States Secrets Privilege can't be used for rendition case.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has told Eric Holder NO on using the states secret privilege argument in the rendition case against a Boeing subsidiary.

Bet that just ruined his day! From the Jurist writeup linked above:

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled Tuesday that the state secrets privilege does not bar a lawsuit against a company that allegedly provided logistical support for CIA rendition flights. Plaintiffs Binyam Mohamed, Abou Elkassim Britel, Ahmed Agiza, Mohamed Farag Ahmad Bashmilah, and Bisher al-Rawi allege that Jeppesen Dataplan, a wholly owned subsidiary of Boeing, knowingly supported direct flights to secret CIA prisons, facilitating the torture and mistreatment of US detainees. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) intervened in 2007 before the defendant filed an answer, arguing that the lawsuit posed a risk to national security. In overturning the lower court's dismissal of the case, the Ninth Circuit ruled that the state secret privilege must be based on actual evidence in the case, not on what evidence might be involved in the case:

Concluding that the subject matter of this lawsuit is not a state secret because it is not predicated on the existence of a secret agreement between plaintiffs and the Executive, and recognizing that our limited inquiry under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) precludes prospective consideration of hypothetical evidence, we reverse and remand.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which filed the suit on plaintiffs' behalf, welcomed [press release] Tuesday's ruling, saying, "[t]his historic decision marks the beginning, not the end, of this litigation."

ACLU is batting a thousand lately..and I do love it! ;)

100 Freaking Days..are u kidding me?

I like Jon Stewart's take on this horseshit:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
How to Judge a Guy in 100 Days
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis First 100 Days

And the DS does their version of judging The Big O;

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
The Best F#@king News Team - 100 Days Rockin' Eve
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis First 100 Days

Witch Hunt movie shown in Bakersfield last night.

Yesterday was a full, very long day for me. I was at the Kern County Courthouse steps 90 minutes before the rally began and didn't get home until after 9 pm. It was organized by the folks that directed and produced Witch Hunt. Seems the local News organizations beat me there.

The directors are Don Hardy and Dana Nachman. Sean Penn was the Executive Producer, KTF Films was the company that produced the movie.


There were old, young and every age in-between there. The crowd slowly started assembling. Signs began to be made. I ran into Jeff and Cozmo, two friends I see at many of the rallies and protests. Jeff is a Vet that lives in an airplane hanger here in Bako. Sweet man and a wonderful little Conure Parrot he calls Cozmo.

When the rally began, there was a decent crowd in attendance. I am short so I made my way to the stage to get some photos from that angle as well.
What was emotional for me was seeing the victims of this prosecutorial misconduct up close and personal. They are all so old now. My age and older. The children are now grown and some have kids of their own. Most if not all of the victims showed up from where they now live around the US. They have all moved out of California, some of their children still live in Bakersfield.

Who can blame them for leaving this place? A place that took away the best part of their lives, that took them away from their children who ranged in age from 6 to 12. The place that took them in their prime and slammed them into prison for anywhere from 6 to 20 years. Look at the photo of John Stoll when he was given his sentence of over 100 years for molesting his own son. Then look at the photo of him now. John spent the longest time in jail..20-fucking-years.

Sean Penn spoke at the end of the rally. It was a call to hold our elected officials, including our bastard DA, Ed Jagels accountable for their actions. It was a call to know who your voting for and what they stand for. The message of the rally was this:

It can happen to anyone. Any of us can have our entire lives ruined and turned upside down by over zealous District Attorneys, Sherriff deputies and fucked up Judges in the pockets of law enforcement. Social Workers that have no idea what went down (if anything), they just prompt the kids and threaten the kids and maintain the status quo. Any of us can spend the best years of our lives in prison and be innocent of the charges. Anyone...

The Fox Theatre was packed. There were many many of us in attendance. Although I had seen the movie already, I went to see it without commercials and uncut for television. It was horrifying to see and hear what went down in the mid-80's here in Bakersfield. It was hard to hold back the tears when Jeff Modahl, John Stoll and all the other good folks caught up in this disgusting witchhunt told their nightmare stories to the camera.

I had to leave shortly before the end. I couldn't take anymore of it. My emotions ran the gamut, from anger to sadness to empathy and beyond. Seeing the victims sitting around me and then seeing them in their younger years on the screen, totally terrified, just choked me up. The footage of the trials was gut-wrenching. Watching Brenda Kniffen being sentenced, waving to her family and being taken away, only to faint tore me up.

The film goer's were caught up in the moment as well, booing when the bullshit DA Ed Jagels was on the screen, when his clone Lisa Green badgered the children during the appeals when they actually told the truth and admitted they had never been touched much less abused by their parents and their parents friends. The film also tells the stories of the children that were used to indict and convict their own parents. How some of them tried to commit suicide in later years because of the guilt. How they tried to soothe their emotional pain with drugs. How they are afraid to bathe their own children because they know what can happen when bullshit is slung from the highest law enforcement officials in town.

These victims were working class people. Not middle class, working class. The film covers all the participants in this decade's long nightmare. As the film's website states:

This film shows viewers what the real crime in this case is, not molestation, but the crime of coercion. Viewers hear from the child witnesses who were forced to lie on the witness stand as they describe scary sessions with sheriff's deputies in which they were told -- not asked -- about sexual experiences that happened to them. Their coerced testimony led to dozens of convictions. Many times their own parents were the ones they put behind bars.

