My Remembrance of September 11, 2001 [Revisited]

Photo of United Airlines Las Vegas-based Flight Attendants'
memorial service at Sunset Park, September 2001
(Originally published in the Las Vegas Review-Journal)*

The following is my annual repost of my personal remembrance of September 11, 2001, with slight revisions and additions. . .

Today is the day when we look at the calendar, and nearly flinch. September 11, 2001 is distant to us in many ways, but now--amazingly--for the 11th time, we've all looked at that calendar page and have been taken back to where we were that morning.

I'm republishing my personal account of what happened to me that day, written in the early days of my blog. My story is no more special than yours, I know. But on a day when the date is sure to be used by many for political purposes, I wanted to have one post up that just remembers the day.

ORIGINALLY POSTED SEPTEMBER 11, 2007

Posts I've made today, and earlier in this blog's short history, have discussed or are related to 9/11. I'd rather not let the day go by without giving you the reader--and me the blogger--a little more, minus the political rhetoric.

I've become a deeply cynical person, you might say, at least as it regards politics. This is particularly true lately. But on Tuesday, September 11th, 2001 I wasn't thinking about any of that. Everyone who witnessed that day has their own story. Mine is no more relevant than yours, and is surely less traumatic than many.

I awoke that morning at my usual time, somewhere between 6:30 and 6:45 am. I had finished my morning ritual, and was just buttoning up my clothes when the phone rang. It was our friend, Larry, an American Airlines flight attendant, and he was crying. "Two planes have just hit the World Trade Center," he managed between sobs. This was startling news, but not yet sufficiently alarming for me to change my routine.

I passed the phone to The Other Half, and turned on the bedroom TV. There it was, and the slight alarm turned to a sinking feeling. This was big. We quickly learned that it was both United's and American Airlines' planes that hit the buildings, causing high alarm in the room, and on the other end of the phone. The Other Half, and our next-door neighbor/friend, were [and still are] both United flight attendants. And the neighbor was on a trip at an unknown location. My heart sank, and I nearly sobbed myself--with relief--that my partner was right there in the room with me, accounted for.

Not fully realizing the impact of what had happened, I began my journey to work. I switched on the radio, and was very shortly informed that the Pentagon was on fire. They did not yet know the cause. When I pulled into the parking lot at work, the radio announcer said that a plane was believed to have crashed in Pennsylvania. There was an erroneous report about an explosion somewhere else (maybe the White House?).  I said out loud, "the sky is falling." I fully expected at that point that a wave of attacks would continue throughout the morning. Thankfully, that did not come to pass.

Shortly after my arrival at work, The Other Half called, and told me one of the towers had fallen. Not long after, we heard the same about the other. We imagined the worst, that the buildings had fallen over, smashing all below. Thankfully, again, as bad as it was, it could have been worse.

We didn't get much work done that day. Someone went home and got a TV, and we spent much of our time in front of that fuzzy little picture. Later that day, we found that most of our friends, and their colleagues were accounted for. Our neighbor was stranded in New Orleans for over a week. We had quite the celebration upon his return.

The following days were surreal. I'd never seen Las Vegas without planes in the sky, and believe me, you notice. We watched hours upon hours of TV News, of course, like everyone else. And the casinos around town knee-jerk fired lots of people. We feared for our town.

Several days later, The Other Half went to a memorial service at Sunset Park, due east of McCarran Airport, with the Las Vegas United Airlines base crew. During the service, the first plane in days landed, flying right over the park. There was a swelling of spontaneous applause, as you'd imagine.

We were very lucky. We knew people who had friends-of-friends-of-friends who died that day, but fortunately (for our little world), were spared personal losses. One friend was quite well acquainted with one of the [United 93] pilots, and we had his wife to our house, but that was the extent of our direct contact. United, of course, had a very rocky ride of it, as did American. Many of the flight attendants left town, or left aviation. Las Vegas, predictably bounced back.

UPDATE, SEPTEMBER 11, 2008:

Las Vegas isn't feeling very bouncy this September 11th. Tourism is down, layoffs are widespread, hours (mine included) have been cut at many jobs. United Airlines and American Airlines are seemingly always under threat of going out of business. The neighbor moved to Florida not long after September 11th. The Other Half and I were married this year, and are doing well despite job worries. Whatever happens on November fourth, I think it will bookend 9/11/2001, and hopefully all of this will seem like a bygone era.

