For the second time in two years, the U.S. Senate is debating a constitutional ban on gay marriage. Today, Colorado Senator Wayne Allard argued in favor of the constitutional Amendment. A procedural vote may be held tomorrow.

"It's not about politics or discrimination," Allard told colleagues on the floor of the U.S. Senate. "It's about marriage and democracy."

I don't understand the connection between marriage and democracy. I thought in a democracy, all people are equal. If marriage is a democratic value, then shouldn't everyone be able to choose their spouse?

The Democrats have their talking points in order. Instead of arguing against a prohibition of same-sex marriage, they are talking about all the critical issues the Senate should be debating instead of marriage.

Duke University has announced the lacrosse team will resume playing this fall. Stricter conditions will be in place.

"The reinstatement is inevitably probationary. ... (If) we did not allow these players the chance to take responsibility for creating a new history for their sport at Duke, we would be denying another very fundamental value: the belief in the possibility of learning from experience, the belief in education itself."

by TChris

As TalkLeft discussed here, the North Carolina Bar accused two prosecutors (one of whom is now a judge) of concealing evidence and encouraging perjury in a case that sent Jonathan Hoffman to death row. The Bar was unable to impose discipline because the misconduct wasn't revealed until after the time for making disciplinary complaints against them had expired.

The N.C. Bar's counsel asked District Attorney Michael Parker to investigate potential criminal charges against the two former prosecutors. But one of those prosecutors helped Parker get his current job, and Parker really shouldn't be investigating misconduct in Hoffman's first trial when Parker's office intends to try Hoffman a second time.

Here's the latest development:

by TChris

If Congress won't investigate the president, it's up to the ABA. The trade group for lawyers has already investigated domestic spying. Now it's tackling the president's reliance on signing statements.

The board of governors of the American Bar Association voted unanimously yesterday to investigate whether President Bush has exceeded his constitutional authority in reserving the right to ignore more than 750 laws that have been enacted since he took office.

The signing statements task force includes former Rep. Mickey Edwards, a Republican from Oklahoma, who explains:

"I think one of the most critical issues in the country right now is the extent to which the White House has tried to expand its powers and basically tried to cut the legislative branch out of its own constitutionally equal role, and the signing statements are a particularly egregious example of that."

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.