Reuters hugs Lynne Stewart

Although I've nothing to add to this story above what you'll read elsewhere this blog allows a chance to vent, which is slightly more theraputic than screaming at the TV. That said, the wrist slap sentencing of Lynne Stewart for assisting the Blind Shake was itself a slap in the face. Not surprisingly the al-Reuters story reads as if Stewart was Mother Teresa caught pouring tea into Boston harbor while handing out sandwiches to the homeless:

Stewart, long a defender of the poor and unpopular..

Let's get it straight. Despite her history of defending the defenseless, Stewart was helping the man who had declared a fatwa to kill Americans and had hatched a plot to kill innocent people on the New York Subway system and bridges. He was an enemy of the state. Wonder if Ms. Stewart ever considered that poor people get killed in terror attacks, too?

But wait, the coup de grace:

Some observers said the case stemmed from Bush administration efforts to discourage the defense of accused terrorists.

We shouldn't be surprised that this particular news agency spewed that allegation out with no supporting names or faces. Maybe they were running up against deadline and couldn't get anything photoshopped? Or maybe an election is coming..