People are rightly upset about the blatant violations of their Four Amendment rights being carried out under the cover of the War on Terror™ but that is only one of the rights that is being routinely ignored by our government these days.

Badtux noted about a week ago that the Department of Justice had filed charges against Edward Snowden in Alexandria, Virginia, an area with a high concentration of current and former members of the intelligence community and its contractors.

If you look at The Bill of Rights you will see:

Amendment VI

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

Edward Snowden wasn’t in Alexandria, Virginia, so the alleged crimes could not have taken place there. The evidence and witnesses are in Hawaii, so the trial is supposed to take place in Hawaii, which is a state, and has Federal courts. Changes of venue are matters for judges to decide, not the Department of Justice.

It is beginning to look like Snowden may have been hired for his cracking skills, rather than system administration. If that is true, then he was just doing his job, wasn’t he?

Castres to Ax-3-Domaines

Distance: 195 kilometers.

Welcome to the Pyrenees. I hope you have comfortable shoes, because you will the standing on them for most of the last 50 km of this stage.

It starts with the category 4 Côte de Saint-Ferréol about 25 km into the race and then it is rolling hills for 150 km and the sprint. That was the easy part, now things get serious. The last quarter of the stage involves climbing the Hors Catégorie Col de Pailhères [15.3 km at an average 8% grade, 2001 meters (6565 feet)] and then 1800 meters downhill before you climb the category 1 Ax 3 Domaines [7.8 km at an average 8.3% grade, 1375 meters (4511 feet)] and the finish line.

Today was the Froome/Quintana show. Christopher Froome took the Stage, the Yellow, and the Polka Dot, while Nairo Quintana took the White, Red Numbers, and helped his team take the Yellow Numbers.

The Col de Pailhères was the highest point on this year’s Tour at 2001 meters, Quintana was born in Tunja, Colombia which is 800 meters higher, so he doesn’t have a problem with altitude, or riding up mountains. He is in fourth for the Polka Dot 6 points behind Froome, which is one good climb.

At the end Christopher Froome just went for it, and brought Richie Porte with him on the climb up Ax 3 Domaines as everyone else faded. Quintana helped his captain, Alejandro Valverde, but Froome quite simply still had energy left while most of the field had left theirs on the climb up the Col.

Christopher Froome ( GB – SKY – 001 ) [Yellow] 32h 15′ 55″
Peter Sagan ( Svk – CAN – 011 ) [Green] 234 points
Pierre Rolland ( Fra – EUC – 051 ) [Polka Dot] 31 points
Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas ( Col – MOV – 128 ) 9 [White]

Team: Movistar ( MOV – 121-129 ) [Yellow numbers]
Stage winner: Christopher Froome ( GB – SKY – 001 )
Combative: Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas ( Col – MOV – 128 ) [Red numbers]

Top Ten:

1 Christopher Froome ( GB – SKY – 001 )
2 Richie Porte ( Aus – SKY – 006 ) + 00′ 51″
3 Alejandro Valverde ( Esp – MOV – 121 ) + 01′ 25″
4 Bauke Mollema ( Ned – BEL – 164 ) + 01′ 44″
5 Laurens Ten Dam ( Ned – BEL – 167 ) + 01′ 50″
6 Roman Kreuziger ( Cze – TST – 094 ) + 01′ 51″
7 Alberto Contador ( Esp – TST – 091 ) + 01′ 51″
8 Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas ( Col – MOV – 128 ) + 02′ 02″
9 Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver ( Esp – KAT – 101 ) + 02′ 31″
10 Michael Rogers ( Aus – TST – 098 ) + 02′ 40″

The Rest of the Top 30:
[Read more →]