Letters to the Editor
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Sometimes I want to gibber...
Like an unread rube
whose fifth grade teacher
never told me the gospel truth
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Victory??!! FISA battle over?
eCAHNomics at Firedoglake provided this in comments:
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) is expected to announce today that conservatives will drop their push to pass an update to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in order to shift their focus to the economy. This strategy was detailed in the inaugural edition of the “Freedom File” e-mail — “a monthly memo to GOP activists — from Boehner’s political action committee, Freedom Project.”
Link: http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/10/thinkfast-april-10-2008/
This is perhaps the best possible outcome if true. Unlike Iraq, where kicking the can down the road to the next President is the highest level of irresponsibility, for FISA, this is a wonderful outcome and would represent one of the biggest and brightest victories for the progressive blogosphere.
Glenn Greenwald, Jane Hamsher, Christy Hardin Smith, Markos Moulitsas and many others deserve to take a victory lap with Chris Dodd, Russ Feingold and Rush Holt.
Hooray for the good guys!
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US may try to keep Bilal Hussein imprisoned anyway
At least according to this AP article today (link at sig below):
"US military authorities have said a UN Security Council mandate allows them to retain custody of a detainee they believe is a security risk even if an Iraqi judicial body has ordered that prisoner freed. The UN mandate is due to expire at the end of this year
"Also, the amnesty committee's ruling on Hussein may not cover a separate allegation that has been raised in connection with the case...
"The a[US] mnesty committee's decision covers various allegations by the US military against Hussein, including assertions that he was in possession of bomb-making material, conspired with insurgents to take photographs synchronized with an explosion, and offered to secure a forged ID for a terrorist evading capture by the military.
"The committee may still be reviewing a separate allegation that Hussein had contacts with the kidnappers of an Italian citizen, Salvatore Santoro, whose body was photographed by Hussein in December 2004 with two masked insurgents standing over Santoro with guns.
"Hussein was one of three journalists who were stopped at gunpoint by insurgents and taken by them to see the propped-up body. None of the journalists witnessed his death, said Santiago Lyon, AP's director of photography."
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Ron Pauliac @ 7:47. He's not a urban maniac.
He's a misplaced cuke.
A shriveled skin urban cucumber.
Outside is wrinkled and shriveled.
Inside the white turned mushy rot.
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Is there no such thing as a just war?
No, there is no such thing as a just war. There are wars which we have no alternative but to fight; and these are just in the sense that we have not committed wrong in fighting them.
Did you just say there is no such thing as a just war and then in the next sentence say some wars are just?
When someone asks if there are ever just wars, s/he is really asking is it always wrong to fight wars. You have answered that it is not always wrong to fight a war. But are uncomfortable with the phrase "just war" for some reason.
If you have not committed wrong in fighting a war, then a greater good must have come out of the collateral dammage (read slaughtered innocents) and that is the equivalent of "just war" as it is intended to be understood.
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@ Jim White, great news, if true
Now, bring on the TRUTH COMMISSION!
http://balkin.blogspot.com/
http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/LawPolitics/story?id=4583256&page=1
Sources: Top Bush Advisors Approved 'Enhanced Interrogation'
Detailed Discussions Were Held About Techniques to Use on al Qaeda Suspects
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a just war / just a war
Then conquer we must,
When our cause it is just
And this be our motto:
"In God is our trust."
— F. S. KeyMaybe that's why we didn't win in Vietnam or Iraq. Congress should appoint a commission to investigate this.
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Jim White IS correct
http://tinyurl.com/3jtruk
or linky @ sig
Amid economic woes, House GOP to pivot from FISA, earmarks to taxes
By Jackie Kucinich
Posted: 04/09/08 07:09 PM [ET]
House Republicans are poised to shift their focus from national security to the economy, hoping to rally opposition to what they claim are Democratic plans to raise taxes amid the economic downturn.
Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) is expected to announce Thursday that the House GOP floor emphasis will transition away from passing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and earmark reform to “stop the tax hike.”
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@Ron Pauliac
Goldbugs are crawling all over me! I have Dollerium Tremens!
-- Ron Pauliac
Watch it, buddy. I'm working this side of the street. Leave the schtick to me.
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bamage
They try to save face on this a bit. From the end of the article in The Hill:
Michael Steel, a spokesman for Boehner, stressed that the pivot away from security and earmarks was not an indicator that the GOP was giving up pushing for passage of FISA or comprehensive earmark reform.
Republicans have noted they have successfully peeled off centrist Democrats during procedural votes on FISA and earmark reform. They have also attracted 10 Democrats to sign on to a discharge petition that would force a floor vote on Rep. Heath Shuler’s (D-N.C.) immigration bill, which has more Republican than Democratic co-sponsors.My guess is that at this point it will depend on how big a hissy-fit Bush throws over this and how willing the R's will be to go along with him. I'm guessing it probably is the end, but they may force another vote or two knowing they won't get anywhere.
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Heroes? (Part 2)
As I noted in my previous post, “Many of us with a political philosophy different from the administration’s have become so angered and disillusioned that we have lost the ability to discern what is right and wrong. If it is in disagreement with the administration, it must be right. If it is in agreement with the administration, it must be wrong. By taking this attitude, we have moved a step closer to being like them, albeit from a different perspective.” I am sad to say that I have been guilty of this myself. When I catch myself doing it, I remind myself what I am doing and try to find the sources of the information so I can get the facts straight. That is all I am asking of all of you.
Regardless of what Matt Diaz did or did not do, regardless of what you choose to believe or not believe in this case, calling him a hero is hyperbole of the highest order. (Some have even called for him to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor, see comments at http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2008/04/heroes-by-digby-there-have-been-lot-of.html) Heroes are soldiers who throw themselves on a grenade to protect their buddies. Heroes are firemen who rush into a burning building to save lives. Heroes can even be those who teach in inner city schools. Heroes are not people like Matt Diaz who volunteer for an assignment to a place they have grave concerns about. Heroes are not people who, once they are there, sit on their hands for six months and say nothing about all the wrong they perceive to be going on around them. Heroes are not people who print out documents from a classified network in the middle of the night, sit on the documents and then mail them anonymously during their last day on assignment. Heroes are not people like Matt Diaz who admitted in open court, ''I am disgraced. I am ashamed. I was an inspiration to my family. I let them down. I let the JAG Corps down. I let the Navy down.'' Heroes are not people like Matt Diaz who admitted that he made a cowardly choice and “’I didn't want to make waves and jeopardize my career,’ he said. So ‘for selfish reasons, I was more concerned with self-preservation.’''
http://www.miamiherald.com/1240/story/277103.html