In the News: Jun-25

Iran Tries to Pacify Protesters With Lord Of The Rings Marathon - June 25, 2009 1:28:00 PM - Iranian state television's Channel Two is playing a Lord of the Rings marathon in an attempt to keep people inside watching hobbits and not protesting in the streets. Normally people in Tehran are treated to one or two Hollywood movies a week, but with recent events the government hopes that sitting through a nine hour trilogy will take the fight out of most. Perhaps this was not the best choice in films if you want your people not to believe that "even the smallest person can change the course of the future."

The peasants are revolting? As Sid Maier would say, "Give 'em some entertainment."

EFF sues for publication of FBI domestic surveillance manual - June 25, 2009 12:24:07 PM - The EFF's recent amicus filing in the case of Warshak v. United States got quite a bit of mileage out of a nice quote from the Department of Justice's surveillance manual, which contains language that appears to clearly forbid the kind of "back door wiretap" of the plaintiff's e-mail that got the FBI in hot water with civil liberties groups over the course of this long-running and important case. Now the EFF appears to be looking to get its hands on a copy of the equivalent manual for the FBI—the agency's Domestic Investigative Operational Guidelines, which details the rules of the road for FBI-run domestic surveillance. The only problem is that its contents are a secret. So, the EFF is filing suit to have the manual's contents released to the public.

Justice Department: Harman not under investigation - 25 Jun 2009 at 2:19pm - WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department says Congresswoman Jane Harman is not the subject or target of an ongoing criminal investigation.

Justice Department: Harman not under investigation - 25 Jun 2009 at 2:19pm - WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department says Congresswoman Jane Harman is not the subject or target of an ongoing criminal investigation.

Jobs picture dims and overshadows improved GDP - 25 Jun 2009 at 1:49pm - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fresh signs of weakness in U.S. job markets on Thursday underlined the strains faced by a recession-struck U.S. economy that contracted slightly less in the first quarter than previously thought.

Politkovskaya murder case to be retried - 25 Jun 2009 at 8:28am - Russia's Supreme Court has overturned the acquittal of three men who stood trial over the murder of high-profile investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya.

Thought for the day:
The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority. -Ralph W. Sockman

In the News: Jun-24

"Cultural shift" needed in Afghan combat: commander - 24 Jun 2009 at 2:48pm - CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan (Reuters) - The new commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan said on Wednesday foreign troops need to make a "cultural shift" away from conventional warfare and focus on winning the support of Afghans.

U.S. and Venezuela to restore expelled ambassadors - 24 Jun 2009 at 2:01pm - MARACAY, Venezuela (Reuters) - The United States and Venezuela will soon reinstate ambassadors expelled in a diplomatic spat last year, a sign of warmer relations between President Hugo Chavez and what he calls the U.S. "empire."

Where was Gov. Sanford? Argentina, not Appalachia - 24 Jun 2009 at 9:20am - ATLANTA — Gov. Mark Sanford arrived in the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport this morning, having wrapped up a seven-day visit to Buenos Aires, Argentina, he said. Sanford said he had not been hiking along the Appalachian Trail, as his staff said in a Tuesday statement to the media.

U.S. to send ambassador to Syria after 4 years - 24 Jun 2009 at 6:00am - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has decided to return a U.S. ambassador to Syria after a four-year hiatus as talks between the two nations intensify, U.S. media reported Tuesday.

Thought for the day:
We learn something every day, and lots of times it's that what we learned the day before was wrong. -Bill Vaughan

In the News: Jun-23

Chinese Muslims freed from Guantanamo wary of settling in Palau - 23 Jun 2009 at 1:59pm - Some Chinese Muslim detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, who have been offered resettlement in Palau are wary of moving there for fear it cannot protect them from China, the tiny Pacific island nation's president said Tuesday.

Cop in bar fight video gets 2 years probation - 23 Jun 2009 at 1:43pm - CHICAGO -- An off-duty Chicago police officer convicted of pummeling a female bartender half his size has been sentenced to two years probation and anger management classes.

New U.S. orders in Afghanistan aim to reduce deaths - 23 Jun 2009 at 7:58am - KABUL (Reuters) - The new commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan will issue orders within days requiring troops to disengage from combat when possible, to reduce civilian deaths that have put their mission at risk, a spokesman said.

Judge orders Guantanamo detainee freed - 23 Jun 2009 at 6:11am - WASHINGTON -- The discovery of suicide martyr videos seemed certain proof that Abd al Rahim Abdul Rassak was part of al-Qaida. A closer look at his video, though, showed he was actually being tortured by al-Qaida.

Thought for the day:
There is no nonsense so arrant that it cannot be made the creed of the vast majority by adequate governmental action. -Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970)

In the News: Jun-22

Toronto stock market drops 3.5% as spring rally stalls - 22 Jun 2009 at 12:02pm - The Toronto stock market nosedived Monday morning, dragged down by falling commodity prices, amid concerns about the state of the world economy and the prospects for economic recovery.

Court will not revive Plame's lawsuit - 22 Jun 2009 at 11:51am - WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court will not revive a lawsuit that former CIA operative Valerie Plame brought against former members of the Bush administration.

High court rules narrowly in voting rights case - 22 Jun 2009 at 10:20am - WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court has ruled narrowly in a challenge to the landmark Voting Rights Act, exempting a small Texas governing authority from a key provision of the civil rights law.

Court says public must pay for private special ed - 22 Jun 2009 at 10:33am - WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court has made it easier for parents of special education students to be reimbursed for the cost of private schooling for their children.

