The ACLU is fighting the FBI in an epic battle of abbreviations! Ok, not really. Here’s the deal.
From the Raw Story:
ACLU: FBI ‘manipulating’ debate on Patriot Act reform
“The FBI is abusing the powers given to it under the Patriot Act in a way that is stifling the current debate about reforming that law, says the American Civil Liberties Union.
“The FBI continues to use the gag order provision of the Patriot Act’s national security letter (NSL) statute to suppress key information about the agency’s misuse of NSLs,” the group said in a statement released Wednesday.”
Is Obama going to support ending the Patriot Act?
“Several elements of the Patriot Act are set to expire at the end of the year. The Obama administration has backed the renewal of three of those elements.”
Following in Bush’s footsteps again? I’m sensing a theme.
“The ACLU says the FBI’s continued use of gag orders is making it impossible for the public to evaluate how national security letters have been used, and what needs to be done to fix them.
The group is challenging the NSLs in a lawsuit known as Doe V. Holder, in which an Internet service provider is fighting the gag order placed on it by the FBI, in a case it says was misuse of government power. Because of the gag order, very few details are known about the case. The public does not know who the Internet provider is, or what the gag order is related to.”
I’m so glad the ACLU exists. Want to donate to them? You can do that here.
Posted by Vixen as News at 11:22 PM CDT
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From this gallery. I like the pose.
Posted by Vixen as Sexy Sensations at 10:29 PM CDT
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It’s Banned Book Week. From their website:
“Banned Books Week is the only national celebration of the freedom to read. It was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. More than a thousand books have been challenged since 1982. The challenges have occurred in every state and in hundreds of communities. Click here to see a map of book bans and challenges in the US from 2007 to 2009. People challenge books that they say are too sexual or too violent. They object to profanity and slang, and protest against offensive portrayals of racial or religious groups–or positive portrayals of homosexuals. Their targets range from books that explore the latest problems to classic and beloved works of American literature.”
Their What You Can Do page has a lot of good info.
From the American Library Association:
Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read
“Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States.
Intellectual freedom—the freedom to access information and express ideas, even if the information and ideas might be considered unorthodox or unpopular—provides the foundation for Banned Books Week. BBW stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints for all who wish to read and access them.”
To celebrate I’m reading Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson. I’m a Thompson fan but somehow had never read this one. So far I’m loving it.
Posted by Vixen as Activism at 7:44 PM CDT
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“Love your penis. Plan ahead.”
-An escort friend
She was commenting on clients who don’t book a session until the last minute. Often she can’t see them because she’s already booked or doesn’t have the time to check references.
I think this advice could apply to clients seeking all kinds of sex workers.
Posted by Vixen as Quote Book at 8:51 PM CDT
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From the American Conservative:
Who’s Afraid of Sibel Edmonds?
“Sibel Edmonds has a story to tell. She went to work as a Turkish and Farsi translator for the FBI five days after 9/11. Part of her job was to translate and transcribe recordings of conversations between suspected Turkish intelligence agents and their American contacts. She was fired from the FBI in April 2002 after she raised concerns that one of the translators in her section was a member of a Turkish organization that was under investigation for bribing senior government officials and members of Congress, drug trafficking, illegal weapons sales, money laundering, and nuclear proliferation. She appealed her termination, but was more alarmed that no effort was being made to address the corruption that she had been monitoring.
A Department of Justice inspector general’s report called Edmonds’s allegations “credible,” “serious,” and “warrant[ing] a thorough and careful review by the FBI.” Ranking Senate Judiciary Committee members Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) have backed her publicly. “60 Minutes” launched an investigation of her claims and found them believable. No one has ever disproved any of Edmonds’s revelations, which she says can be verified by FBI investigative files.
John Ashcroft’s Justice Department confirmed Edmonds’s veracity in a backhanded way by twice invoking the dubious State Secrets Privilege so she could not tell what she knows. The ACLU has called her “the most gagged person in the history of the United States of America.””
I’ve read about Edmonds on and off for a few years. Mostly I’ve seen her story appear on Alex Jones types of websites. I was surprised to find the American Conservative had interviewed her. (I read the story with an ad for the horrible Ann Coulter in the sidebar to give you an idea of their flavor.) But I strongly suggest reading the interview. Edmonds has a lot of interesting information to share.
Haven’t heard of Edmonds? Here’s some background:
From the ACLU:
Sibel Edmonds: A Patriot Silenced, Unjustly Fired but Fighting Back to Help Keep America Safe
Sibel Edmonds, a 32-year-old Turkish-American, was hired as a translator by the FBI shortly after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 because of her knowledge of Middle Eastern languages. She was fired less than a year later in March 2002 for reporting shoddy work and security breaches to her supervisors that could have prevented those attacks.
(snip)
On January 14, 2004 , the Justice Department’s Office unclassified summary of the Justice Department’s Inspector General’s report on Edmonds found that many of her claims “were supported, that the FBI did not take them seriously enough, and that her allegations were, in fact, the most significant factor in the FBI’s decision to terminate her services.”"