It will rock you, but not in a good way. It will challenge you to think about what can be done to any of us under the cover of law enforcement and justice. It's about civil rights being violated by all segments of law enforcement, elected officials, judges and the like. It's about hiding evidence that would of proven innocence for years if not decades. . Rent it, buy it, just see the 91 minutes of real Americana.

See how easy it was to ruin the lives of innocent, hard-working people. People like you...and me.

Thank you to the victims that allowed their nightmares to be told:

John Stoll
Jeff Modahl
Jack and Jackie Cummings
Rick and Marcella Pitts
Brenda and Scott Kniffen
Allen Grafton
Eddie Sampley
Victor Monge
Carla Modahl

May the rest of your lives be free of fear and full of happiness.

Witch Hunt showing tonight in Bakersfield

Here is a trailer of the documentary. My post on this documentary is here. Tickets available at Vallitix.com

100 days of Republican failure.

Bernie Horn has a great read up at Campaign For America's Future. He breaks down what the right side of the aisle has done in the last 100 days. It isn't pretty m'dear reader. From his article:

Why it’s the same old white guys: Dick Cheney and Karl Rove, Newt Gingrich and Dick Armey, Fox News president Roger Ailes and his troop of politiclowns, and of course Rush Limbaugh.

Think about that. Cheney and Rove are the ugliest faces of the last eight years. (I mean that metaphorically.) Usually leaders of the outgoing Administration shuffle off the stage quietly—especially when that Administration was so unpopular. So isn’t it amazing conservatives care a whit what they say?

Gingrich and Armey are old guard conservatives disguised as new conservative spokesmen. Both Armey’s FreedomWorks and Gringrich’s American Solutions helped put on the Tax Day Tea Parties. At the direction of former GOP consultant Roger Ailes, Beck, Hannity, and the rest of the Fox noise machine practically sponsored the Tea Parties. Considering all the great issues facing America—recession, the health care crisis, global warming, troops fighting in two countries—wasn’t the tea party exercise simply pathetic?

Nothing new from them, just rehashing and re-releasing the same ole same ole, as well as recycling some of their party faithful..which btw are no longer in elected office.

On the legislative front..it is a farce indeed. The Party Of No has managed to look ridiculous:

In mid-January, conservatives had the chance to support reauthorization of the State Child Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Only 9 GOP Senators and 40 Republican Representatives did so. This vote was a political no-brainer, and yet few conservatives joined in.

Then in late January and early February, conservatives had the opportunity to participate in shaping the President’s Economic Recovery legislation. Instead, Republicans in both the House and Senate voted by wide margins for extreme right-wing substitutes which would have cut tax brackets for the rich, given new tax deductions to businesses, and deleted all the job-creating spending in the Obama measure. Ultimately, only 3 GOP Senators and no GOP Representatives voted for the President’s Recovery bill.

In March, conservatives had another chance to engage in bipartisanship and rejected it. Only 7 Republican Senators and 16 Republican Representatives supported the Omnibus Appropriations Act that would the keep the government running until the end of the fiscal year. This Act was needed because George W. Bush failed to pass appropriations for Fiscal Year 2009.

Finally in April, not only did no Republicans support Barack Obama’s budget, they offered a substitute budget for FY 2010 that would impose extreme right-wing ideology on America. The GOP plan would have rescinded the recently-enacted economic stimulus package, which would cause America—and the world—to spiral into Depression. It would hand over nearly $4 trillion in tax cuts to the rich and freeze non-defense, non-veteran spending for five years. And it would privatize Medicare and cut Social Security.

The cough Republican alternative budget was an exercise in futility but they didn't realize it evidently as they kept rolling it out in front of the tv cameras. How out of touch can one group of politicians be?

Welcome to the Democratic side of the aisle Arlen..PA will be a blue state next election and you jumped from a sinking ship just in time.

Arlen Specter switches to Democratic Party

His statement is here. But I will also provide it below:

April 28, 2009

Statement by Senator Arlen Specter

I have been a Republican since 1966. I have been working extremely hard for the Party, for its candidates and for the ideals of a Republican Party whose tent is big enough to welcome diverse points of view. While I have been comfortable being a Republican, my Party has not defined who I am. I have taken each issue one at a time and have exercised independent judgment to do what I thought was best for Pennsylvania and the nation.

Since my election in 1980, as part of the Reagan Big Tent, the Republican Party has moved far to the right. Last year, more than 200,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania changed their registration to become Democrats. I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans.

When I supported the stimulus package, I knew that it would not be popular with the Republican Party. But, I saw the stimulus as necessary to lessen the risk of a far more serious recession than we are now experiencing.

Since then, I have traveled the State, talked to Republican leaders and office-holders and my supporters and I have carefully examined public opinion. It has become clear to me that the stimulus vote caused a schism which makes our differences irreconcilable. On this state of the record, I am unwilling to have my twenty-nine year Senate record judged by the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate. I have not represented the Republican Party. I have represented the people of Pennsylvania.

I have decided to run for re-election in 2010 in the Democratic primary.

I am ready, willing and anxious to take on all comers and have my candidacy for re-election determined in a general election.

I deeply regret that I will be disappointing many friends and supporters. I can understand their disappointment. I am also disappointed that so many in the Party I have worked for for more than four decades do not want me to be their candidate. It is very painful on both sides. I thank specially Senators McConnell and Cornyn for their forbearance.

