News and Analysis (3/1/12)

As New Jersey fires back at New York’s claim that the latter informed the former of the NYPD campaign to spy on Muslims …

• Christie Slams NYPD over Muslim Spying Program in N.J. (NJ.com)

… “Faiza Patel, co-director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center at NYU Law School” suggests that the NYPD may have violated a consent decree as well as NYC’s anti-profiling law and evaded the oversight requirements governing the federal grants that helped fund their spying operation:

• Did the NYPD’s Spying on Muslims Violate the Law? (ProPublica)

A big win for the CIA’s rendition program responsible for what the ACLU observer at Guantanamo calls “his years of secret, incommunicado detention and torture at the hands of the CIA”, “Khan’s plea agreement prohibits his discussing his CIA interrogation and capture” and prevents him from suing the agency:

• Alleged Maryland Al Qaeda Operative for Second Wave 9/11 Attacks Pleads Guilty (abc News)

“The military said one of the outlets, al-Watan TV, is a pirate [read: Palestinian] station whose frequencies interfered with legal [read: Zionist] broadcasters and aircraft [read: occupation military forces] communications”:

• Israeli Troops Raid 2 Private Palestinian TV Stations in West Bank, Confiscate Equipment (AP / Washington Post with Foreign Policy)

Falsely called a Muslim by an atheist plaintiff after acquitting a Muslim defendant for lack of evidence, the Lutheran judge protests, “In actuality, I’m a Christian. Does that mean I should recuse myself in all cases that involve Christians?”:

• Judge’s Dismissal of Harassment Charge Goes Viral (AP / abc News)

Egypt expresses confidence “that the constitution would be written on time to announce that the presidential election commission would accept candidates’ applications between 10 March and 8 April”:

• Egypt Presidential Election to Begin in May (BBC)

“Syrian troops backed by tanks launched a ground offensive on Wednesday to try to retake the opposition stronghold of Bab Amr in the central city of Homs, … reportedly were meeting stiff resistance from rebels of the Free Syrian Army”:

• Syrian Troops Reportedly Launch Ground Assault on Homs (Washington Post with Foreign Policy)

A “probe showed government troops also violated the truce, officials and the rebels said. Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin welcomed the rebel move, saying the punishment was light but acknowledged that the rebels made a mistake”:

• Filipino Rebels Suspend 3 Commanders Over Clash\ (AP / abc News)

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