Clipmarks | ratilfar's 'constitution' clips

Amy Goodman (Democracy Now!) Arrested at RNC

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 02:52:33 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: Now there going after journalists:

"Democracy Now's Amy Goodman, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar were arrested by the Minneapolis Police Department. Charged with conspiracy to riot. Footage from Rick Rowley and Brandon Jourdan. "

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Tags: gop, represion, freedom, journalism, constitution, truth, news, arrest

The Real Reason for the Government's Pre-emptive strike on the Twin Cities

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 21:13:06 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: They don't want any witnesses.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

The city has agreed to pay $2,007,000 to end a lawsuit brought by 52 people who were swept up in a mass arrest along a Midtown sidewalk during a protest against the invasion of Iraq.

They were charged with blocking pedestrians, but videotapes show that at their most annoying, they might have slowed a few people carrying coffee into work. Public order did not seem to be in unusual danger that morning — certainly nothing that called for rounding up 52 people, or spending millions of dollars.

Only two people were tried; they were acquitted, and charges against the other 50 were dismissed.

The arrests were made on April 7, 2003, during the opening days of the invasion of Iraq and right after the city persuaded the Republican Party to hold its 2004 convention in New York. The people arrested said their rights to free speech had been abused, and sued the city and the police.

Tags: i-witness, video, you tube, news, nyt, police, oppression, liberty, freedom, constitution

Shocktroops want no video evidence! Pre-emptive strike against I-Witness

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 21:10:51 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: Can't have that pesky video evidence pop up on You Tube and the Internet. Might expose some ugly truths.

We are the Government, we control the horizontal and the vertical....

Clip Source: iwitnessvideo.info

This is Eileen Clancy, one of the founders of I-Witness Video, a NYC-based video collective that's in St. Paul to document the policing of the protests around this week's Republican National Convention.

We are suffering a preemptive video arrest. For those that don't know, I-Witness Video was remarkably successful in exposing police misconduct and outright perjury by police during the 2004 RNC. Out of 1800 arrests, at least 400 were overturned based solely on video evidence which contradicted sworn statements which were fabricated by police officers. It seems that the house arrest we are now under and the possible threat of the seizure of our computers and video cameras is a result of the 2004 success.

We are asking the public to contact the office of St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman at 651-266-8510 to stop this house arrest, this gross intimidation by police officers, and the detention of media activists and reporters.

Tags: repression, government, freedom, constitution, evidence, video, you tube

Police raids enrage activists, alarm others

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 19:41:59 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: Let Freedom Ring!

Clip Source: www.startribune.com

St. Paul police officers attempted to enter a house on Iglehart Ave. Saturday. Sara Coffey of the National Lawyers Guild was stopped outside the house, handcuffed and detained. She helped police negotiate with those inside.

Aided by informants planted in protest groups, authorities raided at least six buildings across St. Paul and Minneapolis to stop an "anarchist" plan to disrupt this week's Republican National Convention.

From Friday night through Saturday afternoon, officers surrounded houses, broke down doors, handcuffed scores of people and confiscated suspected tools of civil disobedience.

The show of force was led by the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office in collaboration with the FBI, Minneapolis and St. Paul police, the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office and other agencies.

Fletcher however, stressed that he and other agencies had informants planted inside this and other groups for "a long period of time."

Tags: gop, suppresion, repression, freedom, constitution, law, big brother

AT&T thanks the Blue Dog Democrats with a lavish party

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:49:06 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: Selling out the country has it's benefits.

Clip Source: www.salon.com

Last night in Denver, at the Mile High Station -- next to Invesco Stadium, where Barack Obama will address a crowd of 30,000 people on Thursday night -- AT&T threw a lavish, private party for Blue Dog House Democrats, virtually all of whom blindly support whatever legislation the telecom industry demands and who also, specifically, led the way this July in immunizing AT&T and other telecoms from the consequences for their illegal participation in the Bush administration's warrantless spying program. Matt Stoller has one of the listings for the party here.

Amazingly, not a single one of the 25-30 people we tried to interview would speak to us about who they were, how they got invited, what the party's purpose was, why they were attending, etc.

It was as though they knew they're part of a filthy and deeply corrupt process and were ashamed of -- or at least eager to conceal -- their involvement in it.

