Dykes on Bikes
 

It's subject to judicial review, where some hack makes another judgment call.

Dykes on Bikes
 

Sounds kind of like an eminent domain proceeding.

"Hack" Wilson keeps talking
 

I guess it's 2 to ty, but of course this leak is from Rove--he's got another spin, which is he heard it from Novak. Presumably it took until now to confirm with Novak that that's what he told the grand jury as well.

"Hack" Wilson keeps talking
 

Dissent. Whether he violated the statute or outed her, knowingly or not, he almost certainly violated his security clearance by talking to reporters about her status at all (even just confirming what they already knew or discussing what he had heard from other reporters and therefore thought was already public), and demonstrated extremely poor judgment in permitting this situation to arise. On the bad judgment point alone he should go. There really should be zero tolerance for these sorts of fuck ups at his level of responsibility in the admin.

I really hope that W's vaunted loyalty doesn't cause him to mess this up and try to keep him, but I'm not confident. If Rove wants what's good for the admin, he'll resign before he's under even more of a cloud.

More interesting is the question of who is the other leak? At best you have one leak and one moron who validated the leak through stupidity, at worst you have a conspiracy of leaks, which could be very, very damaging for an admin trying to conduct what is at heart a covert war.

That said, and completely irrelevant to the points above, Wilson sure is a distasteful little shit.

Dykes on Bikes
 

And what is the rationale for not offering protection for "offensive" marks? We protect all sorts of "offensive" material and speach.

"Hack" Wilson keeps talking
 

Her status wasn't classified, so how did he violate his clearance?

"Hack" Wilson keeps talking
 

AGREED. 2. CONCUR. Sadly, much as neither side of the aisle produces statesman anymore (since Reagan), the people the pols surround themselves with have no sense of principle or higher duty. I don't know how the Baby Jesus feels about it, but I weep.

AGREED. 2. CONCUR. Hopefully the two Plames can crawl back under whatever rock they came out from under. Good riddance.

bababooeeiii
 

Call Howard Stern and let him know all is forgiven.

Dykes on Bikes
 

You'd have to ask the authors of the Lanham Act, but I'd imagine that as a matter of public policy they'd point to a distinction between restricting the government's ability to limit offensive speech versus the government offering affirmative rights to enable people to profit from it.

Dykes on Bikes
 

[family feud cheer] Good answer! good answer![/family feud cheer].

It's posts like this that illustrate why you make the big Penskebucks.

Andrew Sullivan prints this e-mail from Sana'a, Yemen:

• "I have been in Sana'a, Yemen working on an English language magazine and I felt the need to tell you that the climate here is angry. I read your blog daily and have the highest esteem for your intellectual pursuits. But, you've got it wrong about the "war is good because it stops the breeding of terrorists" thing. It's only making it worse - much, much worse. The U.S. is seen in a terrifically unenthusiastic light and all the war in Iraq seems to be doing is creating a culture of furious, uneducated 13 year olds who have to prove their manhood. The U.S. was something made up to them before this war. It was a far off place of blonde girls in bikinis and dudes who blow-dry their hair five times a day. Now, it's real and it's cramping their style. All the work our soft power did to create positive relations in the Arab world is becoming moot. Democracy is something a nation has to want, something a nation has to want so much they will shed blood for it. And the Arab world wants democracy as much as they want a hole in the head. They don't get it, they don't care to get it and it seems to be making life particularly shitty for their Iraqi brothers. I don't care what Bush or Wolfowitz or any of that crew have to say, people are not going to embrace this imposed "freedom." I am here, you aren't."

Dykes on Bikes
 

Can I get CLE credit for this?

Dykes on Bikes
 

Isn't Hank a self-professed IP Guru? Where is he. Hank, this is the first time in the history of this board that someone actually is interested in what you do for a living. Carpe Diem!

But, but...bilmore has some buddies in the Green Zone who say everything's going great!! Must be a self-hating liberal.

Dykes on Bikes
 

He can't help. This is a trademark issue, and Hank does design patents for automobile wheel covers. Kind of a narrow niche, but there's no doubt he's the go-to guy for all the big boys. It's why he's so up on all the hip-hop culture, as well.

Dykes on Bikes
 

If you pay me an attendance fee, sure.

