The FBI blew repeated chances to uncover the 9-11 plot because it failed to aggressively investigate evidence of Al Qaeda’s presence in the United States, especially in the San Diego area, where two of the hijackers were living with one of the bureau’s own informants, according to the congressional report set for release this week.

So begins a damning article from Michael Isikoff of Newsweek describing the results of a Capital Hill investigation sure to roil the already uneasy heads of U.S. intelligence agencies.

The key results of a congressional joint intelligence inquiry all point fingers at an agency that was mired in red tape, suffering from misdirected focus, and was extremely unlucky. While the CIA and Pentagon get some blame for ineffective or non-existent activity, in the months leading up to 9/11 the majority of the blame is directed towards the FBI.

The fact that Saudi nationals, who may also have been foreign agents operating in the U.S., supported, monitored, and associated with at least two of the hijackers while also working as informants for the FBI is a potentially embarrassing revelation for Saudi Arabia as well as the U.S. intelligence community.

A thorough understanding of the failures that lead to 9/11 is important to not only prevent similar future attacks but is also directly related to the changes that all Americans potentially face. What is less clear is how increased surveillance of all Americans will give the intelligence community a clearer picture of the threats that face the U.S. from within and without.

Good read on privacy. John Gilmore's battle to maintain some things about himself is profiled over at Reason.

Some privacy theorists have concluded -- in sorrow if not necessarily in anger -- that privacy, defined as the ability to keep information about ourselves to ourselves, is already dead and buried

My favourite part of the piece is the usage of reductio ad hitlerum. And this discussion of privacy vs. liberty is once again embarassingly exposed as the false dichtomy it is by the plain fact that it wasn't too many freedoms that created 9/11. As we've known since day one it was bad luck, bad police work, ineffective and unfocused agents at the FBI, and miles of red tape. And now we find out that two of hijackers were living with an FBI informant. From that we've decided to monitor 250 million Americans without cause.

Speaking of Pavlovian Politics...

As an American I am used to our President’s speeches being nothing more than a serious of sound bites strung together around a loosely developed theme. I am always struck by how refreshingly erudite and ultimately inspiring Tony Blair’s addresses have been. Clearly, you can (and should) argue their merits, however it’s abundantly clear the art of political oration isn’t completely lost:

The spread of freedom is the best security for the free. It is our last line of defense and our first line of attack. And just as the terrorist seeks to divide humanity in hate, so we have to unify around an idea. And that idea is liberty. (Applause.) We must find the strength to fight for this idea and the compassion to make it universal. Abraham Lincoln said, "Those that deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves." And it is this sense of justice that makes moral the love of liberty

So it wasn't until after the passage of his horrific RAVE ACT that Joe Biden discovered what a bad idea it was? Perhaps next time he should read it first.

Who knew linguistics was so contentious?

Andrew Sullivan isn't the only one who has learned how to make money from blogging.

Kaufman at Salon has been on a roll lately. He nails ESPN hire of Rush Limbaugh and has this great money quote(via Open Season):

At his introduction as a commentator on ESPN's pregame studio show, "Sunday NFL Countdown," Rush Limbaugh said, "I think football's a lot like life. I think I know life pretty well." Says King Kaufman of salon. com, "Football is nothing like life. It's organized and neat and rational. Everyone is either with you or against you and the boundaries are straight lines that are clearly marked. That is indeed how Limbaugh views life, and he's wrong. The only sport that's like life is bullfighting, and only for the bull."

Mozilla.org is splitting with AOL and is going to take on IE (again).

As many of you know, my cousin is with the U.S. Army in Iraq. His stories to us back home mirror what Reuel Marc Gerecht writes in this piece.

In a press release as trite as it is troublesome, Michael J. Garcia, Acting Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) declared "There is nothing more important than protecting our children - the future of our nation.” The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the agency charged with protecting America from terrorists, has proudly announced the latest instance of perilous mission-creep, they are now chasing child molesters.

Apparently so assured of success against Al-Qaeda and their ilk, the DHS unveiled “Operation Predator,” another operation designed to coordinate efforts of several federal agencies. Before long the FBI, U.S. Customs, the U.S. Postal Service, and the Department of Justice, will be working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to protect “the future of our nation”.

