Monthly Archives: January 2008

Bill Nelson Sells Out America

Posted on January 24, 2008 by Michael Froomkin

Senator Bill Nelson of Florida voted with the GOP today to table — in effect kill — the Judiciary Committee version of FISA. In other words, he voted for the version of the bill that gives total immunity to the telephone companies for conspiring with administration officials to do a massive series of illegal wiretaps — even before 9/11. (Glenn Greenwald is great on this at Salon today and yesterday.)

How sad that even the less reactionary of my Senators believes the government should be able to conduct illegal wiretapping at will, and that its aiders and abettors in the private sector — multi-billion dollar firms with the best legal advice — should get immunity for disregarding the clear words of a statute which told them not to do it.

And the man has the nerve to send me email that says he is very concerned about protecting my civil liberties.

Then again, this is the same Bill Nelson of Florida who voted for torture, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.

Posted in Civil Liberties | 2 Comments

Spot the Difference

Posted on January 24, 2008 by Michael Froomkin

Democratic idea of bipartisan cooperation:

House Democrats will postpone votes on criminal contempt citations against White House chief of staff Joshua Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers, while congressional leaders work with President Bush on a bipartisan stimulus package to fend off an economic downturn, according to party leaders and leadership aides.

“Senior Democrats have decided that holding a controversial vote on the contempt citations, which have already been approved by the House Judiciary Committee as part of its investigation into the firing of nine U.S. attorneys, would 'step on their message' of bipartisan unity in the midst of the stimulus package talks.

One day later — Bush idea of bipartisanship:

Justice Nomination Seen as Snub to Democrats

The Justice Department lawyer who wrote a series of classified legal opinions in 2005 authorizing harsh C.I.A. interrogation techniques was renominated by the White House on Wednesday to a senior department post, a move that was seen as a snub to Senate Democrats who have long opposed his appointment.

Judging by the results, one has to admit that the White House plays this game much better than the hapless Democrats, who cave time and time again. How did they become such sniveling cowards, and on what possible theory of politics do they think this serves their — much less the nation's — interests?

It seems all too likely that we're going to see a worse example of cowardice today, as leading democrats have been signaling that they'd love to cave in on FISA. Senator Dodd will filibuster, but the question is who if anyone will join him.

Posted in Politics: US | 2 Comments

Lies, Lies, Lies

Posted on January 23, 2008 by Michael Froomkin

Lies abound.

Posted in Iraq, Politics: International, Politics: US: GW Bush Scandals | 3 Comments

Official UM Law Dean Search Page

Posted on January 23, 2008 by Michael Froomkin

There's now an official UM School of Law Dean Search page. Complete with a Position Description.

Here are some of the things the Dean will do:

  • Strengthen institutional excellence and selectivity
  • Enhance the recognition of the school’s quality and strengths
  • Attract and retain promising scholars of the first rank.
  • Continue to build and develop areas of strength in teaching and scholarship
  • Strengthen excellence in both scholarship and classroom teaching
  • Creatively support, enhance and promote faculty productivity
  • Focus on ways to enhance the student experience at the Law School
  • Fundraise, with a particular focus on relieving the financial burden on students and enhancing scholarship, teaching, and innovative programs
  • Work with faculty and University leadership to finalize and implement the Law School’s Strategic Plan
  • Maintain the excellence of the academic program in conjunction with the faculty, and provide leadership on innovative curriculum development, academic standards and program initiatives
  • Offer students the diversity and richness of a large law school while providing a flexible, student-centered education with a commitment to excellence
  • Encourage and support faculty scholarship, teaching excellence, and service
  • Cultivate collegial and constructive relations with and among faculty
  • Enhance diversity of the faculty, staff and student ranks
  • Ensure that library and information resources continue to support the academic program and faculty scholarship, and explore new avenues for the fruitful deployment of technology in law studies

And that's not even the whole list.

And here are some additional “Desirable Characteristics”:

The Dean should be an accomplished scholar who is highly regarded by the legal academy. She or he should have enthusiasm for the Law School’s future and appreciation for its history; institutional and intellectual ambition, energy and judgment; leadership skills, including political sensitivity, an effective personal style, and the ability to foster collegiality and engagement.

The Dean helps set the overall tone for the school. The Dean will have:

  • The ability to attract, retain and develop outstanding faculty, administrators and staff
  • The ability to promote successful change in response to emerging challenges
  • An appreciation for the assets of the Law School and the ability to build its future by their effective utilization
  • The capacity to manage and develop a complex academic enterprise
  • A global vision with the ability to be an advocate for continued growth and excellence in the academic program
  • The ability to promote scholarly enthusiasm and productivity
  • A commitment to a collegial model of governance and the ability to cultivate respect for and demands of faculty and staff roles
  • The ability to nurture a strong sense of community among faculty, staff, students and alumni
  • An appreciation for and commitment to encourage student service in the community and legal careers geared to public service
  • A commitment to diversity that will reinforce the Law School’s historic position as a school of opportunity
  • A commitment to fund-raising with the interpersonal and communication skills necessary to interact persuasively with the philanthropic community, to solicit and steward both governmental and private support from alumni, members of the Board of Trustees, friends, foundations, law firms and corporations
  • Excellent communication skills
  • A high level of energy which motivates others, inspires enthusiasm and reflects the forward momentum of the Law School

Walking on water is also optional.

Posted in Law School | 10 Comments

Jar Jar Kucinich et al

Posted on January 22, 2008 by Michael Froomkin

Not written by a nine year old (cf.): best of craigslist : Star Wars Guide to the Candidates.

Posted in Politics: US: 2008 Elections | Comments Off on Jar Jar Kucinich et al

This Wubi Thing Looks Seriously Cool

Posted on January 22, 2008 by Michael Froomkin

This looks good: Wubi – The Easiest Way to Linux.

From the Wubi FAQ:

How does Wubi work?

Wubi adds an entry to the Windows boot menu which allows you to run Linux. Ubuntu is installed within a file in the windows file system (c:\wubi\disks\system.virtual.disk), this file is seen by Linux as a real hard disk.

Is this running Ubuntu within a virtual environment or something similar?

No. This is a real installation, the only difference is that Ubuntu is installed within a file as opposed to being installed within its own partition. Thus we spare you the trouble to create a free partition for Ubuntu. And we spare you the trouble to have to burn a CD-Rom.

Dare I try this at work?

Posted in Software | 5 Comments