bill of rights

Anthony Gregory: The Habeas Corpus Myth

"We know many things about habeas corpus. We know that it goes back to the Magna Carta and that the U.S. Constitution affirmed this bulwark of Anglo-American liberty. We know that habeas prohibits jailing people without cause, and that it remained healthy throughout U.S. history, except during wartime, until George W. Bush’s 2006 Military Commissions Act. And we also know that in 2008, the Supreme Court guaranteed basic due process rights for Guantánamo’s inmates. The trouble is that none of these things are true." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAnthony Gregory: The Habeas Corpus Myth

Paul Craig Roberts: Humanity Is Drowning In Washington’s Criminality

"Americans will soon be locked into an unaccountable police state unless US Representatives and Senators find the courage to ask questions and to sanction the executive branch officials who break the law, violate the Constitution, withhold information from Congress, and give false information about their crimes against law, the Constitution, the American people and those in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Guantanamo, and elsewhere. The US faces no threat that justifies the lawlessness and abuse of police powers that characterize the executive branch in the 21st century." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPaul Craig Roberts: Humanity Is Drowning In Washington’s Criminality

Obama: Fool Me Thrice, Shame on Whom?

"The New York Times points out that Mr. Obama’s currently promised reforms are insubstantial, and simply 'tinker around the edges of the nation’s abusive surveillance programs.' The cynics among us might think President Obama’s promises to institute reforms for enhanced privacy protections for the American people are simply a response to recent opinion polls showing that Americans are, for the first time since 9/11, more concerned about civil liberties abuses than terrorism. There’s an old saying: 'Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.' So, do we believe the president now?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama: Fool Me Thrice, Shame on Whom?

White House rejects petition calling for ‘Gun Free Zone’ around Obama, Biden

"President Obama needs armed security because he faces 'serious, persistent and credible threats on a daily basis,' the White House said in response to a petition meant to undercut his push for new gun controls. The petition garnered more than 40,000 signatures. The White House dismissed the call to disarm the president's security detail, noting that Congress mandated full-time protection of the president after the third assassination of a sitting president in 1901. 'Those who are the subject of ongoing threats must receive the necessary and appropriate protection,' the White House wrote in its response." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhite House rejects petition calling for ‘Gun Free Zone’ around Obama, Biden

Is Government Just Spying Like a Giant Peeping Tom … Or Is It Actively USING that Information?

"Top NSA whistleblower William Binney – the former head of the National Security Agency’s global digital data gathering program, and a 32-year veteran of that agency who was a 'legend' among NSA workers – says that the NSA database is used to harass and even frame anyone the government doesn’t like. Another high-level NSA whistleblower (Russell Tice, who worked on satellite spying for the agency for two decades) says that the NSA is spying on – and blackmailing – top government officials and military officers (and see this; and this PBS interview)." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIs Government Just Spying Like a Giant Peeping Tom … Or Is It Actively USING that Information?

Multiple New Polls Show Americans Reject Wholesale NSA Domestic Spying

"The poll revealed that Americans largely believe that the government has gone too far by a margin of 45% to 40%. This is a clear reversal from a January 2010 survey in which the same question found that 63% of voters believed the government didn’t 'go far enough to adequately protect the country.' In an Economist/YouGov poll, 56% of Americans do not think the NSA is telling the truth about the unconstitutional spying. The same poll found that 59% of people disapprove of the spying, while only 35% approve of it. A recent Fox News poll finds 62% of Americans think the collection of phone records is 'an unacceptable and alarming invasion of privacy rights.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMultiple New Polls Show Americans Reject Wholesale NSA Domestic Spying

Breaking the NSA Spy Ring: “What Rule of Law” Would Look Like

"Police Officer: Barack Obama? Barack Obama: Yes? Police Officer: You are under arrest for violations of United States Code, Title 18, Section 241, Conspiracy Against Rights; and Section 242, Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law. You have the right to remain silent when questioned. Anything you say or do may be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to consult an attorney before speaking to the police and to have an attorney present during questioning now or in the future. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you before any questioning, if you wish. If you decide to answer any questions now, [...]" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBreaking the NSA Spy Ring: “What Rule of Law” Would Look Like

Angry Oklahoman confronts Republican congressman over NSA surveillance

"Republican Congressman James Lankford of Oklahoma received a verbal lashing at a town hall meeting on Tuesday from a man upset with the National Security Agency’s surveillance program. 'The DEA and the IRS are getting information from the NSA and using it to frame American citizens and then lying about where they got the information,' Dax Ewbank of Oklahoma City said at the event. 'This is what is happening. Now, what happens if the government becomes politically against my belief system or my lifestyle?' 'I do not accept this idea that we need to wait for two years while you guys figure out what to do,' Ewbanks said. 'It needs to end now.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAngry Oklahoman confronts Republican congressman over NSA surveillance

Feinstein wants to limit who can be a journalist

"The most recent congressional threat to the free press in the United States comes from California Democrat U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein. In a proposed amendment to a media shield law being considered by Congress, Feinstein writes that only paid journalists should be given protections from prosecution for what they say or write. The language in her proposal is raising concerns from First Amendment advocates because it seems to leave out bloggers and other nontraditional forms of journalism that have proliferated in recent years thanks to the Internet. At a congressional hearing on the matter last week, Feinstein said shield laws should only apply to 'real reporters.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFeinstein wants to limit who can be a journalist

Open season: MN legislator targets handgun permit class for fundraiser

"Ready, aim, contribute! It’s open season for legislators with a 2014 re-election campaign in their sights. State Rep. Cindy Pugh thinks she’s hit a bull’s-eye with her 'Get Your Carry Permit With Cindy!' fundraiser next weekend, which provides residents a change to train with firearms and contribute to her political coffer. Pugh’s supporters will contribute to her campaign by paying a $125 fee ($100 for permit renewals) to take a one-day training class alongside the freshman legislator Saturday. The session in the Twin Cities suburb of Chanhassen covers the state-required training needed to apply for a permit to carry a handgun in Minnesota." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOpen season: MN legislator targets handgun permit class for fundraiser