Understanding FISA with flow charts
[UPDATE 2/27/2010: It seems that the Ketchup and Caviar blog is no more. The flow charts can still be viewed on BoingBoing and the text of the blog post is preserved and available at the internet Archive's WayBack Machine. jrj] Ketchup and Caviar has a very good post describing in flow charts the old FISA law and the changes made with the new FISA law. Click on the charts to get larger images.
More Trouble for Bush Library
The George W. Bush Library at at Southern Methodist University has been a source of controversy for some time. Now, a new story and video by the Times of London suggests more trouble.
- In New Headache for SMU's Bush Library, Lobbyist Hints at Cash-for-Meetings Deal, Chronicle of Higher Education News Blog, July 14, 2008
Do you want Vice President Dick Cheney’s undivided attention for an hour? Stephen P. Payne, a Texas-based lobbyist, has some advice about how to grease the wheels for such a meeting: Make a six-figure donation to the George W. Bush Presidential Center, a library and museum complex that is scheduled to be built at Southern Methodist University.Continue reading
News by Agency
Government Executive has a new feature that allows you to easily track their stories about many individual government agencies: News By Agency Continue reading
ACLU et al sue US government over consitutionality of FISA Amendments Act
Last Wednesday was a pretty dark day for me and millions of other constitution-loving people when Congress passed the the FISA Amendments Act that included retroactive immunity for US telecommunications companies who'd participated in the Bush administration's illegal warrantless wiretapping program of US citizens. Well, a little ray of sunshine just broke through those dark clouds when, according to Threat Level (Wired News blog), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed suit Thursday (along with the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)), challenging the constitutionality of the act. The ACLU contends (.pdf) that the expanded spying power violates the Constitution's prohibition on unreasonable searches and seizures. If you can afford it, please consider donating to one or both of those orgs (link to EFF, ACLU) so they can keep up the good fight! (disclosure: I'm a proud EFF member!). UPDATE: Glenn Greenwald has more including a podcast interview with Jameel Jaffer, the Director of the ACLU's National Security Project. [Thanks BoingBoing!] Continue reading
FRUS problems reported
In a new report, the Advisory Committee on Historical Diplomatic Documentation of the Department of State reports continuing problems with the essential series: Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS).
- Report of the Advisory Committee on Historical Diplomatic Documentation, January 1-December 31, 2007 [early release available from the Federation of American Scientists]
The publication of the Foreign Relations series stands as a symbol of commitment to openness and accountability. It is recognized as such throughout the world. The Historical Advisory Committee believes the series is at a critical turning point. The momentum it had acquired in recent years, largely from the increase in staff and resources, has now stalled. Rather than reinvigorating its commitment to reaching the 30-year deadline, the Historian now provides reasons for why that deadline cannot be met.Read a summary by Steven Aftergood at Secrecy News: Foreign Relations Series Still Fails to Meet Legal Deadline. Continue reading