Administration Set to Use New Spy Program in US
The Bush administration said yesterday that it plans to start using the nation’s most advanced spy technology for domestic purposes soon, rebuffing challenges by House Democrats over the idea’s legal authority.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said his department will activate his department’s new domestic satellite surveillance office in stages, starting as soon as possible with traditional scientific and homeland security activities — such as tracking hurricane damage, monitoring climate change and creating terrain maps.
Sophisticated overhead sensor data will be used for law enforcement once privacy and civil rights concerns are resolved, he said. The department has previously said the program will not intercept communications.
“There is no basis to suggest that this process is in any way insufficient to protect the privacy and civil liberties of Americans,” Chertoff wrote to Reps. Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.) and Jane Harman (D-Calif.), chairmen of the House Homeland Security Committee and its intelligence subcommittee, respectively, in letters released yesterday.
“I think we’ve fully addressed anybody’s concerns,” Chertoff added in remarks last week to bloggers. “I think the way is now clear to stand it up and go warm on it.”
His statements marked a fresh determination to operate the department’s new National Applications Office as part of its counterterrorism efforts. The administration in May 2007 gave DHS authority to coordinate requests for satellite imagery, radar, electronic-signal information, chemical detection and other monitoring capabilities that have been used for decades within U.S. borders for mapping and disaster response.
But Congress delayed launch of the new office last October. Critics cited its potential to expand the role of military assets in domestic law enforcement, to turn new or as-yet-undeveloped technologies against Americans without adequate public debate, and to divert the existing civilian and scientific focus of some satellite work to security uses.
Democrats say Chertoff has not spelled out what federal laws govern the NAO, whose funding and size are classified. Congress barred Homeland Security from funding the office until its investigators could review the office’s operating procedures and safeguards. The department submitted answers on Thursday, but some lawmakers promptly said the response was inadequate.
“I have had a firsthand experience with the trust-me theory of law from this administration,” said Harman, citing the 2005 disclosure of the National Security Agency’s domestic spying program, which included warrantless eavesdropping on calls and e-mails between people in the United States and overseas. “I won’t make the same mistake. . . . I want to see the legal underpinnings for the whole program.”
Thompson called DHS’s release Thursday of the office’s procedures and a civil liberties impact assessment “a good start.” But, he said, “We still don’t know whether the NAO will pass constitutional muster since no legal framework has been provided.”
DHS officials said the demands are unwarranted. “The legal framework that governs the National Applications Office . . . is reflected in the Constitution, the U.S. Code and all other U.S. laws,” said DHS spokeswoman Laura Keehner. She said its operations will be subject to “robust,” structured legal scrutiny by multiple agencies.
© 2008 The Washington Post
Please read the posting here on CD about PR firms and private security agencies spying on environmental and progressive political groups and the comments from the CD crowd.
Then remember that the Miami police department is about to start using 14 pound RPV drones. And that Halliburton has built MULTIPLE ‘detention facilities’ throughout the US.
Now this.
1984 anyone?
How do you feel, knowing you have aided and abetted the creation of the tyrannical fascist police state that is about to close on you like the jaws of a steel trap?
Justice=Just Us.
1984 is here - Officially. Spying is, by definition, a covert invasion of one’s privacy. How can anyone - let alone the MSM - allow this Orwellian “NewSpeak” to go unchallenged. I am aghast.
Water is NOT wet.
Treason is Patriotism.
Covert Spying does NOT violate your Civil Rights.
War is Good.
The end of Liberty upon US.
Also, bear in mind that the US was enthusiastically researching the use of implanted RFID chips in EVERY LIVING PERSON in the US.
“I think we’ve fully addressed anybody’s concerns,” Chertoff added in remarks last week to bloggers. “I think the way is now clear to stand it up and go warm on it.”
And I have a bridge to sell you…
“Sophisticated overhead sensor data will be used for law enforcement once privacy and civil rights concerns are resolved, he said.”
If you have skylights in your bedroom it might be time to think about getting electric blinds or shades. With the advanced electronics these perverts have available, they’ll be able to count your pubic hairs.
What is truly scary is that Michael Chertoff will have his grubby paws all over this. This is the same guy who bungled Hurricane Katrina and managed to make sure the blame was put on “Brownie.” His current department, the Orwellian named Dep’t. of Homeland Security, has set new lows in waste and fraud while managing to make an already excruciating experience, commercial airplane travel, even more painful. Now he wants become the American equivalent of Heinrich Muller.
