meta-roj

i just realized i didn’t actually write this, so forgive me for picking up an old piece….

several days ago, a hurricane came through florida. shortly thereafter, the local urban search and rescue task force was activated to go to florida, and the local tv news covered the item with photos of bags lined up in a parking lot near what appeared to be a fire station.

now, before i go any further, i should say that i don’t have any clue what the operational plans are for an urban search and rescue task force. and i don’t know what was in the bags. and i don’t know how long they were in the parking lot.

but now that i’ve said all that, when i saw the image on the screen, my first thought was “you mean they aren’t even packed yet?”

it’s taken me too long to get to this one, but i need to wrap up the blogging for the day and i want to leave on a political (as opposed to spam) note.

last week, the new york times ran an op chart prepared by michael pan, amanda terkel, robert boorstin, pj crowley, and nigel holmes. it’s a graphic presentation of an alternative “safety plan” for america based on the expense of the “make america safer” invasion of iraq to date.

now, if you’ve been exposed to any media at all, i’m sure you realize that america is safer. don’t believe the whitehouse press office? check out the video [quicktime from the daily show, via lisa rein].

in fact, we’re so safe, the administration has started focusing on the other important issues of our time.

back to the op-chart. this is just a proposal for redistributing the $144.4 billion (that’s $500 out of each american’s pocket, by the way) spent on iraq on things that might, in a star trek alternative universe kinda way, make america…. safer.

it’s a graphic, and i’m not sure how long the times will leave it available, so i’ll summarize here:

plan a:
$144.4 billion to invade, occupy and rebuild the nation of iraq.

plan b:
$7.5 billion for port security
$4 billion to expedite upgrades for the coast guard
$2 billion for improved cargo security
$10 billion for anti-missile countermeasures on american airlines
$5 billion for baggage screening machines
$240 million for walk-through explosives detection machines
$7 billion for 100,000 police officers
$2.5 billion for fire departments
$350 million for integrating emergency communications systems
$3 billion to secure major roads and railways
$30.5 billion to secure weapons-grade nuclear material around the world
$2.25 billion to expedite the nunn-luger cooperative threat reduction program
$24 billion to add two divisions to the army
$15.5 billion to double active-duty special operations forces
$8.6 billion to rebuild afghanistan
$11 billion to finance crop conversion in afghanistan
$10 billion for development assistance in the neediest countries.
$775 million for public diplomacy

now, i can’t say i completely agree with these spending priorities, but it’s interesting to see what “plan b” might look like… and then to think about the potential results (or consequences).

the problem is that congress would never approve $144.4 billion in debt-funded spending without a war – so we’d never be able to implement a $144.4 billion “make america safer” effort that looked anything like this at all. and this is why america isn’t, i think, safer.

there’s nothing quite like being your own worst reference…

Filmmaker Moore Quotes Goss on Lack of CIA Credentials [reuters, august 11, 2004]

U.S. Congressman Porter Goss, President Bush’s nominee for CIA director, could be his own worst enemy when it comes to making the case that he deserves to lead the U.S. intelligence agency.

“I couldn’t get a job with CIA today. I am not qualified,” the Florida Republican told documentary-maker Michael Moore’s production company during the filming of the anti-Bush movie “Fahrenheit 9/11.”

A day after Bush picked Goss for the top U.S. spy job, Moore on Wednesday released an excerpt from a March 3 interview in which the 65-year-old former House of Representatives intelligence chief recounts his lack of qualifications for employment as a modern CIA staffer.

“I don’t have the language skills. I, you know, my language skills were romance languages and stuff. We’re looking for Arabists today. I don’t have the cultural background probably,” Goss is quoted in an interview transcript.

“And I certainly don’t have the technical skills, uh, as my children remind me every day: ‘Dad you got to get better on your computer.’ Uh, so, the things that you need to have, I don’t have.”

Goss, who served with the CIA clandestine services in Latin America and Europe in the 1960s, was not immediately available for comment.

this could make the confirmation hearings very, very interesting….

Filmmaker Moore Quotes Goss on Lack of CIA Credentials [reuters, august 11, 2004]

A White House spokesman declined to comment specifically on the Goss interview but described the lawmaker as “the most qualified man for the job.”

that does not bode well.

generally, i prefer the idea of people who don’t want these jobs doing these jobs – that’s a strange comfort. but, if the “most qualified man” for the job thinks he’s not qualified for the job… i guess that means we need a woman? this politics thing is so confusing sometimes….

i sent my thoughts to my senators, and one actually took the time to reply (well, stick my name on the form letter, anyway). i thought the response was worthy of your review:

senator paul sarbanes, july 16, 2004, personal correspondence

Thank you for contacting me to express your opposition to S. 2560, the Inducing Infringement of Copyrights Act of 2004. I appreciate having the benefit of your views on this important matter.

