governmentality

Israel Land Fund to Buy Land in Jordan

Today, the Israel Land Fund--a right-wing Jewish organization--said they are coordinating the purchase of several properties in Jordan, according to a report from al-Arabiya.

According to Arieh King, the Fund's chair:

"We are trying to bring Jews from European countries to purchase property which we locate in Jordan," King said, since Jordan's authorities would not allow Israeli citizens to buy property there.

Previously, this offense would have been punishable by death. And while this is still illegal, Jordan has lightened the punishment since signing a peace treaty with Israel.

King went on to say:

"There are thousands of Jewish properties in Jordan which were purchased during the Ottoman era and under the British mandate" which ended when Jordan became independent in 1946, King said.

"We have records of the ownership," he added. Jordan sequestered most Jewish-owned land following the creation of the Jewish state in 1948.

Read the full report from al-Arabiya here.

Sonia Sotomayor's "Latina Problem"

Does anyone recall, say, Chief Justice John Roberts being asked during his confirmation hearings whether his male whiteness will affect his ability to judge impartially?

Muslim Brothers Files to Ban Ahmadinejad from Egypt

A lawyer from the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt has filed papers to keep Ahmadinejad from entering Egypt ahead of meetings of the Non-Aligned Movements scheduled for mid-July at Sharm el-Sheikh.

In the complaint, Mamdouh Ismail calls for arresting and trying the Iranian president for election fraud.

From al-Arabiya:

"Ahmadinejad's visit to the Sinai Peninsula is a threat to national security and he has to be banned from entering the country, and if he does, he has to be arrested and prosecuted," Ismail told Al Arabiya.

[...]

"If he is not the legitimate president, then he shouldn't be received in Egypt as such. His illegitimacy is obvious in the protests against him inside Iran," said Ismail.

Read the full report here.

Federal Judge Going to Jail; Wants Salary

So, a federal district court judge sexually harasses two female employees, obstructs justice in the investigation, will go to jail next week, AND, get this....wants to keep his salary. From jail.

This isn't so easy since federal judges are appointed for life unless they step down or are impeached. For the record, he did put his resignation in--for 2010. If they can't get the impeachment through sooner, he'll collect $174,000 over the next year.

From a New York Times editorial today:

Judge Kent, a federal district court judge from Texas, pleaded guilty in February to obstruction of justice for lying to officials who were investigating sexual harassment charges against him. As part of a plea deal, he admitted that he had had nonconsensual sexual contact with two female court employees. He was sentenced to up to 33 months in prison and is scheduled to enter jail next week.

Read the full piece here.