Whatever! I’m just numb to all this bs. I had some hope when the dems regained both houses, but they’ve done NOTHING of substance. I’ve come to the conclusion nothing will change. It’s going to be a close presidential election, so we know what that means… republicans perpetrate election fraud AGAIN, and nothing comes of it AGAIN! I DON’T GIVE A SHIT ANYMORE! THEY CAN HAVE IT! I’m immigrating to Canada.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said his department will activate his department’s new domestic satellite surveillance office in stages, starting as soon as possible with traditional scientific and homeland security activities — such as tracking hurricane damage, monitoring climate change and creating terrain maps.
Why don’t these Orwellian spendthrifts just ‘Google’ the U.S. like the other peeping Toms?
We must resist these expansions of government surveillance technology and powers, but let’s not get paranoid. One of the lessons of the 50’s and 60’s is that however draconian their surveillance enterprise appears, the weak link is that they still need a human in the chain to decide the meaning of the information they get, and the more information they gather the harder this becomes. Which is not to say that their growing surveillance machine isn’t a trivial threat, but let’s not ever give in to the “it’s all over now” or “it’s all over when they get such-and-such in place” syndrome. We are dealing with a formidable system, a formidable ruling class; but they are not gods.
Politics is about people - millions of people. Billions of people, really. Rich people, poor people and in-between, workers, farmers, home-makers and tradespeople, Professionals, soldiers and day-laborers. Americans and Germans, Mexicans and Indonesians. Mostly they are working people and poor people. Our rulers are masters of the arts of distraction, deception, disinformation, repression, disruption, co-option and the sowing of divisions among the people, but the bottom line is that they are increasingly unable to manage their system’s failure to meet the peoples’ needs, and their own ranks are increasingly fracturing into conflicting camps as the crisis develops. Whatever victories they achieve against us will never be permanent or complete; the struggle of the people for a better life will always break out again.
Thus, while a certain healthy amount of fear is certainly appropriate and discouragement may at times be inevitable, there is never an excuse for despair and cynicism.
I thought Lurch in the Adams Family retired, I wish he was the one in power instead of this monster
You know you are reading propaganda when you see an official quoted prominently in the story as saying ‘all civil rights concerns have been resolved.’ Then you only see a vague comment saying ‘wait a minute’ at the bottom of the story. And absolutely no specific discussion as to what civil rights concerns were involved (obvious I know) and absolutely no discussion of how they were ‘resolved’.
To this government, ‘resolved’ could mean this. Someone raised the issue. Chertoff said ‘I don’t give a damn about civil rights’. There, issue ‘resolved’.
Note also that the Democrats are doing nothing about this, even though they have the power with their majorities in Congress. All you see is some statements and concerns. Just enough to try to con a few fools into voting Democrat.
What you don’t see is this. The founders gave the Congress control of the money as the ultimate power over the rest of the government. So, its pretty simple if the Dems want to stop this. Stop funding it. Stop funding the whole NSA if they don’t listen. Or maybe just stop funding Chertoff’s office and make him have no staff, no phones, no computers, if you want to be more targeted.
As usual, the Dems have the power, but don’t act to stop it. Which really can only be interpreted as the fact that the Dems are fully on board with this. Remember, they all voted in favor of the Patriot Act, have extended it often, and they refuse to repeal it. The Dems have been fully on board with this from the beginning. And I’ll keep believing that until I see some concrete, real actions to from the Dems to stop it.
The only difference between the parties is that Obama and Hillary think they should be the ones peeping into your skylights.
Conmarc,
Precisely. The only Constitution saving act the dems appear to take credit for was getting Nixon to resign. But it was the leading Republican Senators who convinced Tricky Dick he was in trouble and would not have their support if it came to impeachement. So they told him to step down. Not even then, did the Dems call that shot.
So their deers in the headlights stances on all of the bushcon criminal acitivities is no revelation.
The dems are complicit bag holders, but they never get to hold the guns nor are given the keys to the get-away car.
