friday reads

Travelers' Laptops May Be Detained At Border

Federal agents may take a traveler's laptop computer or other electronic device to an off-site location for an unspecified period of time without any suspicion of wrongdoing, as part of border search policies the Department of Homeland Security recently disclosed.

Also, officials may share copies of the laptop's contents with other agencies and private entities for language translation, data decryption or other reasons, according to the policies, dated July 16 and issued by two DHS agencies, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

[snip]

The policies cover "any device capable of storing information in digital or analog form," including hard drives, flash drives, cellphones, iPods, pagers, beepers, and video and audio tapes. They also cover "all papers and other written documentation," including books, pamphlets and "written materials commonly referred to as 'pocket trash' or 'pocket litter.' "

Reasonable measures must be taken to protect business information and attorney-client privileged material, the policies say, but there is no specific mention of the handling of personal data such as medical and financial records.[emphisis mine]

Pakistani military intelligence division linked to Indian embassy bombing in Kabul.


A top government scientist who helped the FBI analyze samples from the 2001 anthrax attacks has died in Maryland from an apparent suicide, just as the Justice Department was about to file criminal charges against him for the attacks, the Los Angeles Times has learned.

Glenn Greenwald: Vital unresolved anthrax questions and ABC News


Billmon is back! The Great White Hope and First time as tragedy, second time as farce.


Emptywheel: Scott McClellan Dismantles Cheney’s Plame Firewall

thursday reads

The Young Turks on the extremely disturbing death of PFC LaVena Johnson.




Tomgram: Bush's Fierce Global War of Denial


BAR: Big Media Steals 5,100 Digital TV Channels


The U.S. economy shrank at the end of 2007 and grew less than forecast in this year's second quarter, signaling that the country is in worse shape than investors had anticipated.

Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) said on Thursday soaring oil prices pushed its second-quarter earnings up 14 percent, again breaking its own record for the highest-ever profit by a U.S. company.

S&P cut its ratings for General Motors Corp (GM.N), Ford Motor Co (F.N) and Chrysler Automotive LLC to "B-minus," or six levels below investment grade, from "B."


Turd Blossom Special

"Absolutey, 100% Aye"

House Committee Votes To Hold Rove In Contempt

The House Judiciary Committee has just voted to hold Karl Rove in contempt for failing to respond to a subpoena to face questioning from the Committee on the prosecution of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman.

wednesday reads

Bush administration officials reassured Israel's defense minister this week that the United States has not abandoned all possibility of a military attack on Iran, despite widespread Israeli concern that Washington has begun softening its position toward Tehran.


The Serious Fraud Office won its Law Lords appeal today against a court ruling that it acted unlawfully in halting a corruption inquiry into a lucrative arms deal between Saudi Arabia and BAE Systems.


Glenn Greenwald: GOP senators protest China's surveillance of foreigners' e-mail and telephone communications. And they do it with a straight face.


Members of Congress Charged With a Crime, 1798 - 2008


Taser Atrocity of the Day

Preznit bu$h adds another name to the pardon list

McClatchy

Sen. Ted Stevens, the longest-serving Republican in the U.S. Senate and one of the chamber's most powerful members, was indicted Tuesday in Washington for failing to disclose more than $250,000 worth of gifts that he received from businessmen who were seeking his help on federal issues and projects.

Impeachment Petition

From Rep. Kucinich:

URGENT: need your help -
Impeachment Petition Deadline Midnight Wednesday

Dear Friends,

Because of your vigilance and support for democracy, last Friday was a day of singular importance in Washington. The House Judiciary Committee met to discuss the Bush Administration's abuse of executive power and for the first time the case for Impeachment was discussed in front of a Congressional committee, in depth, at length and with authority.

Twenty members of the Judiciary Committee attended the six hour hearing, during which twelve witnesses, including myself and four members of Congress testified. In this hearing I called for the Impeachment of the President for misrepresenting a case for war.

This week I will present members of Congress with Impeachment petitions submitted by those of you who have signed the on-line impeachment form.

I need your help. In the next few days we must redouble our efforts to get more signatures on the online petition at kucinich.us. I'm asking each of you to please contact at least ten of your friends to go to www.Kucinich.us now and sign the Impeachment petition that will be delivered by me. Wednesday night is the deadline.

Please send out an email to all your friends and family, post this link, http://kucinich.us to your blogs and make this effort count as this is the only petition that I will deliver.

Thank you so very much.

signiture - Dennis J Kucinich

Dennis

Sign the petition

tuesday reads

Pen's Pages - The Usual Suspects: The Heroin Connection


A 12-hour gun battle between Indian and Pakistani soldiers has been called the most "serious violation" of the Kashmir ceasefire agreement in five years.


Joshua Holland: Tennessee Church Shooting an Inevitable Consequence of Shock-Jocks’ Hateful Rhetoric


Barbara Ehrenreich: The Suicide Solution


Daniel DiRito: Monica “No-Goodling” - Bush Tool & Theocratic Tyrant?


Time to ramp up the FEAR

monday reads

The death toll in two bomb blasts in Istanbul rose to 17 today in an attack that sharply increased tension as Turkey's top court began deliberating on whether to ban the governing party.

Wave of deadly bombings kill dozens in Iraq

A shotgun-wielding man opened fire at a Unitarian church during a children's play Sunday morning, killing two adults and wounding seven others in Knoxville, Tennessee.

An obscure Islamic militant group warning of "the terror of Death" claimed responsibility for bombings that killed at least 45 people and authorities stepped up security Sunday after India's second series of blasts in two days.

Nick Turse: War Crimes Hunter. On the Trail of Atrocity in Vietnam


Chalmers Johnson: The Military-Industrial Complex. It's Much Later Than You Think


Top Officials at Bailed out Fannie and Freddie Rake in Millions


Copters and Cows in Iraq


The Guardian is running Audrey Niffenegger's graphic novel The Night Bookmobile. (h/t Bookslut)