G-d Help You Should You Ever Get a Call from Israel

They made a call to Spain yesterday:

A day after a Spanish court ordered an investigation into an assassination of a Palestinian militant in 2002, the Spanish government has said it will cancel the investigation, and change the law to prevent such investigations being undertaken in the future.

The moves came after Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni telephoned the Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos on Friday. Livni said after the call Moratinos told her he 'would fix it.'

The Spanish judge on Thursday ruled the assassination of Salah Shehadeh by an F-16 air strike on a home on July 22 2002, which resulted in fifteen people killed, including nine children, and more than 100 wounded, should be investigated as a war crime. He placed seven current and former Israeli government and military officials, including two current ministers, under investigation. They are Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, who was defense minister at the time, Public Security Minister Avi Dichter, who was then heading the Shin Bet agency, Likud Knesset candidate Moshe Ya'alon, who was chief of General Staff, Dan Halutz, the then commander of the Israel Air Force, Doron Almog, who was OC Southern Command, then-National Security Council chief Giora Eiland, and the defense minister's military secretary, Mike Herzog.

Moratinos, according to Israel Radio, has since told Livni his government will amend the authority of the Spanish courts to prevent such investigations from being launched in the future and limit the courts' jurisdiction.

Livni told Moratinos, "This is very important news for the Israeli public. Unfortunately, the legal systems in the free world are used by parties with interests who have no connection whatsoever to the rule of law or the values of the free world."

"It's a good thing that the Spanish government has decided to stop this phenomenon. Israel will continue to work with other governments in the world in a bid to stop similar groundless prosecutions."

Continue.

And don't you wish you could have listened in on the call from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to then-President G. W. Bush a couple weeks ago?

On Monday Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, told a group of local government officials in Ashkelon in a speech that he had demanded U.S. President George W. Bush interrupt a speech he was giving, and telephone Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and instruct her to abstain on the UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, a resolution Rice had largely put together in conjunction with other foreign ministers.

"In the night between Thursday and Friday, when the secretary of state wanted to lead the vote on a ceasefire at the Security Council, we did not want her to vote in favor,” Olmert said in his speech which was in Hebrew but was translated and reported by several news organizations, including The Associated Press.

"I said, ‘Get me President Bush on the phone.’ They said he was in the middle of giving a speech in Philadelphia. I said I didn’t care. ‘I need to talk to him now.’ He got off the podium and spoke to me."

Bush, said Olmert, was unfamiliar with the resolution.

"He said: ‘Listen. I don’t know about it. I didn’t see it. I’m not familiar with the phrasing," said Olmert.

"I told him the United States could not vote in favor. It cannot vote in favor of such a resolution. He immediately called the secretary of state and told her not to vote in favor."

"She was left shamed. A resolution that she prepared and arranged, and in the end she did not vote in favor. He (Bush) gave an order to the secretary of state, and she did not vote in favor of it — a resolution she cooked up, phrased, organized and maneuvered for. She was left pretty shamed," said the Israeli prime minister, whose office on Tuesday confirmed reports of the conversation were accurate.

A White House spokesman said the comments as they were reported did have “some inaccuracies,” but did not deny the reports. The State Department said the notion that Olmert altered the vote was “100%” untrue.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack however confirmed Rice spoke to President Bush in the lead-up to the vote, and received a call from him after he had spoken to Prime Minister Olmert.

Full story at Big News Network.

Torture of Prisoners in Louisiana

By New Orleans-based Jordan Flaherty for San Francisco Bay View:

The torture of prisoners in U.S. custody is not only found in military prisons in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo. If President Obama is serious about ending U.S. support for torture, he can start here in Louisiana.

The Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola is already notorious for a range of offenses, including keeping former Black Panthers Herman Wallace and Albert Woodfox in solitary for over 36 years. Now a death penalty trial in St. Francisville, Louisiana, has exposed widespread and systemic abuse at the prison. Even in the context of eight years of the Bush administration, the behavior documented at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola stands out both for its brutality and for the significant evidence that it was condoned and encouraged from the very top of the chain of command.

In a remarkable hearing that explored torture practices at Angola, 25 inmates testified last summer to facing overwhelming violence in the aftermath of an escape attempt at the prison nearly a decade ago. These 25 inmates - who were not involved in the escape attempt - testified to being kicked, punched, beaten with batons and with fists, stepped on, left naked in a freezing cell and threatened that they would be killed. They were threatened by guards that they would be sexually assaulted with batons. They were forced to urinate and defecate on themselves. They were bloodied, had teeth knocked out, were beaten until they lost control of bodily functions and beaten until they signed statements or confessions presented to them by prison officials. One inmate had a broken jaw, and another was placed in solitary confinement for eight years.

While prison officials deny the policy of abuse, the range of prisoners who gave statements, in addition to medical records and other evidence introduced at the trial, present a powerful argument that abuse is a standard policy at the prison. Several of the prisoners received $7,000 when the state agreed to settle, without admitting liability, two civil rights lawsuits filed by 13 inmates. The inmates will have to spend that money behind bars - more than 90 percent of Angola’s prisoners are expected to die behind its walls.

Continue reading.

The Police and Oscar Grant

Police illegally tried to confiscate video cameras from all the people who filmed them murder save their lives from Oscar Grant.

The ACLU

Believe it or not, the ACLU doesn't hate Jesus. Here is a plethora of links to check out if you don't believe it.

Soldiers Committing More Suicides

What could possibly be bothering our men and women in uniform? I guess we'll see after the study.

From Big News Network:

Suicides are increasing amongst US military personnel.

The rate amongst active duty soldiers was particularly high last year with the number of soldiers taking their own lives rising to 143, up from 115 the previous year.

