I Am A Bostonian

I am a Bostonian. I don't mean that just in a general "today we're all Bostonians" way - not "Ich bin ein Bostonian" - but in a born there, in my blood, key to who I am way.

No matter how long I live elsewhere, no matter how Californian I may also be, no matter if I never step foot on Massachusetts soil again, I will always be a Bostonian.

Growing up, going to watch the Boston marathon was an annual tradition. We had our usual spot, along "heartbreak hill," where the marathon wound its way up Commonwealth Ave through Newton.

Those memories come flooding back today with news of a probable terrorist attack killing at least two and injuring dozens more at the marathon's finish line.

There is now only speculation as to who and why this happened. I have my own theories, based on my own ideas of what the greatest threats are to America today. But I'll keep them to myself until actual facts are available.

Right now, all I have to say is, "I am a Bostonian." Hopefully we all are.

Dr. George Tiller, 1941-2009

For the first time in over a decade, a doctor has been murdered for providing abortions. Dr. George Tiller was shot and killed this morning attending church in Wichita, Kansas. Tiller had previously been shot (and, obviously, survived) in 1993. He led one of the few clinics in the country where late-term abortions were performed in cases where the health and safety of the mother were in jeopardy, putting their health above his own life.

Anti-Abortion group, Operation Rescue, immediately put out a statement saying "We are shocked at this morning's disturbing news that Mr. Tiller was gunned down... We denounce vigilantism and the cowardly act that took place this morning. We pray for Mr. Tiller's family..."

Now, on the face of it, that may seem like a benign enough statement. They're denouncing violence - even though they help to incite it - and they pray for Tiller's family. And yet, even in this tragic moment, they cannot bring themselves to refer to him as "Dr. Tiller." Even in death, they insist on insulting him and belittling his work. Nothing like turning a murder into PR moment.

I've said it before in various ways, and I'll say it again: The terrorists I'm most afraid of are born and raised in our own backyards.

Carnival of the Decline of Democracy - Edition 2.13

Welcome to the Carnival of the Decline of Democracy, Edition 2.13 - Blogging 'till the secret police take us away.

Starting us off this week, David Hayes presents Misguided Reform: The Problem of the Guest Worker posted at Frozen Toothpaste.

zenofeller presents The Real Deal. posted at zenofeller.com.

Hakim Abdullah presents Is Islam Compatible with Democracy? posted at Hakim Abdullah.

Hell's Handmaiden presents I described a naked detainee? posted at hell's handmaiden.

The Richmond Democrat presents The legacy of "Macaca" is alive and well posted at The Richmond Democrat.

Leon Gettler presents Bush hurts Enron's investors posted at Sox First.

And, now to the humor department:

Madeleine Begun Kane presents The GOP's In For A Rudy Awakening posted at Mad Kane's Political Madness.

Avant News presents Sam Brownback Pregnancy May Put Squeeze On Presidential Bid posted at Avant News.

I'll be back in two weeks (July 9) with another edition of the Carnival of the Decline of Democracy - Submit Your Posts Here. More information on future carnivals can be found on our carnival home page.

Carnival of the Decline of Democracy - Edition 2.4

Welcome to the Carnival of the Decline of Democracy, Edition 2.4 - Blogging 'till the secret police take us away. A day late, but every bit as fresh as usual.

D.A.N. presents Religion and Politics: Can We Actually Separate Church and State? posted at Sights & Sounds from the Fifth Column.

Mike Billy presents 15-Year-Old Girl Arrested For Sexually Abusing Herself posted at Reflections From A Rotting Nation.

Rey Thomas presents Bush Foreign Policy Under Seige posted at The Thomas Political Report.

DigitalRichDaily presents Unanswered Questions.

Dave Burdick presents Nonbinding?.

Steven Silvers presents If your advertising agency isn’t getting arrested, maybe they're not trying hard enough. posted at Scatterbox.

Avant News presents Virginia Boy Scouts Stumble on Cheney's Undisclosed Location.

The next edition of the Carnival will be posted on Monday, March 5th, 2007 with entries requested by Saturday, March 3rd, at midnight. Submit your blog post for the next edition of the carnival of the decline of democracy using our carnival submission form. More information on future carnivals can be found on our carnival home page.

"...exigent circumstances..."

Another bill, another signing, another Orwellian statement...

The bill was the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (HR 6407), which sounds harmless enough, but with the signing statement President Bush swept away any right to privacy you ever had in sending mail.

Think the government needs a warrant to open and read your personal mail? Not any more:

The executive branch shall construe ... the Act, which provides for opening of an item of a class of mail otherwise sealed against inspection, in a manner consistent, to the maximum extent permissible, with the need to conduct searches in exigent circumstances, such as to protect human life and safety against hazardous materials, and the need for physical searches specifically authorized by law for foreign intelligence collection.

There's no need to show a judge evidence that you might have black market anthrax or that you might be planning a bombing, all the right people in power need is a hunch that you might not like them.

Okay, you don't care. You get all your personal messages by email, and all that's in your mail box is bills and advertisements. The media doesn't care either; ABC, CBS, and CNN pretty much ignored the statement in their coverage.

And that's what worries me even more. That 95% of Americans will never hear this news is scary. That of the few who do hear it, 75% of those won't care is what truly terrifies me.

It's not the idea that some government agent is going to be peeking into my mailbox I'm upset about, it's the idea that this government has blatantly said that we no longer have any privacy rights, that there is no more due process of law, and that most people can't be bothered to care.

Are you a terrorist loving scum?

Have you taken the test yet? How much do you hate America and support the terrorists? I apparently, I support the evil-doers 96%...

Your 'Do You Want the Terrorists to Win' Score: 96%

You are a terrorist-loving, Bush-bashing, "blame America first"-crowd traitor. You are in league with evil-doers who hate our freedoms. By all counts you are a liberal, and as such cleary desire the terrorists to succeed and impose their harsh theocratic restrictions on us all. You are fit to be hung for treason! Luckily George Bush is tapping your internet connection and is now aware of your thought-crime. Have a nice day.... in Guantanamo!

Do You Want the Terrorists to Win?
Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

What's your terror risk assessment?

No, I'm not asking for your assessment of the risk of terror, I'm asking what the official assessment of the risk that you are a terrorist.

Don't know your risk assessment, or ATS (Automated Targeting System), score? The government does. Well, at least, they do if you travel into or out of the U.S. Your assessment computed based on such factors as where you are from, how you paid for your tickets, your motor vehicle records, your history of one-way travel, your seating preference, and what kind of meal you ordered.

So, if you paid cash for your one-way ticket, asked for a seat up front and a Kosher meal, you might just find yourself stopped at the gate, pulled out for extra questioning, and possibly barred from traveling completely (the new system covers air, land, and sea transportation).

This is different than the previous lists we've heard of, filled with miss-spelled names of "known" terrorists. These watch lists have kept infants with suspicious names from boarding flights in the past. But to barred from flying now, they don't need to already know your name. You just need to match the correct profile.

And don't bother asking Homeland Security for a copy of your assessment. You're not allowed to see it. It's a state secret and a matter of national security. Your score is available, however, to any government agency or private contractor who's thinking of hiring you needs to persuaded not to. But they don't have to tell you that the ATS assessment is why you lost the job. That would be a breach of national security.

"Never before in American history has our government gotten into the business of creating mass 'risk assessment' ratings of its own citizens," said Barry Steinhardt, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, in the under-statement of the year.

Oh, and we may be just learning about the ATS assessments now, but they're nothing new. The system was developed in the 1990's, and all airlines and cruise companies have been required to "send the government electronic data in advance on all passengers and crew bound into or out of the country" since 2002.