Pandering to American’s fears about children certainly isn’t a new or novel tactic (we’ve recently seen the dreadful RAVE act unanimously passed in the Senate because it was buried deep inside a bill creating a nationwide Amber-alert system). It is inherently cynical and meant to foster an emotional response in place of rationale discourse. It is enticing fruit for politicians but leadership demands a different course.

If governance is the act of making choices than this is a peculiar use of DHS resources. Some have argued that the intelligence lapses leading up to 9/11 (and the subsequent creation of the DHS) resulted from misappropriated law enforcement focus. Perhaps, the reasoning goes, if fewer FBI agents were tasked with waging the war on drugs (or prostitution, or other “victimless crimes”), then neglected leads, unconnected dots, and relative lack of importance given to anti-terror activities would have had less catastrophic consequences. This may be a highly speculative exercise, but one that is valuable and vital as we wade further into a nebulous War on Terror. As Nobel economist Milton Friedman has warned about the dissipation of resources, when government begins to do what it should not, it ceases to do what it should.

Government agencies work for their sustained existence and a continual expansion of their reach. Most Americans have reconciled themselves with this truism. It’s disheartening to think that we are beginning to expect the same from Tom Ridge’s team. The DHS is charged with issues far too important to allow the public or the DHS the luxury of tolerating politics as usual. Shortly after September11th there seemed to be a reexamination of the role of government and an earnestness tied to public service that had been lacking for decades. America was hastily forced into civic adulthood. No longer resigned to feigning interest in politics every four years come election time, we were newly committed. No longer resigned to accepting a government of functionary bureaucrats but rather rejuvenating one full of dedicated, focused leaders working towards the safety and welfare of all. Gone for good were the empty slogans and attack ads, positions propped up on piles of opinion polls, and meaningless Beltway skirmishes that ultimately were about consolidating power rather than serving the public. With a single press release full of bombast and jargon, Operation Predator sadly harkens to a time we have left behind.

The attacks of Sept. 11th solidified America’s resolve, and for a time focused law enforcement on matters that were essential rather than illicitly titillating. It’s shameful and risky if we squander our resolve now and revert back to a method of governance more concerned with the expansion of its powers than the safety of its citizens.

John Ashcroft defies U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema's order regarding Zacarias Moussaoui. (I forget, is hubris a good thing?)

At last, the halo is starting to dim on the Harry Potter trend.

Cloning a woolly-mammoth...I'm sure nothing can go wrong with that.

NK reminds me of a large, stupid, drunk at 2-for-1 drink night in upstate New York. Ah yes, Nukes, the tiny dictator's Porsche.

Ah yes, hipster disdain for the pious is supposed to be over, however I'm not afraid to admit that Robertson praying for the Supremes to retire makes me a little uneasy.

Grading the lies told about Iraq.

Encouraging news on the privacy front. The Terrorism Information Awareness program looks like it's just about out of funding.

And an interesting piece from the Economist on what they feel the U.S. is doing right and wrong in the war on liberity. (I mean, on terror)

I'm back from Tahoe. I'm working through the emails and will respond ASAP.

I'm off for the weekend. Will be in Tahoe for a wedding. I'll get to your emails and back to posting on Tuesday.

Misplaced priorities alert. Fresh on the heels of the DHS announcement yesterday the Bushies now announce they are escalating the war on some drugs.

Mission-creep of the worst sort. A cynical, dangerous, and absurd extension of the Office of Homeland Security.

Even though this reads like the worst sort of over-the-top satire this is an actual quote from the press release: "There is nothing more important than protecting our children - the future of our nation."

Horrific, stupid, insulting, and dangerous. As Nobel economist Milton Friedman has pointed out, when government begins to do what it should not, it ceases to do what it should.

Pictures from Iran. From Andrew Sullivan, these photos show the aftermath of the "disciplined"dissedent students. The conditions are dire, but not hopeless.

What would it look like if you combined a Tivo with a Playstation? Sony's next major release.

e-commerce that works.

While my story about celebrating America on the 4th of July rages on over at Plastic Peter Jennings announces his thoughts on the matter.

