Hail to the Thief! http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/ Love your country. Never trust its government. webmaster@mail.hail-to-the-thief.org webmaster@mail.hail-to-the-thief.org en-us Fri, 10 Aug 2007 00:42:12 GMT ACME Blogmaker Tuesday, 03 July 2007 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/134.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/134.html Tue, 03 Jul 2007 18:37:34 GMT If there's a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is. And if the person has violated law, that person will be taken care of. Yesterday he made good on his promise. He "took care of" convicted felon Scooter Libby by commuting his jail term down to zero.]]> Wednesday, 21 March 2007 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/133.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/133.html Thu, 22 Mar 2007 05:34:35 GMT not fired. What did they do that let them keep their jobs?

Take a look at the record for the last six years, what the U.S. attorneys have been up to. If you count up all their prosecutions for corruption and divide them by political party, you find a curious thing: 80% of those prosecuted were Democrats and 20% were Republicans. This is especially curious considering that the Democrats have been out of power and therefore didn't have much influence to peddle!

So, Senators Leahy and Schumer, how about subpoenaing the other eighty-five U.S. attorneys and asking them some hard questions about their last six years?]]> Monday, 01 January 2007 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/132.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/132.html Wed, 03 Jan 2007 02:41:13 GMT In memory of 3000 U.S. troops killed in Iraq.

On a hillside next to the freeway and BART station in Lafayette CA, some folks have set up memorial crosses (and a few crescents and stars of David), plus a sign with the current toll. Hundreds of thousands of people see it every day. The memorial has already been vandalized twice. What kind of person would do that?]]> Sunday, 18 November 2006 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/131.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/131.html Sun, 19 Nov 2006 23:33:34 GMT So now that we have a more reasonable Congress, here's what I think we should do about Iraq. Take the $100,000,000,000/year we would spend on the war, and instead buy consumer goods. Give them away to the Iraqis - that's about $20,000/family/year. Keep doing it for the next three years. Monday, 06 November 2006 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/130.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/130.html Tue, 07 Nov 2006 16:34:28 GMT phone-spamming people while trying to appear as if they are Democrats. What a bunch of scumbags. I don't think it'll help them though. If the Democrats take back Congress as everyone is predicting, be sure to watch The Daily Show on Wednesday - the guest will be Dr. Howard Dean. His '50 State' strategy as head of the DNC is really what turned this nation's politics around. All it took was someone willing to actually stand up to the Republican bullies.]]> Wednesday, 23 August 2006 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/129.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/129.html Wed, 23 Aug 2006 20:03:13 GMT "Unfortunately, we cannot be of service to the Lieberman campaign. We work exclusively with Democratic candidates."]]> Wednesday, 09 August 2006 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/128.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/128.html Thu, 10 Aug 2006 01:07:51 GMT Now that Senator Lieberman is officially no longer a Democrat, isn't it time for him to give up his four committee seats? Senator Reid take note.]]> Tuesday, 08 August 2006 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/127.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/127.html Wed, 09 Aug 2006 04:21:09 GMT To: Editor of The Berkeley Daily Planet <opinion@berkeleydailyplanet.com>

The two side-by-side commentaries in Tuesday's Planet certainly caught my eye. The first one had a rather provocative title: "Criticizing Israel = Anti-Semitism", by Howard Glickman of Berkeley. I've never heard anyone actually make that equation, but I've certainly heard people accuse Israel's supporters of making it. Had the Planet actually found someone willing to equate criticizing Israel with hating the Jews?

I read the article. Then I read the article again. Then I read the article very carefully a third time. Then I went to the Planet's web site, downloaded the text of the article, and searched it for the strings "jew" and "semit". Those strings do not appear anywhere in the article, and I don't see the author in any way making the equation alleged in the title.

I'm curious, where did the title of the article come from? Is that what the author called it, or was the title added by someone at the Planet? If the latter, that person might want to consider a career other than journalism.

