Woodward's Secrets
Jeebus: Goldsmith may be getting a hang of this blogging thing, but I'm not: John Rizzo, not John Brennan. So the stuff I originally said about Brennan doesn't make any sense.
I may not always agree with Jack Goldsmith, but he's getting a…
DC Court: National Security Requires Dismissal of Suit Brought by Families of Men "Suicided" at Gitmo
Given that our President now holds that he has the authority to assassinate US Citizens with no due process--and he doesn't have to explain that authority to any court--it should be no surprise that the DC District Court has upheld its earlier…
The Compromise Intelligence Authorization
As DDay noted, it looks like we'll finally have an intelligence authorization bill. The bill is a partial win for Speaker Pelosi, as it makes full briefing to the Intelligence Committees within six months of the start of a program the default…
By October 24, 2001, They Decided They Could Detain Prisoners as Long as the Afghan War Continued
The reporting on the latest torture documents released in Binyam Mohamed's suit in the UK is damning enough (Beeb, Guardian). They show the highest levels of the British government--up to and including Tony Blair--were getting warnings that…
Obama Has Made Civil Liberties AND Foreclosures Worse
Greg Sargent and Steve Benen have interesting taxonomies of the Democrats who should buck up and clap louder. I think both bring some needed nuance to the discussion. As part of that, both include some kind of category of lefties who oppose…
Obama's Still Obfuscating about Domestic Surveillance
Adam Serwer does a pretty thorough job debunking Obama's lame effort to defend his civil liberties record.
When people start being concerned about, "You haven't closed Guantánamo yet," I say, listen, that's something I wanted to get done by…
A Defense of Tyranny?
I'm pretty fascinated by this attempt by one of John Cole's readers to defend the Administration's stance on assassinating US citizens. It's fascinating and not a little disturbing, but it deserves a response, if only to clarify precisely what…
This Raid on Peace Activists Brought to You By Elena Kagan
This article not only describes the hundreds of people who protested FBI raids of peace activists last week, but it provides more detail on what the FBI was looking for.
Agents were seeking "evidence relating to activities concerning the material…
Special Trash Talk Rubbish Row: Scotch
I realize some of you who, like me, are sitting right across the pond from Soldier Field might imagine this is just a special NFC North Edition of Monday Night Football Trash Talk.
But this is different.
I need your help.
You see, on…
Is this How the Yemeni-American Partnership Works?
In my post on the government's invocation of state secrets to hide the things national security officials have already leaked to the press, I linked to David Ignatius' largely-overlooked report that Yemen first asked us to target Anwar al-Awlaki,…
As Axe Slams Rahm from One Side, Greg Craig Slams from the Other
I trust it's not a coincidence that at the same time David Axelrod is skewering Rahm from within the White House, Greg Craig is getting picked up on a live mike (oops!) skewering him from the outside.
“The great thing about it, if Rahm goes…
Obama's Panopticon
It seems the Administration has declared today "Power Grab Monday."
Charlie Savage reports that the government is again asking for a "technical fix" (as they have during PATRIOT debates) that extends CALEA to cover all the Toobz.
Federal…
The Secrets They're Keeping Selectively Leaking about Anwar al-Awlaki
As I noted yesterday (and Glenn has examined at more length), in addition to asserting that the government can target Anwar al-Awlaki ... because they said so, the Obama Administration also invoked state secrets in its motion to dismiss the…
Sharktopus Live Extravaganza!
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bmazIt's Sharktopus time! Yes, we are taking the Emptywheel blog to new and fantastic heights tonight, all with you, our dear readers, commenters and friends in mind! Watch the world premier of a sure fir Oscar winner, Sharktopus, with us.
Obama Doesn't Know Why the Fuck He's Entitled to Kill Al-Awlaki, He Just Is, Damnit
The most striking aspect of the government's motion to dismiss the ACLU/CCR lawsuit challenging the use of targeted killing is that the government does not commit to the basis for its authority to kill an American citizen like Anwar al-Awlaki…
Trash Talkin Texas Style
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bmazTrash, football and Sharktopus!! What more could you ask for?
Witt Reinstated To The Air Force; Wittless In The White House
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bmazThe late, but great, news this fine Friday afternoon is the decision of Western District of Washington (WDWA) Judge Ronald Leighton in the case of Air Force Major Margaret Witt finding DADT unconstitutional and reinstating Witt to her military position.
FBI's Lies about Anti-War Surveillance Also Protected CIFA
Let me spoil the ending of this series on the IG Report on FBI Investigations of First Amendment Activity. I suspect there are ties between the FBI's investigations of anti-war activists and CIFA, the DOD program that collected information on…
Ongoing Investigation of Anti-War Activists
I'm not done with my posts on the IG Report on FBI's past investigations into anti-war activists.
But I did want to note that these investigations are ongoing. This morning, FBI in Minnesota raided the homes of some anti-war activists as…
Foreclosures Are Driving Up Unemployment
I've written several times about how lucky I feel that I can move. We're going to take an absolute bath on selling our house (a 30% drop in value for a house bought 8 years ago). But at least we have enough money to get out of that house and…