You migh have noticed that I got a chance to add some entries today, since we are in-port. Be safe out there!!

See you next week!!!!

Fascinating, isn't it how the lawn-order Kill-their-appelate rights, and kill them, Tom Delay can have so many bites at the appelate apple before even getting to trial isn't it?

The state's highest criminal court has asked prosecutors to respond to former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's request that the charges against him be dismissed.

The all-Republican appeals court on Tuesday gave prosecutors a week to submit arguments regarding the request filed Friday by DeLay attorney Dick DeGuerin. The court will decide whether to take the case after the prosecutors' response is received.

Hmmm...an all-republican court hearing a Tom Delay case in Texas...gee, wonder how that's gonna go? Well, let's have some faith that they're not all Priscilla Owens and move on to the New Year...

Buried in this story about attorneys interested in finding out whether or not the illegal wiretapping program was used against their clients, is this little gem:

... In a Virginia case, Edward B. MacMahon Jr., a lawyer for Ali al-Timimi, a Muslim scholar in Alexandria who is serving a life sentence for inciting his young followers to wage war against the United States overseas, said the government's explanation of how it came to suspect Mr. Timimi of terrorism ties never added up in his view.

F.B.I. agents were at Mr. Timimi's door days after the Sept. 11 attacks to question him about possible links to terrorism, Mr. MacMahon said, yet the government did not obtain a warrant through the foreign intelligence court to eavesdrop on his conversations until many months later.

Mr. MacMahon said he was so skeptical about the timing of the investigation that he questioned the Justice Department about whether some sort of unknown wiretap operation had been conducted on the scholar or his young followers, who were tied to what prosecutors described as a "Virginia jihad" cell.

"They told me there was no other surveillance," Mr. MacMahon said. "But the fact is that the case against a lot of these guys just came out of nowhere because they were really nobodies, and it makes you wonder whether they were being tapped."
(my emphasis)

The legality of the wiretaps is, I am sure going to make it all the way to the Supremes. I don't know if French-Fry has the same feelings of deference to the alleged "Chief Executive" in times of ShopKreig that Rehnquist had, but it will be interesting to see how the "strict constructionalists" who tortured Bush v Gore will take this on.

Someone order Clarence a double espresso and cocaine now, he might need to be awake for oral arguments.

So, the Feds are tightening the noose around the Enron Gang...seems that the accounting guy is now testifying against Lay and Skilling in return for some reduction in his Prison Bitch Time. Well, it ought to be interesting, I wonder if they offered that deal to Skilling too? Or is he too big a fish?

Former top Enron Corp. accountant Richard Causey pleaded guilty to securities fraud Wednesday and agreed to help pursue convictions against Enron founder Kenneth Lay and former CEO Jeffrey Skilling, the Associated Press reported.

Lay, Skilling and Causey were scheduled to be tried together Jan. 17 on conspiracy, fraud and other charges related to the scandal-ridden company's collapse more than four years ago. The deal leaves Lay and Skilling with another opponent rather than an ally who has been part of their united defense front since the trio was first indicted last year.

Causey will serve seven years in prison and forfeit $1.25 million to the government, according to the plea deal. However, if the government is happy with his cooperation, prosecutors can ask that his sentence be reduced to five years.

Seeing Kenny-boy in an orange jumpsuit will be only marginally better than seeing Beloved Leader and his Lying Fuck Henchman, Crashcart in one. But, alas, that may have to be another day....so moral, so righteous, so ... convicted. Yeah, Baby!

1. Happy New Year
   
2. Delay's Delays
   
3. The Lying Fuck Brigade (aka The 1600 Crew) Strikes again
   
4. I know why the soon-to-be-Caged Bird Sings