Weekend Quick Hits

Maybe if I get these out of the way, I can go about and put some sun on my face:

• Glenn Greenwald has a good column today about the FBI National Security Letter abuse and how it speaks to a larger pattern of lawbreaking in the Bush Administration. Once again, the White House only admits wrongdoing when trapped; and even then they claim it was inadvertent, or the result of a few bad apples, or whatever. That's about as believable as Planet Unicorn.

• Today's the day of the security summit in Baghdad. Iran and the United States in the same room!!! It trickled out this week that Iran may have stopped their nuclear program, but the Administration stifled that talk rapidly. Now will they shut down all camera access to the summit like they're doing to the military tribunals at Gitmo?

• These secular progressives are trying to take away Easter, AGAIN! Will these heathens never stop their Godless ways? Why are they so afraid of the piety inherent in the Easter Bunny and chocolate eggs and marshmallow Peeps?

• If you have a spare three hours and are an obsessive, this is a nice inside report from the Libby jury room.

• You forgot Georgia!

• Good to hear that William Jefferson's appointment to the Homeland Security Committee may be on permanent hold. Pelosi eventually does the right thing in most cases.

• Jane Harman is authoring a bill to restore habeas corpus. That primary challenge was the best thing that ever happened to her.

• Violent crime is way up over the last two years, aligning perfectly with both the repeal of the assault weapons ban, de-funding of the COPS program and the rise in national poverty rates until Bush. This is almost a complete reversal of declines in violent crime under Clinton. President Bush: less safe at home, less safe abroad. It's OK though, because Gov. Schwarzenegger said gangs are just a nuisance like soccer fans. He really said that, check the link.

• I was extremely remiss in not acknowledging the passing of the great Arthur Schlesinger. A giant in the field of history, and maybe the last of the public intellectuals.

• Quote of the week: "Before this is over, you might see calls for his impeachment." That was conservative Republican Chuck Hagel.

• America, Fuck Yeah. The AP decides not to write about Paris Hilton for a week and the news everywhere is "AP Not Writing About Paris Hilton For A Week!"

I think my brain just died a little bit.