Wednesday, November 9, 2011

President’s Detention Plan Tests American Legal Tradition - NYTimes.com

President’s Detention Plan Tests American Legal Tradition - NYTimes.com

Civil liberties lawyers ... say Mr. Obama has not made the case persuasively that there is a worrisome category of detainees who are too dangerous to release but who cannot be convicted. The reason to have a criminal justice system at all, they say, is to trust it to decide who is guilty and who is not.

“If they cannot be convicted, then you release them,” said Jameel Jaffer, a lawyer at the American Civil Liberties Union. “That’s what it means to have a justice system.”

US Military Drill in Israel and Saudi Arabia - Middle East - News - Israel National News

US Military Drill in Israel and Saudi Arabia - Middle East - News - Israel National News

The American, Saudi and Israel armies are on high alert following last week’s American accusations that Iran plotted to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington.

Obama's new executive order on Guantanamo - Guantanamo - Salon.com

Obama's new executive order on Guantanamo - Guantanamo - Salon.com

The most harmful aspect of the Obama legacy is that he has converted what were once controversial right-wing Bush policies into unchallenged bipartisan consensus, to endure indefinitely and without any opposition from either party.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Mort Sahl interview - Argo, April 1968

Mort Sahl interview - Argo, April 1968:

"We have to decide. Once the neo-fascists became bold enough to slay the President on the street, they showed their hand. They showed how arrogant they had become. Now it's a question of symptom. That crime was a national symptom. If we can turn our back on that, we will pay a terrible price. That will be the end of this democracy."