“We must resist these expansions of government surveillance technology and powers, but let’s not get paranoid. One of the lessons of the 50’s and 60’s is that however draconian their surveillance enterprise appears, the weak link is that they still need a human in the chain to decide the meaning of the information they get, and the more information they gather the harder this becomes. Which is not to say that their growing surveillance machine isn’t a trivial threat, but let’s not ever give in to the “it’s all over now” or “it’s all over when they get such-and-such in place” syndrome. We are dealing with a formidable system, a formidable ruling class; but they are not gods.
Politics is about people - millions of people. Billions of people, really. Rich people, poor people and in-between, workers, farmers, home-makers and tradespeople, Professionals, soldiers and day-laborers. Americans and Germans, Mexicans and Indonesians. Mostly they are working people and poor people. Our rulers are masters of the arts of distraction, deception, disinformation, repression, disruption, co-option and the sowing of divisions among the people, but the bottom line is that they are increasingly unable to manage their system’s failure to meet the peoples’ needs, and their own ranks are increasingly fracturing into conflicting camps as the crisis develops. Whatever victories they achieve against us will never be permanent or complete; the struggle of the people for a better life will always break out again.
Thus, while a certain healthy amount of fear is certainly appropriate and discouragement may at times be inevitable, there is never an excuse for despair and cynicism.
”
BRILLIANT, BRILLIANT, BRILLIANT
—How can we fight for a better tomorrow if we do not expect it?—
“Also, bear in mind that the US was enthusiastically researching the use of implanted RFID chips in EVERY LIVING PERSON in the US.”
Not necessary given the level of adoption of GPS enabled cell phones.
Oh, and the implementation of complete access to telecommunications databases.
The reason it won’t violate anyone’s rights is because no one has rights.
The last 2 AGs believe that US citizens do not have a right to habeas corpus the President must respect. Supreme Court Justice Alito helped develop the “unitary executive” concept.
Yoo took the idea that soldiers can kill other soldiers during battle and concluded it meant the US can torture unarmed helpless detainees. Or maim a detainee’s little kid. Imagine what a Justice Department full of Yoos could justify with a “unilateral executive” who can ignore habeas corpus.
Funny,
it looks like today they put less SKIN on his SKULL,
anyone else notice ?
Interesting that ALL MSM media pushes this story as well as the ‘Iran now more dangerous than al-quaeda’ line while most MSM ignore the stories about the White House choreographing torture with full approval of the head chimp.
traditional scientific and homeland security activities — such as tracking hurricane damage, monitoring climate change and creating terrain maps.
Americans struggle to understand how the US government can be the bad guy and at the same time be the good guy but here you have it. The evil schemers in the Criminal Chimp Administration provide climate monitoring and terrain maps as covers for their diabolical citizen surveillance programs. Americans are pushed by the media to believe they have to work hard to “get ahead” and are left without the time/energy to argue through the simple surface appearances and get down to the complex rackets perpetrated in Washington. IT’s time to PURGE BIG BROTHER. Don’t expect any reform until there is mass action.
We can spend all this money to spy on us,all for those paranoids to feel better and cant do anything for people who were left on their own during a natural disaster or dont have health care or dont have enough to eat?This country is ass-backward for sure.Even though we see this kind of mentality just about every day,it just boggles the mind what this government does…Still!Tony
ET go home!
Is it just me or do other’s skulls and scalps feel like they’re full of something crawling?
After all the unprecedented “in your face” deception & abuses by this inept zealot president, and their dreadful effects on our planet–who could trust him now, other than his beneficiaries and the morons who helped him steal two elections?
Thanks, ChrisHorton, for trying to present a voice of calm and encouragement to prevail. Often when I read posts here, I envision us all with foil on our windows. The paranoia in this forum can feel like a lead balloon. I would rather quietly create the peaceful, cooperative, abundant world I envision throughout each day. The elaborate systems of scared people who hoard will inevitably collapse, and I won’t spend my time wringing my hands like Chicken Little waiting for an RFID to be implanted in my beady chicken irises. On a lighter note, I always think of Nosferatu whenever I see a picture of Michael Chertoff’s skull.
Damn the photo looks like one of those vampire humans from the movie I am Legend. I bet he only comes out at night too!
NEXT
“there is never an excuse for despair and cynicism…” Thank you Miss Manners.
