Cheney's no-fly zone

Dick Cheney is protected at his official residence because it's already in restricted airspace. He's also protected by flight restrictions over his Montana estate when he's there. Now, the AP reports that his new home on Chesapeake Bay in Maryland has been declared a no-fly zone all the time, whether he's there, at one of his other homes, in his reinforced bunker at an undisclosed location, or elsewhere. We all know that homeowner's insurance doesn't cover acts of war, and he's probably got some expensive china and lovely landscaping to protect, so of course I understand the necessity.

Pilots violating the one-mile radius could be shot down.

Does his neighborhood have a Neighborhood Watch? Can neighbors call a number at the Pentagon to report suspicious aircraft in the area? Can all Americans protect our homes not only with shotguns to ward off burglars, but also antiaircraft guns to defend against hostile aircraft?

I'm no expert in aviation, but I wonder what this new government regulation can really deter a terrorist intent on attacking Cheney's third house with an aircraft. Once he enters the one-mile radius, wouldn't he be able to strike his target within a few seconds even if alarms go off and the fighter jets start scrambling right away? It just seems like it couldn't possibly make a difference.

Maybe he just didn't like the noise of airplanes overhead, so he found a way to make it stop. Kind of like Mayor Forgey moving the bus stop to move the loitering riffraff away from town hall.

No Child Left Behind and military recruiting

I just learned something that really frosts my ass, to borrow a phrase from my dad. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which is the federal education law, requires schools--I almost can't even type this--requires schools to provide the names of students to military recruiters. Don't believe me? Here it is in all its glory, Section 9528 from page 112 of the NCLB Act on the Department of Education web site.

SEC. 9528. ARMED FORCES RECRUITER ACCESS TO STUDENTS AND STUDENT RECRUITING INFORMATION.

(a) POLICY-

(1) ACCESS TO STUDENT RECRUITING INFORMATION- Notwithstanding section 444(a)(5)(B) of the General Education Provisions Act and except as provided in paragraph (2), each local educational agency receiving assistance under this Act shall provide, on a request made by military recruiters or an institution of higher education, access to secondary school students names, addresses, and telephone listings.

(2) CONSENT- A secondary school student or the parent of the student may request that the student's name, address, and telephone listing described in paragraph (1) not be released without prior written parental consent, and the local educational agency or private school shall notify parents of the option to make a request and shall comply with any request.

(3) SAME ACCESS TO STUDENTS- Each local educational agency receiving assistance under this Act shall provide military recruiters the same access to secondary school students as is provided generally to post secondary educational institutions or to prospective employers of those students.

(b) NOTIFICATION- The Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, shall, not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, notify principals, school administrators, and other educators about the requirements of this section.

(c) EXCEPTION- The requirements of this section do not apply to a private secondary school that maintains a religious objection to service in the Armed Forces if the objection is verifiable through the corporate or other organizational documents or materials of that school.

(d) SPECIAL RULE- A local educational agency prohibited by Connecticut State law (either explicitly by statute or through statutory interpretation by the State Supreme Court or State Attorney General) from providing military recruiters with information or access as required by this section shall have until May 31, 2002, to comply with that requirement.

I know more about this law than most parents because I used to market informational booklets about it, yet I never even suspected it contained such a crass and offensive component.

The part about consent means that parents can get their kids off the list. See Leave My Child Alone for more info.

The Impeachable Speck

I just sent this email to my state representative:

Subject: Impeach the governor

Dear Representative Donelan,

I am appalled by the behavior of Governor Romney in recent months, and especially this past week. He has made disparaging remarks about our great commonwealth (often disguised as jokes) and the justices of our Supreme Judicial Court, and he has failed to defend the honor of our representatives in the United States Senate when they were insulted publicly (I'm referring to the "modern-day KKK" remark) at an event where the governor spoke. These acts and failures have come while he was pursuing his own personal gain as he seeks political support and monetary contributions for a future run for national office.

The Constitution says, "he should not have his attention necessarily diverted from that object [the public good] to his private concerns -- and that he should maintain the dignity of the commonwealth in the character of its chief magistrate...." This article, in establishing the rationale for providing the governor with a salary, also sets a high standard for his behavior--a standard that Governor Romney has failed to meet.

It is time for the house of representatives to investigate the governor's failure to maintain the dignity of the commonwealth.

Sincerely,

Bill Denneen
Greenfield

I'm tired of this guy putting down his own state for his own political gain. It's a violation of his duties as governor, and he should be held accountable for the damage he is doing.

The new Inquisition!

Italian newspapers are reporting that the Vatican has a new policy against homosexuality designed to reestablish purity in the priesthood. The flaws disqualifying potential priests include not only behavior deemed impure, but also "deep tendencies" and even support of gay rights (or "so-called gay culture" as they put it).

The best part is the Inquisition. They're actually starting to round up the offenders. From the Boston Globe report:

In September, the Vatican launched a review of 229 American seminaries, theology schools, and other institutions that train priests, aimed in part at looking for evidence of homosexuality.

This is reminiscent of an earlier quest to expunge impurities:

Ferdinand and Isabella appointed Tomás de Torquemada in 1481 to investigate and punish conversos — Jews and Moors (Muslims) who claimed to have "converted" to Catholicism but continued to practice their "former" religion in secret. Some disguised Jews had even been ordained as priests and even bishops....The Inquisition against the Conversos culminated in the expulsion of all of the Jews from Spain in 1492. (from Wikipedia)

So there were Catholics, even priests, who had deep Jewish tendencies and supported the so-called Jewish culture. The Inquisition sure took care of that problem, didn't it? (*sarcasm alert*)

Oy vey.

Cheney emerges from the shadows

It's refreshing to see Dick Cheney flushed out of his hole for a little while so we can see him in full daylight. The attention he is receiving from CIA Covert Agent Identity Revelation & Coverup-gate is a good thing for the country.

Columnist James Carroll offered a stinging review in today's Boston Globe of Cheney's entire public career. Some excerpts:

James Carroll
Boston Globe, Nov 7, 2005

When Rumsfeld became Gerald Ford's White House chief of staff, he again tapped Cheney as his deputy. Now they set out to destroy detente, the fragile new relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union....

When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, Cheney forged America's response -- which was, little over a month later, to wage an illegal war against Panama....

When the justification for the huge military machine over which Cheney presided disappeared, he leapt on the next casus belli -- Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait. Hussein, a former ally, was now Hitler....

The unsentimental Cheney, eschewing human rights rhetoric, was explicit in defining America's Gulf War interest as all about oil. (The oil industry having made Cheney rich.) Cheney's initiatives, more than any other's, defined the insult to the Arab world that spawned Al Qaeda....

When the World Trade Center towers were hit in New York, it was Cheney who told a shaken President Bush to flee....The 9/11 Commission found that, from the White House situation room, Cheney warned the president that a ''specific threat" had targeted Air Force One...There was no specific threat....In Bush's absence, Cheney, implying an authorizing telephone call from the president, took command of the nation's response to the crisis.

I know that with a Republican Congress he'll never get impeached like he deserves, but this stuff--especially the last item--ought to be investigated. Even a staunch conservative should be offended by Cheney's coup.

Last week I came up with an absurd theory (let me state that this is pure satire in case it's not obvious). The theory is this: after screwing up the Supreme Court nomination, Bush either has a fatal "accident" or is killed in the next "al Qaeda" attack. Cheney takes over, a national crisis spawns, bye-bye scandal. It hasn't happened, so I guess he figures Bush is still useful somehow. (End of absurd, satirical, hypothetical speculation.)