Movable Thoughts

At the Fiesta Hermosa, I'm introducing my new calendar for the rest of 2006. Seven months of beach scenery, individually printed on heavyweight paper and suitable for framing. The calendar is available at the Fiesta for $20 and comes with a coupon for 20% off the 2007 calendar.

You can see a larger version of the seven individual sheets here.

The calendar is not on my website yet (too busy preparing for the Fiesta!), but if you'd like one and can't make it to the Fiesta please email me and I'll get back to you after the weekend craziness is over.

Posted by hermosawave at 09:00 PM | Permalink

Thirty-four years ago on May 26, 1972, the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty was signed by U.S. and U.S.S.R. The two countries agreed not to build defensive missile systems and thus to limit escalation of the nuclear arms race. If either side deployed defensive missiles, the other would be forced to respond by increasing the number, explosive yield or effectiveness of their offensive nuclear capabilities to maintain the balance of nuclear deterrence.

This treaty was abrogated by President George W. Bush in the first months of his presidency.

Posted by hermosawave at 03:24 PM | Permalink

Former AT&T technician Mark Klein describes the splitting off most all internet traffic to computers running the government's NSA domestic surveillance program in these documents published on wired.com

Read through these documents and you'll see there can be no possible legal argument to justify this massive amount of government spying on innocent citizens.

No wonder the government wants to invoke the "military and state secrets privilege." They can't possibly win if a judge is allowed to rule on the merits of the case, so their strategy is to prevent the judge from issuing a ruling at all.

Update: AT&T was also trying to get the case thrown out because of trade secrets, but the judge denied this today. Judge Vaughn Walker will consider the state secrets motion on June 21st.

Posted by hermosawave at 11:56 AM | Permalink

In April, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed a lawsuit against AT&T for allegedly intentionally diverting traffic to the National Security Agency (NSA) in order to assist the secretive agency's covert surveillance program.

Last Saturday, the Department of Justice filed a motion to have the case thrown out by asserting the "military and state secrets privilege."

"Only the United States [aka, The Government] is in a position to protect against the disclosure of information over which it has asserted the state secrets privilege, and the United States is the only entity properly positioned to explain why continued litigation of the matter threatens the national security."

So in other words, the Government says that we-the-people cannot find out if they tapped our phones, because it's secret. And if they say it's a secret, then it's a secret and no one can ever find out.

This is logic only Stalin and Hitler could appreciate.

The judge in the case, Vaughn Walker, will hold a hearing on the DoJ's motion June 21st. Will he decide that the people's right to know trumps the government's right to keep a secret?

More background about the NSA's domestic spying program...

Posted by hermosawave at 09:26 PM | Permalink

Even if you're willing to permit the government a certain amount of leeway to conduct the war on terrorism, can you really say you're comfortable with the government listening in on all your emails, phone calls and other communication? How about your cellphone and Blackberry?

An interview with intelligence expert Matthew Aid in Salon indicates that even with all the current revelations about the NSA spying on domestic citizens there is still more spying that has yet to come to light.

Mr. Aid says we will look back at this period, "as one of the darkest eras of American history." It is obvious to anyone with a pulse that it is that. My only question is, when will it end?

Posted by hermosawave at 09:48 AM | Permalink

USA Today reports that the National Security Agency, already under fire for monitoring various activities of innocent American citizens, has been secretly collecting the call records of tens of millions of Americans, thanks to the cooperation of AT&T, Verizon and Bell South.

President Bush responding to questions today did not deny the existence of such a database.

Gen Michael Hayden, the man who headed the NSA when the data-mining operation was allegedly launched, was nominated this week to head the CIA. Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein warned the latest allegations would "present a growing impediment to the confirmation".

I certainly hope so.

Posted by hermosawave at 11:47 AM | Permalink

It was Aloha Sharkeez this morning as the popular Pier Plaza restaurant caught fire, captured here by Hermosa resident W. Carter.

Evidently, a large supply of alcohol in the attic fueled the fire for a long time.

Posted by hermosawave at 02:34 PM | Permalink