To lend further analysis or discussion to this blatant F-YOU of Mr. “Of The Devil’s,” to my mind, sounds as if the recognition of the threat that has been imposed, even without this “eye in the sky,” has not yet set in.
Our rights as citizens are like, “poof!” anyway, and they mean to silence all “this”–this “free-ish speech”–this eclogue about the topography of the third world war (better know as your thoughts), blogged, data-mined and recorded, so they can efficiently remove dissent, with no one lifting a finger, as they drag you out by your heels… Count on it.
So go ahead, step over the homeless and pretend they’re not there. Entertain yourself into oblivion while people like you and me are being sacrificed daily on the unholy grail of our wars of aggression. Children, just like ours, reduced to red mist. Just turn on the forgetting-box, and think nothing of it… Its all right…
For if you haven’t noticed, the Constitution is in tatters, and the only thing that is protecting us is, what? A few incendiary web sites? A couple jokers on Comedy Central? Give me a break. The military owns all that too.
The time for passivity is over. O-V-E-R. The big round-up is fast approaching. So how you gonna let it play out? On your feet, or on your knees?
Psssst… The British are coming… And they’re gonna drop a bomb on your street, and mess up the illusion of us being protected and untouchable, by god, just as soon as they put some e-barbed wire up around our private hells.
Ready to fight for your life? Or you just gonna throw up your hands and hope for the best?
America… Ha, ha, ha… Like we never thought we’d have to pay for all the evil crap we’ve allowed to continue out of selfishness and greed, out there, in the real world of unimaginable pain, ignited by our god-given excesses.
I am profoundly, irrevocably sad for the loss of my country. For just consider the phalanx of surveillance cameras you have to pass to go to work, to buy milk at the convenience store, or to use an ATM, and then, go ahead, tell me you’re still free. Please…
For what is claimed as paranoia by some, is for others trepidation wrought of experience. Yet, it is true that all great dreams will sooner or later perish, when no one no longer believes in them, or will get up off their duffs to preserve them. So bring on the dancing horses, the ones that make all the jackasses bawl…
If ever there was a guy that I would not want to represent me in anything, it would be this guy.
well kids, let’s celebrate with a “do not kill the president” week. what the heck huh!
in the subject line of all your emails just write, “do not kill the president”. this will alert the govt that you are a good human and the govt, although overwhelmed, will realize that you are a good person.
or you can sit around and complain on commondreams about the darn govt.so, remember kids, it is “do not kill the president” week.
So, this is what it finally boils down to. Domestic spying. These are dark days for the US.
Under political conservatives we have walked a long way down a dark road; and we may never be able to find our way back. The very essence of America was at stake here-and America lost.
These are the worst elements of your childhood playground experience, grown up in size but not human maturity. Bullies become machos, become mafiosos, become monsters.
They’ve taken over our Treasury and our institutions to do it.
When they want something done, it’s just a question of assembling sufficient force to prevent anyone from stopping them. There is never any question of: “Is it right? Is this what people want” Is it fair?”
There is nothing of democracy they care for, except utilizing to the max the “cosmetic” aspects of it — high-priced, distorted, and stolen horserace-style elections on a regular basis — to lend an air of “legitimacy” to the terror they sow.
Lesson these guys have learned from VietNam: how to avoid or stop dissent. It’s the ONLY thing that concerns them. Period.
The easiest way, of course, control the media, silence facts, stop research. Then spying, infiltration, intimidation, capture, enhanced techniques…
They ARE the Evil Ones we were warned about.
For all the nostalgic Happy-Talk of “The Greatest Generation,” the heroes who fought and died for freedom in WWII, what these guys are doing to us is just as though we had LOST WWII. Not only VietNam, Gulf I and Gulf II, they all will have died in vain now.
…an afterthought…
“all civil rights concerns have been resolved.”
That means “we’ll get someone to write a Memo.”
All that’s missing from Chertoff’s picture is a swastika armband and SS collar pins on his shirt. He looks like the evil twin of Moe Howard of the three stooges.
well kids, let’s celebrate with a “do not kill the president” week. what the heck huh!
in the subject line of all your emails just write, “do not kill the president”. this will alert the govt that you are a good human and the govt, although overwhelmed, will realize that you are a good person.
or you can sit around and complain on commondreams about the darn govt.so, remember kids, it is “do not kill the president” week.
