything Boosh wanted immediately after 9/11, and many soon face re-election. When Michael Moore proudly broadcast to the world that the vast majority of elected officials, both Democrat and Republican, had not even read the damn thing before voting, it served as a wake up call to these politicians. Then after learning that the FBI could go as far as looking up library records, many began to recoil in horror, thinking, "What exactly did that thing say? It sure sounded good at the time." Meanwhile, Boosh simply adds fuel to the fire by stating, "The senators who are filibustering the Patriot Act must stop their delaying tactics," and, by refusing to accept a three month extension while House/Senate negotiators try to reel in some of the more offensive parts of the act. Once again it's Boosh at his finest, using the "you're either for me or against me" bullying tactic. Republican Senator John Sununu wonders how the president can justify vetoing the three month extension, wondering if Boosh thinks that the country is better off without any Patriot Act provisions in place. "And that makes no sense at all," Sununu said. The tide is turning against Booshco, and it's turning at a much more rapid pace than ever before. Republicans are beginning to abandon the ship, and doing so publicly. Good riddance, Patriot Act.

Spygate

Federal Judge James Robertson resigned yesterday. Why is this news? Well, Robertson was one of 11 judges overseeing the FISA court, the court that gives warrants for these wiretapping procedures. Warrants that are very easy to get, so easy in fact that you can get them "after" you do the wiretapping. While not speaking publicly, sources say that Robertson had privately expressed "deep concern" that the warrantless surveillance of American citizens was unlawful and put the FISA court in a bad situation. When a judge who sits on the court that hands out the warrants says that what Boosh is doing is illegal, and is willing to resign over it, what does that tell you? It tells me that Boosh has gone off the deep end without a life preserver. Two more Republican Senators, Chuck Hagel and Olympia Snowe have joined Specter and three Democrats, Dianne Feinstein, Carl Levin and Ron Wyden in calling for a joint investigation by the Senate's Judiciary and Intelligence panels into the surveillance program. The White House, of course, continues to say that key congressional leaders have known of these activities since their inception. However, as Jay Rockefeller's letter from yesterday shows, at least he had some serious concerns about the legality of the activities, but was powerless to even ask an attorney about it.

Democrats across the board and even some Republicans have said that Boosh has gone too far and may have violated the law. The White House, through the punching bag Scott McClellan, has said that the secrecy around the program may prohibit White House cooperation with any congressional investigation. "This is still a highly classified program, and there are details that it's important not be disclosed," McClellan said. I'm stunned that they would not fully cooperate with Congress, given their past record.

So here we are again. Boosh screws something up, this time breaking the law doing so, Cheney says it's about time that the President got some power back, Boosh tells Congress to screw themselves because it's all a big secret, and now Congress has to decide what to do about it. Well, here's the secret. Big brother has been listening to phone calls to or from people overseas, and reading emails to people to or from overseas, all in the name of the "war on terror." I guess it's not a freaking secret anymore. Last night I called all of my friends that live in other countries and asked if they were members of al-Qaeda. If they had said yes, I was going to tell them that I couldn't talk to them anymore, because Boosh said so. But, alas, they all denied having al-Qaeda connections. The ones that I couldn't reach by phone, I sent emails to, asking them the same question. I haven't heard back from any of them yet, but I hope that they aren't terrorists either. I really enjoy their friendships.

Now, Booshco, the secret is out. Quit hiding behind your phony delusions and face Congress like men. You were not anointed emperor, simply appointed to the White House for two terms. You were not given free reign to break laws, or make up laws as you go. You are not allowed to hide because it's war time, you started the damn war. In fact you made up the war, to steal a little oil and get rid of the bad man that we created. Yes, he then turned and tried to kill Daddy Boosh, but I don't care about that. You are poster children for Planned Parenthood, and I'm sorry that your parents didn't get the message. Don't stand up and tell me that you are speaking on behalf of me, or that you are trying to protect me, or that you have one clue what American's want or expect from you. Because you don't. If you want to monitor my phone calls and read my email messages, go ahead. You won't learn anything from either of them. But understand one thing, you have broken the law. And trying to justify it by hiding behind your phony "war on terror" makes you look like bigger fools than you already do. If that is possible. Congress, it's time to put up or shut up. Either do the right thing and get rid of these bastards, or double your salaries and stay at home. Quit masquerading as "representatives" of anything other than yourselves and your buddies. Why? Because I can't take any more of it!

Cyclone

Illegal Spying, The Biggest Blunder of All?

As of yesterday, when I finished the piece on the Boosh spying ordeal, I had no plans to continue that subject for another day. However, after carefully reviewing all that has been said and done since the New York Times broke the story, it has become apparent that this is big. Really big. In fact, so big, that it may be the event that breaks the Boosh stronghold of Republican support. He very well may have gone too far this time.

Alberto Gonzales, while trying to help bolster support for Boosh, may be doing just the opposite. Gonzales stated, "The President has not authorized....blanket surveillance of communications here in the United States." Comforting words indeed, coming from a man who I would not trust as far as I could throw. At least, according to Gonzales, I know that I can have dinner with my wife and daughter without fearing that the NSA freaks are listening to every word spoken. That is not the most troubling aspect of what Gonzales said, nor the most harmful to Boosh. What hurts Boosh the most are the following two statements.

