CIA Renditions Will Continue
As a result of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit brought by Amnesty International USA and others, the CIA
has identified 7,000 items regarding U.S. detention and interrogation programs. Included in the filing was an acknowledgment that the current CIA
rendition programs will continue.
They also withheld 19 documents, citing
"presidential communications privilege." At least one person at Amnesty thinks these remaining documents might be incriminating.
"For the first time, the CIA has acknowledged that extensive records exist relating to its use of enforced disappearances and secret prisons," Curt Goering, AIUSA senior deputy executive director, said in a statement yesterday. "Given what we already know about documents written by Bush administration officials trying to justify torture and other human rights crimes, one does not need a fertile imagination to conclude that the real reason for refusing to disclose these documents has more to do with avoiding disclosure of criminal activity than national security."
Ethics Panel Criticizes Domenici
The Senate ethics committee
has issued a
"Public Letter of Qualified Admonition" to Senator Pete Domenici for his infamous
phone call to U.S. Attorney David Iglesias.
"The committee does find that you should have known that a federal prosecutor receiving such a telephone call, coupled with an approaching election which may have turned on or been influenced by the prosecutor's actions ... created an appearance of impropriety that reflected unfavorably on the Senate."
Limbaugh: "I am dreaming of riots"
One wonders if Rush Limbaugh is popping too many OxyContin again. How else do we explain his
calling for riots at the upcoming Democratic Convention.
"We do, hopefully, the right thing for the sake of this country. We're the only one in charge of our affairs. We don't farm out our defense if we elect Democrats ... and riots in Denver, at the Democratic Convention will see to it we don't elect Democrats. And that's the best damn thing that can happen to this country, as far as I can think," Limbaugh said.
Church Compares Obama and Osama
The
sign in front of the Jonesville Church of God in South Carolina reads
"Obama, Osama, hmm, are they brothers?" Pastor Roger Byrd says it's meant to get people thinking about whether Sen. Obama is a
secret Muslim.
Israel Won't Assist Carter Security
From
Reuters:
Israel's secret service declined to assist U.S. agents guarding former U.S. President Jimmy Carter during a visit in which Israeli leaders shunned him over his plans to meet Hamas, U.S. sources said on Monday.
Lieberman: No Regrets for "Ineptitude"
The FBI found the 2006 crash of Joe Lieberman's web site was because
it was misconfigured, and not because it was being attacked by his opponent, as charged. The Leiberman campaign has never apologized for the allegation.
Hitler and the Olympic Torch
Just in case you didn't know.
Dissonance
TPM notes:
Senator McCain:
But today it is possible to talk with real hope and optimism about the future of Iraq and the outcome of our efforts there. [...]we're no longer staring into the abyss of defeat and we can now look ahead to the genuine prospect of success.
Gen. Petraeus:
It's why I've repeatedly noted that we haven't turned any corners, we haven't seen any lights at the end of the tunnel. The champagne bottle has been pushed to the back of the refrigerator. And the progress, while real, is fragile and is reversible.
Still No Med Records From McCain
John McCain has once again
declined to release his medical records, although he has repeatedly said he will make them public. He now says he'll release the records on May 15.
"Mr. McCain has yet to make his full medical records or his physicians available to reporters," the Times veteran medical correspondent Dr. Lawrence Altman penned in March. "At least three times since March 2007, campaign officials have told The New York Times that they would provide the detailed information about his current state of health, but they have not done so. The campaign now says it expects to release the information in April."
John Edwards Won't Be VP
John Edwards yesterday told a reporter
he would not accept the nomination for vice president.
Rep. Calls Solider "Two-Bit Security Guard"
Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-NC)
called a U.S. soldier in Iraq a
"two-bit security guard" because the soldier followed orders and prevented the Congressman from entering a gym without the proper credentials.
It's 5:00 in the morning. I haven't had sleep. I was not very happy with this two-bit security guard. So you know, I said, "I want to see your supervisor." Thirty minutes later, the supervisor wasn't happy with me, they escort me back to my room. It happens. I guess I didn’t need to work out anyway.
UPDATE: It
seems the security guard was a contractor and not an actual soldier. I'm not sure that matters.
Judge Kicks Whites Out Of Court
Judge Marvin Arrington now says
he regrets the decision to eject lawyers,
"most of them white", from the courtroom while he scolded the defendants
"I didn't want them to think I was talking down to them; trying to embarrass them or insult them; be derogatory toward them, and I was just saying, 'Please get yourself together,'" Arrington said.
Is Bill Clinton Lying, Again?
Bill Richardson is
disputing Bill Clinton's
red-faced moment.
"I never saw [President Clinton] five times. I saw him when he watched the Super Bowl with me. We made it very clear to him that he shouldn't expect an endorsement after that meeting."
DoD Demands Student Info
The Pentagon has announced a
"get tough" policy with regards to access to student records. The policy, which goes into effect on April 28, says
schools must provide military recruiters the same access to students
"directory information" as given to other prospective employers. The students or school cannot exclude only the military from this information. Also, schools cannot ban military recruiters from campus if other employers are allowed, even if no students have expressed an interest in joining the Armed Forces. Schools which don't comply risk having their Federal funding cut off.
Directories are an important recruiting tool because they include the names, birthdates, phone numbers and academic pursuits of college students that can be used to identify people with knowledge and interests that are particularly useful to the military.
via rawstory
States Gathering Personal Info
From the
Washington Post:
Intelligence centers run by states across the country have access to personal information about millions of Americans, including unlisted cellphone numbers, insurance claims, driver's license photographs and credit reports, according to a document obtained by The Washington Post.
via rawstory
DoD Using FBI to Spy on Americans
From the
AP:
The military is using the FBI to skirt legal restrictions on domestic surveillance to obtain private records of Americans' Internet service providers, financial institutions and telephone companies, according to Pentagon documents.
via rawstory
Corn Rationing?
From the
AP:
A BB&T Capital Markets analyst said Monday corn rationing may be necessary this year, following a U.S. Department of Agriculture report predicting farmers would plant far fewer acres of corn in 2008.
