Gridlock News

Charles Rangle said on CBS's Face the Nation that he would again work to introduce legislation that would reinstate the military draft.

He feels that the military is currently unable to enter into a war with Iran and North Korea.

Congressman Rangel has introduced draft bills in the past which were not accepted.  Most Americans oppose a draft.

Secretary Rumsfeld is resigning following the Republican losses of the 2006 midterm elections.  Rumsfeld was initially applauded for a swift victory in Iraq despite failing to head the advice of decades of military planning that called for an invasion force three times larger than the one used.

The initial swift victory was soon seen as a war that was won but a Peace that was lost.   Many feel that if Rumsfeld had taken the advice of military planners and utilized a force much larger that Iraq would have still been relieved of Saddam Hussein, but terrorists may not have been able to seize bastions of control.  Many also feel that if Weapons of mass destruction were present, locking down the country immediately after the invasion and locking down the borders would have prevented speculation that the weapons technology was secreted away to neighboring Syria or Iran.

Republicans lost the House of Representatives in an election that focused on the war in Iraq and even more so on Republicans that lost their reform instincts in favor of pork barrel spending and turning a blind eye to defense spending.  Democrats picked off every single Republican incumbent that had scandalous issues exposed running up to the election.  This gave Democrats an easy 8 seats out of the 15 that they picked up.

It won't be known for several weeks, but it could possibly also give the Democrats control over the Senate.

Rumsfeld was applauded for his initial military reformist style and his heroic personal efforts during the attacks on 9/11.  He later exhibited signs of being unable to adapt to changes on the ground in Iraq.  He also did not take personal responsibility for the torture and abuse that occurred under his command.  At the end of the day his brilliant battle strategy was trumped by his brilliant battle strategy, which could not foresee the needs of peace making and occupation.  He planned for a battle and ultimately lost a war.  Rumsfeld did not lose the election for Republicans.  Republicans did that to themselves. 

This election is probably less about what Democrats can do and more about what Republicans completely failed to do. 

They failed to reign in spending, they failed to maintain reform, they failed to win the peace in Iraq, and they are failing to achieve victory in the War on Terror. 

That's right the election is almost over and its just about time to start the recount.  This year the lucky winner of the recount seems to be Virginia.  CNN is almost ready to call it that Virginia is automatically destined to have a recount in the Senate race there.

The Republican - George Allen (Incumbent and former Governor)  he was once thought to be a likely Presidential Candidate until he was caught on video lambasting the person holding the video camera, calling that person Macaca.

v.

The Democrat - James Webb is a former Secretary of the Navy under Ronald Reagan and a veteran of the Vietnam War.

The race there will come down to a margin of victory of less than 1% no matter who wins and that means that the losing politician is automatically entitled to a recount.  You can bet that they will take it.

Side note - Second Annual Virginia Recount

Virginia is no stranger to recounts.  They had one last year.  So this will actually be the second annual Virginia recount.  The last recount in 2005 was not concluded until December 22, almost 45 days after the election. 

CNN is calling it.  The Democrats have taken back the House of Representatives.

Of course, its CNN so there is lingering controversy as a couple of Democrats thought to be safe in Georgia may not actually be safe after all.

CNN has none the less called it with a projection.

If true, Gridlock is Back and the government will be better for it.  This blog was created to track and discuss the difficulties of a government operating under Gridlock.

Funny thing is over time, it has rapidly been demonstrated just how poorly things can go in the absence of Gridlock.  A party with free reign that rains down incompetence needs a little gridlock to slow it down.  That appears to be very likely now coming from the House and could yet be distantly possible in the Senate.

