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Suit Against AT&T Goes Forward

Friday, Jul. 21, 2006 2:42 AM


On the domestic front, the most important story today was the ruling by U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker declining to block a suit by the Electronic Frontier Foundation against AT&T for their alleged role in illegal government surveillance of U.S. citizens.

"Dismissing this case at the outset would sacrifice liberty for no apparent enhancement of security," Judge Vaughn's ruling stated. And, "AT&T's assistance in national security surveillance is hardly the kind of 'secret' that � the state secrets privilege (was) intended to prrotect or that a potential terrorist would fail to anticipate."


And President Bush's policy regarding the Israel-Lebanon situation is nothing new.

The bombing-Hezbollah-to-reduce-their-capabilities is little more than a redress of Shock & Awe (or is that, Aw, Shucks) � that somehow, depriving Hezbollah of their rockets and other munitions will stop a group that sends suicide bombers into Israel.

And it smacks of Bush's trademark gut-it-out-and-pray-everything-comes-out-okay, a perplexing blend of faith and stupidity. We've stood there as Iraq descended into civil war, and it should be no surprise that a Muslim country � democratic government or not ��has chosen to voice its disapproval of Israel's actions.

Yet the spin is already oozing from every orifice of the White House.

"The president believes that unless you address the root causes of the violence that has afflicted the Middle East, you cannot forge a lasting peace," said White House counselor Dan Bartlett. "He mourns the loss of every life. Yet out of this tragic development, he believes a moment of clarity has arrived."

Any willingness to address root causes is truly up to Israel and her enemies, is it not? And it must begin with a cessation of hostilities from both sides. To imagine that an extended military campaign will achieve in a week what has not been possible for years is foolhardy.

And a moment of clarity? Please. We've had six years of Bush's clear thinking, of Rumsfeld, Cheney, Wolfowitz, Feith, Pearle, Rice, and Hadley. Even stalwart Republicans are starting to dial back their optimism about Iraq. Can't wait until someone says we're turning a corner in Israel, Lebanon, or Syria.

More like messing around with sharp edges.


Someone needs to explain to Focus on the Family's James Dobson the concept of metaphor.

A gay rights group put out ads and a website featuring a dog that goes moo. The image is meant in a light-hearted sense, to foster an understanding of the genetic basis of sexual orientation.

But Dobson's taking it seriously. His ministry has put up a rival website, complete with a dog that barks, just as God intended. Trot out their usual claims that homosexuality isn't rooted in genetic factors, along with a member who used-to-be lesbian, but 'overcame it.'

The problem with believing that homosexuality can be cured is that it is no less flawed than thinking you can correct left-handedness. It, too, was ascribed to the devil, to a weakness of character, and other nonsense. But if the wiring of the brain is a matter of connect-the-dots or color-by-numbers, then it would stand to reason that we should all be perfect. No differences of height, weight, hair color, handedness, intelligence.

And if it is a choice that exists within man's being, how do we explain instances of differing sexual behaviors in animals? Are we presuming that God make junk, that he had to experiment to get the whole reproduction thing right? Or was Lucifer bopping around the Garden of Eden, diddling with things after God made 'em?

The truth is, we are not only our genes, or only our choices; we're both.


The Ministry has received 2 comment(s) on this topic.



Brin - 2006-07-21 02:50:54
James Dobson and others of his ilk are entirely too fascinated by whose genitalia are in my mouth when nobody's looking.

Janet - 2006-07-21 03:09:51
Anyone with half a brain knows that anything to do with gays brings out the evangelical vote in droves. This is Karl Rove 101. Anything coming from the White House mouth that even uses the word gay between now and November is totally to get those evangelicals out to the churches (don't get me started on voting in a church) to punch for the fascist right-winger nuts so the GOP doesn't lose their rubber stamp on this mess.