But, even that isn't enough to stop Rudy from being a name partner in a law firm, Bracewell and Giuliani, which, uh, lobbies for Venezuelean-owned Citgo in Texas.

According to DAWN, the English language newspaper of Pakistan, two private television stations have been closed by the government because they showed police clubbing demonstrating lawyers.  http://dawn.com/2007/03/13/top3.htm

Munir A. Malik, president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, held a press conference announcing that the Courts had been shut down by the attorneys of Pakistan, and stating an intent that Pakistani attorneys en masse would represent Chaudhry, although the government has insisted that a disciplinary hearing would be closed to the press, the public and Pakistani's attorneys.  Malik announced that Pakastan's lawyers would lay siege to the site where the Supreme Judicial Council would hold its secret hearings into Musharraf's charges against Chaudhry, and is believed to have gone underground to avoid arrest before the demonstration at the SJC can be held. http://dawn.com/2007/03/13/top1.htm

Don't buy all of it but there are plenty of things in this that make someone re-think or evaluate their position.

It's a real documentary so watch when you have an hour or so to spare.

Also a leading prof has a different take.

Global Warming Swindle

since he's responsible for the abuse heaped on our constitution recently, it seems only fair.

Disgraced former NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik borrowed a line from a popular game show after federal prosecutors made him a plea offer that would have required him to do time:

No deal.

"He rejected the plea deal because he paid his taxes and did nothing wrong," his attorney Ken Breen said last night.

Breen declined to be more specific about the terms of the proposed deal, but a source familiar with the negotiations told the Daily News the terms called for Kerik to spend less than two years behind bars.

WNBC TV in NYC first reported the story, here, stating:

In exchange for his guilty plea, investigators were willing to end the federal criminal probe into Kerik's alleged wrongdoing which includes allegations of mortgage fraud, tax fraud, conspiracy to eavesdrop and making false statements on his application to become U.S. Homeland Security Secretary.

I guess discussing (agreeing?) with then-soon-to-crash-in-flames Senate Candidate and County DA Pirro, on a tapped phone line, to bug the Pirro family boat so she could catch her cheatin' hubby in flagrante, well....  There are better ideas.

The alleged charges appear to deal with:
 (a) fraud concerning his mortgage for the two apartments in (the Riverdale section of) NYC, which were renovated by the allegedly mobbed-up construction firm from Jersey - that mess was the subject of an earlier criminal plea he entered in state court, which got him no jail time;  
  (b)  not reporting on his income tax, as a gift, the use of some apartment in midtown Manhattan (as opposed to (1) the Riverdale apartment, which is in a nice part of the Bronx and (2) his commandeering a downtown apartment, immediately post 9/11, and his use of it with Judith Regan for purposes very other than those for which it had been lent to the City);  
  (c) L'affaire Pirro, which the tabloids covered in excruciating detail;  and
  (d) false statements on the HomeSec job app?  We haven't heard anything about that before.  Plumping his resume?  Even though Rudy was backing him - and that backing was enough to get W to put his name out there?  

Well.  

Is this W and Rover getting some payback for hanging them out on a limb with the failed nomination, or did W know go along with the fraud?  What did The Unit know, and when did he know it?

This has been all over the news out here.

My take is either the the guy is a nut, or he was testing "the system."

I had a buddy go and he said it was "Awesome!" but he is a "Braveheart", "Gladiator" war movie geek that would love anything that had heads, arms and legs being cut off.

I want to see it too but I'm scared I won't like it because in the back of my mind I'll be saying to myself "this was all shot in front of a blue/green screen and none of it is real".    That is what I though about the last three Star Wars movies, Lord of the Rings and some of the Matrix stuff.    Something won't let me get into something that is so almost realistic but so obviously techy.

Pentagon: Iraq in some ways in civil war

Pentagon report said that last October through December was the most violent three-month period since 2003. Attacks and casualties suffered by coalition and Iraqi forces and civilians were higher than any other similar time span

US devises Iraq 'Plan B' should surge fail

The Pentagon has drawn up plans to withdraw combat troops from Iraq and shift to a training and advisory role if the current "surge" strategy in the country fails.