meta-roj

i’ve picked on diebold around here since.. well… since they first stepped in it, i guess. and i do believe that creativity counts…

so, just go see for yourself

joi seems to be the nexus of this uncorroborated, but entirely plausible story: rumsfeld bans camera phones.

that should eliminate the problem of pesky photographs that embarass the united states, right? makes rumsfeld’s praise of specialist joseph darby ring a little hollow:

us secretary of defense donald rumsfeld, before the senate and house armed services committee, may 7, 2004

There are many who did their duty professionally and we should mention that as well. First, Specialist Joseph Darby, who alerted the appropriate authorities that abuses were occurring.

with 50 years of court-ordered and unpopular integration efforts in the united states, the result of the brown v. board of education of topeka kansas, we’ve still got a long, long way to go.

and all the others that are being married today…

i just picked a couple from the news feeds; this couple has been together 18 years. i hope they have a wonderful life together…

update: i really should remember to tie the threads together

secretary of defense donald h rumsfeld in testimony before the senate armed services committee, may 7, 2004

We’re functioning in a — with peacetime restraints, with legal requirements in a war-time situation, in the information age, where people are running around with digital cameras and taking these unbelievable photographs and then passing them off, against the law, to the media, to our surprise, when they had not even arrived in the Pentagon.

against the law

faced with a challenge from senator susan m. collins (a republican) to “set matters right and to hold those responsible accountable,” secretary rumsfeld speaks of procedures (or lackthereof) and the actions of those people responsible for making the photos available. it seems clear that rumsfeld’s concept of “holding those responsible” is more focused on preventing further embarassing or scandalous leaks than sexual abuse of prisoners in an occupied land.

as an american, that sickens me.

a nod of praise from the meta-roj blog to all those willing to stand up to atrocity and crime, misbehavior and fraud and all the other failings of humankind, in the face of opposition, under the threat of law, and do the right thing.

sometimes it is hard to know what the right thing is, often it’s a painful option. so thank you to each person involved in the getting these photographs into the light.

i’m just waiting for the push to convict you of something…. have any of you been sailor mongering lately?

maybe this is building on a theme, but it seems that three high-school teachers in california have been suspended for “displayed, or allowed students in their class to display, video footage or sound from the execution of Nick Berg by Islamic militants.”

well, as much as i hate the concept of chopping someone’s head off as a way to send a message, i think the message we’re sending with this “keep your facts out of our classrooms” concept is a little worse in the long run.

teenagers might not be the most brilliant, articulate or philosophical demographic on the planet, but even people who actively avoid mass media knew about the berg incident. it’s there. it’s real. we better be able to talk about it.

behold, wisdom from the mouths of babes:

reuters California Teachers Suspended Over Execution Images

“You can watch things about the Holocaust. Why can’t you watch this?” one 14-year-old student was quoted as asking.

in an unsurprising move for an administration that believes that creative prosecution is the way to go, and stretching laws a little further than they can go is perfectly legitimate in “these troubled times, ” the us department of justice, under the creative leadership of attorney general john ashcroft is prosecuting greenpeace tomorrow for “sailor mongering.”

it’s not really news – al gore mentioned it in a speech back in november, but it is going forward in a few hours, and it’s a chilling example of this administrations apparent belief that political criticism is grounds for criminal prosecution.

of course, once greenpeace is officially a criminal organization, that opens up a whole new set of approaches to shutting down their efforts. it’s just a couple steps away from getting them tagged as a terrorist organization, and we all know that anyone who supports, directly or indirectly, a terrorist organization is a terrorist.

are those offshore camps ready for all the greenpeace contributors?

find out more here.

oh, you may wonder about the title… it’s from a quote:

Maria Kayanan, ACLU

It harkens to the Barbary Coast and wenches with heaving bosoms and kegs of rum.

update (2004.05.19): the judge tossed this one.

Airport Screeners Do Poorly, Panel Told [washington post, registration possibly required]

“The failure rates are comparable from 1987 to today, ” said Rep. Peter A. DeFazio (D-Ore.).

Report: Airport Screeners Perform Poorly
Three Reports Say Both Government and Contract Airport Screeners Perform Poorly [ap wire via abc news]

“We really ought to be doing a better job for all the money we’re spending,” said Mica, who threatened to subpoena Ridge and the others if they fail to respond to his request for a meeting.

at least we don’t have to worry about children or fish hijacking planes anymore. except that the fish made it through.

a nod to this important project

from the voice of america, news that all criminal charges against captain james yee have been dropped. the washington post has more.

a quick flashback is in order. yee was detained on suspicion of espionage, but no espionage charges were filed. instead, he was charged with mishandling classified information, adultery and downloading porn. the official reason for dropping the charges is that moving forward with the court marshal could jeopardize national security. he’ll be subject to administrative punishment of some kind instead of risking a trial.

i guess this means that it is now offical policy that criminal prosecution is a matter of political convenience.