I am not making this decision because there are no important and interesting opportunities outside the Senate. I take on this complicated run for re-election because I am deeply concerned about the future of our country and I believe I have a significant contribution to make on many of the key issues of the day, especially medical research. NIH funding has saved or lengthened thousands of lives, including mine, and much more needs to be done. And my seniority is very important to continue to bring important projects vital to Pennsylvania’s economy.

I am taking this action now because there are fewer than thirteen months to the 2010 Pennsylvania Primary and there is much to be done in preparation for that election. Upon request, I will return campaign contributions contributed during this cycle.

While each member of the Senate caucuses with his Party, what each of us hopes to accomplish is distinct from his party affiliation. The American people do not care which Party solves the problems confronting our nation. And no Senator, no matter how loyal he is to his Party, should or would put party loyalty above his duty to the state and nation.

My change in party affiliation does not mean that I will be a party-line voter any more for the Democrats that I have been for the Republicans. Unlike Senator Jeffords’ switch which changed party control, I will not be an automatic 60th vote for cloture. For example, my position on Employees Free Choice (Card Check) will not change.

Whatever my party affiliation, I will continue to be guided by President Kennedy’s statement that sometimes Party asks too much. When it does, I will continue my independent voting and follow my conscience on what I think is best for Pennsylvania and America.

Wow-friggin-wee!

Bakersfield's Witchhunt-A documentary by Sean Penn

"There is no crueler tyranny than that which is exercised under cover of law, and with the colors of justice ..." - U.S. v. Jannotti, 673 F.2d 578, 614 (3d Cir. 1982)

Penn's newest documentary is based on the District Attorney's office here in Kern County.What it's really about are the individuals that were arrested, tried and convicted on charges of child molestation. It's about how it ruined their lives and those of their families, children, friends and neighbors.

All the molestation cases were overturned by the State Supreme Court. All of them. What really makes this a gross miscarriage of justice and prosecutorial misconduct is that it took up to 20 years to overturn them all.

The documentary was recently shown on MSNBC. MSNBC has an excellent section up on the cases and the documentary. Let me tell you just a little about Ed Jagels and these cases, from a post I wrote in 2006. There is another post I wrote specifically about the child molestation cases here. :

Kern County has had prosecutorial misconduct raised as an issue 108 times over the past quarter-century..about twice the rate of similarly sized counties. That ain’t good sportsfans. Eddie has been in office for 23 of those years...since 1983.

*snip*

Ed Jagels office prosecuted a series of Child Molestation cases in the 1980’s..29 defendants went to jail for terms upwards of 400 years..Sounds like a lot for this small town with a population of 271,000 doesn’t it? So far, the State Supreme Court has overturned..and I quote from a website for Edward Hume, who wrote a book about Eddie entitled “Mean Justice”: The worse case of prosecutorial misconduct in California history, People vs. Pitts, occurred on Jagels watch, in which seven men and women served more than six years in prison: the appeals court that reversed the convictions spent more than 100 pages detailing the examples of prosecutorial misconduct in the case.”

These are the most heinous cases to date, but there are others. But I digress..the website for the documentary gives you a concise view of the carnage:

Executive Producer Sean Penn proudly presents "Witch Hunt," a gripping indictment of the United States justice system told through the lens of one small town. It's John Stoll's story, but it's also the story of dozens of other men and women who found themselves ensnared in a spiral of fear, ignorance and hysteria. These people are Americans, working class moms and dads, who were rounded up with little or no evidence, charged and convicted of almost unimaginable crimes. All sexual. All crimes against children. Years, sometimes decades later, they would find freedom again, but their lives and the lives of their children would be changed forever. This film shows viewers what the real crime in this case is, not molestation, but the crime of coercion. Viewers hear from the child witnesses who were forced to lie on the witness stand as they describe scary sessions with sheriff's deputies in which they were told -- not asked -- about sexual experiences that happened to them. Their coerced testimony led to dozens of convictions. Many times their own parents were the ones they put behind bars.

Soon after the trials, the children started to crack. They told adults of the lies they'd been forced to tell on the stand and hoped it would make a difference. It didn't and the convicted continued to sit in prison. As the allegations grew more outlandish, California's Attorney General wrote a scathing report on the court misconduct, but instead of being buried by criticism, Kern County District Attorney Ed Jagels thrived, doing what he did best-- putting people away. He boasted one of the highest conviction rates in the country. This strategy served him well. Jagels is still in office today. Through new interviews, archival footage, and unflinching narration by Mr. Penn, the filmmakers construct an intimate film that illustrates a universal point; when power is allowed to exist without oversight from the press, the community or law enforcement, the rights of everyday citizens can be lost for decades. National film critic Marshall Fine says, "This is a chilling story about American law-enforcement run amok and untethered. It's particularly timely in the wake of revelations about the way the Bush administration has trampled American civil rights. A movie that can't help but move you - to tears and to action."

This happened in my town, where I live and have resided for over seven years. It happened before I moved here, but it should stand as an embarrassment to everyone that calls Bakersfield their home.

Tomorrow night there will be a showing of this documentary here in Bakersfield at the Fox Theatre (tickets available here). Sean Penn will be in attendance I have been told. The money raised will go to a good cause I hope..as I will plunk down my $30 bucks to attend.

Update: The money goes to The Innocence Project. They are the folks that took up the cause of some of the wrongfully convicted individuals.

