Gore's New Movie

Al Gore was on the Today Show promoting his new movie on global warming, An Inconvenient Truth. I'm excited to see the new film, and I'm glad Gore has turned up the heat (pardon the pun) on the issue.

Here's the video:



Everyone should go see the new movie. Unfortunately for me, the nearest theater showing it is in Salt Lake City, a 6-hour drive.

Bummer,
Jeff

Why We Should Be Very Worried

I've been really busy for the last couple of weeks trying to survive the end of the school year, so I haven't been a consistent blogger at all. I apologize, and I think I'm back on the right track now--hopefully!

This last week brought news that is very disturbing to me and to many people in America. I want to discuss why it's disturbing and also what I believe should be done about it.

First the news. USA Today published a story on the 11th (I know, I'm way behind!) that the National Security Agency (NSA) has been collecting the phone records or millions of Americans. It says:

The National Security Agency has been secretly collecting the phone call records of tens of millions of Americans, using data provided by AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth, people with direct knowledge of the arrangement told USA TODAY.

The NSA program reaches into homes and businesses across the nation by amassing information about the calls of ordinary Americans--—most of whom aren't suspected of any crime. This program does not involve the NSA listening to or recording conversations. But the spy agency is using the data to analyze calling patterns in an effort to detect terrorist activity, sources said in separate interviews. (emphasis mine)

It goes on to say:

"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. (emphasis mine)

So, our phone records are being garnished to fight terrorism. They aren't listening to every call, but they are making a database of who we call, when, and how often. My first question about this is why? What benefit can be garnished from spying on people "who aren't suspected of any crime"? I could see collecting this type of data from terror suspects (with the proper FISA warrant, of course), but I can't for the life of me see how my records would be of benefit.

My second worry about this is that there is a huge potential for abuse. And, it seems like there have already been abuses. ABC has been reporting that the NSA program has been targeted at journalists in order to catch leakers. They report:

A senior federal law enforcement official tells ABC News the government is tracking the phone numbers we (Brian Ross and Richard Esposito) call in an effort to root out confidential sources.

"It's time for you to get some new cell phones, quick," the source told us in an in-person conversation.

Now, the piece does go on to say that they are not sure if this type of surveillance is part of the NSA program or not, but it sure sounds like the same thing. There are several follow ups on ABC's Blotter that are helpful.

Why is it worrisome that the government is spying on reporters? I'll leave that answer to Joe Scarborough, the conservative pundit and former congressman. He says, "It is a chilling scenario. Had this alleged power been used during the Nixon administration. Deep Throat would have been exposed before Watergate erupted." In the same segment, Scarborough attacks the whole NSA, Patriot Act, domestic spying mumbo jumbo with this scathing critique:

We don't trust you anymore. We don't trust you with our phone bills. We don't trust you with our bank records. We don't trust you with our medical histories. From now on, if you want to look at American's private records, get a damn search warrant.

Amen Joe! I've been quite a critic of Mr. Scarborough in the past, but I think he's right on here. The problem with spying on reporters is that they are there to keep the administration honest. If they no longer have freedom to report the truth, and if the congress refuses to be a check on the President like they have, our nation, and our democracy for that matter, is in huge trouble.

Now, here's what I think needs to be done.

First, congress needs to hold hearings and find out exactly what is happening. If the nature of the program is classified, have a closed hearing. That's fine, but congress needs more info than they have.

Second, the program needs to be changed in order to fit with the existing FISA law. If FISA needs to be amended, that's fine, but until it is, it needs to be followed.

Third, the Bush administration needs to level with the American people. Watching this unfold is like reading Karl Rove's and Scooter Libby's testimonies in the Plame case--"Oops! The press reported that? Oh yeah, I forgot that part. Now, you've got the whole truth. Wait? They told you more? Yeah, I forgot that too. I'm so busy, you know, I forget lots of things. That's the truth now. There's more..." You get the point. They need to quit thinking that more won't come out, and they need to level with us. Who is being spied on? What types of checks and balances are in place? Why collect the records of everyone? What arrests and prosecutions have come because of this? Why not follow FISA? Why not brief congress about everything, not just parts? Candor has been sorely lacking throughout this whole fiasco, and it is sorely needed.

Fourth, if members of the administration broke the law, they should be held accountable. Period.

I can't believe this whole mess. It makes me ill. I'm glad to be back on the blog.

Cheers,
Jeff

Jon Stewart: Funny and Right On

Jon Stewart of The Daily Show uses humor and wit to make his audience laugh, but he also brings to light the often hilarious contradictions in politics. Watch Jon pick apart the Rumsfeld/McGovern confrontation with far more balance--and a lot more wit--than FOX or any other network.

Crooks and Liars has the video.

Cheers,
Jeff

Bush's Greatest achievement

It's well known that President Bush isn't much of a communicator, but this takes the cake. When asked what his greatest achievement was as president, Dubya responded as reported by Reuters:

"You know, I've experienced many great moments and it's hard to name the best," Bush told weekly Bild am Sonntag when asked about his high point since becoming president in January 2001.

"I would say the best moment of all was when I caught a 7.5 pound (3.402 kilos) perch in my lake," he told the newspaper in an interview published on Sunday.

Bush said the worst moment was September 11 when hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon in Washington.

"In such a situation it takes a while before one understands what is happening," Bush said. "I would say that this was the hardest moment, once I had the real picture before my eyes."

At at time when he was expected to toot his own horn, Bush could only say, "I caught a big fish." Sheesh...I guess he didn't get the memo about hyping up the situation in Iraq.