As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have intensified, suicides within the forces have been rising.

Lengthened combat deployments and long periods away from family are two of the factors which are believed to have contributed to severe depression amongst the ranks.

The US Army has now commissioned the National Institute of Mental Health to do a study of factors affecting soldiers' mental health.

I Can't Get Fired

Anyway, it's a really good episode.

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Intro - 01/27/09

Colbert Report Full Episodes
Paul McCartney Appearance

Funny Political Videos
More Funny Videos

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Cheating Death - Lung Health

Colbert Report Full Episodes
Paul McCartney Appearance

Funny Political Videos
More Funny Videos

If you're only going to watch one, this is it.

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Bill O'Reilly Doesn't Report Rumors

Colbert Report Full Episodes
Paul McCartney Appearance

Funny Political Videos
More Funny Videos

No, no, no. This is the one to watch. Tightrope walker.

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Philippe Petit

Colbert Report Full Episodes
Paul McCartney Appearance

Funny Political Videos
More Funny Videos

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Omar Returns

Colbert Report Full Episodes
Paul McCartney Appearance

Funny Political Videos
More Funny Videos

Patenting Thoughts

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court is being asked to review a decision in a patent case which put a question mark over the ability to patent such things as software and financial strategies.

Law firm Finnegan LLP said on Wednesday it was asking the top court to reconsider the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit's decision to side with patent examiners in rejecting a method for hedging against energy cost changes.

The so-called Bilski case turned on whether an inventor can patent an abstract process, something that involves nothing more than thoughts, and was closely watched by software makers, Internet companies, investment houses and other businesses.

The appeals court ruled on October 30 that Bernard Bilski's hedging method could not be patented because it was not tied to a machine and did not result in a transformation.

The appeals court, in its opinion, also acknowledged that it expected the Supreme Court to consider the case.

Finnegan LLP partner Michael Jakes said he expected the Supreme Court to agree to review the case. "They seem to be interested in this particular issue," he said. "I think they're looking for a case on what processes can be patented."

Business methods were widely considered unpatentable until a 1998 ruling by the same appeals court. One of the best known examples of a business method patent is Amazon's (AMZN.O) one-click process to buy goods on the Internet.

Bilski and Rand Warsaw founded the company WeatherWise to sell services based on their hedging method that is used by some utilities. The U.S. patent office rejected their patent application in 2000 and the patent board upheld the rejection in 2006.

$1,000,000 Prize- Banks, Blind and Deaf Schools, or Fox Broadcasting?

From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

The $1 million game show prize that Georgia schools Superintendent Kathy Cox won for charity last summer is in limbo because of the personal bankruptcy filing by Cox and her home builder husband.

The investment firm hired to create an account for distributing the money to three public schools for blind and deaf students returned the check to Fox Broadcasting Co. in December, according to Cox and her attorney.

The company, Fidelity Investments, did not want to become involved in the bankruptcy case, Cox attorney Karen White said.

White said it is not clear when, or if, the schools will receive the $1 million Cox won last August on “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?”

Lawyers representing the creditors of Kathy Cox and her husband, John, are considering going after the prize money.

White said Fox could simply keep the $1 million. A Fox spokesman said the company was not prepared to comment.

Kathy Cox, in a statement issued through a spokesman Wednesday, said she still wants the money to benefit the Georgia Academy for the Blind in Macon; the Georgia School for the Deaf in Cave Spring; and the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf in Clarkston.

“It’s sad that banks and lawyers are standing in the way of making that happen,” she said. “I’m hopeful that this money will still end up where it belongs.”

The Coxes filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy Nov. 17, citing $3.5 million in debt related mainly to John Cox’s Fayette County home building business.

White said the bankruptcy trustee representing creditors has asked for records concerning the prize money.

“Whether he will ultimately assert that the state has a superior legal right to that of the [school fund’s] legal right, I don’t know,” she said.

A lawyer representing the bankruptcy trustee confirmed Wednesday the creditors might make a claim on the prize money.

“It is what we’re looking into,” said attorney Alex Teel. “As of yet, we haven’t seen those documents.”

While documents show the couple’s troubles stem from debt associated with John Cox’s home building business, the Coxes spent more than half of a 45-minute recorded bankruptcy hearing Dec. 30 fielding questions about the prize money.

During the hearing, John Cox said his wife nearly backed out of the game show appearance because of their financial troubles. The couple said they first met with a bankruptcy attorney Aug. 1, five days before the taping.

“You were so emotional, you didn’t want to go to the show,” John Cox said in an aside to his wife, “and I said, ‘Just go, it’s for a good cause. It doesn’t matter what happens to us.’ “

Georgia's Gingrey Kissing Rush Limbaugh

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

And an excuse for these.

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Better Know a District - Georgia's 11th - Phil Gingrey

Colbert Report Full Episodes
Colbert Report Tickets

Paul McCartney Appearance
More Funny Videos

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Betterer Know a District - Georgia's 11th - Phil Gingrey

Colbert Report Full Episodes
Colbert Report Tickets

Paul McCartney Appearance
More Funny Videos

Obama Obama All The Time

He got his stimulus bill through the House with no Republicans voting for it.

Uh, Mr. Obama? What is that Lobbyist Doing Here?

Thanks to x_3mta3 for introducing us to the wonderful machine that is the Obameter (and even more thanks for the magical inauguration souvenir that is the Obama Stocking Cap!), I spy that Mr. President is making an eenie weenie exception to his no lobbyists working in the White House rule. Oh, no big whoop, he only lobbied for Raytheon. They only make loads of money off of war. That only should be considered war profiteering, but let's call it necessary for defense and the economy. Great. If that hat wasn't so sparkly...

