Another Bush assault on the Constitution

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

- The Fourth Ammendment to the Constitution (just a reminder)

After the House failed to pass the "Protect America Act" last Saturday, Bush had this to say, "House leaders are blocking this legislation, and the reason can be summed up in three words: class action lawsuits." That, of course, is complete bullshit. But there is at least a modicum of relevance to the statement. If telephone companies broke the law by cooperating with the government in illegal surveilance activities, shouldn't they be sued?

But that's really beside the point. The real reason the House declined to pass the bill might more accurately be summed in in these 6 words: IT EFFECTIVELY REPEALS THE FOURTH AMMENDMENT. It is crucial to understand that the Protect America Act does not allow the government to do anything they wouldn't be able to do under original FISA provisions. Again, the only effective thing the legislation accomplishes, other than allowing the Government to spy without judicial over-sight, is protecting phone companies from lawsuits. In the words of Rep. John Conyers, D-Michigan, "There should be no question in anyone's mind that the United States intelligence agencies have the legal ability to take all actions necessary to protect the security of the American people. For anyone to suggest otherwise is irresponsible and totally inaccurate." The administration's arguments to the contrary are just pathetic, and may be summed up as follows, "It's way too much of a hassle to get a warrant to spy on people, dude." How does Bush get away with spouting such utter garbage on a daily basis?

In this previous post, I implied that the reason Bush is so desperate to pass legislation which includes retroactive imunity from lawsuits for phone companies, is that he is trying to protect his corporate friends. I'm sure that's part of it. But perhaps more importantly, blocking lawsuits against phone companies would prevent details about the illegal spying program from coming out in legal proceedings. Details which are, no doubt, breath-taking in their breadth of illegality.

It really does appear to be quite that simple.

On another note, why did phone companies cooperate with the government in illegal spying activities, at their legal peril? That turns out to be pretty simple as well. Quest Communications is one company that declined to cooperate with the government. Shortly therafter, the Government withdrew pending lucrative contracts they made with Quest. No doubt the Government has other means of applying pressure.

Bonus post

Obama took a break from his campaign activities last week to visit none other than John Edwards, for undisclosed reasons.

I like it.

Bush's Africa Aids Package... Uh, okay.

Friday, in the latest example of increasingly, and spectacularly pathetic PR antics, Bush argued fervently before Congress in support of continuing financial aid for HIV relief in Africa.

It was a valiant and courageous message of hope and conviction.

I can't find a transcript, but in his address to Congress, Bush continually used language like, "We don't want people guessing on the continent of Africa whether the generosity of the American people will continue" in his standard idiotic, tough guy cowboy demeanor. By listening to the tone of the speech, one would have assumed that there was a vast controversy surrounding the aid package. Indeed, there are a few who have some quible with some of the provisions of the plan... Republicans who want more of the funds to go toward abstinance education, to be precise. However, there is near-unanimous support for the Africa/AIDS package among Democrats in the House.

I'll say that again: There is near-unanimous support for the Africa/AIDS package among Democrats in the House.

Over all, the aid package enjoys solid bi-partisan support.

What is wrong with that guy?

Stupid, absurd, baseless, and pathetic grandstanding on the part of the President. And nothing more.

But moreover, why is Bush pretending to be concerned with AIDS in Africa when he obviously doesn't give a shit about the health of his own citizens, for example?

Scoring political points is an obvious answer. And it doesn't hurt that much of the aid money goes directly into the pockets of American drug companies.

Double whammy.

Here's an example of the brilliant defense the President offered of the Aids package, "My attitude toward Congress is, see what works, PEPFAR [The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief] is working. It is a balanced program. It is an ABC program abstinence, be faithful and condoms. It is a program that's been proven effective."

Besides the stunning incoherence of the statement, it should be noted that PEPFAR has, in fact, not been shown to be more effective than more comprehensive programs.

Kahones? Perhaps, but small.

So let me get this straight: Bush says that it is essential that the House pass the Senate FISA bill (the dubiously titled, "Protect America Act"), which would allow the Government to continue to spy on Americans without a warrant. However, he says that he will veto any form of the bill that does not contain retroactive immunity for phone companies that have, in the past, cooperated with the government in eavesdropping activities.

Doesn't that mean that Bush thinks that its more important to protect phone companies from lawsuits than to, in his words, "protect the American people"?

Seems pretty clear to me. And that certainly shouldn't surprise anyone. Since day one of this Presidency, protecting and enriching corporations has been Job One.

