Tuesday, January 27, 2004

Bad Advice. A federal judge has overturned a provision of the PATRIOT Act that makes it a crime to give "expert advice or assistance" to a group identified by the government as a a terrorist organization. U.S. District Judge Audrey B. Collins concluded that the provision is unconstitutionally broad and vague: "It could be construed to include unequivocally pure speech and advocacy protected by the First Amendment." [Hit & Run] This is good news, but only in a limited way. It won't do anything to restrain the Feds' spying, for example (assuming that the Feds even bother to honor the ruling). Still, it's a tiny step in the right direction. We can look forward to much wailing and gnashing of teeth from the Crusaders about how the judge is "siding with terrorists." 12:57:08 PM    comment () "A Crock of Shit". That's what reports that Saddam Hussein could deploy WMDs in 45 minutes actually were, or so says a lobbyist for the Iraqi exile group which made the claim. It is becoming increasingly clear what happened in late 2002 in the run up to war. The intelligence services of both Britain and the U.S. could not nail down evidence of WMDs in Iraq, so the paid flacks of Iraqi exile groups stepped up with dubious tales of super-weapons. Pro-war officials, particularly in the Bush administration, then seized upon these tales to press the case for invasion and occupation. They knew better. Now you do too. [Hit & Run] Actually I knew better all along, as did anyone who wasn't actively wanting to be fooled. 9:29:12 AM    comment ()

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