On his first day, President Obama signed an executive order placing restrictions on lobbyists working in the White House, as he promised to do during the campaign. We rated it Promise Kept.

But we've since learned new information that is prompting us to keep a closer eye Promise No. 240 and move the needle to Compromise.

The executive order Obama signed includes a waiver clause. The executive order says a waiver may be granted if "the literal application of the restriction is inconsistent with the purposes of the restriction" or "it is in the public interest ... . The public interest shall include, but not be limited to, exigent circumstances relating to national security or to the economy."

And a waiver seems to be in the works already -- for William J. Lynn III, the appointee to be Deputy Secretary of Defense. Lynn was formerly a lobbyist for the giant defense contractor Raytheon.

Better Know Some Georgia Representatives

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Better Know a District - Georgia's 8th - Lynn Westmoreland

Colbert Report Full Episodes
Colbert Report Tickets

Paul McCartney Appearance
More Funny Videos

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Better Know a District - Georgia's 1st - Jack Kingston

Colbert Report Full Episodes
Colbert Report Tickets

More Funny Videos
Comedians on Tour

Georgia's Very Own Jimmy Carter

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Jimmy Carter Pt. 1

Daily Show Full Episodes
Daily Show Tickets

More Funny Videos
Comedians on Tour

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Jimmy Carter Pt. 2

Daily Show Full Episodes
Daily Show Tickets

More Funny Videos
Comedians on Tour

Fulton County Commissioners Threatened With Dirty Jail Time

From The Atlanta Journal Constitution:

A federal judge on Tuesday threatened Fulton County commissioners with fines or incarceration if they don’t provide adequate funding for the county jail.

In a three-page order, Senior U.S. District Court Judge Marvin Shoob put officials on notice they could be held in contempt if Sheriff Ted Jackson is not provided the necessary resources to bring the jail into compliance with a court order.

Atlanta and Fulton County news Shoob issued the order in an ongoing case filed in 2004 that alleged the jail was understaffed, crowded, dirty and dangerous. In February 2006, Shoob approved a consent decree, under which the county pledged to improve conditions.

Shoob’s court-appointed monitor recently expressed concern over the county’s decision to cut the sheriff’s budget from $98 million to $93.4 million. The monitor believes such a reduced budget will not enable the sheriff to comply with the consent decree, Shoob said.

“The county defendants should be aware that it is their obligation to budget sufficient funds to enable the sheriff to comply with all requirements set out in the consent decree,” Shoob wrote. “This obligation is unconditional.”

“Holding people in jail is expensive and the judge is making it clear there’s no way around that,” said Lisa Kung, director of the Southern Center for Human Rights.

Kung said ways costs could be cut if the jail were not a “dumping ground” for people with mental health issues and for those who commit “poverty crimes.” There also should be a way to streamline procedures so detainees can more quickly post bond and be released, she said.

Hamas Using Camel, Lion, and Monkey Shields

From Big New Network:

A month ago, it was attracting families - he says the zoo drew up to 1,000 visitors each day. He points at the foot-long hole in the camel in one of the enclosures.

'This camel was pregnant, a missile went into her back,' he tells us. 'Look, look at her face. She was in pain when she died.'

Around every corner, inside almost every cage are dead animals, who have been lying in their cages since the Israeli incursion.

Qasim doesn't understand why they chose to destroy his zoo. And it's difficult to disagree with him. Most of them have been shot at point blank range.

'The first thing the Israelis did was shoot at the lions - the animals ran out of their cage and into the office building. Actually they hid there.'

The two lions are back in their enclosure. The female is pregnant, and lies heavily on the ground, occasionally swishing her tail. Qasim stands unusually close to them, but they don't seem bothered by his presence.

As he takes us around, he is obviously appalled at the state of the animals. The few animals that have survived appear weak and disturbed.
'The foxes ate each other because we couldn't get to them in time. We had many here.' There are carcasses everywhere and the last surviving fox is quivering in the corner.

The zoo opened in late 2005, with money from local and international NGOs. There were 40 types of animals, a children's library, a playground and cultural centre housed at the facility.

Inside the main building, soldiers defaced the walls, ripped out one of the toilets and removed all of the hard drives from the office computers. We asked him why they targeted the zoo. He laughs. 'I don't know. You have to go and ask the Israelis. This is a place where people come to relax and enjoy themselves. It's not a place of politics.'

Israel has accused Hamas of firing rockets from civilian areas. Qasim reacts angrily when we raise the subject.

'Let me answer that with a question. We are under attack. There was not a single person in this zoo. Just the animals. We all fled before they came. What purpose does it serve to walk around shooting animals and destroying the place?'

Inside one cage lie three dead monkeys and another two in the cage beside them. Two more escaped and have yet to return. He points to a clay pot. 'They tried to hide', he says of a mother and baby half-tucked inside.

Qasim says that his main two priorities at the moment are rebuilding the zoo and taking the Israeli army to court. For the first, he says he will need close to $200,000 to return the zoo to its former state - and he wants the Israelis to cover the costs. 'They have to pay me for all this damage.'

We ask him why it's so important for Gaza to have a zoo. 'During the past four years it was the most popular place for kids. They came from all over the Gaza Strip. There was nowhere else for people to go.'

Dennis Kuchinich on Banks and Reserve

Director of National Intelligence Confirmation Hearing

From Secrecy News:

“There is a great deal of over-classification,” admitted Adm. Dennis C. Blair, the nominee to be the next Director of National Intelligence, at his confirmation hearing last week.

