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Four prisoners, including two men in their seventies, were hanged on Christmas Day as the Japanese Government ended a 15-month moratorium on the death penalty. The hangings were the first since September 2005, when a convicted murderer was executed. The death penalty is supported widely in Japan and analysts said that the Government wanted to carry out executions in 2006, which would have been the first year without hangings since 1992. The timing of the executions has been condemned by Christians, who makes up 1 per cent of the largely Shinto and Buddhist country. “It was such an insensitive act,”...

A federal judge handed a victory to the defense Thursday in the Valerie Plame case, siding with Vice President Dick Cheney's indicted former chief of staff in a fight over release of classified information. U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton decided that he won't impose strict standards sought by prosecutors who want to limit the amount of classified information used in the trial of defendant I. Lewis Libby.

CIA agent's naming led to giant hoax by Bush foes Fred Barnes September 15, 2006 THE rogues' gallery of those who acted badly in the CIA "leak" case turns out to be different from what the media led us to expect. Note that we put the word "leak" in quotation marks, because it's clear now that there was no leak at all, just idle talk, and certainly there was no smear campaign against former US ambassador Joseph Wilson for criticising President George W.Bush's Iraq policy. It's as if a giant hoax were perpetrated on the country - by the media,...

Mission To help Ambassador Joseph Wilson and Valerie Plame Wilson pay for the substantial legal costs associated with the illegal leaking of Mrs. Wilson’s classified CIA status. This includes: Counseling them for their potential witness testimony during the upcoming trial of Scooter Libby; and Helping them to prepare for a civil suit that would uncover the truth surrounding the leak, ensure all relevant public officials are held accountable for actions depriving the Wilsons of their privacy and constitutional rights, and serve as a deterrent to similar crimes being committed in the future. Should the civil action result in a payment...

<p>FLASH: Bob Novak will break his silence tomorrow night in two separate interviews with FOXNEWS CHANNEL, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned. Novak will appear on Brit Hume (6pm/et) and Hannity & Colmes (9pm/et) . . . this marks the first time Novak will discuss the Plame leak investigation in his own words... Developing...</p>

"It is insane and nonsensical, equal parts bizarre innuendo and alleged facts that do not square with reality or the American legal system. "Truthout's stubborn nuttiness to the contrary, some times things are simply as they appear: Mr. Fitzgerald completed his investigation, reviewed the evidence, and concluded that it simply does not support a charge. "There never was -- not for a second -- any secret meetings at my office, plea negotiations, secret sealed (or not so sealed, as the case may be) indictments, or last minute concessions."

Last Friday, Truthout editor Marc Ash told his readers to "Expect a more comprehensive accounting of this matter on Monday, June 19." It's 5:45 p.m. on the East coast, and so far Ash hasn't posted anything about Jason Leopold's false report that Karl Rove had been indicted. Perhaps that's because yesterday, the Washington Post published a story that adds to the number of things Ash needs to explain. It's by Joe Lauria — the journalist Leopold pretended to be as he tried to confirm his phony story: Three days later, Leopold's Rove story appeared. I wrote him a congratulatory e-mail,...

There was anger, anguish and incredulity in the fever swamps last week when Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald made it clear he would not indict White House political guru Karl Rove in his apparently endless investigation of the outing of CIA officer Valerie Plame. This should remind us the greater threat to our civil liberties comes not from the measures the Bush administration has taken to protect us from terrorists, but from prosecutors who abuse their power for political purposes. Liberals wanted Mr. Rove indicted because he is a skilled political adversary. The interest among liberals in an indictment of the...

It seems Patrick Fitzgerald has gotten so interested in sinking Illinois in worthless slime and insinuation that he doesn't have time to do what he should be doing in Washington. He'd rather investigate Mayor Daley and Gov. Blagojevich, who have raised Chicago and the State of Illinois from the terror of years and years of Republican reign. Mayor Daley has made Chicago a real gem on the lake. It's clean, beautiful and the safest it's been since his father was mayor. For years the city looked filthy and old. People were afraid to go downtown after dark. The Loop was...

