Latte, anyone?
On this day in history, June 6, 1944, the WWII D-Day invasion took place on the beaches of Normandy, France.
~Here is the Sunday talk show run-down (h/t to Firedoglake).
~The NY Times has an eye-opening article about how the U.S. government is enriching the warlords of Afghanistan. Reasonable people can disagree about the wisdom of the Obama administration’s Afghan policy, but there is no doubt that the U.S. public has a right to know more about how some of the vast sums of money are being spent and whether it’s having the desired impact or undermining the very point of our being there.
~Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich explains why we are heading into a double-dip recession.
~The William Jefferson Clinton presidential library released over 45,000 pages of Elena Kagan’s records in response to a Senate request. I think the phrase that best describes her philosophy is this: deliberately vague.
~In the Arkansas Democratic primary, Halter is up in the polls. Analysts are saying that with the run-off around the corner (June 8th), it may all come down to who has the best get-out-the-vote operation.
~Obama has named a new Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Lt. Gen. James Clapper. Good luck to Mr. Clapper because that has to be one of the most thankless jobs in all of DC.
~An interesting and quite open-minded essay on Israeli policy written by an IDF Major (in the reserves) who is now at the Kennedy School of Government. It challenges the notion that to love Israel is to rubber stamp all of her policies and he questions both the human and moral cost of Israel’s actions of late.
~And of course, BP. The Washington Post reports on the sobering reality that it will take decades for the ecosystem to recover from the BP oil disaster. More information on the containment cap can be found here. If the criminal investigation into BP moves forward, don’t expect top corporate officials to end up in orange jumpsuits- they usually escape direct liability. Also related to BP, McClatchy is wondering why the Obama administration continues to low-ball oil flow estimates. Good question.
~Congress returns from “vacation” Monday and there are a lot of issues on their plate that they don’t want to deal with- war funding, jobless benefits, aid for the Gulf Coast. Man-up, Congress, you weren’t sent to Washington to just bask in the limelight and issue talking points. Keeping the government running is work.
“Reasonable people can disagree on the wisdom of Obama’s Afghanistan poilcy”……actually all of the reasonable people are aganist it and the unreasonable people are for it. ******** It’s illegal to commandeer a ship on the high seas (in international waters), kidnap it’s crew and passengers, then steal its cargo. That’s known as piracy. (See: Somalia pirates.) But the Israelis have never concerned themselves with what’s leagal and what’s illegal. (The number of times the Israelis have violated international law is too long to list here.) They just do what they damn well feel like while the United States turns a blind eye. At least these outlaws didn’t kill anybody this time. Peace
I could be wrong but the piracy label isn’t working for me because Israel is a state actor, pirates are generally not. While some pirates are clearly unofficially backed by their governments, it’s still not the same as having a nation state’s military commandeer/attack a ship in international waters. If China did that to a group of American civilian ship in international waters I don’t think we’d be calling it piracy but rather damn near close to an act of war.
You can’t be serious? Are you telling us that because a state, in this case Israel, seizes a ship, kidnaps its occupants and steals its cargo that it’s NOT piracy because the state itself is responsible for the activity? Because it is also an act of war simply underlines the illegality of the act. Israel is permitting, or more precisely promulgating, state sanctioned piracy. That Israel is a rogue state with no regard for international law is obvious on its face. Peace
Yes, Imhotep actually, I am serious. As a lawyer, I can tell you that legal definitions matter so it’s important we at least try to use the correct ones. And while I have seen people (including lawyers) on TV, websites, etc. argue different things with respect to the different aspects of this incident, one consistency seems to be that piracy involves a non-state actor utilizing private ships or planes to perpetrate the theft. Also, the use of “theft” in the flotilla incident is not so clear-cut either, but that’s a whole other can of worms:
http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2010/05/the_legal_posit.html
“A word on the legal position, which is very plain. To attack a foreign flagged vessel in international waters is illegal. It is not piracy, as the Israeli vessels carried a military commission. It is rather an act of illegal warfare.
Because the incident took place on the high seas does not mean however that international law is the only applicable law. The Law of the Sea is quite plain that, when an incident takes place
on a ship on the high seas (outside anybody’s territorial waters) the applicable law is that of the flag state of the ship on which the incident occurred. In legal terms, the Turkish ship was Turkish territory.
There are therefore two clear legal possibilities.
Possibility one is that the Israeli commandos were acting on behalf of the government of Israel in killing the activists on the ships. In that case Israel is in a position of war with Turkey, and the act falls under international jurisdiction as a war crime.
Possibility two is that, if the killings were not authorised Israeli military action, they were acts of murder under Turkish jurisdiction. If Israel does not consider itself in a position of war with Turkey, then it must hand over the commandos involved for trial in Turkey under Turkish law.
In brief, if Israel and Turkey are not at war, then it is Turkish law which is applicable to what happened on the ship. It is for Turkey, not Israel, to carry out any inquiry or investigation into events and to initiate any prosecutions. Israel is obliged to hand over indicted personnel for prosecution…”
****
And another definition:
“Maritime piracy, according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) of 1982, consists of any criminal acts of violence, detention, rape, or depredation committed for *private* ends by the crew or the passengers of a *private* ship or aircraft that is directed on the high seas against another ship, aircraft, or against persons or property on board a ship or aircraft…”
***
And said a different way:
“An illegal act of violence, depredation (e.g., plundering, robbing, or pillaging), or detention in or over international waters committed for private ends by the crew or passengers of a private ship or aircraft against another ship or aircraft or against persons or property on board such ship or aircraft…”
I’ve talked to lawyers as well, so keep pushing back on this one, SCB.
