Special Coverage: Rights and Liberties

Former Gitmo Prisoner Moazzam Begg: We Deserve Asylum in Europe

Moazzam Begg, Independent UK. January 8, 2009.
Dozens of European men like myself have been released from Guantanamo, receiving no compensation for our lost years of life.

From the blogs

Pay Equity: Raise Your Voice for Equal Pay for Equal Work

by Christy Hardin Smith, Firedoglake

Democratic leadership in the House have vowed to push forward with the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act.

Oakland Residents Rise Up to Protest Brutal Murder By Police

by Adrienne Maree Brown Brown, RaceWire

"As I write this, rumors are flying and media is fanning the riot flames."

In Gaza, Having to Choose Between My Pregnant Wife and My Mother and Siblings

by Fares Akram, Independent UK

Alaa is due any day now, but I also have the responsibility of my siblings, their kids and my mother, especially after my father was killed.

Cop Shoots Helpless Man ... Did He Mistake His Gun for His Taser?

by Digby, Hullabaloo

See, the problem isn't the form of gun cops use, a stun gun or one with bullets. It's that they use any gun on people who are already down.

Obama's CIA Pick Leon Panetta Strongly Against Torture

by Digby, Hullabaloo

'I've had my problems with Panetta over the years, but he's a much better pick for this job than I might have hoped for.'

How Obama Can Fix Another Bush Disaster: The War on Workers

by Art Levine, In These Times

It is up to Obama to help undo the damage eight years of George Bush did to American workers.

As Attacks on Gaza Escalate, NYC Protesters Decry U.S. Aid to Israel

by Zahra Hankir, Indypendent

"As Americans, we are demanding that our tax money not be spent on killing innocent civilians."

Katrina Recovery 'Activist' Outs Himself as FBI Spy

by Karen Dalton-Beninato, Huffington Post

Two men Brandon Darby accused of planning subversive activity have been in federal prison since the RNC.

Rep. Hoyer Says Employee Free Choice Act Will Pass In 'Early Spring'

by Jane Hamsher, Firedoglake

People have been worried about how committed Democratic leaders are to passing the bill. Hoyer set everyone straight this morning.

Talking While Brown: A Look at Racism in U.S. Airports

by dday, Hullabaloo

No kind of profiling is more justifiable than any other. It's all part of a creeping assault on our collective civil liberties and it has to stop.

"Everything You Can Imagine, We Do Not Have": A Q&A with Gaza-Based Journalist Sameh A. Habeeb

Zahra Hankir, Indypendent. January 8, 2009.
"Today I wanted to go to the market to bring home some food. Thank God, I did not go; there was a massacre from artillery shells."

Could Israel Be Charged With War Crimes?

Mel Frykberg, IPS News. January 7, 2009.
The repeated bombing of clearly marked civilian buildings is a flagrant violation of international law.

How the U.S. Army's Field Manual Codified Torture -- and Still Does

Jeffrey S. Kaye, AlterNet. January 7, 2009.
Buried in Appendix M of the Army Field Manual, the Guantanamo virus is spreading, and eradicating it will require all of us to spread the word.

Israel Bombs UN School, Three Killed; Death Toll 100 on Monday Alone

Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!. January 6, 2009.
A "large number" of Monday's casualties were civilians, and twelve of them were children.

My Father Was No Militant, But Israel's Bombs Reduced Him to a 'Pile of Flesh'

Fares Akram, Independent UK. January 6, 2009.
What is the difference between the pilot who blew my father to pieces and the militant who fires a small rocket?

Atrocities in Gaza: Piecing Together the Story

Liliana Segura, AlterNet. January 6, 2009.
As Europe calls for a ceasefire, Israel is accused of cruel tactics and use of deadly white phosphorous in its blood-soaked assault on Gaza.

Woman Asks for Rights, Gets Acid Thrown on Face

Apostolis Fotiadis, IPS News. January 5, 2009.
After standing up to workplace injustice, two men poured sulphuric acid on Decheva Elena Kuneva, badly disfiguring her.

Keeping Journalists Out of Gaza is Futile and Counterproductive

Robert Fisk, Independent UK. January 5, 2009.
Israel is ignoring the lessons of history by banning the press from the areas it is bombing.

Why Head Shop Raids Are Unfair and Unjust

Norman Kent, CounterPunch. January 5, 2009.
How a reckless mayor, heartless federal agents and a disorganized drug-consuming public led to a pointless raid on head shops.