UPDATE, SEPTEMBER 11, 2009:

Things in Las Vegas haven't perked up much in the last year. We have, of course, moved from the Bush Era on into the Obama Era. It remains to be seen how that will play out. I'm not a lock-step liberal by any stretch, but I'm willing to give the President time and space.

UPDATE, SEPTEMBER 10, 2010:

Still waiting for the economy to pick up in Las Vegas, personally and city-wide. We lead the pack for foreclosures, unemployment and several other "worst of" lists. We did place first in a "best roads" in the US story, so that's something. All of these woes are put at the feet of: a) Barack Obama, if you are a partisan conservative, b) George W. Bush, if you're a partisan liberal, c) Harry Reid, if you're Sharron Angle, or d) the snowball effect of many factors, with blame to be shared by both political parties. I'm going with the last one. But I do have to wonder what the state of the economy and the United States in general might have been like if that clear blue skied Tuesday in September 2001 had been just an ordinary day.

UPDATE, SEPTEMBER 11, 2011: 

Wow, 10 years. There are parts of that day that seem eerily recent. And then you remember everything that has happened since. Our two (main) wars--started in the immediate aftermath of 9/11--are still going on in one form or other. The economy noted in the updates above, hasn't improved much. Las Vegas is hanging in there, but a bit beaten and battered. And as I noted in 2010, this economic pickle might have been a bit different were it not for that one day. Maybe we still would have had a housing bubble, maybe the bankers and corporate fat cats would've still been crooks. But the whole deficit/debt sideshow might've been in  much, much better shape. Ugh. I wish things were a bit rosier for the 10-year anniversary of that rotten day. Maybe the 20? Or dare I wish it, the 11th or 12th?

UPDATE, SEPTEMBER 11, 2012:

In my yearly updates, I see I've gotten away from "not being political." Sorry about that, but what can you do? Everything is political these days. In 2012, our household actually is better off than we were four years ago, with everything except housing values looking up. Everyone is looking toward November's election, but very little has been made this year about 9/11, other than that this year is the first (oops) second time it's happened on a Tuesday since that fateful day. Though American Airlines is in bankruptcy this year, but United seems to be doing well with its Continental merger. In good news, the Iraq War is over. Still don't know what that had to do with 9/11. And sadly, Captain Dahl's widow died this year, oddly enough at the house of a friend of ours. So, at eleven years and counting, it's kind of a mixed bag. Here's to the day when we have to think about it to remember how many years it's been.

* Full disclosure: photo contains an image of my husband, our friends and his co-workers.

War, War, What is it Good For? I Dunno. . .

Image from source, Wonkette

Have you ever had a major news issue that you couldn't form an opinion on?  That's the war in Afghanistan for me. I try to understand it, wrap my brain around it. And as soon as someone knowledgeable starts to explain things, my eyes roll back in my head, and I have a "Homer Simpson" moment, complete with a cartoon running in my brain. 

Bad news for my blog, since the General McChrystal Rolling Stone article, and its aftermath (including a possibly career ending meeting with the President, and our whole strategy in Afghanistan in flux) is practically all the news is about today. I even drifted off while trying to glean something from The Rachel Maddow Show.  So, what to do?  Well, how about something somewhat entertaining from Wonkette? That'll do.

[Excerpt]

What Is Going On With Our Imperial War In Afghanistan?



Robert Gibbs is on the teevee reading statements, about Afghanistan! Obama and Karzai had an iChat this morning and it was “very productive.” But what is the president’s reaction to all of these crazy Rolling Stone quotes? Well, says Gibbs, motherfucking Stanley McChrystal will have his skinny traitorous ass hauled before the President tomorrow and will then be executed in Utah, on Twitter. What a weird time. . .

Read more at: Wonkette

Eight Years Ago Today: Remembering 9/11

Today is the day when we look at the calendar, and nearly flinch. September 11, 2001 is distant to us in many ways, but now for the 8th time, we've all looked at that calendar page and have been taken back to where we were that morning.

I'm republishing my personal account of what happened to me that day, written in the early days of my blog. My story is no more special than yours, I know. But on a day when the date is sure to be used by many for political purposes, I wanted to have one post up that just remembers the day.

ORIGINALLY POSTED SEPTEMBER 11, 2007

Photo of United Airlines Las Vegas-based Flight Attendants' memorial service at Sunset Park, September 2001 (Originally published in the Las Vegas Review-Journal)*

Posts I've made today, and earlier in this blog's short history, have discussed or related to 9/11. I'd rather not let the day go by without giving you the reader--and me the blogger--a little more, minus the political rhetoric.

