Month: February 2008

After the expiration of the Protect America Act, White House supporters and intelligence officials continue the politics of fear to argue for more unchecked power, but MSNBC commentator Keith Olbermann questions why Bush would veto an a bill he finds necessary to stopping terrorism: Risks From Lapsed Wiretap Law Are Disputed (Christian Science Monitor) Keith…

Former CIA veteran Mike Scheuer, writing as if he were Osama Bin Laden, argues that poor US foreign policy is the terrorists’ number one ally: The State of the Jihad, As He Might See It (Washington Post) As controversy over the First Amendment issues and anti-Palestinian media bias in Alison Weir’s speech comes to a…

Although Bush’s domestic spy program has now expired, many cases allow wiretapping without a warrant to go on for several months more: If the Law Expires (Washington Post) Issues of free speech versus defamation of the Qur’an and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) lead to political saber rattling between Danish and Dutch governments…

The House refuses to extend the “legalization” of warrantless wiretapping and holds two Bush aides in contempt of Congress for their alleged role in the US attorney firings… House Defies Bush on Wiretaps (Washington Post) House Holds Bush Confidants In Contempt (Associated Press/Wiredispatch) …while Bush continues to use the “national security” canard to veto the…

After yesterday’s blitzkrieg on liberty and the rule of law, Congress and civil society begin a counteroffensive as the House rejects an extension of the domestic spying program, leading some to believe the temporary law may lapse… House Rejects Extension of Surveillance Act (Washington Post) Eavesdropping Law Is Likely to Lapse (New York Times) ……

The administration, with Congressional and Judicial rubberstamping, continues its blitzkrieg against civil liberties and the rule of law by approving a new domestic spying granting telecoms legal immunity and less Fourth Amendment protections… Senate Votes to Expand Spy Powers (New York Times) …continuing to defend the “legality” of waterboarding… White House Pushes Waterboarding Rationale (Washington…

Big Brother seeks unprecedented power to strip away Americans’ privacy and start foreign imperial adventures, but is incapable of finishing background checks before granting permanent residency: U.S. to Skirt Green-Card Check (Washington Post) Despite the fact that 350 times as many Palestinians as Israelis have been killed in the past year demonstrates that the Palesinians…

The US finally decides to try alleged 9/11 planners, but seeks to do so through its secretive kangaroo court system at Gitmo: US May Ask Death for 9-11 Suspects (Associated Press/Washington Post) The Army muzzles an unclassified RAND report detailing the failures of its occupation in Iraq, while Defense Secretary Gates supports extending the “surge”:…

CATO scholar Timothy Lee explains why the Protect America Act will leave itself open to abuses of privacy, while Ryan Singel analyzes the challenges of declaring telecom legal immunity unconstitutional: The Surveillance Scam (Reason) Is Retroactive Telecom Immunity Unconsitutional? (Wired.com) Turkish parliament cedes to university women the choice the state had arrogated to itself: Turkish…