TGIF- An Evangelical Air Force, Patriot Act Redux , Danes And Moor

Thank the gods it's Friday and Congress will go home for the weekend and be able to do no more damage, until Monday, anyway. Seems as if they have managed to leave us a few parting shots for the week, tho and the day is still young.

An Evangelical Air Force
Now, is it just me or does anyone else find the possibility of a branch of the military being open to Evangelicals, witnessing and conversion to be disturbing? While the military is, and should be a place for individual faith it is not a place for evangelising. The worst part is that Congress has bowed to pressure from Fundamentalist Christians and given them one more victory to embolden them and their agenda. First we saw the death of a reasonably enjoyable television show at the hands of the Evangelical right, the sanitised Superbowl after a pasty was shown on TV and now the Congress has handed the Theocrats a new victory. One more step in the march to an American Theocracy.

The USA PATRIOT Act Gets A Facelift
Unfortunately, it still resembles Tammy Faye Bakker no matter how much you sand down the spackle. While specifics are not available to me at the moment the news reports lend credence to my thought that as usual they've done nothing to let this odious piece of anti-liberty smeg die. Renewal will be a certainty and we still have to see what the Senate does with whatever is sent to them. We know that, regardless of what is sent to Bush's desk, he will sign it. Guess he still needs to practice signing his name, eh? Clue to the Congress, "People, there's a reason that Sunset provisions are placed in legislation. Let it friggin' die!"
I notice that the Democrats are still in favour of allowing the anti-privacy banking elements crafted by John Kerry remain. Personally, I cannot wait for the entire thing to die, but I have no hope that it will ever go away, short of a revolution.

Danes Get Onboard The Train
Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen has now joined the "Call Out Iran and Syria" Train. He isn't wrong, mind you the governments of Syria and Iran are responsible for the riots on their countries and the attacks on Embassies. Unfortunately, some politicians who earlier this week had a different viewpoint...(*cough*...Mr. Bush....*cough*)...have changed their minds about things and are using the issue as a political leveraging point for the further marginalisation of the twin dictatorships of Syria and Iran. The Jyllands-Posten "Mohammed Cartoon" controversy is a win/win for all parties. The Islamic Jihadists get to use it to inflame their forces and the Hawks in the West get to use it to enhance their anti-sovereignty rhetoric. The race is on and there are likely to be no winners in the coming conflict.

Putin's Our Buddy, Right?
That's what we keep hearing, anyway. Russia's a partner in the War On Terror, the USSR is dead and Democracy is on the march in Russia. Pssst, hey buddy? Wanta buy a watch?
Seems as if Mr. Putin is more than willing to embrace the new regime in the Palestinian territories, even when no-one else in the West is willing to do so until they renounce some of their core "principles", like "death to Israel", initiaition of force and terrorism. While this may just be an invitation to talk and attempt to convince Hammas of the error of their ways it leave you wondering. The USSR...err..Russia has not had a solid presence in the Middle East since the 70's and their loss of bases in Egypt. It would not be a great stretch to imagine a renewal of the Soviet Hegemony given Mr. Putin's Stalinesque attitudes and his former station within the KGB. Some things never die unless you've driven a stake through their hearts.