Why did Bank of America and Oprah team up?

On a show that aired Monday, Winfrey gave more than 300 audience members $1,000 debit cards sponsored by the Bank of America to donate to a charitable cause.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/30/AR2006103000494.html

See my earlier post here:
http://bork.wordpress.com/2006/10/16/guy-arrested-at-a-bank-of-america-in-san-francisco/

It may be possible that Bank of America is trying to offset the Clark Howard led boycott.

Whatever happened to humble and anonymous charitable contributions?

AT&T

very brief quote at 1:52
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXATMnerBjI

apologetic

By the way, Jarrar reports that he has received death threats. On his blog, he quotes from a National Guard member who served in Iraq: “If I run across you in my daily tasks, I will kill you. GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY COUNTRY IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT HERE.”

http://www.progressive.org/node/4117

tame

Try looking at both sides of the argument before bashing our nations companies and governments. If you don’t agree with the war, then protest the war or move to Canada. Don’t be hippocritical and make a documentary, wildly profitting from ridiculing companies, CEOs, and the US government. Also, don’t complain when there is a proliferation of attacks on the US and innocent people around the world.

http://iraqforsale.org/diaries/2006/09/federal_judge_halliburton_has.php#comments

Oaxaca, Mexico

just a link, news is happening right now

http://news.google.com/news?q=oaxaca

Constitutional rights at airports

General Mitchell International Airport
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

He grabbed the baggie as it came out of the X-ray and asked if it was mine. After responding yes, he pointed at my comment and demanded to know “What is this supposed to mean?” “It could me a lot of things, it happens to be an opinion on mine.” “You can’t write things like this” he said, “You mean my First Amendment right to freedom of speech doesn’t apply here?” “Out there (pointing pass the id checkers) not while in here (pointing down) was his response.”

After he had finished I started to remind him he had left out his statement that my First Amendment rights didn’t apply “here” but was cut off by the deputy who demanding my ID.

I explained to her who Kip Hawley was, why I though he was an idiot, and my surprise that the TSA Supervisor felt my First Amendment rights didn’t’ apply at the TSA checkpoint.

After he was assured I didn’t have any warrants out the first office came back and I had my first chance to really speak, I explained that I was just expressing my opinion and my writing should be protected my by First Amendment rights. When he didn’t respond, I then repeated that the TSA Supervisor stated my First Amendment rights didn’t apply at the TSA check point and I asked if he (the deputy) agreed that was the case. He responded by saying “You can’t yell fire in a crowed theater, there are limits to your rights.

At this point I chucked again

I asked how this was even remotely like shouting “Fire” in a crowd, and his answer was “Perhaps your comments made them feel threatened.”

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=606142

“My level of frustration with the TSA and their idiotic policies has grown over 2 ½ years,” he said. “I’m frustrated that poorly trained TSA people can pull random passengers out of line and pat them down like common criminals. The average traveler has no recourse.”

She said the man was “a little combative” and that a law enforcement officer came over, briefly interviewed him and determined that he hadn’t broken any laws.

There is no indication that he was combative, she said.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/09/28/idiot.baggie/index.html

airline screening

Passengers who flag concerns by exhibiting unusual or anxious behavior will be pointed out to local police, who will then conduct face-to-face interviews to determine whether any threat exists. If such inquiries turn up other issues of concern, such as travel to countries like Afghanistan, Iraq or Sudan, for example, police officers will know to pursue the questioning or alert Federal counter-terrorism agents.

like US military employees with PTSD?

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,708924,00.html

Atlanta airport

Hawley said TSA screeners are given tests around the clock to check their alertness. Images of bombs and other suspicious devices that are hard to detect are put up on the X-ray machine, followed after a brief delay by an alert that reads, “This is a test.”

After reviewing a tape of the images, Hawley said the software failed to alert the screener of the test.

The airport’s general manager, Ben DeCosta, said he was not satisfied with the way passengers were notified of the incident.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/04/20/atlanta.airport/index.html

airport identification

It’s now official.

You don’t need identification to travel on an airplane.

“Passengers are allowed to enter screening area without identification,” TSA spokeswoman Amy Kudwa told this humble reporter today.

http://www.secondaryscreening.net/static/archives/2006/03/ticket_check_id.html

Budapest, Hungary police

This is supposedly a video of riot police beating some guy in Budapest, Hungary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNsib28r43g

This news story may be related:

More than 20 people have been injured in anti-government protests in Budapest today, marring commemorations of the 50th anniversary of Hungary’s uprising against Soviet rule.

As police pushed the crowd of mostly far-right protesters back from the Hungarian parliament, demonstrators seized a Soviet-era T-34 tank – on show for the commemorations – and drove it at police.

“The whole crowd started cheering. The police started firing teargas, then the tank stopped,” Reuters cameraman Fedja Grulovic said.

Delegations from at least 56 countries were in Budapest for the commemorations, including the Nato secretary general, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, and the Spanish king, Juan Carlos.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1929653,00.html