Janus Online
December 20, 2005
On Secret Searches, Snooping, and Spying
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
–Mark 8:36
I’m not a religious person, but there are some quotes from the Bible that I just love. That is one of them.
I assert that the same philosophy also applies to our democracy. The likes of William Kristol, et. al., are happily carrying water for the Bush administration’s violation of constitutional principles and federal law by spying on its own citizens for political and personal ends, without warrants or due process. They claim that Bush is above the law, and that because his intentions are good (according to them*), that he should be given wide latitude to do whatever he wants in the interest of national security.
I say that liberty is the soul of our nation. And the Bill of Rights codifies what liberty meant in the eyes of the founders, and what it means today. The particulars may change (I don’t think the framers foresaw technical feats such as ECHELON or Carnivore), but the spirit remains the same. I imagine Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin would agree with me. Jefferson once said, “he who trades liberty for security, deserves neither and will loose both.” Franklin said that “he who gives up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserves neither liberty nor safety.”
So what does it profit our nation if we defeat the terrorists at the cost of our liberty?
* Of course the evidence shows that they are really just as interested in spying on gays, Quakers, tree-huggers, civil rights workers and labor unions. So whether you think his intentions are good really depends on whether you subscribe to the theocon agenda.
Terror Threat Level Orange: Men Kissing
According to recent press reports, Pentagon officials have been spying on what they call “suspicious” meetings by civilian groups, including student groups opposed to the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual military personnel. The story, first reported by Lisa Myers and NBC News last week, noted that Pentagon investigators had records pertaining to April protests at the State University of New York at Albany and William Patterson College in New Jersey. A February protest at NYU was also listed, along with the law school’s LGBT advocacy group OUTlaw, which was classified as “possibly violent” by the Pentagon. A UC-Santa Cruz “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” protest, which included a gay kiss-in, was labeled as a “credible threat” of terrorism.
Hat tip: John.
December 17, 2005
Meet Peterson Toscano
A couple of days ago out of the blue, I got an e-mail via the blog from a guy who I had corresponded with earlier this summer saying, “I’m in town!.” So I had a drink yesterday with Peterson Toscano and a local ex-exgay woman (yeah that’s the same as a gay woman) whose name I won’t share because she’s about to be profiled in a big magazine and I don’t want to scoop anybody.
Peterson’s just a delight. And cute as a bug’s butt. And he brought me presents, which was so sweet.
Peterson does a one-man play called Doin’ Time in the Homo No Mo Halfway House about his time in the ex-gay movement. Haven’t seen it, but after spending a couple of hours with Peterson, it’s got to be good. What a smart cookie.
Oh and Peterson’s friend who lives here is a sweet lady too. And she’s local, so that means maybe we can hang out. Whenever her article is printed, if she sends me a link, I’ll link it here for everyone to read.
Bush’s Secret Domestic Spying Program
Check out ProgressNowAction.org if you haven’t done so lately. My latest post is about Bush’s breaking wiretap laws and the fourth amendment by issuing thousands of wiretaps without warrants. But more specifically, it’s about the New York Times withholding the story for a year before publication, which raises the question:
Did the Times help Bush win the election by not revealing criminal activity that it knew had taken place?
December 15, 2005
David Harsanyi E-mails
Not very nice. Also a bit confusing. I’m in favor of gay marriage, drug legalization and against flag burning laws. Hardly “ultra-conservative.” I broke the Deb Davis story and have serious reservations about the Patriot Act. Basically, I oppose any expansion of state power that undermines personal freedoms – and I stay consistent on that point whether traditional conservatives or liberals agree or not. If small “l” libertarians are kooks, then I guess I am one. But if you think I’m being a kook, you could always email me – and post my replies – if you’re so inclined. Calling me an “attack dog” though is probably just a reflex – fact is I rarely attack anyone; I attack ideas and policy. For instance, after browsing your blog, I wouldn’t call you a “kook,” I would just contend that you’re dead wrong on
almost every issue. See.Best,
dh
You know what David? You’re right. The kook comment was unkind. But I swear I meant it in only the nicest sense of the word! I swear! (I did say “grade-A”… It could have been grade-C or grade-F!)
