Australian fires claim at least 173 people,
police closing in on arsonists

post from AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth on 09 February 2009 11:48:00 PM. © AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth

Many are now calling for the arsonists to face murder charges based on the 173 people already found dead. Surely more will be found as the fires are contained.

Australian towns devastated in the country's worst bushfires were declared crime scenes tonight as forensic investigators began combing the charred landscape for evidence of how the infernos started, and who may have ignited them.

Police indicated that they were closing in on arsonists believed to be responsible for lighting some of the 400 blazes that have killed at least 170 people, left 5,000 homeless and destroyed a 350,000 hectare area north of Melbourne in the past three days.

As firefighters continued to battle raging fires that threaten a further six towns north of Melbourne, the attorney general, Robert McClelland, told parliament that those responsible for lighting them could be charged with murder. Senior police confirmed they are preparing photofits of suspected firebugs.

"We'll soon be in a position to provide face images of people we believe responsible,"Detective Sergeant Brett Kahan told the Melbourne Age. Announcing a special taskforce to investigate the fires, the Victorian police commissioner, Christine Nixon, said she was "optimistic" that arrests would be made.

The prime minister, Kevin Rudd, echoed the anger of a nation yesterday when he described such actions as "mass murder". Fighting back tears, he said: "This is of a level of horror that few of us anticipated."

Last night, a 60 mile (96km) wall of fire was continuing its advance on towns north of Melbourne. Authorities said the bushfires could take many days to control.

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Geithner Said to Have Prevailed on the Bailout
(New York Times)

post from memeorandum on 09 February 2009 11:45:02 PM. © memeorandum

New York Times:
Geithner Said to Have Prevailed on the Bailout — WASHINGTON— The Obama administration's new plan to bail out the nation's banks was fashioned after a spirited internal debate that pitted the Treasury secretary, Timothy F. Geithner, against some of the president's top political hands.

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Right wing gripes about press conference

post from Where's the Outrage? on 09 February 2009 11:44:42 PM. © Where's the Outrage?

I’m currently arguing with some physicians who are right-wing knuckleheads. They are[...]

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http://www.whereistheoutrage.net/wordpress/2009/02/09/8106/

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Obama Backs Off a Reversal on Secrets (John
Schwartz/New York Times)

post from memeorandum on 09 February 2009 11:40:06 PM. © memeorandum

John Schwartz / New York Times:
Obama Backs Off a Reversal on Secrets — SAN FRANCISCO — In a closely watched case involving rendition and torture, a lawyer for the Obama administration seemed to surprise a panel of federal appeals judges on Monday by pressing ahead with an argument for preserving state secrets originally developed by the Bush administration.

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Indie Retailer of the Day: Roadside Projects

post from Moue Magazine on 09 February 2009 11:28:55 PM. © Moue Magazine

I was surprised to read that the art from Roadside Projects is 2 D. Artist Jayme McGowan utilizes colors so deftly that the prints look like dioramas. The surreal circus themes in many of the pieces are just icing on the cake for me.[...]

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cts/

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Israel in 2009

post from MyDD on 09 February 2009 11:21:21 PM. © MyDD

With Israelis heading to the polls in just a few hours, the polling suggests a fairly tight race, with the right wing Likud in the neighborhood of 26 mandates, the center-right Kadima pulling in roughly 23 mandates, the secular nationalist Israel[...]

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Open Thread and Diary Rescue

post from Daily Kos on 09 February 2009 11:20:04 PM. © Daily Kos

Tonight's rescue brought to you by dopper0189, grog, ItsJessMe, Louisiana 1976, shayera, and ybruti, with srkp23 editing.