I've become a deeply cynical person, you might say, at least as it regards politics. This is particularly true lately. But on Tuesday, September 11th, 2001 I wasn't thinking about any of that. Everyone who witnessed that day has their own story. Mine is no more relevant than yours, and is surely less traumatic than many.

I awoke that morning at my usual time, somewhere between 6:30 and 6:45 am. I had finished my morning ritual, and was just buttoning up my clothes when the phone rang. It was our friend, Larry, an American Airlines flight attendant, and he was crying. "Two planes have just hit the Trade Center," he managed between sobs. This was startling news, but not yet sufficiently alarming for me to change my routine.

I passed the phone to The Other Half, and turned on the bedroom TV. There it was, and the slight alarm turned to a sinking feeling. This was big. We quickly learned that it was both United's and an American Airlines' planes that hit the buildings, causing high alarm in the room, and on the other end of the phone. The Other Half, and our next-door neighbor/friend, were both United flight attendants. And the neighbor was on a trip at an unknown location. My heart sank, and I nearly sobbed myself--with relief--that my partner was right there in the room with me, accounted for.

Not fully realizing the impact of what had happened, I began my journey to work. I switched on the radio, and was very shortly informed that the Pentagon was on fire. They did not yet know the cause. When I pulled into the parking lot at work, the radio announcer said that a plane was believed to have crashed in Pennsylvania. I said out loud, "the sky is falling." I fully expected at that point that a wave of attacks would continue throughout the morning. Thankfully, that did not come to pass.

Shortly after my arrival at work, The Other Half called, and told me one of the towers had fallen. Not long after, we heard the same about the other. We imagined the worst, that the buildings had fallen over, smashing all below. Thankfully, again, as bad as it was, it could have been worse.
We didn't get much work done that day. Someone went home and got a TV, and we spent much of our time in front of that fuzzy little picture. Later that day, we found that most of our friends, and their colleagues were accounted for. Our neighbor was stranded in New Orleans for over a week. We had quite the celebration upon his return.

The following days were surreal. I'd never seen Las Vegas without planes in the sky, and believe me, you notice. We watched hours upon hours of TV News, of course, like everyone else. And the casinos around town knee-jerk fired lots of people. We feared for our town.

Several days later, The Other Half went to a memorial service at Sunset Park, due east of McCarren Airport, with the Las Vegas United Airlines base crew. During the service, the first plane in days landed, flying right over the park. There was a swelling of spontaneous applause, as you'd imagine.

We were very lucky. We knew people who had friends-of-friends-of-friends who died that day, but fortunately (for our little world), were spared personal losses. One friend was quite well acquainted with one of the pilots, and we had his wife to our house, but that was the extent of our direct contact. United, of course, had a very rocky ride of it, as did American. Many of the flight attendants left town, or left aviation. Las Vegas, predictably bounced back.

UPDATE, SEPTEMBER 11, 2008:

Las Vegas isn't feeling very bouncy this September 11th. Tourism is down, layoffs are widespread, hours (mine included) have been cut at many jobs. United Airlines and American Airlines are seemingly always under threat of going out of business. The neighbor moved to Florida not long after September 11th. The Other Half and I were married this year, and are doing well despite job worries. Whatever happens on November fourth, I think it will bookend 9/11/2001, and hopefully all of this will seem like a bygone era.

UPDATE, SEPTEMBER 11, 2009:

Things in Las Vegas haven't perked up much in the last year. We have, of course, moved from the Bush Era on into the Obama Era. It remains to be seen how that will play out. I'm not a lock-step liberal by any stretch, but I'm willing to give the President time and space.

* Full disclosure: photo contains picture of my husband, our friends and his co-workers.

9/11, Truthers, The Real Story, and Lingering Doubts

The memory of 9/11 is still fresh or nearly so to many of us. More than the actual damage and casualties, I think we remember the sense of dread, the expectation that more was coming. It was a true "the sky is falling" feeling. Looking back, the actual number of human losses and the amount of destruction was bad, but not unprecedented by war or natural disaster. But that September morning will live on for its power to draw strong reactions from people.

This past week, The National Geographic Channel aired a special called 911: Science and Conspiracy, which I finally got around to watching today. I've been bothered by many parts of the official story for a very long time, and will confess flirting with the "truther" movement. I even wrote a post about it early in this blog's history, which I most recently revised and reposted here: 9/11 Conspiracy Theories, Redux. My personal views on 9/11 have evolved even further along since then.

