Domestic Intelligence Gathering

The New York City Police Department has no business working with the Central Intelligence Agency. There is no reason why a municipal police department should be doing anything with the CIA; they are both encroaching on what is well within the purview of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Something here is broken, and it is at the systemic level. The FBI should have control of domestic intelligence gathering and monitor people who are suspected of being terrorists; they can certainly receive information that is freely shared from the NYPD and the CIA. Ultimately, though, the oversight and compliance of the FBI is the only thing preventing the abuse of this monitoring.

Who is watching over the NYPD and the CIA in this case? What judge is able to review what they have been doing? The FBI is required to answer to judges and when it does not, then there is a problem. That problem ultimately results in criminals going free.

As I said, something is wrong here. The CIA should not be doing domestic intelligence gathering and the NYPD is way out of its own lane. Someone at the FBI must be scratching their heads right now. Imagine if every major city in America tried this.

Old Man Yells At Cloud, Cloud Unmoved

Pat Buchanan has had his Grandpa Simpson moment, and now we can all breathe easier.

For those who haven't bothered to pay attention, his days as a highly-paid pundit have ended with one of the cable news networks. This is hardly censorship and it is hardly even a news item. There is this belief that a television network has to employ people who have different points of view and that they have to be people of substance and quality in order to be taken seriously.

You cannot explain this to free market conservatives, but, when the free market overwhelmingly rejects their nonsense, they think it is censorship. If someone could make money trading on his analysis, they'd be paying him for it as we speak. If the government cannot hand out welfare, why should a television network hand out money to someone who has no ability to draw viewers, stimulate meaningful conversation, and enhance the understanding of a subject? Let them make money; in the marketplace, no one's buying what Buchanan has to sell. If this cannot sink in with people like him, so what? Let him think he's being censored.

There is no one employed by Fox News who can even claim to have Buchanan's long resume. They prefer jokes and clowns over there when it comes to "opposing" points of view. The mere fact that anyone was still paying Buchanan for his opinion into the second decade of the 21st Century is baffling enough. Here was a man who cut his teeth writing nonsense for Spiro Agnew. How did he even last this long?

The Unraveling of Greece

The country of Greece has quickly begun to unravel. Due to the harsh economic situation there, the idea of property rights, a polite society, and a working political process have all been thrown out the window. And, even though most Americans don't care, it is probably true that most Europeans don't care, either. In many cases, you'll find an anti-Greek attitude that is no better than saying "they're getting what they deserve."

It would be an absolute tragedy if the cultural history of Greece went up in flames or was carted away by thieves. But, even more importantly, the people of Greece are beginning to see a future full of austerity, poverty and austerity. Politics have failed; will Greece fail as a nation? And, can Europe still keep a failed state as a member of the European Union?

Are You Better Off Today Than You Were Four Years Ago?

I certainly hope that this becomes the centerpiece of the 2012 election. For anyone to say that they are not better off today than they were four years ago is a tragedy, but things are looking up. Not only did this president stave off a second Great Depression, he saved the auto industry, killed Osama bin Laden, and has put in place policies that are creating jobs, fixing health care, and he is bringing the troops back home.

The Republican Party is insane if they keep trying to run with the lie that people are not better off. They most emphatically are.

There's a reason why Republicans don't do funny; the cards at the link are predictable and lame. Someone clearly wanted to do black jokes and make fun of women and how they look but couldn't get that past their supervisors.

Steve Doocy Told Me We Should Move On

I seem to recall being told that this whole thing didn't matter.

Apparently, it does matter and I don't think we are anywhere near the end of this story. What follows is a badly-needed investigation in the United States that focuses on the role of News Corporation as an American company, breaking American laws, with regards to compromising the privacy of American citizens.

Steve Doocy probably wishes he had been a little more forceful when he said that we should all just move on and focus on all of the other companies that have been hacked into.

Don't Compromise On Basic Health Needs For Women

If you compromise now, you'll never get religious organizations to join us in the 21st Century. I think that the President needs to be clear and firm on this--if you want to do business, your religious beliefs should not take precedent over the need to cover the contraceptive needs of employees.

The religious freedom of employees to not use contraceptives is not in question here. If you're a Catholic, and if you work for a Catholic hospital, you already have the choice as to whether or not to use contraceptive drugs. If you're not a Catholic, and if you happen to work for a Catholic hospital, the law should say that contraceptive drugs are covered. It's really that simple. And if we follow that plan, then the religious beliefs of said organizations need not be compromised in any way.

There is a very good reason for this. We already hold these organizations to the American standard of law and the various codes and regulations that come with functioning within our society. This is why a Catholic hospital cannot simply allow a bishop to walk around dispensing prescription drugs or allow nuns with no medical training to perform open heart surgery. If you want Federal funds to be a hospital, you have to adhere to American laws and practices and standards. And the law says that employers will cover contraceptive care.

Incredibly Stupid and Historically Ignorant

I can't for the life of me figure out how this flag came to be used in this manner. The use of the "SS" runes is pretty cut and dried. Do not ever use them. To use them is to associate with white supremacists and people of that nature. How incredibly stupid.

You may read or hear someone try to defend these Marines. The flag is not actually one that would have been used by a Waffen SS unit or any other unit in the SS. It is not authentic. But the fact that these are white runes on a blue flag is insignificant. Even though virtually all of the SS flags were white on black, with death symbols or arrows added in, the runes themselves are the unmistakable aspect of the flag seen above.

For this, there is no excuse and whoever designed that flag knew exactly what he was doing and either the Marines serving with him were duped into thinking it was harmless or they knew what it really symbolized and went along with it.

The designer of this flag has no business serving in the military and should be given a chance to defend himself. If he cannot, then throw him out. This was not an innocent mistake.