amerikanischen Arbeiterjugend?

Does this bother anyone else?

Wilmington, Delaware is going to be home to The Academy for Public Safety and Security (APSS), which plans to open its doors by 2010. It will be dedicated to preparing (primarily inner-city) young men and women for front line careers in Homeland Security. Isn't that nice? Equal opportunity for the female youth to serve "The Homeland".

"... we decided to start a new school culture from scratch, one built on the premise that many children would rather be part of the solution than the problem of violence. And, given an education to prepare them academically, socially and vocationally, they will become the best-of-the-best first responders in the homeland security job sector, rather than succumb to apathy or crime."

"The tone of the first responder high school will be that of a military or police academy, complete with uniforms and daily physical training during and after school."

"Student cadets will study careers in SWAT, prison guarding, water rescue, paramedics, firefighting, professional demolition careers, in addition to the usual school subjects. They will learn Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Spanish — any language of use in homeland security."

Read more about it in the Newcastle Community News or the Delaware Business Ledger. Students will be called cadets, wear uniforms, and will follow courses of study in special weapons and tactics, prison guarding, professional demolition and other skills needed in an authoritarian police state. Will future generations read about the Liga der amerikanischen Arbeiterjugend (APSS) Cadets like we read about the Bund deutscher Arbeiterjugend today?



Another meaningless coincidence: The first national HJ rally was held in 1928 with 600 boys present. The new school expects to take as many as 600 students. Coincidence or not, it still gives me the shivers.

Am I making too much of all of this?

CIA Insured to Break the Law?

The CIA announced last Monday that it will pay the full cost of legal liability insurance for about two-thirds of the agency workforce.

"The insurance comes from private companies to cover legal expenses that arise out of actions undertaken in the course of a CIA officer's official duties. It is meant to cover potential litigation expenses including damages. It covers legal expenses associated only with those activities undertaken after liability insurance is taken. The reimbursement program began in 2000."

"Any agency employee who supervises one or more employees is eligible to be reimbursed as will attorneys, grievance officers, equal employment opportunity counselors, auditors, IG inspectors and investigators, polygraph examiners, recruiters or hiring advisers and security officers."

Isn't that awesome? The most important law enforcement agency must insure most of its employees against lawsuits for violating the law/Bill of Rights/Constitution.

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

CIA Director Michael Hayden appeared on Meet The Press told Tim Russert that he recently urged his CIA employees to buy liability insurance in order to protect them against any lawsuits that may challenge the legality of their legal acts.

I also found a story written by Pamela Hess called, "CIA Expands Legal Help for Workers". You can read her AP article here.

Jon Stewart on Bush's Defense ofTorture

Funny ha-ha, but not...

"Ask your doctor if torture is right for you."

Airlines are Suing the FBI and CIA

Airlines and aviation-related companies have filed suit against the CIA and the FBI in an attempt to force terrorism investigators to give the airline companies a walk in terms of liability for the Sept. 11 attacks.

The lawsuits filed in Manhattan seek court orders for depositions of two secret agents, including the 2001 head of the CIA's special Osama bin Laden unit, and six FBI agents with key information about al-Qaeda and bin Laden.

Read about it here and here.

THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED

As promised: THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED DIRECTED AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY KIM BARTLEY AND DONNACHA O'BRIAIN IRELAND, 2003 74 MINUTES

Just one man's point of view...

Thanks to Kieran for sending me this one. This occurred back in October, but it should not be forgotten. I think it is important for all Americans to familiarize themselves with the Military Commissions Act of 2006. My hope is that after familiarizing themselves, they will get involved.

CIA and Military Expand Domestic Intelligence Gathering

"The Pentagon has been using a little-known power to obtain banking and credit records of hundreds of Americans and others suspected of terrorism or espionage inside the United States, part of an aggressive expansion by the military into domestic intelligence gathering. "

Check out the full article from the New York times here.
Or...the CNN article here.

"Banks, credit card companies and other financial institutions receiving the letters usually have turned over documents voluntarily, allowing investigators to examine the financial assets and transactions of American military personnel and civilians, officials say."