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Friday :: August 20, 2004
Anti-Drug War Ads at the RNC
Drug Policy Alliance is working on placing a series of ads titled "The RIGHT Response to the War on Drugs" in the New York Sun and Roll Call during the Republican Convention, with quotes like:
"...I wouldn't be surprised if in 10 years or so you saw the conservative coalition come out for an end to drug prohibition." -- Grover Norquist, President, Americans for Tax Reform
"Can any policy, however high-minded, be moral if it leads to widespread corruption, imprisons so many, has so racist an effect, destroys our inner cities, wreaks havoc on misguided and vulnerable individuals and brings death and destruction to foreign countries?" -- Milton Friedman, Nobel Prize Winner (Economic Science, 1976), Presidential Medal of Freedom (1988)
If you're one of the conservative commenters on TalkLeft, go on over and read the reasons conservatives should be opposed to the drug war. In a nutshell, the drug war amounts to unwanted government intrusion, has too high a price tag and is disasterous foreign policy.
[link via Drug War Rant.]
Medical Ethics of Military Called Into Question
A leading British medical journal has published an article that criticizes the medical ethics of the U.S. military at Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib and in Afghanistan.
U.S. military doctors working in Iraq collaborated with interrogators in the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad, an article in the British medical journal The Lancet said on Friday. Professor Steven Miles, the report's author, cites evidence that some doctors falsified death certificates to cover up killings and hid evidence of beatings. "The medical system collaborated with designing and implementing psychologically and physically coercive interrogations," the University of Minnesota professor said.
The Wall St. Journal (subscription required), reports:
MORE...Britain's leading medical journal says U.S. military and coalition health personnel might have violated professional ethics by participating in abusive prisoner treatment in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. An article in the Lancet's Aug. 21 issue by Steven Miles, a professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota's Center for Bioethics, concludes that "government documents show that the U.S. military medical system failed to protect detainees' rights, sometimes collaborated with interrogators or abusive guards, and failed to properly report injuries or deaths caused by beatings."
Here Come the Anarchists
The news has been filled with articles about the FBI expecting violence from protesters at the Republican convention in New York next week. The New York Times reports on the anarchists--and on the tactics police will use to try and prevent violence.
Even anarchists who are against violence are warning of trouble and admit that they are planning acts of civil disobedience, including blocking intersections, staging "chaos on Broadway'' when the delegates attend Broadway shows on Sunday night, holding a "die-in'' near Madison Square Garden, sneaking into parties and other functions and generally harassing the 4,853 delegates and alternate delegates.
What do the anarchists believe in?
MORE...Definitions vary but most see anti-capitalism as the bedrock of their ideology. They question and disdain authority and hierarchal government as corrupting and intrusive in personal affairs. "Neither slave nor master'' is a common slogan. Some are zealots; others see anarchism as a way to raise awareness of problems like hunger, greed and materialism.
Thursday :: August 19, 2004
Say Hello to the Cybercynics
There's not just one, but a whole bunch of internet cybercynics satirizing the candidates and elections. In addition to those mentioned in the article, there's Tom Burka of Opinions You Should Have, who was one of the Boston DNC bloggers. Comic relief provides a welcome respite to the depressing news we come across every day courtesy of the Bush Administration.
Here Comes Another War
This is just great. Pretty soon Bush will have us at war with the whole world.
Iran says it is considering a pre-emptive strike against U.S. forces in the Middle East.
Iranian Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani warned that Iran might launch a preemptive strike against US forces in the region to prevent an attack on its nuclear facilities.....We will not sit (with arms folded) to wait for what others will do to us. Some military commanders in Iran are convinced that preventive operations which the Americans talk about are not their monopoly," Shamkhani told Al-Jazeera TV when asked if Iran would respond to an American attack on its nuclear facilities.
"America is not the only one present in the region. We are also present, from Khost to Kandahar in Afghanistan; we are present in the Gulf and we can be present in Iraq." said Shamkhani, speaking in Farsi to the Arabic-language news channel through an interpreter.
Update: Salon's Mark Follman has more on Iran and the possibility of war.
More News About RNC Bloggers
Say Hello to the new RNC blogger aggregator where you can read the posts of the bloggers covering the Republican Convention and protests by blogging live from The Tank.
Also bookmark Cosmopolity, which has the latest info on the Tank bloggers and events. TalkLeft is going to blog from The Tank along with the other anti-Bush oriented bloggers.
The real story for TalkLeft will be the action in the streets--the protesters, the security, the riot police and their attitudes. I'll have my digital camera, tape recorder , ipod and laptop. I have recruited two volunteers so far to capture the images on the streets, so TalkLeft can upload and bring them to you as they are happening.
