LawGeek

Bush approval rating, 2005-2008

Thought this was interesting.

Divorce: A hidden cost of war to American families?

All wars require sacrifice.  Lives will be lost, money will be spent, infrastructure and economies will need to be rebuilt.  Yet the statistics below suggest an additional cost that often isn't discussed: additional instability to military families.

There could be many reasons for increased military divorce rates, of course, but one has to presume that the extended tours of duty, restricted communication protocols, and lack of an exit strategy aren't helping.

It would be interesting to compare these rates with the rates during other military conflicts.  Much like PTSD, the long-term impact of wars like the one in Iraq may have a much higher cost to those who are already sacrificing the most, especially with no end in sight.

On a further note, as Sociological Images suggests, this also calls into question the effectiveness of campaigns such as these Army Strong ads.

Another good question (for the GOP Debate)

Good question

Sack Cartoons

Which would you rather have: More war in Iraq or healthier children?

howmanydays
Originally uploaded by ripleydj.

More here.

Guantanamo lawyer accused of smuggling underwear to clients

This, if true, is simply unbelievable:

We attorneys have been accused of lots of under handed things by the military (on one occasion when the military screwed up and wouldn't let me see my client they filed a false affidavit in court claiming I did not want to see my client but instead wanted to go bird watching...) now one of the habeas counsel is accused of surreptitiously supplying underwear to two of his clients.... contraband underwear... and a speedo....

Brave New Films on U.S. Gov't failure to rebuild NOLA

A pretty moving four-minute movie about our government's failure to rebuild New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

Given the billions we're spending trying to rebuild Iraq, it's sad that we can't focus here at home on rebuilding a community that wants and needs our help.

To support the rebuild efforts, click here.

C-SPAN Video of Ninth Circuit Argument in AT&T Wiretapping Case

FYI, The Internet Archive has now posted the C-SPAN video of the oral argument in EFF's case against AT&T over the illegal NSA surveillance campaign:

You can read more about the case here.

House Affirms No Domestic Eavesdropping Without Warrant

via the ACLU:

WASHINGTON, DC -The American Civil Liberties Union today cheered an amendment to the House Intelligence Reauthorization Bill that would prevent illegal domestic wiretapping by the government. The amendment, by Representatives Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ), will reaffirm the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) as the only legal means of collecting electronic intelligence surveillance. The amendment was passed late last night by a vote of 245-178.

"Congress has signaled that it will not allow the president to continue the National Security Agency’s illegal eavesdropping," said Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the ACLU’s Washington Legislative Office. "Passage of the Schiff/Flake amendment is Congress drawing a line in the sand. This amendment reaffirms that FISA is the law and it needs to be followed."

America's war against tourorism

Are we better off in the world as a result of the Bush Administration's War on Terror? Well, it would seem the U.S. tourism industry sure isn't....

America's war on tourists:

In a recent poll of international travellers, commissioned by Discover America Partnership, a coalition of US tourist organisations, 70 per cent of respondents said they feared US officials more than terrorists or criminals. Another 66 per cent worried they would be detained for some minor blunder, such as wrongly filling out an official form or being mistaken for a terrorist, while 55 per cent say officials are "rude."

(Thanks Jim!)