“Some of it, I think, is done for the wrong reasons, to try to hide things from the light of day. Some of it is because in our system, there is no incentive not to do that, and there are penalties to do the reverse, in case you get something wrong and don’t classify it.”

“So I think we need to do fundamental work on the system,” he said in response to a question from Sen. Ron Wyden at the January 22 hearing.

Continued.

Major General Smedley Butler

From Chapter 4 of War is a Racket (the short book is readable online) by Smedley Butler, Major General- United States Marine Corps, awarded two Congressional Medals of Honor, Distinguished Service Medal, and Republican Candidate for Senate 1932.

A few profit -- and the many pay. But there is a way to stop it. You can't end it by disarmament conferences. You can't eliminate it by peace parleys at Geneva. Well-meaning but impractical groups can't wipe it out by resolutions. It can be smashed effectively only by taking the profit out of war.

The only way to smash this racket is to conscript capital and industry and labor before the nations manhood can be conscripted. One month before the Government can conscript the young men of the nation -- it must conscript capital and industry and labor. Let the officers and the directors and the high-powered executives of our armament factories and our munitions makers and our shipbuilders and our airplane builders and the manufacturers of all the other things that provide profit in war time as well as the bankers and the speculators, be conscripted -- to get $30 a month, the same wage as the lads in the trenches get.

Let the workers in these plants get the same wages -- all the workers, all presidents, all executives, all directors, all managers, all bankers -- yes, and all generals and all admirals and all officers and all politicians and all government office holders -- everyone in the nation be restricted to a total monthly income not to exceed that paid to the soldier in the trenches!

Let all these kings and tycoons and masters of business and all those workers in industry and all our senators and governors and majors pay half of their monthly $30 wage to their families and pay war risk insurance and buy Liberty Bonds.

Why shouldn't they?

They aren't running any risk of being killed or of having their bodies mangled or their minds shattered. They aren't sleeping in muddy trenches. They aren't hungry. The soldiers are!

Give capital and industry and labor thirty days to think it over and you will find, by that time, there will be no war. That will smash the war racket -- that and nothing else.

States' Rights Victory

From the New York Times:

WASHINGTON — President Obama will direct federal regulators on Monday to move swiftly on an application by California and 13 other states to set strict automobile emission and fuel efficiency standards, two administration officials said Sunday evening.

The directive makes good on an Obama campaign pledge and signifies a sharp reversal of Bush administration policy. Granting California and the other states the right to regulate tailpipe emissions would be one of the most emphatic actions Mr. Obama could take to quickly put his stamp on environmental policy.

Mr. Obama’s presidential memorandum will order the Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider the Bush administration’s past rejection of the California application. While it stops short of flatly ordering the Bush decision reversed, the agency’s regulators are now widely expected to do so after completing a formal review process.

Continued.

Out-Golf and Gardens. Five Minutes Ago- Downtown Baseball. In- Theater District.

The Chronicle's editorial today seems to start out poking fun of our get-rich-quick schemes here in Augusta (the race track, a canal downtown, a new baseball stadium, cable-cars on Broad Street, and everyone's favorite- the Golf and Gardens) and goes on to rave about how wonderful it could be to restore the Miller Theater. But then:

Our feeling is that it would be terrific if they're right -- and the theater district could have room for the old and the new. It would be a terrible shame to lose the Miller now.

Still, it would be a greater sin if, by restoring the Miller, we lose either momentum or public support for a new state-of-the-art performing arts center. If we have to choose, a newer, larger, modern performance hall is the way to go.

The comments following the column didn't indicate a lot of public support or momentum that direction. What is it about Augusta and these big ticket items that no one wants?
We could take a lesson from little North Augusta and their Riverview Park and Greeneway. Augusta could do something similar and even better. We have the canal path already connecting downtown to lovely Lake Olmstead Park. We could buy or build a gym downtown near the canal path. That would be affordable, healthy, social fun for Augustans, and a steady stream of traffic for downtown businesses. The city could rent out bikes downtown and kayaks or canoes at Lake Olmstead. We already have disc golf and a great baseball stadium there. We could also easily catch some more money from Greenjackets games without building a second stadium. If parking is really a problem there, let's set up a park-and-ride shuttle downtown on game nights so people can hang out on Broad Street (maybe even at the Miller) before the game and then get dropped back off again after. We have buses.

Stimulus, Infrastructure Spending, and Tax Cuts

"When we borrow from future generations, we should invest for future generations."

Is Warrantless Spying Here to Stay?

Maybe this is what Obama means by transparency- making citizens' communications available to the government.

Nat Hentoff is now at the Zanesville Times Recorder (who aren't so good with the spellcheck on this one).

After testimony by our new Attorney General, Eric Holder, on Jan. 14 before the Senate Judiciary Committee, I have regained my skepticism about how much of our Constitution President Barack Obama intends to restore - for one example, our privacy rights under the Fourth Amendment. Holder declared that the Obama administration will defend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Amendments of 2008 immunizing and protecting America's telecommunications companies from many lawsuits about their involvement with the Bush administration's mass surveillance of Americans' telephone and Internet communications.

Sen. Obama, after'eoedging his opposition to thaI bill by intending to filibuster it, wound up voting for it, to the deep disappointment and surprise of some of his ardent supporters. Now, under President Obama, Verizon, AT&T and other major telecommunications organizations are assured that they can continue to provide continuous streams of our communications data to the omnivorous National Security Agency, which will share the information with other intelligence agencies.

So broad and sweeping is NSA's reach under this legislation that, as the ACLU charges in its current lawsuit, "The new law permits the government to conduct intrusive surveillance without ever telling a court who it intends to spy on, what phone lines and email addresses it intends to monitor, where its surveillance targets are located, why it's conducting the surveillance or whether it suspects any party to the communication of wrongdoing."

