by TChris

Let's hear it for Mother Nature. Two cloned mules won their qualifying heats, but finished third and seventh in a race won by a mule that was born the old fashioned way.

by TChris

Accountability avoidance is habitual in the Bush administration. It therefore comes as no surprise to learn that the Justice Department has grown increasingly reliant on the "state secrets" defense to evade judicial review of alleged governmental misconduct.

The privilege has been asserted by the Justice Department more frequently under President Bush than under any of his predecessors -- in 19 cases, the same number as during the entire eight-year presidency of Ronald Reagan, the previous record holder, according to a count by William G. Weaver, a political scientist at the University of Texas at El Paso.

The examples are wide-ranging:

Tonight is the final episode of the Sopranos until next year.

Kaisha: Tony gets Carmela's career back on track; Chris picks up where Tony left off; AJ gets a work perk; Phil won't let well enough alone.

What did you think?

The insurgency rages:

Gunmen in Iraq dragged 24 people, mostly teenage students, from vehicles and shot them dead, police said, as violence raged in the country on Sunday. Police said gunmen manning a makeshift checkpoint near Udhaim stopped cars approaching the small town 120 km (80 miles) north of Baghdad and killed passengers.

The victims included youths of around 15-16 years who were on their way to the bigger regional town of Baquba to write end of term exams, but also elderly men, they said.

Al Gore discussed his global warming movie and why he is not inclined to run for President on ABC's This Week With George Stephanopoulis. Crooks and Liars has the video without the pre-commercial.

Via Atrios: "An Inconvenient Truth hits #9 for the weekend box office despite being played at only 77 theaters. Brings in a total of $1.7 million."

by TChris

Five days after Estephanie Izaquirre graduated from high school in Des Moines, Iowa, immigration officials sent her an email that talked about "completing paperwork." Izaquirre thought she was going to get her green card, but the email was a ruse. When Izaquirre arrived at the office, she was arrested and detained for deportation.

It's a crime for you to lie to the government, but just fine if the government lies to you.

[Iowa Gov.] Vilsack, at a news conference Friday touting a new program that provides guidance and living expenses for vulnerable Iowa youths who age out of the foster care system when they turn 18, said it was "disappointing" that immigration officials were less than straightforward with Izaquirre.

by TChris

As a former hostage in Iraq, James Loney knows what it's like to be detained without having access to family or to a legal system that can restore the unjust deprivation of freedom. He's protesting Canada's practice of detaining five suspected foreign terrorists indefinitely.

In an interview, Loney told The Canadian Press that he feels both an obligation to, and kinship with, the Muslim men currently detained as threats to national security. He said he was especially grateful that three of the detainees wrote an open letter in early December, just days after he was kidnapped, urging his captors to free their hostages.

A protest march that began yesterday in Toronto will end June 10 in Ottawa, where protestors will stage a week-long vigil.

I'm about to begin the drive home from Aspen to Denver (a three -plus hour treat of goregous scenery), after which I am going to work on assembling and posting the best of the hundreds of photos I and others took while out at Hunter Thompson's Owl Farm yesterday.

The speakers were top-notch, we all learned some good trial tactics, the comraderie was terrific and the meals unbeatable. The person who impressed me the most was Anita Thompson.

So, while I relish the wonderful five days I just spent here in Aspen during the drive home, here's a place for you to talk about whatever else is going on. I'll be back in time for the final Soprano's Open Thread of the season.

by TChris

Wen Ho Lee lost his liberty (in solitary confinement) for nine months, but he's more concerned about his loss of reputation. Lee sued the Departments of Energy and Justice for violating his right to privacy "by leaking information that he was under investigation as a spy for China." The government is paying Lee $895,000 to cover his legal fees and associated taxes.

Lee subpoenaed five reporters to prove the source of the leaks. The reporters refused to disclose their sources, resulting in contempt findings, fines and jail sentences. The five media entities (AP, the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and ABC) are sweetening the settlement with another $750,000, essentially buying the freedom (and silence) of their reporters by ending the lawsuit.

by TChris

The ACLU of Indiana filed suit this week to block an Indianapolis ordinance that would prevent former sex offenders from traveling, living, or working within 1,000 feet of a park, playground, swimming pool, recreation center, sports field, or other designated areas where children might congregate.

Calling the ordinance passed in mid-May unconstitutionally vague, the group said it would make law-abiding citizens unwitting violators of the ordinance and hinder their ability to work, vote and worship.

The ordinance applies retroactively, punishing individuals who have long and untroubled residences near a prohibited area (nearly anyplace within city boundaries). The City makes an exception for ex-offenders who are accompanied by another adult, but people who have paid their debt to society shouldn't need an escort to travel to work or to exercise their right to vote.

Dateline Aspen: Today is the final day of the NORML Aspen legal seminar. Troy Hooper of the Aspen Daily News (link fixed) takes a look at the first day's events including my presentation on Terrorism and the War on Drugs: The Shrinking of the Constitution.

Gerry and Chris Goldstein once again have opened their home to all of us, hosting a very fun pre-dinner Wednesday night and a NORML benefit dinner last night. Last night's dinner was attended by more than 50 people, and included Aspen Sheriff Bob Braudis (recovering from bronchitis, it was his first day out) and Anita and Juan Thompson (Hunter Thompson's wife and son). Chris Lanter, the incredible chef of Aspen's Cache-Cache restaurant, took charge in the kitchen and contributed not only his time but all of the food. Why? He told me:

Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) spoke at the Massachussetts Democratic Convention last night:

"My vote against this misbegotten war is the best vote I have cast in the United States Senate since I was elected in 1962," Kennedy said. "And my call more than a year ago -- more than a year ago -- to bring our troops home is one of my proudest moments."

Kennedy said the U.S. presence in Iraq "inflames the insurgency. We are a crutch for an Iraqi government that needs to stand on its own."