After puzzling over that for a while, I went on to the second commentary piece entitled "Zionist Crimes in Lebanon", by Kurosh Arianpour of Iran. That one was less interesting, but I thought I'd quote from it:

Also, one can ask why Jews had problem with Egyptians, with Jesus, with Europeans, and in modern times with Germans? The answer, among other things, is their racist attitude that they are the Chosen People. Because of this attitude, they do wrong to other people to the point that others turn against them, namely, become anti-Semite if you will.
It is a mystery why the Planet thought this clumsy propaganda was worthy of publication. Was it to remind us that there are many people in this world with an irrational hatred of Jews? Thanks, but we already knew that.

Jef Poskanzer, Berkeley]]> Saturday, 05 August 2006 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/126.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/126.html Sat, 05 Aug 2006 22:33:42 GMT There are three months left until the 2006 mid-term congressional elections. The campaigns are in full swing now. It looks like the Democrats have a very good chance of taking back the House. Some people are saying a Democratic Senate is possible too.

All attention now must be on the mid-terms. Anything else is a distraction.

But there's more. If the Democrats do take back congress this November, a major focus of the next two years will be undoing the damage the Republicans have done. In particular, undoing the extra-constitutional powers that President Bush has arrogated. The aim of the 110th Congress will be to burn down the "unitary executive", to turn the office of the Presidency from a dictator/king back into a glorified janitor. If we succeed, then the 2008 election will be irrelevant.

By talking about 2008, you are not only buying into the Republican fetishization of the Presidency, but you are assuming that we will fail this November. So I say to you: STFU.]]> Monday, 22 May 2006 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/125.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/125.html Fri, 10 Aug 2007 00:42:10 GMT "sealed" documents in EFF's lawsuit against AT&T. Grab your copies now!]]> Thursday, 20 April 2006 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/124.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/124.html Thu, 20 Apr 2006 23:43:12 GMT A History of US/Iranian Relations Since 9/11.]]> Wednesday, 12 April 2006 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/123.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/123.html Thu, 13 Apr 2006 05:08:44 GMT EFF's lawsuit against AT&T got a big boost this week when a former AT&T employee filed an affidavit giving technical details of the illegal wiretapping. He helped install the equipment in San Francisco, and says he heard from co-workers about similar installations in numerous other cities. He also provided documents about the installation and equipment.

Read all about it at Wired News.]]> Tuesday, 31 January 2006 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/122.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/122.html Wed, 01 Feb 2006 20:02:46 GMT suggested suing over the government's illegal wiretaps, and collecting massive amounts of cash via the damages provision. Today the EFF filed exactly this lawsuit. W00t!

However, they didn't sue the government, they sued AT&T Corp, a private company that collaborated on the wiretaps. This is actually rather clever. The wiretap laws apply equally to government and private entities, but some of the damage provisions don't apply to the government. Also, suing the government is difficult in general, there are issues of sovereign immunity.

I asked one of the lawyers on the case why they picked this particular company to sue, when it seems likely that many companies had collaborated. He said they had specific information about AT&T Corp's collaboration, and if information later shows up about other companies, they can certainly be added to the lawsuit.]]> Thursday, 26 January 2006 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/121.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/121.html Thu, 26 Jan 2006 16:37:34 GMT without warrants, for as far as we can tell no reason at all. FISA would have let them get the warrants in complete secrecy, even after the fact.

So my question is, is he really that stupid or merely pretending to be that stupid?

Fortunately, a lot of folks are not being fooled by this ridiculous tactic. Even some Republicans such as Grover Norquist, Bob Barr, Arlen Specter, Lindsey Graham, and Richard Lugar are objecting and calling for hearings. If only a few more Republicans in Congress have the balls to join them, impeachment is a very real possibility.]]> Thursday, 29 December 2005 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/120.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/120.html Thu, 29 Dec 2005 21:16:09 GMT The ACLU ran an ad in today's New York Times calling for an investigation into Bush's illegal wiretaps.]]> Wednesday, 21 December 2005 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/119.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/119.html Wed, 21 Dec 2005 23:08:23 GMT

  • Impeachment. That's a problem because the Republicans control both houses of Congress.
  • Appoint a Special Counsel, convene a Grand Jury, indict everyone involved, name the President as an unindicted co-conspirator, and hope he resigns in shame. That's a problem too, because it's the Attorney General who appoints the Special Counsel, and he's also the first one who would get indicted. Plus this President has no shame.

