How people feel one way or another about Iran is one thing (personally, I don't see that making war with them over nuclear weapons which they don't really seem to have and are not likely to develop for years is such a good idea), but this article in the Khaleej Times made me grateful that I can blog about anything I damn well choose:

Khaleej Times Online  >> News >> MIDDLE EAST
Iran mulls death penalty for Internet crimes
(AFP)

2 July 2008

TEHERAN - Iran's parliament is set to debate a draft bill which could see the death penalty used for those deemed to promote corruption, prostitution and apostasy on the Internet, reports said on Wednesday.

MPs on Wednesday voted to discuss as a priority the draft bill which seeks to "toughen punishment for harming mental security in society," the ISNA news agency said.

The text lists a wide range of crimes such rape and armed robbery for which the death penalty is already applicable. The crime of apostasy (the act of leaving a religion, in this case Islam) is also already punishable by death.

However, the draft bill also includes "establishing weblogs and sites promoting corruption, prostitution and apostasy", which is a new addition to crimes punishable by death.

Those convicted of these crimes "should be punished as "mohareb' (enemy of God) and "corrupt on the earth'," the text says.

Under Iranian law the standard punishments for these two crimes are "hanging, amputation of the right hand and then the left foot as well as exile."

The bill -- which is yet to be debated by lawmakers -- also stipulates that the punishment handed out in these cases "cannot be commuted, suspended or changed".

Internet is widely used in Iran despite restrictions on access and the blocking of thousands of websites with a sexual content or deemed as insulting religious sanctities and promoting political dissent.

Blogging is also very popular among cyber-savvy young Iranians, some openly discussing their private lives or criticising the system.

Human rights groups have accused Iran of making excessive use of the death penalty but Teheran insists it is an effective deterrent that is carried out only after an exhaustive judicial process.

The number of executions soared last year to 317 amid a campaign which the authorities said was aimed at improving security in society, and was sharply up on 2006 figures when Amnesty International recorded 177 executions.

All legislation in Iran has to be rubber-stamped by a conservative clerical watchdog before it is written into law. The Guardians Council vets bills to see if they are in line with the constitution and Islamic law.

The most I feel about these idiots is pity.

Under The LobsterScope

Obama's recent push toward the Christian community, especially as it comes to a White House connection to something resembling Bush's policies, has me a little edgy. The recent poll revelation that roughly 92% of Americans are believers in some form of religion (with Christians by far in the lead) puts me in a shaky 8% that misses the true separation of church and state that Jefferson enjoyed.

While riding in to work this morning and listening to public radio do a story on the Middle East, they gave up the statistic that over 80% of Arabs are convinced that the US's position in the Iraqi and Afghanistani campaigns is to replace Islam with Christianity, therefor giving Al Quaeda it's strongest recruiting message.

An article on Huffington Post this morning talked about Franklin Graham (Billy Graham's heir apparent) questioning Obama in public on whether or not he was a Muslim and trying to bring him to Christ in front of a group of clerics Obama was meeting with.

All of this is making me feel so far to the outside that I fear the worst happening both in the US and in the World.

Atheists rarely stand up proudly to declare their non-belief. More likely, they wish to be ignored by believers... left alone and unbothered. The organizations which have formed around atheism (The Brights, The Humanists, etc.) seem like they are competing more for membership and money than for the freedom from believing that everything is God-created and that we are doomed to hell for not taking part in the Jesus chorus.

It doesn't matter, it seems, whether you support a Democrat or a Republican. Both sides want to tie themselves to pastors and priests who advocate the most outlandish things... and who, when these things don't happen on schedule (you can look back for centuries and see the Rapture as having been expected and missed several times), simply revise the due-date.  At all political levels we are seeing this stuff happening (the Governor of Louisiana, for instance, just signed into law a bill making creationism ... excuse me, "intelligent design"... a subject being taught to the youngest of schoolchildren) and it is getting worse.

When I was younger I thought we were getting farther from religion as a culture, but we have actually swung the other way. I fear that my grandchildren's grandchildren will never see a religion-free cultural climate. Perhaps they will be able to finally disengage at least elective politics from this bugaboo.

