Entries Tagged 'War on Terror' ↓

As many of you know… I worked for Amnesty International this last year. My last big victory before I left to start our firm, was convincing the organization to bring out the GITMO cell from Australia during the campaign season here in the states. It was NOT an easy task… but I had the support from a great boss, Larry Cox (seen in the video.)

Last night they did a snippet of this cell on the ground in PA. Awesome to see ideas manifest into reality.

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 →

Detainee is cameraman for Al-Jazeera 17 Mar 2008 The United States has censored a gruesome drawing by a Guantanamo Bay prisoner [Sami al-Haj] depicting him as a skeleton being force-fed at the military prison, the man’s lawyers said Monday as they released a recreation of the sketch. (Original link here.)

U.S. Representatives Barbara Lee and Lynn Woolsey, Co-Chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) and other CPC Members, including U.S. Representative Maxine Waters, Chair of the Out of Iraq Caucus, have introduced new Iraq-related legislation to reassert the constitutional powers of Congress in the shaping and conduct of U.S. foreign policy.  The Foreign Commitments, Congressional Powers, and Status of Forces Resolution will also enable the U.S. House of Representatives to make crystal clear that President Bush cannot skirt the Congress and commit U.S. troops to permanent or enduring U.S. bases inside Iraq or any other country by any other means than a treaty, statute, or concurrent resolution of both Houses of Congress specifically providing for such a foreign commitment. (See copy here.)

“The Bush administration cannot unilaterally establish a long term military presence in Iraq, tying the hands of future presidents, without Congressional approval,” Congresswoman Lee declared.  Continue reading →

Naomi Wolfe visited The Factor to talk about her book, The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot. John Kasich, guest host for Bill O’Reilly,11/21/07, nervously interviewed the author and did his best to keep Wolfe from explaining the premise of her book. In fact, Kasich seemed intent on framing Naomi Wolfe as a kook in order to inflame the audience.

As you will see in the video clip, Kasich opens the interview telling Wolfe that she’s ” way out there” and then continues to interrupt almost every time she tries to respond. He also admitted he only read parts of the book and didn’t need to read more. As the interview progresses, Kasich becomes more rattled ending the interview while Wolfe calmly continues talking.

“If there were no photographs, there would be no Abu Ghraib,” a guard stationed at the infamous detention facility commented.

Host a “Ghosts of Abu Ghraib” house party: http://86days.amnestyusa.org

Images are the only evidence for an American conscience that the unimaginable horrors of Abu Ghraib were real. Host a “Ghosts of Abu Ghraib” house party as November’s “86 days” campaign action and help educate your community about this tragic truth.

Through extensive interviews and documentation, “Ghosts of Abu Graib” demonstrates that the President and his senior advisors are responsible for the abuses at the prison.

When Congress passed the Military Commissions Act one year ago, the U.S. abandoned its core founding principles. The Administration continues to give a green light to policies that place guilt before innocence, imprisonment without charge, and fear above all else. When a government sanctions the use of torture tactics, it disposes of justice and the rule of law, and thereby, discards our freedom.

Join with Amnesty advocates in new ways each month to call attention to these violations as a part of our “86 days” campaign. Invite your neighbors and help educate your community by hosting a special screening of the documentary “Ghosts of Abu Ghraib”. Witness how poor policies against the “war on terror” breed tragedies like the human rights abuses at Abu Ghraib.

http://86days.amnestyusa.org

Images shouldn’t be the only proof of Abu Ghraib’s existence…our conscience reminds us that Abu Graib exists when the principals of decency and democracy do not.

In solidarity,
Kevin Spidel
Campaign Manager, Denounce Torture
Amnesty International, USA

One year ago today, Congress passed the Military Commissions Act. With it, founding principles of the U.S. Constitution were discarded in the name of fighting terror. The Act made it lawful to hold prisoners indefinitely without charge or trial, to assume guilt before innocence, to blur the definition of torture, and to use information obtained through brutal treatment as “evidence.” Other governments, including the British during America’s founding, have tried to exert control in similar ways. It didn’t work then and it doesn’t work now.

Is America safer when we undo the Constitution? Those with first-hand experience of torture, such as Senator John McCain, believe it is not only wrong but counter-productive. This and other abuses erode America’s moral standing in the world. Strong evidence suggests that they even serve as a recruiting tool for those using terror and provide convenient cover for anyone else abusing human rights.

Making the world a safer place requires consistent and universal respect for human rights. Join Amnesty International in insisting that Congress return America to its core constitutional principles of justice by overturning the Military Commissions Act, granting fair and timely trials, treating detainees humanely and reinstating habeas corpus - the right to challenge one’s detention in court.

Strengthen America’s commitment to human rights and the rule of law. It’s up to people like us to demand it. Take action at http://www.amnestyusa.org

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