This misses the point. The freedom hating Islamofascists have and always will hate us -- for our freedom (duh). Our actions are entirely irrelevant, because the "Arab Street" is not comprised of people with opinions that can be swayed in one direction or another by U.S. action (or the exercise of restraint), but is rather a solid mass of shrieking fanatics who lust (lust! I say) for our blood. See, e.g., Pony Trekker for suggested approaches to this seemingly intractable problem.

Dykes on Bikes
 

We don't give government granted monopolies for it though. You can't ban speech, but you don't have to subsidize it.

Dykes on Bikes
 

This is why burger gets to chair the CLE events, and I'm the guy who tries to rouse the group's flagging attention for the 4:45 time slot.

Dykes on Bikes
 

Isn't porn entitled to copyright protection?

Regardless of how its going, this person seems to have the rather odd impression that, until we invaded Iraq, the syndication of Bay Watch was about to make every disaffected youth in the middle east fall madly in love with us. And that their objection to the invasion is that it "cramps their style."

I am not inspired to trust this correspondent's judgment. But maybe I'm wrong, and all the teens in the middle east are really slacker mall rats.

BR(Yemen, New Jersey - people all over the world really are the same after all!)C

Dykes on Bikes
 

Trademark, copyright. Trademark, copyright. Different things.

Dykes on Bikes
 

Understood, but we are still protecting "offensive" material for purposes of profit.

Dykes on Bikes
 

From what I vaguely remember from some kind of IP class I took because it fit into my "no classes Mon or Fri" schedule, you don't ahve ot register to get copyright protection, but in your scenario the group is trying to register their trademark.

God, this is boringer than taxes. Hank, will you please explain this? Or Gatti. anyone.

Two interesting breaking news bits:
 

My 2 cents-

Rehnquist will stick around - health willing - until the O'Connor replacement is named.

"Hack" Wilson keeps talking
 

Is this like your obsession with Rove ... and me?

Voodoo Economics
 

Reality check on the voodoo economics.

"Hack" Wilson keeps talking
 

Rove can probably accomplish more from outside a formal position in the White House than within it, so in the long run, it could be a win/win for the WH if he steps down.

As to security clearance, what ever happened to the Sandy Berger inverstigation?

2

Dykes on Bikes
 

There are a variety of public policy rationales for it. Google reveals one summary that club will particularly like, in that the article argues in favor of changing the law to permit registration of offensive marks. Read away, club.

"Hack" Wilson keeps talking
 

Berger plead guilty. Karl should become a frelancer like Lee Atwater. Who wouldn't hire him? He could also do the talk show circuit with Carville and Matalin and Gingrich. One thing's for certain, the future is incredibly bright for Karl no matter what happens. The man revolutionized the way politics is played.

Didn't you see that hysterical Yemeni film "Muhammad and Abu Go To White Castle"?

"Hack" Wilson keeps talking
 

Perhaps he can use the same number Dick Morris used to call.

I'm guessing Sandy no longer has his security clearance.

"Hack" Wilson keeps talking
 

Unless he's in the pokey. I'm not saying that's likely, but we don't know. Just about all of the facts ("facts") being kicked around are being leaked by defense lawyers, so we shouldn't be surprised that they don't make things look so bad. Meanwhile, we really don't know what kind of case Fitzgerald is putting together. Maybe he has a lot more. Maybe he doesn't.

That said, even if Rove had to do some time, he'd surely have a long list of clients waiting for him when he got out.

They don't hate our freedom as much as they hate our standard of living.

Everyone has a price. Give them cheap leased German cars, a robust housing market, flat screen televisions and 401ks and they'll be our bestest ever friends.

"Hack" Wilson keeps talking
 

He'll be as sad and ruined as Michael Milken.

"Hack" Wilson keeps talking
 

I think that one of the keys to his plea was that a misdemeanor would not prevent him from getting the security clearance in the future. The question is moot until 2008.

Berger may have been stupid with secrets, but he was not intentionally sharing them.

If Rove were convicted of a felony and pardoned, could he get a security clearance?

"Hack" Wilson keeps talking
 

I just googled. Sandy pled out and got (i) no prison time, (ii)
a $10,000 fine, and (iii) a three-year revocation of his security clearance.

Who the hell approved that deal. Sheesh.

I liked it better when it was envy, not hate.

"Hack" Wilson keeps talking
 

Indeed.

OTOH, if Sandy's breach of security by taking copies of his notes led to the death of any agents or other blown operations, I'm sure we'd have heard about it.