Tweet
Here’s today’s blog for the latest news and updates on civil liberties and digital freedom issues. If you have any news tips and would like to contact me, email kevin.gosztola@firedoglake.com.
Climate activist hero Tim DeChristopher’s statement, which he read at his sentencing yesterday. DeChristopher told the courtroom, the heart of this case rests on “the rule of law” which “is dependent upon a government that is willing to abide by the law. Disrespect for the rule of law begins when the government believes itself and its corporate sponsors to be above the law.”
UK police allegedly arrest another one of the co-founders of LulzSec. A 19-year-old known as Topiary online was picked up by Scotland Yard and is the second co-founder to be arrested in recent weeks.
WikiLeaks is furious that anti-Muslim organization English Defense League is able to accept donations through PayPal. Norwegian terrorist Anders Behring Breivik claims to be associated with the group. WikiLeaks calls this the definition of hypocrisy that PayPal allows them to collect funds but not WikiLeaks.
Committee on Children, Families and Person with Disabilities hears testimony on bills to curtail use of shock therapy. Supporters claim that patients need this therapy so they do not hurt themselves and drugging patients with antipsychotic medicine would not guarantee a person stays alive. Critics conclude the therapy is a form of torture that would be “impermissible against suspected terrorists.
The American people are “woefully ignorant” on human rights and the US media is to blame. H. Victor Condé for Nieman Watchdog illuminates twelve human rights the press is missing and suggests this why power gets away with championing human rights while at the same time making certain those human rights do not apply to America.
House Judiciary Committee moving to pass “Protecting Children from Pornographers Act of 2011.” The ACLU’s blog post on the legislation details how this legislation would violate online privacy. [For more specific details on the legislation, I live blogged a hearing on this legislation a couple weeks ago.]
Stock value of Ebay takes a $1 billion plunge as Anonymous mounts “OpPayPal.” The latest campaign is a boycott of PayPal. Thousands of people allegedly closed their accounts today. And, unlike other actions of Anonymous in the past months, this action, Anonymous boasts, is legal.
Yesterday, Matt Olsen, President Obama’s choice for director of the National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC) was grilled. The Washington Post has this article on being questioned about the administration’s plans for the transfer of Chinese Muslim detainees known as Uighurs.
Evelyn Crunden at the People’s Blog for the Constitution draws attention to the record number of drone strikes under Obama. Crunden highlights the legal issues surrounding the strikes.
The story of a political activist blacklisted whose flight was diverted when the US closed off its airspace. Raquel Gutiérrez says she was traveling to go share some experiences of Latin American struggles when Aeroméxico told her the US had refused the plane cause she was on it.
Federal government rules allowing human embryonic stem cell research are upheld by a judge. A legal challenge to the funding is dismissed.
And the video for today –
Posted to the website of Andy Worthington, who is known for his coverage and advocacy on behalf of Guantanamo detainees, here is an interview done by Russia Today with former Guantanamo detainee Murat Kurnaz. (Click on the link for Worthington’s write-up on the video.)
2 Comments
May I be so bold as to suggest you add “willfully” to woefully? What I find amazing is an almost split-personality syndrome in a lot of people: they will say with an absolutely straight face that the US does not commit the kinds of atrocities narrated by the former detainee in the video, and then proceed to justify those kinds of acts. They’ll call this guy a liar and then accept the US military’s obstruction of justice and deletion of records that would confirm the truth. It’s madness.
Glenn’s got a great article today about the courage of the government officials in Norway in the wake of the latest episode of “A nutcase with weapons has murdered innocent people.”
http://www.salon.com/news/norway/index.html?story=/opinion/greenwald/2011/07/28/norway
What have we become to surrender everything so easily?
“Super-Congress?” Who the fuck came up with that name? We don’t even have the façade of a representative government anymore.
I might say woefully AND willfully ignorant but I won’t just generalize and say all American people are willfully ignorant. It’s much more appropriate to direct scorn toward government before the people.