Karl Growing Old at Home?

A Grass Roots Effort to Grow Old at Home - This story features an elderly couple who remains in their Georgetown home thanks to a mutual aid society with the neighbors. Nothing to do with Rove, but you have to love the way the headline about "growing old at home' is placed directly under the photo of W kissing Karl goodbye on page 1 of the hard copy NY Times.

Rove resigns as Bush Aide - The blogosphere is abuzz with speculation on why Karl resigned. The mystery of the fired AGs may be a real problem for Karl, , or just a nuisance. His stated reason, he is doing it for his family, is being dismissed too lightly. It's not the time - as every Blue blogger has noted, why wait until your son leaves for college to head home- but it might be the money. Karl has been a public servant for many years and he is not getting any younger. A successful book and some lucrative consulting work on the 2008 campaign could help him set his family up for life.

Sweatology - The Human Cooling System is Leaky, but it's Efficient - Why does Nixon automatically come to mind when we need a photo of sweat? The science page story on sweatology puts Dick in a whole new perspective - he was actually cool because he perspired so profusely - take that hippie scum.

After Killings, Sense of Unity Surprises Newark -Tragic murder of college bound Newark students unites a city that was turning on it's Mayor. Corey Booker's genuine grief and commitment connected with a community in mourning and forced the Sharpe James brigade of petty pols to hold its collective tongue, at least for now. The complaints and gossip will resurface soon, but Booker may have just established a personal relationship with the community that can endure the sniping.

1984

A Case So Shielded One Side Is in the Dark - Jon Eisenberg, a lawyer representing an Islamic charity and other clients suing the US government for illegal surveillance, wrote his appellate brief under Orwellian circumstances. In his words,

"Yesterday, under the auspices and control of my litigation adversaries, at their offices and on their computer, I wrote a brief of which I was not allowed to keep a copy, responding to arguments which I was not permitted to see, which will be met by a reply which I will not be permitted to see."

It's like the poor guy is subject to the Eisenberg uncertainty principle.

If you try the link above you will see that the case is so secret it was moved to Time's select, you can't even read the news story without special clearance. Also note the suspicious absence of pictures.

Similar cases have been dismissed because the plaintiff could not prove surveillance without discovery in the litigation, or claim a specific injury resulting from surveillance. Mr Eisenberg's client is an unusual position, it claims the US Treasury bungled, mistakenly giving the plaintiff a classified document that showed it was under surveillance.. The government's approach is heads I win - if plaintiff doesn't have specific knowledge of illegal surveillance the case must be dismissed, tails you lose - if plaintiff does know about illegal surveillance then the case must still be dismissed because state secrets are privileged and cannot be revealed at trial. The Orwellian brief writing process was an effort to minimize the chance any secret would be disclosed, because the court has not (at least not yet) accepted the "tails you lose" argument. If the government prevails then the executive branch could, in theory, break any law, classify it's actions as secret and avoid any judicial review of those actions.

If only AG Albert Gonzales had been around to help Nixon with Watergate.

Of course 1984 was written by a Brit in Burma inspired by Stalin, and by the British colonial bureaucracy, and the US may still be on the low end of the 1984 scale. In China, Party Animal Hu Jintao is introducing a pilot security program in Shenzhen, a city of 12.4 Million people. Most citizens will be required to carry an ID card with chip carrying data on work history, education, religion, ethnicity, police record, insurance, reproductive history, etc. The same city is installing 20,000 surveillance cameras and sophisticated software to recognize crime suspects and "unusual" activity. Do not fear gentle people of Shenzen, Party Animal just wants to know where you are on Saturday night, you never know when you'll get a last minute invitation - to Rave Gulag. US and European firms are providing software, hardware nce, and financing for the prime Chinese contracto, no one can resist the lure of the massive Chinese market, but these firms may be securing a place at the head of the line in some future walk of shame.

And then there is Burma itself. Myanmar remains one of the most oppressive regimes anywhere, so bleak for so long that it rarely even makes the news. Htein Lin, a Burmese political prisoner who painted surreptitiously on sarongs donated by his fellow prisoners now has an exhibition in London. Lin was sentenced to seven years, although he did nothing - a friend mentioned his name in a letter as a possible recruit for a political organization.

No Fun Allowed?

-ROVE STRATEGY PAPER FOUND IN NIXON ARCHIVE - A 1973 memo by the young Karl Rove has surfaced. Karl was seeking pointers on his 1974 strategy, a strategy that included building a group of "New Federalism Advocates" (NFAs) by promising them face time with Haldeman and Ehrlichman. This proved less than enticing to potential NFAs when face time turned out to mean looking through thick glass while talking on prison telephone. Most exciting was Rove's suggested use of Reefer Madness showings as a fundraiser. Karl is sometimes accused of dissing the religious righteous behind their backs, Maybe he's been a closet hippie all along? Now Karl is hiding behind memory loss to duck questions about the Reefer Madness reference. Could memory loss be the result of Karl's personal reefer madness? More likely it's just practice for Karl's response to inquiry on US Attorney firings. Come on, Karl, everyone our age remembers Reefer Madness, but we will let that slide if you just tell us what NFA really stood for in the young Republican elite - No Fun Allowed? -

-CONRAD BLACK, EX PRESS BARON, GUILTY OF FRAUD -Earlier in these proceedings Mr. Black had advanced the novel argument that he could not receive a fair trial since a jury of his peers would consist entirely of billionaires. Actual jury did a discriminating job, acquitting on most counts but picking the most indefensible facts as the basis for convictions. Essentially American Publishing, an almost inactive subsidiary of the public company managed by Black, paid Black not to compete with American Publishing if he should ever leave the company. If that did not seem to make sense it's because it doesn't make sense, like getting paid not to compete with yourself. Fact that the payments were made under a backdated contract that allowed Black to receive them tax free under Canadian law the real explanation. "I was only cheating on my taxes, not bilking the shareholders" never a great defense, but here he also seems to duck normal approval process for compensation, so he was doing both. This jury picked and chose among complex charges, which may mean Black's appeal will be difficult. If Lord Black (who is actually a peer of the realm, member of House of Lords) thinks it was difficult to get a jury of his peers wait until he tries to find a cell block of his peers - relatively few titled billionaires in Joliet at last count. Joliet Jake Blues might be available if you would settle for Black & Blues cell pairing with color peer, always good to have a cell mate who plays the harmonica.

-FOR JAMES'S COMPANION, REAL ESTATE PROVED LUCRATIVE IN A HURRY -Maybe No Fun Allowed was the watchword for Nixon-Rove young Republicans, but it was a different story for former Newark Mayor Sharpe James. He faces one set of charges based on use of City funds to cover living large personal expenses for himself and his companions, a second set of charges based on arranging sweetheart deals in sale of city properties to one of those companions, real estate baron Tamika Riley, pictured above. Riley, with no training, experience or capital, managed to earn a quick $620,000 by flipping properties she purchased from the city with James's help. James defends on grounds that extravagant lifestyle was all necessary to promote Newark, jump start recovery. Newark government's incompetence and corruption has been preventing recovery in a city that should have taken off a decade ago. James's personal touch as a politician may work with a jury, could make for an interesting trial when all he needs is reasonable doubt. If James tried to prove he achieved anything as mayor beyond patronage expansion and being in the right place at the beginning of the right time he would lose before he could finish his opening statement.