Is this President Obama's America?

Continued.

And a related interview with The Nation's sportswriter by Rachel Maddow.

Today in History

Ninety years ago today, the League of Nations was founded. Augusta's own, Woodrow Wilson, put forth the idea of the League of Nations in his 14 Points, which laid down a potential path to world peace. The League ultimately failed, not in small part by the US refusing to actually join.

Saturday Night Live Prophecies Too

How do these funny bunnies see the future so much more clearly than our experts?

Rush Limbaugh and Osama bin Laden

They both want Barack Obama to fail.

The Onion Prophecies

We all remember this Onion article written up the week after George Bush finally was inaugurated President in 2001. Well apparently the Onion did it again, when that plumber popped up in the election campaign late last year.

Traditional Healers Banned in Tanzania

Tanzania bans traditional healers due to a wave of murders. Forty albino people in the past half-year have been killed and their body parts sold to witch doctors for rituals.

High Fives Are Back

HIGH-FIVE INAUGURATION! - watch more funny videos

U.S. Out of Africa's Uterus!

From Think Progess:

ADMINISTRATION -- OBAMA TO OVERTURN 'GLOBAL GAG RULE': Today, President Obama will overturn the "Global Gag Rule," also known as the "Mexico City Policy." This policy stipulates that "no U.S. government funding for family planning services can be given to clinics or groups that offer abortion services or counseling in other countries even if the funds for those activities come from non-U.S. government sources." President Reagan first instituted this policy in 1984; it was later overturned by President Bill Clinton, only to be reinstated by President George W. Bush. Obama's reversal of Bush's order -- which U.N. special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa said was "doing damage to Africa" -- could help slow the transmission of HIV/AIDS in the region. Unlike Presidents Clinton and Bush, however, Obama chose not to use yesterday's anniversary of Roe v. Wade to take this expected course of action, apparently to avoid looking overly combative. Explaining his support for pro-choice policies yesterday, Obama said that Roe v. Wade "not only protects women's health and reproductive freedom, but stands for a broader principle: that government should not intrude on our most private family matters."

Oh, and Stem Cells are Back!

Let's cure some stuff!

It's the Obameter!

Now everyone at home can keep track of which campaign promises Barack Obama keeps and breaks.

Clinton Confirmed

Hillary Clinton was officially confirmed by the Seante as the next Secretary of State on Wednesday. By an overwhelming vote of 94-2. John McCain had this to say: "This nation has come together in a way that it has not for some time." The American people "want us to work together and get to work."

Obama's First Phone Call

In a follow-up to Jill's post from yesterday, Barack Obama's first phone call to a foreign dignitary was to Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas, most likely indicating that he intends to really focus on the Middle East. Could he broker a peace deal where no others have been able to before? It is a daunting task, but there's so much hope floating around right now, who knows?

Obama Tells Military to Start Planning for Iraq Drawdown

Barack Obama has already held discussions with senior military commanders, telling them to start getting ready to pull troops out of Iraq responsibly.

Obama Revokes Executive Order 13233

The revocation allows the public better access to presidential records, hopefully ushering in a new era of transparency in government.

Obama Being Careful with Everything

Chief Justice John Roberts readministered the oath of office to Barack Obama Wednesday night, just to make sure there couldn't be any challenges to the validity of his presidency, following Roberts' goof at the inauguration ceremony on Tuesday. It's kind of sad that one would have to worry about something like that.

Golf and Tennis

From BBC:

Japan's Ryo Ishikawa is set to become the second-youngest player at the US Masters after receiving an invitation.

The 17-year-old will be the youngest at Augusta since Tommy Jacobs appeared as an amateur in 1952 at 17 years, one month and 21 days.

"At a young age, Ishikawa has shown the skill and competitiveness to make him a deserving recipient of this invite," club chairman Billy Payne said.

Ishikawa, the youngest player to break the top 100 in the world rankings, already was at number 60 and might have been able to qualify on his own depending on his results over the next two months.

The size of the Augusta field is now 89, with Davis Love III, David Toms and J.B. Holmes, the only player from the Ryder Cup still not eligible for the Masters, still trying to qualify.

The Guardian:

Violence erupted at the Australian Open today when dozens fought after the big-screen viewing of the third-round match between the Serbian defending champion Novak Djokovic and Amer Delic, who plays for the United States but was born in Bosnia.

Djokovic lost a set for the first time in the tournament and had to fend off two more set points in the fourth before beating Delic 6–2, 4–6, 6–3, 7–6, but moments after the pair had embraced at the net and waved to all parts of the Rod Laver Arena, water bottles and plastic chairs were hurled between the Bosnian and Serbian fans who had been watching the match in a garden adjacent to the arena.

In a separate incident, police said a man was charged with indecent exposure after running naked from the waist down on to Court Three during Serena and Venus Williams's 6–3, 6–3 win over Ayumi Morita and Martina Müller in a second-round doubles match.

Obama Shutting Down Gitmo

President Obama signed an executive order today,
shutting down Guantanamo Bay. He signed another executive order formally banning torture. Change might actually be coming America!

Georgia Public Defenders and Poor Folk Get Screwed

A letter from the President-Elect of the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. We aren't doing well providing legal defense to poor people here in Georgia (it's one reason for the world infamous still-ongoing case of Troy Davis being stuck in a death sentence- he missed deadlines while he was on death row without legal counsel.)

Kenneth B. Hodges III is correct that our criminal justice system should be one of the top issues on the Legislature's agenda this session (“DA furloughs hurt state,” Jan. 13). However with our indigent defense system in complete crisis, I hope that the Legislature will start by funding and fixing our very broken statewide indigent defense system.

