Wednesday, November 02, 2005

Tired

Late at night. :D Here are two things from Democracy Now!

Historian: NSA Falsified Gulf of Tonkin Evidence
The New York Times is reporting new evidence has emerged about the Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964 that precipitated the escalation of the Vietnam War. A National Security Agency historian has determined officers at the agency knowingly falsified intelligence in order to make it look as if North Vietnam had attacked U.S. destroyers in the Tonkin Gulf. Following the alleged attack, Johnson ordered retaliatory air strikes on North Vietnamese targets and used the event to persuade Congress to pass the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, which led to the escalation of the war. The NSA’s historian determined the intelligence may have been falsified not for political reasons but to cover up earlier mistakes made by intelligence officers. However, the Times reports there has also been a cover up of the historian’s account, which was first published in a classified in-house journal of the National Security Agency in 2001. The historian’s article remains classified. According to the Times, policymakers at the NSA feared the release of the historical study might prompt uncomfortable comparisons with the flawed intelligence used to justify the war in Iraq.

Report: CIA Conducting Interrogations in Soviet-Era Prison
The Washington Post is reporting the CIA has been hiding and interrogating important al Qaeda detainees at a Soviet-era secret prison in Eastern Europe. The prison is part of a small global network of secret CIA and military compounds used in the so-called war on terror, including the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba. At the request of U.S. officials, the Post did not publish the names of the Eastern European countries involved in the secret program. Intelligence officials and legal experts told the Post the prisons “would be considered illegal under the laws of several host countries, where detainees have rights to have a lawyer or to mount a defense against allegations of wrongdoing.”

Ma said to make sure and thank Rebecca and her ex-husband. Dad wasn't able to take time off from work but Ma was planning on participating in The World Can't Wait protest. Rebecca had offered last week that we could go with her and her ex-husband to New York City and join up with The Third Estate Sunday Review for the protests there. Ma liked the idea. Then Sunday, Rebecca mentions the travel arrangements and I go, "Uh Ma, thought we were driving." :D

Ma's not a big fan of flying. She had a series of questions for Rebecca's ex-husband, like how long had he had his license and has he had any crashes. :D

Ma now says she still hates flying but if she had to again, she'd do it if she could have the same pilot. He's a cool guy and I want to tell him thank you but I'm not sure what to call him because Rebecca gets grief from her old in-laws if she even types 'my ex' at her website. (Sex and Politics and Screeds, as if you didn't know lol.) I'm going to call him "Fly Boy" lol.

Fly Boy is really cool. We talked sports and politics and he let me steer the plane for a bit. That was so cool. It was really fun because we got to talk to Elaine and Rebecca and Fly Boy. At the rally, I told Ty that Fly Boy let me steer some and he was so jealous! :D

Jess' parents were at the protest and that was cool and we all got to meet Jim's mom. I understand why he dates Dona too cause she and his mother are so alike. Jim's mom goes the thing she likes best about Dona is that Dona doesn't take any crap from Jim.

I don't know what Elaine's going to write about tonight because we talked about a lot of stuff on the ride back. But 1 thing we agreed on was that it was more fun doing an essay based on some topics from Democracy Now! yesterday than just sitting there writing a summary. So we'll probably both be doing that. We're going to keep noting Democracy Now! everyday because it's the best source of news but that will be our news and then we'll do our op-eds.

Dad say on the Gulf of Tonkin thing to be sure to note C.I.'s "NYT: Somebody get Scott the big mop" because it still makes him laugh when he reads it.








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