2020 Hindsight

FOISA foisted upon Congress (fraudulent online identity)

Provide false info when you register a domain name, go to jail (if the The Fraudulent Online Identity Sanctions Act (H.R. 3754) passes).

PC World Bill Cracks Down on Domain Records Domain registrars have to keep track of what's accurate and what's not. Hmmm. Article says that Congress is acting now because ICANN didn't act on this some time back.

Is this going to force domain registrars to go out of business? Tin Foil Hat alert: This is Verisign's revenge. Everyone else'll fold their cards and Verisign'll suck all the business unto themselves. Let's see how much they're contributing to Lamar Smith. (guess not; no results from a quick look on opensecrets.)

Circle ID: Privacy Alert: Watch out for FOISA Calls the act "sentencing guidelines for intellectual property law"

Both articles are critical of the law, and having just read of a "well-intentioned law" (crack down on deadbeat dads) that effectively dispenses with due process, I'm immediately skeptical of it as well. Aiming to deal with cybersquatters and trademark disputes, Lamar Smith, the bill's sponsor, invokes the Holy Name of Child Protection and Law Enforcement in attempt to make a legislative fait accompli. It's the same Holy Cause (jihad?) that makes fighting Fraudulent Paternity accusations so wrenching for the wrongly accused. (all this without even getting into the matter of those damn telemarketers and snail/email spammers who've got my name, address and home and fax number thanks to Whois.)

Army of One is one of the 15 finalists

Congratulations to friends Julie Sigwart and Micheal Stinson, whose Army of One entry in the MoveOn.org's Bush in 30 Seconds contest, made it to the top 15 finalists stage.

Dubya the poet, saith Laura

In honor of the poem Dubya composed, recited by his bride, I offer this:

Roses are red

violets are blue

I love campy doggerel

And Dubya does too

Roses are red

Let us be kind

When it comes to poems

No Pres left behind

[via dangerousmeta]

The president oozes with irony

Found on a Google News Search for stories that mention Peter Ueberroth.

Dubya said he felt the pain of those who don’t have jobs and pledged to keep working every day until every American who wants a job can find one.

And then, he took off for a month-long vacation.

[I thought I posted this. Musta just created news item without posting it]

Hasta la vista, House of Saud

This post by Trent Telenko (Winds of Change) analyzing several recent articles about Saudi Arabia is definitely worth a read. [via Sgt. Stryker] Is it about oil? or is it about terrorism? Or both?

How to free the highest-oil-consuming nation from dependence on the highest-oil-producing nation, so that monies from that oil-producing nation no longer (directly or indirectly) support terrorism.

In this war you always have to watch what the Bush Administration actually does versus what it says. There has been a pattern of long preparation and then building political, economic and military activity until a final burst of military frenzy that changes everything. Then we fall back to the long slow slog again. This happened with Afghanistan and then with Iraq.

The information warfare campaign the Bush Administration is engaging in with the Saudis shows that they are now starting to strategically multi-task. Bush Administration has not finished with Iraq and has not started with either Iran or North Korea, yet they are now preparing the ground in Saudi Arabia. The implications of that development are profound.

On California's crises

A must-read article examining the causes of the crisis: the budget-making process, term-limits, reapportionment, and the recall.

The doomsday question is whether Governor Gray Davis is being recalled for failing to govern a state that is no longer governable.

...Many insiders recognize there are tangled priorities in a state that has one of the easiest rules for recalling a governor but one of the hardest thresholds for passing a budget.

The spectacle that is recall

I've been following the recall race closely. Yes, it's a circus. Not much to say here about it (other than canyabelieveit?!?!?!), but I'll reveal my best sources for surfing: LA Observed, Rough & Tumble and California Insider. Check out the additional links on LA Observed.

an ill-chosen quote, perhaps?

The quote: "The Saudi government has gotten religion."

The article: the finally-released government report on intelligence failures leading up to 9/11 attacks, specifically about the 28 blanked-out pages dealing with Saudi Arabia.

The quote is from somebody or other saying that the Saudi government is finally cooperating with the US on investigation. After all, 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers were Saudis.

But, um, since most proponents of terrorism practice or otherwise adhere to a form of Islam (Wahaabism) from Saudi Arabia, the quote could cut both ways.

Same as the ultimate meaning behind 28 blank pages. They're blank to protect someone or something, but who? Friends of the Bush family or ongoing investigation? Will we ever know?

better Politicking signal

Yes, I read Lessig's blog last week to see the Howard Dean guest-posting while Lessig was on vacation. Today's (I'm almost back) post by Lessig puts some great perspective on the whole experience.

[T]his week instead was a chance to expand the places a candidate visits in a campaign for public office. It is better than a house, better than a town hall, better than anything on TV. And imho, more candidates should do it regularly.

[...]But whether it is here or elsewhere, every serious candidate should spend time in just such an open, egalitarian place. Everyone now recognizes that the leading Democratic candidate is the leading candidate in part because of how his message spreads in places like this. They should all find places where they can do the same — unprotected by handlers, exposed to many with strong and deep knowledge of a subject, and open to fair criticism. Let there be one week on a blog for every five choreographed “town halls”, and we’ll begin to see something interesting. [Read More]

Intelligence Unglued

I saw this story at the top of Google News. Between it and a visit to Talking Points Memo, I catch up on the whole Niger uranium story that's been brewing recently (and which has escaped my notice).

The Intelligence Unglued piece quotes a memo to the President from Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (retired Intelligence people). Among other things, they recommend recommend Veep Cheney's resignation. wow.

This was no case of petty corruption of the kind that forced Vice President Spiro Agnew's resignation. This was a matter of war and peace. Thousands have died. There is no end in sight.