| The Kensington Review |
21 December 2005 |
| Latest Commentary: | Volume IV, Number 152 |
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President Ordered NSA to Spy on Americans without Warrants -- The National Security Agency is far less famous than the CIA, despite having a budget about 10 times bigger. While the freeway exit to the CIA headquarters at Langley, Virginia, is clearly marked, getting to Fort Meade, Maryland, where the NSA operates is much harder. Washington wags maintain that NSA stands for “No Such Agency.” The Bush administration’s penchant for secrecy made it the ideal group to intercept signals headed to and originating from people in the US, and such an order came from the Oval Office. This was a violation of not only the law governing the NSA’s activities but also the constitution of the US. It is a shameful act, gives aid and comfort to the enemy and is an impeachable offense.
Sunnis Cry “Fraud” in Baghdad -- The Iraqi Accord Front is a loose alliance of three Sunni political groups thrown together to fight the recent election. The ballots in Baghdad haven’t even been counted in full, yet the IAF has told the electoral commission it wants a rerun. As Americans learned in 2000 and 2004, it isn’t how one votes that counts, but rather how one counts the votes. New York Transit Strike Economic Damage Overblown -- Tuesday morning in New York City was the first in 25 years without subways and buses. The Transport Workers’ Union Local 100 walked off the job in violation of the Taylor Law that prevents public employees from striking after failing to get a new contract from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, chief management of which are largely appointed by the governor of New York. Mayor Mike Bloomberg, walking to work across the Brooklyn Bridge in a needless 20°F photo-op (his house and office are both in Manhattan) said the city would lose $400 million in business a day. That’s nonsense. He hasn’t got a clue what this is costing the economy, and no one else does either. “Arabizi” Shows Languages Aren’t Static -- The development of language is one of mankind’s greatest achievements. To a great many (usually older) people, though, the kids today are destroying language with their abuse of slang and ignorance of how things ought to be. Had this bunch had their way, Spanish, French and Italian would never have evolved from Latin, which would mean no Cervantes, Dumas or Dante. A documentary by a young Jordanian woman, Dalia Alkury, looks at how English has affected Arabic as spoken in her nation. “Arabizi” is the film’s name, derived from Arabic and “Inglizi,” the Arabic word for “English.” © Copyright 2005 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux. |
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