Clipmarks | Aclu Clips

Social Networking: The Challenges of Privacy and Openness

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:22:46 GMT

clipped by: zoesera

[VIDEO] Social Networking: The Challenges of Privacy and Openness

Check out video below from the event “Social Networking: The Challenges of Privacy and Openness”, which TRUSTe jointly hosted with the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) at Google’s Mountain View (CA) campus last month. Speakers include:
-Chris Conley, Technology and Civil Liberties Fellow, ACLU Northern California
-David Glazer, Engineering Director, Google, and Board member, OpenSocial Foundation
-Tim Sparapani, Director of Public Policy, Facebook.

Tags: truste, online safety, online trust, online privacy, internet privacy

Crazy Sheriff Joe Arpaio facing FBI investigation for abusing his power by arresting his critics

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 16:56:29 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: We described Arpaio's incredible thuggery late last year in his dealings with the public, especially those who dare criticize him. An anti-Arpaio group called Maricopa Citizens for Safety Accountability, which formed last year in response to investigative reports and studies demonstrating that Arpaio's insane obsession with illegal immigrants was destroying his office's ability to actually deal with real law enforcement work, began showing up at county board meetings and asking to speak. Arpaio actually sent out his deputies in force to patrol these meetings, and they arrested people for merely applauding Arpaio's critics.

If that sounds fascist to you, that's about right -- after all, some of the local neo-Nazis are Arpaio's biggest fans -- and he's been known to return the love.

Clip Source: crooksandliars.com

Phoenix's KPHO-Channel 5 broke the news yesterday:

The FBI is looking into accusations that Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is using his position to settle political vendettas.

Over the past year, 5 Investigates examined more than two dozen complaints against the sheriff from business owners, government workers, mayors and law-enforcement officials.

They claim they spoke out against Arpaio, and shortly after, deputies paid them unwelcome visits.

Among the public officials who have been victimized by Arpaio's little reign of terror in Maricopa County:

-- Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, who sicced the Justice Department on Arpaio for his racial-profiling practices.

-- Mesa Police Chief

-- Dan Saban, who ran against the sheriff in 2004 and 2008

-- Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard

-- Maricopa County Manager David Smith

-- The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors

-- Superior Court Presiding Judge Barbara Mundell

-- ACLU attorney Daniel Pochoda

Tags: arizona, arpaio, hero, to, the, rightwing, immigration, human rights, civil rights, police

Speaking up for a 'moment of silence'

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:34:42 GMT

clipped by: jay8h

Clip Source: www.onenewsnow.com

Speaking up for a 'moment of silence'

Attorneys are preparing to defend Illinois' "period of silence" law for public schools.

Earlier this year, a federal judge struck down the law as a violation of the supposed "separation of church and state" because the law was "unconstitutionally vague."

Is it true the original lawsuit was filed by one atheist who objects? "It is correct," the attorney responds. "I think this is a perfect example of how radical the ACLU and their allies are. They even oppose a moment of silence if there's just a chance that someone may choose to pray."

David Cortman of the Alliance Defense Fund -- which this week filed a friend-of-the-court brief in support of the law -- explains that under the law, students are not required to pray and teachers are not involved.

Three other federal appeals courts have upheld moment of silence laws passed in other states. The Seventh U.S. Circuit is being asked to do the same with the Illinois statute.

Olbermanic Stuck In The Jaws of Coulter

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:06:06 GMT

clipped by: willhelm
clipper's remarks: The Bush campaign commercial about Dukakis' furlough program never showed a picture of Horton. In fact, the actors playing "criminals" passing through a revolving door in the ad were all white.

-- Voters considered it relevant that a candidate for president was so beholden to the ACLU that he backed an idiotic furlough program that released first-degree murderers.

And yet in Keith Olbermann's discussion of Bush's allegedly vile, racist use of Willie Horton, he used a phony version of the ad, doctored to include a photo of Horton.

in fairness to Keith, he's never been a "content guy." He was a communications major. (The agriculture school Keith attended offered a degree in this field.) He lifts the material for his show from liberal blogs, overwrites it, and throws in his trademark smirking and snorts. But that's all he does because, again, he was a communications major.

Clip Source: www.humanevents.com

In the past week, both Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann have rolled out the Willie Horton ad, claiming that it marked the beginning of vicious personal attacks in politics, as opposed to what it was: The most devastatingly relevant campaign commercial in all of American history.

-- In the '80s, the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that a prison furlough policy had to be extended to convicted murderers, who were ineligible for parole.

-- Even the Massachusetts Legislature, which contained about three Republicans, realized this was insane, and quickly passed a bill excluding first-degree murderers from the weekend furlough program. But in a desperate bid for the ACLU's Brain-Dead Liberal of the Year Award, Gov. Michael Dukakis vetoed the bill.

