PittsburghThoughts

A refresher course on shame, 

From today's New York Times:

WASHINGTON, June 26 — President Bush on Monday condemned as "disgraceful" the disclosure last week by The New York Times and other newspapers of a secret program to investigate and track terrorists that relies on a vast international database that includes Americans' banking transactions.

Of course the rest of the gang have their panties in a twist; Cheney, the master of the offensive boondoggle war and the "go fuck yourself" kid is offended:

"What I find most disturbing about these stories is the fact that some of the news media take it upon themselves to disclose vital national security programs, thereby making it more difficult for us to prevent future attacks against the American people," Mr. Cheney said, in impromptu remarks at a fund-raising luncheon for a Republican Congressional candidate in Chicago. "That offends me."

Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., who is chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said, "By disclosing this in time of war, they have compromised America's anti-terrorist policies ... nobody elected The New York Times to do anything. And The New York Times is putting its own arrogant, elitist, left-wing agenda before the interests of the American people."

These guys and gals, (I saw one fire breathing gal last night on the tube calling for blood and of course you can always count on Ann Coulter for primal, schizophrenic, unjustified outrage) want Bill Keller, executive editor of The New York Times, garroted or possibly keel hauled in Upper New York Bay. At the very least they want him prosecuted by their favorite sycophant prosecutor, Alberto Gonzales, for allegedly violating the Espionage Act of 1917.

This crew is the same one that cried foul over the publication of the Abu Ghraib torture photographs and the NSA spying story, broken by (again) the New York times. Their argument rests on the premise that people are mushrooms and should be kept in the dark and fed bullshit and somehow we'll all be better off for it.

But, the hell they paint, hath no fury whatsoever over the nation's children scorned. Where is their shame and outrage here, why doesn't Dick Cheney take offense at this?

Low-income children cut from food program

Thursday, June 22, 2006

By Joe Fahy, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Thousands of low-income Pennsylvania families with young children will receive less help this summer from a government program that allows them to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables from farmers' markets.

State officials said cuts in federal funding have prompted them to eliminate children younger than 4 from participating in the Farmers' Market Nutrition Program. Read more: Low-income children cut from food program

I suppose a 30% cut is OK. Who needs more poor people anyway. Let them eat cake I say, we have plenty of even cheaper labor over the border waiting to fill the illegal labor market's needs and let's face it, most politicians will never, ever have to brush shoulders with a poor person ... so ... fuck em. Just because we pay for government doesn't mean we're entitled to know what it does in our name! Now shut up and get me a nice, cool lemonade!   Gene