The Justice Department has ruled that the lawyers who wrote memos justifying torture by the United States of America were guilty of bad judgement, but not of any ethical violation.  The legal profession notoriously protects its own while building thick walls around themselves hoping to wall out competition or any oversight other than self-oversight.  In this latest ruling Associate Deputy Attorney General David Margolis continues the poor tradition.  According to this opinion there are apparently no or very few limits to the use of power by those in power as long as some stooges with a JD have written an opinion that it is legal.  For shame.

Please read Executive Editor of The Week Eric Effron’s excellent opinion piece from the March 5, 2010 issue of that publication:

Is “legal ethics” an oxymoron? Having covered legal affairs earlier in my career, that question always struck me as clever but not entirely fair. Bar associations have elaborate mechanisms for policing ethical lapses, and ethics are debated at law schools and in seminars for practicing lawyers. But the lawyer-bashers were handed fresh ammo last week when the Justice Department found that Bush administration attorneys who’d ginned up the legal rationale to justify waterboarding and other harsh interrogation techniques were guilty of nothing more than “poor judgment” (see Talking Points). The lawyers were wrong on the law, Associate Deputy Attorney General David Margolis concluded, and they obligingly told their clients exactly what they wanted to hear. But it was all, somehow, ethical.

How can this be? Margolis ruled that the federal government—unlike the private bar—has never clearly defined professional misconduct for lawyers, so it would be unfair to punish lawyers who apparently were doing what they thought was right. That’s an interesting standard. For whoever is in power, as legal analyst Andrew Cohen noted, it’s highly convenient that there are no binding ethical standards for government lawyers: You can just ask them to concoct a legal justification for some dubious policy goal—such as giving the green light to waterboarding, or ignoring the Geneva Conventions. We like to imagine that our leaders are bound by the rule of law. But if thousands of government lawyers are bound only by what they or their bosses believe is right, then “the rule of law” might be the biggest oxymoron of them all.

Eric Effron

As if we needed any more proof that Palin is a bad flashback to the popular-but-not-that-bright-and-mean-spirited-high-school-cheerleader we all knew, we have the video from her speech to the “National Tea Party Convention” and subsequent interviews where she referenced notes written in ink on the palm of her hand.

Besides being horribly unprofessional (perhaps it was, as Jon Stewart noted, a way to claim the populist position against all those fancy people who use “memory”), it was awfully ironic – nee hypocritical – since she had just excoriated Obama for using teleprompters.

To top it off, the words she had written were hardly difficult point to remember. She had written: “energy, tax cuts, lift American spirit.” That’s the stuff of oratory for the ages.

Sarah – how’s that stupid-y bush-league-y foot-in-mouth-y thing goin’ for ya?

You’ve heard that Google has threatened to pull out of China.  The reason?  Chinese hackers had broken into its servers in an attempt to gather intelligence related to political dissidents.

Good for Google.

The part of the story few are telling?  Those Chinese hackers exploited a “back door” – or a system that was created by Google at Washington’s request, giving US intelligence agents a way to spy on you.  Through the back door agents can access email and other Internet transactions.  While there are a large number of Americans (the majority in several surveys) that would willingly trade their privacy rights for perceived safety, this demonstrates what a Faustian bargain they are willing to make.

And it’s not just the Chinese who are exploiting the back door.  US intelligence agents have been discovered spying on wives, girlfriends – as well as famous figures like Bill Clinton.

They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.

- Benjamin Franklin, 1775

As reported on hatepalin.com previously, Palin has agreed – and now reaffirmed – her commitment to speak at the first Tea Party Convention.  The convention, however, is in disarray.  The for-profit organization who is pulling the convention together is anything but a recognized leader in the nascent movement.  The convention itself is under fire from all sides, including other tea party factions who are abandoning ship faster than abstinence pledge teenagers on prom night.  Reports of massive numbers of unsold tickets, unfilled sponsorships put the financial footing of the convention in doubt.  The convention is set to start on Thursday, February 4th.  The financial condition of the convention places doubt on the ability of Palin to collect her speaking fee, widely reported to be $100,000 or greater.

Here’s the summary printed in mainstream news aggregator The Week.

Tea Party ‘scam’: Is Palin in?

Just days away, the first national Tea Party Convention is collapsing under a cloud of scandal. Will star speaker, Sarah Palin, jump ship?

Will Sarah Palin help keep the Tea Party movement alive? (James Leynse/Corbis)

Best Opinion: Right Wing News, Melissa Cloutier, Mother Jones…

After organizers snagged Sarah Palin to headline the first national Tea Party Convention, the event’s success took on an air of inevitability. Since then, however, critics across the political spectrum have attacked the convention (scheduled to unfold Feb. 4 in Nashville) as a money-making “scam,” a disorganized “debacle” and — with its “lavish” lobster dinners and pricey tickets — a betrayal of the movement’s populist stance. Now, citing ethics concerns, other key speakers are dropping out, including Rep. Michele Bachmann, and all eyes are on Palin. So far, Palin is sticking by her commitment, for which she’ll reportedly be paid $115,000, even as the event threatens to collapse: “You betcha,” she said yesterday, “I’m going to be there.” Will she get out while she can?