Let's be clear, the government can, under original FISA provisions, listen to anyone they want to at any time, assuming they have even a minimally good reason to do so. Their sole complaint with the FISA rules is that it creates too much red tape. So in essence, what they are saying is that they want to be able to spy on people without telling any one about it, because, of course, they simply can't be bothered with going to a judge every single time. It would just be a huge hassle.

Isn't that just chillingly creepy? Basic civil rights are trumped by excess paper work?

But, in stark contrast to their performance in recent history, House members declined to pass the "Protect America Act" by the deadline on Saturday.

Bravo! Did Democratic members of the house finally grow some kahones?

Perhaps they did, albeit abysmally small ones.

Crucial to comprehensive interpretation of this matter is the fact that Bush did have the option of extending the provisions of the existing FISA ammendments, which he declined to do. In other words, the ONLY effective difference between the "Protect America Act" and a Presidential extention of the current FISA ammendments, is the controversial retroactive protection for phone companies included in the Senate FISA bill. Hence, if one may extrapolate from the administration's own analysis of the situation, they have made us less safe by refusing to enact provisions that did not offer protection for phone companies.

That isn't hard to figure out. WHERE IS THE "LIBERAL" MEDIA ON THIS ONE?

But the obvious question is, Why is the Bush administration so reticent to go the the FISA court (which has rejected a small handfull of warrant requests out of TENS OF THOUSANDS) to get a warrant? Several explanations come to mind, each more sinister than the last.

Kucinich, 2002:

Valentine's day

The history is certainly murky and disputed. The most prominent theory concerning the origins of Valentine's day involves a 3rd century priest who continued to marry couples in defiance of a decree by Emporor Claudius II of Rome, outlawing marriage for the purpose of preserving his supply of willing soldiers. According to the legend, Claudius had Valentine killed when he learned of the defiance.

Charming.

Valentine would likely think odd what his martyrdom has inspired: hyper-commercialized commodification of the most sacred of human emotions, in the most perversely cheesy way possible, surpassed in tragic irony perhaps only by Christmas. I'm very fortunate that my wife shares my views on this holiday.

I heard a commercial on the radio that began, "Your loved one wants to know that you to put time and thought into your Valentine gift". The commercial was for a "Lobstergram", live lobsters sent through the mail. Fucking lobsters! Time and thought?? Jesus. "Hey honey, I love you so much that I got this arthropod that we can now kill via boiling alive!" Unbeleivably ridiculous.

If a lobster's not your thing, how about chocolate, or even better, a diamond? Yeah! Celebrate your love by supporting two of the most exploitative industries in the world. "Hey Honey, I love you so much that I financially supported genocide, child-labor, and brutal dictatorships in order to give you this useless shit!"

How about showing your love by doing something truley romantic, like writing a rambling, incoherent rant about how much Valentine's day sucks in your blog? That's what I did. Heather's gonna love it, I swear.

Leaves

I have an article in The Western Tribune today, copied below. They don't let me write about anything exciting, but enjoy anyway.



It’s nearing the end of January, and piles of leaves, fallen months ago, are still appearing in plastic bags on the curb. As a Horticulturist and someone concerned about the environment, this has always bothered me a bit.

In an undisturbed forest, leaves fall from trees in autumn and gradually decay, releasing their nutrients back into the soil, and replenishing the soil’s organic matter content. In this process, the forest soil stays rich, fertile, and pliable.

The annual removal of leaves disrupts this natural process, and over time, renders the soil in our home landscapes dense, infertile, compacted, and less able to retain water during droughts.

Additionally, picking up leaves from the curbside usurps a considerable amount of our public financial resources. Organic refuse also occupies substantial space in our limited landfills. As large trucks drive around picking up piles of leaves, they release tons of greenhouse gases into our atmosphere.

But are there alternatives to this? Won’t our landscapes turn into vast leaf piles if we don’t remove the leaves?

Consider the natural forest that I mention above. Do leaves build up to problematic proportions in forests? Thankfully, nature has ways of keeping things in balance.

All good gardeners recognize the water-conserving and weed-suppressing value of a good layer of organic mulch. While leaves make a perfectly good mulch, some home-owners may find their appearance a bit untidy. Try placing the leaves behind your landscape plants where they will be unseen or less noticeable. If your landscape contains natural areas under trees, put leaves removed from your lawn there, where they will appear quite natural. You may be a bit dismayed by the initial “puffiness” of the leaves, but they will settle to a small fraction of their original volume over the winter.

