Noxious number: Free men

5

The number of detainees released from Guantanamo Bay after seven years of unlawful incarceration at the Cuba camp.

A U.S. federal judge said Thursday that the evidence for their detention was weak: “a classified document from an unnamed source.”

Really, that was the top claim against these men? With clandestine actions, including torture, and unlawful and biased tribunals in Cuba, one can only wonder how many more of these cases exist.

The release of the Algerians, however, is the latest in a string of civil right triumphs on the black-eye of American habeas corpus.

Let’s hope this becomes a trend until every detainee is either tried or released. (And that includes the similar situations in Abu Ghraib, Iraq and Bagram, Afghanistan, both prison camps with much larger detention numbers than Guantanamo.)

G

New beginning

Enough with organized opinions, the Tank now returns to its roots. This foray was founded on the 4 a.m. stream of consciousness. Here’s the motivation that provoked a comeback:

“This seemed Gonzo Think Tank-ish. …,” wrote Willie on the back of this postcard.

… Uhem. … In a knee-jerk rhythm like W: “Gotta put food on your family.” “Nucler, Nuclear, Nukes.” … WMDs. … Yellow cake. … “Mission Accomplished.” … Blackwater. … Katrina. … Lower Ninth Ward. … Syringes next to Mardi Gras beads. … ”Heck of a job Brownie!” … Guantanamo. … Water boarding. … Orange jumpsuits. … Domestic wiretapping. … 

I wonder. … Besides his messiah capabilities, is Obama also the mason that can rebuild this?

G

(To Willie, who provoked my mind’s movement back to the roots. Note: The picture is of an ice sculpture by Ligorano and Reese made near the third anniversary of the Iraq War.)

A Dingell dally

If U.S. Rep. John Dingell, D.-Mich., isn’t a walking conflict of interest, there needs to be a new definition of the phrase.

He is the chairman of the influential House Energy and Commerce Committee, while his wife, Debbie, reins as a senior executive at General Motors and a member of the family that founded the company. How can John be tough and fair to the auto industry when he sleeps next to a person that will be the most affected?

President-elect Barack Obama is asking for a bailout of the auto industry, something that The New York Times columnist David Brooks calls “A Bailout to Nowhere.” To no surprise, Dingell supports the muti-billion bailout.

U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., is now rightfully challenging Dingell’s chairmanship. Waxman is an environmental advocate who believes the auto industry needs reform, not free money after, in part, bad business decisions.

Dingell will become the longest serving member of Congress in February, and if “change” has supposedly come to Washington, then it must not stop at the presidency.

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Swine of the Week: Medvedev

From France to Japan and Israel, many world leaders praised the presidential pick of Barack Obama. Nearly everyone offered at least a diplomatic congratulations. I mean even Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gave acclaim!

The one glaring exception was Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. This “Swine of the Week” sent a letter to Obama commending his win, but he couldn’t keep his brinkmanship in the bag during his more-important state of the nation address. 

While Obama and President Bush offered their diplomacy from the stump or Oval Office, it was John McCain who added a windchill for a new Cold War with the statement that he looked into Vladamir Putin’s eyes and saw three letters: K, G, B.

 

So while McCain will continue to reside in one of his seven mansions, why did Medvedev feel the need to bring up the U.S. missile systems to Europe?

Granted the missile systems in Poland and other countries near Russia is a sign of coy interventionism by the U.S.,  but when Medvedev broached it immediately following the election, it was jocular and prematurely timed.

It shows that Russia will not sit on the sidelines while the U.S. — led by Obama — continues its hegemony. (Note: Neither should they be merely spectators, but their timing was ill.)

From a member of the United Nations Security Council to influence on Iran, Medvedev — more importantly, Putin — and Russia will be a necessary ally during Obama’s presidency.

They also, however, must be watched, as Medvedev’s lack of a cordial greeting to Obama showed. For instance, Russia’s military budget has increased 500 percent since 2000, according to Foreign Affairs. Another matter of international policy significance is Russia’s regional influence on Ukraine, Georgia, the Baltic countries and other former Soviet Union nations.

Bottom line: Medvedev should have shown at least an ounce of restraint. Even reigning “Swine of the Week” honoree and U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, who said Obama had anti-American views during the campaign, retreated and praised Obama’s win.

G

Noxious number: Grab the orange and black plastic gun and let’s play Duck Hunt

77

The painful count of days President Bush – a duck so lame he is now maimed – will remain in office as of Wednesday. In a sign of expedient government, that is over two and a half months! What takes so damn long? Why can’t move-in day be, say, next week?

 

No wonder the American people can be so disenfranchised with Washington.

Gonzo disciple

In the essence of the Good Doctor, Hunter S. Thompson, Rolling Stone’s Matt Taibbi is now a blogger. (See the blogroll on the right.)

From post titles such as “Wall Street: Less Responsible than a Coked-Out NFL Running Back” and “The Title ‘Blogger’ Sickens Me. On the Lighter Side, Worldwide Financial Holocaust,” Taibbi tells it straight through only his lense.

Taibbi on Mitt Romney and the presidential race: “And I’m thinking to myself, ‘Are these guys trying to lose?’ How is it possible that the Republicans can’t find even one candidate who isn’t the goofiest motherfucker in the room every place he goes? Is this some kind of trap? More to the point, how can the Democrats possibly blow it this time? But then you remember — they’re the Democrats.”

Check it.

G