Of course they'll use spy satellites for domestic politics*. Why would you even think things could be different? The Times:

At issue is a newly disclosed plan that Mike McConnell, director of national intelligence, approved in May in a memorandum to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, which puts some of the nation’s most powerful intelligence-gathering tools at the disposal of domestic security officials as early as this fall.

The uses include enhancing seaport and land-border security, improving planning to mitigate natural disasters, and determining how best to secure major events, like the Super Bowl or national political conventions**.

Maybe we all just need to start wearing rubber Bush masks (burkas for the women) as our normal, daily attire?

From the Booz, Allen report that further purported to justify the systematic destruction of our liberties:

“The ultimate effect is missed opportunities to collect, exploit and disseminate domestic information critical to fighting the war on terrorism, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters natural and man-made,” the report said.

"Man-made," disasters, eh? Like a protester holding up a sign at the Republican National Convention? That kind of disaster? A march to protect the Constitution on the National Mall? That kind of disaster? The kind of disaster where "continuity of government issues" arose, and the election had to be postponed?

But don't worry!

“We are not going to be penetrating buildings, bunkers or people’s homes with this,” Mr. Allen said. “I view that as absurd. My view is that no American should be concerned.”

Right. But then, you'd say that anyhow, wouldn't you?

Say, who is Mark Allen, anyhow? Why, he's an old Iran-Contra hack! (Wikipedia, but citation to book.)

Director of Central Intelligence William Webster formally reprimanded Allen for failing to fully comply with the DCI's request for full cooperation in the agency's internal Iran-Contra scandal investigation. After failing to have the reprimand lifted through the regular appeal process, Allen retained future DCI James Woolsey as an attorney and was successful in applying pressure to have the reprimand lifted.

Mark Perry observes "Ironically, Allen's attack on Webster was as unjustified as Webster's reprimand." The reprimand stemmed from a set of missing papers found in Allen's office containing information on the arms-for-hostages deal. Allen claimed they had been inadvertently overlooked in a messy office. Supporters of Allen pointed out that Webster reprimanded the one person in the CIA who had brought his suspicions of a funds diversion to Robert Gates. Others asserted that Allen simply did not respect Webster.

[Eclipse: The Last Days of the CIA, Mark Perry, 1992, p. 216.]

(Naturally, the deferential Times stenographer omits this telling detail.) Of course, maybe Mr. Allen has cleaned up is office since then, so his judgment of what's "absurd" may be more trustworthy.

Oh, and the Dems? They rolled over again.

An official with the House Intelligence Committee said the panel had been notified of the program last spring but had not been given details of the data-sharing, and would ask for a full briefing when lawmakers returned in September from their summer recess.

“Crystal-clear rules on the use of such information are needed to protect the privacy of the American people,” said Representative Jane Harman, a California Democrat who heads the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing and Terrorism Risk Assessment.

That cunt Jane Harman really needs a primary challenge.

I mean, it's nice to know that the Dems in the know let the program go forward without "crystal clear rules," eh? After we know about the warrantless surveillance program? What's WRONG with these people?

NOTE * The Republican National Conventions have a long history of extra-legal activities to suppress the right of the people to petition for redress of grievances. I always felt that Thomas Ridge's only qualification for becoming the head of DHS was the excellent job he did infiltrating, intimidating, and illegally arresting protestors during the Republican National Convention in 2000 in Philly. The arrests were later thrown out, of course, as were Bloomberg mass arrests for the RNC in 2004. Since the Republicans are already using law enforcement extra-legally it's not even foily to think that they'll use the satellites for that. It's just an extension of their standard operating procedure.

NOTE ** Of course, there will now be domestic terra terra terra alerts, conveniently timed for election purposes, using spy satellite information that can't be revealed. Those color-coded alerts were so, so primitive! (And too many people had to know about them.)

NOTE *** And to shoot the colored niggers at the border before they come for the white ones, of course.