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Corporatism
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism, since it is the merger of state and corporate power." thanks to the bitter shack of resentment The War Against Some Terrorists
 In this time of heightened national security, the snitch lines are back. In the aftermath of September 11th, the FBI received tens of thousands of calls on so-called "tip" lines, and folks were broadly rounded up for questioning. One tip-line caller reported a suspicious-looking billboard near Times Square in New York. Soon after, a Department of Defense agent paid a visit to Chashama, the theater and art gallery that had leased space to Adbusters for its Corporate American Flag billboard. The agent had a lot of questions: Why were they displaying the billboard? Who paid for it? Who created it? (One clue might have been the website listed on the sign.)
You might call this vigilant grassroots anti-terrorism work. Or you might call it low-level intimidation. In the current climate, it seems, some types of social commentary are off-limits. If you've chosen this time to exercise your First Amendment rights in a critical way, you may find yourself under investigation. thanks to Blowback When are they going to come for the bloggers? Safire had better watch out too. The universal use and likely abuse of the national ID — a discredit card — will trigger questions like: When did you begin subscribing to these publications and why were you visiting that spicy or seditious Web site? Why are you afraid to show us your papers on demand? Why are you paying cash? What do you have to hide? Today's diatribe will be scorned as alarmist by the same security-mongers who shrugged off our attorney general's attempt to abolish habeas corpus (which libertarian protests and the Bush administration's sober second thoughts seem to be aborting). But the lust to take advantage of the public's fear of terrorist penetration by penetrating everyone's private lives — this time including the lives of U.S. citizens protected by the Fourth Amendment — is gaining popularity.
Beware: It is not just an efficient little card to speed you though lines faster or to buy you sure-fire protection from suicide bombers. A national ID card would be a ticket to the loss of much of your personal freedom. Its size could then be reduced for implantation under the skin in the back of your neck. thanks to Progressive Review
ENHANCED AIRPORT SCREENING TO INCLUDE MAMMOGRAM
 Arguing there is more than one way for a passenger to bring a "ticking time bomb" aboard an aircraft, the FAA today unveiled a new, more rigorous airport screening system that includes a mammogram. Although the new system has caused massive delays at airports where it has been tested, female passengers overwhelmingly approved of the added precautions. "Sure, I worry that someone will bring a knife or a bomb on board, but what if I have a bomb slowly ticking away inside of me?" said 53-year-old Pamela Sardozian as she slowly disappeared with her luggage into an x-ray machine at San Francisco International Airport.
"I feel much more confident knowing our government will be securing America's skies and scanning America's breasts," she added. Some People Need a Life Department New Mexico church plans Harry Potter book burning A New Mexico church plans to burn Harry Potter books because they are "an abomination to God," the church pastor said on Wednesday. Pastor Jack Brock said he would have a "holy bonfire" on Sunday at the Christ Community Church in Alamogordo in southern New Mexico to torch books about the fictional teen-age wizard who is wildly popular with young people. "These books encourage our youth to learn more about witches, warlocks, and sorcerers, and those things are an abomination to God and to me," Brock, 74, told Reuters.
"Harry Potter books are going to destroy the lives of many young people." Music CD prices set to take a plunge
Shoppers may think they have seen enough bargains this holiday season, but CDs at $9.99 may soon be a standard offer at music stores as retailers slash prices in bid to battle the scourge of online music piracy.
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