The father of a U.S. soldier slain in Iraq tells President Bush, 'You lied, they died'.

Fernando Suarez, whose 20-year-old son, Jesus, was one of the first fatalities, said: "My son died because Bush lied."

Mr Suarez, from Escondido, California, speaking at a press conference to publicise tomorrow's anti-war demonstrations in eight US cities, said that about 1,300 parents of troops stationed in Iraq were involved in a movement against the oc cupation. "It is time for these troops to come home," said Mr Suarez. "Neither my wife nor my family want more children to die in this illegal war. We are no less patriotic for wanting peace. Bush wants $87bn [£52m] for this war, but what does he give us for our schools?" he asked.

In another expression of protest against Bush and his Administration, two fathers of slain soldiers took out a full page ad in the New York Times calling for Rumsfeld's resignation.

"Donald Rumsfeld Betrayed My Sons and Our Nation. It's Time For Him to Go," said the headline of the ad, which was signed by Larry Syverson from Richmond, Virginia. The ad was paid for by MoveOn.org, an internet-based organisation.

It is estimated that 1,300 parents of troops sent to Iraq have joined an opposition movement.

In May, 2003, the House Judiciary Committee released a report from the Justice Department that acknowledged that the Patriot Act was being used for non-terror crimes. But it gave scant information about the details. The New York Times follows up:

The government is using its expanded authority under the far-reaching law to investigate suspected drug traffickers, white-collar criminals, blackmailers, child pornographers, money launderers, spies and even corrupt foreign leaders, federal officials said.

Justice Department officials say they are simply using all the tools now available to them to pursue criminals — terrorists or otherwise. But critics of the administration's antiterrorism tactics assert that such use of the law is evidence the administration has sold the American public a false bill of goods, using terrorism as a guise to pursue a broader law enforcement agenda.

The Justice Department has not denied it is using the Patriot Act in routine criminal investigations:

Drug WarRant has the uplifting story of a former cop who is about to finish a 3,100 mile horse ride across the country to promote the legalization of marijuana. [news article is here]

On the other hand, this post , about a phyisican in South Carolina who is a now a convicted felon facing 100 years in prison for prescribing opiates as pain medication to her patients with chronic, severe pain, is very depressing.

Dr. Deborah Bordeaux used to be a pain management specialist. Now she's a convicted felon facing a 100-year prison sentence as a drug dealer. Bordeaux was arrested when the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and South Carolina law enforcement raided the Myrtle Beach clinic where she once prescribed opioids to severely ill patients... And there are more, a growing number of physicians indicted and sometimes convicted of being drug traffickers but who say they were only doing what was best for patients.

In one of the most expensive settlements in its history, the City of Philadelphia bites the bullet and coughs up $1.9 million to settle a civil rights lawsuit in the "Lex Street Massacre."

Jermel Lewis, Quiante Perrin, Hezekiah Thomas and Sacon Youk - innocent men jailed 18 months awaiting a death-penalty trial - will each receive about $475,000, said Lewis' attorney, David Rudovsky. The amount includes lawyers' fees, which were not disclosed.

....Seven people were killed on Dec. 28, 2000, in a West Philadelphia crack house. It was the deadliest mass murder in the city's modern history. Two weeks later, police arrested the four West Philadelphia men, and prosecutors aggressively pursued the case - even in the face of emerging evidence that others may have committed the murders.

On the eve of the death-penalty trial last year, prosecutors were forced to drop all charges. They later charged four others with the slayings.

MSNBC and NBC report that the CIA has asked the Justice Department to open an investigation of the White House regarding leaks in the Valerie Plame case:

The CIA has asked the Justice Department to investigate allegations that the White House broke federal laws by revealing the identity of one of its undercover employees in retaliation against the woman's husband, a former ambassador who publicly criticized President Bush's since-discredited claim that Iraq had sought weapons-grade uranium from Africa, NBC News has learned.

Josh Marshall at TalkingPointsMemo and Mark Kleiman has been covering the story since the beginning. Steve Perry's Bush Wars has a lot of related links.

Just in via email from some Houston and Virginia lawyers that specialize in driving under the influence cases:

Stabilizing blood sugar levels is an everyday problem for many Americans. For those who endure the various problems of errors in metabolism, ranging from diabetes to hypoglycemia, the condition often can be not only a medical
one but also a legal one.

As states enforce ever more stringent DUI legislation, an increasingly frequent occurrence for many with blood sugar problems has been to be unjustly charged with a crime that can have long-lasting effects on their lives and careers.

They have written a new article, available free here, that says science shows that plunges and spikes in blood sugar levels can mimic the effect of drinking and driving. If you or someone you care about is in that category, you might want to give it a read. [link fixed]

We're haven't read it so we can't endorse or slam it, but its something worth reading because these cases happen more often than you might think.

If you do read it, we hope you will report back on what you think of the arguments and whether they are likely to be accepted by a court.

Now that Bush realizes the U.N. and other nations won't be joining us in Iraq, he's called up another 10,000 for duty. Another 5,000 are on alert to be called.

We think Dean and Kerry got it right this week when they called on Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz to resign. Their reasons: deceiving the country in their statements on Iraq and inadequate planning for the post-war program. [link fixed]

It's Bill O'Reilly Day around the blogosphere with many bloggers writing as O'Reilly today. Atrios has outdone himself. Don't miss it.

The Chicago Sun Times criticizes Attorney General John Ashcroft for his recent memos to Prosecutors reducing their ability to plea bargain and directing them to report Judges who grant downward departures in sentencings contrary to the Government's wishes:

Americans like to be tough on crime. That's why we have a higher percentage of our population in prison than anywhere else in the world. But we also have a lot of respect for our judges and federal prosecutors. Which is why it hurts to see this Cotton Mather who is running the Justice Department keep trying to chain them to a reflexive punitiveness that would shut down the system.

Good news: South Dakota is putting the kabosh on its juvenile boot camps program. The state is moving to a system of family counseling and individual treatment.

South Dakota's controversial boot camp, created by former Gov. Bill Janklow at Custer, is being renamed and its program emphasis shifted from a military regimen to individual treatment and family counseling, state corrections officials said Thursday.

..."The changes are reflective of Governor Rounds' vision for juvenile corrections," Reisch said. "He is absolutely committed to providing the highest quality of care for all youth committed to us."

Juvenile programs should promote rehabilitation. Many of the boot camp programs are overly punitive.

Another welcome change in the state is on its way:

Kudos to the Alabama Legislature which passed a bill making it easier for ex-felons to restore their voting rights. The bill also accelerates parole by granting some inmates early release. Lawyer Ed Still is on top of the legislation over at VoteLaw. Today he reports the Governor has signed the legislation--it is now law.

For background on why felony disenfranchisement is unfair, start here.

Hesiod of Counterspin reports scary news in the case of Senior Airman Ahmad I. al-Halabi, being held on 32 charges:

....Brig. Gen. Bradley S. Baker, the commander of al-Halabi's unit, has not decided whether al-Halabi will be tried by court-martial or, if he is convicted, face a possible death sentence.

While at Guantanamo Bay, al-Halabi "made statements criticizing United States policy with regard to the detainees and U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East," Wega wrote. The agent wrote that al-Halabi also "expressed sympathy for and has had unauthorized contact with the detainees."

Hesiod also reports that one of the charges against al-Halabi has already been proven false. Go read.