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Weekly Review for December 27, 2005

By Paul Ford

Every week I write the Harper's Weekly Review, a summary of the news for Harper's Magazine. Here is the first paragraph . . .

The Senate, with Dick Cheney casting the deciding vote, cut $40 billion in funding for foster care, child support, and student loans. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice asked Congress for $50 million to support African troops in Darfur, but her request was rejected. Americans had spent $18.48 billion on gift cards this holiday season. The House voted to extend the Patriot Act by five weeks. President George W. Bush called nine U.S. servicemen and servicewomen and wished them a Merry Christmas, while British Prime Minister Tony Blair visited Iraq. It was revealed that undercover police in New York City had infiltrated anti-war protests, street vigils, and pro-bicycling rallies. At one march, police provoked protesters--some of whom they later arrested--by staging a fake arrest. The FBI was spying on Greenpeace, Catholic Worker, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, and PETA. It was reported that the United States had, without warrants or court orders, been monitoring radiation levels at over 100 Muslim mosques, homes, businesses, and other sites in the Washington, D.C., area. It was also reported that the NSA had, with Presidential approval but without warrants, spied on much more Internet and phone traffic than was previously acknowledged. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said that there was "absolutely nothing wrong" with President Bush authorizing the NSA to eavesdrop on Americans.

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