I must frankly tell you that I am a cosponsor of S. 2560, which would expand the existing laws on liability for copyright infringement to cover those who intentionally induce others to violate copyrights. The bill specifically does not affect the common law doctrines of secondary liability and preserves the “fair use” rights of consumers. The term “fair use” refers to a limitation upon a copyright holder’s exclusive rights, which permits the public to use a copyrighted work for limited purposes, such as criticism, news reporting, teaching, scholarship or research. On June 22, 2004, S. 2560 was introduced in the Senate and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, where it awaits further action.

While our views may differ on this issue, I certainly appreciate hearing your concerns. I hope you will not hestitate to contact me again about matters of importance to you.

with that statement, i’d like to solicit the greater blogosphere’s thoughts on some way to get the message in under the lobbyists. can you think of/suggest any particular cluesticks that might wake the good senator up?

i was thinking of organizing a group of people to mail free culture one postcard at a time. maybe a lawyer-type reader would be willing to cook up a mock lawsuit (like the eff’s fake apple complaint) that implicates the senator as an induce-infringer?

Remarks by Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge Regarding Recent Threat Reports [dhs web, august 1, 2004]

President Bush has told you, and I have reiterated the promise, that when we have specific credible information, that we will share it. Now this afternoon, we do have new and unusually specific information about where al-Qaeda would like to attack.

new. specific. credible.

it’s entirely possible, and i don’t mean to suggest otherwise, that there is new, specific and credible information. but then there’s this…

Reports That Led to Terror Alert Were Years Old, Officials Say [ny times, august 3, 2004, registration]

Frances Fragos Townsend, the White House homeland security adviser, said on Monday in an interview on PBS that surveillance reports, apparently collected by Qaeda operatives had been “gathered in 2000 and 2001.” But she added that information may have been updated as recently as January.

this does not inspire confidence in my intelligence apparatus… which, i guess, could be the point, as we’re talking about restructuring our intelligence apparatus this week. we did spend a couple days talking about the threat, the surveillance, and the operatives on the ground in america, though.

i suppose there are a couple scenarios here: either it took years to get this information through the intelligence pipeline, or the department of homeland security works on a longer timescale than most of us. to be a little snarky for a moment, if the intelligence agencies are now discovering the al qaeda target lists from 2000, we may be just about to discover a plan to attack financial institutions in new york and military institutions in washington dc.

i really do hope there’s more to this, and it’s not just another election surprise, but the credibitily gap is widening.

despite my cheering the efforts of the 9/11 commission, it’s important to keep the brain open. here, we find a letter from one of the witnesses to the commission, with some points he feels were lost.

Letter to Thomas Kean from Sibel Edmonds [the agonist, august 2, 2004]

During its many hearings your commission chose not to ask the questions necessary to unveil the true symptoms of our failed intelligence system. Your Commission intentionally bypassed these severe symptoms, and chose not to include them in its five hundred and sixty seven-page report. Now, without a complete list of our failures pre 9/11, without a comprehensive examination of true symptoms that exist in our intelligence system, without assigning any accountability what so ever, and therefore, without a sound and reliable diagnosis, your commission is attempting to divert attention from the real problems, and to prescribe a cure through hasty and costly measures.

most of the points in this letter seem to revolve around personal responsibility for the intelligence and operational failures that led to the deaths of thousands of americans. on this general problem, i agree wholeheartedly. it seems that almost anywhere else in the world, people would step up, assume responsibility and fall on their sword as loyal administration members. not so in america. we’ve circled the wagons, and blamed the “system” (the system people created), while holding no one accountable.

i haven’t found the time to get through the commission report (yet), so i’m still forming an opinion. i still think the efforts of the commission members to suppot their document, in public, and beyond their mandate, is a good thing. i think that is a rare level of commitment from public officials. on the other hand, there are obviously some major questions about the content and focus of the commission document.

i have to imagine this is unprecedented, but i don’t know enough history to make that call with confidence.

the members of the 9/11 commission, having issued their final report [pdf], made their last statement [pdf] and generally wrapped up their business, have apparently decided that their work is not yet complete.

i admit, particularly given the opposition to creating this commission, that i had very low expectations of both the sorts of people that would participate and the results. i figured this was a “bury it in bureaucracy” compromise by the time everything was done.

i was wrong.

so, i’m going to take some of my time, some of my space, and thank the members of the commission: Thomas H. Kean, Lee H. Hamilton, Richard Ben-Veniste, Fred F. Fielding, Jamie S. Gorelick, Slade Gorton, Bob Kerrey, John F. Lehman, Timothy J. Roemer, and James R. Thompson.

