The Scary F'ing Trojan Horse in the MCA

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Thursday September 28, 2006 · 3:50 PM PDT

2006/09/28 · 15:50

I'm a lawyer who is not a specialist, by any means, in human rights law or the law of national security. Nevertheless, these issues interest me greatly, and I spend a lot of time keeping informed about them.

Today I was doing a little research on the background legal issues implicated by the Military Commissions Act (I refer to it as the Bush-McCain Legalization of Torture Act) and ran across some things that scared the bejeesus out of me in light of what is in this bill.

Let's just say, if you really wanted to be paranoid about it, and assume the worst about this administration, you could justly fear that Congress, in passing this bill, may have just handed the Bush Administration legal authority to administratively detain, without legal review, U.S. citizen dissidents, political enemies and, well, anyone they damn well choose. Read More

File a Habeas Petition, Get Sent to Guantanamo

scorponic

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Tuesday September 26, 2006 · 2:57 AM PDT

2006/09/26 · 02:57

Torture is not just an evil in itself. That it is. But it -- or more accurately, the culture and mindset from which it springs -- also has the unhappy quality of corroding everything around it. Our values, of course. Our commitment to democracy, free speech, due process, tolerance of dissenting opinions. Our humanity. And even our language.

Yesterday, testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee in favor of the torture compromise legislation, a former Bush lawyer even implied that detainees and the lawyers who assist them are committing "aggression" against the United States by seeking habeas review. If so, they fit the definition of "unlawful combatant" in the McCain-Bush Torture Authorization Act of 2006.

I shit you not. Read on. Read More

Imagine: Lieberman Says 'No' to Torture Compromise

scorponic

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Monday September 25, 2006 · 5:22 AM PDT

2006/09/25 · 05:22

Senator Lieberman, I hope you or your moles read DailyKos, because I am about to give you an idea that can beat Ned Lamont. If so, this diary is a plea to you, sir.

My idea is a sure-fire way to demonstrate the moral strength of which you never tire of speaking, your independence, and your willingness to stand up for a bedrock principle that we on this side of the blogosphere are begging Democratic leaders to defend and fight for. To put it another way, apart from being the right thing to do, this is a way you can ju-jitsu Ned Lamont's insurgent campaign and reclaim the mantle of Democratic stalwart. To be blunt, this is a brilliant campaign ploy, to put it in terms your staff may best understand.

You, sir, should lead the fight against the so-called "compromise" torture legislation. Read More

Ret. CIA Official: Bush Admin. Lied About Iraq-al-Qaeda Links

scorponic

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Thursday September 21, 2006 · 5:59 AM PDT

2006/09/21 · 05:59

I didn't find a story or diary on this Harper's article, available on line here.

In it, Dr. Emile A. Nakhleh, recently retired Director of the Political Islam Strategic Analysis Program for the CIA, answers questions posed to him by Ken Silverstein.

The questions and answers, excerpts of a few of which I reproduce below, go straight to the heart of what U.S. intelligence knew before the war about Iraq's supposed links to al-Qaeda. This is the clearest statement yet from an insider that Bush-Cheney knowingly lied as part of a conspiracy to commit aggression.

He also has a few choice words to say about Guantanamo, detention policy, the stupidity of the confrontation with Iran, and why our presence in Iraq is making the situation worse, not better, and must end now.

It's well worth a look. Read it and weep about what could have been, had grown-ups been in charge. Read More

Denmark's Reaction to Annan: The Problem in a Nutshell

scorponic

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Monday February 27, 2006 · 4:18 AM PST

2006/02/27 · 04:18

As a Kossack living in Denmark, I have previously given my view of the Mohammed cartoon controversy here. I won't repeat my points, other than to say that I believe the Danish government and Danish fear of difference have played a large role in fueling the crisis.

As if to confirm my analysis, Danish reaction to recent comments by Kofi Annan lay out in stark relief what I am talking about.

More below. Read More

UPDATE: Mohammed Cartoons: Freedom of expression or not?

scorponic

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Thursday February 02, 2006 · 6:51 AM PST

2006/02/02 · 06:51

As a Kossack living in Denmark, I have watched the controversy over the "Mohammed cartoons" unfold like a slow-motion train wreck with a pre-ordained outcome. In the process, I have seen the "debate" here focus on one issue -- "freedom of expression," as the paper's defenders posit it -- and ignore a different, larger issue, which is really about how the conservative, xenophobic government here mishandled the matter at every turn, until we got where we are today -- Danish flags being burned in the Middle East, Danish aid and government workers under threat, boycotts, and directives to attack Danish targets in Iraq.
Read More

Wash Times: Bush Expects Impeachment

scorponic

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Tuesday January 24, 2006 · 6:29 AM PST

2006/01/24 · 06:29

A daily email newsletter put out by Scott Horton, a "corporate" lawyer at an elite NY law firm and tireless human rights advocate, is one of the best information resources I know of outside of this blog.

