Fortuna Faveat... may fortune favor us

Believe it or not, I am still interested in things outside the presidential election. I am a big fan and supporter of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). I think their work is some of the most important civil action going on in the United States these days. That’s why I’m so proud they are still fighting for an American public that is largely asleep at the wheel. I’m talking about the unconstitutional wiretapping that has been going on for years (and continues today) with the explicit support of the major telecommunications companies in this country. I’m also talking about the unconstitutional, retroactive immunity that was given to those same companies this past summer by the U.S. Congress (Note: Obama voted in favor of it, McCain didn’t vote on the issue).

Well, the EFF filed suit on Thursday in Federal Court, challenging the constitutionality of both the legislative and executive branches of our government in the above actions. As the EFF filing puts it,

The immunity law puts the fox in charge of the hen house, letting the Attorney General decide whether or not telecoms like AT&T can be sued for participating in the government’s illegal warrantless surveillance,” said EFF Senior Staff Attorney Kevin Bankston. “In our constitutional system, it is the judiciary’s role as a co-equal branch of government to determine the scope of the surveillance and rule on whether it is legal, not the executive’s. The Attorney General should not be allowed to unconstitutionally play judge and jury in these cases, which affect the privacy of millions of Americans.Opposition Brief
Electronic Frontier Foundation

Here, here! I’m thankful to have the EFF fighting on my behalf. You should be, too. You can donate to them here.

It has been a very long time since I agreed with the White House on anything. So long, in fact, that I cannot recall the last time I did agree with anything that sullied institution has done. But today, credit is due to someone operating in the Executive branch and I will give them their due.

The Bush administration is opposing sweeping legislation that has sailed through the Hollywood rubber stamp known as the U.S. Congress. Included in it is the ability (and impetus) for the Department of Justice to prosecute civil cases of copyright infringement via a cabinet-level Copyright Czar. That’s right, it would remake the DOJ into Hollywood’s in-house council.

I have nothing to add to that to make it any more absurd.

So, kudos to the Executive branch for having a modicum of sense.

Check out this Wired article for more details and to figure out which Congressional jackasses need to get an earful for this fiasco.

Well, based on the comments I’m getting here and over on the YouTube channel, it is clear that a lot of people don’t really understand why freedom of the press is important and why cops should think before they arrest everyone in sight.

Back by popular demand, Amy Goodman explains (shortly after being let out of jail) why we need the checks and balances of a free press in our society. Those of you that were dozing during high school civics class or are too far removed to remember this, please pay attention.

Note: the producers mentioned in this video have since been released from jail thanks to Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN).

Pps: You could still call the numbers listed to let them know that this behavior is unacceptable

Tell NBC and CNN that they need to be covering this!

Well, the fun just keeps on coming up in Minneapolis-St. Paul. By fun, I of course mean the evisceration of any notion of freedom of assembly in the United States of America. 280 people were arrested yesterday during a police action outside the Republican National Convention that included the use of rubber bullets, tear gas and pepper spray. Among them were prominent independent journalist Amy Goodman, host of the radio program Democracy Now!, two of her producers and an Associated Press photographer, who were all covering the melee. All were released last night. Watch the video of Amy Goodman being arrested above. You can watch a clip of Democracy Now!’s coverage of their own arrests below.

Tellingly, 120 charges are now pending following 280 arrests. This showcases the favorite tactic of the police: make an illegal arrest, remove unsightly protesters from the area for “security” purposes, and then release those people when they are safely out of earshot of anyone watching/listening. If that doesn’t stifle free speech, I don’t know what does.

Here is the transcript of the video above:

DENIS MOYNIHAN: Release the accredited journalists!

AMY GOODMAN: Where’s the reporters? Sir?

POLICE OFFICER: Ma’am, get back to the sidewalk.

DENIS MOYNIHAN: Release the accredited journalists now!

AMY GOODMAN: Sir, just one second. I was just running from the convention floor.

DENIS MOYNIHAN: You are violating my constitutional rights. You are violating their constitutional rights.

POLICE OFFICER: Sidewalk now!

AMY GOODMAN: Sir, I want to talk to your superior—

POLICE OFFICER: Arrest her?

AMY GOODMAN: Do not arrest me!

POLICE OFFICER: You’re under arrest.

POLICE OFFICER: Hold it right there. You’re under arrest. Stay right there. Back up. Back up.

POLICE OFFICER: Everybody, you cross this line, you’ll be under arrest, so don’t do it.

