July 2008 archive

We’re Having An Olympics

Please Stay Away

Wounded Iraqi Forces Say They’ve Been Abandoned

By MICHAEL KAMBER

Published: July 1, 2008

BAGHDAD – Dawoud Ameen, a former Iraqi soldier, lay in bed, his shattered legs splayed before him, worrying about the rent for his family of five.

Mr. Ameen’s legs were shredded by shrapnel from a roadside bomb in September 2006 and now, like many wounded members of the Iraqi security forces, he is deeply in debt and struggling to survive. For now, he gets by on $125 a month brought to him by members of his old army unit, charity and whatever his wife, Jinan, can beg from her relatives. But he worries that he could lose even that meager monthly stipend.

African leaders stay silent on Mugabe

By Anne Penketh, Diplomatic Editor

Tuesday, 1 July 2008

Africa’s leaders have failed publicly to condemn Robert Mugabe for stealing Zimbabwe’s presidential election by proceeding with a run-off vote in which he was sole candidate at the height of an officially orchestrated intimidation campaign.

At a summit of the 53 member states of the African Union – in which stable democracies remain a minority – Mr Mugabe was praised as a “hero” by the veteran President of Gabon, Omar Bongo.

Although he was not addressed as “Mr President” by fellow summiteers gathered in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, the embattled Zimbabwean leader was comforted by speeches in which few spoke out about the political violence in his country.

USA

Evidence Faulted in Detainee Case

By WILLIAM GLABERSON

Published: July 1, 2008

In the first case to review the government’s secret evidence for holding a detainee at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, a federal appeals court found that accusations against a Muslim from western China held for more than six years were based on bare and unverifiable claims. The unclassified parts of the decision were released on Monday.

With some derision for the Bush administration’s arguments, a three-judge panel said the government contended that its accusations against the detainee should be accepted as true because they had been repeated in at least three secret documents.

The court compared that to the absurd declaration of a character in the Lewis Carroll poem “The Hunting of the Snark”: “I have said it thrice: What I tell you three times is true.”

This is in response to Granny Doc’s diary “This is going to be hard to write…” over at the “Big Orange.” It started out as a comment and ballooned into a full-blown diary.

If you are not familiar with Granny Doc’s writing, check her out. If nothing else at least read “This is going to be hard to write…”

DISCLAIMER: I have no idea if Granny Doc would ever agree to meet with you in a bar (or even if she visits bars on occasion.)

Hop in a barrel and follow me over the fa-a-a-a-lls.

Hey ek!

Hey what?

Hey ek!

Hey WHAT!

Show us how you get down.

NO WAY!

Show us how you get down.

ok.

D-O-W-N and that’s the way you get down.

D-O-W-N and that’s the way you get down.

Well, I just read Olbermann’s rejoinder on FISA and man, http://www.dailykos.com/storyo… ,if he’d just check out wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P… he would know how fruitless the idea of criminal prosecutions is.  In short, Bush can pardon anybody from criminal prosecutions, charges pending or not.  All you have to do is recall Dick Nixon and what he got from Jerry Ford to know this.

Neglected is the beauty thing of a pardon:  if you accept, you are admitting guilt.  And under the res judicata doctrine (and because the standard of proof, beyond a reasonable doubt in criminal cases, is higher than civil cases (preponderance of evidence), you accept a pardon, you probably (I say probably since a court might hold you didn’t really litigate a case by accepting a pardon) lose your civil case.

So that is the real reason why civil immunity is so important.  Important to the telcoms, their owners and others involved, just so they can accept a pardon and run off scooter, I mean Scot, free.  Important to strip from the bill because it is the only means to keep these folks on the hook–and get their evidence.

If FISA passes, the only thing an Obama admin. could do is not challenge the Unconstitutionality of FISA.  But the telecom immunity would likely be severable and upheld.

Tell Obama no on immunity now.  http://my.barackobama.com/page…  

You may have heard that NY CD-08 resident Adam Sullivan is challenging Rep. Jerry Nadler in the Democratic primary, but you may not know why.

Why would someone challenge such a well-established and well-liked progressive like Rep. Jerry Nadler?  What could possibly be gained in such an audacious move?

Until this spring, Adam Sullivan had nothing but respect for the liberal Congressman, believing he was well represented by Rep. Nadler in his progressive voting record and outspoken criticism of the Bush administration.  However, after lobbying and then meeting with Rep. Nadler on the central issue of impeachment, Sullivan concluded it was time for the Congressman to face a challenge.

Adam Sullivan is calling into question Rep. Nadler’s intransigent refusal to support Rep. Robert Wexler’s call for impeachment hearings and Rep. Dennis Kucinich’s Articles of Impeachment on President Bush (H. Res. 1258) and Vice President Cheney (H. Res. 799/333).  Sullivan believes that Rep. Nadler, as the Chairman of the important Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, is in a position of influence and should be working with his Judiciary Committee colleagues Tammy Baldwin, Steve Cohen, Keith Ellison, Luis Guttierez, and Robert Wexler to move impeachment proceedings forward.

Crossposted from WWL, The Wild Wild Left, my wee blog! 🙂

Put your head under your desk in the cover position.

Anyone who hasn’t read Seymour Hersh’s “Preparing the Battlefield” may wish to do so before kissing their ass goodbye under said desk.

Or give a listen to “Fresh Air.”

Fresh Air from WHYY, June 30, 2008 · Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh believes that the United States may be closer to armed conflict with Iran than previously imagined. He writes about Congress’ funding of covert military operations in the upcoming issue of The New Yorker.

A regular contributor to The New Yorker, Hersh exposed the Abu Ghraib prison scandal in a series of articles published in the magazine early in 2005.

During the Vietnam War, Hersh was the first to report on the My Lai massacre. He has been the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize, five George Polk Awards, two National Magazine Awards, and a dozen other prizes. He is also the author of eight books, including Chain of Command about Abu Ghraib.

Might be the most important 44 minutes of your life.

Hi all! Pickle here to bring you an oldie but goodie from teh tubz! I first encountered this charming and eloquent young lady’s performance on Keith Olbermann’s show a few months ago. All I can say is: SUCH AS!!!

Like, totally, OMG!!!