i’m also going to mention the staff – the people that undoubtedly did the heavy lifting on this job: Joanne Accolla, Alexis Albion, Scott Allan, John Azzarello, Caroline Barnes, Warren Bass, Ann Bennett, Mark Bittinger, Madeleine Blot, Antwion Blount, Geoff Brown, Daniel Byman, Dianna Campagna, Sam Caspersen, Melissa Coffey, Lance Cole, Marquittia Coleman, Marco Cordero, Raj De, George Delgrosso, Gerald L. Dillingham, Thomas Dowling, Steven Dunne, Thomas Eldridge, John Farmer, Alvin Felzenberg, Lorry Fenner, Susan Ginsburg, T. Graham Giusti, Nicole Grandrimo, Doug Greenburg, Barbara Grewe, Elinore Hartz, Len Hawley, Christine Healey, Karen Heitkotter, Walt Hempel, Michael Hurley, Dana Hyde, Michael Jacobson, Bonnie Jenkins, Reginald Johnson, William Johnstone, Stephanie Kaplan, Miles Kara, Janice Kephart-Roberts, Hyon Kim, Christopher Kojm, Katarzyna (Kasia) Kozaczuk, Gordon Lederman, Daniel Leopold, Sarah Linden, Douglas MacEachin, Daniel Marcus, Ernest May, James Miller, Kelly Moore, Charles Pereira, John Raidt, John Roth, Peter Rundlet, Lloyd Salvetti, Kevin Scheid, Kevin Shaeffer, Tracy Shycoff, Dietrich Snell, Jonathan Stull, Lisa Sullivan, John Tamm, Cate Taylor, Yoel Tobin, Emily Walker, Garth Wermter, Serena Wille and Philip Zelikow.

why would i make such a statement?

because these commissioners haven’t just done their bureaucratic paper-wrangling job, packed up and gone home with an impressive line-item on their fresh resume.

Timothy Roemer

We want to continue this helpful and encouraging momentum not only with education, but with results, so commission members will be traveling around the country talking to the American people to try and make sure we not only read the report, but implement it.

they have established a goal of producing legislation by october 1, which, it is probably worth noting, is eerily similar to the usa patriot act rollout after september 11. the difference, i think, is that this new law will have been well-vetted, both by the congress and by ordinary americans, between now and then. there won’t be any “i voted for it, but i didn’t know what i was voting for” excuses this time.

the commission officially dissolves on august 26, but the commissioners are seeking private funding to continue their work after the plug is officially pulled.

so thank you, commission-members and staff, for taking this task seriously, and for going beyond the production of paper to make a difference.

Old Soldiers Go Back To Duty [cbs news, july 21, 2004]

At 68, John Wicks may look the part of grandfather, but at Fort Bliss, Texas, this man, old enough to collect Medicare, is in training for the part of warrior. And he is doing it at the Pentagon’s request.

…

His well-worn face is evidence of years of military service: 2 years of active duty as a Marine, 24 years in the Arkansas National Guard, and a stint as a medic in the first Gulf War.

…

Col. Charles Ham is also a psychologist. He says, “In December I got a call saying that they wanted me to go back on active duty after seven years of retirement.”

At 67 – with 4 decades of military service already under his belt – he’s bringing his uniform out of mothballs yet again.

sorry about that, guys… on the bright side, president bush is pushing 60, so maybe he will get re-activated by his national guard unit soon.

just a quick pointer to http://www.outragedmoderates.org/.

go to the source. make up your own mind. these are things i can agree with.

i’m not actually a member of the idaho national guard 116th brigade combat team, but i am a patriotic american, and i know how to read. so, when the public affairs officer (pao) captain monte hibbert of the 116th brigade combat team of the idaho national guard writes in the official newsletter of the 116th brigade combat team of the idaho national guard, snakebite (volume 4, issue 4, july 2004) providing tips on handling interviews, well, i just feel it’s my patriotic duty to fall in line with the troops. so, in case you don’t read snakebite, the official newsletter of the 116th brigade combat team of the idaho national guard, here are the tips that captain monte hibbert offers for dealing with that pesky press asking pesky questions about this important war effort that is making americans safer and ridding the world of evildoers:

snakebite [pdf, v4, i4, july 2004]

When answering media questions, it is very helpful to refer to current command themes in your responses. This adds continuity to the message we are portraying as a unit. The current approved themes are printed below. Please incorporate them in your communications with the media and others.

1. We are proud to now be part of the nation’s active-duty Army.

2. We have come together from many states, communities and backgrounds to prepare to help stabilize Iraq and support the Iraqi people.

3. We look forward to unifying our combat power with that of other coalition forces in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

4. Our soldiers are among the best. They are smart and disciplined and are training with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities.

5. Our love, respect and deepest appreciations go out to our families and employers who continue to support us in this mission.

now that you know the approved messages, you can skip those parts and get to the rest of the story….

[a nod to ap for providing the tip that led me to snakebite]