Under The LobsterScope

The press is only beginning to pay attention to Sy Hersh's articles in the New Yorker detailing the secret moves against Iran being carried out by the Bush Administration, and, more specifically, by the Cheney office's influence over that Administration.

Yale Professor David Bromwich wrote in the Huffington Post:

In late 2007, after winning an election whose central issue was a more prudent and rational policy in the Middle East, congressional Democrats, obedient to the wishes of a Presidential Finding, signed away $400 million for secret operations against Iran. A more craven act of submission would be hard to imagine; and they did this in the glow of victory, in direct contradiction of their mandate. What were they signing for? Sabotage, assassination, covert support for political clients and "destabilization" generally are predictable parts of such a design; but the Democrats, in the months between their capitulation and Hersh's article, made no mention of dissatisfactions at having been cut off from oversight. The truth seems to be that in this area, as in so many others, only the Office of the Vice President oversees the Office of the President.

Yesterday, Candi Crowley, subbing for Wolf Blitzer on CNN, interviewed Hersh on the subject.

"President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have rejected findings from U.S. intelligence agencies that Iran has halted a clandestine effort to build a nuclear bomb and "do not want to leave Iran in place with a nuclear program," Hersh said.

"They believe that their mission is to make sure that before they get out of office next year, either Iran is attacked or it stops its weapons program."

This notion that Bush could get us into a new war (hard to believe, seeing how stretched out our troops are, how equipment-short they have become, and how much we are in debt with the war on Iraq) is more than frightening. That covert operations have been funded by a Democratic controlled Congress is even s carier.

Hersh again:

"We've been doing stuff inside Iran since `05 pretty much, pretty heavily, you know, looking at the nuclear facilities, collecting intelligence, trying to undermine the regime, et cetera, et cetera.

"But there was a significant escalation this year. First of all, they got a great deal of authorization to spend up to $400 million. That doesn't mean he's spent it all yet, but he's got that kind of authorization from one of the secret committees.

"Anybody who saw "Charlie Wilson's War" -- you know, Charlie Wilson was able to generate a lot of money secretly. That's what happens in Congress.

"And the other major thing is, we've sent in a special task force that operates out of Afghanistan into Iran. I give notice what Ambassador Crocker said about not cross-border. And I have a lot of respect for him and I don't want to challenge him. But the fact is, we're inside; we're not necessary cross-border. We have teams inside Iran.

"And these include joint special operation forces, our most elite commando unit. And basically, they're guys that go after high-value targets around the world. You know, they capture them or kill them."

Asked to comment by the Washington Post, the Administration was noticeably standoffish:

Spokesmen for the intelligence committees declined to comment, citing the strict rules of secrecy governing such documents. The CIA also declined to comment. "The CIA does not, as a rule, comment on allegations regarding covert operations," agency spokesman George Little said.

So the assumption is that Hersh is onto something.

You can see part of his CNN interview at http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/06/29/us.iran/index.html#cnnSTCVideo.

Now tie all of this in with the involvement of Israel and the concern that Israeli Jets will bomb Iranian nuclear facilities on their own (even though there is also negotiation between Israel and Palestinian groups who are supported by Iran) and we are likely to be drawn in even farther.

From the point of view of this blogger, we are getting into a mess that will make all that we remember of Viet Nam and all that has become of Iraq fade into insignificance as we move toward what could become a World War.

Under The LobsterScope

As I checked my e-mail over coffee, I discovered that I had won the Japanese/European Lottery and I was now 1,000,000 Euros richer. Wow! And all I had to do was reply to Mr. Hirohito, who sent the message, and he would get back to me and tell me what to do.

I'll bet he would need my Social Security Number (that's a big requirement in Europe or Japan for identifying lucky Americans, isn't it?).

Or, more likely, I would have to send Mr. Hirohito $1,000.00 to show good faith and to allow for processing the million Euros into an account of my own. That's reasonable, right?

I don't think this is the same kind of thing as the woman from Darfur who wanted to send me $250,000,000.00 that her late husband had amassed to donate to Christian Charities. Since I'm an atheist, I couldn't ethically see my way to responding to her (she probably needed a good faith payment to process all this money anyway.)

