BushCo: "These are designed to monitor calls from very bad people..."

[sabra]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N27337667.htm

U.S. secret surveillance up sharply since Sept. 11

<snip>

In Crawford, Texas, where Bush is spending the holidays, his spokesman Trent Duffy defended what he called a "limited program."

"This is not about monitoring phone calls designed to arrange Little League practice or what to bring to a potluck dinner," he told reporters. "These are designed to monitor calls from very bad people to very bad people who have a history of blowing up commuter trains, weddings, and churches."

[SteppingRazor]

1. Y'know, I wouldn't be quite as pissed...

if they'd just stop talking to us like we're 5 year olds.

"These are very bad people..."

Oh, fer chrissake. Fuck off.

[sabra]

3. "evil doers"

I hear you.

peace.

[XOKCowboy]

29. They have to speak in terms that their "base" will understand nt

[Rex]

2. Weddings and churches?

Ooooooooooooh, I don't think we want to go THERE! Bad call.

[MADem]

14. Yeah, we don't have such a swell track record with weddings

in Afghanistan and Iraq, do we? Never mind the masjids....!

[Rex]

22. I don't know what pisses me off more! The hypocrisy or the talk-down

both boil my blood! :mad:

[TechBear_Seattle]

27. Indeed. Who, exactly, has been bombing weddings and houses of worship? n/t

[sui generis]

4. very bad people who use dirty wordies

isn't it annoying to have jumblebrains talk to us as if we're stupid subliterate children?

vewy vewy baa-aa-a--aa-d chidwen that bwow stuff up.

(smacks forehead, rolls eyes)

[Amonester]

28. The stupid subliterate children = his base? (Freeptards) or

(Sleeptards) :boring:

[truth2power]

30. "jumblebrains"...that's a keeper. Heh heh! n/t

[Bob3]

5. man do they think we're dumb

It's insulting - how about political opponents - you call them bad people all the time.

And god the tone of voice - makes you want to slap him.

[Supersedeas]

20. a very simple FOLLOW-UP question--why wouldn't the FISA court be an

appropriate venue for these LIMITED wiretaps.

[peekaloo]

36. only liebruls use them fancy pants hunerd dollar words!

The plain spoken people like a "leader" who doesn't talk down to them.

Oh, the irony.

[Walt Starr]

6. So how many lies before people stop believing anything they say?

:shrug:

[wiggs]

35. If the last five years have proven anything

it's that this administration (and the machine that supports it) can spin, divert, distract, smear, and lie its way out of any untruth or scandal and that much of the public will eventually forget about it.

[seabeyond]

7. we dont believe you bush. prove it. now what? n/t

[Xipe Totec]

8. Straight from True Lies

Jaimie Lee: Have you killed anyone?

Ahnold: Yeah, but they were all bad.

[Maat]

23. One of my favorite lines ...

:evilgrin:

[tecelote]

9. Then there should be no problem handing the information

over to the courts.

[TheFarseer]

10. the US only wire taps evil-doers like Martin Luther King Jr.

who I read here just today was wire tapped once upon a time. Quit lying and quit talking to me like I can only understand one syllable words.

[LittleClarkie]

11. Gee daddy, what kind of really bad people

Are they really, really icky bad mean people, daddy?


:banghead:

[gratuitous]

12. It's DESIGNED for the very bad people

The fact that the program also monitors calls about Little League or church potlucks is just gravy, as far as this criminal administration is concerned.

People See Through You.

[LSK]

13. yeah, those "bad" people of the UN Security Council

:eyes: :eyes: :eyes:

[Amonester]

15. Bad people who have a history of blowing up weddings??

(An example)

Forty Iraqis die as 'US bombs wedding'
Wednesday 19 May 2004, 22:09 Makka Time, 19:09 GMT

The US has denied any knowledge of the attack

US occupation forces have reportedly killed at least 40 Iraqi civilians in an air raid that targeted the village of Makr al-Dib on the Syrian border.

Witnesses said warplanes had blasted dozens of people who were celebrating a wedding on Wednesday. Dozens of shrouded bodies were seen lined up on a dirt road.

