Japan has accused China of turning on it weapons radar on a Japanese ship near the disputed islands of Diaoyu/Senkaku. Such a move is highly provocative since it leaves the targeted ship with few options: sit idly or initiate self-defense procedures. The last thing states should want is for its sailors to have to make spit second decisions in a volatile political atmosphere. The Chinese have not responded to the charges at the time of this posting.
NBC News has published a leaked document that establishes the legal authority of an American President to authorize the killing of American citizens with drone attacks. It is a remarkable brief that justifies the execution of an American citizen without the normal due process of law. One should decide whether the circumstances are sufficiently unique to justify the clear constitutional provisions for due process.
The US Justice Department has signaled its intention to prosecute Standard & Poor’s, a credit rating agency, for publishing misleading assessments of the creditworthiness of various stocks issued by investment banks and others in the credit crisis of 2007-08. The ratings agencies have long held that their ratings were “opinions” and therefore protected by the First Amendment. Many feel, however, that the rating agencies were in fact making a judgment in their ratings that constituted more than simple “opinions.” We’ll see how the process plays out–it will be a long one (after all, it has taken 5 years for even this step to be taken).
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