The funny thing is that Bush has done some good things in his presidency. I think one of his greatest accomplishments is the disarmament of Lybia. Why couldn't he say that? Why couldn't he talk about anything presidential? It's simply incredible to me.

The Huffington Post has a pretty funny cartoon about it.

Cheers,
Jeff

My Political History

Well, it's been an interesting week here on the blog and in life. After my debate on my post from Monday in which I was called "pathetic," "confused," and "socialist," I thought it might be helpful to lay out my political history and philosophy.

First, I consider myself a moderate. I grew up in conservative Utah, and many of my teachers in school showed a conservative bias. My first vote for president was cast for Bob Dole in 1996, and then I voted for Bush in 2000 (fresh of a mission for my Church in Chile). At that point in my life, I wasn't a real educated voter. I thought I understood both platforms, and my family is full of Republicans, so I tended to vote more conservative. Then, I went to college and was exposed to the other side's point of view.

In college, I learned that many beliefs that I had held my whole life were actually better supported by the Democrats. I met wonderful people who both shared my religion and opened my eyes to a more liberal way of thinking. However, I still stayed moderate in my views.

Here's an overview of some of those views. It's impossible to condense a complete political philosophy into a few paragraphs, but I'll try:

Abortion: I'm pro-life. I do think that some exceptions need to be made in the cases of rape, incest, and life-threatening complications; however, absent these special circumstances, I believe that abortion is wrong. We need to better educate people about avoiding unwanted pregnancies and about all the options available to a pregnant woman, especially adoption.

Environment: I live in beautiful southern Utah, and I'm in awe at the wonders of God's creations here. I believe that we need to take every precaution in how we use the land in order to preserve it, not for future generations, but because it is worthy of our protection regardless. I oppose drilling for oil in Alaska. I would like to see a concerted effort by our government to drastically reduce our consumption of oil and gas. I would also like to see better education into proper treatment of the outdoors.

Economy: I'm a capitalist, who believes in the power of competition to fuel innovation. I believe that in order to inspire that innovation, the middle class needs to be empowered through incentives to use their entrepreneurial spirit. To me, trickle-down economics is a farce aimed at making the rich richer. I thought Clinton had many good ideas on the economy--balance the budget, control gas prices, promote middle class achievement, improve education, etc. I do, however, believe in universal health care as a right to every American. Something after the model of the bill signed by Gov. Romney in Mass. would do nicely I think.

Education: I'm a teacher, so I feel quite passionately about this one. The most pressing issues facing education today deal with the No Child Left Behind Act and school vouchers. As for NCLB, I'm a little split. I believe that it is a good idea in theory, require schools to prove achievement or face consequences and give financial benefits to schools who are making the grade. It's a business model, in essence. Now, the problem is that students are not a product, and so the business model doesn't quite work. Standardized tests are inadequate measures to assess the achievement of students, and there is no intrinsic or extrinsic motivation for students to excel on these exams. One of my students asked me this week during tests, "What do I get out of this?" The answer under our current system is unfortunately that they get nothing. I think that we need to drastically rethink our public school system and work hard to promote parental and community involvement. Also, we need to push learning for learning's sake, not for the sake of getting a good job. Learning for a lifetime is crucial, and right now we're ignoring it. As for vouchers, they're a terrible idea for many of the same reasons stated above. Students are not products, and they are affected by many forces other than school. We need to address those other forces as well (and, rethink the public ed. system as I stated above). I'll have to do another post to fully cover this one.

War: Ayn Rand, hardly a liberal, said that "Men have the right to use force only in self-defense and only against those who initiate its use." Jesus took the idea farther by saying, "If a man smites you on the right cheek, turn to him the other" (loosely quoted). I believe that a nation and even individuals need to be prepared to defend themselves against attack. I don't believe, however, that it is okay to strike first. I don't believe in pre-emptive war. For that reason, I supported the war in Afghanistan from the beginning, and I opposed the war in Iraq from the beginning.

I could go on and on. I think my views can be summed up this way. I think government is way too big and way too intrusive. Our current economic policies favor the wealthy way too much. The war in Iraq was not justified because they didn't "initiate its use." Life should be protected--I'm pro-life and against the death penalty. The free practice of religion should be protected, but religion should be lived privately, not in the public sphere ("Pray in thy closets"--Jesus). Government has two main functions, protect liberties and enable people to succeed.

It would be valuable for some of you who still think I'm a crazy, socialist, anti-American liberal to read the first post I ever made on this blog. You might find it helpful.

God Bless America (I really mean that).

Cheers,
Jeff

MoonDawg's Den: Untenable...?

Go read this:

MoonDawg's Den: Untenable...?

Cheers,
Jeff

Raw Story Vindicated--Plame was working on Iran nukes

In the comments of his April 10th post at his blog, Garry slammed the Raw Story website for its reporting that Valerie Plame Wilson was working on nuclear proliferation in Iran when she was outed by Robert Novak. Here's Garry's take:

And if you're getting your news from Raw Story, it explains much.

Tonight on Hardball, David Shuster reported the same thing that Raw Story reported in February. Crooks and Liars has the video. The truth is that Plame's outing affected our ability to gain intelligence about nuclear proliferation in Iran. Of course, the righties will never admit this fact, but at least MSNBC is reporting it. Hopefully they will continue to hammer that point home.

For people who laud President Bush for his national security policies, I now have to question their praise. If Bush has allowed this to happen in his administration without so much as firing the leakers, we have to question his commitment to the security of our nation.

Cheers,
Jeff