Links and Minifeatures 2008 03 31 Monday

Carnival of Insanities

Carnival of Personal Finance

Greece wants the Elgin Marble back:

Greece to Britain: Hand over artwork

Lord Elgin, a British diplomat, removed about half of the sculptures and friezes remaining on the Parthenon between 1801 and 1805. He had the permission of the Ottoman Empire that then ruled Greece. The British Museum obtained them from Elgin in 1816 and has displayed them free to the public since. Last year, 5.4 million people visited the museum.

I'm inclined to believe they should be returned. This situation is roughly equivalent to if the US had given permission for them to remove Iraqi antiquities in 2003. Only the fact that it's been 200 years gives the British any kind of claim. Yes, the Ottomans were the legal authorities in control of Greece at the time. So what?

Want a license to behave illegally? Get elected to Congress!

Court won't review FBI's Congress office raid

The U.S. Supreme Court said on Monday that it won't overrule a decision that FBI agents violated the rights of a Democratic congressman during a search of his office, a decision the Bush administration says will hamper future public corruption investigations.

He must have really gone over the line. No "Name that Party". On the other hand, it is Reuters, not AP.

The appeals court ordered the FBI to give Jefferson back all privileged legislative files and copies of files taken from his office during the 18-hour raid in May of 2006.

The appeals court said FBI agents should not have viewed documents in the office without first giving Jefferson the opportunity to say the material involved legislative business.

Jefferson was charged last year with racketeering, soliciting bribes for himself and his family, fraud, money laundering, obstruction of justice, conspiracy and violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

They found $90,000 cash in his freezer, wrapped in aluminum foil. They had a valid search warrant, issued by a federal judge, to search his office.

So congressional offices are off limits without warning. With warning, he can move incriminating evidence elsewhere - and that's if another court will even sign another warrant with precedent thus.

Hot Air catches another of Obama's Bill Clinton imitations.

Including his campaign's method of denial, even though it was Obama's own handwriting:

Through an aide, Obama, who won the group's endorsement as well as the statehouse seat, did not dispute that the handwriting was his. But he contended it doesn't prove he completed, approved - or even read - the latter questionnaire.

Remember the Columbia Noose Incident, where a hangman's noose was found on the door of a professor, and Columbia suddenly clammed up after reviewing the tapes? They're not going to be able to sweep it under the rug. A Manhattan grand jury has subpoenaed the records

Does anyone want to bet that the tapes show something other than the professor herself or a close associate placing the noose?

I'm planning a light week this week. I'll have reprints at least every day, but an encounter with a willfully ignorant troll has me feeling demotivated.