The overriding question in the wake of the conviction of a driver for terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden is whether he received a fair trial. There are two answers and they depend entirely on your perspective: * If you believe, as I do not, that the 9/11 attacks in particular and the Global War on Terror in general demanded that the bedrock judicial principles in the … [Read more...] about Despite Stacking The Deck, It Took The U.S. Seven Years To Convict Bin Laden’s Driver
Bad Procedure: The Hamdan Conviction (A Round-Up)
"The White House said the trial was fair and looked forward to more tribunals." (BBC News) I'm sure. Salim Hamdan, who has been in custody since 2001, was acquitted of conspiracy, but convicted of providing material aid to terrorism. (New York Times) He was convicted by six senior military officers, who deliberated for over eight hours.(New York Times) Shaun Mullen … [Read more...] about Bad Procedure: The Hamdan Conviction (A Round-Up)
Busybodies Reporting The Obvious
This past week we've had a couple of 'news stories' emerge from the 'public interest group' The Center For Science In The Public Interest. For those who might not be familiar with this group, the CSPI has been around since the early 1980's and is basically against anything that tastes good. If you eat grass and drink water then you might be ok with them but otherwise your diet … [Read more...] about Busybodies Reporting The Obvious
Bush Like a ‘Loan Shark’ Here to ‘Collect’
For months on end, hundreds of thousands of people across South Korea have mounted daily demonstrations, candlelight vigils, boycotts, and almost every form of protest up to and including setting themselves on fire - against American beef, the new conservative government, and George W.Bush. So why is it, exactly, that South Koreans are so angry? For The Hankyoreh, Kim … [Read more...] about Bush Like a ‘Loan Shark’ Here to ‘Collect’
Are gays the marrying kind?
Many wonder. Jonathan Rauch points to his 1996 article in The New Republic, Making the case for gay (and straight) marriage, and says ever since then he's "been concerned that G&L people might demand marriage but then neglect it." He finds in a study (pdf) from the Williams Institute at UCLA "welcome evidence" that we won't: We analyze data from states that have … [Read more...] about Are gays the marrying kind?
Bob Barr Conference Call, August 6, 2008
A group of bloggers sat down for another conference call with Libertarian candidate for president, Bob Barr, his campaign manager Russ Verney, and staff members today. I'll begin with some initial impressions. Bob Barr is one of the most refreshing faces in politics today in terms of interviews. Reporters who continue to be frustrated and annoyed by the major party candidates … [Read more...] about Bob Barr Conference Call, August 6, 2008
Correction to the McCain Bundler Story
Earlier, I wrote about a Washington Post story detailing some suspicious looking contributions to the McCain campaign bundled by Harry Sargeant III. Shortly after posting, a correction appeared in the original report, as follows: An earlier version of this story about campaign donations that Florida businessman Harry Sargeant III raised for Sen. John McCain, former New York … [Read more...] about Correction to the McCain Bundler Story
From UFAs to UFOs
I do not know about anyone else, but I would like to take a little rest from reading, pondering, discussing, and writing about the numerous allegations and accusations that have been flying back and forth between the presidential candidates recently. For lack of a better term, let me call these “Unidentified Flying Accusations,” or “UFAs,” which (how conveniently!) takes me … [Read more...] about From UFAs to UFOs
The Day the World Changed
Sixty-three years ago, America won a war and lost its innocence. On August 6, 1945, the world's first nuclear weapon was detonated over Hiroshima, and six days later, World War II ended. I was in uniform then in Germany, one of thousands waiting to be sent as foot soldiers to invade Japan. All we knew then was that a mushroom cloud had ended our dread of going to the Pacific … [Read more...] about The Day the World Changed
Can You Out-Mean the Professional Meanies?
In a riff on the analogy about a million monkeys at a million keyboards replicating Shakespeare's greatest works, Andrew Sullivan challenges readers to try their hand at producing political attack ads with at least some basis in reality/fact. His goal -- to take first-mover advantage away from the professional attack class -- is laudable, although I have my doubts (as … [Read more...] about Can You Out-Mean the Professional Meanies?