1) "There were many people, many lawyers within the administration who advised the president that he had inherent authority as commander in chief under the Constitution to engage in these (sic) kind of signal intelligence of our enemy." First, I have spoken to many attorneys that practice in Constitutional law and the overwhelming consensus is that this is simply not true. There is nothing in the United States Constitution that allows for a president to spy on American citizens, nor allows one to order others to do so. Second, we have known for a long time that Boosh acts under a different constitution than the rest of us do. But, these are not the most damaging remarks. The next Gonzales statement does the most long term harm to Boosh, picking a fight with the wrong people, his very base.

"We also believe that the authorization to use force, which was passed by the Congress in the days following the attacks of September 11, constituted additional authorization for the president to engage in this kind of signal intelligence." Now, Booshco has crossed the line into putting words in the mouths of Congress. And Congress happens to be pissed off about this. First, only 8 members of Congress even knew of this program, much less gave Boosh authority to spy on our citizens. Second, one of the eight that did know, Sen. Jay Rockefeller, wrote a letter to Vice President Dick Cheney in 2003 that stated, among other things,"...unable to fully evaluate, much less endorse these activities." Rockefeller is not a Constitutional scholar, nor an attorney, but he knew enough to know that it just did not smell right. To top it off, over the last two plus years, other Congressmen and Senators, who had gotten wind that something was going on, asked Rockefeller about it. All Rockefeller could say was, "I can't tell you."

For this administration to say that Congress authorized this activity, takes the arrogance of these people to new heights. Only when you thought that they couldn't go any further in thumbing their noses at the Constitution and telling the American people to shove it, they try to cram an unintended power into their arsenal. And claim Congressional approval to do that very thing. Senator Arlen Specter, a Republican, said that he plans to directly ask Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito about his views on "presidential authority on spying on Americans without a warrant." He also, against the wishes of Boosh, plans to open hearings about this soon after the first of the year. Boosh stated,"An open debate would say to the enemy, 'Here is what we're going to do.' And this is an enemy which adjusts." Boosh is back in attack and fearmongering mode, and people are tiring of it. Now, he is dumping his garbage on the doorstep of Congress, Republicans included, and they are going to fight back. Nearly every elected official who has chosen to speak about this has been aghast that Boosh would consider this proper behavior. Let's look at some of what Boosh said yesterday.

"We've got to be fast on our feet, quick to detect and prevent." Now, Boosh is not one that I would describe as "fast on his feet." In fact, he may be the slowest "on his feet" President in the history of this Republic. Besides, we have a special court set up so that we can act quickly. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Court was set up in 1978 for just this purpose. Over the years, the FISA court has been asked to authorize thousands upon thousands of warrants. It takes anywhere from 5 minutes to 2 hours to get a warrant approved through this court. This court is a necessary check and balance to prevent someone like Boosh from abusing power. Out of the unknown thousands of warrants that have been requested, the FISA court has rejected exactly four. Four times it has said no.The court has also asked for modifications on another 96 warrant requests. This process is hardly burdensome.

"We know that a 2 minute phone conversation between somebody linked to al-Qaeda here and an operative overseas could lead directly to the loss of thousands of lives. To save American lives, we must be able to act fast and to detect these conversations so we can prevent new attacks." Just show me one time, ONE TIME that anything you have done has prevented any attack anywhere, Boosh. You are fond of saying that "obviously things are working because we haven't been attacked since 9/11." Well, we weren't attacked BEFORE 9/11 either, so you have proven nothing other than having the ability to put fear before all else when communicating with the American people. Who exactly is the enemy here? Is it the Taliban, or al-Qaeda, or Muslims in general, or American operatives, or sleeper cells, or who? Who the hell are we fighting and defending ourselves from? Saying "terrorists" is just a bit too broad for me to be okay with your monitoring of my phone conversations and reading my emails. You say that "they" hate us because we are free. Quite frankly I don't think "they" care one bit about how we live, "they" just want to be left alone so that they can live however "they" choose to. We have no business fighting holy wars anywhere in the world, and that is exactly what we are doing.

"To say 'unchecked power' basically is ascribing some kind of dictatorial position to the President, which I strongly reject. I am doing what you expect me to, and at the same time, safeguarding the civil liberties of the country." There, you finally said it. You threw in the "dictatorial position" on your own, without it being mentioned by anyone else. And, we know why. It is the closest thing to the truth that you have said in 5 years, and you said it because you know that it is what is lying underneath the surface of everything you do. Dictatorial Power, that is what you think you have. Let me offer a couple of suggestions to you, Commander. First, you do claim unchecked power, claiming to do what I expect you to. You have no idea what anyone expects you to do, because you never ask. You are cloaked in secrecy, as is your entire administration, making decisions after manipulating things to look how you hope or think they should look. And, you do feel as if you are the dictator. Whether this mission came from God or out of your own twisted worldview, you have decided to unleash the power you have on the world. And, the world doesn't like it. You follow by saying that you are "safeguarding the civil liberties of the country." Here's a little bit of "educating" that you obviously need. Free of charge, courtesy of Cyclone. Countries do not have civil liberties, it is the citizens of the countries that have those liberties. Or did have. You have managed to trample on more of my civil liberties than anyone in history, all in the name of fighting some "war on terror" against an enemy that lives only inside your head.

