Gosh, we violated the law and the US Constitution, but we stopped doing it now, so the prosecution of our crime is moot.

Lets pretend nothing ever happened, nothing to see here, move along.

The US government has filed a motion to drop the case the ACLU won in lower court against the government's warrantless wiretapping program. The government's appeal of that ruling will be heard on Wednesday, January 31 in front of the Sixth Circuit court of appeals. The feds argue that the case is now moot because they are now obtaining warrants from the FISA court, and furthermore President Bush did not renew the warrantless tapping program.

"There is no longer any appropriate basis for proceeding with this litigation, given both that the President has determined not to reauthorize the TSP, and that the central premise for plaintiffs' action---that any electronic surveillance that was being conducted was without court authorization—no longer exists. There is, therefore, no longer any live genuine controversy to adjudicate."

Turns out there's a Supreme Court precedent saying that if you were doing something illegal, get taken to court, and then stop the illegal activity, you're not off the hook. The feds argue in their petition that this precedent does not apply to them.

Alberto, Alberto, Alberto!

Shouldn't you go torture a cat or set a puppy on fire instead of trying these arguments in front of the congress? In case you have not noticed, its a DEMOCRATIC congress now.

In yet another attempt to create legitimacy for the Bush Administration's many questionable legal practices, US attorney General Alberto Gonzales actually had the audacity to argue before a Congressional committee that the US Constitution doesn't explicitly bestow habeas corpus rights on US citizens.

While Gonzales's statement has a measure of quibbling precision to it, his logic is troubling because it would suggest that many other fundamental rights that Americans hold dear (such as free speech, freedom of religion, and the right to assemble peacefully) also don't exist because the Constitution often spells out those rights in the negative. It boggles the mind the lengths this administration will go to to systematically erode the rights and privileges we have all counted on and held up as the granite pillars of our society since our nation was founded.

In his view it merely says when the so-called Great Writ can be suspended, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the rights are granted. The Attorney General was being questioned by Sen. Arlen Specter at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Jan. 18. THe MSM are not covering this story but Colbert is (click on the fourth video down, 'Exact Words').

Payback's a bitch

Former Republican congressman from Ohio, and Jack Abramoff's puppet, Bob Ney, has been sentenced to 30 months in jail. This sentence is longer than what the prosecution recommended.

Bob Ney's sentence was longer than the prosecution had recommended, the judge said, because the former lawmaker had violated the public trust.

He will be on probation for two years after his term. He must pay a $6,000 (£3,000) fine and undergo counselling.

Ney had pleaded guilty to trading political favours for money and gifts.

He also admitted conspiracy and making false statements.

On Friday, he apologised to his family, friends and former constituents.

He reiterated his dependence on alcohol, saying he had battled "the demons of addiction".

Of course, poor man--its the alcohol's fault. And before I forget, he is also the idiot who renamed french fries to freedom fries.

FISA oversight of Domestic spying

The U.S. Justice Department has consented to court oversight (albeit via a secret court) of the controversial domestic wiretapping program (the "Terrorist Surveillance Program").

• Gonzales: Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court must OK electronic surveillance
• Court has already approved request concerning person with alleged terror links
• Gonzales notified Senate Judiciary Committee leaders in letter issued January 10

So what happened to the argument that there was no time to seek approval (when it was always possible to ask for approval AFTER beginning the surveillance?

The Gratitude Gap

Bush thinks the Iraqi people should thank us. Don't forget, these are the same people who were supposed to greet us as liberators.

Bush continued, "I believe most Iraqis express that. I mean, the people understand that we've endured great sacrifice to help them. That's the problem here in America. They wonder whether or not there is a gratitude level that's significant enough in Iraq."

---

The interviews of Bush and Cheney happened to come on Martin Luther King Day weekend. When King came out against the Vietnam War, he said the Vietnamese must view Americans as "strange liberators." King said, "They watch as we poison their water, as we kill a million acres of their crops. They must weep as the bulldozers roar through their areas preparing to destroy the precious trees. . . we have destroyed their two most cherished institutions: the family and the village. . . What liberators?"

Romney sells out. Again

Is it a surprise that Romney is courting gun nuts? The explanation? He was against guns before he was for them, is all.

Flashback to 1994:

In his 1994 US Senate run, Romney backed two gun-control measures strongly opposed by the National Rifle Association and other gun-rights groups: the Brady Bill, which imposed a five-day waiting period on gun sales, and a ban on certain assault weapons.

"That's not going to make me the hero of the NRA," Romney told the Boston Herald in 1994.

