In 2006, I wrote that "It's a Hollow Feeling This Fourth of July." Are we any better off this year? We haven't seen much tangible progress, but Bush and Cheney are gone and we do seem to be headed in the right direction, even if we are moving at a snail's pace.

So, yes, I'm going to celebrate. But I'm also not going to forget the freedoms we need to protect and defend, not just for our law-abiding citizens but for all who are living within our country, including those who continue to be detained at Guantanamo, who are languishing in our prisons, and who live in fear of being separated from their families and deported.

If you're looking for something to evoke a feeling of what today is about, here's one of my favorites:

What are your thoughts and plans this Independence Day? (Menu descriptions welcome.)

Speculation is mounting on the internet that Sarah Palin is facing trouble over the source of the building materials for her Waslilla, Alaska home. If you remember, Todd was interviewed saying he built the house with his own hands and some buddies helped out with materials.

The details were reported in 2008 by Village Voice reporter Wayne Barrett. Mudflats also reported on it. Hypocrites and Heffalump Traps wrote it up in February, with pictures of each, showing similarities and posts an update today. [More...]

This is a gruesome story. Kristen Diane Parker, a lab/surgery tech at Rose Hospital in Denver (one of our most prominent medical centers) who was infected with Hepatitis C, stole syringes filled with the pain-killer Fentanyl from the OR, shot herself up, put saline in the used syringes and replaced them on the rack in the OR. She got fired and went to work in Colorado Springs where she did the same thing.

Rose Hospital is sending out letters to everyone who had surgery during the months she worked there to advise them they may be exposed to Hepatitis C.

Authorities say Parker admitted to changing out syringes containing a saline solution with ones filled with the painkiller Fentanyl. Parker injected herself with the drug, according to a complaint filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Denver.

An affidavit by Mary F. LaFrance, an investigator for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, says at least nine surgery patients at Rose have tested positive for hepatitis C, which is incurable. About 6,000 patients are being advised they may have been exposed and need to be tested.

The affidavit supporting the federal criminal charges against her is here (pdf). [More...]

A sensible policy of drug regulation would treat drug use and abuse as a medical issue rather than burdening the criminal justice system with endless arrests, prosecutions, and incarcerations for conduct that primarily hurts those who voluntary engage in it. Sensible drug policy reform is fiercely resisted by unions representing prison guards and police officers whose jobs depend on continuing the ineffective status quo.

To justify the war's continuation in the face of mounting casualties and no possibility of victory, proponents of the drug war routinely claim that legalization or decriminalization of illicit drugs would encourage kids to experiment with them. The argument is based on faith, not research. A new study by the National Bureau of Economic Research concludes that "tough policing of the illegal drugs market may have the perverse effect of making drugs more affordable and thereby encouraging people to use them."

[more ...]

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is resigning. Reuters gives a few possible reasons. Since Palin has repeatedly said she's not a quitter, only this one makes sense to me:

She fears a looming political problem, perhaps even a scandal, and wanted out of the limelight, before the news broke.

Her statement does not allude to any problems. [More...]

If you have something on your mind and aren't busy preparing to celebrate Independence Day (please folks, cherry bombs and M-60's [revolting video warning] are not toys -- be safe!), here's the place to express it.

These posts about the prosecution of Lori Drew sparked considerable controversy among our commenters. Drew participated in creating the bogus MySpace profile of a 16-year-old boy so she could learn whether a 13-year-old girl who lived nearby was spreading rumors about Drew's daughter. The fictitious boy expressed interest in the girl before later sending her a message -- "the world would be a better place without you" -- that triggered the girl's suicide.

The posts criticized Thomas O'Brien, the grandstanding U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles, who made it his mission to prosecute Drew (a resident of Missouri) for computer fraud. Apart from his dubious attempt to stretch the concept of fraud to include lies told on a MySpace profile, and his unseemly eagerness to charge a crime that allegedly occurred far from Los Angeles (and that wasn't being charged by the U.S. Attorney in Drew's district), O'Brien failed to persuade the jury that Drew created the fake profile to inflict emotional distress on the girl -- and was apparently surprised when his star witness contradicted that claim. To save face after failing to secure felony convictions, O'Brien bragged about the misdemeanor convictions the jury returned for Drew's alleged "unauthorized access" to MySpace.

Drew was scheduled to be sentenced yesterday. She wasn't. Instead, the judge threw out the misdemeanor convictions after correctly concluding that violating MySpace's terms of service agreement didn't constitute unauthorized access. So much for O'Brien's proud victory. [more ...]

