Scott Brown did not respond to the ACLU's Senate candidate survey on civil liberties last year, but statements like the one above give cause for concern. On the other hand, Brown proposed legislation at the State House to prohibit the … [Read more...]
Will our next U.S. Senator be a civil libertarian?
ย Would you support a Congressional investigation of possible unlawful activities by government officials in the post 9/11 era to determine who should be held accountable? ย Would you have sponsored the JUSTICE Act that would have fixed … [Read more...]
Democratic Party Platform Online Forum: Civil Rights & Civil Liberties
Schedule & Topics for Future Forum: Economic Growth, Jobs, and Worker's Rights - 3/3 Economic Justice/Poverty/the Social Safety Net - 3/6 Housing 3/10 Environment 3/13 Public Safety & Criminal Justice 3/18 Misc - What Are We … [Read more...]
For the security-conscious toddler
Best of all, maybe, are the 48 (and counting) customer reviews, ranging from the complaint that it needs 350 more action figures to make a long line, to "Needs a Water Boarding Option." Maybe next we'll see a Commonwealth Fusion Center … [Read more...]
Police State
Per this report, St. Paul police raided the headquarters of groups preparing to protest the Republican National Convention. Guns drawn? Chilling effect, anyone? … [Read more...]
Are newspapers doomed?
And no one really seems to know what to do about it. Over the last year, I've had the chance to go to a couple of panel discussions about the future of the news business, and the dominant themes seemed to be:People don't want to read … [Read more...]
ACTION ALERT: Fight FISA “compromise”
Under this bill, we would have two justice systems in this country. Under one justice system, the super-rich and large corporations can break the law with impunity, then ask their Congressional pals to pretty please give them a get out of … [Read more...]
Restoring America After Bush (a semi-liveblog)
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse brought up the issue of the White House Office of General Counsel, particularly as regards torture. This office brought in law on Medicare reimbursement, but somehow missed that we had prosecuted Japanese soldiers … [Read more...]
Let’s say you’re labeled a terrorism suspect by mistake…
The good news, as the Globe reports today, is that this real-life fiasco has just resulted in two provisions of the Patriot Act being ruled unconstitutional. The essential problem is that the Patriot Act allows for surveillance and … [Read more...]
Wiretaps will keep us safer, but not tighter screening of cargo?
As Charlie Savage reports in today's Globe, the Bush administration plans to allow cargo packed by "approved shippers" to be loaded onto passenger airplanes without further screening -- despite passage of a law last month which requires … [Read more...]