Do I need help to do this? Yes, it's not cheap to spend a week in New York City.... If you're in a position to assist, you can do so via
If you'd like to donate anonymously, use
Both are secure. Many, many thanks. So, why blog from the streets?
MORE...Nevada Begins Race Segregated Prison
How far have race relations come in the last century? In Nevada, they are going backwards. The medium security High Desert State Prison has implemented a new policy -- inmates are housed according to race.
According to several corrections officers, all black inmates are now being housed in separate pods, or units, while whites have been moved to their own units and Hispanics to theirs. The prison houses nearly 2,000 inmates, according to the Nevada Department of Corrections' Website.
The prison responds with a half-heart denial which is not so much as a denial as a lame justification:
Howard Skolnik, spokesman for the prison, said it's not intentional segregation. "We've moved inmates around based on behavior," Skolnik said."
[hat tip Kevin Hayden of American Street]
How to Start Your Bush-Booting Day
How to start your day with a positive attitude.
1. Create a "new folder" on your computer.
2. Name it "George W. Bush".
3. Send it to the trash.
4. Empty the trash.
5. Your computer will ask you: "Do you really want to get rid of "George W. Bush"?
6. Calmly answer, "Yes", and press the mouse button ....
[hat tip to ZGM]
9th Circuit Allows Forced DNA Testing of Parolees
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed itself and ruled that forced DNA testing of those who have completed their jail sentences and been placed on parole is consitutitonal. Criminal Appeal has all the details.
Howard Bashman of How Appealing has a roundup of news articles on the decision. He provides this quick analysis of the ruling.
Abu Ghraib Report to Fault Senior Commanders
The Army investigation report on the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison is about to be released. It finds that 24 senior commanders are at fault for negligently supervision--but that they did not order the abuse.
In addition to the military intelligence personnel who are a key focus of the investigation report, the Army found that military medical personnel became aware of abuse at Abu Ghraib while treating injured prisoners but failed to report it to their command superiors....The New York Times, which first reported the finding on the medical personnel, said in its Thursday editions that it obtained medical records showing that medics had been in the area of the prison where the abuse occurred several times to treat suspicious wounds.
New York Doctor Facing Life for Violating Iraqi Sanctions
This seems a little excessive. I'm not familiar with the case, but I received an e-mail asking to help raise public consciousness on it, and given the draconian penalties, ask you all to take a look and see what you think. Trial is set for September 27. More information is available at this Free Dhafir website.
On February 26, 2003 Dr. Rafil Dhafir of Manlius (a suburb of Syracuse) New York and 3 individuals involved with the charity Help the Needy were arrested and charged with breaking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (Iraqi Sanctions), and with 12 counts of money laundering and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. For that very same act of compassion (providing humanitarian aid to Iraq) Dr. Dhafir was placed on Saddam's Hit list, marked for death should he ever go back to Iraq. .... Dr.Dhafir is the only person to be arrested for breaking the sanctions.
In the interest of justice, we demand that the government drop immediately the original charges of violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and various money laundering charges against Dr. Rafil Dhafir. It is our contention that these charges are prompted by his humanitarian aid to Iraq, which does not constitute a threat to the security of the United States of America. We demand that the government makes every effort to help him re-constitute his life and medical practice. We demand that the government issue an apology to Dr. Dhafir and to the 150 predominantly Muslim families that were inappropriately interrogated on February 26th 2003."
TimeLine of Terror Alerts
A few days ago, Biltbud at Salon Talk wrote about a series of correlations between past terror alerts and political events unfavorable to the Bush administration. Julius Blog takes it one step further:
I also added additional news items and other instances that I found out, detailing the terror alerts over the last few years, and located the original sources for many of these news articles. Soon, Biltud and I started to research together all these occurrences, and more interesting "coincidences" started to appear. We finally built this timeline of terror alerts and how they relate to the news headlines of the days immediately prior to that very alert. I think it's very easy to see a pattern recurring.
Very interesting. Coincidence? How many times can we buy into that? [link via Cursor.]
Alaska to Vote on Legalizing Pot
Alaskans will vote on whether to legalize marijuana for those over 21. Alaska would be the first state in the nation to fully legalize pot.
If approved, Alaska's Cannabis Decriminalization and Regulation Act would mandate that "persons 21 years or older shall not be prosecuted, be denied any right or privilege, nor be subject to criminal or civil penalties for the possession, cultivation, distribution, or consumption" of marijuana for medicinal, industrial or recreational purposes. The proposal also encourages the state legislature to establish a system to regulate pot "in a manner similar to alcohol or tobacco."
