Hey, guess what?

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush has decided not to renew a program of domestic spying on terrorism suspects, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said on Wednesday, ending a tactic criticized for infringing on civil liberties.

Gonzales said electronic surveillance will be subject to approval from a secret but independent court, which Democrats in Congress and other critics have demanded during more than a year of fierce debate.

Ahhh, sweet civil liberties! How I've missed you. Have you seen habeus corpus lately?

It's right over there, behind the secret court.

I don't like people who ascribe human feelings to their pets.

Like what? I'd be way happy to fond out that my cat doesn't experience loneliness, and that she does experience happiness, or at the very least, comfort.

Meanwhile, the administration has been firing prosecutors left and right (under an obscure provision of the Patriot Act) and appointing interim prosecutors to avoid having to bring them before Congress. Oddly enough, these prosecutors were all investigating the Bush administration.

eta: [link]

I'd be way happy to fond out that my cat doesn't experience loneliness, and that she does experience happiness, or at the very least, comfort.

I think animals have feelings. I don't think emotions are an exclusively human trait.

I think animals have feelings. I don't think emotions are an exclusively human trait.

I think mammals do. Reptiles, OTOH, are a bunch of cold-blooded... reptiles.

In Tennis News:

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Pete Sampras and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario have been elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Also to be inducted at ceremonies July 14 at the Newport, R.I., hall of fame are Sven Davidson, under the Master Player category, and Russ Adams, as a contributor to the game.

Sampras won a record 14 Grand Slam events and held the No. 1 ranking 286 weeks during his 15-year career. Sampras finished 12 seasons rated the top player in the world, including six consecutive years (1993-98).

Sanchez-Vicario piled up 14 Grand Slam titles -- four singles, six doubles and four in mixed doubles. She won 29 singles titles and 67 doubles titles over 18 years. She was a Top 10 player for 11 years and was ranked No. 1 for 12 weeks.

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I mostly post that because I wanted to see Arantxa's career laid out like that. I think there's not enough credit given to Very Very Good For A Very Long Time.

I think mammals do. Reptiles, OTOH, are a bunch of cold-blooded... reptiles.

I shouldn't be too broad with that, you're right. I have no notion of insectoid emotion. Furry creatures have feelings, though. I think we're wired that way.

I think animals have feelings. I don't think emotions are an exclusively human trait.

Then why do you refer to ascribing feelings to animals as "anthropomorphizing" them?

I was kidding, Allyson. Actually, I know my cats and dog have feelings. I don't think they have the kind of feelings animal crazies ascribe to them, though. I don't think there's an animal alive who knows when their birthday is, for example, or who make long-term plans or who have psychic connections with someone miles away, but I have had people tell me they do.