Time 11:20PM EST

Most Recent Reports indicate that Cory Lidle 34 year old pitcher for the New York Yankees (picture right) was the pilot of the plane that crashed in NYC. The plane was a Cirrus SR20. 3:01 CNN's is reporting a small plane or helicopter crash into a building in New York City on 72nd and York. There No confirmations of terrorism have been provided, but there is video with smoke rising in NYC. It is a foggy day in New York. Initial reports on 9/11 indicated that a 'small plane' had crashed into the World Trade Center, reminiscent of a 1920's crash of a plane into the Empire State Building. 3:02 pm New reports indicate that several apartment buildings are engulfed in flames. 3:07 pm Fuel spill from the plane has spilled to the ground and created a fire on the ground. Firefighters, Police and Federal Agents are responding to the scene. The building is a 20 story residential building on the East River. 3:12pm The plane is believed to be a multi engine aircraft. NORAD was not tracking the aircraft and received no calls of a hijacked plane. 3:14pm The building was struck about half way up the 20 story building. 3:15pm The building possibly called the Bellaire is reportedly being evacuated. The fire appears to have spread to the floor below the floor that was struck. Smoke or flames are also now coming out of the rear of the building. New reports indicate that this building may be 50 stories and not 20. 524 E. 72st at York or about 30 blocks(1.5 miles) south from the UN building. The United Nations staff were alerted but not taking action at this time. 3:23 pm CNN is reporting that the FBI has indicated that there are no reports of terrorism. The FBI has two squads dispatched to the scene from the Joint Terrorism Taskforce. This location is very close to Sotheby's but this building is not the Sotheby's Building. 3:27 pm The aircraft was a fixed wing aircraft, flying on Visual Flight Rules (not engaged in communication with a tower or air traffic control). The fire and smoke appears to be coming from the 20th floor of a 50 story building. There is still NO INDICATION OF TERRORISM at this time. 3:33 pm 180 apartments are being evacuated at this time. The closest hospital is approximately 3 blocks away on 68th and 69th. 3:36 pm NORAD has taken the step to put fighter patrols in the air over "several US cities." There are still no press releases that indicate that this event is anything more than accident. NORAD was heavily criticized for a slow response during 9/11 and subsequent investigations revealed an inability to respond quickly. 3:38 pm The White House anounced that President Bush has been made aware of the situation. The White House is not ruling out nor ruling in the possibility of terrorism. All indications according to the spokesperson is that this appears to be an accident. 3:46 pm FAA has not closed any airports and has established a no fly area aproximately 1 mile around the crash site. Over 160 firefighters have responded to what is now considered a four alarm fire. 3:55 pm A pilot eye witness claims to have seen the plane banking sharply at about 900 ft in the air, which indicated the plane was in trouble shortly before it crashed. There is one reported fatality. Live video is available from MSNBC 4:08 pm The fire is reportedly under control at this time. People in the building reportedly heard a very loud explosion followed by flames. This crash ocurred on the 36th floor. The first 10 floors are constituted of medical offices. 4:30 pm Reports now indicate that two people died as a result of the crash or fire. Additional reports indicate that the flight originated out of a small airport in Teterborough, New Jersey and that the pilot may have made at least one distress call to air traffic control or the FAA. 4:50 Tom Verducci of CNN reports that the pilot may have been a New York Yankee's pitcher, Cory Lidle. The source of this report comes from both aviation officials and from the New York Yankees. He earned his pilots license during the last off season. Miles Obrien of CNN has a similar plane. Apparently the plane has a built in parachute that is supposed to be used to lower the plane to the ground in case of a problem. See picture above. Here is a short 1 minute video of a Training Session inside the cockpit of a Cirrus SR-20 airplane. The same type of plane reportedly crashed by Cory Lidle of the New York Yankees. 5:01 pm The FBI has confirmed that Cory Lidle was the pilot of the aircraft. Reportedly, Mr. Lidle's passport was found in the debris on the street. 5:20 pm The same parachute system on the plane that crashed in New York was deployed and saved a pilot during a crash less than a month ago. Technorati Tags: Plane Crash, NYC, Plane hits building

UPDATE: Japanese news has retracted reports that suggest this earthquake was triggered by a Nuclear Test. No other agencies have confirmed a second test as of 12 hours after the initial reports. Original Story An earthquake was recorded with a 6.0 measurement on early Wednesday. A tsunami warning was not anticipated. Officials suspect the earthquake may have resulted from a second North Korena nuclear test. The first North Korean nuclear test is thought to have been a failed attempt. White House officials appear to have leaked classified information that describes North Korea's pre-anouncement of an intent to detonate a 4 kiloton Nuclear explosion. The subsequent explosion barely registered a half of a kiloton. This botched attempt was thought to be a potential motivation for North Korea to try again and test a second nuclear device. So far US and South Korean officials have not detected any new seismic activity that might confirm a second nuclear test whether successful or a failed attempt. Technorati Tags: North Korea, Japan, Earthquake, Nuclear Test, second Nuclear Test

The story about Republican Mark Foley has been fueled by the following new revelations:

1. The ex-congressman has admitted that he is gay.
2. He has stated that he was abused by a clergyman when he was a teenager between the ages of 13 and 15.
   
3. He is a recently admitted alcoholic seaking treatment.
4. He claims he sent the emails and messages to the under age youth while he was drunk.
5. He claims he was sober when he was working on the floor and voting.
6. Some of the messages he sent were sent from the floor while he was voting.
7. His lawyer cannot resolve the paradox of being drunk and not being drunk while voting and sending messages to a minor
8. His name cannot be removed from the November 7th ballot in Florida
9. Representative Joe Negron has been selected by the state Republican Party to follow in the foot steps of the Foley on capital hill
10. Speaker Hastert will not currently step down amid allegations that he new of Foley's acts with Congressional Pages under the age of 18 and did nothing to stop it or investigate the claims or protect the minors
11. President Bush states that he is disgusted by Foley's Actions
12. The Ethics Committee will hold its first meeting on Foley's actions this Thursday
    

Technorati Tags: Mark Foley, clergy molestation

Former Secretary of State came out with guns blazing as he sniped off a letter to John McCain supporting McCain's fight with President George Bush over Bush's attempts to alter and remove several protections provided within Article 3 of the Geneva Convention. The former cabinet members actions against the president he worked for in conjunction with the GOP 2008 front runner is unusual, especially during a mid-term election season when the President's approval ratings are still hovering in the mid thirty percent range. Among many comments, Powell wrote, "The world is beginning to doubt the moral basis of our fight against terrorism," and he continued, "To redefine Common Article 3 would add to those doubts."  Then, "Furthermore, it would put our troops at risk." Technorati Tags: Geneva Convention, Bush, Powell, McCain

North Korea rejected an offer from US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill. South Korea's Vice foreign Minister reported this surprising twist, indicating that Hill's offer may have not been sanctioned by Washington.

