By Joshua Holland and Raed Jarrar, AlterNet. Two weeks ago, the U.S. Senate passed a nonbinding resolution supporting “regional federalism” in Iraq. The measure is a disaster waiting to happen, and should be called what it is: a blueprint for ethnic cleansing and potentially a full-blown civil war. The clunkily named Biden-Brownback Iraq Federalism Bipartisan…
The Associated Press The American Civil Liberties Union said Sunday that newly uncovered documents show that the Pentagon secretly sent hundreds of letters seeking the financial records of private citizens without court approval. The ACLU said an analysis of 455 so-called national security letters issued after Sept. 11, 2001 shows that the Pentagon collaborated with…
By Jeremy Brecher and Brendan Smith, The Nation The double jeopardy clause of the US Constitution ensures that no American can be tried twice for the same offense. But at a time when our civil liberties are rapidly eroding, a drama is unfolding in Washington State over whether that constitutional protection applies to a US…
Firm’s Letter to Lawmakers Details Government Requests By Ellen Nakashima, Washington Post Verizon Communications, the nation’s second-largest telecom company, told congressional investigators that it has provided customers’ telephone records to federal authorities in emergency cases without court orders hundreds of times since 2005. The company said it does not determine the requests’ legality or necessity…
