The privacy of Americans’ email has an expiration date. Because of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA)—passed in 1986, long before electronic communications became prevalent in the United States—email content is easily accessible to many civil and law enforcement agencies as soon as it is at least 180 days old. Fortunately, politicians on both sides of the aisle are now backing …
New SWAT Documents Detail the Brutal Reality of U.S. Police Militarization – Carey Wedler
Massachusetts SWAT teams made headlines last year when they refused to grant a public information request to the ACLU, claiming they were “private companies” and, therefore, exempt from such inquiry. The ACLU subsequently sued, and last month, it received access to the documents it requested. The documents confirm that broad overreach, unnecessary and overblown tactics, and an eagerness to attack are increasingly present …
Why It’s Time for Interns to Unionize By Randi Weingarten
Last week, 30,000 summer interns descended on Washington, D.C., to toil for tiny wages in policy shops, think tanks, the White House and, yes, labor unions. Despite the sweat, for many it’s a rewarding experience, helping them develop the skills and street smarts needed for success in life and career. Countless union and civic leaders, and even members of Congress, …
America’s Slave Empire By Chris Hedges
Three prisoners—Melvin Ray, James Pleasant and Robert Earl Council—who led work stoppages in Alabama prisons in January 2014 as part of the Free Alabama Movementhave spent the last 18 months in solitary confinement. Authorities, unnerved by the protests that engulfed three prisons in the state, as well as by videos and pictures of abusive conditions smuggled out by the movement, say …
Corporate Media Accused of Parroting Fear-Mongering over Patriot Act – Nadia Prupis
With key provisions of the USA Patriot Act nearing a long-awaited expiration date, there remains one last adversary to take down in the fight for privacy rights: the corporate media. The most recent case is the New York Times, which on Thursday quoted several anonymous White House officials who warned that allowing the Patriot Act to sunset is akin to “playing national security Russian roulette” …
Public school violates First Amendment by firing vegan teacher over private Facebook post – J. D. Heyes
A second-grade teacher in Smithville, Ohio, was fired from his job in December because he wrote on his Facebook page that he was against dairy farming. According to local affiliate Fox8, Keith Allison is a vegan and animal rights advocate who often openly posts his views regarding those issues to his Facebook page. In August, Allison took pictures of a local …
‘Fake’ Reform: Little to Celebrate as USA Freedom Act Passes House – Jon Queally
Though the overwhelming and bipartisan passage of the USA Freedom Act in the House of Representatives on Wednesday portends the end of the NSA’s mass collection of Americans’ private telephone records, civil liberties groups found little else to celebrate as the ultimate passage of the bill, which now heads to the Senate, would re-authorize a number of worrisome programs by extending the …
Gary Null Show – 05.15.15
Joachim Hagopian (Hag-o-pian) has been a practicing clinical psychologist and counselor practicing in California for over 25 years, with an emphasis on disadvantaged youth, family abuse, the child welfare system and education. Joachim attended the US Military Academy at West Point through a Congressional appointment in the late 1960s. After clashing with the system he was railroaded out at the …
Human Rights Abuses Rampant Under Drug War, 100 Groups Tell UN – Lauren McCauley
Citing large scale human rights abuses and discriminatory enforcement practices, more than 100 organizations on Wednesday sent an open letter (pdf) to the United Nations calling for a significant shift in global drug policy. The international coalition is comprised of non-governmental organizations and drug reform advocacy groups—such as Human Rights Watch, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Drug Policy Alliance—as well …
The Wars Come Home – Michael Gould-Wartofsky
Last week, as Baltimore braced for renewed protests over the death ofFreddie Gray, the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) prepared for battle. With state-of-the-art surveillance of local teenagers’ Twitter feeds, law enforcement had learned that a group of high school students was planning to march on the Mondawmin Mall. In response, the BPD did what any self-respecting police department in post-9/11 …