Do you think Ed Jagels will be there? Highly unlikely..but it would be interesting if the scumbag did show up. For more information on this miscarriage of justice..here are some links to news items.

Photos from the documentary Witch Hunt, the press package from the film's website.

Senior citizens brawling..over Bingo.

The ladies..and I use that term loosely, were in their 60's and one was in her 80's. They started pulling hair and scrapping recently at a senior citizens hall during a freaking Bingo game.

The women were banned from the establishment for 90 days. Nothing apparently, riles up old folks like a cheater at bingo.



Trippy? Yes..stupid? Oh hell yes. But stupid doesn't have an age limit apparently. ;p

Pitchfork Populism? Pot dispensaries in Kern County again?

Bea Arthur passed on...she was 86 and a great dame, broad, whatever the hell you want to call her except spineless.

This little ditty over at OpenLeft was an eye opener at 6am today. Seems the writer is really pissed off.

Well, so am I, but christ..eating our own seems the wrong way to go about it.

But he makes some great points..among them..how the Dem's consistently yanked defeat from the jaws of victory. Ain't that the friggin truth!

So...check it out if you have a strong constitution this Sunday morning.

Emptywheel, always the voice of truth and logic, has a timeline up of BushCo's march to torture. Heavy stuff for a Sunday, but hit it if you feel up to it. It will probably just make your head spin and ruin the rest of your day..but some of us are gluttons for punishment..ya know? ;)

Last but not fucking least..is a story that starts out about my home county..Kern. Its about medical mj dispensaries and just how prolific they will or will not become now that AG Holder has put the kybosh on raiding them.

I in fact, visited a brand, spanking-new dispensary yesterday. It was run by two women and its three blocks from my humble abode. That I no longer have to drive over the friggin mountain range into Hell-A and back to procure my medicine makes me almost giddy folks. Oh, and fuck you Donnie Youngblood you gigantic prick.

The following graphic is just cuz..cuz I love it! From the inimitable Dark Black of course! ;) Click for larger!

April 26, 1986

A whole countryside of people will never be the same again. Neither will the rest of the world.

Chernobyl...

Chernobyl Radiation Cloud

Red indicates the extent of the radiation cloud on April 27, just after the accident in Chernobyl.

Blue, indicates its almost worldwide distribution until the 6th of May.
View a photoessay of the region and the actual city of Pripyat 18 years after, here.
If your too young to remember, watch a video of the event here.

Hannity-come out, come out, where ever you are!

There is now a website that is taking orders for folks that will contribute to Sean's favorite charity if he follows through on his own statement to be waterboarded for charity. It offers different options for your donations. Its a cute little site with phrases like the following:

Your participation does not constitute an obligation on your part, it is only a statement of your interest in donating to an event such as Sean Hannity growing a pair and getting Waterboarded for Charity.

Ain't that cute? I love it! Check it out if you are so inclined..Sean will of course never follow through on this..he doesn't have the stones.

Tonite..a musical interlude.

Its Smokin' Joe Bonamassa off his latest album, The Ballad of John Henry. Its called Lonesome Road Blues:

Dawn's fight for equality in Maine.

Go read this please. It is a beautiful yet gut-wrenching story of good people in Maine trying to level the playing field when it comes to LGBT equality in all things important to humans.

There are pictures and a video. The turnout was awesome. But the homophobics turned out as well and I couldn't believe the shit they spewed in a public forum.

It saddens and angers me that people are so fucked up in this day and age.

Please show Dawn some love and support, she deserves our support in her fight.

The Shrew signs with CNN..

The Shrew being Mary Matalin. Sweet-Jaysus-in-a-speedo, I can't stomach that broad. She has an opinion that John Boehner would get a boner over, no substance of course..she gets obnoxious as shit when making her point to someone that doesn't agree with her and why anyone gives a shit what she thinks is beyond me as her logic is usually wholly political and fucked the hell up.

But CNN hired her to be a mouthpiece anyway..oh goody! From the MediaBistro link:

She will appear on programs across the network including Anderson Cooper 360, State of the Union with John King, and The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer. Matalin will also appear twice monthly alongside her husband, Democratic strategist and fellow CNN political contributor James Carville, exclusively on State of the Union with John King starting Sunday, April 26.

Damn, I watch..make that used to watch Anderson Cooper. sigh...

Chrysler preparing bankruptcy filing.

From MSNBC via the NYT:

The Treasury Department is preparing a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing for struggling U.S. automaker Chrysler that could come as soon as next week, according to a New York Times report.

People with direct knowledge of the action told the newspaper that the U.S. Treasury has an agreement in principle with the United Automobile Workers union, whose members’ pensions and retiree health care benefits would be protected as a condition of the bankruptcy filing.

Wonder when GM will do the same? From the NYT writeup linked above:

Moreover, Fiat of Italy would complete its alliance with Chrysler while the company is under bankruptcy protection.

The only major question that remains unresolved is what happens to Chrysler’s lenders, who hold $6.9 billion in company debt. The government’s most recent offer, presented Wednesday, would give the company’s lenders about 22 cents on the dollar, or $1.5 billion, and a 5 percent equity stake in a reorganized Chrysler. Earlier this week, a steering committee of the lenders proposed that they receive 65 cents on the dollar, or $4.5 billion, and a 40 percent equity stake.

Officials at Chrysler and the Treasury were not immediately available for comment.

sigh...

Bravo Bob Cesca!

