The Ladies Are Doing Us Proud

Always assuming "us" means the Imperial USA, that is.  Myself, I'm feeling a bit of gratitude for anything that takes the mask off Exceptional America, in case anyone's paying attention.  (Doubtful.)  So, great job, Victoria Nuland of the State Department:

The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, has described as "totally unacceptable" remarks by a senior US official who said "fuck the EU" while speaking about the crisis in Ukraine.
In a leaked conversation posted on YouTube, the state department official Victoria Nuland revealed the White House's frustrations at Europe's hesitant policy towards pro-democracy protests in Ukraine, which erupted late last year. Nuland was talking to the US ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt.

[ ... ]

The White House spokesman Jay Carney would not discuss the content of the conversation recorded in the clip, but he too invoked the Loskutov tweet. "I would say that since the video was first noted and tweeted out by the Russian government, I think it says something about Russia's role," he said.
Blaming the Russians for leaking a conversation that was presumably obtained by covert means poses problems for the US, as documents leaked by Edward Snowden reveal that the US has in the past listened into the communications of its allies, as well as enemies.

 And then there's our UN Ambassadress, Samantha Power (exquisite name, no?), taking the high road with the Russians:

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power is making it clear that she stands with Russian punk group Pussy Riot even if it means joining the band — jabbing the Russian ambassador to the U.N.
Power met Wednesday with two members of the band, who were jailed in Russia for criticizing President Vladimir Putin and eventually released two months before the end of their two-year sentence. The ambassador and human rights scholar called the women “brave ‘troublemakers’” in a tweet sharing a picture of the group.

When asked about their meeting, the Russian ambassador to the U.N., Vitaly Churkin, asked, “She has not joined the band?” according to Reuters.

“I would expect her to invite them to perform at the National Cathedral in Washington,” Churkin said at a briefing. “Maybe they could arrange a world tour for them, you know. St Peter’s Cathedral in Rome, then maybe in Mecca in Saudi Arabia, ending up with a gala concert at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. So if Ambassador Power fell short, I would be disappointed.”
Power responded Wednesday evening that she’d be “honored” to join the group.

I'm rather tempted to make an early monetary donation to Hillary 2016.  The more ridiculous the Empire looks, the sooner its collapse occurs. And for that: the sooner, the better.

A Voice of Sanity

Via the Rockwell blog this morning: Edward Snowden, interviewed by a German source.  Don't hold your breath while waiting to see this on American teevee.  He's also been nominated by a couple of Norwegian legislators for the Nobel Peace Prize.  Unless the one awarded a few years ago to President Drone Murder Commander Obama is rescinded, Snowden ought certainly to reject any such award that might be forthcoming.

Whew! That Was a Close One!

A judge says whatever the NSA is doing is just peachy, constitutionally speaking:

A federal judge in New York has ruled that the National Security Agency's mass collection of phone data is constitutional, rejecting a challenge brought by the American Civil Liberties Union.
U.S. District Judge William Pauley's decision came just 11 days after a district judge in Washington ruled the opposite – that the agency's "almost Orwellian" surveillance program is likely unconstitutional. The ruling raises the likelihood that the issue will be settled by the Supreme Court.
In his 54-page decision, Pauley said there is no evidence that the government has used any of the data collected for purposes other than "investigating and disrupting" terror attacks.

None of this matters at all, in any practical sense.  If a whole army of federal judges -- and I'm sure there are enough of them to constitute at least a modest army -- were to declare the NSA constitutionally impermissible and order its activities to cease and desist, does anyone imagine that they'd go out of business?  Didn't think so.  Probably the only thing that would happen is that all of the judges' extramarital romances, porn-surfing habits, and other such peccadilloes would "leak."  In any case, it would be made abundantly clear that judges actually command no more divisions than does the Pope (thanks, Josef Stalin).

It's worth noticing, though, for purposes of sour amusement.  Ah, our Glorious Constitution!  Amendment 4 suggests that, absent probable cause "supported by oath or affirmation," and warrants "particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized," we're all secure against searches and seizures.  I say it suggests this because it certainly appears to be no more than a suggestion at best, and really, more like a bad joke.  In practice, it might as well say that nothing shall be searched or seized unless someone receiving a government paycheck feels like searching or seizing it, in which case, it's theirs.

