To his credit, President Barack Obama has rejected efforts at the CIA and National Security Council to prevent the disclosure of memos detailing torture techniques. However, the statement below appears to lay the groundwork for a decision to block any investigation into war crimes. While insisting at we are a “nation of laws,” Obama seems to refer to enforcing those laws as acts of “retribution.” It is a position that is strikingly similar to the view of pro-Taliban leaders in Pakistan who have blocked war crimes prosecutions in that country. In the meantime, Attorney General Eric Holder has promised that no CIA employee who tortured detainees will be prosecuted. I discussed the memos on this segment of Rachel Maddow.
Continue reading “Obama Orders Release of Secret Memos But Strongly Signals That He Will Block Any War Crimes Investigation”
Month: April 2009
I have never watched American Idol (perhaps the last human being) or any reality show in my life (the God’s honest truth). However, this video has gone viral and I wanted to share Susan Boyle with anyone on this blog that has not seen her.
Continue reading “Video: Susan Boyle Shows There is Still No Substitute for Talent”
Saudi Arabia has been hit with a torrent of criticism over the practice of arranged marriages involving children often ten or even younger. In a spasm of reform, Justice Minister Muhammad Issa has now announced a major reform: the government will “regulate” such marriages to avoid abuse. Of course, this is like saying that you will regulate pedophilia to guarantee that it is not abusive.
A new report establishes that the National Security Agency’s violations of federal law are much broader in scope than previously known, including the interception without warrants of the emails and telephone calls of American citizens. Once again, the question is where the congressional intelligence committee were during these continued violations and why citizens should place any trust in members who are tasked with the oversight of these programs.
US News and World Report has issued the national rankings of part-time JD programs, giving first place to Georgetown and George Washington in the top two spots.
Facing a tough challenge in his primary for reelection, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has taken up a curious new campaign slogan: Secession. In the audio tape below, Perry threatened that Texas reserved the right to secede from the Union in when it became a state in 1845. While Perry’s call for secession is likely to be echoed by many liberals across the country who have long criticized the state’s politics and politicians like George W. Bush, it may be a bit early to buy those Republic of Texas license plates and exchange your currency.
Continue reading “Republic of Texas: Governor Raises the Prospect of Secession From the Union”
In a rare demonstration, 300 women marched in Kabul to protest a new law that legalized marital rape and restricts the ability of women to leave their homes. Over three times the number of counter-demonstrators formed in response and showered the women with stones. Some reportedly shouted “Death to the slaves of the Christians.”
Continue reading “Afghan Women Pelted With Stones During Protest of Law Legalizing Marital Rape”
American Apparel over the use of his image in ads for the company. The company ran a picture of Allen from the movie Annie Hall where he is dressed as a Hasidic Jew. They are now claiming that he is entitled to little of the $10 million that he sought in the lawsuit because he already destroyed the value of his reputation. Instead, it is suggesting that he is trying to get an Annie “Hull” by overstating the value of the image from the movie. It appears that the company does not agree with Allen that “Eighty percent of success is showing up.”
Continue reading “Annie Hull: Company Challenges Value of Woody Allen’s Endorsement in Tort Case”
After his recent trip to the Middle East to reach out to Muslims appears to have born fruit. A Pakistan leader has adopted the position of the Obama Administration on war crimes. Tehrik-i-Nifaz-i-Shariat-i-Muhammadi chief Sufi Mohammad has announced that Taliban murderers who have been accused of such crimes as burning schools, throwing acid in the faces of school girls, and killings should not be prosecuted because “[w]e intend to bury the past. These things will be left behind and we will go for a new life in peace.” It is the very logic that our President has been trying to advance as an excuse for not allowing an investigation into the torture program. Obama has insisted that “no one is above the law” while immediately guaranteeing that Bush officials are above the law by stating “My orientation’s going to be to move forward . . . getting things right in the future as opposed to looking at what we got wrong in the past.”
I have long been a critic of the faux judges on television who turn criminal justice into a form of caricatured entertainment. Now, “Judge” Greg Mathis is opening his own video game to compete with such games as Grand Theft Auto. His game includes such fun risks as prison rape.
Continue reading ““Judge” Mathis Goes Video: Fun With Prison Rape and Other “Justice Issues””
There is an interesting report offering striking figures on the level of pollution caused by container ships, which use extremely low-grade fuel. United States researchers have found that a single container ship can release the equivalent of 50 million cars and that these ships kill 60,000 people a year in the U.S. alone. The report follows new measures by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which has added pressure on the European Union.
Continue reading “Report: Container Ships Produce the Same Pollution 760 Million cars and Cause 60,000 Deaths Each Year”
Mary Beesecker, 53, has been sentenced to a year’s program and compensation of veterinary costs after a court agreed with the owner that she engaged in animal cruelty by allowing the pet of Michelle Schmitz to eat like a pig. The pet, Alaina Templeton, is a pig but tripled in weight while in Beesecker’s care.
Continue reading “Minnesota Pet Sitter Sentenced to Probation for Allowing Pet to Eat Like a Pig”
A federal appellate court has tossed out the lawsuit by Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich sued Rep. John Murtha for defamation after the congressman said that his Marine unit killed Iraqi women and children “in cold blood” in Haditha.
Continue reading “Appellate Court Throws Out Murtha Defamation Lawsuit On Immunity Grounds”
Superior Court Judge Sam Cozza in Washington state has granted a temporary restraining order against Sean B. Fawcett to prevent him from giving his 9-year-old son access to a shotgun. The mother, Laura Vissydas, argued that her son came back with bruises on his shoulder and that Fawcett is unable to fully protect her son due to his deafness.
Continue reading “Family Court Bars Father From Giving Shotgun to 9-Year-Old Under Visitation”
There are reports that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin may be backing off of her nomination of Wayne Anthony Ross for state attorney general Palin’s nominee has long been a controversial and far-right figure. Various groups have come forward with extremist and bizarre statements attributed to Ross, who like to drive around in his Hummer with W.A.R. on this license plates (his initials)
Continue reading “W.A.R. (What is He Good For?): Sarah Palin’s Attorney General Triggers Firestorm”