The Wily Filipino

Harassment and Lies.

The U.S. government is very quickly refining its methods of harassment: Americans who acted as human shields in Iraq are receiving letters from the Treasury Department, asking about what they did there and reminding them that "spending money there was a crime that could lead to 12 years in prison and civil penalties of up to $275,000."

...a Treasury spokesman bristled at the notion that the inquiries were politically motivated.

"Of course not," the spokesman, Taylor Griffin, said. "Unlike in Iraq under Saddam Hussein — where dissent was met with imprisonment or worse — the freedom to protest and disagree with the government is a cornerstone of American democracy. However, the right to free speech is not a license to violate U.S. or international sanctions. While free expression is a right enjoyed by all Americans, choosing which laws to abide by and which to ignore is not a privilege that is granted to anyone."

It sure was a "privilege" granted to the U.S., no? What nerve.

Speaking of balls (or the lack of them), Bush lies again (what's new?):

"We are discussing a lot of things, and we believe that the tax relief plan we have in place is robust enough to encourage job growth," Mr. Bush told reporters at his 1,600-acre Texas ranch here, as he stood flanked by his top economic advisers. "If we change our opinion, we will let you know," he added.

"If we change our opinion, we will let you know??" What kind of moronic statement is that? (Well -- the kind of moronic statement you follow previous ones, I suppose.)

...Mr. Bush and his advisers offered no new initiatives or ideas to improve the economy. Instead, Mr. Bush repeated calls that Congress rein in spending, and said that the $350 billion in tax cuts enacted this year would soon lead to economic growth.

This is despite Nobel Prize-winning economist and UC Berkeley professor George Akerlof's warning that "the Bush policy is the worst policy in the last 200 years." (See also Bob Herbert's column for more.)

And for the women and men on duty overseas: nothing beats being lied to and made to pay for it.

Posted by the wily filipino at August 14, 2003 12:27 PM