If you decide that we have no right to rule the world, consider each country a separate and respected entity, and only use weapons when we are threatened, then we have a chance to survive. But, if you "stay the course," the most ungodly unimagineable course that you have started us on, then we are history. Only you, the Dictator in charge, can determine the outcome.

(Someone just sent me the complete handwritten Rockefeller letter to Cheney. It can be found at:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/docs/rock-cheney1.html

Cyclone

Emperor Boosh Speaks Again, and Again, and......

How many times and how many ways can a man, (or woman, for that matter) say, "stay the course" without using that exact phrase? The meaning stays the same, the only changes are the verbiage and tone. Saturday we heard the angry, defiant, childlike potentate, shouting down all critics in a way that we have become accustomed to. Then last night, it was the begging, pleading imbecile that we have seen on occasion. It seems that there are only two choices. Either he forgets to take his medications or he is refusing them, neither of which is particularly appealing to me.

Boosh is not legally insane, court cases all over the nation show that the burden of reaching legal insanity is nearly impossible to achieve, but he certainly falls into the severly disturbed category. In other words, should he commit a capital crime, one would not lack for very compelling mitigation to present in his defense. Outside of the state of Texas, a good defense team could almost certainly get him LWOP (Life Without Parole) instead of a date with the gurney and needle.

Beginning Friday and continuing through the weekend, Boosh spent the majority of his time attempting to justify his undisclosed decision to allow for the surveillance of the American people. Yes, the American people whose very lives and liberty that he holds in his hands. He was in total schizophrenic mode, all the way. Let's look at a few quotes from the weekend.

In an attempt to justify the illegal wiretapping and email spying, he began with this.
"This authorization is a vital tool in our war against the terrorists. It is critical to saving American lives. The American people expect me to do everything in my power, under our laws and Constitution, to protect them and their civil liberties and that is exactly what I will continue to do as long as I am president of the United States."

A mouthful. A mouthful of bullshit. First, I must trust his judgement that he is indeed looking out for me and my civil liberties. I, for one, am unwilling to do that. In fact, I think that my life and my civil liberties are the last thing that he has on his mind. Since Boosh has been in office, I have witnessed nothing but an erosion of my civil liberties, and there is no doubt in my mind that he would prefer me dead over alive and writing about him. I am also to "trust" his judgement that spying on Americans is a vital tool in our war against the terrorists. A war that I believe is made up in the mind of a psychotic moron, a war that even he cannot explain. Terrorists flew planes into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and some field in Pennsylvania. I'll give him that. But the rest of these terrorists that we are in a "war" with, are too abstract for me to understand. They also must be too abstract for him to understand as well, given that I am smarter than he is. (as is my 13 year old daughter, and probably one or two of our pets) He then mentions our laws and our Constitution. He got the go ahead to go with this secret plan from our attorney general, Alberto "I owe you everything" Gonzales, who assured him that he was acting within the law. He also asked "White House counsel," who I assume is Harriet "gosh you're the greatest governor ever" Miers. Sorry Boosh, I need a little more reassurance than that. Virtually every lawyer that I know and every lawyer that I have seen quoted, when asked about the legality of this activity, has had rather strong things to say about it. And they DO NOT say that this activity is legal, in fact most say that Boosh likely broke the law. Further, like a 10 year old defiant kid, he finishes with "I will continue to do so as long as I am the President of the United States." So, the Potentate has spoken. He will continue to trash my civil liberties and break the law by spying upon my overseas correspondance. No further argument needed, just trust Boosh when he says that he has my interests at heart. No thanks.

"I intend to do so for as long as our nation faces a continuing threat from al-Qaida and related groups." This is scary. Related groups could mean one hell of a lot of people. Does this include the AARP group of war protestors that Homeland Security successfully penetrated in Florida, as reported in the press within the last week or two? They are doing me a great service if they can infiltrate a group like that. Or the un-patriotic group of folks that dare question any move that Boosh makes? If so, this sounds awfully similar to a "permanent tax cut" to me. And al-Qaeda? Does that include all of the tortured thousands that we have holed up in secret prisons around the world? Do these people have al-Qaeda membership cards or something? Boosh has no more idea who members of al-Qaeda are than I do. Nor do the CIA or anyone else. Sure, we know who the alleged leaders are, but we have no clue who might be willing to strap explosives to their bodies and blow up a New York subway. And, we damn sure won't find out by reading my email or listening to my phone conversations with friends overseas. And I doubt that they will learn much from yours either. And, finally, in a scolding to those that dare let out the secret that these things were occuring, albeit a year too late, he says:

"As a result, our enemies have learned information they should not have. The unauthorized disclosure of this effort damages our national security and puts our citizens at risk." Are we now at more risk than we were before we learned that Saddam didn't have any weapons of mass destruction? Probably so, but that is the fault of Boosh and the Neocons rather than the result of any terrorist activities. The fact that this information has become public does nothing other than to expose Booshco as the fear mongerers that they are. Does anyone actually believe that if a terrorist was stupid enough to plot terror plans on a cell phone that they will now be smarter and stop? Or, if they were to email bombing stategies back and forth to one another that they will discontinue doing so, now that they know that the NSA might be reading their emails?

