Monthly Archives: May 2004

Western Civilization, RIP

Posted on May 17, 2004 by Michael Froomkin

Fafblog! the whole worlds only source for Fafblog, pens an obituary for Western Civilization:

Western Civilization. Born 3500 B.C. in early Mesopotamian city-states, Western Civilization developed numerous complex systems of political governance, conquered most of the inhabited world, and invented the hot air balloon, the nuclear bomb, and the ice cream cone. Died May 17, 2004, of a gay agenda in a Massachusetts court house. It is survived by isolated anarchist survivalist camps and nomadic bands of flesh-eating zombies.

Posted in Law: Con Law: Marriage | Comments Off on Western Civilization, RIP

OK, That’s A Denial

Posted on May 17, 2004 by Michael Froomkin

I complained yesterday that the Pentagon issued a non-denial denial about the New Yorker article by Seymour Hersh. Today we get a full-bodied denial: Pentagon: Hersh report 'journalist malpractice'.

Update: To ice the cake, the DoD changed the original press release.

Posted in Iraq Atrocities | 1 Comment

All About the WMD Commission

Posted on May 17, 2004 by Michael Froomkin

Here's a useful service, provided by WashingtonPost.com (Dan Froomkin dept.): All About the WMD Commission.

Posted in Dan Froomkin, Politics: US: GW Bush Scandals | Comments Off on All About the WMD Commission

Eric Muller Is Asking the Right Questions About the Justice Dept.

Posted on May 17, 2004 by Michael Froomkin

In More on the Justice Department, the Pentagon, and the Supreme Court, Eric Muller is asking the right questions about whether the Justice Dept. misled the Supreme Court, either on purpose or (more likely) due to incompetence or manipulation.

Two months ago I would have been confident that of course no one in the SG's office would knowingly lie to the Supreme Court. I still think that's more likely than not. But when your government will torture people, everything has to be on the table.

Posted in Iraq Atrocities | Comments Off on Eric Muller Is Asking the Right Questions About the Justice Dept.

Another Internet Identity Mystery Story

Posted on May 17, 2004 by Michael Froomkin

Just another Internet identity mystery story? But this is an unusually good one: The Search for Isabella V. Here's “her” blog, she's a flight risk.

Posted in Internet | Comments Off on Another Internet Identity Mystery Story

Weird Gitmo Abuse Claims Seem More Credible Now (Alas!)

Posted on May 17, 2004 by Michael Froomkin

Back in a more innocent age — that would be about two months ago — I wrote a post (UK's Released Detainees Allege Torture) quoting but doubting claims of bizzare forms of abuse reported by recently releasted Gitmo detainees. I said then:

I do not believe the US would starve detainees or feed them spoiled food. Would it? And the stuff the Mirror repeats about the use of prostitutes to shock sensitive Muslims with naked bodies and menstral blood sounds just too weird — more like the propaganda of a person who has been held illegally in hard conditions for two years and wants his revenge.

My conclusion then was that,

Outside independent review — ideally judicial review — is essential either to rebut these claims convincingly or to root out and punish those responsbile if the uglier charges are at all true.

Have to say that those charges seem less impossible today. And I'm still not exactly clear on who's going to be doing that independent review…

Posted in Guantanamo | Comments Off on Weird Gitmo Abuse Claims Seem More Credible Now (Alas!)