As we’ve known for years, the May 6, 2004 OLC opinion authorizing the warrantless wiretap program shifted the claimed basis for the program from inherent Article II power to a claim the Afghanistan AUMF trumped FISA. But one problem with that argument (hard to fathom now that Afghanistan has once again become our main forever [...]

Thought I’d share some pics from the rally today in Lansing. It’s a decent sized crown–6,000 around noon; they expect to get a whole bunch of teachers out for the last set of speakers at 4:30. Here’s the crowd just outside of the Capitol in Lansing. Lots of signs about the Constitution protesting the Emergency [...]

I have some pretty cool souls in my ‘hood. And more than one rock star. But none bigger than Alice Cooper. He is actually much different that most people think; a great father, a community leader in several ways (some pretty public, some not really known as well), producer of the spring play for the [...]

Remember when that ignorant fool opined, “They hate us for our freedoms”? As one American still ashamed by that comment, let me thank Egypt for such an amazing display of what freedom is about. Congratulations! May it inspire those of us watching from America to reclaim our own democracy.

The most exciting weekend of the pro football calendar, divisional playoff weekend is here!

The UN’s Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights’ Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression issued a statement Wednesday laying out several principles parties should keep in mind in regards to WikiLeaks. It balances the importance of journalists’ self-regulation [...]

In the race to see which would be discounted more quickly, Cheney’s freedom won out over cheap Chinese toys at Christmas season: the final price for Cheney’s freedom is $35 million. Oilfield contractor Halliburton has agreed to pay Nigeria $35 million to settle bribery allegations that led to charges against former Vice President Dick Cheney [...]

In case you have not heard, some guy who last week was not a starting quarterback will suddenly start for the Minnesota Vikings tonight on Monday Night Football against the Chicago Bears. Who knows what this untested and unknown quarterback can bring to the game, time will tell. He will have to do it without [...]

Back during the FISA Amendment Act, Jay Rockefeller tried hard to prevent DOJ’s Inspector General, Glenn Fine, to have any role in overseeing the revamped domestic surveillance program. I always assumed that was because Fine, unlike the other Inspectors General (except perhaps John Helgerson, whom Michael Hayden had thoroughly neutralized by that point anyway) was [...]

There are rapidly emerging signs the Obama Administration is actively, quickly and covertly working furiously on a plan to retroactively legitimize and ratify the shoddy, fraudulent and non-conforming conduct by MERS on literally millions of mortgages. they are again going to give a bailout and retroactive immunity to craven banks and financial institutions that have wrecked the economy