The format is simple. Each edition reproduces topical articles culled from that day's press and offers short commentaries that, taken as a whole, provide a fitting narrative of the grave moral and political threat Bush and his cronies present to this nation and the world. Mr. Horton is well connected in the worlds of government and media and often leaks inside information that we end up reading about days or weeks later in the press.

Today's edition features an article from the Washington Times' Insight magazine of January 29 that states quite flatly that the White House believes Bush faces a serious threat of imminent impeachment. I reproduce Mr. Horton's commentary and the related article below. Read More

Lovelock: Environmental Armageddon is Unavoidable (with poll)

scorponic

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Monday January 16, 2006 · 5:51 AM PST

2006/01/16 · 05:51

Dr. James Lovelock, the creator of the Gaia theory of how Earth regulates itself to sustain life, has published an article in today's Independent (UK) in which he says "forget it, we're toast." The article is a short preview of his forthcoming book, "The Revenge of Gaia," in which he presumably sets out in detail why he thinks Earth's eco-system has passed the point of no return. According to Lovelock, "billions will die" and the human species will be reduced to a few breeding pairs living in the Arctic, which will be the only spot on the planet with a bearable climate. And it's coming sooner than we think. Read More

Galloway Accused of Perjury, Which is a Serious Crime Again

scorponic

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Tuesday October 25, 2005 · 2:21 AM PDT

2005/10/25 · 02:21

http://edition.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/10/25/galloway.accused/index.html

According to CNN, the Senate panel headed by Norm Coleman, the stupidest thing ever to wear a suit, issued its report on charges that MP George Galloway, fire-brand critic of the Iraq war, engaged in illegal oil trading in the oil-for-food program. The report accuses Galloway of perjury and obstruction of justice in connection with his memorable testimony before the panel.

Galloway, in his inimitable style, is begging to be charged with crimes, in which case he will be on the next plane over, or so he says.

In usual MSM style, however, the article fails to state whether the report was unanimously consented to, or whether, instead, there were any dissenters.

I have mixed feelings about George. It will be interesting to see how this pans out. But one thing's for sure: Senator Coleman just confirmed for his right-wing friends that perjury and obstruction of justice are serious crimes worthy of prosecution.

Winning Elections Is Insufficient. We Need De-Nazification.

scorponic

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Friday October 14, 2005 · 4:31 AM PDT

2005/10/14 · 04:31

Given the dark turn of fortunes the Republican mafia has so deservedly suffered in the last few months, and the whiff of even more well-deserved bad luck coming their way soon, I have started allowing myself to hope and believe that the elections of 2006 and 2008 may put the Democrats back in control of Congress and the White House. And then my mind wanders to this question: then what?

It gets radical after the fold.... Read More

Bird Flu in Europe?

scorponic

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Monday October 10, 2005 · 7:16 AM PDT

2005/10/10 · 07:16

Over the weekend, a large die-off of birds in Turkey and Romania prompted local and European officials into an emergency response on the assumption that avian flu had arrived in Europe. Tests confirmed that some strain of avian flu has reached Turkey, and all poultry imports from Turkey are banned as of today. Test results on the affected birds in Romania have yet to arrive.

See the story here: http://edition.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/10/10/eu.birdflu.reut/index.html

Has the Kos community reached a consensus about whether this is a real threat or a hyped-up non-event that BushCo is seeking to leverage into greater military control of domestic security? My own feeling is that, like 9-11, it is a real event, but BushCo, acting to type, are treating it as a way to push their agenda, not serve the public interest.

Gonzalez Is Right. But There's A Catch.

scorponic

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Tuesday July 26, 2005 · 4:55 PM PDT

2005/07/26 · 16:55

In statements today, Abu Gonzalez, our illustrious Attorney General (and the lawyer who doesn't know enough not to disclose privileged attorney-client communications on national television), suggested that Judge Roberts' former testimony during his hearings on his nomination to the DC Circuit concerning Roe v. Wade may not apply to his nomination to the Supreme Court.

As the article states:

The legal right to abortion is settled for lower courts, but the Supreme Court "is not obliged to follow" the Roe v. Wade precedent, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Tuesday as the Senate prepared to consider John Roberts' appointment that would put a new vote on the high court.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Gonzales said a justice does not have to follow a previous ruling "if you believe it's wrong," a comment suggesting Roberts would not be bound by his past statement that the 1973 decision settled the issue.

Abu is right. But because he's right, that means Roberts is absolutely obligated to state his views on Roe clearly and unequivocally during his upcoming confirmation hearings. More below. Read More

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