Author Archives: Karl

They Sound Like Script Kiddies

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A three-month investigation by the Senate’s top law enforcement officer found a systematic downloading of thousands of Democratic computer files by Republican staffers over the past few years as well as serious flaws in the chamber’s computer security system.

…Some Republicans on the committee — and many conservative groups on the outside — said the Senate should have probed the contents of the memos, which they contended demonstrated the collusion between Democrats and liberal advocacy groups, rather than how the memos ended up in Republican hands.

GOP Aides Implicated In Memo Downloads (Washington Post).

Let’s get this straight:

1. Some Republicans downloaded Democratic memos that were thought secure.
2. They say that it’s weak security’s fault.
3. They say the investigation should delve into the contents of those memos.

Don’t you just love the absolute lack of principal here? They sound like your average script kiddie cracker.

“come clean with the American people”

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In the fall of 2002, Hoeffel voted for the use of military power in Iraq because he said he was “mislead” by the White House.

“I believed we needed to disarm Saddam Hussein of Weapons of Mass Destruction,” he said. “Congress was misled by the President. We need to look into the intelligence reports.”

According to Hoeffel, intelligence reports available to the White House in August 2002, were not available to Congress until the spring of 2003.
“The findings were filled with uncertainty,” he said, “but the White House presented it as fact.”

Local U.S. Rep. Joseph Hoeffel says Bush misled him (The Northeast Breeze).

David Kay, the man who led the CIA’s postwar effort to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, has called on the Bush administration to “come clean with the American people” and admit it was wrong about the existence of the weapons.

In an interview with the Guardian, Mr Kay said the administration’s reluctance to make that admission was delaying essential reforms of US intelligence agencies, and further undermining its credibility at home and abroad.

He welcomed the creation of a bipartisan commission to investigate prewar intelligence on Iraq, and said the wide-ranging US investigation was much more likely to get to the truth than the Butler inquiry in Britain. That, he noted, had “so many limitations it’s going to be almost impossible” to come to meaningful conclusions.

Read more at the Guardian Unlimited.

It’s Kerry vs. Bush

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Pennsylvania gets the short end of the stick when it comes to the nomination process. This state now has zero chance of influencing who will become the Democratic nominee. While I am happy that Kerry looks to be our choice – it still would have been great to express that via the primary vote.

I should add that I liked Edwards. I may have voted for him if I had the chance. I think he’ll be in some future campaign for President. It just wasn’t his year. Edwards as VP? Maybe.

I predict many more cultural war issues to be emphasized in coming months. It’s going to almost drown out the discussions that are relevent to governing: balanced bugets, social security, taxes, education and defense. Just watch.

It’s About Creating and Communicating

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According to Pew: 44% of U.S. users have contributed their thoughts and files to the online world. Expect that figure to go higher.

More and more we are being given the tools to not only contribute, but compete where before the resources were out of reach, for example making movies. Or more immediately, punditry and opinion from weblogs has completely replaced it from traditional media for me. Same with music/TV/movie news and reviews and so much more.

Janet Jackson and Howard Stern – THERE IS A DIFFERENCE

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You would think by the tone of my site I’d say, “About time!”, to news that Clear Channel is suspending broadcasts of Howard Stern. You’d be dead wrong.

1. People who tuned into the Super Bowl got a half time show they didn’t expect.

2. People who tune into Howard Stern know exactly what to expect. It’s not family entertainment and it’s not ment to be.

It’s a huge difference. One that matters.

There is political hay being made over this and other social issues – an uproar that is being encouraged – a fire given fuel – turning our attention away from missing WMDs, missing jobs, missing anthrax suspects, missing Bin Laden, missing future Social Security and so much more.

They are getting away with it and I’m afraid of what’s becoming of our country.

If you don’t like Stern, at least ask yourself: why now?

More details at Classless Warfare. Turns out the offensive word was never even heard on the air and that Stern has been directing more attacks Bush’s way.

You can read more over at Jeff Jarvis’s or Oliver Willis’s.

Ash Wednesday

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Don’t be a hypocrite. Know someday you will die. Be brave enough face up to what you’ve done and reconcile. Do it with heart.

Matthew 6

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms,
do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you pray,
do not be like the hypocrites,
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room,
close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you fast,
do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast,
anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”

— God bless.