[Rhodes22-list] WTF?

[Saroj Gilbert]

Rummy, would it be more accurate to say "what this administration has done 
is  <asked the telephone companies to do something> illegal" or am I missing 
something in your post?  Maybe the Patriot Act has some provision which 
supercedes any other law against telephone companies giving out our personal 
information, calls, etc... (its o.k. to break the law when the president 
decides that law is against protection of national security... I'm not 
joking here... many instances of these)... but seems that would have come 
out in the many expert analyses of this issue.... I listen to political 
reporters and commentators every day and haven't heard this mentioned.

Not to say that this administration hasn't done anything illegal... lying 
about the rationale for going to war would be one.... "outing" a CIA agent 
would be another... more to come no doubt.  (oh, wait.. lying to the public 
about both the rationale and the project cost for going to war <"nothing"> 
may not be illegal... just immoral... unlike lying to a grand jury about 
whether or not one has sex with someone)... yearning for the "good old days" 
when the news was totally consumed by self-righteous "moral" leaders (read 
"adulterers" and "crooks") slamming Clinton for getting a thrill in his 
office... when pension plans were intact... and when my health insurance was 
"only" $200 a month instead of $400...and gas was under $2/gallon... and the 
national debt was zero... and we hadn't lost 2500 of our military in an 
absurd war... and when we didn't have another 17,000 badly injured... and 
when we had a president who could pronounce "nuclear"... and... and...

BTW... if anyone followed that "what to do if attacked" link to the White 
House web site... note that you can have the pleasure of reading it all in 
Spanish if desired... don't get me started on the illegal immigration 
issue... its no wonder that so many want to come here from Mexico... I heard 
last week that a foreigner who owned a restaurant in Mexico was recently 
deported within 5 days for wiping the tables in his own restaurant... seems 
that he didn't have a work permit to wipe tables... only a permit to own the 
restaurant... no lawyer... no hearing... hauled off to jail then released 
for 3 days to pack his bags and get out of the country... just like that... 
do you think we might be a little "soft" on the illegal immigration issue? 
I like the fact that this country is made up of immigrants... it adds color 
and spice... but I DON'T like the fact that we allow so many to slip in the 
back door while others, equally deserving, are made to go through hoops and 
often not allowed to come at all... ever... and I don't like the fact that 
our tax dollars are supporting many, many services for folks that shouldn't 
be here in the first place... If the White House docs are in Spanish, why 
not Japanese, Chinese, Polish, German, Vietnamese, Russian, Italian, etc. 
etc.  We are NOT yet a bilingual country in spite of impressions to the 
contrary!

Saroj