Civil Rights Roundup: 08/06/08
Your daily dose of civil rights and related news Almost forget today, kids ... I took the day off from work to catch up on some law school-related paperwork, and my mind assumed it was a weekend. It's tough being a woman of color in the military. Chicago is starting to detain Hispanics during traffic stops on suspicion of being illegal immigrants, apparently in … [Read more...] about Civil Rights Roundup: 08/06/08
A Qualified Victory For The Torture Regime
Salim Ahmed Hamdan, a Yemenite who was a bodyguard and driver for Osama bin Laden, wasn't going anywhere even if he was acquitted in the first military commission trial conducted by the U.S. since the end of World War II. That is not how justice works under the Bush administration. But that won't matter following his conviction today of the lesser of two sets of charges against … [Read more...] about A Qualified Victory For The Torture Regime
The Conventional Wisdom Takes A Beating
ARE WE TOO LATE FOR THE BALLOON DROP? One of the crosses that I had to bear over a long newspaper career was coordinating national political convention coverage and occasionally attending one of the damned things. This included the brilliantly-choreographed extravaganza in Philadelphia in 2000 that culminated with the coronation of George Walker Bush, the man with the vision … [Read more...] about The Conventional Wisdom Takes A Beating
McCain’s Norman Hsu?
NOTE: There is an update and correction to this story. Please click through for the details. Is there trouble coming down the pike for the McCain campaign in the form of questionable campaign contributions? The Democrats experienced their share of woes with now famous bundler Norman Hsu, well known for generating large checks for Democrats from people of, shall we say, … [Read more...] about McCain’s Norman Hsu?
Study: our implicit biases
From the sidebar of a WSJ article on pollsters trying to uncover the truth when voters lie: The findings from Project Implicit's six million participants over a decade of testing reveal lingering suspicion of minority groups: Some 75% of whites, Hispanics and Asians show a bias for whites over African-Americans. Two-thirds of all respondents feel better toward heterosexuals … [Read more...] about Study: our implicit biases
Hiroshima Plus 63
This week marks the 63rd anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and the beginning of the end of World War 2. As is usually the case every year, we have the stories of those who attack the incident as a 'war crime'. These historical revisionists miss (or ignore) the fact that they are looking back with hindsight and applying modern attitudes to historical … [Read more...] about Hiroshima Plus 63
The End of Civilization as We Know It
And so it comes to this. We're in the midst of a heated presidential contest, an energy crisis looms, the economy is on the skids, and I come before you today to once again write about... Paris Hilton. The celebrity - whose fame, as near as I can tell, resulted entirely from the circumstances of her mother having intercourse with William Baron Hilton's boy - has responded to … [Read more...] about The End of Civilization as We Know It
Primary Results
Tuesday marked a number of key primaries for the November elections. In Missouri, Congressman Kenny Hulshof (R) has defeated State Treasurer Sarah Steelman (R) by a 49-45 margin. Hulshof will now have the honor of probably losing to State Attorney General Jay Nixon (D) in November. In Michigan, Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (D), the mother of the crooked mayor … [Read more...] about Primary Results
Major Bust In Credit Card Fraud
There has been a major bust in a credit card fraud case involving at least 11 people including an informant for the Secret Service. The case involves the hacking of as many as forty million credit card and debit card numbers from a number of major retailers. The companies attacked included TJX Cos., BJ's Wholesale Club, OfficeMax, Boston Market, Barnes & Noble, Sports … [Read more...] about Major Bust In Credit Card Fraud
Tentative Deal Reached for Withdrawal of U.S. Forces: From Iraq’s Al-Sabaah Newspaper
According to yesterday's edition of Iraq's Al-Sabaah newspaper, U.S. and Iraqi negotiators have tentatively agreed to the withdrawal of U.S. forces by 2011, the return of American troops to their barracks and rules of engagement for American troops and Iraqi citizens until the U.S. withdrawal. According to Al-Sabaah: "According to a memorandum of understanding to be … [Read more...] about Tentative Deal Reached for Withdrawal of U.S. Forces: From Iraq’s Al-Sabaah Newspaper