Special Coverage: Rights and Liberties

On Top of Jail Time, Prisoners Now Face Fees and Surcharges

Emily Jane Goodman, The Nation. September 6, 2008.
Prisoners across the country are facing court fees, arrest fees and booking fees in addition to their sentences -- and states are raking in the cash.

From the blogs

Continuous Police State: Hundreds of Demonstrators Detained at RNC

by Lindsay Beyerstein, Firedoglake

Cops detained hundreds demonstrators on the final night of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul.

Media Silent, But Activist Groups Loud About RNC Police Brutality

by Lindsay Beyerstein, Firedoglake

"I observed a lot of instigation and escalation of violence [on the part of the police]," Flemming said.

Riot Cops Gas Docile Crowd Outside the RNC

by Lindsay Beyerstein, Firedoglake

It should be stressed that this wasn't a loud boisterous march like Monday's, but just a crowd of 100 people walking calmly down the street.

Fight Back Against Police Brutality at the RNC

by Tana Ganeva, AlterNet

Sign a petition protesting the violent and illegal treatment of journalists at the Republican National Convention.

Political Prisoner Sami Al-Arian Released

by Liliana Segura, AlterNet

After five years in legal limbo, the Palestinian university professor falsely accused of terrorism is free, but faces contempt charges.

Hundreds Arrested at RNC Protests

by Lindsay Beyerstein, Firedoglake

The most common charges included obstruction, unlawful assembly, conspiracy to riot, and rioting.

Anti War Protester Offering Flower to Police Brutally Attacked

by Staff, Information Clearing House

This is terrible.

The Employee Free Choice Act: Busting the Union Busters

by Staff, American Rights at Work

American Rights at Work launches an ad campaign to educate the public on the critical issues facing the struggling middle class.

RNC UPDATE: Tear Gas and Pepper Spray Used on Protesters and Journalists in Minnesota

by Siun , Firedoglake

So who are these oh so scary people in the streets of St. Paul?

Guns Drawn, Cops Bust in on Citizens Who Plan to Protest RNC

by The Uptake and Democracy Now

The police where looking for Molotov cocktails, found young adults watching a movie.

Amy Goodman: Why We Were Falsely Arrested

Amy Goodman, Truthdig. September 5, 2008.
Government crackdowns on journalists are a true threat to democracy.

Mumia Abu-Jamal Prepares to Take His Case to the Supreme Court

Adrianne Appel, IPS News. September 3, 2008.
More than 25 years after being sentenced to death, Mumia Abu-Jamal is fighting for his life and against oppression at home and abroad.

As Unlawful Arrests Continue, St. Paul Feels Like a City Under Siege for Some Residents

Liliana Segura, AlterNet. September 3, 2008.
"It's like we don't have rights. Like we don't even live here."

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn) Condemns Police Attacks on Journalists

Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!. September 2, 2008.
Rep. Ellison discusses the crackdown on reporters, why he opposes escalation in Afghanistan, and his experience as the first Muslim Congressman.

Amy Goodman and Two Democracy Now! Producers Unlawfully Arrested at RNC

Democracy Now!. September 1, 2008.
Goodman has been charged with obstruction; felony riot charges are pending against producers Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar.

Anti-Immigrant Republican Brian Bilbray's Bizarre Crusade on the 14th Amendment

Rhonda Brownstein, Southern Poverty Law Center. September 1, 2008.
Since 1995, U.S. Rep. Bilbray (R-Calif.) has tried to deny American citizenship to children born in the United States of non-citizen parents.

RNC Raids Have Been Targeting Video Activists

Liliana Segura, AlterNet. September 1, 2008.
In the run-up to the Republican convention, Minnesota police launched a series of preemptive raids to intimidate protesters and quash dissent.

Crackdown Begins: Food Not Bombs House Among Saturday Raids Ahead of RNC

Paul Schmelzer, Minnesota Independent. August 31, 2008.
The police assault on civil liberties takes an early start ahead of the RNC.

Guantanamo Suicide Report: Truth or Travesty?

Andy Worthington, Andy Worthington's Blog. August 30, 2008.
More than two years after the government began investigating the suicides of three Guantanamo prisoners, disturbing questions remain.

Reconstruction After Katrina: Brazen Housing Discrimination Continues

Lizzy Ratner, The Nation. August 30, 2008.
White parishes are zoning minorities out of neighborhoods all over New Orleans.

