Somewhere in northwest Pakistan Tuesday a sound was heard. Hellfire missiles streaked towards a residential compound. Eighteen people, possibly including civilians, were incinerated and another sound was heard in Washington: the sound of change dropping into Dianne Feinstein's purse.

Since the beginning of the recent revelations of a vast system of American and British government spying on nearly every person on Earth, Senator Feinstein has been quick to be at the forefront of defending these programs and denouncing leaker Edward Snowden as a "traitor." Does she mean that Snowden has betrayed America, or betrayed her own profits from illegal surveillance, indefinite detention and extrajudicial murder?

A miracle of Western diplomatic cooperation was achieved today as the US State Department coordinated its allies Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal in a successful effort to deny Bolivian President Evo Morales a clear path and refueling rights on his way out of Europe. The presidential plane was forced to land in Austria, where it was held for 13 hours while Austrian police attempted to search the aircraft for fugitive American whistleblower Edward Snowden, who may be seeking political asylum without a valid passport. The Austrian President later came to the airport and the standoff was defused when Austrian police were allowed to walk through but not thoroughly search the aircraft.

The search was a clear violation of international law as there is no international arrest warrant for Snowden. All attempts by the United States to acquire Snowden have so far relied on bilateral extradition treaties. It is not known why Austria took the historically unprecedented step of invading Bolivian territory in an attempt to arrest a man not wanted for any crime in Austria.

As Yogi Berra once famously said, "It's deja vu all over again." That's precisely the feeling I get about the trial of George Zimmerman, who prosecutors have charged with second-degree murder in the February 26, 2012 death of 17-year-old black youth Trayvon Martin. It's the Johnny Cochran Magic Glove Circus Part 2 and, I fear, with the same ultimate outcome.

There's a few key points that need stressing, as I believe they speak to the heart of this case and why it's painfully clear to anyone with half a brain in their heads that Zimmerman, like O.J. Simpson, appears to be a ruthless, unrepentant killer.

Critical fact #1: Zimmerman was an armed adult, in a car, who was instructed by a 911 dispatcher to stay put and not pursue Martin, an unarmed kid. In his own statement to police the night of the shooting Zimmerman wrote, “The dispatcher told me not to follow the suspect and that an officer was in route.” His attorneys can muddy the waters with all their 'if it don't fit you must acquit'-like bullshit, but this fact renders the claim of self-defense absurd.

Ecuador is not considering Edward Snowden’s asylum request and never intended to facilitate his flight from Hong Kong, president Rafael Correa said as the whistleblower made a personal plea to Quito for his case to be heard.

Snowden was Russia’s responsibility and would have to reach Ecuadorean territory before the country would consider any asylum request, the president said in an interview with the Guardian on Monday.

“Are we responsible for getting him to Ecuador? It’s not logical. The country that has to give him a safe conduct document is Russia.”

I wonder what deal Correa made to abandon the initial offer. It looked like he was preparing to grant asylum having dropped out of a trade pact with the United States in anticipation of problems while he considered asylum or if he granted it..

Correa Caves

Four days ago, Ecuador’s president was singing another tune. He cancelled a trade pact with the U.S. to avoid blackmail for “considering and asylum request.” This didn’t sound like the “unintentional mistake Correa referenced about

Ecuador Scraps Trade Pact Over U.S. Threats in Snowden Case

The UN and the World Medical Association both require Guantanamo detainees to have access to independent medical advice and medical examinations when they need it. But they aren't getting it!

In response to this violation and a public plea by detainees, 150 doctors from around the world (including the U.S.) have published an open letter to President Obama urging him to correct this injustice. Support these doctors! Tell Obama to give Guantanamo detainees the medical attention they require.

Several detainees are engaged in a hunger strike -- it's their only means of bringing attention to their plight. In retaliation, military doctors are force-feeding them in a painful and abusive way.

The detainees are pleading for independent medical care because they say military doctors are compromising their duty to patients and putting their loyalty to their superiors first. They don't trust the military doctors, and without trust, acceptable medical care is impossible.