    So, is there another way? Turns out FISA has a civil liability section. You can sue for $1000 or $100/day, which could get interesting if there are, as I suspect, millions of incidents. You can also get punitive damages and attorney's fees.

    Class action lawsuit, anyone?]]> Monday, 19 December 2005 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/118.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/118.html Tue, 20 Dec 2005 01:45:16 GMT 50 U.S.C Chapter 36, Subchapter I: Electronic Surveillance; §1809: Criminal sanctions. "An offense described in this section is punishable by a fine of not more than $10,000 or imprisonment for not more than five years, or both."]]> Friday, 16 December 2005 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/117.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/117.html Fri, 16 Dec 2005 19:40:52 GMT Senator McCain's anti-torture amendment, which passed the Senate 90-9 in October, came up for a vote in the House on Wednesday. It passed there too: 308 in favor of banning torture and 122 in favor of torture. Since that's a veto-proof 70%, President Bush flip-flopped and now supports the amendment. Friday, 28 October 2005 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/116.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/116.html Fri, 28 Oct 2005 16:28:06 GMT ]]> Thursday, 06 October 2005 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/115.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/115.html Sat, 08 Oct 2005 01:37:03 GMT The news is that the vote was 90 to 9. That's right, nine United States Senators went on the record in favor of torture, and one couldn't be bothered to vote on it.

    The nine torturers are:

    Note that all nine are Republicans. The one Senator who didn't vote was Jon Corzine (D-New Jersey). Dunno what was up with that - maybe he was sick.

    This was an amendment to the Defense Department's annual appropriations bill, HR2863. It goes to the House of Representatives next, where most likely even more torturers will step up and identify themselves. But even before the House votes on it, the President of the USA has said he'll veto the whole appropriations bill if it comes to him with the anti-torture amendment still attached. If he does, then I guess I'll have to modify this site's tagline: "Drunk. Deserter. Coke head. Liar. Torturer. Bush."]]> Friday, 01 July 2005 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/114.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/114.html Sat, 08 Oct 2005 01:36:27 GMT Pat Oliphant on the war. --> Pat Oliphant on the war.]]> Thursday, 30 June 2005 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/113.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/113.html Thu, 30 Jun 2005 16:26:12 GMT "Our mission is clear in Iraq. Should we have to go in, our mission is very clear: disarmament." -- President Bush, 22 March 2003, two weeks before the war started.

    "Our mission in Iraq is clear. We are hunting down the terrorists. We are helping Iraqis build a free nation that is an ally in the war on terror. We are advancing freedom in the broader Middle East." -- President Bush, 28 June 2005, two years after the war began.

    What a flip-flopper.]]> Sunday, 19 June 2005 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/112.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/112.html Sun, 19 Jun 2005 19:56:07 GMT Craig Newmark's blog:

    How many members of the Bush administration does it take to change a light bulb?

    1. One to deny that a light bulb needs to be changed;

    2. One to attack the patriotism of anyone who says the light bulb needs to be changed;

    3. One to blame Clinton for burning out the light bulb;

    4. One to arrange the invasion of a country rumored to have a secret stockpile of light bulbs;

    5. One to give a billion dollar no-bid contract to Halliburton for the new light bulb;

    6. One to arrange a photograph of Bush, dressed as a janitor, standing on a step ladder under the banner: Light Bulb Change Accomplished;

    7. One administration insider to resign and write a book documenting in detail how Bush was literally in the dark;

    8. One to viciously smear #7;

    9. One surrogate to campaign on TV and at rallies on how George Bush has had a strong light-bulb-changing policy all along;

    10. And finally one to confuse Americans about the difference between screwing a light bulb and screwing the country.

    ]]> Wednesday, 09 March 2005 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/111.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/111.html Thu, 10 Mar 2005 04:36:53 GMT Ohio's Odd Numbers.]]> Thursday, 18 February 2005 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/110.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/110.html Fri, 18 Feb 2005 20:32:07 GMT Jeff Gannon / James Guckert.

