Durham's Investigation and the Non-Exempt IG Files
Apparently, there are non-exempt CIA IG documents that are part of John Durham's investigation into the destruction of the torture tapes.
Ezra: Workers Don't Understand So an Excise Tax Will Work
Ezra has another "workers don't understand" post arguing for the benefit of the excise tax to fund health care.
There's good reason to think that if health-care costs can be tamed, wages will rise. But one of the big problems in health-care…
More Proposed Oversight from John Conyers
John Conyers has submitted three more bills designed to increase versigh tof the executive branch.
House Judiciary Committee to Propose PATRIOT and FISA Reforms
John Conyers, Jerry Nadler, and Bobby Scott just introduced bills that will provide needed reforms to PATRIOT and FISA while reauthorizing most of the sunsetting authorities this year.
From the Committee press release, the PATRIOT bill does…
The Generals Recommit to Closing Gitmo
A group of generals and veterans are ratcheting up the pressure on Congress to close Gitmo.
Christie's Taxpayer-Funded Mets Games
There's one more detail in that NYT article that deserves attention: Christie was apparently charging you and I for his personal trips to Mets games.
Get The Lead Out: Crime Reduction In America
Mark Kleiman describes in his book "When Brute Force Fails" how the exposure to lead in a society may be the single biggest factor affecting the crime rate. It is an important discussion point.
Christie's Cookie Crumbles
The looming scandals that we've been expecting to break on the Christie front are beginning to break.
CNN Helps Mike Hayden Uncork A Fine Whine
Michael Hayden is at it again. This time it is CNN that has donated the bandwidth to his continued petty whining about the release of the OLC Torture Memos. After acknowledging that the matter is over and now simply a matter of history, Hayden,…
More Broccoli Soup from the WaPo
The WaPo continues its institutional whitewash of its Pay2Play scandal.
Treachery At The Red Rocks Sweat Lodge
You may have seen the story of the deaths at an Arizona retreat sweat lodge in the news over the last week. It is not necessarily our normal fare, but I am oddly captivated by it on several levels.
A self help, wealth and awareness "guru"…
The WaPo's Broccoli Soup
Do you think the leak of Marcus Brauchli's letter to Charles Pelton's lawyer has anything to do with the fact that Brauchli was in charge of the "investigation"?
Movin Trash
Marcy has been moving, and moving sucks. I hate moving. Only positive thing about it is that it makes you sort through your stuff and get rid of crap that you should have thrown out a decade or two ago. Other than that, bleech.
Kobe is…
Hear No Evil, See No Evil
In case you haven't figured out, I've been swamped this week (I drove to CO to help my mom pack up her house so I've been packing boxes for the last several days). Thanks to bmaz for minding the liquor cabinet (and more importantly, for keeping…
Brit High Court Slaps Down US And British Torture Coverup
In a stunning and refreshing decision, the British High Court has overruled the British government's attempt to suppress torture evidence on the US and British treatment of Binyam Mohamed. From The Guardian:
David Miliband, the foreign secretary,…
DOJ Set To Shuck And Jive Judge White In EFF FOIA Case
Just two days ago we were discussing the status of EFF v. ODNI, the FOIA case in NDCA where disclosure is being sought of documents evidencing the telecom lobbying on immunity for corporate participation in Bush’s surveillance program. As…
Stare Indecisis: Obama's Inaction On Judicial Nominations
Michael Fletcher has an article in Friday's Washington Post entitled "Obama Criticized as Too Cautious, Slow on Judicial Posts".
President Obama has not made significant progress in his plan to infuse federal courts with a new cadre of judges,…
Alan Grayson v. the Insurance Industry Hack
Alan Grayson should get another shot at Alex Castellanos, now that he is finally going to be forced to admit he's a paid insurance industry shill.
More NDCA Goodness: Judge Walker Denies Prop 8 Proponents' Motion
As most of you know, Proposition 8 in California is the anti gay marriage provision. Supporters of the basic right to gay marriage sued the State of California after passage of Proposition 8 as a ballot initiative in last falls elections. …
Judge White Thumps The DOJ On EFF FOIA Case
Judge Jeffrey S. White has entered a new order in the NDCA denying the government's request for a stay pending appeal in the telco documents FOIA case brought by the EFF . And he did it before the government ever even really asked for a stay!