Posted by Vixen as News at 11:07 PM CDT
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Recently I talked with a new client. The fantasy was going along fine when he asked what I thought about Obama. I’m used to clients interrupting with non sequiturs, though admittedly it took some time to get used to them. (I blogged about PSO work and politics here.)
I gave my opinion. Here’s the gist-I voted for Obama. I like that we have an intelligent, well spoken president now. But I don’t like the bailouts, the continuation of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars and the continuation of many Bush policies. That sounds reasonable right?
Muslim-obsessed Client ignored my comment and asked “You know he’s a Muslim right?” I was speechless. If you don’t like Obama there’s legitimate critiques you could make. Why go with the already debunked campaign smear?
I replied that no Obama isn’t Muslim. Sure he went to a Muslim school for a couple years. But I was peer pressured to go to Christian camp one summer when I was a girl. That doesn’t mean I’m a Christian now. Again, sounds reasonable right? Personally, I’d prefer an atheist president but I kept that opinion to myself.
MC again ignored my comment. He told me this weird story about voting last November. According to MC he wanted to vote for McCain. But there was a Muslim man by the voting booth. The man made eye contact with MC and escorted him into the voting booth. Then in a dramatic voice he says “And he made me vote for Obama.”
I was speechless. What am I supposed to say to that? There’s so many things that didn’t make sense in that story. Then MC asked if I had studied the Koran. I haven’t and said so. MC told me I should start because Obama was going to turn the United States into a Muslim nation.
What the hell? What do you say to that? It was like listening to an Obama’s A Muslim album played on repeat.
I figured I’d turn his question around. “Have you studied the Koran?” I asked. MC said no. Then I asked why not if he was convinced Obama was going to force us all to convert.
MC told me that he was a Christian and he had sworn to God to fight the Muslims in the coming “holy war”.
At this point I was thinking-Wow, I’ve read about people like this but have never really debated with one before.
Then MC went back to his fantasy. Not surprisingly he wanted to talk about big, dark skinned Muslim men raping his girlfriend. She became their sex slave, converted to their religion and wore a burka.
It was a weird call. MC was so confusing. Simple logic and facts defeated so many of his beliefs. And yet they didn’t seem to affect MC. When presented with both logic and facts he ignored them and just stated the same opinion in a slightly different way. I can’t imagine thinking like that.
Posted by Vixen as PSO Confessions at 9:10 PM CDT
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The best of this week’s blogs by the bloggers who blog them. Highlighting the top 3 posts as chosen by Sugasm participants. Want in Sugasm #174? Submit a link to your best post of the week using this form. Participants, repost the link list within a week and you’re all set.
This Week’s Picks
Dressing Room Voyeur
“I caught his gaze this time, on purpose.”
It’s Always the Quiet Ones…
“So grabbing her hips, I pulled her in for a kiss.”
Behind Closed Doors
“Others had watched, she beat me, brought me to tears, held me and then began to untie me.”
Sugasm Editor
The Mouse Drama
Editor’s Choice
Let the Rain Come
More Sugasm
Join the Sugasm
HNT courtesy of Secrets of a Blue-Eyed Vixen.
Posted by Vixen as Sugasm at 10:53 PM CDT
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From NPR:
Obama supports extending Patriot Act provisions
“The Obama administration supports extending three key provisions of the Patriot Act that are due to expire at the end of the year, the Justice Department told Congress in a letter made public Tuesday.
Lawmakers and civil rights groups had been pressing the Democratic administration to say whether it wants to preserve the post-Sept. 11 law’s authority to access business records, as well as monitor so-called “lone wolf” terrorists and conduct roving wiretaps.”
Another instance of Obama carrying on in Bush’s footsteps? Blech.
—
From Reuters:
BP makes “giant” oil find in Gulf of Mexico
“Oil major BP Plc said it has made an oil discovery in the Gulf of Mexico, which analysts believe could contain over 1 billion barrels of recoverable reserves, reaffirming the Gulf’s strategic importance to the industry.
BP said in a statement on Wednesday that it had made the “giant” find at its Tiber Prospect in the Keathley Canyon block 102, by drilling one of the deepest wells ever sunk by the industry.”
A giant oil discovery in Mexico? I wonder when the US will meddle more in Mexico to make sure that oil gets to it’s “proper” home?
From the Associated Press/Google News:
US releases $214 million to aid Mexico drug fight
“The U.S. has released $214 million of an aid package to help Mexico fight drug trafficking, including funds for five helicopters for the military to be delivered by year’s end, a top State Department official said Tuesday.
The helicopters will be the first to be sent to Mexico under the Merida Initiative, a three-year, $1.4 billion program to train and equip law enforcement to deal with the ruthless cartels, said David Johnson, U.S. assistant secretary for international narcotics and law enforcement.
