|
Latest Articles: Dead Constitution
U.S. Rep. Justin Amash opposes defense authorization bill, calling it "anti-liberty"
Post Date: 2011-11-28 18:54:24 by bush_is_a_moonie
3 Comments
U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, R-Cascade Township, is speaking out against a defense bill being debated in the U.S. Senate this week, calling it “one of the most anti-liberty pieces of legislation of our lifetime.” According to the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Defense Authorization Act will allow the U.S. military to declare national territory part of the "battlefield" in the “War on Terror.” Authored by U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Michigan, and Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, the act would “permit the federal government to indefinitely detain American citizens on American soil, without charge or trial, at the discretion of the President,” Amash ...
Indefinite Domestic Military Detentions
Post Date: 2011-11-28 04:26:01 by Stephen Lendman
1 Comments
Indefinite Domestic Military Detentions - by Stephen Lendman Congress is now considering legislative language to mandate indefinite military detentions of US citizens suspected of present or past associations with alleged terrorist groups, with or without evidence to prove it. More on that below. The 2006 Military Commissions Act authorized torture and sweeping unconstitutional powers to detain, interrogate, and prosecute alleged suspects and collaborators (including US citizens), hold them (without evidence) indefinitely in military prisons, and deny them habeas and other constitutional protections. Section 1031 of the FY 2010 Defense Authorization Act contained the 2009 Military ...
Senate Moves To Allow Military To Intern Americans Without Trial
Post Date: 2011-11-27 12:01:41 by christine
4 Comments
The Senate is set to vote on a bill next week that would define the whole of the United States as a “battlefield” and allow the U.S. Military to arrest American citizens in their own back yard without charge or trial. “The Senate is going to vote on whether Congress will give this president—and every future president — the power to order the military to pick up and imprison without charge or trial civilians anywhere in the world. The power is so broad that even U.S. citizens could be swept up by the military and the military could be used far from any battlefield, even within the United States itself,” writes Chris Anders of the ACLU Washington Legislative ...
Spreading Eurozone Contagion
Post Date: 2011-11-27 04:27:38 by Stephen Lendman
0 Comments
Spreading Eurozone Contagion - by Stephen Lendman The operative word is contagion. It's malignant and spreading because it's unresolved and irresponsibly addressed. Germany, Europe's strongest economy, just had its worst ever bond auction since 1999. Over a third of 10-year bunds offered were unsold. More on the failure below. Comparable Italian yields jumped to 7.3%. Italy's two-year bond hit 7.7%. The inverted curve signals tougher times ahead. Italy also sold six-month bills at 6.50%, its highest rate in 14 years. Troubled Spain had to pay 5.11% for three-month money, the highest short-term rate since formation of Europe's Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) in ...
Rage for Change in Egypt
Post Date: 2011-11-27 04:03:28 by Stephen Lendman
0 Comments
Rage for Change in Egypt - by Stephen Lendman Last February, Egyptians celebrated Hosni Mubarak's ouster. He became an obstacle to Washington's Middle East agenda and had to go. For years, State Department and Pentagon officials wanted him out for opposing key US policies, including Iran's nuclear program and Bush's 2003 Iraq war. A military junta replaced him, headed by Field Marshall Mohammed Hussein Tantawi. He's a powerful old regime stalwart with close ties to Washington. However, US diplomats call him "aged and change- resistant." Notably, he opposes economic and political reform that conflicts with military rule. On November 25, hundreds of thousands ...
Two Scandals, One Connection: The FBI link between Penn State and UC Davis
Post Date: 2011-11-27 00:03:43 by Original_Intent
13 Comments
(Re-Posted to include all of the links.) Where sports and politics collide. Text Size A | A | A Two Scandals, One Connection: The FBI link between Penn State and UC Davis Dave Zirin on November 23, 2011 - 10:32am ETTwo shocking scandals. Two esteemed universities. Two disgraced university leaders. One stunning connection. Over the last month, we’ve seen Penn State University President Graham Spanier dismissed from his duties and we’ve seen UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi pushed to the brink of resignation. Spanier was jettisoned because of what appears to be a systematic cover-up of assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky’s serial child rape. Katehi has faced ...
