Author Archives: Michael Froomkin

These Stories Are NOT Connected

Posted on October 15, 2004 by Michael Froomkin

There is NO connection at all between the following two stories:

#1

TalkLeft: Nat'l Guard May Return to FL Airports

Florida's National Guard patrolled Florida's airport terminals for a few months after 9/11. Now the National Guard troops have received “warning orders” advising them that they may return to that duty later this month.

“Several law-enforcement officials said there is no specific threat to Florida.” So why return the troops to the airports after nearly a three year absence? A cynic might suspect that the administration is trying to scare voters, or that it wants to create the illusion that the government is working to protect voters from a specific threat.

and, #2,

First Draft, Manipulating the Public through Terror Warnings: Empirical Evidence,

Noting that a study shows that, “When the federal government issues a terrorist warning, presidential approval ratings jump, a Cornell University sociologist finds. Interestingly, terrorist warnings also boost support for the president on issues that are largely irrelevant to terrorism, such as his handling of the economy.”

Posted in 9/11 & Aftermath | 3 Comments

The Tinfoil Meme Is Now Mainstream

Posted on October 15, 2004 by Michael Froomkin

When Kevin Drum does the tinfoil thing about the strange object on Bush's back, he does it elegantly. He many only have three pictures, but his pictures have circles and lines (no arrows, alas).

Want more? Try the Bush bulge photo gallery

You know if this were Clinton, Gore or Kerry, the right-wing blogs and the radio (alleged) felons/drug abusers and the cable (alleged) sex perverts would be baying for an investigation. I still can't quite shake the feeling that this is much ado about nothing, but the strange thing is that the White House is acting guilty. A super-smart Rovian trick to distract? Is he that clever?

Update: This device (via Kevin Drum) fits the pictoral and circumstantial (no doctor's report this year) evidence all too well.

Can you imagine what would happen if voters knew that both parts of the ticket had wonky (but not Wonkette-y) tickers? Who would vote GOP knowing there was a risk of getting President Dennis Hastert?

Posted in Politics: Tinfoil | 4 Comments

Pentagon Loves Fridays

Posted on October 15, 2004 by Michael Froomkin

It's well-known that Saturday newspapers (and Friday night TV news) reach the fewest people, so the best time to release bad news is not-first-thing on a Friday. (Extra credit for after 4pm, which may be too late for many papers.)

What an incredible coincidence: every time — and there are lots of times — that the Pentagon has released Bush military service documents since the date he said they were already all released…it's been on a Friday!

Posted in Politics: US: GW Bush Scandals | 4 Comments

Hamdi’s Citizenship

Posted on October 15, 2004 by Michael Froomkin

There's a letter in today's New York Times that crystalizes how I feel about the outcome of the Hamdi case:

Yaser Hamdi, U.S. Citizen

Re “U.S. Releases Saudi-American It Had Captured in Afghanistan” (news article, Oct. 12):

You report that as a condition for releasing Yaser E. Hamdi, who was held without charges and in solitary confinement for about three years, the United States required that he “renounce his American citizenship.” The United States government has no authority to compel such a renunciation, and Mr. Hamdi's proclamation that he is no longer an American is legally meaningless.

Mr. Hamdi was born in Louisiana. The United States Constitution defines anyone who is born in the United States as a citizen. Neither the State Department, the Justice Department nor the president has the authority to alter the Constitution unilaterally.

In Vance v. Terrazas, the Supreme Court made it clear that the government cannot coerce someone to surrender citizenship.

By trying to do precisely that, the United States has continued to act lawlessly toward Mr. Hamdi.

David R. Dow
Houston, Oct. 13, 2004
The writer is a professor at the University of Houston Law Center.

Isn't it somewhat, um, scary when the government can lock a citizen up in solitary for three years, deny access to lawyers or family, then say, “Hey, no need for a trial or anything messy like that: We'll let you out of solitary if you agree to permanent exile?”.

It sounds Soviet to me.

Posted in Civil Liberties | 4 Comments

Nice T-Shirts, But Where Are the Bow Ties?

Posted on October 15, 2004 by Michael Froomkin

Orin Kerr, who should have his own blog, points us to these t-shirts for law students. Orrin says his favorite shirt is this one. I suppose I liked this one. I'll bet, though, they sell a lot of these.

Overall, though, I think I'll stick with thinkgeek and DespairWear™. But this was the best.

Posted in Shopping | 3 Comments

Where Is Mary Cheney?

Posted on October 14, 2004 by Michael Froomkin

Seriously now. What relevance does the attitude of uber-partisans Dick and Lynn Cheney about Kerry's debate mention of their adult daughter have?

Can't she speak for herself? After all, she's working on her father's campaign. Or is the GOP ban on Mary Cheney camera-presence still in effect?

Where is Mary Cheney?

Posted in Politics: US: 2004 Election | 3 Comments