ACSBlog: The Blog of the American Constitution Society

The Center for American Progress' Joe Romm releases a new book, entitled Hell and High Water: Global Warming — The Solution and the Politics.  In it, Romm argues that policy solutions such as storing carbon dioxide emissions underground and building wind turbines can stave off an impending "climate catastrophe" brought about by global warming.

In related news, Arlington County, Virginia annouced plans to reduce greenhouse emissisons by 10% by buying more wind-generated power, giving tax breaks for hybrid cars, and distributing energy efficient light bulbs to residents.

Newly enacted Senate rules will restore "blue slips," which allow a Senator to block the nomination of a judicial nominee from their home state.

White House Counsel Harriet Miers is stepping down.

NPR reports on the treatment of Jose Padilla by U.S. officials:

According to court papers filed by Padilla's lawyers, for the first two years of his confinement, Padilla was held in total isolation. He heard no voice except his interrogator's. His 9-by-7 foot cell had nothing in it: no window even to the corridor, no clock or watch to orient him in time.

Padilla's meals were delivered through a slot in the door. He was either in bright light for days on end or in total darkness. He had no mattress or pillow on his steel pallet; loud noises interrupted his attempts to sleep.

Sometimes it was very cold, sometimes hot. He had nothing to read or to look at. Even a mirror was taken away. When he was transported, he was blindfolded and his ears were covered with headphones to screen out all sound. In short, Padilla experienced total sensory deprivation.

During lengthy interrogations, his lawyers allege, Padilla was forced to sit or stand for long periods in stress positions. They say he was hooded and threatened with death. The isolation was so extreme that, according to court papers, even military personnel at the prison expressed great concern about Padilla's mental status.

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Alphonso Jackson told conservative commentators at NewsMax that "[y]oung black kids are getting every opportunity that they need, just like every other kid."  Jackson also reminised about his father, who once compared accepting food stamps to "stealing."

Death sentences in the U.S. fall to a 30 year low.

Finally, the National Review's Corner is engaged in an extended debate about the proper role of eugenics in society.  One highlight: "Like almost any science, eugenics can be used for good and for bad, the question is who is to define which is which."