I based that comment on my memory of one column which I thought (and still think) was deeply dishonest. But I went back and read through your columns, and I have to say that you are completely right. All of it. Knee-jerk reflex and everything. I apologize.
And we’re closer together on many things than you might think. In addition to the things you stated, I’m also for gun rights, fiscal sanity (unlike the current crop of the Republican leadership at the federal level), and window-washer pay.
And if you ever want to organize that demonstration in favor of hamster suffrage, I’ll be there right with you! And if you want to call me a kook, please feel free. Most conservatives who write in call me a “fag” or worse, so to me, “kook” is just a term of endearment.
Jeralyn Merritt Profiled in Denver Post
David Harsanyi, who is a grade-A kook in my book, just earned some brownie points with his profile of Jeralyn, proprietor of TalkLeft.com, of which yours truly is proudly the webmaster.
Jeralyn Merritt, a criminal defense lawyer based in Denver, is an incorruptible, progressive liberal activist.
So, obviously, she’s extraordinarily misguided on a whole host of issues.
But damn her, she’s also down to earth, funny, passionate and persuasive.
Way to go Jerri, and way to go David!
Update: I should note that I am, too, a fan of the mainstream media. As often as I assail them here on this blog, the majority of what they write is pretty darn good. Unlike Jerri, I am not a big fan of cable news channels, primarily because I think 24-hour live news lends itself to irresponsible, unverified reporting of rumor that often goes uncorrected. And when it is corrected, many viewers have already moved on and don’t get to see the corrections–just conflicting reports later on, which I think undermines the credibility of the media as a whole.
It’s what the media doesn’t write that is the biggest issue in my view. And the media’s strange deference to the Bush Administration during the first 4-5 years was bizarre, but I think that tide is turning. Thanks, in great part, to the work of bloggers holding the media’s feet to the fire.
December 14, 2005
Brokeback Mountain and Other Stuff
I just read Brokeback Mountain. I had read it before, but I had never read it. Really had just skimmed it. This morning I guess my psyche was in the right place to just let myself go and allow it to sweep over me. I don’t do that much anymore, especially when I know a story is painful. There’s been too much pain in my life these past few years. So much that I have verily closed myself off from painful stimuli. Pain is resonant. New pain causes old pain to vibrate and work its way to the surface.
December 13, 2005
I Did?
The Rocky Mountain News writes up the Haynes Trane vs. American Standard case and notes:
Jury foreman Michael Ditto said American Standard should have conducted an investigation to determine if fraud had occurred on the franchise line of business before breaking the contract.
I did? Funny, the Rocky never talked to me, so I wonder how they figure I said that?
Oh, maybe they read the blog! I wonder how many of the other facts cited in the article came from my site without citing the source. Hmmm… Interesting…
Do You TiVo?
I’m trying to get a hold of tapes of local TV coverage of the Columbine High School shooting on 4-20-1999. The local stations here have been pretty much unresponsive, saying they only keep video for 30 days. I know there are people out there who tape TV coverage of major events, just as they save newspapers from those days. Heck, I have an all-day tape of NBC’s coverage of 9-11. And both the News and the Post extras from that day.
If you have a tape of the coverage, please contact me. I’ll be happy to quickly make a copy and return the original to you. It is research for a book, so you can be assured that it’s for a journalistic purpose and not some perverted mass murder fascination. E-mail link’s on the left.
Thrust Reversers a Non-Starter
Stories such as this keep making mention that the thrust reversers on the Chicago plane that overran the runway at Midway did not deploy properly, according to the pilot in command.
That’s really neither here nor there. Thrust reversers, in perfect conditions, might reduce the required landing length by a maximum of 25%. Conditions are never perfect. In all likelihood, assuming the pilot is correct, the additional time the thrust reversers might have been in place would have caused the plane to crash into the road traffic less hard, but it wouldn’t have stopped this crash.