Both the rejection and the offer provide a surprising glimpse into the problems at hand. North Korea has been demanding unilateral talks with the United States for many months. The demands of North Korea have been met with equally strong rebuff's by the United States. The United States continues to push for 6 party multilateral talks working to engage all of the stakeholders of the region, including Russia, Japan, South Korea and China

Technorati Tags: multilateral talks, North Korea, Christopher Hill

Jeb Bush signed a state of emergency Sunday afternoon as the State of Florida prepares for Tropical Storm Ernesto, which will likely come within range of Key West before travelling on up the Western gulf coast of Florida.

Judge Anna diggs Taylor sits on the US District Court in Detroit.  She was appointed during the Carter administration.  She ruled that the governments wiretapping program of international communications violated the constitution.  Her ruling does not impact the wiretapping of national communications nor does it impact the NSA's monitoring of internet communications from web searches, to emails to surfing habits, messaging and more.

The Argus of InsideBayArea.com quoted her as stating,

"The public interest is clear in this matter," Taylor wrote. "It is the upholding of our Constitution."

In bypassing court warrants, the judge said, the government has sought the unilateral power to decide when surveillance is required.

"It was never the intent of the framers to give the president such unfettered control, particularly when his actions blatantly disregard the parameters clearly enumerated in the Bill of Rights," she wrote. "The three separate branches of government were developed as a check and balance for one another."

Chinese Wal-Mart employees have succeeded in establishing a labor union in the 2nd Wal-Mart in China in less than a month.  American employees have attempted and failed to establish unions in Wal-Mart stores across the US, but Chinese employees have succeeded. 

Chinese employees have a big friend on their side, the Chinese Government.  The Chinese government is very much in favor of Wal-Mart employees organizing within its borders (but not abroad) as this will help the Chinese government maintain control of a growing working class of people throughout China that have left the public Government sector for jobs in the private sector which includes taking jobs with Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart is very accepting of the Chinese governments wishes to have its employees organize.  Wal-Mart employees aproximately 30,000 employees within China.

Unions in the United Sates have experienced waining interest from workers across the country.  There has been a bit of a quagmire relating to the decline in power and effectiveness of unions and their decreasing ability to  serve their constituents in the US successfully and attract more members or even maintain the members they have.  Unions established in part to improve benefits for employees in the early industrialization of the United States and other nations.  China appears to be using labor unions for a purpose that was always somewhat hidden in American politics.  Their purpose is to maintain control over their citizens through labor unions especially where their citizens work for foreign companies.

The focus of the Chinese government appears to be on the service sector of their economy such as retail employees working for Wal-Mart, which stands in stark contrast to the sector that supports manufacturing and light industry, an area of Chinese labor that has been harshly criticized for poor working conditions, long hours, and sweat shop like conditions.  China has not dared to tamper with its manufacturing base as that could raise prices of nations around the world importing Chinese goods, however, where the goods are being sold to its own people through retailers in mainland China they don't hesitate to push for unions.

It remains to be seen whether this unionization push might prove to be a trend that takes off amongst the Chinese people, who might see their fellow citizens in the service sector benefiting from unionization and demand similar opportunities in manufacturing.  This could become a dragon that China may have difficulty controlling.  It might appease a few citizens now, but could prove to be the tipping point that starts the Chinese workers demands for higher wages, better conditions and ultimately could spoil China's cheap labor advantage around the world.

This is a re-hash of old news, but the wires were circulating updated reports about President Bush's block of Justice Department Investigators at the OPR (Office of Professional Responsibility). The group was originally tasked by the Attorney General to investigate accusations of illegal eavesdropping and monitoring of phone calls, internet surfing and email, and phone records of everyday Americans including members of both political parties. It was reported at the time that Bush had denied security clearance to the non-partisan investigators despite granting clearance to other lawyers from the administration at the time, who appeared according to published reports so far to have no national security interests in the matter other than maybe political defense of the administrations actions. The latest reports are mostly instigated by the Attorney General's testimony of the incident before Congress, who has the authority to exercise oversight over the executive branch along with the judiciary.

The new Somali government will have 5 recently convicted rapists stoned to death as punishment for a rape that occurred 6 days ago, on June 22. The men pleaded guilty to the crime and were identified by the victims. The move is being viewed as a signal to the west that the new government will follow a hard lined Islamists dogma reminiscent of that promoted by the Taliban in Afghanistan. In addition, Sheikh Hassan Daihir Aweys, a former colonel and a person identified by the UN as an Al-Qaeda associate despite his denials, was named to a top post in the new Somali government. The US government is taking a wait-and-see approach with recent developments in Somalia. The overthrow of US backed warlords caught the world somewhat by surprise. The new government has indicated that they will not be aggressive towards the US if the US does not show aggression towards their government. The US has indicated that they will not currently establish official contact with the new government. Taipei Times - archives

The press as instigated by the NY Times has reported on a story about the US governments program to track Terrorist Finance Programs. Tony Snow confirmed the existence of the program following reports in the New York Times. "I am particularly proud of our Terrorist Finance Tracking Program, which, based on intelligence leads, carefully targets financial transactions of suspected foreign terrorists," said Snow. The program is receiving critical attention in light of the recent disclosures of programs that included tracking phone records of millions of Americans, the listening in on phone conversations of Americans and foreign person calling into Americans, and the monitoring of email and web surfing habits of Americans. The Treasury Department has long maintained reporting requirements including SARS reports of transactions over $5,000.00 in value and other requirements for transactions under that limit. This report focuses on Swift international transactions and transfers, which cover the majority of global financial communications and transfers. FT.com / World / US & Canada - US Treasury tracked financial data after 9/11:

