News and Analysis (2/13/08)

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 Post)

• Scalia Says Courts Shouldn’t Prohibit Torture (Raw Story)

…continuing to spin its Gitmo Kangaroo court military commissions as legitimate…

• 9/11 Defendants To Get ‘Extraordinary Set Of Rights’ (Los Angeles Times/San Francisco Chronicle)

…and awarding a $1 billion contract to build the world’s largest biometric database that can impact privacy even though its technologies aren’t proven safe or effective:

• Lockheed Secures Contract to Expand Biometric Database (Washington Post)

In a major blow to Hezbollah, its military operations head, Imad Mughniyah, was assassinated in Damascus, with possible Israeli involvement:

• Bomb Kills Top Hezbollah Leader (BBC News)

Except Qatar, Arab League members approve new media restrictions under the guise of “‘not offend[ing] the leaders or national and religious symbols’ of Arab countries”:

• Arab TV Broadcasters Face Curbs (BBC News)

Pakistan’s feudalism continue as next generation of its wealthy scion families take the reins of politics:

• Pakistan’s Political Future? It’s All In The Family. (Christian Science Monitor)

Alejandro

Alejandro Beutel is program assistant for the Minaret of Freedom Institute with expertise in religious freedom, democratization and security issues.