Boosh wants to pretend that his cloak and dagger approach to foreign policy is somehow effective, yet it fools few. In reality, it is absurdity at its best. From the beginning of all of this, from the mushroom cloud line to present, it only gets worse. Boosh is the Chauncey Gardener of American Politics, and we are the laughingstock of the world.

Cyclone

Various Things That Tie Together

The Iraqi Election

It will be interesting to see what happens now that the Iraqi's have finished voting. Boosh and the Righteous Right are parading around claiming that a "Great step" has been taken to creating a democratic Middle East. My view is that it may create more problems for them than they think. Here's why.

Pointing to a 70% turnout, Boosh claims that this is proof that the Iraqi people have embraced our version of democracy, and that more proof lies in the unexpected but highly hoped for participation by the Sunni's in the process. The "proof" that Boosh touts, is far from convincing. In fact, it ignores the real truth of why so many Iraqi's risked their lives to vote.

As I told you before, I paid a lot of attention to this election, including listening to the Iraqi voters statements, after the fact. The Iraqi response was nearly unanimous. They voted because they hoped that if they did so, the American's and all other foreign troops would leave their country. Those are the words of the Iraqi people, not mine. What effect will those statements have on Booshco? None. They, the Iraqi people, and they, the Iraqi leaders, wanted us out of there before the election. We didn't leave. Now they want us out again, and we won't leave, again. Boosh will decide when the Iraqi's are able to fend for themselves, not the Iraqi people or the newly elected democratic government. He has stated over and over again, we will not leave until total victory is reached. What total victory means, only the twisted one and the rest of the Neocons will decide, at least until they are deposed.

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi

The day after the election, CNN reported that Iraqi Security Forces had captured and accidentally released the hated al-Zarqawi. Interesting timing, and no coincidence. This is pure bullshit, for several reasons. First, Seymour Hersh has reported that al-Zarqawi was confirmed dead over a year ago. It doesn't really matter to me whether that is true or not. What does matter are the following points.

To believe that the Iraqi Security Forces captured al-Zarqawi alone is absurd. They don't go anywhere without American back-up. More absurd is for one to believe, that, even if the Iraqi Security Forces did catch him, that they would release him or anyone else without first letting the Americans know that they had a "detainee," and were going to release him or her without the Americans having a crack at them. Further, to believe that they let him go "because they failed to identify him" requires one to believe in the existence of the Tooth Fairy. Once again, Boosh is assuming that everyone in America will believe everything that he says, and has again become so arrogant that he will try to sell anything to his own people. I guess the recent small spike in the poll numbers gave him newfound confidence.

The truth is, we don't want to find al-Zarqawi, just like we don't want to find Osama bin-Laden. (many have reported that bin Laden has been dead for a long time as well) Locating either one of them, either dead or alive, only muddles up our justification for staying in Iraq. After all, we have already done a lot more than we originally went there to do, to allegedly locate the non-existant WMD and topple Saddam. Now we have stayed to hold an "election," one that is no more legitimate than those that we hold here. Find bin-Laden and al-Zarqawi, and Boosh is forced to create more illusion for reasons to stay. And he's running out of illusions. Boosh needs al-Zarqawi and bin Laden alive a lot more than any terrorist groups do. Otherwise, the absurdity of his little "war on terror" will be exposed. Again, al-Zarqawi and bin Laden will be located when Boosh says that they are. Too bad the spike in the poll numbers lasted less than a week, due to the failure to renew

The Patriot Act

It seems that the Boosh stunt of secretly giving the National Security Agency permission to spy on Americans has come back to haunt him. It may have cost him the Patriot Act. Senators and Representatives on both sides of the aisle became incensed when it was learned that Boosh had signed this order without consulting with them, and it apparently caused the Democrats to grow a backbone. As the Democrats unify against this President, the Republicans are beginning to show signs of growing weary as well. As the Patriot Act was successfully filibustered, it became evident that the Republicans could not muster the 60 votes needed to force a vote. Several Republicans joined with the Democrats to punish the dumbass. Barring any unexpected change of heart, the Patriot Act may well suffer the first justifiable execution in the history of America.

What the dimwit Boosh doesn't understand is that many of the members of Congress must face re-election, in fact, soon. The people that they represent will not stand for an out of control madman doing exactly as his pleases, with no oversight from Congress. Oversight is the most important duty that Congress provides, and lately Boosh has thrown a perfect game against them. Since 9/11, this man has been given a virtual free pass from Congress, and the American people have tired of watching him abuse that bank account. When he said he had gained political capital and intended to spend it, due to his self anointed "mandate," no one actually believed that he could overdraw the account tenfold in one year. But, that is exactly what he has done. While Republican Senator Arlen Specter promised an investigation soon after the first of the year, the lines of the day were delivered by Democrat Sen. Russ Finegold. "I don't want to hear again from the attorney general or anyone on this (Senate) floor that this government has shown it can be trusted to use the power we give it with restraint and care. This shocking revelation ought to send a chill down the spine of every senator and every American."

