I Am America (And So Can You!)
by Stephen Colbert
Nonfiction

Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report is no fan of books, but he has written one. It’s called I Am America (And So Can You!) and it contains 66.5 pictures of the author. What else is inside? Words of wisdom for you, Nation. Words like this:



•“A Real Man is someone who walks through life the way a pilot walks through an airplane. Cool, calm, and checking out the sexy stews. No matter how tough the situation gets, a real man never lets on about the faulty landing gear.”



•“‘But children are our future!” Yes but does that not also mean that we are their past? I don’t understand why we’re helping them. You don’t see union factory workers throwing a benefit for robots.”



•“I’m not going to win any awards for saying this, but the elderly are like rude party guests. They came early, they’re always in the bathroom, and now they just won’t leave.”



•“America used to live by the motto ‘Father Knows Best.’ Now we’re lucky if ‘Father Knows He Has Children.’”



•“All Dogs Go to Heaven? Sorry, kids. It’s only the dogs who’ve accepted Christ.”



•“Did you know ants have sex? It can’t be for procreation—there are plenty of ants already.”



Depending on your politics, I Am America (And So Can You!) is either laugh-out-loud funny or terribly insulting. Whichever it is, Stephen Colbert is afraid of Koreans and baby carrots are trying to turn him gay.

(article taken from rinf.com)

The government is disingenuous in suggesting that biometric data will protect information related to ID cards. The information to be held in connection with the ID card scheme includes not only name, address and biometric information but also numbers for national insurance, passport, driving licence and any other “designated document”. The latter could easily include information such as a key to provide access to one’s health data on the NHS Spine. Now that data laws say that “information will normally be shared in the public sector, provided it is in the public interest” (Home Office insists biometric data is secure, November 21), there will be people with access via the proposed identity database, through these links, to any individual’s tax, benefits, bank account, travel, driving conviction and health records.
To make it a criminal offence to reveal data makes no fundamental difference. The fact that an individual has access to the information means that it can be leaked, and the more people that have access to the information the greater the probability that someone will do so, whether maliciously or by accident.
The proposed ID card scheme provides a massive potential leak of personal information and should be stopped forthwith.Dr Michael HowarthNetworking lecturer, University of Surrey
An incompetent civil servant who wrote the entire contents of the ID card database on to CDs and then lost them would have lost the fingerprints of the entire population. This would be a disaster. If your bank account is compromised you can get a new one with a new number. You can’t get new fingerprints.
Ministers assume the only way a fingerprint could enter the ID system is if the ID card holder uses a fingerprint reader. However, compromised readers could be used to inject fingerprint data directly into the ID card system, allowing fraudsters to impersonate the holders of the stolen biometrics.Andrew WatsonCambridge
The security and reliability of biometrics are still matters of debate, but in any case biometrics will not be needed by the tens of thousands of government and private employees who will have access to the national identity register. They will be able to access the database using the same login procedures used by most computer users. If the Revenue’s shockingly incompetent security regime applies elsewhere in government, there will be nothing to stop any employee viewing or copying records from the NIR.
The government has forfeited any right to be trusted with personal data. It is not enough to say they will learn lessons. All planned or current projects involving personal data must be put on hold until independent audits show that they respect the rights of the citizen.Mike RichardsMilton Keynes, Buckinghamshire
In view of the government’s inability to guarantee the total security of my, or anyone else’s, personal data, I am writing to the prime minister, the chancellor, the leaders of the Conservative and the Liberal Democrat parties and also to my member of parliament to give notice that I shall refuse to have an ID card, even if that means being fined or jailed.
I urge everyone to follow suit. The more fuss we make now, the less likely this or any future government is to put our identities at risk of fraudulent use.Val HarrisonBirmingham
There is still time to stop the ID card system, but IT systems to monitor all of England’s children and their families are nearing completion and contain highly confidential data. The ContactPoint system tracks all children’s contacts with health, welfare and other agencies, and the eCaf system will contain detailed assessments of children, parents and family life in cases where services are being sought.
The government needs to face up to two facts. First, its IT systems are unjustifiably intrusive. Second, it is an incompetent steward of personal information. The most important lesson to be learned from the blunders at Revenue and Customs is that systems like ContactPoint and eCaf must be abandoned.Chris MillsSevenoaks, Kent

While wrestling with wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pentagon is preparing weapons to fight the next battle from space, according to information in the 621-page, House-Senate conference report on the fiscal 2008 defense appropriations bill.
The $459 billion bill, which awaits President Bush's signature, provides $100 million for a new "prompt global strike" program that could deliver a conventional, precision-guided warhead anywhere in the world within two hours. It takes funds away from development of a conventional warhead for the Navy's submarine-launched Trident Intercontinental Ballistic Missile and from an Air Force plan for the Common Aero Vehicle.The new program, dubbed Falcon, for "Force Application and Launch from CONUS," centers on a small-launch-vehicle concept of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The agency describes Falcon as a "a reusable Hypersonic Cruise Vehicle (HCV) capable of delivering 12,000 pounds of payload at a distance of 9,000 nautical miles from [the continental United States] in less than two hours."
(article from huffingtonpost.com)

