While I am busy with my authoring activities, my husband, who believes equally in this thread, has volunteered to take time out from his writing and website building activities to help keep us informed on relevant happenings. (Hopefully, the temporary assistance of a "Boomer Male" will not offend anyone.) The following is his summary:

Item 1:

CNN Headline news reported on TV that if you have visited the NSA site recently, you probably had a tracking cookie downloaded to your computer. The use of these cookies was previously legally banned. The NSA said they weren't aware of the tracking cookie being used - it was part of an upgrade to their website. If you visited the NSA site, you can check to see if you have these cookies by going to your browser's tools/Internet option menu.

To delete a cookie

1. In Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
2. On the General tab, click Settings, and then click View files.
3. Select the cookie you want to delete, and then, on the File menu, click Delete.

Yahoo news also carried a brief article on the NSA cookies:

NSA stops using web cookies on NSA.gov after privacy protests
Snip from AP story:

http://www.boingboing.net/2005/12/29/nsa_stops_using_web_.html

quote:
". . . it does show a general lack of understanding about privacy rules when they (NSA) are not even following the government's very basic rules for Web privacy."
The NYTimes also carried the story:
Spy Agency Removes Illegal Tracking Files
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/29/national/29cookies.html


Item 2:

Last night, the TV news also reported that the intrepid would-be terrorist (discovered through NSA wiretaps) who was going to attempt to destroy the Brooklyn Bridge by cutting it apart with a blow torch is filing a lawsuit against the US. This could be interesting - if it is found that his rights of privacy were infringed, it would be the first instance indicating that the NSA unwarranted wiretaps are actually illegal.


Item 3:

This correlates with item 2 - An interesting political cartoon by Pat Oliphant. See:

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/uclickcomics/20051228/cx_po_uc/po20051228


Item 4:

Some comments had been made on the thread in defense of a strong and robust economy. The following is from CNN's website, business section:

Risky business in 2006? Could be
http://money.cnn.com/2005/12/29/news/economy/slowdown_2006/index.htm?cnn=yes

quote:
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - The bond market's signal of slower economic growth ahead sent shivers through financial markets this week and raised questions about the strength of the current expansion.
Personal comment: This article may also be a reflection of how well the "corporate citizen", as compared to the average "private citizen", has been treated by the administration.


Item 5:

This article is not specific to the eavesdropping issue. It does, however, address Vi's recent statement about "power corrupts". The article is 7 pages long, nevertheless, it's a very interesting side-bar:

Abramoff probe spells trouble for Congress

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10621077/

quote:
"This could be the Enron of lobbying," Ring told the colleague.
Item 6:

This article addresses Bush Administration restrictions placed on the 40 year old "Freedom of Information Act". You may have to be a registered member (registration is free) of the NYTimes to actually get access to this story:

The Mounting Powers of Secrecy
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/29/opinion/29thu4.html?th&emc=th&oref=login


quote:
At the heart of this thickening veil are direct presidential orders and former Attorney General John Ashcroft's blanket assurance of legal defense to any agency erring on the side of secrecy in sealing off documents. This reversed the Clinton administration's "presumption of disclosure" when it came to public requests. The 9/11 commission has already pointed out that this general retreat from the intent of the law hardly discourages terrorists; in fact, it was the government's internal failure to share information that contributed to that tragedy.
That's all he came across today. He hopes you enjoy the read and wishes all of the Ladies a pleasant day.

Ladybug and Bluebird, you both made good points. Thank you for continuing the thread. My tasks are going well and progressing quickly. I'll be back in full force as soon as I can.

[ December 29, 2005, 07:09 PM: Message edited by: Vi ]