And the judges!  One says the NSA crap is "almost Orwellian" and "likely unconstitutional."  Hmmmmm.  Can we conclude that it would become certainly unconstitutional if and only if it becomes fully Orwellian?  Doubleplus ungood, man.  Then there's the other judge.  Since the government is doing things for purposes he likes, obviously what they're doing is constitutional.  "Constitutional" means "having a purpose that a judge approves of."

Finally, don't forget: it doesn't matter what any judge thinks or writes.  The government has the guns.  It's going to do whatever it wants.

Get used to it.

But that's just the problem.  We are used to it.  And getting more used to it by the day.

In Which I Agree With the NSA Director (About One Thing)

Check it out: one of the coldest and crappiest leftovers from the Dubya Administration seems to think Edward Snowden should be killed.

Pretty routine stuff.  And I'm sure his opinion is enthusiastically endorsed by the warm & cuddly progressives in the current O'Bomber junta, too.  Ho-hum.

One tiny little fragment of truth does appear at the end of this item:

NSA Director Keith Alexander, however, disagrees with Ledgett.
"I think people have to be held accountable for their actions," Alexander told CBS. "Because what we don't want is the next person to do the same thing, race off to Hong Kong and to Moscow with another set of data knowing they can strike the same deal."

Yes, people should be held accountable for their actions.  Which means that it's actually the John Boltons and the Keith Alexanders of this world that should have dates with a rope and that tall, strong oak.

[via the Lew Rockwell site]

Regime to Itself: Anything Wrong?

Big surprise: the answer's "no."

Some of this is kind of funny, in a bumbling-totalitarian sort of way:

A participant in a White House-sponsored review of surveillance activities described as “shameful” an apparent decision to leave most of the National Security Agency’s controversial bulk spying intact.
Sascha Meinrath, director of the Open Technology Institute, said Friday that the review panel he advised is at risk of missing an opportunity to restore confidence in US surveillance practices.
“The review group was searching for ways to make the most modest pivot necessary to continue business as usual,” Meinrath said.
Headed by the CIA’s former deputy director, Michael Morrell, the review is expected to deliver its report to President Barack Obama on Sunday, the White House confirmed, although it is less clear when and how substantially its report will be available to the public.

"Less clear when and how substantially its report will be available to the public?" Less clear?

Well, let me clarify a little.

Our rulers will tell us exactly what they want to, and they'll do the telling exactly when they want to do it.  And there's no reason to want them to tell us, nor is there any reason to be in a hurry to hear.  Because what they tell us will fall into two basic categories.  The dominant one is the lies.  Yes, most of it will be untainted by any slightest flavor of truth.  Value: zero.

But then, there are the true parts.  There'll be some of that, because they actually do want us to know, in general, that they're doing whatever they want.  It's useful for intimidation, and inculcating a sense of futility and despair.  But it's also necessary to remember that our rulers are human, too, and they have feelings.  And, for a good, warm-blooded tyrant, it's more fun to have your way with people if they know you're doing it.

Now, as we all know so well, the cure for every evil in a glorious duh-mocracy such as ours is located in the voting booth.  Why, we have a two-party system!  If we find our liberties being violated by those creepy old war-and-secrecy-loving Republicans, all we have to do is put the warm, nurturing Democratic Party in charge!  All we have to do is ...

... oh, wait, that's right.  Sorry.  My mistake.  Never mind.

The Meaning of Life

I'm going to tell you right here!  Well, not me, exactly.  I'll pass it along from Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, from the end of chapter 30 ("The Old Doctor") of his novel, Cancer Ward.  I think this may be the most beautiful and profound couple of paragraphs I've ever read, anywhere.

He had to take frequent rests nowadays.  His body demanded this chance to recoup its strength and with the same urgency his inner self demanded silent contemplation free of external sounds, conversations, thoughts of work, free of everything that made him a doctor.  Particularly after the death of his wife, his inner consciousness had seemed to crave a pure transparency.  It was just this sort of silent immobility, without planned or even floating thoughts, which gave him a sense of purity and fulfillment.

At such moments an image of the whole meaning of existence -- his own during the long past and the short future ahead, that of his late wife, of his young granddaughter and of everyone in the world -- came into his mind.  The image he saw did not seem to be embodied in the work or activity which occupied them, which they believed was central to their lives, and by which they were known to others.  The meaning of existence was to preserve unspoiled, undisturbed and undistorted the image of eternity with which each person is born.

Like a silver moon in a calm, still pond.

And there you have it.  Every now and then, calm down.  Be still.  And become a perfect mirror for that which you neither made, nor dreamed up.  And I'll try to do the same.