Copeman named commander at Guantanamo - 22 Jun 2009 at 7:03am - With President Barack Obama pledging to empty the prison camps at Guantanamo, the man entrusted with the mission at Ground Zero is a fellow graduate of the president's Hawaii high school whose family has served a commander in chief for three generations.

Thought for the day:
Don't ever take a fence down until you know the reason it was put up. -G. K. Chesterton (1874 - 1936)

In the News: Jun-19

Newly disclosed RCMP email drops bombshell on Taser inquiry - 19 Jun 2009 at 2:58pm - The unexpected disclosure of a key email between senior RCMP officers has raised questions about officers' testimony at the Braidwood inquiry into the death of Robert Dziekanski, resulting in a delay of the probe in Vancouver until September.

Iraq confident about security after U.S. troops leave towns - 19 Jun 2009 at 7:47am - TOKYO (Reuters) - Iraq is confident its security forces can manage alone after U.S. soldiers pull out of towns and cities this month, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said on Friday.

Congress passes restrictions on detainees - 19 Jun 2009 at 5:11am - WASHINGTON -- Legislation to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan this year is on its way to President Barack Obama, but it provides no money for closing the Guantanamo detainee prison and sets tough restrictions on the transfer of its inmates.

Thought for the day:
A great many people think they are thinking when they are really rearranging their prejudices. -William James (1842 - 1910)

In the News: Jun-18

Gates: Civilian deaths strategic problem in war - 18 Jun 2009 at 2:43pm - WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the accidental killing of civilians in Afghanistan has become one of the military's greatest strategic problems in the faltering war.

It's also a moral/ethical problem. In the Pentagon, strategics trumps ethics? There's also the one-person's-accidental-killing-is-another-person's-collateral-damage factor, and perhaps that's what Gates is really talking about. In a sense, it's unfortunate to use the term "accidental killing" at all, because for each civilian death, someone -- somewhere between the commander in chief and the person who pulled the trigger -- has deemed the risk acceptable.

House Dems want to expand secret briefings - 18 Jun 2009 at 2:01pm - WASHINGTON -- House Democrats are pushing for a big increase in the number of lawmakers who hear briefings on the nation's most sensitive intelligence operations, from the current "Gang of Eight" to about 40.

Report: US not doing enough against gun smuggling - 18 Jun 2009 at 1:16pm - WASHINGTON - Two federal agencies are being faulted for not coordinating their efforts against border gunrunners, a failure one lawmaker says made it easier for Mexican drug cartels to smuggle illegal weapons from the United States.

ISPs must help police snoop on internet under new bill - 18 Jun 2009 at 1:03pm - Internet service providers would have to make it possible for police and intelligence officers to intercept online communications and get personal information about subscribers under bills tabled Thursday.

Court finds convicts have no right to test DNA - 18 Jun 2009 at 10:49am - WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court said Thursday that convicts have no constitutional right to test DNA evidence in hopes of proving their innocence long after they were found guilty of a crime.

Number of VA claims poised to hit 1 million - 18 Jun 2009 at 8:46am - WASHINGTON -- This isn't the same as getting a free duffel bag for being the millionth person to go through the turnstiles: The Veterans Affairs Department appears poised to have hit the 1 million milestone on claims it still hasn't processed.

Thought for the day:
Pity is the virtue of the law, and none but tyrants use it cruelly. -William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)

In the News: Jun-17

US official denies charge of interference in Iran - 17 Jun 2009 at 1:59pm - WASHINGTON -- The State Department is disputing an allegation by the Iranian government that the United States is meddling excessively in its internal affairs.

But is the State Department explicitly denying that U.S. special ops played any part in encouraging protests?

Iran blames U.S. for bitter post-election dispute - 17 Jun 2009 at 1:37pm - As tens of thousands of supporters of Reformist leader Mir Hossein Mousavi gathered in Tehran Wednesday, Iran accused the United States of "intolerable" meddling in its internal affairs, alleging that Washington has fueled a bitter post-election dispute.

AG Holder: 50 or more Gitmo trials possible - 17 Jun 2009 at 1:11pm - WASHINGTON -- Attorney General Eric Holder said Wednesday there may be 50 or more trials of Guantanamo Bay detainees as the Obama administration works to shut the detention center by early next year.

Top senator: NSA not violating surveillance law - 17 Jun 2009 at 11:34am - WASHINGTON -- The head of the Senate Intelligence Committee says there have not been flagrant violations of rules governing surveillance of American e-mails and phone calls.

NSA Email Surveillance Pervasive and Ongoing - June 17, 2009 10:16:00 AM - The NY Times has a piece about work being done by Congressman Rush Holt (D-NJ) and others to curb NSA efforts to read email and Internet traffic. Here's an excerpt: 'Since April, when it was disclosed that the intercepts of some private communications of Americans went beyond legal limits in late 2008 and early 2009, several Congressional committees have been investigating. Those inquiries have led to concerns in Congress about the agency's ability to collect and read domestic e-mail messages of Americans on a widespread basis, officials said. Supporting that conclusion is the account of a former NSA analyst who, in a series of interviews, described being trained in 2005 for a program in which the agency routinely examined large volumes of Americans' e-mail messages without court warrants. Two intelligence officials confirmed that the program was still in operation.

Senator: Attorney General Holder soft on terror - 17 Jun 2009 at 10:48am - WASHINGTON -- The senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee says Attorney General Eric Holder is too soft on terrorism.

Thought for the day:
War is just to those to whom war is necessary. -Titus Livius (59 BC - 17 AD)