Letters to the Editor
long term memory
Published Letters: 15
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Innocent Ken Lay
[Read the article: The "Rezko" game]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The Ken Lay situation is even worse.
His epitaph can accurately call him an innocent man.
"HOUSTON, Oct. 17 — A federal judge on Tuesday threw out the fraud and conspiracy conviction of Kenneth L. Lay, the former Enron executive, who died of heart failure in July while on vacation in Colorado.
Judge Simeon T. Lake III ruled that the conviction must be voided because Mr. Lay cannot pursue an appeal his guilty verdict."
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/18/business/18enron.html?ref=business
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The Selling of the Pentagon, 1971
[Read the article: Interview with Aaron Brown on NYT "military analyst" story]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]One of the historical turning points in the relationship between the military and television was the 1971 CBS documentary, "The Selling of the Pentagon". A summary can be found at:
http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/S/htmlS/sellingofth/sellingofth.htm
This show, coming late in the Vietnam War era, caused quite an uproar within the military and other portions of the government.
Coincidentally, Roger Mudd just published a book that discusses this show and its aftermath. Here's an interview from three weeks ago that includes segments of the show's transcript:
http://www.q-and-a.org/Transcript/?ProgramID=1173
Here's a historical journal article from last year that discusses the CBS show, placing it in the context of the government's attempts to transition to an all volunteer force:
http://www.indiana.edu/~jah/teaching/2007_06/article.shtml
or
http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/jah/94.1/pdf/bailey_jah94.1.pdf
"The PROVIDE report insisted that even with pay increases, 'unless the Army is viewed favorably, our ability to attract voluntary personnel will be greatly limited.' It also called for the Army to move from public-service announcements (PSAs) to large-scale commercial advertising. That was a major proposal, as no federal agency or institution (according to later Army research) had ever used commercial broadcast advertising and the legitimacy of such a move was not clear."
Unfortunately, the author doesn't cite a source for her assertion that spending tax dollars on marketing was new.
Here's a somewhat relevant study on marketing military ventures:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/1995/JJF.htm
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Shepperd Bio & Contact Info
[Read the article: CNN, the Pentagon's "military analyst program" and Gitmo]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]National Guard biography:
http://www.ngb.army.mil/ngbgomo/library/bio/shepperd_dw.html
His consulting firm:
http://shepgroup.com/Meet.htm
"Don Shepperd is an entertaining speaker. He talks plain, straight and simple . . .. He is a raconteur. He tells stories. He entertains and teaches."
As Jose Chung learned, it's all part of the Military-Industrial-Entertainment complex.
( http://www.insidethex.co.uk/transcrp/scrp320.htm )
http://shepgroup.com/Contact.htm
Email Don at: ShepDonald@aol.com
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Scalia, The Good Listener
[Read the article: Supreme Court restores habeas corpus, strikes down key part of Military Commissions Act]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Well, not really.
From the few Oral Argument transcripts I've read in the past few years, Scalia seems to stand out for the frequency with which he interrupts the lawyers. Either that, or lawyers unable to speak in complete sentences are being allowed to argue cases before the Supreme Court.
This case is no exception. See:
http://www.supremecourtus.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/06-1195.pdf
Not exactly the sign of an open mind. But maybe that's better than pretending to listen.
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House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Hearings
[Read the article: Various items]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Re Item (3)
With Henry Waxman now the committee chairman, he has scheduled hearings into a lot of things that would not have come to light with a Republican majority.
http://oversight.house.gov/hearings.asp
In military terminology, Rep. Waxman is in a "target rich environment". Meaning lots of rocks to turn over, and he's just gotten started.
One of my favorites is the February 2007 hearing on how $9 billion of impounded Iraqi funds were airlifted to Iraq from various Federal Reserve banks in pallets of $100 bills, then handed out like candy with virtually no audit trail.
If we had a real DOJ, indictments would be in the works for some of the things he's exposed. Henry can investigate, but he can't indict. So don't blame him for lack of follow-up to any of this.
A real DOJ might also assist him with enforcing some contempt citations.
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From the Declaration of Independence
[Read the article: Al-Marri and the power to imprison U.S. citizens without charges]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world. . . .
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offences: . . .
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our Governments: . . .
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
In every stage of these Oppressions we have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people."
La plus ca change . . .
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The Usual Suspects
[Read the article: Vital unresolved anthrax questions and ABC News]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Ed Lake's web site has voluminous coverage of the anthrax attacks and follow-up:
http://www.anthraxinvestigation.com/
This page is worth reading merely to show (a) a different "person of interest" and (b) indications that unusual or aberrant behavior was not limited to just one or two people at these labs (i.e., government offices are just like yours and mine):
http://www.anthraxinvestigation.com/PhilipZack.html
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Rush Holt Also Pushes For Verifiable Electronic Voting
[Read the article: Salon Radio: Rep. Rush Holt on anthrax]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Off-topic, but worth noting -- Rush Holt has been a leading voice in Congress since 2003 for verifiable electronic voting.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c108:H.R.2239:
This bill languished in committee, and when reintroduced in a later session, died slowly once again.
But he keeps trying, and that's good.
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/nj12_holt/080108b.html