TGIF, my good peeps.

Here's something I'd bet you never thought you'd see: the EFF teaming up with the author of the Patriot Act, Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, to tell a court that the NSA is violating the Patriot Act. This is in the ACLU's lawsuit over the NSA's collection of metadata on all phone calls, which the DOJ is desperately trying to get out of. Here, Jim Sensenbrenner, with help from the EFF, has filed an amicus brief with the court, noting that the Patriot Act -- which the DOJ and NSA are relying on to claim the program is legal -- was never intended to allow this kind of activity.

The 16-year-old said she accepted the prize in the historic Knights' Hall in The Hague "on behalf of all of the children in the world who are trying to go to school, and all of those parents who are overcoming fear and intimidation -- or cultural opposition -- to give their sons and daughters the chance of an education."

"In my home country of Pakistan, the Taliban uses terror to try and stop girls going to school. I was just one target for their violence. There are many others whose names are not known. It is for them that we must continue our campaign to ensure that all children in the world have the chance to go to school."

Such a beautiful, courageous, bright young girl - not to mention wellspoken. Her speech at the UN a couple of months ago made me choke up.

It was awesome, beyond all the places went and things we did, one thing stand out in my mind, Turkish people are easily the most friendly people I have ever come across.

The people are genuinely happy and it comes through in everything they do.  They love to brag they are 3rd in auto production in Europe or 4th in textiles.  Not sure if I have the right numbers, but to them, it's not about being first, it's about be proud of the how hard they work.  Not like the flag wavers here, they genuinely love their county and their fellow countrymen/women, and are proud to tell you, why which at first is funny and weird.

Nearly everyday someone gave me a version of "The hardest working person in the world only works three quarters as hard as the average Turk."

In Istanbul they brag about not having any homeless, not because they ran them out of town, but because they take care of their own though what Americans would consider exorbitant taxes.  Min 35% income and 18% sales tax.  It's costs $250 to attend a semester of college in Turkey.  All kids have the same insurance and attend the same state run schools, and if you can believe this, kids must qualify and be verified for orphanages because the orphanages because they treat those kids as we treat kids of the privileged here.  This came up when on a cruise when someone asked about a building that appeared to be a palace, which is used to be, but is currently an orphanage that was on the banks of the Bosphorus (water way connecting black sea and which is probably the most expensive land in all of Turkey.

I didn't realize, probably because I am not religious, just how much Christian history is in turkey and how many important references to places in Turkey are in the Bible.  We visited some many ruins that it's just big blur because Turkey has been invaded by every major world power since the dawn of history because of it's strategic location in trading.

We traveled down the Adrian/Mediterranean coast which is for the most part located on a mild Mountain range so the scenery was majestic.  We flew back to Istanbul, which is a complete nightmare.  Travel to the US requires 6 check points in the airport.  We got there three hours before our flight left and still ended up running through the airport, barely catching the flight.  I have traveled plenty to know this is not the norm, generally the US is more restrictive, but not like that.  I was ridiculous.  But a fitting end to a great trip and got my mind set back to the US and it's hatred of it's citizens.  

we have discovered that the NSA has "secretly circumvented or cracked much of the digital scrambling that protects global commerce, e-mails, phone calls, medical records and Web searches."

Oh.
You hadn't heard much about that?

56 billion divided by 49 million is about 1140 dollars a year.

1140 dollars a year is about 100 bucks a month worth of food.

But without that 56 billion a year the NSA would not be able to keep you safe 'n secure from terrists.

Reporter: Why do you need to spend 56 Million a year to spy on citizens?

Obama: Look! Over there! Chemical Weapons in Syria!

Reporter: Who did that??

WASHINGTON -- As an increasing number of African-American lawmakers voice dissent over the Obama administration's war plans in Syria, the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus has asked members to "limit public comment" on the issue until they are briefed by senior administration officials.

A congressional aide to a caucus member called the request "eyebrow-raising," in an interview with FP, and said the request was designed to quiet dissent while shoring up support for President Barack Obama's Syria strategy.

The caucus, a crucial bloc of more than 40 votes the White House likely needs to authorize a military strike in Syria, is scheduled to be briefed by White House National Security Adviser Susan Rice on Monday. Until then, caucus chairwoman Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, has asked colleagues to "limit public comment until [they] receive additional details," Fudge spokeswoman Ayofemi Kirby told FP.

When asked directly if the White House requested the partial gag order, National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden floated a beautifully executed sidestep dodge worthy of some Talkleft armchair warriors, and...

...said "the administration is reaching out to all members to ensure they have the information they need to make an informed judgment on this issue." Kirby said it was her boss's request and was aimed at keeping members informed rather than silencing anti-war members.

Nice of the White House to suddenly be concerned with ensuring they have the information they need to make an informed judgment on this issue. That should help ease Graysons concerns, eh?

by refusing to disclose the underlying data even to members of Congress, the administration is making it impossible for anyone to judge, independently, whether that statement is correct. Perhaps the edict of an earlier administration applies: "Trust, but verify."