U.S. Warplanes Hit Najaf
Fox News is reporting that U.S. warplanes are bombing Najaf according to Fox ews, after al-Sadr rejected a final appeal to disarm. He is vowing to seek martyrdom or victory.
Scott Peterson Trial Suspended Until Monday
Update: A reporter on Greta's show Thursday night has as good a guess on the delay as I've heard: Geragos wanted to play more of the Amber tapes, the prosecution objected, and the Judge said he has to listen to all the tapes Geragos wants to introduce before ruling. Hence, a three day delay.
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Update: The delay may be related to recorded conversations from police wiretaps rather than those Amber recorded. It may be that when the prosecution learned Geragos sought to play them in court during his cross, the prosecution objected and said it needed more time to investigate. Geragos was seen meeting with DA investigators at the courthouse today.
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Original Post: 8/18, 9:20 pm
Instead of listening to a cross-examination of Amber Frey, the jury in the Scott Peterson trial today was told by the Judge there was a "potential new development" and Amber would not be back on the stand until Monday. He initially said other witnesses would testify Thursday, and then canceled all proceeding until Monday.
Mark Geragos had his projector and powerpoint ready to go this morning. His brother had flown in to hear his cross. Gloria Allred, Amber's lawyer, expressed total surprise at the delay.
So what happened? Hard to say. My best guess:
MORE...New York to Republicans: Get Lost
Ted Rall writes a very funny article about New Yorkers' reactions to the Republican invasion of their city next week--and their intended plans to ensure the delegates get lost as much as possible:
Rejecting ex-mayor Ed Koch's call to "make nice" with the party that used the deaths of 2,801 New Yorkers--most of them Democrats--for everything from tax cuts for the rich to building concentration camps at Guantánamo and Abu Ghraib to invading Iraq to enrich Dick Cheney and his fellow Halliburton execs, some groups are encouraging liberal-minded New Yorkers to volunteer for the city's squad of official greeters.
Creatively altered maps of streets and subways will be handed out to button-clad stupid white men. Other saboteurs wearing fake RNC T-shirts will direct them to parts of town where Bush's policies have hit hardest. Rumor has it that prostitutes suffering from sexually transmitted diseases will discourage the use of condoms with Republican customers.
Given that New York City is so predominantly Democratic, you have to wonder why the Republicans chose it in the first place for their convention. The last time the Repubs convened in New York was 150 years ago. Here's the explanation:
MORE...Terror Cases: Material Witness Nightmare
The New York Times writes about the abysmal treatment accorded those arrested on material witness warrants in terror cases.
About 60 other men have been held in terrorism investigations under the federal material witness law since the Sept. 11 attacks, according to a coming report by Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union. Such laws, meant to ensure that people with important information do not disappear before testifying, have been used to hold people briefly since the early days of the republic.
But scholars and critics say the government has radically reinterpreted what it means to be a material witness in recent years. These days, people held as material witnesses in terrorism investigations are often not called to testify against others; instead, frequently they are charged with crimes themselves. They lack constitutional protections like the requirement that criminal suspects in custody be informed of their Miranda rights. Moreover, they are often held for long periods in the same harsh conditions as those suspected of very serious crimes.
Abdullah al Kidd is one of them. As a result of his arrest and prolonged detention, he lost his marriage, his scholarship and almost his sanity:
MORE...Wednesday :: August 18, 2004
Blogs as a Teaching Tool
Interesting article in the New York Times about teachers who are increasingly using weblogs as a teaching device--with students from the second grade up. It's a tool that already has moved far beyond the individual classroom:
Some social studies classes at Hunterdon Central Regional High School in Flemington, for instance, are using a blog to study the Holocaust with high school students in Krakow, Poland.
Oprah Jury Convicts Man of Murder
The murder jury that included Oprah Winfrey took only two hours today to convict a defendant of first-degree murder. Oprah has never been an advocate for the rights of the criminally accused. As a talk show host, American success story and role model, she's terrific. As a juror....
Say Hello
Say hello to CounterConvention.Org--a clearinghouse for protest activities during the Republican Convention. From their "about page:"
In what could be one of the largest U.S. political demonstrations in years, hundreds of thousands of people from all over the country are expected to converge on midtown Manhattan in protest of the Republican National Convention this summer. ...For the past several months dozens of groups have been meeting to discuss strategy and logistics for protesting the Republican agenda. Instead of planning a traditional demonstration, CounterConvention.org has built a sophisticated website designed to coordinate the organizing efforts of others.
The website includes a directory of local and national groups organizing around the convention, a calendar of upcoming events, legal information, posters and materials, and housing and transportation resources. [It] is designed to help connect organizers and activists with people interested in being involved, especially those that may have never attended a political event or demonstration.