CROWD: Let her go!

DENIS MOYNIHAN: Amy, we are going to get you out of here very soon.

AMY GOODMAN: This is outrageous.

DENIS MOYNIHAN: Yes, we have people working on it.

AMY GOODMAN: Nicole has a bloody nose. And I think that Sergeant McKinty said he—they won’t put me on [inaudible] if Nicole’s not there.

Tell St. Paul and RNC officials that this oppression will not be tolerated!

I’m also happy to see that the storm troopers up north are keeping hydrated with their camouflage camelbaks. I wonder if those are police issued or if they were provided by the RNC? I’m sure it gets pretty sweaty in all that swat team gear and they have been running all over the city oppressing free thinkers.

Just think, this is all happening at a convention that is barely even occurring. What would have happened if Herr Bush and Herr Cheney had actually made their scheduled appearances? I shudder to think.

So, what else can I say? You must watch the video above, but better yet, watch all the footage (and read a full transcript) from this and the other unconstitutional arrests of these journalists over at Democracy Now! (permalink)

Peace groups preparing to protest the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis are being subjected to grotesque abuse of power by the police there. Honestly, I don’t know how many times this is going to happen before you hear about it on the evening news. I’m not sure you ever will. That’s why I have to pass this on to you, in the hopes that it might cause you to recognize the police as what they are: thugs. Don’t believe the hype that they sold you during your D.A.R.E. classes in elementary school. The policeman is not your friend. Just ask the “peaceful kids” who live in the “hippie house” that was raided:

In the house that had just been raided, those inside described how a team of roughly 25 officers had barged into their homes with masks and black swat gear, holding large semi-automatic rifles, and ordered them to lie on the floor, where they were handcuffed and ordered not to move. The officers refused to state why they were there and, until the very end, refused to show whether they had a search warrant. They were forced to remain on the floor for 45 minutes while the officers took away the laptops, computers, individual journals, and political materials kept in the house.Glenn Greenwald
Salon.com reporter

As you sit at home on this national holiday, do yourself a favor and take a moment to read the full coverage over at BoingBoing. This is happening in our land of the free, our home of the brave. Excessive police action was taken at both major political party conventions in the last week. Our police state is so pervasive that I had to add a new category to this site called just that. The acceptance of police oppression must stop, but it cannot be stopped until you and me, Mr. and Mrs. America, demand that it stop.

Why haven’t we seen this in the mainstream media, specifically television news? Why haven’t we heard about this from the candidates? These are the questions you should be asking yourself and your elected representatives each and every day.

Happy Labor Day!

Salon.com coverage

I-Witness Video coverage

Now, from the top of this, I’ll admit I didn’t watch every moment of MSNBC’s coverage of last night’s portion of the Democratic National Convention. But, I did see a substantial portion of it and during that time, there was not a single audible mention of the fact that police were using billy clubs and pepper spray on protestors outside the convention center. Watch the clip above and you can see tt was scrolling across the screen under their giant talking heads. Unfortunately, there was no aural alert for the audience.

Once again, we must turn to the internet if we want even a scant chance of getting the truth and once again the great importance of internet neutrality is in the spotlight.

For actual coverage of the convention and the goings on, I suggest you check out Boing Boing and blogger Ethan Persoff’s first-hand reporting of the events as they unfold. Here’s a snippet from Ethan’s experience last night:

It’s at this moment that the ‘early big moment’ happened. Just to repeat: the cops were caging these kids in, tighter and tighter. So a tall guy makes what seems to be a break for it. And that’s where I happened to be in a good place for a very clear view. Due to our alley detour I was standing about fifteen feet from what happened. And it happened in such a quick blink of an eye that you’d miss it if you sneezed. My excuse for not having a photo is because just as I hit the shutter I swallowed in a gulp of pepper spray that misted through the air forcing me to recoil and lose the shot. But I’ll happily go in a court of law to say I saw a guy with no weapons run at a bunch of police, immediately get shot with rubber bullets, and then receive what looked very much like a pistol whipping. The sound of clattering metal billyclubs on the pavement, indicating missed shots, is something I don’t think I’ll ever forget either.Ethan Persoff

If you have ever wanted to cut through the bullshit politicos hurl about the need to wiretap U.S. citizens inside the United States, Wired has a great piece that gets to the *gasp* facts on the matter. What a concept! Kudos to Ryan Singel for boiling this mess down to the cold, hard facts of the situation.

Sic Semper Tyrannis!