August 2006

There is no doubt that people are predicting an October Surprise this year. I have heard numerous ideas of what it might be ranging from the capture or killing of Osama to a drastic decrease in gas prices. While the later is seeming to come rather early, we are still left wondering what it could be.

Now here we are with September knocking down the door, and I believe I might have found the first major clue into what our October Surprise might entail. It starts with Donald Rumsfeld and his comments yesterday to the American Legion where he decided to equate people who disagrees with the administration's Iraq policy with those who questioned the threat of Nazism early last century. If you are unaware of the turmoil this has created then wake up. It has been all the talk of the day on every news channel, but don't despair because John has the video up.

So what does Rummy's comments yesterday have to do with an October Surprise? Everything in my mind. I am beginning to wonder if this is the start of setting the stage for the big pre-election fireworks show. Think back over the first part of this year where we heard countless generals call for Rumsfeld resignation and those calls were even echoed on both sides of the congressional floor.

Bush does have one thing he can consider successful in his Presidency and might lead to his legacy. That is his utmost devotion to cronyism and the adverse effect it has on our government services. We saw that a year ago with FEMA and today we get even more proof with this report by the Washington Post:

A year-long State Department investigation has found that the chairman of the agency that oversees Voice of America and other government broadcasting operations improperly used his office, putting a friend on the payroll and running a "horse-racing operation" with government resources.

The report, released yesterday, marks the second time in less than a year that an internal investigation has found evidence of rules violations by Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors.

In November, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting inspector general found that Tomlinson had made improper hires, had tried to tamper with PBS's TV programming and appeared to show political favoritism in selecting CPB's president while he was chairman, Tomlinson resigned his CPB post that same month.

The new allegations against Tomlinson, 62, stem from his chairmanship of the BBG, which oversees the federal government's array of international broadcasting services, including VOA, Radio and TV Marti in Cuba and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Tomlinson defended his performance as BBG chairman, saying, "I believe it will become clear that this [inspector general] investigation was inspired by partisan divisions."

Now things are starting to move in the right direction:

Two attorneys representing claimants in a lawsuit over wiretapping by the National Security Agency will subpoena the White House today, RAW STORY has learned.

Bruce Afran and Carl Mayer, who represent hundreds of plaintiffs in lawsuits against Verizon, AT&T, and the US Government, will announnce today that they are serving both the Bush administration and Verizon with subpoenas.

The announcement is due to arrive at 4:30 PM, outside of Verizon headquarters in New York, RAW STORY has confirmed.

The subpoenas come on the heels of two federal court decisions that were seen as blows to the Bush Administration warrantless spying program.

This will really get the apologists out there screaming and crying. It will be even more interesting if the courts uphold the subpoenas. You can bet the right will be calling for more ways to due away with the "judicial activists".

We really need to go after these threats to our country:

Jim Bensman thought his suggestion during a public hearing was harmless enough: Instead of building a channel so migratory fish could go around a dam on the Mississippi River, just get rid of the dam.

Instead, the environmental activist found himself in hot water, drawing FBI scrutiny to see whether he had any terrorist intentions.

The case "shows just how easy it is to be labeled a suspected terrorist," he says.

It all started on July 25 in Alton, Ill., when the Army Corps of Engineers invited public discussion about options for improving fish movement at the nearby Melvin Price Locks and Dam, considered a major impediment to roughly three dozen species that migrate upstream.

During the 90-minute hearing that included on the agenda whether to build a fish channel, Bensman says, he reiterated he's no fan of dams, contending they're environmentally destructive and amount to billions of dollars in corporate welfare for boating interests.

He urged that the dam be torn out. He said he never mentioned blowing the dam up, though the corps' presentation of possible options included a picture of a dam being dynamited.

The next day, however, a local newspaper reported that Bensman "said he would like to see the dam blown up and resents paying taxes to fix dam problems when it is barge companies that profit from the dam."

Workers at the corps' St. Louis office "took a dim view (of the article) and questioned if it was a potential threat," and a security manager forwarded the clipping to the FBI, said corps spokesman Alan Dooley.

Within days, the FBI had Bensman on the phone, asking whether he was any threat.