BP Well Bore And Casing Integrity May Be Blown, Says Florida's Sen. Nelson
Senator Bill Nelson indicates the most horrific possible outcome is at hand in the BP Gulf Oil Spill, namely that basic well integrity is truly shot and oil and gas have breached the well casing and well bore and are escaping into the rock and out into the ocean through the sea floor.
Jose Rodriguez Briefed Pelosi and Goss in Deceptive Abu Zubaydah Briefing
As MadDog noted, Judicial Watch just got some new documents detailing briefings Congress received. Or rather, they got new documents providing further proof that CIA has no fucking clue what it said to Congress during some key briefings (this…
Alleged Wikileaks Leaker Arrested
Wired reports that authorities have arrested a military intelligence analyst who had boasted that he leaked two videos, an intelligence report on Wikileaks, and hundreds of thousands of diplomatic cables to Wikileaks.
Federal officials have…
Allowing Human Experimentation under the War Crimes Act
I felt like they were experimenting and trying out techniques to be used later on other people. -- Abu Zubaydah to the Red Cross
Physicians for Human Rights just released a report documenting what Jeff Kaye and more recently Jason Leopold have…
Our Former Coup Client Speaks
As I've said before, one of the best ways to see the absurd nature of the relationship between our government and BP as they partner to try to fix BP's disaster is to remember that fifty-some years ago, the CIA overthrew the democratically elected…
The Illegal War on Latin American (!) Terrorism
I linked to this Jeremy Scahill post already, but I wanted to point out a few things about Scahill's elaboration on the WaPo's covert ops story of the other day.
First, Scahill provides a list of locations where Obama's expanded special operations…
Obama Monty Hall To Give Lovely Parting Gifts To BP Death Victims
Obama has suddenly announced his determination to have an empathy fest with the family and friends of the deceased victims of the criminally negligent BP Deepwater Horizon disaster. they deserve much better, and more, than that.
BP Gulf Disaster and Its Failed Russian Experiment
A couple of interesting, tangentially related things happened today.
First, in a bid to wall off the PR disaster of the Gulf spill from the rest of the company, BP has assigned someone--an American BP employee--to take charge of cleanup efforts.
BP…
Liz "BabyDick" Cheney: Obama Not Bloodthirsty Enough
BabyDick has struck again, this time in criticizing Obama's response to the Israeli attack on a humanitarian flotilla--as well as the killing of an American citizen. Liz Cheney is basically arguing Obama must stand with Israel even when it kills…
The US Is Defending Not Just Its Closest Ally in Israeli Raid, but Also Approach to War
I think there's more to America's defense of Israel's attack on the Free Gaza flotilla than simply more blind support for Israel. By defending Israel's attack, members of the US elite are also defending a problematic legal stance--one that the…
Obama and JSOC Targeting People Not Included under AUMF
The WaPo has an important story today--apparently following up on the NYT's JUnc-WTF story from last week--describing the way Obama has expanded the scope of the use of special operations forces. Some key details are:
Obama has deployed JSOC…
Ed Koch Calls Jeremy Scahill a Terrorist Supporter for Defending Children
Onscreen, Ed Koch's stupidest statement in this interview was when he responded to Jeremy Scahill's question about how a goat or a horse or a children's toy would be used as rocket to hit Israel by saying only, "that's nonsense." Or maybe when…
The Impending Intelligence Games
After the Israelis attacked a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid the other night, and particularly after the US quietly stated it would wait to learn all the details of the attack, I knew the US and Israel would claim to have had intelligence…
If Ever You Doubted Water-Boarding KSM Was a Bad Decision...
George Bush is on the rubber chicken circuit in anticipation of the release of his book, A'm the Deciderer Decision Points. Which means he's now out in public defending two of his "greatest" decisions, side-by-side:
George Bush admitted yesterday…
NOAA Director Lubchenco Plays Dumb on Plumes
I"m not aware of any studies before this spill, to follow up on those plumes.
That's what NOAA Director Jane Lubchenco claimed a week ago in response to a question from Louisiana Congressman Bill Cassidy.
Elizabeth Birnbaum, who was fired…
UN Special Rapporteur Condemns America's Killer Drones
A senior United Nations official said on Wednesday that the growing use of armed drones by the United States to kill terrorism suspects is undermining global constraints on the use of military force. He warned that the American example will lead to a chaotic world as the new weapons technology inevitably spreads.
Dick Cheney's Wyoming's Face at MMS
Since we've been discussing the way that BP has adopted Dick Cheney's face for its Deepwater Horizon disaster, I thought I'd link to this article, noting how close the Mineral Management Service and Cheney's state of Wyoming are. (h/t POGO)
The…
The NY Times, Elena Kagan and Batson
Why is it that the New York Times is suddenly up in arms about racial selection and exclusion in Southern Juries, but has no similar lofty concerns about the same inferences about the putative next Supreme Court Justice, Elena Kagan?
Task Force Conclusion: "Many" Detainees Were Legally Detained
While I was away celebrating my 20th college reunion this weekend (thanks for filling in, bmaz), the WaPo liberated the Gitmo Review Task Force report. As the WaPo reported, the big takeaway is the government's admission that over 55% of those…
Holder Emphasizes 11 Dead When Discussing DOJ Investigation of BP Disaster
While it is not news that DOJ is conducting an investigation of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, Eric Holder's speech in New Orleans about the spill reiterated that DOJ is doing so. I'm most interested in the particular emphasis Holder placed…
