Sucking Tritium
That would be me, sucking tritium, living as I do about 70 miles away from a nuclear plant in South Haven, MI, that just released some radioactive steam. (h/t wizardkitten)
Entergy’s Palisades nuclear plant near South Haven is venting radioactive…
The Government Once Again Harrasses Others to Hide Its Own Failures
This is a post I could have written (in fact, I think I did here, here, here, and here). One difference, however, is that the author of this post is a government insider, State Department Foreign Service Officer Peter Van Buren.
The State Department…
Cover-up Specialist Mark Martins Chosen as Gitmo Chief Prosecutor
On Sunday, Carol Rosenberg informed us that there will be a new Chief Prosecutor in charge of military commissions at Guantanamo:
The Obama administration’s handpicked choice to run prosecutions at the Guantánamo war crimes court is…
Our Counterterrorism Policies Will Make Impact of Climate Change Worse
What place does this sound like?
Ruling elites ... do not see climate change as an immediate threat to their authority. They therefore feel free to take an opportunistic attitude toward climate change, supporting climate change mitigation policies…
The Name of NYPD Brutality: Anthony Bologna
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The Lieutenant Deputy Inspector who pepper-sprayed a kettled, defenseless woman has been identified as Anthony Bologna. He was IDed, in part, by a lawyer representing one of the people Bologna improperly arrested…
Links, 9/26/11
It looks like the CIA may have gotten hit by another double agent in the attack on its Afghan station yesterday.
“What is unique in the Obama administration is their decision that in spite of the disagreements on the political level, the…
The Problem with Purportedly Apolitical Policy Wonks: Their Faulty Logic
Peter Orszag opines from the politically sheltered comfort of his gig at Citigroup that we have too much democracy.
I'll say more about specific claims he makes below, but first, let me point out a fundamental problem with his argument. He…
Take Back the American Dream Conference Next Week
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One of the highlights of Netroots Nation this year was Van Jones' way-too-early keynote. He offered a speech--and an organizing opportunity, Rebuild the Dream Movement--that addressed a lot of the angst of progressives.…
If the NYPD Maces the First Amendment, What Will They Do with Anti-Aircraft Weapons?
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The NYPD made the news yesterday twice.
First, for their over-reaction to the Occupy Wall Street protests. In the video above, street cops corral some women with orange mesh, so another cop--in the white shirt--could…
Emptywheel's Famous Trash Talk: Es Caballos de los Muertos Edition
Hey there sports fans, I love ya! Y'all got your swerve on? Because we have week three of the NFL on tap, not to mention the end of the MLB season and, if you are talking the biggest event worldwide, the Singapore Grand Prix. so there is some…
Continued Escalation in US-Pakistan Rhetoric
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The dramatic accusations made by Joint Chiefs Chairman Michael Mullen in yesterday's Senate Armed Services Committee hearing provoked immediate, strong reactions from Pakistan.…
Does Treasury Believe Spreading Our Flawed Banking System Is a Solution to Terrorism?
Sheldon Whitehouse had a hearing on terrorist finance the other day. There was an interesting exchange that I think bears notice.
The hearing focused, in part, on hawalas, not least because DOJ recently prosecuted Mohammad Younis, the guy…
How Does the CIA-on-the-Hudson Program Interact with Secure Communities?
The AP has another installment of their series on the NYPD intelligence department's mapping of ethnic neighborhoods in New York. As always, you should read the whole thing, as well as the documents showing the spooks' data collection on innocent…
Once Again, US Ratchets Up Rhetoric Against Pakistan
The pattern by now is all too familiar. Once again, the US is ratcheting up its rhetoric against Pakistan. Earlier instances included the "crisis" when the US killed three Pakistani soldiers and Pakistan responded by closing strategic border…
Warrants for Innocent People Are Not Like Warrants for Suspects
As Charlie Savage reports, Ron Wyden and Mark Udall have written Eric Holder scolding him for mischaracterizations DOJ has made about how the government is using the Patriot Act, in part to collect information on people's location.
They cite…
We're Not Even Spending Enough to Educate Our Service Members' Children
Between 2002 and 2008, USAID spent $408 million on schools in Afghanistan. A significant chunk of $857 went to Iraqi education in the first several years after invasion.
Yet as American service men and women have been overseas protecting…
Relentless Expansion of the Great War on Terror Despite Achieving Primary Goal
It is widely acknowledged that with the death of Osama bin Laden and a number of other high level leaders, al Qaeda is severely crippled in its one-time haven of Pakistan. Rather than acknowledging this victory in the primary objective…
So Much for the Apolitical Fed
The claim that the Federal Reserve is insulated from politics has always been a farce. Greenspan did a number of ideologically inconsistent things that just happened to help Republicans. And given that the banks run the Fed, it would be impossible…
Scalia, SCOTUS & Troy Davis' Last Gasp
Late yesterday afternoon, the Supreme Court of the United States stayed the execution, set for Tuesday night, of Cleve Foster in Texas. The words of the order were simple:
11-6427 FOSTER, CLEVE V. TEXAS
(11A302)
The application for stay…
We're Losing More Tech Jobs Than Socks Jobs to China
Some of the more amazing stories about China's domination of manufacturing these days pertain to the cities in China that make most of just one of the world's consumer goods, like socks.
But a new study from the Economic Policy Institute…