They are clearly making enemies lists. They have no intention of surrendering their march toward totalitarianism. They have no organized opposition. The American people are malleable and they know it. The Congress is whipped and docile. Intellectuals are nothing more than hamburger in the minds and hands of Fascists. The creative community is awol. The answer either lies in blood or elegant design. The designers appear to be too busy chasing wealth to pay attention to the ancient idea of Democracy. It only takes a jellybean to gum up the works. That jellybean may be personal sacrifice and non-consumption. More jellybeans are welcome.
Where are the Democrats, our supposed champions of freedom?
Oh, they’re on the same side as the Republicans.
I wonder…
When will the US mandated TV’s that watch YOU are due out….
Big Brother Is Fing You!
Sorry to tell you this hakori, but Canada is on the same wavelength as the U.S. Come on south to Costa Rica where they pretty much leave you alone, at least for now. The weather is gorgeous, there’s plenty of water and good soil, it is the Pura Vida life. The hell with all the insanity up north, you can have it!
hakori— I hear what you’re saying. It seems there is NO civilized recourse to reverse what is occurring. The Democrats in Congress have failed to do much of anything using any excuse they can find as to their impotence.
I don’t have high hopes for whoever is elected President either. If it is Barack perhaps, but he will be blocked at every turn by Republicans and corporate owned Democrats.
But still I can’t help think, “what would the founding fathers do?” and then I remember the passage in the Constitution about “the right to bear arms” and then I know what they would do.
“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”
— Thomas Jefferson
Hakori wrote:
“I DON’T GIVE A SHIT ANYMORE! THEY CAN HAVE IT! I’m immigrating to Canada.”
Hee hee hee hee! Very good hakori.
But it’s too cold up there for me; I am immigrating to Cuba, or Haiti where I can maintain more “Civil Rights.”
Gail said:
“If you have skylights in your bedroom it might be time to think about getting electric blinds or shades. With the advanced electronics these perverts have available, they’ll be able to count your pubic hairs.”
The problem is that in a nation of mostly shallow, naive, idiotic population don’t see anything wrong. Since the spying on citizens was first exposed, they havs accepted it saying: I DON’T CARE BECAUSE I’M NOT DOING ANYTHING WRONG.
Why all this pretending about being ‘the biggest democracy’, about loving freedom, about human rights and all the other bs that is being dispensed every day…why not just get it over with and turn into a full dictatorship.
“To this government, ‘resolved’ could mean this. Someone raised the issue. Chertoff said ‘I don’t give a damn about civil rights’. There, issue ‘resolved’.”
Good point COMac.
I never thought I would see the day when a Nazi would become “Pope,” the #1 terrorist would be “President” of the USA, the “Justice Dept” would become “criminals,” and “Congress” would pass laws making crimes committed by this administration legal, retroactively, rather than impeaching the law breakers.
D n G — Not to worry bro, the ice-berg of resistance that they can see, and have prepared for is — shall we say –
Namaste
AND ALL OF YOU WILL PAY FOR THE WHOLE PROGRAM! PERIOD.
THERE IS NO WAY TO STOP THIS UNTIL THE REST OF THOSE WHO DO NOT WANT A SPY SAT. OR A HOVERING DRONE, OR AN INTERNET FULL OF LISTENING DEVICES…FOR THOSE OF YOU DO NOT WANT THESE “FEATURES” TO BE IMPLEMENTED…THEN YOU MUST STOP PAYING FOR IT.
THIS ENTIRE PROGRAM IS BEING FINANCED BY AMERICANS TAX DOLLARS…YOUR TAX DOLLARS. IF EVER THERE WAS A TIME FOR A “GENERAL TAX STRIKE”…NOW IS THAT TIME…OR SIMPLY SHUT UP AND ACCEPT THIS NIGHTMARE…THE ONLY WAY THIS KIND OF THING WILL BE HALTED, IS IF THE MONEY EVAPORATES…THEY DO NOT CARE IF IT IS “SUPPORTED” OR NOT…THEY DON’T CARE IF IT’S DOWN TO ‘THEM AND BUSH’S DOG BARNEY’…THEY DO NOT CARE WHAT YOU THINK…BUT THEY WILL NEVER STOP TAKING YOUR MONEY TO USE AGAINST YOU…UNTIL YOU SIMPLY STOP GIVING IT TO THEM..THIS IS THE ONLY WAY.