And now:

"He believes Americans have the right to own and possess firearms as guaranteed under the US Constitution," spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom wrote in an e-mail. "He's proud to be among the many decent, law-abiding men and women who safely use firearms. Like President Bush, he supports restrictions on assault weapons, but Mitt Romney has also worked with gun owners and sportsmen to ease the gun-licensing laws in Massachusetts."

Rest in peace, Mr. President

This is a man who sacrificed is political career to bring the country together, and is probably the last republican I liked. Have fun in the big golf course in the sky, Mr. President.

Video game: Convert Muslims and Jews, or kill them

Left Behind Games (named after the mega-successfult series of books) came up with a game called Left Behind: Eternal Forces where the players can play on the side of Christianity, or join the antichrist. If they are playing on behalf of christianity, they can convert non-christians, or kill them. Sure, there is no blood, but the player is shooting with a gun, and his victims are dying. So in the land of "life, liberty pursuit of happiness" it's OK to kill people because they are of a different religion?

BTW, Wal-Mart is selling this game (they refuse to carry some video and music because of language). If the following disturbs you, you might want to call Wal-Mart and politely explain why they should not carry this violent game that teaches xenophobia.

Tara Raddhol
1-479-277-7589
Tara.Raddhol@wal-mart.com


The SF Chronicle reports:

"It's an incredibly violent video game," said Stevens. "Sure, there is no blood. (The dead just fade off the screen.) But you are mowing down your enemy with a gun. It pushes a message of religious intolerance. You can either play for the 'good side' by trying to convert nonbelievers to your side or join the Antichrist."

The Rev. Tim Simpson, a Jacksonville, Fla., Presbyterian minister and president of the Christian Alliance for Progress, added: "So, under the Christmas tree this year for little Johnny is this allegedly Christian video game teaching Johnny to hate and kill?"

...

In Left Behind, set in perfectly apocalyptic New York City, the Antichrist is personified by fictional Romanian Nicolae Carpathia, secretary-general of the United Nations and a People magazine "Sexiest Man Alive."

Players can choose to join the Antichrist's team, but of course they can never win on Carpathia's side. The enemy team includes fictional rock stars and folks with Muslim-sounding names, while the righteous include gospel singers, missionaries, healers and medics. Every character comes with a life story.

When asked about the Arab and Muslim-sounding names, Frichner said the game does not endorse prejudice. But "Muslims are not believers in Jesus Christ" -- and thus can't be on Christ's side in the game.

"That is so obvious," he said.

America's holiest book(s)

David Kuo, ex-chief of the Whitehouse Faith Based Initiative who wrote a book on the topic, says about the Karl Ellison-oath-on-Koran manufactured controversy:

So, a Muslim is coming to the United States House of Representatives and he wants to be sworn into office with his hand on a Koran and not on a Holy Bible. Some conservatives have decided this may well be the end of American civilization. One columnist writes, "He should not be allowed to do so -- not because of any American hostility to the Koran, but because the act undermines American civilization." Some people's election loss grief counseling isn't going well.

The writer, Dennis Prager, goes on to argue that this all comes down to "multicultural hubris." After all, "What Ellison and his Muslim and leftist supporters are saying is that it is of no consequence what America holds as its holiest book; all that matters is what any individual holds to be his holiest book."

So the Bible is America's holiest book? Was there a vote? Did Oprah decide? Was it Jefferson? And if so was it his version of the Bible? Does that mean it is true of every American citizen? Even Kevin Federline? And if it is true then America, with its indifference to the poor and lust for money and power, would be seriously backsliding and in need of spiritual counseling.

No, the Bible isn't Ameirca' holiest book. America doesn't have a holy book. It does have two holy documents, however. One is called the Constitution. The other is known as the Declaration of Independence. That's it. Book study finished

The Diminishing Dollar: Another Bush legacy

The right-wing's favorite bogeyman, George Soros, made his billions by betting against the British pound, making the Bank of England fight for the survival of its treasury (the event is also known as the "Rape of the old lady on Threadneedle Street)

Now, both the British Pound and Euro are at a new high against the dollar. Robert Kuttner writes in the Boston Globe:

The dollar just hit a 20-month low against the euro. It now costs $1.32 to buy one euro, and the dollar is falling against other currencies as well.
...
If any other country ran such a deficit, foreigners would lose confidence and its currency would crash. That's what happened to Mexico, Argentina, even to Britain in the early 1990s. The United States has avoided that fate thus far, because Asian central banks keep the dollar propped up, and that reassures private investors.

