The US Has Always Been At War With Oceania

From anonymous sources to Trent Lott faster than you can spit.

USA Today, citing anonymous sources with direct knowledge of the arrangement, reported today that the phone companies turned the records over to the NSA. The spy agency has compiled a massive database with the information, the newspaper reported.

Lott said the story ``undermines'' the program, which he called ``legitimate and legal.''

So Lott is confirming a story that might be considered treasonous in the new dialectic. Could have said nothing and blamed USA Today for relying on anonymous sources. Nope. He went on Hardball, spilled the beans and then shit on Jeb Bush.

Wow. Bush's poll numbers must suck worse than we know.

It is always nice when my paranoia is confirmed. Luckily Stephen and his crew have made access to information even more difficult, so I have nothing to worry about up here. Nope. Ooh, a fluffy cloud. Look at that, willya?

Factual Myopia

Last week, or a year ago, (I can never tell when I am drunk) a well-meaning soul wrote in to the local rag and babbled on about how Canada was a Christian nation founded on Judeo-Christian values. These letters pop up every six months to remind us of how many people live without the benefit of reality in their daily lives. If only there were a way to search government documents from the safety of our homes...well, it would be worth a google dollars to do so.

Kidding aside, I ask you to peruse the founding document of our great land, the Constitutional Act, 1867. Please find god therein. Or words like "holy", "Christian", "Judeo", "sacred", or "Godzilla". And then please tell me that we live in a country based on Christian values. Of course, you can say that the Christian values are "unwritten", but then you might be in a bind.

I will happily admit that I am not a constitutional scholar, but I can work a search engine. God did not appear in documents relevant to the rule and running of our Blessed Country until 1982 (to be known as the Date of Shame on this blog).

Nice.

Military Rumours

FromDave at The Galloping Beaver blog :

There's something else I JUST heard this morning from a very reliable source in a CADPAT uniform: The Chief of Defence Staff has been told that the government wants to be assured that there will be at least 3 battalions ready to move on short notice for "domestic difficulties" and aid to the civil power this summer.

Take that as you wish.

No Exit Strategy

globeandmail.com : MacKay hints at longer Afghan commitment: "While progress may be slower than some would like, he said, “a certain degree of patience is required” to ensure the mission achieves its goal."

And what is the goal? Can we get the 5-point version, just like the "policy for dummies" guide that was handed out during the election?

For the sake of this argument, "fighting the global war on terrorism" will not be an allowed response for obvious reasons.

Tin Roof. Rusted.

Blog favourite Serena Williams is going to miss the French Open, Wimbledon, and the rest of the summer tennis season. Lucky for her sponsors and her Q rating, she will be better by the end of August; just in time for the US Open.

Sadly, Serena is another junker on the scrap heap of women's tennis. So many broken bodies. I guess Evert and Navratilova were a lot better than we thought. Or at least tougher.

Move over Jaegar, there is a new author in town.