January, 2006 archive
Delaware Prepares To Defend Itself 0
The dispute over New Jersey’s attempt to intrude into Delaware waters is intensifying.
The Supreme Court, which has jurisdiction over disputes between states, today chose to appoint a fact-finder (headline heard on WILM-AM).
Meanwhile, Delaware prepares to defend itself against the invading hordes:
Suggestion to New Jersey: Move the terminal upstream by two miles. Intrude into Pennsylvania waters.
Glory Road 0
Apparently, the movie Glory Road played faster and looser with the facts than is usual even in Hollywood.
NPR had a story on it yesterday that’s well worth a listen:
And today George Will takes aim at it:
And a personal observation: I was paying close attention to the news at that time. Race and Civil Rights were big stuff and they were changing lives; it was that year that the first black student was enrolled in my public school. I certainly remember no splash of publicity about the NCAA championship making social history.
This was before the NCAA playoffs became the carnival they are today. They were certainly important–after all, they were the championship–but they had not yet become March Madness. Indeed, the NIT, which then existed simply as a post-season tournament, was almost as important as the NCAA.
Then I noticed it’s a Disney movie. Disney has always been at its best with fantasy.
Tanya Barrientos on Ladies’ Undies 2
This isn’t about much of any particular thing, but I thought Tanya Barrientos’s column today was fun.
“There She Is, Miss America . . .” 0
The pageant is tonight. I just realized that when I read the paper.
(Since the paper is the Philadelphia Inquirer, and since Delaware is 15 miles from Philadephia, no mention of Miss Delaware is made, of course, though Miss New Jersey gets a mention, even though Delaware is closer to Pennsylvania than New Jersey. And Wilmington is closer to Philadelphia than Allentown, Pa., or Trenton, New Jersey. But, for all that the Inquirer is one of the country’s three or four best papers, it doesn’t realize that Delaware exists. But that’s another story.)
Anyhoo, no, I’m not planning to watch the pageant. I’ve got more important things to do, like sleep. Even though it is a real snoozer, I prefer real snoozes.
This year it comes from Vegas and will appear on CMT. It got tired of Atlantic City, and, apparently, AC got tired of it.
Las Vegas would appear the right place.
Face it, it’s a beauty contest. All the posturing of the Miss America organization can’t change that. They can pretend it’s something else, and attempts to pretend it’s a scholarship competition have turned the pageant sponsors into pretzels.
Back when I was young (sometime between the invention of the Model T and the Chevy Camaro–real cars don’t wear bowties), the newspapers would actually publish the winners’ measurements the next day.
Now, you can argue that that is a crass and sexist act that dehumanizes women and turns them into objects. It may be–I’m not getting into that discussion one way or another.
But I will argue this: A beauty pageant that tries to pretend it’s about anything other than looks is an exercise in hypocrisy.
In attempting to survive as a commercial endeavor while also attempting to pretend it’s fundamentally about something other than looks, the Miss America pageant has pretzeled itself into hypocrisy. And by doing so, they have lost market share.
Now they are in Lost Wages, Nevada, which trades quite honestly in flesh.
Maybe they will take a lesson from their host city and be honest and stop pretending they are about anything other than pretty young ladies.
Then, again, maybe they will continue to act like Bushies hypocrites.
Beat 3
In my other life, I teach training classes and, when I’m not working on training stuff, do tech support for high-end Windows-based security software.
I have been wearing my support hat the last few weeks.
Holey Moley did we get shelled today!
Three people waiting take a call.
Now there are four people waiting, take a call.
Three people waiting.
Oh good! It’s down to two, take a call.
Four people waiting, take a call.
(Why the heck did he do that! That was really dumb! And I’ve read that manual, it says no such thing That was a less than desirable action to take in a Windows environment!)
Take a call: “We had to wait a long time. Could you stay on the line with us?”
“I know you had to wait a long time, it’s been a really busy day. But there are two people behind you. Could you please try what I suggested and call back if it doesn’t work?”
“Okay.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
Oh, no, It’s XXXX again! I’m going to write my Congressman and demand that computers should require a driver’s license!
“We got it working. Thanks. But when we take the device out to the other end of the 1100 foot cat 5 cable, it doesn’t talk!”
