by TChris

The knee-jerk conservative response to immigration policy -- kick 'em out if their documents aren't in order -- ignores the plight of people like Manuel Bartsch.

Bartsch, 18, has lived in Gilboa, Ohio, for nearly half his life, but only learned he was there illegally in December when he was jailed after trying to find out his Social Security number so he could take a college entrance exam. He is to graduate high school next month and has been accepted at the University of Northwestern Ohio.

Toby Deal brought Bartsch to the U.S. on a 90 day visa when Bartsch's grandmother died, but didn't adopt him or process his immigration papers. Fortunately, Ohio Sen. Mike DeWine put aside his right-wing instincts long enough to go to bat for Bartsch.

by TChris

After a Texas jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict, the parties agreed to let Judge Chris Oldner decide whether Dena Schlosser was guilty of murder for "cutting off her 10-month-old daughter's arms and leaving the bleeding baby in her crib to die."

Several psychiatrists testified that Schlosser lost touch with reality, suffered severe mood swings and experienced religious hallucinations and delusions. One doctor said she told him she wanted to cut off her baby's arms and her own limbs and head and give them God.

The defense faulted Schlosser's husband for not getting her adequate mental health treatment and also blamed her preacher, Doyle Davidson, who believes only God can cure mental illness.

Judge Oldner rendered his verdict today, finding Schlosser not guilty by reason of insanity. Schlosser will be committed for mental health treatment.

by TChris

Two "highly decorated" New York City police detectives were each convicted of 70 crimes arising out of their side jobs as hit men for the Luchese crime family. TalkLeft background on the nefarious careers of Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa is collected here. The men were responsible for at least eight murders. They'll be sentenced, presumably to life, on May 22.

by Last Night in Little Rock

The U.S. State Department announced on Thursday that the U.S. would not be seeking membership on the UN's new Human Rights Council as reported on PaperChase.

Our government's press statement is a classic "read between the lines" document:

For those that followed the intensive TalkLeft coverage of the first phase of Moussaoui's death penalty trial, and the proceedings leading up to it, you are probably wondering why there has been no coverage of today's proceedings in Phase Two of the death trial.

The short answer is: I have no interest in publicizing or endorsing the Government's victim impact testimony. Also, for me, as a member of Timothy McVeigh's defense team, it's somewhat of a "deja-vu , the unfairness of which I don't care to experience again in my lifetime.

The death case against Moussaoui is a fraud. Giuliani is a joke. Moussaoui may be a demented, blind follower of al-Qaeda but in my view he had no role in 9/11, let alone one that warrants the death penalty. A civilized society does not kill, let alone execute a person for their unconsummated fantasies.

Moussaoui coverage on TalkLeft will resume, if at all, when the defense begins presenting evidence to spare his life.

The Bush Administration may be running on empty when it comes to the warrantless NSA electronic surveillance program. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales testified Wednesday at a Senate subcommittee hearing on budget needs, and even Republicans like Sensenbrenner weren't buying it:

Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales left open the possibility yesterday that President Bush could order warrantless wiretaps on telephone calls occurring solely within the United States -- a move that would dramatically expand the reach of a controversial National Security Agency surveillance program.

In response to a question from Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) during an appearance before the House Judiciary Committee, Gonzales suggested that the administration could decide it was legal to listen in on a domestic call without supervision if it were related to al-Qaeda.

"I'm not going to rule it out," Gonzales said.

Up until Wednesday, the Administration refused to address the question of authority to engage in warrantless eavesdroppoing of purely domestic calls.

President Bush says the United States does not torture. He denies that we outsource detainees to countries known for torture. Today, at a military tribunal proceeding at Guantanamo, a detainee, backed by his lawyer, said differently:

Mohammad, as he said he prefers to be called, has proclaimed his innocence and has stated in court documents that he made false confessions after being extrajudicially transferred to a Moroccan prison where he was beaten, strung up by his arms and cut on the chest and penis with scalpels.

"This is four years of interrogation, highly intensive ... torture, and you still don't have the right name," he told the tribunal's presiding officer, Marine Col. Ralph Kohlmann. "The man you are looking for is not here."

The defendant compared Kohlmann to Adolf Hitler and prosecutors to vampire slayers. He calmly criticized the tribunals as "crap" that set a bad example for the world and poked fun at their formal name, commissions. "This is not a commission. It's a con mission. It's a mission to con the world," he said.

