From a New York Times article:
WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 — A group of businessmen linked by their close ties to President Bush, his family and his administration have set up a consulting firm to advise companies that want to do business in Iraq, including those seeking pieces of taxpayer-financed reconstruction projects.
I could hand out that kind of advice. “You wanna do business in Iraq? Drop a few hundred thousand into W’s re-election fund”. People actually need to pay consultants to hear that?
Well, the CIA thinks maybe so, and has asked the Justice Dept. to investigate. It’s not really a new issue; I mentioned it here in July, but nobody was paying much attention back then. Now it may be getting the attention it deserves. The CIA has officially requested a DOJ investigation. (I never thought it was wise of the White House to expect Tenet to take the fall for their Nigerian uranium fabrication; I figured he’d have enough on them to get back). And now the mainstream press is smelling blood; CBS, MSNBC, The Washington Post, and others are carrying the story. The Teflon is starting to wear off of Bush’s presidency, and I don’t think this one is going to be ignored this time. Some are already starting to compare it to Watergate.
My JetBlue stock is still holding steady at $59, so their little privacy oops doesn’t seem to have hurt them too badly .. yet. But the news just won’t die. Wired keeps hammering on the story, other media are picking it up, lawsuits have been filed, and federal agencies are investigating.
I’m beginning to think that anybody who looked at our country as an example of democracy in action would quickly reach the conclusion that it’s a very bad idea. Our election process has become a farce, and it’s hard to say who is dumber, the news media who are dishing out crap, or the population which is letting them get away with it. The presidential race was bad enough before Wesley Clark jumped in, but now it’s gone way beyond ludicrous.
Way back in March, I preached support for a boycott of Delta Airlines, because of their participation in the TSA’s CAPPS II project. Shortly thereafter, I happily reported that the project had been suspended. Now it’s back, with good news, bad news, and worse news.
I haven’t done much political ranting here recently, mainly because I don’t see much point in regurgitating other points of view unless I can add something, or unless I find something that hasn’t gotten much media attention. But I’ve about reached the point of physical regurgitation from hearing Darryl Worley singing his nauseating “Have You Forgotten?. The Clear Channel radio stations are still ramming it down our throats, so I finally decided I need to answer Darryl’s questions (and ask him a few).
According to Newsday
A man stole a $2500 GPS-based computerized home-detention tracking device
that had been temporarily left outside the home of the woman who was
supposed to be wearing it. By the time she reported the loss, prison
officials had already rounded up the thief.
I wonder who he thought would buy it.
Here’s another one of those stories that makes you ask “Is this guy a complete moron, or just so arrogant he doesn’t care?” A Cleveland Plain Dealer article reports:
The head of a company vying to sell voting machines in Ohio told Republicans in a recent fund-raising letter that he is “committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year.”
And I’ll bet they can do it without all those messy hanging chads.
As Labor Day weekend approached, I began to think I had gotten lucky and manged to avoid being volunteered to work at the Kentucky Classic Horse Trials at the Horse Park that weekend. If I hadn’t gotten a draft notice before the weekend, I must be home free. Friday afternoon, I let my guard down and made a tactical error that cost me Sunday morning. Mid-afternoon Friday, I decided I needed a brief break from work. I decided to get some fresh (albeit hot and humid) air, stretch my legs, admire the student body (looking very good on a hot day), and seek physical sustenance for myself, with a stroll across campus to Baskin-Robbins.