Recommended reading

Juan Cole's top 10 Things Bush won't tell us about the State of the Union.

Matt Stoller's denunciation of craven Democrats, hat tip to Battle Panda.

Glenn Greenwald's 10 questions for Alberto Gonzales when he testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on domestic spying. Questions 1-5 and 6-10.

The Carpetbagger discusses Russ Feingold's questions for Gonzales. The Wisconsin senator has accused Gonzales of lying to the Senate about the president's power to authorize wiretaps without warrants. The Attorney General was asked in 2005 whether the president had such powers, and he told the Senate Judiciary that it was impossible to answer the question because it concerned a hypothetical situation. However, we now know that the situation wasn't hypothetical at all--the president authorized warrantless wiretapping in 2001, (if not earlier). [WaPo]

The Gothamist reports that a woman is suing the Century 21 department store after she was allegedly detained and beaten by store security on suspicion of shoplifting. The store says the surveillance tapes were "mistakenly thrown out."

CNET News on the anonymous blogger unmasked as GOP operative. Michael Brodkorb's true identity came to light when a Democratic political consultant sued Brodkorb, a former Republican party spokesman, for defamation.

A nation of snitches: "Unverified" reports of terror threats are piling up in the Pentagon's Talon database, including reports on peaceful activists. Talon reports are supposed to be purged every 90 days if their allegations can't be substantiated. [WaPo]

InkBlog on tattoos from ground zero--how the workers of Local Union 79 commemorated their 10 months of service to the WTC cleanup.

Comments

[SL]

A spyware company threatened to sue a blogger (Boing-Boing) because it exposes the malware. Spread this link. Expose the bad guys...

http://www.boingboing.net/2006/01/31/starforce_threatens_.html

StarForce threatens to sue me for criticizing its products
A company that was criticized on Boing Boing has threatened to sue me, and claims to have sworn out a complaint against me with the FBI.

Yesterday, I posted about StarForce, a harmful technology used by game companies to restrict their customers' freedom. StarForce attempts to stop game customers from copying their property, but it has the side-effects of destabilizing and crashing the computers on which it is installed.

Someone identifying himself as "Dennis Zhidkov, PR-manager, StarForce Inc." contacted me this morning and threatened to sue me, and told me that he had contacted the FBI to complain about my "harassment."

[SL]

Anybody Read this? Nobody in the media is reporting this.. (even the wire is only a blip.)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060201/ts_nm/minerals_shutdown_dc

Gov. shuts W. Virginia coal mines on safety worry

CHARLESTON, West Virginia (Reuters) - West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin shut down coal mining operations throughout the state over safety concerns after three separate mine accidents on Wednesday that left two miners dead and others injured.

Wednesday's mining deaths raised the death toll from coal mining accidents in 2006 to 16 in West Virginia.

[SL]

DeLay is sinking

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/2/1/193619/7709

TX-22: DeLay's fundraising drying up

Things are so desperate for DeLay, who is about to be overtaken by his Democratic rival, that Cheney had to do a fundraiser.

Rep. Tom DeLay has just $150,000 more in the bank than challenger Democrat Nick Lampson, the most recent election filings show.

DeLay's campaign committee reported having $1.44 million on hand and Lampson's campaign $1.29 million, according to year-end reports that were filed late Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission. The reports include all funds received up to Dec. 30, 2005, and also include a swing-for-the-fences fundraising dinner in Houston for DeLay with Vice President Dick Cheney on Dec. 5. DeLay's office called the fundraiser "the most successful of the congressman's career."

"In one night alone, the congressman took in more than $500,000," said campaign spokeswoman Shannon Flaherty. "It was a very strong fourth quarter."