-- Horton, who was later released under this program, was in prison for carving up a teenager at a gas station and then stuffing his body into a garbage can.

ACLU Discussion on Crack Cocaine Sentencing

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:19:30 GMT

clipped by: sincitykitty
clipper's remarks: October marks the 23rd anniversary of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, which resulted in stricter punishments for low-level crack offenses, compared to powder cocaine offenses.

Clip Source: www.c-span.org

ACLU Discussion on Crack Cocaine Sentencing

Tuesday

October marks the 23rd anniversary of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, which resulted in stricter punishments for low-level crack offenses, compared to powder cocaine offenses. The American Civil Liberties Union hosted a discussion on whether the law distinguishing between crack and powder cocaine should continue.
Washington, DC : 1 hr. 52 min.

Tags: failed war on drugs

Interracial couple denied marriage license in Louisiana

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:31:13 GMT

clipped by: Lexica
clipper's remarks: More:

If he did an interracial marriage for one couple, he must do the same for all, he said.

"I try to treat everyone equally," he said.

Bardwell estimates that he has refused to marry about four couples during his career, all in the past 2 1/2 years.…

"It is really astonishing and disappointing to see this come up in 2009," said American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana attorney Katie Schwartzmann. "The Supreme Court ruled as far back as 1963 that the government cannot tell people who they can and cannot marry."

The ACLU sent a letter to the Louisiana Judiciary Committee, which oversees the state justices of the peace, asking them to investigate Bardwell and recommending "the most severe sanctions available, because such blatant bigotry poses a substantial threat of serious harm to the administration of justice."

"He knew he was breaking the law, but continued to do it," Schwartzmann said.
Clip Source: news.yahoo.com
A Louisiana justice of the peace said he refused to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple out of concern for any children the couple might have.
"I'm not a racist. I just don't believe in mixing the races that way," Bardwell told the Associated Press on Thursday. "I have piles and piles of black friends. They come to my home, I marry them, they use my bathroom. I treat them just like everyone else."
Bardwell said he asks everyone who calls about marriage if they are a mixed race couple. If they are, he does not marry them, he said.
Bardwell said he has discussed the topic with blacks and whites, along with witnessing some interracial marriages. He came to the conclusion that most of black society does not readily accept offspring of such relationships, and neither does white society, he said.
"There is a problem with both groups accepting a child from such a marriage," Bardwell said. "I think those children suffer and I won't help put them through it."

Tags: marriage, racism, bias, bigotry, louisiana

Texas DA Seeks to Use Seized Funds to Defend Herself in Lawsuit Over Unlawful Seizure of Same Funds

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:41:11 GMT

clipped by: sincitykitty
clipper's remarks: OMG! I think my head just exploded!

Clip Source: stopthedrugwar.org

Asset Forfeiture: Texas DA Seeks to Use Seized Funds to Defend Herself in Lawsuit Over Unlawful Seizure of Same Funds

The Texas district attorney accused of participating in an egregious asset forfeiture scheme in the East Texas town of Tenaha now wants to use the very cash seized to pay for her legal defense in a federal civil rights lawsuit filed by victims of the practice. The ACLU of Texas, which, along with the national ACLU, is representing the plaintiffs in the case, filed a brief last Friday with the Texas Attorney General's office seeking to block her from doing so.

Lynda Russell is the district attorney in Shelby County, where Tenaha is located. She is accused of participating in a scheme where Tenaha police pulled over mostly African-American motorists without cause, asked them if they were carrying cash, and if they were, threaten them with being immediately jailed for money laundering or other serious crimes unless they signed over their money to authorities.

Will Dog Fighting Videos be Protected by Freedom of Speech?

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:43:44 GMT

clipped by: JackieDel
clipper's remarks: If the Supreme Court rules to uphold the conviction of Stevens, the law will be reinstated and animals will once again be protected from people who make money from their suffering.

It seems like it should be an easy decision for the Supreme Court, but since the concept of free speech has come into question everyone from book publishers to movie producers, photographers, artists and journalists have gotten involved.

They have taken animal cruelty out of the equation and replaced it with their own interests that they believe will be damaged if Stevens loses. Even the ACLU has gotten involved.

The New York Times went as far as filing a “brief” in support of Stevens. They said, “The 1999 law imperils the media’s ability to report on issues related to animals.”

Media publications cite that they are concerned that hunting and fishing magazines will be censored and general reporting on animal issues will be limited.

Clip Source: www.care2.com

One of the most important cases concerning animal rights was presented, October 6, 2009 to the U.S. Supreme Court. Solicitor General Elena Kagan presented a case that will have the justices decide if videos and other depictions of animal torture and cruelty are protected by the First Amendment - right to free speech.