Iraqi Militants Threaten to Kill U.S. Journalist
Iraqi militants are threatening to kill a U.S. journalist.
A group calling itself the Martyrs Brigades said they are holding the American journalist Micah Garen. The group threatened to kill the hostage after 48 hours if U.S. forces do not withdraw from Najaf," Al Jazeera said. Garen was kidnapped last week in the southern Iraqi city of Nassiriya. Garen works for New York-based media production company Four Corners Media.
The kidnapping may have been related to Garen's efforts to save cultural relics from being looted:
Reporters Without Borders said in a statement that Garen's disappearance "may have been a kidnapping for ransom, or that certain circles worried about looters of ancient relics may have been troubled by the journalist's work."
Garen's photographs and written accounts of the looting of Iraq's treasures have appeared in Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11," The New York Times and U.S. News and World Report. It was his determination to preserve history that kept Garen returning to Iraq and the Middle East for independent photography and writing assignments, said Marie-Helene Carleton, his fiancee and partner in Four Corners Media, the company he founded. "He has a passion for Sumerian archaeology," said Carleton, of the West Village. "That's why he spent a year of his life working to make sure it was safeguarded."
Reporters Without Borders has more, inlcuding a plea from the 36 year old's fiance for a safe return.
Albany Terror Case in Doubt
Your tax dollars at work. Ashcroft's latest "terror" prosecution in Albany, New York appears to be coming apart at the seams.
While the government presented no evidence during a bail hearing in Albany last week that Mr. Hossain had any ties with extremist groups, prosecutors did tell the judge that they had reason to believe Mr. Aref might be connected with a terrorist group known as Ansar al-Islam. Prosecutors said they were given information from the Defense Department that a notebook with Mr. Aref's name and address had been found in what they said was a terrorist training camp in the western Iraqi desert near the Syrian border. They also said that a word in the notebook, written in Arabic, had referred to Mr. Aref as "commander."
As it turns out, the word is Kurdish, albeit written using the Arabic alphabet, and the translation may be incorrect. "Commander" could be translated as "brother," according to federal prosecutors. Nijyar Shemdin, the United States representative for the Kurdistan Regional Government in Washington, reviewed a copy of the page at the request of The New York Times and said he did not see how a translation would have come up with the word "commander."
Mr. Aref's defense lawyer, Terry Kindlon, called the prosecution "shabby."
"It looks to me to be a two-bit frame-up," Mr. Kindlon said. "In 30 years of practicing law, I have come to expect high standards from government prosecutors. This thing is just shabby. I suspect that there is something political driving this."
Advocating Peaceful Protests
As the Republican Convention in New York approaches, so does worry over the planned protests. Liberals, TalkLeft included, hope the protesters avoid violence. It will only help Bush. Altercation reprints this normally subscription-only article in The Nation by Todd Gitlin and John Passacantando that explains why violent protests will hurt the Democrats' chances of success:
The Bush Administration plainly flunks. The Bloomberg administration has proved its small-mindedness. But we who oppose Bush face our own tests. If, as the whole world watches, rioters hijack the protest, the fine intentions of millions will have been canceled by the behavior of a few. Let dissent with dignity win the day and let us get on with a more perfect chapter of American history.
Liberal bloggers will be plentiful in New York during the convention, providing coverage of the protesters. I'm hoping it won't turn into a re-run of Chicago, 1968. But I also want to make sure the media doesn't over-emphasize a few bad apples and ignore the mostly peaceful protestors. That's reason enough to go.
Check out the official New York Convention page--welcoming peaceful protesters. There's even a list of planned protests and anti-Republican parties and performances. [links via e-mail from KBand.] The message to protesters, according to the Washington Post, is shop 'til you drop.
Newly Freed Man Filled With Anger
Who can blame him? Michael McAllister walks out of prison in Virginia Wednesday after serving 18 years for an attempted rape that the detective and prosecutor in his case later said he probably didn't commit. But, under Virginia's 21 day law, requiring new evidence other than DNA to be brought within 21 days of sentencing, McAllister had no chance of making his innocence case. At the time he was sentenced, his crime was parole-eligible, and his mandatory release date is finally here.
The case spotlights a growing national debate over faulty eyewitness identifications. DNA testing has cleared numerous prisoners nationwide, and mistaken eyewitness testimony has been blamed for most of the errors. Vanessa Potkin, a staff attorney with the New York-based Innocence Project, which seeks to exonerate wrongly convicted people through DNA evidence, said McAlister's case is particularly egregious. "It's extremely rare what this prosecutor and detective did in coming forward, and the fact that you would have people ignoring this evidence or turning a blind eye is extremely troubling."
McAllister's thoughts?
MORE...