“Ethernet standard for cat 5 is 100 meters.” (Not 330 meters, sheesh! Put more politely, not our problem. Oh, yeah, I told them that three hours ago. Somehow, the ethernet standards haven’t changed in the last three hours.) “Try Dalco or Black Box; if anyone has a signal booster, they will.”
“We’re having XYZ!” (Yeah, you had XYZ when you were in my class last year. You hacked into the database and fixed it on your own. Where have you been?) “Download this utility from out FTP site and go here and do this.”
(Who the hell invented the 800-number anyway?)
It’s back up to four. Take a call.
“You’re the man! It’s working!”
“Nice job, guy! Here’s some information your salesman might like to bring them into the 21st century.” (Link, link, link, link.)
“We will definitely sell them your stuff! I’ll see to that!” (Win some, lose some–we do make good stuff.)
In the meantime, I’m trying to hack into the support database to find out how many calls we took today. The departing manager called this morning with the password, but it didn’t work. More hacking next week.
Take a call.
“No, it can’t do that.” It never could do that, and it never will do that.
Take a call. Take a call. Take a call.
5:10 I was off 10 minutes ago.
Take a call.
And life goes on.
Medical Insurance 1
Learn more here.
Privacy, Smivacy, Part 5 2
Google is an outfit that doesn’t much respect its users’ privacy for its own purposes. If you use G-Mail, you can get ads based on the contents of your email; Google cookies will outlive your computer (follow the link below to see why).
But Google is standing up to the Miss Grundies in the current Federal Administration to ensure that only Google can mess with what you do on Google (and you do pretty much assume that risk by using Google, don’t you?):
The subpoena was issued last year, and Google refused the request – but we only learn of the case (this–sic) week, via a San Jose Mercury News report. The DoJ has now ordered a Federal Judge to force Google to comply.
(aside) If someone needs a search engine to find pr0n on the internet, he or she (yes, she) really doesn’t belong on the internet anyway.
E. J. Dionne on the Politics of Character Assassination 0
Mr. Dionne’s remarks in todays Washington Post are quite worth a read. Now, Mr. Dionne is a columnist–his job is to share his opinions (unlike me, for whom it’s a hobby). This is not a fact piece; it’s an opinion piece.
But by heaven he’s dead on:
I underestimated the viciousness of the right wing.
Last November, Rep. John Murtha, a Democrat and a decorated Marine combat veteran, came out for a rapid American withdrawal from Iraq. At the time, I wrote: “It will be difficult for Bush’s acolytes to cast Murtha, who has regularly stood up for the military policies of Republican presidents during his 31 years in Congress, as some kind of extreme partisan or hippie protester.”
No, the conservative hit squad didn’t accuse Murtha of being a hippie. But a crowd that regularly defends President Bush for serving in the Texas Air National Guard instead of going to Vietnam has continued its war on actual Vietnam veterans. An outfit called the Cybercast News Service last week questioned the circumstances surrounding the awarding of two Purple Hearts to Murtha because of wounds he suffered in the Vietnam War.
They know their message is bankrupt, so their only choice is to shoot the messenger.
But there seems to be a difference this time. Unlike last August, when John Kerry hesitated to respond, the plain light of day is being shed on their lies immediately.
Special Counsel 2
Mr. Gore has called for a special counsel to investigate Mr. Bush’s spying:
Yeah. Fat Chance.
Even given the “Fat Chance” factor, the Republican National Committee fell back on what they do best:
Character assassination:
To: National Desk
Contact: Republican National Committee Press Office, 202-863-8614
WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 /U.S. Newswire/ — Following is the RNC response to today’s speech by Al Gore:
“Al Gore’s incessant need to insert himself in the headline of the day is almost as glaring as his lack of understanding of the threats facing America. While the President works to protect Americans from terrorists, Democrats deliver no solutions of their own, only diatribes laden with inaccuracies and anger.” –Tracey Schmitt, RNC Press Secretary
Mr. Gore has hardly demonstrated an incessant neet to insert himself in the headline of the day
And he is an ex-Senator and the person who out-polled Mr. Bush in the popular vote in 2000. When someone invites him to give a speech, there is nothing wrong with his giving a speech. Sheesh.
