Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

As a lot of you know, I'm out here in Connecticut and Pops is out in lovely California. He just weathered some floods (My Mom actually had to evacuate her house) and now I'm getting buried...and I LOVE it! There's easily a foot of snow on the ground with more falling...I'm off for a run soon. Maybe I'll bring my camera? Stay tuned for snow pics:)

Onto News...

The Government is responding to the wiretapping story by...going after the 'leakers' with a vengeance. The NY Times is reporting that Bush appointee Porter Goss, Director of Central Intelligence, along with other federal officials is aggresively pursuing the person or persons who leaked the information about the governments warrantless wiretapping...I can already hear the chorus of , "Hell Yeahs! If they can investigate who leaked Valerie Plame then they should investigate all leaks" This sentiment is somewhat echoed in the following quote:

"An outgrowth of the Fitzgerald investigation is that the gloves are off in leak cases," said George J. Terwilliger III, former deputy attorney general in the administration of the first President Bush. "New rules apply."

There are clear differences. In one, the Plame case, a specific US intelligence agent was named for purely political reasons, in the other, a program, whose legality is very much in question and whose execution runs to the very heart of our democracy, was exposed. The results of the former were Valerie Plame lost her cover and her effectiveness as weapons of mass destruction specialist...the latter has sparked a national/international debate on the use of warrantless surveillance...

It's this simple. For all the governments rhetoric about 'protecting americans', this investigation is about muzzling dissent...

--------------------------
Can we come home now?

Beautiful editorial here by Charlie Anderson. He served as a Navy Hospital Corpsman with the Marine Corps, 2nd Tank Battalion during the invasion of Iraq. He writes eloquently about losing a friend and fellow Iraq War Veteran, Dour Barber.

"Though some may question his actions or his motives, Doug was just one of thousands of the forgotten casualties of the Iraq War. He was killed in action long before he died. On my darkest days, I almost envy Doug, because he had the courage to end his suffering. But in reality, I know that his act was not one of courage, but one born out of the deepest despair. There are hundreds of thousands of Iraq veterans, 150,000 still in Iraq and every one of us is in harm’s way. Doug has gone to rest, but you the citizens of America cannot; you do not have that luxury. While you are tucked safe in your beds, we veterans are still out here in the cold asking, “Can we come home now?”

Stay Naked