Now it’s coming out: the NSA’s stated goal is to create a database of every single call ever made within the US. They want the data so they can analyze call patterns, they say. But the Pretendent of the United States of America is on record as saying only cross-border calls were to be tracked: In defending the previously disclosed program, Bush insisted that the NSA was focused exclusively on international calls. “In other words,” Bush explained, “one end of the communication must be outside the United States.” Uh huh. That was a while back ago. This quote is a…

BBC NEWS | Americas | Drive for strict US immigrant law The Minuteman people interest me, because very often when they are quoted, the surnames of the spokespeople are Hispanic. Of course, they’re probably native born Latinos and Latinas, or at least naturalized citizens. They’re pretty successful at getting their pictures in the paper doing what they do, but not so successful with the gathering the massive crowds of people to rallies in support of their cause. The caravan will leave Los Angeles on Wednesday, where it plans to highlight unemployment in the African-American community. It says the problem is…

LiveJournal site Once Lost, Now Found reminds us of the prototypical image of the Bush Presidency: Just In Case You Haven’t Had Enough Yet… Yes, boys and girls, that is our fearless leader delivering, no doubt, one of the more satisfying sucker punches of his career. Little did we know, he would model his whole presidency on illegitimate retaliatory acts like this one!!! Illegal, but gratifying. Sign 750 bills into law without vetoing, but quietly file signing statements indicating you have no intention of executing them as enacted. Because you’re President Gumby, dammit. Yep, I think we’ve all had enough.…

Oh, GOD. This guy was all the news when we were in England a few years ago: David Blaine begins another idiotic and unfortunately fruitless attempt to die getting our attention. Blaine entered the “bubble” wearing trousers, rubber shoes and a special diving mask. Please hold your “boy in the bubble jokes” until the end of the post. He will be fed with a special tube. Please, God, let his air feed and his feed feed get mixed up. Or let the guy in charge of the venting or valves or what not get fed up. During the seven-day challenge…

Bush challenges hundreds of laws – The Boston Globe WASHINGTON — President Bush has quietly claimed the authority to disobey more than 750 laws enacted since he took office, asserting that he has the power to set aside any statute passed by Congress when it conflicts with his interpretation of the Constitution. Among the laws Bush said he can ignore are military rules and regulations, affirmative-action provisions, requirements that Congress be told about immigration services problems, ”whistle-blower” protections for nuclear regulatory officials, and safeguards against political interference in federally funded research. Legal scholars say the scope and aggression of Bush’s…

An undocumented worker named Rosa tells her story. Actually, it raises an interesting question: Working in the shadows | Chicago Tribune She paid $120 for a fake Social Security card and applied at the restaurant where she has worked six days a week ever since. Her boss, who relies on her to train new workers, has told her she could be an assistant manager if only she spoke better English. So she takes classes at a community center. Her fear of being deported is yielding to a conviction that illegal workers need to speak up. With the Chicago Workers’ Collaborative,…

$100 rebate plan called costly, ineffective – Martin Wolk: Eye on the Economy – MSNBC.com For a nation “addicted to oil,” as President Bush put it, Senate Republicans have a proposal that can only be described as enabling: Put $100 back into the pocket of every taxpayer. The proposal, unveiled Thursday, has been roundly criticized not only by Democrats but also by fiscal conservatives who warn it will widen the deficit while doing little to encourage energy conservation. “It could be one of the dumbest ideas of the year,” said Jerry Taylor, a senior fellow at the conservative Cato Institute.…

Here’s why I wonder if Republicans think the rest of us are stupid: They line up to howl about issues that they think will get them attention, then quietly slink off and do exactly as they please. Case in point: the Republican Congressional leadership are all loudly calling for lower gas prices, energy efficiency, and anything that makes them look like they’re doing something about the problem. So they held a press conference recently at a BP gas station in Washington DC, and Speaker of the House Denny Hastert (R-IL) showed up in a hydrogen fueled car. Very nice, very…

Oh, it was only matter of time, but still it’s sweet as candy on the tongue to type the words “Rush Limbaugh Arrested.” I about had convulsions just now when we were watching the tail end of Numb3rs, and a news teaser came up with the news that Rush Limbaugh had been arrested (oops, I did it again). Rush Limbaugh Turns Himself In On Fraud Charge In Rx Drug Probe MIAMI, April 28 — Talk radio icon Rush Limbaugh surrendered to authorities Friday on a charge of committing fraud to obtain prescription drugs, concluding an investigation that for more than…

‘RESPECTFUL’ W. HEARS A HU, while Cheney kept watch from the rear. Safety note: never disturb a sleeping veep. He may awaken suddenly, guns blazing. That’s Rummy over there on the right, looking like he’s pretending not to notice.