Public defenders throughout the state, underpaid and overburdened, now are carrying record high caseloads. This week I received e-mails from public defenders throughout the state reporting caseloads in the 300s, 500s and even 800s. These caseloads are absolutely unmanageable. It is important to note that these public defenders are working for 10 percent less than their counterparts in prosecutors' offices. And while most public defenders offices have avoided furloughs, they have done so by eliminating non-lawyer staff positions, which means more administrative duties fall on these public defenders in addition to their impossible caseloads.

To make matters worse, the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council executive director, Mack Crawford, and its Conflicts and Compliance director, Larry Schneider, are seeking to relax the definition of “conflicts” in criminal cases so they can make an impossible conflict budget work for everyone except public defenders and indigent defendants. They want public defenders in the same office to be allowed to represent co-defendants. This would never be permitted in the private sector.

The Georgia Supreme Court has held that “Adequate funding of [indigent defense] is constitutionally mandated.” Wilson v. Southerland, 258 Ga. 479, 480. There are no provisions in the state or federal Constitutions which allow for the effective assistance of counsel when it is affordable. The right to effective legal counsel may not be suspended in times of fiscal inconvenience. There are no provisions in the Georgia State Bar Rules that provide for the relaxation of ethical standards when representing poor people.

The Southern Center for Human Rights recently filed a lawsuit on behalf of Jamie Weis, a defendant facing capital charges who has been without a lawyer for eight months. Rather than immediately obtaining a lawyer for Weis, Crawford has gotten himself a lawyer to defend him against the lawsuit. I wonder if this will be a free lawyer? I wonder if Crawford will have to wait eight months to meet with him.

The State of Georgia cannot plead poverty in this case. Last year the state collected about $9 million from civil filing fees and criminal fines under the guise that it would go to indigent defense. The handling of our statewide indigent defense system is indefensible.

In 1963 Clarence Gideon wrote his own appeal on prison stationary from his cell in Panama City, Fla. He wanted a lawyer and the U.S. Supreme Court said he and everyone charged with a criminal offense should have a lawyer. How many Gideons are there in jail cells in Georgia in 2009? One is too many.

Christine A. Koehler,

President-Elect, Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

Obama Talking to Middle East Leaders

I didn't cry at the inauguration- nothing until this shot of President Obama working the office phone really got to me. America, we have to ask ourselves, if he's in there, who's clearing the brush?!?

From Big News Network:

US President Barack Obama has rung the leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

He spoke to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Jordan's King Abdullah and President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, which was ousted from Gaza by Hamas in 2007.

White House staff have said Mr Obama emphasized his determination to help ensure the current Hamas-Israeli cease-fire holds.

In expressing his commitment to pursuing Arab-Israeli peace, President Obama said he would help the Palestinian Authority with a major reconstruction effort in Gaza.

Analysts have said the calls were an opportunity for the president to make a commitment over an Arab-Israeli peace deal from the very beginning of his term.

South Carolina Chimes In On Holder

Some Senate Republicans are holding up the confirmation of Eric Holder as Attorney General because of concerns that since he considers waterboarding torture, he may prosecute someone or ones who were involved in waterboarding.

From Huffington Post:

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, agreed with Leahy that Holder can't rule out prosecutions before he becomes the top prosecutor.

"What I believe we should do is not politicize this, the idea of prosecutions coming from the hard left. Making a commitment that we'll never prosecute someone is probably not the right way to proceed, either," he said. "I think President Obama's administration is going to have a forward look on this, unless there's something egregious out there I think they'll move on. But no I don't expect him to rule it in or rule it out."

"In individual cases, if there's allegations of mistreatment judges can handle that and you can determine what course to take," he added. "If we've committed -- if we've made mistakes in the past, let's clean them up. But this idea of criminalizing policy differences would be bad for the country and would create a bad precedent."

Ceasefire Dinner Party

From Big News Network:

The leaders of France, Britain, Germany, Spain, and Italy, and the President of the European Union, all wined and dined at a gala dinner hosted by the Israeli Prime Minister at his home on Sunday night.

It was the day a ceasefire was unilaterally declared by the Jewish state following a three-week offensive which killed more than 1,300 Palestinians, and wounded several thousand others. Thirteen Israelis also died in the hostilities, including three civilians.

In attendance at the dinner were British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, and Czech Prime Minister and current EU President Mirek Topolanek.

Representing Israel were the Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Foreign Minister and Vice Premier Tzipi Livni, opposition leader Binyamin Netanyahu, and the leaders of the Knesset and other political entities.

“I wish to express my personal appreciation and the appreciation of the people of Israel to you, leaders of the European countries, for demonstrating your impressive support for the State of Israel and your concern for its safety,” said Olmert in welcoming the leaders to Jerusalem. “The united front which you represent and your uncompromising stand with regard to the security of the State of Israel warms our hearts and strengthens us at this sensitive time.”

The banquet on the day an extensive offensive ended, the appreciation expressed by Israel to such a gathering after three weeks of horrific carnage and destruction, was curious, and made even more so by comments from the Israeli leadership that hinted the military offensive had been planned months in advance, and possibly in consultaion with a number of Western countries, as well as certain Arab states.

A day earlier the Israeli defense minister, perhaps inadvertently, revealed the offensive had been planned months in advance. A day later Foreign Minister Livni let go with another revelation saying that prior to the offensive commencing, Israel had formed a “coalition” of Western countries and Arab states.