Jeralyn wisely decided not to write about "the DEA jumping into the Michael Jackson death investigation (ridiculous)" but I have no shame. According to this article, "the agency's involvement in the Jackson case suggests authorities are looking into whether drugs came from out of state." It's more likely (as the article also notes) that the DEA is interested in the conduct of Jackson's physicians.

According to the article, a criminal investigation could focus on whether prescription medications played a role in Jackson's death, and if so, whether doctors overprescribed medication, prescribed drugs he didn't need, or wrote prescriptions for Jackson under an assumed name. Ultimately, the most likely explanation for the DEA's involvement is that Jackson was a high profile celebrity, making the investigation a fun digression from the routine pursuit of drug smugglers and dealers.

Given the possibility of a criminal investigation, LAPD is taking heat for its failure to secure the scene of Jackson's death. [more ...]

I used all my time writing the ridculously long post below on the fight over the request to release documents related to Dick Cheney's FBI interview about the leak of Valerie Plame's identity.

I'm off to check out the TL kid's new apartment, he just got the keys. It's next door to his old apartment, but it's still an exciting move for him.

So I'm not going to get to the DEA jumping into the Michael Jackson death investigation (ridiculous) or Norm Stamper's latest on progressives joining the call for an end to the War on Drugs at Huffington Post, but I hope you do.

Best show of the season so far: Weeds. You can watch the episodes free online if you don't get Showtime.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

When I wrote a few weeks ago about the Obama Administration taking the position that documents related to Dick Cheney's FBI interview in the Valerie Plame leaks case should not be released, it was in the context of lack of transparency and the silliness of the Government's attempted justification:

Another sign of non-transparency from Obama: His Justice Department is fighting a Freedom of Information Act request in federal court, trying to keep CREW from obtaining FBI reports and summaries of Dick Cheney's statement to the FBI over the Valerie Plame Leak. The Judge held a hearing yesterday and was very unhappy with the Government's position. He's going to review the statement himself to see if there's any reason not to release the requested documents. The Government gave this ridiculous reason: They don't want the statements "to become fodder for Cheney's political enemies or late-night commentary on "The Daily Show."

In newer developments, David Corn reports the Government has filed a new pleading containing a more substantive reason: [More...]

This post from Liza Goitein of the Brennan Center for Justice guestblogged at Balkinization is a very good explanatory of why the issue is such a difficult one in current times. The key graf for me:

The U.S. thus has authority under domestic law to apply the same detention rule that the law of war establishes in international armed conflict. The problem with this arrangement is that the rules that apply in international armed conflict are a poor fit for the war we’re actually fighting. Wars against other nations differ from wars against irregular forces, and those differences are at least intuitively understood by the American public and the rest of the world.

Addressing arguments such as the ones I have made (and here), Goitein writes:

Fox News says it's official. The LA Times says it's under discussion.

There will be a massive public tribute to Michael Jackson at the Staples Center Tuesday at 10:00 a.m.

People are grumbling about the security costs. How about if everyone who ever enjoyed a Michael Jackson song kicks in $1.00. Wouldn't that cover it?

So the Washington Post has scrapped its full monty pay for play scheme. But it is important to remember that the business of Traditional "journalism" now is in fact favorable coverage in exchange for access - which can be just as pernicious. A couple of days ago, Bob Somerby linked to this June 3 Digby piece on Richard Wolffe, the fellow covering the Obama campaign while at the same time writing a book about it. Digby cited this Wolffe quote:

“The idea that journalists are somehow not engaged in corporate activities is not really in touch with what’s going on. Every conversation with journalists is about business models and advertisers,” he said, recalling that, on the day after the 2008 election, Newsweek sent him to Detroit to deliver a speech to advertisers. “You tell me where the line is between business and journalism,” he said.

More . . .

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals today ended its disciplinary investigation into Judge Alex Kozinski for posting explicit matter on the Internet and allowing it to remain there after he knew it was publicly accessible with a public admonition.

“We find that the judge’s possession of sexually explicit offensive material combined with his carelessness in failing to safeguard his sphere of privacy was judicially imprudent,” said the report by Anthony J. Scirica.

[More...]

The U.S. Marshal's today "seized" Bernie and Ruth Madoff's Park Ave. apartment, which they agreed to forfeit to the Government. The Marshal's served Ruth with a "Notice to Vacate."

This was by agreement (pdf) which provided that Ruth would vacate by Bernie's sentencing date or such other time as the parties agreed to in writing. Only once she's vacated the apartment, does she get her $2.5 million cash from the Government.

So, she's not being tossed unexpectedly onto the street.