Tag: civil liberties

2011

”Dissent is what rescues democracy from a quiet death behind closed doors.” – Lewis H. Lapham The year 2011 will bring Americans a larger and more intrusive police state, more unemployment and home foreclosures, no economic recovery, more disregard by the U.S. government of U.S. law, international law, the Constitution, and truth, more suspicion and … Continue reading “2011”

Giving Thanks to Outgoing Sen. Feingold

Long before there was Jeffrey Goldberg hyping “dignity” for air travelers, and Charles Krauthammer declaring that don’t “touch my junk” is the “anthem of the modern man, the Tea Party patriot,” there was Sen. Russell Feingold of Wisconsin. Since this week is about giving thanks, I’d like to begin by expressing gratitude for Democratic Sen. … Continue reading “Giving Thanks to Outgoing Sen. Feingold”

US High Court to Weigh Ashcroft Detention Case

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear former Attorney General John Ashcroft’s appeal of a lower court decision, which ruled that he could be held responsible for the wrongful detention of a U.S. citizen. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) brought the case against Ashcroft in 2005 on behalf of Abdullah al-Kidd, who they … Continue reading “US High Court to Weigh Ashcroft Detention Case”

Trudeau’s War Measures Act: A Reminiscence

On Friday, Oct. 16, 1970, I woke up at about 7:00 a.m. and turned on the radio. At the time, I was living in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The news I heard shocked me. In the middle of the night, Canada’s Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau had invoked the War Measures Act. What was that? I had never … Continue reading “Trudeau’s War Measures Act: A Reminiscence”

Will Militarization of the First Amendment Undermine the Republic?

The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing a case where the father of a fallen serviceman is suing members of a church over its picketing of military funerals with signs that say, “Thank God for Dead Soldiers,” “God Killed Your Sons,” and “Thank God for 9/11.” These protesters are hardly from a left wing antiwar group. … Continue reading “Will Militarization of the First Amendment Undermine the Republic?”

Surveillance, America’s Pastime

The dried blood on the concrete floor is there for all to see, a stain forever marking the spot on a Memphis motel balcony where Martin Luther King Jr. lay mortally wounded by a sniper’s bullet. It is a stark and ghostly image speaking to the sharp pain of absence. King is gone. His aides … Continue reading “Surveillance, America’s Pastime”

Sorry, You’re Under Surveillance

Orwell, Kafka, They could see; That government Would soon watch me. For governments keen on muzzling and thwarting opposition, terrorism is a God-sent cover. A nation subject to terrorist attack can get away with deception, surveillance, secret arrests, harassment, entrapment, censorship, spying, stealing, and grievous infringements on travel. Nothing to it… you just cite national … Continue reading “Sorry, You’re Under Surveillance”

FBI Raids Seen as Political Retribution

Recent raids by federal agents on the homes and offices of peace activists are being viewed by civil libertarians and civil society groups as further proof that the U.S. is morphing into a “surveillance state” where the right to privacy and other constitutional protections are being quietly whittled away. On Sept. 24, agents of the … Continue reading “FBI Raids Seen as Political Retribution”

Ashcroft’s Post-9/11 Roundups Spark Lawsuit

Hundreds of people who believe they were falsely detained and imprisoned by the Department of Justice in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks are now seeking redress through the U.S. courts. The exact number of detainees is unclear, as no lists were ever released publicly. But according to a report by the Office … Continue reading “Ashcroft’s Post-9/11 Roundups Spark Lawsuit”

The Obama Boomerang

FBI raids on six houses in Minneapolis and Chicago, including the office of the Minneapolis Antiwar Committee, have the antiwar movement – and the left in general – in an uproar. Agents came barging into homes guns drawn, kicking down doors and smashing furniture, armed with search warrants. The warrants described, in suitably vague terms, … Continue reading “The Obama Boomerang”