But this game can go on only so long. This past week's decline of the dollar against the euro is rather like the seismic tremors that precede a major earthquake on a fault line. We don't know whether this is the big one. We just know that the big one is coming sooner or later.

No less than former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker put the odds of a dollar crash at 75 percent within five years. He said that more than two years ago.
...
The precarious dollar is also weakened by the big federal budget deficits and the increasing role of hedge funds, which operate like a herd and exaggerate normal swings in currency markets. But Paulson wants even more tax cuts and more financial deregulation.

The dollar dilemma is the Republicans' economic Iraq. It has no easy solution, and could be one more disaster on the watch of George W. Bush.

The Oath of Office for a Congressman

Keith Ellison is a recently elected congressman from Minnesota. He is a religious person, and he is devout. The problem, for some people, is that he prays to a different God: he is a Muslim. When the incoming congress takes its oath of office, he wants to swear to uphold his duty on the Koran, which is God's word to Mr. Ellison. Sounds fair so far?

But in the land of the wingnuts, that is a threat to the American way of life. According to right-wing radio host Dennis Prager Mr. Ellison's act will, apparently:

He should not be allowed to do so -- not because of any American hostility to the Koran, but because the act undermines American civilization.

I kid you not. One man's expression of his belief undermines a whole civilization? Then it gradually gets worse:

Forgive me, but America should not give a hoot what Keith Ellison's favorite book is. Insofar as a member of Congress taking an oath to serve America and uphold its values is concerned, America is interested in only one book, the Bible. If you are incapable of taking an oath on that book, don't serve in Congress. In your personal life, we will fight for your right to prefer any other book. We will even fight for your right to publish cartoons mocking our Bible. But, Mr. Ellison, America, not you, decides on what book its public servants take their oath.

I want to make it clear: there is no rule requiring people to swear on the Bible or any other holy book. Some congressmen do it on their own, and that is allowed. As ThinkProgress states: "Right-Wing Radio Host Fabricates Controversy to Attack First Muslim Congressman"

But Prager’s column is based on one other glaring error: the swearing-in ceremony for the House of Representatives never includes a religious book. The Office of the House Clerk confirmed to ThinkProgress that the swearing-in ceremony consists only of the Members raising their right hands and swearing to uphold the Constitution. The Clerk spokesperson said neither the Christian Bible, nor any other religious text, had ever been used in an official capacity during the ceremony. (Occassionally, Members pose for symbolic photo-ops with their hand on a Bible.)

Have you no shame, Mr. Prager?

Prez hopeful Mitt Romney: Illegal aliens tended his gardens

Political ambition is a strange thing; and now a major case of "do what I say, not what I do" First he was for the gays before he was against them, and now the Boston Globe breaks a story that the landscaping company Mitt used employed illegal aliens. The whole country knowns illegals work in the landscaping business. And Mr. "700-mile fence" didn't think of checking once?


I think this campaign will collapse before it can begin.

As Governor Mitt Romney explores a presidential bid, he has grown outspoken
in his criticism of illegal immigration. But, for a decade, the governor has
used a landscaping company that relies heavily on workers like these,
illegal
Guatemalan immigrants, to maintain the grounds surrounding his pink
Colonial
house on Marsh Street in Belmont.

The Globe recently interviewed four current and former employees of
Community Lawn Service with a Heart, the tiny Chelsea-based company that
provides upkeep of Romney's property. All but one said they were in the United
States illegally.

...

The worker in Copado said a state trooper stationed in Romney's driveway once
inquired about his immigration status, about six months ago. Saenz, the company
owner, who was at the property at the time, told the trooper that the worker was
in the country legally, but had forgotten his papers, the worker told the Globe.
The trooper never inquired again, said the worker, who repeatedly returned to
the governor's property but avoided the trooper. Saenz told reporters he did not
recall the incident.

Then there is an interesting twist. Did someone ask the trooper to not ask about this any more?

Powell: Iraq now a civil war

Oh man. To repeat an Indian proverb: when the elephant gets stuck in the mud, even the frog kicks him. Reuters reports:

DUBAI --Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Wednesday Iraq had descended into civil war and urged world leaders to accept that "reality"

So NBC first (actually, it was the bloggers), then LA Times, and now CP? Is he getting back at deadeye Dicks and Rummy, or trying to salvage his reputation for a 2008 run?

US apologizes to man mistakenly identified as a terrorist; pays $2 million fine

Warts and all, justice prevailed. But I can't help think what would have happened if Mr. Mayfield was not a lawyer, and did not have the monetary resources to pursue this case.

