Red blogule to the Department Of Justice - "Preserving life and liberty" or Propaganda 101

The Department Of Justice proposes a justification to the Patriot Act on its "Preserving life and liberty" website (http://www.lifeandliberty.gov), with a special focus on "dispelling the myths" because this is about providing truth to those who dare objecting to the Propaganda and refusing "the pursuit of Happiness" (ignorance).
Note the site's title : this Administration sure knows how to preserve liberty (at the cost of thousands of lives, the apology of torture and the negation of justice), and it just proved it knew how to preserve life (theotherapeutical harassment for Terri Shiavo, not one finger lifted for Columbine II).
Right under the title lies a quote from the Declaration of Independence : "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted..." And that's it. They don't go any further. "Governments are instituted" in this context means this is the right, self-evident unalienable and secure body which shall do the job. Yet, I'll complete the quote, just for the education of the masses (not for fun, alas) : "... among Men, deriving their JUST POWERS from the CONSENT OF THE GOVERNED, that WHENEVER ANY FORM OF GOVERNMENT BECOMES DESTRUCTIVE OF THESE ENDS, IT IS THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE TO ALTER OR TO ABOLISH IT, AND TO INSTITUTE NEW GOVERNMENT." This site is definitely a masterpiece in editing for the sake of Propaganda...
Their justifications are very clear : the Patriot act...
... "Allows law enforcement to use surveillance against more crimes of terror" ("courts could permit law enforcement to conduct electronic surveillance to investigate many ordinary, non-terrorism crimes"... translation : we decide who is a terrorist)
... "Allows federal agents to follow sophisticated terrorists trained to evade detection" (translation : federal agents can act as terrorists, kidnap anyone anywhere anytime and evade the detection of human right groups)
... "Allows law enforcement to conduct investigations without tipping off terrorists" (translation : get rid of all safeguards to democracy. tipping off journalists is just as dangerous as tipping off terrorists so lets get rid ov'em too)
..."Allows federal agents to ask a court for an order to obtain business records in national security terrorism cases" (strange : they care about legality only when corporate money is involved)
... "Enhanced the inadequate maximum penalties for various crimes likely to be committed by terrorists" (translation : illegal detention without any proof, torture or death for the luckiest. shall we consider "likely to be" as "not committed yet but with such a profile it's just as well" ?)
... "Enhanced a number of conspiracy penalties" ("conspiracy" as in "I wish Bush weren't reelected" ? "penalties" as in "torture" ?)
The propaganda goes on with the "support of the people" section where polls justify the Patriot Act :
=> These two questions were asked by USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll on August 29, 2003, at a time when the heat was not at its peak on the Patriot Act : "Do you think the Bush administration has gone too far, has been about right, or has not gone far enough in restricting people's civil liberties in order to fight terrorism?" and "Based on what you have read or heard, do you think the Patriot Act goes too far, is about right, or does not go far enough in restricting people's civil liberties in order to fight terrorism?".
=> These two questions were asked even earlier (July 31, 2003) by a very trustable propaganda tool (Fox News/Opinion Dynamics) : "After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Congress passed the Patriot Act which, in part, gives federal officials wider authority to use wiretaps and other surveillance techniques. Some people say the Patriot Act is a necessary and effective tool in preventing terrorist attacks, while others say the act goes too far and could violate the civil liberties of average Americans. Which comes closer to your view - overall, would you say the Patriot Act is a good thing for America or a bad thing for America?" and "To the best of your knowledge have you or a member of your family had your civil rights affected by the Patriot Act?"
Now moving on to the "stories and articles" section : the first quote is an editorial from a very conservative magazine, National Review and the rest is a selection you would expect from a political brochure but not from a Government's official site.
This is a textbook example of a dictatorship justifying itself. Stephane MOT on a forum

