Guantanamo Tribunals Unconstitutional

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. judge ruled on Monday that the Guantanamo military tribunals for terrorism suspects are unconstitutional.

In a setback for the Bush administration, U.S. District Judge Joyce Hens Green also ruled the prisoners at the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba have constitutional protections under the law.

"The court concludes that the petitioners have stated valid claims under the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution and that the procedures implemented by the government to confirm that the petitioners are 'enemy combatants' subject to indefinite detention violate the petitioners' rights to due process of law," Green wrote.

More than 540 suspects are being held at Guantanamo after being detained during the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan and in other operations in the U.S. "war against terrorism." They are al Qaeda suspects and accused Taliban fighters.

Bush administration attorneys argued the prisoners have no constitutional rights and their lawsuits, challenging the conditions of their confinement and seeking their release, must be dismissed.

The tribunals, formally called a military commission, at the base were authorized by President Bush after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, but have been criticized by human rights groups as being fundamentally unfair to defendants.

Study: Abstinence-only message ineffective

DALLAS — Abstinence-only programs like those promoted by the Bush administration don't seem to be working on teenagers in the president's home state, according to a state-sponsored study by Texas A&M University researchers.

The ongoing study, the first evaluation of the abstinence programs across the state, found that students in almost all high school grades were more sexually active after undergoing abstinence education.

Researchers don't believe the programs encouraged teenagers to have sex, only that the abstinence messages did not interfere with customary trends among adolescents.

"We didn't find what many would like for us to find," said A&M researcher Buzz Pruitt, who met with state health authorities last week to discuss the data.

[snip]

The federal government will spend $131 million this year on various abstinence-only education programs — $30 million more than was spent in 2004. But many public health experts are concerned that no one really knows what the government is buying.

"We're using a bunch of programs, and we don't know what their effectiveness is," said Mike Young of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Young and his colleagues have developed a curriculum called Sex Can Wait, which is one of the few abstinence programs that has documented at least a short-term influence on teenage behavior.

Among the findings in the Texas study: About 23 percent of the ninth-grade girls in the study already had sexual intercourse before they received any abstinence education, a figure below the national average.

After taking an abstinence course, the number among those same girls rose to 28 percent, a level closer to that of their peers across the state.

Buried in the Austin American-Statesman (subcription required)

"Kitties aren't too hard to catch and they make a tasty snack."

The Mad Rollin' Dolls will skate their first bout of the season tonight. The Wisconsin State Journal has a preview:

The Unholy Rollers have a vampire theme and the most girlie-girl outfits: crushed red velvet minis, with black lipstick and fishnets to highlight their undead appearance. An Unholy Roller named Juicy Momma smacked her lips in anticipation of tonight's bout with the kitties, saying, "Kitties aren't too hard to catch and they make a tasty snack."

Their opponents, the Psycho Kitties, favor gray and bubble- gum pink outfits. In keeping with their theme of being escaped mental patients, the Kitties mascots are Dr. Rock and his assistant, Nurse Velveteen.

"I will be medicating the Kitties," Dr. Rock promised. "When they get out of line, a little Thorazine usually brings them around."

The biggest grudge battle seems to be between Pam Demonium, of the Reservoir Dolls, and Predator, the dreadlocked captain of the Quad Squad.

"We're really good friends away from the rink," said Pam Demonium, "but when I see her out there it makes my blood boil. Sometimes they have to pull us apart!"

Look for some nasty skating between the Dolls, who dress in black ties and white shirts, in homage to the jewel thieves of the 1992 Quentin Tarantino film, "Reservoir Dogs," and the Quad Squad, which has flashy silver and green costumes that make them look like super heroes gone bad.

Sunday, January 30th at Fast Forward Skate Center in Madison, WI. Doors open at 6:30, bout starts at 7:00. Tickets are $8 in advance, $10 at the door.

Please check out the Mad Rollin' Dolls web site for more info.

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tags: roller derby, rollergirls, madison