It’s Time To Call This Conspiracy A Conspiracy

We, the American people have made a mistake. We have elected George W. Bush to the Presidency of The United States of America. It is now time to rectify that mistake and remove this man and his entire cabal from office.

Most of us are don’t have time each day for a careful reading of the news which would allow us to recognize the complete picture of the threat Bush policies represent to our country. Instead, we content ourselves with news from television, radio, and our favorite ISP, which entertain and inform with mere snippets of news, and generally, our hometown paper, which may or may not have a biased view of the events reported.

Censorship by omission is as deadly as slanting the news in one direction or the other, as the headlines and links to the stories from today’s offering of news from a wide variety of sources will indicate. Any person seeking the news of the day with the time constraints of employment, survival, or at their work computer would not have time to either find or read all the articles today that give a clear picture of the unfortunate state of our country these days.

American freedoms are being attacked from all sides, simultaneously and concertedly. This indicates much more than the simple incompetence and misdemeanor malfeasance of the Bush administration with which many of us dismiss this bunch of pirates. This indicates more than “simple greed”, as many of us excuse or, at least, feel comforted by defining the actions of the Bush cabal.

The actions listed just in today’s news—one day—show that there is a concentrated and intense movement in our country by this group to destroy the very fabric of American freedom in order to further an agenda with what can only be at this point an as yet undefined goal, but one which severely limits American rights, and instills fear of discovery for perhaps altruistic, patriotic blogging, or simply innocent search or research. This agenda is evident on ALL fronts that represent American freedom.

We Americans expect our politicians to cease and desist when they are found engaged in suspicious or criminal acts, or when they are accused of some sort of malfeasance. In this case, that is not the case. The Bush agenda seems to be motivated with a drive beyond comprehension to continue the secret agenda which will only destroy our country. Despite discovery; despite reporting by the American press, and despite the growing outcry of American citizens, the Bush agenda continues to make daily inroads into historic American freedoms.

The question is: How do we stop this assault on freedom and liberty?

Impeachment proceedings brought with all due haste will, no doubt, bring these matters to a boil and allow the American people to see the intent and the reach of the Bush cabal. If the reaction to impeachment proceedings follows the pattern of lawlessness which earmarks the Bush administration they will simply refuse to comply with impeachment.

Then we will have something more to work with than the nebulous and diffuse machinations of this administration which are not currently easily defined as deliberate actions to destroy America from within.
That Defense Secretary Rumsfeld has recently taken it upon himself to change the order of succession of the Presidency in The Department of Defense (see full article below) from military officials to hand-picked civilian officials sympathetic if not owned by the Bush cabal is surely indication enough that this conspiracy to destroy American freedom is more than just routine incompetence and certainly indicates advanced planning should impeachment topple the Bush regime.

That these actions were accomplished without the consent of Congress, and without benefit of Constitutional Amendment is highly indicative of the hubris with which these people perceive American historical values and the willingness and the ability of the American people to challenge these schemes.
__________________________________________________________________________________

CNET NEWS

Police blotter: Patriot Act e-mail spying approved

Federal judge OKs prosecutors' Patriot Act request for e-mail surveillance without any evidence of wrongdoing by the target.
12 hours, 8 minutes ago
_______________________________________________________________________________

The New York Times

February 10, 2006

Official Resigns Public TV Post

STEPHEN LABATONand ELIZABETH JENSEN

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 — The top television executive at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced on Thursday that he would be stepping down. This is the latest in a string of departures of officials and consultants who played central roles in an effort by conservatives to bring what they viewed as more balance to public television and radio.
__________________________________________________________________________________

Lance Dickie / Seattle Times editorial columnist

Catching the health-reform bug
The nation's health-care system has not gotten bad enough yet for real change to occur. Just wait. An increasingly anxious middle class...
__________________________________________________________________________________

The New York Times

White House Knew of Levee's Failure on Night of Storm

By ERIC LIPTONThe Bush administration was alerted to broken levees and flooding in New Orleans hours after their collapse, documents show.
__________________________________________________________________________________

The New York Times

Seized With Heavy Hand at Border, for Paperwork Errors

By NINA BERNSTEINLow-level gatekeepers in the customs and immigration system are using their discretionary power over travelers who pose no security risk.
___________________________________________________________________________________

The New York Times

Voting Rights Under Siege

The Republican majority in the State House in Pennsylvania is pushing to pass one of the most odious felon-voting bans ever seen above the Mason-Dixon line.
___________________________________________________________________________________

Wired News

Takeoff Delay Slows Secure Flight

The Transportation Security Administration suspends the controversial, ire-drawing program, saying its IT system needs a comprehensive audit. No word on whether any security flaws or breaches have been discovered. Feb 9, 2006 12:12 PM
____________________________________________________________________________________

Saturday, December 31, 2005 - 12:00 AM

Rumsfeld alters succession

By Josh White The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/29/AR2005122901242.html

WASHINGTON — There is a new pecking order at the Pentagon should Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld not be able to perform his duties, one that favors his inner circle and pushes the three service secretaries down the line of succession.

The new list — approved by President Bush last week — still has Rumsfeld's top deputy as his replacement should the defense secretary die or resign.

But it now puts the undersecretaries for intelligence, policy and acquisition next in line, bumping the secretaries of the Army, Air Force and Navy into lower slots.

The secretary of the Army has traditionally been No. 3.While the change does not have much impact on day-to-day matters, military experts said it illustrates Rumsfeld's interest in keeping his top advisers in line to run the department in the event of a catastrophe.

Pentagon officials have said the move keeps defense policymakers who are responsible for broad departmental issues at the top of the line, moving down those civilian leaders who have specific concentrations on one of the services.

Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman, said this week that the moves allow people who are "in a position to have a broader perspective on the department overall" to take over the entire Defense Department if needed.

He said that while the service secretaries have deep knowledge, they are more narrowly focused on military matters, such as training and equipping troops.

"They have shifted the line of succession from people who run particular parts of the Pentagon to policymakers who see the entire defense posture," said Loren Thompson, an expert at the Lexington Institute.

He said senior administration officials are preoccupied with what would happen in the event a large-scale attack — such as a nuclear explosion — were to occur in Washington, and that matters of succession have become an important topic. "It has as much urgency today as it did during the Cold War," he said.

The move gives Stephen Cambone, undersecretary for intelligence, second billing after acting Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England, who has not been confirmed as deputy secretary.

England gave up his position as secretary of the Navy on Thursday after serving in both roles for the past eight months, according to the Pentagon.

Michael O'Hanlon, a defense expert at the Brookings Institution, said Rumsfeld often pays attention to such "symbolic issues" to send a message."Rumsfeld doesn't do things randomly," O'Hanlon said.

"His inner circle is the key group."

Edwin Dorn, a professor of public affairs at the University of Texas at Austin and a former undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said the change in succession intrigues him because the relatively new intelligence position appears to outrank everyone else.

He said he wondered if the department is trying to emphasize intelligence matters over ground forces.

"Obviously Rumsfeld believes intelligence is more important than war fighting," Dorn said.

Copyright © 2005 The Seattle Times Company