What a GOP-Managed Reading of the Constitution Looks Like
Bob Goodlatte is the guy the GOP put in charge of today's reading of the Constitution. He apparently chose to read the 10th Amendment--the foundation of state's rights--himself. The 10th Amendment is supposed to read:
The powers not delegated…
David Ignatius Confuses Joe McCarthy and Dan Burton
David Ignatius got it wrong, IMO, when he asked whether Darrell Issa is going to be the next Joe McCarthy.
When you see the righteous gleam in Issa's eye, recall other zealous congressional investigators who claimed to be doing the public's…
Excluding Atheists from the Military Just as You Let Gays Openly Serve
Let me try this one out on you. The guy whose "Learned Helplessness" theories made it possible for Bruce Jessen and James Mitchell to make a killing (heh) on torturing detainees has figured out a way to make a killing--$31 million in sole source…
They Don't Even Use the "Time with the Family" Excuse Anymore
Apparently, the White House has decided it had one too many adults on its economic recovery board, so now Paul Volcker has been decided to step down.
I realize that "has been decided" is not proper grammar, but look at how Reuters refers…
Calling Obama's Bluff on His Signing Statement
The ACLU has a fascinating letter to Obama pertaining to his signing statement threat. It basically calls his bluff on his "pretend" problems with Congressional restrictions on his ability to close Gitmo. It does this, first of all, by pointing…
Scalia Kills Corporate Personhood
Eli alluded to this in his post on Antonin Scalia's claim that women and gays are not included under the 14th Amendment, but I wanted to expand on it.
Scalia, one of corporate America's biggest friends on SCOTUS, just killed corporate personhood.
What…
Gul Rahman: Another Case Where Torture (and Homicide) Failed to Elicit the Location of Extremist Leaders
The US government has a long history of refusing to turn over evidence on its torture program, most recently when DOJ refused to cooperate with a Polish inquiry into the black site at which Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was waterboarded 183 times.
So…
Robert Gibbs to Leave White House, Will Join "Professional Left"
Robert Gibbs has made it official: he's leaving the White House. (Applause!!!)
Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary and close confidante to President Obama, said Wednesday that he will step down and become an outside political adviser…
OMB’s New Security Memo Suggests WikiLeaks Is Media
A number of outlets are reporting on the OMB memo requiring agencies to review their security procedures in response to WikiLeaks.
Now, this memo is explicitly a response to WikiLeaks. It's a follow-up on a memo sent in November that names…
Peter the Material Support for Terror King's Slippery Slope
I highlighted the NYT editorial that criticized Peter King's planned hearing to fearmonger against Muslims the other day. In spite of the fact that the NYT backed off of highlighting King's own ties to terrorism, instead focusing on how he ultimately…
9th Circuit Punts On Perry Prop 8; Certifies Standing To California
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bmazWe have unexpectedly quick news out of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on the Perry v. Schwarzenegger Proposition 8 marriage equality appeal. the 9th has dismissed Imperial county's attempt to intervene, and certified the remainder of the case to the California Supreme Court for a determination of the issue of standing, which it held to be a state law issue.
Why Not Monopolize the Term "for Prevention"?
Eight years ago I went to a conference for young breast cancer survivors. It was pretty useful to be around a bunch of other women who, like me, had been diagnosed with breast cancer in their twenties and thirties. It was also useful to hear…
DOD, State, and Obama's "Pretend" Desire to Close Gitmo
Robert Chesney had an interesting observation about the inter-agency group Dafna Linzer reports is working on some kind of statement with regards to Congress' restrictions on Obama's ability to move detainees from Gitmo to the US: the apparent…
Tim Griffin: Rove's US Attorney Project Comes Full Circle
Remember the entire point of Karl Rove's plot to fire a bunch of US Attorneys and replace them with partisan hacks? It was to advance the political career of the new USAs.
Perhaps his most prominent success on that measure is Chris Christie.…
A Signing Statement to Protect Presidential Powers Obama Won't Commit to Use
That's the short version of this Dafna Linzer story on Obama Administration plans to combat Congressional efforts to keep Gitmo open forever. Obama will include a signing statement with the appropriations bill asserting that limits on what he…
W Apparently Understood "What's Good for GM Is Good for the Country..."
... to refer not to General Motors, but to Genetically Modified food:
The US embassy in Paris advised Washington to start a military-style trade war against any European Union country which opposed genetically modified (GM) crops, newly released…
More New York Republicans Providing Material Support to Terrorists
Speaking of material support for terrorism, David Cole uses the recent trip by Rudy Giuliani and others to suck up to the Mujaheddin-e Khalq (MEK) as an opportunity to explain the idiocy of the Holder versus Humanitarian Law Project SCOTUS verdict.
DID…
Peter "Material Support for Terrorism" King
The NYT has an editorial rightly condemning ascending Chair of the House Homeland Security Committee Peter King's upcoming hearing to attack Muslims.
It is disturbing to listen to Representative Peter King, the incoming chairman of the Homeland…
Move Over 2010, It's A New Year Of Trash Talk!
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bmazIt is hard to believe 2010 is over and gone already, but nevertheless we have blasted through another year here at Emptywheel full of substantive and important issues on the merits and fun and relaxation with Trash Talking. And another year…
El País Editor: When Democracy's Rules Are Flouted, Democracy Is Put at Risk
The Editor of Spain's El Pais, Javier Moreno, has an interesting piece explaining why he published the Wikileak cables. He points to the same thing I pointed to--American efforts to squelch torture investigations in Spain and Germany--to explain…