AND THANKS for the great Sunday news links.
For me, the most interesting is the Obama administration low balling BP’s blowout via McClatchy.
“As a lawyer…..”
____________________
SCB, I agree with your analysis of the distinction between piracy and acts of war. Also, it’s completely escaped me until now that you are a lawyer. That explains much. I disagree with you on just about every substantive point, but I admire the logical and (largely) dispassionate manner of your arguments. Your writing is excellent.
Hi Ogenec. Nice to see you. How’s the family?
Oooooooooo…..lookie here, lookie here……all the lawyers are lawyering up. Just being plain folks I’ll accept that the Israelis committed an act of war. Anything elese you’d care to charge them with? A war crime maybe? Just keep that legalese on coming. The rest of us will just use our common sense. Betcha we all end up in the same place. Peace
Hey lynnette, great to see you as well. My family is well. Hope yours is too.
……actually all of the reasonable people are aganist it and the unreasonable people are for it.
This is malarkey (though it’s actually BS).
Hey ogenec
I completely agree with your observations of scb’s writing….everything of course except disagreeing with her on substance.
LL, LOL. That part was an observation, not a criticism
It’s just nice to see positions well articulated. NoFortunateSon is doing a fantastic job articulating MY viewpoint, so I’m totally cool 
Good to see you!
OT: Since you and I have similar tastes in Hip-Hop music…I was listening to Deltron 3030 again the other day and thought that you would love it. Deltron 3030 is Del The Funky Homosapien, Dan the Automator and Kid Koala. One of my all-time faves.
For an extra heavy challenge, pick up Anti-Pop Consortium – ‘Fluorescent Black’.
Sandmann, your taste in music is impeccable!! I love Deltron 3030. I’ll check out Anti-Pop Consortium — several of my friends have raved about them.
Just ’cause you say it don’t make it so. Unless of course you believe that your opinion is superior to everyone else’s? Peace
Imhotep, re: the piracy stuff, I was just trying to explain why clamoring to charge them with piracy might not work. I’m not really sure why you are getting so bent out of shape about it, I didn’t create the definition of piracy.
If you believe Israel committed a crime on the high seas, don’t you think it’s better to perhaps hold them accountable using a law that actually would applies and be provable? In my opinion, Israel’s use of the full power of their military against a civilian ship in intl waters in order to prevent them breaking through an arguably illegal blockade is much worse than characterizing them as a bunch of unorganized, non-state actors trying to steal the stuff on the flotilla. Under some interpretations, Israel’s actions constitute an act of war against Turkey, which is arguably much more serious than piracy. But again, that’s just my opinion.
Bill Halter’s up in the Louisiana primary as well? I guess he’s just that awesome that he’s spilling over state boundaries
My question is whether the DC establishment will listen to the result or shrug it off? My other fear is that Plantation Blanche will run as an Independent.
Seriously, thank you for the good collection of links. I am very glad I discovered this web site.
As for the Obama Administration lowballing estimates, there is a bit of a mystery there, as they are taking their estimates from NOAA. I have a very hard time understanding how NOAA could be wrong, as they are generally experts on matter involving the ocean. I cannot see them being easily influenced or manipulated. Or maybe I’m just naive.
Oh sh*t, thanks for that, I had Louisiana on the brain! I’ll go fix it!
I heard a past director of NOAA under Bush really stand up for the integrity of the current director on NPR,Science Friday.
By the way, I sincerely apologize for my words yesterday.
That said, I can’t find much on Dr. Jane Lubchenco, other than she believes in overfishing and ocean acidification due to global warming.
This was all I could find, and I cannot vouch for its accuracy: http://www.whorunsgov.com/Profiles/Jane_Lubchenco
I’m not sure what’s going on with the estimates of the amount of oil spewing from the leak. In the congressional testimony a few weeks ago every expert said all prior and current estimates have been ridiculously low.
Tony Hayward has been pulled been pulled back from being the public face of BP now- that job will be handed off to one of the American executives. I don’t have the link on me at this moment but I can go find it. BP thought Americans weren’t really bonding with Hayward and they essentially opined that perhaps his being a Brit had something to do with it and that perhaps there would be some sort of anti-British backlash because of it. That analysis is probably about as accurate as BP’s oil flow estimates. Their CEO is a walking public relations disaster but it’s our fault because of his British accent? Whatever.
Don’t know if this is OT or if there even IS a topic so here’s my blurb:
Rush Limpwithnoballs buys exclusive contract on fourth prostitut….OOOOPS! Get’s married for the fourth time in a REAL family values friendly service while being serenaded by well known Gay Rights and marriage advocate and entertainer Elton John.
The hooker and her Joh….OOPS, the happy couple are expecting to share paid for sex act…OOOPS connubial bliss for at least a year before the termination clause in her sex workers contrac…OOOPS, before amicably separating upon payment of millions and millions of dollars to keep her mouth SHUT!
Yeah, and isn’t she like 33 years old? This is his fourth wife I think.
This is what true rwn do. They divorce over and over because everything else is a sin. Sex is their only form of entertainment also.