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I stumbled on this article today that really amused me. It's fantastically well written and biting on both Gonzales and the Bush administration, but it's very short. Here are some of the highlights:

The ultimate humiliation has now been inflicted on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, the nation's demonstrably incompetent and intellectually corrupt chief law enforcement officer. Virtually all major Latino activist groups that vigorously supported his appointment have now declared their support of Gonzales null and void. ... This mass disaffection of Hispanics simply adds to the growing realization in Congress and the public that Gonzales is unfit ethically and intellectually to fulfill the oath of attorney general to be the people's lawyer, not the in-house mouthpiece for President Bush and his constitutionally dubious conduct.

And most importantly:

Nothing, absolutely nothing—not even the war—is more critical to the preservation of American government than restoring respect for law and for returning the Department of Justice to those with a profound regard for the Constitution. So too does the nation need legal professionals who understand the rights of citizens and who have the character to repudiate wrongdoing—even in the White House.

DHL

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Apparently, the DHS has only charged 12 cases of terrorism out of 814,000 cases it's brought.

TRAC reported more than 85 percent of the charges involved more common immigration violations such as not having a valid immigrant visa, overstaying a student visa or entering the United States without an inspection.

Keeping media open when it needs to be

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A lot of the newsletters I subscribe to and groups that I follow are making more noise about this. The main point, from Defective by Design's e-newsletter:

The Department of Justice has drafted this outrageous legislative proposal that threatens ordinary Americans with jail time and the sort of property forfeiture penalties applied in drug busts for P2P users, mixtape makers, and mash-up artists. The law would stiffen penalties for "attempted infringement", basically removing the requirement that the government or Big Media companies actually prove that infringement occurred. The IPPA would also authorize massive wiretapping to investigate copyright infringement by individuals. The government has plenty of tools to investigate and prosecute large scale criminal enterprises engaging in bootlegging, the IPPA will target every citizen.

The main point here is that it makes copyright infringement a criminal offense and that it only has to be attempted! Think of all the people who've already been served with lawsuits (many who were clearly innocent). Now imagine that they no longer have to prove infringement, only attempted infringement. This makes their case far easier to fight. But now it's a crime so the punishment would be stiffer as well.

Soldiers

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People sure are quick to attack those they disagree with sometimes.

This may seem a vile accusation to lay against a grieving father. But in fact, it has become a staple of American political discourse, repeated endlessly by those keen to allow President Bush a free hand in waging his war. By encouraging "the terrorists," opponents of the Iraq conflict increase the risk to U.S. troops. Although the First Amendment protects antiwar critics from being tried for treason, it provides no protection for the hardly less serious charge of failing to support the troops -- today's civic equivalent of dereliction of duty.

REAL ID

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In a move that is satisfying and liberating, the state of NH has proposed the strongest anti-REAL ID bill to date.

I. The general court finds that the public policy established by Congress in the Real ID Act of 2005, Public Law 109-13, is contrary and repugnant to Articles 1 through 10 of the New Hampshire constitution as well as Amendments 4 though 10 of the Constitution for the United States of America. Therefore, the state of New Hampshire shall not participate in any driver's license program pursuant to the Real ID Act of 2005 or in any national identification card system that may follow therefrom.

Or any that will follow? Right on NH! That's some guts.

looks safe to me

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From the, maybe things really are starting to look up, department, Public Citizen reports that Michael Baroody, the worst possible choice for the Consumer Product Safety Commission, has withdrawn from consideration

Of course, the White House defended him:

"Obviously we feel that he was a strong candidate who would have done a wonderful job at the Consumer Product Safety Commission,"? said Emily Lawrimore, a White House spokeswoman. "After some in the Senate rushed to judgment about Mr. Baroody and his qualifications, it became evident to Mr. Baroody that he would not be confirmed."?

And as always, it's a load of hooey. For the complete list of new articles in this story, head to the Consumerist.

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In what will hopefully end up with Gonzales fired or in jail and a trail of Bush cronies jumping ship leading to the big cheese himself, congress is finally starting to make noise about conflicts in Gonzales's testimony, questions about his fitness for the job, and most importantly, demanding that the details of the spying program come under proper review.

George W. Bush

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From ABC news:

He doesn't assail any Democrats by name. Bush, however, he names. Over and over. ... While Gore stops short of flatly calling for the impeachment of Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, he certainly gives the impression that in his view such a move would be well deserved. He calls the president a lawbreaker, a liar and a man with the blood of thousands of innocent lives on his hands.

Totally organic... sure

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What is the point of an agency that thinks it's ok to label non-organic foods as organic?

USDA's rule, in contrast, permitted products labeled "organic" to contain non-organic substances so long as producers obtained certification that organic versions of the relevant ingredients were not available. Why should it matter whether substances are on the list?

My thoughts exactly.

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It's fast becoming apparent that food from China is dangerous. Despite the FDA's attempt to stop the tide, Chinese shippers are cleverly just trying again trying not to be in the 1% of checked shipments twice in a row.