Gore Joins MoveOn.Org In Attacking Administration On Wiretapping:
Former Vice President Al Gore: “(T)he President Of The United States Has Been Breaking The Law Repeatedly And Insistently. A President Who Breaks The Law Is A Threat To The Very Structure Of Our Government.” (Fmr. Vice President Al Gore, Address To American Constitution Society And The Liberty Coalition, Washington D.C., 1/16/06)
— Gore: “(T)he American Values We Hold Most Dear Have Been Placed At Serious Risk By The Unprecedented Claims Of The Administration To A Truly Breathtaking Expansion Of Executive Power.” (Fmr. Vice President Al Gore, Address To American Constitution Society And The Liberty Coalition, Washington D.C., 1/16/06)
And this has just what to do with Mr. Bush’s arrogating imperial power to himself and his minions?
Once Upon A Time, Gore Talked Tough About Cracking Down On Terrorists:
In 1999, Vice President Gore Declared: “Hear Me Well – We Will Fight The Reckless Violence Of Terrorism And We Will Never Yield To Terrorism, Ever.” (Joe Carroll, “Clinton Exhorts Parties to Surmount Last Hurdle,” The Irish Times, 3/18/99)
At A 1996 Counter-Terrorism Event Gore Said: “The Bottom Line Is That President Clinton And I And The Members Of This Commission Have Pledged To The Families Of The Victims Of Terrorism That We’re Going To Take The Strongest Measures Possible To Reduce The Risk Of Another Tragedy In The Future.” (Al Gore, White House Briefing, 9/5/96)
And data-mining the communications of Americans without warrants has what to do with fighting terrorism which originates off-shore?
Clinton/Gore Administration Used Warrantless Searches:
Clinton Administration Deputy Attorney General Jamie S. Gorelick: “(T)he Department Of Justice Believes, And The Case Law Supports, That The President Has Inherent Authority To Conduct Warrantless Physical Searches For Foreign Intelligence Purposes And That The President May, As Has Been Done, Delegate This Authority To The Attorney General.” (Deputy Attorney General Jamie S. Gorelick, Permanent Select Committee On Intelligence, U.S. House Of Representatives, Testimony, 7/14/94)
In 1994, President Clinton Expanded The Use Of Warrantless Searches To Entirely Domestic Situations With No Foreign Intelligence Value Whatsoever. In A Radio Address Promoting A Crime- Fighting Bill, Mr. Clinton Discussed A New Policy To Conduct Warrantless Searches In Highly Violent Public Housing Projects.” (Charles Hurt, “‘Warrantless’ Searches Not Unprecedented,” The Washington Times, 12/22/05)
“One Of The Most Famous Examples Of Warrantless Searches In Recent Years Was The Investigation Of CIA Official Aldrich H. Ames, Who Ultimately Pleaded Guilty To Spying For The Former Soviet Union. That Case Was Largely Built Upon Secret Searches Of Ames’ Home And Office In 1993, Conducted Without Federal Warrants.” (Charles Hurt, “‘Warrantless’ Searches Not Unprecedented,” The Washington Times, 12/22/05)
President Bill Clinton: “(T)he Attorney General Is Authorized To Approve Physical Searches, Without A Court Order, To Acquire Foreign Intelligence Information For Periods Of Up To One Year …” (President Bill Clinton, Executive Order 12949, “Foreign Intelligence Physical Searches,” 2/9/95)
Lie. But what else can one expect from these folks?
Meanwhile, Polling Shows Americans Support President Bush’s Decision On Wire Tapping:
“(A Rasmussen Reports Survey Found) Sixty-Four Percent (64 percent) Of Americans Believe The National Security Agency (NSA) Should Be Allowed To Intercept Telephone Conversations Between Terrorism Suspects In Other Countries And People Living In The United States … Just 23 percent Disagree.” (Rasmussen Reports’ Web site, http://www.rasmussenreports.com, Accessed 1/6/06)
— Eighty-One Percent (81 percent) Of Republicans Believe The NSA Should Be Allowed To Listen In On Conversations Between Terror Suspects And People Living In The United States. That View Is Shared By 51 percent Of Democrats …” (Rasmussen Reports’ Web site, http://www.rasmussenreports.com, Accessed 1/6/06)
Spin:
Fifty percent (50%) of Americans say the President did not break the law.
This result is also consistent with earlier data showing that just 26% believe that President Bush is the first to authorize a program allowing the NSA to intercept phone calls between suspected terrorists and U.S. citizens.
