The similarities of the lead-up to the great market crash to today’s economic environment are obvious. Don’t say you weren’t warned.

The economic and financial landscape of 2007 bears striking similarities to 1929. Back then, there were large, unregulated pool operators and other insiders constantly muscling the tape in whatever direction they chose. The public, too, was involved, thinking the country was experiencing a new era.

Article

By a vote of 60-28 (all Republicans, 16 Democrats, and Joe Lieberman), the Senate passed Bush’s warrantless wiretapping bill (Washington Post).The Senate bowed to White House pressure last night and passed a Republican plan for overhauling the federal…

Somebodoies got to wake up here and get real. He doesn’t have a fucking cle what the spystewrs are doin with all those informations. Didn’t you learn something from the awful example of J. Edgar Hoover? Keep your intelligence agencies on the short line, or else they’ll misuse their power.

We either value privacy or we don’t. And we either respect due process or we don’t.

Apparently, we do not.

“The Constitution is not a suicide pact.”

The President and all 535 members of Congress swore an oath to defend and uphold the Constitution. Arguing that the Constitution “is not a suicide pact” is just an excuse to ignore the Constitution when its convenient to do so.

Its not my right, responsibility or priveledge to know who they are spying on. If I did then it would not be much of a spy job would it.

I’m sure they have gleaned much information that will NEVER BE KNOWN. Informing Rudi would breach, compromise and ruin any value the secret wiretaps had now would’nt it?

Comeon. Get real. They don’t give a flying flip who your drug dealer is. (Hypothetical YOU) They want to prevent, disorganize, bamboozle, disrupt and generally make things very, very hard for the Terrorists to operate in the USA.

So if your receiving calls from pakistan by suspected terrorists then you should be shaking in your boots. If your receiving calls from aunt Matilda in Germany then I suspect you don’t have much to worry about.

This goes to the very heart of the matter.

Does anyone seriously believe that spying on suspected terrorists who are receiving calls from overseas is going to create a police state?

The left screams that the right is ruling by FEAR.

The left is doing the same thing. AKA….do it GWB’s way and we will become a USSR police state run by Facist Nazis.

Who has the corner on fear mongering in the USA? I propose that both sides of this debate do. The truth and sanity belongs in the middle.

This bill passed the Senate with a fair number of Democratic votes. Normally, that would mean it had bipartisan support.

But these ain’t normal times.

Our media could report this as a bill with bipartisan support. Or it could be portrayed as a defeat for the Democrats. In fact, it could be portrayed as a victory for the President in spite of his unpopularity. And if our media portrays this as just political maneuvering, they don’t have to report on the underlying substance.

The only positive thing I see in here is some apparent belief in the executive branch that the law is relevant for their actions here, which is a departure from before.

http://ajliebling.blogspot.com/2007/08/is-bush-making-absolutists-of-us-all.html

I am very disappointed in the Democrats for caving in to the WH once again. All I can think of is they’re worried about the mounting intelligence of a plan for a big attack, and don’t want to leave the capital with that prospect hanging over them. Also, cravenly, they don’t want to hand the Republicans a weapon to bash them with on national security in ‘08, and so are playing it safe.

The rights of AQ agents to talk to each other, where their conversations happen to cross American territory, must be absolutely unfettered else it risks the government accidentally listening into Aunt Alice sharing a baking recipe with Granny.

Mark my words: in 5 years or less, conservatives will be accusing President Clinton of using the amended FISA to wiretap GOP communications when GOP leaders are on overseas junkets.

Well, now I understand why so many reasonable people are disturbed by this bill.

Change that one word to “unreasonable” or “unsupported by facts” or something along those lines, and it’s not a terrible solution to what seems to be a bona fide problem, IMHO. (and I’m one of those frothing of the mouthers on civil liberties).

Lincoln, contra Franklin, recognized that the real world has many shades of gray and adherence to absolute moral principles can be suicidal.

In Lincoln’s case, Confederate agents in the North were using habeas corpus and their Constitutional rights to regularly get out of jail – when their wasn’t enough evidence to hold them more than suspicion – and blow up trains, bridges etc. In some northern states these agents effectively shut down the draft.

Lincoln was, of course, swatted down by an outraged Supreme Court – after Lincoln’s death and the end of the war when the threat had passed.

Of course, liberals such as yourself and Talking Dog would back the rights of such people to the hilt…regardless of consequences to the Republic.

The rights of AQ agents to talk to each other, where their conversations happen to cross American territory, must be absolutely unfettered else it risks the government accidentally listening into Aunt Alice sharing a baking recipe with Granny.

Yah, Lynne Stewart would fully agree.