Over on the blog, Defending People: The Art and Science of Criminal Defense Lawyering, after a post titled “Thoughts on a Hanging,” a character named “Y” comments: Wait. A. Minute. How can we have real liberty if we lack safety? How is a man free to “pursue happiness” — another key phrase to our country’s […]

[Read more →]

Peter Bergen, one of the world’s experts on terrorism, quoted by Barbara Boxer at Condaleeza Rice’s confirmation hearing (and isn’t it nice to know that Congress has given up the phony “advice and consent” language?): “What we have done in Iraq is what bin Laden could not have hoped for in his wildest dreams: We […]

[Read more →]

Sometime today, I’ll be announcing a new columnist joining our ranks. This individual is our first columnist to have experience in the world of news, having worked as a reporter in Joooooh-ja (that’s “Georgia” for you unschooled).

[Read more →]

There is virtually nothing I could say about this post at Unbecoming Levity that would add anything more than Abacquer has said himself. All I can say is “please, read it.” Afterwards, first…pretend you knew the person to whom she was reaching out… …and then pretend you were her.

[Read more →]

Two teenagers were beaten and pepper-sprayed by three guards in a California youth correctional facility. One was hit 28 times apparently while in a state of submission; the other was hit with a pepperball while offering no resistance. During an internal investigation — that is, the correctional institution investigated itself — which determined the guards […]

[Read more →]

They want the Federal government controlling Social Security like it’s some kind of federal program. – George W. Bush (while campaigning in 2000). …but he’s doing his part to make sure it won’t exist much longer as any kind of program — federal or otherwise. No real surprise there, since after he learned that it […]

[Read more →]

How nice it would be to see some of this running in the press over here: Tony Blair would be well advised to remember this hoary old saw: You can fool all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time but you can’t join an oil-crazed right-wing […]

[Read more →]

Excerpt from story about businesses that can spend tons of money to convince you of false “facts” while simultaneously making sure no one who knows the truth is allowed to talk: The Bush administration supports Nike….[Solicitor General Theodore Olson] also said California’s law represents “government power transferred to private citizens….” If there’s one thing Bush […]

[Read more →]

I’m going to make a commitment to begin writing a “column” of sorts every weekend, so there will be at least four a month. For now, just read this Bill Moyer’s speech about The Progressives. I wish there was a way to get everyone in America to read this.

[Read more →]

A friend of mine, talking about the justification George Bush has for having attacked Iraq, tried to draw a distinction between “potential” and “emerging” threats. The problem is that the use of “potential” or “emerging,” even by his definition, will depend upon who is applying the label…and to whom. Many—in fact a growing number—of countries […]

[Read more →]