The FISA Court Does Not Provide Flexibility Needed To Fight The War On Terrorism:
President Bush: “(T)he (9/11) Commission Criticized Our Nation’s Inability To Uncover Links Between Terrorists Here At Home And Terrorists Abroad. Two Of The Terrorist Hijackers Who Flew A Jet Into The Pentagon, Nawaf Al Hamzi And Khalid Al Mihdhar, Communicated While They Were In The United States To Other Members Of Al Qaeda Who Were Overseas.” (President Bush, Radio Address, Washington, D.C., 12/17/05)
— 9/11 Commission Report: “On January 15, (2000) Hazmi And Mihdhar Arrived In Los Angeles. … After The Pair Cleared Immigration And Customs At Los Angeles International Airport, We Do Not Know Where They Went. … We Do Not Pick Up Their Trail Until February 1, 2000 …” (“Final Report Of The National Commission On Terrorist Attacks Upon The United States,” The 9/11 Commission Report, 7/22/04)
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales: “The Operators Out At NSA Tell Me That We Don’t Have The Speed And The Agility That We Need, In All Circumstances, To Deal With This New Kind Of Enemy. You Have To Remember That FISA Was Passed By The Congress In 1978. There Have Been Tremendous Advances In Technology … Since Then.” (Attorney General Gonzales, Press Conference, 12/19/05)
The Weekly Standard’s Bill Kristol: “Remember Moussaoui? Remember August 2001? The FBI Wanted To Go To The FISA Court To Get Surveillance Capabilities Based On What They Found On His Computer, And The Justice Department Decided No. Now, The Patriot Act Did Not Change That Standard Of FISA …” (Fox News’ “Fox News Sunday,” 12/18/05)
— Kristol: “I Wish Bill Clinton Had Done This. I Wish We Had Tapped The Phones Of The People Of Mohammed Atta Here Into The United States If We Discovered Phone Calls From Afghanistan To Him. That Was Why 9/11 Happened. That’s What Connecting The Dots Is.” (Fox News’ “Fox News Sunday,” 12/18/05)
— 9/11 Commission Report: “The Agents In Minnesota Were Concerned That The U.S. Attorney’s Office In Minneapolis Would Find Insufficient Probable Cause Of A Crime To Obtain A Criminal Warrant To Search Moussaoui’s Laptop Computer. Agents At FBI Headquarters Believed There Was Insufficient Probable Cause. Minneapolis Therefore Sought A Special Warrant Under The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act To Conduct The Search … FBI Headquarters Did Not Believe This Was Good Enough, And Its National Security Law Unit Declined To Submit A FISA Application.” (“Final Report Of The National Commission On Terrorist Attacks Upon The United States,” The 9/11 Commission Report, 7/22/04)
Note that all that is quoted above are opinions. Not once are the provisions of the FISA law cited. Under those provisions, eavesdropping can be initiated without a warrant and the government has 72 hours in which to seek a warrant–and those applications for warrants are almost never turned down.
Bush Administration’s Wiretapping Authorization Has Been Successful:
“Officials Have Privately Credited The Eavesdropping With The Apprehension Of Lyman Faris, A Truck Driver Who Pleaded Guilty In 2003 To Planning To Blow Up The Brooklyn Bridge.” (Peter Baker, “President Says He Ordered NSA Domestic Spying,” The Washington Post, 12/18/05)
Is that the truth, or is this the truth?
With Bush, you can never tell, now, can you?
—-
Paid for by the Republican National Committee. http://www.gop.com.
—
http://www.usnewswire.com/
Lie, spin, lie, spin, lie, lie, spin. The Bush Frug.
Fallout 0
Ralph Reed, of the Christian Coalition, seems to be running into some trouble with his campaign for the Republican nomination for Lt. Governor of Georgia:
“Did you accept any gifts, commissions or other payments of any kind from Mr. Abramoff, and are you likely to be a party in the unfolding investigation?”
Ralph Reed’s ties to former lobbyist Jack Abramoff have hurt what has been a promising political career for the former head of the Christian Coalition.
Abramoff, the once-powerful lobbyist at the center of a wide-ranging public corruption investigation, pleaded guilty Jan. 3 to fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy to bribe public officials in a deal that requires him to provide evidence about members of Congress.
Silence enveloped the 60 or so Republicans in the auditorium, and Reed’s cheerful manner turned tense. “No,” he replied. “No to all these.”
