Despite Terror, Europeans Seem Determined to Maintain Civil Liberties. Political leaders in Europe diplomatically avoid criticizing the United States, but it has surely not been lost on ordinary Europeans that the countries attacked, and threatened by attack, are those that have supported the American war in Iraq. [snip] Moreover, Germany is the only country to … …
Judge Orders End to Arrest of Beggars. Forgot to mark this article over the weekend. Recognized my favorite panhandler yesterday while waiting for the express train at GCT. Briefly considered walking over to offer my loose change, but I thought that would be a little weird since she wasn’t even in begging mode. A federal … …
One Muslim’s Odyssey to Guantánamo. The Bush administration bristles at the term “gulag,” but I am hard-pressed to come up with a term that describes the situation more accurately. If you can’t pronounce the word “nuclear” correctly though, I gather that “habeas corpus” is out of the question. Moreover, even American documents indicated that much … …
Earlier this week, the House passed the bankruptcy reform bill, which now goes to the President. Consider it a done deal. Perhaps of even greater interest, however, is the fact that in this same session, the House approved a bill to permanently repeal the estate tax, cleverly named the “Death Tax Repeal Permanency Act of … …
Videos Challenge Accounts of Convention Unrest. A lot of false arrests and perhaps a hint of perjury. Does anyone still believe the RNC was good for NYC? Seven months after the convention at Madison Square Garden, criminal charges have fallen against all but a handful of people arrested that week. Of the 1,670 cases that … …
Debt Slavery: What the Bankruptcy Bill Could Do to You. I was wrong about the bankruptcy bill, which has passed the Senate but not the House yet. Busy writing letters to various House Representatives about the hypocrisy of passing a reform bill which doesn’t address corporate abuses of the bankruptcy system. No mercy. I can … …
Judge Says Terror Suspect Can’t Be Held as an Enemy Combatant. Jose Padilla case revisited. A federal district judge in South Carolina ruled Monday that President Bush had greatly overstepped his authority by detaining an American citizen as an enemy combatant for nearly three years without filing criminal charges. [snip] In his opinion, Judge Floyd … …
Outsourcing Torture. This debate is not remotely close to being over. Yoo also argued that the Constitution granted the President plenary powers to override the U.N. Convention Against Torture when he is acting in the nation’s defense – a position that has drawn dissent from many scholars. As Yoo saw it, Congress doesn’t have the … …
Wal-Mart Union to File Complaint After Quebec Closure. The first unionized Wal-Mart store is quickly shut down. The United Food and Commercial Workers’ Canadian arm said it plans to file a complaint against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. for bargaining in bad faith after the retailer said it would close its first unionized outlet in North America. … …
Gonzales Is Confirmed in a Closer Vote Than Expected. For what it is worth, Schumer and Clinton both voted against confirmation. Thanks, Senators. Senator Edward M. Kennedy, the Massachusetts Democrat who has been one of Mr. Gonzales’s toughest critics, said it was “a sad day for the Senate” to confirm “a person who was at … …