Tags: at&t, telecoms, blue, dogs, privacy, justice, law, constitution

New FBI Regulations - Go Ahead And Ignore The 4th Amendment

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 15:26:39 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: Well, grab yer guns, cause that the one right you got left! The Revolution starts in 5...4...3...2...1

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Tags: constitution, law, democracy, republic, empire, rubicon, young turks

Goverment Spying: The Target is You

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 18:23:22 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: "They say the measures preserve civil liberties and are subject to internal oversight."

Oh yes, I find oxymoron so comforting.

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

The Justice Department has proposed a new domestic spying measure that would make it easier for state and local police to collect intelligence about Americans, share the sensitive data with federal agencies and retain it for at least 10 years.

The proposed changes would revise the federal government's rules for police intelligence-gathering for the first time since 1993 and would apply to any of the nation's 18,000 state and local police agencies that receive roughly $1.6 billion each year in federal grants.

Taken together, critics in Congress and elsewhere say, the moves are intended to lock in policies for Bush's successor and to enshrine controversial post-Sept. 11 approaches that some say have fed the greatest expansion of executive authority since the Watergate era.

They say the measures preserve civil liberties and are subject to internal oversight.

Tags: spy, intelligence, civil liberties, law, injustice, constitution, imperial, presidency

Dept. of You Can't Make This $!&# Up!: Craig and Vitter Team Up!

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 02:50:06 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: Yep, they team up to support the Federal Marriage Amendment to the Constitution!

Clip Source: www.crooksandliars.com

Just this week, a group of Republican senators re-introduced the Federal Marriage Amendment to the Constitution, which, as we know, would ban gay marriage.

But the funny part is looking over the list of the 10 original sponsors. Most of the names are predictable — Brownback and Inhofe, for example — but there are two others whose names stand out: Sens. David Vitter (R-La.) and Larry Craig (R-Idaho).

Yes, two of the principal sponsors of a constitutional amendment to “protect” marriage include one far-right Republican who hired prostitutes and another far-right Republican who was arrested for soliciting gay sex in an airport men’s room.

As my friend Kyle put it, these two are “not exactly the poster boys of the family values crowd or particularly upstanding examples of the supposed sanctity of the ‘union of a man and a woman.”‘

Tags: vitter, craig, you, can't, make, this, $^!&, up!

Lee Iaccocca: Patriotism demands outrage

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 19:07:31 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: "I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged." - Just another America-hater?

Clip Source: www.juancole.com

Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car

The President of the United States is given a free pass to ignore the Constitution, tap our phones, and lead us to war on a pack of lies. Congress responds to record deficits by passing a huge tax cut for the wealthy (thanks, but I don't need it). The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs. While we're fiddling in Iraq, the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving pom-poms instead of asking hard questions.

That's not the promise of America my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for

"I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have.

Tags: patriotism, politics

Senator Chris Dodd, Constitutional Champion

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:20:42 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar

Clip Source: www.crooksandliars.com

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), who along with Russ Feingold has been the fiercest defender of Constitutional rights, took to the floor last night to deliver a two-hour impassioned speech in defense of the rule of law, and offered a scathing critique of the sham FISA bill about to become law.

Download | Play Download | Play

“Mr President, I had hoped that I would not have to come to the floor under these circumstances again. I’ve fought this with everything I have in me. Today we are being asked to pass the so-called compromise that was reached by some of our colleagues and approved by the other body, the House of Representatives. I’m here this evening to say that I will not and I can not support this legislation. This legislation goes against everyhting I’ve stood for, everything this body ought to stand for in my view.”

Glenn Greenwald sums up the floor speech thusly:

Tags: constitution, law, civil rights, war, espionage, big, brother

Your "Liberal" Media at Work: NYT Lies about Telco Immunity

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:30:14 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: Nah, really?