He's right, it is indeed chilling. In reality, Boosh has broken the law. After Watergate, laws were passed to prevent a maverick president from having unfettered power to act any way he chooses, the laws and people be damned. This jackass has decided once again that he is above the law. But, like with the election in Iraq, Boosh will decide when laws are broken. How much more of this can we take?

Cyclone

The Real Deal; Part 6; Rumblings

It seems that sometime in 2002 President Boosh signed an order allowing the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on American citizens withot having obtained previously necessary warrants allowing such activity. Hmmm. We now find out that any international telephone conversation we participated in may have been listened to, or any international email we sent or received may have been read, by Big Brother. There are a couple of things that are important about this.

First, this was first reported by the New York Times, over a year after the Times first learned of it. The White House asked the Times not to print the story, claiming that it could "jeopardize continuing investigations" and give notice to "terrorists" that they were being watched. Of course, to accept this, we must assume that John Ashcroft was being honest with us, something that I am not willing to assume. This is the same Ashcroft who had the tendency to call press conferences on a semi-regular basis, generally related to poll numbers and the need to ratchet up the fear in the American people. Constantly announcing to Americans that some grand terror plot had been foiled, generally giving credit to some provision of the Patriot Act. Only later would we find out that either there had been no real "plot" to begin with, or that the news was from years past. The same Ashcroft who lost an election to a dead man, thus qualifying him to become the Attorney General of the United States. The same Ashcroft that is the closest thing to a Nazi that has ever been in a position of high power in American history. The same Ashcroft that could only be taken seriously by someone housed in a mental ward.

That the New York Times held this story for over a year is nothing short of apalling. This once well thought of paper has become nothing short of a propaganda machine for the Boosh Administration. From Judith Miller on, its willingness to cover up, deny or bury stories on behalf of Boosh is shameful. They no longer have any more credibility than the newspapers in Iraq that chose to take American taxpayer money from the Booshies to print whatever the administration wanted printed. All of course, in an admireable effort to help "win over the hearts and minds" of the Iraqi people. What once was journalism to the New York Times has become nothing more than an infomercial for the current regime that is running America today.

That is not the most interesting part of this story, however. What is most interesting is who the sources are that have revealed this information. The sources of this information are "current and former officials that have been granted anonymity because of the nature of the program," according to none other than the New York Times, who finally summoned the courage to print the story. These "officials" became concerned about the possible illegality of this activity, and were concerned about the lack of oversight. They also say that Senator Jay Rockefeller, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and an undisclosed judge who oversees intelligence matters had also expressed concern. All of this led the Boosh administration to "temporarily suspend the operation last year and impose more restrictions." The White House is quick to say that this activity is necessary to protect the country, and that they are "confident that existing safeguards are sufficient to protect the privacy and civil liberties of Americans."

Existing safeguards. Are we to then assume that there were no safeguards in place, nor enough restrictions that would allow for "sufficiently protecting the privacy and civil liberties of Americans," before the temporary suspension of the operation? I would venture to say that the obvious answer to this question is yes. Assuming, then, that the suspension occured last year, it looks like the New York Times chose to allow our privacy and civil liberties to be violated between the suspension of the operation and today. The White House did say that the government eventually asks for warrants if it wanted to include listening to private domestic conversations and the reading of domestic emails of private American citizens. That is big of them, I'd say. And we are just to take their word for it. Just like we do on foiled terror plots, did on Weapons of Mass Destruction, did on our troops being greeted as liberators in Iraq while being handed dozens of roses, did on the connection between Saddam and 9/11, did on Boosh's statement that "anyone leaking Valerie Plame's name to the media would be fired," did on every other lie that this administration has told us in the last 5 years. We are again supposed to take BOOSH AT HIS WORD that our privacy and civil liberties are being guarded by him and his staff? You have got to be kidding me. I choose not to take the word of Boosh or anyone around him on ANYTHING. Just like no one outside of this country takes his word on anything. Now, where is Cyclone going with all of this?

If you recall, I told you a while back that the CIA, particularly ex-CIA officials were at war with this White House. Many scoffed at this idea. Well, scoff no more. The first shot has been fired, and it is a shot that every American who cares about their freedom should pay attention to. Pay attention, because it involves your privacy and what is left of your civil liberties. Yet, the Boosh administration asks you to once again "trust" them. I suggest that you do not do this. As it turns out, this shot was fired over a year ago. The New York Times just chose to wait until now to tell us about it, or maybe they finally got permission once the new restrictions were in place. I do not know who the "anonymous sources" are, those that the New York Times used for this story. But, I can make a highly educated guess.

Cyclone

The Iraq Elections; A Civics Lesson to Be Learned

I stayed up very late last night watching bombs explode as the Iraqi election went forward as planned. I couldn't help but notice a few things about this election that I feel should be pointed out. I am going to ask you to use your imagination. First, close your eyes, say a few ohms or hail mary's or something, take some deep breaths and follow along.