Having since been exposed to the "birther" and "deather" craziness this year, I've seen the commonalities and pitfalls of conspiracy theories, and what the key problems are with any theorist. As I see it, conspiracy theorists undo themselves when they try too hard to come up with alternate narratives to the "official stories." It is all well and good to point out the flaws in any given history. When someone tries to paint an alternate timeline--and especially when they get too wedded to it--that is when it becomes easy to punch holes in their theories.

Equally damaging to any theory is the fact that each one gathers barnacles of crazy. A sensible supposition will get buried under whack-a-doodle nutball debris. And then the whole theory gets labeled as paranoid delusion, even if an element of it is compelling. What's more, it is very easy to be pulled under that pile of debris, and not notice at first. Once you buy the central premise: "We have not been told the truth," and then you hear one reasonable sounding element of a theory, you are on the hook. Sometimes, every further element of the story can set that hook even deeper.

911: Science and Conspiracy is a documentary that seeks to debunk key theories around 9/11. Scientific experiments are conducted that apparently contradict the main core of the Truther movement. Not surprisingly, the interviewed Truthers are not swayed by the experiments. But my problems with the official story of 9/11 is not addressed by the film.

My problem has nothing to do with the planes (real or simulated) or the collapses of buildings (imploded or not). My problem has to do with the fact that our two most strategic cities were attacked by four planes piloted by inexperienced pilots, and three out of four succeeded. Planes were on radar, and were known to be hijacked at various points. Nobody and nothing intercepted them. And outside of a few sources, we have almost no public released record of the events. The first plane to hit the World Trade Center was accidentally captured by a documentarian. The second plane had more views, since television news crews were trained on the first incident. But the Pentagon plane? We have one set of fuzzy, inconclusive shots from a gas station or something. Why?

I am unconvinced that the Pentagon has such crappy surveillance of its property. And I'm unconvinced that our government would be powerless to stop at least one of these planes. So my level of "trutherness" is pretty reasonable, I think. No missing planes, no huge number of accomplices. I just think that yes our government at the time contained enough evil to allow or to participate in such a thing.

Conspiracy Corner: 9/11 Thoughts

I haven't gotten sucked into the "President Obama isn't a citizen" conspiracy theory. Far from it, the more that I read, the more that I'm convinced that it is a ridiculous--not to mention racist--belief. But I haven't shaken off the 9/11 truthers. Well, I should explain. I don't believe some of the nuttier stuff. And I wouldn't want to extrapolate, and posit my own conclusions, because, I simply don't know enough. But I'm still convinced that the story as we've been told it is not the whole and complete truth.

The hardest part to believe, from the official story, is that Washington D.C. and New York City--arguably our most important defensive targets--were completely defenseless from a few hijackers. More than that, it is difficult to believe that the Pentagon was dive-bombed inches from the ground by an inexperienced pilot, and the only images we have are from a still-motion video camera at (what?) a gas station or something? I may be fuzzy on the details, but I'm not fuzzy on the evidence that has been presented: a blurry, inconclusive series of still shots.

Now before you think I'm a total nut, I don't subscribe to the "there were no planes!" crowd. I think disposing of perfectly good planes full of citizens, while faking the rest seems massively over-complicated. But somebody, please tell me why, at the US Pentagon we don't have video footage from every angle, conclusively showing that plane hitting the building? For all the ridiculous "just show us the birth certificate, and it'll all go away" comments from the "birther" movement, why haven't we seen a clear, obvious video of the Pentagon attack? Just wonderin'. . .

And here is the comment that led to this pondering, from Raw Story's comments:

. . .look at the facts. Building 7 fell without being hit by a plane, and the most videotaped airspace in the world (D.C.) failed to present one video that showed definitive proof the the pentagon was hit by a plane.

Source: RawStory

Get Ready For Judgment Day; Pentagon Approves "Cyber Command"

Image from Nerdles.com

OK, I'll admit, the excerpted story below does not posit an entirely computer-run "SkyNet." But something about the phrasing of the headline gave be a big "oh noes" feeling anyway. And all of this talk about computer systems being probed sure sounds like something out of the Terminator series, doesn't it? Only which John Conner will save us?

[Excerpt]

Pentagon approves creation of cyber command

The Pentagon will create a Cyber Command to oversee the U.S. military's efforts to protect its computer networks and operate in cyberspace, under an order signed by Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Tuesday. . .

Read more at: Reuters

2,000 Photos of Torture Abuses?

Image from source, RawStory

And the hits just keep on coming. And seemingly, the release of this information is worse than the reality that it happened, if you believe the right-wing. If we keep hearing more of this, how long can the Obama Administration stall on investigations?