The WSJ eviscerates Treason calling Ann Coulter "the Maureen Dowd of the conservatives". Yikes! Even Horowitz takes a chunk of flesh.

[Coulter's use of the term] 'functionally treasonable' is ... disturbingly reminiscent of the old Stalinist term 'objectively fascist.' This was how people who swore their loyalty to the cause were condemned (often to death) if they deviated from the party line. Stalinists defined all dissent as 'objectively' treacherous. This is not a path that conservatives should follow. When intent and individuality are separated from actions in a political context, we are entering a totalitarian realm where Ann Coulter does not really want to be

Andrew W.K. man of letters.

I'm a huge Kobe fan. I hope these sexual assault charges aren't true.

Department of Homeland Security official Paul Redmond resigns.

Delio reports on an interesting project that takes intrusive technology and turns it on its masters.

An interesting (as always) discussion at Plastic about the risks and benefits of deploying wi-fi in developing and war-torn countries.

Visitors to Ted the Dog and Plastic know how near and dear Wired is to me. Wired: A Romance looks like a good read. I'd love to hear from any of you if you've seen copies yet.

Michael Kinsley is on a roll. This week he advocates the privatization of marriage. (Which, as many of you know, I'm a huge proponent of)

At last! Eminem getting his due from Nobel Prize winners.

Finally, a blogging dictionary.

Ben Yagoda at Slate believes that Sports Illustrated’s Gary Smith is the best sportswriter working the craft today. (Actually, he goes on to say he’s the best magazine writer in America). Yagoda explains why Smith isn’t better known:

The real reason lies in his attributes as a writer, all of which go counter to powerful prevailing trends in journalistic writing: He favors obscurity over fame, complexity over simplicity, and humility over literary showmanship.

On the heels of the Slate piece is a Tuesday Morning Quarterback (“TMQ” for those who frequent espn.com) that exhibits why many believe Gregg Easterbrook is the current king of sports writing. He discusses if God cares who wins or loses sporting matches. A lighter exploration of the themes and ideas he thrashed out in his book on Christian theology, Beside Still Waters: Searching For Meaning In An Age Of Doubt. Easterbrook’s TMQ (which used to run on Slate) is a seamless blending of hi and lo-culture, deep sports insights, quirky observations, and steeped in references to scantily clad women (and occasionally men). He is believed to be the first Brookings Institution scholar to write a football column yet manages to infuse his pieces with a wit and humility that makes them as interesting as they are accessible. So I pose the question to you, who is the best sports writer working today? Smith? Easterbrook? Or someone else entirely?

Libel protection for bloggers. It's about time!

The Bulls are back on Wall St. and now Herman Miller has released a sequel to the Aeron, hostile takeovers in the headlines....yes, it smells like the good times.

Sinbad apparently is the first flix made with open-source. news.com's continued coverage of tech changing industries continues with a profile of its impact on Hollywood.

California is at the crisis point. Now the politicians will begin to work.

America. What a place. What an idea. As the Fourth of July looms Dinesh D'Souza give us a top ten list that is both topical and thoughtful. As he outlines why he loves America it provokes a discussion as to why the rest of us do (or don’t).
His list:
-America provides an amazingly good life for the ordinary guy.
-America offers more opportunity and social mobility than any other country, including the countries of Europe
-Work and trade are respectable in America
-America has achieved greater social equality than any other society.
-People live longer, fuller lives in America
-In America the destiny of the young is not given to them, but created by them.
-America has gone further than any other society in establishing equality of rights.
-America has found a solution to the problem of religious and ethnic conflict that continues to divide and terrorize much of the world.
-America has the kindest, gentlest foreign policy of any great power in world history.
-America, the freest nation on Earth, is also the most virtuous nation on Earth.

As each of his points are worthy of discussion, I ask you, what makes America great? What are your hopes for this nation? What are your fears? What do believe is best about our ideals? For what are you thankful vis a’ vis America? As America, once again, celebrates her birth, what do you consider to the hallmarks of who we are?

While the results of MoveOn's online primary isn't a surprise, they may resonate middlewards. This can only be good news for Dean's campaign.

Ain't innovation grand? Wired with a piece about how the Chinese are working their way around the brutal censorship of their part of cyberspace.

