by TChris

A federal jury in Manhattan today found C. Gregory Earls, former CEO of U.S. Technologies, Inc, guilty of securities fraud, mail fraud (x2) and wire fraud (x19). Prosecutors argued that Earls cheated investors out of more than $13 million.

Former FBI Director William Webster headed the committee that audited U.S. Technologies' investments. Webster had agreed to chair a new national board that is supposed to police corporate accountants, but he resigned as a result of the charges against Earls.

by TChris

This poor guy really needed a drink.

Ronald Langdale, 58, of Los Angeles ... allegedly robbed the Bank of America near Beach Boulevard and Ellis Avenue about 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, ordering a teller to hand over money. He told her he had a weapon, police said, but none was seen. After the teller complied, police said, the robber left with an undisclosed amount and walked [across the mall parking lot] to [Mario's Restaurant], took a seat at the bar and ordered a beer.

Langlade started counting "a wad of money" while he sipped his beer. A few minutes later, police entered the bar looking for witnesses to the robbery, and noticed that Langdale matched the description of the robber that tellers had provided.

by TChris

Are people making fashion statements that you just don't like? Here's the solution: make the offensive dress illegal.

People who wear low-slung pants that expose skin or "intimate clothing" would face a fine of up to $500 and possible jail time under a bill filed by a Jefferson Parish [Louisiana] lawmaker.

Under the proposed law, a single instance of "plumber's butt" could result in a six month sentence. But why stop there? Why not a year for "big hair"? Three years for wearing a T-shirt advertising a bar that doesn't actually exist? And life for wearing any clothing that prominently displays the name or logo of the designer?

People For the American Way Foundation has issued a new report: “Undermining the Constitution: The Bush Administration Detention Policy,” which can be found here.

The Court this week heard arguments concerning the long-term detention of foreign prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. Next week, the Court will hear the cases of two American citizens: Yasir Esam Hamdi, held for two years, and Jose Padilla, held for 22 months. Both were only recently given brief access to legal counsel, although the Administration continues to argue they have no right to a lawyer. In the Hamdi, Padilla and Guantanamo, cases the Bush Administration continues to maintain that it has the right to indefinitely detain suspects without judicial oversight.

“Not since the internment of Japanese American citizens during World War II have we seen such a far-reaching assertion of Presidential power. It chills me to the bone that any American citizen, regardless of guilt or innocence, can be held for so long with no access to justice,” said Ralph G. Neas, President of People For the American Way Foundation. “As the war in Iraq and terrorist threats to the United States continue, the Court must assert its vital role as the guardian of our most basic freedoms, and a check on untrammeled power.”

by TChris

Perry Mason was fortunate to have an investigator who repeatedly found the evidence that Mason needed to prove his client's innocence -- usually just in the nick of time, as Mason was cross-examining the true culprit. The real world is less dramatic -- most of the time.

Defense attorneys in Scott Peterson's murder trial will investigate claims made in an anonymous letter saying that someone else may have killed Peterson's pregnant wife.

Judge Alfred A. Delucchi sealed the letter so its contents are unknown. How long it will take the defense to investigate the information contained in the letter is also unknown, but Peterson's jury selection is in progress, and opening statements are scheduled for May 17. Will the true killer be found, Perry Mason style, in the midst of trial? Stay tuned.

Via Cursor.Org:

As Iraqi insurgents take their first American soldier prisoner, the U.S. military is said to have more than 20,000 Iraqis behind bars, with an estimated 12,000 to 15,000 at Abu Ghraib, dubbed "Guantanamo on steroids."

Long time readers of TalkLeft know that Shanghai is one of our favorite cities. It's one of the most technologically advanced cities in the world. They build things with an eye towards what they will need ten years in the future. A lot of completed projects are half empty--intentionally. They know they will grow into them. We blogged from Shanghai on one of our trips there, in late November, 2002. Here's a description of what we found so appealing.

China may be the most service-people friendly country we've ever been in. From the airport pickup which consists of a driver and a hotel staff person waiting at baggage claim to drive us to the hotel in a brand new Audi, to the reception people who showed us three rooms at check-in and gave us our choice, to the staff at the executive lounge who provide three meals a day and cocktails gratis along with big screen tv's tuned to CNN and every important newspaper and magazine we can think of, to the three 20-something year olds who just spent an hour in our room at 10 at night because the hotel's broadband server went down and they wanted to make sure we knew how to get dialup access in the interim--even though they don't speak English and we can't speak a word of Chinese--we are duly impressed.