The rhetoric over North Korea continues to escalate a significant pace. Only Two days ago, there was talk of shooting down the Tae Po Dong test missile in the air, followed by a US test of defensive missiles. Now a former Clinton Administration Defense Secretary William Perry states that the Bush Administration should follow through with its Foreign Policy of Pre-Emption established in the attack on Iraq in 2003. The basis for this call of an attack on a foreign country stems from the belief that the US has already established this doctrine and to waffle on the strategy now would only spur on North Korea, to build more missiles, perform more tests, sell missiles abroad and generally become more agressive. U.S. Urged To Destroy N. Korea Missile, Ex-Defense Secretary: Bush Should Attack If Launch Preparations Continue - CBS News: " (CBS/AP) Former Clinton administration Defense Secretary William Perry says the U.S. should attack and destroy North Korea's new long-range missile if Pyongyang continues launch preparations. A top U.S. official spurned the call for military action. In an op-ed piece published Thursday in the Washington Post, Perry said the Bush administration should strike and destroy the missile before it can be launched. Perry noted the Bush administration's doctrine of pre-emption, which it used as the basis for sending U.S. troops into Iraq in 2003. 'Therefore, if North Korea persists in its launch preparations, the United States should immediately make clear its intention to strike and destroy the North Korean Taepodong missile before it can be launched,' Perry said in the piece, co-written with Ashton B. Carter, Perry's assistant at the Pentagon. "

US defence officials in Washington reportedly stated on Tuesday that the US may attempt to intercept a North Korean fired Test Missile if the North Koreans fire the missile over the Pacific Ocean. The Tae Po Dong missile's reportedly have a range that could allow the missile's to reach Alaska and possibly the coast of California. Thomas Scheiffer, who called on Pyongyang to return to the six-party talks, indicated that the United States has the capability to respond to a North Korean missile test, a capability that the US did not have in 1998 during the last test launch. The US has been working on missile defence technologies since the Regan era when the Star Wars program was launched as a nuclear deterrent against the former Soviet Union. Many of the tests for the Star Wars program were lated shown to include false or misleading reports partially intended to portray to the world a capability the US did not really have. In recent years the program has made more progress, but publicized tests have failed to intercept missiles. If North Korea were to fire a test missile and the United States successfully intercepted it the fall out could be wide spread. Not only would the US show its ability to thwart North Korea's test, but it would be showing the world a working defence system. North Korea could see the interception of one of their missile's as an imposition of US authority into their perceived sovereignity, or more simply put they could view this as an act of reciprocal aggression back at the United States. The United States, Japan and South Korea already see the potential test fire as an act of aggression by the North Koreans. 'We want direct talks with US'- The Times of India

from Saddam's lawyer pays price for principles: "BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Saddam Hussein's lawyer Khamis al-Obaidi, whose body was found dumped on a Baghdad street, believed the rule of law would triumph in Iraq and had vowed never to give in to fear. Obaidi was kidnapped from his home, killed and dumped on a traffic circle on Wednesday in the same area where the body of another slain Saddam lawyer was found." Obaidi was the third defense lawyer for Saddam Hussein to be murdered in Iraq. Unlike other participants in the trial, Obaidi refused to hide in the Green Zone and often went about Baghdad shopping alone and with his family. His body showed markings said to be consistent with torture.

The Seattle Times: Nation & World: NSA's wiretapping program goes before federal judge today: By Henry Weinstein Los Angeles Times "The National Security Agency's controversial surveillance program faces its first major court test today before a federal judge in Detroit. In January, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Michigan branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and several individuals, who said they feared the government was spying on them, filed a 60-page lawsuit seeking to have the warrantless-wiretapping program declared unconstitutional. President Bush authorized the program after the Sept. 11 attacks. It permits the agency to listen in on phone calls and obtain e-mails if one party is outside the U.S. without seeking the permission of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. The secretive court was created in the 1970s to approve warrants in some intelligence and terrorism-related investigations. The suit in Detroit, like a similar suit filed in New York by the Center for Constitutional Rights, asserts that the NSA's eavesdropping program has violated free-speech and privacy rights and had a chilling effect on telephone and e-mail conversations with individuals who may be targets of the surveillance. . . More "

Gay-marriage amendment fails in Senate��Reuters.com The Senate voted today against amending the US Constitution. To kick off an Amendment, the Senate would have had to generate 60 or more votes, before the vote went to the house and then to the 50 states for ratification. The proposed Bush Gay Marriage Ban Amendment was never considered to have the potential of passing. Many have questioned the prioritization of the Bush Administration and the Congress in taking up the vote in lieu of dealing with matters of War in Iraq and Afghanistan, an overheating economy threatened by high Oil Prices and inflation, Terrorism resurging in Canada and the UK, Islamists seizing control of Mogadishu, Oil Rig hostages, Border issues, and Natural disaster preparedness. For an editorial review of the issue see the following articles at Gridlock On Rye Is Lou Dobbs Reading My Blog? Senator Saxby Chambliss' Response to my Letter Bush Rallies Support For Democrats in 2006

When you serve in the military or work as a contractor with the military, you have to show some initiative if you want to survive. Sometimes in the world where life and death is not always so close at hand its very important to visualize just how close it can get and then how to bust through the GRIDLOCK. Here are some pictures posted up to Flickr by a soldier serving in Iraq. Some of these pictures have been described as being like something out of Mad Max, the reality is that when your life is on the line, you get creative quick if you want to survive. . Maybe these last two would go against the conventional wisdom. .