I get so many of thee opportunities that I don't quite know what to make of them... except that I must be trusted by an awful lot of folks around the world who I don 't know. And for some reason, I seem to enter all these foreign lotteries... and win them... but I can't remember when I do it. I think that is because I'm getting deeper into senior citizenship and my memory is fading.

Oh well, I guess I'll just keep going my lower middle-class way. Getting rich at this point in my life would be too much to handle.

I'm sure there are plenty of others who get this kind of e-mail and are more likely to take advantage if it.

Under The LobsterScope

There was a really nice essay by Cenk Uygar in the Huffington Post this morning. You can read it here.

I sent him this comment:

Cenk's argument is crystal clear and 100% valid...and not likely to change anything with the Conservative Republicans. Too bad.

The Fourth Amendment, which gives us the right of Habeas Corpus and hearkens back to the Magna Carta, is the deepest of American philosophies and, I daresay, if any of the Founding Fathers had to pick and choose among the first 10 entries that make up the Bill of Rights, it is the one they would be least likely to change.

I'm hauling out my flintlock musket, however, to protect my home and property (and wait for the general Militia call). I only hope I don't shoot anyone by accident (my vision is faltering with old age.)

Under The LobsterScope

On Thursday, the United State Senate voted overwhelmingly to advance a legislative compromise on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, marking the beginning of the end of a fierce battle over civil liberties and national security that has been waged in the halls of Congress for more than three years.

In the end, only 15 U.S. Senators were willing to resort to procedural tactics as a last ditch effort to hold up the legislation. The list of those who voted against cloture included:

    Joseph Biden, DE
    Barbara Boxer, CA
    Sherrod Brown, OH
    Maria Cantwell, WA
    Chris Dodd, CT
    Dick Durbin, IL
    Russ Feingold, WI
    Tom Harkin, IA
    John Kerry, MA
    Frank Lautenberg, NJ
    Patrick Leahy, VT
    Robert Menendez, NJ
    Bernie Sanders, VT
    Chuck Schumer, NY
    Ron Wyden, OR
"It's the most embarrassing failure of the Democrats I've seen since 2006, other than the failure to vote to end the Iraq war," said Russ Feingold. And as a Democrat I find this unbelievable as well. I've seen the list of Representatives who got big payouts from the telecom industry. The list of Senators will likely be forthcoming.

What this really proves is that no matter who is elected, liberal or conservative, it is up to the people to hold their feet to the fire and not forget what they have burdened us with when elections roll around. Unfortunately we have to bite our tongues and hold on to get the Republicans out... but we must still remember this vote and be aware of what we are going to do in the future.

Under The LobsterScope

I stumbled onto an article by Jeffrey Goldberg in The Atlantic which discussed one of the places in the West Virginia Panhandle, where I live, that I have shopped at: the local Wal-Mart.

Or, as he put it, the "crappiest Wal-Mart in America".  An exerpt:

If you want to see the underside of the unregulated capitalist economy, the people who can't find the non-existent escape ladder from poverty and its pathologies, visit the Martinsburg, West Virginia Wal-Mart. Morbid obesity; spontaneous, public bouts of corporal punishment directed against dirty children; ten-year girls dressed as whores; tattoos running up necks and down legs; smoking like you only see these days in Baku; it's all here.

The Panhandle is considered one of the more liberal places in the Appalachian economy that is West Virginia. But even here we have higher than average unemployment, lower than average annual incomes, a devastated population which, going back to Reagan, was convinced that Republican de-regulation was in everyone's best interest as they all slid further down the slippery slope.

Wal-Mart, being the cheap source for breakable Chinese goods, is the catchall at the bottom that gets most of the clothing, school supply, home appliance and gardening business around here. Goldberg's view of the people he sees here is not unreasonable... in fact it is frighteningly accurate.

Elly and I moved to the Panhandle, and, in particular, to the small college town of Shepherdstown (home of Shepherd University and some of the most expensive houses in the area) to get away from the Hagerstown, MD, area where we work. Shepherdstown was our initial view of the Panhandle... and it was a little off-putting when we drove out of town for shopping... towards Martinsburg about 8 miles away... and found another world. When I got involved with the Obama campaign in the WV Primary (which Hillary Clinton won, as you will recall, by catering to the rifle-toting "bitter" folk of white Appalachia), I became even more aware of this economy that had been kept down by decades of deregulating administrations that removed their opportunities by offering them unkept promises.