His latest HuffPo piece..is spot friggin on:

But it's not just Bush administration officials they're defending here. Extrapolating what the torture superfans are suggesting, they appear to believe that in light of the threat of terrorism, any administration should be able to torture, including the current president. In other words: they're simultaneously accusing President Obama of being an oppressive and tyrannical "fascist," while also insisting that he should exercise the power to do whatever he wants in order to prevent another terrorist attack. Put yet another way: unchecked government power is awful, unless Sean Hannity is scared. Then it's excellent. Put a third way: WTF?

Exactly..wtf?? If we can't keep our moral authority in tact, how is torturing ok on any level? Jesus-effn-Christ, its not rocket science folks.

Also, the fact that the torture methods were used in order to obtain false information to cover-their-smarmy-asses about attacking Iraq..that really chaps my ass. Bob says it best:

The reality is that the Bush torture methods were both horrifying and ineffective. The procedures we've read about in the OLC memos were clearly forms of torture as have been previously defined by America's own standards (you might recognize waterboarding from such famous torturers as the Khmer Rouge, Imperial Japan and North Korea), and by most accounts they're absolutely ineffective at acquiring decent information. And in fact, as McClatchy reported on Tuesday, the Bush administration used these torture techniques to gather intentionally false information about a link between Iraq and al-Qaeda.

Such fuckery as this deserves to be put on trial..so the whole world can point at the offenders and get indignant as hell..after all, we still have the audacity to complain about China's human rights abuses....don't we??

Oh, and the Faux idiots fall into this category..30 seconds of their horseshit below:

Newt is a big fat liar.

Newt has some balls. Or he has Alzheimers like his hero St Ronnie..any way you slice it..the man is full of shit. From Crooks and Liars:

The Teabagger King attacked President Obama because he actually shook hands with Hugo Chavez and tried to make into an international ordeal except only his teabagging compatriots bought into his lies. ABC News did a little digging and found this on Newt's own website.

When it comes to Saint Ronnie however..its ok to shuck and jive with a dictator. Again from C&L:

As recounted in a recent interview highlighted on Gingrich's own Web site, Gingrich fondly recalled the way that Reagan shared jokes with Mikhail Gorbachev.


In the interview, Gingrich refers to a favorite picture with himself and the late president: "One of the most memorable [moments] is actually a picture hanging on the wall of my family room. The two of us are on Air Force One. We're both in shirtsleeves. We both have our arms crossed and we're laughing. We're laughing because Reagan has told another joke. Reagan collected jokes, particularly about the Soviet Union."

I hope to hell Newt stays in the news..the fucker is so full of shit his eyes should be brown.

Philip Zelikow on the OLC torture memos.

Mr. Philip D. Zelikow was a deputy to Condi Rice. He appeared tonight on the Rachel Maddow show. He has written an article over at Foreign Policy about his counter-memo (dissenting opinion) to the OLC torture memo's.

In other words, he wrote a dissenting opinion to Jay Bybee and Steven Bradbury's fuckery about how it was legal to hang people from the ceiling, deprive them of sleep, slam them into walls..etc. On Maddow's show he discusses how the Bush Administration attempted to destroy every available copy of his counter-memo. The final two paragraphs below:

The underlying absurdity of the administration's position can be summarized this way. Once you get to a substantive compliance analysis for "cruel, inhuman, and degrading" you get the position that the substantive standard is the same as it is in analogous U.S. constitutional law. So the OLC must argue, in effect, that the methods and the conditions of confinement in the CIA program could constitutionally be inflicted on American citizens in a county jail.

In other words, Americans in any town of this country could constitutionally be hung from the ceiling naked, sleep deprived, water-boarded, and all the rest -- if the alleged national security justification was compelling. I did not believe our federal courts could reasonably be expected to agree with such a reading of the Constitution.

It is worth your time to read his article and also watch his interview on Rachel's show. I will of course post the Maddow video when it becomes available within the next hour. Update: It's available.

Eric Holder needs to appoint a Special Prosecutor to investigate this gross transgression of the rule of law. There can be no other way to get to the bottom of who was ultimately responsible.

Freddie Mac CFO commits suicide

In his palatial house in Vienna VA, David Kellerman ended his life early this morning. He had been the comptroller and head accounting guru at Freddie Mac for decades before being picked to head the company after it faltered and started to turn to shit in the subprime mortgage mess.

The FBI has dozens of investigations going regarding the subprime debacle. In fact, a hearing is being held this morning by the House Judiciary Committee regarding mortgage fraud.

Gavin Newsom announces run for CA Governor

His site is here. From his post at HuffPo:

I hope you will join me as we set out to build a campaign that does more than win an election. Together we can create the kind of campaign that changes California.

If you want to help us get off to a strong start, please contribute here.

In San Francisco, we're showing what can be accomplished when we stop looking back and start looking for solutions.

We are the first, and still the only, city in America implementing universal health care. We're proving what you already knew - it is less expensive to keep people well than it is to treat their sicknesses.

I will work for Gavin Newsom. San Francisco is ahead of all major cities in making things right by and for the people.

The anti-gay crowd will of course work hard against him. They even used one of his press conferences in their Prop 8 commercials. It will be a long, hard road folks..

Obama doesn’t slam the door on prosecuting Bush and Company..

This just in, from MSNBC:

President Barack Obama is leaving the door open to possible prosecution of Bush administration officials who devised harsh terrorism-era interrogation tactics.