    White House correspondent / gay prostitute.

    Republican operative / tax evader.

    It really doesn't get much better than this.]]> Friday, 11 February 2005 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/109.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/109.html Sun, 13 Feb 2005 18:36:17 GMT In 1983, Congress, President Reagan, and a guy named Alan Greenspan put together a deal to fix Social Security. The deal was that they would raise payroll taxes, and for the next 40 years those taxes would bring in more than Social Security needed. The excess would be loaned to the general treasury. After 40 years had passed, the extra payroll taxes would not be enough, so the general treasury would start paying back the loan.

    We are now halfway through the initial 40 year period. For the last 20 years, we have been paying extra payroll taxes and loaning the money to the treasury, with the expectation that it would be paid back later. Now Bush wants to not pay it back.

    Bush is trying to steal not just your future FICA taxes, but all the FICA taxes you have paid for the last 20 years.]]> Monday, 07 February 2005 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/108.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/108.html Tue, 08 Feb 2005 01:07:29 GMT Because the -- all which is on the table begins to address the big cost drivers. For example, how benefits are calculate, for example, is on the table; whether or not benefits rise based upon wage increases or price increases. There's a series of parts of the formula that are being considered. And when you couple that, those different cost drivers, affecting those -- changing those with personal accounts, the idea is to get what has been promised more likely to be -- or closer delivered to what has been promised.

    Does that make any sense to you? It's kind of muddled. Look, there's a series of things that cause the -- like, for example, benefits are calculated based upon the increase of wages, as opposed to the increase of prices. Some have suggested that we calculate -- the benefits will rise based upon inflation, as opposed to wage increases. There is a reform that would help solve the red if that were put into effect. In other words, how fast benefits grow, how fast the promised benefits grow, if those -- if that growth is affected, it will help on the red.

    Yes, he really said that. Here's the official transcript from whitehouse.gov.]]> Thursday, 03 February 2005 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/107.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/107.html Thu, 03 Feb 2005 20:47:00 GMT nothing to prevent the program from imploding. All it will do is take a bunch of your money and give it to stockbrokers.

    Furthermore, Social Security doesn't actually need fixing at all. To make the case for his theft, Bush is lying to us. It's really pretty blatant - when he wants you to believe that the system is about to implode, he quotes economic forecasts that assume the worst possible growth rates; but when he wants to convince you that his pie in the sky stock touting scheme will work, he quotes different forecasts that assume excellent growth rates.

    If the economy turns out as crappy as his first forecasts predict, then nothing will keep Social Security from going under, along with everything else. If the economy turns out as great as his second forecasts predict, then Social Security will do just fine with no changes at all. Bush's proposed fix is either ineffectual or unnecessary. Or both!

    My own favorite fix to Social Security, if and when a fix becomes necessary, is to remove the $90,000 cap on the FICA tax. Maybe some of you have never had salaries high enough to know this, but: as soon as you have made $90,000 in a year, you stop paying FICA for that year. The justification for this cap is that rich folks supposedly don't need Social Security benefits, so why should they pay into the system? Well, I claim that rich folks are benefitting from Social Security. Their benefit consists of not getting guillotined during the revolution that would inevitably follow if Social Security were to go bankrupt. They are getting a Society Secure enough for them to enjoy their wealth, and they should pay for that benefit. Get rid of the cap!]]> Thursday, 27 January 2005 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/106.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/106.html Thu, 27 Jan 2005 16:40:54 GMT Raw Story has a very juicy story about ballot tampering in Ohio.]]> Wednesday, 12 January 2005 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/105.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/105.html Wed, 12 Jan 2005 21:50:23 GMT Hail to the Thief is now available via an RSS feed. Friday, 7 January 2005 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/104.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/104.html Wed, 12 Jan 2005 21:49:17 GMT "We are here today, not as partisans for one presidential candidate or another, but because we want to do our duty under the Constitution to protect our democracy."