Paul Gleason died over the weekend on Saturday. Gleason died of mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer associated with asbestos poisoning. Gleason worked in a number of movies from Johnny Be Good, to Die Hard and the Breakfast Club in which he played a notorious principle. He also made appearances on Seinfeld and Friends in recent years. Gleason was not just an actor. He played minor league baseball in the late 1950's. He was also a published poet, a father of two daughters and one granddaughter. Gleason a resident of Miami passed away . For additional details see 'Breakfast Club' Principal succumbs to Cancer by the AP.

After 108 years, the government can no longer tax your long distance phone bill and after August your long distance provider can no longer collect it from your bill. Plus, YOU can deduct the taxes you paid for the last three years (Back to 3/1/2003 - over 3 years) on your next tax return. You'll have the chance to itemize the actual taxes paid or eventually a standard deduction will be offered if you don't want to add up all those phone bill tax amounts. Who Wins? You Your Tax Preparer - if paid to prepare your taxes Phone Companies - Don't have to listen to us complain about this tax any more Who loses? Federal government no longer has funds for the Spanish American War. You - The average American Phone bill is 18% taxes. This only reduces it by 3%. Still have a long way to go! USATODAY.com - Feds cut off phone tax after 108 years

Reactions to the Enron criminal trial verdict - May. 25, 2006: "Enron founder Kenneth Lay was found guilty on six counts of conspiracy and fraud and former CEO Jeff Skilling was found guilty on 19 counts by a Houston jury after the trial in the biggest of the corporate fraud cases." Lay was separately found guilty of 4 counts of false statements and fraud. Skilling and Lay are looking at 20 to 30 years in prison each.

Vice President Dick Cheney could be called by the prosecution to testify in the case against the Vice President's former top aid I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby. Scooter is charged with lying to the FBI and a Federal Grand jury about how and when he learned about the identity of a CIA officer, whose identity as a CIA officer was later told to reporters and published. "Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald suggested Cheney would be a logical government witness because he could authenticate notes he jotted on a July 6, 2003, New York Times opinion piece by a former U.S. ambassador critical of the Iraq war."Cheney may be called in CIA leak case - Yahoo! News

Titled "AT&T's Implementation of NSA Spying on American Citizens" Wired Magazine today published documents submitted by Mark Klein, which provides a 'firsthand account' which 'tells how he discovered a secret room routing American internet traffic straight to the NSA'. Mark Klein has provided all the documents he says will prove his case. The NSA and AT&T and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) are operating under a court imposed gag order, but Mark Klein appears not to be covered. Wired outlines its reasons for going public with the documents here. They have published the complete text in PDF here. Mark Klein's background relative to this situation here. Including a picture of the Secret Room (right), the document shows manuals describing how to slice off a portion of the fiber optic light signals such that information could be read. It details where the equipment was specifically located in one office in San Francisco under AT&T's control and indicates that other such locations exist around the country. The document refers to the possibility that in addition to spying AT&T and or the government used this information not only as a means for fighting Al Qaeda but also as a means to bust up a union. The supporting documents focus on the fact that WorldNet customers were definitely targeted (see your DSL bill and look for the name of the actual provider), but also other major providers probably were spied on as well. The technology was there to monitor the entire internet.

In case you missed some of the uproar yesterday, General Mike Hayden made some comments that were less than glowing recommendations of the administration that has nominated him to the office of CIA director. During confirmation hearings in the Senate, Gen. Hayden made references that were not affirmations that the world is rosy and happy and better off under the current wartime strategy that the US is following. Here is the fast run down of his comments: Referring to Porter Goss's CIA stint "amateur hour on the top floor. . ." He criticized Rumsfeld's attempt to "find" Saddam links to Al Qaeda. Much of his discussions even in the early days of confirmation talked about the CIA's roles in Afghanistan and Iraq as being better left to the defense department, enabling the CIA to do what they do best, gather clandestine intelligence and perform analysis. He talked about the ineffective application of subjective analysis on intelligence. He criticized the efforts of Under Secretary of Defense Douglas Feith, who worked to gather the intelligence against Saddam. Hayden stated, "I got three great kids, but if you tell me, 'Go out and find all the bad things they've done, Hayden,' I could build you a pretty good dossier. You'd think they were pretty bad people because that's what I was looking for and that's what I built up. That'd be very wrong, OK? That would be inaccurate. That would be misleading." This analogy referred to Feith's attempts to find all the bad about Saddam, where there was much to find, however this unbalanced approach led Feith to avoid balancing information, and analysis, even deferring to intelligence products that were lest trustworthy. Applying the 'So What' Factor As I was taught to do when I worked in intelligence, I now apply the 'So What' Factor to these comments. So What do all these comments mean? This small bit of candor arms Hayden with the touch of credibility that he needs for the Republican leadership in the Senate to claim that they believe him when he says that his actions at the NSA regarding domestic spying are OK. Its a diversion. He might have given this candor anyway, however regardless of his integrity in conversation, his integrity in conduct will always be questioned based on his actions. These comments will apply the slight bit of wind to his sails to allow him to tack through the confirmation. No one questions Hayden's intellectual capacity, however raw intellectualism can be applied in ways that help or hurt. His inability to balance his intellectual capability maneuvering loop holes to subvert the constitution as the leader of the NSA with the integrity he should have developed as he advanced to the position of a General in the intelligence community turns a spot light on the character flaw that should prevent him from assuming office as the Director of the CIA. He could make a good leader someday, but he has not demonstrated that he understands his own mistakes and as such cannot show that he has learned from those mistakes and will do better in the future. He's made it obvious that he understands some of Bush's mistakes, but can't apply that keen intellect on his own decisions and actions. A successful leader with integrity must be capable of being honest with themselves and General Hayden has not shown that. Early Warning by William M. Arkin - washingtonpost.com

