Here's an open thread, all topics welcome. I'll be back here this evening.

Julian Assange's lawyer has told ABC News that a U.S. indictment for spying is imminent. (I'm not linking to ABC News because their news articles play audio when you click on them and I hate that.) His attorney, Jennifer Robinson, says:

Our position of course is that we don't believe it applies to Mr. Assange and that in any event he's entitled to First Amendment protection as publisher of WikiLeaks, and any prosecution under the Espionage Act would in my view be unconstitutional and puts at risk all media organizations in the U.S."

[More...]

In the Dec. 27th issue of the Nation, the cover story is "Dare to End the War on Drugs." It's about the need to rebalance our drug policy. Almost the entire issue is devoted to the topic. If you care about our failed war on drugs, this issue seems like a winner.

Nearly forty years after President Nixon declared a "war on drugs," it is painfully clear that the nation's approach to drug policy is counterproductive and cruel. Shifting our priorities toward a more sensible approach—one that offers treatment rather than punishment for addicts, and that recognizes the deep injustice of mass incarceration—seems like a daunting task. But as the writers in this forum suggest, we have all the answers and resources we need. If ever there was a time to say enough is enough, it's now.

Participants include: [More...]

I don't know a lot about Oprah Winfrey. I don't watch her talk show or follow her life. I'm trying to watch her on Barbara Walters' special and I can't get past the distracting scar/indent/shadow on the side of her left eye. Does ABC just have the worst lighting/camera people or is it Oprah? With her vast fortune, it's hard to believe she couldn't have it fixed. Her lips are chapped, the sides of her nose are shiny, it looks like she has white powder inside her nose (and I highly doubt she took a bump before the show), so what gives?

She seemed really uncomfortable talking about her parents. [More..]

USA Today has a series, Justice in the Balance, exploring 201 cases of federal prosecutorial misconduct.

A USA TODAY investigation has found that prosecutors have little reason to fear losing their jobs, even if they violate laws or constitutional safeguards designed to ensure the justice system is fair.

...The Justice Department consistently conceals its own investigations of misconduct from the public. Officials say privacy laws prevent them from revealing any details of their investigations. That secrecy, however, makes it almost impossible to assess the full extent and impact of misconduct by prosecutors or the effectiveness of the department's attempts to deter it.

Today's installment reveals that prosecutors rarely lose their jobs even after they recklessly break the rules. One example: the case of the wrongful charges brought against the parents of missing baby Sabrina Aisenberg. AUSA Steven Kunz was admonished by the Florida bar (order here) and removed from handling criminal cases in Tampa. [More...]

Update: Cyber-army gains strength.

Operation Payback, hackers waging 'cyberwar' against those who oppose and stop doing business with WikiLeaks, continues. But Facebook and Twitter have cut them off.

The Netherlands has arrested a 16 year old in connection with the Paypal-Mastercard attacks.

Related: Time Magazine has an article saying the U.S. case against Julian Assange is weak. The AP reports the London extradition case may be shaky.

Update: It looks like the deal will pass.

The House Democratic Caucus has voted to reject President Obama's compromise tax deal.

While this doesn’t necessarily scuttle the whole tax deal, it is “highly unlikely” that the tax-cut agreement will come to the floor as is, according to senior Democratic aides. A tax compromise could still pass if an overwhelming majority of Republicans voted for it alongside several dozen Democrats.

The White House responds:

“The House and Senate are working through the normal process of bringing a bill forward, and we are confident that the major components of the tax framework that we fought for will remain in the final package brought to the floor and ultimately passed by Congress,”

The Senate is proceeding to consider the bill this afternoon.

Attorney General Eric Holder has asked the Senate to reject the provision in the funding bill passed by the House banning federal criminal trials of Guantanamo inmates in the U.S.

In a letter to Senate leaders, Holder called the provision "an extreme and risky encroachment on the authority of the Executive Branch." There was no immediate indication from the White House whether President Barack Obama finds the Gitmo-related limit so objectionable that he would veto the continuing resolution funding the government through September.

"This provision goes well beyond existing law and would unwisely restrict the ability of the Executive Branch to prosecute alleged terrorists in Federal courts or military commissions in the United States as well as its ability to incarcerate those convicted in those tribunals," Holder said in the letter, sent Thursday to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).  "In order to protect the American people as effectively as possible, we must be in a position to use every lawful instrument of national power to ensure that terrorists are brought to justice and can no longer threaten American lives."

Thomson Correctional Facility, an empty Illinois prison which now can't be used for Guantanamo inmates, is going on the auction block December 21. The minimum bid is $270 million.

Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois has been working to get the money for the sale via an omnibus spending bill, which could be on Obama’s desk awaiting his signature later this month.

Doesn't the U.S. have better things to spend $270 million on than yet another prison? Tell Dick Durbin and Congress to just say no to more of America, Prison Nation.

Busy day here. Here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

Here's the summary of the new report of the Director of National Intelligence on the number of detainees released from Guantanamo who returned to terrorist associations and activities.

Since President Obama took office:

[O]f the 66 former Guantanamo detainees transferred since President Obama took office, “2 are confirmed and 3 are suspected of reengaging in terrorist or insurgent activities.”

Under former President Bush: [More...]

Actor Wesley Snipes reports to prison today to serve a three year sentence for failure to file tax returns. He's not happy, but he's going.

Snipes will be at the McKean Federal Correctional Institution in Lewis Run,