The parameters for using thrust reversers are very strict nowadays. Back in the day, pilots would use thrust reversers on the 727 at Stapleton in Denver to back the plane up from the jetway. That would never fly on a 737, 747, 757, 767, or 777 because of the extreme risk that the reverse thrust would kick up debris that could be ingested into the engines and cause failure, flame-out, or worse. Even hot exhaust gas without debris has a high risk of causing problems, as it is of low density and is oxygen-poor, thereby reducing engine efficiency even to the point of engine shutdown. FAA regulations nowadays only permit thrust reversers to be used to help bring the plane from some very high speed to some moderately high speed (specifics depend on aircraft model and weight), and then brakes have to be used from there. Their primary purpose these days is to modestly increase the safety factor while reducing wear and tear on the brakes and tires. Thrust reversers are not, nor have they ever been, the primary method of stopping an airplane.
Based on early reports from the NTSB, the pilots came in hot, and landed too far down the runway. My prediction is that the NTSB will find that the pilots caused this crash. Midway and the City of Chicago could have mitigated the effects of the crash by installing arresting material at the end of the runway. The death of the boy will be a shared fault of the airport/city and the pilots. Other mitigating factors may be mentioned, such as faulty training and weather conditions, but the blame will rest squarely on the pilots. That’s just a prediction based on news reports, but I think it is sound.
December 09, 2005
Anthony Thompson
I know who you are. ☺
You need a better IT guy.
I’m unclear if I’m not supposed to talk to you at all, or if you’re just not allowed to initiate contact. If it’s proper for you to talk to me if I initiate contact, consider it initiated. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail. Link’s on the left.
Whoa, There’s Some Spin!
The AP posted a story entitled Jury rules in favor of American Standard. That headline is very much the opposite of what is true, and the AP did nothing to find out if it was printing accurate information or raw spin.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON – American Standard Cos. on Friday said a district-court jury Wednesday returned a “favorable” verdict for the company in its lawsuit alleging fraud by Haynes Trane Service Agency Inc., a former distributor of the company’s air conditioning business.
Here’s the letter I sent to the Post-Intelligencer in response to this dubious article:
Tom Tancredo’s America
16 year-old Zach Rubio, an American-born citizen from Kansas City, was suspended from school for saying “no problema” in the school hallway. Really. That’s not a joke.
If he had been a white kid who was practicing for his Spanish class, would he have been suspended? If the school has no policy against speaking Spanish, how can they suspend him for violating such a policy? If the school had such a policy, how could it possibly have been constitutional? I can’t even count the ways in which this kid’s rights were violated. I hope the school district gets raked across the coals. The principal should be fired.
This is an example of the level to which anti-immigrant sentiment has risen in this country. Tom Tancredo must be smiling from ear to ear.
December 08, 2005
Casanova
I went with Dave last night to see the sneak preview of Casanova.
Dave hated it.
I didn’t hate it. I didn’t love it, either. Good costumes, Heath Ledger is cute, some funny slapstick. It was all a little bit over-the-top. Probably worth watching on TV when it comes out. I don’t know if I’d spend $9 on it to see it in the theater. It’s a chick flick. Girls loved it, boys tolerated it. That’s sort of the definition.
December 07, 2005
Trial’s Over!
I just concluded sitting through a month-long Federal civil case. As the Presiding Juror, I handed off the verdict about an hour ago.
It was fascinating sitting in that glorious 95 year-old courtroom with the venerable Judge Richard Matsch, and watching the excellent lawyering of Larry Pozner. But I have to say that was totally outweighed by four weeks of sitting in the miserable 95 year-old wooden jury chairs, the constant monotonous droning of the plaintiff’s lousy-ass lawyer (who I’ll call “mumbly Joe”), the evasive and non-responsive witnesses on both sides, and the thousands of pages of admitted evidence, only maybe 50 pages of which were of any value to the jury in its deliberations.
To all you lawyers out there: If you’re primarily a contract lawyer, don’t represent clients in jury trials. If you’re boring to the point that the jurors, the judge, and the courtroom staff are alternating between nodding off and being irritated, you’re not helping your client.
If you are a trial lawyer, get a haircut and/or lay off the Brill creme. If you look like a shyster, jurors have a hard time thinking of you as anything other than a shyster, no matter how good you are at impeaching witness testimony.
Bottom line: The case should be about the evidence, not the lawyers. I think some lawyers (even good ones) don’t fully get that jurors are not jurists. If by your conduct you make a case about yourself and not about the evidence, you had better pray that there’s a type-A personality on the jury who is more focused on the evidence than on the lawyering.
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