In my county, Jefferson County, the major income provider is Horse Racing and Slot Machines in the County Seat at Charles Town. Oh... there is some nearby Government employment (the IRS is in Martinsburg - I used to commute up here from Washington DC when I worked for CSC who had the IRS as a client; Shepherdstown has the Forest Service's main training facility (which is rumored to be THE training facility for the CIA), and a good deal of small, private farms. But the downtowns in Martinsburg, Charles Town and other places nearby are dilapidated and victims of Mall surroundings. Shepherdstown's 2 block downtown has saved itself by becoming a tourist attraction... shops and restaurants, mostly, operating at full tilt for 9 months of the year.

Goldberg looks at the results he sees at the Martinsburg Wal-Mart as the dregs of unregulated capitalism, and I think he is right. Easily one of the best things that could happen with a Democratic Presidency and a stronger Democratic Congress could be a return to the kind of regulation which would have protected us from the oil crisis, the housing/mortgage debacle and the increasing costs of food, clothing and just about everything else we need for basic survival.

And if you are ever in Martinsburg, WV, follow his warning and stay out of Wal-Mart's men's room.

Under The LobsterScope

I don't believe that any African=American who grew up in the America that I experienced in the fifties and sixties (and even later) should necessarily have been as proud of this country then than they are now when Barack Obama has climbed to the top of the Democratic Party. So when Michelle Obama is attacked for her comment last February, taken out of context, that she has never been as proud of America as she is now, she is being unfairly accused of everything from UnAmericanism to social evil.

Dan Abrams on MSNBC last night had a great section where he revealed quotes by John McCain where he clearly states that he didn't love America until he was a prisoner of war and was deprived of his country. Abrams pointed out that this could just as easily be taken out of context if Democrats were to do what Republicans like Cindy McCain were doing... and this would be just as unfair.

here's the section of The Verdict where he raises this issue with a mixed panel:

<iframe height="339" width="425" src="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/25274602#25274602" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>

Perhaps we can return to debating the actual issues and get away from personality attacks. There is an awful lot to really discuss which has nothing to do with depicting a candidate's spouse in such a manner.

One could hope.

Under The LobsterScope

In the long-, or even the short-run this is going to whack McCain right in the face! In his new web ad, McCain is going to stir up so much anger among Democrats... and even among Independents and Republicans... that he might as well be buying his early retirement now.

The laughing face of Holy Joe next to his own mug is enough to make every Democrat reach deep into the pocket and send as much campaign dough as possible to Obama.

Lieberman comes off as even more than a traitor to the party which let him retain his committee chairs. He ties McCain to the concept of untrustworthiness and contempt for the supporters and backers (Obama for one) who got Holy Joe reelected when Connecticut Dems denied him the nomination in 2006.

There is a air of "screw you" here which transcends any notion of reaching across party lines that I think McCain is trying to display.

Democrats are now against Joe, Republicans neither trust nor like the little rodent, and Independents think he gives them a bad name.

So go ahead, old man... push this image. It will take you even closer to loss! (Hell, why not make Joe your VP selection?)

Under The LobsterScope

This from the Associated Press:

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that foreign terrorism suspects held at Guantanamo Bay have rights under the Constitution to challenge their detention in U.S. civilian courts.

The justices handed the Bush administration its third setback at the high court since 2004 over its treatment of prisoners who are being held indefinitely and without charges at the U.S. naval base in Cuba. The vote was 5-4, with the court's liberal justices in the majority.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the court, said, "The laws and Constitution are designed to survive, and remain in force, in extraordinary times."

It was not immediately clear whether this ruling, unlike the first two, would lead to prompt hearings for the detainees, some of whom have been held more than 6 years. Roughly 270 men remain at the island prison, classified as enemy combatants and held on suspicion of terrorism or links to al-Qaida and the Taliban.

The administration opened the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to hold enemy combatants, people suspected of ties to al-Qaida or the Taliban.