The US has escalated its stance against Venezuela. The US has imposed a ban on all commercial arms sales and licensing of defense articles and services to the government of Venezuela. "For nearly a year, there has been a nearly total lack of cooperation with anti-terrorism, said Darla Jordan, a State Department spokeswoman. This move is highly unusual since the other nations on this list 'Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria, for instance' are also on the 'state sponsor of terrorism' list, and Venezuela is not." The US also claims that President Chavez has been harboring Colombian gorilla factions within the Venezuelan border. President Chavez has not imposed any retalliatory restrictions against the US at this time. With the anouncement earlier on May 15, 2006 by President Bush that the US would post 6,000 national guard troops on the US border and now the ban on arms sales to Venezuela, the US appears to be taking actions locally in the America's that may not result in increased popularity with other American countries. source

"BellSouth spokesman Jeff Battcher said the company's investigation found 'no contract with the NSA and we are confident that we have turned over no phone records.' Last week, Battcher said the company had 'not provided any information we would need a subpoena for.' On Monday night, Battcher said 'we cannot find anyone within BellSouth who has ever been approached by the NSA.' " BellSouth Says It Gave NSA No Call Records

Col Elspeth Ritchie, the US Army's top mental Health expert has indicated that soldiers suffering from mental illness potentially caused by post traumatic stress syndrome, have been forced back into combat. "Ritchie acknowledged that some deployment practices, such as sending service members diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome back into combat, have been driven in part by a troop shortage." To read more . . . CNN.com - Report: Mentally ill troops forced into combat

Harry Potter has won a real life duel against a local Georgia witch (ex-witch) and a local missionary mother. Starting last fall Laura Mallory(left), a local missionary and mother, attempted to have the Harry Potter series removed from the shelves of all Gwinnett County, Georgia schools. Her efforts culminated in a hearing before the board of education on May 20, 2006. During this hearing Mallory partnered with several other members of the community ,including an reformed Wiccan witch, brought claims that the Potter series was 'evil', against her religion, and most plausible contained graphic violence and adult themes unsuitable for grade school children. A teenage ex-witch working with Mallory claimed to have seen spells from the Harry Potter books actually work and cause the death of one person, cancer in another and the burning of a family home. In tears she described how Harry Potter had ruined her life and that of her family. This was followed by parents and teachers representing the opposition to keep Harry Potter describing how the series had fostered a desire to read in thousands of Gwinnett County school children and to ban the books would cause harm to children and their educational development. Last night the Gwinnett County Board of Education decided to keep the books on the shelf. Laura Mallory has previously stated that she would take the issue to the State of Georgia if necessary. On a lighter side - Harry Potter was not available for comment and no press releases on the matter have been forthcoming from the Ministry of Magic.

USAToday has reported that the National Security Agency headed by General Michael Hayden (currently nominated to head the CIA) received information to compile a database to track the phone calls of millions of Americans. Some reports put the numbers of Americans impacted at over 200 million people, more than two thirds of the population. The database did not track conversations but did track who was called and by whom. A significant amount of intelligence can be gleamed from this information, which could have been used to identify and track terrorist cells. However, do to the extreme scope of the database it is unlikely that two thirds of the US population belongs to a secret terrorist cell. The information in the database could have been used for many other purposes from political shenanigans to corporate espionage or worse. The NSA is specifically prohibited from spying on US citizens within the US borders. The bush administration had previously acknowledge tracking calls from international caller coming into the US. Now information has surface to indicate that the NSA is spying on everyday Americans en masse. Several members of Congress have indicated that they will take this issue up with General Hayden before they will consider his nomination. Separately the Bush administration closed an investigation into this activity and refused to grant security clearances to investigators to seek further information. Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania stated that he will call the executives of At&t, Verizon and Cingular to ask them about the type of information and scope of information they provided. USATODAY.com - NSA has massive database of Americans' phone calls: "'It's the largest database ever assembled in the world,' said one person, who, like the others who agreed to talk about the NSA's activities, declined to be identified by name or affiliation. The agency's goal is 'to create a database of every call ever made' within the nation's borders, this person added."

