The Terror Attack in the Temple
Over at Lawfare yesterday, a Sikh Notre Dame professor, Naunihal Singh, argued that the media have treated the Oak Creek attack as a singularly Sikh tragedy, not an American one.
The media has treated the shootings in Oak Creek very differently…
10 Years Later, Information Asymmetry Could Launch Another War
Ten years ago, the Bush Administration was planning the last details of the new product announcement it would roll out in September, a new product announcement that would lead to an expensive, illegal war that killed hundreds of thousands of…
Another Week, Another Bankster with Impunity
This week, the bankster who will avoid all legal accountability is MF Global and its CEO Jon Corzine. So says the NYT.
While I'm disgusted by that news, I'm not shocked. I've grown used to the guarantee that top banksters are immune from…
The Assange Diplomatic Standoff Exposes Precisely the Same Side of US/UK as WikiLeaks Cables
everywhere there’s a US post… there’s a diplomatic scandal that will be revealed --Bradley Manning
Yesterday, in anticipation of Ecuador's imminent (and now announced) official decision to offer Julian Assange, the British sent this letter…
Even Liars Get To Invoke State Secrets
As the LAT first reported, Judge Cormac Carney has dismissed a suit, Fazaga v. FBI, brought by Southern California Muslims against the FBI for illegal surveillance. Carney actually made two rulings, one dismissing most of the suit on state secrets…
By "Cooperative Investigations" Does WSJ Mean "Protection Money"?
The WSJ has a funny response to the Standard Chartered Bank settlement. Aside from the predictable claims that Benjamin Lawsky, the NY Superintendent of Financial Services, played hardball to advance his political career, it suggests Lawsky…
Memo To The Clueless Nepotistically Self Unaware Flexible Bag Of Mostly Water Known As Luke Russert
Has there ever been a more self unaware little ball of unworthy entitled Beltway nepotism than Luke Russert? I ask that as an honest question, because it is quite possible the answer is no. The story of Luke, son of Tim, is mostly public record.
Let's…
Standard Chartered Bank Admits Promontory's Estimates of Its Iran Business Were Wrong
Standard Chartered just settled with NY's Superintendent of Financial Services. The settlement--for $340 250 million and a monitor of SFS' choosing--is less than some reports said the settlement might have been.
But here's the detail I'm…
Changing Voters to New Precincts With Poor Notification: New Vote Suppression Tactic in Florida?
Today is primary day in Florida. It is being held on the earliest date in the past 40 years since Florida is hosting the Republican National Convention later this month. While there has been much attention paid to Rick Scott's infamous…
Good Thing the Democrats Forced That Vote on the Ryan Plan
Most of what I have to say about Mitt Romney's pick of Paul Ryan I said on Virtually Speaking Sunday. I think the Ryan pick will hurt Mitt, and I think it opens up an opportunity for progressives to even box Obama in.
But I am enjoying the…
National Sickness: No Debate Allowed on Civilians Owning Weapons of War
Three fatal mass shootings within three weeks should be providing an opportunity for a national conversation on civilians having easy access to semiautomatic weapons and high capacity clips that are designed for use in war. Two of the killers…
A Two-President, Three-Term Policy Coup
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This YouTube has been getting some belated attention. In it, Wes Clark reveals he heard, on roughly September 21, 2001, that Bush had a plan to take out 7 countries in 5 years. Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia,…
On the Press Release Sanctions against Hezbollah
I have never doubted that Hezbollah and/or Iran could be behind the attack in Israeli tourists in Burgas, Bulgaria. Certainly, it is one of the few attacks blamed on one or the other in the last year that exhibited the competence we expect from…
Another Breach of Contractor-Protected Critical Infrastructure
In my never-ending campaign to document all the ways the private sector is a bigger risk to our critical infrastructure than terrorists, hackers, political activists, or average citizens, take a look at the job Raytheon's $100 million security…
Afghanistan War: Now With Even More Suckitude
Just because I happened to read one post and point out a small error before going on a beach walk, Marcy had a hard time believing I really did go on vacation last week. While I was gone, one of the topics I usually track carefully went completely…
DOJ Attributes Its Inadequate Response to Targeted Killing FOIA on the Deputy and Attorney General's Staff
Back in June, I showed several departments in the government had done inadequate searches for documents responsive to the NYT and, especially, ACLU FOIAs on targeted killing.
DOJ did not perform a reasonable search for documents responsive…
Racial Profiling Is Wrong, Sometimes
The NYT has a long article revealing that TSA officers in Boston were profiling people of color as part of its behavior detection program.
In interviews and internal complaints, officers from the Transportation Security Administration’s “behavior…
Latest StuxNet Incarnation Resembles Alleged Project of Murdered GCHQ Officer
Kaspersky Labs has found a new incarnation of StuxNet malware, which they've called Gauss. As Wired summarizes, the malware is focused geographically on Lebanon and has targeted banks.
A newly uncovered espionage tool, apparently designed by…
Dick Durbin: The Targeted Killing Memo Is Like the Torture and Illegal Wiretap Memos
It took transcribing the debate in the July 19 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing for me to realize it, but Democrats are running very serious interference to keep the Anwar al-Awlaki targeted killing memo secret. Not only did Dianne Feinstein…
Cornyn Called Targeted Killing a "Program," Too
I noted yesterday that the government, in its cynical attempt to play dumb about what the ACLU and NYT were FOIAing in their Anwar al-Awlaki memo lawsuits, had exhibited the same problems with basic definitions as Clinton had over the definition…