Read-Ems

Six shot, one killed at Seattle Jewish federation:

Six women were shot - one fatally - this afternoon at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle by a man who told a witness he was upset about "what was going on in Israel."

…The gunman, armed with what police said was a large caliber, semi-automatic handgun, forced his way through the security door at the federation after an employee had punched in her security code, Marla Meislin-Dietrich, a database coordinator for the center, told The Associated Press. "He said 'I am a Muslim American, angry at Israel,' before opening fire on everyone," Meislin-Dietrich said. "He was randomly shooting at everyone."

The Muslim community in Seattle was quick to condemn the attacks. I’m really, truly, ardently hoping that this horrific incident will neither be repeated elsewhere by other lunatics, nor will it provoke retribution against the Muslim community.

Minimum Wage Hike Passed By House, but of course there’s a catch:

The House last night voted to boost the minimum wage for the first time in nearly a decade while also permanently slashing the estate tax, a coupling that GOP leaders calculated might garner enough Senate support to become law.

…Democrats were incensed that the GOP leadership would couple the minimum wage hike, the first increase since 1997, with an estate tax cut that would reduce federal revenue by $268 billion over the next decade, to the overwhelming benefit of the country's richest families.

"This is beyond cynical. This is disgraceful," said Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.).

…"I know why you're mad," said Rep. Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.). "You've seen us really outfox you."

What an asshole. It now goes to the Senate, where Dems naturally will face quite a battle.

Bush submits new terror detainee bill:

U.S. citizens suspected of terror ties might be detained indefinitely and barred from access to civilian courts under legislation proposed by the Bush administration, say legal experts reviewing an early version of the bill.

…The legislation is the administration's response to a June 29 Supreme Court decision, which concluded the Pentagon could not prosecute military detainees using secret tribunals established soon after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The court ruled the tribunals were not authorized by law and violated treaty obligations under the Geneva Conventions, which established many international laws for warfare.

The administration is thusly seeking to authorize the Pentagon’s tribunal system, eliminating the objection that it was “not authorized by law,” and argues that McCain’s impotent torture bill “should ‘fully satisfy’ the nation's obligations under the Geneva Conventions.”

Another day, another Bush administration attempt to do an end-run around the law.