tdog

It seems that uber-whistleblower and former contractor to the NSA Edward Snowden has, at least for the next twelvemonth, been given asylum in Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Perhaps a September Obama-Putin summit will be canceled as a result of this… or perhaps it won’t. Russia is obviously an irritant, along with Ecuador, Venezuela, Cuba and the few other countries flexing their independence from Washington’s jackboot. Having both a nuclear arsenal and huge oil reserves, Russia can pretty much do what it likes… and has. Actual national sovereignty independent of the financial interests running most of the world: imagine that? Let me...

Was it that much of a surprise that George Zimmerman of Sanford, FL was acquitted in the homicide of Trayvon Martin? You’ll recall that originally, police didn’t even want to charge Mr. Zimmerman with killing Mr. Martin, who, after all, represented American society’s ultimate bete noire, a young Black man. But, you know… the public outcry and all. I’m not going to comment specifically on the case, or on the outcome. Indeed, this from the Atlantic says it more articulately than I ever could, noting essentially that “we wuzn’t there…” Where the only living witness is the alleged perp, “proof...

Chris Cillizza of WaPo ordinarily devotes his life to the conventional wisdom, i.e., being a legitimate heir to the late David Broder of WaPo… and, needless to say, being a useful repository of… conventional wisdom. Color me surprised by this sudden reality check on the part of… Mr. Cillizza… who gives us this compilation noting that political donors of meaning, to wit, the ones who donate big enough that politicians pay attention (not to mention do their bidding…) number barely 31,385 in this whole freaking country of 300,000,000 people…… he also links to this even more useful piece… WOW. Just...

From the great Carol Rosenberg of the Miami Herald, we get this piece indicating that the Dept. of Defense has decided to identify the 48 men who are deemed “too dangerous to try, but too Muslim to release” and hence subject to indefinite detention. For whatever reason, the Government decided to honor this particular Freedom of Information Act request… given that the Big O’s approval ratings have finally taken the Bush-like nosedive finally appropriate to well, doing things like the latest NSA surveillance over reach, i.e., being Bush… maybe, a few interesting moves might be in order. Then again, Candace...

A brief reference to the U. of Michigan fight song, after this weekend’s visit to Ann Arbor, where, notwithstanding an early asthma attack and a late foot problem with my big toe, completed the Ann Arbor Marathon in more or less the usual time, for my second marathon since I turned 50, 36th marathon finish overall and 20th state. The song presumably does not apply to the Obama Administration, nor to its newest public enemy no. 1, former NSA/CIA employee and whistleblower Edward Snowden, now bizarrely seeking refuge in Chinese controlled Hong Kong.. Snowden merely confirmed what I certainly thought...

Evidently it will cost $450,000,000, or roughly $2.5 million per prisoner to maintain and “upgrade” the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to a Pentagon budget request. Considering 86 or so– the majority– of the 166 men still held there have been cleared for release by our own government, that means we’ll be spending over $200 million to hold men our government tells us are innocent and shouldn’t be there. The sheer financial cost of political cowardice and national ignorance and apathy mixed with complacency is impressive, to say the least. My prediction remains that Guantanamo will ultimately be shut...

Benjamin Wittes at the Lawfare Blog gives us this piece noting the perplexing nature of the President’s recent press conference comments on Guantanamo and indefinite detention. In this piece, Wittes notes his unusual meeting of minds with Glenn Greenwald on this matter. In short, the President, whose own policies mesh well with Wittes’s general view (which diverges from that of Greenwald.. and myself…) that there are circumstances where GTMO-style indefinite detention is appropriate policy, nonetheless asserts liberal sounding claptrap to the effect that somehow he [Obama] himself disagrees with these policies (and by implication its that mean old Congress that’s...

Eric Lewis is a partner at the Washington, D.C. law firm of Lewis Baach, PLLC. Mr. Lewis previously represented four British nationals detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and currently represents a Pakistani national detained at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. On April 19, 2013, I had the privilege of interviewing Mr. Lewis by telephone. What follows are my interview notes, as corrected by Mr. Lewis. The Talking Dog: Where were you on Sept. 11, 2001? Eric Lewis: I was in London. I was the U.S. counsel to the liquidators of BCCI, and I was working on that case. At that...

Two bombs exploded near the finish of yesterday’s Boston Marathon, killing at least three people (including an eight year old boy), and injuring around 120 people. The results of the explosions included numerous amputations (including loss of limbs… in some cases involving runners who were just completing their dream-of-a-lifetime race, only to have their legs blown off, and/or their loved ones maimed or killed). Not quite as well-reported here, an American “off target” bomb managed to kill over 30 people at an Afghan wedding, during more ongoing and pointless carnage… somewhere else. Total casualties of killed and injured were believed...

That the two notable figures (who ably served their respective Imperia) that would pass away on the same day would be Margaret Thatcher and Annette Funicello? Sometimes, stuff just happens.