On Thursday, January 15, at 9:30 a.m., the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold its confirmation hearing for Attorney General nominee Eric Holder. If the Senators are willing to work together and to listen to those of us who elected them, the questioning might go something like this:

Mr. Holder, is the water torture, often now referred to as “waterboarding”, torture? Are beatings torture? Are electric shocks torture? Is hanging someone by their wrists torture? What about the combined read more

By David Swanson

There’s a blanket pardon I want President Bush to issue and one I want him not to. Both would involve preemptively pardoning people before they’re charged with any crime, much less convicted, and doing so without naming them. One would be decent, just, and Constitutional; the other would be none of those things. One would please people around the country and the world. The other would please the Washington establishment. Bush may very well issue neither of them, read more

REPORT NAMES 30 BUSH OFFICIALS COMPLICIT IN TORTURE

President Bush and his aides repeatedly ignored warnings that their torture plans were illegal from high State Department officials as well as the nation’s top uniformed legal officers, the Judge Advocates General of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, a new published report states.

“These warnings of illegality and immorality given by knowledgeable and experienced (government) persons were ignored by the small group of high Executive officers read more

On Tuesday, many of us marched and protested and went to jail asking Congress to end wars. Many members of the media were there to see us. Few of them saw their reporting make it on air or into print. One exception, as always, is Bill Moyers Journal on PBS. This uniquely decent and democratic program will be airing an “essay” on Friday night (often replayed on Monday too) that will include coverage of our actions. I haven’t read more

By David Swanson

Two years ago, Moveon.org dropped out of the anti-war movement because Democrats had taken over Congress, and David Sirota dropped out with them. He came back, and someday they might too. But Sirota’s announcement today that Moveon is back in the peace business seems a bit premature. As you begin reading it, once you get past Sirota’s revisionist history read more

Filibustering Works!! Now Can We Filibuster the Iraq Occupation Funding??

While they may have primarily been defending their right to get a chance to vote on amendments, Senators today did block immunity for criminal telecom companies spying in violation of the Fourth Amendment, and they did so with a filibuster, and they did that because Senator Chris Dodd had the backbone and the decency to throw down the gauntlet. Now why in the world will not one single senator choose to be an instant international read more