SO, RATIONALIZE, MAKE EXCUSES..GO AHEAD AND THINK ALL YOU WANT TO ABOUT “NON-VIOLENT PROTEST” AND “CIVIL DISOBEDIANCE” (WHICH TAX STRIK IS PERHAPS THE ULTIMATE FORM OF BOTH CONCEPTS) DO ALL THE EXCUSE MAKING YOU WANT…THE BOTTOM LINE IS M-O-N-E-Y…PERIOD! AND UNITIL THAT RESOURCE IS TOO SLIM TO BE AVAILABLE FOR THIS KIND OF ‘FRIENDLY FASCISM’ THEY WILL KEEP RIGHT ON TRUCKIN…AND YOU HAVE ONLY YOURSSELVES TO BLAME…NOT ME..THYE DO NOT HAVE MY MONEY, MY VOTE, MY SUPPORT AND THEY HAVE MY VOICE SHOUTING OUT AGAINST THEM…BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY..AGAIN..THEY DO NOT HAVE MY COOPERATION AND TACIT SUPPORT IN THE FORM OF PAYMENTS MADE TO THEM..BY ME….I DO NOT PAY THEM..I DEPRIVE THEM OF THE RESOURCES THEY NEED….WILL YOU?
Namaste, on a personal level I am ready for whatever comes my way. I am concerned about others. On December 21, 2012 the Winter Solstice will offer a once in twenty six millennia chance to change things for the better. People need to broaden their minds to include history, science, and spirit and understand that there is a commonality. Science knows what Spirit has known for millennia, that Spirit changes quantum particles. Thought changes reality. It can change it for better or worse. The negativity in our lives today is strong. It is my opinion that we must not react to negativity with more negativity. That just makes things worse. We must meet negativity with informed hope and belief. The balance of the positive and negative is where we find harmony. It seems that people should be working to find that balance and maintain that balance in their lives.
This is not done in Washington but at home, where we live. I have been taught that people have the opportunity to move to a higher plane of existence if we find and keep that balance by December 21, 2012. Science and Spirit have a nexus. I believe that the once in twenty six thousand year solar alignment that happens on December 21, 2012 is that time. So I am hoping that people take the negativity that is so strong and pervasive and neutralize it by responding in thoughtful, meaningful, and positive ways to bring the negativity into balance. Learn to harmonize now and be ready in December of 2012.
I wonder just how thorough these new high tech spying satellites are and how these devises are so sophisticated now that they (the spies) can literally see through walls. Will I be photographed when I am out doors in my garden, or sitting in my tub? I would like to think that there is a space on earth where noone can interrupt my privacy. And just what are these spies hoping to find? They should be busy spotting Uranium plants throughout the world instead of spying on Americans sex life.
D N G — We are aligned, and I’ve shucked off decades of negativity (over the last few months), perhaps it is apparent?
Thank you, there is “progressively” only positivity, for myself to my utmost abilities — but then, I still but an egg in the nest of possibilities.
We ALL feel the quickening coming, you are 100% on target:
Namaste
Namaste, the thought of BE’ingness, family, and love is a very good place to be. I sense that Treefrog is there too. I hope that more people here find their way to these understandings.
Do’hi, (peace)
I wish they’d spy on me, just to waste their resources. It’s like it would be so much cheaper and more effective to have a fleet of Greyhound busses at the border, hand prospective workers a couple of sack lunches when they board, and then while on the ride, interview them, get their contact information, give them some sort of ID card with a number to use on tax forms, and take them to their job site. I guess we just want it to be more expensive (for everyone), and to kill some of them along the way.
Sick.
I’d like to see Lulu Dobbs make that trip.
They spy on Afghans and Pakistanis with Predator drones, and when the time is right, they drop a missile on them. Of course, they promise not to drop missiles on Americans…yet.
Bravo to hakori, SuZen and Tsunami for realizing that no matter what U.S. citizens and residents say or do, all the Homeland requires is that they continue to pay the U.S. War Department. If you don’t want to fund that, you’ll have to go somewhere saner.
