September 17, 2003

Andrew Sullivan: GILLIGAN IMPLODES: All that's left of his claim that the Blair government deliberately inserted evidence it knew not to be true and generally sexed up the Iraq dossier against the wishes of the intelligence services is that some intelligence analysts were uneasy about the presentation of he data. Money quote: "Appearing at the inquiry for a second time Wednesday, Gilligan said he had not intended to give the impression the government had lied. 'The allegation I intended to make was a spin. I do regret those words ... and I shouldn't have used them.'" He also admits wrongful leaking. He's toast. So are the conspiracy theorists. 2:58:49 PM

BC Court Decriminalizes Pot KRON4.com, CA - A British Columbia Provincial Court ruling has decriminalized possession of marijuana in the province. 12:01:19 PM

Disputed death toll in Saudi prison fire 184 The Daily Star - A Saudi opposition group said as many as 144 inmates and 40 security men died in a fire Monday at Saudi Arabia's largest prison, more than double the official toll given by authorities. "According to an unimpeachable security source, 144 inmates have died in the fire at Al-Hair prison, in addition to 32 policemen and eight police officers," London-based Saad al-Fagih of the Movement for Islamic Reform, which was first to break news of the blaze, told AFP. 8:36:56 AM