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Melanie Roussell

(Washington, DC)- House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and subcommittee Chairwoman Linda Sánchez (D-CA) responded today to Karl Rove attorney Robert Luskin's letter advising the committee that Rove would not appear before the Commercial and Administrative Law Subcommittee, in violation of the committee's subpoena. In his letter, received yesterday, Luskin reiterated his offer to make Rove available for an off-the-record interview, without an oath, about the Siegelman matter only, although the committee has made clear the need to explore with Rove related issues concerning the politicization of the Justice Department such as the US Attorney firings at any hearing or interview.

"We want to make clear that the subcommittee will convene as scheduled and expects Mr. Rove to appear, and that a refusal to appear in violation of the subpoena could subject Mr. Rove to contempt proceedings, including statutory contempt under federal law and proceedings under the inherent contempt authority of the House of Representatives," Conyers and Sánchez wrote.

Three good P.R. moves

The suicides of three Arab detainees at Guantanamo ignited new calls on Sunday for the United States to shut down the prison camp but a U.S. diplomat called their hangings a "good PR move" to gain attention.

So the three suicides are a good PR move. Okay. That would mean a counter P.R. move equally as good is necessary.

So far, nothing.

Newt making sense

I met Newt once and briefed him on technical topics. He's not stupid nor is he disinterested in Government playing a positive role - albeit flawed - in the lives of Americans.

The man makes sense.

He is not and would not be part of the current powermad crowd running Congress.

Pity poor Microsoft's midlife crisis - aka Lawyers Everwhere

Pity poor Microsoft's midlife crisis: "Microsoft has done well for itself in the Allchin era. Turnover grew from $US5.9billion in 1995 (when Microsoft was roughly half the size of Apple) to $US40billion today.

BUT even Forbes notes that the behemoth that for so long dictated our computing environment faces a midlife crisis: it is musclebound and mired in bureaucracy. Perhaps worse, it is overrun with lawyers, who have to approve almost everything it does.

Certainly Microsoft's growth has slowed dramatically. But it now needs to bring in an extra $US4billion a year just to grow at a historically low 10per cent - and $4billion is roughly a Yahoo! or a Google."

Lawyers killed IBM. Lawyers are killing MS. Both companies were under anti-trust scrutiny. IBM's finally off the hook, MS is worse off - they were found guilt.

Gates made one key mistake: He refused to settle with the DOJ and thus lost the anti-trust case. MS was found to be a monopoly that used it's power illegally. Lawyers are screwing the company. Too fraggin' bad.

News Corp sued over 'poison pill'

Murdoch's News Corp runs Fox News and is openly partisan. If he and his family lose control of the Corp., the 'invisible hand' of the market place would take precedent over the visible hand of Rupert 's politics.

News Corp. is being sued for protecting the Murdoch family's controlling interests from a potential takeover.

News Corp sued over 'poison pill': "Takeover fears

News Corp originally invoked the so-called 'poison pill' measure in August last year amid fears that Liberty Media was about to launch a hostile takeover bid for the group.

The move would ensure the Murdoch family, which holds 29.5% of the firm, remained in control to ward off any such bid.

Liberty fuelled speculation about its intentions after it boosted its stake in News Corp stock offering voting rights from 9% to 17%.

Despite Liberty denying that it planned to make any play for the media giant, News Corp reacted by outlining plans for a 'poison pill' measure to protect the group."

Wishful thinking "Indictments can backfire."

USATODAY.com - Republicans defend DeLay as critics pounce: "History shows that political indictments can backfire. In 1993, Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle, the same Texas prosecutor who filed this week's charge against DeLay, charged the state's newly elected senator, Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison, with misuse of office (she had been state treasurer). Earle later had to drop the charges. Hutchison has since been re-elected twice. Her office said she would have no comment on Earle.

Rep. Alcee Hastings, a Democrat from Florida who was elected to Congress after being impeached as a federal judge, said he isn't ruling out a comeback for DeLay. 'All politicians have Freddy Krueger-like qualities,' said Hastings, referring to the horror flick villain who keeps reappearing despite seemingly being killed off. 'We can rise again.'"

Greenspeak

This comment at then end of a CNN article is not reassuring.

Asset prices fall after big risk-taking - Greenspan - Sep. 27, 2005: "In a separate speech to mortgage bankers Monday, Greenspan added that although mortgage debt is rising, most Americans have built up enough equity in their homes that they could weather a price drop without serious harm."