He also said Tuesday that he worries about the impact of high-intensity hearings on how detainees were treated under former President George W. Bush.

But Obama did say, nevertheless, he could support a congressional investigation if it were conducted in a bipartisan way.

Obama has said he does not support charging CIA agents and interrogators who took part in waterboarding and other harsh interrogation tactics, acting on advice from superiors that such practices were legal. But he also said that it is up to the attorney general whether to prosecute Bush administration lawyers who wrote the memos approving these tactics.

But..Rahm said this weekend that Obama wouldn’t go after the Bush Lawyers. How does this new statement fit with that one?

Your guess is as good as mine, m’dear reader….

Pulitzer prize winning photo

The photographer is Damon Winter. View his other masterpieces and bio here. The photo below of Obama during the campaign was awarded a Pulitzer yesterday. Click image to view larger.

Happy 4-20!!!!!

Best day of the year! The wonderful graphic is by Dark Black, who also observes this holiday of sorts. ;) Lazy also loves this day and Bob was so kind to wish me a happy 4-20 in the comments section below.

The Loo...

I never close the bathroom door. Hardly ever. That is because it is the smallest friggin bathroom in the contiguous states and frankly if I am in there for any decent amount of time..I get claustrophobic as hell and then I don't finish my business.

Besides, its off the beaten path and it's not like anyone will have to see me sitting there. You have to make two turns to get into that little room and everyone knows that if they see the light on..mom is in there, so they just scream to 'hurry the fuck up' and go wait somewhere.

Now, most people bring a book or periodical in with them, me..hell, I got felines to watch.

Yes, my cats all come into the bathroom and play whilst I am doing my 'bidness'. Its interesting and sometimes I get involved in their playing around.

See, no wall or floorspace is wasted in that little friggin room. If you happen to be over six feet tall, its a real bitch to sit down. Your knees will smash up against the side of the sink cabinet..or so my tall son tells me. So, that means I can turn on the faucet whilst I am sitting on the crapper with little to no effort on my part.

The cats love to play with the water and I will occasionally revert the spray so that it drenches one of them. It might sound mean, but they should know that about me by now..wouldn't you think? Then there is the empty toilet paper roll to play with..oh the fun!

Now, for the rare times I do not want their company, and actually close the door..they still manage to get in. They send Crazy Patty to open the door. She is quite good at getting the bathroom door open, even when you hear the click of the latch..Patty can usually manage to jimmy the damn thing enough to get it open.

Then they all come parading in so innocently.

Playing hide and seek in the tub/shower is another of their favorite things to do whilst I am trying to ...well...you know.

I have informed the Ball n' Chain™ that I need a new door latch..I do expect some amount of privacy in there..it's not always fun and games time for the love of Pete.

He just smiled his Buddha smile..which means I won't be getting a new lock. See..they don't bother him when he's in there.

Janeane Garofalo explains the rightwing nutjob psyche.

Love it! For a good laugh..watch it. Steve, don't watch it your head will probably explode. ;p

Et tu Obama?

Well, I couldn't stay away from Countdown. Nope, and lemme tell ya..today was one helluva doozy. I learned all about the newly released torture memo's (courtesy of TPM Muckraker) and how Obama has no interest what so evah in prosecuting those who tortured. I will look at the redacted memo's shortly, but let me say this...

President Obama is going down the same road President Ford did, only Obama refuses to go after those who tortured. At least the underlings were prosecuted in the Nixon administration. No such luck with the Obama administration. So no one will be held accountable for torturing..no one.

KO's Special Comment follows, as does his interview with John Dean on the subject. I am horrified that Obama wants to take this route.

But I am not surprised. President Obama has signaled he would lean this way, you just had to pay attention to hear it.

There are people out there that will be able to justify this newest fresh hell brought to us by President Obama..but I am not one of them. I find Obama's decision unconscionable and wrong on many levels. I salute him for releasing the memo's, and allowing us to see into the black hearts of the Bush Administration.

But I damn him and curse him for wanting to walk away from doing the right thing.

Sirens Chronicles lives!! And other news..

Our group blog Sirens Chronicles is back online after being down for a week. Thank you to Craig @ StudioPress/Click3Media for fixing my baby.

The Ball n' Chain™ is sick. My CT scan came back clean..which is good, but now I get to see a specialist in urology..meanwhile..I am doped up to my big brown eyes..

I am trying to keep away from politics, but it isn't working..I have many a post running around in my noggin'.

A company with a conscience...Toms Shoes

When I saw the AT&T commercial this weekend..I wasn't feeling too good, and blew it off. But tonight when I saw it again, I hopped on ye olde computer and googled Tom and his shoe company.

I learned more than I ever thought possible about children in Africa that go shoeless. I learned that they get a horrible debilitating disease that literally destroys their feet and lower legs. It's called Podoconiosis. In Ethiopia alone, between 500,000 and a million people are affected by Podoconiosis. There is one simple solution to this problem... shoes. From the Lancet link on the disease:

Podoconiosis (endemic non-filarial elephantiasis) is a geochemical disease in individuals exposed to red-clay soil derived from alkalic volcanic rock.1 It is a chronic and debilitating disorder that, although rarely seen outside endemic regions, is a serious public-health problem in at least ten countries in tropical Africa, Central America, and north India.2—7 It is unusual in being an entirely preventable non-communicable disease, and has been eradicated from Scotland, France, and the Canary Islands since footwear became routine.6 The disorder now occurs wherever irritant soils coexist with high altitude, high rainfall, and extremely low income, predominantly where subsistence farmers cannot afford shoes, socks, or even water to wash their feet.