No Right to Resist Unlawful Police Entry: Indiana Supremes
Post Date: 2011-11-26 17:27:12 by Ada
8 Comments
For as long as the notion of individual rights has existed, one of them has been the notion that one’s home is sacrosanct. As of Thursday, that’s no longer true in Indiana. AP (“Court: No right to resist unlawful police entry“): People have no right to resist if police officers illegally enter their home, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled in a decision that overturns centuries of common law. The court issued its 3-2 ruling on Thursday, contending that allowing residents to resist officers who enter their homes without any right would increase the risk of violent confrontation. If police enter a home illegally, the courts are the proper place to protest it, Justice ...
Urge the Senate to Oppose Indefinite Military Detention
Post Date: 2011-11-26 12:02:22 by bush_is_a_moonie
2 Comments
The U.S. Senate is considering the unthinkable: changing detention laws to imprison people — including Americans living in the United States itself — indefinitely and without charge. The Defense Authorization bill — a "must-pass" piece of legislation — is headed to the Senate floor with troubling provisions that would give the President — and all future presidents — the authority to indefinitely imprison people, without charge or trial, both abroad and inside the United States. More at link.. Also http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-h1540/show
The Fascinating History of How Corporations Became "People" -- Thanks to Corrupt Courts Working for the 1%
Post Date: 2011-11-26 06:34:20 by Kamala
2 Comments
AlterNet / By Joshua Holland 80 COMMENTS The Fascinating History of How Corporations Became "People" -- Thanks to Corrupt Courts Working for the 1% Occupiers could direct their energy not only at Wall Street, but also at its enablers, in Congress, and ultimately, at the high court. November 23, 2011 | LIKE THIS ARTICLE ? Join our mailing list: Sign up to stay up to date on the latest Economy headlines via email. Perhaps there were truly free markets before the industrial revolution, where townspeople and farmers gathered in a square to exchange livestock, produce and handmade tools. In our modern world, such a market does not exist. Governments set ...
US Higher Education in Crisis
Post Date: 2011-11-26 04:17:55 by Stephen Lendman
0 Comments
US Higher Education in Crisis - by Stephen Lendman Diogenes called education "the foundation of every state." Education reformer Horace Mann said the "common (public) school (is) the greatest discovery ever made by man." Education reform under Bush and Obama want public education made another business profit center. Doing so places bottom line priorities above teaching. At issue also is creating a two-tiered system for haves and have-nots, defined by race, ethnicity, social status and family income. Separate and unequal education produces illiterate poor inner city kids. The American dream for growing millions is a sick joke, including at the higher education level. ...
Bipartisan Deal to Slash Medicare and Medicaid
Post Date: 2011-11-26 03:56:28 by Stephen Lendman
0 Comments
Bipartisan Deal to Slash Medicare and Medicaid - by Stephen Lendman It's been planned for years. Republicans want them eliminated. Democrats agreed to incremental cuts to make ending core social contract programs look normal. Slashing Social Security comes later. On November 24, New York Times writer Robert Pear headlined, "Support Builds for a Plan to Rein in Medicare Costs," saying: Congressional Supercommittee members "built a case for major structural changes in Medicare (and Medicaid) that would limit the government's open-ended financial commitment...." Privatization is recommended. Republicans and some Democrats agree. Expect more to come on board. ...
Another New York Bomb Plot: Real or Fake?
Post Date: 2011-11-25 04:22:44 by Stephen Lendman
1 Comments
Another New York Bomb Plot: Real or Fake? - by Stephen Lendman Post-9/11, America waged war on Islam. Innocent victims are targeted for political advantage. They're called fundamentalists, extremists, terrorists and fanatics. Why Muslims when, in fact, Islam teaches love, not hate; peace, not violence; charity, not selfishness; and tolerance, not terrorism. Who knows though in today's climate of hate and fear at a time America wages global wars on Islam, including at home. Perhaps Jose Pimental (aka Muhammad Yusaf) is the latest entrapped Muslim in a plot he never planned or intended. So far, it's unclear. Born in the Dominican Republic, he's a naturalized US citizen ...
Coming: Big Austerity Cuts
Post Date: 2011-11-25 03:58:17 by Stephen Lendman
0 Comments
Coming: Big Austerity Cuts - by Stephen Lendman The congressional August Budget Control Act of 2011 established the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction - aka Supercommittee. Doing so was extralegal. The Constitution's Article 1, Section 8 explains congressional powers. None of them include supercommittee authority to resolve America's debt crisis. Article 1, Section 8, Sub-section 18 lets Congress "make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution (of its other listed Powers), and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department Officer thereof." Even though government ...