On Saturday night in announcing the ceasefire would be taking place at 2:00am Sunday, Ehud Barak, Israel's defense minister said "We prepared our army and security forces for many months. We did not overlook a single detail. When we embarked on the operation, we did what we had to do."

In remarks by Olmert before the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, hours after the announcement of the ceasefire, he said, “Today, EU President and Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero will come to Israel in order to express their support, for the multi-lateral, comprehensive move, which we formulated along with the US, Egypt and others in order to bring quiet to the south of the country.'

Then on Monday during an address on the military operation at the College for Management in Rishon Lezion, Livni said, “This is not an ordinary sight when such an amazing show of world leaders arrives in Israel after the heavy blow Israel dealt Gaza.”

She went on to say, according to Ynet news, "We embarked on the operation after forming a coalition of Western and Arab countries."

On Sunday night at the banquet, the world leaders assembled at Prime Minister Olmert’s home, commended Israel and vowed to take action to prevent arms smuggling into Gaza.

“I am very pleased to be here this evening to express my support, together with the other European leaders,” said Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi. “As far as my country and I am concerned, we have always stood beside you. We feel for the hardships you must face. Your hardships are our hardships.”

The Italian prime minister reminded Israel it was he, Berlusconi, when he was President of the European Union that decided to put Hamas on the list of terrorist organizations. “You certainly remember that Italy always stood beside you, even when Israel was the only democracy in the Middle East. This is because of our shared values, our aspiration for freedom, our cultures and our free market rules,” he said.

Berlusconi went on to suggest that one day Israel can be a member of the European Union. “I am still convinced that it is proper that this happen, and we must continue working to that end,” he said.

”With regard to the current situation, as in the past, you can count on Italy and my government,” said Berlusconi. “We will join with all the European countries to ensure that no arms reach Gaza by land or by sea. We are willing to provide Italian representatives at each of the border crossings and are also prepared to provide you with all the technological means at our disposal, at the highest professional standards,” he said.

The Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Mirek Topalanek, who is also the President of the EU, said, 'While recognizing Israel's right to self-defense and being aware of the proximate causes of the Israeli military operation, we regret the accompanying loss of innocent lives and property.”

The President of France Nicolas Sarkozy lauded Israel but said his country did not agree with its offensive. He was quick to point out however this was not an admonishment, but was a matter of being genuinely honest. He also said world leaders needed to unite to restart the peace process, and not wait on the United States.

“Europe will never compromise the security of the State of Israel,” he said. “I must say we did not support Israel’s actions in Gaza. We recognize Hamas’s central mistake with regard to the rocket fire, but we believe that the Israeli army’s place is not in Gaza.”

”All my political life I felt and lived as a friend to Israel, but a true friend is honest and can be trusted,” said Sarkozy. “The Government of Israel’s unanimous decision to cease fire is a decision we support. It is the right decision for a democratic country. However, it is only the first step. We must move forward because this region of the world, which you know better than we do, is running out of time. For too many years we lost time and missed too many opportunities. There were too many leaders who tried but did not succeed, and now we too must try.”

“Europe has resolved to assist in this. Angela Merkel, Gordon Brown, Silvio Berlusconi and I sent a letter. We wrote that we are ready to place our ships at your disposal so that there will be no more weapons smuggling to Gaza.”

“As soon as the Israeli withdraws from Gaza, we should hold a summit with the Palestinian Authority to talk to them about how a Palestinian state will live in peace with the State of Israel. Of course we also need the United States, there is no doubt about this, but we need not wait. We believe they will provide the guarantees,” said the French president

”We came here today as friends. We extend our hand to everyone because we are convinced that Europe brings with it a message of peace. Europe will be strong and decisive if it has the courage to speak with everyone. I am not admonishing Israel; this is merely an expression of friendship, of genuine honesty and of courage.’

Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel said, “We are here today on a symbolic journey. It is clear that Israel, like any other state, has the right to live in peace, and to not be threatened by its neighbors. It is therefore important that we also work toward a sustainable peace. We are all convinced, and it is for this reason that I, together with the President of France and Prime Minister Gordon Brown, wrote this letter, that we must ensure that the smuggling of arms, on land or sea, will be stopped. We will assist to the best of our ability.”

Merkel also said the crossings must be opened and wanted to see the Palestinian Authority play a part in Gaza. “We want to see the enhancement of the legitimate Authority, and we have said so to President Abbas,” she said. “ The State of Israel has a right to live, and so does a Palestinian state. We, together with our American friends, will support this process. We are neighbors, we are close. It is in all of our interest to live in a world of peace.”

The Prime Minister of Great Britain, Mr.Gordon Brown said, “We recognize that a ceasefire means that there should be no rocket attacks on the Israeli people from Gaza, and we call on the Hamas, even at this stage, to make sure that its supporters desist from any rocket attacks on the people of Israel.”

”We recognize also that this ceasefire must mean that action is taken against arms smuggling and arms trafficking. We have written to you, Prime Minister, to say that we will do everything to help stop the supply of arms by land and by sea. We recognize that the cessation of rocket attacks and the control of arms trafficking are vital to the security of the people of Israel, and Israel has a right to be secure within its own borders,” said Brown.

”You said a few minutes ago, Prime Minister, that you would want the troops to leave Gaza as soon as possible. I hope that will be possible and I hope also that we will see an opening of the crossings. I believe that that would constitute the next stage following the ceasefire that will make possible a resumption of the talks that are necessary for a permanent peace.”

”We have come here this evening to see all the leaders of Israel. We appreciate the leadership that you have shown over many many years, and all of you here are friends of the European Union and friends of our countries,” said the British prime minister. “I wanted to say that I was pleased to be with you all this evening, but the task before us is not just a ceasefire and it is not just the end to arms trafficking. It is building a permanent peace, and that means security for Israel within its borders and that means the viability, economically and socially, of a Palestinian state.”