Mr. Reed’s website’s lead story as of today is that
Reed Campaign Makes History, Shatters Fundraising Records $1.8 Million Raised Gives Reed Largest Cash Advantage for any Lt. Governor Candidate, Republican or Democrat, Entering Election Year in Georgia History
They leave out the part that, as details of the Abramoff affair have spread, Mr. Reed’s fundraising has started to tail off (follow the link to the Washington Post story for details).
Later on in the story, a citizen who was interviewed on the street said this (emphasis added):
“Ralph Reed? He’s a politician,” said David Loudenflager, a Republican who retired after working 32 years for the Arrow Shirt Company. “He was involved with Jack Abramoff and the Indians and all those.”
Loudenflager does not like the Democratic Party — “they give away everything” — but he puts no stock in the Christian Coalition: “All these people running around telling you how good they are, and how right they are. You better be careful and hold on to your wallet.”
Mr. Louodenflager’s is good advice.
I have always found it wise to be careful of those who break their arms patting themselves on the back.
“It’s a Hemi!” 1
I just watched another stupid Chrysler “hemi” commercial.
The thought I have whenever I see any of these is, do any of the actors in the commercials even know what a “hemi” is? (Hemispherical combustion chamber)
Or that they are not really the classic Chrysler “hemis”?
(The Ford 7-Litre was a better engine anyway.)
Indigo Children? 0
Give me a break.
In her 1982 book, Understanding Your Life Through Color, (Starling Publishers) Tappe claimed she could see the colored energy fields that, she said, surround every individual – and said she was starting to see children with a new, deep-blue, aura.
She outlined four types of Indigos – humanist, conceptual, artist and interdimensional – who will become tomorrow’s doctors, engineers, artists and religious leaders.
But Tappe, along with retired psychotherapist Doreen Virtue, says many Indigos also exhibit other, more troublesome traits: impatience, a sense of entitlement that borders on boorishness, and uncontrollable rage.
Read the article.
If you buy this, I have a bridge for you to buy. Use the email link at the top of the page. Cash only.
It’s Sad 0
that the antics of the current Federal Administration have made a rant like this seem believable.
Follow the link to read the whole rant.
Blocked, I Hope 0
because I can.
I got tired of having to edit the guestbook spam from a spambot, so I finally got off my rear end, went through my Apache logs, and, with the help of Sam Spade, identifed the culprit.
None of the spam was getting through, because my guestbook blocks URLs, but it was still annoying to have to edit the background HTML.
Now we’ll see if editing the appropriate file has the desired result.
(Update 1/15/06: No spambots last night.)
Shoot the Messenger 0
Once again, the current Federal Administration, not having any facts to support its actions, turns to the politics of character assassination:
Congressman Murtha responds:
I am not a great fan of Congressman Murtha. By and large, I disagree with most of his positions on most issues. I’m not even sure it is right to characterize what is happening in Iraq as a civil war–certainly it did not start without the help of the U. S. invasion.
Nevertheless, it is clear he has his standards and he is willing to take a stand for what he believes in, even if it may not be a popular position with his district.
He has served the country well, though quietly.
The Bushies, though, know only one tactic: Attack the character of anyone whose point of view opposes theirs.
Mr. Murtha has the courage to fight back. God be with him.
Privacy, Smivacy, Part 4 0
According to news reports,
This report dates from 12/20/2005.
Nevertheless, even without any of the NSA data, the FBI had information in hand far enough ahead of 9/11 to act, if it had paid attention not to intercepted communications, but to its own staff.
Now comes Slate to inform us that
It is clear that the Bush spy machine was not put in motion by 9/11–it was already in motion.
It is clear that, even though the current Federal Administration had enough traditionally-obtained, lawfully-obtained evidence that something was afoot, it failed to act.
It is also clear that Messrs Cheney and Bush’s claim that they need to sneak around Americans’ backs, in contravention of the law, in reaction to 9/11 in order to protect those backs is so much horse-hockey.
They had already started the spying in motion. They were not spying to protect the American people from an Al Qaeda threat–there is ample evidence they discounted the Al Qaeda threat until about 9:00 a. m. on the morning of 11 September 2001.
They were spying because they wanted to. They have grabbed 9/11 as a horrifying pretext to justify the intrusion into American privacy and the violation of American rights that they had already started.
It is sad that persons so morally pathetic can also be so dangerous.