It is voting day. You are happy that you can help be a part of the process that allows leaders to be chosen by you, the people. As you walk to the polls, you hear explosions going off around you, but you aren't too concerned with this. Hearing bombs go off and the screams of the wounded and survivors who lost loved ones have become a daily occurence in your life, but you will not be deterred. You are going to vote. You reach the correct polling station, the one that they said you had to go to if you wanted to vote. You are greeted by armed guards, supposedly there to protect you. There is a line, reaching outside the makeshift building, and it is getting close to the time that the polls are supposed to close. You begin to think that maybe you won't get to vote after all, and tears well up in your eyes. This will be your first time ever to vote, you had not been eligible to vote before today. Your disappointment mounts as the clock keeps ticking. What is wrong here? The line doesn't seem to be moving very fast, although you do see people leaving with a purple stain on their finger. They are smiling, proudly holding their fingers in the air for you to see. Another blast goes off somewhere, but far enough away that you don't hear screams. Maybe it was just the backfire from an American Military Hummer and not a hand grenade or a bomb. It doesn't really matter to you, what matters is that this line get's moving so you can cast your vote. A few minutes later, an armed military official comes outside the building and annonces that although it was time for the polls to close, the decision had been made to extend the time so that those in line would have a chance to exercise their right to vote. You are elated at this news, you will get to vote! So this is how democracy works. About 45 minutes later you enter the building and your time to vote has arrived. You are handed a paper ballot with many names on it. You now understand why it was taking so long. There are a lot of names on the paper. You have to look at each one and vote for people from various categories that are listed for different positions within the government. You are asked to dip your finger in the purple ink. You do so, proudly mark the candidates that you have decided to vote for and then give the paper to a soldier, to be counted later. You have voted, for the first time in your life. Like others before you, as you leave the building you proudly raise your purple finger in the air proclaiming to those still waiting that you have finished. A television reporter then approaches you, asking how it felt to vote and wanting to hear your story. You spend 15 minutes talking to the reporter and then begin the walk home. You feel as if you had accomplished something to help your country get better and hope that the foreign soldiers will soon be gone. In short, you are estatic. On the way home you hear more explosions, but think little of them. You are occupied with the experience you have just gone through, casting a vote for the first time in your life.

A different polling place. It is voting day. You are excited that this will be the first time that you have been eligible to vote. After waiting your whole life, you can finally join the process. The process that allows you to help shape the future of your country by voting for candidates that you feel will best represent you. You have waited what seems like forever for this day. You hop into your car and begin driving to the place they said you must go to cast your vote. About one mile before you reach the voting station, a roadblock is set up. After you stop, an armed man in uniform approaches your car and you roll down your window. After being asked where you are going, you explain to the man that for the first time you are going to vote. The man says that it is too late, the polling place will be closed soon and that the line is too long. You will never make it in time, so you should turn around and go back in the direction from which you came. You are confused, but you have no choice but to turn around, given that the man has a gun and the road is blocked. As you are driving the other direction, it strikes you that you can cut through a few side streets and still get to the polling place, missing that particular road block and hoping that there aren't others at the intersections that you must cross. You still have an hour until the polling station closes, so you decide to go for it. Luckily, your plan works and you arrive at the polling place 30 minutes before closing time. There are maybe 30 people in line ahead of you, but you have heard that it doesn't take long to vote and are hopeful that you can cast your first vote in time. You see people exiting the building after only being inside for a minute or two, so your anticipation grows. The line is moving along pretty well, it looks like you'll make it. You are thinking, "Boy I hope my choices win." You have spent a fair amount of time researching the candidates over the last few weeks, and feel that your choices best represent your hope for the future. The girl in front of you strikes up a conversation. She is a little older, so you ask her if she has ever voted before. She said yes, that she always votes. She also says that she wishes it was like it used to be, where you pull buttons next to the candidates you choose and then pull a big handle like playing a slot machine. She says that she doesn't really like the new, computerized touch screen way of voting. You agree, although you really don't know what she is talking about. After all, this is your first time to vote, but you don't tell her that. You look at the time, there are now only six people in front of you and you have 12 minutes until the polls close. You are going to get to vote! You are a combination of nervous and excited. You had always heard your parents say that if you didn't vote you had no right to complain about who represented you. Now you will vote and complain all you want to. Finally, the next person in line to vote is the girl in front of you. You can hardly stand it now, you are thinking one last time about which candidates you wish to choose. Then, an armed man in a uniform comes up and says that the polling station is closed and the voting is over. The girl in front of you becomes incensed, showing the man her watch. He tells her that her watch is wrong, it's time to go. She then points to the clock on the wall behind the man and it shows 6:52, but the man says that they are going by his watch, it says 7:02, and that there will be no more voting. She continues to argue, becoming more angry as the seconds tick away. The man tells her that if she doesn't immediately leave, she will be arrested for disturbing the peace. She angrily stomps off and you follow her, disappointed that you did not get to vote after all. You think to yourself, "So, this is democracy?"

Our country, the United States of America, has just forced an election in Iraq. We are placing the lives of American troops on the line every day, losing many, allegedly to "bring Democracy to Iraq." I will not go into whether or not the Iraq election was rigged, whether the candidates are or are not legitimate, nor whether the results are pre-ordained by us. I have my suspicions, but that is for another day.