The U.S. government has agreed to pay $2 million to an Oregon lawyer who was wrongfully arrested as a terrorism suspect because of a bungled fingerprint match and has issued an apology for the "suffering" inflicted on the attorney and his family.

The guy isn't stopping here:

Under the terms of the settlement announced today, Brandon Mayfield of Portland, Ore., will also be able to continue to pursue a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the USA Patriot Act antiterrorism law, which played a role in Mayfield's case.

Bush summit with Iraqi PM delayed after memo 'leak'

Heck of a job, W!

President Bush's high-stakes summit with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was put off Wednesday after public disclosure of U.S. doubts about his capacity to control sectarian warfare.

And you know why? Because the Bush Whitehouse leaked a memo. And 30 members of the parliament and 5 cabinet ministers are boycotting the Iraqi coalition government in protest of the meeting.

Lawmakers and cabinet ministers loyal to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr have suspended participation in parliament and the government to protest Prime minister Nouri al-Maliki's summit with U.S. President George W. Bush.

Man's a visionary--been extending Prez power for years

Great article in the Boston Globe about the man behind the man, Dick "Deadeye" Cheney.

In July 1987, then-Representative Dick Cheney, the top Republican on the committee investigating the Iran-contra scandal, turned on his hearing room microphone and delivered, in his characteristically measured tone, a revolutionary claim.

President Reagan and his top aides, he asserted, were free to ignore a 1982 law at the center of the scandal. Known as the Boland Amendment, it banned US assistance to anti-Marxist militants in Nicaragua.

"I personally do not believe the Boland Amendment applied to the president, nor to his immediate staff," Cheney said.

Was he setting himself up for a future presidency, or a Veep-ship? Every school kid knows that congress is supposed to act as a check-and-balance against the presidency. This was amazingly sycophantic. I hope the current congress subpoenas the pants of this guy.

Happy Turkey Day, Mr. Lame Duck.
(or is this a TurDuck? If we could add Cheney, then this would of course become a TurDuckEn)

War criminal gets 5 years in prison

5 years for immigration fraud for lying about military service in a refugee application.

The Boston Globe reports:

It is undisputed that Marko Boskic helped slaughter civilian Muslim men in a 1995 massacre of more than 1,200 at Srebrenica during the Bosnian War and then lied about his military service to win refugee status and residency in the United States.

It is likely that Mr. Boskic will be deported after he serves his prison term.

Humor break

TRADITIONAL ECONOMICS
You have two cows.
You sell one and buy a bull.
Your herd multiplies and the economy grows.
You retire on the income.

INDIAN ECONOMICS
You have two cows.
You worship them.

AMERICAN ECONOMICS
You have two cows.
You sell one and force the other to produce the milk of four cows.
You profess surprise when the cow drops dead.
You put the blame on some nation with cows and naturally that nation
will be
a danger to mankind.
You wage a war to save the world and grab the cows.

FRENCH ECONOMICS
You have two cows
You go on strike because you want three cows.

GERMAN ECONOMICS
You have two cows.
You reengineer them so that they live for 100 years, eat once a month
and milk themselves.

BRITISH ECONOMICS
You have two cows.
They are both mad cows.

JAPANESE ECONOMICS
You have two cows.
You redesign them so that they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary
cow, and produce twenty times the milk.
You then create cute cartoon cow images called Cowkimon! And market them worldwide.


CHINESE ECONOMICS
You have two cows.
You have 300 people milking them.
You claim full employment, high bovine productivity and arrest anyone
reporting the actual numbers.


PAKISTAN ECONOMICS
You don't have any cows.
You claim that the Indian cows belong to you.
You ask the US for financial aid, China for military aid, British for
technology, French for submarines, Switzerland for loans, Russia for
drugs and Japan for equipment.
You buy the cows with all this and claim exploitation by the world.


BANGLADESH ECONOMICS
You have two cows.
You don't know economics.
You choose one of them as the Prime Minister of the country and the
other the Leader of the Opposition.

Time to get on with the program

Bill Maher, he of the acerebic wit, treads into a controversial territory, and proposes updating the constitution. I fully agree, but can we trust the nimrods who will sit in on the constitutional convension?

There's no out-of-the-box thinking in this country. If we were really looking for a new direction, we'd not just change Congress, we'd have another Constitutional Convention, as Jefferson suggested we do. Jefferson said: "Let us provide in our Constitution for its revision. . . every 19 or 20 years. . . so that it may be handed on, with periodical repairs, from generation to generation." He himself was saying, "I'm a bright guy, but even I can't foresee the iPod." Or the assault rifle.