Remembering our friends: long-time lawyer and Northwest activist icon John Caughlan has been seriously ill in Virginia Mason hospital since March 12th. Caughlan, 89, has done so many cool things in the past seven decades it's impossible to even begin to list them; suffice it to say we all wish him a speedy recovery to fight another day.--Geov Parrish

This week a second set of British Law Lords will rule on Spain's suit to extradite Augusto Pinochet from Britain to stand trial on charges of murder, torture, and genocide. The original ruling (in Spain's favor) was thrown out because one of the Law Lords hearing the case had worked for Amnesty International. This rerun, while allowing Pinochet time to wallow in comfort in the homes of British aristocracy, has also produced more charges against him: 19 separate suits have been filed so far. Even the Pope can't resist jumping into the fray; earlier this month the Vatican approached the British government and asked that Pinochet be released. Appalled, the Argentinian human rights group Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo responded in an open letter to Pope John Paul II: "We write to you as a regular citizen, because we believe that it is an aberration that, from your papal seat in the Vatican, you use the name of Jesus Christ in your plea for mercy without knowing the pain of torture, mutilation or rape." Others speculate that the Vatican supports the release of Pinochet because 1) Pinochet's an ardent Catholic, and 2) he's rabidly anti-communist, which fits the Church's own anti-Marxist stance. Of course rape, murder, torture, etc. are all minor crimes--easily forgiven--when the killer is defending the rights of property owners.--Maria Tomchick

So, what are the chances that Pinochet will lose this judgement, too? Better than you think. Of the seven Law Lords ruling on the case, only two seem to have a truly conservative bent, with the rest either considered moderate or liberal. Of course, it's not as simple as that: four of the seven were on the panel that decided in December to throw out the first ruling one of the Lords on the original panel was linked to Amnesty International. But on the moderate to liberal side are men who've taught and written books on legal ethics and restitution, heard employment appeals cases, and who've conducted separate inquiries into Mad Cow Disease (BSE) and Bloody Sunday (the day in 1972 when British troops fired into an unarmed crowd of Northern Irish protesters and killed 14 people). Ironically, on the conservative side is James Hutton, who served his entire legal career in Ireland and became Chief Justice of Northern Ireland from 1990-1997, when he was a major target of the Irish Republican Army. Fortunately, the ruling to extradite won't require a unanimous vote; only a simple majority of 4-3 will be necessary. --M.T.

The controversy over the African American Heritage Museum has been quiet since dissident community activists were evicted from the museum's grounds last year for having the temerity to do something other than apply for grants (ETS!, Vol. 2 #39, June 9 98), but critics of the professionial nonprofit types who are holding the museum hostage in its 14th year say the story is about to heat up again. That's because of the imminent release of a city audit of what happened to $400,000 in grant money given to head apologist Bob Flowers; critics say the audit will reveal he illegally hired a city employee to simultaneously staff the Museum--and went on to have an affair with her, with said woman winding up with a new house, car, etc. Some of the Museum's critics have alienated folks with their overblown rhetoric, but the underlying criticisms still are waiting for an answer: why, after 14 years of promises, are people getting comfortable jobs while there's not even a plan in place to open up what would by all accounts be a desperately needed community resource?--G.P.

As usual, some of the best news about U.S. politics can be found in the foreign press. This from the BBC: "The House of Representatives approved on Thursday a 15-word statement making it national policy to put in place a system to defend against incoming missiles." When it's put that bluntly, it's easy to see how really stupid this is, especially when there's been no discussion of why, how, and who "the enemy" is. The Pentagon cites the usual "rogue nations": Iraq, Libya, Iran, Cuba, and North Korea. Of these, only two can feed their own people, much less fire long-range missiles at the U.S. And North Korea, which is the bogey man of the moment, just agreed to allow U.S. inspectors into its secret, underground complex--which, more likely than not, is its most recent attempt to rebuild mining infrastructure destroyed by the same devastating floods that brought on famine two years ago. Notably, one of North Korea's main sources for hard currency was its mining industry. But, of course, whenever a "rogue state" digs into a hillside, they must be building nukes, right? How idiotic. --M.T.

Free Speech Seattle is conducting a petition drive to overturn the City's ban on public posters. Initiative Measure No. 46 directs the city council to strike out "light and utility poles" from the types of city-owned structures where posters and flyers are not allowed. If 19,000 valid signatures are gathered by August 24, the City Council will have 45 days to enact the new ordinance, or put it on the ballot at the next general or special election. Free Speech Seattle is seeking volutneers to collect signatures and otherwise help out. Contact Free Speech Seattle, at (206) 781-7371; www.freespeechseattle.org. Meetings are held every Saturday at noon at the Hi Score Arcade, 612 E. Pine.