Red blogule to Paul Wolfowitz

The US are withdrawing from all international bodies but the ones they initiated, especially when they can help putting some of the Iraqi mess away from the national flags (casualties, deficits, counter-propaganda). But the nomination of Paul Wolfowitz for the head of the World Bank sounds like the ultimate insult to the international community.
The man is anything but "a compassionate and decent man", as a master in both compassion and decency, George Walker Bush, dared dub him. How could an expert in dissimulation promote transparency ? How can this man handle the World Bank's priorities ? I just pick 3 out of the 6 "hot topics" mentioned on the World Bank's website : "Chad-Cameroon pipeline", "extractive industries transparency initiative" and "Iraq"... Come on !!! The World Bank is about reducing poverty ? It sure will if you consider Halliburton a poor entity. Look at the chest Wolfie will be able to pump from :

• IBRD : The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development , $11bn in 2004
• IDA : The International Development Association, $9bn in 2004
• IFC : The International Finance Corporation, $4.8bn in 2004
• MIGA : The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, $1.1bn in 2004
• ICSID : The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (that definitely settles it, doesn't it ?)

Red blogule to the Contra-terrorism squad

Much has been said about John Negroponte's past in the troubled Contra scandal, involving torture in Honduras and sponsoring terrorist activities. Well this man should know about intelligence, and the former Honduras, UN and Iraq ambassador may have changed. Everybody has a right to make mistakes, but there is a pattern : strangely enough, 3 other former Contra men have been promoted at key positions since last november elections :

• John Poindexter : the new Information Awareness Office Director at the Pentagon lied to the Congress and was convicted several times
• Elliot Abrams : this man pleaded guilty to have not disclosed information about the scandal. Five years later Bush I forgave him and now Bush II appoints him head of his Middle East task force
• Otto Reich : from the State Department, Reich would be involved in illegal pro-Contra propaganda. He's now working for the Western Hemisphere Affairs.

So in this lovely Administration, the head of justice promotes torture and the people in charge of counter-terrorism and diplomacy used to sponsor terror and torture. You know what you've got to do if you want to be promoted. Just stick to the stick.

Red blogule to private accounts - SoCal Security

Funny how the Americans can sound French when they talk about reforming their Social Security system. The Dems seem reluctant to contribute to a potential Bush victory and say there's no hurry to do what they pointed out as a priority during the campaign while the Reps are having one of these gallic fights where the conservative, the neo-conservative, the ultra-conservative, the not-so-conservative and the don't-tell-ma-i'm-rather-liberal-conservative discuss the consistency of the reform with the Adam Smith dogma. Even Dubya manages talking about being a good civil servant and boosting private accounts. I say if I needed some private security I'd hire Governor Arnold to get rid ov'em bugs. That would be the so-called social SoCal sekurity.

Red blogule to the Red machine - The potential RNC tickets for 2008 :

Jeb Bush - John McCain
Rudolf Giuliani - Condoleeza Rice
Arnold Schwarzennegger - Buzz Lightyear
Ken Mehlman - Barbie
Billy Graham - Abu Masab Al Zarqawi
Dick Perle - Paul Wolfowitz
Alberto Gonzales - Hannibal Lecter
Dick Cheney - Dick Cheney
George Prescott Bush - Chelsea Clinton

Red blogule to the Clintonian Republic - Spamilial planning

3 mails in one day from the DNC... are the Dems that desperate ? And I still have to receive Howard Dean's greetings. Obviously, "Yee-haa" scared the Clintons so badly they had to attack first : Hillary ignites a motion to secure the ballot system so that "every vote counts" - a great initiative launched with her dear friend McAuliffe but why announce it the very day the minority leaders sends his farewell note ? And between both mails Billy manages to release his own message : come visit my library and help me fight AIDS across the globe. Here again, a noble crusade and a nice reminder weeks after the inauguration of the Presidential Library. But the royal couple had to communicate today : "hey guys, we now the crazy boy from Vermont is taking over, but this remains our party and we're still the front runners for 2008 - besides we don't know if the new leader will let us use this channel for our personal messages".
Washing your laundry in public seems the latest reality TV / reality spam trend. That's how modern and developped countries proceed. Poor Togo relies on foreign news providers to relate the familial succession matters, changes in constitution included. Great Britain may be developped but not modern yet. Imagine receiving your Buckingham palace mail newsreel : in the morning a mail from Harry ("Save on drugs : get rid of hangovers and other nuisances"), at noon Charles' delivery ("Petition : support the institution of marriage in the U.K."), and in the evening Camellia's first mail ("Fight the blues with the blue pill : cheaper viagra now"). Pathetic.