Clip Source: www.salon.com

The New York Times' Eric Lichtblau has a long, prominent article today on the pending debate over FISA and telecom amnesty -- headlined: "Return to Old Spy Rules Is Seen as Deadline Nears" -- that features (and endorses) virtually every blatant falsehood that has distorted these spying issues from the beginning, and which is built on every shoddy journalistic practice that has made clear debate over these issues almost impossible. The article strongly suggests that a so-called "compromise" is imminent, a "compromise" which will deliver to the President virtually everything he seeks in the way of new warrantless eavesdropping powers and telecom amnesty.

we are approaching "a situation that some officials predict could leave worrisome gaps in intelligence";

if no deal is reached, then "'We'll start losing intelligence capabilities,' Senator Christopher S. Bond of Missouri said";

Tags: media, news, nyt, telecoms, crimes, eavesdroping, spying, constitution

Comcast censors criticisms of itself and Rep. Carney

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 21:51:17 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: Comcast are nothing bu cowards.

Clip Source: www.salon.com

Two weeks ago, the Blue America PAC submitted ads to numerous cable television stations, newspapers and radio stations criticizing Blue Dog Rep. Chris Carney (D-Pa) for his support of a bill to expand dramatically the President's warrantless eavesdropping powers and to immunize telecoms (such as Comcast) which broke the law in enabling the Bush administration to spy on their customers with no warrants. The ads also documented that several of the lawbreaking telecoms which would benefit most from the amnesty Carney advocates donated substantial sums to his campaign (with Comast being the largest such contributor to Carney).

the ad targeted a Congressman to whom Comcast representatives have contributed generously (and who is working hard to secure amnesty for Comcast), Comcast advised Blue America that it was retaining outside legal counsel to advise it on whether it should accept the ad.

Tags: comcast, telecoms, inmunity, lies, law, law breaking, constitution

McCain mouth piece belives in "near dictatorial" Presidency

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 17:30:03 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: Oi!

Clip Source: www.salon.com

Bill Kristol today proudly announces that one of his Weekly Standard staff members, Michael Goldfarb, was just named the Deputy Communications Director of the McCain campaign.

True enough, but they sought an energetic executive with near dictatorial power in pursuing foreign policy and war. So no, the Constitution does not put Congress on an equal footing with the executive in matters of national security.

[I]f federal agents show up at a corporate headquarters for a major American company and urgently seek that company's officers for assistance in the war on terror, the companies damn well ought to give it as a matter of simple patriotism, whether the CIA wants a plane for some extraordinary rendition or help in tracking terrorists via email. . . . [T]o expect a company to resist a plea from the government for help in a time of war is ridiculous.

Tags: president, politics, mccain, mcbush, mcsame, mcnasty, mcfascist

Soldier Sues Army, Saying His Atheism Led to Threats

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 02:35:54 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: Fight for religious freedom, but don't expect yours to be protected.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Specialist Hall’s lawsuit is the latest incident to raise questions about the military’s religion guidelines. In 2005, the Air Force issued new regulations in response to complaints from cadets at the Air Force Academy that evangelical Christian officers used their positions to proselytize. In general, the armed forces have regulations, Ms. Lainez said, that respect “the rights of others to their own religious beliefs, including the right to hold no beliefs.”

“They don’t trust you because they think you are unreliable and might break, since you don’t have God to rely on,” Specialist Hall said of those who proselytize in the military. “The message is, ‘It’s a Christian nation, and you need to recognize that.’ ”

Major Welborn declined to comment beyond saying, “I’d love to tell my side of the story because it’s such a false story.”

But Timothy Feary, the other soldier at the meeting, said in an e-mail message: “Jeremy is telling the truth. I was there and witnessed everything.”

Tags: freedom, religion, constitution, army, rights, legal

Bill Moyers Journal: Going after the whistleblowers

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 02:16:29 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar

Clip Source: www.crooksandliars.com

Download | Play Download | Play (h/t Heather)

It’s infuriating that the Bush administration has gone so far around the Constitution without any accountability from those who are charged with oversight, yet the few journalists and whistleblowers that have tried to shine a light on the actions of the Bush administration are fighting to not go to jail. Case in point: James Risen, the reporter who broke the warrantless wiretapping story and who is now fighting to not go to jail after being subpoenaed to reveal his sources. Rick Karr looks at how the Bush administration has consistently sought to squelch journalists and whistleblowers like Risen, Sibel Edmonds, and even Talking Points Memo.

The entire episode (including an interview with Rep. Henry Waxman on government oversight) can be viewed online.

Transcripts below the fold.

Tags: bill moyers, press, freedom, spying, law, breaking the law, whistleblowers, truth