What you see above is the truth. The first example is from what I saw on television last night in Iraq, the second from our 2004 Presidential election in the United States. As we "spread democracy" around the Middle East and around the world, it seems that we have forgotten what democracy is here at home. In Iraq, it's fine to use paper ballots that can be handcounted and fingerprints. In America, we must use rigged machines that leave no paper trail. In Iraq, they will gladly keep the polling places open late to serve those in line who wish to vote. In America, we often have too few voting machines in certain regions, and close the polling early, if necessary, to prevent minorities and other specific groups from casting votes. We can also, in America, set up roadblocks to prevent certain groups from ever reaching the ballot boxes. Or intimidate certain ethnic groups by threatening to arrest them for trying to vote. In Iraq, a purple finger is good enough. In America, you must have several pieces of identification available, identification that some groups of people just don't have. I could go on and on, but I won't.

The point is this, we were responsible for both elections. Because Boosh has a lot at stake on this Iraqi vote, we were willing to bend over backwards to see that every Iraqi who wanted to vote got to vote. In America, you are encouraged (actually allowed) to vote, as long as you are part of a group that statistics predict that you will vote for the right people. If you are from a group that statistics say will oppose those people, you are discouraged (actually prevented) from voting. There is ample evidence of people being told that the polls were closed, (even going as far as telling people that the vote was actually the next day) that there were too many people in line for you to have time to vote, threats of arrest of those who may have a traffic warrant out for them should they try to vote, evidence of rigged voting machines, vote tampering, votes being literally thrown in the trash can, tires being slashed on buses prepared to take people to the polls, and on and on and on. We only want people to vote as long as it fits the long range plans of corrupted individuals, pure and simple.

Maybe we can learn something from the Iraqi vote by demanding that the machines be thrown in the damn dumpster. Demand that we not register or show identification, simply dip our fingers in purple ink and put a print on a paper ballot. It seems to work better over there than it does here.

Cyclone

Do You Feel Safer Today? I Sure Do!

I am beginning to find the "condition that our condition is in" almost laughable. Remember, I said alomost. I am nearing the point of throwing my hands up and tossing in the towel, grabbing my passport and heading to the nearest warm destination where I can afford to reside. This comedy of errors might be easier to watch from a long distance, rather than live it day in and day out. Because, the theater of the absurd, America, becomes more absurd with each and every day. Today's idiocy? The Department of Homeland Security. I am not making this up. (well, I made up my investigative involvement but that hardly matters)

Shortly after 9/11, and after the formation of the Department of Homeland Security, (from here on referred to as DHS) the new agency was given the task of creating a list of likely targets for terrorists so that plans could be made to protect these facilities. This report was due to be completed by December of 2004. That is LAST DECEMBER. I think that it was assumed that the list would consist of landmarks such as the Sears Tower or the Empire State Building, nuclear power facilities, airports and other places along those lines. Instead, this is what we have accomplished as of December 2005, one year past the deadline.

After three plus years of work, the DHS, created specifically to "protect the nation against terrorism," does not have a workable database of what would be deemed vulnerable targets. It has, however, pared the list to some 80,000 sites, all contained on a "classified" database. After perusing some of the sites contained on the list, I have concluded that any kindergarten class from the school with the lowest possible rating could have done a better job, and not taken over three years to do it. In fact, one could sit and think for 15 minutes and create a workable database containing listings of actual potential sites.

The initial list that the DHS created contained various Bowling Alleys and Miniature Golf Courses in strategic locations. Yes bowling alleys and mini golf courses. Now, I have been in exactly two bowling alleys in the past 20 years, so I do not consider to be a bowling alley expert by any stretch of the imagination. I do, however, on occasion, play golf with several people who regularly bowl. So, I do have some knowledge of the types of folks that frequent these "high risk targets."

I have taken it upon myself to investigate the likelihood of a terrorist act being carried out during the Friday night bowling leagues. Of those insiders that I have interviewed, none have said that they feel endangered by attending these sessions. Between 6-packs of Bud Light, one bowler told me that one time he had seen some guy with a beard that looked like he could have been from another part of the world, maybe Kentucky or somewhere, and he immediately threw a 7-10 split. I asked him if the stress of seeing the foreigner might have led to his bad toss of the ball. After much consideration, and after another can of beer, he stated, "I hadn't thought about it, but now that you mention it, the man's presence could have impacted my arm angle at release." As an experienced investigator, I know that one cannot take such statements at face value. You must use good judgement in discerning whether a subject may have an alternative interest in giving you a specific answer. So, after much pondering, I dismissed this explanation based upon this particular bowler's affinity for blaming various bowling failures on outside influences. This particular night, I overheard him complaining to another bowler about the slickness of the lanes.

I also know, again through years of experience in investigating serious matters, that you must interview more than one subject to get an unbiased view of situations. So, I spoke to another bowler. This guy had just polished off a "turkey," inside bowlerspeak for three strikes in a row. I asked if he had noticed anyone suspicious lurking about in the bowling alley over the last three years, someone that looked like a potential terrorist. He bluntly stated, "No. Leave me alone, I'm working from a turkey." Now, I am not sure if he was upset because I was disrupting his bowling concentration or providing cover for an accomplice who might indeed be a terrorist, so I felt that I must covertly scout out the premises for potential suspects.

