by TChris

Posting sex offender registries on the web provides a doubtful benefit to communities. Individuals who want to reoffend often move without registering, while those who seek to obey the rules risk becoming the targets of vigilantes.

Michael Mullen has confessed to killing two sex offenders in Washington.

"Mullen also said that he had planned the murders for some time and that on July 13, 2005, he had accessed the Whatcom County Sheriff's sex offender Web site, and from that selected at least one of the two victims," the release said.

As is typical throughout the state, the Web site includes the residences of sex offenders who are required to register with local authorities.

Publicizing conduct for which punishment has been imposed and completed hampers rehabilitation. It also encourages harassment and violence, as this case illustrates.

The AP reports that President Bush, like Jesse Jackson, opposes the term "refugees" in referring to Katrina victims.

The president tells reporters, "The people we're talking about are not refugees, they are Americans." And he adds, "They need the help and love and compassion of our fellow citizens."

His words appear to put him on the same side as the Reverend Jesse Jackson, who has declared it's "racist" to call U.S. citizens refugees. Jackson and other black leaders say the word has a criminal connotation -- and prefer the more neutral term "evacuees."

[Hat tip Patriot Daily]

Howard Dean speaks here.

Based on today’s reports, it seems clear that President Bush’s visit today is just another callous political move crafted by Karl Rove. It’s just appalling to see how quickly President Bush and Karl Rove have mobilized a political strategy in their own defense, but simply failed to mobilize a swift response to either keep the people in the Gulf Coast region safe in the first place or aid the victims in the aftermath of the storm.

by TChris

Authorities in New Orleans have created a temporary facility (chain link pens topped with razor wire) to hold recently arrested individuals. One might expect law enforcement officers to have a sense of priority in the wake of the disaster, but they’re arresting people for disturbing the peace (what peace?) and for possessing small amounts of drugs. This arrest is beyond stupid:

One man had mooned a state police car on patrol.

From Think Progress: If you think Mike Brown isn't qualified, look down the organizational chart. The #2 at FEMA is an advance guy. The #3 is a campaign press flak who used to work at Maverick Media. Neither had any emergency management experience.

From the Wall St. Journal, (subscription as of now):

From a Statement by Sen. Minority Leader Harry Reid (received by e-mail.)

“The federal government has an enormous responsibility to provide relief to the survivors of this storm. We can and must do better than the federal government’s performance so far. Through my conversations with officials on the ground and in consultation with Senator Mary Landrieu, I believe that the recovery and relief operations will cost up to and could exceed $150 billion. FEMA alone will likely require $100 billion in additional funding.

“I want to make clear to the people of the Gulf States that we will continue to stand with you as the recovery continues, and do everything we can to get you the necessary resources you need to rebuild.”

The Judiciary Committee has delayed the confirmation hearing of Judge John Roberts until next Monday. Chair Arlen Specter says he expects the hearing to take no more than one week, which would put Roberts on the Court for the beginning of the October 3 session.

by TChris

If anyone deserves to be fired (other than the president), it’s Michael Brown, who has no clue how to respond to disasters, despite his position as the head of FEMA. As TalkLeft reported, the Times-Picayune asked the president to fire Brown immediately.

Not gonna happen. The question now is whether the president will follow the precedent he set with the incompetent George Tenet by awarding Brown the presidential medal of freedom.

by Last Night in Little Rock

Prof. Podgor's comments about the criminal responsibility for politicians' and bureaucrats' lies about Katrina are thought provoking. I previously used the phrase "disregard for human life" because I was thinking in terms of a negligent homicide prosecution (L.S.A.-R.S. § 14:32 "Negligent homicide is the killing of a human being by criminal negligence."), or at least putting the looting of NOLA's levee projects for the rich within "high Crimes and Misdemeanors" under Art. II, § 4 of the U.S. Constitution. More about that later.

How about the basic tort law?

by Last Night in Little Rock

I received overnight from one of my legal assistants a page from the Time-Picayune, Marching On, of a small parade and party in the French Quarter in place of Southern Decadence, an annual gay pride celebration that was cancelled because of the storm. He and his partner were going, for like the fifteenth year in a row, but it was cancelled.

The page from the Times-Picayune at least brings hope of recovery of the NOLA tourist trade because the French Quarter appears dry.

That is small consolation, however, to the people whose homes are underwater and the vast number who died. As Sean Hannity said on FoxNews on that priceless video on Crooks and Liars, let's get some perspective:

Just mind-boggling, when you think about it:

From late Aug. 25, when Hurricane Katrina first slammed into the southeast coast of Florida through 5 p.m. Sept. 4, the Red Cross had opened 470 shelters and evacuation centers in 12 states and had sheltered 135,535 men, women and children. The shelter census of 118,556 for the night of Sept. 3 sets a Red Cross record for one-night accommodation. Nearly half of that shelter population -- 56,387 -- was housed in 74 centers in Texas, with an additional 41,135 in 133 shelters in Louisiana and 12,870 in 102 shelters in Mississippi.

Meanwhile, the Red Cross has served more than 2.6 million meals and more than 3.3 million snacks to storm victims and rescue workers. In addition to the food being provided at shelters, tens of thousands of people are being served from 249 Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs) throughout Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.