Friday, December 23, 2005

Connect the Dots!

The NSA surveillance program has been the hot topic since the Iraqi elections. And during that period Bush's approval rating has steadily climbed.

Rasmussen has him hitting 50 today!

Now another leak has made into in the news. US News and World Report has this headline:

Nuclear Monitoring of Muslims Done Without Search Warrants


In search of a terrorist nuclear bomb, the federal government since 9/11 has run a far-reaching, top secret program to monitor radiation levels at over a hundred Muslim sites in the Washington, D.C., area, including mosques, homes, businesses, and warehouses, plus similar sites in at least five other cities, U.S. News has learned.
Keep up the leaks, folks, and Bush will be at 100% approval by July!

Okay, shall we take bets on how long it takes for the Saudi funded Religious Police, er CAIR, to protest?

And when are we going to get some pushback from the government against all these leaks that affect national security? This one is especially egregious since now al Qaeda knows which cities we are NOT monitoring.

41 comments:

Luther said...

You said it well 'knuck'. It is heartening to know that folks are out there doing their job. Let CAIR (ht:lgf) bleat all it wants, this is our country, they may or may not end up being a part of it. Damn, that sounds horrible, but I don't care anymore. To hell with them.

vnjagvet said...

This situation is unprecedented in our history.

In the past, when there was a credible threat to our nation, all but the most "radical" (that was usually the descriptor of choice) supported all governmental efforts to prevent an overt attack on our Nation's people, property and economy.

True, there were arguments as to whether a nation (e.g. the Vietcong, North Vietnam, North Korea, Mao's China) or ideology (e.g. Communism)indeed presented a "credible threat" to the Nation.

But if we were overtly attacked as we were on September 11, by people who announced they were "out to get us", the people were never reticent about taking extraordinary steps to protect ourselves.

It is hard to understand why the attitude of a significant portion of our population is so different now.

Charlie Martin said...

Okay, betting is closed, I heard CAIR complaining about it on the way home tonight.

neuroconservative said...

vnjagvet--

Fortunately, those moonbats only represent about 20% of the electorate, and are driving the rest of the populace steadily rightward.

I am curious whether any of you have ever seen a leftie explain what actual harm to our civil liberties has taken place. I have tried to engage a few on other websites, but they only engage in hypotheticals (slippery slope arguments and the like) -- at best. Often they are reduced to mouthing cliches (Lord Acton), and when challenged they retreated to a violation of Godwin's rule.

chuck said...

Does it require a search warrant to monitor radiation levels? Does this violate anyones right to privacy? I suppose the government could be accused of profiling, but I think Willie Sutton's explanation for that sort of thing still stands. When he was asked why he robbed banks, he replied, "Because that's where the money is."

Doug said...

vnjagvet said...
"It is hard to understand why the attitude of a significant portion of our population is so different now. "
---
30 years of the biggest loser lefties of the 70's being in complete control of public "education."
---
Or as Sowell describes:
The Bottom of the Bottom of the Academic Barrel.

Charlie Martin said...

All right, folks, I've got a puzzle for you.

Can anyone come up with a plausible scenario in which people in a mosque, a home, or a storefront would be doing anything legal and "ordinary" that would result in emitting high energy neutrons, alphas or gamma rays? About all I can think of is cobalt or polonium "seeds" in radiation treatment.

neuroconservative said...

The following quote from the US News piece was actually very comforting, to see that PC insanity has not totally infected our counter-terrorism effort [emph added]:

Officials also reject any notion that the program specifically has targeted Muslims. "We categorically do not target places of worship or entities solely based on ethnicity or religious affiliation," says one. "Our investigations are intelligence driven and based on a criminal predicate."

neuroconservative said...

sty -- I think that if you said that to a moonbat, their head would explode. They have truly painted themselves into a corner with this one. I hope it gets wide media traction, and that CAIR fights it tooth and nail.

Luther said...

On the topic of leaks, it is becoming ridiculous. Appropriate investigations should be taking place as we speak. But are they?

There was a good discussion re: whistle-blower's, over at RLS's some months back. I agree that there is room for nuanced debate on the subject. But there comes a time...

Unknown said...

I think more people are concerned about the number of leaks than they are about some poor terrorist being "watched".

Geez, can't you see it, some guy from Pakistan calls some guy in Detroit and starts talking about plans for an attack and the agent hangs up for fear he will be invading the privacy of said terrorist.

Now we are getting search warrants for the air.

This is stupid.

Doug said...

Peter 5:35 AM,
You are correct, we all are equal risks.
But,
Muslims are more likely to detonate a Nuke in their own homes.

buddy larsen said...

