"United we stand?" In the rockets red glare?

On who are the rockets, now, raining? How discerning is "that" rain?

Who is "we?" Where is it that "we" are standing?

If one asks such questions is he/she not part of the "we?" Not standing where "we" is standing? Probably, yes. Asking such questions sets one apart from the we and where they are standing. Those standing in such a location are aware of their "location." Most probably, it is not the first time they've stood apart.

The latest predicted calamity is the "war on dissent," the dark night of repression soon to fall upon North America, in which legitimate protest is branded as treason and innocent dissidents are rounded up in unmarked cars. Indeed, in some quarters the war is already said to have begun. Didn't a couple of advertisers pull out of Bill Maher's show? Hadn't two small-town journalists in the United States lost their jobs for writing columns critical of the President? What's that but a blacklist -- a short list, to be sure, but still a list....Andrew Coyne, October 29, 2001

The world has turned. This I say to friends and enemies.

zero nine one one zero one

Goliath

Thousands died on September 11, 2001, never to be recovered. That day has generated a "War" which is now wreaking havoc in a land without, if you'll pardon the expression, a pot to piss in. Does anyone really believe that all those bombs are streaming down and centering on the Taliban? These bombs, dropped from thousands of feet in the air, are of their own accord avoiding the innocent? Surely there are some innocent in Afghanistan. No?

Why is it of late that the US of A ends up playing Goliath to David? Did the David parable teach us nothing? Were those airliners not, in effect, guided pebbles aimed at Goliath?

Patriot Act?

So, September 11th generated the War and the War has caused a bill to have been ramrod through Congress, thence to be signed into law. This, the so-called Patriot Act.

Among the provisions of dubious constitutionality are the new "sneak-and-peek" search warrants that permit federal law enforcement agencies to enter any person's home or office when they are away to search their property, make photos of what they find, and even seize the items, and never tell the person until after the search and seizure has been accomplished...John W. Dean, October 26, 2001

Now, there are many who assert that this is necessary. That the Feds must have this authority or the bad guys might remain silently secure and protected. But, the granting of this authority rests on the premise that the Feds can be trusted. No?

The Feds. Who are these guys? Well, one thing for sure. They are not Scully and Mulder.

These are the guys that have demonstrated, as far as the First Nations are concerned, that they can not be trusted. These are the guys responsible for fabrications constructed so as to drag Leonard from Canada.

Taikeff: What did [Special Agents David Price and William Wood] tell you about the American Indian Movement?

Poor Bear: They told me they were going to kill me.

Taikeff: Did Mr. Wood ever say anything about the subject of getting away with killing people?

Poor Bear: I think he did.

Taikeff: Do you recall what he said?

Poor Bear: He said that they could get away with killing because they were agents.

I remember Dave Price and Bill Wood, the two FBI agents, telling me about Anna Mae Aquash. Dave described her body to me. He said from what he had heard she had been burnt and her clothes put back on her and that after her clothes were put back on she was shot...he showed me pictures of the body and said that if I don't cooperate this is what may happen to me...the two FBI agents constantly reminded me of what happened to Anna Mae Aquash. And every so often the FBI agents showed me pictures of Anna Mae Aquash's body and I was really scared...Bill Wood said that all the way along he knew that the body found on Pine Ridge was Anna Mae's body but that he had her hands severed from her body and sent to Washington for identification and to verify his own observations.

Yes indeed, these are those guys!

Internet

Specifically, the [Patriot Act] expands a "pen register" statute to include electronic communications and Internet usage (read internet usage as web pages visited). The pen register previously referred to law enforcement powers involving the tracing of telephone numbers called by suspected criminals. By including electronic communications, the statute now allows investigators to easily obtain wiretaps for activity on the Internet, which can mean the collection of information more private than IP addresses, which are roughly the Net's equivalent of phone numbers.

In addition, Internet service providers must make their services more wiretap friendly, giving law enforcement the ability to capture pen register information or allowing the installation of Carnivore technology (this link takes you to the carnivores den).

While the government has the power to snoop, citizens who engage in similar activities now fall under the government's new definition of terrorists. The current definition of terrorism has been expanded to include hacking into a U.S. government computer system or breaking into and damaging any Internet-connected computer. Prison terms of between five to 20 years can now be used to prosecute the new crime of "cyberterrorism," which covers hacking attempts causing $5,000 in aggregate value in one year, damage to medical equipment or injury to any person.

Even Internet Service Providers, universities and network administrators are authorized under the new law to conduct surveillance of "computer trespassers" without a court order. The new law compels any Internet provider or telephone company to turn over customer information, including phone numbers called, without a court order, if the FBI claims that the records are relevant to a terrorism investigation. The company is forbidden to disclose that the FBI is conducting an investigation, has immunity to provide any sensitive data and is not bound by statutory rights to suppress the information...Ann Harrison, AlterNet

Need a Lawyer?

If you are expecting something good to wrap this column up, forget it.

...in those cases where the Attorney General has certified that reasonable suspicion exists to believe that an inmate may use communications with attorneys or their agents to further or facilitate acts of violence or terrorism, this rule amends the existing regulations to provide that the Bureau is authorized to monitor mail or communications with attorneys in order to deter such acts, subject to specific procedural safeguards, to the extent permitted under the Constitution and laws of the United States...28 CFR Parts 500 and 501, National Security; Prevention of Acts of Violence and Terrorism; Final Rule, 31 October 2001

To spell this out...those alleged to be "terrorists" will have all interaction with their lawyer(s) monitored by the Feds. Of course, this would only apply to those whom the Feds classify a terrorist. And, of course, the Feds would never, never wrongly apply such a term.

RUN, do not walk to the MIT Distribution Center for PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) site...