Thanksgiving Hypocrisy
Post Date: 2011-11-24 04:25:27 by Stephen Lendman
1 Comments
Thanksgiving Hypocrisy - by Stephen Lendman On November 25, 2009, a New York Times editorial headlined, "A Thanksgiving Toast," saying: "Sitting down with friends and family today, there will be thanks for the steady currents, flowing out of the past, that have brought us to this table....And there will be prayerful thanks for the future." Fact check At a time when federal, state and local authorities increasingly turn a blind eye to growing poverty, unemployment, homelessness, hunger and despair, Times editors gave thanks for their blessings others lack. They also ignored multiple imperial wars slaughtering millions, and draining trillions of dollars needed for ...
Radiation and strip searches
Post Date: 2011-11-22 14:12:56 by James Deffenbach
4 Comments
Dear Liberty Activist, In the past, I've written of abuses by the TSA, including its belief that you check your 4th Amendment rights the moment you purchase a plane ticket. The TSA's invasive screening tactics shame passengers into their potentially harmful porno scanners with the horrific thought of being groped by an agent if you refuse. As it turns out, while conducting tests on the radiation levels of these scanners, a number of them were coming back with higher levels than expected. "It would appear that the emissions are 10 times higher. We understand it as a calculation error," TSA spokesman Sarah Horowitz told Wired. A "calculation error." And yet, ...
Gunwalker scandal broadens--the FBI connection
Post Date: 2011-11-22 10:56:05 by X-15
0 Comments
Confidential informants who are participating in the Congressional probe of the Project Gunwalker (Operation Fast and Furious) scandal have now zeroed in on the FBI connection. Such a connection has been hinted at in the past, but information relayed today shows that FBI involvement was much deeper than anyone imagined. The investigation into Gunwalker has revealed a scandal involving multiple departments of the Obama Administration--Justice, FBI, ATF, ICE, DEA, DHS, and State. These connections have been verified through previously hidden emails and documents, and sworn testimony of whistleblowers. But the FBI connection is one that could be potentially the biggest one yet, indicating ...
Supercommittee Strikes Out
Post Date: 2011-11-22 04:31:24 by Stephen Lendman
10 Comments
Supercommittee Strikes Out - by Stephen Lendman On November 20, New York Times writer Eric Lipton headlined, "Lawmakers Trade Blame as Deficit Talks Crumble," saying: Hours away from their self-imposed deadlined, "Congressional leaders conceded Sunday that talks on a sweeping deficit agreement were near failure and braced for recriminations over their inability to reach a deal." Republican aides said lawmakers will end their negotiations with a whimper, not a bang. Expect no final news conference, just a quietly issued joint statement and follow-up comments. By law, automatic $1.2 trillion in cuts over 10 years will start in 2013. They're to be equally divided ...
MF Global Looted Customer Accounts
Post Date: 2011-11-22 04:02:02 by Stephen Lendman
0 Comments
MF Global Looted Customer Accounts - by Stephen Lendman Wall Street's business model is grand theft. Jon Corzine was MF Global's CEO. Earlier he headed Goldman Sachs, America's premiere racketeering organization. He also was one of legions of corrupt politicians as US senator and New Jersey governor. His extreme, longstanding criminality warrants putting him in prison for life. No restitution can reverse his harm. It's true also for many others like him. Before its collapse, MF Global (MFG) faced a run on its holdings. On October 31, it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. On November 19, Reuters said the firm "moved hundreds of millions of dollars in ...
Egyptian Military Power Grab
Post Date: 2011-11-21 04:19:54 by Stephen Lendman
1 Comments
Egyptian Military Power Grab - by Stephen Lendman Last February, euphoric celebrations followed Mubarak's ouster. Across the Middle East and North Africa, people rejoiced. Activist Saed Karazon told AFP: "What happened in Egypt is not only for the Egyptian people, it is for all Arabs. The whole Arab world is going to change." A month earlier, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled Tunisia for Saudi Arabia following weeks of violent protests. A Tunis student said, "It's wonderful. Two dictators have fallen in less than a month." In Cairo, Egyptians waved flags, held banners, and chanted, "Yesterday Tunisia. Today Egypt, and tomorrow Yemenis will break their ...
