The New York Times today explores Bush's now infamous "signing statement" on the anti-Torture Amendment. It wasn't his first:

Mr. Bush has issued more than 100 of them, which scholars believe might be more than any other president. (Signing statements have been around since at least the administration of Andrew Jackson.) More significant, scholars say, Mr. Bush has greatly expanded the scope and character of the signing statement, even from the time of the Reagan administration.

Al Gore rose to the occasion today and blasted Bush's warrantless NSA surveillance program as illegal. From the New York Times:

The speech in Washington was organized by the Liberty Coalition, a civil liberties advocacy group, and the American Constitution Society for Law and Public Policy, a liberal legal group.

"It is this same disrespect for America's Constitution which has now brought our republic to the brink of a dangerous breach in the fabric of the Constitution," Mr. Gore said. "And the disrespect embodied in these apparent mass violations of the law is part of a larger pattern of seeming indifference to the Constitution that is deeply troubling to millions of Americans in both political parties."

Raw Story has the text of Al Gore's speech. Crooks and Liars has the link to the video highlights. Peter Daou notes that the cable news stations didn't cover it, opting instead to feature an overturned tanker. Peter has more over at Huffpo. Firedoglake weighs in on the speech.

For years, conspiracy was considered the "darling of the prosecutor's nursery." Then it was RICO, the organized crime statute. Today, it's "providing material support to terrorists."

The Washington Post today revisits the improbable conviction of translator Mohammed Yousry, who was appointed by the Court to translate for attorney Lynn Stewart and her client, Omar Abdel Rahman.

Yousry now awaits sentencing in March, when he could face 20 years in prison for translating a letter from imprisoned Muslim cleric Omar Abdel Rahman to Rahman's lawyer in Egypt.

Yousry is not Muslim and had been critical of Rahman in the past. He is a U.S. citizen, married to an Evangelical Christian. Legal experts say the trial transcript show little or no evidence that he committed a crime.

Clarence Ray Allen, 76, blind, crippled and riddled with diabetes and heart disease, is set to be executed at San Quentin tomorrow. Yesterday, the 9th Circuit denied his appeal in a 35 page opinion (pdf). [Update: the Supreme Court has declined to intervene.] Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger denied Allen's request last week that he be granted clemency so he could die of natural causes in jail. He's been on death row for 23 years. (Background here.)

I'm reminded once again of the words of Martin Luther King, (and Gandhi before him)

That old law about "an eye for an eye" leaves everybody blind. The time is always right to do the right thing.

Perhaps the Supreme Court will listen and stop the execution. It's doubtful. Next year, with Judge Sam Alito on the bench, when another one of our graying, feeble prisoners on death row is carried to the gurney, there will be even less reason to hope for a reprieve.

The Los Angeles Times opines Allen's execution is about us, not about him, and calls for a moratorium on the death penalty.

I hope everyone will re-aquaint themselves today with the extraordinary words of wisdom, vision and passion of Martin Luther King, Jr. It takes only a minute to watch this video. It features excerpts from Dr. King's 1967 Vietnam War speech, and ends with an appeal to take part in a Global Day of Protest on the one-year anniversary of the Iraq War.

Alternet has an excellent compilation of some of Dr. King's most memorable quotes. Here are the links to the full text of just a few of his speeches.

• I Have a Dream speech

• Declaration of Independence from the War in Vietnam
  

• Letter from the Birmingham Jail

The ACLU today took out a full page ad in the Washington Post (viewable here) calling on Americans to tell the White House to stop illegal spying.

"It has never been acceptable for the government to spy on Americans without having to go to court and present evidence as to why the individual is under suspicion. It was unacceptable when they spied on Martin Luther King and it is unacceptable today," said ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero. "This fundamental tenet of American democracy has been blatantly violated by President Bush and he must be held accountable. No one, most importantly our elected leader, is above the law.”

by TChris

As memorialized in the book Blind Faith, Robert Marshall was convicted of hiring a hit man to kill his wife. Robert Cumber introduced Marshall to a private detective who allegedly brokered a deal between Marshall and the hit man. Cumber was charged with being an accessory to the murder.

