The Expendable Project has released "The Transit Report" with previously unreleased documents and new evidence, about Schapelle Corby, who continues to languish in an Indonesian prison due to a 20 year sentence for importing 4.2 kilos of marijuana into Bali, a charge she has always vehemently denied.

The movie and project, a global effort by Hidden World Research Group and Hidden World Films, was originally scheduled for release six months from now. On September 7, it announced it would start publishing now, because of credible information that Schapelle tried to commit suicide via a drug overdose just before her birthday in July. News reports say she's rapidly deteriorating. [More...]

Teddy Kennedy's daughter, Kara Kennedy, died yesterday at age 51. She suffered a heart attack while exercising at a health club in D.C.

Kara battled lung cancer in 2003. Her brother said it may have taken a toll on her heart, and she loved to exercise.

Kara and her husband Michael have two teenage children. Our condolences to the family.

College Football day. I'm pressed for time so I will just be able to give you a few of my picks in the bigger games - Oklahoma, Ohio State, Mich State.

Go Gators!

Open Thread.

I don't really care whether Sarah Palin used cocaine, had a pre-marital affair with Todd's business partner or a one night stand with an athlete she was interviewing for her college radio show, or is feuding with Bristol over her relationship with her DWTS costar, now roommate and reality show co-participant, Kyle Massey or Bristol's latest tattoo.

But I do think it's funny that Sarah Palin looked just like the caricature of the secretary from Staten Island portrayed by Melanie Griffith in the movie Working Girl -- an image Griffith spent the whole film working to shed. (Melanie succeeded at the end of the film.)

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Back to work. Here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

300 protest rallies around the world are being held today over the planned execution of Troy Davis.

The petition delivered to the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles had 638,000 signatures and support is growing daily.

Many say it's the most compelling case of innocence in decades. The Georgia Board has rejected clemency petitions for Troy before. It's also granted temporary stays of his execution.

There is simply too much doubt to execute Troy Davis. All of our coverage of his case is here. Listen to Troy in his own words in this interview from Death Row. [More...]

The New York Times reports the Obama Administrations' legal eagles are considering how far they can go in targeting and killing suspected terrorists in countries like Yeman and Somalia.

The debate, according to officials familiar with the deliberations, centers on whether the United States may take aim at only a handful of high-level leaders of militant groups who are personally linked to plots to attack the United States or whether it may also attack the thousands of low-level foot soldiers focused on parochial concerns: controlling the essentially ungoverned lands near the Gulf of Aden, which separates the countries.

[I]f a group has aligned itself with Al Qaeda against Americans, the United States can take aim at any of its combatants, especially in a country that is unable or unwilling to suppress them.

[More...]

Remember the big deal Attorney General Eric Holder made of the Administration's increased proposed funding for Prisoner Re-Entry programs? And Holder's touting the inauguratiion of a cabinet level "Reentry Council"? And how proud Obama and Holder were of the amounts in the 2012 proposed $28.2 billion Department of Justice Budget requested for Second Chance Act and reentry programs ?

The Budget provides $187 million in prisoner re-entry and jail diversion programs, including $100 million for the Second Chance Act programs and $57 million for drug, mental health, and other problem-solving courts.

Would you believe that yesterday, the Senate Appropriations Committee zapped the funding for prisoner reentry programs entirely, saying the money was needed for the Bureau of Prisons? It actually gave BOP an increase, to $6.6 billion. [More...]

President Obama issues a Presidential Memorandum on Major Illicit Drug Transit today.

Obama says he almost put Canada on the list for being a major transit point for Marijuana and Ecstasy. He also praised the African countries that worked on the DEA's Excellent African Adventures.

What effect does the Memorandum have? Legally, it's the same as an Executive Order, but this one doesn't seem to call for any action. It also doesn't seem to be tied to a denial or reduction in aid to these countries. Is it the opposite? A prelude to spending more money on the drug war in these countries? (Added: BBC News article on memo is here.)

Texas was set to execute Duane Buck last night. Texas held off until the last appeals had been decided.

Today, the Supreme Court has intervened, and granted a stay.

The issue:

At Buck's sentencing hearing, the jury that set his punishment was informed by a psychologist that black people had a higher rate of violent behaviour, a statement used by the prosecution as its key argument against giving him an alternative penalty of life imprisonment.

The victim's surviving relative asked for clemency.

Let's fight talk about sports.

Does Ochocinco tweet too much?

Tebow! Tebow!

Sneak peak at some of my "investments" this weekend - Denver Broncos (-3½), San Diego Chargers (+7), New Orleans Saints (-7), Manchester City (-1), Clemson (-3), Stanford (-10), Oklahoma (-3 1/2) and a Thursday night special - Miss St. (+4). (Entertainment purposes only.)

Open Thread.

Submitted for your consideration:

[Sen.] Tom Carper [D-DE] mouthing off from the comfortable environs of blue Delaware is a failure of Team Commie to be regarded as [a] serious political force. People who talk of primarying Obama need to pick smaller targets--and thus elicit bigger results.

Carper is up for reelection in 2012.

NOTE: I am not endorsing Coates' idea, just putting it out there for discussion.

Speaking for me only