[Excerpt]

Pentagon may have up to 2,000 photographs of prisoner abuse

The Pentagon will release for the first time 44 photographs depicting prisoner abuse after the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) won a court ruling in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed in 2004.

A "substantial number of other images" are also being processed for release, the Department of Justice wrote in a letter to a US federal court: according to the Guardian, citing an unnamed official, that "substantial number" could be as many as 2,000 photos. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Pentagon Defies Congressional Subpoena

Photo from source, TPM Muckraker

Notice to Congress: This is what happens when you let the Bush Administration defy Congress again and again. Harriet Miers and Joshua Bolten defied subpoenas, claiming "executive privilege." Karl Rove defied his, and denies that he's using executive privilege. . .he just thinks he's beyond the law. A judge has ruled that the excuse doesn't work anyway, but what's being done about it? More threats, more deadlines. But no teeth.

Now, the Pentagon is getting in on the act, and John Conyers is not amused. But what did he expect? He's had the power for months to haul Miers, Bolten and Rove before the Congress and charge them with inherent contempt. But he hasn't. And now they're all thumbing their noses at you. Congress had better stand up for themselves soon, before it is too late. If it already isn't.

[Excerpt]

Defying Subpoena, DoD Orders Sexual Assault Program Chief Not To Testify Before Congress

The Pentagon defied a Congressional subpoena yesterday by refusing to let the head of its sexual assault program testify at an oversight hearing about sexual assault in the military.
The House panel had issued a subpoena for Dr. Kaye Whitley, the director of the Defense Department's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office. . .

Read more at: TPM Muckraker

Pentagon Lost Track of $15 Billion: Whoops!

One of the favorite complaints by conservatives is how their tax dollars are spent. That makes sense, because they spend so much of their time and energy cutting down the number of dollars they actually have to pay in taxes. So, the dollars they can't protect become paramount--or so they say.

They whine about tax dollars going to school programs they disagree with, or "entitlements" for the "undeserving" (somehow Social Security Insurance goes into this category), anything to do with benefits for gay people, or controversial art projects. And yet, mysteriously, the incredible cost of the Iraq War gets left out of their spending worries. Much like it gets left out of the budget. It's incredibly hypocritical, and also predictable. Now, the Pentagon has lost $15 billion dollars. Conservatives will shrug, but then likely trumpet McCain's campaign issue of "cutting earmarks." Penny-wise and pound foolish? Or just foolish?

Shit, when I worked for a bank, I got put on probation for cashing a fraudulent $300 check. This was after saving the bank from a $2,500 loss, too. Is anyone being reprimanded--at least--at the Pentagon for this little bitty $15B error?

[Excerpt]

Spending On Iraq Poorly Tracked

The inspector general for the Defense Department said yesterday that the Pentagon cannot account for almost $15 billion worth of goods and services ranging from trucks, bottled water and mattresses to rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns that were bought from contractors in the Iraq reconstruction effort. . .

Read more at: Washington Post

Pentagon Propaganda Comparred to Liberal Bloggers

Um, what? Yeah, our government actively participating--at the highest levels--in a propaganda campaign to sell a war is exactly like what I'm doing here right now. The mind wobbles.

[Excerpt]




White House: Pentagon Propaganda Program Similar To Writing For A ‘Liberal Blog’

Earlier this month, the Pentagon released a document dump in response to the New York Times’s expose on its military analyst program. The documents raise questions about White House involvement in the program, which it previously denied. [snip]

In today’s White House briefing, a reporter asked spokesperson Scott Stanzel about these e-mails and meetings. Without denying White House involvement, Stanzel defended the program, saying it is the equivalent of giving information to someone who writes for a “liberal blog”. . .

Read more at: Think Progress

Thanks to Stupid Monkey Planet for the link.

John Kerry's Petition to Investigate Propaganda

If you're like me, you've been getting emails from John Kerry since about 2003. Since some time. . .oh, in November of 2004, I've been largely ignoring them. Here's one I shouldn't, and neither should you. Take a look, and sign the petition.

[From John Kerry Email]

Help get an investigation of the Pentagon pundit program

Nearly two weeks ago, the New York Times reported on a covert Pentagon plan in, “an effort to transform the analysts into a kind of media Trojan horse — an instrument intended to shape terrorism coverage from inside the major TV and radio networks." The goal of this program: get coverage favorable to Bush Administration policies.

