US Cheats on SWIFT Agreement with Oral Requests
I have tracked the American negotiations with the post-Lisbon EU to get continued access to the SWIFT database, the database that tracks international money payments.
Basically, after the Lisbon Treaty went into effect last year, the EU Parliament…
Pakistan Pays Blood Money So We Don't Have To
As Jim White reported this morning, Raymond Davis has been released after the families of his victims were paid blood money per Sharia law.
We've really gotten to bizarro-land when a possible Blackwater contractor has been saved by Sharia…
Photos from MadMI, Lansing
Thought I'd share some pics from the rally today in Lansing. It's a decent sized crown--6,000 around noon; they expect to get a whole bunch of teachers out for the last set of speakers at 4:30.
Here's the crowd just outside of the Capitol…
Dylan Ratigan, Law Professors and I All Agree: Obama Needs to Explain or End Manning's Treatment
On Friday, Dylan Ratigan and I had a podcast chat about the treatment of Bradley Manning. Among other things, we talked about the "Constitutional Law Professor" President's rather bizarre response when DOD told him it was standard procedure…
Nuke Industry: We Don't Plan for Disasters as Big as Fukushima
I'm headed out to Lansing shortly--hopefully I'll be posting updates from the biggest protest MI's capital has seen in a long time.
But I wanted to point out something funny (as in, "oh jeebus we're all going to die" funny) about the American…
The Secrets Military Commissions Keep that Civilian Courts Don't
As I mentioned in my earlier post on the new Gitmo protective order, DOD is reportedly preparing to charge Abd al Rahim al-Nashiri for his role in the Cole bombing for trial in a military commission. That's worth keeping in mind because the…
DOD: Defense Attorneys Can't Tell Detainees What They Said
DOD just issued a new protective order that will cover the military commissions they're about to roll out. (h/t Carol Rosenberg) I'm still reading the document. But I wanted to highlight this requirement.
Statements of the detainee that detainee's…
DOD Gives Manning Caveman Gown, Says They're Not Humiliating Him
With all the attention focused on Bradley Manning's treatment yesterday because of PJ Crowley's ouster, DOD has done a lot of pushback on the notion that taking away Manning's underwear is "ridiculous, counterproductive, and stupid."
The…
Killer: A Tribute To My Neighbor Alice
/
bmaz
I have some pretty cool souls in my 'hood. And more than one rock star. But none bigger than Alice Cooper. He is actually much different that most people think; a great father, a community leader in several ways (some pretty public, some…
WikiLeaks Reveals How the British Lied to OECD about BAE Bribery
A WikiLeaks cable dated March 5, 2007 has raised new interest in the BAE bribery scandal (AP, WSJ, Telegraph). While no one seems to have noted this, the cable shows that the British lied to their counterparts at the OECD about details of the…
Crowley: "The Impact ... for Which I Take Full Responsibility"?
While a number of media outlets have reported one line--"The exercise of power in today’s challenging times and relentless media environment must be prudent and consistent with our laws and values"--from PJ Crowley's resignation statement,…
DOD Continues to Stall on Kucinich's Request to Visit Bradley Manning
Last we heard of Dennis Kucinich's request to visit Bradley Manning, the Pentagon had spent a full month referring his request from one official to another rather than respond to his request.
On February 4, Dennis Kucinich asked DOD to allow…
The Brothers Daley Cover Up Abuse of Suspects Again
You may have noticed I snuck away for the weekend. Mr. EW and I decided to take the opportunity of Athenae's book party to head to Chicago for a weekend. In spite of the fact that Athenae's book was obviously timed to St. Paddy's Day, in spite…
Mr. PJ Crowley, Obama & Firedoglake
/
bmazBald faced craven comedy AND a dedicated shout out to Firedoglake during our membership drive, what else could you ask for from a Torturer-in-Chief?
FDL Membership: The Value Of The Firedoglake Legal Team
/
bmazFiredoglake has some of the greatest legal reporting and analysis in media today, and you are a part of it. But the enterprise cannot work without you. You are already a part of Firedoglake, make it official by becoming a contributing member. Join the greatest show in the blogosphere today!
NYT's Selective Press Prosecution Outrage Doesn't Include WikiLeaks
/
bmazThe stridence of the New York Times editorial page against the Turkish Erdogan government actions contrasted with the silence toward the domestic Obama government actions regarding WikiLeaks is telling.
WikiLeaks: Court Upholds US Subpoena For Twitter Records
/
bmazThe court has u
Not Only Won't Obama Close Gitmo, He's Now Relying on Gitmo's SOPs
As I have repeatedly pointed out, stripping detainees to "demonstrate the omnipotence of the captor" was introduced as a Standard Operating Procedure at Gitmo back in 2002 when they were preparing to torture Mohammed al-Qahtani. Abu Zubaydah's…
PJ Crowley on Manning's "Ridiculous, Counterproductive, and Stupid" Treatment
As I noted earlier today, State Department Spokesperson PJ Crowley described Bradley Manning's abuse as counterproductive and stupid at an event at MIT yesterday.
Ethan Zuckerman has a transcript of Crowley's remarks.
Charlie deTar: There’s…
The Logical Consequence of Looting in Libya
Things for anti-Qaddafi forces in Libya have gone from difficult to worse. Yet even after Director of National Intelligence James Clapper made the mistake of telling the truth about Qaddafi's strength, there has been little discussion about…