But US occupation forces denied they had hit civilians.

http://english.aljazeera.net/

Occupation bombs Iraq wedding party
Thursday 20 May 2004, 12:22 Makka Time, 9:22 GMT

Many casualties were buried in a mass grave
Related: Forty Iraqis die as 'US bombs wedding'

More than 40 Iraqis have been killed in a US helicopter bomb attack on a huge tent where a wedding party was in progress.

The attack took place in the small town of Qaim in Iraq's western desert bordering Syria early on Tuesday, reported Aljazeera's correspondent. APTN syndicated footage of a mass grave being filled with the casualties, including children.

Distraught family members struggled to wrap their loved ones in shrouds, according to Islamic tradition, before burying them.

The International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) condemned the excessive use of force by the US occupation following the attack.

http://english.aljazeera.net/

Video Contradicts US Military, Shows Iraq Wedding Celebration
by Scheherezade Faramarzi


RAMADI, Iraq - A videotape shows a dozen white pickup trucks speeding through the desert, escorting a bridal car decorated with colorful ribbons. The bride wears a Western-style white bridal dress and veil. The camera captures her stepping out of the car but does not show a close-up.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0524-02.htm

Any mirrors for sale anywhere in TX??


On edit: "troubles" with the aljazeera links... (ummmmm... suspicious....)

[Garbo 2004]

16. Yeah, like Quakers and their fellowtravelling peaceniks.

What a load.

[baldguy]

17. Weren't the people in Guantanamo & Abu Ghraib "vary bad people" too?

And haven't something like 80% of them been released without being charged with anything?

And hasn't the US military blown up several mosques & wedding parties in Afghanistan & Iraq?

Just askin'

[Maat]

25. Not to mention that one incident in which our troops stormed ..

into a mosque - and shot several people DEAD - just for moving, right in front of their relatives.

I'll have to go find a link when I get time.

[Supersedeas]

18. there is a long list of US Citizens who have a history of blowing up

churches, but a FISA warrant wasn't appropriate.

[liveoaktx]

19. They obviously think the public are all MORANS

[Botany]

21. O.K. Trent, if you say so then I believe you.

Because nobody from the bush administration has lied before. :sarcasm:

[Stephanie]

24. BUT HOW WOULD WE KNOW YOU'RE NOT LYING?

Without checks and balances, we just have to take your word for it. That's the whole problem.

[pdxmom]

26. If they know these are very bad people who have a history of

committing atrocities like blowing things up, then why the hell aren't they pulling them in?

This is more of the fear factor and they are just monitoring calls as part of a fishing expedition.

Why does anyone believe the crap they spread?

[maxsolomon]

31. Oh, if they're BAD, then that changes everything.

I thought Islamic Terrorists were GOOD. My bad. Thanks for explaining it so simply, Dear Leader.

[earthboundmisfit]

32. Reminds me of : "You're a bad man! You're a VERY BAD man!"

"and I'm gonna wish you into the cornfield!" --- that nasty child Anthony, from the old Twilight Zone episode (played by Billy Mumy, I think)--- seems I'm always bringing this up, but spoiled, evil baby * just reminds me SO much of "Anthony"...

[lumberjack_jeff]

33. So Trent... Is Gov Richardson or Colin Powell the "very bad person"...

and why did you give transcripts of their conversations to John Bolton?

[pinto]

34. What is this, Harriet Mier's legal opinion?... Bush v. Very Bad People

Give me a break.

[teryang]

37. Well if they have a history of blowing things up, a warrant should

...be no freaking problem.

[No Exit]

38. Hilarious!! "They're bad because we say they're bad. Trust us."

Imagine a prosecutor using this argument. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you knew all the inside dirt that *I* know about this defendant, you'd see what a bad person he is and you wouldn't hesitate to convict him and send him to jail. Now, I can't tell you this stuff I know, but just trust me, this is ONE REALLY BAD PERSON!"

[ddeclue]

39. Like Democrats? John Kerry? Nuns? Quakers?

[Raksha]

40. Well, suppose they give us some examples

of WHO some of these "very bad people" are that they've monitored in the past--preferably a LOT examples--so we can make up our own minds about that. Then they can explain why they were unable to go through the normal rubber-stamp FISA channels.

Were they monitoring "very bad people" like John Kerry, for example?

What's the problem, don't they trust the prudence and common sense of the American people?

Okay, never mind about that one.