The Hollywood Liberal

Wal-Mart’s data center remains mystery

News With Views
Excerpt:
Wal-Mart’s ability to crunch numbers is a favorite of conspiracy theorists, and its data centers are the corporate counterpart to Area 51 at Groom Lake in the state of Nevada. According to one consumer activist, Katherine Albrecht, even the wildest conspiracy buff might be surprised at just how much Wal-Mart knows about its customers - and how much more it would like to know…..Albrecht, the consumer activist, said that when the contractor came to her with the story about Wal-Mart wanting to biometrically identify customers through video, one of the reasons given was to help law enforcement.
“You could search for all sales of a particular kind of rope and get a photo of who bought it,” she said. “On the other end, you could research all of the purchases of a particular individual, even if they paid in cash.”
Albrecht is the co-author of “Spychips,” about the use of RFID, or radio frequency identification devices, by the government and corporations to track individuals. She lives in Nashua, N.H., and is getting ready to receive a doctorate of education in consumer education.

IS ENGLAND A “DEAD LOSS?”

News With Views
Excerpt:
Families who live in desirable areas face massive increases in local taxes under a “Big Brother” scheme. Taxes will now be rated based on the following criteria (these are a few of the 287 factors to be considered);

• How many neighbors wear contact lenses
• How many vegetarians live nearby
• Which sports are watched
• Which charities they donate to
• The size of their phone bills
• The number of cars
• Whether they pay credit card balances in full
• Whether they invest in trust funds
• If they own garage door openers
• If they are considering switching gas or electric supplier
• If they are considering making a will
• If they suffer from back pain

Such a program could not be put into place if it weren’t for the massive data banks being accumulated on our every actions, from shopping at the super market to those incredibly invasive census surveys.

Fine Print in Defense Bill Opens Door to Martial Law

CQ.com
Excerpt:
Signed by President Bush on Oct. 17, the law (PL 109-364) has a provocative provision called “Use of the Armed Forces in Major Public Emergencies.”
The thrust of it seems to be about giving the federal government a far stronger hand in coordinating responses to Katrina-like disasters.
But on closer inspection, its language also alters the two-centuries-old Insurrection Act, which Congress passed in 1807 to limit the president’s power to deploy troops within the United States.
That law has long allowed the president to mobilize troops only “to suppress, in a State, any insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination, or conspiracy.”
But the amended law takes the cuffs off.
Specifically, the new language adds “natural disaster, epidemic, or other serious public health emergency, terrorist attack or incident” to the list of conditions permitting the President to take over local authority — particularly “if domestic violence has occurred to such an extent that the constituted authorities of the State or possession are incapable of maintaining public order.”

Since the administration broadened what constitutes “conspiracy” in its definition of enemy combatants — anyone who “has purposely and materially supported hostilities against the United States,” in the language of the Military Commissions Act (PL 109-366) — critics say it’s a formula for executive branch mischief.

Yet despite such a radical turn, the new law garnered little dissent, or even attention, on the Hill.

Iraq Study Group Won’t Rock the Boat

Helen Thomas in Truthout
Excerpt:
That public loyalty was on full display Wednesday in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Republics, when the former president was confronted by a female Arab critic during a question-and-answer session after he spoke at a leadership conference.
She bluntly told him: “We do not respect your son. We do not respect what he is doing all over the world.”
An Associated Press account said that Bush appeared stunned at the attack and the hostility of the audience that “whooped and whistled in approval.”
The nettled Bush replied: “My son is an honest man.”
This son is not going to back away. He’s not going to change his view because some poll says that, or some heartfelt comments from the woman who feels deeply in her heart about something.

H.L.s Take:
Here is a letter that was written in to Bartcop that reflects the real situation.

Subject: George W. Bush, has he ever not lied?
Bart, I just thought of one other time he didn’t lie.
Recently he said, “There will be no graceful exit from Iraq.”
That’s a true fact.
He screwed up Iraq so badly, that we can have no “graceful exit.”
Instead it will be another Bush disaster.
Everything Bush has touched has turned to shit.
Bill

George Bush Sr. is Satan, Jr. is only the son of satan. Sr. rolls with the Carlyle group who sells the weapons that are used to kill the innocent in Iraq. Why wouldn’t he lie about his murdering son?. It can’t be the money, he is in his 80’s and has all the money any small nation could ever want.

Bush aide: ‘We have not failed in Iraq’

AP
Excerpt:
“We have not failed in Iraq,” Stephen Hadley said as he made the talk show rounds. “We will fail in Iraq if we pull out our troops before we’re in a position to help the Iraqis succeed.”

But he added: “The president understands that we need to have a way forward in Iraq that is more successful.”

H.L.s Take:
If thats not failure, I’d hate to be around when their idea of failure does happen. So what does it take for them to consider themselves failures? Nucllear Armageddeon???

Rummy says we have to be careful of those people who attacked us and “shot down flight 93.”
No wonder why they had to get rid of him, he is starting to crack. He couldn’t it take it anymore and told Bush that Iraq wasn’t working. Mr. Stay the course himself telling Bush it wasn’t going to happen. Now he is warning telling us we have to be careful of the people that attacked us and shot down the plane, he means Bush, Cheney, Condi, Bush Sr. and himself.

Bush accepts Bolton’s U.N. resignation

Washington Post
Excerpt:
As late as last month, Bush, through his top aides, said he would not relent in his defense of Bolton, despite unwavering opposition from Democrats who view Bolton as too combative for international diplomacy.

H.L.s Take:
Bush put forced Bolton in with a recess appointment even though Congress voted against him. Now his time is up, and Congress again refuses to approve him. Bush wants to keep fighting but Bolton knows he can’t win. Too bad Bush doesn’t have that mentality.

Hey, Just a little note to let you all know that I am still alive. Sorry I haven’t posted in the past few days, just been so busy. Right now is the busy season in the Hollywood Post production industry, and they have been calling me into work every day. Also it was nice to get a break after 2 1/2 years of non stop posting. Today is the big College Football game of the year here in L.A. between USC, and UCLA, so I will be watching that, and tomorrow we have the powerhouse San Diego Chargers taking on The Buffalo Bills. I have both Ladainian Thomlinson, and Antonio Gates on my fantasy football team. In my big money league if I win my game tomorrow My team (The L.A. Rockers) will most likely be in the playoffs. Its been a tough year, since we are playing for money eveyone is super into it. I’ve had a tough time climbing back up to the top after my 0-3 start, but now the Rockers are prepared to go all the way.
I’ll be back Monday with more News and Politics. See you then