Shanghai is rolling out every stop to get the 2010 World Expo--the papers here report that all the citizens, from the elderly to the working class to the college kids are in favor of it. It truly is a city of the future and wants badly to compete in every sense with New York, London and Hong Kong. In our book it already does. Business and the economy here are robust and China tends to build things with an eye towards what will be needed ten years from now. The streets are safe and so is the drinking water--parks are filled in the early morning with people doing T'ai Chi--the art museum is world class, Placido Domingo played here last night with two other famous tenors...we're even more impressed with Shanghai than we were last year on our first trip.

By coincidence, we were there for World Aid's Day, and again, were duly impressed.

The New York Times reports Shanghai has just pulled off another coup: Shanghai's Magic Levitation Train.

So many people have tried to access the Dover Photos at Memory Hole, that network difficulties have ensued. If you can't get through on their site, George Paine at Warblogging has set up a mirror site with the photos. George also explains what the "Dover Test" is, and why Bush has wanted to avoid it. About the photos themselves, George says:

Everyone must see these photographs. They must see and understand the cost of war. They must see and understand the rows upon rows of coffins, the salutes and the sadness. War is not a video game. Occupying a proud foreign nation is not a picnic. People die, and Americans must see and understand the reality of the conflict they have been led into.

At the time this article is written, 709 American servicemembers have lost their lives in Iraq — along with hundreds more foreign soldiers and civilians. Thousands upon thousands of Iraqis have lost their lives. Thousands more Americans have been wounded — many losing limbs. This is the cost of war.

A gallery of 361 photographs (Warblogging mirror) of war dead at Dover Air Force Base has been made available by the Memory Hole. Everyone should spend at least a few minutes browsing.

Check out the faces of the young men carrying this coffin. They are kids. Far too young for this kind of duty - far too young to either meet or greet death this way.

(Click here to enlarge)

Saturday night, April 24, join thousands of music lovers around the country in protesting anti-music legislation, raising money to protect live music, and organizing voters

Via Drug War Rant:

Check out ProtectLiveMusic.org a project of the Drug Policy Alliance. It's a good awareness site of some of the drug laws in particular that are targeting the music industry (just as Anslinger targeted musicians in the early days of criminalization). There are action items where you can make a difference. This Saturday, April 24, is their Day and Night of Outrage, complete with some wonderful music, in clubs around the country.

by TChris

Bush administration supporters have been chanting a new mantra: "Iraq is not Vietnam. Iraq is not Vietnam." In the words of Molly Ivins: "It may not be Vietnam, but it's sure a quagmire."

Iraq may not be Vietnam, but the Vietnam Syndrome has returned.

At the height of his Gulf War triumph in 1991, President Bush Sr. impulsively and defiantly exulted, "By God We've kicked the Vietnam Syndrome once and for all."

Now former President Bush's son has taken us back to the future, as government officials lie to the public in an effort to win support for a war. The Vietnam Syndrome is back with a vengeance.

As in Vietnam, the role of the U.S. in Iraq is dividing the country. The central question at this point: should we stay in Iraq (with or without broad international support) or should we leave? Howard Zinn's view: get out now.

Along with Planned Parenthood, the ACLU is taking a lead role in the Women's Rights March this Sunday in Washington, D.C. They have launched a tv ad for the occasion, which prominently features Attorney General John Ashcroft. You can watch it online here. The National Journal (subscription only) describes it this way:

The American Civil Liberties Union hit airwaves this week with a TV ad promoting Sunday's March for Women's Lives. The 30-second spot begins with scenes of women staring into the camera and includes a photograph of Attorney General John Ashcroft as an announcer says, "You have to stop this man." Reasons -- "discrimination," "opposes medically necessary abortions," "opposes birth control" -- flash across the screen. The spot concludes with an enjoinder to attend the march, as the announcer says, "Don't just sit there and take it.

by TChris

Louisiana seems to be having a difficult time keeping judges on the bench. First the Louisiana Supreme Court removed Criminal District Judge Sharon Hunter for "administrative incompetence" (among other problems, she misplaced the trial transcripts of a murder case). Then, as TalkLeft recently reported, the supreme court tossed Civil District Judge C. Hunter King for trying to extort campaign contributions from court employees.

Now the supreme court has shown the door to Judge Yvonne Hughes, who ran for judge a dozen times before being elected in 2001. The judicial commission concluded that Judge Hughes abandoned her private practice clients (without refunding their retainers) when she assumed the bench and was equally inattentive to her duties as a judge. The supreme court was also disturbed that Judge Hughes hired felons to work in the courtroom (which the AP says is a violation of Louisiana's Constitution) and gave some of them access to confidential juvenile records.