What's Up With Nathan's?

Stock Quote Security: NATH (Common Stock) 12.03

Over the last two decades, Nathan's fell from 9 per share to less than 3, plateaued at 6 for a long time, recently got back to 9 and is now at 12. What's up? Is someone pumping before dumping? or have the American public finally recognized the importance of a Brooklyn Hot Dog?

Indicting the Indicters

Terror trial prosecution in crosshairs

Special grand jury considers indicting 3 accused of holding back evidence in Metro case.

David Shepardson / The Detroit News
February 19, 2006

DETROIT -- A special federal grand jury is nearing the end of its probe into whether three government officials conspired to obstruct justice and induce perjury in the 2003 Detroit terrorism trial, officials familiar with the case told The Detroit News.

Under investigation is the former lead prosecutor, Richard G. Convertino, along with the FBI Special Agent Michael Thomas and another witness in the trial, U.S. State Department security officer Harry Raymond Smith.

In June 2003, Convertino won a conviction against two Detroit men on terrorism charges. The case, which claimed four Arab immigrants were part of a sleeper cell, was the nation's first terror trial after the September 11 attacks.

The convictions were tossed out in 2004 after a Justice Department review found prosecutors suppressed evidence that might have bolstered the defendants' claims of innocence.

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BrooklynDodger(s) comments:

The article notes that "the special grand jury has heard from numerous witnesses in the last six months, ranging from prosecutors to an office paralegal, according to several people familiar with the proceedings. By law, grand jury deliberations are secret. The grand jury is also considering other charges."

All things considered, the Dodger(s) would like to know if there are any "sleeper cells" [agents of an international conspiracy] or even home grown cells of persons planning terrorist events. Certainly the invasion, occupation and exploitation of oil wealth of Iraq has increased the probablity of home grown cells seeking revenge. The Dodger(s) suspect that offshore agents have found that they can fight the US conveniently in Iraq and so don't have the make the effort to fight the US here.

The great fear about Patriot Act is that it would be used against progressive socila movements. The highest profile target would be the peace movement, which connects to many other movements.

These victims don't seem to be connected to any social movement. So the question is whether this fabricated prosecution arose from simple racism, self-aggrandizing by the prosecutor, an attempt to gain an upper hand politically by manufacturing a sleeper cell, or what.

Torture in the home country

Halt hooding?

The FBI's Detroit office has confirmed it was investigating three allegations of Macomb County law enforcement officers using hoods on people in custody. Should the process of 'hooding' be prohibited?

Yes	32.48%
No	67.52%
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> The Detroit News cyberpoll has tapped into another hidden sentiment. The best you could say is that most readers, who support hooding, don't ever expect they or their friends and relatives will end up in a hood.

Technically Excellent News for the Pistons

BrooklynDodger(s) is temporarily in internet range for the Blog. But next week may be sparse again.

The Dodger(s) has been worrying about Rasheed's technicals, especially after he got T'd up for smiling at the ref [although who knows what he had said before.] The Dodger(s) has thought that there would be one game suspension for every T after 15, right down to the end and into the playoffs. ESPN gives us some good news:

Sheed is not nearly as volatile as he was in his Blazer days, when 40-something technicals were the norm, but the league didn't have a policy in place to suspend guys for racking up T's back then. The good news? Three of 'Sheed's 15 T's this season have been rescinded by the league, meaning he's four away from a one-game suspension instead of one away. (Don't forget that this is the first season in which players are suspended for one game after their 16th, 18th, 20th technicals and so on.)

...

His slate is wiped clean before the postseason, when players aren't suspended until the seventh technical. If 'Sheed accrues five T's in the playoffs, he'll get a warning letter.