But since that story, there's been little effort to find out more about this program, and essentially zero coverage of the revelation on television news.

With a near total blackout on the story from the television news networks, we need the American people to demand answers!

Sign the petition here.

Thanks to Stupid Monkey Planet for the idea.

Arianna Huffington: Shameful Days & Propaganda

Photo from New York Times

A couple of weeks ago, it was discovered that the Bush Pentagon, in the run-up to and aftermath of the Iraq invasion, "seeded" the media with military analysts. These were men being touted by the media as experts, when they were in fact repeating Bush Administration talking points.

Below, Arianna Huffington asks, why the hell isn't the media all over this, now that it's out? They were taken for rubes. We were all taken for suckers. The Bush Administration is caught in a whopping web of lies and propaganda. It's a clear cut case of Rovian tactics, and it's right there for them to sieze. But they don't. We get endless blather about Barack Obama's pastor instead. I agree with Arianna, I mean seriously, WTF?

[Excerpt]

Shameful Days: Why Won't The Media Pursue the Pentagon Propaganda Scandal?

The last ten days have been among the most shameful in the history of American journalism.

On April 20th, the New York Times published its expose of the Bush administration's use of Pentagon-approved, prepped, and financially-enriched "military analysts" to appear on TV to help sell the invasion of Iraq, and then put a positive spin on the occupation -- even as conditions on the ground deteriorated. . .

Read more at: Huffington Post

Pentagon Using FBI to Spy on Americans?

Image from source, Raw Story

It's hard to muster outrage anymore. It's just one thing after another. I wonder if all my bluster, and the much louder bluster of other liberal bloggers is just us whistling in the dark. I mean, what can't our government do? What parts of the Constitution are even still valid?

And a bigger question. If Bush or his governmental departments deem something to be "legal," or "Constitutional," but the Supreme Court and or Justice Department have never ruled on it, can we get these guys one day?

[Excerpt]

Documents show Pentagon now using FBI to spy on Americans

ACLU obtains documents after suit over National Security Letters

The military is using the FBI to skirt legal restrictions on domestic surveillance to obtain private records of Americans' Internet service providers, financial institutions and telephone companies, according to Pentagon documents. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Pentagon Puts Iraq/Al Qaeda Report on the Down Low

Photo from source, TPM Muckraker

Here we go again. And why? Every educated person knows there was no Iraq/Al Qaeda connection before 9/11. But the Bush Pentagon backtracked on their plans anyway, and have made it much more difficult for us to find out what the report proving that has to say.

This is one in a long series of the Bush Administration's attempts at keeping the public in the dark. I often wonder if the reason people aren't just enraged by their actions is lack of knowledge (a huge reason I continue posting these pieces), or if they just don't care.

[Excerpt]

Pentagon Tries to Squelch Report Showing No Link Between Iraq-Al Qaeda

Did you think that just because taxpayers funded a study that showed conclusively there was no operational link between Saddam Hussein's Iraq and Al Qaeda that it would be released without a fuss? Well, this is the Bush administration we're talking about here -- a group who've shown themselves over the years to be masters at disappearing inconvenient information. It looks like we've got another addition to our ever-growing catalog. . .

Read more at: TPM Muckraker

More Spying. . .Surprise!

Image from source, RawStory.com

Hey, if you've done nothing wrong, you've got nothing to hide, right? Right? Honestly, how does anybody trust this administration any more?

[Excerpt]

Pentagon acted with little oversight in spying on Americans, documents show

The Department of Defense has conspired with the FBI to "circumvent the law" in accessing hundreds of Americans' telephone, e-mail and financial records, say two civil liberties groups that released reams of new documents obtained in a contested public records request.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which has challenged the Bush Administration's post-Sept. 11 spying authority, says the Pentagon has issued 455 National Security Letters in concert with the FBI to obtain Americans' private information it is not entitled to receive. . .

Read more at: RawStory.com

Pentagon: Gays Encouraged to Serve Nation After Discharge

Photo from PageOneQ

I happened upon this interesting article at PageOneQ. Maybe this is a first step in finally getting rid of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell?"

The Pentagon, in a policy obtained by The Advocate, has indicated that lesbian and gay military personnel who are discharged under the Don't Ask, Don't Tell law are qualified to continue to serve the nation. A copy of the Pentagon policy, included in a statement released by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, now states, "These separated members have the opportunity to continue to serve their nation and national security by putting their abilities to use by way of civilian employment with other Federal agencies, the Department of Defense, or in the private sector, such as with a government contractor.” Read more at: PageOneQ