The case is the U.S. v. Stevens. Robert Stevens was convicted of selling videotapes of dog fights that he produced in 2005. He later appealed to a higher court that ruled in his favor. That court also overturned a federal law that had made it illegal to sell or possess depictions of animal cruelty for profit.

The 1999 law was passed by Congress to outlaw the production of videos called “crush videos” which were popular on the Internet.These were sexual-fetish tapes showing kittens and other small animals being crushed to death by women wearing high heels.

Tags: animals, hsus, care

Fox News Has Hired A Supporter of Convicted Cop-Killer As An"Analyst" and "Contributor"

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:59:13 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: and "started a literacy project that uses hip-hop culture to increase school engagement and reading skills among high school students." It also says that he works with the ACLU Drug Reform Project, "focusing on drug informant policy." The ACLU favors legalization of all drugs. James Pera, a retired San Francisco Police Sergeant who saw first-hand the violence of the BLA and the Weather Underground, asked, "Why does O'Reilly pander to this tool of the left? I don't know.

If they can bash the Obama Administration for not vetting left-wing radical Van Jones, shouldn’t they explain how Marc Lamont Hill was hired and who hired him?

Clip Source: www.aim.org

The "conservative" Fox News Channel (FNC) has hired Marc Lamont Hill, a public supporter of convicted cop-killer Assata Shakur, as a paid "analyst" and "contributor."

A member of the Black Liberation Army (BLA), a group that worked with the communist terrorist Weather Underground, Assata Shakur, also known as Joanne Chesimard, killed New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster "execution style" by shooting him in the head as he lay wounded by gunfire, according to the State Troopers Association of New Jersey. She was convicted of murder and went to prison but escaped to Cuba.

The Officer Down Memorial Page features a page in honor of Foerster. He was only 34 years old when he was killed. The killer is still "at large," being protected by Communist Cuba.

The decision to feature Hill as a paid FNC commentator has infuriated supporters of the police and law enforcement.

Hill, a fast-talking commentator, is described on his own website as someone who specializes in hip-hop culture

Tags: , assata shakur escaped to cuba, black liberation army and weather underground, fox news, marc lamont hill, supporter of escaped cop-killer

What they think of our left in Canada

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:36:43 GMT

clipped by: fgviva
clipper's remarks: I always thought they were out of touch

Clip Source: canadafreepress.com

Mass Psychosis of the Radical Left

Modern American leftist: Out of touch with reality, chasing imaginary 'demons in the dark'

Far be it for me to play armchair shrink here, but the more I see how the modern leftist mind works, the more I am convinced that there is a very real mental disorder in play.

I thought they were just well indoctrinated by yesteryears’ draft dodgers become Ivy League Law professors or anti-American ACLU legal hacks. But the closer I look at their consistent behavioral patterns, the more I become convinced that there is a mass psychosis involved.

If there was ever a group “out of touch with reality” and chasing imaginary “demons in the dark,” it is the modern American leftist.

Tags: left, liberal

Enough is Enough!!! Free the Scott Sisters!

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:53:22 GMT

clipped by: mammabear89
clipper's remarks: I've personally taken the time to look into this case.
I've read through the court transcripts....
the whole thing makes me sick!
I'll gladly share more links for anyone who reads this, and finds it disturbing enough to investigate on their own.

Clip Source: freethescottsisters.blogspot.com

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

FREE THE INNOCENT SCOTT SISTERS!

"My girls are dying in that prison cell daily and they have five kids that have been asked all of their lives, why does your grandmother have you? When they tell people, they can't believe that their mothers received double life sentences each and never touched anyone or even held a weapon. My whole world revolves around these kids and their children, and we are crying out for help! It is this justice system that should be made to free Jamie and Gladys and to stop trying to destroy our entire family." Mrs. Evelyn Rasco

We continue to stress the need for a pro bono attorney for the women, legal guidance and representation is desperately needed as none currently exists. Many organizations have been contacted multiple times in the past and perhaps it will be YOUR letter or phone call to the Innocence Project, the ACLU, NAACP, etc., that will garner the positive response that we have not been able to obtain to date!

Tags: scott sisters, wrongful conviction, justice, injustice

Police Harassment Greets G-20 Protesters

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:50:59 GMT

clipped by: katsteevns

Clip Source: www.commondreams.org

Published on Wednesday, September 23, 2009 by The Nation

Police Harassment Greets G-20 Protesters

by Robert S. Eshelman

Pittsburgh plays host this week to the G-20 summit, a gathering of leaders of the world's largest national economies and the European Union. And, as with many past international summits, protest groups are embroiled in legal battles over their ability to voice opposition to international political and corporate elites.

