So much has happened this year. There are so many things we've learned, a lot of which tell me some elements of humanity are functioning far below their capacity. I'm not talking about innate intellectual ability here. I'm talking about individual progression along the path of becoming a better person, a higher soul.

Below are news items for the day - compliments of the lovely soul who shares my life.

Item 1:

From the NYTimes - yesterday they were silent on the matter; today they are not. This 2 page article is recommended reading.:
Criminal Inquiry Opens Into Spying Leak
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/31/politics/31inquire.html?th&emc=th

Personal comment:: I believe the following could raise a bit of conjecture:

quote:
"The leaking of classified information is a serious issue," said the spokesman, Trent Duffy.

"The fact is that Al Qaeda's playbook is not printed on Page 1, and when America's is, it has serious ramifications. You don't need to be Sun Tzu to understand that," he said, referring to the Chinese warrior who wrote "The Art of War."

The president last week denounced in strong language the leaking of information about the agency's program, saying: "My personal opinion is it was a shameful act for someone to disclose this very important program in a time of war. The fact that we're discussing this program is helping the enemy."
Where is the administrations denouncement of the Valerie Plame leak - especially considering that Libby has been indicted, the investigation is still ongoing with possible implications for Rove, Bush's claim that no one on his staff was involved in that leak and his promise to "take action" against anyone who was involved? I may be wrong, but I see this as Bush's ongoing "diversion and deceit" tactics from the "real news" - in this case, that Bush may have broken the law with his unwarranted eavesdropping. For those who believe Bush can do no wrong, this is just another rallying point for them to jump on the bandwagon - a wagon that continually runs on flat tires.

quote:
"President Bush broke the law and lied to the American people when he unilaterally authorized secret wiretaps of U.S. citizens," said Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union. "But rather than focus on this constitutional crisis, Attorney General Gonzales is cracking down on critics of his friend and boss. Our nation is strengthened, not weakened, by those whistle-blowers who are courageous enough to speak out on violations of the law.

"Marc Rotenberg, the executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington, said his group believed "the priority at this point for the Department of Justice should be the appointment of an independent prosecutor to determine whether federal wiretap laws were violated" by the security agency program, not the leak inquiry.
An additional point of interest:

quote:
Tom Devine, legal director of the Government Accountability Project, a nonprofit law firm that defends whistle-blowers, said his group would not object to a limited investigation of the leak of classified information. "But if they do a blanket witch hunt, which I fear," he said, "it would trample all over good government laws" intended to protect government workers who expose wrongdoing.

"The whole reason we have whistle-blower laws is so that government workers can act as the public's eyes and ears to expose illegality or abuse of power," Mr. Devine said.
And here's a bit of conjecture. Cheney says he can't talk about it, yet he can admit to the events happening (as long as he can do some "finger pointing and criticism").

quote:
While President Bush has focused his ire on whoever leaked the information, Vice President Cheney, in remarks to reporters on Dec. 20, was critical of The Times as well. Reiterating that the administration had asked the newspaper not to publish the article, Mr. Cheney said: "Eventually they ran it. I think that's unfortunate. I think it damages national security."

A Justice Department official, asked whether the investigation would examine the newspaper's publication of the information in addition to any government employees who might have leaked it, said he could not comment on any aspect of the investigation.
Item 1A: MSNBC's article on the above:
Justice Dept. to probe leak of spy program
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10651154/


Item 2: Again from the NYTimes - not specifically about NSA or eavesdropping, but rather, "favoring big-money politics over the voters."
Conspiring Against the Voters
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/31/opinion/31sat3.html?th&emc=th

quote:
By endorsing them, the president has finally shown his commitment to bipartisanship in the worst of ways: by installing another undistinguished group of factotums to referee the democratic process.
Item 3: Again from the NYTimes. A 2 page article on Bush's plans for the future - the good(?), the bad and the ugly - recommended reading. To me, it shows the gullibility of many of his followers to empty words on distorted principles, but what do I know? . . . I'm only coming to my own conclusions, based on reported statements.

President Uses a Quiet Vacation To Prepare an Ambitious Agenda
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/01/politics/01bush.html


Item 4: From USA Today. Again in reply to how "great" our economy is doing.

Wall Street is road to nowhere for indexes
http://www.usatoday.com/money/markets/us/2005-12-30-stocks_x.htm?csp=24

quote:
This year was marked by skyrocketing energy prices, a slowing economy, hot-and-cold inflation threats and the Federal Reserve steadily raising interest rates — all of which made investors nervous over the state of the economy and kept stocks volatile but ultimately little changed since the end of 2004.
Item 5: From Reuters, and again in reply to how "great" our economy is doing.

Are bears roaming Broad & Wall?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051231/bs_nm/column_stocks_outlook_dc

quote:
Instead, thin volume led to volatile movements in stock prices, while crude oil futures climbed back above $60 a barrel, and the bond market began to behave as if the U.S. economy faces trouble.
An additional quote:

quote:
DANGEROUS CURVE

On Tuesday, the two-year U.S. Treasury note's yield rose above the benchmark 10-year Treasury note's yield, inverting the yield curve for the first time in five years.

Previous inversions have typically signaled a slowing economy or recession.

In the week to come, investors will likely be mulling over whether this time around, the inverted yield curve means the economy is headed for a slowdown or whether heavy foreign buying of U.S. Treasury debt has distorted its meaning.
Personal comment: The article also mentions that Christmas spending did not turn out to be what retailers had hoped (except maybe for Walmart). Could it be that the economy is so "great" that average people like you and me couldn't afford to spend much? Also, some may say the stock market is not an indicator of the state of the economy, but if your 401k and your company pension plan and most other aspects of your savings are tied directly or indirectly to the stock market, I can't help but wonder . . . .


Item 5A: Again from Reuters, but on something that will definitely effect the economy.

Fuel rules mean no relief for oil prices in 2006
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051230/bs_nm/energy_outlook_oil_dc


Item 6: The year in review. I came across too many "year in review" articles to start listing all of them. They all touched on the items in this thread. I suggest you read a few on your own - a trend is sure to quickly emerge.


Item 7: An additional few thoughts on yesterday's Abramoff article - "tangled is the web we weave . . . . "
An extensive web of financial ties
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10657504/from/RS.2/


Item 8: This story is not about "cookies" like the NSA used. It is about "bugs" the White House website leaves on your computer when you visit the site. Either way, I still see it as an unwarranted invasion.
White House to keep using Web tracking
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10644090/

quote:
The White House’s site uses what’s known as a Web bug — a tiny graphic image that’s virtually invisible — to anonymously keep track of who’s visiting and when. The bug is sent by a server maintained by an outside contractor, WebTrends Inc., and lets the traffic-analysis company know that another person has visited a specific page on the site.
That's it for today. have a pleasant day, Ladies.
:-P)


It is heartening to find other women who are willing to explore this topic. Thank you for your interest and participation. Here's hoping the coming year brings light to all the dark places, to the places where illegal and harmful things are being done in secret, so we can clear them up and move forward toward a positive future.

Vi