They make shoes in an impoverished nation, helping the locals to earn wages higher than the local average, engage in environmentally friendly campaigns, and leverage the internet as a sales and marketing tool. In a “good” month an employee earns about US$2.35 per day.

While Nike is chastised for their efforts ecosandals is being heralded for using a similar production model. Wired profiles the company and heralds, once again, the power of the internet. Nike, due largely to its size, is able to place upward wage pressures on entire local economies, helping not only the workers at their plants but also those within the regions they are located. One company is held up for praise, the other for scorn. Why?

More dispatches from SCOTUS. Kinsley deconstructs O'Conner.

The Supremes got one right. Imagine, consenting adults being allowed to do what they chose in the privacy of their bedrooms.

Blogger has done the overhaul, let's see how it all works.

At last the Sec. of State is taking a strong, public stance on Mugabe.

The Ministerial Conference and Expo on Agricultural Science and Technology has begun in Sacramento, California to discuss bio-engineered foods. As with any meeting dealing with so-called “Frankenfoods”, this one was met with protests, demonstrations, and pleas for legislation to curb agri-business’ efforts.

The protesters, which include luminary chefs such as Alice Waters, believe that there are healthy alternatives that can be used to feed the world, preserve the environment, and protect human rights. They claim the advent of frankenfoods brings the possibility of long-term health problems on a massive scale, but perhaps also a wide-scale environmental domino effect that could spin out of control and cause an unstoppable ecological disaster.

The advocates of bio-engineered foods say that not using advancing technologies is more likely to exacerbate already dire conditions in much of the world.

Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman says biotechnology and science can reduce global hunger, improve nutrition and boost economies. She says biotech already is helping farmers by boosting yields, lowering costs, reducing pesticide use and making crops more resistant to disease, pests and drought.

The debate isn’t hypothetical. Sub-Saharan Africa is in the midst of a famine with current methods incapable of safely feeding the region. Facing all involved is whether or not agri-business has the means and will to feed the planet, and perhaps more importantly, whether or not they’ll be allowed to.

Affirmative action lives says the Supremes.

Christopher Lydon is blogging now, and he says that the spiritual father of blogging is Emerson. He has always been a favorite of mine and it's nice to know that Emerson is still vitally relevant.

The most comprehensive blog on the Iranian democratic movement. He also links to a ton of good blogs from within Iran.

I’m almost as relieved as I am terrified that the authorities managed to stop this deal for smuggled Russian radioactive elements. Even if we catch 99% of these guys that outcome could be horrific.

A nostalgic desire for globalism via capitalism from, of all places, The Nation:

From this point of view, Clinton may well be justifiably seen by future generations as a particularly intelligent and valuable servant of American imperial capitalism, in a way that went beyond diplomatic cleverness. He seems to have understood three things that the Bush Administration has wholly or partly forgotten: that the American economy is utterly intertwined with the world capitalist order, depends on the health of that order and draws immense benefits from that order. This is indeed likely to be seen by future historians as the central tragic irony of the Bush Administration's world policy: that the United States, which of all states today should feel like a satisfied power, is instead behaving like a revolutionary one, kicking to pieces the hill of which it is king

Early reports on LeBron are promising.

Bloggers vs. the EU, should be fun.

Glenn Reynolds on gay marriage. Interesting take. The neanderthals may be right, gay marriage may change straight marriages. But for the better.

Sometimes the poetic justice is so sweet it plays like music to the ears. The latest example? Sen. Hatch and his illegal software. Note to Orrin Hatch: Please shut up.

The Bechtel Corporation has long been a lightening rod for conspiracy theorists. The privately held construction company has played major roles in the construction of the Hoover Dam, the San Francisco Bay Bridge, the Alaskan pipeline and numerous vital infrastructure projects around the globe. The reach and scope of the company has convinced many that Bechtel is actually the most successful front the C.I.A. has ever developed. That is highly speculative, however what is abundantly clear is that this firm’s successes are perhaps only exceeded by its amazing connections. SF Weekly reporter Lisa Davis shares some of these connections and details the formal and informal connections that have helped make Bechtel an unqualified success.

