I can't believe it's not a democracy!

If Credo is behind this, then I'm getting a new mobile phone provider:

Telecoms firm hails 'significant victory' as judge blocks FBI's data demands. The Guardian reports: The Californian telecoms company thought to be behind a stunning court victory that has blown a hole in the FBI's highly secretive system for collecting US citizens' private data has hailed the "significant" legal breakthrough.

Credo, based in San Francisco, spoke out after a federal judge ordered the US government to stop issuing what are called "national security letters" – demands for data that contain in-built gagging clauses that prevent the recipients disclosing even the existence of the orders or their own identity.

In a carefully worded release, the firm fell short of revealing itself as the instigator of the legal action that resulted in Friday's development. But it is understood by the Guardian that the telecommunications firm was indeed the unnamed litigant behind the action.The Californian telecoms company thought to be behind a stunning court victory that has blown a hole in the FBI's highly secretive system for collecting US citizens' private data has hailed the "significant" legal breakthrough.

Click the link to read the whole thing. The judge gave the government 90 days to appeal, and given the Obama administration's laser like focus on punishing whistleblowers and continuing W's destruction of the 4th amendment by treating citizens as criminals (see FISA, Sen. Obama's vote in favor thereof), I have no doubt that the administration will throw everything they can at the appeal. I mean, you can't have an effective police state unless you can get whatever you want whenever you want without restraint, right?

I must say that before reading this article, I assumed CREDO was like Move On, a seemingly good idea that either was co-opted by political consultant whores or was the means by which closeted political consultant whores made themselves useful to the democratic party by convincing progressives that clicking a link or signing an online petition was the same thing as actually protesting bad policy or actually engaging in the political process. But if Credo was behind this case--and it looks like they are--I'm going to choose them as my cell phone provider. I mean, they actually did something spectacular. Kudos Credo.

The new year is just two and one half hours away...

I hope that it is a healthy and happy one for us all.  To that end, I'm going to limit the amount of time I spend reading about politics.  It's all bullshit--politics is always peopled with the same sort of whores (and a handful of people who actually care), and they always are willing to do whatever their rich masters want.  So I will still surf and read your blogs, of course, because I want to keep informed enough.  But I plan on spending more time reading and getting to learn the classical guitar.  Going to do more cooking too.  

So, anyone else considering some changes for 2013?

WOW!!! Maybe there is a god, after all? No, just some justice, finally:

Silvio Berlusconi sentenced for tax fraud. Ok, his four-year sentence was reduced to one-year in jail because of some fucking amnesty law, but this filthy asshole might finally serve jail time. Yeah, he should die in jail, but in a world were Pres. Obama calls Lloyd Blankfein and Jamie Dimon "savvy businessmen," I'll take whatever I can.

And the news from the UK just got a bit more fabulous:

Rebekah Brooks and husband arrested in new twist in phone-hacking inquiry. Yes, Rebekah Brooks was arrested again! For a different crime! Along with her husband! And what was the offense? Why it was suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, and four other people were also arrested. I'm just guessing here, but I recall reading that Brooks' husband was alleged to have ditched (or attempted to ditch) a briefcase in a dumpster shortly after the phone hacking scandal exploded, so my gut says his charge has to do with destruction (or attempted destruction) of evidence. Might be the same for the rest. And prosecutors and courts hate that. They really do.

If I seem gleeful, it's because I am. Not just because some filthy people may finally get their coeuppance, but for the bigger reason--if these miscreants actually are convicted and see jail time, yes News Corp. suffers a blow, but more importantly some justice will be served. And in a world where war criminals go unpunished and Wall Street bankers are lauded for looting the treasury, any act of justice, however small, is so very precious.

Wow. The victories for decency are coming faster now:

Gay marriage close to legal in Maryland. Didn't Washington state joined the list of enlightened places last week? Well, it looks like Maryland is next. Once the governor signs the bill, there will be eight states in this country that allow marriage between same-sex couples, and at least two states that allow for civil unions (Vermont and New Jersey...perhaps more? I've lost count, to be frank). So think about this when you hear about the next bullshit republican presidential debate. The rightwing is in the throes of a protracted death rattle. Meanwhile, eight plus states are showing us the way of the near future.

I did not think that gay marriage would be a reality during my lifetime. Wow.

The phone hacking scandal has just gotten bigger

The angels at the Guardian are live blogging the ongoing story (they are the reason it is a story--bookmark them), and they have posted some interesting info, like this:

6.30pm: Channel 4 head of home news Ed Fraser has just tweeted this very interesting development: @channel4news reveals the Serious Fraud Office examining dozens of cases involving News International

7.33pm: Metropolitan police commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson has just announced his resignation. In a press conference he said his position was "in danger of being eclipsed by the ongoing debate by senior officers and the media. And this can never be right."