White blogule to good intentions - Mind the gap

Strike the pose, George. You'll have your snapshot next to that of Jimmy & Anwar, or even better that of Billy, Yasser & Itzhak. All smiles at home, at your dear lil' White House on the prairie. After blocking all peace attempts for over 4 years and setting the World on fire... Luckily enough, you can put the blame on Arafat or even Powell for the failures of your first mandate. Not on you ("Make no mistake" is your middle name)... But tell you what : I'll even swallow my pride and endure your presence on that picture for posterity if you manage to make Palestine happen during your second mandate. Heck, even Russia celebrates Stalin for Yalta's 60th anniversary.
And you're also tackling that deficit issue now ? What a week ! Well... even divided by two this remains a huge deficit to be compared to the comfortable surplus you inherited. And you don't even take into account your little extras in Iraq. I'm sure a very efficient cut will be performed, but it's likely to be on your project by the very majority you got elected on that radical program of yours a couple of monthes ago...
I should rejoice and yet I can't help but smell a rat. Let's name it Karl for convenience. How is dear Karl gonna cope with the hardliners for 2006 and 2008 ?

White blogule to the "Stop Government Propaganda Act"

I love this no nonsense name - the perfect answer to the "Patriot Act" and its likely sequels ("Freedom Act" ? "Stop Tyranny But Collect Intel Efficiently Act" ?). I just wish it weren't just a daring project from a few Democrats but a strong commitment by this Administration. Stephane MOT

White blogule to the Straw man - pet stop boy

It's your time to shine, Jacko. The President pet's pet dares say "no" to the Bush administration even before (at least officially) being asked the question*. What question ? "Will you please back our attack on Iran, provide a few thousand troops and lose this year's elections for us ?" The message : the US won't set the so-called-"diplomatic"-but-poorly-hidden agenda for the rest of the World anymore, happy new year Condi, and thanks for giving me the opportunity to pass for a courageous man (who could possibly believe the US would open another front when they can't even draft enough fighters or torturers for Iraq).
Actually, the agenda may be set by North Korea, where gimchi will hit the fan much earlier than scheduled. Stephane MOT
* Sunday Times 20050123 "Straw snubs US hawks on Iran"

Discussion (following "the invasion of the buddy snatchers")

(answering the question : how about the word "tyranny" ?) In very deed, "Tyranny" is their new flavor for 2005... seems like the "Weapons of Mass Destruction" series don't sell anymore. "T-Rex vs Godzilla" ? Now that would be a winner ! Don't you think "Godzilla" sounds like "God Zealot" ? A quick look at some definitions of "tyranny" :

• Wikipedia : "a tyrant (from Greek τυραννος) is a usurper of rightful power, possessing absolute power and ruling by tyranny. In the original Greek meaning "tyrant" carried no ethical censure, a tyrant was anyone who overturned the established government of a city-state, usually through the use of popular support, to establish himself as dictator, or the heir of such a person."
• Merriam-Webster : "Etymology: Middle English tyrannie, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin tyrannia, from Latin tyrannus tyrant1 : oppressive power ; especially : oppressive power exerted by government 2 a : a government in which absolute power is vested in a single ruler; especially : one characteristic of an ancient Greek city-state b : the office, authority, and administration of a tyrant3 : a rigorous condition imposed by some outside agency or force 4 : a tyrannical act

"Usurper" ? "absolute power" ? "no ethical censure" ? "popular support" ? "heir" ? "single ruler" ? "outside agency" ?... looks like tyranny could be summed up by "George W Bush". Stephane MOT on a forum