REUTERSFLASH ReutersBreakingNews
Norwegian court declines to elaborate on gunman's claim of '2 more cells' in his organization
Tuesday, 26 July 2011
Monday, 25 July 2011
Hmmm!
amities ɥɔıʇsäʇuáʌı
Shooters gun down children, call actions 'regrettable' but justifiable in war against terror http://ow.ly/1uXYUZ #Afghanistan
John Yoo Makes Tortured Defense Of Corporations Secretly Buying Elections
The proposed executive order making disclosure of political giving history a condition to being awarded a federal contract makes some of the Nixon-era “dirty tricks” look almost quaint by comparison. [...] As the Supreme Court has made clear, anonymous political speech enjoys “an honorable tradition of advocacy and of dissent,” and anonymity serves as a shield “against the tyranny of the majority.” Any president who seeks to undo this centuries-old American constitutional right by the fiat of an executive order would be prudent to reflect on the ultimate outcome when Richard Nixon and John Dean tried, using their infamous enemies list, to accomplish that precise objective.If there is anyone in the universe who should think twice before criticizing a government lawyer for enabling a president to break the law, it is John Yoo. And while Yoo certainly spares no adjective in arguing that preserving the integrity of American democracy is an impeachable offense, he might also want to consider actually reading what the Supreme Court has to say about disclosure laws before drafting articles of impeachment against President Obama.
In an obscure case called Citizens United v. FEC, the Supreme Court held that “disclosure could be justified based on a governmental interest in ‘provid[ing] the electorate with information’ about the sources of election-related spending.” President Obama’s proposed executive order provides the electorate with information about the sources of election-related spending. So Yoo’s entire argument can be rebutted in exactly two sentences.
Elsewhere in his essay, Yoo comes to the defense of poor, innocent corporations that may lose their ability to deceive their customers and investors:
After disclosure of a contribution by the retailer Target to MN Forward, a conservative Minnesota political group that supported a gubernatorial candidate who was opposed to gay marriage, proponents demanded that Target also support pro-gay candidates. Target refused. MoveOn organized a widespread boycott and flash mobs appeared at Target stores; the retailer countered by suing protesters. In the seconds it took for a Facebook video of the boycott to go viral, Target’s established reputation as a gay-friendly company was shredded. After institutional investors protested the “misalignment” between Target’s Minnesota political spending and its professed corporate values, Target announced that future political contributions would require the approval of an internal policy committee.In other words, Target misled the public by calling itself a gay-friendly corporation, when it actually was secretly funding an anti-gay effort. Yet, because of disclosure, it was no longer able to maintain this charade and forced to end its two-faced practices. In Yoo’s twisted understanding of the world, this is a great tragedy and not a compelling argument for why disclosure laws are necessary.
Given Yoo’s role in the Bush administration’s torture policy, asking him to express a legal opinion is a bit like asking Don Draper for advice on marital fidelity. Even so, Yoo’s defense of corporate America’s power to secretly buy elections is weak even by his own tragically incompetent standards.
John Millhiser @'ThinkProgress'
Vatican recalls Irish papal envoy after Cloyne report
The Vatican has recalled its special envoy in Ireland after a damning report on the Catholic Church's handling of child abuse by priests.
Vatican radio has reported that Papal Nuncio Giuseppe Leanza is being called back to Rome to discuss the impact of the recent Cloyne Report.It showed how allegations of sex abuse by priests in Cork had been covered up.
The report led to angry condemnation of the Vatican by Prime Minister Enda Kenny in the Irish Parliament.
In a blistering attack, Mr Kenny accused the Church of putting its reputation ahead of child rape victims.
He told the Irish parliament that the report into how allegations of sex abuse by priests in Cork had been covered up showed change was urgently needed.
"The rape and torture of children were downplayed or 'managed' to uphold instead the primacy of the institution, its power, standing and 'reputation'," the taoiseach said last Wednesday.
At the weekend, the prime minster said he had received thousands of messages of support from around the world - many were from the clergy, he said.
He said this reflected the way people felt about the Catholic Church's role on clerical child abuse.He told an audience at an annual cultural event in County Donegal at the weekend that the messages showed how people felt.
Mr Kenny said he was "astounded" at the number of clergy who contacted him after his speech on the Cloyne Report.
"The fact that I have had thousands of messages from around the world speaks for itself about the impact and the way people feel," he said.
"The numbers of members of the clergy who have been in touch in the last few days to say it is about time somebody spoke out about these matters in a situation like you are, has astounded me."
Mr Kenny received a standing ovation after he finished delivering the annual lecture at the opening session of the summer school.
A statement is expected on the Vatican website at midday.
@'BBC"
Dewanatron
The story of Brian Dewan and Leon Dewan, the most unique grassroots electronic music pioneers in recent memory.
The special purpose of Dewanatrons, which are modern solid-state analog instruments, is to grow music live in collaboration with the operators who guide them.
(Thanx Samantha!)
The special purpose of Dewanatrons, which are modern solid-state analog instruments, is to grow music live in collaboration with the operators who guide them.
(Thanx Samantha!)
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
