Issues - U.S. DEMOCRACY UNDER SIEGE
OUR CIVIL LIBERTIES IN JEOPARDY
The Truth
about the Republic National Convention
Over seven months after last summer's protest against the Republican
National Convention in New York City, the truth is finally coming out
about how the City treated protesters. The charges against Josh Banno,
wrongly arrested in connection with the "green dragon fire", were dropped
on Friday, April 15. As well, The National Lawyers Guild announced on
Friday that the city is to pay 230, 000 dollars in contempt of court
charges for their slowness in releasing arrested protesters.
Battlespace
America
The new Pentagon can peruse intelligence on US citizens and send Marines
down Main Street
THE FAILURE OF MEDIA TO INFORM
Media Missing in Action
Eric Alterman, Center for American Progress, writer for the online Journal
Tom Paine.com
What important stories have we been missing in the midst of 24-7 media
coverage of the pope's demise?
Mainstream
Journalism: Shredding the First Amendment
John Prestage, Online Journal Contributing Writer at TruthOut.org
"The national broadcast and print media's inability to critically assess
George W. Bush's foreign and domestic policies and to serve as a watchdog
for the public's interest is nothing less than a threat to the country's
democratic process..."
'Our Democracy is in Danger of Being Paralyzed'
Bill Moyers' excellent keynote Address to the National Conference on
Media Reform, Nov. 2003
There are links to many more articles and alternative news sources in our Web Links section.
UPDATE: NEW YORK, Feb. 4, 2004-- New York City, site of the country's most horrific terrorist attack, Wednesday became the latest in a long list of cities and towns that have formally opposed the expanded investigatory powers granted to law enforcement agencies under the USA Patriot Act. Washington Post article
Portions of new PATRIOT Act II signed into law by Pres. Bush on Dec. 13, 2003 under cover of Saddam capture media hoopla. "...while most Americans watched as Hussein was probed for head lice, few were aware that the FBI had just obtained the power to probe their financial records, even if the feds don't suspect their involvement in crime or terrorism."
"Too Much Power"
Washington Post editorial, Jan. 4, 2004
This year's intelligence authorization bill provided a little-noticed
and dangerous expansion of a peculiar and unaccountable FBI investigative
power. Last-minute efforts to modify the provision in conference committee
failed, unfortunately, so the bureau now has more power to compel the
production of certain business records in national security investigations,
with no court oversight and in nearly total secrecy.
Threats
to Democracy at Code-Red Level
Seattle-Post Intelligencer, Dec. 31, 2003
Background on the PATRIOT ACT
ACLU-Montana has two informative
summaries of the act
The USA Patriot Act: A Civil Liberties Briefing and
The USA Patriot Act and Privacy.
"Keep American Safe AND Free"
National ACLU's excellent webpage on the PATRIOT Act and threats
to democracy, with many links to other resources.
Other articles about the Patriot Act
What's
So Patriotic About Trampling on the Bill of Rights?
PATRIOT Report: Serving the National Interest as a Bush/Cheney T.I.P.S.
Operative
A piece by local writer David James Duncan that is not to be missed.
This link will take you to a page at OrionOnLine called Dissent & Discourse,
from which you can access thoughts on the current political situation
by many of our finest writers of creative non-fiction.
Patriot ActII: The Sequel
The newly developed "Patriot Act 2" will even further undermine our
privacy and civil rights. An excellent report on the proposed Act, along
with the full draft text of it, can be found at the
Center for Public Integrity web siteRead a
letter
from three members of Congress to John Ashcroft rejecting Patriot
Act 2. Also read an
article from the Los Angeles Times about the secret proposals in
the Act and Patriot
Act Sequel Worse Than Original from the Baltimore Sun.
Portions of new PATRIOT Act II signed into lawby Pres. Bush on Dec. 13, 2003 under cover of Saddam capture media hoopla.>
HOMELAND SECURITY
Link to the official Department of Homeland Security website
Domestic Security and Privacy
Toeing the
Fault Line of Fear
James Carroll, Tuesday, November 19, 2002, Boston Globe
" ... We are conditioned to be terrorized by terrorism because it moves
along a fault line for which we ourselves share responsibility. The
fault line widens. And we do nothing to close it. The favored niche
of fear is an uneasy conscience, and from its sure knowledge there is
no escape."
Domestic Defense
Must Be Radical and Utopian
Chris Siebert, Monday, November 18, 2002, CommonDreams.org
“ Realistic solutions to increasing our security involve radical ideas.
These ideas will be denounced as impossible, utopian, or unnecessary.
But such proposals, which all have positive value apart from their importance
to security, would actually work...
