† Why We Need Gitmo (second item): After observing pretrial hearings for several Gitmo detainees at the military base, relatives of September 11, 2001 terror victims demand that President Barack Hussein Obama abandon his plans to shutter Gitmo, reports USA Today:

Diane Fairben of Floral Park, New York, whose paramedic son, Keith, died at the World Trade Center, noted the presence of more than a dozen lawyers, a mix of active duty military and civilians, to assist the five defendants even though three are serving as their own attorneys and the other two have asked the court for clearance to do the same.

"These people are being afforded the best legal representation and they are getting a fair shake," Fairben told reporters. "I ask the president to give us a fair shake. We've been shunted to the side for too long and it's getting to be a bit much." …

Gordon Haberman of West Bend, Wisconsin, whose daughter Andrea also was killed at the World Trade Center, said the decision to close Guantanamo will not deter al-Qaeda from attacking the U.S.

And moving the trials will only provide the defendants with more ways to delay their trials, he said. "If they get into the federal court system they will drag this out for 15 to 20 years."

Judith Reiss of Yardley, Pennsylvania, whose son Joshua was another victim at the World Trade Center, said she voted for Obama but disagrees with his views on Guantanamo and the military trials.

"I don't think there is one family member of a victim or the family of a victim who wants the commissions changed in any way," Reiss said.

Editorial Note: Click here (last item) and here (third item) for the comments of other victims’ family members who have visited Gitmo on the military tribunals and on the detainees’ quality of life.

† The Bailout Needs A Bailout: A report by special inspector general Neil Barofsky that tracked how 360 banks that got TARP money through the end of January spent the taxpayer-funded bailout finds that 110 invested part of it, 52 repaid debts and 15 had bought other banks, reports The Washington Post:

The government so far has invested more than $200 billion in more than 600 banks under a program that began in October with investments in nine of the largest banks. Some banks have started to repay the aid even as others continue to apply for it.

Officials said the program intended to increase the capital reserves of healthy banks, allowing them to make more loans. From the beginning, however, the government invested in troubled banks - most prominently Citigroup - that had publicly announced intentions to reduce lending.

On a related issue, a Wall Street Journal op-ed by Stanford professors Kenneth Scott and John Taylor explain why, “[d]espite trillions of dollars of new government programs, one of the original causes of the financial crisis - the toxic assets on bank balance sheets - still persists and remains a serious impediment to economic recovery.”

† Drug-Stealing Surgery Tech Exposes Thousands Of Patients To Hepatitis: Colorado health officials say that 11 patients treated at Rose Medical Center in Denver while Kristen Diane Parker worked as a surgery technician have tested positive for hepatitis C, but that more testing is needed to confirm whether they contracted the infection from Parker, reports The Associated Press:

Investigations are also under way at hospitals in New York and Texas, where Parker also worked. No likely cases have been reported in those other states. …

Parker is accused of taking syringes meant for patients off operating room carts and replacing them with used syringes filled with saline solution. The syringes she is accused of stealing were filled with fentanyl, a narcotic painkiller 80 to 100 times stronger than morphine.

New York health officials said there's evidence that Parker did the same thing while at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, N.Y., when she worked there between Oct. 8, 2007, and Feb. 28, 2008. Some 2,800 former patients have been advised to get tested.

Thus far, 550 of 900 former surgery patients at Audubon Surgery Center in CO – where Parker had been employed at the time of her arrest – who were tested negative for hep C; 1,250 of 3,057 Rose patients have also been given a clean bill of health.  

† Garbage In, Garbage Out: Part II: A Wall Street Journal editorial focuses on the findings of a report by the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, "Still Left Behind," that show the academic gains that Secretary of Education Arne Duncan achieved when he headed Chicago's public school system from 2001 to 2008 were too good to be true:

"[R]cent dramatic gains in the reported number of CPS elementary students who meet standards on state assessments appear to be due to changes in the tests …rather than real improvements in student learning." …

Under the 2001 No Child Left Behind law, states must test annually in grades 3 through 8 and achieve 100% proficiency by 2014. But the law gives states wide latitude to craft their own exams and to define math and reading proficiency. So state tests vary widely in rigor, and some have lowered passing scores and made other changes that give a false impression of academic success.

The new Chicago report explains that most of the improvement in elementary test scores came after the Illinois Standards Achievement Test was altered in 2006 to comply with NCLB. "State and local school officials knew that the new test and procedures made it easier for students throughout the state - and throughout Chicago - to obtain higher marks," says the report. …

[T]he Chicago study says [charter schools] "provide one bright spot in the generally disappointing performance of Chicago's public schools." … Last year 91% of charter elementary schools and 88% of charter high schools had a higher percentage of students meeting or exceeding state standards than the neighborhood schools that the students otherwise would have attended.

So why can’t Johnnie read? Because he is forced to go to a sub-standard public school.

† A Missed Speech, A Speech That Missed: The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza reports that Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA) is diving headlong into the healthcare reform debate with op-eds in Politico and The Wall Street Journal and is making the rounds of cable shows today and tomorrow:

That Jindal is adding his voice to the chorus of Republican critics of Democrats' approach to President Obama's chief policy priority - Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele will offer his own critique today at the National Press Club - is evidence that the youthful governor sees a role for himself in the national policy debate despite a rocky introduction to the country earlier this year.

Jindal, who is widely regarded as one of the rising stars within the Republican party, was chosen to deliver the party's response to Obama's February address to Congress. His performance was, to be charitable, weak and turned him - briefly - into fodder for the late night talk shows due to his resemblance to one Kenneth the Page. …

Allan Crow, a Democratic media consultant who does considerable work in Louisiana, said that while Jindal may have been knocked down, he is far from out.

"Though his national star may not be as bright right now as other Republicans such as [Alaska Gov.] Sarah Palin, there is still room for a Republican star to emerge," said Crow. "So, while Bobby Jindal may not viewed now as the superstar some wanted him to be back in January, he is still someone to watch."

† Updates To Previous Posts (second item, Empire State Repubs Rise Again): In a New York Times op-ed, former NYC Mayor Ed Koch (D) disagrees with NY Attorney General Andrew Cuomo (D) and others who say that the state constitution does not permit Gov. David Paterson (D) to simply appoint a lieutenant governor to fill the vacant position:

While the Constitution does not explicitly grant the governor the authority to appoint his lieutenant, Article XIII, Section 3, authorizes the Legislature to pass laws to address the filling of vacancies in state offices. Part of one of those laws, Article 3, Section 43, of the Public Officers Law, is clear: “If a vacancy shall occur, otherwise than by expiration of term, with no provision of law for filling the same, if the office be elective, the governor shall appoint a person to execute the duties thereof until the vacancy shall be filled by an election.”

A different part of that law, Section 41, provides for filling a vacancy in the offices of comptroller or attorney general through a joint resolution of the Legislature. This makes sense. Holders of both positions need to act independently of the governor, so he should not appoint anyone to them. And another part, Section 42, deals with vacancies to be filled by special election — including United States Senate and House seats — but explicitly excludes the lieutenant governor.

Clearly, Section 43 was intentionally written in broad language to address positions not specifically detailed in Sections 41 and 42, and hence it grants the governor the authority to appoint his lieutenant. 

Koch declares that, “[a]ppointing Richard Ravitch was the best decision Governor Paterson has made since taking office.”