Don't Bash Bush in Australia

* Chris, for RImone:

"Don't Bash Bush in Australia

If you happen to being wearing a shirt that has Bush's picture on it, along with a saying like "World's Number 1 Terrorist" you can be barred from flying (they did, however, give him the option to change shirts..how nice), even to the U.K., as Allen Jasson, 55, an Australian IT expert who lives in Britain, found out! So, I guess you wonder what the airlines reasoning was, according to this article:

"Airline staff said the T-shirt of Bush with the tagline "World's number 1 terrorist" could have upset other passengers and demanded it be changed for another."

Mr. Jasson decided it was better to stand for his freedom of speech rights and forfeit his fare, but he is looking into legal options....meanwhile, the airline, Quantas, issued a statement that verbal, as well as words/phrases printed on clothing, which had the potential to offend other travelers or threaten the security of the aircraft "will not be tolerated." Well, for one, when you have freedom of speech, you have the right to offend people and two, just wearing a shirt, no matter what is printed on it (okay, if it said "I'm gonna blow this plane up" then I can see their point), does NOT threaten the security of the aircraft. I cannot wait to see what else develops out of this!"

yay, us.

* Ken:

"The situation came to a head last week, during a closed-door session of the Senate Armed Services Committee. This committee expected to be briefed on the long-awaited NIE by an official from the National Intelligence Council (NIC), which coordinates NIEs by gathering input from all of the nation's various intelligence agencies. But the NIC official turned up empty-handed and told the committee that the intelligence community hadn't been able to complete the NIE because it had been dealing with the many demands placed upon it by the Bush Administration to help prepare the new military strategy on Iraq. He then said that not all of the relevant agencies had contributed to the NIE, which has made it impossible to put together a finished product.

Apparently these “dog ate my homework” alibis were badly received by both the Democrats and the Republicans on the Committee, and those in attendance now believe that senior intelligence officials are stalling because an NIE will be bleak enough to present a significant political liability. Given the Bush Administration's “surge” policy and the extraordinary danger faced by U.S. troops in Iraq (27 U.S. servicemembers died there this weekend), the need for a new NIE is urgent. The intelligence community is doing the nation a disservice by making Congress wait for the truth."