New Orleans, Three Years Later

Jordan Flaherty, Left Turn. August 29, 2008.
Despite sunny media reports about post-Katrina rebuilding, the facts on the ground reveal a stark portrait of a city transformed.

Katrina Pain Index: Measuring New Orleans' Devastation Three Years Later

Bill Quigley, CounterPunch. August 29, 2008.
The United States' economic crisis and simultaneous wars have left New Orleans as an afterthought. This is what the city looks like today.

The Dangerous Consequences of Recruiting Nazis to Serve in Iraq

David Holthouse, Hate Watch. August 29, 2008.
The U.S. military appears to be teaching a skinhead with genocide on his mind how to become a tactical bomb maker.

Martin Luther King: 'I Have a Dream'

Martin Luther King, Jr., AlterNet. August 28, 2008.
Today is the 45th anniversary of MLK's historic speech.

Standoff with Police as Iraq Vets Demand to Meet with Obama Campaign

Alex Kane, Jessica Lee, Indypendent. August 28, 2008.
With no reply from Obama to their letter asking him to endorse their goals, IVAW marched to the Pepsi Center to demand that their voices be heard.

Israel Expanding Settlements in East Jerusalem

Mel Frykberg, IPS News. August 27, 2008.
As peace negotiations supposedly continue, there are approximately 430,000 Israeli settlers residing illegally in the West Bank.

The Christian Right's Got a New Stealth Tactic to Smuggle Creationism into Science Class

Sandhya Bathija, Church & State Magazine. August 27, 2008.
A new law in Louisiana allows teachers to bring in "supplemental textbooks" about evolution, the origins of life and global warming to science class.

Immigration: Mixed-Race Couples Face Violent Harassment in Pennsylvania Town

Cristina Loboguerrero, El Diario/ La Prensa. August 27, 2008.
Amid racial harassment, mixed-couples try to make lives for themselves in rural Penn.

War Resister Robin Long Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison

Sarah Lazare, Courage to Resist. August 25, 2008.
Long, an Iraq War resister deported from Canada last month, was sentenced to 15 months of prison and dishonorable discharge.

Afghan President Pardons Men Convicted of Gang Rape

Kate Clark, Independent UK. August 24, 2008.
President Hamid Karzai has pardoned three men who were found guilty of brutally raping a woman in the northern province of Samangan.

Joe Biden Is a Key Fighter in Dissolving Bush's 'Terror' Myths

Andy Worthington, AlterNet. August 24, 2008.
Biden doesn't have clean hands when it comes to Iraq, but he's been a leader in re-establishing the rule-of-law in Bush's terror war.

Who Will Crash the Democratic and Republican Conventions?

Michael Gould-Wartofsky, The Nation. August 21, 2008.
As a new generation of activists gears up to take to the streets in Denver and the Twin Cities, can they create democracy from outside?

Robin Long, War Resister Deported from Canada, Faces Trial This Week

Sarah Lazare, AlterNet. August 21, 2008.
The first war resister to be deported from Canada since the Vietnam War faces court-martial and three years in jail. Who is next?

Stop the Execution: Jeff Wood Faces Death Tomorrow for a Murder He Didn't Commit

Liliana Segura, AlterNet. August 20, 2008.
The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles has unanimously denied clemency for Jeff Wood, a man who killed no one. This cannot be tolerated.

Medical Neglect in Immigrant Prisons Reveals America at Its Worst

Kyle Hussein de Beausset, New America Media. August 19, 2008.
A spate of detainee deaths begs the question: what have we become?

How Many More Iraqis Can You Throw Behind Bars Without Trial?

Fatih Abdulsalam, Azzaman. August 19, 2008.
Among the U.S.'s most vociferous criticisms of Saddam's regime was its practice of inhumane, summary arrests. Now it is guilty of the same.

Hey Kid, Ever Considered a Career in the Peace Business?

Christine Legere, Boston Globe. August 19, 2008.
Enterprising peace activists want a table at a careers fair, just like the military.

Will Bush Officials Invoke State Secrets Privilege to Block Court Review of Arar Case?

Willam Fisher, IPS News. August 18, 2008.
Among the defendants in the lawsuit by extraordinary rendition Maher Arar are John Ashcroft, Tom Ridge, and Robert Mueller.

Naomi Klein: China's Hi-Tech Surveillance State Is Ready for Export

Amy Goodman, Juan Gonzalez, Democracy Now!. August 18, 2008.
With 300,000 security cameras in Beijing alone, China is at the forefront of the surveillance boom -- and U.S. corporations are reaping the profits.

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