Bechtel’s friends in high places is best exhibited by the roommate list from their uber-exclusive (and extremely drunken) Bohemian Grove retreat. Some notable bunkies from the 2001 enclave:

Mandalay Camp
Colin L. Powell
Henry Kissinger
Nicholas F. Brady
George P. Shultz

Hillbillies Camp
William F. Buckley Jr.
George H.W. Bush
Walter Cronkite
Donald H. Rumsfeld

While perhaps not as powerful and wide reaching as the Stone Cutters, the friends of Bechtel are impressive indeed. What’s less clear is how much of this is old-fashioned networking and how much is an erosion of the line between public trust and private gain.

Camille on Hillary.
On the evidence of this book, Hillary appears to believe that good intentions excuse all. Impediments to her lofty goals may have arisen partly through minor miscalculations on her part, she concedes, but most of the problems, in her view, have come from pigheaded reactionaries “who want to turn the clock back on many of the advances our country has made”, thanks to the Democratic Party, a congregation of the elect whose mission is the salvation of mankind.

Is David Beckham worth it? Depends on what the meaning of "worth" is.

Netflix is in trouble. Wal-Mart is bringing its considerable heft to the online DVD rental market.

As any sales guy will tell you, the close is always the hardest.

"Hitler's Second Book" discussed at the NY Times. It will be interesting to see what the fallout is from the English translation.

Gregg Easterbrook's TMQ has been so consistently good for so damn long it’s easy (too easy really) to take for granted. But today’s column is too good to let pass without a special nod. He is quite simply one of the smartest, funniest, flat out best sports writers working today.

A suprisingly ineffective hit-piece on Che Guevara from the NY Observer. It's not his fault vapid celebrities and liberals worship his image.

I think what I like most about this Slate article opining on why we don't love Tim Duncan is the title. The 7-Foot Square

So explain to me again how the erosion of our civil liberties will make us safer? I have to wonder about the effectiveness of a system that randomly flags letters in people's names.

The recall effort picks up steam and coverage. Unlike Bush and the Democrats there are some formidable foes lined up for Davis.

It may be fun to pile on to the New York Times these days, but stories like this (about "the get" CBS dangled to land the Jessica Lynch interview) show once again what makes the Time special.

Nice story about Howard Dean and his efforts raising money and spreading The Word.

The political and social upheaval of the 60’s is still being mined for meaning and context. A recently concluded conference entitled "The Black Panther Party in Historical Perspective" is reexamining the Panther’s role in American history. As the SF Gate article reads:

The Black Panther Party is the subject of growing academic interest as historians born after the 1960s take a new look at a movement known to their generation mostly from movies, memoirs and negative government reports.

Few of the figures from the Black Panthers are without controversy, heralded by some as revolutionaries and others as common thugs. Founded by Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton they were the most public and popular extension of a radical, militant form of black empowerment. Infiltrated by the FBI and branded “the nation's most violence-prone extremist group” they suffered from a disinformation campaign that some of the conference attendees claim still lingers today.

Some consider this another in the long line of rehabilitative myth-making used to defend the reputations of the reprehensible. The Panthers were, to some, a group of violent, gun-loving, drug-addled, misogynistic, vapid, children who fueled their unreasonable demands with a racist blood-lust. It once again raises the questions; Who were the Black Panthers? What did they stand for? What is their legacy?

The Times with a a good article about Shoah business. Is it OK to trivialize something if it helps us to "never forget"?

At last!! The Googlephone.

Is there anything sweeter than faster Wi-Fi?

The Greatest American? This poll says Homer Simpson. Some Lincoln guy is second.

Kinsley almost pens a reluctant homage to freedom in post-9/11 America but at the last moment vears back to the safety of the middle. Still at least freedom as an idea is still deemed worthy of discussion at Slate.

Good follow up from Slate regarding Moneyball. They actually get around to interviewing Bill James.

Cato with some harsh words regarding the current administration's tendancy to federalize.

As Nobel economist Milton Friedman has pointed out, when government begins to do what it should not, it ceases to do what it should. That's a lesson we should have learned after September 11th.