In Ethiopia, where podoconiosis has been best described, prevalence is about 5% in areas of irritant soil.8 Podoconiosis is thus more common than HIV infection in these areas. About 11 million people (18% of the national population) live in endemic areas in Ethiopia, and between 500 000 and 1 million people are affected nationwide. Up to 64% of affected individuals are from the most economically active age-groups,8 and direct and productivity costs of podoconiosis in a group of 1·5 million inhabitants have been estimated at US$16 million a year.9 Social stigma towards people with podoconiosis is pronounced, leading to exclusion from school and religious and community gatherings, and a bar on marriage into non-affected families.

The epidemiological and clinical features are distinct and well described—the disorder occurs in barefooted farmers, weavers, and other occupational groups where exposure to volcanic soil is common.1 Affected populations tend to reside at high altitudes, with a geographical correlation with alkalic-type volcanoes.1, 10 Men and women are equally affected, and although most patients develop signs and symptoms between the ages of 10 and 30 years, individuals as young as 4 years could show early signs. Not all individuals exposed to irritant soil develop podoconiosis, and family clustering has long been observed. Genetic studies11 show high heritability of the trait, and segregation analysis suggests the presence of an autosomal codominant major gene conferring susceptibility to podoconiosis.

Disease is bilateral, but asymmetrical, and almost always below the knee (figure). Silica particles absorbed through the foot are thought to induce an inflammatory response in the lymphatic vessels, leading ultimately to fibrosis and obstruction of the vessel lumen.12 This event leads initially to oedema of the foot and lower leg, which progresses to severe elephantiasis, resembling infection seen in Wuchereria bancrofti. However, podoconiosis occurs at altitudes higher than 1500 m, which exceeds that at which filarial transmission occurs, and both midnight blood sampling and filarial antigen testing have consistently excluded filariasis as the cause of podoconiosis.5, 13

It's horrible, it's gruesome..as a parent, it made me cry that young lives are ruined by this disease of poverty.

Tom's Shoes is trying to do something to stem this horrible disease, the business was created solely as a means to provide for children affected by this horrible disease. For every pair of shoes they sell, they give a pair to someone in nations affected by this debilitating disease. The shoes are rather pricey, but if you can't afford the shoes, they also sell caps, T-shirts and other baubles that are more affordable. The founder, Blake Mykoskie has also met with President Obama, and has spoken about the disease with Bill Clinton and others that support helping impoverished nations.

I know that my plea will probably fall on deaf ears, but I had to write about it today. I had to. It's not political, it's humanitarian. We are all responsible for those less fortunate. The video below shows the human cost of podoconiosis, it's graphic..but I ask that you watch it if for no other reason than to become educated on this disease. I hope it will also make you buy something from Tom's Shoes to support their endeavor. From the website:

What we do

Since our beginning in May 2006, TOMS has given over 140,000* pairs of shoes to children in need through the purchases of caring customers. Because of your support, TOMS plans to give over 300,000 pairs of shoes to children in need around the world in 2009.

*As of April 2009

How we give

TOMS Shoes gives through trusted organizations and Shoe Drop Tours.

1. Caring charitable organizations help TOMS distribute shoes to the children they support through their existing programs. Along with legally recognized 501(c)(3) non-profits and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s), TOMS gives shoes year-round. We are able to reach more children through these trusted and established methods.
2. TOMS Shoes partners with Friends of TOMS, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that creates and coordinates avenues for further involvement in the TOMS One for One movement. This includes Shoe Drop Tour volunteer opportunities. Learn more at www.FriendsofTOMS.org!

Learn more about One Day Without Shoes by clicking the image and going to their Facebook site.

Chuck Todd getting his own political show on MSNBC.

At least according to the folks at The New York Observer. It will be a similar format to Meet The Press, which Chuck was considered for, but lost out to David Gregory. David doesn't impress me one iota. From the Observer:

According to multiple network sources, MSNBC is in the process of developing a weekend political show to be moderated by Chuck Todd, the network’s political director and chief White House correspondent.

*snip*

The new show on MSNBC, to debut in late spring, would give Mr. Todd more experience as a political moderator and provide him with a good opportunity to develop his long-form interviewing skills. At the same time, it would give MSNBC an original political program to show off on a weekend schedule that is currently dominated by crime documentaries and taped content.

According to sources, the specifics of the show—live vs. taped, one-on-one interview vs. a panel of guests, half-hour vs. an hour, Saturday vs. Sunday—are still being worked out. Presumably the show will originate out of NBC’s Washington D.C. bureau, where Mr. Todd is stationed. Staffing has yet to be determined.

This is my political post for today..

"A good walk spoiled.."

That is how a very smart man referred to the game of golf. Today's final round of the Master's was full of excitement and ch-ch-ch-changes all day. It went into overtime..extra innings..really a sudden death playoff. Fucking awesome it was. A gent from South America won, Angel Cabrera.

I realize that golf is primarily an elitist sport. I still enjoy watching a good match. And Augusta is one of the most beautiful courses in the world. It's not cheap to keep those courses looking spectacular and specially groomed. The hubby and I watched together, so it was good quality time.