He said $214 million of the package has been spent or committed. The funds have gone to training Mexican federal investigators and providing technology such as X-ray machines to check for contraband at border crossings.”
Play up the drug and violence angle before the oil news is public. Clever.
—
From News 9:
75 Percent of Oklahoma High School Students Can’t Name the First President of the U.S.
“Only one in four Oklahoma public high school students can name the first President of the United States, according to a survey released today.
The survey was commissioned by the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs in observance of Constitution Day on Thursday.
Brandon Dutcher is with the conservative think tank and said the group wanted to find out how much civic knowledge Oklahoma high school students know.
(snip)
Dutcher said this is not just a problem in Oklahoma. He said Arizona had similar results, which left him concerned for the entire country.
“Jefferson later said that a nation can’t expect to be ignorant and free,” Dutcher said. “It points to a real serious problem. We’re not going to remain ignorant and free.”"
Mr. Radical ym’d me this story. My response was “This makes the fundie homeschoolers look smart. Sure they don’t believe in evolution but at least they know US history.” Sarcasm? Check.
Posted by Vixen as News at 10:52 PM CDT
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From this gallery.
I do a lot of upskirt calls. The fantasy usually starts with me wearing a short skirt with sexy panties underneath.
Posted by Vixen as Sexy Sensations at 10:02 AM CDT
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From Bust Magazine:
CREEPY!
“When I first found out you could order that lovely female companion with your choice of hair, eye, and silicone (skin) color, I was flabbergasted. What sane person would pay hundreds of dollars for this?! Go to the Bunny Ranch in Nevada if you have a difficult time with women and want the ‘girlfriend experience.’
Well, a German company called First Androids wants you to get just a bit closer to actually being with a real lady…their sex doll breaths, has a pulse, can perform oral sex acts and has a g-spot that responds to orgasm!”
Now I find Real Dolls and First Androids sort of creepy too. However, if a guy gets his rocks off with one I say good for him. Bust titling their post “CREEPY!”seems harsh. Yeah it’s a weird fetish. But I like giving spankings and I know there’s people who think that’s creepy.
“Something tells me there are a sector of men out there who have these dolls because they love doing whatever sexual acts they want without having a partner downright refuse or scream and yell in protest (you know, just want the lady bits without everything else). If you’re a man and want a good time, get a fleshlight, buy porn, or even a RealDoll, not these creepy ones whose breath you can feel.”
I’m really surprised how pissy and judgmental this Bust post is. Why do they get to say what the appropriate ways are for a man to have a “good time”? Wouldn’t they be up in arms if a blogger said women shouldn’t masturbate with 12″ dildos and should stick to vibrators or some such nonsense?
There is a percentage of people out there who aren’t functional in relationships. Maybe some do have a violent streak as the blogger alludes to in the post. But wouldn’t something like a android doll fulfill their needs? Just because someone has violent sexual fantasies doesn’t mean they’re violent in real life. I have given bruises to men’s asses that have lasted for days but you won’t find me randomly slugging guys in bars.
You can check out First Androids site here. I clicked the English button but it didn’t seem to be working. I was able to click on the different android pictures to check them out though.
Posted by Vixen as News at 1:49 PM CDT
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“You sound like a robot.”
-drunk new client
Posted by Vixen as Quote Book at 7:35 PM CDT
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From the BBC:
Iraq shoe thrower ‘was tortured’
“The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at former US President George W Bush says he was tortured by senior government officials while in jail.
Shortly after his release from nine months in a Baghdad prison, Muntadar al-Zaidi demanded an apology - and said he would name the officials later.
(snip)
After his release on Tuesday he told journalists: “I am free again, but my homeland is still a prison.”
Reuters news agency reported he was slurring his speech because of a missing tooth.
He went on to say he had suffered beatings, whippings, electric shocks and simulated drowning at the hands of officials and guards.”
—
I’m not surprised that Muntadar al-Zaidi claims he was tortured in prison. I am surprised that he lived through his sentence and was released early. There was so much popular support over his shoe throwing that I figured he’d have some sort of “accident” while in prison.
Posted by Vixen as News at 11:15 PM CDT
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It’s been awhile since I blogged a Sugasm Post Request. Have a sex blog? Why not submit to the Sugasm? It’s great for networking and finding new readers.
Submissions for Sugasm #173 close at 11:59pm PST Wednesday. The new Sugasm will go up Friday. If you’d like your blog featured, send us the title and permalink to your best sex blog entry for the week.
The Sugasm submission form is working again. The form can be found here. Any questions? Email me directly at radicalvixenatgmaildotcom
To save me time please submit the following:
Post Name:
Post Permalink:
Preferred Category:
HNT courtesy of long-distance sub.
Posted by Vixen as Sugasm at 8:07 PM CDT
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I’m back after a dramatic hard drive death. Everybody always says to back up often and it’s no joke. Thanks to a backup device and Mr. Radical’s geek skills I’m back online. Woot!
Posted by Vixen as Musings at 8:59 PM CDT
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