Well, Peter, it's not as if the Crown doesn't have it'd own stockpile of glow-jewels!

buddy larsen said...

I do, I DO, I'm up to 1850 now.

buddy larsen said...

Understanding English

buddy larsen said...

Well understated irony.

(*groan*) check your "irony" link, Peter--it wouldn't work a sec ago--

No, really, no ironic reference to irony, the link actually really doesn't work.

Seriously, c'mon, really.
\;-D

ex-democrat said...

peterUK, aka, "doug piranha" : http://orangecow.org/pythonet/sketches/piranha.htm

buddy larsen said...

Ahh...a mystery wrapped in an enigma....

You know, if that one former naval person had had only a little less command of the language, it could've plausbly meant the permanent end of the free world? Crazy thought--but maybe a true one.

buddy larsen said...

plausibly

Syl said...

Peter at 5:35 was brilliant.

I guess that was irony. :)

BTW, it occurred to me we already know about these trucks that roll around and can detect radiation. I remember a couple years ago I was radioactive for about 24 hours because of a medical test and I was wishing I could get to DC to test the system.

But this leak is dangerous to PEOPLE as well. Those guys doing the testing who may have to step onto property will now have to stop what they're doing or get shotgunned.

And our government better start pushing back on these leaks soon. The earlier drop in Bush's approval rating wasn't for his policies as much as for his lack of fighting spirit here at home.

He not only has to protect us from Islamofascists, he has to protect us from the left loonies too.

buddy larsen said...

Fantastic link, Peter! He really works the Germans over, doesn't he?

Doug said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Doug said...

Knucklehead,
Just try saying
"Merry Christmas"
in the employ of certain Corporations.
You'll see.

buddy larsen said...

Well, the answer I'm getting is, the right is concerned about degrees of right-vs-wrong, while the left is doing the either/or.

Either "the government" owns the gray area, or "the people" do.

Geez--air game and ground game indeed.

Doug said...

When it comes to irony, I am
The Master of Gibbons.

buddy larsen said...

Imagine the screaming if we had this again--which I for one wish we DID.

buddy larsen said...

Doug, "Don't Rust Anybody Under Thirty" ?

Doug said...

The left can own the Grey Area
as long as I can keep my head.

buddy larsen said...

Peter, that referendum would certainly tell which is the 'party of the people' and which isn't.

buddy larsen said...

A tourist walks into a curio shop in San Francisco. Looking around at everything, he notices a very lifelike life-sized bronze statue of a rat. It has no price tag, but is so striking that he decides he must have it. So he takes it to the owner and asks, "How much for the bronze rat?"

The owner replies, "$12 for the rat and $100 for the story."

The tourist gives the man $12 and says, "I'll just take the rat, you can keep the story."
As he walks down the street carrying his bronze rat, he notices that a few real rats have crawled out of the alleys and sewers and begun following him down the street. This is disconcerting, and he begins walking faster. But within a couple of blocks, the herd of rats behind him has grown to hundreds, and they begin squealing. He begins to trot toward the Bay, looking around to see that the rats now number in the MILLIONS, and are squealing and coming toward him faster and faster.
Concerned, even scared, he runs to the edge of the Bay, and throws the bronze rat as far out into the water as he can. Amazingly, the millions of rats all jump into the Bay after it, and are all drowned. The man walks back to the curio shop."Ah ha", says the owner, "you have come back for the story?"

"No", says the man, "I came back to see if you have a bronze Democrat."

Doug said...

Which was worse,
The Radiation Leak from Ali's House,
or the Plame Leak?

buddy larsen said...

ht Maggie's Farm, the author, a Dem, is really upset with his party.

Doug said...

Italian Catholic Arrested Selling Leeks.

Doug said...

Buddy,
If the Democrats disappear and are replaced by a Conservative Party, I'm all for it.

Doug said...

Yet Another Mass Grave Found!
This one filled with Democrats.
Scientists Find Preserved Dodo Bird Bones
"BBC News is reporting that a team of Dutch and Mauritian scientists have found what appears to be a mass dodo bird grave.

Unknown said...

buddy:

That is just evil.

buddy larsen said...

I know, Terrye. I'm not proud of my feelings.
\;-D

Doug said...

They're still Expecting
Tulip Mania 2.

Doug said...

THE NEW YORK TIMES STRIKES AGAIN
By Michelle Malkin · December 24, 2005 09:59 AM
'Twas the day before Christmas
And all through the Times
Hysteria reigned over
Bush's "impeachable crimes"...
---
Michelle has LOTS of links here.

Doug said...

Peter,
Isn't that Prime Minister Farakahn?
Sounds like Muhammad' OD'ed on Bismuth.

buddy larsen said...

Heh.