Supreme Court hears Guantanamo habeas complaint against military tribunals; NIE position on Iran meshes with military intelligence...

5 December :: US Supreme Court hearing case of prisoners held at Guantánamo Bay naval base, without charge or due process, who now argue 2006 military tribunals legislation violates the US Constitution because it strips defendants of habeas corpus rights; LA Times reports "the detainees do not have lawyers and have no right to challenge the evidence against them" and that "Some of the men were picked up by bounty hunters in Afghanistan, who were paid $5,000 for turning over Arab men to U.S. soldiers"... Speculation emerges Pentagon used NIE to voice its opposition to White House Iran policy, as 9 of 16 US spy agencies that form NIE report are military; top Pentagon officials say no policy intervention in NIE, but that military intelligence looks at intent or threat level, not scientific knowhow, that Iran could eventually restart program, but war is not presently advisable... TIME reports unnecessary use of Social Security numbers rampant, puts consumers at serious risk of identity theft; private companies, utilities, and ISPs do not need a Social Security number, nor can they, by law, demand it; Verizon is listed as repeatedly insisting it is necessary to open an account, while their own website warns that giving out such information puts consumers at risk of identity theft; in November, the FTC released data showing that "in 2005, the last year for which there's data, 8.3 million Americans were victims — almost 4% of all adults in this country"... Bush to announce plan to freeze mortgage rates for 5 years, for homeowners at risk of losing homes as adjustable rates suddenly rise...