The executive branch declared today that the Chinese government is not manipulating currencies to devalue the yuan against the dollar, giving China an unfair economic advantage over the US. "The currency report, which the administration must present to Congress every six months, was delayed by a few weeks, until after Chinese President Hu Jintao and Bush discussed the issue at the White House on April 20. The administration had hoped that Hu would signal China would move faster; no such announcement came." US Manufacturers, the AFL-CIO and Democrats are outraged at the decision. The Democratic leadership in Congress is working to pass legislation which would penalize China for imports until the trade imbalance is corrected. This will not be possible if the executive branch of government is unwilling to enforce the existing legislation. U.S.: China not manipulating currency

There have been many conflicting reports about Keith Richards recent accidents, claiming that he fell from a coconut tree, fell from a palm tree, fell from a jet ski, fell from a coconut tree and then later fell from a jet ski. The circumstances are not and may never be clear on that score. However, Keith Richards apparently suffered more than just a concussion. He was released from surgery in New Zealand after undergoing brain surgery to releive pressure from a blood clot on/in his brain. Keith Richards Has Brain Surgery - New York Times

A judgement will be made by 10:30am local time in the London on May 8, 2006 in the case of Apple Corps (Owned by the members and estate owners of The Beatles) v. Apple Computer. If the verdict goes against Apple Computer, a penalty hearing would follow to determine the damages. Since Apple Computer has sold over 14 million Apple Ipods and 1 billion Apple Itunes, damages could be monetarily high. "Apple Corps counsel Geoffrey Vos argued that Apple Computer could go 'into the recorded music business in any way they want'. 'What they cannot do is use the Apple (trade)mark to do it,' he said." Beatles and Apple Computer await court decisionReuters.com:

For two years a bill has been stuck in the Mexican Congress. Originally approved by the house, it has been stuck in the Senate, until last week. The Mexican Senate voted up the bill Friday morning clearing the way for the bill to be sent to President Vicente Fox, who is expected to sign the bill. The bill would legalize small amounts of cocaine, LSD, heroin and other drugs. The political theory goes that today in Mexico, if a person is caught with a very small amount of one of these drugs, the charges will be dropped if the person can prove that they are an addict. Proponents of the bill argue that legalizing small amounts will clear the way for the police and other authorities to focus on larger drug dealers and criminals. Two political groups outside of the country, surprised last Friday, are working overtime to convince President Fox to reconsider. The Catholic Church is arguing that Mexican citizens are not prepared for the legalization. They are concerned that legalizing drugs openly could unleash untold havoc on an unsuspecting community in Mexico. The United States is similarly concerned, however all politics are local. The United States is also very concerned about having a neighboring country akin to Amsterdam where tourists including American citizens could flock to various areas to use drugs. This could in addition to the problems created in Mexico, return a population of American tourists back to the states with new found addictions. Its one thing for US families to allow their teenage sons and daughters to head south for spring break for late night parties, raves and binge drinking. Its a completely different matter for those same students to travel to a country that openly has legalized narcotic drugs. Regardless of the result, there will be many ramifications. It is possible that this could trigger a pre-American backlash against movements currently underway in the US to legalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Many groups have pointed to the wasted effort of law enforcement in the US arresting users of drugs. Mexico is using a them that has been lightly considered in the states. Mexico's implementation of this plan could pave the way for future iterations of US policy on the topic. A success could shed light on the path for the US, and a failure could do the opposite. Bloomberg.com: Latin America

Anna Nicole Smith went to the Supreme Court today to prove that she was one of the smartest Ex-Topless Dancers in the world by convincing the court that she was entitled to her late husbands $1.6 billion estate. Some of the same justices that ruled in President Bush's favor during the 2000 election voted in favor of Anna Nicole Smith, allowing her to continue pursuing her dream of collecting her late husband's oil fortune. Anna Nicole has been dancing in a dirty fight with her late husband's youngest son, E. Pierce Marchall. Their entanglement has been bitterly manipulated by both sides with accusations flying back and forth. Anna Nicole was 26 years old and a very smart topless dancer when she married her late husband, J. Howard Marshall II. He was 89 years old. He died a year after their marriage. Aside from intelligence, at contention in this case is a question of jurisdiction. The estate was originally fought over in a Texas jurisdiction, where Anna Nicole lost. She is intelligently fighting to have the estate reconsidered by California courts, which originally turned her down refusing to hear the case. The Supreme Court has decided in Anna Nicole's favor and so the case will now be heard in California courts. Anna Nicole has very astutely pushed to have the estate considered in California over Texas as estate and marriage laws in California will be heavily in favor of Anna Nicole as compared to the laws in Texas. Anna Nicole has been winning over and over since this battle erupted. It has gained her fortune and glory. She's now battling for an even bigger fortune. At large people have to reconsider just how intelligent Anna Nicole Smith really is. Her public image is definitely prone to dismissing her intelligence and abilities. However, sometimes the results prove the case. It remains to be seen whether or not Anna Nicole got lucky being in the right strip club at the right time or whether or not she can possibly repeat her success. A billion dollars or more will buy a lot of elixirs and plastic surgery. Maybe Anna has her eyes on a bigger prize, after all Bill Gates will turn 89 in late October of 2044. Afterall everyone has to start somewhere! Supreme Court Backs Ex-Playmate's Effort - Yahoo! News

Rolling Stones' guitarist, Keith Richards, fell out of a coconut tree in Fiji and suffered a concussion. There were no reports that he needed a blood transfusion nor suffered serious injury. Richards is 62 years old. It is unknown why he was climbing a coconut tree. Stones star takes a fall [Picture is not Keith Richard's nor is it a model portraying Keith Richard's attempt to hang out in a coconut tree]