The Guantanamo prison has been harshly criticized at home and abroad for the detentions themselves and the aggressive interrogations that were conducted there.

The court said not only that the detainees have rights under the Constitution, but that the system the administration has put in place to classify them as enemy combatants and review those decisions is inadequate.

Kennedy was the moderate who sided with the liberals here, while the four firm conservatives dissented.

Bush, speaking from Italy where his "farewell tour" has him today, made public his disagreement with the decision, but indicated he would honor it... something he often says but doesn't do. Nothing has happened due to the first two rulings of the Court.

This does, however, point out the kind of problem which lies ahead for Constitutional rights if McCain is elected President and gets to appoint the next justices. He has already stated his opposition to Roe V. Wade, which would take away women's rights to their own bodies, and any further rulings against people held at Gitmo (or anywhere else) without right to charges or trial could easily be in our legal future.

Under The LobsterScope

Well... he doesn't know Shi'ites from Sunnis, and he thinks Iran shelters Al Qaida... now the old man mixes up his European leaders. And he wants us to know about his experience as a world leader?

I bet the Germans are thrilled.

Under The LobsterScope

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has published a document based on over six hundred responses he received from his constituents and others on how the economy is affecting their daily lives. Sometimes it seems like Bernie is the only guy in Congress who listens to ordinary folk... and often he is just that.

Download the booklet, take a look at some of these, and drop Bernie a note. And write your own congressfolk, too.

Maybe we can get some regulatory action on this economy which we gave up years ago with Reagan and the Republicans.

Under The LobsterScope

This was in my morning e-mail...did you get it too?

Dear Bill,

I wanted you to be one of the first to know: on Saturday, I will hold an event in Washington D.C. to thank everyone who has supported my campaign. Over the course of the last 16 months, I have been privileged and touched to witness the incredible dedication and sacrifice of so many people working for our campaign. Every minute you put into helping us win, every dollar you gave to keep up the fight meant more to me than I can ever possibly tell you.

On Saturday, I will extend my congratulations to Senator Obama and my support for his candidacy. This has been a long and hard-fought campaign, but as I have always said, my differences with Senator Obama are small compared to the differences we have with Senator McCain and the Republicans.

I have said throughout the campaign that I would strongly support Senator Obama if he were the Democratic Party's nominee, and I intend to deliver on that promise.

When I decided to run for president, I knew exactly why I was getting into this race: to work hard every day for the millions of Americans who need a voice in the White House.

I made you -- and everyone who supported me -- a promise: to stand up for our shared values and to never back down. I'm going to keep that promise today, tomorrow, and for the rest of my life.

I will be speaking on Saturday about how together we can rally the party behind Senator Obama. The stakes are too high and the task before us too important to do otherwise.

I know as I continue my lifelong work for a stronger America and a better world, I will turn to you for the support, the strength, and the commitment that you have shown me in the past 16 months. And I will always keep faith with the issues and causes that are important to you.

In the past few days, you have shown that support once again with hundreds of thousands of messages to the campaign, and again, I am touched by your thoughtfulness and kindness.

I can never possibly express my gratitude, so let me say simply, thank you.

Sincerely,
Hillary
Hillary Rodham Clinton

I'm not sure why she's thanking me, since I was a very early Obama supporter. However... at least now we can get on with the exposure of the aging McCain and his continuation of Bush's policies.

My only question is... picking Saturday to do this Obama support speech is putting it on an awfully slow news day, isn't it? Don't politicians save week-ends for things they want to hide?

Under The LobsterScope

Was this organized or what? Hillary's most extreme supporters are not taking the Rules Committee's decision with any kind of good sportsmanship. For instance:

This must bring joy to Harold Ickes' heart as he and Hillary threaten a push toward the Credentials Committee.

Does Hillary have pride in this kind of support? Will she get anywhere with the "popular vote" argument? Obviously, as the Puerto Rican primary goes down today, she thinks she will, delegate totals or not.

It's interesting that hurricane season starts today... we're about to have a political hurricane which could blow over some media trees. But remember... after a hurricane life goes on. We patch things up here and there and go forward with our lives.

I don't think Obama is too worried.

Under The LobsterScope