Te[t]chy Judges, Arent They

In a 2 to 1 decision yesterday, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said it would not accept the judges' brief on a legal technicality, saying the title "judge" should not be used to describe former judges in legal proceedings. The court is examining whether "enemy combatants" should be allowed to challenge their detention in U.S. courts.

[The (poorly reported) rest of the story...]

I say "poorly reported" because the article fails to clarify to what specific "title" the Appeal's judges are referring. What was the title of the FotC brief they submitted?

How can one possibly come to a conclusion as to the value and legality of their decision without seeing the thing upon which it was based? Must the WaPo generally leave their best, most comprehensive coverage for their reporters to do on their personal time?

Arrrhhg . . . Anyhow, back to the reason for the dismissal.

The appeals panel's more conservative judges, David B. Sentelle and A. Raymond Randolph, issued the opinion, with Judge Judith W. Rogers, an appointee of President Bill Clinton, dissenting.

Oh. Wonderful . . .

I'll be checking SCOTUSblog - not something I do often enough - for the missing clarity on this one.

Only (Almost) Human

The Artist's Model



Thanks to the Omnipotent Poobah for the link whence was found.

Mind Reader?

How else could a woman born, raised and living in Iraq have possibly known what I've been thinking?

My only conclusion is that the Americans want to withdraw from Iraq, but would like to leave behind a full-fledged civil war because it wouldn't look good if they withdraw and things actually begin to improve, would it?

Riverbend of Baghdad Burning

I suppose she's not the only one.


H/T to Sumo.


Ed's Note: This is my Cynic talking. I think Bu$hCo wants things nice and tidy before we leave Iraq*. As long as that country's government is amenable to American hegemony in the field of Oil Production, of course.


* A politically improbable possibility I'm afraid, but convinced 'tis true.

Searching . . .

Imagine a Geometrically Perfect Tool for Peace

I've waited a couple of days to share this, as Comandante Agí has already used it as his musical post for peace.

None-the-less, since it's been #2 on my listening list this holiday weekend, and Maynard does indeed so seriously rock, I present to you a remarkable, and in my opinion, magnificent remake of a pop culture masterpiece.



Imagine the Light of our combined personal efforts towards overcoming the Darkness of hubris, duplicity, greed, and despair.

♫♫ ♫♫ ♫ ♫ ♫

No notes to follow those notes this time. I just like the festive flavor they provide.

Kill Switch --- Engage!*

Hhmmm. . . I just realized that every post since this one has been tolerant, positive, optimistic, up-beat or down-right sickery sweet and happy for the holidays.

This. Just. Won't. Do.

Now, while I take back none of it (and really can't stop listening to BG an' Neddie's Opus o' Yule!) I do have to confront the reality that I'm a 41 year old double-divorcé, (semi)manic depressive and an under-educated, amateur politi-blogging, atheist non-breeder with few active fleshbot friends, the best (perhaps) of whom is away in NYC for the long holiday weekend, thus leaving me alone again, naturally**.

I awoke (alone again***, let's not forget) this morning to the (redundant) realization that that so-called "Saint" Nick ain't coming down my chimney, even if'n I had one in this black mold infested (but easily affordable) brownstown on the near west side of a (formerly) Red State (formerly) steel town in the (cardiomyopathically**** challenged) Heartland of America.

Lucky for me, I read so many blogs that I'm almost always a day or two (or 10) behind, so old posts frequently appear brand new pour moi, and I am able to rekindle the War Effort via teh Librul-Baby-Geesus-Hating Underground.




Thanks for the linkage, "Miss C"! Irony is Beautiful.


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* Some Conservatroll over on Bobby Lightfoot's used the name of that band to poo poo my man Bobby's awesome expression of angst over his life in the music industry. Being a sometime Metal maven, I seriously love (no. I ain't gonna be embarrassed 'bout that shit, either! {-;) the sound of the band name. Kill Switch Engage! What the . . ? Guess I'll go ahead and add that to my litany o' woes in this post's 3rd paragraph.

** Yikes! I never listened to all the lyrics to that one, eh. (I mean, why?) No worries, folks. My Dad ain't dead, and I'm not throwin' m'self off no towers. Terminal, or otherwise.

*** What's that mommy? No one will ever love me like you do? But.. but.. {shudderererererererer....}

**** {another-shudder} Yeppers, folks. I know that could very well be the mirror image of MY own heart, begging me to quit effing smoking already.


♫♫ ♫♫ ♫ ♫ ♫

Thank you non-existent gods, God and goddesses, for teh fucking Internets!!!1!1!Q!1


Merry Chris'mas! ! !

{-;

Both Sides Now

This is a cross post from Silly Humans. I'll be doing this with a lot of new posts, originating on either site, in order to decided whether or not to make this my main site.

This story is a prime example of why I Am Against the Death Penalty: "... nobody is above the rule of law."

[Link] (W)hat makes (Abdul-Rahman al Lahem) such a formidable foe in the courtroom is his own strong background in sharia.

Until the late 1990s, Lahem -- who holds a degree in sharia -- was an Arabic teacher and an activist with the conservative Islamic Sahwa movement. Like most Sahwa adherents, he wore a long traditional white robe and let his beard grow long and scruffy, considered signs of piety.

His mind-set was similar to that of the austere Wahhabi judges he now battles in court, he explained with a wry smile.

Teaching in the isolated city of Hafr al-Batin, about 250 miles northeast of the deeply conservative Qassim region where he was born and far from his closed Sahwa circle, he discovered different Muslim thinkers, such as the Egyptian cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi. It was the first time that Lahem, then in his mid-20s, had read anything outside the official Wahhabi version of Islam taught in school.

His transformation took an even sharper turn when he enrolled in law school in Riyadh. Unlike his strict religious education, his legal studies required ordered, logical thinking, not learning by rote. Students could also argue and discuss concepts with their professors, something impossible in the rigid hierarchy of sharia school.

"From the first class, I fell in love with the law," Lahem said, extracting a Marlboro from a front pocket and lighting it. "I started learning to depend on my mind, not just on ideas I'd been spoon-fed. It was wonderful. I felt as if I had found something I'd been looking for for years."

[For the whole of the 3 web-page WaPo story...]

People can change when given opportunity, support and objective information. You can't bring back the dead, but redress for even the most heinous of grievances can be had in many forms.

Death both prevents such restitution and is an extreme and nearly indefensible penitance to force upon another human being. Unless, of course, you follow archaic proscriptions for emotional retaliation and enforcement of your own beliefs onto others.

The hurdles Mr al Lahem must leap are also why I am so proud of and adamantly supportive of my own nation's secular Constitution.

No one nor no thing is perfect, but some things really are obviously better than others.

Happy Holidays all!!!

Reason for the Season

This is cross posted from my primary blog, Silly Humans.


Happy and Healthy Solstice wishes to all y'all around the world, from a singular silly human on the North Coast (one of 'em anyhow {-;) of America.


Love and Light Folks!


Love and Light for all!


And, yes, that does mean everyone.


Happy New Year* too . . .



♫♫ ♫♫ ♫ ♫ ♫

* Is how I'll be ringing it in. {-;

a Point on a Line