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