No, she’s in too deep: At this point, “even if Palin would like to walk away” she can’t, says John Hawkins at Right Wing News. Without Palin, “the whole convention falls apart…and a lot of good people would be disappointed.” That’s why she’ll show, not just — as some critics charge — because she wants $115,000. Palin’s made it clear she won’t profit from the event, even if she’s been “a little fuzzy” about where exactly the money will be going.
“The problem with the Tennessee Tea Party Convention”

Palin must expose this scam by dropping out: This corrupt “ruse” of a convention is destroying the larger Tea Party movement, says grassroots organizer Tami Killmarx, as quoted by blogger Melissa Cloutier, and loyal Tea Partiers want Palin to expose it. Event planners don’t care about letting rank-and-file Tea Partiers “hear Sarah Palin” speak. They just want to “make money” and “get in bed with the GOP.” Do the right thing, Sarah!
“BREAKING: Tea Party Nation’s Judson Phillips: “I Want To Make A Million From This Movement”

Are you kidding? Palin’s the scammer: Unquestionably, the Tea Party Convention is all about making a profit, says liberal blog Prairie Weather. But don’t think that “taking a lot of money out of the pockets of populist supporters” will “faze Sarah Palin.” Sorry, but “this is what happens when political opportunists” like Palin “take over” a “loosely structured, loud, and naive” political movement “largely made up of people who proudly reject fact and reality.”
“Tea Party embarrassment and opportunity”

Maybe she should just call in ‘sick’ to avoid humiliation: The $349 tickets to hear Palin speak are selling very poorly, claims Tea Party activist Anthony Shreeve, as quoted by Mother Jones. For her sake, I hope she finds a way out: “It’s going to be really embarrassing for her to walk into a half-empty room.” Contractually, “she is allowed to send a representative if she can’t make it if she’s sick or something. Maybe she’ll come down with the flu.”
“Sarah Palin’s Tea Party dinner disaster”

In a move that has many of her supporters wondering about her true loyalties – and her political judgment – Sarah Palin has accepted an invitation to speak to the first ever “National Tea Party” meeting (Feb 4-6, 2010), while earlier having passed on an invitation to speak to the much more established CPAC (Conservative Political Action Committee) two weeks later.

While it seems that Palin is trying to claim her own little niche of conservatism, it’s interesting that the sponsor of the Tea Party meeting – the Tea Party Nation – is actually not the leading player of the now very fragmented “movement.”  What it IS is a for-profit operator of a networking site for “grass-roots” anti-big government activists.  It’s unclear how they fronted the money in order to pay Palin’s “low six figure” speaking fee, but they are attempting to sell tickets for $560 each and find $50,000 sponsors for the event.  This event suffers from the same splintering tendencies, with board members resigning, and the troops of the Dick Armey “FreedomWorks” and “Americans for Prosperity” not attending or supporting the event.  The more established CPAC is smarting from the rebuff, and several GOP strategists are questioning the wisdom of such a move.  Palin is speaking at other conservative/GOP “must-do” events for those considering a presidential bid.

One thing is clear: Palin is turning a cold shoulder to the established “intellectual” conservative movement that has held her at an uncomfortable distance in favor of the populist, anti-intellectual rural “real America” zeitgeist.

Dear Pat Robertson,

I know that you know that all press is good press, so I appreciate the shout-out. And you make God look like a big mean bully who kicks people when they are down, so I’m all over that action.

But when you say that Haiti has made a pact with me, it is totally humiliating. I may be evil incarnate, but I’m no welcher. The way you put it, making a deal with me leaves folks desperate and impoverished.

Sure, in the afterlife, but when I strike bargains with people, they first get something here on earth — glamour, beauty, talent, wealth, fame, glory, a golden fiddle. Those Haitians have nothing, and I mean nothing. And that was before the earthquake. Haven’t you seen “Crossroads”? Or “Damn Yankees”?

If I had a thing going with Haiti, there’d be lots of banks, skyscrapers, SUVs, exclusive night clubs, Botox — that kind of thing. An 80 percent poverty rate is so not my style. Nothing against it — I’m just saying: Not how I roll.

You’re doing great work, Pat, and I don’t want to clip your wings — just, come on, you’re making me look bad. And not the good kind of bad. Keep blaming God. That’s working. But leave me out of it, please. Or we may need to renegotiate your own contract.

Best,

Satan

(Lily Coyle, published in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, you’re my hero)

In a move that perhaps should be predictable for a former swimsuit-competing beauty contestant, Sarah Palin will be appearing at Caesar’s on the famed Las Vegas strip.

Oh, but if you’re expecting to see her in feathers and sequins, or to show off her new pole-dancing aerobics routine, you’ll be sadly disappointed.  Instead, she’ll be a paid speaker at a group that enc0urages – gulp – drinking!  I’m not exactly sure how that fits with her avowed evangelical faith (or is it pentecostal – I think it’s a hybrid, actually), but I guess their money is as green as the face of an 18-year old who’s had 4 glasses of freshman punch.

The Wine & Spirit Wholesalers of America says the former Alaska governor will speak at its opening general session. The convention runs April 6-8 at Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip.

Cheers!