I didn't see much, although a guy with two teeth showing and wearing a Dale Earnhardt cap on backwards, did cause me to at least give him a second look. He had with him a rather suspicious looking bag, and had appeared to have left it unattended. I waited for him to make a trip to the bathroom, and, wearing gloves of course, looked inside the suspicious package. I found a smelly pair of shoes and another bowling ball. Unfortunately, this guy turned out to be a man of "quick pee" and he caught me redhanded with my hand inside his bag. He threatened to "whup my punk ass for touching his ball used only to pick up spares." I explained that I was working undercover, but he insisted upon us "going outside," presumably to fight. Knowing full well that one should not be left exposed while investigating terrorist activities, I had a friend in the bowling alley that came to my rescue and talked the toothless one down. But, with my cover blown, I had no choice but to abandon my investigation for the night. However, I don't believe that Bowling Alley's in general should be considered "high target areas" for terrorist activities.

Miniature Golf Facilities might be a different story. My city has the best mini-golf course I have ever seen. You actually putt on real grass, so I thought that perhaps that should be investigated as well. Unfortunately, the results were much the same. I saw few over the age of 11 at this course, and those that were of age were accompanying families of the children. I saw no suspicious packages, although some of the balls being used were of odd colors, so cannot be dismissed as terrorist tools out of hand. This will require further investigation, so I will update you on this informatin as soon as I complete the assignment. In the meantime, should you decide to play miniature golf, I suggest that you remain vigilant while participating. It would be rather simple to place an IED inside one of the windmills, so please be careful. Now, back to the list.

INSTANT MEMO---I have just received an updated version and Bowling Alleys and Miniature Golf Courses have been deleted from the list. Now it's down to 79,998 items to be whittled through. After more than three years. So, if you trust the government, you may disregard the above warning. As the years go by and the National Infrastructure Protection Plan takes form, I'm sure that the money spent on this project will prove to be fruitful. Eventually they might get to the levees, bridges, chemical plants, refineries and nuclear power facilities, as well as our national treasures. These things take time, you know. But, at this rate, fetuses of terrorists will have time to be born, grow up and complete bomb making school and shuttle on over here before we define what targets might be struck.

Just what the hell has happened to this place we call America? We start a "War on Terror," and spend countless dollars that we don't have, compiling lists of damn bowling alleys and mini-golf courses. We bomb the hell out of Iraq, a country that had nothing to do with terrorism prior to our invasion, and accomplish giving terrorists their own fricking country to work out of. We get our soldiers killed by the thousands while killing tens of thousands of Iraqi's and Afghans, so that we can "fight them over there instead of over here." We can't even identify who "them" are, so we have no ability to measure whether or not we are winning this phony war on terror. To this day, no one, including Boosh himself, can even explain what the war on terror is. It may as well be a war on air, you simply cannot fight a war on a concept, mush less win it. In fact, we can't measure whether or not we are making progress, because it is not something that can be measured. We can only take the word of Boosh, whose word is no good. Boosh heads the regime that finds looking at bowling alleys and golf courses a good idea. We cannot figure out how to feed, clothe or house our homeless, yet we will nearly reach the 1/2 TRILLION Dollar mark borrowed to fight this "war." (assuming that the Congress approves the new $100 Million request from Boosh for money for the War on Terror, a given) We destroy the middle class of America, many cannot afford health insurance, gasoline or heating supplies, bankrupt ourselves both financially and morally, lose the respect of everyone in the world except the Israeli's and do nothing to protect ourselves from the next terrorist strike that will inevitably occur here. We can once again carry scissors and small knives aboard our airplanes. We have no idea who is in this country, less of an idea of who is arriving today, and no idea of who might be here tomorrow. We have a President that has not a clue what is going on around him, having given evidence of such by allowing NBC's Brian Williams to follow him around for a day. The best piece of news coming out of that adventure was probably a lie. Boosh claimed to "pay attention to the news, but not opinions." He doesn't read things himself. I doubt that he can read. His brain is fried, done in by years of binge drinking and drug use. He has an aide come and tell him what the news of the day is. I don't even believe him on that one. If he knew about the news of the day, he would resign, ending it for all of us. But, he won't. You know why? Because he doesn't think that there is anything wrong. NOTHING WRONG, all is just hunky dory. This is our President, the leader of the free world. And that, my friends, is a disgrace.

I would pay $1000 to have lunch with Brian Williams today, assuming he is not in a straight jacket. I would love to know what it was like to follow this moron around, even if it was for only one day. Williams commented that he had many visits with the President, although they were all very short. Again, know why? Because the Boosh attention span is like that of a first grader. He cannot concentrate on anything for more than a few minutes. That is why his aides have always said that "this President likes to keep his meetings short." Because he can't keep track of anything that lasts longer than about 15 minutes, he insists on short meetings. He is a childlike creature, allowing sociopaths like Dick Cheney to run the world from behind the scenes. He has ruined America in 5 short years. So, when the next terrorist attack occurs, I guess we should just go to the nearest bowling alley. It might be the safest place to be, assuming that you don't mind a little second hand smoke.

Cyclone