    "Most of all we are here because not a single election official in Ohio has given us any explanation for the massive and widespread irregularities in that state: No explanation for the machines in Mahoning County that recorded Kerry votes for Bush No explanation for the improper purging in Cuyahoga County No explanation for the lock down in Warren County No explanation for the 99% voter turnout in Miami County No explanation for the machine tampering in Hocking County."

    "The thing we should never fear in Congress is a debate, and the thing we should never fear in a democracy is the voters. I hope that today we have a fair debate and four years from now, we have an election all our citizens can be proud of." You can read the full statement here.]]> Thursday, 6 January 2005 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/103.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/103.html Wed, 12 Jan 2005 21:49:04 GMT Last time fourteen members of the House of Representatives challenged the electors, but they needed to find at least one senator to object as well. Not a single senator stood up. This time it's going to play out a little differently, because Senator Barbara Boxer has joined the challenge. The next step is two hour debates in both House and Senate. That's almost certainly as far as it will go, but even so it's nice to see someone in Washington with a spine.]]> Sunday, 7 November 2004 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/102.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/102.html Wed, 12 Jan 2005 21:48:58 GMT massively favor Bush. Maybe people were so fixated on the electronic voting machines that they didn't watch the optical scan systems as closely? Well, at least there are paper ballots to re-count.]]> Saturday, 6 November 2004 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/101.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/101.html Wed, 12 Jan 2005 21:48:53 GMT Found an interesting graph on the net. It compares what the exit polls predicted with what the vote counters actually reported. The first three show states that used paper ballots, and the polls match the votes pretty closely. The other six are states that used electronic voting machines, and the votes are wildly different from the polls, in favor of Bush.

    Exit polls got a bad name back in the 2000 election, but I've always thought they reflected the intent of the Florida voters more accurately than the counted votes. The Florida 2000 exit polls said that more voters intended to vote for Al Gore, and that's actually what happened there, despite official vote totals (and Supreme Court decisions) alleging otherwise.]]> Friday, 5 November 2004 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/100.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/100.html Wed, 12 Jan 2005 21:48:23 GMT total votes cast 638. You can see it for yourself here (since removed!), on page 23. Guys, if you're going to add 4000 fake votes for Bush, you should really pick precincts with more voters than that.]]> Thursday, 4 November 2004 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/99.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/99.html Wed, 12 Jan 2005 21:48:17 GMT Kerry won in both Ohio and New Mexico.]]> Wednesday, 3 November 2004 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/98.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/98.html Wed, 12 Jan 2005 21:48:12 GMT Looks like Ohio is this year's Florida. It's still too close to call there although Bush has a definite lead. The Ohio Secretary of State says it will be 11 days before they can issue an official count of the provisional ballots. I guess that leaves lots of time to file lawsuits!

    Of course Kerry just conceded the election. I never really liked him.]]> Tuesday, 2 November 2004 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/97.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/97.html Wed, 12 Jan 2005 21:48:05 GMT Tonight there will be a special one-hour "live" Daily Show, which should be good. They've titled it "Prelude To A Recount". Amusing, but I'm not so sure. I think there's a pretty good chance that Kerry will win with a big enough margin that Bush will just concede. Well, we shall see.]]> Friday, 29 October 2004 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/96.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/96.html Wed, 12 Jan 2005 21:47:59 GMT I found a nice copy of Bush's "fuck you" video. Think about that on Tuesday.]]> Thursday, 28 October 2004 http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/95.html http://www.hail-to-the-thief.org/archive/95.html Wed, 12 Jan 2005 21:47:52 GMT Unfortunately for them, there's video. KSTP, a local Minneapolis TV station, had a news crew embedded with the 101st Airborne during the invasion. At the time they had no idea where they were, but it turns out on 18 April 2003 they were camped a couple miles south of al QaQaa. They visited the bunkers and filmed the explosives. When they left, the doors were wide open.]]>