Note: Originally posted here.

Jose Padilla, as you may know, is an American citizen detained by the Bush Administration for being an enemy combatant. He was aggressively treated/tortured, and since then he's been using the legal system to fight back (in his first two years of incarceration, he didn't have access to a lawyer).

How the courts treat Padilla will set a precedent on future hearings, and may even have an impact on the Anti-Habeas Corpus bill that was passed before the November elections. So it's in the Bush Administration's best interests to "nip this thing in the bud" as soon as possible.

President Bush said that he and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki agreed in high-stakes talks Thursday that
Iraq should not be partitioned into separate, semi-autonomous zones.

President Bush and Prime Minister Al-Maliki have agreed to keep Iraq in one piece and that splitting Iraq into multiple zones would only increase the violence currently taking place.

This meeting was touted by the Bush administration and PM Al-Maliki's administration as an important meeting to discuss strategies to foster peace in the region however it's arrival was marred by protests including 30 Shiite members of Iraq's parliament suspending all parliamentary activity in protest and vocal objection by Iraq's neighbors Iran and Syria.

Hardline Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad held a competing summit Wednesday with Iraq's president Jalal Talabani and called for the United States to withdraw troops from Iraq.

"I advise you to leave Iraq," Ahmadinejad said. "Based on a timetable, transfer the responsibilities to Iraqi government. This will agree to your interests, too."

The Center for Constituional Rights will file a suit in Berlin on Tuesday charging Donald Rumsfeld with war crimes for Gitmo and other abuses of the Geneva Convention.

I can understand the rationale for not wanting to impeach Bush, Cheney, et al, but if a sitting President can get away with destroying the Constitution the way Bush has, then why do we even have impeachment proceedings anymore.  We are not talking about covering up a second rate burglary job or fibbing about a consensual sex act in the oval office.  We are talking about the systematic destruction of the document that holds this country together -- what else do you have to do to get impeached.  My question is what will the new Congress do if their investigations/subpoenas turn up evidence of impeachable offenses.  Will they move forward or simply sweep it under to rug?

See the case for impeachment for more information

Alright, alright. So that's not 'breaking'... or 'news'... or even remotely surprising... but it does answer some lingering questions.

For example, I'm sure you've all wondered where Karl developed his keen sense of evil, feverish distaste for compassion, and astute ability to f**k people over.

Now we know. It was all those endless hours he endured stuffed in stinky high school lockers. All these nasty mental maladies were clearly born of his hours-long periods of reflection as he peered at passers-by, cripplingly crunched amongst the texts, notebooks, and various writing accoutrements.

Joe Barton is directly reponsible for shelving the Combating Autism Bill that was passed by an overwhelmingly by the Senate.   It is clear that his agenda remains with big business and politics and not the 1.5 million children and families that suffer from this terrible illness.  Have a look at his contributors,  need I say more

Joe Barton (R)
Comcast Corp
  $30,000

Lyondell Chemical
  $25,000

TXU Corp
  $24,000

Texas Spine & Joint Hospital
  $23,550

AMR Corp
  $16,750

Anadarko Petroleum
  $15,000

Verizon Communications
  $15,000

Reliant Energy
  $14,500

Suez Energy North America
  $14,500

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp
  $14,000

Pillsbury, Winthrop et al
  $12,250

AT&T Inc
  $11,700

Dutko Worldwide
  $10,500

Sidley Austin LLP
  $10,500

Azalea Orthopedic & Sports Medicine
  $10,350

Allergan Inc
  $10,000

American Academy of Ophthalmology
  $10,000

American College of Surgeons Prof Assn
  $10,000

American Dental Assn
  $10,000

American Electric Power
  $10,000

American Interventional Pain Physicians
  $10,000

American Osteopathic Assn
  $10,000

American Society of Anesthesiologists
  $10,000

Constellation Energy
  $10,000

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
  $10,000

Edison Electric Institute
  $10,000

El Paso Corp
  $10,000

Exxon Mobil
  $10,000

Merck & Co
  $10,000

National Assn of Broadcasters
  $10,000

National Assn of Convenience Stores
  $10,000

National Assn of Realtors
  $10,000

National Beer Wholesalers Assn
  $10,000

National Cable & Telecommunications Assn
  $10,000

PPL Corp
  $10,000

Texas Industries
  $10,000

Time Warner
  $10,000

UBS AG
  $10,000

   Source:  www.opensecrets.org
 

Earlier this week, I posted about David Kuo's new book Tempting Faith.  People have been wondering out loud after the book's release this week if the Religious Right would freak out and live up to the titles given them by some in the Bush Administration ("whackos," "nuts," etc.)  Well, whether they've read the book or not, check this out...

Amidst the media hysteria about the U.S. population reaching 300 million this month, it seems an opportune moment to reflect on the deeply subjective nature of the concept of "overpopulation." One example: how is it that Europe's low birth rate is a population "crisis," whereas Africa's high birth rate is also a population "crisis"? Three guesses.

For this and other food for thought, I highly recommend 10 Reasons to Rethink 'Overpopulation', a thoughtful new resource from Hampshire College's Population and Development Program that explores the links between population, reproductive health, human rights, racism, and the environment. Here are some particularly compelling reasons to rethink:

     

1. Population      control targets women's fertility and restricts reproductive rights.
2. Population alarmism      encourages apocalyptic thinking that legitimizes human rights abuses.
3. Conventional      views of overpopulation stand in the way of greater global understanding      and solidarity.

   

If I had my way, it would be required reading for all 300 million Americans...

President Bush has decided to put his thirst for power over the safety of the American people. His latest action insures that we will have more "Mike Browns" as long as this administration holds power.

I don't think Mitt Romney's Mormonism should be an issue in an election any more than John Kennedy's Catholicism shouldn't have been in 1960. I firmly believe in separation of religion and government to keep freedom alive in this country.

Our enemies have convenient names for their nicknames. Like: Saddam Insane; Kim Jong Mentally-il; and Loony Bin Laden. Now there is another to add to the list...

For some reason, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice thought that it would be a good idea to set up diplomatic outposts manned by one person around the world to help US diplomacy.

PBS's "Frontline" series, as well as the Boston Globe, are reporting that Vice President Dick Cheney, along with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, set up shop and used Pentagon resources, where they manufactured shaped intelligence to persuade the American populace that war in Iraq would be a GOOD thing.

Will someone please inform Katherine Harris that we're ALREADY a secular nation?

It's time to tell Dick Cheney to stick "9-11" up his nose. It's been over 5 years since, and that is still his old standby excuse for every little, different thing.

In my latest diary entry, "IMMIGRATION EUPHEMISMS AND THE LANGUAGE PURISTS," I defined euphemism as: substitution, doublespeak, softened expression, polite term.