Bagram: Still a Black Hole; Somalia: Increasingly a Black Hole
An Afghan named Zia-ur-Rahman held in Bagram petitioned for habeas corpus. And while District Court Judge James Gwin recognized "certain inconsistencies about--and the unsettled nature of--the Untied State's intentions from Bagram, he still…
Why Is DOJ Deliberately Hiding Information Responsive to ACLU's Anwar al-Awlaki FOIA?
As part of its strategy to not respond to the Anwar al-Awlaki FOIAs, the government seems to have decided to bury the NYT and ACLU under declarations. It submitted declarations and exhibits from 3 departments in DOJ, CIA, DOD, and DIA. Each…
The NSC's May 2011 "Draft" Legal Analysis and the Continued Stonewalling of Ron Wyden
I'm ultimately going to get around to arguing that the reason the government response to the ACLU targeted killing FOIA is so funky is because (mind you, this is a wildarsed guess) the CIA didn't rely on the OLC memo authorizing Anwar al-Awlaki's…
Is There a Pre-2001 OLC Opinion Authorizing Targeted Killing of US Citizen Terrorists?
Update: I realize now this can't be the explanation. I've just referred back to the original request and the ACLU actually did time-limit their general requests to records created after September 11, 2001. So maybe the issue relates to non-al…
James Clapper's Anti-Leak Efforts Will Increase Information Asymmetry
As Charlie Savage and others report, Director of National Security James Clapper has instituted new efforts to crack down on leaks. The plan has two aspects. First, those agencies within the IC that have mandatory lie detector tests will add…
Did Obama Screw Himself on SB1070 with Secure Communities?
As the press is reporting, SCOTUS largely overturned AZ's "Papers Please" law. It left just one part--but the most important part--in place for further court review: the part that required cops to check the status of people they stop and require…
Pro-Drone Leaks from the Leak Witch Hunt Committees
There are several interesting details in this story describing the claimed attention with which the Intelligence Committees oversee drone killing.
But let's start with the fact that it largely relies on anonymous staffers from the Intelligence…
SEC versus Pac-12 Throw Down Trash Talk
That's right, IT IS ON MOFO'S. Grudge match between the Jim White Hats and the Bmaz Black Hats. Since before the college baseball season started, we were pimping and poking each other about which conference and whose team was better. And here…
Science Wins Out: Studies NSABB Attempted to Censor Published, Fears Unfounded
Back in December, a US government panel took the highly controversial position of calling for the censoring of scientific work aimed at an understanding of how the H5N1 "bird flu" virus can change to become directly transmissible between…
Anwar al-Awlaki FOIA: The CIA Speech the CIA Did Not Mention
John Brennan and Eric Holder gave speeches--the government says--and therefore the CIA admits it has documents pertaining to targeted killing, but cannot say any more about those documents.
As I noted yesterday, the government explained its…
DOJ Ethics: PIN Heads, Bloch Heads & The Rocket
Whoooosh! And, like that, the complete acquittal in USA v. William Roger Clemens came and went. The five year long, over $10 million Clemens prosecution was a joke on the tax paying American public.
And so it goes for one defendant accused…
Zardari Changes Prime Minister Candidates After Warrant Issued; Viral Video Mocks Powerful in Pakistan
In a week that has seen rapid changes in Pakistan's civilian government, it appears that President Asif Ali Zardari's political party, the PPP, has had to change its choice to replace Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, who was ousted earlier…
After Month of False "Transparency," Administration Invokes Secrets Again
During the entire past month of leaks on targeted killings, I suspected that when the government finally got around to responding to the NYT and ACLU FOIAs for the OLC memo authorizing Anwar al-Awlaki's death, it would once again claim the topic…
Iran's Cat and Mouse Game at Parchin Continues; Albright Takes Bait Yet Again
After a disappointing ending to yesterday's final session of the P5+1 talks in Moscow, we now must deal with even more of the cat and mouse game Iran is playing at Parchin. I have posted on this issue a number of times, so I won't go back into…
Suicide Bomber in Khost Targets Biometric Screening Checkpoint?
A suicide bombing in Khost, Afghanistan has caused multiple casualties today. Accounts of the bombing by Reuters and the New York Times have substantial differences in pertinent details, but the Reuters account stands out because it suggests…
The Only Independent Reviewer of Targeting and Minimization Refuses to Review It
On May 4, Senate Intelligence Committee members Ron Wyden and Mark Udall asked the Intelligence Community Inspector General to determine whether it was feasible to determine how many US persons have been spied on under the FISA Amendments Act.
The…
Multiple Attacks in Kandahar Area Include at Least Two by Attackers in Afghan Police Uniforms
The last 24 hours or so have seen multiple attacks carried out in the Kandahar area. It appears that at least two of them were carried out by men wearing Afghan police uniforms. Only one of these two attacks is now being described as a "green…
Pakistan's Supreme Court Rules Gilani No Longer Prime Minister
On April 26, Pakistan's Supreme Court found Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani in contempt of court for his refusal to ask Switzerland to re-open a corruption investigation into President Asif Ali Zardari. Today, the Supreme Court ruled that…
It's Not a Pee Pee or a Wee Wee, It's a Vagina
I gotta say, getting our asses handed to us has inspired progressives to put the party back in political party. And the performance of Vagina Monologues just yards from where State Rep Lisa Brown, 3 days ago, was silenced for saying vagina one…
Rocket Pitches A No Hitter; DOJ Whiffs A Golden Sombrero+2
Six up, and six down for William Roger Clemens. From Jim Bambach at Newsday:
Former Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens was acquitted Monday on all six counts in his trial on charges he lied to Congress when he denied using performance-enhancing…
