Are the cartoons the cause of the continued violence, or were they the final straw? Ahmed Abu-Laban, the Muslim Cleric who began the cartoon protest now says:

This protest is not about the cartoons, offensive as they are," he said. "The cartoons are merely the final drop that caused the cup to overflow. The Muslim faith has been under attack for years. There has been intense psychological pressure on Muslims. We have heard Western politicians relate our faith to terrorism, over and over again, and it is too much. This was the response."

He also says he's "crying for Denmark."

[But he] also said Danish officials brought the crisis on themselves by not responding to initial protests and that he didn't feel responsible for the way the dispute had developed.

The violent reaction to the publication of anti-muslim cartoons is growing and spreading. The United Nations, European Union and Organisation of the Islamic Conference have joined forces to plead for calm. The Prime Minister of Denmark said today it is a global crisis.

Rev. Joseph Lowery gave an impassioned eulogy at Coretta Scott's funeral today. You can watch it here.

Four U.S. presidents were in attendance at the funeral, including President Bush. Among Reverand Lowery's statements was this one, which was greeted with thunderous applause and a standing ovation:

We know now there were no weapons of mass destruction over there. [Standing Ovation] But Coretta knew and we know that there are weapons of misdirection right down here. Millions without health insurance. Poverty abounds. For war billions more but no more for the poor.

VP Dick Cheney, on the NewsHour tonight, discusses the Administration's warrantless NSA electronic surveillance program. He sees no need to revise the law:

In an interview to air on Tuesday night on PBS' "Newshour," Cheney was asked whether President George W. Bush was willing to work with Congress to settle some of the legal questions about the spy program.

"We believe... that we have all the legal authority we need," Cheney said.

by TChris

Phoenix Coyotes assistant coach Rick Tocchet allegedly partnered with New Jersey state police Trooper James Harney to run "a nationwide sports gambling ring."

State police Col. Rick Fuentes said an investigation into the New Jersey-based ring discovered the processing of more than 1,000 wagers, exceeding $1.7 million, on professional and college sports, mostly football and basketball.

The enterprise apparently did not involve betting on hockey. Janet Jones, Wayne Gretzky's wife, is among those who allegedly placed bets, along with "about a half-dozen NHL players." Hockey legend Gretzky is part-owner and coach of the Coyotes.

by TChris

George Bush isn't the only public official who thinks he has the right to decide which laws he must follow and which he is free to ignore. Congress passed a law prohibiting states from placing social security numbers on driver's licenses, but Mississippi refuses to change.

Mississippi's driver services director, Maj. Joseph Rigby, cited a state law allowing the practice. "I believe there's a separation of state and federal government," he said. "Right now, we still have a state law on the books that I have to abide by."

Rigby apparently sees no need to seek a court's opinion of congressional power to enact the law; he'd rather disregard it. Other states are more attentive to the federal prohibition, which serves the worthy purpose of making identity theft more difficult.

Senator Russ Feingold will be delivering this statement in about five minutes on the floor of the Senate concerning Bush's warrantless NSA electronic surveillance program. Audio will be available later today here.

A wide open thread is overdue, so here it is. Some things I'm reading and watching:

• John Dickerson in Slate asking "Where's My Subpoena" in PlameGate. Reddhedd at Firedoglake provides analysis.

• Howard Kurtz in WAPO on the deficient cable news coverage of the Gonzales hearing.

• Jonah Peretti on the Huffpo Contagious Festival. Many of the entries are great and well worth checking out and voting on.

• The NORML video, Sam's Journey, in the ad on the right side of TalkLeft. I hope they enter it in the contagious festival.

The good news is that Congress has loosened the rules on the eligibility of students with minor drug offenses for student aid. The bad news is its not enough.

"Someone who was caught using or dealing drugs long ago now will get financial aid," says Chris Mulligan of the Coalition for Higher Education Act Reform, whose members include civil rights, education, health and criminal justice groups. But "a student caught with a joint in college is still going to lose financial aid."

For more, check out Students for a Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP.) and their webpage on the law.

Racially motivated riots this weekend at jails around Los Angeles have resulted in the inmates being placed in lockdown and in emergency segregation.

Black and Hispanic inmates at the North County Correctional Facility were segregated Saturday after the fighting broke out among 1,800 to 2,000 inmates and a black inmate was killed. Craton said the inmates were still separated early Monday.

Normally, authorities can't segregate prisoners based on race or ethnicity, but legal advisers said it can be done in emergency situations, said Sam Jones, chief custody officer of the county jail system.

The sheriff says the riots are the result of a shortage of guards, which in turn are the product of budget cuts.

The Conservative publication Insight on the News reoprts that Karl Rove has threatened to blacklist Judiciary Committee Senators if they oppose Bush on the NSA warrantless surveillance issue:

The White House has been twisting arms to ensure that no Republican member votes against President Bush in the Senate Judiciary Committee's investigation of the administration's unauthorized wiretapping. Congressional sources said Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove has threatened to blacklist any Republican who votes against the president. The sources said the blacklist would mean a halt in any White House political or financial support of senators running for re-election in November. "It's hardball all the way," a senior GOP congressional aide said.

Transcripts from today's hearing are here (html). Arianna tells the Democrats to stand strong because this is a winning issue. That's good advice.

There were many questions Gonzales would not answer at today's hearing citing national security:

Democrats repeatedly pressed Mr. Gonzales, without success, to state whether the administration's legal stance would permit the government to open Americans' mail without warrant or, in the words of Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., to conduct "black bag jobs."

He offered few details of the secret program, whose existence was revealed in December by The New York Times. Though he described the program as "narrowly" targeted, Mr. Gonzales said he could not provide an "absolute assurance" that Americans without ties to terrorists are not being spied upon.

That's the crux of the problem. Bush and Gonzales want us to believe the surveillance program is directed at al Qaeda and other terrorists. But the reality is it is directed at the communications of suspected al Qaeda members overseas with people within this country. (For polling differences that depend upon whether the question is phrased as one or the other, see this article in tomorrow's Wall St. Journal (free link.)

Hollywood's once premier private investigator to the stars got out of jail on Friday. Today, he and six others were charged in a 110 count federal indictment (text here, pdf) alleging RICO (racketeering) and other violations over alleged wiretapping and privacy breaches by Pelicano.

At one time, Pellicano's roster of clients stretched from Michael Jackson to Elizabeth Taylor and Sylvester Stallone. He was the go-to detective for information needed by lawyers and agents representing entertainment A-listers.

Pellicano, 61, is charged with organizing and masterminding a corrupt enterprise that allegedly wiretapped phones, entered private computers without authorization, committed wire fraud, bribery, identity theft and obstruction of justice.