Another option is to establish a compost pile where leaves will rapidly degrade into a useful garden soil amendment. Composting is a simple science, but it pays to learn to do it right. Your County Extension Service has some good publications on composting. Also look for information in books on natural gardening at the library.

It may be true that the size of many modern properties necessitates the removal of some leaves. But even so, bagging them is unnecessary, and prevents the leaves from decaying naturally.

A leaf is an amazing invention of the natural world, representing the base of the food chain by transforming light, air and water into sugars. Let’s consider recognizing their importance by allowing them to remain a part of the natural cycle in our home landscapes.

Story: The birth of Stella

So Heather has been after me for 2 and a half years now to write down my birth story. I remember very few details as it was 35 years ago and all my memory synapses had yet to fully form. Also, my mother had been drinking heavily that day so I kinda had a "contact buzz".

ha ha.

All kidding aside, writing down one's experience with childbirth is apparently something these new-agey baby-having types feel is useful. I figured my blog would be a fine forum for such a literary endeavor. In this case, the birth in question would be that of Stella, our 2.5 year old.

I suppose I'll start from the beginning. It was Halloween. Heather was dressed up as a roller skater girl, and I as some kind of goofball. That's what all my costumes turn out to be: I just find the goofiest clothes I have lying around, do something strange with my hair involving spray paint and crisco, and there you have it. But I digress. We were planning to go to a couple of parties that night and consume copious quantities of alcohol. I was aware that Heather had purchased a pregnancy test earlier that day. A few folks came over, and just as we were heading out the door, Heather says to me with a smile on her face, "By the way, I'm not drinking tonight." Her meaning was clear. Needless to say, I was in a funny mood that night: excited, but also acutely aware that life would never be the same.

Some period of time later, Heather informs me that she intends to have a natural childbirth.

"Uh, like without drugs?", I ask.
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"Because its safer for the baby."
"Whatever you say."

I didn't have an immediate aversion to the idea, but like most people, I thought of pain as something to be avoided if possible. I had also heard that, on the pain charts, childbirth was way up there too. But over time, I found myself intrigued by the idea, though I wasn't sure why at the time.

So we take a natural childbirth class, which, besides preparing us for the experience, made me realize how completely ignorant I was on the subject, not only biologically, but also on how screwed up the way our society deals with pregnancy and childbirth is. I'm not going to get into that here, but I would very strongly urge anyone considering downloading a kid to become as informed as possible on the matter. And while I'm on the subject, DO NOT read "She's Having a Baby and I'm Having a Breakdown" if you are a father-to-be. All that book did was freak me out. It treated the whole pregnancy/childbirth experience as some kind of horrible ordeal fraught with all kinds of pitfalls, disasters, hyper-emotional wives, etc. Thankfully, the actual experience was wholly positive.

Heather went into labor as we were watching the last DVD of "The Lord of the Rings". So we just finished the movie and started to get ready to go to the hospital. I didn't intend for this to be full of advice for expecting parents, but this one is pretty important: Don't go to the hospital until you are really not comfortable at home. This could be as short a time as an hour, to more than a day. Hospitals are boring, lame, uncomfortable places to be. They're a real drag compared to your home. Go too early and they'll send you home. Worse yet, they may get tired of you being there so long and start to invent reasons for you to have a C-section.

Heather had a strange ability to not have a contraction when someone was around. When she first went into labor, we called my mom to bring us a camera because ours was broken. We chatted with her for a while after she got here, and she seemed puzzled by Heather's calm demeanor. Just as she left, Heather had another big contraction. On a side note, the only time Heather ever snapped at me during the whole process was when I turned on the stereo and put in what was apparently the WRONG cd. That was quickly rectified.

We left for the hospital at about 2 AM or so. On the way, we stop to pick up our doula, Cynthia Mwenja. Having Cynthia at the birth was great. Her presence was unobtrusive, but she was very instrumental in keeping me focused and encouraging Heather. She hadn't answered our phone calls, so we just went to her house and banged on the door. Down she came in a few minutes. We drove to the hospital and walked in.

"Hi. We're here to have a baby."
"okay, first door on the left"
Or something like that.

Our first room was a small, typical doctor office-type room. A nurse came in right after Heather had a contraction. Heather was very calm. The nurse was obviously unconvinced that she was in labor (can't blame her since everybody comes in too early).

"Do you know what Braxton-Hicks contractions are?"
"Yes" says Heather, when what she probably wanted to say was, "Yes, I know at least as much about them as you do." (Heather was a voracious reader of literature on the subject of childbirth during her pregnancy)

They conduct a test to confirm that Heather was in labor, and decide that yes, she was. Ah, the wonders of modern medicine.

We were taken to a birthing room, which resembled a spacious hotel room, with low lights and decent decor: not what I was expecting at all. I was glad.

Heather began having strong contractions for the next two hours or so. My role was to support her body during the contractions so she could relax as much as possible. I don't remember when I first noticed it, but when I would hold Heather during a contraction, which she seemed to really need, I would feel an incredible rush of energy run through me that would make me almost hyperventilate. The sensation was unlike anything I've experienced. I felt like we were one thing, fused together by this powerful energy. I also remember feeling a kind of connectedness to mankind in general, and to my ancient ancestors or something. That's quite difficult to describe. I remember thinking, "Is this really happening?" And then, "Yeah... it is. Wow." That went on for some time. I'd have to say that it was the most intense thing I've experienced. It's one of those things that convinces me that there is much about the nature of our existence that we don't understand. Until science figures it out, I'll call it magic.

I suppose it may seem odd that I was having such a powerful, and indeed, profoundly positive experience while my wife was in considerable pain. I'll let her address that, HEATHER: "I had no idea at the time that what Trey was experiencing was so intense. I was vaguely aware through my laborland haze that Trey was very emotional in the late part of my labor (but what's new?). I did know that it was absolutely essential that he be there and hold me during each contraction so I could focus on relaxing and opening up. Although labor was painful, I think of my birth experience in a totally positive light and am glad that Trey was able to be there and get something positive out of it as well."

Since that time, I've read a little more about natural child birth. Apparently, its not that uncommon for fathers to have experiences similar to mine.

When Heather was in transition (the period just before pushing, as the baby is going through the cervix) someone said something funny and Heather laughed. Our doula commented that she had never seen anyone laugh during transition. At some point, a group of medical students came by outside our room. They wanted to come in to see what a natural birth was like. Heather forbade them entrance on the grounds that it would distract her and diminish her contractions. She said that next time, she'll consider it.

Then the hard part. Most women push for less than an hour. Stella was in a twisted position that made her difficult to get out. Heather pushed for a few hours. Our cool, telepathic rush thing stopped happening after she was lying on the table. It was amazing seeing someone exert so much energy for that long. I couldn't believe she could keep going. Our doctor, who was present at this point, kept saying things like, "Okay, we really need to get this baby out", which at the time, I didn't question. In retrospect, I think she was trying to make Heather work harder, which obviously wasn't possible. The comments served only to induce a level of despair. Whatever. Doctors aren't psychologists, or even necessarily very empathetic or insightful people. They should be left out of the process as much as possible. Anyway, eventually, out popped Stella. My brain ceased to function within the normal parameters of logic or cohesive thought. I honestly had to gather my concentration to remember where to look to determine the sex. I'm not kidding. She was immediately taken to an adjacent room to be weighed and cleaned. WHY??? Anyway, I go to Heather's side and smile and cry and kiss her. She makes a sharp motion for me to go to attend the baby, which I do, as I slowly regain my facilities.

I went outside for air and to make a couple of phone calls. There was another guy out there smoking a cigarette, and we started to chat a bit. He had just had a baby too. "I heard there was a lady in there having a natural birth!", he said to me.
"Yeah, that was my wife"
"Really? How was it?"
"Pretty cool."
I think we were kinda the talk of the maternity ward that day. Natural births are very rare in Alabama. When we first brought it up to our doctor, she said, "Yeah, I've heard of that" ...or something to that effect.

We were moved to another room. For reasons that are still entirely unclear to me, babies are kept away from the mother for a period after birth. It was then determined that Stella was a bit jaundiced, which was obvious from her yellowish skin. This is not uncommon in newborns. The treatment for this condition is to be placed under fluorescent lights, on a constant basis. I didn't understand it at the time, but Heather was very upset that she couldn't hold the baby all the time.

"It's cool," I said, "She's healthy. What's the problem?"

This did not earn me sensitivity points. Apparently, many women have a real physical need to touch and be close to their babies. Now I know.

Any day now, we'll go for round 2. I think that, the first time, we approached childbirth as something to get through. I think this time we're both better prepared to see the beauty in the experience. But I am consciously refraining from forming preconceptions or lofty expectations. I'm mainly looking foward to all the good food and having a few days off work.