On Tuesday morning, lawyers for the ACLU of Pennsylvania and the Center for Constitutional Rights presented arguments before US District Court Judge Gary Lancaster describing a pattern of unconstitutional searches and seizures on the part of local law enforcement against two protest groups--the Seeds of Peace Collective and the Three Rivers Climate Convergence (3RCC).

'John Adams Project' Exposes CIA Agents to Terrorist Suspects

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:15:16 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: The John Adams Project is a joint effort by the ACLU and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers to locate, stalk, and photograph covert CIA agents and to show those photographs to terrorist detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

The Justice Department is investigating the John Adams Project. It is a violation of federal law to identify covert CIA agents. An ACLU spokesperson justified the outing of covert CIA agents by claiming that they had been involved in the "torture" of Guantanamo terrorist detainees that ACLU lawyers are representing.

The John Adams Project was featured on Tuesday night's O'Reilly Factor when an O'Reilly producer chased down one of the three lawyers involved in the John Adams Project and demanded answers about an operation that would seem, on the face of it, place the lives of covert CIA operatives at jeopardy. The lawyer in question was very defiant and angry at being questioned by a Fox News producer with the camera rolling.

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Tags: aclu & "john adams project", nina ginsberg activist lawyer, violation of federal law, o'reillys producer

The Valerie Jarrett Show

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 21:16:00 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: the leftist group Jones helped to found, and which launched the advertiser boycott against Fox News host Glenn Beck.

The counsel's office places part of the blame on the Office for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement, which is overseen by Obama Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President Valerie Jarrett. "This wasn't simply Valerie Jarrett rubberstamping her guy," says a White House source.

But Jarrett did view Jones as a critical member of the administration for her outreach efforts, in part, because he was so well known and respected in the radical-left world [...]

Playing to those types is another reason Jarrett's office approved the invitation of Jameel Jaffer, who runs the ACLU's "national security project," to the White House Ramadan dinner last week. Jaffer, a Canadian citizen, attended the dinner, which President Obama said was being held for American Muslims.

Jaffer is a cause célèbre to the far left for his career of litigating against

Clip Source: spectator.org

By The Prowler

The White House shouldn't expect the furor over Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation at the White House Council on Environmental Quality Van Jones to go away just because he's resigned, says a former Obama Administration transition team member, because "the same problems that they created with Jones's hiring are there for others and they don't seem to care about the political damage these people may inflict."

According to several White House sources, Jones was hired for his "green jobs czar" positions over concerns raised by the White House Counsel's Office, after Jones's background materials came back with several of what were termed "inconsistencies" in the Standard Form 86 Questionnaire for National Security Positions.

The source inside the White House Counsel's office says that their office had recently begun to look into whether Jones had recently had contact with this friends and former co-workers at Color for Change,

Tags: investigation on interrogation, jameel jaffer, mark lloyd fairness doctrine, torture photos, valerie jarrett, van jones

IN man denied ‘No Gods’ license plates though state offers ‘In God We Trust’ plates

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:58:38 GMT

clipped by: disenchantedcitizen
clipper's remarks: As I understand it, the separation of church and state sprang from the concept that the state cannot impose its belief on the individual. The federal government has been doing exactly this since 1864 when the first coin was stamped with “In God We Trust”.

In 1956 it became the national motto (http://candst.tripod.com/motto.htm), and it is supported by nearly 90% of Americans, which led the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the motto because, according to them, it has "lost through rote repetition any significant religious content”.

Several years ago, the appearance of "In God We Trust" on our money was challenged in the federal courts. The challenge was rejected by the lower federal courts, and the Supreme Court of the United States declined to review the case.

Since this message appears on U.S. currency, several states flags and seals, and license plates, many people falsely believe that the U.S. is, and was founded as, a Christian nation. I doubt you will convince them otherwise.

Clip Source: www.examiner.com

An Indiana man, Jason Borneman, has been turned down by the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) to get a personalized license plate that reads "NO GODS." This, from a state that offers an official state license plate that reads "In God We Trust."

Jason made his request for the plate after becoming increasingly annoyed by the growing popularity of the state's "In God We Trust" plates.

In a letter he received, he was told:

The personalized license plate ("PLP") referenced above has been denied as inappropriate due to form or content.

Jason has sought the guidance of the Americans Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF).

Apparently, another Indiana resident has contacted ACLU - Indiana and the American Humanist Association (AHA) with a similar complaint. This person applied for a plate to say "GODLESS" and was denied.

It seems, though, judging by this photo, that it is okay to profess that there "be gods" in the state of Indiana.

Tags: religion, church and state, supreme court, constitution