Prime Minister of Spain Jose Luis Zapatero said, “It is my first time in your country, and I am very excited that I am here on the same day that a ceasefire, which the international community has been striving to achieve for several weeks, is declared. We hope that this cease fire will be sustainable and that it will include the withdrawal of Israeli forces, with guarantees for Israel's security.'

Reverend Lowery's Benediction

This benediction by Reverend Lowery is the best poem of the day, and not just for the rhymes. Some friends and neighbors found that last part a little bristly, but let's remember this man is a decorated veteran of the old civil rights battles. He wandered off the expected script, but he stepped lightly and with grace. This country wants to come together; did we think we could make up without ever mentioning the fight? A surprise laugh led us right into a nationwide amen. Beautiful way to close the inauguration of America's first non-white president.

MSNBC Team!

James and Alaina got to see the backs of the heads that are Rachel Maddow, Keith Olberman, and Chris Matthews!

INAUGURATION!!!!!

BARACK OBAMA IS THE NEW PRESIDENT!!

I forgot my phone in the car so I couldn't take pictures or send updates throughout the day, which was extremely disappointing, but it allowed me to pay more attention to taking in everything that was going on around me. We got a late start from our hotel, leaving at 4:45am instead of 4:00am, but we made it to the Metro stop and headed downtown. I forget exactly what time we got off the Metro, but I do remember that the stop we needed was closed and we had to ride on to the next one, which created a big mess of people not really knowing where to go and a bunch of extra walking. We finally made it to our ticket gate (Silver tickets, standing room on the Mall) at about 7:05am.

While standing in line, we saw recently-retired Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy about ten feet away. At 8:00am they opened the gate and the crowd surged forward. About 15 minutes later, as we were actually nearing the first gate before security, Tony Dungy moved by us going perpendicular to the crowd movement and asked me if he could squeeze by! Of course I backed off as much as I could and he brushed by me. We finally squeezed through the gate and then had to wait something like another hour before we made it to the security checkpoint, which wasn't exactly a model of great security. Numerous people made it into the Silver section without actually having tickets. Way to go DC! But with that many people crowding in there, things went off without very many noticeable hitches. I'd like to say I was upset that people got into the ticketed area without tickets, but honestly, we were all more or less family today; and for standing room only three blocks away, I'm surprised they even issued tickets. I am glad I have my ticket though. Only about 28,000 of these babies exist, and I've got mine.

The event kicked off at 10:30am with some choir performances. The jumbotron pointed out numerous celebrities that were lucky enough to get chairs to sit in for the event. Among them were Steven Spielberg, Dustin Hoffman, Wycliffe Jean, Beyonce, Oprah, and Magic Johnson. Muhammad Ali also was here for this historic event. Then the Governors came, followed by the Senators, and the familes of Joe Biden and Barack Obama, and the ex-vice Presidents, and the ex-Presidents. Then out came Joe Biden to enormous cheers, and then the man everyone came to see, Barack Obama. All throughout the ceremony and the hours of waiting leading up to it, chants of "OBAMA!" rang through the crowd. Interspersed among these chants, the crowd sang "Na Na Na NA! Na Na Na NA! He-ey hey! GOODBYE!" to President Bush. As we got closer and closer to the ceremony, we got a virtual countdown of George Bush's time left in office from people in the crowd all around us.

Finally the ceremony kicked off with Aretha Franklin serenading us with "My Country 'Tis of Thee." She sported some pretty amazing headgear. Oh and Rick Warren did his convocation thing somewhere in there. And soon enough, Joe Biden was sworn in as the next Vice President of the United States of America. Then there was a moving John Williams piece performed by Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Gabriela Montero, and Anthony McGill. And then it was game time.

Very few words spoken in my presence have ever made me smile as big of a smile and cheer as loud of a cheer as what I heard next. "I, Barack Hussein Obama..." The crowd went nuts! Mr. Obama was now the 44th President of the United States of America! At this point there was a poetry reading and they played the Star Spangled Banner. We began making our way toward the exit with the rest of the crowd, but it was jammed up. We made it about 20 feet in 20 minutes. At this point we, the crowd, took it upon ourselves to get out of there and more or less tore down a fence and climbed through it and through some trees and over some boulders and around a pond and finally made it out onto the street.

The crowds were so intense. Chaos ensued. Some people were trying to go one direction, others in every other direction. We fought our way to a Metro stop where the crowd had gotten backed up and some part time military folk were doing their best to maintain order and keep the kids in the crowd from being trampled. After about twenty minutes of standing in line, a short time by the rest of the day's standards, we made it to the escalator. We managed to pile into the first train that was waiting at the station and took off. After a fairly easy transfer we made it to Union Station at about 2:00pm where the crowds were again enormous. People were everywhere. We made a mad dash to find some food since we hadn't eaten since about 7:00 or 8:00pm the night before. We managaed to scrape up some sandwiches and sat down for about 20 minutes. Then we got kicked out of Union Station. Apparently it got too crowded so they kicked everyone out and even shut down the Metro stop there. So we were forced to walk about 10 blocks to another Metro stop, where we got on and made it back to the car about an hour and a half later.

I'd like to say I will never put myself into a crowd situation like this again, but who am I kidding? I live for this stuff. Yes, most of the day was miserable, but I was here, in Washington DC, on January 20th, 2009, when Barack Hussein Obama became the 44th President and 1st African American President. And getting to hear him take the oath of office and give his inaugural address in person and see from a distance the little speck that was him is an experience I will never forget.