SuZen and Tsunami say Canada is not that place. In the near term, they’re probably right that other places will hold more appeal:
hakori April 12th, 2008 2:11 pm:
“Whatever! … I DON’T GIVE A SHIT ANYMORE! THEY CAN HAVE IT! I’m immigrating to Canada.”
SuZen April 13th, 2008 1:32 pm:
“Sorry to tell you this hakori, but Canada is on the same wavelength as the U.S. Come on south to Costa Rica where they pretty much leave you alone, at least for now.”
Tsunami April 13th, 2008 1:42 pm:
“But it’s too cold up there for me; I am immigrating to Cuba, or Haiti where I can maintain more ‘Civil Rights.’”
But remember this: The moment the Homeland decides that Costa Rica (for all its democratic tradition and non-militarization) or Haiti has something it wants, or they want to use them to teach the rest of the hemisphere a lesson about resisting (as they did in Aristide’s Haiti), the party’s over. As it was over in Grenada, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, and a half dozen other Latin American states.
As for Cuba, the moment Raúl is gone and the way is clear, that island will return to being an American resort colony, whether in two years or five or ten. Young Cubans no longer give a damn about the 1959 Revolution. They want iPods and wall TVs.
It’s true that in Canada the Conservatives would like to imitate the Bushites. Even though they’re slightly to the left of the American Democrats, they have more balls. But they’re a minority government, so they’ve had to be very cautious about Dubya-izing the country. Canada actually has *several* parties, including a vibrant social democratic party. And anyway, Conservative support is mainly in the West. The more populous East is very sceptical of U.S. policy and its wars.
And anyway Canada doesn’t want to allocate resources away from education and health care. The federal government has run a surplus for a decade or more and doesn’t want to go back to deficit spending, which is one reason that the Canadian dollar is at parity with the American dollar. Nor does it have a big enough military or national police force, or the political culture, to spy on a population one-tenth the size of the U.S. that covers 110% of the space.
Canada is off U.S. radar. It’s invisible to the U.S. because Americans think it’s just a vast expanse of nothing, like rural North Dakota or Maine, only 50 times bigger. Still, if the U.S. invaded Canada for its water, the rest of the developed world would scream bloody murder. Unlike what the U.S. has done over and over in Latin America, it can’t afford to do that to Canada. It would be a PR disaster of the first magnitude, like Hitler’s invasion of Holland and Belgium.
Yeah, Canada is cold, but it’s getting warmer. Compared to some of the European countries, the health care system is dodgy; compared to Homeland, it’s a cakewalk. Life expectancy is longer in Canada. And it’s potentially self-sufficient in just about everything but citrus fruit and coconuts. Besides, unless you decide to live and work in rural Quebec, you won’t need to learn another language in Canada. Emigrating to Canada, of course, in no way prevents you from moving to Costa Rica once you’re a citizen.
Canada takes about three times more immigrants per capita than the U.S. does. That’s going to increase because of an impending labour shortage.
The real problem is that jumping through all the immigration hoops takes time and savvy and a spotless criminal record, including DUI.
Check it out:
http://www.canadianalternative.com/
Not sure if anyone else noticed, but Chertoff looks remarkably like the evil Skeletor in the old Space Ghost cartoon my nephews use to watch when they were young.
Low Art once again mirroring the cesspool of life brought to us by the multi-national, extremists on the Right.
FEELING SAFER NOW?
“A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”
This is precisely why the Second Amendment was written. The main problem being that the regulating (federal) authority is the primary potential oppressor.
Why do you cynics let these creeps keep scaring you?
They are listening in right now and goin…”mission accomplished we got the progressives so scared that will get outta here before the election!”
Do ya think they need more drones and spy satellites to monitor us?
This is just more of our money to go to useless stuff like counting your pubic hairs and frightening you into being a useless fearmonger.
After you get through scaring yourself to death, what are you gonna do about it?
Oh you better not say…they are listening now.
Your better off being afraid, be very afraid.
Oh I am real brave though, I won’t give them any more money… (I don’t make enough to file anyway.)
Namaste!
and for the fith portion of there meal they will have another heaping portion of buggers. The sad truth is these idiots wouldnt know what to do with intelligence if they had it ! I believe its a mommas boys skull and bones thing they’re desinsitized to the rest of the human race/ a product of there enviroment ( see acestors by definition) globe eyed roaches LMAO !!!