My Grandpa Lives in Gaza

Laila Al-Arian, The Nation. January 3, 2009.
My family has struggled to get in touch with my grandfather. As missiles rain over his Gaza neighborhood, I can only imagine what he is thinking.

Prosecute the Iraq Invasion, Not Just Torture

Peter Dyer, Consortium News. January 2, 2009.
Now that the debate on accountability for torture has entered the mainstream, it should be extended to the illegal invasion of Iraq.

Obama Alone Can't Halt the Surge in Black Murders

Earl Ofari Hutchinson, New America Media. January 1, 2009.
Murders involving young black males are bucking national crime trends. But is the answer job programs, crime prevention or more cops?

Israel's Actions Are Irrational, No Matter How Much U.S. Politicians Try to Cast Them As Normal

Wallace Shawn, The Nation. December 31, 2008.
It is not rational to think that the Palestinians will be terrorized by force, starvation or slaughter into a docile acceptance of the occupation.

My Dangerous Encounter With a Supermarket Security Guard & His Gun

Linda Milazzo, AlterNet. December 31, 2008.
'For the first time in my life, I experienced overwhelming, palpable fear.' Was it a Brink's guard or a Blackwater mercenary pointing his gun at her?

In Mexico, Gays Defend Their Right to be Catholic

Diego Cevallos, IPS News. December 30, 2008.
In Mexico, Gays proclaim a "right to be who we are, and demand to be respected and acknowledged as part of the Catholic community."

Israel's Bombs Are Only the Latest Variation in the Killing of Palestinians

Ali Abunimah, Comment Is Free. December 30, 2008.
Deprived of food and medicine by an Israeli blockade, the most vulnerable Palestinians die silent deaths every day.

Obama on the Siege of Gaza: No Comment

Joshua Frank, AlterNet. December 29, 2008.
If Obama truly supports Israel's massacre of the Palestinians, as his silence suggests, there should be no celebrating on Inauguration Day.

Gaza Carnage Sets West Bank Aflame

Mel Frykberg, IPS News. December 28, 2008.
As Israeli airstrikes continue, protesters take to the streets.

The Moral Legitimacy of Refusing to Fight in an Illegitimate War

Camillo "Mac" Bica, TruthOut.org. December 27, 2008.
It's clear that the military's position on conscientious objectors is inconsistent with the demands both of morality and of law.

Will a Fierce Battle Over Gay Rights Split the Anglican Church?

Marcela Valente, IPS News. December 27, 2008.
There is a "serious crisis" as conservative bishops from the United States are fleeing to South America.

Karl Rove Destroyed My Life

Paul Alexander, The Daily Beast. December 27, 2008.
How a former governor -- and a rising star in the Democratic Party -- ended up mopping floors in prison and how he's fighting to get out.

Sodomy Laws Are Rooted in British Colonialism

Nergui Manalsuren, IPS News. December 26, 2008.
In many countries, conservatives claim homosexuality came from the colonizing West. In fact, it's homophobia that's a legacy of Western colonialism.

The Progressive Reaction to Obama's Choice of Rick Warren Is off the Mark

Richard Kim, The Nation. December 26, 2008.
Obama and Warren both oppose gay marriage, yet say they support full equal rights for gays and lesbians -- let's push for a federal civil unions bill.

Seymour Hersh: "After 9/11 We Became a Different Country"

Faisal Abbas, Asharq Al-Awsat. December 25, 2008.
The New Yorker's star reporter discusses Abu Ghraib, the "war on terror," and why U.S. reporters don't pay enough attention to the Arab press.

Max Blumenthal on 'Rick Warren's Double Life'

Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!. December 24, 2008.
Progressives are right to hold the line against Warren's bigoted positions on abortion and homosexuality.

Mass Rape in the Congo: A Crime Against Society

Ann Jones, The Nation. December 23, 2008.
Mass rapes in the Congo are destroying civic life, as hundreds of thousands of rape victims are cast out from their families and communities.

If Obama Is Pro-Science and Honest, He'll Put the Kibosh on the Drug War

Alexander Zaitchik, AlterNet. December 23, 2008.
Obama was frank about his own drug use, so why isn't he more honest about what a disaster war on drugs has been?

Rove's IT Guru Warned of Sabotage Before Fatal Plane Crash; Was Set to Testify

Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!. December 22, 2008.
Mike Connell, the chief IT consultant to Karl Rove, reportedly asked for protective custody from the government before he died.

Shoe-Throwing Journalist Faces Trial on Dec 31

Marwa Sabah, Middle East Online. December 22, 2008.
Muntazer al-Zaidi faces charges of up to 15 years in prison.

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