If a tree falls in the forest, it is still heard

Well, it finally came out. No, I didn't know this was going on, but, given the hints I'd read (mostly via Greenwald), it doesn't surprise me a bit.

The document shows for the first time that under the Obama administration the communication records of millions of US citizens are being collected indiscriminately and in bulk – regardless of whether they are suspected of any wrongdoing.

The secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (Fisa) granted the order to the FBI on April 25, giving the government unlimited authority to obtain the data for a specified three-month period ending on July 19.

I really don't understand how the FISA court approved this. I really don't. Maybe the judges just don't appreciate how much you can make out of knowing everyone that people talk to. Think of the kind of "friend"ing graph you can build off of facebook data. Well, this allows you to do the same thing, except with a great deal more accuracy (since being "friend"ed on facebook might or might not mean anything, while talking to someone tells a lot more. Especially when there's more than one communication).

I wonder if this carpet-sweeping surveillance might have helped lead to the case against the Fox reporter (although, about that, I see almost no one noting how the warrants in that case seem pretty appropriately narrow).

Maybe now, Congress can debate whether to allow this kind of omnipresent information gathering. Maybe we can finally get rid of the AUMF and (supremely cynically-named) PATRIOT Act?

Oh, and maybe now the more mainstream media will pay a bit more attention to Greenwald?  Ok, funny joke, but we can hope.

I am probably too optimistic

I wrote this about Obama's statements for progressive policy a couple of weeks ago. It was making me feel a bit encouraged, but I was reminded a couple of days ago that I probably shouldn't.

I can't find the article now (I'm pretty sure it was from Greenwald), but it was pointing out that this is almost certainly all campaign posturing, with nothing of substance to follow. Unfortunately, it does make complete sense, and wouldn't surprise me. As a Senator, Obama was a moderate Democrat. As a President, he's a moderate Republican. I guess that's better than a radical Republican, which is the only kind I can see emerging from the Republican primary, but it's certainly tough to get excited about.

I'll still get out and vote, but it won't be something to which I'm looking forward.

Everyone goes home happy?

Well, it appears that a debt ceiling deal is done, and everyone is going home happy. Except those people who, you know, actually worry about putting the economy back into recession.

The only good thing about this deal is that the cuts are minimal for the next two years. And half of those cuts are in the military, where it is easy for the effect of them to disappear. So that's something. But affecting the wealthy? That's still unthinkable, apparently.

And now we'll have a "supercommittee" that will capitulate further to Republican demands or deadlock, leaving a dreadful run of cuts all over the place, hurting everyone. It'll probably push the entire economy back into recession, if the last week or so's worth of economic indicators is to be believed. 1937, here we come. Yay.

I guess it's good to be completely intrasigent, because apparently that gets you everything you want.

It really would be nice if we had a Democratic President. The only good thing I can really say about his policies is that they're moderate, rather than extreme. Given all the extremists running on the other side, I guess that is something, but damned cold comfort. I certainly thought we were electing a Democrat, and maybe even a real progressive. But apparently those fall into the same category as unicorns and dancing faeries. Sigh.

Wow, this is depressing

I read most of Glenn Greenwald's columns (and have been, since before he was at Salon). Unfortunately, I find most of them pretty depressing. But this latest one... ugh.

I remember reading a couple of Clancy's older books, back when I was in high school (when Clancy was still a local; at the time, we went to Church in the same town where Clancy sold insurance), and he had south americans talking about how the norteamericanos were such imperialists. At the time, it didn't make much sense to me. But now? It's hard to see how you avoid such a conclusion.

Everything seems to be an excuse for war, or at least bombing.

The Nobel committee admitted that they awarded Obama the award more aspirationally than for deeds done; he apparently never got the message. And that's sad, because his rhetoric when running was really dead-on. But his execution as president has been terrible. He hasn't just forgotten his campaign promises, but has actively worked to undermine some of them, especially as relates to foreign policy, transparency, and civil liberties. It's very disappointing.

It's hard to avoid the thought that the Yemeni push will be used as an excuse to increase attempts to murder al Awlaki (sp?) as well. As I said, damned depressing.

Class Warfare?

The Diane Rehm show came on NPR Thursday morning, and I was listening to it as I frequently do. But when one of their guests was first given the chance to speak, he goes off about how Obama's plan was class warfare.

Frankly, I was so disgusted by the whole thing that I had to turn it off immediately.

If you'd like to see class warfare in action, take a look at the book Perfectly Legal, about how the tax code has been wildly distorted over the past decade or two to heavily favor the rich. You will find out how it can be cheaper for a company CEO to take a corporate jet than to take a taxi (which is outright thievery from the shareholders, but also from taxpayers). You can also be reminded about how badly Social Security and the mortgage income deduction favor the rich. Plus how there is more money put into enforcement of the Earned Income Tax Credit (which pays the working poor to make it worth their while to work instead of just taking in welfare) than there is to making sure the rich pay the appropriate amount in taxes (where far more money is at stake). Frankly, if you aren't sick to your stomach well before the end of the book, you must be stupid or both wealthy and amoral (hmm... I suppose poor and amoral, but with aspirations of getting rich is also possible).

And, perhaps, an even starker example can be seen in a , comparing justice for poor criminals versus that for rich criminals.