Yearly Archives: 2006

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Admits She Lied, But Doesn’t Apologize

About as un-graciously as humanly possible, my Congressional representative has admitted that she’s a liar, and that she slandered filmakers last week when she accused them of doctoring tape to put words in her mouth.

Last week, Ros-Lehtinen was still denying that the tapes showing her calling for Castro’s assassination were accurate, and was accusing the filmmakers of doctoring the tape. Then they released the raw tapes, and we found out who was telling the truth. And it’s not Ros-Lehtinen.

U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen admitted on Friday, through a spokesman, that she did call for the death of ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro during an interview with a British documentary-maker whom she had earlier accused of altering the video.

”Yes, it’s in the documentary, she said that,” said Alex Cruz, the congresswoman’s spokesman.

Ros-Lethinen did not want to respond further, Cruz said, because “she’s focused her energies on issues that are more important for the community.

”Neither she nor I have seen the raw footage, without editing, but if that’s in the documentary, she said it,” Cruz said.

Having wrongly and cravenly accused the documentary makers of the most serious professional misconduct, Ros-Lehtinen is waiting to see how the wind blows before deciding if she has to apologize:

”Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has made a very serious accusation against the documentary’s crew,” [director Dollan] Cannell said. “Her accusation is totally false and I would like her to retract what she said and to apologize.”

Cruz did not respond directly to whether Ros-Lehtinen plans to apologize to the director.

Posted in Politics: FL-18 | 1 Comment

Everybody’s Podcasting Now

Queen to release Christmas speech on Podcast

Posted in UK | Comments Off on Everybody’s Podcasting Now

TSA Violated Privacy Law

Ed Hasbrouck has been talking about this issue for a long time. Today, the Washington Post has an update, Report Says TSA Violated Privacy Law:

Secure Flight, the U.S. government’s stalled program to screen domestic air passengers against terrorism watch lists, violated federal law during a crucial test phase, according to a report to be issued today by the Homeland Security Department’s privacy office.

The agency found that by gathering passenger data from commercial brokers in 2004 without notifying the passengers, the program violated a 1974 Privacy Act requirement that the public be made aware of any changes in a federal program that affects the privacy of U.S. citizens. “As ultimately implemented, the commercial data test conducted in connection with the Secure Flight program testing did not match [the Transportation Security Administration’s] public announcements,” the report states.

It took two reporters — Ellen Nakashima and Del Quentin Wilber — to fail to answer all the interesting questions. First, is anyone going to be held accountable? Second, are these potential criminal violations or not? It doesn’t sound like it:

TSA spokeswoman Ellen Howe said the agency has “already implemented or is in the process of implementing” the recommendations contained in the privacy office report. She said the report’s conclusions were not surprising, adding that they were “very similar” to those reached last year by the General Accounting Office, the government’s auditing arm.

So, what was the purpose of this report, given that the GAO ventilated many of the facts a year ago? Does the rest of the TSA care about what its privacy office says? The story doesn’t tell us. It took two reporters to do this?

And, the Post makes no mention of what appear to be the follow-on illegalities.

On this stuff, you’re much better off reading blogs than the Post. Is Brad DeLong right? Is the paper (as opposed to online) Post toast?

Posted in Law: Privacy | Comments Off on TSA Violated Privacy Law

Elizabeth Edwards On Blogging and Commenting

Micah Sifry writes about Elizabeth Edwards, Online and For Real at Personal Democracy Forum. In it she discusses her blogging and her commenting on other people’s online postings.

Like everything else I’ve ever read about her, it makes Elizabeth Edwards look good.

And no, this is not going to turn into the Edwards-for-President blog, at least not yet. He’s certainly one of my top two or three candidates at present, but the season is young, and the candidates have not yet staked out positions on some key issues I’d need to hear about before being able to commit. Especially Iraq.

Posted in Blogs, Politics: US: 2008 Elections | 1 Comment

Ros-Lehtinen Caught on Tape

Think Progress, Congresswoman Caught In Lie Over Castro Assassination Claim details how my Congressperson has, it seems, been caught in a bare-faced lie.

She says a video tape was doctored to make it look like she was calling for Castro’s assassination when in fact she wasn’t. The filmmakers have released the raw video which supports their story not hers and asked her to retract the slur on their integrity. We’re still waiting on that one.

Anyone who’s followed Ros-Lehtinen’s career will know that the anti-Castro remarks seem in character (and are probably shared by a substantial fraction of her electors).

I wish I thought this flap will affect her re-election chances in ’08, but I doubt it.

Posted in Politics: FL-18 | Comments Off on Ros-Lehtinen Caught on Tape

For Atrios Junkies

Eschaton has been bloggered, so if you want your Atrios fix you will need to visit the temporary Eschaton site until this gets sorted out.

It’s sort of interesting how “I’ve been Bloggered” is the ’00s version of the early 90s “I’ve been Continentaled”. It can’t be good when your brand is commonly associated with screw-ups.

Update: It’s fixed.

Posted in Blogs | 1 Comment