.And ExNOTWjourno2 did tweet yesterday that another big resignation was this way coming. People wonder who she is (or whether it's a she or a bunch of hes and shes). Long and short, I don't give a shit. Whomever it is has been right. A friend thinks it's one of the bunch who was fired who is getting calls from everyone else because she is will to tweet the information for general consumption. That sounds about right.

So, when does David Cameron resign? Or does he get off with a no cofidence vote? Either way, the Tories and the new way Labour (neoliberal assholes like our Third Way democrats and president) are on their way out. Tony Blair may rue this more than most. Ed Miliband? If he continues to call them as he has, well, there's your new prime minister.

Just bookmark it!!!!!

ExNOTWjourno2. Who is ExNOTWjourno2? Well, she says she is a she who worked at News of the World for five years. Claims she handed Rebekah Brooks the crossword puzzle, which contained hidden messages, that got by the team looking for hidden messages. And apparently she is going to reveal some of what was kept in a "rainy day draw" at News of the World--you know, crap they learned by hacking, I guess. Long and short, she's made some predictions that have been proven right (she called Brooks' resignation on Friday). And she says that there is a major resignation coming up tomorrow (got that from another person) and Tuesday. More importantly, she claims that this story is much bigger and will shake the foundations in institutions and people that are much bigger than News International and the filthy Murdoch family. I repeat: David Cameron could very well be kicked to the curb before the year is out. Hell, I'm thinking he could be out before the summer ends.

Holy fucking christ!!!!

News of the World to close on Sunday. The headline and subheads at the Guardian read:

• News International closes paper in wake of scandal
• Government announcement on BSkyB will take several weeks
• News of the World paid £100,000 bribes to Met police officers
• Miliband questions Cameron's 'close relationships with NI
• Met police going through 11,000 pages containing 4,000 names

This story just exploded. I will say what I've hinted at for the last few weeks: I think this could bring down Cameron. Again, if Nick Clegg has any self-respect left and a working testicle (doubtful, but who knows?) he is chatting with Ed Miliband about the next coalition government. And Murdoch? Just wait until the hedge fund boys go after him. By the way, you can't short News Corp on E*Trade because they can't get shares to borrow. Yeah, I checked last night. And this morning. Champagne on me if Murdoch goes down in flames.

 

Oh, this is getting bigger:

British tabloid admits liability for phone hacking. No doubt Newscorp wants to give the impression that it can corral the potential damages arising out of the large scale hacking of celebrities, politicians, and others, but I think that this is only going to get bigger. Two people--an investigator and an editor--have been jailed. Two more News of the World employees were arrested last week. The question is how high does it go? This could really hurt Newscorp. I wish it could crush them. Hey, you never know. Oringinally I could only find bits and pieces about this story on UK newspaper sites. But this latest post? I found the story on Yahoo's front page.

Greg Sargent's take on the fabulous result in the Wisconsin Supreme Court election:

Why the left’s showing in Wisconsin Supreme Court race is a big deal. One quibble: Sargent states that even if Kloppenburg loses in the recount, this election will still be "a victory for unions and Dems." Um, maybe the Wisconsin democratic party and members, but not so much for the national democrats, particularly Obama. Why? Because while the state party was actively involved in this race, the organic response to Walker's overstepping--taking over the capitol building, the daily protests, the endless delivery of free pizzas--wasn't coordinated by the national democrats or even, at first, the state party. No. The initial response to Walker's thug tactics was essentially leaderless--but not rudderless (yes, various unions were involved, but there wasn't one or more names being identified as the face of this movement).

There is a real hunger by lots of left leaning people to fight back against these mean-spirited, anti-American positions that the republicans are pushing and the democrats (certainly the national democrats) invariably "cave" to. That doesn't bode well for President Watch Me Reach Out to the Chamber of Commerce as I piss on the Progressives/Labor/Queers, does it? That said, Obama started his 2012 election campaign a few days ago. I believe the line they are using is "Are You In?" (because even they realize that they can't recycle "change you can believe in"). My guess is that Obama will be lucky if he get 1/5th of the response he got in 2008. But it's not as if left leaning people are unwilling to make an effort--look at the sustained efforts in Wisconsin to fight back with protests, law suits, recall drives, and races. All I'm saying is that a certain sign that Obama's team is worried about the enthusiasm of his (rapidly dwindling) base is if he suddenly starts standing up to the republicans and pledging to save social security as it is or claims to support programs that mean something to people who, unlike him, are principled. The next couple of week could be interesting.

Thanks to #5 for the link.