Special Coverage: Rights and Liberties

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.

From the blogs

Protesting in the Name of Democracy in the Mile High City

by Linda Milazzo, CODEPINK Women for Peace: Action Blog

Denver -- your protesters should be greeted with flowers!

Why are the Police Protecting Big Money from Public Scrutiny in Denver?

by Jane Hamsher, Firedoglake

Police arrest journalists trying to get the skinny on Democratic senators and VIP donors.

Woman Kicked Out of Federal Building for Lesbian T-Shirt

by Melissa McEwan, Shakesville

"As an African-American and a lesbian, I haven't been through one day without facing some sort of discrimination ... but this is just shocking."

Former Gitmo Prisoners Seeking Religious Rights and Protection from Torture for Prisoners Who Remain

by Devin Montgomery, Jurist Legal News and Research

Shafiq Rasul, Asif Iqbal, Rhuhel Ahmed, and Jamal Al-Harith have petitioned the Supreme Court to hear thier lawsuit.

Shocking Video of Police Brutality Against Woman at DNC Protest

by AlterNet Staff, AlterNet

Cop slams protester to the ground, then detains her before she can talk to the press.

Two U.S. Marines Held in Contempt in Fallujah Killings Civil Trial

by Steve Czajkowski, Jurist Legal News and Research

Sgt. Ryan Weemer and Sgt. Jermaine Nelson took the 5th and refused to testify against their former squad leader on the killing of Iragi prisoners.

Siegelman Redux? More Allegations of Politicized Prosecutions Surface

by dday, Hullabaloo

This time, in Mississippi.

China Jails American Activists

by Tara Lohan, AlterNet

Free Tibet activists have been detained by Chinese police.

FEC Decides that the First Amendment Actually Applies to Bloggers

by Steven Reynolds, The All Spin Zone

You are now free to blog about your country ...

DOJ Preparing to Charge Six Blackwater Guards in Nisour Square Massacre

by Nick Fiske, Jurist Legal News and Research

Indictments for the killing of 17 Iraqis would likely be sought under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, which would be unprecedented.

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.

New Orleans, Three Years Later

Jordan Flaherty, Left Turn. August 28, 2008.
Despite sunny media reports about post-Katrina rebuilding, the facts on the ground reveal a stark portrait of a city transformed.

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.

At JFK Airport, Denying Basic Rights Is Just Another Day at the Office

Emily Feder, AlterNet. August 18, 2008.
I was recently stopped by Homeland Security as I was returning from a trip to Syria. What I saw in the hours that followed shocked and disturbed me.

Texas Planning to Execute Another Prisoner for a Murder He Didn't Commit

Maura Kelly, Comment Is Free. August 15, 2008.
Jeff Wood was sentenced to death under Texas' draconian Law of Parties for a murder that he did not plan or witness. He faces execution next week.

George Clooney to Make Movie About Gitmo Detainee Salim Hamdan

Amol Rajan, Arifa Akbar, Independent UK. August 15, 2008.
The film will be based on The Challenge, by journalist Jonathan Mahler, which portrays the fight for a fair trial for Osama bin Laden's driver.

Victims of the Drug War Are Forced to Resort to Bizarre Legal Defenses

Kevin Carey, Washington Monthly. August 15, 2008.
How black Baltimore drug dealers are using white supremacist legal theories to confound the Feds.

In Stunning Move, Court Decides to Reconsider Case of Rendition Victim Maher Arar

Center for Constitutional Rights. August 14, 2008.
The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals will revisit the case of the Canadian citizen who was kidnapped at JFK Airport and sent to Syria to be tortured.

Following Killing of Three Female Aid Workers, Humanitarian Agency Will Leave Afghanistan

Sayed Salahuddin, Independent UK. August 14, 2008.
Amidst rising violence, the U.S.-based International Rescue Committee says it will suspend its humanitarian programs in Afghanistan.

What the Hamdan Sentence Means for Gitmo

Andy Worthington, AlterNet. August 13, 2008.
Until now, the Bush administration has said it has the right to hold "enemy combatants" without charge or trial. The Hamdan sentence says otherwise.

Should Barack Obama and Cindy McCain be in Jail?

Johann Hari, Huffington Post. August 13, 2008.
Under the twisted logic of the "war on drugs," the answer is yes, along with Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and nearly half of the U.S. population.

Flight Rage Incident Reveals the Dark Side of Osteen's 'Prosperity Gospel'

Barbara Ehrenreich, Barbaraehrenreich.com. August 13, 2008.
The wife of get-rich-now pastor Joel Osteen faces a civil trial that embodies the sense of entitlement of those who preach the gospel of prosperity.

End Psychologists' Role in State Torture

Stephen Soldz, Boston Globe. August 12, 2008.
Psychologists have become accomplices to torture. They owe it to their profession to oppose abuses, not participate in them.

Courts Support Rights of Gay Students

Deb Price, AlterNet. August 11, 2008.
Court decisions across the country give school officials a timely reminder that gay kids have the right to express themselves.

StopMax: The Fight Against Supermax Prisons Heats Up

Jessica Pupovac, AlterNet. August 11, 2008.
With former prisoners and their families at the helm, the movement to abolish supermax prisons and end solitary confinement is gaining ground.

Influential Pastor Preaches Anti-Semitism to His Flock

Casey Sanchez, Intelligence Report. August 11, 2008.
Identifying an evil race he calls the "Kenites" as the killers of Christ, televangelist Arnold Murray denies he is an anti-Semite. Others disagree.

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