Bad Deeds for 1-14-2008

US Drafting Plan to Allow Government Access to Any Email or Web Search – National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell is drawing up plans for cyberspace spying that would make the current debate on warrantless wiretaps look like a “walk in the park.” McConnell is developing a Cyber-Security Policy, still in the draft stage, which will closely police Internet activity. Ed Giorgio, who is working with McConnell on the plan, said that would mean giving the government the authority to examine the content of any e-mail, file transfer or Web search

Fox News: We Report — Even if We Know It’s False – Fox News reported that Paul Begala was joining Sen. Hillary Clinton’s campaign. Fox News never even tried to contact Begala to verify their story. Many other networks, magazines and newspapers did call Begala to ask if the story was true. But not Fox News. After Begala told Fox it wasn’t true, they kept reporting it anyway. In fact, Fox’s Garrett told Begala that he’d “take it under advisement.” Take it under advisement? Fox now knew their story was flatly, factually wrong, and they took it “under advisement.”

Bill O’Reilly Says He Should be on the Supreme Court – And he thinks that there’s no problem with the regulations that disenfranchise low-income and minority voters.

Tom DeLay and Ralph Reed, Passed Off As ‘Political Analysts’ By Cable News – On MSNBC last night, Chris Matthews brought Tom DeLay, last seen resigning from the U.S. House of Representatives under indictment and in disgrace, onto the program last night to offer his opinion on the Democratic Party race. On Obama, Delay said, “”On the other hand, Obama, …we’ll get to talk about what ‘change’ means when Obama is president of the United States. ‘Change’ isn’t exactly what I think this nation wants to go — surrender the war on terror, more taxes, more spending, bigger government.” Over on CNN, Anderson Cooper, turned to Ralph Reed. Yes, Ralph Reed, college plagiarist, Ghandi-hater, Young Republican election manipulator, recipient of a command by the Holy Spirit (in a D.C. bar) to “come to Jesus,” Abramoff crony, Indian-tribe deceiver, humper of corporate accounts, and collaborator of those protecting sweat-shop wage slavery among women in the Northern Marianas Islands (where the conditions of employment include such benefits and “perks” as forced abortions and forced prostitution).

Jonah Goldberg’s Revisionist Definition of Fascism – Speaking in front of the Heritage Foundation (because, honestly, who else could sit through this tripe?) Jonah Goldberg tries fascism as just “something bad”. This is something I’ve suspected for many years about conservatives: They don’t actually know the definitions of the epithets they like to throw out to dismiss and demean the left. They just think it means “something bad.” Goldberg said,

“To sort of start the story, the reason why we see fascism as a thing of the right is because fascism was originally a form of right-wing socialism. Mussolini was born a socialist, he died a socialist, he never abandoned his love of socialism, he was one of the most important socialist intellectuals in Europe and was one of the most important socialist activists in Italy, and the only reason he got dubbed a fascist and therefore a right-winger is because he supported World War I.”

Um, actually, not so much. Mussolini was dubbed a fascist because he founded the Fascist Party.

Regards,

Jim