The May 13 story on the Web site Truthout.org was explosive: Presidential adviser Karl Rove had been indicted by Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald in connection with his role in leaking CIA officer Valerie Plame's name to the media, it blared. The report set off hysteria on the Internet, and the mainstream media scrambled to nail it down. Only . . . it wasn't true. As we learned last week, Rove isn't being indicted, and the supposed Truthout scoop by reporter Jason Leopold was wildly off the mark. It was but the latest installment in the tale of a troubled...

DNC Chairman Howard Dean on Karl Rove Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean issued the following statement on the news that top Bush advisor Karl Rove will not be indicted despite disclosing the identity of a covert agent during a time of war: "The prosecutor’s decision not to indict Karl Rove does not diminish the fact that Karl Rove was involved in leaking the identity of an intelligence operative during a time of war. Karl Rove does not belong in the White House. If the President valued America more than he valued his connection with Karl Rove, Karl Rove would...

They were there for a 90-minute discussion of the investigation and its related themes: the treachery and criminality of the Bush administration, the cowardice and submissiveness of the Washington press corps, and the courage and heroism of, well, themselves, in daring to expose it all. The crowd was large and friendly; of all the panel discussions at YearlyKos, the CIA-leak panel attracted the biggest and most vocal audience. But as it turned out, the conversation was, despite the all-star cast, entirely unremarkable for anyone who has followed the left-wing blogosphere’s analysis of the CIA leak affair. Johnson called the actions...

So much for having Karl Rove "frog-marched" out of the White House "in handcuffs." That's the fate Democratic partisan Joe Wilson once predicted for President Bush's political guru, and yesterday his hope and accusations vanished like fog on the Potomac. Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald informed Mr. Rove's lawyers on Monday that he'll bring no charges as part of his investigation into who leaked the CIA identity of Mr. Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame. Mr. Wilson's original claims that Mr. Bush lied about Iraq intelligence have been discredited many times over, including in a bipartisan report from the Senate Intelligence Committee. And...

June 13, 2006, 6:44 a.m. No Indictment of Rove in CIA-Leak CaseProsecutor Patrick Fitzgerald makes a decision. By Byron York Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has informed top White House adviser Karl Rove that Rove will not face indictment in the CIA-leak investigation, National Review Online has learned. The word came yesterday, when Fitzgerald told Rove lawyer Robert Luskin that he, Fitzgerald, did not plan to seek charges against Rove. This morning, Luskin released a brief statement:  On June 12, 2006, Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald formally advised us that he does not anticipate seeking charges against Karl Rove. In deference to...

Democrats are distraught over reports that Leakgate Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has decided not to indict senior White House advisor Karl Rove. A sampling of liberal web sites shortly after the news was announced Tuesday morning featured reaction ranging from disbelief to denial to the desperate hope that Rove has turned states evidence against Vice President Dick Cheney. "How could this snake slither away from an indictment?" complained one visitor to the Huffington Post web site - where bloggers had confidently predicted that Fitzgerald's probe would yield up to 23 White House indictments. "This man lied to the DC Grand...

Rove is free and the looney left is having a fit. William Rivers Pitt, Jason Leopold and Marc Ash from TruthOut.org have pushed the story, "Rove to be Indicted" , for many weeks, but their hopes have been dashed. Now, the faithful looney left is clammering at the TruthOut website demanding that the "sources" for this fiction be exposed. It has been reported that TruthOut/Jason Leopold had promised to reveal his sources if the story proved to be false......and the left is waiting for the sources. They are openly demanding the sources -- but TruthOut has yet to make a...

This thread is for those who got diddly, nada, zilch, zip, zero Christmas Presents this year (or any other year). Come and commiserate. You're among friends here. And to those of you who offer the beautiful homily, "It's better to give than receive", please take the time to have a nice tall glass of shaddup.

SHOP AT TARGET -- THEY SUPPORT LGBTQ FAMILIES Rainbow Law is calling for the LGBTQ community to support and shop at Target stores this holiday season. After Target refused to allow the Salvation Army to place bell-ringers and kettles at their stores (because they discriminate against the LGBTQ community), the anti-gay equality crusaders began their usual lies and propaganda campaign. There is no reason to let this attack go unchallenged. We have the power to counter the far right's relentless assault on our civil rights and liberties. And one of the most effective methods for defeating unfair practices is by...