Throwing our PATRIOT at Assange
Last week, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder admitted what bmaz laid out yesterday -- the problems with prosecuting WikiLeaks' Julian Assange under the Espionage Act. But at the same time, he said, the Espionage Act may play a role in a possible…
A Tale of Two Bailout Paybacks
As promised over the weekend before I realized I had forgotten my Toobz, I wanted to compare the behavior of two bailout recipients, the UAW and the banksters.
A number of people have pointed to this intriguing interview about the Korea Trade…
The Misplaced US Determination To Indict Assange
The US determination to prosecute Julian Assange is not just a destructive and myopic scheme to effect prior restraint in a digital world, it is laughable from the point of legal foundation.
Militarized Trash Talk
When Dwight Eisenhower warned of the creeping military-industrial complex, little did he know it would invade even the football trash talk of the liberal blog set. But, yet, here we are this week all soldiered up.
That is because the big story…
Forgotten Toobz Fail
I woke up this morning and tried to do a post comparing how the UAW acts after getting bailed out with how JPMorgan Chase does. But then I realized I forgot my Toobz chez Prince-town. That's probably just as well since I'm supposed to be packing…
Hatfill and Wen Ho Lee and Plame and al-Awlaki and Assange
Last night I appeared on a panel on the Scooter Libby case. It was Judge Reggie Walton, Peter Zeidenberg, Alexandra Walsh from the Libby team, Lee Levine (who represented Andrea Mitchell and Tim Russert), Walter Pincus and I.
The panel itself…
$500 Million to Keep Cheney Out of Jail?
Apparently, Halliburton is in negotiations with the Nigerian government to craft a plea deal that would keep Dick Cheney out of jail. (h/t scribe)
Halliburton is planning to make a plea bargain in former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney's corruption…
John Pistole: "What I Think Is Appropriate in Terms of Privacy"
This entire interview between TSA Director John Pistole, James Fallows, and Jeffrey Goldberg is worth reading. But I'm particularly interested in what Pistole says about his role in finding the appropriate balance between security and privacy.
James…
ACLU Appeals 9th Circuit Jeppesen Decision to SCOTUS
The ACLU, who represents the plaintiffs in Mohamed v. Jeppesen, has appealed from the 9th Circuit en banc decision by petitioning the Supreme Court for certiorari.
Dick Cheney: Wanted for Bribery
Nigeria has made it official. Today, it charged Dick Cheney with 16 bribery-related charges.
While that's not unexpected, I'm amused by Dick Cheney's Defense-Attorney-on-Call Terry O'Donnell's response to the charges:
Mr Cheney's lawyer, Terence…
As Expected, Judge Bates Punts on Rule of Law
I almost felt like I was reading Judge John Bates' ruling on whether or not Valerie Plame could sue those who outed her when I read Judge Bates' ruling dismissing the suit challenging the government's ability to assassinate Anwar al-Awlaki with…
Will WikiLeaks Be the Internet's Titanic?
Back in the early days of radio, there was a great amateur radio culture that in key ways resembled early internet culture: it was predominantly male, highly competent, espousing a belief that this new technology could democratize the world.
And…
Perry v. Schwarzenegger 9th Circuit Oral Argument Liveblog
See bmaz's intro explaining what will go on during the hearing here. Follow along on CSPAN and California Channel.
[This graphic is by Mirko Ilić. Please visit Mirko and check out his stock of work.]
We're doing the standing question now.…
Perry v. Schwarzenegger 9th Circuit Oral Argument Liveblog Primer
Today is oral argument in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in the groundbreaking marriage equality civil rights case of Perry v. Schwarzenegger; join us for a live blog and discussion of the proceedings which are being televised live on CSPAN and numerous other networks and internet feeds.
There Are No Critical Infrastructure Cable Landings in the Middle East
Yeah right.
A number of commentators have said this leaked Wikileaks cable -- listing what facilities internationally were considered "critical infrastructure and key resources" under the Homeland Security National Infrastructure Protection…
Chris Christie-Patton Boggs Contract Shows Disturbing Trend
Chris Christie's contract with Patton Boggs demonstrates a scam big law firms use to bilk taxpayers on governmental contracts.
The Walking Wounded The NFL Treats Like Disposable Trash
Trash time people; you know what to do.
UAW Sells Out American Workers for 800 Jobs
800 jobs in exchange for losing 159,000 jobs--that's the math the UAW has done.
White House Brags about Exporting our Pyramid Schemes to Korea
The list of statements of support for the Korea Trade Agreement the White House sent out last night tells you a lot about what you need to know about the trade agreement. Among others on the list are Tom Donohue, whose laundering of foreign money into election coffers had a significant role in the shellacking Democrats took in November. Then there's the CEOs of credit card nation, Vikram Pandit and Jamie Dimon. But to me, the most telling endorser of this agreement is Dick DeVos, the CEO of Amway and perennially one of the biggest single funders of the Republican Party.
Mr. Obama's Very Very Busy Week
Since Obama tried to sneak in a trade agreement making it easier to outsource jobs to Korea after the newspapers have gone to bed, I thought it wise to catalog what a "productive" (in the Frederick Taylor sense) week he has had:
Freeze pay…