4.20.2009

It's Official: No U.S. Prosecution of Bush Officials

THIS IS A MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT. I THOUGHT WE ARE A NATION OF LAWS. ??Emanuel said that the president believes Bush officials "should not be prosecuted either and that's not the place that we go." Not that that should surprise anyone: Obama said as much from almost his first day in office, when he told reporters he wasn't interested in a proposed Capitol Hill "truth commission."

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4.07.2009

Susan Wilk sent you an article from startribune.com

Susan Wilk wrote these comments: Al Franken made a net gain today in a count of formerly rejected absentee ballots that pushed his advantage to more than 300 votes in the U.S. Senate race.

This Article from StarTribune.com has been sent to you by SusanWilk.
*Please note, the sender's identity has not been verified.

The full Article, with any associated images and links can be viewed here.
Franken extends lead over Coleman
KEVIN DUCHSCHERE, Star Tribune

Democrat Al Franken today extended his lead over Republican Norm Coleman in Minnesota's U.S. Senate election, after the counting of about 350 formerly rejected absentee ballots this morning.

Franken captured 198 of the ballots, while Coleman took 111. The ballots added 87 votes to Franken’s recount lead, enlarging his margin over Coleman to 312.

The result makes it even more likely that, barring an unforeseen circumstance, Franken will prevail in the election lawsuit that Coleman filed in January to contest the Democrat's 225-vote recount lead. The three-judge panel presiding over the case has not said when it will issue a final decision.

Coleman will appeal the case to the Minnesota Supreme Court, his lawyer Ben Ginsberg said after today's proceedings. One of the grounds for the appeal will be unequal treatment of the ballots, Ginsberg said.

This morning, officials sat down at four tables in the St. Paul courtroom with staffers and campaign officials, separating the ballots from their envelopes so that they can be counted without identifying the voter.

Then, one by one, state elections director Gary Poser counted ballots that were accepted by the judges as having been legally cast. The process was much like that with 933 other formerly rejected ballots that were counted before final recount numbers were certified in early January.

On Monday, the three-judge panel had reviewed nearly 400 to determine which ones would be opened and counted today.

Before the start of today’s action, Coleman lawyer Tony Trimble asked for a 15-minute recess to examine the judges’ list of ballots to be counted. Judge Elizabeth Hayden turned him down, saying that they were ready to proceed.

Security was unusually tight for the court session. State troopers and security guards watched the entrance to the courtroom at the Minnesota Judicial Center, and people wishing to enter the courtroom were asked to empty their pockets and walk through a magnetometer.

4.05.2009

Ice Bridge Is Gone. Overnight

The ice bridge is a stable structure, one that takes centuries to form.

twitstamp.com