Entries Tagged 'Civil Liberties' ↓

Good friend of SpidelBlog, William Rivers Pitt (WRP) interviews Ron Paul. WRP and I go back through the Kucinich 04 campaign, PDA, Cegelis, and even BlueDynamic. He blogs on SpidelBlog from time to time.

A Community Education Forum on the Privacy Implications of Data Mining and the War on Terror

Government-sponsored fusion centers vary widely, but generally are centers intended to improve the sharing of anti-terrorism intelligence among state, local and federal government agencies and the private sector. To date, over 40 of these centers have been established around the nation, including Arizona.

Fusion centers are raising many questions about privacy and government openness and must be carefully bounded and monitored to ensure that they remain a legitimate and effective law enforcement tool.

“We all want our government agencies to talk to each other and share appropriate law enforcement information,” said Mike German, ACLU Policy Counsel. “What we don’t want to see is the emergence of secretive, out-of-control units that collect and sift through masses of personal information on innocent people.”

What: East Valley Chapter of the ACLU of Arizona hosts their annual Lasagna Bash Fundraising Event about the privacy implications of data mining and the War on Terror.

Who: Michael German; Intelligence expert, former FBI agent and ACLU National Security Counsel.

Where?… Continue reading →

Speaking with Gerald Richard’s campaign earlier on this whole Sheriff Joe, Andrew Thomas versus the media matter. This is what I was told:

Gerald Richard believes Andrew Thomas is violating his oath of office by encouraging and participating in a full-scale assault on the first amendment rights of the Arizona media and the public’s right to know.

Some background for my out of state readers:
 
Through a special prosecutor he appointed, Thomas authorized the arrests of the publisher and the owner of the New Times because of stories critical of Sheriff Joe Arpaio.  Thomas claimed the two men violated state law by publishing Arpaio’s home address in the on-line versions of the stories, even though that address is publicly available through a number of other websites.  Thomas also sought notes, e-mails and other research related to the stories, plus detailed information on everyone who had visited the New Times website over the past four years.  The newspaper called it “a breathtaking abuse of the U.S. Constitution.” Such actions by the County’s top prosecutor should send a chill down the spine of freedom-loving people everywhere.

Continue reading →

A man by the name of Ward Connerly wants to put his initiative on the Arizona ballot this November–an initiative which is designed to dismantle all of Arizona’s equal opportunity programs that address race and gender barriers in public education, public employment and public contracting.

Right now, Connerly is trying to get the Arizona Legislature to pass HCR 2041. If it passes, Connerly would get his anti-equal opportunity initiative on the ballot this November “for free”-meaning he would not be required to gather the 300,000 signatures that are needed to get on the Arizona ballot.

Connerly is a former Board of Regent in California who works to eliminate equal opportunity programs in states around the country. He has already destroyed equal opportunity in California, Michigan, and Washington. This year, he has targeted Arizona.

Why should we fight HCR 2041? Continue reading →

Wanted to make sure you all saw this.  Very in-depth article, but even more powerful is the comments in this article: Who can best whup Andy Thomas’ tuchis, Gerald Richard or Tim Nelson?

Last week, a secret recording emerged of a disturbing speech by Oklahoma Representative Sally Kern stating that homosexuality is a bigger threat to our nation than “terrorism or Islam.” Rep. Kern has refused to apologize for her remarks.

Hateful speech by elected officials must not be tolerated – especially when hate crimes based on religion and sexual orientation are on the rise.

Take action here: link

Tell Oklahoma’s Governor, Speaker of the House, and Senate President Pro Tempore to publicly condemn Rep. Kern’s statements.

UNITED IN 2008

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2008

Join your fellow Progressives from around the state as we lobby together for the values we share: fairness, equality, opportunity, justice, a cleaner environment and a better life for ourselves and our families.

Sponsored by a Coalition of Progressive Organizations: Arizona Advocacy Network, Arizona Business & Professional Women, Arizona National Organization for Women, Center for Progressive Leadership, Equality Arizona, Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), League of Women Voters of Metropolitan Phoenix and Planned Parenthood Arizona

Tuesday, February 12, 2008 at the Arizona State Capitol, 1700 W Washington St in Phoenix

Come from 10am to 1:30pm for lobbying, lunch and engaging speakers or…

Come from noon to 1:30pm for lunch and engaging speakers

You’re welcome to stay after 1:30pm if you’d like to view a committee hearing or visit with your legislators - staff and volunteers will be on hand to guide you.

IT’S YOUR CHOICE Free lunch and refreshments will be provided. For more information or to sign up as a participating organization or to RSVP, contact Sam Holdren at (602) 650-0900 or samh@equalityarizona.org.

Today, at Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona’s (PPAA) annual Roe v. Wade event, Governor Napolitano announced that Arizona will no longer accept federal Title V, Abstinence Only funding!!  At the event, the governor called for more accurate health information and stated she does not believe Arizona should spend money on “an educational system that doesn’t educate.”

Napolitano added she will send a letter next week to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announcing her intention to reject the federal, Title V abstinence-only funds, affirmatively refusing any money that will not fund “real, complete sex education in our schools.”

With this announcement, Arizona becomes the 16th state to turn down federal dollars that support abstinence-only programs.

The decision to cut the abstinence-only funds in Arizona comes on the heels of similar efforts by 15 other Governors from across the country, including New Mexico, Washington, Ohio and Wisconsin, who have recently rejected federal, Title V abstinence-only funding.

Continue reading →

Marshall Adame

What has become of American government? What has become of us?

Politics in America has always been a “them” and “Us” sort of event. We have so many different outlooks and avenues of expression and thought. Political philosophy, social engagement, citizen responsibility to government, as opposed to government obligation to its citizens, political correctness and how it effects our societal morays and values is today, as always, wonderfully debated and the list goes on; yet somehow those differences have helped to make us the great people we are, which has in turn forged the social Democratic miracle America still is today.

Opposing thought and spectrums, with a shared love of county, liberty, freedom and rule of law have been the hallmark of American political discourse. We all love this county and our opposing thoughts, with few exceptions, have never really challenged that principle.

I still hold back the tears when I hear the Marine Corps hymn and unashamedly jump to my feet and stand at attention when old glory passes;…. And yet something has changed. Something has begun to change us as a people….Even I have changed.

Fear has gripped us as a nation. Tragically, some of that fear is of design by our own President and those Republicans and Democrats who abide his course. President Bush displays an almost total disregard for the “Rule of Law” in America while praising the repressed peoples in the world for seeking it in their own society. Continue reading →

Habeas Funeral (White House),
originally uploaded by kspidel.

We did! Here are some photos from our White House action today. Find out more and take action http://86days.amnestyusa.org