Awards 0
In his review of James English’s book, The Economy of Prestige: Prizes, Awards, and the Circulation of Cultural Value, Art Carey of the Philadelphia Inquirer pointed out:
You’ll be hearing that phrase a lot in coming weeks, for the prize season is upon us.
Monday night, the Golden Globes, then the Grammys (Feb. 8), and the Oscars (March 5), plus the American Idol sweepstakes (premiering Tuesday, the coveted recording contract and attendant celebrity anointment conferred by viewer votes).
And let’s not forget the Pulitzers (April 17), a high holy day for word-slingers.
Truth to tell, when it comes to prizes, “there really is no season. It’s 365 days a year.”
I don’t pay attention to most of these; oh, I’ll read about them in the local rag, but watching a bunch of suits and gowns on the idiot box is not my idea of a good time. Now, if Mr. Blackwell had a television show for giving out his awards, that I might watch.
But I stumbled across a series of awards today that I found quite amusing:
Though the “Tarnished Halo” doesn’t feature a red carpet ceremony, it does shine the spotlight on the year’s best (of the worst). People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the assassination-endorsing physician Jerry Vlasak took home awards. So did “dietary crusaders” like Yale professor Kelly Brownell and the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). California Attorney General Bill Lockyer, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and the Chicago Tribune were also “honored,” and are listed with all the “winners” at http://www.ConsumerFreedom.com.
You can see the complete list here.
I Have a New Job . . . 0
. . . just like the old job.
I’ve been sold, along with the rest of my division and our product line.
Temporarily, we are still in the same building, in the same office, surrounded by our former co-workers. Sometime in the next two or three months, we will be moving to our own building somewhere within about 10 miles of where we are now.
I’ve moved over to the new email (Monday, my old employer will set of automatic forwarding of emails from the old address to the new address), I’ve finally gotten used to answering the phone with the new company name, and I’ve been porting some of our documents over to the new logo; I’ll probably also work on the support portion of our website to remove [old company name] and put in [new company name], but it’s still the strangest new job I’ve ever had.
I’m doing the same work, with the same people, at the same desk, using the same phone, computers, fax, and other equipment that I’ve used for the past seven and a half years.
The first paycheck arrived today, and it was signed by someone else. But it came.
Running the Government as if It Were a Business 2
A common bleat amongst conservatives of a certain stripe is that the government–any government at every level–should be run like a business. Without analysis, this seems to make sense.
But what is the purpose of a business:
My take is that the purpose of a business is to provide a needed (or wanted) good or service, while making a profit so as to continue to provide that good or service and provide a reasonable return to the owners or shareholders. There’s more to it than just making money. Bucket shops make money, and bucket shops are illegal; they are illegal because they do not provide a good or service.
The purpose of government is different. The Founders expressed it probably as well as it has ever been expressed in the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America:
This is inherently not a profit-making endeavor. A government does well if it breaks even. And the return to the shareholders (if I may use that term to represent the citizens–oh, well, I’m going to do it anyway) is freedom and security.
So from the notion that a government should be run like a business fails from the start.
Now, there is this much truth: the principles of management–of how to get things done and how to lead people are the same in government, business, or any other organization: having clear goals; planning how to reach those goals; treating employees and customers (or citizens) fairly, openly, and honestly; behaving ethically; keeping one’s word, selecting staff based on competence and achievement–those are immutable.
Now let us consider the current Federal Administration:
Lies, duplicity, underhandedness.
They say one thing and do another.
For example
They say they are looking out for the financial welfare of the nation, while running up the deficit and selling off the treasure of the country to the highest bidder.
Yes, they are running the government like a business.
A Texas business.
The CEO believes he can do whatever he can do, regardless of the rules.
He and his staff break the law and claim they are obeying it.
Yeah, I know I’ve used the link before, but it’s powerful enough to warrant it.
No, that’s not right. They say many things, and do many others.
Employee loyalty is more important than integrity and honesty.
They hide their actions from the sharehol–citizens.
And they lie when confronted.
They are running the country like a Texas business.
A business based on self-aggrandizement of the CEO, grown in duplicity, fertilized in fraud, and nurtured on lies.
And soon we will be saying what Enron says on its website:
(The United States of America) is in the midst of restructuring various businesses for distribution as ongoing companies to its creditors and liquidating its remaining operations . . .
. . . while watching our Chief Executive continue to deny the rules apply to him, as they do to others.