Today, key Senators announced a compromise has been reached on immigration reform. More here. If you're just catching up, here's a good primer on the issues from the LA Times today.

Shorter version: Say goodbye to Specter's Chairman's Mark bill that passed the Judiciary committee last week. Say hello to the Frist bill, that includes a compromise called the Hagel-Martinez bill introduced last night.

The Senate Judiciary bill died a filibuster death today when Senators voted against cloture. A vote on the new compromise legislation could come tomorrow. Congress starts a two week Easter recess Monday.

Background here. Key differences between the Chairman's Mark and the Hagel-Martinez include:

Think Progress and Firedoglake report:

According to court documents released in the Scooter Libby case, the former chief of staff to the Vice President received "the specific permission of President Bush" to leak a highly classified intelligence document:

"Defendant testified that the Vice President later advised him that the President had authorized defendant to disclose the relevant portions of the NIE. Defendant testified that he also spoke to David Addington, then Counsel to the Vice President, whom defendant considered to be an expert in national security law, and Mr. Addington opined that Presidential authorization to publicly disclose a document amounted to a declassification of the document."

Murray Waas has a new article with more details and analysis. Tom Maguire and Left Coaster have more. Here's a pdf link to Fitzgerald's pleading. I'll update after I've read the documents and articles.

by TChris

As TalkLeft observed here, it was unfair of undercover officers to base arrests on their use of drug slang while purchasing legal products, like sudafed and charcoal, from Georgia convenience stores staffed by clerks from India who didn't understand that "cook" referred to "manufacturing methamphetamine," not "grilling burgers." The officers' tactics raised questions about the selective targeting of a minority population for a dubious criminal prosecution.

An ACLU investigation produced compelling evidence that the Indian clerks were targeted because they wouldn't understand the officers' drug slang, while white clerks selling the same products were ignored. The ACLU has filed suit on behalf of the clerks.

Documents filed by the A.C.L.U. yesterday include a sworn statement from an informant in the sting, saying that federal investigators sent informants only to Indian-owned stores, "because the Indians' English wasn't good." The informant said investigators ignored the informant's questions about why so many South-Asian-owned stores were visited in the sting.

Duke University, one of the finest in the country, is in a tough spot. The Lacrosse team embroglio seems no closer to being resolved. After Wednesday's suspension of a student and resignation of the team coach, morale is low. Duke is trying to rally and today President Broadband announced separate committees will examine and report back to him as quickly as possible on the following:

• examining the culture of the lacrosse team;

• investigating the Duke administration's response to the sexual assault allegations;

• examining the student judicial process and disciplinary procedures;

• launching a Campus Culture Initiative, a rigorous self-examination "to evaluate and suggest improvements in the ways Duke educates students in the values of personal responsibility."

• creating a presidential council, made up of people from the Durham community, national higher education circles and Duke, that will scrutinize Duke's responses to the lacrosse team incident and advise the president on whether the responses are appropriate and effective.

I spoke tonight with some Duke parents I've known for 25 years whose son is a Freshman at Duke. They are pretty freaked out and their son, who adores Duke, is confused. They said this couldn't come at a worse timing -- acceptance letters go out April 1, and those accepted have until May 1 to make their decision. So it is this four weeks high school seniors have to decide whether to go to Duke. Many of those that get into Duke also get into Harvard, Yale and other Ivy League schools.This Lacrosse incident could cause Duke to lose some of its brightest admission candidates, should they or their parents be scared by the lacrosse incident.

Immigration reform will be a hot topic today. Late Wednesday, Senate Republicans introduced a compromise immigration bill. Sen. Harry Reid said Democrats will consider it, but it appears to be doomed, since many of the objectionable House provisions from H.R. 4437 are in it. Debate is scheduled to resume today on the Democrat's bill that passed the Judiciary Committee last week.

Sen. Dick Durbin says if a bill does not pass the Senate this week, there is unlikely to be any immigration reform legislation this year.

My view (and that of many pro-immigrants rights groups): Both proposals are unacceptable due to the punitive enforcement provisions. We need both an easier path to legalization, protections and benefits for workers and fewer enforcement provisions.

So, better no bill than a bad bill? Probably, unless the Democrat's version that strips some of the most egregious enforcement provisions prevails. But, for those who are wanting to review the differences between the Senate Judiciary version and what is reported to be in the new Republican version, see below: