The State-Secrets Privilege, Tamed Of the many ways that the Bush administration sought to evade accountability for its violations of the law and the Constitution under the cover of battling terrorism, one of the most appalling was its attempt to use inflated claims of state secrecy to slam shut the doors of the nation’s courthouses. […]
The looming question, "Is the legal pursuit of the use of torture by our C.I.A. in the lead up to the Iraq War politically motivated?" It strikes me that this isn’t the only question of this type on the table at the moment. How about, "Did torture produce intelligence that saved American lives?" or as […]
Dick Cheney’s Torture Hypocrisy The Daily Beast by Joseph C. Wilson IV April 29, 2009 Former Vice President Dick Cheney’s reemergence on the political stage after his ignominious departure on Inauguration Day, eschewing the traditional handshake with his successor and the new president, is nothing if not ironic. The most secretive individual in American politics […]
President Obama is an honest and decent man. In my book, that gets him an A. He’s tried to do the right things in spite of vicious opposition. While some of the opposition has been reasonable, most of it has been silly political bickering and provocation. His wife is pretty, nice, and they both smile […]
Nearly $7M found in Madoff’s Bank of New York accounts BY ANTHONY M. DESTEFANO Newsday April 28, 2009 Like finding coins under a couch cushion, the special trustee probing Bernard Madoff’s crooked business empire continues to discover more cash held in bank accounts, according to bankruptcy court documents. Nearly $7 million was found in […]
I think I’m one of those people who probably ought to keep his mouth shut about the political party thing, having been a fairly reliable Democratic voter for most of my voting life. It didn’t start out that way. My first ever vote was for Barry Goldwater in 1964. I met my now wife not […]
Not that it matters in the scope of things, but Rush has really porked up since his web-site pictures were taken…
Any Indictment of Interrogation Policy Makers Would Face Several Hurdles By CHARLIE SAVAGEApril 22, 2009 … One thing could change that dynamic, however. The Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility has been investigating the work of lawyers who signed off on the interrogation policy, and is believed to have obtained archived e-mail messages from the […]
As the day wears on and I read the various Rupublican comments about Senator Specter changing over to the Democratic Party, I find myself feeling sad for him. He is a reasonable person who chose to break from the Republican bloc voting and vote for the Stimulus Bill [as if there were any viable choice]. […]
The Senate Armed Services Committee Report [Inquiry Into the Treatment Of Detainees In U.S. Custody, November 20, 2008] was released finally on April 22, 2009. It is 283 pages long and unlikely to be read in its entirity by anyone except lunatics like me. It’s a blockbuster. I’ve republished the conclusions in hopes it will […]