But I could be misreading things. John Kerry assured the world this morning that he now has 34 countries lined up to support obama's drive to commit war crimes, but he just can't for the life of him find his list or remember who they are. Apparently French is the national language in all of them, however. For more on this latest development, see Operation Cockamamie: The Damascus Follies

Kerry asserted that the chemical weapons case against Syria  was  "undeniable."  At the same time, the administration offered up a contradictory assessment that "U.S. intelligence has concluded 'with some degree of varying confidence' that the Syrian government has twice used chemical weapons.  He told Congress that the military strikes planned against Syria would not be "war," although he conceded that there might be "boots on the ground" called for.  He raised eyebrows when he said Arab countries had offered to bankroll an invasion of Syria.  How do you ask an American soldier to be the first to die to advance the interests of the Saudis?

When pressed, he backtracked and said, "There will not be boots on the ground" in connection with the Syrian civil war.  He asserted that 34 countries supported this endeavor.  Representative Salmon asked for the names of those countries, and Kerry was forced to respond, "Uh, I don't have the list with me."  We still have not seen the list.  We do know that the British Parliament, in a very rare move, refused, and France's response seems to be "Like, call me maybe."

To MT and nycstray, did you do the free trial of DogTV? My girl didn't exactly watch it, but she did seem to find it soothing. And I have to say, I was kind of mesmerized at one point by the city walk from the dog's view point.

For how,  Ms. Napolitano is headed off to be President of the University of California system.  Not aware of top contenders for her replacement, but sure hope it is not Ray Kelly or Joe Lieberman.  Kamala Harris, Attorney General of California, would be a good choice, in my view.

The first home invasion in my area happened in an apartment complex across from the one where I live. The other crimes also happened nearby. Charlie Bates was killed in an exchange of gunfire after a high-speed chase.

A quick reader on why military intervention in Syria is a big mistake-and what we should be advocating instead.
[...snip...]
Earlier this summer, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimated that 43 percent of the 100,000 Syrians thought to have died in this conflict were fighting for Assad, surpassing estimates for both noncombatants and anti-regime forces.

And although some of those anti-Assad forces originally sprung up to protect the nonviolent protesters being gunned down by the regime, they have since been eclipsed by al-Qaeda-affiliated groups like the al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). In addition to committing serious human rights abuses of their own and establishing Taliban-style fiefdoms in their areas of control, many of these fighters belong to the same Sunni extremist groups the United States fought for nearly a decade in Iraq. If a U.S. attack on Assad changes the balance of the war, these are the groups best positioned to gain from it. (And for anyone who thinks they'll return the favor with gratitude, recall that Osama bin Laden himself was among the mujahedeen fighters that Washington supported against the Soviets in Afghanistan.)

Syria's civil war has already spread into Iraq and Lebanon, with fighters on all sides of the conflict carrying out car bombings and waging pitched gun battles in the streets. A large-scale U.S. bombing campaign could push more fighters and refugees into these fragile states, destabilizing them further and potentially dragging the United States--as well as major Assad backers like Russia and Iran--into a tailspin of regional turmoil.

Military intervention could have other unintended effects as well. When NATO intervened in the Serbia-Kosovo war in 1999, for example, both sides accelerated their ethnic cleansing campaigns. And after NATO forces joined the war in Libya, anti-Gaddafi fighters launched a terrifying campaign of racial violence against dark-skinned Libyans thought to be loyal to the regime. (And then there was that whole Mali thing.)

And in a very classy move, the coach whose record Shoji broke tonight, UCLA's Andy Banachowski (now retired), showed up tonight to witness the occasion and offer his congratulations. Tomorrow night, the Wahine take on Banachowski's former team, currently ranked No. 10.

Here's a teaser...

When people say, "You have nothing to fear if you have nothing to hide," ask them if it's fine to install cameras in their homes, not just in the living room but the bedroom and bathroom. Ask them if they'd mind wearing a microphone and video camera every day, so others can check on what they've said and done.

You are guilty of something. I guarantee it. Lawmakers have created countless new crimes and punishments, and allowed law enforcement to extend old laws in dangerous ways. Have you ever told anything short of the absolute truth when filling out an online form to use some service? We can charge you with a felony for that. And, by the way, we don't need to convict you at trial. If you are a target, we can ruin you financially if you try to defend yourself. This is what we expect in banana republics and police states, not here. And as the surveillance state expands, it will create more targets among people like you.

Our political leaders have made a calculation in recent years. They believe you are too frightened, too cowardly, to face the truth - and that you think liberty is much less important than temporary safety.
[...snip...]
And remember: in police states, the biggest crimes - the worst acts of terrorism - are committed by government.
[...snip...]
President Obama and his team believe we are not entitled to know what our government is doing in our names and with our money. He says, "trust me", but he doesn't even begin to trust us. My first goal as president will be to restore that trust.