America's Student Loan Debt Bondage
Post Date: 2011-11-19 04:25:18 by Stephen Lendman
2 Comments
America's Student Loan Debt Bondage - by Stephen Lendman Higher education today isn't like it used to be. US students face crisis conditions. Washington and lenders wage financial war on them. In addition, dozens of budget-strapped states cut funds to public colleges and universities. Students are directly impacted by sharp tuition hikes (double-digit at some schools) and less financial aid. As a result, many thousands are entirely shut out. Others relying on student loans face permanent debt bondage. By end of 2011, student loan debt will top $1 trillion. It already exceeds credit card indebtedness. Moreover, in the past year alone, students borrowed over $100 billion, double ...
America's Media War on OWS
Post Date: 2011-11-19 03:59:22 by Stephen Lendman
0 Comments
America's Media War on OWS - Stephen Lendman Early reporting was scant, dismissive, and offensive. Much still belittles, denigrates and marginalizes a significant movement. Fox News claims protesters don't pay taxes or know what they want, are supported by Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei and Hugo Chavez, and represent the lunatic left wing. Bill O'Reilly quipped, "Do we have all kinds of crackheads down there." He added that Zuccotti Park is "dirty and filthy. There's rats running all over. There's dope all over the place. They're having sex outside at night and all of this stuff." Fox News reporter Charles Gasparino accused protesters of ...
Every Breath You Take, Every Move You Make – 14 New Ways That The Government Is Watching You
Post Date: 2011-11-19 00:09:25 by James Deffenbach
21 Comments
If you live in the United States today, you need to understand that your privacy is being constantly eroded. Our world is going crazy, government paranoia is off the charts and law enforcement authorities have become absolutely obsessed with watching us, listening to us, tracking us, recording us, compiling information on all of us and getting us all to spy on one another. If you doubt that we are rapidly getting to the point where the government will monitor every breath you take and every move you make, just read the rest of this article. The truth is that the government is watching you more closely than ever, and they are spending billions upon billions of dollars to enhance their ...
Criminalizing OWS Protesters
Post Date: 2011-11-18 04:29:42 by Stephen Lendman
0 Comments
Criminalizing OWS Protesters - by Stephen Lendman On November 14, the Northern California ACLU and National Lawyers Guild (NLG) sued the Oakland Police Department (OPD) in federal court for "egregious constitutional violations" against Occupy Oakland protesters. A temporary restraining order was sought to stop them. On November 14, hundreds of riot gear clad police forcefully evicted encamped Oscar Grant Plaza protesters at 5:00AM. At a same day press conference, Mayor Jean Quan said: "We have to bring the camp to an end." The ACLU-NC and NLG sued OPD on behalf of videographer Timothy Scott Campbell. Other plaintiffs include Kerie Campbell, Marc McKinnie, Michael ...
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TEXAS Gets $300,000.00 FEDERAL Grant for New DRONE !
Post Date: 2011-11-17 04:56:05 by noone222
3 Comments
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office is weeks away from launching an unmanned aerial asset to help deputies fight crime. The ShadowHawk helicopter is six-feet long, weighs fifty pounds and fits in the back of an SUV. “We can put it over a fire, put it over ahazmat spill, put it over a house with a suspect barricaded inside and literally give the incident commander the ability to look at the entire scene with a bird’s eye view, ” Chief Deputy Randy McDaniel said. Sheriff’s deputies will fly the ShadowHawk with nothing more than a laptop computer and a remote control similar to that used for video games. It’s equipped with an infrared camera that can ...
Constitutionally Protected Symbolic Speech
Post Date: 2011-11-17 04:30:38 by Stephen Lendman
1 Comments
Constitutionally Protected Symbolic Speech - by Stephen Lendman Symbolic speech examples include leafleting, picketing, demonstrating, marching, speaking publicly, flag burning, displaying t-shirts, armbands, banners and placards, sit-ins, as well as camping out in public places. With some exceptions, all have First Amendment protection. Numerous Supreme Court decisions addressed the issue. Some agreed. Others didn't. For example, in Hague v. Committee for Industrial Organization (1939), Justice Owen Roberts expressed the Court's plurality opinion, saying: "Wherever the title of streets and parks may rest, they have immemorially been held in trust for the use of the public ...
Latest [Newer] 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 [Older]
|