The Daily Muck

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Under the McCarran-Walter Act of 1952, the government was able to bar intellectuals such as Gabriel García Márquez and Graham Greene from entering the U.S. Now, according to a group of civil rights organizations, the government is putting new teeth in the enforcement of this law by using secret information obtained under new antiterrorism laws to prevent critics of the U.S. from entering. One ACLU lawyer noted, it “seem[s] that what the government has done is taken the communist-era playbook and replaced every instance of the word communist with terrorist.” (NY Times)

Lane Hudson (the blogger of Mark Foley fame) is claiming that Rudy Giuliani, who has made MoveOn’s recent ad a key talking point against Democrats, received the same preferential treatment by the New York Times when he placed a full page ad denouncing Moveon. Hudson has filed an FEC complaint against the Giuliani office for purchasing campaign materials at a discounted rate. (Politico)

Unisys Corp., which has been richly rewarded with fat government contracts, is now under investigation by the FBI for its work for the Department of Homeland Securitry. The House Homeland Security Committee has also asked its Inspector General to begin its own investigation. Unisys allegedly failed to detect cyber break-ins to Department of Homeland Security computers that led to information being posted to a Chinese-language Web site. Unisys also allegedly covered up its deficiencies but apparently they had trouble shielding this information as well. (Washington Post)

Independent judge, horrible boss. That’s the verdict on AG-to-be Mike Mukasey, based on employee grievances filed by U.S. Marshals signed to protect him. According to the grievances, Mukasey forced his guards to empty his trash, carry his golf clubs and groceries, and buy him and his wife upgrades to first class on long flights. According to one complaint, marshals on the night duty weren’t even allowed to flush the toilet. (Boston Globe)

The Inspector General for the Interior Department has just finished a report on the agency’s program to collect funds from companies who drill or exploit the natural recourses of federal lands. The report largely agrees with concerns raised last year by four auditors. Namely, the agency relies on outmoded technology to track payments due, it shares unnecessarily close connections with oil companies, and it fosters an environment that gives whistleblowers adequate reason to fear reprisal. (NY Times)

Speaking of the Interior Department, former Deputy Interior Secretary J. Steven Griles begins a ten month prison sentence today for his role in helping disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Griles is the highest ranked Bush administration official behind bars to date. (The Hill)

The Senate’s new earmark rule is less than two weeks old but it has already come under fire for being “one of the most bald-faced bait and switches” in Washington (Steve Ellis, vice president for programs at Taxpayers for Common Sense). Critics lament that only appropriations earmarks may be challenged via points of order and public disclosure of earmarks will not occur until late in the legislative process. (CQ Politics)

Which is the most dangerous neighborhood in America: Anacostia, the South Bronx or Congress? We’ll give you a hint- only one requires a metal detector to enter. (Harper’s)

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