bill of rights

Bradley Manning: 1,000 days in detention and secrecy still reigns

"There’s a much bigger reason why the cloak-and-dagger approach of the US government to this trial should be taken seriously. America doesn’t seem to have woken up to this yet, but the prosecution of Bradley Manning poses the greatest threat to freedom of speech and the press in this country in at least a generation. When one of the prosecution lawyers was asked whether the government would still have gone after Manning had he leaked to the New York Times instead of WikiLeaks, she unhesitatingly replied: 'Yes'. If that’s not a threat to the first amendment, then what is?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBradley Manning: 1,000 days in detention and secrecy still reigns

States step up fight against use of surveillance drones by law enforcement

"Lawmakers in at least 11 states are proposing various restrictions on the use of drones over their skies amid concerns the unmanned aerial vehicles could be exploited by local authorities to spy on Americans. Virginia lawmakers on Tuesday approved a two-year moratorium on the use of drones by police and government agencies. Proponents of the legislation say the unfettered use of drones could infringe on Virginians' privacy rights. In an attempt to address police concerns, legislators carved out exceptions for the use of drones in emergencies, or to search for missing children or seniors." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingStates step up fight against use of surveillance drones by law enforcement

Texas Proposal Would Make Local Police Enforcement Of Federal Gun Laws A Crime

"Police officers could be charged with a crime for enforcing new federal gun control laws in Texas under a proposal by a lawmaker who acknowledges the measure likely would end up in the U.S. Supreme Court. Rep. Steve Toth, a newly elected Republican from the Woodlands, said his proposal would prevent officers from carrying out any future federal orders to confiscate assault rifles and ammunition magazines." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTexas Proposal Would Make Local Police Enforcement Of Federal Gun Laws A Crime

Ben Swann Reality Check: Growing National Divide Over Guns and Gun Control

"t no time in recent history has the country been so dramatically divided over the issue of guns. Unprecedented new laws are being proposed across the nation and gun owners are taking very vocal stands. Ben Swann has a look at the growing divide in a Reality Check you won't see anywhere else." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBen Swann Reality Check: Growing National Divide Over Guns and Gun Control

Daniel Ellsberg: “We Are A Part of A Death Squad Country”

"Luke Rudkowski interviews Daniel Ellsberg on government harassment during the times that he released the Pentagon Papers and how government corruption from then compares to what we're seeing today. To find out more about Daniel Ellsberg check out his website here. http://www.ellsberg.net/ Daniel Ellsberg is currently involved in a lawsuit against the government (Hedges v Obama) to stop the indefinite detention provision of the NDAA." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDaniel Ellsberg: “We Are A Part of A Death Squad Country”

When can your government kill you?

"The administration seems happy to answer whether or not anyone has been killed in a drone strike in the United States. No one has yet answered whether targeted killings, conducted via some means other than drones, have ever been carried out. And no one has yet answered whether either the Obama administration or the Bush administration before it ever has operated at the boundaries of what OLC says is possible within the United States. That’s important because people have died in counterterrorism operations within the United States." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhen can your government kill you?

American Citizens Split On DOJ Memo Authorizing Government To Kill Them

"Following the release of a secret Department of Justice memo this week that outlines the administration’s legal justification for killing U.S. citizens, a new Pew Research Center poll has revealed that a majority of Americans are torn over whether they support the government’s right to kill them anywhere at any time without due process." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAmerican Citizens Split On DOJ Memo Authorizing Government To Kill Them

Paul Craig Roberts: Obama’s Expanding Kill List

"If the Obama regime is on the side of the government, as in Algeria, it will kill the rebels opposing the government. If the Obama regime is on the side of the rebels, as in Libya, it will kill the government’s leaders. Whether Washington sends a drone to murder Putin and the president of China remains to be seen. The elasticity of the Kill List and its easy expansion makes it certain that Washington will be involved in extra-judicial executions of those 'associated with terrorism' over much of the world. Americans themselves should be alarmed, because the term 'association with terrorism' is very elastic." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPaul Craig Roberts: Obama’s Expanding Kill List

Rep. Louie Gohmert: Voters need ‘at least 50 rounds’ in magazines to take out drones

"'It’s pretty offensive to most of us. Most of us think if you’re going to use a drone and fly over our homes to analyze what’s going on in our backyard — not a lot of talk’s been given — but if you can fly over in the backyard, you can use all kinds of technology to see what’s happening inside the home as well. And I know there’s been a judge, and this former judge sure thinks you ought to have a warrant to do that kind of thing. But I had somebody last week in Washington that was saying, ‘Look, this goes back to we have got to have at least 50 rounds in our magazines because on average that’s about how many it takes to bring down a drone.’" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRep. Louie Gohmert: Voters need ‘at least 50 rounds’ in magazines to take out drones

Doors swing open for advocates of marijuana legalization on Capitol Hill

"Advocates for the legalization of marijuana plan to step up their political giving and lobbying efforts now that members of Congress are taking an interest in changing federal drug laws. The lobbyists say lawmakers who wouldn’t give them the time of day are suddenly interested in meeting with them and introducing legislation following the approval of ballot initiatives in Colorado and Washington that legalized recreational use of the drug. Lobbyists say the battle that is brewing over drug laws will be far-reaching and not confined to recreational use of marijuana." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDoors swing open for advocates of marijuana legalization on Capitol Hill