The charges were initially dismissed for lack of evidence. After they were reinstated, Cumber turned down a plea agreement that would have led to his release for "time served," giving him credit for the 18 months he'd spent in jail awaiting trial. In retrospect, Cumber must regret that decision, because he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

As one of his last official acts, New Jersey Gov. Richard Codey will commute Cumber's life sentence, freeing him after more than 20 years in prison.

"That's just unconscionable that here's the guy who did nothing more than let someone use his phone, and he gets life essentially," Codey told the Star-Ledger of Newark. "That's a terrible injustice — a terrible injustice — that I felt needed to be righted."

by TChris

The IRS recently warned an Episcopal church in Pasadena that its "political activities" -- consisting of anti-war sermons -- placed its tax exempt status in jeopardy. How will the IRS respond to complaints by clergy members about two Ohio churches that have promoted the political campaign of a Republican running for governor?

In their complaint, the clergy members contend that the two Columbus-area churches, Fairfield Christian Church and the World Harvest Church, which were widely credited with getting out the Ohio vote for President Bush in 2004, have allowed their facilities to be used by Republican organizations, promoted the candidate, J. Kenneth Blackwell, among their members and otherwise violated prohibitions on political activity by tax-exempt groups.

The churches say they promote values, not candidates, but candidates benefit directly from the churches' work.

Meet Omar Khadr. He's a Canadian teenager who has been held at Guantanamo for 39 months, since he was 15 and captured in Afghanistan. You can read his story at our earlier posts here and here.

He is one of the 9 detainees at Guantanamo who has been charged with a crime -- murder of an American medic. His military tribunal proceeding began last week. The first issue taken up was the improper comments of the military prosecutor to the press.

The second issue was Omar's request, made through his American lawyer, Muneer Ahmad,for a new military lawyer.

Khadr will be formally represented by Capt. John Merriam, a U.S. army judge advocate with no trial experience, "even on charges of jaywalking," said Ahmad, who is asking that he be replaced by someone with more experience.

"It would be laughable if the stakes weren't so high," he said.

Ralph Reed, former executive director of the Christian Coalition, is feeling the heat. He's running for Lt. Governor of Georgia, but his ties to Abramoff may be his undoing. The Washington Post Monday details Reed's problems.

But the first major dent in Reed's carefully cultivated image came with the disclosure in the summer of 2004 that his public relations and lobbying companies had received at least $4.2 million from Abramoff to mobilize Christian voters to fight Indian casinos competing with Abramoff's casino clients.

Similarly damaging has been a torrent of e-mails revealed during the investigation that shows a side of Reed that some former supporters say cannot be reconciled with his professed Christian values.

Among the more damaging disclosures:

Rep. Bob Ney announced today he will temporarily resign as Chair of the House Administration Committee.

Ney is at the center of the Justice Department's ongoing corruption probe and has been identified as the congressman referenced by Abramoff in his guilty plea earlier this month.....The Administration Committee that Ney headed controls disclosures of lobbying practices and would be a key part of efforts to reform the system.

A GOP leadership aide said Friday that House Speaker Dennis Hastert was pressuring Ney to step aside because he believes it would be inappropriate for him to head the committee with jurisdiction over the Republican reform agenda.

No question, Ney was pressured by Hastert. He's also likely to be indicted. Has he already begun cooperating with the Government?

[Graphic created exclusively for TalkLeft by CL.)

Reuters reports that Tom DeLay is trailing in his Texas race for re-election to the House.

Embattled Republican Tom DeLay trails a Democratic challenger for his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and is viewed favorably by only 28 percent of people questioned in a poll of his Houston area district, the Houston Chronicle said in its online edition on Saturday. The survey of 560 registered voters conducted Tuesday through Thursday found 30 percent favored former U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson, a Democrat, compared with 22 percent for DeLay, who has represented the district for 22 years.

The Houston Chronicle reports on a poll finding that only half the people who voted for him in 2004 would do so again in 2006.

Overall, about a third blame DeLay's troubles on his own behavior, and a fourth blame "a culture of corruption in Washington."

One more indictment -- such as over the Abramoff embroglio-- and I say he's toast. [graphic created exclusively for TalkLeft by CL.)