Today is also Easter Sunday around the world. We heathens, here at Dustyville, celebrated by eating a big calorie-laden meal of baked ham, candied yams, garlic mashed potatoes, hawaiian sweet rolls and brussel spouts. I cooked my ass off, then laid down and recovered from standing all that time in the kitchen by becoming one with my pipe and playing with the cats that laid down around me, but I digress...

We refer to my candied yams as "Yam Soup". They never come out the same way twice and 9 times out of 10 the little yammie's are swimming in the sickeningly sweet mixture.

But soupy mess goes great over the ham..so no one complains. My son loves my yams. Too bad he won't be getting them this year, living in OK and all. :(

Today, they had the consistency of..well..snot. But a tastier dish of candied yams, you have never eaten m'dear reader...trust me on this. The sugar high lasts for friggin hours too! No..I won't give out the recipe here...who the hell wants to make yam soup when they are trying to make candied yams?

I didn't say anything aloud about their consistency..that would be bad form wouldn't it? I bet the Ball n' Chain™ thought it too, how could he not?

Clyde the cat gave me a bath this afternoon. I hate those rough tongues, but Clyde really is a sweet little man and he doesn't bathe just any one or any cat ya know.

Padres won again..so I still get to ride the Ball n' Chain™ about my team being better than his team.

The First Family got their puppy today. That's about as close as I got to politics, over at Fran's blog.

Time for more baseball..yay! ;)

Blues Dog..I know the feeling.

And from our "You think you got it bad department"..this lil guy makes me cry..and then feel like a pussified whiner.

Politcs black out in force..

I will try not to just write about sports..perhaps music will be ok?

I just can not deal with political fuckery right now. I have way too much crappola going on in my personal life, my plate, it seems, is very full. Sirens Chronicles was hacked again..and this time might be the one that takes it down and we rebuild from scratch..losing years of everyone's work. It looks ok from the outside..but none of us can get inside the site. :(

I have medical issues again..but the bad part is the Doc hasn't got clue friggin one about what is wrong with me and that doesn't make me feel warm and fuzzy. The worst part is the unending, constant pain associated with this medical problem..no pain med in the world helps..I kid you not. I can't walk, sit, move, cough, etc..without sharp jabbing pain internally. That shit gets old real fast and its now been 10 days and counting. Needless to say I am consuming a lot of medicinal cannabis and a Vicodin or RushBo's favorite..Oxycontin, every 5 hours to boot. Nothing takes the pain away..I just don't give a shit when I am doped up to my eyeballs.

The CT scan was interesting as I had never had one before. Nothing like laying on a table that slides in and out of a giant donut. It was a noisy machine however and my ears were humming for hours afterward. Now we wait for the reading of the slides and the report to go across town to my Doc. This medical issue has nothing (he thinks) to do with the blown three discs in my back..so at least I do not have to deal with the jackasses at Workers Compensation..just the jackasses at my regular heath insurance company. They move with the speed of a geriatic turtle..bet if they were in alot of pain they would move their asses..what do you think?

As for good news..ok I have some:

Spanky is making friends with the other kittehs of the house..but he still plays pretty much only with Pee Wee, the second youngest kitteh and an evil little bastard to boot. Pee Wee has managed to destroy five sets of blinds, three blackout curtains and the curtain rod over the kitchen sink..which is a bitch since I have a bad habit of walking around the kitchen dressed in nothing but my bra and underoos. So I like to make breakfast and dinner semi-nude..who cares?

Probably the dude next door..he didn't sign up for this when he rented that apartment next door to our house..watching some ole biddy parading around in her skivvies. Believe me when I say small children would run away screaming if they caught a glimpse of me half dressed. That way I don't ruin a perfectly good shirt, as I am a very sloppy cook..makes sense right?

Now, If I looked like Heidi Klum no one would bitch..bet me.

My son in OK has adopted a sweet little cocker spaniel. The poor thing was being punked by a big mean boxer and my son told his boss he would take the little guy. He called me several times tonight to give me updates on how Charlie the Cocker was doing..and whether Fred the Cat had opened Charlie's snout yet. When Brian was little, we had a great little cocker named Reggie..sadly my ex got him in the divorce. I did drive over to VA and steal him once..but found out that the VA cops will cross state lines when the animal is valued at over a grand.

Needless to say I had to give Reggie back to the ex. Brian was sad for months. We would drive over to VA from MD once a week and visit Reggie whilst the ex was out getting tanked on Saturdays. Eventually the ex's neighbors turned him in for animal abuse, but failed to call and tell me. By the time I found out about it..Reggie was gone from animal control.

But Brian loves his new little cocker with the self esteem issues. It's funny that he did this as he has constantly bitched at me for years for taking in every abused dog and abandoned cat for miles around. He calls me a sucker on a regular basis..and..guess what..I called him one tonight at least a half a dozen times. ;)

On the sports front..my hapless Padres are ahead of the Dodgers in the standings. True, its only been five days since the start of the season..but hey..you have to take your glory when you can..and since we are a split family when it comes to baseball, this gives me the opportunity to talk shit about the Dodgers to the Ball n' Chain™.

I never miss that kinda opportunity folks..lemme tell ya. And yes, they actually wore those mustard-colored uni's back in 1972. Gross..

Well, I lied..you got a bit o' sports..and no music..so sue me. You want music..check out my tunes at Blip. They run the gamut..from Blues to The Kinks, to Led Zeppelin. And a whole lotta stuff in between. Blip is all the new rage..come join us!