civil liberties - Page 12 of 12

Freedom vs. Fear: Truthdig Podcast With Robert Higgs

Staff / Truthdig Jul 21, 2007 In case you missed it, this week's original podcast features Robert Higgs, author of "Neither Liberty nor Safety." He speaks with Truthdig's James Harris and Joshua Scheer about how political opportunists and fear mongerers are gobbling up our individual liberties. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Intelligence Chief to Revise Spy Rules

Staff / Truthdig Jun 13, 2007 National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell, with the blessing of the White House, will rewrite the Reagan-era executive order that defines the function of the United States' many spy agencies and prohibits espionage against Americans. While critics concede that the order is out of date, they worry that an administration with a fondness for spying on its own might seize the opportunity to trample on a few civil liberties. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Bush to Seek Warrants for Wiretaps

Staff / Truthdig Jan 18, 2007 President Bush has finally agreed to allow a secret court to oversee the NSA's wiretapping program, which had been operating without warrants for years. The administration's capitulation after 13 months of stubborn resistance might have something to do with pending congressional investigations and legal battles. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Journalists and Civilians Now Vulnerable to Military Justice

Staff / Truthdig Jan 16, 2007 A provision slipped into a spending bill by the last Congress and approved by the president makes civilian contractors in Iraq subject to military court-martial. But legal scholars believe the rule could also be extended to include civilian government employees and even embedded journalists. (h/t: Largest Minority) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Gitmo Anniversary Inspires Global Protests

Staff / Truthdig Jan 13, 2007 Activists from Europe to Kuwait have joined with Cindy Sheehan and others to protest the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where nearly 400 prisoners await their fate. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Bush’s Pseudo-Watchdog Takes a Beating

Staff / Truthdig Dec 6, 2006 President Bush's puppet Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board held its first public meeting on Tuesday, getting an earful from civil liberty advocates and experts, including the ACLU's Caroline Fredrickson, who remarked: "Clearly, you've been fiddling while Rome burns." The group, though conceived by the 9/11 Commission and created by Congress, holds little power and its members serve at the pleasure of the president. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Truthdigger of the Week: Ann Beeson

Staff / Truthdig Aug 20, 2006 Truthdig salutes Ann Beeson, the American Civil Liberties Union officer and lead attorney for the plaintiffs in ACLU v. NSA, the case that persuaded a Detroit judge to order a halt to the Bush administration's warrantless wiretapping program. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Patriot Act Renewal Passes by Two Votes

Staff / Truthdig Mar 8, 2006 The cliffhanger vote caught Republican leaders by surprise. The president is expected to sign the legislation into law before Friday. With the nation's attention trained squarely on the Dubai Ports fiasco (not that it's an unimportant issue), Congress has passed the most sweeping abridgement of American freedoms in a generation--with barely a peep from the public. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )