Majikthise

Majikthise quoted in Der Spiegel

This is a nice surprise: My comments about Bush groping Chancellor Merkel got quoted in the German magazine Der Spiegel.

I don't know what they said, but they spelled my name right!

Efficacy, proportionality, and Lebanon

Is there any evidence that Israel's attacks on Lebanon are likely to eradicate Hezbollah from South Lebanon? If not, Israel's attacks on Lebanon cannot be just war.

Hilzoy offers compelling reasons to believe that Israel's strategy sucks.

Of course, Israel shouldn't have to "put up" with Hezbollah or rocket attacks on its people. However, it does not follow from the fact that Israel is obliged to do something that Israel is therefore entitled to do what it is currently doing. On the contrary, if the current strategy is likely to make the situation worse, Israel is obliged to change its tactics.

Live from BlogHer, San Jose

I just arrived in San Jose for the BlogHer conference, I'll be speaking on a panel about political blogging.

I'm looking forward to meeting Lauren from Feministe.

More updates soon.

AT&T ruling major blow to privacy

A Chicago judge denied to grant an injunction preventing AT&T from handing the phone records of ordinary people to the government.

The judge said that requiring AT&T to confirm or deny its role in domestic spying would compromise national security.

These programs are no longer secrets. The administration has already acknowledged its illegal domestic spying program, and AT&T's data collection activities have already been widely reported and documented by credible sources.

Glenn Greenwald notes that this case has even more troubling implications:

The administration plainly believes that it is entitled to engage in conduct which violates the law while blocking courts from ruling on the legality that behavior. What is the point of having laws if political officials can violate them and then immunize themselves from being held accountable in a court of law -- as the Bush administration, at least thus far, has successfully done?

Here we see a two-pronged attack on the separation of powers. The president claims that he is not bound to respect the laws passed by Congress (i.e., FISA), and furthermore he is the final authority on what court cases might jeopardize national security. The president's decision is not subject to appeal. He is not accountable to Congress or to the public for his determinations. He doesn't have to give reasons for his decisions.

The bottom line is that the president can block any court case he wants by claiming that the case might reveal state secrets. That was a nice way to shut down the Illinois citizens who wanted to sue to stop AT&T from giving their private records to the government, or anyone who might want to use the courts to challenge Bush's authority.

[x-posted at Feministing.]

Amanda in New York

See the pictures of Amanda's arrival, the Bohemian Hall bash, the road trip to the NOW National Meeting in Albany, and the Manhattan poking spree.

Bush rebuked for ignoring the law, again

The American Bar Association Association criticized Bush for ignoring the law with signing statements. An ABA panel concluded that Bush's uses of signing statements was tantamount to a self-proclaimed line-item veto. [NYT permalink]

Lebanon update

Juan Cole has an excellent summary of the latest news about Israel's assault on Lebanon.

Internet access spotty

Sorry about the sporadic posting. Thunderstorms are seriously disrupting internet access in New York City.

In other news, .mac email is also out of commission.

Birthday/NYC Debut Pictures

Darcy, Amanda, John, originally uploaded by Lindsay Beyerstein.

Last night we celebrated my 28th birthday and Amanda's first visit to New York City at the Bohemian Hall in Astoria.

Click through to Flickr to see more pictures.

Interior Department official resigns amidst buffalo-shooting scandal

A senior official at the Department of the Interior has resigned after shooting a billionaire's buffalo and accepting the valuable carcass.