Cheney Tells the Seventh Circuit It Would Erode Military Discipline To Let Courts Second Guess Cheney's Torture Decisions
Remember that letter a bunch of former Directors of Central Intelligence wrote begging Obama to kill an investigation into George W Bush-approved CIA torture?
Poppy, the father of the President who authorized that torture, had the good grace…
Links, 9/28/11
Back in the day we were watching cut submarine telecom cables pretty closely. Here's a map of the global Toobz network. (h/t Global Guerrillas)
A Muslim Republican, Nezar Hamze, was denied a spot on Broward County Republican Party's Executive…
Two of Obama's Independent Intelligence Advisors Have Supported Oversight in Past; Why Not Now?
I've written recently about Obama's refusal to appoint anyone to the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, which is supposed to ensure the government protects privacy while laying out a dragnet to catch terrorists, most recently when…
Is DOD Trying to Bypass the Gitmo Press Corps (AKA Carol Rosenberg)?
Yesterday, we had an interesting discussion about whether efforts by Gitmo Chief Prosecutor Mark Martins to expand viewing of Gitmo military commissions was about cover-up or transparency. I suggested that it might be something in-between--an…
Pakistan Issues New Warning to US; Mullen Accusations Softened
There are new developments this morning in the latest war of words between the US and Pakistan. Pakistan's Express Tribune reports that an official familiar with what transpired claims that the head of Pakistan's ISI informed CIA chief…
The Terrorist Watchlist: One Watchlist Among a Collection of Databases and Watchlists
Timothy Healy, the Director of the FBI's Terrorist Screening Center, has a telling comment at the end of Charlie Savage's story on documents revealing new details about the terrorist watch list.
But Mr. Healy said the government could not reveal…
The Freddie Mac/Bank of America Settlement: Billions of Reasons to Actually Investigate the Loans
As Gretchen Morgenson tells it, the headline story from an FHFA Inspector General report on a $1.35B deal Freddie Mac made last year with Bank of America is that the analysis behind the deal was flawed.
Freddie Mac used a flawed analysis when…
A List of Food Trucks That Will Take Orders for #OccupyWallStreet Protesters
Someone down at Occupy Wall Street noted that a bunch of food trucks are gathering around the protest. Four of them would be able to take orders for the protesters. So if you want to feed those trying to hold the banksters accountable, call…
Sucking Tritium
That would be me, sucking tritium, living as I do about 70 miles away from a nuclear plant in South Haven, MI, that just released some radioactive steam. (h/t wizardkitten)
Entergy’s Palisades nuclear plant near South Haven is venting radioactive…
The Government Once Again Harrasses Others to Hide Its Own Failures
This is a post I could have written (in fact, I think I did here, here, here, and here). One difference, however, is that the author of this post is a government insider, State Department Foreign Service Officer Peter Van Buren.
The State Department…
Cover-up Specialist Mark Martins Chosen as Gitmo Chief Prosecutor
On Sunday, Carol Rosenberg informed us that there will be a new Chief Prosecutor in charge of military commissions at Guantanamo:
The Obama administration’s handpicked choice to run prosecutions at the Guantánamo war crimes court is…
Our Counterterrorism Policies Will Make Impact of Climate Change Worse
What place does this sound like?
Ruling elites ... do not see climate change as an immediate threat to their authority. They therefore feel free to take an opportunistic attitude toward climate change, supporting climate change mitigation policies…
The Name of NYPD Brutality: Anthony Bologna
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The Lieutenant Deputy Inspector who pepper-sprayed a kettled, defenseless woman has been identified as Anthony Bologna. He was IDed, in part, by a lawyer representing one of the people Bologna improperly arrested…
Links, 9/26/11
It looks like the CIA may have gotten hit by another double agent in the attack on its Afghan station yesterday.
“What is unique in the Obama administration is their decision that in spite of the disagreements on the political level, the…
The Problem with Purportedly Apolitical Policy Wonks: Their Faulty Logic
Peter Orszag opines from the politically sheltered comfort of his gig at Citigroup that we have too much democracy.
I'll say more about specific claims he makes below, but first, let me point out a fundamental problem with his argument. He…
Take Back the American Dream Conference Next Week
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One of the highlights of Netroots Nation this year was Van Jones' way-too-early keynote. He offered a speech--and an organizing opportunity, Rebuild the Dream Movement--that addressed a lot of the angst of progressives.…
If the NYPD Maces the First Amendment, What Will They Do with Anti-Aircraft Weapons?
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The NYPD made the news yesterday twice.
First, for their over-reaction to the Occupy Wall Street protests. In the video above, street cops corral some women with orange mesh, so another cop--in the white shirt--could…
Emptywheel's Famous Trash Talk: Es Caballos de los Muertos Edition
Hey there sports fans, I love ya! Y'all got your swerve on? Because we have week three of the NFL on tap, not to mention the end of the MLB season and, if you are talking the biggest event worldwide, the Singapore Grand Prix. so there is some…
Continued Escalation in US-Pakistan Rhetoric
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The dramatic accusations made by Joint Chiefs Chairman Michael Mullen in yesterday's Senate Armed Services Committee hearing provoked immediate, strong reactions from Pakistan.…
Does Treasury Believe Spreading Our Flawed Banking System Is a Solution to Terrorism?
Sheldon Whitehouse had a hearing on terrorist finance the other day. There was an interesting exchange that I think bears notice.
The hearing focused, in part, on hawalas, not least because DOJ recently prosecuted Mohammad Younis, the guy…