"All men can see the tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved."-Sun Tzu

PeopleSoft, a leading back-office software firm, has long been known for its progressive, almost kind ways. When they made a buy-out offer for J.D. Edwards it raised few eyebrows. The genteel ERP firm isn’t as progressive as PeopleSoft but there clearly is enough cultural overlap that the merger made sense in that regard. Additionally, the two firms would rival SAP to become the largest business software company on the planet.

Then Larry Ellison had his say. The mercurial founder of Oracle launched a hostile $5.1 billion bid for PeopleSoft that not only has sidetracked the J.D. Edwards/PeopleSoft agreement it’s unsettled the entire business software industry.

M/A activity in Silicon Valley generally is a relatively staid business. Not nearly as hostile as the vicious, LBO-fueled, takeovers of the late 80’s and early 90’s. Typically Valley firms look for competitive advantages that might be exploited via increases in synergy. The first merger appeared to be of this sort, the second, anything but.

PeopleSoft CEO Craig Conway, a former Oracle marketing executive, has called his ex-boss Ellison a sociopath and the bid for PeopleSoft "diabolical. " Ellison has followed "a page straight out of Genghis Khan," he told the Associated Press.

Ellison appears most interested in blocking the merger between the two firms, which would further dampen Oracle’s market share. Since Ellison’s announcement partners, customers, and prospects of PeopleSoft have taken a wait and see attitude, essentially freezing the firm’s activities. If Ellison is able to buy PeopleSoft it appears he won’t be working to increase “synergies” between their applications:

Ellison's take-no-prisoners swagger came through in his public comments that he plans to jettison PeopleSoft's technology and most of its 8,000 employees, keeping only its top-notch programmers and the prize he really wants: its customer base.

Peggy Noonan writes that that best invention ever is the toothbrush. At least according to those who participated in a survey sponsored by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Researchers found that the centuries-old dental instrument (15th-century Chinese, to be exact) is more valued than cars, computers, cellphones or microwave ovens.

The survey raises the question, what do you think is the most important invention ever? Is it the internet and its globe-shrinking powers? Or how about one of the first creations that enabled people to exchange goods, ideas, and dreams: the sail? Or perhaps Archimedes screw? The DH?Capitalism? Nuclear power? As always, I open it up to the smartest surfers on the net…

In response to some minor "victories" in the War Against Drug Hysteria The Office of National Drug Control Policy says "no drug matches the threat posed by marijuana".

We've seen this for a while, but I am constantly amazed and emboldened by the simple fact that some of our greatest current patriots have come from behind stacks of books.

John Ashcroft feels that the Patriot Act isn't intrusive enough. Super.

Bet you didn't know Microsoft owns "video on demand".

Let us not forget that judges do have an important role in our judicial system. Perhaps, as mandatory/minimum advocates would like, they are meant to be more than mere refs.

As one with a variety of "food issues" this, to me, looks like a good read.

The Times is Raines free. Now maybe Andrew Sullivan will stop bitching.

Martha Stewert has an open letter to America and a new website defending herself re: the insider trading allegations. The rhetorical questions raised by her attorney sum up my thoughts on the matter pefectly.

Why then has the government, after nearly a year and a half, chosen to file these charges? Is it for publicity purposes because Martha Stewart is a celebrity? Is it because she is a woman who has successfully competed in a man's business world by virtue of her talent, hard work and demanding standards? Is it because the government would like to be able to define securities fraud as whatever it wants it to be? Or is it because the Department of Justice is attempting to divert the public's attention from its failure to charge the politically connected managers of Enron and WorldCom who may have fleeced the public out of billions of dollars?

Now it's all makes sense. Willie Brown is running things.

This isn't "justice" (that would only happen if the charges were thrown out) but it's pretty damn close. Drug hysteria still infuses our current political/social climate but there are patches of common sense.

More ex-post facto examination of the U.S. seismic fo-po shift. It's a good read.

Uncomfortable about Tivo selling your viewing habits? Build one yourself.

Slate jumps in to discuss Moneyball. I liked our discussion. (And was struck by how many Bond's haters there are out there)

Finally! A Theory of Everything.

Salam worked for this guy!

Amber asks about St. Anger.

The Gaurdian deconstructs the Enron affair.

For us Tivo fans the news that they will begin selling customer data is totally unsurprising and at the same time amazingly dissappointing.