Killer of Sacred Cows considers his tax bill and, after years on disability, is Proud to pay my share. (ybruti)

Shocko from Seattle ponders the meaning behind an internet networking site and what it means to human relationships in A meditation on friendship, or something. (grog)

No Day is an Ordinary Day when you're as dedicated a physician as doctoraaron, whose patients on one day each came with a story that cried out about how we desperately need change in our health care system. (ItsJessMe)

Ed Tracey tells us about The Best First Boss Anyone Could Have. (shayera)

John Minehan explains the philosophical concept of "Objectivism," which is the basis for many of the Right's beliefs: A Few Random Thoughts on Objectivism. (dopper0189)

Sharing a light in the economic darkness, carldavidson recaps the recent lively and energized "Good Jobs, Green Jobs" National Conference: Steelworkers, Hip-Hoppers and Tree-Huggers Get It On at 'Green Jobs 2009'! (ItsJessMe)

Meggie talks about Joshua Silver's Invention for the Poor and how it will help those with vision problems. (shayera)

Gooch took the bait when his aunt forwarded him an essay that was "Long on Faith, Short on Fact," replying with a thorough and exhaustively researched response, in Climate Change: Debunking a Denier. (ItsJessMe)

ObamasGuardianAngel explains Why I'm proud to be a member of the true pro-life party: the Democratic Party. (ItsJessMe)

eponymouse shares his experiences being out of work and offers some views on economic issues in general in The Unemployment Diaries, Part 4. (Louisiana 1976)

RedStateProgressive does an interesting job Connecting the Dots between antebellum Popular Sovereignty doctrine and current anti-gay rights activity. (grog)

Noting that the stimulus bill has been stripped of funding for the NEA, scrdchao argues that The arts need stimulation, too. (ybruti)

jotter serves up High Impact Diaries: February 8, 2009.

sardonyx brings Top Comments: What's in a Name Edition.

Enjoy and please promote your own favorite diaries in this open thread.

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Did anything change "No, your honor"

post from TalkLeft on 09 February 2009 11:17:00 PM. © TalkLeft

That is the damning reply delivered by an Obama Justice Department official today in the oral argument in the Jeppesen extraordinary renditions flights case. The NYTimes reports this exchange:

“Is there anything material that has happened” that might have caused the Justice Department to shift its views, asked Judge Mary M. Schroeder, an appointee of President Jimmy Carter, coyly referring to the recent election.

“No, your honor,” Mr. Letter replied. “The change in administration has no bearing?” she asked.

“No, your honor,” he said once more.

The Obama Administration, trying to deflect the stain of this exchange, stated that:

“It is the policy of this administration to invoke the state secrets privilege only when necessary and in the most appropriate cases,” he said, adding that Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. had asked for a review of pending cases in which the government had previously asserted a state secret privilege.

“The attorney general has directed that senior Justice Department officials review all assertions of the state secrets privilege to ensure that the privilege is being invoked only in legally appropriate situations,” he said. “It is vital that we protect information that, if released, could jeopardize national security.

Putting two and two together, one of two things has happened - Holder reviewed and approved the state secrets assertion in the Jeppesen case (and indeed the government attorney arguing before the 9th Circuit said as much) or the government attorney misled the 9th Circuit panel.

The Justice Department spokesman is clearly, imo, misleading here. The Jeppesen case is clearly one where the state secret privilege is poorly invoked. Indeed, there is no secret anymore as to what happened.

Holder and the Obama Administration are BSing us on this issue. Unlike some, I believe that there are appropriate situations for application and invocation of the state secrets privilege. I think it serves an important function. The Jeppesen case is about as far a case as one could imagine where the invocation of the state secrets privilege can possibly be deemed appropriate.

Greenwald has wall to wall coverage.

Speaking for me only

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Congrats Sam Stein & Huffington Post: A Historic
Moment in the Obama White House

The clouds didn't open. A choir didn't start singing. A ray of sunlight didn't come[...]

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So Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, and Michael Steele
Walk Into a Bar

If I weren't so busy hoarding cans of catfood to live on during the next Great Depression, I'd be laughing at the joke that is the Republican Party.[...]

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http://firedoglake.com/2009/02/09/so-rush-limbaugh-sarah-palin-and-michael-steele
-walk-into-a-bar/

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