GroupThinkTank
Revolutionizing the world, one "I agree" at a time
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Mark Dixon, 9:03 PM:
Changes to the Insurrection Act re martial law
I've always liked Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont). I was reading remarks he made recently about the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act of 2007 (HR5122, you can find it on Thomas - choose the "enrolled" version agreed to by the House and Senate) and discovered that it does indeed, as Leahy says, modify the Insurrection Act of 1807 (10 USC 333, you can find it on Findlaw). I would include links but unfortunately both Thomas and Findlaw seem to "time out" their search links such that you can't go back to them later. Dammit. And govtrack.us seems to be down.
Leahy says the law "includes language that subverts solid, longstanding posse comitatus statutes that limit the military’s involvement in law enforcement, thereby making it easier for the President to declare martial law," and "adopts some incredible changes to the Insurrection Act, which would give the President more authority to declare martial law ... making it easier to usurp the Governor's control."
The changes to the Insurrection Act, Leahy said, "will allow the President to use the military, including the National Guard, to carry out law enforcement activities without the consent of a governor. When the Insurrection Act is invoked posse comitatus does not apply. Using the military for law enforcement goes against one of the founding tenets of our democracy." It includes "automatic triggers — natural disasters, terrorist attacks, or a disease epidemic — to avoid having to consult with the governors."
I compared the language amending 10 USC 333 in section 1076 of HR5122 ("Use of armed forces in major public emergencies") to the existing 10 USC 333 and found what Leahy is talking about. The Insurrection Act was designed to give the president the authority to use federal troops in the event of rebellion, insurgency or revolution. HR 5122 adds all kinds of other situations where the White House can send in federal troops including "a natural disaster, epidemic, or other serious public health emergency, terrorist attack or incident." It also changes "insurgents" to "insurgents or those obstructing the enforcement of the laws," giving it a much broader (and, I'm sure Leahy would agree, unintended) scope.
Leahy's remarks are at http://leahy.senate.gov/press/200609/092906b.html
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Mike Russo, 4:26 PM:
I Wished I Wished I Wished That God Would Kill Me...
...instead of leaving me alone to see this.
Like A Rolling Stone, as interpreted by the new Broadway musical based on Dylan's ouevre. It's as terrible as it sounds. After an eternity of torment, I looked time-bar, wondering how long this excruciating pain could possibly last, only to find that I was 1:30 in. Fortunately it's only like 2:30 all told.
To balance out the terrible music-karma of the above, I will point out that the title of this post is drawn from a very good Mountain Goats song. I've actually heard it called Somebody Else's Parking Lot in Sebastapol rather than Santa Cruz, but whatever.
On the off chance that you like music other than the Mountain Goats, the new Hold Steady album is also available for listening in its entirety online, which is pretty nice. Stuck Between Stations, First Night, Party Pit, and You Can Make Him Like You are all v. good.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Mike Russo, 9:43 PM:
Breaking: John Bolton is a Terrible Diplomat
OK, so here's the scene: it's just after the Security Council vote, where after a lot of sweet-talking and arm-twisting the U.S. has managed to get China and Russia to sign off on sanctions on the DPRK, even though they really really didn't want to. They're still grumpy about it. The North Korean ambassador makes a big speech basically threatening war, then walks out. What does John Bolton do?
Mr. Bolton asked to be heard and pointed to the empty chair, saying Mr. Pak’s impulsive departure was the equivalent of Khrushchev’s pounding his desk in protest in the General Assembly. That prompted the Russian ambassador, Vitaly I. Churkin, to complain that the reference, even at a moment that he described as Mr. Bolton’s “emotional state,” was “an inappropriate analogy.”
Link
Well played, Mr. Bolton. Well played.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Mike Russo, 10:47 AM:
25 Edward III Stat. 3, c 2
According to a 14th-century English statute, it is treason, inter alia, "When a Man doth compass or imagine the Death of our Lord the King, or of our Lady his Queen, or of their eldest Son and Heir."
According to Mill, social mechanisms of stigma and repression are a far greater threat to the freedom of speech than government enforcement.
I think he's probably right.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
stephen, 7:19 PM:
crazy idea for iraq
Here's my latest crazy thinking on Iraq: erase it. Somehow I think this would go over poorly - few nations like to be unilaterally dissolved - but just because it seems like none of the sane options sound tolerable, how reasonable does this sound to all y'all out there in your armchairs?
Why not try to negotiate (a) giving Kurdistan to Turkey, as part of a deal for self-governance (but with shared military resources and tax base) for both Kuristan both inside and outside the existing Turkish border? (b) give Sunni areas and Bagdad to Jordan, just cause they seem like the sanest Sunni power around. (c) give the Shiite south to *Iran* on the condition that nuclear activities are permanently suspended and Israel is recognized as a state?
stephen
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Mike Russo, 9:29 PM:
Nietzsche + Family Circus
This is utterly frivolous, but entertaining:
When marrying, ask yourself this question: Do you believe that you will be able to converse well with this person into your old age? Everything else in marriage is transitory.
Woman was God’s second mistake.
The aphorism in which I am the first master among Germans, are the forms of “eternity”; my ambition is to say in ten sentences what everyone else says in a book - what everyone else does not say in a book.
Believe me! The secret of reaping the greatest fruitfulness and the greatest enjoyment from life is to live dangerously!
Two great European narcotics, alcohol and Christianity.
I should stop. So I will. Though I am disappointed to have not gotten a very good image to go along with "Ah, women. They make the highs higher and the lows more frequent."