In a scene straight out of a J.K. Rolling's novel, a self-proclaimed, reformed witch testified against the Harry Potter Book series in Gwinnett County Schools. Twenty students, a dozen or more parents, a dozen or more educators, reporters from the four major networks, along with newspaper columnists and yours truly turned out to hear the testimony presented to the Gwinnett County Board of Education, in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Each side was provided fifteen minutes to make their case for or against the Harry Potter book series. The side opposing the Harry Potter book series lead by Laura Mallory, mother of four children and missionary, kicked off the testimony. The opposition included three mothers, one practicing Gwinnett County counselor and a teenage daughter of one of the mothers. The opposition first surprised the group as the counselor graphically described a child scratching herself while sleeping and awaking in a pool of blood after being exposed to the Harry Potter series. The counselor was followed by a mother that described how her family had been ruined in reputation, community standing, suffered health problems, and gained weight when her daughter turned to the Wiccan religion. This set the stage for the daughter, now a teenager enrolled in high school in Gwinnett County to describe her history of reading Harry Potter and turning to witch craft. She described how she along with class mates started to use Tarot Cards at school during recess. She also stated that some of her friends more experienced in witchcraft had on more than one occasion successfully recreated spells out of the Harry Potter series. The side established to defend the book series, included three teachers, one of whom was also a parent, and one additional parent. They described and provided examples citing the success they had experienced in teaching students to not only read but love to read directly because of the Harry Potter books. One parent that has been fighting Laura Mallory since the initial claims were made, requested that the board amend its rules, such that no future bans might be considered unless the book in question had been read by the petitioner. Members of the community later received an opportunity to speak for two minutes each. One resident cited the dangers of allowing the Harry Potter books to remain in the school system. This was echoed by a second resident that described how pictures of Harry Potter in her son's classroom were possessed by demons, which had ruined her sons grades for several months until he was transplanted to a new class with a Christian teacher. He later became a star pupil. A fifth grade student eloquently spoke about her ability to discern the difference between reality and fiction or fantasy. She stated that Harry Potter was fantasy as she sat next to the reformed teenage witch. A mother urged the board to consider the steps towards anarchy that the county would be following if the ban were to be allowed. Her thirteen year old daughter then described the personal benefits of reading the Harry Potter series. She even described reading one of the seven hundred page books, while she was in third grade and unable to lift the same book physically. The entire affair was very civil and orderly. No bursts of outrage nor applause. A more complete version of this story will be published at a later time along with audio transcripts.

India has decided to refuse to sign the comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. India will continue to leave open its options to to perform nuclear test explosions, even though they have instituted a nationwide moratorium. President Bush had heavily encouraged them to deal in exchange for a lift on the current embargo that would allow an exchange of nuclear fuel and technology. According to News 24.com: "New Delhi has promised to separate its military and civil facilities, opening most of the latter to international inspections. The deal must be ratified by the US congress and the 45-member nuclear suppliers group. " The US Congress will now find itself deciding on a course between a rock and a hard place. The US will seek to support India, however it does not provide the US much neogiating room with Pakistan. The Asian area has moved from a triad of nuclear powers (India, China & Pakistan) to a potential foursome as Iran attempts to enter the melee. Meanwhile, North Korea continues to lurk in the background. India has agreed to open up non-military facillities for testing and inspections.

Fedex will be raising its rates on April 24, 2006 by almost 6%. Gas price increases were not sited as a reason. Instead Fedex indicated according to the Memphis Business Journal, "The rate increase is related to service offerings and innovations such as its no-fee, money-back guarantee, said Dennie Carey, senior vice president of marketing for FedEx Freight, in a statement. Those services involve fast-cycle logistics and require continuous investment. Other factors contributing to the rate increase include increasing highway tolls and access fees and the investment in more expensive, environmentally-responsible equipment, the company said. " Dennie Carey goes on to state in a Fedex Press Release, “Our ability to help companies take inventory out of the supply chain has enormous value to our customers employing fast-cycle logistics, and requires continuous investment in safe, fuel-efficient equipment, our network of more than 330 service centers and an educated and engaged workforce.” Fedex returned to its normal Surcharge practice on November 1, 2005 after fuel price fluctuation stabilized following Hurricane Katrina. There was no indication that recent spikes in oil and fuel would have an impact on Surcharges.

A local mother of 3 children (per AJC) or 4 children (per Ledger-Enquirer's AP report) or 3 & 4 children (per Access North GA and WTVM Channel 9) has appealed her local schools decision to keep Harry Potter on the shelves. The appeal will now go to the Gwinnett County School Board on Thursday, April 20, 2006. The School board will hear from Laura Mallory, a missionary resident of Gwinnett County for 2 years. In addition, the School Board will hear letters from thousands of parents and teachers with various views on the subject. The AJC reports that this is the first appeal to reach the board since 1997 at which time a Judy Blume book and a RL Stine book. In fact, an appeal made by a Gwinett County Kindergarten teacher was sent to the same school board during the school years of 2003/04. That appeal requested the removal of a book the teacher found to be offensive titled "Walter the Farting Dog" by William Kotzwinkle, Glenn Murray & Audrey Colman. Both the 1997 and 2003/4 appeals failed and the board allowed the books to remain on the shelves. Editorial from Gridlock on Rye 4-17-06 update Notice of hearing from School Board - includes fax number to Submit concerns Superintendent's Office, Gwinnett County Public Schools 678-301-6030