Pete Williams is reporting that Republicans are threatening to expose Attorney General Eric Holder’s role in renditions during the Clinton Administration if he pursues an investigation into torture. Imagine that: raw political retaliation could finally give civil libertarians a full investigation of this country’s long-concealed abuses.
Continue reading “Proceed At Your Own Peril: Holder May Face Congressional Investigation Into His Own Role on Renditions If He Investigates Torture”
Category: Politics
Intelligence officials leaked documents to the Washington Post and ABC News last night that sharply contradict the statements of Speaker Nancy Pelosi who has denied ever being told that torture was being used on detaineees. She previously insisted that the use of waterboarding (aka torture) was only discussed in the future tense — a dubious moral distinction. I discussed the story on this segment of Rachel Maddow’s show.
Continue reading “Report: Pelosi Knew of Use of Torture Despite Earlier Denials”
After living through statewide campaigns of former KKK leader David Duke, Louisiana is now going to consider the former XXX film star Stormy Daniels for the Senate. Daniels is running against Sen. David Vitter, who is ensnarled in his own sex scandal due to his employment of call girls at the same time that he was leading the fight to force good morals on the rest of the nation.
Continue reading “Louisiana’s Political Shift From KKK to XXX: Adult Film Star Stormy Daniels To Run Against Sen. David Vitters”
While Judge Jay Bybee has declined to speak before the Senate Judiciary Committee to explain his role in the Bush torture program, he is reportedly reaching out to Nevada delegation members to find an alternative forum “to tell his side of the story.” I discussed the story on this segment of Rachel Maddow’s show.
Continue reading “Bybee Reportedly Seeking Forum to Explain His Role in the Torture Memos”
While I first thought this was an item from the Onion, it appears that the Canadian Parliament has voted to mandate that Canadian Olympic athletes should wear wear a seal product — most likely seal skin — as part of their uniforms. This is the response to the opposition by the European Union to the Canadian seal hunt.
Continue reading “Canadian Parliament Mandates Use of Seal Products in Olympic Uniforms”
The image of women walking down the runway in burqas sound like something from a skit on Saturday Night Live, but Saudi Arabia has launched its answer to beauty contests — Miss Beautiful Morals. Beauty contests have been declared “Islamically unacceptable” so in this contest women compete for the most morally perfect women.
My life long dream was to secure tenure and gradually become a non-productive burden upon by school and colleagues — achieving that perfect deadwood state of zero productivity with maximum profitability. It appears that Matthew Kim has achieved that sacred state. Kim has been paid a full salary and benefits for seven years to do absolutely nothing in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Better yet, this work is performed at home.
Continue reading “Academic Nirvana: California Teacher Paid Full Salary and Benefits to Stay At Home For Seven Years”
Maine today legalized same-sex marriage — joining D.C. this week in the historic act.
Sheik Issa bin Zayed al Nahyan, the brother of the Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates, Prince Mohammed, has been accused of additional acts of torture — as many as 25 such victims. The video of one such torture session is available here. In the meantime, on our own torture controversy, the Obama Administration again refused today to commit to a special prosecutor or independent investigation of torture by the Bush Administration. We lack the type of tapes in Abu Dhabi because CIA officials admit that they destroyed the evidence so it could not be used against them. I will be discussing the torture controversy tonight on the Ed Shultz show on MSNBC.
Continue reading “Serial Torturer: UAE Prince Accused of Additional Acts of Torture”
The students of the National High School Mock Trial are getting some real legal exposure this year with a claim of religious discrimination filed against the organization on behalf of the Maimonides School, an Orthodox Jewish day school in Brookline, Massachusetts. The organization has refused to change the calendar to allow the Orthodox students to compete on a day other than a Saturday.
Continue reading “Not-So-Moot Court: Jewish Students Challenge Schedule of National High School Mock Trial”
The D.C. Council passed a same-sex marriage law unanimously this week — sort of. Ex-felon and current Councilman Marion Barry voted for the legislation only to immediately object that he did not want to vote for same-sex marriage and insisted on a new vote. It passed 12-1.
Continue reading “D.C. Passes Same-Sex Marriage — Despite Do-Over by Marion Barry”
Macon City Councilman and Internet blogger Erick Erickson has been listed as one of the 100 most influential conservatives in America (69 to be precise). He is also the editor-in-chief of the site redstate.com. Erickson is unapologetic for his postings on the retirement of Supreme Court Justice David Souter, where he called the jurist a child molester and bestiality deviate.
Continue reading “Republican Politician Calls Justice Souter a Child Molester and Goat Lover”
The Washington Post reports that Bush officials are working the halls and telephones of the Justice Department with the formal end of the internal investigation into former Justice officials involved in the Bush torture program, including Ninth Circuit Judge Jay S. Bybee, Berkeley professor John C. Yoo and Steven G. Bradbury. They are reportedly working over former colleagues to soften the language and recommendations of the department. I will be discussing disucssed this and other related stories on this segment of MSNBC Countdown.
The White House has reportedly barred the release of the photographs from the infamous flight of the backup Air Force One plane over lower Manhattan. Despite the fact that the White House approved the flight at the cost of $328,835, it appears to have little hesitation to withhold the photographs to avoid further embarrassment.
Talk show host Michael Savage (aka Michael Weiner) has been banned from entry into England in the latest example of England’s rapid abandonment of free speech principles.
Continue reading “England Bans Talk Show Host Michael Savage”