FBI: Blackwater shootings "unwarrented" (taken from RINF.com)

Most of the shots fired by private U.S. security firm Blackwater that killed 17 civilians in Baghdad Sept. 16 were unwarranted, a preliminary FBI report says.
Investigators said in a report now under review by the Justice Department as many as five of the company’s guards opened fire during the shootings, and as many as 14 of the deaths were unnecessary, the New York Times reported Wednesday.
“I wouldn’t call it a massacre, but to say it was unwarranted is an understatement,” one official who asked not to be identified told the Times.
The company said its guards opened fire when they perceived a security threat to their four-car convoy, and denied any wrongdoing.
A separate U.S. military review of the shootings concluded all of the killings were unjustified and potentially criminal, the Times said, although prosecutors have yet to decide whether to seek indictments.
Rep. David Price, D-N.C., sponsored legislation to extend U.S. criminal law to contractors serving overseas, and said he hopes new Attorney General Michael Mukasey would make the issue “a top priority.”

Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Tuesday that on a 10-year horizon, Iran-China commercial transactions would reach dlrs 200 billion.
Mottaki told his Chinese counterpart Yan Jiechi that Iran-China transactions have increased to dlrs 20 billion from dlrs 500 million at the beginning of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
He said China had for the first time become Iran's first trade partner last year.
He added that Iran and China can cooperate extensively to prevent energy monopoly in Africa.
Turning to Iraq issue, Mottaki said, "Iraq suffers two basic problems: continued foreign presence and continued terrorist activities. We believe the two problems should be solved concurrently and Iraqi government can handle terrorism better than the foreign forces." He then expressed concern over re-emergence of extremism in Afghanistan and declared support for the government of Hamed Karzai.
"Lebanon's internal problems have genuine solutions and should be solved on the basis of Lebanese-Lebanese dialogue. Of course, countries can help bring views of Lebanese groups closer to each other." He also stressed settlement of the 'worrying' Palestinian factional disputes.
The Chinese minister for his part stressed continued cooperation between Iran and China in gas and oil sectors and said, "We are ready for all-out expansion of ties with Iran because the country's position and role is of high significance for his and China's attitude to relations with Iran is long-term and strategic." He also called for continued consultations on international and regional issues in keeping with mutual interests.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday, "We should get ready to carry out our significant missions in the world." The president made the remark while addressing students, professors and officials of Iran University of Science and Technology in Tehran.
"We should first resolve our geopolitical issues and then prepare ourselves for the next move," he said.
The enemies try to convince the world that the Islamic Republic of Iran is not capable of handling its own affairs, he said, adding that "In my belief the God Almighty will humiliate the big powers." The enemies try to create obstacles to deviate Iran from path of development and success, said the president.
On Iran's nuclear programs, he said some domestic agents who were at the service of enemies tried to force Iran to deviate from right path and give up its legitimate rights, Ahmadinejad said.
"Some try to indicate that there is a wide gap between leadership and president in taking strategic decisions in the country but they are mistaken and instead we scoffed at them in our meetings," underlined the president.
The country's officials are very coordinated and united in making decisions, said the president.
The main duty of Iran's diplomatic apparatus is to make political arrangement and coordination in order to maintain the country's national interests and cause, said the president.
On mutual talks between Iran and the US on Iraq's security, he said "We cannot remain indifference towards the crimes and massacres of people by occupation forces while the Iraqi nation seeks our assistance."

CARACAS, Venezuela - Thousands of university students scuffled with police and government supporters during a protest Tuesday against constitutional reforms that would let President Hugo Chavez run for re-election indefinitely.
Police tossed tear gas canisters into the crowd of opposition students after bottle-throwing clashes broke out with a smaller group of pro-Chavez demonstrators near the National Assembly. Journalists estimated there were about 20,000 protesters, but pro-Chavez lawmakers said there were far fewer.
The students said they fear civil liberties would be severely weakened under the constitutional changes, which would allow authorities to detain citizens without charges during a state of emergency.“With this reform, the president is going to control everything. His power will be almost unlimited,” said 22-year-old Adolfo Rengifo, who marched alongside other protesters blowing whistles and shouting “Reform, No! Democracy, Yes!”
The National Assembly, dominated by Chavez supporters, is poised to approve 67 constitutional amendments that would give the government control over the Central Bank, create new types of cooperative property and extend presidential terms from six to seven years while allowing Chavez to run again in 2012.
To take effect, the reforms must be approved by voters in a Dec. 2 referendum.
Students: Police blocked the protestProtesters complained that police blocked their march before it reached the National Assembly while authorities frequently allow Chavez backers to stage street demonstrations without restrictions.
“It’s clear proof of political discrimination,” student leader Stalin Gonzalez said.